100 people

F THE WORLD ONLY HAD 100 PEOPLE

Let us not be stopped by that which divides us but look for that which unites us

If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:

60 Asians 12 Europeans 5 US Americans and Canadians 8 Latin Americans 14 Africans

49 would be female 51 would be male

82 would be non-white 18 white

89 heterosexual 11 homosexual

33 would be Christian 67 would be non-Christian

a.. 5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth, and all of them would be US citizens

a.. 80 would live in substandard housing

a.. 24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76% that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)

a.. 67 would be unable to read

a.. 1 (only one) would have a college education.

a.. 50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation

a.. 33 would be without access to a safe water supply

a.. 1 would have HIV

a.. 1 near death

a.. 2 would be near birth

a.. 7 people would have access to the Internet

some more culture

I am not sure if one can “act American.” What I mean is that there is no clear definition of what is American. We have been called the melting pot of the world with great reason. In our metropolitan areas you can experience almost any culture from any of the four corners of the world. We are caucasian, asian, african, indian, hispanic. Our family might have moved here 200 years ago or just have migrated here 2 months ago. We live in rural, suburban and urban areas. We attend churches, mosques, temples or none at all.

What characteristics would be given to an American? If you were to go overseas we might be known as obnoxious, loud and rude. The media might portray us as obtrusive and ill tolerant. Others might look at us and say we work too hard. Some might say we spend too much money on entertainment. We could add any description that we want but Americans characteristics are as diverse as the nations we are from.

culture

people are different for example i was born in maine, went to college in indiana, have traveled to a different multiple countries; mexico, mozambique, brazil, england and france. since college i have lived in south carolina, new york and am now back in indiana. i have lived in a small town, a suburb and urban areas. i have worked with and ministered to homeless people and millionaires. i have seen the the best of what humanity has to offer and unfortunately have also seen the worst. all of these things have added to and help change my world view.

a quote from last nights class made me think. the professor said "the church has been effected more by the culture then the culture has been effected by the church." i am wondering, if anyone still reads this blog, what you might think about this statement?

charging for church

i know this might be a weird concept. i never really considered it before until yesterday at church. john asked the question, "would you still come to church if you were charged ticket prices?" i know multiple people who spend money on season tickets to the colts, red sox, butler and i dont want to focus on them spending money on those tickets. if i lived in the boston area and could afford it i would try to have tickets to the patriots. but there is an anticipation that comes when you buy a ticket to go to a sporting event or a musical performance. we expect to go and experience a time of cheering on our team, yelling out specific things to players like we know them and they will hear everything we say. we hope to go an enjoy the contest with our team coming out the victor. but how do we approach going to church?

most of us, wake up on sunday morning and pile into the car to drive to church. we walk in the door and greeted by a friendly smile. we go grab a cup of coffee to help wake us up as we walk into the sanctuary as the first song has already started. we look around for friends and if we see them hope their is a few seats beside them, if not you know they will be there soon so you try to find a few seats on the end so they can join you when they come. instead of starting to sing you glance through the bulletin to see what is going on during the next week. the worship pastor greets you, reads scripture or opens in prayer and starts off into the second song. it is a new song, you have never heard it before so you listen to the words and try to figure out the tune. but it is kind of repetitious so you start wondering what you might have for lunch...

i am not sure if you have ever had a sunday like this. i have definitely had more then a few. it seems at times as soon as i walk into the sanctuary i have a.d.d. and i can not concentrate. however every time i go to a sporting event or concert i try to take in every moment. enjoy it, try to experience each part because a. i know this could be the only chance i have to attend something like this for a while and b. i enjoy this event enough to shell out hard earned money that i worked for.

i understand that we tithe but that is not seen as the same as buying a ticket. outreach for a church would be difficult because if you invite a friend to church you have to tell him to buy a ticket. so obviously charging for church is not a great idea. but it seems that we can take church for granted. it becomes an every week event and we become content where we are lacking a sense of passion.

a few questions. where is our passion? is it in the right place? being used for right motives? church will continue to go on but how can we make it a place that is not stale? is it the churches fault we have lost our passion? or can we blame it on ourselves for having a lack of heart and come to church with the anticipation of meeting with our heavenly Father who created us and loved us enough to send His Son to die and now He wants to meet with us, so He can know us and we can know Him.

as always just a few thoughts to get your juices flowing.

nfl thoughts

1. the patriots had an amazing season this year. i listen to dan patricks radio show and they had a pole on the most disappointing nfl team this year. the jets were voted most disappointing with new england as second. i was never disappointed with the end result of the season. 11-5 is a good record any year, especially with a bunch of injuries specifically but not limited to brady, maroney and harrison. after the injury week 1 to brady i thought our season was over, after the 16 games cassel proved that he can play.

2. cassel had an amazing season in which he had some amazing accomplishments including back to back games where he passed for over 400 yards. this does not happen often. he will be a free agent and will receive a big pay day wherever he goes. i am still not sure if it was cassel playing well or if it was the patriots system and team that helped him pull out an amazing season. but i guess we will find out next season when he will probably suit up for another team. unless...

3. the news of brady healing slowly are true. it is possible the patriots will keep him around to ensure they have a proven qb for next season. i think brady will be back next year and be the comeback player of the year. but i guess we will have to wait a while to see if that is true.

4. living in indianapolis is pretty good, unless you are a patriots fan. some give me a hard time but it is pretty easy to brush off. i have lived in new york as a red sox fan and never received the same treatment as i do here. colts fans feel threatened by us, thats okay they have right to feel threatened.

5. i hate to admit this but it looks like peyton manning will be the mvp this year. he individually led his team to finish with 9 straight wins. coach of they year will either go to smith (atlanta) or pirano (miami). they took both their teams from the basement to the playoffs. my hat is off to both of them even if miami squeezed in just in front of new england to be the afc east division winner.

6. it should prove to be a fun playoff year. with the drama of philly squeezing in with a win over dallas and multiple losses from other teams it would really be something to see the eagles and phillies win the championship in the same year. atlanta and baltimore are great stories getting in with rookie qb's. i love that dallas didnt get in. in brings me the same joy when i see the yankees spend as much money as they do and miss the playoffs. giants, cardinals, and tennesee are teams that could do something in the playoffs but i really do not think they are up to it. in past weeks they are all spiraling downward.


7. super bowl predictions this year are tough. there are no clear cut teams that stand out. from the nfc i think carolina is the front runner. they have played solidly all year long and their running game is unstoppable. as for the afc i believe it will be pittsburgh if big ben is able to recover from his concussion last week. i think carolina will win the super bowl.

what do you think?

light

it seemed so long that i was in the cave. still dark, still damp. my eyes started to adjust to the dark but it was still dark in the cave. i started trying to make my way out of the cave by feeling the sides. but i had been searching the cave so long that i forgot how long it might take to see the light. it seemed like forever since i had the comfort of the flashlight.my eyes were starting to make out the rocks and the form of the caves. i knew i was becoming ever closer to the freedom i once enjoyed. eventually, with a little luck and a lot despair i saw a little ray of sunshine. it brought comfort and hope. i had almost forgotten how gratifying the light could be. i started moving faster.

israel had been stuck in darkness approximately 700 years without hope. they prophet isaiah saw past the despair and in chapter 61:1 said

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners."

i remember when i was in high school my family went somewhere and this funny little kid was running around. he would close his eyes and say "i am blind" seconds later he would open his eyes and say, "i can see, it is a miracle." we would laugh with him and he would say it again and again. it was quite entertaining. but for someone who is blind and all they have is darkness it has to be frustrating.

israel had a lot of time without the presence of God in their lives and i can not imagine the despair they felt. the search of trying to fill the emptiness but never being able to fulfill it in their lives must of made them feel hopeless.

john 1:1-9 captures for me the essence of the christmas story. i always enjoy the reading of luke 2 but i love how john captures the incarnation.

"In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist,
to tell about the light so that
everyone might believe because of his testimony.
John himself was not the light;
he was simply a witness to tell about the light.
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world."

like the child said. it is truly a miracle to be able to see. i love the advent season. it gives us expectation and restores us with hope. we know the light and as each week we become closer to christmas we light the candle of hope, and peace, and joy and love. it only builds to the incarnation.

darkness

i stumbled across the cave while not even trying to find it. i had been in the cave before but it had been a while and before today i always had someone else with me. i had my handy little flashlight with me so i thought it might be fun to explore. as i walked in i received a chill from the cool, crisp air. as i walked further into the cave the darkness started to get darker then the bright light of the sun.

i remembered how comforting the light was. it provided warmth and i could see where i was headed. i knew what to expect.

as i looked back, i could hardly see day light anymore. i had gone so far in the darkness that the light was being overtaken by the darkness. my eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness. it is amazing the ability the eye seems to have.

as i began to go deeper into the cave i heard a noise and pointed the flashlight in that direction. there were bats lining the ceiling of the cave. although i was scared i still had the light which made me feel safe. as i went further the cave became narrower, damper and colder.

i started to become scared, the light of day was now gone and the only light i had was artificial and cheap. curiosity and adventure made me want to go deeper. i wanted to experience something i had never done before. so i kept going forward. even though i thought it was a mistake, i felt intrigued by the mystery of not knowing what to expect. it gave me a thrill and i didnt even feel cold anymore. my body had adjusted to the temperature.

and then the battery died.

Pete Ward quote

“The reason why people were beating down the door to get into the church was because the culture of early Christianity was seen as being civilizing and superior to the bankruptcy of paganism and philosophy. Yet I am not all sure we can make the same claim for what goes on in our churches today. Are we self-evidently superior culturally? Are people turning to us because we offer solutions for social and political ills? I don’t think so. In these circumstances what we offer may just turn out to be the equivalent to nailing our doors shut as we huddle together in the sanctuary.”

i stand by the door by samuel shumaker

I stand by the door
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out,
The door is the most important door in the world-
It is the door through which people walk when they find God.
There's no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind people,
With outstretched, groping hands.
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it ...
So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for people to find that door--the door to God.
The most important thing any person can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands,
And put it on the latch--the latch that only clicks
And opens to the person's own touch.
People die outside that door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter—
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live, on the other side of it--live because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him ...
So I stand by the door.

Go in, great saints, go all the way in--
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics--
It is a vast roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms.
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in,
Sometimes venture in a little farther;
But my place seems closer to the opening ...
So I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them
For God is so very great, and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia,
And want to get out. "Let me out!" they cry,
And the people way inside only terrify, them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled
For the old life, they have seen too much:
Once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving--preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door,
But would like to run away. So for them, too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not, yet even found the door,
Or the people who want to run away again from God,
You can go in too deeply, and stay in too long,
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him, and know He is there,
But not so far from people as not to hear them,
And remember they are there, too.
Where? Outside the door--
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But--more important for me--
One of them, two of them, ten of them,
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
"I had rather be a door-keeper ..."
So I stand by the door.

Sam Shoemaker, founder of Faith At Work at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City, in 1926, was also one of the spiritual leaders who helped draft the 12 Steps of A.A.

kingdom politics

i have been thinking way to much about politics lately and have even veered my purpose of this blog way to much. while i have still been non partisan i feel i have become a little side tracked. my goal has always been to ask questions that will lead people towards God.

the last couple weeks even though i have been blogging on politics my mind has been frustrated in what i was doing. i have been reading a lot lately in 1 samuel 8-14. this is the story of how saul became the first king of israel. the israelites wanted a king like all the other nations. God told samuel to give them what they asked for. it was not samuel they were rejecting, but God. they voted to put a human in the throne over God

God brought saul to samuel as a guy who was just trying to find his donkeys. in this meeting samuel told saul that he was the hope of all israel. here saul responds why me, i am the smallest of the lowest of all of israel, there is no reason you should choose me.

saul reigned as king for 42 years. but during his reign while off to war he decided to make a sacrifice to God that samuel was supposed to do but he was late. of course this was not his place and he disobeyed the Lord by doing this. saul's punishment for this act was that his family would not continue on the throne.

so many times we try to set up our own kingdoms and do things on our own. we want things just like others have them. we choose the temporary over the eternal.

where are the things that we set up and do on our own? do we know what the consequences would be? and would we still choose the same thing if we did? why did the israelites want a king? why did God appoint saul king when he knew he would mess up? or is this the reason that he chose him?

last weekend laughter in politics

last weekend was the funniest part of the campaign on both sides. palin was on snl and obama and mccain were at the alfred smith fundraiser. check these videos out. it is nice they can laugh at themselves

a little of this

1. last weekend i went to a renaissance fair. people dressed in time period clothing. it was a good experience i was glad to share with my friends.

2. i heard shane claiborne spoke at iwu last week. i wish i had known.

3. the red sox were eliminated by the rays. they made a great run and played tough, so thank you sox for another good year. i also heard that derek lowe wants to return to boston. that would be awesome.

4. the patriots are 4-2 with a backup quarterback.

5. i have been reading a lot of stanley grenz and robert webber the past couple weeks for my cultural trends in theology class.

6. i listen to a lot of podcasts. my new find is steven furtick. he is 28 and planted elevation church it runs 3500.

7. i am working on a sermon on the kingdom of God. i am preaching it next week at the wesleyan church in logansport.

partisan mccain

yesterday when at a town hall meeting a lady said she was not able to trust obama. mccain then took the microphone from her and stated, "there is no reason not to trust obama, while he and obama disagreed with each other on fundamental issues their is no reason to fear barack obama as president.

has mccain with this statement just thrown in the towel? does he believe it is over?

observation

as i was walking today i saw a few construction workers sitting out front on the lawn during their lunch break. it looked like they were having a pretty good time. laughing and hanging out as most would during a break. then i heard a beep. next thing i know one of them turns, opens up the microwave and pulls out his warm lunch.

on my mind

1. our lease runs out in less then a month. we are currently looking for a new home.

2. our senior pastor just resigned. his last sunday is oct 12th. he has no plans at this point and our church is searching for a new pastor, any body out there want the position?

3. we watched baby mama a little while ago. it was the funniest movie i have seen in a long time.

4. i am throwing out a few resumes here and there. if there are any bites i would finish my masters online. if anyone knows of anything let me know.

5. patriots are 2-1 with a quarterback who hasnt started since high school. imagine what they could be doing this year with tom brady.

6. in the playoffs the red sox won game 1 with game two tonight.

7. manny had an infield hit in their first game against the cubs. i miss him.

8. jenny's birthday is three weeks away. #27

9. it has been in the 40's the last two mornings. i love sweatshirts. fall is here to stay. except it is supposed to be almost 90 on sunday.

10. i think i might write in someone else for president.

savior on capitol hill

song by derek webb
thought this might strike a chord with all you political junkies

I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election
so come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

you can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
‘cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill


all of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in that President’s ear
he could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill

friends website

a few months ago i had a friend put this website together. i think he did a good job and created a community that should spur us all on to be the church we should be. so i think you should join, take a look around and enjoy the communication with like minded followers of Christ.

today i saw a question on the site posed by joanne lyon "Why it is important for individuals and churches to get involved in their community” read the article check it out.

this is how i responded to the article.

i believe we should ask the question how could a church not be involved in the community? obviously it has been done before, and continues to go on. but if a church wants to survive they have to be involved in the community.

i am learning more and more that a church should have a 50/50 focus. let me explain. 50% of its focus needs to be on the community. this involves outreach, service and evangelism. so much of churches "growth" today is what i call "trading sheep," christians going from one church to another because the other church is not meeting their needs. a true church will grow from reaching out to the community in love.

the other 50% of focus needs to be focused on the people within. this involves discipleship, worship, fellowship and serving within the church. growth can not be measured just in numbers but also in maturity, unity and favor. in order to be fully devoted followers and to create an environment within the church, we need to be healthy, living vibrant lives of loving God and neighbor. so how could a church not be involved in the community and not do this?

check this out

you have to see this post a friend of mine put up. these are some of the most fascinating pictures of a lion in wild i have ever seen.

new look

not that any of you might care but for the first time in more then the three years that i have been blogging i have added pics to the blog. a pic of my wife and i and a skyline of where i currently live, indianapolis.

#17

the celtics last night just won the 17th championship. i have really enjoyed watching the celtics over my lifetime yet in the last few years have rarely been excited about how the team was doing. last summer when the danny ainge shook up the team i was excited. it has been since 1986 that we won a championship.

however in the last few years i can not complain about new england sports as we have won many championships.

red sox 2004, 2008
patriots 2002, 2004, 2005
and now
celtics 2008

it has been good to be a new england fan

for a good article on the celtics championship read http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080618