Shannon Spaulding--local Valedictorian--criticized for sharing her faith

Last weekend, Shannon Spaulding, the valedictorian of her class, shared her faith in Christ during her speech at the commencement exercises for Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida.

The valedictorian's speech was about Jesus Christ and suggested those who don't believe would go to hell. "I want to tell you that Jesus Christ can give you eternal life in heaven," Spaulding said before the crowd. "If we die with that sin on our souls, we will immediately be pulled down to hell to pay the eternal price for our sins ourselves."

For 17 minutes, Spaulding's speech went on, making religious references to Bible scriptures that were often followed with applause. "Like the Geico Insurance slogan -- so easy a caveman can do it. Letting Jesus take care of our sin problem is so easy a child can do it," said Spaulding.

She is receiving both praise and criticism for her bold statement of faith.

"It was not the right forum. We were all sent there to have a joyous occasion and not a religious revival," said Samantha, who was at the event to see her sister graduate. School superintendent Joseph Wise issued a statement after the graduation ceremony, stating he deeply regretted that "the student exercised her time in her valedictorian speech in a manner that was offensive and insensitive to some." Spaulding told local Channel 4 she was not aware of the controversy and stands behind everything she said.

"I was not trying to force anything on anybody. I just wanted to tell them something I knew was important to me and wanted to have them a chance to hear," Spaulding said.

While some were uncomfortable about her message, there were others who felt she had earned the right to say what she said. "I think that was the most important thing to her, and I think she had the right to say it. She succeeded in becoming valedictorian, and that was her right," said attendee Carileen Bollinger.

Here's a link to Shannon's entire speech: Valedictorian's Speech About Christ Prompts Controversy - Print This Story News Story - WJXT Jacksonville

Great Comments!

Over the past few days I've been blessed by the comments generated by my appeal for help in preparing my presentation on Blogging for the NACC.

Here are a few:

Anonymous Wrote:

I'm an atheist, raised in an independent Christian church, so I subscribed to your blog because I like to receive a diversity of opinions in my bloglines feeder. I currently subscribe to 292 blogs which cover a variety of topics. I'd say that I feel a sense of community with two of the blogs I subscribe to. The community comes about because the bloggers respond to us directly, and we respond to each other. Two out of 292. Blogs and blogging make me happy. They expose me to a variety of opinions, and I feel that I'm on the cutting edge in many different fields (which also makes me happy). I used to separate out work-related blogs from my favorite blogs, but I no longer do that because it was too much work to check two readers each day. So they're carefully organized by category. I currently subscribe to 5 atheist blogs and 4 religious blogs, so maybe I'll pick up another one from the suggestions in the comments. I do think that an online community is possible, but only if the blogger keeps things positive. For example, since you moderate your blog, you can choose to not accept this comment if you think it would be divisive, or to cut off incipient flame wars and arguments between commenters. Those are the happiest blogs.

Jen wrote:

I don't know about life change or community. For me it's about hearing the thoughts and virtually "sitting at the feet" of people I already admire or whose thoughts I find helpful/funny. I rarely comment on any of these blogs and only occasionally read others' comments. (If I wanted to know what Bob in Dallas had to say, I'd be reading HIS blog.)

Andy wrote:

The worst thing about blogs is the speed of the communication. If bloggers don't publish SOMETHING regularly, they lose readers. This often leads to bloggers putting out garbage. There is also pressure on those who comment to get in early. Chet said, "blogging is a good method of quickly sharing a thought on an issue." I'm not convinced this quickness is a good thing. James said, "let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." I don't know that the pace of most blogs allows us to be "slow to speak" or gives us the time to think through what we say/write.

A servant wrote:

When it comes to theological blogs, I find that it can provide a useful arena for the exchange of ideas, devotional thoughts, and research. I subscribe to nearly 80 blogs and I find it helps me not only understand the different discussions taking place in Christianity but also even in the world in general. The key to any of these more discussion type blogs is that participants have to participate beyond just reading. This may be one of the harder aspects to the success of a blog "community."

Click here to read all of the comments and for links to some really good blogs: My Lord and My Blog: I need your input . . . please :)

I need your input . . . please :)

I'm doing a workshop on blogging at the North American Christian Convention in Kansas City in July.

I'd love your help with my presentation. Please send me your comments on the following issues and I'll include them in my presentation at the NACC:

What do you think about blogging?

How many blogs do you read each week?

Do you get a lot out of reading blogs?

What are your top 5 favorite blogs (besides this one!)? Why?

What's the best thing about blogs? What is the worst thing about blogs?

Have you heard stories of life change that technology has enabled?

Do you think an online community is really possible?

One more big question: I have no idea how many people read my blog. We aren't tracking this information at this time. (I hope my mom isn't the only reader, but sometimes I'm not sure. :) )Would you take second and send me a quick comment--Hello, blessings, rock on!, you stink, or something else--so I can get an idea of how many people read this particular posting?

And . . . yes . . . you can post anonymously if you prefer. :)

Thanks for your help.

Jogging with a Stick

Last Sunday I saw a man jogging with a stick and--for some reason--I can't get the image out of my mind.

I've been a runner for most of my life and I know what that means. That guy is running scared. He's either been bitten by a dog, chased by a dog, or runs by the domain of a dog that appears to be a threat.

Runners don't carry anything unless it's important.

Unless you're carrying a baton on a relay team, the only reason a runner carries a stick is to protect himself/herself from a threat.

Jogging is supposed to be fun . . . well . . . maybe not "fun", but it's definitely not supposed to be a fear-full experience.

I felt sorry for the guy for the same reason I feel sorry for any Christian who appears to be running scared.

The Christian life is supposed to be fun . . . well . . . maybe not "fun", but it's definitely not supposed to be a fear-full experience.

In Romans Paul reminds us that we "did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15).

And Peter challenges us, "Do not fear what they fear ; do not be frightened" (I Peter 3:14).

And the Hebrew writer, referring to the Christian life, writes:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Are you running with a stick? Are you afraid of what's around the next corner, or of what might be coming up from behind? We Christians should not be running scared, because we're not running alone; we're running with Jesus!

Insert cheesy picture I've been saving for just such an occasion:



In all seriousness . . . we must not lose heart. We must not allow fear to hinder our efforts to run the Christian race with confidence.

We must fix our eyes on Jesus, drop the stick, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Happy Belated Mother's Day from Mr. T!

Enjoy!

Leadership Lessons from St. Augustine

The executive minister from Christ's Church--Jason Cullum--is a gifted leader and team builder. In his blog he details a field-trip that he led his team on last week and the lesson he gave them on teamwork.

I found it really helpful.

Here's an excerpt:

Last week I took a team I had built from the ground up on a field trip. It was the last day I would be their leader. They are an incredible team. Passionate. Strong. Energetic. They truly embody the elements of a great team. I took them to The Castillo De San Marco. For those not up on the history of North Florida, the Castillo is the oldest remaining masonry fort in the United States. It was constructed in 1672 by Spain and was built completely of something called coquina. More on that later.

The fort was originally constructed for two purposes. One, as a protection for the city of St. Augustine and two, as an outpost for the growing Spanish colony in the new world. The Castillo De San Marco was never taken by force, even though it was attempted on several occasions. The unique design and composition of the coquina made it virtually impenetrable.
While the fort was never conquered by military might it was however, politically traded. The Castillo was transferred from country to country, from treaty to treaty. It went from the Spain to Britain, back to Spain, then to America, to the Confederate States and finally back to the United States. Through two hundred years, The Castillo De San Marco exchanged hands six times, yet never fell in battle. Nor did any of the tenants make any major changes to its unique design.

The Castillo has stood the test of war, expansion, weather and time. As I stood high up on one of the four bastions I realized how special a place this is. I was not only standing on an incredible feat of engineering and design, but I was face to face with a lesson my team needed to hear on my last day with them.

It is truly amazing to see how The Castillo De San Marco has stood the test of time. While one our field trip I asked a park ranger what allowed the structure to stay so strong. He simply said, “Coquina.” The entire fort was constructed with small, thousands of year old, sea shells. Well, it was a little more than just shells. While the compacted shells were quarried near by, they still required something to bond them together and provide their strength. That’s where clams came in. What they did was boil huge vats of clams until the clams broke down into their most basic form…lime. That lime was then combined with a little water and sand to make an almost impenetrable fortress.

So if you break this team down to its most basic element what would you get? An enormous and passionate desire to impact the lives of kids. That’s simple. It’s why they do what they do. But it’s also how they do it that makes them unique.

Here are the eleven characteristics that set this team apart:
1. Trust. They trust each other. They trust their teams. They trust their programs.

2. People. They love people. They do what they do for people. Others come first.

3. Team. They are not alone and they never think individually. It’s about moving the entire group…even if it is one person at a time.

4. Work. They are not afraid of it. Great things require it. They model it to everyone.

5. Fun. They love to laugh…especially at themselves. While they are serious about what they do, they are never too serious to loose sight of the joy of what they do. Laughter keeps them grounded.

6. Big Picture. They see the forest…and the trees. They understand that they do not exist in a vacuum. Every decision or action affects another. They balance the extreme paradigm of big and little.

7. Excellence. They do everything great. They don’t accept much less. The people they serve deserve it. Whether it is their favorite activity or something they loathe, they do it right.

8. Creative. They are gifted to see unique ways for accomplishing rote activities. They make communication come alive. They provide texture for everything.

9. Ministry. They understand service and sacrifice. They understand that in the quiet moments, one on one is where most ministry occurs. They understand they don’t work in a 9 to 5 world. Ministry is caring enough to stay longer, listen more and serve better.

10. Discontent. They are never happy with the ways things are or have been. They always want to improve, grow and achieve their vision.

11. Servants. They desire to serve those around them…and each other. They believe the greatest impact they can make on the world is to meet the needs of others…even if it requires to put themselves second. They live to impact others.

While this may not be the formula to create great teams everywhere, it is what created a truly exceptional team here.

Here's a link if you'd like to read more: the Fission blog

45 Baptisms!

Yesterday was an amazing day at Christ's Church. We baptized 45 people!

It was the largest baptism service I've ever participated in and a very emotional experience for me.

The baptism service was the highlight of a day in which we emphasized God's plan for salvation. The Preaching Team developed this series, "FAQ" with a vision for a decision day about half-way through on which we would ask--and answer--the question, "Who Says I'm Lost?" We know, in every church, there are people who believe in Jesus, but who--for some reason--have never been baptized. Our goal for this weekend was to present the Gospel message and emphasize the importance of baptism as a part of our response to that message.

We baptize people almost every week. I've been here 6 months and I've already heard Dennis present the biblical plan of salvation countless times in a variety of services. Frankly, because of my misconceptions about mega-churches, I was surprised in my first few weeks here to hear the Gospel presented so powerfully and so often.

Before coming to Christ's Church I was not a big fan of "Baptism Days." I have always encouraged baptism as an immediate response to a person's profession of faith and I thought that "Baptism" days delayed something (baptism) that should not be delayed, but my thoughts on this have changed since being here. We (Christ's Church) emphasis baptism as an immediate response.

We want people to respond to the Gospel immediately (like we see throughout the book of Acts), but we've also found that a special "Baptism Service" always results in a large number of baptisms. I think there are several reasons: 1) It creates positive peer pressure (i.e. "everyone getting baptized . . . join us!"); 2) Some people are nervous about going through a baptism by themselves and enjoy not being singled out; 3) A baptism service--because so many people are involved--gives people an opportunity to respond to the Gospel in a way that doesn't make them feel self-conscious about their age, appearance, or anything else that could be used as justification for postponing baptism.

In each of our four services this weekend we talked about the fact that without Christ we are lost and without hope, but in Christ we can find salvation.

Dennis' (our Senior Minister) message was really good, but it was nothing fancy. He simply presented the Gospel in a clear and unapologetic way . . . and the people responded in a big way.

National Day of Prayer

We just finished out National Day of Prayer breakfast. We had close to 200 people from Christ's Church who came out for this early morning event.

Naturally, I've been thinking a lot about prayer.

Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? I remembered that it seemed like such a scary thing at the time. I could see people riding, smiling, and having fun, but, until I learned how to ride for myself, I didn’t fully understand what I was missing.

If you’re not praying, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Humor me . . . let me compare a healthy prayer-life to riding a bike.

1. START (PRAYING)
A life of bike-riding begins with one push of a peddle. A life of prayer begins with one word. Just start praying. Don’t focus on being fancy, sounding smart, looking cool, or being anything other than honest with God.

2. STICK TO IT
Keep riding. Too many bike-riders exchanged their bike locks for car keys and haven’t ridden a bike in years. You may even think you’ve forgotten how to ride. You haven’t. You never forget how to ride a bike.

Too many Christians seem to have parked their prayer life in the garage and moved on to something “better.” They prayed a lot as a young person, but they seem to have forgotten how to pray. They haven’t. You haven’t. You never forget how to pray.

You just have to start praying again and stick to it.

Hannah did this. I Samuel 1:12-20
Abraham did this. Gen. 18:16-33
The Early Church did this. Acts 2:42
The Apostle Paul did this. I Thess. 1: 1-3; 5:17

Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."

Don't let grass grow on your path.

In The Practice of The Presence of God—and of his own prayer life—Brother Lawrence writes: “My soul has a habitual, silent, secret conversation with God.”

Keep the habitual conversation going.

3. STAND BACK—SOMETHING AMAZING IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Before my brother and I would display a trick on one of our matching Yellow Schwinn Scramblers for a crowd of friends, we’d say, “Stand Back” because something unexpected—and hopefully not requiring Mom to rush us to the hospital—was about to happen.

I believe it would be appropriate to follow every “Amen” at the end of every prayer with this warning to any and all observers, “You might want to stand back, because something big is about to happen.”

God may choose to amaze us with an immediate answer.

God may choose to amaze us with His marvelous strength.

God may choose to amaze us with the strength to survive another day without an immediate answer.

I hope you’ll pray today—and everyday—and that you’ll always enjoy the ride.