Identity verses Image

A few weeks back I was approached by Joe James of Ends and Means (see link to the right) who informed me that my series entitled Identity Crisis was somewhat confusing.   Although he understood my point that the issues we are facing in the church today are no different than any faced by Christians since the establishment of the church, he still felt that in some ways, whether personally or as a group, we were experiencing a crisis of some sort.  

This conversation, together with my appreciation for his friendship and heart of service, led me to revisit my thoughts over the past couple of weeks. Yet, the more I think about this subject the more I am convinced that our crisis is not a matter of identity as much as it is a matter of image.   

To be honest, if we are facing a crisis in the church today it is because we have become so focused on what others think about us that we have forgotten who we are and what our purpose is.   In other words, perhaps we are experiencing a crisis because our image has become more important than our identity. 

What do you think?  

VBS begins

Tonight was the first night of Vacation Bible School.

As promised, I have a few photos to share with you. 

The first is of Candace and  I all dressed up and ready for action.   The second is of the closing scene of tonight’s skit, Noah and his family working on the ark as the towns people ridicule his efforts.  The third photo is of all the children gathered in the auditorium singing songs.  

Enjoy your week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vacation Bible School

Tomorrow night the children of Jonesboro, Arkansas begin the journey of a lifetime as they experience firsthand the life and times of Noah in Southwest’s latest version of WOW – Wonders of the Word! 

Borrowing the format of The Princess Bride, a Pet Shop owner named Joe retells the story of Noah as he attempts to help a young boy who is experiencing difficulties in his life.   In typical Southwest style, this Bible story unfolds before his eyes, transitioning this from a babyish story to a life changing lesson.

If all goes well, this VBS will be, in the spirit of Emeril Lagosse, kicked up a notch and impact the lives of these young people, laying the foundation that God is in control and can be trusted to direct their lives.

I will do my best to share photos of our journey with you over the next several days.   But for now, let me share our VBS version of Billy Joel’s classic, For the Longest Time.   I hope you enjoy.   And, remember, this is for fun! The Longest Time — Southwest Version.

 

Oh, oh, oh, for the longest time, Oh, oh, oh, for the longest time. 

 

We’ve been on the boat for oh so long, Makes me wonder what we have done so wrong, What else can we do? This place is just a zoo, And we have been floating for the longest time!

Once I thought my room would be my own, With three roommates privacy is gone, That’s where they put me, I’m just a victim you see, And we’ve been floating for the longest time!

Chorus

There’s an elephant sleeping in the hall, And the horse won’t stay in his own stall, I can’t say just what to do, This whole place smells just like poo, And we’ve been floating for the longest time!

If that parrot won’t change his song, I think I might, Just string him along (make a “noose” sign), If that goat eats more of my stuff, I know what I’ll do, And I might have to get rough.

We’ve been floating now for forty days, Someone better mend his sorry way, I’m getting crazy, And my thoughts are getting hazy, And we’ve been floating for the longest time.

Yesterday the dog had a bone, I said to myself, “The chickens are gone!”, Makes you wonder how far we have gone, We’ve turned upon our own, And it’s not getting better

I don’t care just what I have to do, I have got to exit from this zoo, It’s gotten so bad, I’ve lost what cool I once had, and we can’t keep floating for the longest time!

Does anybody hear her?

What do you think about the message of this song? Does it hit too close to home regarding our attitude in the church?