.:doYOUthinkIT'LLfly?:.

The Journey from Blog to Vlog ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 07:05:00 +0000

Noticed this blog is now static? Yep. That's because I've moved from a keyboard to a camera.

Check out my weekly vlogs on youtube --> tinyurl.com/heydanking

- still talking about youth ministry

- still going on adventures with my family all over Vancouver Island and beyond

- still excited to join God in all that He is doing in my midst

Beauty in the hell that was ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:48:00 +0000

I've begun reading the book Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society, by Jason Locy and Timothy Willard. It explores the false-faces we put on to cover up the person that we truly are deep, deep down inside.

That 'person' is often scarred, wounded, tired, tested, and refined. That 'person' has been - at times it feels - to hell and back in life. Is it possible that good can come from those times? Is it possible that beauty can come from it?

This quote exploded off the page at me, speaking to these very questions ...

True Beauty, some say, resides at the threshold of pain. This is why we can call the crucifixion beautiful. Not because we are barbarians, but because there`s an inherent truth and goodness in it. Christ lays his life down for all of humankind, past, present, and future. This is good; he is good. And his goodness points us to truth, truth of redemption, truth of coming restoration, truth of forgiveness.

This is why we can look back on pain in our lives and call it beautiful. It wasn`t beautiful then; it was hell. But from that hell grew a shoot, and from that shoot a leaf, and life sprang up where hell resides; that is beautiful. God makes it so.

These truths are reflected in the song Beautiful Things, by the band Gungor. Enjoy the video and may you learn to see beauty in the pain as you find restoration through the work of God in you.

Change is [the] Impossible

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:58:00 +0000

Seth Godin posted this insightful (as always) sentence on his blog earlier in the week:

"The definition of a revolution: it destroys the perfect and enables the impossible."

I've been rolling this over in my mind during the last few days and weighing the implications of it as it relates to my life, ministry, work, etc. I think Seth has caught a partial truth, but that is a better way.

Here is some additional framing he adds to his post ...

"The music business was perfect. Radio, record chains, Rolling Stone magazine, the senior prom, limited access to recording studios, the replaceable nature of the LP, the baby boomers ... it all added up to a business that seemed perfect, one that could run for ever and ever.

"The digital revolution destroyed this perfect business while enabling the seemingly impossible: easy access to the market by new musicians, a cosmic jukebox of just about every song ever recorded, music as a social connector ...

Revolutions are 'unexpected, expected' events. By this I mean that no one can really tell when they will begin or who/what will be involve as key catalysts or who will lead the charge or the names of the unpredictable heroes, but people can tell that things are beginning to shake.

Revolutions are a shock when they finally occur and the masses are always caught off guard. However, few would be surprised by them, because everyone knows deep down (at least when they sit back and consider the context they emerge from) that something is not as it should be and that change is coming.

But there, in that last sentence, is the sad truth ... we too often ignore the 'deep down' because it complicates life for us too much. We don't want to create the space to reflect on what is broken because to give thought to the idea that something is other than perfect (or perhaps better labeled 'safe') is to move to a place of anxiety and, eventually, a paralyzing state of "I don't know what can be done to fix it ... it's impossible".

"If you are in love with the perfect, prepare to see it swept away. If you are able to dream of the impossible, it just might happen."

But what if that anxious, paralyzing place of "that's impossible to change" could be overcome? That is the hope and dream of revolution. But revolution is usually violent and aggressive ... a last ditch effort to fight against the status quo for something better.

The peaceful revolution? Now that is a hope and dream that is even better! All it takes is for those who love to stay in the safety of 'it's perfect' to start to go to that 'deep down' place and call out the creatives and the innovators and the out-of-the-box types to do what they are wired to do.

Then comes the dreamt-of-change that everyone is expecting and anticipating. And there is no surprises at the sudden violence of change, but rather a relief in "the better" replacing "the perfect".

DJ'ing and the Art of Pastoral Care ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I knew that somewhere, sometime, someone would write this article, and now that it has happened, I must say that they have done a superb job!

Oh, and to celebrate I did a little edit job on John Piper, imagining him as spinning "the Word" rather than preaching it! Enjoy!

From the article:

"The role of the youth pastor or any other pastor is a strange one. Unlike many other professions, the pastor’s inner-life is constantly on display. It is through study of the Bible and prayer that the pastor cultivates this inner life. Just like the DJ is tasked with knowing music, the pastor is charged with knowing the text of the Bible and communicating with God.

"In his book The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, Henri Nouwen writes, “Only he who is able to articulate his own experience can offer himself to others as a source of clarification.” Neither youth pastors nor DJs have anything to share with others if they don’t study, reflect, and experience their sources firsthand. It is from this place of study and listening that they are challenged with the job of communicating what they hear to others, a task that we will explore in the next article in this series."

Read the full article HERE

7 Billion Stories to Tell ... Now We Can Listen.

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:05:00 +0000

It's so easy to forget about the size of our planet. So many people. As of today, we have surpassed 7 billion individuals on this blue marble in space.

Men.
Women.
Children.

Each unique and each with a story.

Some of those lives will be cut short and others will seem to go on and on and on (as of today, Besse Cooper holds the title of oldest living person alive at this moment at 115 years!)

And my mind is about to pop as I consider the fact (and I hold that it is a fact) that my god, the LORD, knows each one and is interested in each one, and has become involved in history for the sake of each one.

*pop!*

Netflix released the documentary, "Life in a Day" today and I'll be watching it tonight with a heart for it to stir me to prayer and to remind me to get me eyes and interest off myself and onto the bigger world around me. To listen to the stories of as many as I can and to share, if they wish to hear, my own story and, in that, His story.

Here is the movie's premise:

After thousands of people around the world joined together to record banal and remarkable everyday events on July 24, 2010, director Kevin MacDonald led a team of editors to condense more than 4,500 hours of video into this picture of life on Earth.

Watch the trailer below or the entire movie at YouTube here.

Prayer: Level Up?

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000

I'm currently reading "After You Drop Them Off" by Jeramy Clark (a book written to parents from a youth pastor about the heart of youth ministry), and came across an unique listing of "levels" of prayer.

It's not the first list like this that I've seen. TV Thomas, a friend and teacher I greatly respect, had developed a similar progression of prayer that I've used in the past when teaching on the topic.

The "levels" are best seen as stepping stones toward maturity in the discipline of prayer, rather than a measure of some type of accession in mastery as might be implied by the title.

Here is the list Clark presents:

Level One: Prayer as "Wishing"
- like throwing a coin in a fountain

Level Two: Prayer as "Hoping"
- a confidence that God might be listening

Level Three: Prayer as "Believing"
- a trust that God will do something when we pray

Level Four: Prayer as "Overcoming"
- we trust God's work and know His will is perfect

Progressions like this are helpful when we talk time to consider how we might currently describe our understanding and/or practice of prayer. They are also helpful when we take time to reflect where we've been and where we expect to grow to in our disciple of prayer.

How do you feel about this type of list? Where would you fall in the continuum?

Youth Culture Missionary

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:36:00 +0000

A couple of years ago I wrote an endorsement for a friends book that was about to be published.

He asked me what 'title' I wanted to go after my name. You know how this works: you want to have acquaintances who are 'impressive people' endorse your book. There was one obvious title he suggested, but I knew I wanted something else to be listed also. I just wasn't sure what that was.

I thought about it for a while. What describes what I do, but also what I want to be?

I chose the title, "Youth Culture Missionary".

I look back and still think it was the right choice. It is what I do ... at least in part ... every week. I have the privilege of rubbing shoulders and running in the midst of many, many teenagers who are both actively engaged in the growth of their Christian faith, and those who aren't. Some who aren't are still exploring spirituality and specifically Christianity, but many are not and really don't care to at this point. But that is ok, because I know that God is still interested and, therefore, so am I.

I may not be an 'impressive person' to many, but it's what I do and what I want to be.

Leisure Suit Learning ....

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Tony Morgan is a great leadership thinker and I often find myself pondering his wisdom in relation to my work in a youth ministry setting.

Today, I had a really good chat with Heather (program co-ordinator at PYM) about the following article. We used it as a bit of a evaluation gauge for how we are doing, but also as a motivator to keep our eyes on the horizon and be planning and praying about "what is to come" and not just "what is".

If you like what you read below, you can view the full e.book for free and get some deeper discussion ...

8 Reasons Your Church is Stuck

You lack a leadership empowerment plan. We have failed as leaders in the church if we do not embrace the unique gift-mix that God designed. And we won’t fully know the power and impact of the local church until people are empowered to be the people God wired them up to be.
You are unclear about your vision and mission. There are lots of churches with vision statements, but I don’t think there are very many churches that really have a vision statement that clarifies who they are as an organization. A clear vision that is properly communicated will both rally and repel people.
You blame outsiders and external factors. Victim-thinking will only lead to bitterness and competition. Leaders who blame outsiders and external factors actually are confessing their own failure to think creatively and inspire their team.
Your structure inhibits growth. One of the attributes of a church in decline is a complex structure. The natural tendency of organizations is to add complexity to their structure and systems. The longer an organization exists, the more complex it typically gets.
You worship your past success. Our past successes can be one of the greatest contributing factors to our future demise. When organizations stick to “the way we do it,” the safe approach of avoiding innovation and change becomes the riskiest approach.
You focus on activities instead of outcomes. While many church leaders are full of vision and passion, they lack an effective strategy to accomplish their mission. That leads to a feeling of disorganization, and ultimately they become stuck.
You fail to equip God’s people. For whatever reason, smaller churches I work with have a tendency to rely on the pastors and paid staff to carry the ministry load rather than equipping lay people.
Your ministries ignore people outside the church. When churches become inward-focused and start making decisions about ministry to keep people rather than reach people, they also start to die.

Living Above Reproach ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:05:00 +0000

It seems that rarely a year goes by when I don't see one of my ministry friends, or an acquaintance that I've had in leadership within the church, disqualify themselves from their leadership role in the church by doing something that they ought not to have done.

Each and every time that I hear about these tragic stories three things happen in me:

1. I am broken for the people involved (sin never just affects one person) and my heart aches for the pain and disillusionment it will cause in the communities they ministered in and the the lives of the youth that looked to them to be an example of one who follows Jesus.

2. I am reminded that moral failure virtually never "just happens". It is the result of an often extended series of choices that have led the individual to where they now find themselves. This make me take the mirror to myself and ask the Lord to search my heart, reveal and convict me of sin that is finding a foot-hold in my life, so that I can repent and return to freedom found in living in the forgiveness and in the grace of Christ.

3. I am once again renewed in my conviction to make the marriage and friendship I have with my wife Charlene the single most important focus in my life aside from my relationship with Jesus Christ who is my Lord and my God

I experienced all three of these responses again tonight when I heard of a youth pastor of a very large ministry who chose to walk down a path that led to disqualifying himself from the role he had been entrusted with.

At the time of this event the church released a video communicating what had occurred to the church (it's since been removed due to its irrelevance now, months later). It included two sections. The first was the lead pastor speaking to the middle and high school students under this leader along with their parents. The second section included the lead pastor teaching on four important issues pertaining to the disqualification:

The importance of leaders living above reproach,
The difference between forgiveness and trust,
Avoiding gossip in your life, and
What to do with potentially damaging information about a staff member or member of the church

Important items to remember and ponder ... unfortunately there is always something happening that they speak into.

A note to a middle school kid about the Holy Spirit ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:25:00 +0000

I've been talking with a middle school kid during the last week about the Holy Spirit. It's been a great conversation. I though the thoughts given might be helpful to others too. Enjoy.

Dear ____________,

I’m really glad that you’ve had the chance to read through the verses in Romans that I passed on to you. I’m also glad that they helped you! The best source of truth is to go to the Bible, because it IS the truth for those of us who have decided to follow Jesus in our life as Christians.

So you’ve discovered that you don’t have to have “felt” the Holy Spirit in an emotional or some physical why in order to get to heaven or be called a Christian. The verses that you read have shown you that. But here is the cool news: when you become a Christian (when you’ve accepted his forgiveness for sin and embraced the Lord as the god of your life) Jesus gives a gift to you ... the Holy Spirit! There are a few bible verses that will help you understand this: John 15:23-26, John 16:26 and Ephesians 1:13,14.

So the Holy Spirit is a gift that Jesus gives us when we are saved. He is a deposit in us of what is to come.

When the Holy Spirit fills our life he does things in our life (like leading us to the Bible so that we can learn more about obediently following Jesus, like convicting us of our sin so that we repent, and like giving us boldness to speak about Jesus when we lack courage).

When the Holy Spirit fills our life he changes who we are so that we act more like Jesus. He causes “fruit” in our life that changes our character and how we act. You can read about these things in Galatians 5:22-26.

When the Holy Spirit fills our live he also can bring “gifts” for us from Jesus and the Father. These gifts can be all sorts of different abilities both in how we are able to act and treat others (like in serving people or being a better leader or a great helper) and also in supernatural ways (like prayer languages, able to heal, able to speak prophecy). Holy Spirit does not give every gift to every person, but rather just a few to each of us that we can then mix with the gifts He has given to others in our church in order to be unified and complete. You can read about some of these gifts / abilities in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28 and Ephesians 4:11 to name a few.

So in summary, if you have embraced Jesus as your God and your rescuer from sin (and it seems you have), Jesus has already given you the gift of the Holy Spirit! He is alive in you! The presence of God is already at work in your life (He’s probably responsible for causing you to ask all these questions, because He knows if you do you will grow in your faith!!)

You may not “feel” like the Holy Spirit is in your life, but it is a fact! Sometimes you will, indeed, “feel” him, and that is cool too!

So first pray and ask Jesus and Holy Spirit to lead you to understand the Truth. Then read all the verses above. Then thank God for what you learn. Then we can talk more if you like.

Peace,

::danKing::

Rest is Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Rest makes you more alert.
Rest keeps you positive.
Rest helps you say the right things at the right times.
Rest gives you patience.
Rest helps you keep your mouth shut when it should.
Rest gives you more grace.
Rest opens your eyes.
Rest takes stress and makes you stronger.
Rest makes you smarter.
Rest gives you better ideas.
Rest brings focus.
Rest brightens the colors.
Rest helps you see the extra mile, and then go there.

So, why are we so “driven” that we aren’t getting enough rest?

originally from here

shine on ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:14:00 +0000

oh bright morning star by which i set my way;
shine bright and true on this path that is so crooked
my steps may stumble; my feet may falter,
yet on your points of beauty my eyes i fix
to bring me home to that good place
where peace and hope ruin pride and discord
oh bright morning star, shine on, shine on

* inspired by psalm 31

Grumpy Pastors and Water Balloons ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Saw this recently and was reminded of it today as I made plans for the big year-end waterfight night with our middle school students.

I'm glad I've got a Lead Pastor here that is "fun"!

.

Mary Poppins and Biblical Context ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:24:00 +0000

They say that the most important thing to consider when making a real estate purchase is the location. You've probably heard the saying, "Location, location, location"!!

There is a similar saying by those who are students of theology and the Bible that has everything to do with the context of a passage of Scripture: "Context, context, context"!

Imagine, for example, the person who picks up the Bible and randomly flips it open to a page while looking for "advice from God". They point there finger to no particular sentence and read the words, "... and Judas went out and hanged himself ..." Yikes!

Then, in an effort to give the exercise a second chance, more pages are flipped and the finger is thrown to some area of the open book. The words now read, "... go and do likewise ..." Ouch! The future may not be so bright for this guy!!

Understanding the context of what we read in the Bible is a massive part of comprehending not only what it trying to be communicated by the author, but on the implications and applications of it in our lives here and now. It's one of the reasons that reading entire books of the Bible (it is made of of 66 of them) is a really healthy discipline to get into.

I saw this very fun, fan-made, preview trailer for the old Disney movie, Mary Poppins, earlier today. It is all actual clips from the movie, but put together in a "creative way". It makes the classic children's film look like a horror flick and, in doing so, reminds us of the importance of looking at Scripture in light of the larger context, rather than flipping pages and pointing as a means of trying to learn and grasp what the Bible has to say ...

I hope the point is clear ... go grab a Bible and trying consuming entire books within it this summer, rather than nibbling at random bits and pieces.

Kill Your Television ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Back in the 20th Century, I had this shirt that I wore almost every time I went to the public schools.

"Why?", you ask.

Simple ... it started conversations like no other t-shirt I have ever owned before or since. And these were not short, ten second sound-byte conversations. These were not, "So, how is school going?" kind of conversations. These were the real deal. They were honest, reflective conversations with teens that often had significant emotion wrapped up in the dialogue.

Let me tell you what the three words on the t-shirt were (in case you haven't guessed from the title of this posting):

kill

your

television

Three words that got everyone talking.

In the 21st Century, the shirt might says, "Kill Your Cell" or maybe "Kill Your Computer", but I'm not sure it would get such a deep reaction. There is something about TV.

Check this out:

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

In the past people have said, "Time is Money". In some places and for some moments, this might be true, but there is a greater truth that is overshadowed by this statement:

"Time is Limited"

How you and I spend our time tells a story about our souls. What we give our focused time to can leave a legacy or vaporize like mist.

The clock is ticking ... what is directly in front of you?

.

Here is a Crayon ... Now be Creative!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:26:00 +0000

"You must first understand your boundaries

if you are to color outside the lines."

- Dan King

As I continue to read Seth Godin's new book, Linchpin, I have been thinking on the topic of creativity more and more. He says,

"In the face of an infinite sea of choices, it's natural to put blinders on, to ask for a map, to beg for instructions, or failing that, to do exactly what you did last time, even if it didn't work. Linchpins are able to embrace the lack of structure and find a new path, one that works.

"Work is a chance to do art. Good art is useless and banal. No one crosses the street to buy good art, or becomes loyal to a good artist.

"If you can't be remarkable, perhaps you should consider doing nothing until you can."

Add to that a quote from Kurt Johnston's blog this week on creativity,

"A New Definition of Creativity:

Most people think being creative means inventing something out of nothing, or coming up with an idea that has never been thought of. I like to define creativity as simply being willing to think differently and try something new. That’s it.

"When faced with a project, an opportunity, a challenge, a problem etc. most of us will typically default to our normal pattern of addressing such things; usually patterns that have found success in the past, so we assume they will bring success again, and they often do.

"Creativity is simply the willingness to take our normal patterns of thinking a step or two farther by thinking differently and trying something new when faced with life’s scenarios."

I want to do more than just "good art". I want to create the space in my life so that I can do things beautifully and masterfully different. Not simply for the sake of doing it different, but because different can completely reshape how something is seen, understood, and received. I want to have creativity in all that I do as a celebration of the Creator of all things in my life.
.

Flatland, Atheists, and "Something More" ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:16:00 +0000

One of the songs that I love to sing when our student ministry gathers together is called, "Consuming Fire". The lyrics that catch eyes and stir curiosity are these:

There must be more than this
O breath of God, come breath within
There must be more than this
Spirit of God we wait for You
Fill us anew we pray ...

The song captures that notion that life viewed from the perspective that, "what we see exists and there is really nothing spiritual - nothing more than the physical", is lacking. It captures the hopes that you and I actually have meaning to our lives and a destiny that is more than just the survival of the fittest.

And yet, for some of us this is a hard pill to swallow. The idea that there is a God who has been involved in shaping history is tough to believe. Some of us are "prove it and I'll believe it" people who have just enough skepticism that nothing could really ever prove it!

Now, to be fair, people who believe there is a God don't always make this easy, do they? Take this idea of the Trinity, for example: "God is One, but made up of Three unique and distinct personalities in such perfect relationship to each other that they are actually One". Pardon? "How does that make any sense?", the atheist would say. Hmmmm ...

I've been reading a great book called, No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come as You Are Culture in the Church. In it, John Burke, the author, explores exactly the questions and problems that I've mentioned above. Both John and another author named Rob Bell have made use of a concept called "Flatland" to help us wrap our minds around the mystery that is "the More of God" (my term).

Check out the clip below and see how Bell explains this very helpful concept during his speaking tour called "Everything is Spiritual" ... I think, whether you fall into the category of 'Christian', Atheist, or something in-between, you will find it helpful.

Comments?

The Worship in Design ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:46:00 +0000

Got some shots of the staging that my wife, Charlene, and the design team she is a part of put together for the church gathering this weekend. They did a great job! The stone in the tomb set (below) was as it appears during the Good Friday service and then rolled to the side with some incredible yellow and white lighting radiating from the inside on Easter Sunday ... Shawn and I also did some re-working of all the spotlighting for the stage. We've got much better control of the stage as a result ... just some blinders and gels to add for the future and we are off!!

Creativity as worship is a big deal for me ... others sing or play instruments or preach (and I do some of that too), but design and excellence in art is a significant worship language for me.

We also used a smashing little video clip to open the gathering ... again, it's a wonderfully creative and well designed piece with colors that meshed with the rest of the media elements used and a crisp look at celebrates excellence!

reckless, wounded leadership ... it's a journey

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:02:00 +0000

"The blessing is found in the journey,
not in reaching the destination."

- unknown

Last summer while I was in Montreal, I attempted to get some mental rest from the intense days by reading a book called, The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I enjoyed both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so I thought I'd grab this one and see how it measured up (plus, there was a significant lack of English selections in the French language bookstore where I was shopping). Well, I wasn't disappointed with the story and I ended up learning some significant lessons along the way.

What increased the "teachable moment" factor of the book was that I was watching several students on the trip with some incredible, but mostly unrealized, leadership potential. The comparisons to the characters in Tolkien's book were all around me ... huge potential, but massive doubt or fear or lack of belief in their own abilities ... for the moment.

As the book progresses and the story unfolds, the characters of The Children of Hurin become champions. At other times, they might be described best as failures - yet only for a moment. This is what life is, isn't it? Life is a journey. It's full of twists and turns and wart and wrinkles. Yet though this, we learn and grow. Though it we fall and get back up. We are constantly moving ahead.

Last night I received a text message from a young man who asked my advise about a sin that he continues to commit. He is in a cycle where he asks forgiveness from the Lord, picks himself up, but then falls victim to the temptations that come his way and he sins again. He asked me if there was hope to overcome.

So, we chatted for a bit about verses like 1 John 1:9 and James 5.16. We talked about not walking along in the shadows, but bringing another person along to keep him accountable and encouraged, bringing the sin into the light where it can be dealt with. This young man is a leader. He may not recognize it yet, but in the midst of his stumbling he is growing in his faith, in his transparency, in his understanding of the strength of team vs. individual.

In the end of the book, Tolkien writes of the death of the main character, Túrin, as he gives into the darkness he has refused to bring anyone else into. He dies alone with his guilt and sin. He dies as a leader who has not been perfect and missed some huge opportunities to change his ways. His life was a wild journey and the lessons were not learned by standing still but rather in the throws of the journey.

Your journey, and mine, are not yet complete ... keep moving forward ... keep learning ... keep inviting others along to share it with you!

"I've Never Heard a Parent Talk Like That Before ..."

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:05:00 +0000

I try and get over the the high school and help serve hot lunch to the students on as many Thursday afternoon's as I can each month. It gives me a chance to serve the students that I pray for and it's also a chance to say hello to teens I haven't seen in a while. Plus, there are some really hard working parents and teachers who make the lunch program possible and if I can cheer them on and support them in their efforts, I am jazzed to!

Today, one girl who came early to grab a bite to eat and was visiting with some of the adults who she knew. Someone introduced me to the girl and mentioned it had been my birthday this week. She asked what I did to celebrate and I said that I had spent the day with my wife and kids. Her response was apologetic and almost a matter-of-fact when she said, "Oh, you have kids, that sucks. I am sorry for you."

Wow. What do you say in response to that? I just told the truth:

"Actually", I replied, "I have two absolutely amazing kids. My boy is 12 and my daughter 10 and they are incredible. It is a joy to be their dad!"

She stopped eating. She looked me right in the eye and said, "I have never in my life ever heard a parent talk like that about their kids. You mean you like them?"

At first I thought maybe she was joking, but realized she wasn't.

I wrote about the power of our words earlier this week. Today I was affirmed that our words matter. I could have joked and made a goofy statement about my kids after her initial comments, but chose not to. If I had joked, this girl may not have come face-to-face with the fact that it is possible for a parent - a father - to love and appreciate his children.

Our words do matter and I hope I get a chance to visit with this girl again and hear her story. Maybe she'll ask me to share more of mine.

"He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers ..."

- Malachi 4:6

The Power of Words ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

"Poorly chosen words can kill enthusiasm, impact self-esteem, lower expectations and hold people back. Well chosen ones can motivate, offer hope, create vision, impact thinking and alter results."

- Nan S. Russell

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

- Revelation 12:11

On more than one occasion I've challenged my children to re-think what they have just said. Usually it is because they have spoken something that is not kind or wishing evil on another person. Often, however, I say it when they have spoke words of blessing over someone, because I want them to realize the weight of what they have said and how good it is.

Words matter.

With words I can tear the hopes and dreams of a person to shreds. In the same way, I can increase a dream and speak life into the very soul of someone.

It's true in the spiritual realm too. I can speak out a curse (calling out evil over someone) for someone with my words. In the same way, I can invite God's blessing in the life of a person. My words can bind Satan and his demons to silence and inactivity in the name of Jesus (Rev. 12.11).

Words matter.

Parksville seems to have much more grumpy and negative complaining among its' people than any other city that I have ever lived in. Charlene and I have had to watch ourselves closely. We want to be people who build others up with our words and not tear down. More than once a week we (mostly myself) will chat briefly about watching the focus of our words, because ... well, they matter.

So how do you speak? Do you treat the words that come out of your mouth with the weight that they deserve? I'm really working at it ... maybe you could start by encouraging me in the journey I'm taking!!

Thanks!

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be"

James 3:3-11

When the Church was Young ... part one

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:38:00 +0000

"The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members."

- William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-44)

Right now in the Sunday evening gatherings at the church my family is a part of, my friend Paul is teaching / preaching through the Bible book called, Acts. It's been a great journey so far. It's a book about the very first church communities working out their identity, their mission, and the role of the Holy Spirit in it all.

We're just three weeks into what is sure to take a good part of the year, but even now as the journey begins, my mind and soul have been spinning as I am reminded of some fantastic truth. Stuff like:

"On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them ..."

* I was reminded that Jesus, after being resurrected from the dead, was not some ghost. He was resurrected as a human being again. Granted, he could move through walls and appear and disappear, but he also ate. I don't understand this at all, but am so intrigued by it. At the core, Jesus was a deep friend and leader to his disciples and followers. He could have been so many other places declaring the good news of God's salvation, but the guy is hanging out with his friends, encouraging and teaching and speaking into their lives. So good!

"For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

* God's Kingdom is a supernatural one. Everything is seeded, born, and sustain by God. If the Church tries to function our of physical strength and an understanding of the world based on mere human paradigms, the Church will miss the point ...

" ... and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
* I love that I get to be a witness to the things that the Lord has done and is doing here in Parksville, at the end of the earth. I live at the end of the Western World. No less than two hours to the west and there is no more west! After Tofino there is only Asia and "The East". So cool!!

With all of this spinning in my mind, I was caught by this video and the way that it aligns with what I'm learning ... check it out and tell me what you think ...

Star Gazing ... The Mystery of Life (and Death)

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:15:00 +0000

I love this song by Andy Hunter (see the video below) ... it has a mood of mystery and majesty in it.

Psalm 147 says,
³He heals the brokenhearted
       and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
       and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
       his understanding has no limit.

I attended the funeral/memorial service for a friend today. I was reminded that life can be simply a breathe, and that even though there is great mystery in this thing called life (and in death) that there is something more ... there is understanding behind it all.

lessons on spaghetti sauce and church growth ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:34:00 +0000

"Variety is the spice of life!" - William Cowper

One of the continual challenges that the church communities which I have been a part of over the last 15 years (six in total, ranging from a three-month stay in a city to a seven year stay in a city) have had is related to space. It seems that church communities are regularly found to be outgrowing their real-estate, which, in the words of that particular community is, "a great problem to have".

sidenote: It's less-often a problem in youth ministry situations because of the age-restrictions placed upon those groups. Although youth ministry generally has more growth on any given year than the rest of the church community, because students graduate out of the ministry at the end of middle or high school, numbers don't race skyward for long.

As a response to growth, churches generally choose one of four options to deal with this "great problem" that they have:

1.) Add to an additional service at a new time (in the same room) ...
2.) Build an expansion (expand the meeting room) ...
3.) Start a new church in the surrounding area (often called a church-plant) ...
4.) Start an addition service off-site, in the surrounding area, using a live-feed of the sermon (a relatively new trend refer to as "adding a campus")

Each of the above has both positives and negatives associated with it. One of the big positives to each of them is that there is the potential of creating a church gathering that has distinctly different personalities involved in the leadership, and, as a result, is attractive to a different segment of the local population ... in other words, more people are attracted to explore faith because the man or woman "up front" doesn't turn them off because of their raspy voice or their style of preaching or the fact that they have really bad halitosis (can someone pass me a piece of gum?!?)
Having said this, it is amazing to me how many leaders don't grasp this fact and proclaim that their idea of what a church gathering should look like and feel like and be like, is the only way! They really do need to learn a bit about spaghetti sauce ...

Fortunately, Malcolm Gladwell (of "The Tipping Point", "Blink" and now "Outliers" fame) has brought the wisdom of the sauce out into the open for all of us to learn from ... take the next 20 minutes, watch this bit, and consider how the principles might translate into the "great problem" we've been exploring above ...

Cockroach Herding and Marketing ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan King) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:43:00 +0000

I often read articles and books on marketing. Below is an item that I read in Adbusters this week. When marketers convince us to follow their trends, the difference between humans and insects gets a little blurrier ...

Cockroach
A group of researchers at the Free University of Brussels have recently figured out how to influence the behavior of one of the world’s most resilient creatures: the cockroach. Combining elements of entomology and robotics, the group created an experiment that involved mingling light sensitive, cockroach-scented robots with the real deal.

Within a constructed social arena, the researchers set up two separate shaded areas, one area being darker than the other. Upon being released into the arena, the 16 organic roaches, which have a natural distaste for light, chose to socialize in the darker of the two spaces. The researchers then placed four of the robot roaches into the arena and allowed the two groups to mingle and become acquainted.

After the living roaches warmed up and befriended their artificial counterparts, the group then programmed the robots to graze in the area with more light. Although cockroaches are instinctively drawn to the darker of the two areas, they were unable to resist the impulse to imitate, and ultimately follow their cockroach-smelling robotic friends into the light.

Herding
A team of marketing specialists have recently figured out how to effectively influence the social patterns of Manhattan’s most trend-savvy demographic: the hipster. Utilizing elements of guerrilla methodology in conjunction with a strong understanding of cultural capital, the team successfully interloped the Lower East Side’s vibrant nightlife and established an intimate venue where they could easily manipulate young consumers.

The team engineered a recurring, premeditated “non-event” in which they would hang out on a street bench located in front of New York’s most prominent American Apparel branch. Initially, they were able to attract the interest of passing youths because of their status as minor celebrities within the city’s taste-making elite, but over time “The Bench” (also known as the “anti-scene”) grew to become a hyper-local social phenomenon and quickly developed a reputation as a cool alternative to neighborhood bars and clubs.

Positive media publicity further popularized “The Bench” and soon enough the surrounding sidewalk was packed with thronging youths eager to hang out at New York’s newest and freshest night spot. Although youth are supposed to be resistant to social control, they were unable to resist the impulse to imitate, and ultimately follow their marketing-savvy friends into the light of American Apparel.