It’s Time
by The Bishop on Aug.15, 2010, under General
“It’s time!” You hear that a lot in August. School is cranking back up. Summer is over. Vacations are done. Routines are once again assumed. As a creature of habit, I tend to find some comfort in routine. I can settle into my weekly schedule of taking kids to school, working out, heading to the office, and hanging with students.
But this Fall is going to be different. “It’s Time!” is going to mean something different for me. I’m a HUGE fan of “24.” “24″ manages to throw a whole season of crisis and action into a 24-hour period. And no matter what the crisis, or where he’s gone off to, Jack Bauer manages to right the ship and salvage an impossible situation, usually at great personal cost. In many ways, he’s a messiah image. No, I’m not saying we should be worshipping Jack Bauer or “24.” Modern media and drama weaves a messianic-type hero into most of the story lines we enjoy. Think about it. “The 5th Element.” Indiana Jones. The Star Wars Saga. Even “The Wizard of Oz” has a humanly flawed, somewhat unassuming “savior” that steps into the crisis and “rights the ship.”
I believe God has called us to step into the lives of many people who feel like there’s no hope. We are to step in and represent Jesus. And, although we are flawed like every other human, we represent a Savior who’s not. Think about the Biblical Heroes of old: Moses (murderer), Noah (a drunk), David (murdering adulterer), Sampson (womanizer), Peter (hot head), Paul (murderer)… You get my drift. And yet, a perfect God took these imperfect vessels and used them for HIs glory. God changed the world through flawed representations of an flawless Savior. He seeks to do the same today with you. But you have a choice, just as they did. Will you choose to say, “It’s time,” and embrace what God is calling you to do?
There’s a consistent theme that runs through the “24″ seasons. Jack says it over and over throughout each crisis: “We’re running out of time!” Our theme this Fall for The THF Outfitters is going to fit this motif. It’s time for school, Fall, football, and a myriad of other things. But more so, it’s time to make a difference. It’s time to step up, represent Christ, and step into the fray of life as His ambassador. We will focus on taking His Light into the darkness of our culture so people can be rescued from their impossible situations.
It’s up to you. We’re running out of time. They need a Savior. Will you follow in the footsteps of this ancient work and join a long line of flawed and imperfect people who, in faith, answered Christ’s call? It’s time.
Share The Love – Tokyo Day 6
by The Bishop on Jul.07, 2010, under General
When I say, “There’s not a lot to report on today,” that doesn’t mean that a lot didn’t happen. We were SUPER BUSY with non-stop work. We were on our feet from 9:30 this morning until 5:30 this evening, doing DVD distribution of Scott Posednick’s testimony followed by prayer walking and handing out tracts and Bibles at Shibuya Square. By the numbers, we handed out a few Bibles, generated some conversations, handed out OVER 5,000 tracts (which is amazing), and had 1 person come to Christ!
Our goal was to hand out every piece of material that the local missionaries handed us. We managed to get all the DVD’s out in just under 30 minutes. When we got back to the station, one of the missionaries had brought 5,500 tracts to hand out, and told me if we managed to hand out 15 – 20 per student, we’d be doing well. He would often say, “It’s not about the numbers, it’s about obedience.” And, for the most part, I agree with that. But, we didn’t want to leave there without being able to say that what we managed to do for that missionary was to cover 30 days worth of work for him in one afternoon. We told the kids this morning that our goal was EVERYTHING handed out by 3:00. And, it turned out that by 3:10, we had almost accomplished that! I’m VERY PROUD of how hard our team worked today to multiply the ground work here in Tokyo. They’ve done well.
And, as a bonus for the day, one of the people who stopped to ask about the free Bibles decided they wanted to follow Jesus! It was an amazing thing to hear as we wrapped up. That is in no small way a result of your prayers, too! THANK YOU for praying. I know there is one more soul from Tokyo that you’ve made a difference for.
Keep us lifted up as we do more of the same tomorrow. We will also be mixing in some 5 Minute English as well.
Share The Love – Tokyo Day 4 & 5
by The Bishop on Jul.07, 2010, under General
Day 4 was an off day, and here’s the Day 5 Update.
Most of the team had an incredible day today. We spent the morning doing Scripture Distribution. We managed to hand out EVERYTHING the local interns had. It was HOT and HUMID this morning, raining off and on.
From there, we went to lunch and then began Prayer Walking around one of the large train stations. It’s a hub for most of the train lines, so there are a lot of people that pass through there. We were prayer walking in preparation for our 5 Minute English time. Around 3:00, we began doing English Practice and things really took off. It was one conversation after another. We all had lengthy and positive conversations with people, many of them leading to chances to share The Gospel with people.
I had a lengthy conversation with a film student named Shoon. We talked about movies and American movies in particular. He like Clint Eastwood, but thinks Mr. Eastwood lives a double standard. I was a bit taken back by this. I asked Shoon to explain, and he said something like, “Well, Clint Eastwood is an American, which makes him a Christian. But he makes movies like ‘Grand Torino’ which is not a very Christian movie. So, he lives a double life.” WOW! It was the perfect opportunity to turn the corner with him. I shared Christ with Shoon. He promised to read all the stuff I gave him. He also acknowledged that the Japanese trust technology more than God. We agreed that it was a “God-thing” that we were able to talk today and that God had sent me to give him the Gospel of John and the “Steps To Peace” tract. We exchanged information, and I am awaiting a call to go get coffee before I leave.
Mario had a great time with some new friends today, too. Here’s his story, as he related it to me:
“What happened was during 5 minute English. There was a group of students that walked by. They were making fun of us. So, I went over and invited them to do 5 minute English. We started talking with them. We talked for a while about them, being students, and some other things, but eventually ran out of things to talk about. So, Ryan Claxton walked up, introduced himself, and started the conversation over. Then Jenny came over and the conversation continued. She actually started sharing the Gospel with them, and we started talking about spiritual things. They weren’t too excited about and they turned the conversation towards bowling, one of their favorite things to do. Ryan told them he was interested in bowling, so they all decided to go bowling. After getting permission to go, we (Ryan, James, and myself) went bowling with our new friends. After getting to the Bowling Alley, we talked with them about life and normal things. Bowling was amazing, but it was very loud, so conversation was more about cheering for each other while we bowled.
Afterward, as we returned to the group, we were telling them how cool it was to meet them. So, we asked them if they’d like to go to dinner with us and they were excited about that. So, we cleared it with our leaders. One of the missionaries decided to go with us (because Jason said we needed an adult to go). We went to a noodle place, and it was really good. Normal conversation kept turning to spiritual things. I asked them about their families and their family beliefs. They said they prayed to Buddha, but that they were not very involved in that. Our friends, “Steve” and “Mike” and a girl whose name I can’t remember, shared about their beliefs. I started asking questions about what they know about Christ, and they said they had very limited exposure to Christ and Christianity. We started talking about anime, a Japanese cartoon style. I happened to have 3 Manga’s with me (comic book versions of the New Testament). I gave them to our new friends. They noticed my bracelet with John 14:27 on it, which I shared with them. They were excited about the promise of peace found in that verse. That also gave me a chance to share more with them and to give them 3 Gospel of John tracts. Jenny gave them the “Steps to Peace” tract, too.
We exchanged information as we parted ways, promising to stay in touch with each other. The missionary with us told us that one of the guys we had talked to had actually studied the Bible and had lots of questions about it. The Missionary was very excited because there is now an opportunity to reach all of these friends because of the curiosity of that one friend and his openness to the Gospel. The Missionary is expecting to be able to catch up with them at a Friendship Party later this week, and thinks great things will happen.”
The rest of the team have stories similar to this one. Kyle and Lindsey went to dinner with new friends, Machenzee had some very good conversations. Kaitlyn continues to sing to people who ask, and Mack keeps making new friends! Keep praying for us. There’s great things happening.
Tomorrow we will be doing Bible and Scripture distribution in the morning followed by more of that in the afternoon. We are hoping to hand out 1,000′s of Bibles and Tracts tomorrow! We could use prayers for energy and strength as we do!
Share The Love – Tokyo Day 3
by The Bishop on Jul.07, 2010, under General
Today is the 4th of July, and we are doing a video update. Check it out here:
Share The Love – Tokyo Day 2
by The Bishop on Jul.03, 2010, under General
It was an interesting day, to say the least. We started the day with a trip to the largest Buddhist temple in Japan, the Asakusa Temple. It’s a place guarded by temple deities (large scary statues). The roof of the temple has a black dragon painted on it. We arrived in time to see a ceremony going on much the same as the ceremony I got on video last year. I managed to get back into the back before hand, so I was in a great spot. Monks came out and kept the rest of our team from coming back where I was. I read Scriptures out loud during the ceremony. Not in a disruptive way, but in a way that made sure the Word was spoken. Lindsey did the same, as did most of our team. We covered the temple in prayer and Scripture, asking God to bring Truth and Life to the people of Japan. As I read, God brought to mind Isaiah 55:11, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” I knew that He was going to take His Word and do something special with it. And when He brought that to my mind, He also led me to leave my Bible there in the back where the Buddhist monks were walking back and forth. So, I left my Bible there knowing that God intends for someone to pick it up.
The temple is a very dark place, shrouded in a dreadful feeling of hopelessness as people try to manipulate fate through piety to gain a better future for themselves, resembling the same thing people do in America even though it looks MUCH different in practice. In theory, many try to manipulate God or fate to provide themselves hope and a future. As I stood in the temple and read Judges 2, I was reminded in that passage of a truth for us: ” “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their forefathers did.” So my prayer become that the Japanese people would allow God to change their hearts and turn them to Him. Prayer is a beginning place, but the bottom line is that without a change of heart, people don’t come to faith. And until they come to faith, they have no hope and no future. Join us in praying for them.
From the temple, we made it to a Turkish restaurant that does KaBobs and Doners. I had a beef doner AND most of Lindsey’s chicken doner! They are thinly sliced meat & pita pockets with lettuce, tomato, and a spicy dressing Good stuff.
After lunch, the teams dispersed to our train stations for 5 Minute English. Kaitlyn and I are on the same team, along with 6 others from Paramount. We took up our spot at the Musashi-Koganei station and started 2 hours of sharing with anyone who would listen. We had some good conversations. I handed out 5 “comic book” Bibles, called Manga. Kaitlyn handed some out, too. We shared with all ages and kinds of people. Kaitlyn’s highlight was one specific conversation she had. Here’s her version of the story:
Kaitlyn: “My coolest part of the day was getting to talk to a businessman. It was near the end of the day and we were packing up. There was a businessman walking down the other side of the sidewalk. I smiled at him and asked if he wanted to practice English with me. I didn’t expect him to come over, but he did. He came over and asked me what I was doing. I told him if he wanted to he could practice his English with me. We started talking, and I gave him a Hope Tract. He asked me what hope was and why we chose that word for the tract. I told him Jesus is the hope, and He gives us hope because He died for us. He responded in awe. We wrapped up our conversation with me giving him a Gospel of John book and he said he would read it! It was a God-thing! I was shocked that he talked with me, but afterward, I was excited that he would read the Gospel of John.”
Be praying for the man Kaitlyn shared with, and with all the people who got Bibles from us today. Pray for many to be saved through what was shared with them.
Another team member made a new friend today that I will tell you more about later. But be praying. God knows the details, and we will share more in person when we get home.
I’m sure that the others have stories to tell, but they are already asleep! It was a LONG day. Tomorrow will be even more so. We will travel for an hour and a half to a park to gather with other believers to worship. Then, after lunch, we will do park evangelism, playing American football, Frisbee, face-painting, and hopefully more connections and conversations with new friends. Be praying for us as we will do A LOT of walking and A LOT of connecting!
Thanks for your continued prayer for us. Amazing things are happening! I’ll try to get the Mackenzie, Machenzee, and Mario stories for tomorrow!
Peace,
Jase
Tokyo – Day 1
by The Bishop on Jul.02, 2010, under General
I’m sitting above Shibuya’s famous train station/intersection, sipping on a Starbuck’s Americano as I watch 1,000′s of people 20′ below me pass through the busiest intersection in the world. If I remember right, over 1,000,000 people pass through here each day. I’m a little jet lagged AND I miss my family, but God reminds me that these feeling are temporary. He reminds me that the people I am watching have a condition that is much more dire.
Although its my second time to visit Tokyo, this is a much different trip than the first. During my first trip, my primary responsibility was to disciple/teach students on church planting and relationship evangelism. I was an equipper for the ones on the front line. This trip, I’m on the front line, doing connection point relationship building and evangelism in neighborhoods, train stations, and parks. During the first trip, there were 100 students and several sponsors. This trip, there’s 26 of us, including 7 adults. 6 of the students here are from THF.
The sea of lostness that stretches out before me is overwhelming. I mean, Tokyo is an overwhelming place anyway, with a population equivalent to the entire State of California, it’s a tight fit to get all 35 million people into a city roughly the size of Metro Houston! It’s very easy to be overwhelmed by the city itself. The thing that strikes me most, though, and evokes the deepest sense of urgency, is to look people in the eye as they walk by knowing that most of them have never even heard of Jesus. Less than 1% of the population here is Christian. My constant prayer today has been that God would change that. I’m praying that the people here would become acutely aware of the predicament and come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. I’m asking you to join me in that prayer as well.
As I watched my students today, it occurred to me how simple it is to share our faith with people. Start a conversation and share when you can. Pretty Simple. But, you know, it’s the same at home! Why don’t we do that at home? Why don’t we share more, share often overwhelmed by the human condition and need for Jesus? Why don’t we have a sense of urgency because time is short? Why don’t we feel drive to reach our friends and family like we’re driven to reach the nations?
There’s probably not a decent answer to these questions, except to say, we ought to be. We ought to be.
Parents of our kiddos: your kids did GREAT today! They are engaging people, sharing their faith, prayer walking, and making a kingdom difference. I already see that you will be getting a different student home than the one you sent on this trip. Thanks for praying!
Here’s a heads-up for tomorrow (later this evening for y’all), we will be prayer walking the largest Shinto/Buddhist temple in Japan in just over 12 hours. Pray with us. Pray for God’s Spirit to go before us and to give us opportunity to share as light in the darkness. It’s a moving experience that I believe will change your student FOREVER.
Peace,
Jase
Pre-Tokyo Update
by The Bishop on Jun.30, 2010, under General
We are 4 hours from departing for the airport, and 6.5 hours from taking off on our adventure to Tokyo. There are 7 of us from THF making this trek: Myself, Kyle Plumlee, Lindsey Cowan (McEachern), Mario Jimenez, Mackenzie Martindale, Machenzee Clevenger, and Kaitlyn Creel. We covet your prayers, and take comfort in knowing that the THF faithful will be praying for us daily.
I will be sending daily updates once we get into the swing of things. For most of our team, this is their first time to travel internationally, and even more of our team’s first time to Japan. I will try to make sure you hear from them, as well, about their experiences. Remember, though, that Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Lubbock, so bear with us as we try to get the updates out for you to read during that same day.
The work we will be doing is a little different than our trips to closed
countries. In Japan, we can openly share The Good News, so I encourage you to forward our updates. However, for the security of our people on the ground in Tokyo, I will be intentionally leaving out details that might cause awkward situations for them.
One last thing, please help spread the word that there will not be our normal Youth Gatherings tonight or next Wednesday. On Wednesday, July 14, we will be taking a trip to Super Summer. Details are on the web site and at the youth table in the Mall. If students are interested, they need to e-mail me as we have limited space to transport students.
Thanks for all you do for the kingdom!
Jase
Youth Pastor, THF
Audio Books AND How Metro Is Your Worship Leader
by The Bishop on May.04, 2010, under General, Life and Practice, Whimsical
I’ve stumbled upon a GREAT book. But I have to ask, if you’re listening to a book as an audio book, can you say you’re reading it? I mean, do you say, “I’m reading ‘Stuff Christians Like.’”? Or do you have to dress it up a little bit so people don’t think you’re a moron for doing an audio book? Is it better to say, “I’ve stumbled upon a GREAT book.” so that you don’t have to admit you’re having someone read it to you? This way, people can make their own assumptions. In light of this, I wanted to give you some cool things you can say that allow you to share what you’re “reading” without sharing that you’re not really reading it.
1) “I’ve stumbled upon a great book.” This is my fave, and allows you to use “stumbled,” too, giving a sense of sophistication to the term. Now, not only are you an avid reader, but you are above the people, too!
2) “I’m in the middle of this book, and…” Yeah, that’s right. Not only do you read, but you’ve read more than half.
3) “I just finished “(insert title here)” and it really challenged me.” Even better than number 2 above because you now let them know that you’ve finished the book, even though you didn’t really read a word of it.
4) “A friend turned me onto this book.” This gives the listener a chance to know that you read, AND that you discuss what you’re reading with friends. Surely tagging this with other readers lumps you into the category of “reader” and not just someone who listens to a story like a child at Barnes & Noble on Tuesday afternoons.
5) “You should read “(insert title here)”. It was amazing!” This is the “trump card” of all your declarations! Not only have you let the person know that you’ve finished the contents of said book, but now the pressure is on them to either admit that they don’t read (letting you off the hook for listening), or to quickly agree and move on so they don’t have to admit that they don’t read books. Either way, with the attention shift, you’re gravy!
Now, for the book that I’ve stumbled upon, “Stuff Christians Like.” It has two things going for it:
1) It’s sarcasm scratches me where I itch! If you know me, you know my default mode of operation is sarcasm. So much so, I often end up in trouble with someone for something that was really intended to be funny, but… So, needless to say, this book is making me laugh with every essay. I try to have a couple books going all the time. However, it’s been a long time since I really enjoyed a book for entertainment. Jonathan Acuff has managed to take some things about Christianity that we all notice, and paint them in a light that shows how ridiculous we can be. But he does it in such a way that instead of feeling stupid or bashed, you laugh!
2) It has been great for discussion. There are some essays that I’ve been listening to (or “reading,” if that helps you feel better about me!) that I want to play for my students, friends, and family, JUST to start discussion. Acuff manages to take a page from “Monty Python” as he addresses topics that would normally be taboo. From topics like “Honeymoon Sex” to “Lifting Your Hands In Worship,” Acuff tackles some pretty touchy stuff in an engagingly humorous way.
Needless to say, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND “Stuff Christians Like.” And, to whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt:
From “Stuff Christians Like.” (http://www.stuffchristianslike.net post#269)
“There are really only two reasons I wanted to write this post:
1. The first post was just an appetizer.
I wrote about this subject a few months ago when 12 people were reading the site but I just barely touched on it. I didn’t do it justice and people have reminded me that there is more to be said on this pivotal subject. So this is like the Timbaland Remix.
2. No one has quantified this phenomenon
There are some things in life that are concrete and true. For instance, it is a fact that “You’re all I want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey and “Christmas in Hollis” by Run DMC are fantastic songs. No argument there. But when you tell someone about your church, there’s not a standard system to describe the degree of metrosexuality your worship leader possesses. Wouldn’t it be awesome to say, “You’ll love my church and the music. Our worship leader scored a 78 on the SCL Metro Test.”
Don’t answer that last question. It was rhetorical. As a service to churches around the world, here is an easy rating system by which to analyze to what degree your worship leader is a metrosexual.
1. Has a faux hawk hair style = +1
2. Has more product in his hair than your wife = +1
3. Has Rob Bell, black rimmed glasses = +1
4. They are not prescription, but just for effect = +2
5. Attends the Catalyst Conference = +3
6. Performs at the Catalyst Conference = +10
7. Owns Puma, Vans or Diesel sneakers = +2 per each pair
8. Wears jeans on stage = +1
9. Wears designer jeans on stage = +2
10. Wears Wrangler or Rustler jeans on stage = -3
11. Has a goatee = +2
12. Wears one of those Castro revolution looking hats = +2
13. Drinks coffee on stage = +1
14. Drinks some kind of coffee you did not know existed = +2
15. Brings a French Press on stage and makes his own coffee during service = +5
16. Has a handlebar mustache = -3
17. Good at Frisbee but hates getting all “sweaty” = +1
18. Has a haircut that covers one of his eyes while singing = +1
19. Owns a white belt = +2
20. Owns suspenders = -3
21. Wears a scarf with a t-shirt = +1
22. Wears a winter knit hat even in the summer = +2
23. You think he covered a My Chemical Romance song last week = +3
24. Drives an Audi or VW, silver of course = +2
25. Uses the words, “postmodern, relevant” or “emergent” nonstop = +2
26. Cringes a little when people say the “H word.” (Hymnal) = +3
27. Has ever said some form of the phrase, “That song is so 1990s” = +1
28. Owns a Grizzly Adams red and black flannel shirt = -2
29. Named his kid after a color or a number = +2
30. References Norwegian punk bands you’ve never heard of = +2
31. Wears a tie = -1
32. Wears a tie as a belt = +2
33. Looks as if he might exfoliate = +2
34. Has a man bag or European Carry All = +2
35. Brings said bag on stage with him = +2
36. Has a tattoo = +2
37. Has a visible tattoo = +4
38. Wife accompanies him on stage and plays tambourine = -4
39. Was formerly in a punk new wave band = +2
40. Knows the names of all the people on the scripted MTV show, “the Hills” = +3
41. Refuses to drink anything but Vitamin Water = +2
42. Your wife ever says, “he needs a barrette for his hair.” = +2
43. Has a nickname with “the” in it, as in “the edge,” = +2
44. Owns every Nooma video = +2
45. Has a soul patch = +3
46. Won’t play barefoot on stage until he gets a pedicure = +2
47. Refers to California as “the left coast” = +2
48. Currently subscribes to Dwell or Details magazine = +2
49. Owns a pair of lady jeans = +2
50. Twitters you from his iPhone = +2
51. His toddler dresses cooler than you = +2
52. He wears graphic t-shirts over button down, long sleeve shirts = +2
53. Ever says “we got a hot mic here” = -4
54. Shops at the Gap = 0
55. Shops at Urban Outfitters = +2
I scored one of the worship leaders at North Point and he did pretty well. At some point I will do a lady version, but for right now, I feel like a 55 item list of analyzing worship leaders is enough to earn me a new batch of “you are weird” emails, and at the end of the day, that’s all I can ask for.
What does your worship leader score?”
“Stick-To-It-Ness”
by The Bishop on Apr.29, 2010, under Family, General, Life and Practice, Martial Arts
Back in September, I wrote about Jeremiah’s first attempt at his Black Belt. You can read about that here: http://www.thejiggybishop.com/?p=279
But tonight, 7 months later, he accomplished a goal he set out for over 4 years ago. It was a much different thing to see him work hard, and work toward this. Sometimes, when things get tough, people measure whether it’s really worth the effort. And MANY times, people walk away from hard things. But not Jeremiah. He put in the work, invested himself in teaching many of our White, Orange, and Yellow belts (and many of those 1 on 1), and never gave up.
Tonight, Jeremiah didn’t just accomplish passing a test, he proved what I knew all along. Even though he’s just nine, he’s a man of character. I’m proud to call him “son.”
