Disciples of Disney?

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Written by David Perkins

Why young adults need to hear a ‘better song’— biblical truths about love and marriage

I sing a lot in my sermons. I sing because students know and resonate with the songs that they have heard since they were children. In fact, young adults’ ideas about love and marriage are usually formed more by Disney movies and other media than biblical narratives. So I grab their attention by singing a familiar Disney song and then explain a better story—God’s story. Here are three lies that Disney movies tell young people.

Teens are worthy of worship by someone of the opposite sex. You know the story—it’s the all-too-familiar young romance movie. A young man becomes infatuated with the striking beauty of a young woman, going to great lengths to woo her. He will kill any dragon, trek any foreign land and embrace any hardship to be with the young lady. Once he rescues her, he sings, praises and whisks her away to a life of bliss. It’s a great story. It’s fun, exciting and pulls at our heartstrings. However, there is a problem. God is left out of the story.

Here is a better story: a God-honoring man goes to great lengths to woo the heart of a woman who fears God. Together, they honor God by serving and loving each other for the rest of their lives. These two stories have similar plots, but the difference lies in who is worthy of being worshipped.

Face Time

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Written by Larry Keefauver

Avoid the pitfalls of electronic communication with practical action steps toward real conversation

My whole family seems to be addicted to their mobile phones and computers. How do we break this?"
I often get this question from concerned parents who, like this woman, are starting to realize that instead of having genuine, face-to-face communication, their family talks with one another and others through online chat, emails, text messages, tweets, Facebook and other social networking tools.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with using these communication avenues, we can look out for some warning signs. As leaders, it's important we're aware not only of how this issue affects our own families, but we also need to help the families in our church maintain a standard.
Communicating electronically has the benefit of expanding the ways we can talk to one another in families, but it cannot replace face-to-face communication. The danger can be that electronic communication replaces real, personal sharing and intimacy. Re-member that non-verbal communication is about 80 to 90 percent of the message. When all we send and receive from one another is a text or email, the full communication is missing.

God Designed Life to Share

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Written by Joey Bonifacio

Last Monday I walked by this secluded beach in Ko Olina in Hawaii. Without the clean soft breeze, the chirping birds, the sound of waves splashing on the rocks, and the scent of the blue ocean … pictures like these are … well … just pictures.

No matter how beautiful this spot was it is of little value because I had no one to share it with. The Bible is indeed correct when it declares, “it is not good for man to be alone.”

It’s funny how we work ourselves to death and take for granted what actually matters, our closest relationships. I could only wish Marie was with me at that particular moment. Life is meant for sharing.

Life is composed of multiple moments that are here for a while and then are gone. Makes you think of how important each moment we have with the people we love have to be maximized and taken advantage of. Life is meant for sharing.

Iglesia en América

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Written by Ken Walker

The Hispanic community is growing in America, but what about in the church?

Worship Your Way Through

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Written by Ross Parsley

How our church found God in the midst of tragedy

Tween Talk

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Written by Titus Benton

How to lead a great group discussion with preteens