Reading Scripture via Technology | Viewing Scripture, Part 2

My last post discussed how we can accurately view and teach Scripture.  If you didn’t read it, you can read it here.  There is a second part to my thoughts tonight. I’d also like your thoughts on this one.

One classmate responded to the question with a decent answer on how it is dangerous to add our own thoughts to Scripture, which is good.  However she then stated, “As bible teachers we are under a divine mandate to teach the Word of God in spirit and in truth and the best way to do that is to teach from the tool itself.  Many today use the iPad, cell phones and other technological ways to read God’s Word which is ok, but I still believe that as believers we should never replace the hard copy of the bible for anything else.”

Ummm What?!

So this is how I responded.. Too harsh??

I feel that I must disagree with the full statement that “as believers we should never replace the hard copy of the bible for anything else.”

I do agree that there is something sentimental and nostalgic about holding a Bible in our hands. It is good for us to hold books and to underline and flip pages; to touch the Words of God. I personally prefer this over technology. However, at the end of the day, the Gospel is the Gospel and whether it’s being read on a computer, iPad, ancient scroll, or hard bound book, God’s Word is still alive and active in people’s lives. The same is said of reading Scripture in different languages. One cannot make the jump to say that if scripture isn’t read in the original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, then it has been replaced. Sure sometimes the weight of each word might change, but God is still speaking through and to His people. We cannot confine God to English, when there are thousands of other languages in the world. God is a God above language and above paper and pen, screen and typed letters. This makes our relationship with God so personal and unique – He longs to know us where we are at.

I feel like the “technology war” for Scripture is the same way. I think that God is still pleased that His children are reading His letters if it’s on a tablet or if it is from pieces of paper bound together. He is not bound by little boxes in our minds or to pages or scrolling websites. Each person is different, and some find it more personal to read from their phones. This could be a benefit when people are on the go. There are also useful tools coming out all the time that help in studying, teaching, and learning the Scriptures.

I still prefer my paper Bible, but I’m not comfortable confining God to a statement saying that God cannot speak to people in different forms, when the Words are the same, and God is still moving in our lives.

_______________________

Thoughts??

For The Girl…Whose Life is Changing

Can I just say that I love new things!  New places, new cultures, new foods, new ideas, new people – I love it!

But man, oh man, change is SO hard!  It is a weird contradiction, is it not?

Do you ever feel like I do right now? Like you’re so content and happy to be where you are, but also long to be somewhere else? That’s what I’m feeling right now.  I love my new job in Frisco, and I love you girls that I get to hang out with and minister to.  But at the same time, some nights my heart longs to be in Arkadelphia.  I long for the clear, star-filled skies, the girls of my first youth ministry, and the comfort.

But then God reminds me that there lies the problem.  Comfort.  He told me a long time ago that my life is never to be comfortable.  Content, yes, but not comfortable.  And so I told Him that whenever I get too comfortable that He should move me. So He did. And I am so content, and life is full of joy.

God designed us to grow in change.  Have you ever been through a season of change, and came out a better person for it? It happens all the time.  We change from being elementary school kids to middle schoolers.  And when we leave 6th, 7th, 8th grades, we are better people. Hopefully.

Let me encourage you that as life changes, embrace the growth that can happen. Let God guide you through these changes so that each choice you make is one that pleases Him, and is guided by Him.  Change is hard, but without God at our side, it will be so much harder.  And we cannot stay stagnant, living without changing.  We must always change because time moves forward. We grow older, times change. And if we don’t change with it, our lives become lost.  Allow God to change you into the person He wants you to be.  Allow Him to change you into a holy, righteous person, living for Him.

So do new things, ponder new ideas, go to so many new places, make a new friend, and eat a new food. You might find that you like it.  And you will find that God has a plan.

Shall we change together?

The Everyday Me.

I wrote a bio a few months ago for the church website.  Bios are supposed to make you sound good and are usually formatted in a formal way.  That’s great and all, but let’s be honest…I’m just a normal person. So can I tell you a bit about me informally?  You might be able to catch on through my posts, but let me just lay it out for you.

• I love rainy days. (Much like the one today, while I’m writing this.) I think it’s cozy.
• Laughing is my favorite activity.
• I love to travel, and especially cherish the summers I’ve lived in South American countries. Chicago is another favorite traveled place.
• Also, I have a fetishes with the Spanish language, tea cups, pearls, and purple. (gift hints, yup…just kidding)
• I’m currently living at home with my family.  And it is fun.  We’re not perfect, and it’s not ideal for a post-grad, student working on a master’s degree to be living with her parents, but it’s where God has me right now, and I really love my family. I have two brothers, a loving set of normal parents, and an old golden retriever named Molly.
• I just moved back to Frisco from Arkansas and I’m dealing with a bit of culture shock.  I mean, really, who doesn’t shut down the town for lunch breaks? And the traffic!! I count my drives a success if I get out of the car and am not stressed or angry. I’m working on it. With that said, I left a wonderful adopted-family, church, friends, and university in Arkansas. I am who I am today because of what God did while I was there.
• Squirrels are my favorite animals. I know, most people think they’re gross, but I just think they’re really cute. Not that I want to own one, but I sure like to watch them. Bats are another fascinating one to me.
• I’m bad about cleaning up my room or car…I’m working on it.
• I love old-fashioned things: Antiques, old barns, real honey from beehives, tea cups from my grandmother’s China cabinet, etc.
• My favorite time of the day is that moment when the coffee cup and I become friends while listening to God’s daily whisperings.
• I have insecurities, I have doubts, I have attitude issues; I’m impatient and I distrust; I forget to be thankful. But more importantly, I know that I can give my flaws to God to fix, and I know that He uses my weaknesses for His Kingdom.
• The grace of God is more than I can wrap my mind around. And because of His great love, I have freedom to live rightly and completely.
• I was called to missions in the 9^th grade, but God decided that it was only for a time.  In college he placed a love for youth ministry on my heart, and here I am…doing girls ministry.
• I love teaching truth to younger girls.  I was fed so many lies as a teenager and struggled with so many things of the world; I think it’s important for me to share what I have learned with those around me.
• Middle school girls don’t annoy me.  Most of my friends think I’m crazy for spending weekends with 13-year-olds, but I think it’s a blast!  The drama that goes on is silly, but I never tire of hearing it.  Maybe God has me in the right ministry.
• My favorite weekend pastime is to watch movies!  In my mind, movie nights should happen every day.  And I’m pretty open to every type of movie except horror films. Chick flick, comedy, action, cartoon. You name it and I’ll probably enjoy it.

So there’s a little about me. It’s not a complete list, but you get a picture of what I’m about.  I read this quote by an author, and I think it sums up my daily life.

“I feel like a success in my everyday life if I get through the day having spent time with the Lord, exercised in some way… and made a friend smile.”

Until next time, Brittany

The Question of Why

In May, I stepped into the role of ‘girls minister’ at FBC Frisco. So many times I’ve been asked why it is that I do what I do.

Simple, Jesus told me to.

I grew up going to church, and came to accept Christ at an early age. While in the youth group, walking with the Lord became really personal and real to me. One of the most defining moments in my faith came the summer after my freshman year of high school at church camp. Every Thursday at camp we would spend the morning in what was called a “concert of prayer.” The entire camp would gather and pray over the government, schools, families, churches, missionaries, and so on. This one year, as we were praying over our youth ministers, my youth minister came up and put his hand on my shoulder, and we stood praying for each other for a while. It was a very special moment. When we were done praying, Adam gave me a hug and asked me if I had ever considered being a missionary. I said yes, my grandparents were missionaries in Africa, so going on missions was always an option. I had been on a few mission trips prior to that, and loved serving God that way. Adam told me that when he placed his hand on my shoulder, he had the most vivid image of me on the mission field surrounded by little black children. We talked more about it, and we really felt that God had shown Adam a clear direction for my life. God had called me to foreign missions. The call was as real and as clear as my mom’s call to dinner each night. The emotions of that day were so contrasting. What peace and excitement I felt that God would call me, but what fear there was also in living a life completely different from everything the world expects.

I continued to serve God and the church in various ways through high school. I was very involved in our youth group, and we experienced several youth pastor changes throughout my time in high school. I went out of the country on several trips, but found that serving God and being “on mission” did not strictly mean leaving Frisco.

In 11^th grade, two faith-impacting things happened: I made a best friend, and my youth group was without a youth pastor for a very long time. (Which was also remedied in the most positive way later that same year). I had friends all through school, but never ones that I felt were true friends. I especially struggled in the youth group fitting in with the girls in my Sunday school classes. They were much “cooler” and more popular than me, and they had been friends for so long that I just did not fit in. When Amy moved to our church, we hit it off immediately. We were at a similar point spiritually, and we are so alike in many ways. Looking back, I feel that this was a changing point in my life – I had friends!

Losing Adam as a youth pastor was not as devastating as we thought it would be. It was a good move for him, and their family has done great, impactful things for the Church. And it was good for me to experience change. What happened when he left, however, was nothing. For a good amount of time there were no Bible studies happening, no outside events. Nothing. As I saw my youth group slow down, Amy and a few other close friends and I decided that we needed to do something. What could we do? We were only 17. It was intimidating to teach our peers, so we decided to do what we could manage. We started a middle school girls Bible study. When I tell people of this, they look at me like I’m crazy for willingly hanging out with middle schoolers. It was one of the most rewarding times. To teach girls the Word, to pour into them and build relationships, to laugh and have fun in a godly way; that time taught me so much.

The next few years, God continued to teach me through various situations and experiences. He used Chris, my youth minister, now “boss,” in big ways.  Joy and laughter permeated my years as his student.  Our close relationship helped me to see what ministry was like, and allowed me to be part of the leadership of our church. So the changes that happened in 11th grade were big, but so good. Looking back, despite the sometimes hardness then, God knew what He was doing. Throughout this time, my life was also consumed with band at school.  I had relationships with people who were so different than me and who believed different things than I did.

When I went off to college, I began visiting churches with my roommate. The second church we went to immediately felt like home. The church reminded me of FBC Frisco, and the people were so welcoming. Before the service was even over I had made up my mind to make it my church home in Arkadelphia. During the Sunday school class, a lady made an announcement asking for helpers with the youth group. Somehow, my introverted self found her at the end of the service and volunteered to help. What started as a small step, turned into what I think defines my time at college. For the first few years, I served with about ten other college students as an intern team under Jason and Sarah, the husband-and-wife youth ministers. It was such a blessing to be able to learn from Jason, and to do ministry and life with the team. We really became so close, and lived with a desire to impact students’ lives. The last two years, Jason asked me to fill the associate’s position as associate youth minister and girls minister. I willingly agreed and spent the summer with the Park Hill Youth. These kids became family. Jason and Sarah are more like parents than bosses, and God moved in such big ways through my time there. I’m struggling to even put words to my experiences in Arkansas, but overall God put a passion in me to reach teenagers for the Kingdom.

Throughout this time, there was always the 9^th grade call to foreign missions in the back of my mind. I had spent the summer after 10^th grade in Uruguay with missionaries, and a few other summer weeks in Jamaica since then with missions, but once college hit, my mission field was Arkansas. At times this was confusing. Hadn’t God called me to little children surrounding me in Africa? Why did my passport expire, keeping me in the States? I was loving where I was at, and God was teaching me so much, but what about that call? Last summer, my younger brother and I decided to go out of the country. We both love adventure, foreign missions and Spanish. Therefore we contacted some missionary friends and asked if they needed help for the summer. They needed some summer interns, and they willingly let us stay with them in Santiago, Chile. What a blast! We had the opportunity to teach in schools, share Jesus, and learn to ski in the Andes. (And so much more.) However, the entire time we were there Brandon and I would have conversations about why we were there. Not us specifically, but American missionaries in general. We did not feel that our trip was contrary to God’s will, but we did wonder why the IMB had so many missionaries in Chile when most of the churches in Santiago were run by Chileans and functioned on their own. What right did we as Americans have to impose our ideals on them? There was an uneasy feeling. As I was praying about it one day, God told me that the reason I felt so uneasy about the missions was because He wanted me in the States for a while. Maybe someday, for a time, I’ll live overseas. But for now I’m in the country.

A few weeks after Chile, I was having lunch with Chris and he asked me what I learned while in Chile and I told him about being in the country and not overseas. As he listened to my experiences and we talked through things, he then sat and thought for a moment and said that there’s an opportunity to start the girls ministry and have a full-time girls minister with the FBC youth group, and that we should pray about it if I’m interested. We were both pretty excited about it and hesitant at the same time. This would be so new for both of us. We knew we could work together because we had in the past, but is this the right position? For about six months we just prayed about it. No talking about it, no planning, just praying. One of the reasons I respect Chris is for his commitment to prayer. The more I prayed, the more excited I became. Ideas kept coming in my head. My dad was even very excited about girls ministry, and has brainstormed so many helpful ideas with me. Almost a year after those initial conversations, the idea came to fruition.  He called one night (far too late, might I add) and in a sarcastic mood, seriously asked me to come work for him.  After a year serious prayer over whether it was the right decision or not, I said yes, and have been so blessed to be back in Frisco – a place I never thought I’d move back to.

So here I am. Why Frisco, why Teal, why girls ministry? Because God has placed me here to build relationships, to walk with others as we walk with Christ. It’s simple really. I just tell God’s story and love much because I have been loved much.