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>::Cutting Edge Graduate Studies in Student Ministry

Posted in adolescence, church, disciplines, Life, Ministry, Teaching, Theology, youth ministry on November 9, 2011 by Walter

I am excited to talk about a program Lipscomb University’s Hazelip School of Theology is starting to help train and equip the youth minister, youth volunteer, youth deacon, parent of teen, and all else who love the next generation of Christian.  We have developed a Graduate Certificate in Student Ministry that educates students with the most cutting edge research on adolescence as well as equips them with the practical tools to address their own contexts effectively.

The first class is only $500 for 3 hours of graduate credit. If you are part of another Masters Program and need three hours of elective or ministry credit, you should check it out.  CLICK HERE for more info.

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.::What is Technology Doing to Our Souls?: Tech Sabbath

Posted in adolescence, disciplines, Life, Tech, Technology, Theology, What is Technology Doing to Our Souls? with tags , , , , , on November 8, 2011 by Walter

I have been fortunate to present a body of work I have called, “What is Technology Doing to Our Souls?” to all sorts of parents around the nation this past year and a half.  It has been a rich and rewarding experience to partner with parents and help them navigate through this vast sea of choices, boundaries, and wisdom that is required to know what is the best course for my son or daughter?  Over the next few posts, I want to share a few of those nuggets that we talk about during these events to give you a taste of what this is about.   If you think you’d like to have me speak to your church, school, parents, teens, elders, scout troop, coffee clutch, ladies class, mime troupe, etc.  I’d love to partner with you.  E-mail me for more info:  walter.surdacki@lipscomb.edu

TECH SABBATH

If there is one thing that I would say to parents regarding technology and your family, it would be, “Do you practice any kind of tech Sabbath?”  Here is what I mean,  ”Do you have a time each day when you aren’t accessible via cell phone, text message, e-mail, etc.?”  I believe that if we find ourselves constantly connected 24 hours a day 7 days a week, we run the risk of developing a God-complex that fools us into thinking that the world can’t run without us.  Do you intentionally power down these devices so that the temptation to check your e-mail is gone.  Do you power off so that you won’t get distracted by the buzz of a text message while trying to have dinner together as a family?

How about looking at this not as a form of denial, but as a chance at freedom?  What if you had an hour each day where you didn’t have to worry about these things?  What if in that hour you were able to be fully present with your son or daughter?  What if EVERYONE in your family powered down so that when you were together, you were really TOGETHER!  Can you imagine that kind of freedom?

CONFESSION:  I know that when I am with my kids and I feel that buzz of a text message in my pocket, I instantly become 50% LESS available to them mentally.  In my mind I am wondering, “Who texted me?  What do they need?  I am important!” and I am instantly transported mentally away from my daughters and to a nether region of text-a-topia where the world is allegedly more interesting.

But that is a lie.  A false story that I have bought into.

So do this today…don’t start with an hour…just try 15 minutes or 30 minutes and ease into this discipline.  Because that is what it is…a discipline.  We have immersed ourselves into technology so much that it is going to take initiative, discipline, courage, willpower, and wisdom just to find the power button on those shiny little devices that hold so much power over us.

Baby steps . . . one at a time . . . you can do this . . .

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.::We Are Dust: Ash Wednesday

Posted in church, disciplines, Life, Ministry, spiritual disciplines, Theology with tags , , , , , on February 17, 2010 by Walter

Today in the world of Christendom, most people will be observing Ash Wednesday.  It is a good and necessary liturgy that takes the participant back to three very important truths:

1.  “Remember that you are but dust”–In other words, we are CREATED beings, we are NOT the Creator.  One must regularly be reminded that we are not God.  We are brought back to Genesis 1 when God digs up a handful of clay from the earth and breathes his Spirit of Life within us.  The only value we possess is that value which God gives to us, for we are but dust

2.  “And to dust you shall return.”:  We must also remember that we are finite beings.  We are not unlimited in our ability, giftedness, resources, etc.  There was a time when we did not exist and there will come a time when we shall cease to exist on this earth.  This is a call in the liturgy to keep one from getting to big for their britches.

3.  We are Fallen: One of the dangers in not being taken to the places an Ash Wednesday service takes you is that we might far too easily forget that we are fallen beings in desperate needs of God’s Amazing and Infinite Grace.  Ash Wednesday is that Prologue to Lent that allows us to enter into a season of sacrifice, reflection, repentance so that by the time we have journeyd past Palm Sunday, through Calvary and tragedy of Good Friday we can truly celebrate that “He. Is. Risen!”

Plus, which one of us is not guilty of at least one of these transgressions that Ash Wednesday invites us to confess?:

“We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.”

“REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE DUST, AND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN”

May you have a rich and reflective Lenten Season this year.

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.::Merry Christmas Rant

Posted in Life, rant, Theology with tags , , on January 21, 2010 by Walter

I know this rant is a bit late for the season, but it struck me that our common way of greeting people during the Christmas season seems completely inadequate.  Here is what I mean,  the “Merry” on “Merry Christmas” seems woefully underwhelming as an adjective.  When I hear “Merry Christmas” I hear, “Have a nice, little, safe, quiet Christmas.”

But Christmas is perhaps THE most powerful event in the course of human history.  Could we not use a better adjective to qualify our desire to celebrate the incarnation of God for the redemption of humanity?  Merry seems to small of a word to truly call us to celebrate God breaking in history through the birth of Jesus.

“Awesome”  doesn’t seem to work for me as it has been repurposed in our cultre to mean “way cool.”

“Extraordinary” doesn’t roll off the tongue.

“Amazing” begins to move in the right direction.

I am now taking applications for new appropriate qualifiers as I hope to begin a new movement away from “Merry” to something much more powerful.

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Political Correctness Gone Horribly Wrong . . .

Posted in Life, what matters with tags on January 20, 2010 by Walter

Kleberg County commissioners on Monday unanimously designated “heaven-o” as the county’s official greeting. The reason: “hello” contains the word “hell.”

“When you go to school and church, they tell you ‘hell’ is negative and ‘heaven’ is positive,’” said the 56-year-old Canales, who owns the Kingsville Flea Market. “I think it’s time that we set a new precedent, to tell our kids that we are positive adults.”

The new salutation, according to the county resolution, is a “symbol of peace, friendship and welcome” in this “age of anxiety.”

On Thursday, courthouse employees were answering the phones, “heaven-o.”

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.::Happy Thanksgiving

Posted in Life with tags on November 24, 2009 by Walter

As you sit around your tables this Thanksgiving, I know that you will not have a shortage of things to be thankful for.  But just in case you are in the middle of a pity party for yourself and need to be reminded, here is just a short list of things you can be thankful for that a lot of the world doesn’t have the privilege to have right now:
  • Clean running water-Being able to have the option of more than one faucet to get CLEAN, running water from is a privilege a lot of the world doesn’t have.
  • Electricity-Turning on a light, playing a radio, watching TV is a blessing many don’t have. CLICK HERE to see how dark it is over most of Africa.
  • Education-Those who finish high school you will be part of the top 10% of the WORLD in education.  Those in college are in the top 3%.
  • Health Care-Many cannot afford a doctor.
  • Dental Care-When you have to choose between eating and a dentist, many choose eating and therefore don’t ever get to see a dentist in their lifetime.
  • Food in your Refrigerator & Pantry-Most of the world have to live meal to meal and don’t have the luxury of having a refrigerator full of food.
  • A Variety of Food-Many in the world have the same meal day in and day out because that is all they can afford. A diet that is full of variety is expensive.
  • A choice of clothes-Some only have one outfit to wear day in and day out.
  • Disposable Income (Money you can spend on what you WANT not what you NEED)-Most students your age give their money over to their parents so that they can make ends meet financially in the home.
  • Family
  • A Church-Some parts of the world it is illegal to meet as Christian in public.
  • Youth Group-Most churches in the world are less than 100 people.  That means they don’t have a paid youth minister with a youth program.
  • A Home with Heat-Not just having a HOME, but having a home with heat is a luxury.
  • A Bed-I doubt any of you have to share your bed with the rest of your family like many have to, if they even have a bed.
  • More than one pair of shoes to wear
  • A Yard-I didn’t see many yards in Nairobi.
  • Car(s) to ride to school, the store, work, church in-I saw many, many people walking everywhere they were going in Nairobi.  Personal transportation is a luxury not a necessity.
  • Freedom
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Parents that love you
  • The Bible in your own language-Think what life would be like if you didn’t have the Bible in your language.  Many of us not only have the Bible, but we have Bibles, multiple copies in various translations.  Just 100 years ago your family would have been fortunate to have one Bible for the whole family.
  • Being literate (able to read this)
  • A God that love you more than you can ever know
  • Jesus
  • The Holy Spirit.
That should be enough for now to be thankful for.  As you look through this list, what is it that strikes you the most that perhaps you overlook on a regular basis?  While we may have bad days and some troubles, in the grand scheme of things, we have things really, really good.  Let us be thankful for all of the ways that God provides for us and not take them for granted..
Have a Great Thanksgiving.

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.::Dress Socks

Posted in Life, rant with tags , on October 22, 2009 by Walter

I have never cared for dress socks. I am a regular, athletic, white sock kind of guy. I like to wear thick heavy socks that you KNOW that you are wearing on your feet. The problem with dress socks for me is that they don’t even feel like REAL socks. They don’t feel NORMAL to me. So instead of buying dress socks, I buy dark colored athletic socks and fake it . . . so to speak.

I don’t know what kind of spiritual year you are having. Maybe things don’t feel “normal” for you, like when I am wearing dress socks. Maybe something feels off for you this season. What might be causing that in your faith?

Maybe you are having a great spiritual year/season right now. You are wearing your regular socks and thing feel RIGHT for you. What are the things that God has been doing in your life that have helped you get to this place? How can you maintain this spirit in your walk?

Socks…maybe they can be spiritual.

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.::How True is this?

Posted in Life, spiritual disciplines, youth ministry with tags , , on September 16, 2009 by Walter

socialmedia

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.::Beatles v. U2

Posted in Life, Teaching with tags , , , on September 12, 2009 by Walter

I have argued for many years that U2 is the Greatest Rock Band ever.  However, with this week’s release of The Beatles Stereo Box Set this week I have been pouring over their catalog and have been forced to rethink my position.  I have not drawn any conclusions yet.  But here have been some of my arguments:

  • U2 have been consistently producing number 1 music over three decades from “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to “Get on Your Boots.”
  • To stay together as a band for thirty years is a difficult and remarkable feat (thanks Yoko).  The Beatles only recorded over eight years.  U2′s longevity has allowed them to experiment (ex. U2 pop) and consistently innovate their musical style (ex. Vertigo vs. No Line).  Yes the Beatles also experimented (Yellow Submarine) but again longevity gives the edge to U2 for me.
  • There is no argument that The Beatles have had the biggest IMPACT on music through their complete reinvention of the medium of music.  Their music is timeless and the definition of “Hall of Fame”   And while U2′s influence is no doubt seen in bands like Coldplay (aka U2 wannabes) The edge here undoubtedly goes to The Beatles.
  • The Beatles also have a long list of singles that have found their way into the lexicon of pop culture’s lexicon of musical hits like “Strawberry Fields, Let it Be, Lucy in the Sky, Help!, Good day Sunshine, Revolution, Hey Jude, Lady Madonna, Twist and Shout, etc.)  Songs that after the first measure you just begin to sing along.  Now “pop” hits don’t necessarily measure quality, for example, look at the top 10 songs on iTunes today and you will be hard pressed to see ANY quality music there.  Quantity does not measure quality.  However, I might just have to give the edge to The Beatles here.
  • Bono and John Lenon have both used the microphone that Rock and Rock gave them to lobby the world for peace and humanitarian efforts.  Both in their own unique ways.  Still I give the edge to Bono who actively pursued world leaders and called them into accountability for their policies and the poor.  Granted, this doesn’t have anything to do with music, but this is my list and my criteria, if you don’t like it, make your own list.
  • When it comes to Album Rock, albums that you can listen to from beginning to end, I personally give the edge to U2.  albums like Joshua Tree, Unforgettable Fire, How to Dismantle, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, are all albums I love to listen to from track 1 to the end without skipping a track.  The Beatles have a significant number of tracks that I find needing to skip since they simply bore me.  Winner here: U2
  • We haven’t seen The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullin putting out solo albums that were junk like we did with Ringo and George Harrison (“I’ve got my mind set on you?    . . . . Really ?!?!?!).  Just have to mention Wings in this point . . . ’nuff said.  Winner without a doubt: U2.
  • It probably could be argued that without The Beatles innovation of music there would have never been a U2, so I have to give a point to The Beatles.

But again, as I look over the breadth of the undoubtedly amazing catalog or The Beatles that was created in a relatively short amount of time, there is no doubt they are in serious contention, but my heart has to still give the award to U2.  I do have to thank the Beatles for their influence, artistry and pioneerism in music, but I love me my U2.

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.::One National Chill Pill Please . . .

Posted in Life, rant, Teaching with tags , , , , on September 4, 2009 by Walter

I usually wouldn’t use this space for political rants, but what I see happening this week in education really bothers me.  President Obama is going to address the nation’s students directly in a speech that is going to be broadcast where he is going to encourage them to take personal responsibility, work hard and stay in school. However, this is has been proving to be a touch point for partisan politics where parents have been calling and threatening administrators to not show this speech and take up “valuable” class time.
My wife teaches at a public school in the history department as was told that she is not to show it without having a lesson plan detailing how she will use the speech in class.  (After all, the fact that a presidential address being of historical value isn’t enough to warrant showing, that one has to design a lesson plan around it?)
So here are my two cents:

  • I don’t care who you voted for, doesn’t it make sense to support our president?  Don’t we want to ENCOURAGE good citizenship from our students?
  • Can’t we leave partisan politics to “grown ups?”
  • Even if you didn’t vote for Obama, or agree with his policy, doesn’t a good education teach you how to discern and articulate WHY you don’t agree with a differing viewpoint?
  • Are such ideas such as “personal responsibility, hard work and staying in school” so DIVISIVE that we wouldn’t want impressionable young minds to heed such advice?
  • Is there no room for free speech in schools, especially when it is the President of the United States?
  • Will we ever have a time when the nation can unite behind a leader that doesn’t involve a national tragedy such as Pearl Harbor or 9/11?
  • Yeah, I’d rather have my kids in a pep rally, rather than being indoctrinated for an hour to work hard, stay in school and take responsibility because they get so much of that already.
  • Q:  What really do we have to fear from our kids being encouraged to step up and be great?  [A:  That they may actually step up, study, work hard and take our jobs?]

If anything merits our need to take a chill pill, perhaps this does . . .

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