http://andrewbullard.posterous.cominsights from a leader on the journeyenposterous.comhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/AndrewbullardsPosteroushttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/1sB2mG6rZC4/millennial-messTue, 22 May 2012 14:42:00 PDThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/millennial-mess<p> <p>Whether you like it or not, we are in a major paradigm shift in our culture. The generation known as Generation Y or Millennials (roughly ages 18-30) is vastly different from their predecessors. Sure, each generation is different from the previous, but this shift is on page with the huge divide which came about between Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, just look at the many changes which developed and occurred in the 1960s.</p> <p>There have been numerous attempts to analyze my generation (in case you're not a regular reader, I am part of this group) and just as many attempts to "solve the Millennial mess" as I've heard one person say. Over the next few posts I want to give you my take on Millennials. No, I'm not a Social Scientist, I haven't conducted polls, nor put together empirical data to prove my points. Then again, I am a <strong>member</strong> of this generation. I know how we think and why we do what we do. I think I can safely say I have enough insight to help those outside the Millennials understand what is going on in our heads. So, I invite you to follow <em>the elements</em> for the next few weeks as we examine who the Millennials are and how they will continue to bring the Gospel of Christ to a lost world.</p> <p>Before we jump into all that, let's take the time in this post to lay out a profile of Millennials. Oh, I should note I will use "Gen Y" &amp; "Millennials" interchangeably.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Relational:</span> Millennials value relationships above anything else. We dread isolation. Relationships are at the core of who we are and it's why Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other uses of social media are such a hit. We're the one demographic which could fuel the social media world by itself. Millennials are in constant communication with friends through texting, playing <em>Call of Duty</em> on XBOX Live, using Skype or Facetime to video chat, etc. Building and maintaining relationships are nearly effortless (however, this doesn't mean there is much depth to them).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Technological:</span> In all honesty, this should probably be integrated with "Relational" because the two often go hand-in-hand. Nearly every aspect of a Millennial's life will wind up as a Facebook status or Tweet. Technology is second nature us. We learned how to surf the Web in elementary school, install (and even write) software programs, and utilize AOL Instant Messenger <em>before</em> social networks came onto the scene! You will find Gen Y utilizing technology into every day life 24/7. There are of course good and bad consequences to this, but the bottom line is technology and Gen Y are inseparable. If you want to communicate with them, you better understand how to use technology.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Skeptical:</span> Millennials do not trust institutions. They also don't discriminate against institutions because you will find they don't trust government, corporations, educational systems, or even religious institutions. Nothing is fully 100% trusted even if it appears so on the surface. Millennials question everything an institution does, even if they support that institution. We've seen too much. Think about it. Our generation has witnessed the failure &amp; corruption of businesses, ministerial leaders in Protestant &amp; Catholic churches, government leaders, university systems, etc. No matter who you blame for the 2008 economical collapse, Gen Y realizes institutions are at fault to some degree and for the first time ever a generation believes it will be worse off than their parents' generation. Institutions aren't to be fully trusted, but are a necessary evil in Gen Y's eyes.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Family:</span> Unlike previous generations, Gen Y is reluctant to leave home. Millennials are choosing to remain at home well past the age of 18 and even 22, the traditional age for graduating college. There is no one solid reason for this move. Some are motivated by finances, others because they have no clear-cut-definitive plan for their lives yet, and still some are just very close to their families. Millennials will describe themselves as being very close their families, but they don't communicate too well with them. Communciation usually is pretty shallow, but perhaps this is a result of the ever-increasing busyness of American households.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Spiritual:</span> If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say my generation is "godless," I would be a rich man. Often we equate "godless" with athiesm because we think people aren't spiritual. Millennials are very spiritual. In fact, I would venture to say we are far more spiritual than many Baby Boomers, Busters, and those in Generation X. The problem is Millennials are spiritual in the <strong>wrong</strong> things. They are very tolerant and accepting of other belief systems, but believe we have an innate spiritual side to us as human beings. This view also defines where Gen Y stands on morality and principles, a topic we'll cover later.</p> <p>These are five main traits I will spend several posts on. Some traits will require more depth and so we'll spend a little longer on them. Keep in mind I'm broadly categorizing my generation, not dealing with specific individuals or groups of people. I ever get specific, I'll let you know. I hope you stay with <em>the elements</em> and follow this series. It will certainly help those of you outside Gen Y in dealing with them and reaching them for Christ.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/millennial-mess">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/millennial-mess#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/1sB2mG6rZC4" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/millennial-messhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/kdL9FaVI610/should-we-take-the-bible-literallyFri, 11 May 2012 13:00:00 PDThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/should-we-take-the-bible-literally<p> <p>I found it interesting in the aftermath of North Carolina's recent constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, how many people started turning to the Bible.&nbsp; Both sides used God's Word in defense of their position (yet another interesting point) and both sides made egregious errors in doing so.&nbsp; I'll be honest.&nbsp; Every time I hear the Word of God interpreted incorrectly, no matter who is reading from it, I cringe.&nbsp; In general, the Bible is not filled with passages which have relative meanings and definitions.&nbsp; The passages are set in stone.&nbsp; They have a context and intent which must be followed if you're going to interpret it correctly.</p> <p>Let me jump off the soapbox though.&nbsp; In parcticular what stood out for me were the many comments made by people who claim you can't take the Bible literally.&nbsp; Which of course got me thinking.&nbsp; Should we really take the Bible literally?&nbsp; You can't possibly take every single solitary sentence as literal.&nbsp; Clearly, there are metaphors, figures of speech, elements of foreshadowing, etc. found within scripture.&nbsp; Those are certainly not to be taken literally.&nbsp; However, much of the Bible should be viewed as literal.&nbsp; I realize if you haven't accepted Jesus as Lord of your life you aren't likely to agree with me one iota.&nbsp; I hope that changes.&nbsp; I hope and pray you do come to accept him one day, but there are many Christians who&nbsp;don't view the Bible as literal.&nbsp; This presents a problem.&nbsp; I can't think of a better source to look at briefly on this issue than the Son of God himself.</p> <p>Jesus&nbsp;affirmed the scriptures as literal.&nbsp; He quotes the Old Testament as a literal collection of God's laws throughout the Gospels.&nbsp;&nbsp;He states in Matthew 5:17: "Don't misunderstand why I have come.&nbsp; I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets.&nbsp; No, I came to accomplish their purpose."&nbsp; <em>So what,</em> you think.&nbsp; So, Jesus is affirming the validity of Old Testament law.&nbsp; It's literal.&nbsp; He hasn't come to change it, but fulfill it.&nbsp; <em>Yeah, but doesn't Jesus say things like, "turn the other cheek" and stuff?</em>&nbsp; He does, but he's not necessarily saying "an eye for an eye" is wrong.&nbsp; The intent behind that law was to limit justice to fit the crime.&nbsp; If someone stole from you, you couldn't gain justice by chopping off their head.&nbsp; That is a gross exaggeration of justice which doesn't fit the limits "an eye for an eye" established.&nbsp; Jesus is arguing you should go further than limiting justice to fit a crime.&nbsp; He's implying you should just let God take care of the justice.&nbsp; After all, God says "I will take revenge, I will pay them back" (Deuteronomy 32:35).&nbsp; What you have with all of these "you've heard&nbsp;it said, but I tell you..." statements made by Jesus are not changes to any Old Testament law or teaching.&nbsp; Instead, you have Jesus either deepening the commands or claryfing distortions.&nbsp; If you'd like to know more about that, just drop me an email.&nbsp; You can find it on the <em>Contacts</em> page.</p> <p>The Apostles also viewed the Bible and Jesus' teachings as literal.&nbsp; Jesus quite literally commands them in Matthew 28:18-20 to go and make disciples of the nations.&nbsp; We find them doing just that throughout the New Testament.&nbsp; In fact, we find them telling people to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord in order to be saved (Acts 16:31).&nbsp; Sounds like they took Jesus words very literally, "I am the Way, Truth, and Life.&nbsp; No one comes to the Father except through me," (John 14:6).&nbsp; These are the same Apostles who are responsible for the spread of the Gospel and continuing the foundation laid by Jesus of the Body of Christ.&nbsp; Furthermore, much of the Apostles' writings confirm their beliefs the scriptures and Jesus' words were to be taken literally.&nbsp; You can find this throughout letters like Romans, Hebrews, and both 1 &amp; 2 Peter.</p> <p>Both Jesus and the Apostles believe the scriptures were to be taken literally, but the sticky situation people get in is attempting to understand what this "new covenant" Jesus established was.&nbsp; Jesus' ministry and atoning sacrifice fulfills God's words in Jeremiah 31:31-34.&nbsp; Israel has broken their original covenant with the Lord.&nbsp; God in turn is going to renew this old covenant, but&nbsp;it will be different from the original given when they left Egypt.&nbsp; It's important to note the Hebrew in this passage is better translated "renew" than "new."&nbsp; What does this mean?&nbsp; It means the Old Testament isn't invalidated as a result of Jesus' teachings and sacrifice.&nbsp; On the contrary, as mentioned earlier, Jesus validates the Old Testament and explains many of the laws' intentions.&nbsp; The original covenant is then, renewed with Jesus insofar as teaching goes.&nbsp; The big change is the process of salvation and forgiveness of sins which no longer come through animal sacrifices, but have been made possibly by Christ's sacrifice and resurrection.</p> <p>Undoubtedly, some of you will cry "foul" and want me to extrapolate further on everything I tried to cover here.&nbsp; Just remember, I'm not writing a treatise or anything, this is a blog.&nbsp; Hopefully, if you're a Christian who doesn't believe scripture is to be taken literally, you have a renewed interest in doing some digging.&nbsp; Ultimately,&nbsp;I can't ignore the fact Jesus and his Apostles treat it as literal.&nbsp; Again, remember we're speaking in general terms as there are certainly literary devices and figures of speech found throughout the Bible in specific places.&nbsp; If Jesus views the Bible as literal and even questionable historical figures like Jonah as having existed, shouldn't we as Christians hold the same position?&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/should-we-take-the-bible-literally">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/should-we-take-the-bible-literally#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/kdL9FaVI610" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/should-we-take-the-bible-literallyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/sde4S4DrHW8/127744247Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 PDThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/127744247<p> <p><em>"The LGBT community deserves a voice!&nbsp; In fact, Jesus affirmed a gay couple's relationship in Matthew 8!"&nbsp; "Hell is a mere metaphor implemented by Jesus to encourage ethical behavior."&nbsp; "Since God is love (1 John 4:8) He could never send anyone to Hell.&nbsp; He loves people too much."&nbsp; "Whether you're Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, it doesn't matter.&nbsp; In the end, we are all rewarded for our good behavior.&nbsp; We will all dwell in peace for eternity."</em></p> <p>Those statements are compilations of actual remarks made to me over the years concerning biblical truth.&nbsp; This isn't a shocker for many of you I'm sure.&nbsp; However, the fact they came from ministerial leaders and even pastors might.&nbsp; There is a growing trend which has deep roots, especially within my generation, of teaching scriptures on a selective basis.&nbsp; It is quite common to hear of leaders supporting homosexuality without acknowledging the legitimacy of scriptures which clearly condemn it.&nbsp; It isn't a far-fetched idea when you see how often some will minimize sin and while they're at it blot Hell out all together.</p> <p>If these leaders are called to proclaim the Gospel, why ignore or attack select scriptures?&nbsp; I can't judge their hearts, only God can, but I can attest to what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.&nbsp; In this passage Paul says a time is coming when people will hear what they want to hear and refuse to follow correct biblical teaching.&nbsp; Instead, they will follow after teachers who teach what they want to hear and chase after myths.&nbsp; If ever there was a time when his words are ringing true it is most certainly now.</p> <p>There is a danger in preaching selected texts without giving the full context its due diligence.&nbsp; Better yet, there is a danger in twisting scriptural texts to fit the meaning you want.&nbsp; It's common in Evangelical circles to hear well-intentioned phrases like, "This passages means this to me.&nbsp; What do you suppose it means to you?"&nbsp; Scripture can't mean one thing to one person and another thing to someone else.&nbsp; It's not relative, it's absolute.&nbsp; However, this sort of post-modern thinking has infiltrated leaders and they are teaching scripture on a basis that is is relative truth.</p> <p>James 3:1 warns against people aspiring to be teachers of the Word.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Ministerial leaders will be judged more harshly than other believers.&nbsp; Think about it.&nbsp; God has entrusted us as leaders with the accurate teaching and proclamation of His Word.&nbsp; It's a huge responsibility.&nbsp; When Jay Carney gives a press conference he is representing President Obama.&nbsp; How he conveys truth to the press corps reflects, for better or worse, upon the President.&nbsp; I can assure you there has been more than one occasion where the President was not happy with Mr. Carney's interpretations!&nbsp; Representing God's voice, interpreting the Word accurately, is a <strong>huge</strong> responsibility and should never taken lightly.&nbsp; You can't just put <em>anyone</em> behind a pulpit.&nbsp; It is only for the called leaders who have been given this responsibility (mind you, they don't choose it).</p> <p>The responsibility of a pastor doesn't stop at just teaching and preaching.&nbsp; It carries over into shepherding.&nbsp; Pastors are shepherds.&nbsp; We are responsible for guiding and leading the people of God.&nbsp; This too, is no easy task.&nbsp; It is also not a popularity contest.&nbsp; Guiding means you have to correct people.&nbsp; It means you have to make sure they are on the right path doing the right thing which in the end is devoting themselves completely to the Lord and staying in His will.&nbsp; We are judged on how well we lead others.</p> <p>My heart breaks when I see leaders dumbing down scripture, ignoring passages, and leading the people away from the Lord.&nbsp; As pastors we are called to teach, preach, and lead others in the whole Word of God.&nbsp; We will have to stand and account for the times we failed to do so.&nbsp; We don't have the luxury of picking and choosing (no one does for that matter).&nbsp; In our court system here in America it is common for us to swear an oath upon the Bible that we will tell the "whole truth and nothing, but the truth."&nbsp; The whole truth.&nbsp; Are you as a pastor or leader teaching the whole truth?</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/127744247">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/127744247#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/sde4S4DrHW8" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/127744247http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/cm-BhOD6QNo/the-beauty-of-graceThu, 05 Apr 2012 12:29:00 PDThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-beauty-of-grace<p> <p>Easter is a fantastic time of year.&nbsp; Major League Baseball is usually in full swing, Spring is alive and kicking, and Middle Tennessee (where I'm from) is alive with Thunderstorm and Tornado warnings.&nbsp; I mean, fantastic.&nbsp; Kidding aside, its a tremendous weekend.&nbsp; As Christians, we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.&nbsp; Churches will be packed across the world on Easter Sunday and thousands will come to know Christ as their personal Savior.&nbsp; Now, that's what makes Easter fantastic!</p> <p>If you venture into a church this Sunday you'll hear great messages all talking about Jesus.&nbsp; Some will focus on the empty tomb, others on the sacrificial work of the cross, and still a few more themes like redemption.&nbsp; All those are excellent, but what has stood out for me this Easter has been God's grace.&nbsp; What is grace exactly?&nbsp; Grace is our unmerited pardon for our sin coming from God alone.</p> <p>You see, you can't earn grace.&nbsp; God freely gives it and He can freely give it because Jesus died and rose again for our sins.&nbsp; There aren't enough good works you could possibly to do to earn grace which had such a high cost.&nbsp; Not only can you not earn it, you need it.&nbsp; Each of us is guilty of sin, each of us needs God's grace.</p> <p>I'm reminded of&nbsp;those of us&nbsp;who have committed heart-breaking sins.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our actions resulted in consequences far-reaching beyond ourselves; affecting other people in&nbsp;our lives.&nbsp; The tendency is quite often to run from God and those whom the Lord has brought into&nbsp;our lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&nbsp;feel if we run or somehow avoid God, the shame, hurt, and conviction we&nbsp;experience will eventually dissipate.&nbsp; The truth is this doesn't happen.&nbsp; The problem only grows worse and further weighs&nbsp;us down.</p> <p>It is because of God's grace that He can accept us and forgive any sin, no matter how deep or far-reaching.&nbsp; God's grace is greater than we could ever imagine.&nbsp; Nothing and I mean absolutely nothing could ever make God love us less.&nbsp; The same must be true for those who follow the Lord.&nbsp; Nothing others do should ever make us love them any less.&nbsp; As God shows us grace through the atoning work of His Son, so should we show others that same grace.&nbsp; Why run from God when sin has infected us instead of running to Him?&nbsp; You won't find shame, anger, or pain; only grace.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-beauty-of-grace">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-beauty-of-grace#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/cm-BhOD6QNo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-beauty-of-gracehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/InD3fkwGeNk/forgetting-jesusTue, 13 Mar 2012 12:00:00 PDThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/forgetting-jesus<p> <p>Science and faith can work. That was the point briefly made in the previous post. Again, let's be clear: I'm not defending Miley Cyrus, but I truly believe science and faith are not 100% opposed to each other. What concerns so many people, and I must admit myself as well, with the tweet Miss Cyrus sent out was her "forget Jesus" comment. I know there are more than a few of you wondering, <em>"Why are you spending your time talking about a teen-pop star?" </em>My focus isn't solely on Miley Cyrus, she just reflects a broader issue. My focus is on the influencers who students will give their time, money, and attention to.</p> <p>You see, for thousands of younger teens and those who might be entering that phase of life this year, Miley Cyrus is a huge deal. They've watched her on <em>Hannah Montana</em>, gone to the concerts, worn the outfits, bought the albums, etc. They've been influenced by her. What do they make of her comment concerning Jesus I wonder? How will that affect/impact them? You can't brush this off as, "Oh, they'll be fine. They know what Miley said isn't true," because without a doubt her comments will influence at the very least some hundreds who have struggled with the "God question" even at an early age. Whether you want to accept it or not, this is a serious issue.</p> <p>Miley isn't really influential among older teens. It's a rarity. However, Lady Gaga is. You may think she looks like a freak at times, but kids love her. Normally, I'm not on a "moral police" trip. I get turned off by that sort of thing, but Lady Gaga's comments about Jesus and the songs she puts out there are so terrible and so wrong, I can't ignore it. I have no shame in saying there is not one single good reason for your student to ever listen to her. How will she influence an upcoming generation of students? Again, you can't make the mistake of just writing this kind of thing off.</p> <p>Our culture is saturated with entertainment. One of the fallacies of America in the late 20th century and now in the 21st century is how much our nation has embraced it. The top influencers among teenagers are performers--not educators, not scientists, not great national leaders, or even those who are men/women of high integrity regardless of religious affiliation. No, they're performers in music &amp; film or they're grossly overpaid athletes with hugely inflated egos. Kids want to be like these people. They command an enormous amount of influence and its really showing.</p> <p>So, what are you to do? You can't isolate a student and build a "Christian" bubble around them. Please don't do that. That will only cause greater problems down the road. They need to understand how to interact with the world, to know what Jesus really meant when he said he wanted his disciples to be "in the world, but not of it."</p> <p>Let me ask you a question. How often do you have devotions and prayer at home? I'm not talking about personal devotions and prayer, though those are important. I'm talking about as a family. How can you expect your student to be prepared with all the traps this world has if you can't spend time as a family to grow together? Preparing your student for the barrage of worldly influences they will face starts in building their faith at home. This isn't something you can outsource to the Church. The Church is supposed to help you as a secondary, not primary, faith builder. That's <strong>your</strong> job. Will this ensure your student will never fall into the traps set for them? No. There will be plenty of times where they will fall, but you will have done your God-given job. You will have done everything in your power to build their faith up in Christ.</p> <p>Let me tell you, students who are grounded in faith at home are the ones who will most of the time make it. They're the ones who stand firm and see through the spiritually deadly influences so many others follow. It might seem like you're fighting against the world, and you are, but you're not alone. There are other believers fighting the same fight and there is a God who will certainly be fighting with you. Forget Jesus? Those will be words Miss Cyrus will wish she never tweeted when one day her knee bows and her tongue confesses "Jesus is Lord."</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/forgetting-jesus">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/forgetting-jesus#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/InD3fkwGeNk" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/forgetting-jesushttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/cnRgSXubtHU/science-faith-workThu, 08 Mar 2012 12:46:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/science-faith-work<p> <p>There has been quite a bit of buzz lately over Miley Cyrus' tweet concerning faith and science.&nbsp; In case you haven't seen it, you can check it out right here:</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;">You are all stardust. You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded, because the elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, all the things that matter for evolution) weren't created at the beginning of time. They were created in stars. So forget Jesus. Stars died so you can live.</span></p> </blockquote> <p>Let's be clear here, I'm <em>not defending</em> Miley Cyrus.&nbsp; I know the stars didn't die so I might live.&nbsp; Jesus, the Son of the Living God, died so me, you, Miss Cyrus, and others in this world might one day live.&nbsp; No astronomical body can hold that distinction.</p> <p>What Miss Cyrus' tweet has done though is open dialogue on this issue between science and faith.&nbsp; This post isn't about what she said.&nbsp; Her comments are certainly troubling enough and I'll definitely address them from a spiritual standpoint, but let's do that in the next post.&nbsp; For now, let's focus on what this tweet is a small reflection of:&nbsp; the divide which shouldn't exist between science and faith.</p> <p>Our society as a whole has watched science and faith draw a line in the sand.&nbsp; We're basically told by both sides, "You can't be a scientist or else you're doomed to become an athiest.&nbsp; You can't be a follower of Christ or else you have turned your back on science."&nbsp; Both positions are wrong.&nbsp; Science and faith can work.</p> <p>Evolution is the hot-button issue which seems to rile up both sides.&nbsp; Clearly, Miss Cyrus was making a point about evolution in her tweet.&nbsp; If we are to be fair here we need to look at Evolution for what it is, a theory.&nbsp; Scientists accept this, but some go out on a limb and try to teach it as fact.&nbsp; This is not only wrong, it is irresponsible for them as scientists.&nbsp; Evolution hasn't been proven.&nbsp; That's the only fact.&nbsp; You cannot replicate evolution.&nbsp; You can't create an environment where you can test it.&nbsp; It's simply a theory.&nbsp; If we are going to continue being fair, we must also recognize the Creation Theory cannot be replicated.&nbsp; We can't create an environment where we can test it.&nbsp; At the very least in a <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">secular world </span></em>evolution and the Creation Theory should both be equally viewed as theories (for the record, I believe God created this world).</p> <p>I don't want this to turn into an Evolution vs. Creation Theory debate.&nbsp; That isn't the point of this post.&nbsp; The point is to briefly explain why science and faith can work.&nbsp; By its very nature science allows for the existence of a God who works supernaturally within this world.&nbsp; Faith, in turn, allows for the existence of science.&nbsp; Do you honestly believe God did not give scientists their intelligence and giftings for a purpose?&nbsp; Of course He did!&nbsp; Scientific discoveries have helped improve the standard of living on this planet.&nbsp; Don't let someone tell you that you can't be a passionate follower of Christ and be a physicist.&nbsp; That's nonsense.&nbsp; If that is the calling God has given you, then go for it!&nbsp; He's given you the intelligence and giftings for a specific purpose.</p> <p>Let me give you some quick examples.&nbsp; My wife is a nurse.&nbsp; As she began to study the human anatomy and then immerse herself in psychology, pharmacology, and other areas of nursing her faith was strengthened.&nbsp; She recognized the complexities of the human body alone are evidence nothing in creation was left to chance.&nbsp; God indeed had put everything together.&nbsp; She loves science and it is because of science she loves God even more than when she first entered college.&nbsp; My graduate school roommate as well as my youngest brother are mechanical engineers whose faith only increased with their study of science.&nbsp; I could go on and on with brief examples of those who love the Lord with all of their heart and are in some science-related field whether it be chemistry, medicine, engineering, etc.</p> <p>What we've done in society is take young people and force them to choose one or the other.&nbsp; These previous examples show us science and faith can work.&nbsp; Yet, in the scientific community it is acceptable practice to degrade/belittle someone for their faith as superstition or ignorance.&nbsp; In the Church, we don't want to answer the difficult questions or encourage young people to do the same.&nbsp; Stop it!&nbsp; Encourage fellow scientists in their faith!&nbsp; Let the young people ask the difficult questions!&nbsp; Science and faith aren't opposing forces, they can&nbsp;work together!</p> <p>I mentioned earlier there were troubling aspects spiritually speaking from Miss Cyrus' comments.&nbsp; I'll certainly address them in the next post, but don't take her comments as further fuel for the anti-faith or anti-science debate.&nbsp; Use them to open up good dialogue.&nbsp; Science and faith work.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/science-faith-work">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/science-faith-work#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/cnRgSXubtHU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/science-faith-workhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/b_HhnW4t7as/switching-churches-rarely-worksMon, 27 Feb 2012 10:20:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/switching-churches-rarely-works<p> <p>I realize it's been a while since posting on <em>the elements</em>, but I'll just say the last few weeks have been non-stop for us in Nashville.&nbsp; I need you to do something for me.&nbsp; If you are considering switching churches right now or maybe you've already decided to go that route, <strong>read this post</strong>.&nbsp; If you know someone who is leaning heavily toward switching churches, <strong>forward this post</strong> <strong>to them</strong>.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; There are just a few thoughts I really want those of you thinking&nbsp;about switching to dwell upon.</p> <p>If I had to guess, I would say you're switching churches because: A) the style of worship is not to your preference, B) you're not "getting anything" out of Sunday morning services, C) someone offended you, maybe multiple times, D) too many old people or too many young people, E) all of the above.&nbsp; How many selected "E" out there?&nbsp; Right, so naturally when a church isn't working out for you the best move is just to take off...or is it?&nbsp; What if I told you switching churches rarely works?&nbsp; What if I told you switching churches only undermines the real root issue--you're spiritual life is in decay?&nbsp; Now, I know there exceptions.&nbsp; I realize churches with moral failures and the like are not necessarily great places to continue to grow as a believer.&nbsp; Let's throw those exceptions out the window though.&nbsp; I want to invite you to consider a few things before making this switch you're pondering.</p> <p><em>Sunday mornings don't grow mature believers.</em>&nbsp; If you're one of those people who wants to switch churches because you can't stand Sunday mornings, you're not "getting anything" out of them, the worship isn't to your preference, etc. chances are you're pegging your spiritual growth in that Sunday AM service.&nbsp; That's a terrible move.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Mature believers, those who are growing in Christ, don't really grow that much on Sunday mornings.&nbsp; Don't get me wrong, they're challenged, inspired, convicted, and built up, but they typically don't go through periods of exponential growth during a 1.5 hour service.&nbsp; Mature believers understand real spiritual growth is a "big picture" thing.&nbsp; It happens when you take Sunday AM attendance and combine it with daily personal prayer/devotion, small groups, Sunday School, bible studies, etc.&nbsp; They don't peg their growth in one service because they understand spiritual growth can't come in just one weekly worship event.&nbsp; If you're banking on growing from Sunday mornings, I have to tell you that no matter what church you go to next you will not escape your problem.&nbsp; You'll still fail to really grow because you're pinning all of your spiritual growth in one service.&nbsp; It just doesn't happen that way.&nbsp; This isn't a good reason to switch where you're at.&nbsp; Instead, get more involved.&nbsp; Get in a small group, go to Sunday School, attend prayer meetings or bible studies.&nbsp; Expand beyond just Sunday morning.</p> <p><em>I don't like the worship.</em>&nbsp; Can I let you in on a secret?&nbsp; I don't always like the style of worship in my church and I'm a pastor!&nbsp; I mean, I'm 26&nbsp;years old.&nbsp; I have a completely different style of worship from some of the elders in our church body, but I realize when, Lord willing, I turn 55 that my worship style will <em>still</em> be different from others in my church!&nbsp; Does it hold me back from worshipping the Lord?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; Real worship is about your heart's response to your Creator.&nbsp; Musical preference and style should <strong>never dictate </strong>your heart's response to God.&nbsp; If it does, you have a major problem.&nbsp; Eventually when you switch churches you'll grow tired of their worship style.&nbsp; Maybe it will be too old or too young for you, maybe the songs will not be as energetic as they were, I don't know, but eventually you'll leave that place&nbsp;for the same reason--I don't like the worship.&nbsp; Worship isn't the problem.&nbsp; Your relationship with the Lord is.&nbsp; True believers will go beyond the worship style and pour their hearts out to their Savior.&nbsp; Why, because Jesus and all he has done and who he is demands it.</p> <p><em>The pastor ticked me off.</em>&nbsp; I understand sometimes this is&nbsp;a valid point.&nbsp; I hate to say it, but there are pastors out there who aren't godly at all, but 99%&nbsp;of them are real men of God.&nbsp; Typically people get upset when they are told something which is so blatantly true, it convicts them.&nbsp; They mistake this conviction for hurt and conclude the pastor hurt them.&nbsp; No my friend, the pastor did his job.&nbsp; He gave you sound, godly advice about the direction your life was heading or about the decisions you were making and you wanted him to side with you and your thoughts about the topic.&nbsp; If anything, this is a reason <strong>to stay</strong> at your church and not leave.&nbsp; It shows how much your pastor cares and loves you, so much so that he is willing to give you the right counsel on an objective basis even though he realizes this will sting for you.&nbsp; If your heart was in the right place you would have taken his counsel as godly advice and submitted to it.&nbsp; He isn't trying to "one-up" you, he's trying to help you and get you on the right track with your spiritual growth.</p> <p>At the expense of creating an even longer post, I need to wrap this up.&nbsp; Earlier I said when people normally switch churches they are undermining a more important problem.&nbsp; I realize there are valid reasons for switching, so understand I'm not blanketing everyone.&nbsp; However, most cite one or more of the reasons above and others similar to them as justifiable excuses to leave.&nbsp; The problem isn't the church, the problem is your spiritual life.&nbsp; You're not growing.&nbsp; You're pulling away, disengaging from the church and those who love you and care deeply for you.&nbsp; You're hoping this disengagement will help justify why you're leaving.&nbsp; You'll say, "I'm not growing.&nbsp; It's why I can't come to this service, or that event, or that meeting."&nbsp; No sir, you're not growing, but it is because you have failed to address the root problem of your issue.&nbsp; You're spiritual life is floundering and you want someone to blame and that someone is the church you're at.&nbsp; At some point you will find at the next church the same issues arise.&nbsp; You'll make the same decision and move on to another place.&nbsp; It's an endless cycle.&nbsp; Before jumping ship and going somewhere else, ask yourself some very hard and difficult questions.&nbsp; Examine your own spiritual life.&nbsp; You will likely find you're church isn't the problem.&nbsp; The problem is you.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/switching-churches-rarely-works">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/switching-churches-rarely-works#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/b_HhnW4t7as" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/switching-churches-rarely-workshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/LaZgfr5HuyE/when-god-doesnt-listenFri, 03 Feb 2012 12:04:10 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/when-god-doesnt-listen<p> <p>I'm sure you've been told before in difficult&nbsp;and seemingly hopeless situations that the best thing you can do is pray.&nbsp; So you pray...and pray, and pray some more.&nbsp; Still, nothing.&nbsp; No answer.&nbsp; No action.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Shouldn't this God who is said to exist answer your prayers?&nbsp; Isn't that His job?&nbsp; He's supposed to fix things, watch out for good people, and make sure that miracles happen right when they're supposed to.&nbsp; Only for you, your miracle didn't (or maybe hasn't) happened.&nbsp; The Christian parent, girlfriend, co-worker, or neighbor who told you to just "pray" must have a sick sense of humor.&nbsp; <em>God doesn't listen</em>, you think.</p> <p>It's interesting you were told to just "pray" by your Christian friend.&nbsp; I'd like to ask you a short series of questions if that's OK.&nbsp; Have you ever really trusted in God?&nbsp; I don't mean in times of dire need, I mean trusted Him each and every day.&nbsp; Is God&nbsp;your number one love or do other things and even people crowd Him out?&nbsp; Have you taken Him seriously at His call for you to live your life for Him?&nbsp; This means you no longer call your own shots.&nbsp; You begin to live as God, in His Word and through His Spirit, calls you to live.</p> <p>How did you do on those questions?&nbsp; You know a long time ago there was a group of people whom God blessed beyond measure.&nbsp; He had given them everything they could have wanted.&nbsp; They enjoyed quite a bit of prosperity, and all they had to do was worship and live for Him in order for this blessing to continue.&nbsp; That's it.&nbsp; Over time though, these people began to call their own shots.&nbsp; They started to live their lives how they pleased and eventually the "little sins" they committed, you know those "white lie" type things, turned into monstrous sins.&nbsp; If you open a Bible to Ezekiel 8 you'll&nbsp;see what some of these people are caught doing.&nbsp; One of the saddest passages in scripture is found in 8:7-12.&nbsp; There are many prominent leaders among these people who were once charged with leading the nation in worship and service to God in a small room.&nbsp; There, in secret (or so they think), they worship other gods.&nbsp; They think God doesn't know because it's done in a secret room, but He sees everything.&nbsp;</p> <p>You can read the chapter for yourself, but what you see are people worshipping and serving other gods apart from the one God who had so greatly blessed them.&nbsp; The irony is these people would later expect God to help them in a dire time of need. Interesting how that attitude reflects the attitudes of many people. They want God to do things for them, but they aren't willing to do anything for God.&nbsp; Sin has consequences.&nbsp; It always comes at a price and the price is always more than we can bear.&nbsp; As punishment, God would send another nation to conquer these people and tear them away from the land and prosperity He had given them.&nbsp; Even though they would cry out to Him and pray, He promised He would not listen to their prayer or show them any mercy.</p> <p>We wrongly think God will always listen to our prayers because He loves us unconditionally, but what if God only turns His ear to prayers from those who make serving Him a priority?&nbsp; See, God will listen to your prayers and He will make a way for you, but only if you are willing to give everything up for Him.&nbsp; It's a pretty fair trade considering He gave everything up for you when He sent His Son to die in <em>your</em> place for <em>your&nbsp;</em>sins.&nbsp; It's wrong to think He should be at our beck and call, even in situations of desperate need, just because He is God.&nbsp;He does love everyone and there are times when He does do great and miraculous things for people who aren't even serving Him for the purpose of having them recognize He is indeed God.&nbsp; However, He has every right not to listen to your prayers when you have no intention of living for Him.&nbsp; When God doesn't listen it usually means something isn't quite right in your life spiritually.&nbsp; Perhaps if you can come to a place where you can commit yourself to the Lord, He'll listen the next time around.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/when-god-doesnt-listen">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/when-god-doesnt-listen#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/LaZgfr5HuyE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/when-god-doesnt-listenhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/Zl8XCz2iv1M/the-elephant-in-the-room-should-a-christian-vFri, 20 Jan 2012 09:00:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-elephant-in-the-room-should-a-christian-v<p> <p>It's election season and for former and current political junkies like myself it's more like a year-long Christmas season. It's been in my blood ever since I worked for then House Rep. Jim DeMint on his U.S. Senate campaign. Before we get started, let's get a few things straight. First, by "Christian" I mean someone who is truly born-again, who has a relationship with Jesus. I'm not referring to someone who goes to church once or twice a month (or less) and labels themselves as Christian. That's important to understand. Second, I am not attempting to sway any one person's vote in this piece. You have a right to vote in this country as you please and I respect that position. What I am attempting to do is answer a question countless Christians have had during this election cycle: "Should I vote Mormon? Is it OK for me to cast a ballot in favor of Mitt Romeny (or, up until this week, John Huntsman)?"</p> <p>It's neat to see the national spotlight on my home state of South Carolina. If ever there was a state which broadly reflected where the GOP wishes to be in perfect balance with fiscal conservative beliefs and social conservative beliefs, it's this one. There is a reason the winner in SC has gone on to claim the GOP nomination every primary season. This season Mitt Romney leads the pack and whether anyone wants to talk about it publicly or not, they are all talking about it behind closed doors. The "it" is his Mormon faith.</p> <p>Many Christians struggle with this issue. I have talked with my fair share of those who oppose Romney and those who support him. About a quarter of the Christians who oppose Romney do so solely on the fact he is a Mormon. They believe every candidate's religious beliefs should be the deciding factor, if not the <em>only</em> factor, in how they vote.&nbsp; They believe a strong spiritual leader is needed to guide the nation because this kind of leader might have the ability to steer America back to God.&nbsp; After all, God judged Israel pretty harshly in the Old Testament for their sins on a national level.&nbsp; This included ungodly kings who let sin run rampant.&nbsp; If God did that with His chosen people, why would He not do that for anyone else?</p> <p>So, what about those Christians who are voting for Romney?&nbsp; They see things a little differently.&nbsp; They want someone in office who can govern effectively and they don't feel like the President needs to be their pastor.&nbsp; These Christians want this nation to begin turning towards God, but the President in their view isn't the leader who can do&nbsp;this, even if he is a strong a believer.&nbsp; They have seen presidents like Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush who talked about their strong faith make some huge governing mistakes we are still paying for.&nbsp; God may judge America, in fact they will probably argue He has to, but electing a Christian President in their view would not deter&nbsp;that judgment.&nbsp; Mormon?&nbsp; No big deal.</p> <p>If you read a previous <em>Elephant in the Room</em> series post on <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-elephant-in-the-room-vote-god-vote-republ">voting Republican</a>, then it will come as to no surprise to you I supported Romney in 2008.&nbsp; This doesn't mean you have to support him, but I believe he can govern more effectively than the other candidates.&nbsp; America needs to turn to God, but the President is not our spiritual leader.&nbsp; He is not the person who will bring us back.&nbsp; If we place all our hope in a godly President, we will be sorely disappointed.&nbsp; Our hope should never lay in men, it should lay in the Lord.&nbsp; We need God to move in an incredible way in lives throughout this country.&nbsp; Should a Christian vote Mormon?&nbsp; That's entirely up to you.&nbsp; If you see the President as a spiritual leader, I suppose you wouldn't want to cast that vote.&nbsp; Just remember though, we shouldn't place our hope for spiritual renewal in a man.&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-elephant-in-the-room-should-a-christian-v">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-elephant-in-the-room-should-a-christian-v#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/Zl8XCz2iv1M" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/the-elephant-in-the-room-should-a-christian-vhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/HIPUK1Hj29A/why-do-we-need-church-but-not-religionMon, 16 Jan 2012 12:00:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/why-do-we-need-church-but-not-religion<p> <p>Jefferson Bethke has lit up the internet in recent weeks.&nbsp; Log on to your Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube accounts and you're likely to see his video featuring a spoken word poem on religion and Jesus.&nbsp; Bethke's message is an attempt to help people understand the difference between Jesus and religion.&nbsp; While his poem has garnered a large support base, it has also sparked a growing debate.&nbsp; You can check the poem out here for yourself.</p> <p><iframe scrolling="auto" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1IAhDGYlpqY?rel=0" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>I think Bethke is pretty clear in the video about religion--it's bad.&nbsp; The uproar against him has come from those who think he is railing against the Church.&nbsp; Now, I don't know about you, but my hearing is really good.&nbsp; He never attacks the Church, he attacks religion.&nbsp; Bethke does so with good reason.&nbsp; Religion is what turns so many people, particularly my generation,&nbsp;off from the church.&nbsp; Religion is about power, control, prestige, position, and wealth.&nbsp; It's a great description of who the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisees" class="zem_slink" title="Pharisees" rel="wikipedia">Pharisees</a> were in the Bible.</p> <p>People who are religious know their stuff.&nbsp; They can quote scripture, they attend churches, they may even have leadership positions.&nbsp; So, I can see why some people on the outside have a hard time separating religion from the Church.&nbsp; However, there is a huge difference.&nbsp; You need the Church.&nbsp; I know you may have left or decided against ever stepping through the door for a variety of reasons, but hear me out.&nbsp; Here is what the Church should be:</p> <p><strong>Family:</strong>&nbsp; Each person in the Church should be equally loved and valued regardless of who they are or where they come from.&nbsp; No one is better than the next person.&nbsp; I'm afraid some churches haven't entirely grasped this vital concept yet and maybe you were a victim of being neglected.&nbsp; God's design for the Church was for us to be united in love (1 Cor. 13).&nbsp; We are to be there for each other in times of need providing encouragement, love, and strength.&nbsp; You need this and I need this.</p> <p><strong>Hospital:</strong>&nbsp; OK, let me clarifiy.&nbsp; You go to a hospital to get well, right?&nbsp; You go there hoping to heal whatever is broken or wrong with you and have a medical physician "fix" you.&nbsp; Churches serve as a place for the broken to find hope and healing in Jesus Christ.&nbsp; This is true of the believer and the nonbeliever.&nbsp; You have issues sometimes too deep for any psychologist or physician to fix.&nbsp; They run spiritually deep in your soul and only God can heal those wounds.&nbsp; The Church is a place for you to go and have assistance finding that healing.</p> <p><strong>Intellectual:&nbsp; </strong>You have questions, most of the time the Church has answers.&nbsp; Now, to be honest, churches don't have all the answers and when they don't have them, they should admit that.&nbsp; However, you should always be able to ask any and every question no matter how deep or provocative which will help you in your walk with Christ (or maybe help you find him).&nbsp; I get it.&nbsp; You want to ask the tough questions, but you're told "You need to accept what this person has said as fact because they are trustworthy and have had years of experience behind them, etc, etc."&nbsp; It's difficult to learn about a topic when you can't do the research isn't it?&nbsp; Churches should encourage and invite intellectual digging.&nbsp; They should answer the tough questions and admit when they don't know the answer.&nbsp; It's OK not to have the answer for everything.</p> <p><strong>Spiritual:</strong>&nbsp; Perhaps the most important reason you need Church deals with your spiritual journey.&nbsp; We were never designed to walk this road alone.&nbsp; Following Jesus is difficult and riding solo often results in us falling away from Christ.&nbsp; You need others to help you, to pick you up when you fall, and to teach/mentor you.&nbsp; Furthermore, you have spiritual giftings God has given you for the benefit of lifting up others and giving Him glory.&nbsp; These giftings can be used outside the Church, but they're most effective when using them <em>inside</em> it, encouraging and strengthening the believers.&nbsp;</p> <p>As some of you will certainly point out, I didn't cover <em>every single little </em>aspect of what Church should be like.&nbsp; Keep in mind this wasn't supposed to be an exhaustive list.&nbsp; I know Church isn't perfect, but we need it.&nbsp; I know there are some churches which have some, all, or none of the above points and that can pose a problem.&nbsp; However, without Church we're like a one man football team.&nbsp;</p> <p>Imagine Peyton Manning going up against the Baltimore Ravens defense all by himself.&nbsp; Good luck!&nbsp; We're stronger when we are together, in fact we&nbsp;were designed to work together.&nbsp; If Peyton has a full team with him, he is more than capable of beating one of the NFL's greatest defenses.&nbsp; If he does it solo, he's toast.&nbsp; That's not to say it will be perfect.&nbsp; There are offensive penalties, plays which bust, and some letdowns when Peyton gets sacked, but in the end there is that "W," the win which is all that matters.&nbsp; Our "W," our win, is getting there to Heaven and taking as many people as possible with us.&nbsp; We don't need religion, but we sure need the Church.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.zemanta.com/" class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=9e851275-05a1-431b-b91a-609d338a3188" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" style="float: right;" /></a></div> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/why-do-we-need-church-but-not-religion">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/why-do-we-need-church-but-not-religion#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/HIPUK1Hj29A" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/why-do-we-need-church-but-not-religionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/GP7KWDooLRA/thank-god-i-never-went-to-law-schoolThu, 12 Jan 2012 13:41:28 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/thank-god-i-never-went-to-law-school<p> <p>I had a really interesting background before going into ministry.&nbsp; I was involved in politics, working and running campaigns, and had one clear goal:&nbsp; get to law school.&nbsp; Why law school?&nbsp; I had it all mapped out.&nbsp; I would get into law school, do some work in the DA's office, and keep up with the political connections I had.&nbsp; Eventually, I would strike it out on my own doing election law and constitutional law.&nbsp; I would make quite a large amount of money, large enough to do several pro-bono cases for individuals who really needed help, but couldn't afford it.&nbsp; That was my heart.&nbsp; I wanted to help people.&nbsp; Love or hate lawyers (I happen to love them, but not just because I wanted to be one; I have several friends who are lawyers!), every person needs one.&nbsp; At some point in your life you will need a lawyer to help you.</p> <p>Obviously, this never really worked out.&nbsp; I took the LSAT, I&nbsp;began to look at admissions&nbsp;applications, and then...God really made that call to ministry I had as a teenager impossible to run away from any longer.&nbsp; I submitted to God's will, enrolled instead at Columbia International University for graduate school after college and here I am.&nbsp; Pesky Holy Spirit...</p> <p>What does this have to do with anything?&nbsp; Well, earlier this week I found myself sitting in a jail visiting someone whose life is hanging in the balance.&nbsp; This person was in a state of confusion and brokenness and trying to wrap their head around where Jesus fits into the picture.&nbsp; Isn't interesting how so many of us don't think more than three seconds about Jesus until we're in a situation where we really need him?</p> <p>As I was walked through some of the visitation stations I passed by two sections each revealing an inmate paired with an attorney.&nbsp; Heck, one of the lawyers even had a pinstripe suit with silky, white hair neatly fall to his shoulders almost in perfect fashion.&nbsp; If ever there was a stereotype for lawyers, this guy was it!&nbsp; The lawyers of course were discussing their cases with their clients and attempting to find ways to minimize the problem each client had run into.&nbsp; No doubt they would be discussing ways to reduce sentences, strategies to get the "system to work" in favor of the client.</p> <p>Then, it hit me.&nbsp; Here I am visiting someone who has problems just like those other inmates and has found themselves in jail just like they have.&nbsp; Instead of trying to minimize the problem and work for a reduced sentence which really doesn't alleviate anything, I'm in here as a man of God trying to be direct and hit this person's problem head-on.&nbsp; This person is in jail because the system says they did something wrong, but that isn't the main issue.&nbsp; The main issue is their spiritual life is really damaged.&nbsp; A reduced sentence doesn't change a person, Jesus does.</p> <p>It could have been me sitting across from a client hoping "change" would be a year of probation or three years instead of ten.&nbsp; Maybe then the client would be "rehabilitated."&nbsp; Instead, God had other plans.&nbsp; Instead of walking in with a briefcase and notes, I'm in there with a Bible in street clothes.&nbsp; We need lawyers and thank God for the good ones out there, but thank God I never went to law school.&nbsp; I want to bring real change.&nbsp; I want to make a real difference and a reduced sentence can't do that.&nbsp; Only Jesus can.&nbsp; What a privilege it is for God to have chosen someone as imperfect as me to proclaim the kind of change He can bring.</p> <p>Keep your heart open.&nbsp; You might have plans to change the world, but perhaps God has greater plans.&nbsp; Perhaps God has greater things in store for you than what you could possibly imagine.&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/thank-god-i-never-went-to-law-school">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/thank-god-i-never-went-to-law-school#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/GP7KWDooLRA" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/thank-god-i-never-went-to-law-schoolhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/QKxvJeAvniw/where-are-the-robert-webbsThu, 05 Jan 2012 13:00:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/where-are-the-robert-webbs<p> <p>I'm twenty-six years old and right at the crest of the Generation Y (1982-2002) wave which is causing all sorts of heads to turn in every inch of society right now.&nbsp; Gen Yers are unique, confusing, exciting, and contradictory all at the same time.&nbsp; They will end up being the most educated, innovative, and technologically savvy&nbsp;generation known to America.&nbsp; They are also known their idealism.&nbsp; John Mayer has a line in one of his songs, which captures the essence of the idealism they have, "waiting on the world to change."&nbsp; This group doesn't want to wait though.&nbsp; They want to change the world now.&nbsp; They want to make a positive and lasting impact around this globe.&nbsp; It sounds great, doesn't it?&nbsp; The problem with Gen Y though, is they have ambition and ideas, but often times lack a clear-cut plan or leadership to make the differences they long to see happen.</p> <p>There is an elderly couple in our church who attend service every single time the doors are open.&nbsp; They are the warmest couple you'll ever meet.&nbsp; If you were to stroll through the doors at First Assembly, they would certainly find you, hug on you, welcome you, and tell you just how much you mean to them.&nbsp; Strangers?&nbsp; No one is a stranger to them.&nbsp; They just seem like great older folks.&nbsp; Little does the world know how much of an impact they have made.</p> <p>Robert Webb and his wife Dot, left their home in 1957 for West Africa.&nbsp; They believed God had called them to the mission field and leaving everything behind, they answered the call.&nbsp; They were the first missionaries from the Tennessee District Council of the Assemblies of God to begin missions work in Nigeria in 1963.&nbsp; Not long after they arrived, they realized western Nigeria really needed attention.&nbsp; It was a least-reached part of the world at the time.&nbsp; Taking a few pastors with them, the Webbs laid a foundation which is felt to this day in the oil rich nation.&nbsp;</p> <p>When they left, western Nigeria had over eighty churches all pastored by Nigerians (a rare thing in those days) and a Bible College to train Nigerian pastors/ministry workers.&nbsp; Just to give you an idea of the scope of their ministry, more than one million people received their first course of study under the training institutions set by the Webbs and others who assisted them.&nbsp; Think about that.&nbsp; More than one million people could trace their first training course to an institution in Nigeria&nbsp;these missionaries started.&nbsp; Before it was all said and done Robert Webb had ministered in Ukraine, South Africa, and Russia.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Webbs didn't wait on the world to change, they helped change it!&nbsp; God gave them a calling, they answered it, and He used them to touch the lives of well over one million people during their time overseas.&nbsp; Where are the Robert Webbs in Gen Y?&nbsp; Where are the leaders of this generation who will step up, seek God for a plan, and carry it out to make an eternal impact?&nbsp; Don't talk about change and wait!&nbsp; Answer the call God has on your life, be a leader, and let yourself be used by God to make a difference that lasts more than a lifetime, but an eternity.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/where-are-the-robert-webbs">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/where-are-the-robert-webbs#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/QKxvJeAvniw" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/where-are-the-robert-webbshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/awDGaNP9EYQ/maybe-christmas-perhaps-means-a-little-bit-moThu, 22 Dec 2011 13:30:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/maybe-christmas-perhaps-means-a-little-bit-mo<p> <p>Is it just me or has Christmas really come in hard and fast?&nbsp; I remember as a kid how it felt like Christmas took forever!&nbsp; December 25th never came fast enough and now as an adult, December 25th never comes slow enough!&nbsp; It seems every year we all hear the same old phrase about this time, "The true meaning of Christmas is really..." and you fill in the blank.&nbsp; Whether you are a Christian or not, you hear about what Christmas truly is about and we all know it isn't the fat man and those presents he brings.</p> <p>Just what is Christmas about though?&nbsp; The answers vary quite a bit.&nbsp; Some people think Christmas is about family and spending time with loved ones.&nbsp; Not bad.&nbsp; I like it.&nbsp;&nbsp;A few&nbsp;think it is about giving to make others' lives better.&nbsp; That's a great point too.&nbsp; Still, it seems like the true meaning of Christmas is often summed up in one big word: LOVE.&nbsp; That has a great ring to it, but if all the world really needs is love, why is it so screwed up still?</p> <p>Let me invite you to think about this for a second.&nbsp; Jesus.&nbsp; What Christmas is all about centers on Jesus.&nbsp; I know, it sounds religious.&nbsp; It sounds exclusive.&nbsp; It doesn't even sound right!&nbsp; Well, just follow me.&nbsp; Maybe you'll see my point if you do.&nbsp; Forget celebrating Jesus' birthday, it's great for kids to do, but come on.&nbsp; We all know he wasn't born on Christmas.&nbsp; In fact, we don't know when he was born.&nbsp; We think it was somewhere in the June - September range.&nbsp; Christmas was actually set up by the Roman Catholic Church a long time ago to help divert attention away from a pagan holiday.&nbsp; It worked...for the most part.</p> <p>Let's not focus on the actual reasons for observing Christmas Day, but let's instead focus on what is so important about it.&nbsp; It doesn't really matter whether it's celebrated on December 25th or July 25th to be honest.&nbsp; Christmas is about self-sacrifice for the good of others.&nbsp; It's about one man who willingly gave up his life for people who loved him, despised him, and ignored him.&nbsp; So, I suppose it is about giving to make others' lives better.&nbsp; It is about love in the sense this act was done out of sheer, passionate, deep, unconditional love.&nbsp; Maybe it is about spending time with loved ones after all.&nbsp; It was done for the explicit purpose of spending an eternity with those he loves dear.</p> <p>Yet, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas if Jesus hadn't loved us so much, no matter who we are or how we feel about him, to the point where he gave his very life for us.&nbsp; His suffering, death, and resurrection is what gives us a chance at hope.&nbsp; It's what allows us the opportunity to spend forever with him.&nbsp; Without the mangled, bloodied, body of Jesus on a rugged cross there is no Christmas.&nbsp; We celebrate his birth, but he was really born to die.&nbsp; Christmas just can't be Christmas without the greatest act of love the world has really ever seen--the suffering, death, and resurrection of a God who loves His creation so much, He left His glory and splendor to get down on our lowly level and become one of us.&nbsp; It's greater than a cheap "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" slogan.&nbsp; It was more costly than a "Keep Christ in Christmas" Facebook status.&nbsp; Christmas is really about one God's love and just how far He was willing to go to show it to a messed up world.&nbsp; Just a thought for you this Christmas.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/maybe-christmas-perhaps-means-a-little-bit-mo">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/maybe-christmas-perhaps-means-a-little-bit-mo#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/awDGaNP9EYQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/maybe-christmas-perhaps-means-a-little-bit-mohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/IYn18NVCWuc/guest-blog-lindsey-mckinleyThu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/guest-blog-lindsey-mckinley<p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">About a year ago I was in a frustrating place. I had spent years praying to God to show me the direction I needed to go in my life but the answer never came. I confided in my dad, a minister for over 30 years, and all he would offer was &ldquo;just pray and God will speak to you&rdquo;. My answer was swift and terrifying, &ldquo;God doesn&rsquo;t speak to me.&rdquo; My dad simply replied, &ldquo;God is ALWAYS speaking, sometimes we just don&rsquo;t hear Him.&rdquo; In the days that followed I came to a sobering conclusion: God was speaking the entire time, the problem was that I didn&rsquo;t know His voice. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">I had the same best friend for 8 years. We talked almost every day. This person could call me from the most random numbers and yet as soon as I answered and heard him say &ldquo;hey, what&rsquo;s up&rdquo; I knew who it was. Because I had spoken to him everyday, I knew his voice. We could be in a crowded room and if he yelled to me from across the room I would know his voice above the crowd. This is the relationship God desires to have with us. We have to know His voice because this world is filled with too much noise to just hope we will know when He speaks to us. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">So how do we learn His voice? The answer is prayer, but not the way we usually pray.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Prayer has to be a conversation. I used to pray, &ldquo;God, it&rsquo;s me, thanks for giving me life and all but there are some things You have to do. First, I need help at school because I didn&rsquo;t study for this test, and help me at work because I&rsquo;m going to go off on somebody, and bring me a boyfriend because I&rsquo;m tired of being alone. Let me know when you work that out. Amen. Bye.&rdquo; </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">How is that a conversation? When did I give Him a chance to speak to me?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>If you want to know His voice, you first have to hear his voice. That means you&rsquo;re going to have to be quiet for a minute. When one person dominates a conversation, they are basically telling the other person &ldquo;what I have to say is more interesting than what you have to say.&rdquo; When we dominate prayer with all the stuff we want done and we don&rsquo;t leave time to hear from God, we are saying, &ldquo;what I have to say is more interesting than what You have to say.&rdquo; Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Creator of the galaxies has something more important to say to you than you have to say to Him. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Prayer has to be about a conversation with God and not just a list of our problems. We need to pray in the good times and the bad. When you are in need of nothing, you can spend your time waiting on God and listening for Him because you aren&rsquo;t preoccupied with your list. We need to learn His voice now because if we don&rsquo;t learn what He sounds like on the good days, we&rsquo;ll never be able to hear Him over the storms that will come. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">To read more posts by Lindsey McKinley please visit her blog, <a href="http://lbmckinley.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-are-masterpiece-not-sketch-drawing.html">New Eyes</a>.&nbsp; </span></em></p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/guest-blog-lindsey-mckinley">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/guest-blog-lindsey-mckinley#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/IYn18NVCWuc" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/guest-blog-lindsey-mckinleyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/ZtzS_k5mAPY/happy-chrismahanukwanzakahTue, 06 Dec 2011 12:35:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/happy-chrismahanukwanzakah<p> <p>WARNING:&nbsp; Deeply religious and Pharisaical personalities may suffer severe setbacks.&nbsp; Continue reading at your own risk.</p> <p>Chrismahanuk--whatta?&nbsp; Chrismahanukwanzakah!&nbsp; The most magical time of year!&nbsp; Well, in theory at least.&nbsp; There are a lot of holidays in December.&nbsp; There is Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's to name the major holidays.&nbsp; Each has its own traditions, celebrations, and followings.&nbsp; Typically, we group all of these holidays together under the greeting "Happy Holidays" which is quite all right.&nbsp; I'd rather say "Happy Holidays" than Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah, wouldn't you?</p> <p>Despite the recognition of these holidays, there is a war of political correctness raging.&nbsp; On the one side you have all these "Merry Christmas" miscreants who demand the entire month of December be about Christmas and every greeting and salutation begin or end with "Merry Christmas."&nbsp; On the other are the grinches who feel Christmas is offensive and therefore resort to saying "Happy Holidays."&nbsp; What a titanic battle which rages!</p> <p>Let me pull you in on a little secret...are you ready?&nbsp; You sure?&nbsp; I mean if you can't handle the truth, just stop reading now.&nbsp; OK.&nbsp; God doesn't care if you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays."&nbsp; I know.&nbsp; Some of you are already firing up those emails.&nbsp; You're ready to call for my head.&nbsp; Before you decide to light the torches and come hunt me down, hear me out.</p> <p>Simply saying or choosing not to say "Merry Christmas" doesn't denote anything Christian.&nbsp; Christmas is so secular nowadays that it really and honestly carries little Christian meaning outside the Church.&nbsp; That's a very blunt statement, but it's the truth.&nbsp; It isn't a good truth.&nbsp; It's an awful truth.&nbsp; Christmas is clearly about the birth of Christ (who was born probably in September, but we celebrate it in December.&nbsp; More on that in a later post--stay tuned), but in our world it has become a holiday for Santa Claus, gift giving, colored trees, and awful Bing Crosby Christmas movies (i.e. White Christmas).&nbsp; If you believe you're somehow living out your faith by forcing people to say "Merry Christmas" at check out lines or refusing to shop at a certain place because they have "Happy Holidays" instead, then you need a reality check.&nbsp; Living out faith has nothing to do with "Merry Christmas."</p> <p>How can we make a real difference at Christmas then if we don't demand "Christmas" be a term recognized by everyone?&nbsp; Simple.&nbsp; We live out our faith through the fruits of the Spirit.&nbsp; We love people, whether we like them or not.&nbsp; We have patience when things don't go our way.&nbsp; We are gentle with others.&nbsp; We are kind and good in all we do.&nbsp; We have self-control over our desires.&nbsp; We faithfully serve the Lord and others while having joyful hearts.&nbsp; We live at peace with our relationship with Christ.</p> <p>"You're a pushover.&nbsp; You're letting Christ be erased from everything!" you may say.&nbsp; Well, again.&nbsp; Here is a little honest truth:&nbsp; Christ&nbsp;has already been erased&nbsp;in our society.&nbsp; It's happened.&nbsp; It's a terrible truth, but look all around you outside of the church and what do you see?&nbsp; You don't see Christ.&nbsp; You don't see biblical values.&nbsp; So what are we going to do about it?&nbsp; Might I suggest instead of fighting a losing battle in the court systems and in the realm of political correctness that we fight back as Jesus did?&nbsp; He was counter-cultural, but not in an aggressive and demanding way.&nbsp; He lived out his relationship with the Father and the truths which he taught.&nbsp; What would happen if we did the same?&nbsp; Perhaps the greatest influence among my generation for leaving faith behind are "Christians" who acknowledge Jesus and all things godly with their lips, but have denied him and his truths by their lifestyles.&nbsp;</p> <p>I cannot tell you how many countless people, some who are passionate Christ-followers, have been completely turned off by Christians who demanded "Merry Christmas" be recognized.&nbsp; One person in particular was&nbsp;in the midst of trying to sort through what it truly meant to follow God.&nbsp; When she was bombarded by several customers at her work place who demanded she say "Merry Christmas," including one who refused to pay until the phrase was said and another who rudely responded they would never return to the store again, she stopped sorting things out.&nbsp; She concluded if this was what Christianity was all about, she wanted no part in it.</p> <p>Don't get upset when you hear "Happy Holidays" this&nbsp;Christmas season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don't be rude and demand&nbsp;"Merry Christmas" be said.&nbsp; In the end&nbsp;folks God isn't going to care if you ever said the phrase or not.&nbsp; He's going to be concerned about your relationship with Him.&nbsp; How terrible it would be to stand before Him on that day and learn we pushed others who were on the brink away by our actions!&nbsp; Let's embrace truly living out our faith in a genuine, real way every day of the year instead of doing it for one month in a politically correct way.&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/happy-chrismahanukwanzakah">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/happy-chrismahanukwanzakah#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/ZtzS_k5mAPY" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/happy-chrismahanukwanzakahhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/ShZ8ZDnYlJU/83231276Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:30:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/83231276<p> <div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angry_Birds_promo_art.png"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Angry_Birds_promo_art.png" alt="Angry Birds" style="display: block;" /></a> <p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Angry_Birds_promo_art.png">Wikipedia</a></p> </div> <p>Apparently, it's really popular to still look down upon intelligent leaders and thinkers in our world. "What," you say, "who does that? Haven't you seen the waves of people going to college?" Well, haven't you seen how higher education institutions are using tuition dollars? One college in particular which I won't name (but, you can Google the course if you'd like) offers a Theory and History of Video Games course! Americans are enthralled with <em>Keeping Up with the Kardashians</em> and so busy paying attention to the MTV Music Awards while playing Angry Birds, that they don't have time to crack open a book and learn something relevant. Let's be honest. Our culture embraces entertainment, "fun," and the latest trend.</p> <p>So, why should we be surprised when this line of thinking infiltrates our churches? We have one of the most biblically illiterate generations today, yet we have more resources available to us than any other generation who came before us. How is this possible? Much of it has to do with our American culture and its growing pattern of looking down on intellect and embracing entertainment. However, much of it has to do with uneducated leaders as well. I know you don't need a Bachelor's degree to lead others to Christ or do missions work. I'm not saying you should have scored a 1200 on your SAT and hold Masters or doctoral degrees to pastor either.&nbsp;</p> <p>What I am saying though is put the maximum effort into the intellect God has given you, especially for leaders out there.&nbsp; Its popular to say things like "Theology has messed us up," or "I don't want to be a theologian, I want to be a Christian," but theology is absolutely vital.&nbsp; We need theologians!&nbsp; We need to <em>be </em>theologians!&nbsp; There are far too many problems in this day and age arising among believers as a result of poor theology.&nbsp; Poor theology means poor interpretation of God's Word and poor interpretation of God's Word means shallow, uneducated, misled Christians.&nbsp; I'll give you a perfect example of what poor theology can do.&nbsp; One of the fastest growing movements in America today is the Emergent Church Movement.&nbsp; The leaders of this movement have little if any respect or belief in God's sovereignty.&nbsp; They believe in order to truly protect human free will and be completely removed from any influence over a person's decision making process, that God chooses to limit Himself.&nbsp; He cannot know what you or I will do next.&nbsp; In fact, He doesn't know what the future holds for any of us because He wants us to make our own choices free from divine influence.</p> <p>That is blatantly false.&nbsp; It is the result of poor theological work which has led to poor interpretation of God's Word and in turn led to misleading thousands of people, particularly young people in Generation Y (1984-2000).&nbsp; I really want to challenge you to dig deep into God's Word.&nbsp; Ask the tough questions.&nbsp; Seek the difficult answers.&nbsp; Don't form <em>opinions</em>.&nbsp; God hasn't left His Word to us so we can formulate an opinion!&nbsp; Don't take a passage and construct it to mean something it doesn't.&nbsp; If you educate yourself with the help of the right leaders, the right theologians, you will have a great, in-depth understanding&nbsp;of the Word of God and you will be able to resist some of the horrid misinterpretations which exist today.&nbsp; The biggest battle for the hearts and minds of others in the coming generation will be fought in the realm of theology.&nbsp; Dig in deep.&nbsp; The other side has already dug their trenches and they're firing everything they've got.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/83231276">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/83231276#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/ShZ8ZDnYlJU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/83231276http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/g8Ht766bIcg/transformation-sticksFri, 18 Nov 2011 12:45:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/transformation-sticks<p> <p>In a few hours I'll be in an auditorium packed with well over one thousand students, leaders, and youth pastors for the Tennessee District Assemblies of God Youth Convention. This is one of the highlights of my year. Conventions always feature amazing worship, dynamic speakers, and incredible experiences with God which always leave you fired up and thirsting for more. There is, however, one problem so many students and youth ministries face when something like a Youth Convention or camp is over--the fire dies down. Or does it?</p> <p>I was asked by a lead pastor one time about this issue. "Andrew," he said, "we love taking our kids to these things, and they always have an amazing experience, but when they come back home that fire they had just seems to go away. How do you fix that?"&nbsp; I used to think&nbsp;like so many others thought.&nbsp; It must be they fell into sin.&nbsp; Maybe if they didn't fall into sin, it was because they got back to the real world and faced overwhelming challenges.</p> <p>Then, I realized something which has profoundly changed the way I leave events like these.&nbsp; Maybe most students are seeking after the wrong thing.&nbsp; Most will tell you they want to have an awesome experience, but here is the problem with this:&nbsp; experiences don't last forever.&nbsp; They come and go.&nbsp; If all a student has is an experience, the intensity they have will die away because it's only temporary.&nbsp; If they have a transformation, the intensity grows and spreads throughout every area of their lives.&nbsp; We've gotten good at saying we had an experience because the&nbsp;atmosphere of event&nbsp;was really incredible.&nbsp; We need quality events, but if we say we had an amazing experience with God simply because we were "wowed" by the event we went to, then we've missed out.&nbsp; We didn't experience God, we just experienced an awesome time.&nbsp;</p> <p>God wants to make much deeper inroads into our lives than an experience at one event.&nbsp; He wants complete transformation.&nbsp; He wants our lives to be radically changed forever and that isn't a once or twice&nbsp;a year deal.&nbsp; That is a lifelong process of change we undergo.&nbsp; Transformation is birthed in us when we accept Christ as our Savior and I can tell you right now countless students have done so at amazing events like conventions and camps.&nbsp; When this transformation starts and we dig deep into this new relationship with God, that fire we bring back from convention or camp only intensifies in our lives.&nbsp; We change how we interact with people, how we worship, what we say, what we do, how we think, etc.&nbsp; We are noticeably different the next week than we were the last week.</p> <p>Transformation is greater than just an experience.&nbsp; It's something which sticks with you, it lasts, and it's what the leaders who put these type of events together are hoping each person has.&nbsp;&nbsp;At the next event you attend, I challenge you to dig deeper.&nbsp; Don't seek an experience, seek a transformation.&nbsp; That fire you catch won't dwindle away, it will only grow and spread!</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/transformation-sticks">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/transformation-sticks#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/g8Ht766bIcg" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/transformation-stickshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/Y5pg-g8uLfU/i-quit-churchTue, 15 Nov 2011 14:17:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/i-quit-church<p> <div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12915821@N00/220042415"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/78/220042415_e5dbf98959_m.jpg" height="240" alt="Window at Parish Church of St Peter, Frampton ..." style="display: block;" width="157" /></a> <p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12915821@N00/220042415">DanieVDM</a> via Flickr</p> </div> <p>That's right.&nbsp; I quit Church.&nbsp; I got tired of it.&nbsp; It's draining.&nbsp; It's busy.&nbsp; It's formal and has many unsaid and unwritten rules of conduct.&nbsp; It's an organization bent on controlling every aspect of my life.&nbsp; That's only scatching the surface.&nbsp; I didn't even mention the constant nagging for money, which I don't have, and the way everyone wants to know my business.&nbsp; It seems much more like a social club focused on itself anyway.&nbsp; Quite honestly, I'm in love with Jesus, I just hate this thing called the Church.</p> <p>All right, in fairness let me just say all of the above statements you read didn't come from me.&nbsp; Fooled ya a little there didn't I?&nbsp;&nbsp;Those are statements others have told me throughout the years regarding their feelings about Church.&nbsp; In fact, they make up the primary reasons many don't want to go.&nbsp; In addition to being&nbsp;a youth pastor, I also lead a college ministry at my church.&nbsp; Our college small group met the other night and Church happened to be the focal point of a discussion we had before wrapping everything up.&nbsp; I'll admit, there were several negative things said about the Church, but this group of college students was different from most people who are critical about this God-ordained body of believers.&nbsp; Most people are critical because they have negative attitudes.&nbsp; They don't really want positive changes, they just want to be heard.&nbsp; These students, on the other hand, had suggestions for improvement to back up their constructive criticism.</p> <p>I liked that.&nbsp; Rule #1 when criticizing anything should be, "Back up your thoughts with a plan" (is there any way this blog post can be forwarded to Capitol Hill?&nbsp; I couldn't help it).&nbsp; None of those college students ever suggested, "Hey the best way to improve the Church is to leave it."&nbsp; You know why?&nbsp; Leaving the Church isn't a solution.&nbsp; In fact, for true believers it just isn't an option.&nbsp; The Church isn't a building.&nbsp; We tend to place a lot of emphasis on "God's House" and link the term to a physical place, but the Church was never intended to be a building.&nbsp; The Church is the actual body of true believers in Christ Jesus.&nbsp; It's fluid, diverse, talented, and beautiful.&nbsp; We are all members of one body, the Church, or as Paul would say, the Body of Christ.&nbsp; Most people tend to focus on a local assembly of believers when they use the term though.&nbsp; So, for our purposes, let's do the same thing here.</p> <p>Quit Church?&nbsp; No way!&nbsp; You &amp; I need it!&nbsp; We need to come together with a local assembly of believers.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you look in the New Testament (NT) you'll see believers often gathered together, and I'll submit to you that it wasn't just once a week for two hours either.&nbsp; They often got together nearly every day.&nbsp; They used this time to build each other up, worship God together, and learn more about Him.&nbsp; Church strengthened them.&nbsp; It wasn't perfect mind you.&nbsp; I think you only need to turn to <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%201&amp;version=NLT" target="_blank">1 Corinthians </a>to see that, but it was necessary.</p> <p>You might be able to make a list one mile long about criticisms with the Church, but let me challenge you to stick with it.&nbsp; Don't leave your local assembly of believers for another group.&nbsp; That would just make you part of the problem.&nbsp; Instead, offer suggestions.&nbsp; Be a part of the solution.&nbsp; Help strengthen other believers who gather with you.&nbsp; Trust me, you need this.&nbsp; You need to be built up and others in your local assembly need the same thing.&nbsp; Quit Church?&nbsp; Not a chance.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.zemanta.com/" class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=8665d22d-3c0a-4b95-be4c-12d393f70efa" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" style="float: right;" /></a></div> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/i-quit-church">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/i-quit-church#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/Y5pg-g8uLfU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/i-quit-churchhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/3hKWIYpwyBA/say-it-aint-so-joeThu, 10 Nov 2011 14:41:08 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/say-it-aint-so-joe<p> <div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; display: block; float: right;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg" height="250" alt="Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Joe Patern..." style="display: block;" width="200" /></a> <p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_Paterno_Sideline_PSU-Illinois_2006.jpg">Wikipedia</a></p> </div> <p>Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've heard about the horrific <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7214380/joe-paterno-president-graham-spanier-penn-state" target="_blank">child sex abuse scandal</a> involving <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_State_University" class="zem_slink" title="Pennsylvania State University" rel="wikipedia">Penn State University</a> and the former defensive coordinator for long-time coaching legend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Paterno" class="zem_slink" title="Joe Paterno" rel="wikipedia">Joe Paterno</a>.&nbsp; Last night, the PSU Board of Trustees voted to dismiss Paterno after forty-six years of coaching the Nittany Lions.&nbsp; What made their decision so interesting is the fact Coach Paterno did nothing illegal.&nbsp; His firing was based on damage done&nbsp;to Penn State's reputation and his failure to report allegations of sexual abuse to police in 2002.</p> <p>All of us can agree disciplinary action from Penn State needed to happen.&nbsp; What kind of action is an entirely different issue.&nbsp; However, there is a much bigger lesson to be learned here.&nbsp; In fact, there are several bigger lessons to be learned, but let's just focus on one in particular.&nbsp; Joe Pa's firing is a clear reminder that all of us are accountable to someone for our actions.&nbsp; Maybe you're a student and you are held accountable to your parents or teachers.&nbsp; Perhaps you're an employee and you're held accountable to your supervisor.&nbsp; It doesn't matter who you are or what position you hold, you're accountable to someone.</p> <p>As I was driving home listening to the radio report this story last night, I was reminded of one other important fact.&nbsp; It's true we are accountable to someone, but it is also equally true we will all one day stand before the All Mighty Maker of Heaven and Earth.&nbsp; On that day, we will be held accountable to God for our actions.&nbsp; Guess what?&nbsp; We have all committed wrongs which warrant disciplinary action.</p> <p>What kind of disciplinary action would God take?&nbsp; The Bible teaches us God's discipline results in us spending eternity in a terrible place called Hell unless...Unless, we have placed our trust in His Son, Jesus.&nbsp; Does having faith in Jesus mean we are exempt from being held accountable by God?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; We still must stand before Him and we still must be judged.</p> <p>However, instead of being disciplined and sent to Hell, we will be welcomed into God's presence forever.&nbsp; When Jesus died on the cross, he took our punishment for us.&nbsp; So, when you trust in him and place your faith in him, you are accepting what Jesus did for you.&nbsp; God will hold you accountable, find you are surely guilty and deserving of punishment, but notice your punishment was paid in full by His Son and you accepted that payment by placing your faith in him.</p> <p>On the flip side, the decision not to accept Jesus is also the decision to reject what he did for you.&nbsp; God will hold you accountable, find you are surely guilty and deserving of punishment, notice your punishment was paid in full by His Son, but because you did not place your faith in him, you will have to endure your punishment for all eternity.</p> <p>We're all going to be held accountable one day.&nbsp; We're all deserving of an eternal punishment in Hell.&nbsp; The question is, are you going to place your faith in Jesus and accept what he has done for you?&nbsp; No one likes to be disciplined and most of us always seek grace when we're caught in that sort of situation.&nbsp; Well, here is your chance at grace.&nbsp; Don't pass it up before it's too late.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a href="http://www.zemanta.com/" class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=b5ecd5f2-c280-483a-b622-eeb047b78896" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" style="float: right;" /></a></div> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/say-it-aint-so-joe">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/say-it-aint-so-joe#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/3hKWIYpwyBA" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/say-it-aint-so-joehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~3/KUiVaxil5ag/72-days-laterTue, 08 Nov 2011 11:47:00 PSThttp://andrewbullard.posterous.com/72-days-later<p> <p>So, I have an iPhone.&nbsp; I'm convinced it's pretty much the best communications device ever made.&nbsp; If you own a smart phone you're aware of all the different apps you can download to your phone which just make the whole experience that much more amazing.&nbsp; iPhone apps happen to have "push" notifications which pop up on your screen whenever there is an update or breaking news.&nbsp; A few days ago I received one of these notifications and, believe it or not, it said Kim Kardashian had filed for divorce 72 days after her marriage to Kris Humphries.&nbsp; I've got nothing against Kim Kardashian, but that isn't breaking news to me.&nbsp;</p> <p>Yet, as much as I wanted to block that notification out of my head, I just couldn't.&nbsp; It stuck.&nbsp; I've never watched her reality show, I never keep up with her, but that notification just wouldn't go away!&nbsp; Why?!&nbsp; I figured out why a few hours later.&nbsp; Regardless of the details or who's at fault, it's a tragedy her marriage ended after 72 days.&nbsp; A what?&nbsp; A tragedy.</p> <p>So many people think marriage is like a Disney fairy tale.&nbsp; There is a beautiful princess with a charming prince who sweeps her off her feet and they live happily ever after.&nbsp; In reality, marriage is nothing like that.&nbsp; It's actually tough.&nbsp; There are countless adjustments each person has to make with the other, not to mention the compromises which ensue from a few short battles!&nbsp; There are awesome times and there are times which just down right stink, but hey, that's real marriage.&nbsp; At the end of the day the two people go to bed still in love with each other.</p> <p><em>Wait a minute!</em>&nbsp; You say.&nbsp; <em>There are divorces left and right!</em>&nbsp; You know, some of those divorces are legitimate.&nbsp; No one should suffer from abuse, <em>real</em> neglect, heartache, and pain.&nbsp; What we see most of the time though isn't divorces based off of abuse or&nbsp;neglect which ended in one spouse having an affair.&nbsp; What we tend to see are divorces with the sham label "irreconcilable differences."&nbsp; Most of the time, these differenes are the result of two people who would rather let their marriage fall to pieces than actually <strong>work</strong> to save it.&nbsp;</p> <p>You gotta understand something, marriage is meant to be final.&nbsp; It isn't meant to be temporary or done off the feeling of emotions.&nbsp; Your heart betrays you&nbsp;folks.&nbsp; You can feel on Cloud Nine around a girl, but that isn't a reason to marry her.&nbsp; Trust me, there will be days when you won't like your wife or husband because your <em>feelings</em> or <em>emotions</em> at the time aren't running on Cloud Nine.&nbsp; Marriage is deeper than emotion because real, genuine love runs deeper than an emotional feeling.&nbsp; It's forever until death and that commitment is what makes marriage so amazing.&nbsp; It's having your wife take care of you because you're a huge baby when you're sick and looking at this same woman every day knowing she is the most beautiful person on the planet because of it.&nbsp; There isn't anything romantic about taking care of a sick husband, but genuine love does that sort of thing.</p> <p>Even deeper is the symbolism behind it.&nbsp; Marriage is an allegory for God's relationship with us.&nbsp; Throughout the New Testament the believers are symbolically calld the Bride of Christ for a reason.&nbsp; The deep, immovable love we have for our spouse is the type of love God has for us and it's the type we are to have for God in return.&nbsp; This&nbsp;is one of the reasons why marriage&nbsp;is such a sacred institution.&nbsp; Maybe Miss Kardashian gave that some thought, maybe she didn't.&nbsp; Just remember when you walk down that aisle, your "I do" is a commitment you keep until death.&nbsp; The fairy tale includes sick days, pregnancies, fights, and lots of suprises (both liked and unliked), but it's a life-long adventure which is worth it.&nbsp; It's an adventure which results in real, genuine, love.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/72-days-later">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/72-days-later#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AndrewbullardsPosterous/~4/KUiVaxil5ag" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/944124/andrew_shana.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1kqiLpmg6zrX Andrew Bullard PA Andrew Bullard http://andrewbullard.posterous.com/72-days-later