A great conversation that I promised to get back to last year was the original Story = Danger? post.

Basic premise: Are our kids developmentally ready for the violent narratives found all through the old testament?

So it gathered a lot of comments and lead to a post called Sanitising the Bible for Children? from an English Bishop.

And here now is part the second, in which I put forth a solid hypothesis founded on much introspection, prayer and solid Biblical analysis… and keep it below a few hundred words. After all this is a blog not a thesis.

I think we are quite naive about the developmental stages of humans.

Doesn’t the death of someone close to us give us a greater sense of the fleeting nature of life and a greater empathy/understanding for others going through this. I would dare to say that a child who has experienced tragedy is far more ‘developed’ in certain areas of understanding than myself. The most traumatic experience was the suicide of a friend while he was in Bible College.

Contrast this to the orphans and children affected by the conflict in Uganda. Child soliders that I witnessed at our Church a few weeks ago present their story of unimaginable horror at the hands of the LRA.

I am not even suggesting that children are more ‘advanced’, I am suggesting that you are probably not as far along the ‘development’ curve as you think.

Before you can be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid – Anon

The wiser you get (age never guarantees wisdom), the more you realise how little you knew as young person. Surely this is as true in your spiritual life.

Have you ever taken parenting advice from a teenager who hasn’t even finished negotiating puberty?

So, unfortunately I did what I usually do when I don’t have a solid answer… create more questions in your mind, dear reader. My hope is that I simply made you a little less sure of what you thought you knew.

He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise – Lao-Tzu

This post has nothing to do with monkeys and wedding dresses.

But what if it was!

I know one thing, when you search “monkeys and wedding dresses” on google later this week, this post will definitely appear in the top results!

But that’s because there is not much competition for the search phrase. In fact I may be one of the first people to search for it this year (so we’re only five days in, there are a lot of weird searches happening right now let’s be honest).

There is more competition in the phrase “children’s ministry blog” but I manage to squeak into 5th place in Google. But still, not many people in the world are searching for that term. So what if I am number one in the term “david wakerley”, no one is searching for that.

Interestingly I get a lot of traffic at Christmas time for the term “whoville names“. It seems a post I wrote in 2007 still appears at the top of Google.

Anyway.

As I start 2011 I want to make sure that I am scratching where people are itching. Where is the need? Being a computing expert specialising in Windows 3.1 is an exercise in futility. It’s irrelevant.

Being an expert in what everybody needs right now is helpful, but still not the goal. We need to be ready to help where people don’t realise they need help yet.

• Where is the family going to hurt in the future?
• What is the child going to go through soon?
• How will our culture affect people?

God bless the scratch.

I have talked long about the Church and Christians creating culture. We have lost our cultural impact because we have resorted to parody and imitation. Our kids need to grow up with an understanding that as they serve a creative God they can also create/inspire and lead the way as a creative force in the world.

So long story short… I read, along with millions of others Don Millers book ‘Blue Like Jazz‘. Well it’s going to be made into a movie because I and thousands of others have invested in it’s production!

Who knows what the movie is going to be like, but the important thing is action. I am supporting the creation of art that will have cultural impact.

flomax .4 mg target=”_blank”>Click here to find out more!

Why did I write about ‘US’ for the really cool ebook “What Matters Now?” (download free) released last month.

Why did I choose the word US?

The US I refer to is the Church.

I think that history, as told by God would be very different to history, as told by historians. The Bible doesn’t get too much into the politics of the day, it focuses on what really matters in God’s story. The fact is not everyone is called to be in politics, but everyone is called to be in ‘the Church’.

Compared to a lot of cultures around the world our ‘Western’ culture is massively individualistic. The problem is that strong families do not make for good reality shows or sitcoms, they do not serve up laughs at others expense or the drama of conflict.

Do you make jokes about ‘large’ families? You know, like ‘hey you guys ever heard of television?’.

If children are a blessing from God (they are), Then it follows that they are more blessed than you, right?

Anyway, that’s just one way our cocoon of individuality manifests itself (albeit a subtle one).

I love big families… it’s all so rebellious and counter-cultural!

Ha. We don’t burn bras anymore, we buy minivans!

So don’t just give lip-service to your cries for community, you will probably have to be different (different even to Church folks) to really nail the US thing… and that’s tough for adults… we’ve spent years trying to fit in!

Here is the chapter from the book:

South African Apartheid was not stopped by Nelson Mandela standing alone.

Segregation in the South of the United States was not extinguished by one speech from Martin Luther King, Jr.

It took a lot of passionate people building up a tidal wave of justice to overthrow inequality and prejudice. It’s true that one person can make a difference. discount viagra sale In fact, more than ever in history one person can be heard.

Our children need to realize that their individual voices have the potential to be louder than ever before… but volume has never guaranteed influence. When enough voices unite together, a moment happens, a tipping point occurs and a movement emerges. The conversation turns from a lone voice in the wilderness to a crowd in the town square.

A Super Bowl ad is not going redeem a culture that desperately needs God. It will take a generation whose faith is not only personal but grounded in community. Their prayers should be filled with “WE” and “OUR” not just “I” and “MINE”.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. (Margaret Mead)

I am slammed at the moment which means the blog is last on the list for any meaningful content.

One of the reason’s I write this blog is because I see it as a barometer for my own development/creativity/learning. If I am not writing the blog it’s either one of two reasons:

1. I’m not growing/learning/thinking

2. I’m slammed

In this case… it is a season of the full calendar. My iPhone has never had more appointments to keep me on time with and we are filming/writing like crazy for Hillsong Kids Big Curriculum.

But even in this season I am still learning/growing… coreg 80 mg so instead of create content, I am just gonna steal and link to it

So for today’s inspiration check out this episode of TheOoze.tv

Andy Crouch talks about one of my favourite metaphors for faith… music, specifically Jazz and Classical…

(You should check out some of the other episodes, it’s turning into a great series!)

Dave Out

So one cultural change is happening right now because of the changing face of the music industry — and I LIKE IT!

To our children growing up, music is FREE. You download it and chuck it on a iPod and it didn’t cost them anything. Sure they may have paid for it on iTunes, but the overwhelming majority probably got it from a friend who knows how to get it online.

Now that obviously leads to problems in the Music industry, their entire model of income is based on sales of music… an artist may never have to tour ever in order to make a good living!

But it has all changed, and now we are seeing evidence of that all over the place. Madonna clonidine 0.2 mg is no longer with Warner Brothers (Music Label) but with a touring/promotion company LiveNation.

So… in New Zealand where I grew up, it was a very rare occurrence to see a big name come to town. I remember Michael Jackson, and AC/DC… not sure what that says about my musical tastes. And forget about any Jazz musicians! It just wasn’t worth their while to travel to Middle Earth, when they could tour Europe and the U.S. and make a fine living!

So I am excited to see this change, a couple of weeks ago I saw Five Peace Band play at the Opera House, a group I could have never hoped to see even a few years ago! And in just one weeks time Brad Mehldau at the Basement in Sydney! My favourite Jazz pianist!

So I am excited, musicians and artists are touring more than ever before, which may not mean much if you live in the US or Europe with millions of people or you like Pop music whose big names can tour everywhere (i’m going to see coldplay when they get here, so I like me some Rock and Roll)… but for little old me who developed rather minority music tastes I am like a kid in a candy store!

In the future, the music may very well be free, and the experience may cost you!

What does this have to do with children?

It may suggest that culture in the future may place value upon the personal connection with those who inspire us even more than now!

In the fullness of time all will be revealed.

But… it does mean they think differently to me… and to you.

Great comic from Wondermark today…

It does contain clomid generic an element of truth in it.

Every generation tries to impose it’s own values on the next (negatively or positively).

I am fascinated with this phrase: “Attention is the currency”.

Because I think that in this age it applies SO much to our kids.

I have a LOT of choices when I put my son to bed at night… so much else I could be doing rather clavamox 375 mg than reading him a story or spending time with him. My father had a lot less choices, no mobile phone, only two channels of TV (this was the 80’s in New Zealand).

So more than ever our love is measured by time and attention.

So with the many distractions that our kids face, it is so easy to stand out in our culture. Even the bare minimum will make you stand out in the mind of a child!

Here are some very interesting thoughts from the blog of Tim Ferriss

This is the world i’m living in.

And I’m convinced that we very rarely realise it and the opportunity it is.

I really don’t want to settle for the status quo.

Anyway watch the vid…

Love reading Erwin Mcmanus.

Read claritin 20 mg target=”_blank”>Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul a while ago and wrote down this quote (Paperback pg. 63):

If anonymity was the price you would have to pay for significance, would it be too great a price?

Would it be?

Peer recognition is one of the most powerful forces in the human psyche. Learning to serve without it is one of the greatest skills this culture/generation schooled in the allure of instant fame needs!

Teach your kids that God is the only one they need recognition from!