ken castor

Warm-hearted Warriors: Raising Boys to Know God

 

 My sons run. They jump too. And wrestle. They play super-hero games, fighting injustice with mighty powers. They laugh with their bellies, cry with their lungs, and smile with their entire soul. They swoon for girls and stand-up for their Mom. Something as simple as a marker can create artful hunter-styled masterpieces on their faces. Something as valuable as time from their Dad can create heart-full adoration in their souls.

Boys love life with innate zeal. They long for maximum joy. Throwing a rock in the river can be the epitome of adventure. Even reading a book can be a fraternal celebration of happiness and companionship.

But all across North America the delight of boyhood is discouraged in our churches. Countless young men have given up on God at a young age. They have found in our modern religion the killer of their appetite. Emotionless fellowships have frustrated many of our starving warriors. By repelling their hearts, we have lost thousands, if not millions of men. We have isolated their minds from their souls. We have taught them church data but failed to teach them passionate biblical faith. A warrior will not serve someone who does not inspire him. And, unless dramatic action is taken, the transference of faith to successive generations will be halted in defeat.

Our boys need a warrior environment. Our warm-hearted soldiers will grow to serve God if we enable them to continue craving life. One day, armed with authentic love, these warm-hearted warriors could engage this entire world with transformational power. Imagine an army raised up around this planet passionately and unswervingly committed to the cause of peace and life, relief and restoration, joy and confidence.

Here's how it could happen:

• PLAY HARD WITH YOUR SONS: It is vital that we make our families and churches houses of fun. When a boy thinks of their home or their church, let them be excited! Nothing pushes away our youth more than to suck the life out of the adventure of knowing God.

• PRAY STRONG WITH YOUR SONS: Essential to the commitment of every warrior is the inspiration of their commander. A warrior will follow the leader who connects with them in the deepest place of their soul. We must teach our boys a life of action-talk with God. A warrior who knows and trusts God as their leader will follow him to the ends of the earth.

• STAY LONG WITH YOUR SONS: When a parent or mentor abandons a boy, the warrior's heart turns cold. Too many boys are being taught to plunder and pillage because too many of us are injuring their hearts. If we truly want to grow warm-hearted warriors we need more people in our families and churches to give long-term commitment to our sons.  

Let's do this together. Let's raise our boys to actively know a God who cares for them, who leads them with faithfulness and inspiration, who gives them courage and strength to face any foe. Let's raise warm-hearted and warrior-spirited boys by raising them with a playful, prayerful, faithful life.

Generational Transference: It's a Two Way Street

The following article on Generational Transference was written by Jason Ostrander for Envision Culture. Good words!!

Go to article: http://www.alliancelife.org/article.php?id=674

GENERATIONAL TRANSFERENCE

It’s a two-way street

By Jason Ostrander

The role of Envision Culture in the C&MA is to mobilize the next generation for Kingdom change. Members of the Millennial Generation—those who are 18–30 years old (or who just think they are!)—desire very much to see change. Whereas Baby Boomers are motivated under the mantra of “serve the world,” the Millennials’ mantra is “change the world.”

This presents the Church with an opportunity that is dangerous, not only if we ignore the mindset, vision and dreams of the next generation but also if we focus too much on these aspirations. Ultimately, what needs to happen is transference—our denomination being handed from one generation to the next in a biblical manner.

We want this to happen in the way that Moses transferred leadership to Joshua. In that process, the younger man understood that for any generation’s vision to be fulfilled, its mem... {Go to article: http://www.alliancelife.org/article.php?id=674}

 

What causes you to leave church?

I'd like your thoughts about this: 

• What reasons would cause you to consider leaving your church?
• What reasons would cause you to stay?

Look at this sobering statement:

"According to Rainer Research 70 percent of youth leave church by the time they are twenty-two years old.  Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be 'disengaged' by the time they are twenty-nine years old.  Unlike older church dropouts, these young 'leavers' are unlikely to seek out alternative forms of Christian community, such as home churches and small groups.  When they leave church, many leave the faith as well."

- Drew Dyck in Generation EX-Christian: Why Young Adults are Leaving the Faith... and How to Bring Them Back (Moody, 2010), p17.

 

Romans 4:16-22 ~ Old Faithful

  Let's just rest in these few verses near the end of Chapter 4 for a moment... In fact, please read it twice through and look for key themes:

NLT Romans 4:16-22   So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”  This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.  Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!"  And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.  And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 

God gave a promise.  Abraham believed God.  So God considered Abraham to be "righteous".

So stop trying to earn God's favor.  You can't.  You won't. 

Just trust God.  Trust God at His Word.  God Is Who He Is.  So trust God for Who God Is. 

If you don't know God... then pursue after God.  Start with those things about God that you do already know... and go forward in faithful steps from there. 

Abraham didn't really know too much about God when all this began.  He didn't know what the outcomes would really be.  He didn't understand how God was going to work in his life.  Abraham was quite uncertain about the specifics.  We're not even entirely sure what Abraham called God... but we know they interacted with one another... and that God had taken special interest in old Abe.  And the more that Abe and God interacted, the more Abraham trusted God... and the more Abraham relied upon God... and the more God shaped Abraham's life.  (Read the 2nd half of Genesis again if you need to remember the full story!)

God promised Abraham he would be the father of all nations.  Abraham believed this.  Paul tells us that God's promise wasn't merely a physical reality, but a spiritual one too.  Abraham's royalty wouldn't be passed on merely through DNA, but it would be passed on for generations by those who believed in God.  So Abraham is the father of all those ever since who have called out to God and found Him to be trustworthy. 

The Kingdom God promised was greater and more numerous than any temporal, geographic kingdom Abraham could have conceived.  Even just one child was beyond Abraham's imagination.  So it is remarkable that Abraham was actually open to whatever God's promise held for him--- And yet this is the precisely the proper stance of faith: Confident hope within the uncertainty that God presents (Hebrews 11:1).

Nothing Abraham could do about it really.  Just believe God at His Word.

Abraham's faith is noteworthy... because Abraham was OLD... and so was his wife.  Added to this fact was this little complication: Sarah, Abe's wife, had been barren her whole life.  Now she was wrinkly old, well past any child-bearning years.  The idea that nations would be birthed through her was laughable (Genesis 17:17).  And still Abraham believed God at his word.

And so God kept his promise.  Out of death, came life.  Out of a dead womb, came a promised one who would lead countless many to faith. 

 Note: I reflect a lot on this website about how God uses young people throughout Scripture... but it's just as apparent that God uses older people too.  In fact, it seems that God will use anyone at any age of any gender of any ethnicity and even of any religion to accomplish what He wants to do.  (People!  He spoke through a donkey!!  God can utilize anyone He wants!)  So again I am struck about how much poorer our churches are today than they should be.  We tend to segregate our congregations, separating young from old, compartmentalizing people according to age categories.  Look, God worked through an old faithful couple, and God worked through a newborn laughable baby... and God even worked through a dolt of a middle aged nephew...  Perhaps we should consider that God might want to work holistically throughout our generations today.

 

 

The Pursuit of Youth Ministry

This graphic is basically the outline for my "Introduction to Youth and Family Ministry" course at Crown College this fall.  It's a work in progress (and the 50+ students who took the course last year have helped me improve it a bit for this year)... and I'm fairly happy with this current diagram.  What do you think? 

Pastor Wally ~ Received into the arms of Jesus

Every now and then when a person dies, people just seem to know that Heaven is fuller. 

Pastor Wally Fus is closer to Jesus now.  And that says a lot because they were already pretty close.  I know we're not supposed to "judge" someone's salvation and eternal destiny... but sometimes you just know when someone was good friends with Jesus.

My heart cries out for Shirley today.  Shirley, your husband was a dear man and I know you will miss him.  When you and Wally joined us for our Young Marrieds retreat in Canmore, your example of a godly couple in love was a pivotal moment for many of our younger couples.  I have prayed many times that my relationship with Kathy will be as challenging and fresh and cute through the years as the one you had with Wally. 

Wally and I began working together at Brentview the same week.  What a special privilege that was for Jesus to give me.  I am thankful for the years that Wally and I met with people as they received Jesus into their lives.  I will forever remember the moments of bedside ministry as we sat and prayed and held hands with people in their final hours.  I am thankful for our many moments of prayer and laughter and wrestling as we sought to pursue Jesus in ministry.  I will miss Wally's encouragement... very much miss it.  And strangely, I'm a bit suprised this morning to actually be grieving the quirky way Wally approached our church staff meetings... and that speaks to Wally's impact upon me... because I never thought I would ever miss a staff meeting.  And perhaps most of all, I will miss Wally's overflowing well of passion to see people know Jesus--- There just aren't enough people like that anymore.   Wally genuinely, heartfully, cared for others because he so deeply cared for Jesus.

Into Your hands is Wally's spirit committed, Lord.  And Jesus, many of us look forward to the day when we will be privileged to see Your servant Wally in Your humble glory.  Amen.

Next Gen Mentoring at Church of the Open Door

One of my highlights of this last year was a Wednesday night visit at the beginning of May to the next generation ministry of Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, MN.   For the last number of years I have been searching for communities that understand and practice a concept that I call "Generational Transference".  This is a huge need.  Many of our generations are better at keeping church for themselves than sharing the onus and direction and embrace of church with others.  Segmentation models of the generations can be anti-biblical in my opinion as they can tend to reinforce a consumeristic paradigm of what is supposed to be the united and sacrificial body of Christ (See Dt 6; Mt 18)

It takes courage and endurance for a church community to actually believe in the biblical idea of transfering faith and leadership to the next generation... Investment comes with a cost... and to purposefully mentor 150+ youth means that 150+ "adults" need to give up their time, energy and emotions in order to equip and encourage a teenager.  This is much bigger and better than the traditional "super-hero youth pastor" model... partially because it is much harder and more enduring.  Thank you Open Door for taking the lead in this!!   I saw among you a Psalm 78 movement, complete with intentionality of mission and an environment of encouragement.  [Thanks go to Crown student Josh Morneau and Next-Gen director Stefan Van Voorst for the invite and the post-mentoring food.]  Check out this video to learn more...

One Generation Away

I came across this video today (by Geoff Schultz)... It highlights what I've been coming to believe more and more... that Generational Transference is the driving pattern of faith, evangelism and discipleship throughout the Bible.  Without an intentional commitment to passing on the truth and action of our faith to others... and without equipping them with the chance/ability to lead the way forward, the coming generations could find themselves devoid of a working relationship with God.  I'm impassioned once again to raise up those who will lead for the future...

Q&A with Joshua...

This wins a prize for most beautiful conversation ever. Joshua has Aspergers... and he asks his mom some very difficult, but very earnest questions. I love the depth of wonder and the depth of love that exists beneath these words. I am reminded to never give up growing and learning and exploring the vastness of our minds and souls... and I am encouraged to invest ever more deeply into the coming generations:

Generational Transference in the Bible: Convergence of Biblical and Theological Themes

(Continued from previous posts.  This is the final summary of the Biblical Foundations portion of my study into Generational Transference of Ministry Leadership in the Local Church...)

            A survey of Scripture suggests a plethora of methods and strategies for transferring ministry across successive generations.  Leaders, the Bible teaches, are entrusted with the role of equipping successive generations to serve the Lord.   As has been noted, the keeping of commands, the patterns of family teaching, the reminders of community celebrations and sacrifices dominate the generational structures of the Pentateuch.  Alternatively, the exemplar and equipping-provisional role of the kings, priests and prophets are evident in the historical books, even if not always practiced.  In the Psalms, the passions of praise, of pure hearted devotion, and of authentic transparency of the soul serve the spiritual formation of Israel.  The impetus of making disciples characterizes the Gospels.  The Great Commission distinguishes the Acts of the Apostles.  And the planting and equipping of multiple generations, with young leaders, elders, and various approaches to ministry leadership via the context of local churches illustrates the rest of the letters of New Testament.[1] 

            Biblical study does not indicate that there is some kind of cookie cutter church formula into which every new generation needs to be shaped.  It does, however, teach that every generation is responsible to enable the next generation to enable the generation after them to enable the next, and so on.  And it does teach that leaders who equip the generations should personally stand first and foremost on a solidly formed spiritual character.  Equipping successive generations involves a relational teaching that begins with character founded in Jesus and committed to his mission for the church. So in North America today, the directive for generational transference of ministry is the same as it was for Old Testament and New Testament churches.  Churches have an inherent mission of equipping the next generations to embrace and spread the Gospel founded upon godly character.  Throughout history, from generation to generation, the story of God will resound.

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[1] E.g. 1 John 2:13-14; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12