See the world clearly

**I know that I did not post last week but hopefully after listening to or watching this you will understand.**

This past Sunday morning I had the opportunity to fill in the pulpit for Pastor Robert Terry (Church planter, barber, philanthropist, ect.) at PeaceMakers Bible Fellowship, a church plant in Shawnee Mission, KS. Needless to say that I was both happy to be invited to speak there and at the same time encouraged by the presence of those who came. If you live in Shawnee Mission and you are looking for a church, check out PeaceMakers Bible Fellowship which meets at Hocker Grove Middle school (10400 Johnson Dr. Shawnee Mission, KS). I hope you enjoy both the audio and video below.

Audio:

Right-click here to download audio file.

Video:

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/27740589]

I’d Love To Speak At Your Next Event!

n571116032_413901_6381 — WFCOP Pic - speaking at Westside (OP campus). They are not responsible for the content of this blog.

Dear Reader,

I’m truly blessed by all of you who read the Neo Soul Faith blog on a regular basis, thank you. Some of you have been walking this journey with my family and I for a couple of years now, and others perhaps for weeks or months. Whatever the connection may be, I truly appreciate you allowing me to enter into your weekly conversations on faith and other issues.

Obviously, I’m becoming more passionate about writing with every post but there is something else that I have always been passionate about as well… Speaking. Actually, writing is a fairly new expression of how I communicate the Scriptures, Theology, and [just] my thoughts with people. Long before I was writing Neo Soul Faith blog, I was preaching to College-aged, Young Professionals, and adult congregations. I absolutely love it! Speaking to groups is one of the things I know and believe I was designed for, and as the school year prepares to begin, I would be honored to speak at your next event.

I’m glad to speak in various settings such as:

Church gatherings
Conferences
Retreats
University chapels
Camps
Lectures
and various other Christian events.

Communicating the radical message of the Gospel is something that gives me energy and I’d love to be able to share that with you. This also may be a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with you or give you a week off from leading your ministry.

So, if you are interested you can email me directly at: joncolinnelson (at) gmail (dot) com.

And if you are not in charge of the particular event in mind, please feel free to pass my information along to the appropriate person.

Thanks again for reading and I hope to meet you through some speaking engagements!

Jon

Totally like whatever, you know?!?

This video goes out to all of the Young Professionals and College -aged people I know. I understand that we sometimes become frustrated in conversation but this piece sums why I ask what I ask of you. Know what you believe and be able to articulate it with like conviction you know…and stuff (?)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAMd-tT6fQ&feature=player_embedded#at=152]

9+1 Myths about Sex and Relationships

As the weekend approaches I know that some that read this blog may be tempted to make some rather irrational (or rational by today’s standards) choices when it comes to sex and their relationships with the significant other. Social researchers Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker expose nine myths about sex and relationships among emerging adults in America (ages 18–23) and I wanted to add one more (not that I’m half as smart as them) to the end.

Myth: Long-term exclusivity is a fiction

Truth: Half of all marriages last a lifetime, and extramarital affairs are not as common as assumed.

Myth: The introduction of sex is necessary in order to sustain a fledgling or struggling relationship

Truth: The quicker sex enters a relationship, the sooner the relationships fails, and most relationships fail.

Myth: Boys will be boys. That is, men can’t be expected to abide by the sexual terms that women may wish to set. You may not want the double-standard to be there, but it’s there

Truth: Women may enjoy sex as much as men, but they do not think and feel the same way about it. Generally they “set higher standards for their relationships.”

Myth: It doesn’t matter what other people do sexually; you make your own decisions

Truth: The actions and attitudes of others do affect your decisions: “If a critical mass of men and women enjoy an extended series of sexual relationships and expect sex fairly promptly within them, it becomes quite difficult for a minority to do otherwise.”

Myth: Porn won’t affect your relationships

Truth: Because more and more men are viewing porn regularly it “cannot but shape sexual market dynamics.” And studies have shown that the tandem of porn and masturbation actually “reduces the value of intercourse” because it is much more physiologically satisfying than masturbation alone. “Porn becomes easier, and so must women (on average).”

Myth: Everyone else is having more sex than you are

Truth: You are less conservative than you think. “Most still overestimate how much sex is actually going on around them.” The authors write about this phenomena of pluralistic ignorance, “it happens when individuals within a group begin to believe that their own private attitudes, beliefs, or judgments are more conservative and rare than the public norms they see displayed by others.”

Myth: Sex need not mean anything

Truth: This myth can occur broadly between the sexes, but exists especially among women. It is emotionally challenging for women to engage in casual sex and to experience a broken sexual relationship.

Myth: Marriage can always wait

Truth: Most emerging adults still want to get married—eventually. They put off marriage for years and years and thus the marriage market “does not grow deeper and more impressive with age.” Thus, the authors encourage “men and women who’ve met someone who is ‘marriage material’ to think twice before rejecting the notion that they’re just not ready yet.”

Myth: Moving in together is definitely a step toward marriage

Truth: In most cases, cohabitation does not last. “It overwhelmingly leads to either marriage or breakup within a few short years.” It is also more advantageous to men than to women as it gives them “more stable access to sex, without the expectations or commitments of marital responsibilities.”

The above were taken from a book entitles Premarital Sex: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, And Think About Marrying.

I would like to add one more myth from my personal experience and from pastoral work:

Myth: Sex is just [a] physical activity

Truth: I do not and will not act as if I fully understand this but I do know that this is true. Your sexuality is connected to your soul and person-hood in a more powerful way than I can comprehend. Don’t believe me we here are some rather awkward questions (that I do not have the full answer for) for you to ponder.

Why is it when a child is sexually abused and becomes a adult and then connects to the their past they can’t just “shake it off”?
Why is it that rape is so much more devastating to a woman than just being beat up?
Why is it that men with the deepest sexual issues (most of the time) have uninvolved or distant fathers?
Why is it that [most] men and women with sexual addictions when trying to overcome said addiction run into a “Family of Origin” issue?
Why is it that most peoples greatest regret is sexual?

Again, I don’t claim to have a complete answer to any of these questions but I can say this with cofidence, Sex is NOT just a physical act!

Connecting through serving

Over the past 3 weeks we have conducted a 30,000 ft fly over on Spiritual Gifts. Sadly, it seems ignorance about spiritual gifts persists in our day. That is why our Pastors felt it was so important to clarify the roles of the spiritual gifts in our lives. My prayer as we re-enter the book of Colossians, is that you not only discover your giftedness but find creative ways of utilize them in whatever local church you find yourself.

One way to connect with Christ-centered community for you to be empowered with the gospel to serve God and others. Serving is one of the greatest things that we can do as disciples. We should be committed to growing as disciples by using our gifts and talents for God in a way that will bless others and make the community a better place. The Bible tells us that God gave each of us the ability to do certain things well (Romans 12:6‐8). The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. As a church, we need to help people find and use these gifts for God. Serving is a powerful connection point that many believers ignore or simply overlook. Serving others is certainly not encouraged in our individualistic society, to be a servant means that we must look after the interests of others. It means selflessness as opposed to selfishness. A servant asks, “What can I do for others” instead of “what can they do for me?”

Additionally, Christians must strive to be like Jesus, our perfect example. Jesus set the example of being a servant by saying, “For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This scripture beautifully embodies the task of Christian ministry. Disciples are to serve and give their lives for others. Serving is the example that Jesus gave, and his followers should follow it. Jesus met both the physical and spiritual needs of the people he ministered to in the Gospels. As the Body of Christ, we become his representatives to a lost world.

Finally, a servant revolution in our churches will reach our community and show the love of Christ. Each week and month, our church provides dozens of different opportunities for people to make a difference through service projects that touch peoples’ lives in the community. These pathways of service help people connect to their community with their God-given ability to serve. Serving is one of the major connection points in our church. The church should be an army of servants who are making a positive difference in their families, their community, and the world. Help find creative pathways for people to connect to your church through serving.

For more information on Spiritual Gifts from a [trusted] Pastor’s perspective please check out this series of blog post. Click here…

HT: Winfield Bevins’

Do You REALLY Want To Be Like Jesus?

One of the most overused phrases among Christians today is, “I just want to be more and more like Jesus.” I am not saying that is something bad, it’s just that I don’t think that some people have a clue what they are talking about when they say those words. I don’t think I have a clue sometimes when I say this phrase. People from a churched culture grow up with a “safe” picture of Jesus, he had feathered hair, wore a white robe with a purple “Miss America sash, was a constant giver of hugs and carried a lamb where ever He went (there are some paintings in churches that would prove this). However, in reading Scripture that is not the only aspect of Jesus that I am seeing. I am discovering that if I want to become more and more like Jesus that I am going to have to drop my Sunday school perceptions and embrace the following:
#1 – Jesus Is A Warrior King!

Check out Revelation 19:11-16. I have never seen a picture of that guy in a Christian bookstore. One of my favorite stories is found in Matthew 21:12-16 where His passion is demonstrated by the fact that He whipped some tail in the temple. I am sick and tired of people saying that a Christian is always nice, a Christian is someone who is passionate for the things of God, which requires some table turning from time to time.

#2 – Jesus Purposefully Offended The Religious!

Keep something in mind, it wasn’t the atheists, agnostics or even the devil worshipers that murdered Jesus, but rather the most religious people in that time period. Why? Because He was such a nice guy? No not really it was because He…

Healed on Sunday, which in their mind was sinful! These people (who aren’t much different from us) missed a miracle because it did not fit into their formula and they considered Jesus “wrong” for doing what He did!
He hung out, even touched lepers which was a HUGE no-no in that time period.
He went to a tax collectors house for a meal, which was a social declaration!
He went off in Matthew 23 calling the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs, sons of hell and snakes!”

Jesus was not concerned with making the religious happy,He was dangerous, on the edge that’s who Jesus was!!!

#3 – Jesus Did Not Get Inward Focused!

Like it or not Jesus didn’t go to a bookstore, get a theology book by a dead guy, get a group of guys together that were just like Him and give the world the middle finger because He was obsessed with “going deep”.

If I meet one more group of guys who think they are becoming more like Jesus because they are theological superior to people but do not know a lost/ unchurched person by name or refuse to exercise their spiritual gift, yet claim to be godly, fisticuffs may occur. (For everyone who just got mad about that–please refer to #2 😉

#4 – Jesus Offered Forgiveness

The people Jesus was nice to were the broken, the poor, the outcasts, the prostitutes…those whom society had thrown away! He didn’t yell at them, He didn’t look down His nose at them, He didn’t sit in a church pew and wonder, “Why are they here?” He offered them forgiveness. We’ve all seen it someone goes through a painful divorce and they are pushed to the margins if not out. A teenage girl gets pregnant and the other people in the church forbid their children to hang out with her. I’ve seen it and so have you. Jesus NEVER told them their behavior was ok, in fact, He preached repentance. Jesus did not shoot the wounded amongst us.

# 5 – Jesus Was Passionate About Obeying His Father!

Jesus had a passionate desire to obey God. He recognized His Father as the absolute authority in the universe and He went to the cross and gave His life as an act of obedience and worship. If we are going to be like Christ–obedience, not prostitution (being paid to perform a service) is required.

#6 – Jesus Had A Vision To Reach People!

Jesus had a desire to reach the NATIONS (Matthew 28:18-20 and in Acts 1:8)!
Now I am not the smartest man on the planet, but that’s a lot of people. Jesus told three parables in Luke 15 about something lost being found, and then said the angels in heaven rejoice when people cross over the line of faith. though we must grow we must also be about the outsider coming in.

#7 – Jesus Was Not Normal!

Jesus, in His teaching and mentoring tactics, was just simply different! He taught with authority, He told stories, He didn’t go line by line, verse by verse through the Old Testament, He used modern illustrations, He connected with the hearts of the people and they got it! He was not normal in who He surrounded Himself with, He didn’t go for the religious professionals but rather men who were crazy enough to believe and follow Him. He didn’t fit in with the religious system of the day and they killed Him for it (though He did have the last laugh!).

These are just my thoughts/rants I wonder what you think…