Ministry Matters: David Dorn

VIDEO: Are You a Hypocrite?

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:50:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Are you what Jesus defines as a hypocrite? You may be surprised by the answer when you introspect. Now there is a difference between acts of hypocrisy and being a hypocrite. Neither are good, but one involves singular acts; the other involves a lifestyle.

Small Group Questions

What do you think about when you hear the word "hypocrite?"

Can you think of examples of the difference between hypocritical actions and being a hypocrite?

What do you think of hypocrites in the church?

Can you explain why Jesus puts such an emphasis on what one thinks about and meditates on?

Do you think you could incorporate this prayer into your daily life? "Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Question of the Day

Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Are you a hypocrite?

WEBSITE - http://preposterousproject.org/
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VIDEO: The Unforgivable Sin

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:08:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Jesus announces there is one unforgivable sin. What is it and how does one commit it? The people who know about it often think they've committed it, but the people who've committed it often know nothing about it. The unforgivable sin lies in rejecting the Holy Spirit moving you to accept Jesus as your Savior. But what about the people who never get a chance to accept or reject the Holy Spirit? Check out this free Bible Study on Matthew 12:31-32.

Small Group Questions

Have you ever heard of the "Unforgivable Sin" before? If so, explain what you heard.
God cannot forgive you if you don't accept the Holy Spirit moving you to accept Jesus as your Savior. Why?
The apple tree and the manchineel tree look very similar, but produce two different kinds of fruit. Explain the spiritual principle present here.
Exclusivism. Pluralism. Inclusivism. Which one of these ideas do you subscribe to?
"God doesn't look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the LORD sees into the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7 What do you think this means for you?

Question of the Day

Your actions speak volumes about what you believe. What do your actions say about you? Do your actions reflect God's work in your life or do your actions scream out that you have rejected the Holy Spirit?

WEBSITE - http://preposterousproject.org/
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/preposterous

VIDEO: Does Church Make You a Christian?

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:53:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? Yes and no. You don’t have to go to church to be saved, but to really become a disciple of Jesus, it necessitates being in community with other disciples of Jesus. You see, we are invited to become apart of a community, the Church. When we are baptized, we are welcomed into this Body of Christ, and the body of Christ is filled with people: broken people, prejudiced people, hypocritical people, backbiting people, all who are all being changed by Jesus just like you and me are. There are no perfect churches, just people through churches that God is making perfect. Won’t you be a part of one?

VIDEO: How to Love Like God

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:43:00 GMT

By David Dorn

We talk about loving people like Christ, but how do we actually go about doing this? For the full episode, click here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6jCaV

Website - http://preposterousproject.com/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterous...
Music by http://opsound.org/artist/thehappymed...

VIDEO: The Jesus We Need

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:42:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Jesus isn't who they wanted, but Jesus is who they needed. When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, the Jewish people praised Him singing "Hosanna." "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." "Hosanna in the highest." Yet days later, the crowds turned on Jesus. Why? Because Jesus didn't live up to their expectations. He isn't who they wanted. But he was just who they needed. Check out this free Bible Study centered on Holy Week from Matthew 21:1-17.

Small Group Questions

If you were an Israelite, what kind of a Savior would you expect? Which movie character would best describe who you were looking for in a Messiah?
Imagine you're in the crowd that has gathered for Jesus' entry into your city. Everyone is excited and chanting praises. You see Him riding in on a donkey. What would you think?
Consider this statement: "Jesus isn't who they wanted, but Jesus is who they needed." Jesus didn't come demanding Jewish freedom, rather He came demanding holiness from God's people. What do you think that means?
The religious and business leaders who felt guilty, ran from Jesus, while the lame and blind sought Jesus out. Consider the irony of that statement...
Have you ever discarded God because He wasn't acting or doing what you thought He should? Do you find yourself slipping away from God, or seeking Him out?

VIDEO: Jesus Ate with Sinners!

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:26:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Jesus is more concerned with the rejects who knew they needed change in their lives than those who thought they had life all figured out. Jesus goes where He is needed. Do we have the self-awareness to realize we need Him? And Jesus said, "I want mercy and not sacrifice." Do we show mercy towards other people or do we offer hollow actions to God? Do we show mercy towards other people or do we offer hollow actions to God? Check out this free Bible study on Matthew 9:9-13.

Website - http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterous...

Small Group Questions

Before watching this video, what did you think of this concept, that Jesus ate with sinners?

Jesus spent time with people who knew they needed Him, not the ones who felt like they had it all figured out. Which one would you say you are?

Why do you think the religious leaders were upset that Jesus spent time with tax collectors?

Do you think you could have dropped everything to follow Jesus like Matthew did? Do you think that was an example of extreme faith, extreme stupidity, or the Holy Spirit moving him?

In your life, what does it look like to show "mercy" more than "sacrifice"? What does sacrifice mean for you?

Question of the Day

What about God amazes you or confuses you?

VIDEO: Jesus on Sin

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:19:00 GMT

By David Dorn

Sin is serious. Jesus treats it like a disease. We should too. When a group of friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed, Jesus deemed the man’s sin condition as being the priority to fix. Is that how we treat sin in today’s world? Now we can go to extremes and be harder on ourselves than God is when it comes to sin. Martin Luther before he really understood God’s grace and forgiveness tried to beat the sin out of himself. He did not succeed. Check out this free Bible study on Matthew 9:2-7.

Music by http://opsound.org/artist/macroform/

Click here for the downloadable handout of the Small Group Questions. Episode-31-Small-Group-Questions-Handout

To download the video, click here!

Small Group Questions

How do you define “sin”?

Do you believe that this is serious, yes or no? Explain your answer.

Imagine yourself as the paralyzed man. How would you feel if Jesus had just forgave your sins and not healed your legs? Would you have been okay with it? Why?

Martin Luther went on to be a major figure in History, but for many years, he was trapped by his own misunderstanding God’s forgiveness and grace. Are you harder on yourself than God is?

Sin is a terminal disease we all have. Faith in Jesus is the only cure. Can you explain how that works?

Challenge

Acknowledge your sin. Repent of your sin. Allow God to give you the strength to be free from it. Accept God’s grace and forgiveness in your life.

VIDEO: Jesus on Zombies

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:58:00 GMT

By David Dorn

I bet you didn't realize that Jesus talked about the living dead long before they were ever popular as zombies. With his statement, "let the dead bury their own dead" Jesus is declaring that those without faith in him are the living dead, they just don't know it. But in Jesus we can have life. Through Jesus we have a way of salvation, but he gives us a choice. Have you ever chosen him? Check out this Bible study on Matthew 18-22.

Website - http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterousproject
Music by http://opsound.org/artist/macroform/

VIDEO: Grace: The Means Through Which We Grow

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:29:29 GMT

By David Dorn

"Have you availed yourself to the means of grace this week?" John Wesley asked his followers this frequently. Why is it necessary? Because it is through the means which God has ordained, these means of grace that God imparts upon us grace in a real and tangible way. The only way we can grow in our relationship with Christ is for us to show up and allow God to show us grace.

Website - http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterousproject

VIDEO: Jesus on Miracles

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:24:54 GMT

By David Dorn

There once was a man who was rejected by his family and outcast from society. He was doomed to never feel another person's touch again. But Jesus stepped and touched the man. After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus came down from the mountain and began preforming miracles and healing people. Jesus healed the outcasts of society, including this man with leprosy. But Jesus didn't advertise his power, instead, he wanted people with faith to seek him out. Check out this Bible study on Matthew 8:1-17.

VIDEO: Movement

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:04:27 GMT

By David Dorn

Movement: a Story of Obedience is about a man in Mark 10 who has to decide whether to follow Jesus to go his own way. Also hear from Gideo Achi, a pastor from Nigeria, who has had to really wrestle with being obedient to Christ in the face of severe persecution and death.
Website - http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
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VIDEO: Is God Generous?

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:18:19 GMT

By David Dorn

When we describe God, do we include the adjective "generous"? Has that been your experience with God? Jesus says that the Father is generous to His children, all we have to do is ask. Check out this Bible Study on Matthew 7:7-12.

Website - http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterousproject
Music by http://opsound.org/artist/macroform/

VIDEO: Do Not Judge

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 17:44:42 GMT

By David Dorn

Christ followers are not to be the morality police, citing people for their wrongs, but instead be beckons of light for people caught in darkness. Jesus never condoned people's sin, but He never beat people up over it either. Do Not Judge, that is Jesus' charge to us. How are we doing with that command? Check out this Bible Study on Matthew 7: 1-2.

Website: http://preposterousproject.org/
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preposterousproject

VIDEO: How to Read the Bible

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:18:15 GMT

By David Dorn

One of the biggest reasons people don't read their Bible is because they don't how to go about doing it. So we wanted to take an episode and address how to read the Bible in a very practical way. A special thanks to Cokesbury and The Bara Initiative for working with us in this episode. No matter at what point you are in this series, take a look at this video for the week.

Website - http://preposterousproject.com/
On Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/iampreposterous
On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/preposterousproject
Music by - http://opsound.org/artist/alexanderboyes/

VIDEO: What Is Discipleship?

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:01:40 GMT

By David Dorn

What does it mean to follow Christ, to be a disciple of Jesus? Jesus said to take up your cross and follow me, which is what we consider the basis of discipleship, but what does that look like exactly? Join us for PREPOSTEROUS 2.0, a new study asking these questions about Discipleship. Look for a new episode coming out the first Monday of every month.

BLOG: What Is Creativity?

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:08:13 GMT

By David Dorn

What is creativity?

I live in a box. My box is like the box next to me. In fact, I live in a row of boxes. Each box looks the same, feels the same.

But my box is different. My box reflects me.

I have a wife who refuses to settle for ordinary. In fact, she takes ordinary and tinkers with it until it reaches extraordinary status. If you ever get a chance to come by my home for a visit, you will see, my box is unlike the others. Thank you Aimee, my passionate wife who abhors mediocrity.

Returning to my question, what is creativity? Creativity is taking the ordinary,

the mundane,

the common,

the average,

and transforming it. Creativity molds whatever is being created, or recreated, to look like the one doing the creating.

You have a body. Your body looks a lot like the body next to you. You live in a world of similar looking bodies. Some taller than others; some darker than others; some work better than others; but they all look like a body.

But God doesn’t look at the body; He looks on the inside. And given the opportunity to renovate, He recreates you to reflect Himself. After all, He is the one doing the creating. He just awaits the invitation to come in and start working…

You have to open the door of your box.

Now, that is an obvious parallel to this question, “what is creativity?” albeit a rabbit trail of one… But to take this to the next level, the question then is, “who is creative?”

I have the pleasure of people calling me creative. I did not believe their observation until recently. I had always thought creativity was either something genetic, passed down from our parents and their parents before them; or that creativity flowed out of one side of the brain or the other. Yet is creativity really something so mundane as “you either got it or you don’t”?

I’ve come to understand that creativity is more creative than a checkmark in a grocery list of human attributes.

“Check ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

It is God’s refection on us.

When humanity was floating around as a possibility in the consciousness of God, (though I’m not sure how that process went), I am certain He didn’t create us in his image meaning 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, 1 nose, 1 mouth, etc. But He formed us with some of His attributes.

God is creative.

We are creative.

Some have discovered this; others are learning.

The question, “what is creativity?” stands as an eternal pursuit of what we already have… and don’t know it.

God wants to recreate you from the inside out to reflect the goodness of Himself. (*Note Sin deforms us, hence the need for re-creation.) And He wants you to, in turn, do some creating yourself.

Make your box unlike the other boxes because it reflects God’s prized creation: you.

BLOG: Leaving Vegas: When God Tests Us

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:33:10 GMT

By David Dorn

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” – Genesis 22:1-2

I’ve never liked the story of God calling Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It seems foreign and barbaric that God would ask someone to do such a thing. But perhaps there is more to the story than the blurb which we all know. Let’s back it up a few verses.

“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” – Genesis 21:33-34

Seemingly dull, but there is a world to explore here in these two small verses. Is Abraham calling on the name of the Lord before he journeys to a pagan land or is he just trying to appease his Deity before running off to Vegas for the weekend? I don’t know. Yet going to the land of the Philistines carries a connotation in itself.

Remember the story of Samson and Delilah? This beautiful woman lured Samson into giving up his position before the Lord.

She was a Philistine.

Remember the mighty warrior Goliath whom God’s people trembled before?

Philistine.

The Philistines were rich sea merchants. They mastered the skill of making purple dye, an expensive commodity at the time. And they worshiped many gods… So they were rich, mighty, technologically advanced, and sexy… No wonder God wanted to test Abraham’s faith upon his return!

The grass always looks greener on the other side. Human instinct gravitates us toward glitz and glamour, toward bigger and better, toward rich and sexy. And without warning and without our own cognizance these things become what we value as most important to us.

God desired to see if Abraham succumbed to the temptations. So He tested Abraham by asking to give up that which was most important to him, his son. God wanted to see if spending time in the land of the Philistines has changed Abraham’s heart, if it had compromised his faithfulness.

It did not.

You know how the story ends. Abraham lifted the knife to sacrifice his son when an angel stopped him. Then Abraham looked and saw the ram God had provided for the sacrifice, the ram which was stuck in a bush by the alter.

Abraham remained faithful. He passed the test.

Will we?

Following Christ and being faithful to God costs us what we hold most dear, at the very least we must be willing to give it to God. And what we hold most dear is easily influenced by the world around us. So maybe we ought to call on the name of the Lord more like Abraham, firming our hearts lest they by tempted away by what seems bigger, better, stronger, richer, or sexier. In the end, it is only God that satisfies.

When God tests your faithfulness, will you pass?

Read more from David Dorn at The Pursuit Blog.
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BLOG: Jesus vs. Religion?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:34:43 GMT

By David Dorn

Something did not sit well with me upon watching this incredibly well done viral video. Now many more brilliant people than I have critiqued the poor theology that is found in this video that millions are accepting as truth. I don’t want to rehash the same. You can read those great critiques here www.theamericanjesus.net and www.thegospelcoalistion.org.

But I wanted to do a spoken word response to this incredibly popular video…

First I want to clear,
I call you my brother,
But brother I’ve got to say,
Your words are not in order.

You claim to hate religion
And Jesus came to save
But what do you think Jesus did
As He lived out all His days?

Jesus was a religious Jew
And lived out Jewish ways.
He did not despise His race,
His heritage or His birth names (Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Messiah, Christ, Son of David…)

But Jesus did distinguish between
The religious and the liars,
Between the faithful and the poser,
Between His disciples and all the others

When Jesus claimed “It is finished”
He was referring to the law.
He fulfilled what was required
Bringing new life for us all.

And what about the Covenant
Both the Old and New?
You throw it under the bus
Because its religion too.

You trade religion for relationship
but what you don’t see
Is a relationship without religion
Can be anything I make it be.

True religion is a call
To love one another,
Help the widows and the orphans,
And call God the Father.

But the that religion you described
Is called hypocrisy
And hypocrisy is not always synonymous
With religiosity.

The religion of Christianity
Is not man’s reach for God.
But instead it’s God’s means
For us to know His Son.

You make some good points
That I will give you.
But to throw away religion
Is a slap to the One who made you!

Read more from David Dorn at The Pursuit Blog.
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BLOG: The Sin You Won't Admit

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:10:03 GMT

By David Dorn

We don’t like to admit our own sin.

If we are to admit sins to anyone, we point out other’s transgressions, but rarely our own. And if we do admit our sin, we never admit the deep sin… the dirty stuff. We are afraid of the implications of admitting what we’ve really done, thought and said. Yet the problem with never fessing up to the deep dark stuff is that we will NEVER experience any victory over it because we’ve never gotten rid of the very thing that is poisoning us!

So what to do? Watch below…

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ARTICLE: Why the Church Should Listen to Lady Gaga

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:19:13 GMT

By David Dorn

The most popular theologian in the world right now is…(drum roll please) Lady Gaga?

I said most popular, not most prolific or even the most accurate. But as far as popularity goes, Lady Gaga is it.

This is why the Church needs to listen to her. Lady Gaga is the epitome of fame. From having the most Twitter followers of anyone, to selling millions of records, to her headline stealing eccentricity, she exists in a league of her own when it comes to being an icon. In fact, she has garnered the name “Mother Monster” by her devout fans, who look to her for inspirational tweets and for her commentary over social causes.

Yet why is she a theologian?

She talks about Jesus… a lot, interpreting Him for her staunch fans.

Lady Gaga grew up Roman Catholic and that influence still reflects in her music. She has covered sin, God’s creation, Jesus, internal spiritual struggles, etc. in her music. Lady Gaga openly claims to love Jesus and be a Christian. Does she get it all correct? No. (Personally I believe she is so close to “getting it” but lacks a true understanding of grace, forgiveness and holiness.) But people are listening to her…

So a conversation is taking place on faith. It happens on the radio, on the internet, on people’s iPods, and in magazines every day. It’s one that the Church hasn’t started, but needs to take notice of, starting now… Lady Gaga doesn’t get it “all right” (although I don’t think she is trying to). But what she does get right the Church needs to claim, and what she gets wrong the Church needs to critique.

I’m not saying we should play her music in church, nor am I saying to opening embrace her art. You don’t have to like her music to notice the effect it is having on millions of people. Either we can accept that she is the source of a lot of young people’s ideas about God and Jesus (whether true or not), or we can ignore the conversation that has already been started. If we choose to ignore it, then we fail to have a say in the accuracy of any of it.

“I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track,
baby I was born this way” – Born This Way

“There’s only three men that I’m a serve my whole life
It’s my daddy and Nebraska and Jesus Christ” – You and I

“I wanna love you,
But something’s pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
Judas is the demon I cling to I cling to” – Judas

If Paul stood on Mars Hill and used the altar to the Unknown God to lead people to Christ, can we not use Lady Gaga to do the same?

For my video reviews of some of Lady Gaga’s songs from this year, click here.

Read more from David Dorn at The Pursuit Blog.
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BLOG: To Catch a Glimpse

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:12:05 GMT

By David Dorn

Can anyone really know who or what God is? I don’t believe this side of eternity can we even scratch the depth of who God is. With that said, it is what we believe about God that really determines our worldview and our worldview has everything to do with how we treat other people. If we believe that God is a God of rules and dos and don’ts, then we treat people in a similar fashion, in a cold, non-personal “by the book” sort of way. If we believe that God is all about judgment and making people answer for their actions, then we will find ourselves jihading ourselves to death. If God is purely a God of love and forgiveness, then we do whatever we want with no consequences. We also tolerate anything and everyone, because, after all God is love right?

The way we perceive God has everything to do with the way we live our lives. The scary thing is that so many religions, denominations, and sects all have conflicting views of who God is. But I ask again, can we really grasp who God is?

While we are mere mortals hoping in our finite wisdom to comprehend an infinite God, maybe we can catch a glimpse of God the way Moses did. You see Moses was a guy like many of us, ordinary. Sure he grew up in a palace but let’s not forget that he was the son of slaves and that he was adopted into the palace. His adopted mother may have been the Angelina Jolie of the day, but that didn’t change the fact that he found himself fleeing the celebrity of the palace as he ran for his life. Moses become even lower than a slave, he was a wanted murderer. Moses found himself tending sheep in the wilderness for 40 years. I’d call that ordinary, or even sub-ordinary. Yet this is the guy years later, who stood on the mountain with God as the rest of the people of Israel cower away from the presence of the Lord. Instead of pursuing the Almighty, the people of Israel cast God in the image they wanted him in, as a cow. Holy cow? Not so much.

But Moses wasn’t with them. He was experiencing the pure awe and wonder that is God. God had already revealed to Moses a little bit about himself to which Moses replied, “Huh?” when God had said, “I AM who I AM.” (Exodus 3). Though that is about as clear as mud, it gives Moses a taste of who God is. Now on Mt. Sinai Moses keeps on pursuing God, the I AM. Moses asks what few others have dared to ask. Moses, the ordinary guy who knows he’ll never fully comprehend God, asks, “Show me Your glory.” Pretty gutsy and ambitious if you ask me, but if we never get gusty and ambitious in life then we really never gain anything worth gaining. What Moses is asking is to see God, to experience God, to have a better comprehension of God. Moses wants a deeper relationship with God. And lets face it, if our own understanding of God is skewed, we aren’t going to have a real relationship with him. So with reckless abandon Moses asks for what only a handful of men have every experienced…a glimpse.

What I find amazing is that God agreed! You know Jesus would later say, “seek and you will find.” Moses sought, and God was willing to be found. God agreed to reveal part of himself to Moses that day but only part. The pure fact that we are mortal means that we cannot handle all of God; he’s too much God for us to handle.

Exodus 33 tells us that God said, “You cannot see my face; For no man shall see me, and live.” But God wanted to share himself with Moses so God told him, “Here is a place by me and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Are you willing to look past what you want God to be in order to discover who he truly is? Are you ready to ask for the unimaginable and forsake all other perceptions in order to catch a glimpse at God’s backside? God will reveal himself to those that truly seek Him. He wants to be found!

Take a risk…

Ask God to show you his glory.

Open your mind to what you discover, and allow your heart to be transformed in the process.

God bless.

Read more from David Dorn at The Pursuit Blog.
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BLOG: Why Steve Jobs Left the Church

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:19:16 GMT

By David Dorn

Steve Jobs lived as an innovator and died as a legend. He kept to himself and enjoyed his privacy. Recently I read an article about Steve Jobs’ faith. I was very surprised by what I read…

Steve Jobs was a Zen Buddhist.

But he didn’t start that way.

As an child, Steve Jobs’ family attended a Lutheran church. And as a teenage boy, Steve Jobs asked his pastor if God knew about the children starving to death around the world. His pastor responded, “Yes, God knows everything.”¹ And as a teenager, Steve Jobs responded to such a callous answer by leaving the Church and never looking back.² He then sought spirituality on his own for the rest of his life.

How would you respond to this question from a 13 year old?

How do you answer that question that you yourself have probably thought about?

One man gave a too simplistic answer to a legitimate question, crushing a young man’s teetering faith. Inherently in our faith, you and I possess a responsibility to ask good questions in order to give really solid answers to the world around us. As Christians, we are “little Christs” representing God in the world. Let us always be aware of the magnitude of our role here on earth.

Imagine what our world would be like if a dreamer like Steve Jobs had remained in the church, living his life sold out for Christ!

Having a simplistic understanding of “God is in heaven; He loves the world; and Jesus is the answer to everything” is irresponsible. While those things are good, we cannot fool ourselves that these things are the only things we need to know. Get into your Bible. Ask others older and wiser in the faith tough questions. By delving into the tough issues, you will see God in a new and deeper way.

Let’s not turn away the next Steve Jobs due to our lack of understanding about our own faith!

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” – 1 Peter 3:15

¹ Daniel Burke, The Huffington Post ² Ibid

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BLOG: What Christians Can Learn from Captain America

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:44:22 GMT

By David Dorn

Superhero stories are modern day morality tales. They are the myths of these past few generations.

And this is why I liked the movie Captain America. (I’m trying not to nerd out on you.) Captain America tells the story of one man’s character, integrity, and courage. He didn’t inherit his powers. He didn’t earn them by being the strongest, the wisest, the fastest, or the best looking. He was chosen based off of his integrity. Some may argue he was always “Captain America”.

When asked if he was ready to go kill some Nazis, he replied, “I don’t want to kill anybody. But I’ll stand up to a bully no matter where he’s at.” This scrawny guy from Brooklyn refused to back down from any injustice. To test Steve Rogers' (Captain America) moral fiber prior to him receiving the super soldier serum, someone threw a dummy grenade into a group of soldiers. Steve Rogers willingly offered to sacrifice himself for others by falling on the grenade, while the others ran for their own safety.

What Captain America says to this generation is that your heart matters. Your character matters. The way you treat others matters. The way you deal with injustice matters.

Christians don’t distinguish themselves enough from culture. We so easily fall prey to the idea that muscle, beauty, and money make a difference. Not true. Even Samuel in the Bible fell victim to this logic. In choosing the next king of Israel, he was looking for the biggest and the strongest. But God said, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b) God led Samuel to choose the youngest of 8 sons… the sheep herder… David. Not for his brains or brawn, but for his heart. David went on to do mighty things in battle and was known as a “man after God’s own heart".

See a theme?

Captain America teaches us to value things not like the world values things. This movie teaches us what the Bible has been saying all along… but either we forget or we don’t fully buy it… that integrity matters…that injustice ought to be fought against…that personal character makes the man (or woman). If God values a person’s heart, shouldn’t we? Forget the perfect body, forget the designer clothes, don’t worry so much about your good looks; let’s find important what God finds important.

Go see this movie. Superheroes teach us truths about ourselves. And any truth is God’s truth.

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