Pastoral Articles
Article: Kill Your Television? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dan King   

 

Back in the 20th century, my job as a youth pastor often took me onto the local high school campuses to visit with students. Almost every time I went, I chose to wear the exact same T-shirt.

 

“Why?” you ask.

 

Simple ... it started conversations like no other T-shirt I have ever owned before or since. And these were not short, 10 second sound bite conversations that resulted from my T-shirt. These were not, “So, how is school going?” kind of conversations. These were the real deal. They were honest, reflective conversations with teens that often had significant emotion and passion wrapped up in the dialogue.

 

Let me tell you what the three words on the T-shirt were (in case you haven’t guessed from the title of this article):

 

kill
your
television

 

These three words got everyone that I came into contact with talking.

 

 

Now it’s the 21st century, and media formats have changed more than just a little bit, so today the shirt might says, “Kill Your Cell Phone” or maybe “Kill Your Facebook”, but I’m not sure it would get such a deep reaction. There is something about television.

 

I would be the first in line to tell you that I enjoy watching a good show.  In May, the last episodes of the popular program Lost were broadcast. I watched every one-hour episode of that series: all 120 of them. That is nearly a week of my life given to watching a flickering screen deliver a sci-fi story about people I will never meet.  I wonder what else I could have done with that time?

 

In the last chapter of The Gospel of John, we get a glimpse into one of the final days of Jesus’ life on the earth. He has already been crucified and resurrected and will soon ascend into Heaven. It is almost time for him to commission his followers to go into the entire world and share the good news of salvation.  If ever the clock was ticking, it is now, as plans are being set in motion that will arguably change the course of history like none-other.

 

And in these final days, what is Jesus doing with his time?  Did he set off on a speaking tour of the region? Did he write a book? How did he maximize the little time he had left?  Well, according to John 21, he gives fishing advice to a few disheartened friends and prepares them a breakfast on the beach as they row in their boats. He places a priority on the people who he cares about most.

 

In the past people have said, “Time is Money”.

 

In some places and for some moments, this might be true, but there is a greater truth that is overshadowed by this statement:  “Time is Limited”

 

How you and I spend our time tells a story about our souls.  What we give our focus to can leave a legacy or vaporize like mist.

 

This is not an article about the evils of technology because technology isn’t evil. Rather, it’s an article about our priorities, and it turns out that God has modeled to us what is most important: people.

 

So, the clock is ticking ... your time is limited … what or who do you want to be in front of you?

 

 
 
My Words Matter ... PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dan King   

 

Do you ever have flashbacks to those long-ago years in the school yard?

 

Maybe they are specific recollections of recess with friends or perhaps a lunch hour in the spring time when you and your classmates would all head out to the football field and re-enact the last plays of the NFL showdown you saw on television the prior weekend.

 

These are great memories.

 

But there are other memories of those yester-years too, aren’t there?

 

They are the flash-backs that you would rather forget. The ones where that big kid would call you names in front of the same group of friends you played those football games with. The words hurt you. The words haunted you.

 

On more than one occasion, I’ve challenged my own children to re-think what they have just said to someone.

 

Usually it is because they have spoken something that is not kind to a friend, or they have seemed to wish evil on another person with their words.

 
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Being Fit in This Life and the Next PDF Print E-mail
Written by Paul Hawkes   

 

The Olympics are coming! As I write, the opening ceremonies are only 11 days away. It’s still difficult to comprehend that such a world-class event is coming to our backyard.

 

What’s even more amazing is that my wife and I will be in Whistler to take in four events. I can’t wait to absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Whistler during this time, but also to see world-class athletes at the top of their game.

 

Few will know the kind of discipline involved in reaching the pinnacle of any sport. Some of us might go to the gym a few days each week; we might play hockey or curl or walk a few days of the week. But not many of us can identify with the hourly discipline and the years of sacrifice it takes for these athletes to attain such levels.

 

The pay-off is noticeable: fit bodies, and for a select few the ultimate reward — an Olympic medal.

 
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Finding Your New Year’s Rhythm PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dan King   

 

I love listening to the rhythmic beating of drums.

 

Now, let me clarify that. This isn’t about some first-time percussionist who is simply trying to create and sustain loud booming noises by beating sticks on a snare or pounding out an inconsistent cadence on a bass drum.

 

I’m talking about the disciplined professional drummer, whose skill and experience are able to create a warm and passionate rhythm with their instrument. There is something about that rhythm.

 

All of Creation, too, has a rhythm to it. It shows itself most obviously in the changing of the seasons, in the flipping of the calendar, and in the dropping of the New Year’s Ball in New York’s Time Square. The writer of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes captured it perfectly when he wrote:
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