Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Understanding the Fear of God
Our meeting this past Sunday was about Understanding the Fear of the Lord.
The Lord was faithful to bring me two wonderful examples for this meeting...one was a quote by Thomas A Kempis and the other was a random choice of checking out a movie about Dietrich Bonhoeffer from the library. Thomas Kempis (1379 - 1471), an Augustinian monk whose life was characterized by meditation and imitation, wrote in his book The Imitation of Christ the following words:
The girls and I talked about the two ways Kempis described as leading to fear of God...firstly a love for Him that leads to respect (fear) and obedience, and secondly, just plain having a healthy fear of the reality of hell. We all agreed that the first road is the best - loving God in light of all He has done for us and especially in realizing that He loved us and sacrificed His precious son Jesus Christ on our behalf.
The second example I used for our meeting was an amazing movie about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Bonhoeffer by Martin Doblmeier. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the reign of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, who stood for what was right and in the end became a martyr for his faith.
Quote by Martin Niemoller:
“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
But the Protestant Church would soon prove to be a stumbling block to Hitler's plans to "nazify" German society, including its churches. The reason was a reaction to the emergence of the Deutsche Christen (German Christian) church, a nationalistic Protestant group that identified with Nazi ideology and hoped to create a national Reich Church that would embody Nazi ideals. The German Christians won the national church elections in July 1933 and quickly tried to enforce their agenda, which included the adoption of "Aryan laws" within the church (permitting only racially pure Germans to hold church positions) and the eradication of all Jewish influences from Christian scriptures, liturgies and hymns.
If they agreed with many of the political aims of the Nazi regime, many Protestant clergy and leaders nevertheless found the German Christian agenda to be ideologically tainted and anti-Christian. A new movement emerged, led by prominent preachers and theologians like Martin Niemoeller and Karl Barth, that opposed the German Christians: the Confessing Church. Founded on the principle that a truly Christian church would not succumb to the demands of political ideology, the Confessing Church argued that the principles of belief were to be found in the scriptures, not in Nazi laws, and that the head of the Church was Christ, not a political Fuhrer. These convictions placed the Confessing Church on a collision course not only with the German Christians, but with the Nazi dictatorship itself.
Nazi authorities responded by harassing local Confessing congregations and arresting their more outspoken pastors. Karl Barth, the Swiss theologian who wrote the Confessing Church's founding faith statement, the Barmen Declaration of Faith, lost his professorship in Bonn and returned to Switzerland in 1935 after refusing to take a loyalty oath. Martin Niemoeller, the most prominent Confessing pastor in Germany, would ultimately spend seven years in Nazi prisons and concentration camps.
Under such pressures, many argued that the Protestant Church in general should confine its witness purely to church affairs and refrain from political criticism of the Nazi regime. Even the Confessing Church, despite its courageous beginnings, became more intimidated by Nazi authorities with each passing year. It was divided between moderates who sought compromise with the Nazi regime and radicals who felt called to political opposition. While some Confessing Christians offered resistance against the regime and attempted to rescue its victims, most Protestants sought only to maintain an "apolitical" church, free of Nazi influences – not acknowledging that, in Nazi Germany, such neutrality inevitably meant silence about Nazi injustice and terror.
Although he was only 27 years of age in when Hitler became Chancellor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer gained early prominence as one of the most radical voices in the Confessing Church. Even before the Confessing Church was founded Bonhoeffer raised the question of church resistance against what he described as the illegitimate use of state authority. Throughout the Third Reich, Bonhoeffer retained an uncanny ability to pinpoint and critique those aspects of Protestant tradition, such as subservience to state authority, that paralyzed his church and ultimately prevented it from offering greater resistance to Nazism. And in his writings he raised more universal questions, based on his experience in the Confessing Church and then in the resistance, about the viability of religious faith in an ideological age and the ethical demands of fighting against evil.
Tragically, Bonhoeffer's prophetic voice was silenced only weeks before the Allied victory. Yet the German Protestant church that emerged from the ashes in 1945 was a very different one from the predominantly nationalistic church that had greeted Hitler in 1933. In the October 1945 Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt its leaders acknowledged their guilt and complicity in the Nazi reign of terror. In the decades since, Bonhoeffer's writings and witness have continued to inspire and influence German Protestants as well as Christians throughout the world.
The girls performed skits demonstrating the concept of Fear of Man and Fear of God...
The Lord was faithful to bring me two wonderful examples for this meeting...one was a quote by Thomas A Kempis and the other was a random choice of checking out a movie about Dietrich Bonhoeffer from the library. Thomas Kempis (1379 - 1471), an Augustinian monk whose life was characterized by meditation and imitation, wrote in his book The Imitation of Christ the following words:
The girls and I talked about the two ways Kempis described as leading to fear of God...firstly a love for Him that leads to respect (fear) and obedience, and secondly, just plain having a healthy fear of the reality of hell. We all agreed that the first road is the best - loving God in light of all He has done for us and especially in realizing that He loved us and sacrificed His precious son Jesus Christ on our behalf.
The second example I used for our meeting was an amazing movie about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Bonhoeffer by Martin Doblmeier. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the reign of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, who stood for what was right and in the end became a martyr for his faith.
Quote by Martin Niemoller:
“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
THE NAZI CHALLENGE TO
THE GERMAN PROTESTANT CHURCH
THE GERMAN PROTESTANT CHURCH
by Victoria J. Barnett
General Editor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, English Edition
Director for Church Relations, US Holocaust Museum
At the beginning of the twentieth century the German Evangelical (Protestant) Church was a loose confederation of regional Lutheran, Reformed and United churches. It had a long tradition of nationalism and loyalty to state authority. Like most of the German population, Protestants were tired of the political turbulence of the Weimar years. They feared the threat of Communism, and, in light of their defeat during World War I, they resented other European countries. By 1933, with the installation of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor, many German Protestant leaders were ready to welcome the new Nazi government. They believed that Adolf Hitler would be a strong leader who could revive Germany's economic stability and national pride. Many aspects of Nazi ideology, including its nationalism, anti-Semitism and emphasis on traditional values appealed to German Protestants.General Editor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, English Edition
Director for Church Relations, US Holocaust Museum
But the Protestant Church would soon prove to be a stumbling block to Hitler's plans to "nazify" German society, including its churches. The reason was a reaction to the emergence of the Deutsche Christen (German Christian) church, a nationalistic Protestant group that identified with Nazi ideology and hoped to create a national Reich Church that would embody Nazi ideals. The German Christians won the national church elections in July 1933 and quickly tried to enforce their agenda, which included the adoption of "Aryan laws" within the church (permitting only racially pure Germans to hold church positions) and the eradication of all Jewish influences from Christian scriptures, liturgies and hymns.
If they agreed with many of the political aims of the Nazi regime, many Protestant clergy and leaders nevertheless found the German Christian agenda to be ideologically tainted and anti-Christian. A new movement emerged, led by prominent preachers and theologians like Martin Niemoeller and Karl Barth, that opposed the German Christians: the Confessing Church. Founded on the principle that a truly Christian church would not succumb to the demands of political ideology, the Confessing Church argued that the principles of belief were to be found in the scriptures, not in Nazi laws, and that the head of the Church was Christ, not a political Fuhrer. These convictions placed the Confessing Church on a collision course not only with the German Christians, but with the Nazi dictatorship itself.
Nazi authorities responded by harassing local Confessing congregations and arresting their more outspoken pastors. Karl Barth, the Swiss theologian who wrote the Confessing Church's founding faith statement, the Barmen Declaration of Faith, lost his professorship in Bonn and returned to Switzerland in 1935 after refusing to take a loyalty oath. Martin Niemoeller, the most prominent Confessing pastor in Germany, would ultimately spend seven years in Nazi prisons and concentration camps.
Under such pressures, many argued that the Protestant Church in general should confine its witness purely to church affairs and refrain from political criticism of the Nazi regime. Even the Confessing Church, despite its courageous beginnings, became more intimidated by Nazi authorities with each passing year. It was divided between moderates who sought compromise with the Nazi regime and radicals who felt called to political opposition. While some Confessing Christians offered resistance against the regime and attempted to rescue its victims, most Protestants sought only to maintain an "apolitical" church, free of Nazi influences – not acknowledging that, in Nazi Germany, such neutrality inevitably meant silence about Nazi injustice and terror.
Although he was only 27 years of age in when Hitler became Chancellor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer gained early prominence as one of the most radical voices in the Confessing Church. Even before the Confessing Church was founded Bonhoeffer raised the question of church resistance against what he described as the illegitimate use of state authority. Throughout the Third Reich, Bonhoeffer retained an uncanny ability to pinpoint and critique those aspects of Protestant tradition, such as subservience to state authority, that paralyzed his church and ultimately prevented it from offering greater resistance to Nazism. And in his writings he raised more universal questions, based on his experience in the Confessing Church and then in the resistance, about the viability of religious faith in an ideological age and the ethical demands of fighting against evil.
Tragically, Bonhoeffer's prophetic voice was silenced only weeks before the Allied victory. Yet the German Protestant church that emerged from the ashes in 1945 was a very different one from the predominantly nationalistic church that had greeted Hitler in 1933. In the October 1945 Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt its leaders acknowledged their guilt and complicity in the Nazi reign of terror. In the decades since, Bonhoeffer's writings and witness have continued to inspire and influence German Protestants as well as Christians throughout the world.
The girls performed skits demonstrating the concept of Fear of Man and Fear of God...
In this skit, this young lady receives a phone call from a friend inviting her to a party...but her parents tell her she can't go. The friend tries to talk her into telling a lie so that she can go without her parents knowing...but in the end, this young lady makes the right decision and says 'no'.
Two different girls 'whisper' into her ears...one represents the Spirit and the other the Flesh. Here, the Spirit shares verses about Fearing God.
In this skit, this young lady is portraying an atheist who asks a friend what she believes. Her friend is a Christian, but feels like if she shares that fact, that she won't be accepted.
In the end, the young lady makes the wrong decision and denies her faith...and feels horrible afterwards. Thank goodness we can ALWAYS ask for forgiveness when we mess up!! :)
Monday, November 5, 2012
A Disciplined Walk With God
Set 1 Meeting 5 - A Disciplined Walk With God happened yesterday!
Even with 2 gals missing we had a full house - 9 girls in all...we're so very thankful that the Lord is continuing to answer our prayer for more young ladies to join our Bellevue Bright Lights group. We have one new official member, and another young lady and her mom (who attended our Radiant Purity conference this past summer) checked out our group to see how one runs because they are thinking about starting up a new group on Vashon Island - so exciting!
Before the teaching, I had the girls calculate how much time they spend each week doing the following things:
1.) watching TV and / or movies
2.) computer time (games, email, internet searching, etc,)
3.) talking with friends (at school, texting, phone, etc.)
4.) sports (practicing / competing)
5.) hobbies (interests, pursuits)
6.) time with God (willingly spending time in prayer, reading the Word, meditating on the Word, memorizing scripture...attending church or other related groups only could count if they could honestly say they paid attention to the messages during those times!)
We took turns reading through a large chunk of the Daily Growth section of their BL notebooks, and then read another portion of Before You Meet Prince Charming (the intro story to chapter 2), and finally broke up into our small groups. There, they were to fill in blank bar graphs with the information they had recorded about how they spend their time to give them a visual of how much time was (or wasn't) going into growing a relationship with the Lord. I love my small group leaders - it is helping me so much to have their assistance during the meetings and the younger girls are loving it! This week I set up an official Worship Leader and the Birthday Committee recognized it's first birthday girl. For our next meeting, I will be instituting a Hospitality Committe among the younger girls - they'll be in charge of making sure new girls feel very welcome, helping to get the girls to clean up after tea time, and any other simple things to help people feel comfortable at the meetings. I want to help the girls to envision something more than just showing up and having everything done for them...that they can actually be a blessing to me and the other girls as well!
Our activity this week was to write our first group letters to the New Zealand pen pals. I just read all the girls' letters this morning and they are amazing! They each did a great job in hitting the 3 things that were required in the letters:
1.) Tell something about yourself
2.) Tell something about Bright Lights
3.) Tell something that the Lord is talking to you about right now
I was thrilled with some of the answers they wrote - God is moving in these young girls' hearts!
As part of today's lesson, I also sent home a letter to the fathers of the girls asking for their help in suggesting new spiritual discipline goals for their daughters. I took the sample letter from off of the leaders resource page and tweaked it just a bit:
Dear Fathers,
First of all, I want to say thank you for letting your daughters be a part of our Bellevue Bright Lights group! I value each of them and am enjoying getting to know them more and more as our meetings progress…and of course, a few of them have been in the group since last year and I’m thankful also for their commitment.
This weeks lesson was on: A Disciplined Walk with God. We studied basic Biblical disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, etc, If you are willing, I have a special (and very quick!) assignment just for you. Since each girl is in a different stage of maturity, I want to be careful what I expect from them. I did not give the girls any particular assignment…instead, I am having them ask their fathers what would be an appropriate goal for them in the area of routine spiritual disciplines. In their notebooks is a list for you to look at. Perhaps for some girls, the goal would be simply reading the Bible 5 minutes each day. For others, it may be stepping things up a bit and actually memorizing a certain amount of scripture each week.
Some girls may already be consistent in the area of spiritual disciplines, but to others it may be totally new. Of course, they do not need to implement all of these disciplines…it is better to start easy and begin setting a pattern. Doing a little regularly is more important than doing a lot all at once and failing.
I don’t want to push the girls unrealistically; on the other hand I don’t want to hold them back if the Lord is challenging them. I think that the girls in Bellevue Bright Lights are the “cream of the crop” and are capable of amazing things.
Many blessings,
Chay Bigger
Even with 2 gals missing we had a full house - 9 girls in all...we're so very thankful that the Lord is continuing to answer our prayer for more young ladies to join our Bellevue Bright Lights group. We have one new official member, and another young lady and her mom (who attended our Radiant Purity conference this past summer) checked out our group to see how one runs because they are thinking about starting up a new group on Vashon Island - so exciting!
Before the teaching, I had the girls calculate how much time they spend each week doing the following things:
1.) watching TV and / or movies
2.) computer time (games, email, internet searching, etc,)
3.) talking with friends (at school, texting, phone, etc.)
4.) sports (practicing / competing)
5.) hobbies (interests, pursuits)
6.) time with God (willingly spending time in prayer, reading the Word, meditating on the Word, memorizing scripture...attending church or other related groups only could count if they could honestly say they paid attention to the messages during those times!)
We took turns reading through a large chunk of the Daily Growth section of their BL notebooks, and then read another portion of Before You Meet Prince Charming (the intro story to chapter 2), and finally broke up into our small groups. There, they were to fill in blank bar graphs with the information they had recorded about how they spend their time to give them a visual of how much time was (or wasn't) going into growing a relationship with the Lord. I love my small group leaders - it is helping me so much to have their assistance during the meetings and the younger girls are loving it! This week I set up an official Worship Leader and the Birthday Committee recognized it's first birthday girl. For our next meeting, I will be instituting a Hospitality Committe among the younger girls - they'll be in charge of making sure new girls feel very welcome, helping to get the girls to clean up after tea time, and any other simple things to help people feel comfortable at the meetings. I want to help the girls to envision something more than just showing up and having everything done for them...that they can actually be a blessing to me and the other girls as well!
Our activity this week was to write our first group letters to the New Zealand pen pals. I just read all the girls' letters this morning and they are amazing! They each did a great job in hitting the 3 things that were required in the letters:
1.) Tell something about yourself
2.) Tell something about Bright Lights
3.) Tell something that the Lord is talking to you about right now
I was thrilled with some of the answers they wrote - God is moving in these young girls' hearts!
As part of today's lesson, I also sent home a letter to the fathers of the girls asking for their help in suggesting new spiritual discipline goals for their daughters. I took the sample letter from off of the leaders resource page and tweaked it just a bit:
Dear Fathers,
First of all, I want to say thank you for letting your daughters be a part of our Bellevue Bright Lights group! I value each of them and am enjoying getting to know them more and more as our meetings progress…and of course, a few of them have been in the group since last year and I’m thankful also for their commitment.
This weeks lesson was on: A Disciplined Walk with God. We studied basic Biblical disciplines such as prayer, Bible reading, etc, If you are willing, I have a special (and very quick!) assignment just for you. Since each girl is in a different stage of maturity, I want to be careful what I expect from them. I did not give the girls any particular assignment…instead, I am having them ask their fathers what would be an appropriate goal for them in the area of routine spiritual disciplines. In their notebooks is a list for you to look at. Perhaps for some girls, the goal would be simply reading the Bible 5 minutes each day. For others, it may be stepping things up a bit and actually memorizing a certain amount of scripture each week.
Some girls may already be consistent in the area of spiritual disciplines, but to others it may be totally new. Of course, they do not need to implement all of these disciplines…it is better to start easy and begin setting a pattern. Doing a little regularly is more important than doing a lot all at once and failing.
I don’t want to push the girls unrealistically; on the other hand I don’t want to hold them back if the Lord is challenging them. I think that the girls in Bellevue Bright Lights are the “cream of the crop” and are capable of amazing things.
Many blessings,
Chay Bigger
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