Crossroads Youth

Question…what do you get when you combine a blond pop singer, the California desert, a semi-sketch looking bearded be-turbaned man, an elephant, and an assortment of visual and lyrical trippy/hippie references?

Why Kesha’s video for “Your Love is My Drug” of course! And after watching it and reading the lyrics multiple times…actually just once…I think I’ve stumbled upon the deeper meaning behind this multilayered production:

The love from Kesha’s video-dude is just like a drug addiction ! See how I put that together???
Continue Reading…

From James Bond in Britain to Spy Kids in 3-D, we all love our espionage movies with a passion. It must be the combination of way cool gadgets, secret identities, and triumphing over the EEEEEVIL that lurks in every corner of the world – or maybe if you’re like me, you just like to see stuff blow up… a lot.

You know who can really handle explosives? Angelina -(not Bradgelina, rumor has it that he had to stay home and babysit their 57 kids) – yep, Jolie is now known as Salt. Our Tomb Raider has now entered the spy vs. spy world as a CIA operative who is accused of being a sleeper agent for those pesky Ruskies. She’s on the run for her life and trying to prove the accusations false, and yeah, a lot of stuff blows up.

Interesting that the writers of this film chose the name ‘salt’ isn’t it? Perhaps they were trying to shake up the summer a bit and add some flavor to the already action packed movie offerings? Either way, this flick should definitely quench people’s thirst for 2 hours of answering the ‘Who is salt?’ question.

Interesting also that one of the primary ways that Jesus identifies His followers is as salt as well. Not that we are potential counter agents on the run so we need to dye our hair and generally destroy anything that gets in our way…even though that might be exciting.

No, we have a much bigger mission:

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless” (Matthew 5:13).

“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other” (Mark 9:50).

“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Luke 14:34-35).

In these three passages are a clear directive and an even clearer warning. In Jesus’ day almost all your food choices were as bland as plain oatmeal, and as well, there was no refrigeration…so salt was an incredibly valuable commodity in bringing out flavor and preserving food. In fact, many Roman soldiers were paid with salt instead of money!

So the directive is simple: be salt with every situation and person that God puts on your plate. Get out of the shaker and bring out the God flavors of life like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Spread out your Christ-like attitudes and actions so that you can help preserve what is good in the world.

Most of all, live in such a way that you make people thirsty for something. Be so crazy full of God’s love for others and the good news of the gospel that your friends become aware of their spiritual dehydration and long to discover Jesus – the living water of eternal life.

And then there is the warning:

“But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless” (Matthew 5:13).

I know what you might be thinking…it’s impossible for sodium chloride to “lose” its saltiness – right? And you would be correct. Except in Jesus’ day, the salt licks had impurities mixed in, and if you left them out in the rain, the water would wash out the sodium chloride and leave the impure elements that had no ‘salty’ qualities. So on the outside it looked like salt, but it was worthless in terms of bringing out flavor and preserving food, so people just chucked them out in the street to help smooth out the roads.

And they will chuck you and me out too if we claim to follow Christ, but we’ve let the influence of the world wash out our desire and calling to be the salt of the earth. We’ll be accused of being a sleeper agent for Satan, and our usefulness will be reduced to padding out the potholes of life.

I’ve heard that it’s a healthy thing for people to cut their salt intake, but trust me…humanity’s spiritual health is in desperate need for Christians to preserve and promote the gift of eternal life that comes through trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Who is salt? You are salt! Let’s get shaking!

Flash Point

Take some time this week to think about how ‘salty’ you are in terms of seasoning the lives of others and making them thirsty for Christ. Or in other words, if you were put on trial for being a ‘salty Christian’, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Accelerant

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:6).

Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it (Luke 17:33).

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).

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© 2010 Dare 2 Share Ministries

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What did you dream about last night? Odds are you probably don’t remember, because 90% of your dreams are forgotten within 10 minutes of waking up.

But you did dream about something…4-7 separate times while you slumbered, your mind was incredibly active with symbolism and scenarios that could range from the joyful ability to fly to the deepest forms of terror known to humankind.

Like the guy who dreamed about eating Wheaties and woke up to discover half his pillow was chewed through…ew.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to invade someone else’s dream? What if we discovered the technology that would allow us to share the same dream space with other people?

That’s the premise behind the movie Inception…and it gets even better than that. This sci-fi thriller poses the idea of a thief being able to enter dreams and steal secrets or plant ideas. Inception is a roller coaster ride of pseudo-reality that will leave you very exhausted and a little bit concerned about the safety of your fantasy sleep land.

Of course if your dreams ever were invaded and something was taken from you, it might give you a window into how God feels. You see, He has a dream that every human being ever born would spend eternity with Him in heaven forever. At first His dream was a reality with Adam and Eve in a perfect Garden, but tragically the ultimate enemy of all humanity deceived them into turning God’s dream into a nightmare of sin, death, and an ultimate separation from God through eternity.

But God wasn’t through with us humans…not even close. To restore His beautiful vision for a paradise completely full of His beloved creatures, Jesus Christ took human form and died on the Cross, and when He came back from the dead the dream was restored! The message of the gospel is the passport to an eternity in a heaven that contains unimaginable joy and relationship with God and each other.

Ah, but the thief is still ever active, because God’s dream is Satan’s nightmare. The devil obsesses every second of every day about stealing the salvation message of Jesus Christ from any and all people. Here’s the way the Bible describes the spiritual version of Inception:

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

So now here is the most amazing part…you have been invited to jump into God’s dream space and fight the efforts of the devil as he attempts to steal the message of the gospel from those who are trapped in a hopeless and doomed spiritual state. Imagine God unleashing this mission directly to you:

“I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me” (Acts 26:17).

You can help make God’s dream of salvation for His creation a reality, but you have to have the courage and commitment to enter into places you never dared before. The unseen battle rages before you when you are talking to your friends about what Jesus has done for you. At that very moment, Satan is whispering discouraging and deceptive lies intended to blind them from the good news…

But you must remember that the unstoppable and unmatched power of God and the gospel are with you as you ‘ present God’s offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in Him.’

Can I describe the dream I have for you? From this day forward you wake up to the reality that your friends are truly lost and you take your mission to share the gospel seriously with boldness and unflinching loyalty. Then when your work in this life is done, you will stand before God in dazzling brightness and see a smile on the Savior’s face and hear the words ‘well done my good and faithful servant’ from His lips.

And then you will hear someone calling your name. At first you can’t make out who it is, and then the face you know well becomes clear. It is the friend you took a chance on when you shared the gospel – even when Satan tried to blind their minds and intimidate you into thinking that it’s not really that important.

It is important…beyond your wildest dreams in fact. So jump into God’s reality and help rescue your friends from the nightmare world of the Deceiver!

Flash Point

One of the ways to stay motivated and consistent in sharing your faith is to remember that there is an unseen battle for souls going on all around you. There is no neutral or meaningless interchange with anyone you meet, because the god of the world is constantly trying to blind everyone from the amazing things the God of the universe is doing.

Accelerant

In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams (Acts 2:17).

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13).

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen (2 Timothy 4:18).

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© 2010 Dare 2 Share Ministries

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Soul Fuel

Don’t Let the World Eclipse the Father

Maybe you thought it would have been love at first bite…but shockingly Bella is still as waifish in her affections and wavering in her commitments as the first moment the bare-chested wolfish man-cub appeared to turn up the heat on the love triangle.

“Face it, I’m way hotter than you,” says Jacob to the heat-challenged, square-jawed, pasty-faced Edward…ooooo what a burn!

And this is the riveting dialogue that you can expect from the third installment of the wildly popular and mega big bucks earner Twilight series. See if you can pick up all the new and unexpected plot twits from the official movie summary:

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Kristin Stewart’s Bella finds herself torn between Robert Pattinson’s Edward and Taylor Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black.

See what I mean? Because if I remember correctly, The Twilight Saga: New Moon was about Kristin Stewart’s Bella finding herself torn between Robert Pattinson’s Edward and Taylor Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black.

Subtle difference to be sure…so if you like New Moon , you’ll love Eclipse , because it’s the SAME MOVIE!!!

To sum up: a love triangle that transpires across species and time, and for millions, a connection with what it feels like to whiffle-waffle between two affections.

Bella’s predicament reminds me of another love triangle that operates on a much deeper level than emotion and feelings of the heart. For the Christian, there is a spiritual quandary that goes to the very core of the soul. It is a constant struggle between affections and affiliations which carries life altering consequences. The spiritual love triangle is described this way:

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out-but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity (1 John 2:15-17).

When you trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you entered into a love relationship with God the Father. His love is forgiving, freeing, and unconditional. Nothing you could ever say, feel, or do could make Him love you more, and nothing you could ever say, feel, or do could make Him love you less.

On the other hand, your perspective on the world before you trusted Christ is still a part of your identity. Your old self loves the deceitful glitter of party lights and pleasure pursuits, and more often than not, you’ll find yourself in a love triangle between your soul, the world, and your heavenly Father. The world calls to you and begs you to choose the way of temporary gratification and blinds you to the destructive destination.

Then there is the voice of the Father, who beckons you with these promises:

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (Jeremiah 31:3).

“I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them” (Psalm 91:14-15).

For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you (Isaiah 54:10).

When you compare the merciful and loving declarations of the Father with the empty and poisonous chatter of the world, the choice of who to follow becomes as obvious as a werewolf at a vampire convention. And how it must grieve the Father when we toy with affections for the world and live a Bella-esque double standard life!

Not only that, but remember that our friends who don’t know Jesus are watching as well. Our lives are like a major motion picture where the audience wants to see who we will choose. When we waiver, we dishonor the Father who gave His Son over to death so we could receive eternal life. They want to know what it’s like to know real and true love, so we can’t paint a picture of duplicity – because it could forever damage their view of God and His offer of salvation.

“It’s not a choice between the two of you,” Bella tells Edward at a key point in the story. “It’s a choice between who I should be and who I am.”

What’s your choice? Each day it is Team World or Team Father…you already know who you are: a child of God forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. Who we should be are people who live for Jesus Christ and help free our friends from the world’s trap. We should be spreading the gospel message more readily than we would spread our opinions about a movie series like Twilight!

Flash Point

Much of the appeal of the Twilight plotline seems to revolve around the idea of an eternal and undying love, the kind of love that every heart longs for. The hoopla and hype of the release of Eclipse gives believers a golden opportunity to bring up the gospel and its ability to bring us into an eternal and undying relationship with the Father who created us.

Accelerant

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:16-19).

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Leaders and concerned adults! Be sure to check out the ALT-ernative Discussion Questions for Don’t Let the World Eclipse the Father.
Interested in a Dare 2 Share Conference near you?
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© 2010 Dare 2 Share Ministries

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