Ministry Matters: Ben Kendrick

BLOG: How Is it with Your Soul?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:01:00 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

Following the enormous success of Stephenie Meyer’s young adult novel series-turned blockbuster film franchise, The Twilight Saga, Hollywood quickly tapped the writer’s 2008 novel The Host for a big-screen production. This time, instead of supernatural humans, The Host is a science-fiction story centered on the invasion of a body-snatching alien race. Implanting bodies with their parasitic “souls,” the aliens take control of human beings, erasing the original human inhabitants. However, when Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan), a human freedom fighter, is captured and mortally wounded, she is implanted with Wanderer—a gentle “soul” who abhors violence and comes to experience conflicted emotions about her race and its occupation of the earth.

Unwilling to be erased, Melanie’s will to live allows her to co-exist with Wanderer and even influences the “soul” with human memories and other experiences, most notably love. Through a series of mutual heartaches, Melanie and Wanderer form a complicated partnership. Combining the best elements of their individual personalities, they push back against the alien occupation, taking the fight to one especially nasty “soul,” The Seeker (Diane Kruger).

Desires of the Soul

The Host takes a science-fiction approach to the “soul,” but Meyer’s novel also draws on Christian themes and ideas. For example, the partnership between the Wanderer and Melanie mirrors the complicated relationship between human desire and divine influence that we experience as the Holy Spirit moves and stirs within each of us. Much like Melanie with her “soul,” we waver between what we want and what the Spirit is leading us to do. We have to balance being in the world— with all its pleasures and offerings—with being of God and called to live in service to God and neighbor.

In the church we often talk about the soul. The word soul appears frequently in Scripture, in hymns, in names of Christians books and programs, and in sermons. We feed and tend to our souls; we sing from the soul; we thank Jesus for saving our souls. But what is the soul?

Traditionally people think of the soul as the part of us that lives on beyond death. The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church offers this definition: “the innermost aspect of humans, that which is of greatest value in them, that by which they are most especially in God’s image.” Our souls are the very essence of who we are. The soul is the part of us that most reflects God’s love and mercy, and it is the part of us that “thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:2). Our soul partners with the Holy Spirit to make us the people God calls us to be.

A Soul Action

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, would begin gatherings by asking his fellow Christians, “How is it with your soul?” All of us can benefit from asking ourselves this question. Young people, who are coming to terms with who they are and what makes them unique, need to consider how their relationship with God factors into their identity. And they need to understand that, regardless of how they answer John Wesley’s question, their friends and peers will know their soul by their actions and behaviors. We should all strive to show people a soul that faithfully reflects its Creator.

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

BLOG: Moving Forward, Even If We Can't Go Back

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:01:50 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

Long before The Avengers assembled on the silver screen to save the world from an extraterrestrial threat, the Men in Black were already hard at work managing (and covering up) alien activity on earth. This summer, after a ten-year absence, Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), are back, this time in 3D.

In Men in Black 3 Agent J must travel back to the 1960’s to stop a rogue alien from assassinating his partner and to prevent a threat that—if unaltered—would have devastating effects on history. When J arrives in the past (after taking a leap of faith from the top of the Chrysler Building), he is greeted by a younger, albeit equally cynical, version of Agent K (played by Josh Brolin). Reunited (sort of), the pair must track down the alien threat and rewrite history to restore the future to normal (with the elder Agent K intact).

No Do-Overs

We don’t have the luxury of journeying back in time to correct the past, and therefore the future. But no doubt we all have had moments when we wanted to go back and fix things we said or did that we shouldn’t have. Maybe we said something cruel to a pestering younger sibling or lashed out against a classmate. Many of us can also recall times when we should have said or done something but didn’t. We wish we could have another chance to get it right, a do-over. But we don’t have advanced alien technology that allows us to travel through time and make changes, so we’re stuck with the consequences.

Though we cannot erase our sins and missteps, we are not without hope. We serve a God of grace who, in the person of Jesus Christ, made atonement for our sins and offers us forgiveness. We don’t have to earn forgiveness; we just have to embrace and accept it. We do this through repentance. Repentance involves both confessing our sins and committing to a new way of life. It involves learning from our past so that we can move forward into the future—better and stronger than before. We see repentance at work throughout Scripture. Many biblical heroes— Moses, Rahab, David, Peter, and Paul to name a few—turned away from past sins and found new life in Christ.

As Christians and people of grace, we need to be careful that we don’t treat repentance as some sort of get-out-of-jail-free card that we can use over and over again. If we fall into the habit of sinning, then confessing and apologizing, then sinning, then confessing and apologizing, we aren’t truly repenting. We need to be intentional about learning and growing from our mistakes and working to make sure that we don’t repeat them.

Repentance and Renewal

Adolescence is a stage of life that people often associate with acting impulsively and learning by trial and error. Youth, like anyone else, are prone to messing up. While some of these errors can be dismissed as relatively harmless youthful indiscretions, others cause real pain and have real consequences. Though young people need to understand the severity of bullying, underage drinking, and other such errors, they also need to know that these missteps don’t define them. They can repent.

Of course, even true repentance won’t keep us from sinning or repeating mistakes. As human beings we are flawed and will always fall short of perfection. Instead of striving to live a flawless life, youth would do better to follow Paul’s instructions in Romans 12:2: “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.”

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

ARTICLE: Living Abundantly

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:21:12 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

For months many teenage fans of Suzanne Collins’s popular young adult novel trilogy The Hunger Games have had March 23 circled on their calendars. That is the day when The Hunger Games movie debuts in theaters.

The film, directed by Gary Ross, follows the adventures of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from the dystopian future city of Panem in District 12. District 12, like the other 11 districts, is mandated by the state to send two young representatives—one boy and one girl—to fight to the death against their fellow “tributes” in the Hunger Games. The tributes are chosen through a lottery system, but Katniss volunteers to represent District 12 in place of her younger sister Primrose, who had been chosen as the district’s representative.

As a tribute Katniss experiences every form of treachery, danger, and horror imaginable during her time in the arena (the enormous outdoor venue in which the games take place). Despite this, she finds that there is still kindness and compassion, even during a competition in which everyone is supposed to kill his or her opponents.

Tunnel of Survival

We are blessed to live during a time and in a place where something as awful as the Hunger Games couldn’t exist (though it is important to remember that children in some parts of the world are asked to put their lives on the line for oppressive governments or warlords). But despite all of our blessings, we—like Katniss in the Hunger Games arena—sometimes feel as though we are just doing whatever it takes to get by. We feel weighed down by homework assignments, extracurricular activities, jobs, family obligations, and church commitments. We get so wrapped up in the demands of our day-to-day lives that we lose sight of all the ways in which we’re blessed and what it truly means to be alive.

How often have you answered a friendly salutation by saying: “Oh, you know, same-old same-old,” or, “Just another day.” Sometimes it’s as though we’ve stopped living and are merely surviving.

Intentional Life

God didn’t create us so that we would just “get by.” In fact, our defi nition of “getting by” is much different from God’s. God wants much more for us than for us to do whatever it takes to pay our smart phone bill and fill a college application with extracurricular activities. Jesus came so that we could live an abundant life (see John 10:10). The abundance of which Jesus speaks doesn’t refer to money or gadgets or events on our calendar. It refers to an abundance of God’s Holy Spirit.

Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, tells us not to worry about day-to-day concerns such as food and clothing, but to “desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). When we focus on God’s kingdom, all of our other worries will take care of themselves.

Focusing on God’s kingdom means considering the needs of others before our own; it means being humble and patient; it means setting aside time alone with God; and it means allowing ourselves to celebrate and rejoice in God’s blessings. Yes, there will still be times when life is stressful and when we have to knuckle down and deal with day-to-day challenges. But these situations need to be exceptions, not habits. We were not created for anxiety and obsession. Instead God wants us to invest in relationships, to worship, and to relish the blessings in our lives.

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

BLOG: Second Chances

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:49:21 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

On January 16th, the FOX network debuted the latest television series from producer J.J. Abrams, the man responsible for blockbuster films such as Super 8 and the recent Star Trek reboot, as well as the TV shows Alias and LOST. Alcatraz stars Sam Neill, Sarah Jones, and Jorge Garcia and revolves around a conspiracy that rewrites history. In the show the inmates (and many of the guards) from the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island weren’t transferred to another facility when Alcatraz closed in 1963. Instead they mysteriously vanished only to reappear one at a time in the present day. The former prisoners and guards, who haven’t aged a day, must cope with a world that has moved on without them for fifty years.

In the pilot episode a nonviolent inmate named Jack Sylvane reappears in the present and takes revenge on the prison warden who tormented him while he was incarcerated. In future episodes we’ll find out whether other former inmates are able to find forgiveness and redemption in the present day.

A New Direction

Reappearing after a fifty-year absence presents all sorts of challenges for the former Alcatraz inmates and guards. But it also offers them a second chance. We also are presented with second chances—opportunities for us to move in a new direction. Some of these opportunities are obvious: attending a new school where we don’t know anyone, coming to terms with a mistake we made that hurt someone, or returning home from a life-changing mission trip. All of these experiences force us to evaluate our lives and changes that we need to make.

But there are many more, less-obvious chances to put the past behind us and head in a new direction. Each and every one of us makes mistakes. As Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” Every time we sin we have an opportunity to embrace the forgiveness that God offers us through Christ and to reorient our lives in accordance with God’s will. Every mistake is a chance to learn and to grow.

A Faith of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the most basic and fundamental Christian principles. Ephesians 1:7b tells us that, because of Jesus’ death on the cross, “we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.” We all are sinners, but sin doesn’t have the final say. We can accept God’s grace, leave our poor decisions behind, and head in a new direction.

Forgiveness is an important part of the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught his followers during his Sermon on the Mount and that many Christian churches recite in worship each Sunday. Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,” but he doesn’t stop there. He adds, “just as we also forgive those who have wronged us” (Matthew 6:12). Jesus then explains that, as forgiven people, we have an obligation to forgive others.

The disciple Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). Jesus answered, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). The point is not to forgive people exactly seventy-seven times but to make forgiveness a habit.

Forgiving people who have hurt us is seldom easy. And, in many cases, forgiving ourselves is just as difficult. But we serve a God of second chances. We are forgiven people for whom each day brings new life and new opportunities.

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

BLOG: Fighting for What's Right

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:07:07 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

Real Steel, a science-fiction film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Hugh Jackman, hit theaters earlier this month. The movie, which is loosely based on the 1956 Richard Matheson short-story “Steel,” is set in a future where boxing involving humans has been outlawed and replaced by robot boxing. It follows a down-on-his-luck robot-boxing manager, Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), who drifts from place to place and fight to fight, alienating friends and racking up gambling debts and enemies.

Then Charlie learns that the mother of his estranged son, Max (Dakota Goyo), has died, leaving the boy orphaned. Desperate for money, Kenton offers his ex-sister-in-law’s fiancé (who wants to adopt Max) uncontested custodial rights for $100,000. The two reach an agreement in which Charlie gets half of his money up front and the other half after he baby-sits Max for the summer. Charlie reluctantly agrees. Over the course of the summer, Max and Charlie form a tight bond as they pit a junky sparring bot against some of the heaviest hitters in the WRB (World Robot Boxing) league. But as his time with Max draws to a close, Charlie must—for the first time in years—gather the courage to fight for something other than his own self-interest.

The “Fight” of Faith

Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:12a, tells us to “compete in the good fight of faith.” For Christians, fighting doesn’t mean proving our strength by hurting others (and it usually doesn’t involve robots). The “fight” that Paul talks about involves standing up for what we believe in and value, striving to be the people God calls us to be, and persevering in the face of whatever challenges come our way.

We all face challenges. We’ve all had times when we’ve felt tired or overwhelmed. We’ve all been knocked down, either literally or figuratively. We’ve all experienced doubts. And we’ve all been tempted to give up.

Fighting through the challenges that we face can be exhausting. But God doesn’t expect us to fight alone. God is present with us, providing for us and giving us strength and encouragement. When the prophet Elijah was running for his life from Queen Jezebel, he sat down under a bush and asked God to take his life (see 1 Kings 19:3-5). But God still had plans for Elijah and wouldn’t allow him to give up. God sent a messenger to provide Elijah with food and instructions. Strengthened and refreshed, Elijah was able to get up and face the difficult journey ahead.

In Our Corner

We are not alone in our struggles; God is always with us. But we also have the support of other people. When Israel was attacked by the Amalekites, Moses stood on a hill overlooking the battle and raised his arms (see Exodus 17:8-16). As long as his arms were raised, the Israelites prevailed. When he grew weary and lowered his arms, the Amalekites surged ahead. Realizing that Moses’ arms were the key to Israel’s survival, Aaron and Hur stood beside Moses and held up his hands.

We also need people to hold up our hands when we are tired. God doesn’t expect us to “compete in the good fight of faith” alone. Instead, we must rely on one another. We must offer support and encouragement to others and be willing to accept it for ourselves.

When we persevere in faith, we can look forward to all the blessings God has in store for us. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul writes: “I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He’s giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance.” We, too, should fight the good fight—not with weapons and violence—but with faith and perseverance.

This post is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

ARTICLE: Transformed to Face the Pressure

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:03:49 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

At midnight on June 28th thousands of fans filtered into theaters to catch the first public screenings of Michael Bay’s third installment in the robots in disguise series with Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The director had a lot to prove: Despite raking in over four hundred million dollars in the United States alone, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was panned by critics and left many moviegoers scratching their heads at the film’s thin story.

Bay later admitted that the 2008 writer’s strike had a negative impact on production and promised that Dark of the Moon would deliver where the prior film had failed—with the story. This time around the story involves a secret plot by the evil Decepticons to activate a Decepticon army on the moon and invade earth. Fighting off their more powerful adversaries is a tall order for the heroic Autobots and their human counterparts, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), Carly Miller (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), and William Lennox (Josh Duhamel). And the situation becomes especially dire when the Decepticons decide to lay waste to the city of Chicago.

Of course, beating the odds is what heroes do. The hero who finds a creative way to escape a predicament is a staple of summer action-movie blockbusters. But we don’t live in movies. When we’re against the odds, we have no guarantee that everything will be resolved in tidy fashion and in a mere two hours’ time.

Stressed Out

You probably aren’t facing a full-on invasion by hostile extraterrestrial, cybernetic organisms who want to re-create their war-torn planet on earth, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t ever feel over-scheduled, outnumbered, stressed out, or otherwise overwhelmed. Whether you face a growing stack of unfinished paperwork, a full calendar of activities, personal drama with friends, conflicts with family, health problems, or—most likely—a combination of these challenges and others, you probably know how it feels to be overwhelmed. The challenges before you may seem too big to overcome; stress and worry may prevent you from giving your full attention to the task at hand. At times it can be tempting to give up or buckle under the pressure. Fortunately, for those who are stressed out, overwhelmed, or up against unfavorable odds, we serve a God who can relate to us and who is always present with us.

Faith in the Darkness

God, who became fully human in the person of Jesus, understands what it’s like to be overwhelmed. And we can learn a great deal from Jesus’ example. When he was overwhelmed, he withdrew to spend time alone in prayer. (See Matthew 14:1-13 and 26:36-46.) He needed to connect with his heavenly Father and focus on God’s will.

When we are under pressure, we may feel as though time spent in prayer is time wasted. But often the best course of action is to retreat and spend time with God. Prayer puts things in perspective. Through prayer we receive guidance and comfort. We are able to focus on God’s will and set aside our worries and stresses. Psalm 23, perhaps the best-known psalm, is a prayer that puts things in perspective when we are overwhelmed by stress or the odds are against us. It reminds us of God’s presence, even in the “darkest valley” or when we’re surrounded by our enemies. It promises us that God will comfort us and lead us through the challenges that come our way.

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.

ARTICLE: Your Inner Superhero

Fri, 27 May 2011 15:52:46 GMT

By Ben Kendrick

On its opening weekend, Marvel Studios’ latest superhero-comic-turned-feature-film, Thor, electrified American box offices. Director Kenneth Branagh helmed the project, with Chris Hemsworth (George Kirk in the recent Star Trek reboot) starring as the titular God of Thunder.

While there have been numerous interpretations of Marvel’s Thor throughout the forty-nine years that the character has been featured in comic-book properties, the film version serves as an origin story as well as a prequel to the upcoming Avengers superhero mash-up film. It follows a young Thor as he’s punished by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), for his reckless and arrogant behavior. Thor lands in New Mexico when Odin casts him out of Asgard (the mythical realm of the Norse gods) and strips him of his superhuman strength, powers, and iconic hammer, Mjolnir. Meanwhile Odin puts a spell on Mjolnir that protects the weapon until a worthy hero wields it. Inevitably Thor sets off on a journey of self-discovery and must uncover what it truly means to use his gifts in service of others instead of to bolster his own ego.

Super-powered Faith

Most of us can relate to Thor’s journey (apart from the super powers and immortality and such). We go through times when we are motivated by pride and self-interest and put ourselves at the center of everything. We are guilty of using our gifts and talents to draw attention to ourselves or for material gain. And most of us have had experiences where we’ve been humbled, where we’ve realized that we don’t have all the answers, and where we’ve had to come to terms with our shortcomings and admit we need help. These humbling situations have a way of showing us that heroism isn’t about making a show of our talents and accomplishments but about giving ourselves in service of God and others.

We all need opportunities to identify and affirm our gifts and abilities. Our knack for math, skills on the saxophone, or natural charisma aren’t just tools we can use to land a job or get into college. God intends for us to use these gifts to bless the world. It’s easy for us, like Thor, to take these talents for granted, especially if they come easily to us. Instead of thinking of them as treasured gifts that we should cherish and use responsibly, often we think of them as ways to please ourselves and get what we want.

A Life of Super Service

When we ignore God’s larger purpose, we may find wealth or fame, but we miss a greater reward: the joy of serving and seeing God’s love spread through the world. As Jesus taught his disciples, wealth and fame aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. He said, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26b) and called the poor and the hungry and the persecuted “blessed” (see Luke 6:20-22). Jesus himself, though “he was in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6), humbly became a human being and lived a life of service. Paul writes, “[Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God honored him and gave him a name above all names” (see Philippians 2:9). As followers of Christ, we claim the power of the Holy Spirit. This power comes with responsibility (as Thor’s fellow Marvel superhero Spider-Man knows well). We have a responsibility to follow Jesus’ example of humility and service, to live a life of righteousness and holiness, and to be Christ’s witnesses. When we use our Spirit-given powers responsibly and faithfully, we can join with the church in an effort to transform the world.

This article is also published as part of LinC, a weekly digital resource for youth small groups and Sunday school classes. The complete study guide can be purchased and downloaded here.