chsocm

On The Road Again: Part II- Hot Springs, AR

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Last week I was keynoting at a camp in Gonzles, TX (Read about it here). This week I will hitting the road once more heading to Hot Springs, Arkansas to keynote a Middle School (6-8 grade) camp.

A friend of mine from seminary is co-directing this event. (Read her blog here). The curriculum this particular region is doing is entitled “Secrets of the Kingdom” and focuses on the parables of Jesus. To ‘kick it up a notch‘, the directors decided to incorporate some fun with the theme. They came up with centering the theme around the early 1990s throwback to “Legends of the Hidden Temple” game show. When I heard that, I was sold.

The reasoning was simple; in the show the contestants were trying to find an artifact that was hidden somewhere in the Temple. Once found, all the doors of the Temple opened and they had to chose which way they wanted to escape. Jesus spoke a lot in parables and there are messages of truth hidden with in them. Once we find the messages we then have a choice on what to do next, sit on it or try to get it out to other people.

I remember watching that show and wanting to be a participate. I wanted to win a CD player or Casio Keyboard. I could win if given the chance.

The youths will be divided into the six Legend teams: Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots and the Silver Snakes.

I am looking forward to my second keynote of the year.

Be sure to stay tuned for updates and watch an episode of “Legends of the Hidden Temple” below. The winning team might get to go to space camp! (too bad we dont go to space any more :-/)

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

The Gospel According To Family Feud

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / 1 Comment

The other day I was watching TV and the game show “Family Feud” came on.  I have enjoyed the show in years past but it has been a while since I had ever actually sat down and watched it.  The very first survey question caught my attention.  It was:

Name a profession whose members will have a hard time getting into Heaven

Interesting survey question to say the least. What is “Family Feud”‘s goal here? By simply asking this question the creators/writers of the survey question were making a theological statement. To them salvation is found in how good of person you are AND there are people in this world who because of their choice of profession will not inherit the riches awaiting them in Heaven. While there are some who believe that Heaven is reserved for Christians only, there are some who believe that all of humanity will not be barred from the glories of God.

Not so says Family Feud…

Here is what the survey said:

  1. Lawyer
  2. Politician/Govt.
  3. Stripper
  4. Prostitute/Pimp
  5. Drug dealer
  6. Athlete

Other answers not making the survey:

  • Tax collector
  • Hit man
  • Con artist
  • Thief

One first glance the majority of the people listed by the survey are those that fit certain stereotypes. Polticans lie and cheat, lawyers lie to get their way, drug dealers are preying on the youth of America, etc. etc. The only one that didn’t make sense to me was ‘athlete.’ Sure in recent year in the age of steroids and mega contracts there are those who believe that professional athlete are nothing more than big, money hungry babies. Of course, this isnt always the case and I do point out that the survey did not specify between pro and amateur athletes, so looks like my league baseball days has punched my ticket to netherworld known as hell. 😀

The theology that Family Feud is promoting is one what widely labels certain professions as negative.  Forget the fact that there are lawyers that take on cases for free, forget the politicians who actually do their due diligence and serve those they represent, forget the athlete that is using his/her God given talents to play a sport and use part of their salary to fund charity work.  Just forget all of that… let’s make generalization… because that has worked in the past, right?

Am I making too much out of a game show?  Maybe, but maybe not; the fact of the matter is that theology can be promoted outside of a stained glass building.  Sure it is light hearted game show but is there an element of truth?  Yes, but a gross over simplification with an element of theology can be a scary thing; that’s just enough knowledge to be dangerous.  Now I am not sure how many people draw their spiritual knowledge from a game show but is a conversation that is happening outside the church in the public arena.

I believe people are seeking this conversation about the Divine in the world today… Family Feud is just starting it off for us.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan

So Now What?

/ Rev. Evan Dolive / Leave a comment

Lent is over.  We have sung our Easter hymns, celebrated the risen Christ, and heard the story once again about out God conquered death.  Easter Day has come and gone.   I often wish that Easter was not in the Spring time but rather in the Summer.  It was only four months ago that we celebrated the birth of Christ and now Good Friday where he has died and Easter when he was resurrected.

For some people Easter is the highlight of Christian calendar.  Jesus Christ has come and has lived and was unjustly killed, but through the miraculous power of God humanity has seen what God can do.

So now what?  What do we do now?  What are followers of Christ to do in the interim between Easter and Christmas (the next High Holy Day in the Christian calendar)?  In most churches during the summer attendance is lower due the busy summer months.  Families go on vacations, grandparents go to visit children and grandchildren and our calendars begin to fill up with picnics and gatherings.

Since the Christian calendar is defined so much by Christmas and Easter what are we to do this in between time?  The story of God does not stop because Christians do not have a reason to party and exchange gifts.  The message of the gospel does not continue to serve as a model of love and forgiveness for humanity because we are busy with other activities.  By muting the story of God to just Christmas and Easter, we greatly restrict the story of how God moved in the lives of people for centuries.  The gospels writers took those experiences and put pen to paper for all of humanity to have.   They did not limit the story of Christ in the world to his birth (which only two gospels even mention) and his death.  Most of the New Testament is about how the followers of Christ responded to the teachings of Christ after his resurrection.   If we believe that God is continuing to world in our lives then we have to tell the story.

How can we continue telling the story? How do we continue to tell people that Christ is risen?   It doesn’t have to be standing in front of a group of people and reiterating how God has moved in your life.  Telling the story doesn’t have to even use words.  One’s actions can serve to tell the tale of impact that God has had on one’s life.

Whether it is through service to others, care for a loved one, making a phone call to someone in need, all of these actions (and many more) reflect the message that Christ is alive in the world today and we have been transformed because of it.

Let’s not wait until Christmas to feel the presence of God and to share God’s love with everyone.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan