You Can’t Teach A Frog To Fly, So Stop Trying: By Steve Brown

I’ve had a lousy job for most of my life.

As you know, I’m a preacher/pastor and my job description is to keep people from doing what they obviously want to do. I’ve often felt like an overwhelmed police officer at a rock concert charged with keeping the concert goers from using drugs.

With a job description like mine, you hardly ever get invited to parties, people are not very honest, and sometimes you feel like a wet shaggy dog shaking himself at a wedding. I tell them that I’m trying to help and that God anointed me to reach out to them, but they simply don’t care.

Preachers are supposed to keep people from sinning.

I haven’t been very successful so far.

There are times when I feel like I’m standing by a cliff where people come to dance. “Be careful,” I tell them. “It’s a long way down and the stop will be quite unpleasant.” They look at me. They sometimes even thank me.

Then they jump.

But I keep at it. “Hey,” I say to the next group who approach the cliff, “not too long ago, I saw people go off that cliff and if you’ll bend over and look, you can see the bloody mess they made.” Like everybody else, since I’ve been standing beside the cliff, they seem grateful for my concern. They maybe even say something about my compassion and wisdom.

Then they jump.

Frankly, I’m tired of it. In fact, I’ve given up standing by this stupid cliff. I’m tired of being people’s mother. I’m tired of trying to prevent the unpreventable. I’m tired of talking to people who don’t want to listen. And I’m tired of pointing out the obvious.

Just when I determine to leave my position by the cliff, to my horror and surprise…

I jump!

What’s with that?

Let me tell you. There is a very human and undeniable proclivity of human beings to sin-to jump off the cliff. We’re drawn to it. We love it (at least for awhile). No matter who tries to keep us from doing it or how much pain it will cause, we are irresistibly drawn to that cliff. Maybe we want to fly. Could be that we have a masochistic streak in our DNA. Could be that our default position is jumping off cliffs. I don’t know. But for whatever reason, we do jump, we do get hurt, and if we survive, we then climb back up the cliff and jump again.

There is a parable (author unknown) about Felix, the flying frog. Even if I mix the metaphor a bit, let me tell you the parable.

Once upon a time, there lived a man named Clarence who had a pet frog named Felix. Clarence lived a modestly comfortable existence on what he earned working at the Wal-Mart, but he always dreamed of being rich. “Felix!” he said one day, hit by sudden inspiration, “We’re going to be rich! I’m going to teach you to fly!”

Felix, of course, was terrified at the prospect. “I can’t fly, you twit! I’m a frog, not a canary!”

Clarence, disappointed at the initial response, told Felix: “That negative attitude of yours could be a real problem. We’re going to remain poor, and it will be your fault.”

So Felix and Clarence began their work on flying.

On the first day of the “flying lessons,” Clarence could barely control his excitement (and Felix could barely control his bladder). Clarence explained that their apartment building had 15 floors, and each day Felix would jump out of a window, starting with the first floor and eventually getting to the top floor. After each jump, they would analyze how well he flew, isolate the most effective flying techniques, and implement the improved process for the next flight. By the time they reached the top floor, Felix would surely be able to fly.

Felix pleaded for his life, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. “He just doesn’t understand how important this is,” thought Clarence. “He can’t see the big picture.”

So, with that, Clarence opened the window and threw Felix out. He landed with a thud.

The next day, poised for his second flying lesson, Felix again begged not to be thrown out of the window. Clarence told Felix about how one must always expect resistance when introducing new, innovative plans.

With that, he threw Felix out the window. THUD!

Now this is not to say that Felix wasn’t trying his best. On the fifth day, he flapped his legs madly in a vain attempt at flying. On the sixth day, he tied a small red cape around his neck and tried to think “Superman” thoughts. It didn’t help.

By the seventh day, Felix, accepting his fate, no longer begged for mercy. He simply looked at Clarence and said, “You know you’re killing me, don’t you?”

Clarence pointed out that Felix’s performance so far had been less than exemplary, failing to meet any of the milestone goals he had set for him.

With that, Felix said quietly, “Shut up and open the window,” and he leaped out, taking careful aim at the large jagged rock by the corner of the building.

Felix went to that great lily pad in the sky.

Clarence was extremely upset, as his project had failed to meet a single objective that he had set out to accomplish. Felix had not only failed to fly, he hadn’t even learned to steer his fall as he dropped like a sack of cement, nor had he heeded Clarence’s advice to “Fall smarter, not harder.”

The only thing left for Clarence to do was to analyze the process and try to determine where it had gone wrong. After much thought, Clarence smiled and said…

“Next time, I’m getting a smarter frog!”

A number of years ago, I realized that I was, as it were, trying to teach frogs to fly. Frogs can’t fly. Not only that, they get angry when you try to teach them. The gullible ones will try, but they eventually get hurt so badly they quit trying. And the really sad thing about being a “frog flying teacher” is that I can’t fly either.

Let me tell you a secret. If one is a teacher trying to teach frogs to fly, nobody ever bothers to ask if you can fly. In fact, if you pretend that you’re an expert and tell a lot of stories about flying; if you can throw in a bit of aeronautical jargon about stalls, spins and flight maneuvers; and if you carry around a “Flight Manual” and know your way around it, nobody will question your ability to fly. You just pretend you’re an expert and tell stories, and the students will think you can fly.

The problem is that you become so phony you can’t stand yourself.

So I’ve repented.

Now I just send them to Jesus and try to get out of the way.

Come to think of it, if you’re struggling with sin and aren’t getting better, don’t come to me. I like you okay, but that kind of depends on how my day is going. Instead of coming to me, run to Jesus. He’ll love you and maybe even make you better

Speak with Like... Conviction?

Philippians 4:13 Faith

This is a blog post that I read this morning. Those of you who know my feelings about John Piper and the impact his writing has had on my life should appreciate reading how his book Taste and See, affected at least one other reader...



"In spite of all the Halloween decorations popping up in EVERY single retail outlet I’ve been to in the past 3 weeks, today I am not writing about a ghost story or anything paranormal. In fact, this is about a story that has been haunting my mind ever since I read it weeks ago. (NOTE: This is NOT a “light” story by any means. If you get overly emotional, you may just want to skip this one.)

It started innocently enough…reading through a new book my husband ordered for his men’s group. Taste and See by John Piper

My husband had to run into an office supply store for something and I found this short story about this missionary family in Cambodia that has not been far from my consciousness ever since.

The story (Chapter 13 in the book) is about a family who knew their days were numbered. One day, it was time. They were rounded up by teenage rebels and put to work, digging their own graves. The family complied. When it was time for them to be executed, one of the boys in the family panicked and took off running into the bush.

His father stepped in and asked his captors not to chase after his son, but to wait as he called him back. This man of God called out to his son, asking his son to join their family in the execution, knowing they would all join their Savior in Heaven in just a few moments. He asked his son not to spend his last hours as a fugitive, running for his life, but to return and take his place by the graves they’d just finished digging. Shortly after his father called him, the young man came back, crying, to join his family. They were executed soon after.

Let me just allow you a moment to let that sink in. A father, knowing his life on earth was clearly at its end, calls his son BACK to his side to be murdered with his family.

Honestly, to say I was deeply troubled and moved by this story is an understatement. My husband and I both wondered if we, in their situation, would have encouraged our son to run faster and harder, thinking it the Lord’s will that he escaped. And I truly don’t now what my reaction would be…and hope I never have to face such a gut wrenching scenario.

But as haunting as this story is, it is equally as humbling.

Humbling to have the insight of this missionary father, knowing his son would likely live his remaining days constantly looking behind his shoulder, wondering when he’d be captured and knowing that he could join his family in being face to face with their God in just a handful of minutes…and how much better that would be!

Can you even imagine? Seriously…can you? I simply cannot. Nope. Can’t hardly wrap my finite mind around this. And then the son…knowing his father was right and, in one last act of submission and obedience to his father, comes back to die beside his family.

My stomach was in knots when I read it and is in knots as I type. And then I ask…do I have that kind of faith? Would I be given that kind of strength in a situation like that? It’s at times like these that I have to lean on Scriptures that remind me, “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phillipians 4:13(emphasis mine)

Like the passengers on Flight 93 who KNEW they were destined to die and faced the hijackers to thwart their plans and saved the lives of probably hundreds or thousands.

Or the young woman who was martyred at Columbine High School because she would not deny her faith in Christ.

Or countless other Christians who face death E-V-E-R-Y stinkin’ day just for being Christians.

And, forgetting about myself for a moment, am I raising my CHILDREN to have Phillipians 4:13 strength? Can I demonstrate such an unwavering reliance on the Lord that my children can see this strength in action?

Heaven knows I fail miserably and on a consistent basis. Sheesh. The Christian walk is far from easy. Feels a lot more like a hike up Everest in the winter sometimes, but at least I know my Guide knows the way and will pick me up when I can’t take another step".

-Susan

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

1. Make sure your faith is only something you live out in public
Go to church... at least most of the time. Make sure you agree with what you hear the preacher say, and affirm on the way home what was said especially when it has to do with your kids obeying, but let it stop there. Don’t read your Bible at home. The pastor will say everything you need to hear on Sundays. Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok.


2. Pray only in front of people
The only times you need to pray are when your family is over, holiday meals, when someone is sick, and when you want something. Besides that, don’t bother. Your kids will see you pray when other people are watching, no need to do it with them in private.


3. Focus on your morals
Make sure you insist your kids be honest with you. Let them know it is the right thing for them to do, but then feel free to lie in your own life and disregard the need to tell them and others the truth. Get very angry with your children when they say words that are “naughty” and “bad,” but post, read, watch, and say whatever you want on TV, Facebook, and Twitter. Make sure you focus on being a good person. Be ambiguous about what this means.


4. Give financially as long as it doesn’t impede your needs
Make a big deal out of giving at church. Stress to your children the value of tithing, while not giving sacrificially yourself. Allow them to see you spend a ton of money on what you want, while negating your command from Scripture to give sacrificially.


5. Make church community a priority... as long as there is nothing else you want to do
Hey, you are a church-going family, right? I mean, that’s what you tell your friends and family anyways. Make sure you attend on Sundays. As long as you didn’t stay up too late Saturday night. Or your family isn’t having a big barbeque. Or the big game isn’t on. Or this week you just don’t feel like it. Or... I mean, you’re a church-going family, so what’s the big deal?

http://www.theresurgence.com

The Red Bull Gospel: by Drew Dyck

"A few years ago I volunteered at an event put on by a national youth ministry.
The evening was fun but grueling. We bobbed for apples, captured flags, and raced eggs across the floor using only our noses. The games culminated with a frigid indignity: I laid on my back and let three giggling teenagers make an ice cream sundae on my face.
As I toweled chocolate syrup from my chin, a leader ordered the teens into a semicircle. It was time for the devotional, which included a gospel presentation—but it was a gospel presentation that made me want to stand up and scream.
"Being a Christian isn't hard," he told the group. "You won't lose your friends or be unpopular at school. Nothing will change. Your life will be the same, just better."
Maybe his words would have slipped by me if they hadn't been such blatant reversals of Jesus' own warnings about the offensiveness of his message or the inevitable hardships of following him.
I glanced at the teens. One was flicking Doritos chips at a friend. Others whispered to each other or stared at the floor. None of them seemed to be listening. And why should they? I wondered. Who cares about something that involves no adventure, no sacrifice, and no risk?
Unfortunately what I witnessed that night is hardly unique. Often ministries, especially youth ministries, are heavy on fun and light on faith. It's fired up entertainment and watered down gospel.
Amused to death
The entertainment emphasis can be traced at least a generation, and perhaps nowhere was the impact felt more profoundly than in youth programs. Instead of stressing confirmation of faith—youth ministry's original raison d'être—the focus shifted to attracting more and more kids to the ministry (which inevitably involved entertaining them). Not necessarily bad goals, but there were some ugly unintended consequences.
Today some youth ministries are almost devoid of religious education. They are "holding tanks with pizza," as church researcher Ed Stetzer has called them. Some use violent video game parties to attract students through the church doors on Friday nights.
Over the past year I've conducted dozens of interviews with 20-somethings who have walked away from their Christian faith. Among the most surprising findings was this: nearly all of these "leavers" reported having positive experiences in youth group. I recall my conversation with one young man who described his journey from evangelical to atheist. He had nothing but vitriol for the Christian beliefs of his childhood, but when I asked him about youth group, his voice lifted. "Oh, youth group was a blast! My youth pastor was a great guy."
I was confused. I asked Josh Riebock, a former youth pastor and author of mY Generation, to solve the riddle: if these young people had such a good time in youth group, why did they ditch their faith shortly after heading to college?
His response was simple. "Let's face it," he said. "There are a lot more fun things to do at college than eat pizza."
Good point.
If our strategy is to win young people's allegiance to church by offering better entertainment than the world, then we've picked a losing battle. Entertainment might get kids to church in their teens, but it certainly won't keep them there through their twenties.
And recent studies confirm that they're leaving in droves. The Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be "disengaged" by the time they are 29. Barna Group president David Kinnaman describes the reality in stark terms:
"Imagine a group photo of all the students who come to your church in a typical year. Take a big fat marker and cross out three out of every four faces. That's the probable toll of spiritual disengagement as students navigate the next two decades."
Most of us don't need a "big fat marker" to see this phenomenon play out. We've had a front row seat to the exodus.
Failure to form
In his book UnChristian, Kinnaman reports that 65 percent of all American young people report making a commitment to Jesus Christ at some point in their lives. Yet based on his surveys, Kinnaman concludes that only about 3 percent of these young adults have a biblical worldview.
Whether or not we accept Kinnaman's definition of what constitutes a biblical worldview, few would argue that anywhere near 65 percent of young adults in the U.S. could be described as active followers of Jesus. We may have done a good job of getting young people to sign a pledge or mutter a prayer, but a poor job of forming them into devoted disciples.
Perhaps we've settled for entertaining rather than developing followers of Jesus.
Of course there's nothing wrong with pizza and video games. The real problem is when they displace spiritual formation and teaching the Bible. And ultimately that's the greatest danger of being overly reliant on an entertainment model. It's not just that we can't compete with the world's amusements. It's not only that we get locked into a cycle of serving up ever-increasing measures of fun. Rather it's that we're distracted from doing the real work of youth ministry—fostering robust faith.
Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life, liked to say, "It's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel." A generation later, that philosophy morphed into an entertainment based gospel that has actually produced entertainment numbness and an avoidance of the gospel's harder teachings. Somehow we thought we could sweeten the gospel message for young people to make it easier for them to swallow, but it turns out that they're choking on our concoction.
In the end, pizza and video games don't transform lives. Young people are transformed by truth clearly presented. They're drawn to a cause to live and die for. In other words, they want the unvarnished gospel. When we present that gospel, with all its hard demands and radical implications, we'll be speaking the language they long to, and need to, hear.
Signs of life
I don't want to be too hard on youth pastors. I was one. I know how tough it is. Teenage attention spans are short. Pressure to get numbers up is constant. But it's possible to instill a more dynamic faith if we change our focus, even if that decision comes at the expense of our conventional metrics of "success."
Thankfully there are youth ministries trying to turn the tide. Faithbridge church in Houston, Texas, is one example. "We don't pour much effort into planning big hoorah events," says lead student pastor Dylan Lucas. "We're really focused on the Word and leadership training."
The ministry pairs small groups of five to seven teens with adult leaders, and then provides those leaders with intensive training. "We equip these leaders to teach. The youth pastor can't do it all," says Lucas.
Follow-up is another focus. "Our job doesn't end at graduation," Lucas says. "We call that 'Day One.'" Each graduate leaving for college receives a $10 Starbucks gift card with the following instructions: go find a spiritual mentor on campus to take out for coffee.
"We keep tabs on them," Lucas says. "We have relationships with their families, and we bring them back to help lead the next generation."
Of course not all graduates stay on the straight and narrow. "When we see someone go off, we don't ignore it," Lucas says. "You have to pick up the phone and make that awkward call."
Drew Dyck is managing editor of Leadership Journal and author of Generation Ex-Christian.

COLLISION: Acquire the Fire: March 11th-12th

This year we will be taking 20 youth to Acquire the Fire in Muncie Indiana in Ball State's own Worthen Arena. ATF is a 27 hour worship experience challenging us to see God in every aspect of our lives!

Ticket, food & Hotel cost: $85
Awesome worship experience with your closest friends: Priceless

Really Hearing! A Modern Take on The Good Samaritan

A family of disheveled, unkempt individuals was stranded by the side of a major road on a Sunday morning. They were obviously in distress. The mother was sitting on a tattered suitcase, hair uncombed, clothes in disarray, with a glazed look in her eyes, holding a smelly, poorly clad, crying baby. The father was unshaved, dressed in coveralls, a look of dispair on his face as he tried to corral two other youngsters. Beside them was a run-down old car that had obviously just given up the ghost.

Down the road came a car driven by the local Bishop; he was on his way to church. And though the father of the family waved frantically, the Bishop could not hold up his parishioners, so he acted as though he didn't see them.

Soon came another car, and again the father waved frantically. But the car was driven by the president of the Kiwanis Club, and he was late for a statewide address to Kiwanis presidents in a nearby city. He too, acted as though he did not see them and kept his eyes straight on the road ahead of him.

The next car that came by was driven by an outspoken local atheist, who had never been to church in his life. When he saw the family's distress, he took them into his own car. After inquiring as to their need, he took them to a local motel, where he paid for a week's lodging while the father found work. He also paid for the father to rent a car so he could look for work and gave the mother cash for food and new clothes...

-Luke 10:30-37

Surrender 2011: Ski Trip

This year's ski weekend will begin on Friday January 21st and conclude on Saturday the 22nd. The cost for this event will be $75 per person and include meals, ski rental and lift ticket. If you have your own skis and would like to bring them, just let me know in advance.

We will be sleeping over at the church from 7:00pm on Friday and will return no later than 7:00pm on Saturday the 22nd. Don't forget to bring your Bible, sleeping bags and pillows, toiletries, ski pants & skiing attire, sunglasses and permission slips.

You may download the following waivers for this event at the following sites:

http://www.mtauburnumc.org/forms/parentalconsent.pdf

http://perfectnorth.com/pdfs/PNS_GroupWaiver.pdf

Youth Group Ice Skating & Sleepover

We will meet at the church at 5 pm on January 14th, eat pizza, and then leave for ice skating around 6 pm. After ice skating, the girls will go to Sarah Martin's house for a sleepover, and the boys will go to Sean Peter's house. Join us for all or part of the evening!! We will also be talking about what we want to do within the youth group in the coming year! This is for high schoolers and middle schoolers.

The Cost is $7.00

What to Bring:

Sleeping Bag & Pillow
Snacks, Drinks or Breakfast

Contact: Sean Peters (317)422-1341 or Sarah Martin (317)496-2143 for further details