The Southern Baptist Convention

This past Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Southern Baptist Convention near my hometown. To be perfectly frank, the first night was a total bore, and I was more than a little distressed to find that I had been signed up for each day, every shift (I wound up skippin' some). Monday however was very interesting.
At these kinds of events there are always two kinds of pastors. One I call the "punk rock" pastors. I call them this because of their total abandonment of traditions held by the church and put their faith totally in the Bible. This all sounds great, but they are also extremely zealotous and they often wonder why many of us listening are not quite as willing to give away all our possessions, live in a commune of sorts and give all our money away to people in Saudi Arabia. The pastors there who represented the "punk rock" pastor group were Francis Chan, Alvin Reid and the spectacular Davis Platt. The second type of pastor there was "the old guard" members. These guys see the merit in some of those traditions, but they also see the merit in the newbies passion for their work. They strike a balance and often appreciate the insights of the "punk rock" pastors, even though they often rebel and chastise the Old Guard for becoming complacent. Members of the Old Guard include Tom Elliff, Michael Catt and Johnny Hunt (one of my favorites).
In this specific situation, I tended to agree more with the Old Guard. These guys seem not so confrontational, they seem to take stock of every fact and figure and then make a decision. The punk dudes however seem to base some of their conclusions on emotionalism and sensationalism. They also can sway others to their point of view based entirely on a strictly surface level basis. I must say that David Platt is an amazing orator, but I disagreed withy him on many points. Many others at the convention however really became fired up during his sermon concerning missions. Missions are indeed important, but money is also spent in other ways that further the kingdom. Just because people can't get the money to go to a foreign country doesn't mean that the money is being spent on something evil. Discipleship, mentorship and general aid are also very important parts of the great commission, not just missions.
The rest of the week was spent swagging (stuff we all get; swag!!!) and generally shirking my duties with my friends Josiah, Wayne, Matt, Nathan and our ministerial staff, minus Travis, our
pastor. One of the funnest things to do at the convention was a computer quiz which quizzed you on your knowledge of the Ethics & Religion Liberty Commission. I know, it's sounds like a snore, but if you took it at just the right time, you won a Lifeway gift card, which also sounds boring, but they happened to have some cheap-o CD's there at the Lifeway in the expo center.
So overall, I had a blast and learned a lot about how our convention works.

Cool Beans,

Noah

The Fate of Jon and Kate

Several months ago, while recuperating from getting all my wisdom teeth removed, I became interested in a fairly popular television show called Jon & Kate Plus 8. Maybe you've heard of it. It features Jon and Kate Gosselin, the parents, Cara and Mady, the older twins, and their six brothers and sisters, Collin, Aaden, Joel, Alexis, Hannah and Leah. Why I became interested and later emotionally involved with this show was beyond me. Why would a seventeen year old male want to watch this show? I now think it was because of the love that this family shared with one another and the parents' commitment to their family, even though their situation was anything but normal.
Also, Jon and Kate were Christians and often spoke to churches and were interviewed in Christian magazines.They also went to church and took their eight children to local Vacation Bible School. I thought, "What a together family. What nice people." I don't believe I was technically a fan, but rather an intrigued observer. They seemed to me like people I could have for neighbors, and whenever I would tune into the show, it was like I was invited into their home and I would sit and watch the goings on in their home for thirty minutes and then go on my way.
Recently, both Jon and Kate have been the targets of paparazzi attention and have been the subjects of slanderous articles in everything from supermarket tabloids to widely published magazines like Us and People. Jon was accused of cheating on his wife with third grade teacher Deanna Hummel and Kate was accused of cheating on Jon with her bodyguard and has also been accused of changing from a devoted and loving mother of eight into an attention craving monster only concerned with money and celebrity status. I happen to believe that neither one of them actually cheated on their spouses, but the damage, it seems, has already been done. On the recent season premiere, Jon and Kate were interviewed separately about how their marriage is doing. They both seemed fairly upset about the state of affairs their marriage is currently in. They seemed to still be married and living in the same home but perhaps separated, as Jon stays home with the kids while Kate is away doing interviews and book signings, and when she comes home, he goes elsewhere.
During this whole debacle, I became very disillusioned and somewhat sad. I wasn't walking around moping every day, (That would be a little fanatic) but if I saw a negative magazine cover or heard a news story about it, I would become a little more down than I was before. The cause of my sadness came from the fact that these people (at least not initially) weren't a product to be marketed, they were a family, and that they had been turned into something that is not at all pleasant to watch. It was initially just a show, almost a documentary, about a real life family with real life troubles and problems, but they got through it all because of their belief in God and their commitment to their family as a whole. It saddens me that they may have let their lives become their careers.
Recently, Kate's brother Kevin and his wife Jodi appeared on a morning news show talking about Jon and Kate and their children. They believe that it's time for the cameras to go off and for the couple to seek marriage counselling. This unfortunately is not what the couple has decided to do. Kate is still pursuing her recent status as a writer while travelling around the country, while Jon often stays home with the kids and occasionally does charity work. Despite the fact that they are trying to seem normal through this, the American viewing audience can tell that something is off. This isn't the same warm, inviting family that once appeared on our television screens, and I am not calling for Jon and Kate to work things out for our sake, that is, those who watch the show, but they need to work things out for themselves, for their family and for the glory of the kingdom of God.
In the season premiere that came out about a week ago Jon stated that even if he and Kate separate, he still believes that their children will be fine as long as he and Kate remain friends and show the kids that the relationship they had was important. He and Kate also stated that the children were the most important thing to them. Unfortunately Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin, this is not the case. Maybe this is harsh, but what those children really need is for their mother and father to stay together and to work things out. That is how you will truly show them you love them.
Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin, although you will probably never read this blog by a non-famous midwestern teenager, I want to say that I am praying for you and your family. I am not merely praying for what I think is best for your family, I am praying for what God thinks is best for your family. You have people out here rooting for you, not just putting you down. God bless you and your family.

Noah

P.S. For anyone out there who doesn't already know, the Gosselins divorced last week. Please pray for this family in these troubling times. The P.S. was added on June 29.