Yes, I was an OK Christian...

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 22:37:49 -0500

Faithwalking website: click here
Faithwalking retreat regisration: click here

Here is a story of transformation:

by Jim Teall, Open Doors USA. 
I have been a Christian for most of my life. I have been on many “retreats” in the past so why would I want to pay to go on another one? Wasn’t I doing okay at the Christian life? I thought so and others around me seemed to agree. But then I happened to be at a luncheon where I heard a speaker who was involved in Faithwalking. Now I have been to hundreds of Bible studies and I have heard hundreds of people speak about the Christian life before so how would this be any different than the rest? And yet it was.   I did not hear a tinge of arrogance from the speaker about how to have a successful walk with Jesus. Instead, I heard tons of authenticity about how to have a transparent, missional community that walks with Jesus together and who together were being transformed while seeking to transform society. An authentic and transformational relationship with Christ and with His people. My soul cried out inside me, "Yes, this is what I want, this is what I need."  It was so impactful that I signed up to participate in a Faithwalking 101 Retreat. Yet inside I still kind of expected the typical sing a few songs, pray a few prayers, read a few verses, and listen to some good talks kind of retreat. It wasn't that we did not do any of these things but it was what else we did. We got real, or should I say, in a loving and gentle way we were forced to get real with ourselves, others and God.  Yes, I was an OK Christian doing pretty good in the Christian club, but was I an authentic, committed follower of Jesus Christ who lived his life on mission with a passionate purpose? Jesus is very clear: "If you love me you will obey my commands." I knew that I was not obeying all of Jesus' commands, and that hurt. I realized I had become resigned and cynical to real transformation in my personal life and of there being any real hope for genuine societal change.   Faithwalking 101 and 201 have now put me on a path where I no longer feel resigned and isolated to live out a quasi-comfortable Christian life. My spirit and heart have been renewed to live passionately for Christ with a community of other followers of Jesus that are committed to personal and societal change. I wish I could tell you that Faithwalking is easy. It is not. It is hard. But I am learning more and more each day how to surrender my life to Jesus, making it possible for Him to change me. God is conforming me into the image of His son so that I might live in loving obedience to Him. Well this is what my wife is telling me at least.  What is truly wonderful about this Faithwalking process is knowing that I am not alone on this journey. God has placed a community of believers in my life that not only want to see personal transformation but societal transformation as well. If the world is to change then I must first be changed, and then I need others around me with a common vision to work together to restore humanity to God's intended purpose. I have found all of this in Faithwalking and I am truly thankful to God to be walking with Him and His people by faith so that real change and transformation can and will happen in our lives and in our communities.

Author: More teens becoming 'fake' Christians

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:24:22 -0500

by John Blake CNN
Read the article at cnn.com: click here

(CNN) -- If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning: Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.

Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.

Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of "Almost Christian," a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.

She says this "imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches.
"If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."

What traits passionate teens share
Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.

The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.

The study included Christians of all stripes -- from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.
Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."

Some critics told Dean that most teenagers can't talk coherently about any deep subject, but Dean says abundant research shows that's not true.

"They have a lot to say," Dean says. "They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance. Most people who work with teenagers know that they are not naturally inarticulate."

In "Almost Christian," Dean talks to the teens who are articulate about their faith. Most come from Mormon and evangelical churches, which tend to do a better job of instilling religious passion in teens, she says.

No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.

"There are countless studies that show that religious teenagers do better in school, have better relationships with their parents and engage in less high-risk behavior," she says. "They do a lot of things that parents pray for."

Dean, a United Methodist Church minister who says parents are the most important influence on their children's faith, places the ultimate blame for teens' religious apathy on adults.

Some adults don't expect much from youth pastors. They simply want them to keep their children off drugs and away from premarital sex.

Others practice a "gospel of niceness," where faith is simply doing good and not ruffling feathers. The Christian call to take risks, witness and sacrifice for others is muted, she says.

"If teenagers lack an articulate faith, it may be because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation," wrote Dean, a professor of youth and church culture at Princeton Theological Seminary.

More teens may be drifting away from conventional Christianity. But their desire to help others has not diminished, another author says.

Barbara A. Lewis, author of "The Teen Guide to Global Action," says Dean is right -- more teens are embracing a nebulous belief in God.

Yet there's been an "explosion" in youth service since 1995 that Lewis attributes to more schools emphasizing community service.

Teens that are less religious aren't automatically less compassionate, she says.
"I see an increase in youth passion to make the world a better place," she says. "I see young people reaching out to solve problems. They're not waiting for adults."

What religious teens say about their peers
Elizabeth Corrie meets some of these idealistic teens every summer. She has taken on the book's central challenge: instilling religious passion in teens.

Corrie, who once taught high school religion, now directs a program called YTI -- the Youth Theological Initiative at Emory University in Georgia.

YTI operates like a theological boot camp for teens. At least 36 rising high school juniors and seniors from across the country gather for three weeks of Christian training. They worship together, take pilgrimages to varying religious communities and participate in community projects.

Corrie says she sees no shortage of teenagers who want to be inspired and make the world better. But the Christianity some are taught doesn't inspire them "to change anything that's broken in the world."

Teens want to be challenged; they want their tough questions taken on, she says.
"We think that they want cake, but they actually want steak and potatoes, and we keep giving them cake," Corrie says.

David Wheaton, an Atlanta high school senior, says many of his peers aren't excited about Christianity because they don't see the payoff.

"If they can't see benefits immediately, they stay away from it," Wheaton says. "They don't want to make sacrifices."

How 'radical' parents instill religious passion in their children
Churches, not just parents, share some of the blame for teens' religious apathy as well, says Corrie, the Emory professor.

She says pastors often preach a safe message that can bring in the largest number of congregants. The result: more people and yawning in the pews.

"If your church can't survive without a certain number of members pledging, you might not want to preach a message that might make people mad," Corrie says. "We can all agree that we should all be good and that God rewards those who are nice."
Corrie, echoing the author of "Almost Christian," says the gospel of niceness can't teach teens how to confront tragedy.

"It can't bear the weight of deeper questions: Why are my parents getting a divorce? Why did my best friend commit suicide? Why, in this economy, can't I get the good job I was promised if I was a good kid?"

What can a parent do then?

Get "radical," Dean says.

She says parents who perform one act of radical faith in front of their children convey more than a multitude of sermons and mission trips.

A parent's radical act of faith could involve something as simple as spending a summer in Bolivia working on an agricultural renewal project or turning down a more lucrative job offer to stay at a struggling church, Dean says.

But it's not enough to be radical -- parents must explain "this is how Christians live," she says.

"If you don't say you're doing it because of your faith, kids are going to say my parents are really nice people," Dean says. "It doesn't register that faith is supposed to make you live differently unless parents help their kids connect the dots."

'They called when all the cards stopped'
Anne Havard, an Atlanta teenager, might be considered radical. She's a teen whose faith appears to be on fire.

Havard, who participated in the Emory program, bubbles over with energy when she talks about possibly teaching theology in the future and quotes heavy-duty scholars such as theologian Karl Barth.

She's so fired up about her faith that after one question, Havard goes on a five-minute tear before stopping and chuckling: "Sorry, I just talked a long time."
Havard says her faith has been nurtured by what Dean, the "Almost Christian" author, would call a significant faith community.

In 2006, Havard lost her father to a rare form of cancer. Then she lost one of her best friends -- a young woman in the prime of life -- to cancer as well. Her church and her pastor stepped in, she says.

"They called when all the cards stopped," she says.

When asked how her faith held up after losing her father and friend, Havard didn't fumble for words like some of the teens in "Almost Christian."

She says God spoke the most to her when she felt alone -- as Jesus must have felt on the cross.

"When Jesus was on the cross crying out, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' Jesus was part of God,'' she says. "Then God knows what it means to doubt.

"It's OK to be in a storm, to be in a doubt," she says, "because God was there, too."

Read the article at cnn.com: click here

Taking reconciliation seriously.

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:02:30 -0500

Healing the Brokenness Brochure: click here
Register to the event: click here

Every community around the world that is experiencing a level of transformation has taken seriously the need to address every kind of social reconciliation, both within the Body of Christ and within their community at large.

Will Willimon, one of the most insightful speakers and writers in Christian circles over the past 20 years, was the Chaplain at Duke University and now serves as a Methodist Bishop in Alabama. He has been a proponent and practitioner of eradicating walls of division in congregations, campuses, communities and cities. Houston has a long ways to go for unity in the Body of Christ to be a reality, and for the "isms" that divide to no longer characterize our city and her citizens.

We're asking you to join us for conversations and prayer at the Healing the Brokenness seminar with Will Willimon on Monday morning, September 13, 8:30am at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Houston's historic Fifth Ward.

Events this Season

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:29:29 -0500

Week of Prayer for Children and Youth, more information: click Here
Healing the Brokenness Brochure: click here
reFresh Brochure: click here

We believe these are opportunities that will strengthen relationships within the Body of Christ of Houston and it will encourage us to venture forward on mission together. don’t miss them:

• Week of Prayer for Children & Youth. Aug 15 - 21, 2010
Summit, Aug . 12 | 10:30 am | Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church | Info: click here - To download the Power Point of the Faith Summit: click here

• Healing the Brokenness Conference with Bishop Willian Willimon
Sept. 13 | 8:30 am | Pleasant Hill Baptist | Brochure: click here

• reFresh Houston with Jim Cymbala and Daniel Henderson
Oct. 21 | 8:30 am to 3:30 PM | Hilton Houston Westchase Hotel | Brochure: click here

Week of Prayer for Children & Youth, 2010

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 15:23:54 -0500

Flyer: click here
Register for the Summit: click here
Download Prayer Guide: click here
Download Power Point: click here

Mark your calendar for the 2nd annual Week of Prayer for Our Children and Youth (August 15-21), bringing together Houston for unified and informed prayer for children.

The Week of Prayer will make it possible for the Body of Christ to pray in unity whether we are in our prayer closet, at our family devotions, or in our congregations.

Across the city, each day we will be praying in an informed way with thousands of other believers.

SPONSORS: We would love for your organization to become a listed sponsor. To sponsor means two things:

• You agree to put the prayer guide on your web site and ask your constituents to use it (you can modify the prayer guide in any way that fits your congregation as long as you keep the topic assigned for each day on that assigned day)

• You attend The Faith Summit (or if you are not available to send a key representative from your congregation).

Week of Prayer Focus Issues
The seven issues that we will focus on are:

1. Population and Demographics
2. Poverty and Food Insecurity
3. Public Education
4. Human Trafficking
5. Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
6. Childhood Obesity
7. Advocacy Works

The Faith Summit
To learn more about each of these issues in preparation for the Week of Prayer for Our Children and Youth please attend the Faith Summit on Thursday, August 12th. This event will be graciously hosted by Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church located at 11612 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77024-7299.
Click here to register for the event.