"I didn't really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls because I had a lot of younger Christian girls that were looking up to me and then thinking that it was okay for them to walk around and show their bodies in lingerie to guys."Reading this article, I thought about the life of the Apostle Paul. Even though Paul was a great Christian Missionary, he was still known as Saul, a christian killer, in the public eye. As much as he worked to continue to build up the mission of Jesus Christ, I am sure that there was always somebody who would remember him for his past. Bisutti, like the Apostle Paul, has made a life change, but with the power of the internet, the pictures of her Victoria Secret days are forever posted for anyone to see. I applaud Ms. Bisutti for her decision and wish her luck on her new journey.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Kylie Bisutti and the Apostle Paul?
About a few weeks ago, I came across a story about Kylie Bisutti. I never knew who she was or what she did for a living but a teaser had caught my attention and i was interested in reading it. Kylie Bisutti is a Victoria Secret model, or she was one. You see she quit being a model for Victoria Secret because it did not agree with her Christian beliefs. In this article (WARNING: there are sensual pictures of Kylie in this article. If this is a stumbling block for you then do not click on the link), she talks about how she was feeling convicted by being a Christian and a lingerie model. Here is one of the many quotes from Bisutti about her life change.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Are Christian Youth Camps/Conventions Causing the Young Generation to Leave the Church?
Before reading this post it will be a good idea to read the book, "You Lost Me," by David Kinnaman or listen to our book review via podcast.
Most of my ministry training has been through working at Youth Camps. The one question that has plagued my mind the last few years is, "Why do students have a hard time staying with there commitment to Christ?" I generally, lead towards the conclusion that the church was not doing a great job discipling these students who committed there life to Christ during a camp or convention program. Now I am thinking, "what if the camps/conventions are the culprit?"
The typical outline for camp/conventions when it comes to the message is: 1.) Sin, bondage, hell 2.) Jesus, freedom, salvation 3.) Growth, discipleship. In a way, most youth camps and/or conventions follow a subtle pattern to the preaching during the Great Awakenings. You start heavy with the sin. hell preaching then towards the end talk about salvation and people will flock with tears to the alter and repent from there sinful life. Conventions and camps do the same thing, some camps are identical to the Great Awakenings pattern while others try to find a healthy balance between the sin and salvation.
The issue that all this boils down to is Guilt. Students may screw up and because of what they learn from these establishments is that they are sinners which makes them feel guilty for what they have done. Instead of asking for forgiveness and grace, they hold on to that guilt and feel like they let God down and that He is disappointed in them. They then carry this lie with them until the next camp/convention where they can finally let the guilt go. However, once they hit that ripe old age of 18, they carry the guilt with them and never have the opportunity to lay it down at the alter.
I would love to hear out readers reactions to this post or any thoughts you have about why young adults are leaving the Church.
Most of my ministry training has been through working at Youth Camps. The one question that has plagued my mind the last few years is, "Why do students have a hard time staying with there commitment to Christ?" I generally, lead towards the conclusion that the church was not doing a great job discipling these students who committed there life to Christ during a camp or convention program. Now I am thinking, "what if the camps/conventions are the culprit?"
The typical outline for camp/conventions when it comes to the message is: 1.) Sin, bondage, hell 2.) Jesus, freedom, salvation 3.) Growth, discipleship. In a way, most youth camps and/or conventions follow a subtle pattern to the preaching during the Great Awakenings. You start heavy with the sin. hell preaching then towards the end talk about salvation and people will flock with tears to the alter and repent from there sinful life. Conventions and camps do the same thing, some camps are identical to the Great Awakenings pattern while others try to find a healthy balance between the sin and salvation.
The issue that all this boils down to is Guilt. Students may screw up and because of what they learn from these establishments is that they are sinners which makes them feel guilty for what they have done. Instead of asking for forgiveness and grace, they hold on to that guilt and feel like they let God down and that He is disappointed in them. They then carry this lie with them until the next camp/convention where they can finally let the guilt go. However, once they hit that ripe old age of 18, they carry the guilt with them and never have the opportunity to lay it down at the alter.
I would love to hear out readers reactions to this post or any thoughts you have about why young adults are leaving the Church.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Theology and Film: Dawn of the Dead
Hello Friends,
Today is Halloween, and I have an exciting Theology and Film post to share. Growing up, I have always been a fan of horror movies. My love for horror movies came from my mother. My mother did not like them so she would prohibit watching them when she was around. As I got older, I bought a DVD player and got a subscription to Netflix (this was when they first started, which means only one location, and no streaming. Scary!!!!). With this new found power of watching anything I wanted, I would fill up my queue with horror movies.
One movie I enjoyed was Dawn of the Dead (1978, not the 2004 version). Watching this film, one of the theories that the dead walked the earth was because "hell ran out of room." Recently, when I watched this movie, the phrase, "hell ran out of room," lingered in my head. It made me thing about evangelism. Now what does a zombie apocalypse and evangelism have to do with each other? Well, if the reason why the dead walk is because "hell ran out of room," then that means there are more souls going to hell then going to heaven. Matthew 28:18-20 says,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
As Followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to share the Gospel with everyone we come in contact with. It is more important that we live out or faith just as much as we profess it. However, I know for some, evangelising is a hard thing to do. What is so challenging about spreading the gospel? One reason is that most people do not know how. Some people have seen other people evangelizing on street corners handing out tracts and saying, "repent for the end is near." Some have seen people walk up to people and tell the person that they are spreading the gospel that they are sinners and they need to change there ways or they are going to hell. For some people these methods work, however for some, it continues to see Christians as a bunch of crazies and they walk further and further away from Christ.
Is there a better solution to witness to people? Yes! reading through the four Gospels, I notice some things about Jesus when he would talk to people. First, he would never start off by telling the other person their sins. Any time Jesus would go to an individual, he would never start the conversation talking about sin. He always would ask questions, listen to the person, or would talk to an individual with gentleness and respect. When sin was brought up, that is when he would address it. For example, the woman caught in adultery, Jesus never said that she was a sinner. when the crowd walked away, He asked her if anyone was left to condemn her, she said no, and then he said he did not condemn her either and to go and sin no more. What is interesting about this story is that she knew that she had sinned and was feeling the guilt (and fear) of her actions. Jesus non-chalantly forgave her and told her to sin no more. No hell, fire, and brimstone sermon from Him afterwards.
Lastly, he never pursued a situation where he was never wanted. After Jesus drove the demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs, the villagers wanted him to leave. He did what the crowd asked and left but before he did, he refused the man, who was possessed to come with him because Jesus knew that this man could help lead the village to salvation. When we share the gospel, some do not want to hear it. Unlike Jesus, it is hard for us to walk away when people do not want to hear the message, especially if it is in a work or family setting. However, sometimes it is good to table the sharing of the gospel in order to build up relationships with co-workers, family members, etc. Eventually, something will happen when that particular person would need to hear the gospel and then not only can you lead them to Christ, but they also have a great support system in place.
Today is Halloween, and I have an exciting Theology and Film post to share. Growing up, I have always been a fan of horror movies. My love for horror movies came from my mother. My mother did not like them so she would prohibit watching them when she was around. As I got older, I bought a DVD player and got a subscription to Netflix (this was when they first started, which means only one location, and no streaming. Scary!!!!). With this new found power of watching anything I wanted, I would fill up my queue with horror movies.
One movie I enjoyed was Dawn of the Dead (1978, not the 2004 version). Watching this film, one of the theories that the dead walked the earth was because "hell ran out of room." Recently, when I watched this movie, the phrase, "hell ran out of room," lingered in my head. It made me thing about evangelism. Now what does a zombie apocalypse and evangelism have to do with each other? Well, if the reason why the dead walk is because "hell ran out of room," then that means there are more souls going to hell then going to heaven. Matthew 28:18-20 says,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
As Followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to share the Gospel with everyone we come in contact with. It is more important that we live out or faith just as much as we profess it. However, I know for some, evangelising is a hard thing to do. What is so challenging about spreading the gospel? One reason is that most people do not know how. Some people have seen other people evangelizing on street corners handing out tracts and saying, "repent for the end is near." Some have seen people walk up to people and tell the person that they are spreading the gospel that they are sinners and they need to change there ways or they are going to hell. For some people these methods work, however for some, it continues to see Christians as a bunch of crazies and they walk further and further away from Christ.
Is there a better solution to witness to people? Yes! reading through the four Gospels, I notice some things about Jesus when he would talk to people. First, he would never start off by telling the other person their sins. Any time Jesus would go to an individual, he would never start the conversation talking about sin. He always would ask questions, listen to the person, or would talk to an individual with gentleness and respect. When sin was brought up, that is when he would address it. For example, the woman caught in adultery, Jesus never said that she was a sinner. when the crowd walked away, He asked her if anyone was left to condemn her, she said no, and then he said he did not condemn her either and to go and sin no more. What is interesting about this story is that she knew that she had sinned and was feeling the guilt (and fear) of her actions. Jesus non-chalantly forgave her and told her to sin no more. No hell, fire, and brimstone sermon from Him afterwards.
Lastly, he never pursued a situation where he was never wanted. After Jesus drove the demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs, the villagers wanted him to leave. He did what the crowd asked and left but before he did, he refused the man, who was possessed to come with him because Jesus knew that this man could help lead the village to salvation. When we share the gospel, some do not want to hear it. Unlike Jesus, it is hard for us to walk away when people do not want to hear the message, especially if it is in a work or family setting. However, sometimes it is good to table the sharing of the gospel in order to build up relationships with co-workers, family members, etc. Eventually, something will happen when that particular person would need to hear the gospel and then not only can you lead them to Christ, but they also have a great support system in place.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
You can find the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi here. ->http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0027.htm
Friday, September 9, 2011
Update on Prayer PodCast
ATTN: For those of you who are waiting for the next podcast on prayer, I truly apoligize. Ryan recently started school and got a new job and hasn't had time to do the podcast with Scott. Once he gets everything in order, the podcast will be recorded and posted ASAP. Thanks for you patience.
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