 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry Wednesday, October 17, 2007
I always find it intriguing to catch even a glimpse of how the world views Christians. Unfortunately, TV and movies have an influential role helping people form their opinions and stereotypes. And how often do you see a Christian in a positive light in today's media? NBC's Friday Night Lights was one of my favorite shows last season. In a recent past e-Zine, I shared my 2 cents on the show, admiring its realistic glimpse of our youth culture today. But then Season 2 arrived. Sigh! I must admit, I'm a little bit disappointed so far. Not only has Coach Taylor's daughter Julie turned rogue (not unrealistic by any means), but many of the other characters we have grown to know and love are morphing into something different. And to make matters worse, ex-cheerleader Lyla Garrity has apparently "accepted Jesus into her life." What? Why is this a bad thing, you ask? Because Lyla isn't like any "Christian" that you or I know... she's more like Mandy Moore's portrayal of the militant and hateful Hilary Faye in the 2004 movie Saved (my 2 cents on that film here). Once again, Christians are portrayed as self righteous snobs in the media. Sadly, this stereotype, although exaggerated, is based on true feelings. I talked about this stigma in depth in my book Do They Run When They See You Coming, where many of us appear like the girl on the cover of the book. Dan Kimball also chimed in on the issue with his recent insightful book They Like Jesus But Not the Church. Is this something new? No. But negative feelings toward Christians and the church are growing even more pervasive with this younger generation. Recent studies agree: Generation Y (this generation of young people born after 1981) "exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations... Common negative perceptions include that present-day Christianity is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), and old-fashioned (78%)." (Barna, September 24, 2007. Read that entire study here.) Bottom line: The world doesn't want what we have, because they don't want to be what we are. It's sad, because I've found that when people see Jesus clearly they are drawn to Him. Jesus is attractive, thirst-quenching, and unexplainably fulfilling. Often, we as believers have just done a good job of 'blocking the view.' Friday Night Lights' character Lyla, and Saved's character Hilary do a great job of 'blocking the view' of Jesus. But these characters are just fictional stereotypes. Hollywood only exploits such stereotypes because they strike a chord with people, reminding them of individuals they have actually met. The joke would cease to be funny if the stereotype was inaccurate... and that's entirely up to us. Reversing the stereotype would take a lot of people looking a lot more like Jesus and a lot less like Pharisees. Wouldn't that be nice? Christ's bride (His church) looking a lot more like Him? Hollywood would just have to start poking fun at someone else. 
Jonathan McKee is president of The Source for Youth Ministry and author
of numerous youth ministry books like
"Do They Run When They See You Coming?"
and the brand new "Getting Students to Show Up."
Jonathan studies youth culture and trends, speaking
and training across the country
and providing free online resources, training, & ideas for youth workers at
www.TheSource4YM.com
If you haven't seen this film, I encourage you to rent this one right away. This little gem is fun family entertainment that young kids, teenagers and adults will all love. I was VERY surprised at the positive light this film cast on God, faith, and prayer. (How often do you see this happen in Hollywood?) You'll find multiple ways to use this film to provoke discussion with others. Here's one "ready-made" for ya! 
(Universal Pictures, 2007) Main Point of Discussion: When we choose to obey God and His will for our lives, we will face persecution- but when we do, God blesses us and shows us who our true friends are. The Movie Clip: "Persecution at the Ark" Evan Almighty is a hilarious movie with several usable discussion clips. This story is about Evan (who we met first in Bruce Almighty), now leaving his job as a TV news anchorman in Buffalo, NY to become the newly elected congressman in Washington D.C. Evan's campaign promise and slogan was to "Change the World." Although he had his own plans to accomplish that, God (Morgan Freeman) shows up, and Evan is given the task of building an ark, just like Noah. (You can read more about this film in our movie review on this page.) The clip we are using is later in the film when Evan faces the media and the crowd as the predicted time for the flood arrives. Introducing the Clip: Today I want to show you a clip from the movie, Evan Almighty. Many of you have seen this hilarious film about an ordinary guy named Evan, played by Steve Carell, who is instructed by God to build an ark. I'm going to show you a clip towards the end of the film when Evan is facing the ridicule of the media and the crowds watching. His family had already doubted him earlier in the film, but now watch how they respond in comparison to the crowd- especially his kids. Let's take a look. Scene Script: BEGIN CLIP AT THE BEGINNING OF CHAPTER 16 at 1 hour, 10 minutes and 58 seconds as Evan is pleading with the crowd to board the ark regardless of the fact that it is a beautiful day with blue skies. Evan: (yelling to the crowd) People! The flood is imminent! Board the ark! Save yourselves. Man from Crowd: Get down you fool! Evan: (yelling to the crowd) Listen to me! The time has come! Woman from Crowd: No Captain Ahab! Your time has come! (the crowd laughs) Man from Crowd: Yeah Baxter! The weather's 70 and sunny with a chance of crazy! (the crowd begins to laugh more, but then everyone hears rumbling) Evan: (yelling to the crowd) Do you hear that? The rains are upon us! Evan's son: Dad, I don't think that's the rains. (A construction crew rumbles in with a big wrecking ball to destroy the ark. Congressman Long arrives and tries to talk Evan down from the boat. Evan doesn't budge. Congressman Long orders the boat destroyed.) Policeman: (in bullhorn) Evacuate immediately! You have three minutes! (Evan's wife Joan and their three kids approach Evan.) Joan: Honey. We have to go. They're going to destroy the boat. Evan: No. It can't end this way. (yelling to God) Is it too much to ask for a little precipitation?!! Joan: Honey, maybe God didn't mean a literal flood. Maybe he meant a flood of knowledge or emotion or awareness. Evan: If that's true, I am going to be so pissed! Police Man: (still yelling in the bullhorn) Get off the boat now or you will be removed by force. (Evan's wife continues to try to reason with Evan, but the kids don't budge.) Evan's oldest son: Dad, whatever you say, I'm with you. Evan's middle son: Yeah, me too. Evan's youngest son: Yeah, me too. But can we keep some of the animals? I like the alpaca. He spits. END CLIP AT 1 hour 14 minutes and 25 seconds. Transitional Statement: This scene really connects us with what the real Noah might have felt like when he was building the Ark. Because people thought he was crazy or a religious fanatic, they chose to ridicule him rather than try and understand. What's really interesting is that God led his family back to support Evan after they had initially given up. Divide into Small Groups: Let's go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we'll come back together for a final word. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS, SCRIPTURE AND A WRAP UP
Yes, it's that simple. We want to hear how
www.TheSource4YM.com
has helped you. And anyone of you that sends us an email telling us how our resources
have made an impact in your ministry registers to win one of five "Thou Shalt Laugh 2"
DVD's that we'll be giving away on its release November 6th!The laughter doesn't stop in THOU SHALT LAUGH 2: THE DEUCE as comedy legend and Emmy Award-winning writer/actor Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show) hosts an uproarious night of stand-up comedy featuring some of the most talented artists working in show business today. Returning performers and audience-favorites Taylor Mason and Thor Ramsey are joined by TSL2 newcomers Saturday Night Live's Victoria Jackson, Bone, and Dan Nainan. All the comedians are Christians! Available October 23, 2007 (online at www.thoushaltlaugh.com) and November 6 (everywhere) We're giving away five of these hilarious DVDs free to five names we'll draw from a hat. Just send us an email telling us how our resources have helped make an impact in your ministry and we'll add your name to the hat. HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
contest@TheSource4YM.com
AND INSPIRING THE 21st CENTURY VOLUNTEER Get Jonathan and Tom's new book, THE NEW BREED (Coming This November)
"Eye Opening And Thought Provoking!" -ZIG ZIGLAR and Occasionally Even Firing Today's Volunteers Adapt to the changing world of volunteer management. More than ever, today's volunteers work online, need flexible hours, and want to play a role in defining their jobs. They also want to feel a sense of responsibility for your organization's overall mission. Harness this passion and potential-with results that uplift your goals and enable your volunteers. AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE THIS NOVEMBER (You'll want to get it from us!)
CHAP CLARK ABOUT THIS NEW GENERATION OF VOLUNTEERS: "Leading volunteers has always been among the most vital tasks in ministry. Yet as society has changed, and people's lives have become more chaotic and fragmented, the task of leading leaders has never been more challenging. In The New Breed, Tom and Jonathan McKee offer us all a comprehensive, thorough and usable handbook for equipping and training volunteers in today's hectic world. Well researched, solidly grounded and filled with practical tips and tools, The New Breed is sure to become the standard for raising up and leading a new generation of volunteers." Chap Clark , Ph.D. Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary Author, HURT: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers Senior Editor, Youthworker Journal THE AUTHORS:
Jonathan McKee is president of The Source for Youth Ministry and author
of numerous youth ministry books like
"Do They Run When They See You Coming?"
and the brand new "Getting Students to Show Up."
Jonathan studies youth culture and trends, speaking
and training across the country
and providing free online resources, training, & ideas for youth workers at
www.TheSource4YM.com
Thomas McKee is the president and owner of
VolunteerPower.com,
a leadership development firm specializing in volunteerism. He has over 40 years of experience in
volunteer leadership and has trained over 100,000 leaders on how to manage the chaos of change in
an organization. His books include They Don't Play My Music Anymore-How to Plan Your Future
When the World Keeps Changing and How to Make the Team Work-A Leadership Training Manual
for New Managers.Delivered free via e-mail to subscribers each week. We encourage you to distribute this newsletter freely and ask only that you not change its contents. HAVE YOU MISSED PAST "EZINE" ARTICLES? CLICK HERE FOR JONATHAN'S "EZINE" ARCHIVES And for more FREE resources and ideas ... go to THE SOURCE www.TheSource4YM.com Copyright ©2007 The Source for Youth Ministry All rights reserved. |
|
 GET A FREE BOOK & FREE U.S. SHIPPING ON ALL SIX PACK ORDERS (CLICK HERE)   CLICK HERE FOR MORE  |
|||||||||||||||
|
© 1999-2008 The Source for Youth Ministries
Site Disclaimer
|
Designed by WebNurds |