Some thoughts on engaging my generation.

My generation is highly visual.
1. We use our eyes as our dominant sense, as our ears tend to be full of iPod.
2. For the same reason, our eyes are all the more important for communication, be it with Internet chat, or seeing a friend or acquaintance in the street.

My generation is also over stimulated.
1. Video games and Cinema experience are designed to engage many senses, and technology is growing in this area.
2. I read somewhere recently that young people tend to watch TV and use the internet at the same time. This is now the norm.
3. In order to catch our full attention, much entertainment or information must have that Cinema experience.
4. Making the effort to sit down and read a book has become much more difficult in my life time, as the internet has grown. This, I would argue, is because the internet provides the opportunity for a 'deeper' engagement through video/audio and graphical/text based information all at once.

Some questions:
1. What does this mean for the preacher? Does he adapt these growing mediums? Or does he provide an alternative to the trend?
2. What does this mean for the worker charged with Pastoral care? Must something change to allow proper relationships to develop?
3. What does this mean for leaders of praise and worship in our church? (recognising that this is broader than music, I in fact am intending to ask this more as a focus on singing praises to God)
4. What does this mean for the evangelist? What mediums should they be using to spread the good news?
5. How can we encourage our young people* to spend the time in the Bible, with full attention?
6. How can we encourage our young people* to spend time in prayer, with a proper focus on God?

*yes, I am 'young people', and I struggle with these.

Imagine..?

"Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today"

This is the reality of so many people, living life for a 'heaven' in which Jesus doesn't exist.
Where Christ's atoning death counts for nothing as we live our daily lives pretending the biggest moment in recorded history was simply an unfortunate event for a man and his family.
Lennon describes the Atheist's heaven, which becomes the ultimate Hell. Separation from God.

I don't need to imagine John, I can see the people living for today all around me.. and it makes me sad.

Lennon's song was supposed to be one of hope.
The reality is probably better reflected in the cover by A Perfect Circle.

A bit of Controversy..

The chorus of a popular and much anticipated rock song* of 2006 goes like this:

"I need to watch things die
From a good safe distance
Vicariously, I
Live while the whole world dies
You all feel the same so
Why can't we just admit it"

In context, the song is talking about watching death on the television, via the news and other programs: "Stare like a junky into the TV"

But having a listen tonight for the first time in a while had me thinking, is this not true of our experience as Christians if we aren't getting out there and spreading the Gospel?
You might react and see this as harsh.. but if we aren't actively seeking to share the Gospel, are we just living while the whole world dies?


*the song is Vicarious by the band Tool. If Maynard knew I was linking his music to sharing the Gospel I think he'd be sick, many times.

The Ps, the Es, and a little Irony

I just can't dig politics.
Nor economics.

I just don't quite understand them.
I know their value, and I know, in a sense, we need them both.

And as a Christian it's certainly something I need to be mindful of.

But I could never blog about it.
This is ok, because One Salient Oversight covers it. (I can't pretend to understand most of what he talks about.)

If he blogged about NIN or Rage Against the Machine (bands in his favourite music list that I am known to be a little fond of), then I would understand the content.. Ironically enough, both bands bang on about politics and economics..

Edit: if you rearrange P(s) E(s) and I(rony) you get PIE.. not related, but yummy.