When I learned recently that thousands of kids across the city of Atlanta show up to the first day of school with absolutely no school supplies, I have to admit that I was a bit shocked. I honestly didn’t think about it.
What do unemployed parents do when it comes time to buy the things their kids need?
What do parents who are underemployed or barely make enough to pay some of the bills do?
I’m not being crass, but food stamps doesn’t cover pencils and paper and rulers and glue.
These parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and foster parents across Atlanta often have to make the tough decision to send their kids to school with few or no school supplies because they simply can’t afford them.
Do teachers not teach and wait until the supplies are purchased? Nope. Do schools make up the difference with some extra money they have? No such money exists.
It won’t solve every problem, but we are pledging to make sure that every child at an inner city Atlanta elementary school has every thing they need when they start school in 10 days on Monday, August 10th and we NEED YOUR HELP!
I hope that you are doing really well! On this past Sunday I taught about how important it is for us to actually DEMONSTRATE our love for people in the world. Love should be in your mind and in your heart, but it needs to come out of those places and actually bless people!
It’s a good thing that Jesus didn’t just think about how much he loves us! Can I get an internet AMEN? :-)
So, we want to demonstrate our love for some real people in our community that seriously need our help. With over 95% of its students at or below the poverty level, Frank L. Stanton Elementary School is an amazing place here in inner city Atlanta. The staff works wonders with meager resources and produces some of the sharpest kids around. This past December, a month before our church launched, we did a huge uniform and toy drive for the school that not only garnered HUGE attention, it blessed the kids. See the video here.
On August 10th (less than 2 weeks), hundreds of kids will go to school for the first time this year, but will go without the school supplies they need. Will school stop? Of course not. Will teachers not give homework? No. Even without the supplies they need, the school must go on!
With school districts cutting back and teachers even being asked to consider pay cuts, teachers and school administrators are going to be without the supplies need, UNLESS WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
I am about to give you a detailed school supply list of what the students and teachers need to make this year start off right and you have three ways you can help.
The good news is that you have 3 ways to make this work! The bad news is that I already told the school that all of my generous friends were going to give so you pretty much have to give now :-)
1. Buy any/all of these things directly and bring them to a Courageous Church service on Sunday morning.
2. Buy them online or in a store and have them mailed to: Courageous Church, 1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 560, Atlanta, GA 30309
A few days ago I told that I actually agree with Bill Maher that the Bible is full of seemingly ridiculous ideas and stories. Much of it I believe in faith, but I believe it nonetheless and want share with you why I believe it and don’t feel like I have to check my brain in at the door in the process.
Something truly unexplainable has happened in my heart, mind, and soul. Details here.
Time and time and time again the words within it have helped sustain and guide my life like no other book or sacred text in the world.
I love Jesus and believe that the Old Testament is a book the foretells of His coming and the New Testament displays His life, ministry, and those that came to tell others all about Him.
It’s challenging. The Bible is not a feel-good book full of simple, easy anecdotes, but is an amazingly challenging book that pushes us way outside of our comfort zone!
It’s actually exciting. The Bible is full of courageous, risk-taking, adventurous men, women, families, and communities that take bold stands for the God they love.
It’s Alive! While the actual words of the Bible may remain the same, its applications mean something fresh and new to me every single day.
Some of the greatest thinkers, leaders, and freedom fighters in the history of the world were changed by it.
Recently I wrote an article that was equal parts critique and sympathy for Bill Maher’s latest documentary – Religulous. I think it’s worth watching and I actually sympathized with much of what Bill said was outrageous about contemporary Christianity. However, because Bill was so hung up on how ridiculous so many of the stories and themes of the Bible seem to be, he just couldn’t bring himself to believe any of it. That’s what I wrote about here and for the rest of this week I want to offer some of the key reasons why I believe the Bible even though it seems to be pretty far out there!
The # 1 reason why I believe in such a ridiculous book full of seemingly far-fetched tales and hard to believe miracles is pretty ridiculous all by itself and you won’t understand it unless it’s happened to you…
Something has happened in my heart/soul/mind that I can’t quite explain that compels me to believe that Jesus the Christ is exactly who the Bible says he is. I believe it my bones. I can’t shake it. And because I believe that Jesus Christ is who the Bible says he is, I believe what he had to say about the sacred nature and importance of Holy texts, how he esteemed the words of the Torah, and, consequently, I choose to believe it because he did.
Jesus regularly quoted biblical passages and alluded to scripture from the time he began his earthly ministry until the last day of his life. If it was that central for him, it’s good for me (and hopefully for you).
I like Bill Maher. I’m a fan and have been for a long time. So I was a bit surprised when watching Religulous last night at his fundamental misunderstanding of the Bible. Bill is a pretty smart guy and the movie showed him making a lot of unintelligent people look dumb (which isn’t a feat at all). Bill would really benefit from a few private lessons from a caring and engaging theologian.
Bill made simple mistakes like saying that the Gospels were poorly written and incomplete biographies. If the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were intended to be biographies I would agree that they were incomplete, but the Gospels were not written to be exhaustive biographies, but persuasive summaries that focused on a small segment of the life of a man named Jesus.
Bill basically said that the Virgin Birth was not believable because it’s not included in all 4 Gospels. Just another simple error. It’s not like some Gospels dispute the Virgin Birth, they just don’t include details about it at all. The omission of the story does not make it less believable, but, in all fairness, if no one takes the time to explain this to Bill – how will he know?
You may be shocked at what I am about to say, but Bill spent a lot of time making the argument that the Bible is an utterly RIDICULOUS book, but I actually agree with him. Arguing that the Bible is not ridiculous is silly in my opinion.
Some far away Creator designing and creating the world is bananas!
Moses parting the Red Sea is insane!
David slaying a giant with a small rock and a sling shot is totally preposterous!
Jesus being raised from the dead is completely CRAZY!
I agree with all of these statements (and I am a Christian pastor). The thing is – the Bible IS an utterly ridiculous book and our faith is an utterly ridiculous faith.
I don’t believe it because it’s easy to believe. I don’t preach it because it all makes perfect sense. I don’t live how I live because I think the Bible should win the Pulitzer Prize.
It’s an ancient text. It often lacks style. It is full of gaps in time and substance (like 20 years of the life of Jesus), but I love the Bible (not in spite of) because of these things. The Bible wasn’t written like a legal case study arguing to win a lawsuit. If you view it as such you will be sorely disappointed.
It’s a faith document that requires faith to believe and faith to live.
The Bible is not a contemporary science book (as the Vatican astronomer so aptly described in Religulous) and was written before science was understood as we understand it today. When we try to critique the Bible because it doesn’t line up with our modern ideas of genetics, it’s really an apples & oranges situation that shouldn’t be argued. The Bible is not the guidebook to the Human Genome Project.
Here’s the thing – I won’t argue that the story isn’t ridiculous because it really is. I choose to believe it anyways for at least 10 key reasons that I will share over the next week or so. Hope you’ll follow the discussion!
Tonight our church is launching an initiative that we are calling “Choose Your Own Adventure” that we are basing on the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:25-40 in which we try to simply do what Jesus said we should do. Here’s the passage,
35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’37“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
—
I don’t know about you, but at the end of the day, I just want to do what Jesus said to do. So, tonight me and some friends are simply going to go out and give water to our thirsty homeless neighbors here in downtown Atlanta. We’re not really going to be talking about God or the church or passing out flyers. We’re just going to pass out water and hopefully spark some good conversations. You absolutely do not have to be a part of our church to be a part of this and we’d love to see you tonight.
Wanna come hang with us? Meet us on the top level of the Courageous Church parking deck @ 7:30pm. The address is: 1330 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30313. Dress lightly and casually. Bring some bottled water if you can and feel free to bring friends (or come alone).
After everyone arrives, we are going to make a quick drive to Woodruff Park by the 5 Points Marta station and do our thing for about an hour. It’s simple, but it’s fulfilling and honors the words of Jesus.
Email: jasonking@courageous.tv & aviedurr@courageous.tv if you need additional information
A few times a day I get an email asking for advice on a pretty challenging situation someone is facing. When I think sharing the situation would help the readers of this blog (as well as the person that originally asked the question) I ask permission to post some or all of the discussion. This is one of those times. I’d love for you to read the message and offer your sincere and transparent advice. Here it is:
I recently got married in April. I just discovered that my Christian husband has been looking at porn prior to our marriage and during. I do not know how to bring up the subject to address it with him. Do you have some advice? I am completely broken hearted over this and feel betrayed.
Let’s talk about it. What would you do? What’s your best advice? Have you overcome this type of challenge before?
I love being the pastor of Courageous Church. I mean it when I say I am having the absolute time of my life as our young community grows and labors to Love God, Love People, and Prove It!
It’s not easy though. I’ve made a ton of mistakes and we’re just now crossing the 6 month mark in our young history. One thing that has been consistently challenging for me is identifying and empowering leaders to lead. The five things that I really look for in leaders are the same as they were a year ago when we were planning to launch the church, but they are definitely not in the same order.
12 months ago, skill and experience were the most important things I was looking for in a leader. That was before I was a pastor. Now, out of the five things I am looking for, they are still on the list, but they are probably last to be honest with you.
Don’t get me wrong, I love people with skills doing what they do best. Experience in a similar area is overrated.
Here are the questions I ask now:
Is this person passionate about God and passionate about Courageous Church?
Does this person have potential demonstrated by a willingness to learn and grow?
Has this person demonstrated personal integrity in their relationships with others in and out of the church?
–
If the person has passion, potential, and integrity, skill and experience just don’t mean as much to me. However, if the person has skills and experience, but lacks any combination of passion, potential, or integrity we are going to have problems.
Let’s be real – people don’t need experience in parking, to oversee parking. If they have passion, integrity, and potential, they will quickly learn what it takes.
People don’t need experience or skills as an usher somewhere to be a welcoming force in our church. Passion, integrity, and potential will cause them to learn what it takes very quickly.
Our church is embarking on some adventurous projects around Atlanta (and the world) and I’d love to have some people with the skills and experience to lead what we’re doing, but I am honestly looking for passion, integrity, and potential first.
UPDATE:: As of 2pm on Tuesday, July 21st – ALL CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED against Dr. Gates and the City of Cambridge called the arrest “regrettable and unfortunate.” -via NY Times
—
Named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential American’s, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, famed Harvard Professor, is one of the most respected historians and scholars in the world. As an African American Studies major @ Morehouse College, I read almost every book he wrote or edited and learned to admire his gentle spirit and tireless work ethic. I respect him about as much as I do anybody in the world.
When I learned that he was arrested yesterday, it was a major WTF(udge) moment for me. It’d be kind of like hearing that your mother was arrested.
After arriving back in Boston from doing a PBS documentary in China, Dr. Gates and his driver discovered that it appeared someone might have damaged the front door to his home. After they attempted to enter it and couldn’t, Dr. Gates went to the back door with his keys, let himself in, disarmed the alarm, and opened the front door from the inside.
To his surprise, a plain clothes officer soon arrived at the house, said that a neighbor called the police to report that “two BLACK men with backpacks were breaking into the house next door” and demanded to see identification from Dr. Gates – which he provided (both state ID & Harvard ID).
Instead of treating Dr. Gates as if he was a victim, the officer proceeded to question Dr. Gates, who walks with a cane, as if he was some type of perpetrator. When Dr. Gates became agitated that he was being questioned in his own home, he was arrested, handcuffed with his hands behind his back, and taken to the police department in a squad car for four hours.
They said they arrested Dr. Gates because he was “making a scene” but how can a man that has produced his ID in his own home be making a scene?
Here are some other questions coming to my mind:
How many White Harvard professors have been arrested in their own home in Cambridge?
Why do two Black men with backpacks, in spite of the fact that they are senior doggone citizens, look like robbers instead of students or scholars to some people? (Maybe for the same reason Amadou Diallo got shot for shooting a gun that was really a wallet)
Why didn’t the officer just leave the home and apologize after Dr. Gates produced his state ID (with the same address) and his Harvard ID?
— It’s not right. Tell me all you want about never arguing with a police officer. I understand that. Trust me…I know. But you don’t arrest a Senior Scholar @ Harvard University in his own home for making a scene. Period.
I know President Obama is a Black man. I know racism isn’t what it used to be. But doggone it – it’s still real. It still hurts. It still sucks. I’m tired of it.
I’m listening to a little Bruce & E-Street to let off a little steam and thought I’d share it with you. 41 Shots is one of the most powerful songs recorded in the past 20 years IMO.
I still get nervous before speaking. Every time. Without fail.
I have been speaking publicly around the world for about 15 years now and I thought I’d be over my nervousness at this point in the game, but it still shows up like clockwork. I regularly get an upset stomach before speaking and literally have to run to the bathroom to do #3 minutes before game-time. (Don’t tell me that’s TMI - I just want you to understand that this is real for me too.)
Whether I am speaking before a group of death row inmates, crazy kindergartners, or before the people I serve on Sunday morning, I get the jitters…until I start speaking. Once I start, my cold feet warm up and I do what I do. I have a few secrets that I want to share with you and I hope they help you deal with any nervousness you may experience before you get up to speak!
1. I ask God for help. I’m not sure if you’re on speaking terms with the God of the Universe, but I am crazy enough to believe that God cares about our concerns and helps us in our times of need. I need God in a major way when I am speaking so before I get up to speak (and while I am speaking) I ask God to guide me, speak through me, and strengthen me.
2. I remember that I am prepared. Unless I get asked to speak at the last minute (then I really do what I say above and below), I remind myself that I have prepared myself for this moment in this place at this time better than anyone else in the world. Preparation for public speaking is like weight-training and sparring for a UFC fighter…you can go to the fight without it, but will probably regret it afterward. In the moments before I get up to speak I remind myself that I have prepared for this moment and it calms me down. Obviously telling yourself that you have prepared if you have not really prepared won’t work :-)
3. I commit to only speak in my own voice. I’m a terrible actor. I suck at role-playing. I forget lines and cues. However, nobody can beat me at being me and nobody can beat you at being you. Public speaking is hard enough as it is without having to keep up some type of act like I’m somebody that I’m not. As I get up to speak before a crowd of 50 or 5,000, I commit to speaking in my own voice, with my own style, and my own strengths. After all, this is what I do everyday all day. As I remind myself that I am not up for a show or an act, but that I am only there to speak as myself, it calms me down and may do the same thing for you.
4. I have no backup plan. This may sound a bit counter-intuitive, but I find that having or even thinking about backup plans or cop-outs or escape routes or excuses only causes me to focus on how to avoid my responsibilities as a public speaker. While this puts a bit of healthy pressure on me to be ready to rock, eliminating the option of not speaking causes me to just focus on the matter at hand and remind myself that I am the person needed to speak at this point in time.
5. I GET to Speak. Public speaking is not a burden or a chore, it’s an opportunity that we GET to do! How awesome is it to be able to just stand before a group of people and share what you have prepared with the hope and expectation that it will help them in some real way?! In the moments before I get up to the microphone, I remind myself of how big of a blessing it is to GET to speak and never think of it as what I HAVE to do. Maybe it is what I HAVE to do at that moment, but truthfully, God didn’t HAVE to give me (or you) the opportunity. We get to do what we do because of doors that have been opened up for us. Public speaking is an amazing privilege and thinking of it as such puts a smile on my face before it’s time to speak.
Very amped to see my collaborative article in Neue Magazine entitled “A Multi- Conversation” about some new trends and developments in (and out of) the church.
Today you are 28 years old. I taught you how to drive in an empty Lexington parking lot and now you are sticking your tongue out @ me because you can parallel park better than I can :-)
In about another year, you will have been my woman for half of your life. You are the only woman I have ever been with. You are the only woman I have ever desired.
I love you. I love your smile. I love your style. I love your support of me. I love your beauty. I love your (?’%$#@)….this is a PG blog :-)
You are my best friend. You are my lover. You are my wife. You are the wonderful mother to all 5 of our kids.
You’ve been with me through more ups and downs and twists and turns than I ever thought we’d take and it seems like you actually enjoy the ride!
I love you passionately. Not lightheartedly, not a little bit, not gingerly, not casually, but woman I would chase down a band of robbers at gunpoint and choke one of them until the police came I love you so much (inside joke) :-)
Rai-Tonicia D’Vonne King – you are my woman. I like kissing you. I love holding you. I like cooking turkey burgers on the grill for you. I like grabbing your butt when no one is looking.
I like doing your dirty dishes. I like taking you on the road with me when I speak somewhere. I like how you tell me the truth about myself.
You are my woman. God knew I needed you. You’ve seen me through spinal surgeries and car accidents. You loved me when I got fired from that job and that other job too :-)
My enemies are your enemies and my friends are your friends.
You are my baby. I have grown up with you. You have carried three of our babies and had three grueling pregnancies and keep bouncing back like a G.
Girlfriend I love you with all of my heart and I always will. I want to die your husband. I want to live the rest of my days as your man. I love how you love me. I love how your family loves me.
I love our past. I love where we are today. I love our future and it hasn’t even happened yet.
You are 28 years young Rai. You look good and are full of so much life and potential. I cannot wait to see where God takes us and see the new things our God does through you. You have only scratched the surface of your potential.
I just wanted to take a second and give a special shout out to all of my Streaming Faith friends who clicked here today because of the Daily Devotional that was published this morning! A few thousand of you all normally click over here and I just wanted to give you a quick list of the most popular posts on my blog. Click around and comment if you can!
Social media and online tools have been central to much of the success Courageous Church has had in our first months. We get a ton of questions about what tools we use and how we do what we do and I got a chance to speak @ the BUG Conference @ Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama today. I think I need to write a future blog post about our use of Facebook ads because of how many questions I got about them today, but here are some keys thoughts about building a real sense of community online:
(I just got home tonight after a very long day so I don’t have time to expand my notes, but would be glad to answer any questions you may have)
1. All of the rules of building a community off-line still apply!
(Be consistent, be transparent, be honest, be a good listener, be responsive, be outgoing, etc.)
2. Be the church.
(Pray for people, offer biblical advice, point them to resources, connect them to other people, etc.)
3. Services are not Expensive!
(Facebook, Twitter, Google Apps, YouTube, LiveStream are Free. Blogs are Cheap. Websites are affordable.)
4. Don’t get caught up in expensive gadgets.
(I have a Gateway laptop I bought @ Wal-Mart for $500. A Flip camera for $100 & an old-school Blackberry.)
5. Be Yourself.
(If your goal is for your online community to become a LIVE community people will discover the real you.)
6. Keep Crassness to a Minimum. Keep both feet on the ground, but vulgarity, etc. hurts more than it helps.
(Crassness abounds and you can’t out-crass the world. Be funny, be real, but crassness confuses people.)
7. People tend to over-commit and underperform online.
(If 100 People RSVP to your Facebook Invitation, 200 people could show up, but it’ll be more like 40.)
8. Pick a few things and do them well instead of 20 and suck at all of them.
(Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog, Church/Business Website)
9. Don’t oversell events or church services that may suck. People may actually show up.
(Spend WAY more time on systems and quality than you do neat online stuff. In-person quality will make what you do online much, much easier.)
10. The same relationship boundaries that apply in person apply online. Be careful!
(What happens online is not fake, it’s real. What happens online is not private or secret, it’s public.)
Yesterday I received emails from two total strangers about our church.
The first email was pretty harsh and proclaimed that I was “shortchanging the Gospel” by making church and Christianity “sound fun.” The author ended her email by stating, “I am obviously not your target audience.”
The second email was the polar opposite. Here’s an excerpt:
“I’ve been reading about your church. I am not really sure where my religious views fall, I really just mix alot of ideas up, but I am not a Christian. I do however find your church to be an amazing example of what I feel church of any religion should be. You inspire me to give church another chance.”
Here’s the thing…the first email was a blistering critique from a seasoned, lifelong Christian. I could get bent out of shape by what she thought, but to her own admission, she is not who we are trying to reach.
The second email was from a person that is on the fence with God and the church and made a total heart connection with our style and strategies. This person epitomizes our target audience.
At the end of the day you have to know who you are and you aren’t. In some ways, I actually saw the critique of our church as a compliment because it confirmed that we are successfully projecting ourselves just the way we planned. When you know who you are(n’t) you can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’ :-)
Just a few years ago I was changing her diapers. Now she’s tall enough to ride the scary roller coasters with me. Shocking! If you have never been on the Beast, it’s amazing. I rode it as a child now rode with my child. Full-circle moments are amazing.
Apparently it was against the rules to film us riding this roller coaster, so check it out while you can if you wanna hear me scream and hear my daughter say, “Hello Twitter People” :-) Here goes:
Our Courageous Church t-shirts are finally available for order and will arrive in about 2 weeks! Place your orders today and email info@courageous.tv if you have any questions! Remember that all of the profits from these shirts go directly to our Global PlumpyNut Initiative!
Just a few days ago I posted 10 things that are a whole bunch harder than I expected about starting and growing a church. I forgot something big, that if not done (very) often, can undermine your leadership and overall effectiveness in a major way.
Saying NO. Whether you say it in Spanish or English (a cheesy [...]
Earlier this week I created a list of 10 things about starting and growing a church that have been much harder than I expected. Today I want to take a few minutes out to talk with you the item on the list that the most people requested we discuss…DIVERSITY!
Diversity is beautiful. Diversity is honorable. Diversity [...]
Hello! I'm Shaun King - a 30 year old husband, father, pastor, and grad student (in that order) in downtown Atlanta.
I am the Lead Pastor of The Courageous Church- a brand new, diverse, exciting church in the heart of downtown Atlanta! Before I put on my SuperSuit and go live out my call in the city, I fix my five kids a bowl of cereal, change diapers, pack lunches, and give my wife a kiss.
This blog is all about the tight rope that I walk between Courage & Corn Pops!
I like Bill Maher. I’m a fan and have been for a long time. So I was a bit surprised when watching Religulous last night at his fundamental misunderstanding of the Bible. Bill is a pretty smart guy and the movie showed him making a lot of unintelligent people look dumb (which isn’t a feat at all). Bill would really benefit from a few private lessons from a caring and engaging theologian.
Tonight our church is launching an initiative that we are calling “Choose Your Own Adventure” that we are basing on the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:25-40 in which we try to simply do what Jesus said we should do. Here’s the passage,
A few times a day I get an email asking for advice on a pretty challenging situation someone is facing. When I think sharing the situation would help the readers of this blog (as well as the person that originally asked the question) I ask permission to post some or all of the discussion. This is one of those times. I’d love for you to read the message and offer your sincere and transparent advice. Here it is:
Here are some other questions coming to my mind:
I still get nervous before speaking. Every time. Without fail.
Hey wifey. I love you so much.
Rai-Tonicia D’Vonne King – you are my woman. I like kissing you. I love holding you. I like cooking turkey burgers on the grill for you. I like grabbing your butt when no one is looking.
