New Attitude Thoughts

I do want to write a little more about New Attitude. My post will not cover all the speakers as Anna did in her excellent post, or include all the great notes as Elijah has on his site, but will instead focus on the couple things that I am still thinking of after returning home.

This year's conference was focused on the Bible and I really appreciated the reminder from Joshua Harris on the first evening that we do get to chose our response to the Bible. We can rip our clothes in repentance upon read the word (as King Josiah did), we can burn the words (even simply through neglect) as King Jehoiakim did, or we can eat the words with delight as Jeremiah did (Jeremiah 15:16). As I considered my own response to the Bible, I had to admit that I don't have the kind of delight that Jeremiah expressed and I don't often respond in repentance as King Josiah did. I certainly don't want to say that I'm like King Jehoiakim, but that's the only example that is left.

What do we do if we don't have the kind of response the the Bible we wish we had? Is it something that we can change? To some degree, the answer is no. We can't by an act of our will change our feelings, so our response to a realization like that could be discouragement. However, there are some things we can do.

John Piper reminded us that "The fight for faith is a fight for joy in Christ (treasuring, being satisfied in and delighting in Christ". We are to fight for what we desire. This desire can come through our repenting of our own attitude and asking Christ to give us a proper desire for Christ and His Word. My desire to spend more time in the Bible was strengthened anew as I meditated on the family group devotions verse:

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This is a verse that I am familiar with - I've read it and memorized it so I know it, right? Well, this weekend I really kept thinking about the last line "thoroughly equipped for every good work." I've lost the focus that the Bible is really there and is sufficient to equip me for ever good work that God has for me. Sure I read the Bible - I'm about half-way through it already this year. But, my purpose has been more to read because that's my goal and I like to accomplish goals, or since I know it's something good to do. My reading has not been because I know that though the word, God will equip me for the things he has for me.

I've been challenged again to simply do the basics. I want to pray more, read and study the Bible more, and memorize and mediate on verses more. These are not new things. In some ways a person could well wonder at my desire to spend time and money on a conference that doesn't do more than remind you of what you already know. However, I am so thankful for the opportunity I've had to attend New Attitude and be reminded of the truth of the Scriptures once again.

I also enjoyed the community groups and family groups. My group included three girls from Canada, one guy from the UK, two guys from Maryland (one who didn't make it in the picture) and me (from Alabama). We didn't have a lot of time to spend talking since most of our family group time was spent in individual devotions, but I was glad to get to know each of them. It's great to see there are Christians all over the word who desire to know Christ more and are working in their own areas and local churches just as you are in your own.

If you didn't make it to New Attitude this year, take the time to download and listen to the messages here. If you struggle with negative talk that contradicts what the Bible tells us we are, I would especially recommend CJ Mahaney's message on God's word and our feelings. And if you ever have the feeling that God probably doesn't actually love you, please listen to CJ's message God as Father: Understanding the Doctrine of Adoption in God's Word. All of the messages were well worth listening to, and I intend to listen to them again while traveling this summer.

New Attitude?

I'm back at work after spending a refreshing weekend attending the New Attitude Conference in Louisville. It was a joy to have my brother Elijah come with me for the second time and to have my sister Anna there for the first time. Anna has been wanting to come for a couple years, so it was fun to be able to take her with me now that she is the right age. It was also a special joy to be there with my fiance John.

New Attitude is a word that has been used for conferences/ meetings and magazines that Joshua Harris has been a part of for at least 13 years. While a ~ 15 or 16 year-old homeschooling teen, I went with a couple families to a homeschooling conference and heard him give a message on dating. There I found out about his magazine entitled "New Attitude." I subscribed to the magazine and found Josh's messages on dating (or the lack thereof) to be very thought provoking. To me, it made sense to wait to date until you were actually ready to think of getting married. I received his magazine until it stopped due to Josh moving on to the book and pastoral world. I enjoyed reading his book "I kissed Dating Goodbye" and then kind of lost track of what he was doing.

About 7 years ago, received some information about a new conference that Joshua Harris was doing, again called new attitude. I naturally assumed that it has something to do with dating and thought, why not go to it? I was pleasantly surprised to find that although the conference was directed toward singles, the messages were much more applicable than to just dating and/or courtship. Rather than focusing on what we didn't have, the conference messages tended to focus on Christ, the one who created all things. Over the years, the message topics have ranged from entertainment choices, to discernment, to relationship issues, to God's glory, to bible study and other discipleship issues.

The conference is still directed toward singles from high school graduates and up, but now is open to couples as well (which is great since I hope to continue to go!). Through these conferences, I have been encouraged to learn more of God and to study his word and pray more. I have also learned of and purchased many great resources that have shaped my thinking on so many topics.

A conference like this doesn't necessarily give me some new amazing revelation that I never new before. But I have found that it will convict me and give me a new attitude or renewed focus on what is really important.

My lunch hour is over, so I will have to post more about this year's conference tomorrow.

New Attitude - only 5 Months Away!

I hope to attend New Attitude again this year. I have always enjoyed the conference and have been re-encouraged each year to focus on what is really important. The conference is for singles and young married couples. You can find out more about it here or by waching the promo video below.

Is Church an Important Part of your Christian Life?

I've been catching up on reading blogs recently. Today I read the latest New Attitude Blog post "Why I don't Go to Church." This post challenges those in their 20's to really examine their reasons for not attending church rather than accepting the standard "I'm too busy" excuses.

It also links to the first chapter of a book which begins with “If you call yourself a Christian but you are not a member of the church you regularly attend, I worry that you might be going to hell.” The explanation for that statement is worth the read here as he continues by saying:

"But I’m concerned that many Christians don’t realize how this most important relationship with God necessitates a number of secondary personal relationships—the relationships that Christ establishes between us and his body, the Church. God doesn’t mean for these to be relationships that we pick and choose at our whim among the many Christians “out there.” He means to establish us in relationship with an actual flesh-and-blood, step-on-your-toes body of people.

That article points out that we are identified as already being a part of the universal church. But at the same time we are told to be part of the local church and not to give up meeting together especially as the time gets closer for Christ to return.

To me these articles brought up interesting thoughts. Many of the great homeschooling families in this area who read this blog (mine included) have at one time not attended or are currently not attending traditional churches. Some simply don't attend any church at all. To be honest, not being a part of a traditional church that has a pastor and a meeting place makes me a bit nervous. Of course my nervous feeling doesn't make the thing wrong.

People have many reasons for distancing themselves from "regular churches." Sometimes the reasons seem good. Maybe the teaching their kids would receive in a traditional youth group is contrary to what they are being taught at home. Maybe the preaching does 'put you to sleep' and the fellowship leaves much to be desired. Maybe the kids in the church you attended are not properly disciplined and would make your job as a parent more difficult for the rest of the week.

But consider this. Maybe God has given you the ability to be an instrumental part of someone else's life in building up people who have needs in the local church. Obviously none of us are perfect, but maybe you have learned something that another has not. Does that mean you should stop being around that person because they don't understand what you do?

I am very thankful for my local church Fountain of Grace. After college I did consider looking for another church. I didn't choose Fountain of Grace - it was a church my family begin attending and eventually joined while I was in college. But after prayer and consideration, I realized that I had not really given Fountain of Grace (then called Prattville Alliance) a chance. I wanted to get to know people, but yet was not involved in much of anything. Instead of leaving, I became involved. Is my church perfect? Certainly not! I know that I'm not perfect so any church I'm in will also not be perfect. There is no perfect church. But there are churches in which the Bible is preached and people are real - two things that seem very essential in a church.

So whether you attend a traditional church, do home church, or have family church, do nothing or something in between, what impact does it have on your life?

So what can I say about my church? I can say that relationships I've developed in church have enriched my life. A friendship with Pam and attending a church related prayer meeting brought me a new place to live across the street from her. This made deepening a relationship with her and her family possible and a lot of fun. Having many ladies who know me and are interested in and concerned about me is invaluable. I know that many of them pray for me and I'm sure that makes a big difference in my life. Learning and thinking about things preached by Pastor Tony has hopefully shaped my thinking in many ways. I know that his teaching on position based acceptance versus performance based acceptance is something that I have come back to time and time again. Being reminded of grace and righteousness is important and having it come from a Pastor who seems to genuinely care for the people of his church is invaluable. Pastor Phil and all the mission trips he has led keeps me reminded of all the needs outside of our church. It gives me a better perspective on life and a reminder of how small our emergencies in life really are. Being a teacher in AWANA has given me more than just an opportunity to serve. It's given me a chance to relive the joy of children's excitement in science experiments and to see how the little things matter to a child. Running sound has taught me to appreciate the job that so many others do in conferences. It has also taught me a skill that I may have never otherwise learned. Being in board meetings has given me an invaluable look at some of the issues faced by a church and the needs of both the people and the church leadership. Being a part of a "smaller" church means that even your yet undeveloped talents may have a place to be used (especially if you have a little time and a brother like Elijah who will help you get a website going!).

I still have a lot to learn about the Church. My involvement in it can sometimes degrade into duty instead of joyful service. Church is not always as important in my life as it should be. But for all its flaws (and mine!), I am very thankful for the local church. What about you? Is your church important to do? Has it changed your life or does it impact you at all?