Daniel 5

Maybe George didn't think that anyone'd take it up when he challenged us to "do" Daniel 5 creatively. But we did and the results from various groups were almost Eurovision worthy!

Rob, Glen Geoff, Alan, Tim had:

• gods of PVC
  
• Elton John (the "Queen's") rendition of "Daniel"
• Daniel adaptation of 2W2L

Ivan, Akos, Candy, Alby, Wazza, Carlson had a "Skip / Wog" BBQ (very tongue in cheek... apologies) complete with CGI and sound effects. "Oh my gods!"

Rowan, Paul (and I) rewrote OMC's "How Bizarre", entitled "Balshazzar, How Bizarre!"* What's the modern equivalent of the most ridiculous and extravagant party animals? Rap stars, of course!

Hardy Har Har.

*The film version may feature a car with license "YHWH 01", driven by Balshazzar with his concubines dripping in gold chains heavy with Star of David pendants.

References to pants and incontinence are attributed to Wolters' interpretation of Dan 5. (Wolters, A. ‘Untying the Knots of the King: Physiology and Wordplay in Daniel 5’, JBL 110.1 (1991), 117–22.)

Thinking about Hell is edifying

My friends tilt their heads and give a vacant expression when I make the above statement. So I thought I'd write a little blah about how an thinking about hell could be edifying. I also wanted to reassure you that I don't think about hell because I'm morbid, sadistic or generally hate people.

But thinking about hell tells you a lot about God.

- he is holy.

- he means what he says (promises to condemn sin and make retribution for wrongs)

- he hates sin (hell shows how bad sin is to God. Hell is a terrible, awful, fearful... and it's the punishment that fits the crime. Since sin is eternally offensive to God, hell is an eternal punishment.)

- he is loving, in wanting to punish the wrongdoers who have hurt his people

- he is loving, so it's appropriate that he is angry at his children who have gone bad. (The more a father loves his children, the more he hates in him the drunkard, the abuser, the gambler.)

- he's really restraint in not "giving it to us" as soon as we deserve it.

- he's really generous in giving people on this death row life, relationships, taste buds, sunshine, opportunities, music, fun.

- he is really gracious in offering us an out when we really deserve something so terrible.

- his graciously and sternly warns people who are just rolling down the hill towards hell.

- he has graciously given us time to turn back to him in this life.

- his son took our punishment for us (still not exactly sure how this works)

- what Jesus bore on the cross for us was wrath, and such great wrath for the sins of the whole world (Rev 14). He drank the cup of wrath - not just one person's share, but everyone's.

- he loves and welcomes the repentant into his family when they really deserve hell!

In the Scriptures we find a God who dignifies our lives by caring enough to be angry at our rebellion and destrive choices, yet meets our desperate need with kindness and compassion. God will not allow evil to triumph...

~ from Gibbo's chapter, "Lactantius on Anger" from Consolations of Theology, 2008.

Isn't our Father gracious, good, more than fair, loving, powerful, amazing?? Isn't his gospel glorious?? Isn't his Son ... ?!?!?!?!

Two friends said, "If people really understood how much God loves them and the lengths he'll go to to have them, they'd be Christian".

Godly Attributes

Another unformed thought. God is interested in our attitudes primarily. What's going on inside is of more interest than what your hands are doing. Some big examples...

In contrast to sinful behavior, God points us to godly attributes (in Galatians 6:19-26)

... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (v 24)

Look at the Beatitudes.

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What about the show-stopper in 1 Corinthians?

And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

God cares about your unseens, unmeasurables. He's pointing at a picture of a healthy heart. He lifts our eyes to excellent things and it's exhilarating! Things too wonderful for this earth...

How is it that none of us have set eyes on this perfect loveliness, yet long for it? And how is it significant that God alone has these attributes perfectly?

How ought we live?

When we "do" ethics, what level are we operating on? Are we concerned about actions (i.e. weighing up an action to see if it's ethical) or about virtues (e.g. It's ok to lie to the Nazis about Jews in the basement because you're a compassionate person).

What is your measuring stick? What are we measuring?

How about doing ethics based on GOD's virtues? (I.e. God's own character is the measuring stick). It's just an idea that I'm throwning out there. The Bible seems to say God himself is the motivation for right living.

Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

~ Lev 19:2

Christian conduct, it seems, is based on God's character. Because we are made in God's image and have the imprint of his character, we ought to behave accordingly.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

~ Col 3:5-10


And his character doesn't just change individuals' conduct. The Corinthian church should organise their church in orderly manner. Why? "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." (1 Cor 14:33)

In Paul's letter, all people are indictable because they knew God's character but didn't give him due worship (resulting in sinful attitudes and behaviors).

since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

~ Romans 1:19-23

That is, God's attributes were clear and therefore people should have responded by shunning sinful living. I'm still not sure how God's character relates to the way we live.

But somehow, God himself is the measuring stick and goal of our behavior.

Cantonese Idioms

My Cantonese relatives have a quiver full of idioms that are incisive and visceral. Some are even onomatopoeic.

1) Many knives but not one is sharp

Akin to "Jack of all trades but master of none". But a dull knife is a dangerous, unpredictable instrument, since it's hard to control. It's deprecating: You can do a lot. But you could do damage.


2) An 8 beat rhyme, literally:

You cry, You laugh,
Peeing wherever in the street

It's something to say when your kid's throwing a tantrum, all over the place or getting out of control in a hissy fit. I think the sardonic edge is supposed to counter and defuse the anger. The mockery is there so you'd take yourself less seriously. "Don't be ridiculous" just doesn't have the same effect.


3) Stick it on top of your head!

Meaning, I've run out of cupboard space. Wear it yourself!

Tough love, Cantonese.

Like?

Cantonese is a potent language. My sister explained the simple profundity of the question "Do you like it?" The Cantonese equivalent is a compact, two character phrase: Jong Yee.


First Character

Jong

means on target. If you are an archer and your arrow struck the middle ring it's JONG

Second Character

Yee

means ideal. Your dream.


Together, the phrase is "Have I targeted your ideal?"

It's a phrase that gets bandied around daily. You could ask your children "Jong Yee Mah?" over the dinner table. If the phrase was a piece of furniture, it'd be a kitchen stool.

Understanding the Bible

The Bible is an outstretched palm. An invitation to know its author. God graciously and wisely gave his word to humans.

The illustrations in the Bible shows God wants to connect with the Common Man: shepherds, servants, security guards, soldiers, accountants. The vast majority of people, until recent centuries had very little education. A thoughtful grandmother, who never sat through a tertiary philosophy class, should hear the message of the Bible and nod at its rightness and feel its sound truthfulness in her guts.

I think God knew his audience and wrote so they would "get" him. I'm guessing he's far too generous to tuck precious truths away in the obscure, to lock its profound secrets in numerology. I doubt that the goal was to confound and bewilder. And even though there are mysteries too wonderful for us to understand, I suspect his aim in letting us know about it is to enlighten and to reveal. Display the most sparkling gems in the most prominent spots.




A friend wisely advised me on working out difficult bits of the Bible. He said "What's the most natural explanation? That's probably what the right answer is." If a theologian's body of work is really inaccessible and cumbersome, you got to ask what the value of it is.

So why bother with detailed studies like verbal aspect, text-critical analysis? I think they are tools like a jewelers' lens. Everyone can admire an Argyle diamond with the naked eye. But how of the glorious, subtle colours and brilliance can you take in with a magnifier? God has created beauty for us to appreciate on every level.

I LOVE COLLEGE. It's a delight to that the faculty, like master jewelers and gem collectors, show off the beauty of the word in different aspects, on many levels, from various angles.

Fear God

The Bible frequently gives a triad of godly responses to God. Fear. Love. Obey. The last two get a lot of press. But not so much fear...

The command is heavily signposted in high-traffic areas. The first proverb in Proverbs is,

The fear the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline (1:7)

and it ends with,

a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (31:30)

Ecclesiastes is a quest for wisdom (1:13) and the search concludes in 12:13-14,

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

The first lot of instructions in the Psalms is in 2:11

Now there, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

If for the rulers, how much more for us peasants? And it’s not just the wisdom books. At the giving of the law, God reveals himself to the Israel as a nation for the first time (?). And they are literally scared to death of him. (Deut 5:24-8) Completely freaked out. Amazingly, God commends this!

O that there was a such a heart in them that they would fear me always and keep all my commandments that it might be well with them and with their children forever. (Deut 5:29)

Fear of God means you’ll live in a way that pleases him and stay faithful. I think "Fear of God" is the key to understanding the book of Job. He's the exemplar, "a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil" (Job 1:1, 1:8, 2:3... it's interesting to trace Job's fear of God through the book).

And it's not just "an Old Testament thing". Jesus tells his own friends

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should hear: Fear him who after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. (Luke 12:4-5)

Yes, you Christians. Yes, fear. Not a “'reverential fear' whatever that means”, says Broughton Knox, who calls this the most neglected command of Jesus.

The two thieves on the cross both say something about Jesus that’s true (Luke 23:39-43). One says “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” He’s got a good point. Jesus is the Christ. He’s doing the job of saving. But the other thief rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God...?”

Who gets it right?

Jesus commends the second thief “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. Your attitude to God counts, not just whether you understand who he is.

Anyone who didn't shudder when they read about Jesus in Revelation didn't read it properly.

Perhaps we don’t fear God enough? And why do Christians keep presenting God as a tame lion?

2W2L is great but...

Walk-up evangelism can get pretty formulaic and phoney-sounding. How to do it, in a true, engaging and loving way? I'm keen to not always resort to 2W2L, as good as it is. Afterall, what's Bible college for?

I may answer "oh, no thanks" if someone said "We would like to talk to you about Je-sus"... and I'm a Christian! "Yes" is too committal, too eager for someone who's curious. So "no" is the only real option. Not a good opener.

How about, "We're Christians and we were wondering what people know about Jesus. What do you think of Jesus?"? It opens the conversation, builds relationship and is valuable for knowing where people come from. But I feel like this is sometimes a tactical move in order to know how to make our approach (or to establish which 2W2L box people are in!)

Should you lead with grace / forgiveness first or do you talk about judgment / sin first? The former gives God's priority (God's message is essentially about Grace and not condemnation), but the latter gives the logical sequence (it makes sense to name the offense before saying God offers a pardon). People can tune out of either. The former sounds like some fairy-tale ~ *yawn*. The latter can feel like a slap across the face (and they don't stay to listen for the grace bit).

Maybe a parable? Today, a friend said he tells older people the parable of the eleventh hour (which has nothing to do with elephants). Parables immediately draw people into an accessible context (e.g. families, farmers). God often makes the invitation in that form. Then perhaps we can ask what people think...?

Michael Moore (who ran the music conference, quoting Carson) said that Christian music is often evangelistic. It carries the message and the affectional impact of the gospel (Christ died and rose again ~ we are so moved that we sing about it!). Perhaps we should go around Unis offering to sing to people!

The Devil loves secrecy

That gem was a throwaway comment from Archie.

When I'm really struggling with some sin or nurturing some unhealthy attachment, its hold is loosed when I just name it with a Christian friend. Isn't it funny?

The Lord your God will rejoice over you with singing

Went to a cool music conference over the weekend. Amongst all the Bible's songs about our singing to God and each other, here's a little gem from Zephaniah 3: 14-17:

Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!

The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

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."

God will sing over us! How lovely.

A friend commented, "I bet he has a great voice".

Changing Platforms Hazard

As the train pulled away, I ambled down the stairs to cross to the next platform. Click-click click-click tapped my new boots. There was a young man at the bottom step, looking back fondly on the steps. Our eyes met and he looked away.

I slowed my pace to allow him to go forward, but he dawdled so much that I unavoidably caught up with him. So I hastened to overtake him. Click-click click-click. But when we were level I heard him say "Hey, do you wanna get a pie or something?"

I tossed back casually "Oh, no thanks."

The young man turns to me, clutching a mobile phone to his ear and scowled "I wasn't talking to you!"

Why is talking about Women's Ministry so hard?

That question kicked off our mixed chaplaincy group discussion.* Forty-five minutes later, we were still giving reasons for why Women's ministry is such a thorny issue... there's little consensus even among faithful theologians, what chance have I got to resolve it... it's so personal... it's integrally linked with identity... the terms and concepts are loaded... there's lots of painful history (in church, in society, often with abuse and oppression)... it's tacitly considered something for the women to work out... even if you work out the theology, the application is tricky... politics and cultural norms exacerbates problems... we don't bring it up for fear of causing offense and ruining a pleasant lunch.

There was something that was lurking in the background. Rarely is a topic so divisive and guaranteed to cause upset as Women's ministry. We could say the above for a range of theological topics. Who agrees on the nature of the Trinity? How do you do church meetings? Other topics affect us personally and deeply. As we disagree about other topics, we still walk side-by-side, negotiating the way forward together.

But for women's ministry, men and women assume opposite sides. Backs go up. Our words betray our thinly veiled accusations "I don't have a problem with...". That is, YOU have the problem. Touchy, touchy...

Why so belligerent? This is THE topic that is inextricably linked with the curses in Gen 3:16. It is the only curse which involves men and women ~ and they are locking horns. Like it or not, we are more likely to sin with this one.

*Should say that this precursor discussion wasn't the least bit upsetting for anyone. It was a nice way to acknowledging the 'elephant in the room'. We didn't get much further than this beginning, but it was a very good beginning.

Christian community is a wonderful gift from God.

Later that night, I had a wonderful opportunity to "run around the paddock", chase all the questions, air heresies to see how far we could take them and bounce off each other without hurting other kids. Some beautiful women training for a lifetime of ministry and I were exploring the territory together. One had the very tricky situation of being hardwired for academia. All in all, I felt like we got somewhere.

Wise Women

I attended an excellent seminar on Suffering at Equip over the weekend. The cuds are still tasty after two days of rumination. Judith Nichols was a vessel of sympathy, Biblical wisdom, real-life-experience and practical advice without nonsense. She handled the topic with a firm and warm hand, masterfully waded through the ethical and spiritual landmines.

Couldn't help being struck by how important it is to be an older woman to carry that off.* Yes, being old doesn't equate to having wisdom gleaned from life experience, nor even to godliness (I've added it to the list)! But there was something about Judith's graceful age that contributed to the gravitas and richness of the seminar. The deep pitch of her voice testifying to her years of living, the lines testifying to the ranges of expressions that have adorned her face and her stillness stripped of youth's fidgeting. They say: this woman has lived and she knows what she's talking about.

I've been writing a sermon on Job and I have somethings to say about suffering which are quite tough to hear. But I'm anticipating that those hard truths will sound trite, unfounded and unsympathetic if they are delivered by someone who is young and looks like a teenager. This is the criticism of Elihu. (Sometimes Asian genes aren't a help!)

Titus 2 gives a teaching model that is often neglected by a society which greatly values youth and qualifications. It is distinct from the peer-mentoring and the profession-lay models. The ideal is that the older women shall teach the younger.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

~ Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)

Older women's prior experience and a life worthy of imitation are assumed. God gives a growth model that prizes goodness, relationships, personal conduct and practicalities. These things are to be taught by older women so that no one will malign the word of God. Is this not a lovely collision of love and truth in the practice of Christian community?

Perhaps we place too much emphasis on the qualifications and activities of the "senior" woman of the ministry to the programs. Meanwhile, we often overlook the value of older women of the group, whose wisdom and experience can encourage godly living which testifies to the goodness of God's word.

*I sincerely hope she doesn't mind this post!

The Ultimate Horror of God's Universe

Certainly, hell is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. The other difficulties of the Bible and of Providence are real enough, but however appalling they may be, their seeming harshnesses and injustices are only temporary, cut short at death. The terrors of hell, on the other hand, belong to the world which lies beyond death.

Wenham’s quote [1] captures how the notions of hell and eternal punishment are the ultimate case study in the goodness of God in light of human suffering. For some, if God “satisfied his thirst for revenge so implacably” as to punish the unsaved eternally, he would be “insatiably cruel” and a “bloodthirsty monster”. This an idea is “morally repugnant” they claim. [2]

This abhorrence of the horrors of hell betrays the degree of distortion in our views on anthropology. We live in an age where human rights are paramount. Societies claim humans have a right to life, free from suffering. We may not explicitly state that God is obligated to show us kindness and mercy, but tacitly humans generally expect to be comfortable and often blame God when we are not. Our rights to comfort has eclipsed God's right to judge.

However, Scripture critiques our views and shows us the reverse is true. The offense of sin deserves the penalty of death (Roman 6:23). We all sin. And our sinfulness earns us a place in hell. We are on death row. As those deserving of the ultimate penalty, we have no rights to life, comfort or blessing. We have no claims! And God is not bound to show mercy.

Scripture asserts God’s right to judge, vindicate his name, to seek retribution for sins committed against him. He is just in bringing humanity under condemnation. God is exercising his right as the just judge by sending sinful humans to hell.

Since God is under no obligation to give blessings, we ought to be stunned that he restrains his wrath, choosing instead to bestow kindness on us. Prisoners on God's death row may live a luxurious life on earth, enjoying good health and relationship. And to some, God even extends a pardon from condemnation, eternal life and a place in his family! In doing all this, God shows himself to be lavishly gracious and unspeakably merciful.

It is preposterous and obtuse then to accuse God of being unjust or lacking mercy when he has already granted condemned sinners earthly life and delayed punishment. It shows the depths of human ingratitude, especially in the light of the fact that God has sent his Jesus Christ to take the punishment in our place, gives us repeated warnings of the impending judgment and grants extra time to turn back to him.

The accusation that God is unfair in sending people to hell reveals how warped our thinking is. We cannot see what is really detestable. What's worse: the murder or the life sentence? What does God find abhorrent? It is sin, not hell, that is the ultimate horror of God’s universe. [3] The severity of the penalty ought to impress upon us the severity of the offense.

[1] John W Wenham, The Enigma of Evil, Surrey: Eagle, 1994, p 68.
[2] Clark H. Pinnock, 'The Nature of Hell', Ex Audity 20 (2004), 55.
[3] Christopher W. Morgan, 'Annihilationism: Will the Unsaved be Punished Forever', in Hell Under Fire, eds. C.W. Morgan and R.A. Peterson. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 2004, p 210.

Black Music

What should I do with Black Music? T Pain, feat. Francisco's "Apple Bottom Jeans" brought this question to the fore again.

I have to hop out of the hiphop closet.

Musically, Black Music can be passionate, cheeky and infectious. Watch people walking by a shop pumping out R&B and note the involuntary shoulder thrust, the disguised booty-slap and the slowing of walking pace to the tempo. Anyone can be a dawg.

I've always taken it as OTT, clever satire. It's fun and funny. I give you Exhibit A:

You got me trippin', stumblin', flippin', fumblin'
Clumsy cuz I'm fallin in love, in love
You got me slippin', tumblin', sinkin', fumblin'
Clumsy cuz I'm fallin in love, in love
So in love with you

~ Fergie

You can let out your inner drama queen (oh, don't go there gf!). I defy you to "shake it like a Polaroid picture" (Outkast) without giggling. But aren't the artists taking themselves seriously? Would they be insulted if I wrote them off as parody?

The lyrics can be more than a little bit naughty and uber-sexualized. I'd be irresponsible for introducing it to under-aged people. A friend repeated the rapidly rapped sections of ABJ to me and I was shocked (and I've worked with engineers!).

So, can I take it as just frivolous fun? And label it "parody" in iTunes?

Or do I give it up? How much of it is soaking through my skin into my brain?

At which level am I participating? (this question can be asked of movies, social activities...)


I'd like to pay tribute to musicians who write funny songs (most of whom are clean).

Respect.

• P.D.Q. Bach
• The Lucksmiths
  
• Hugh Laurie (clip)
  
• Flight of the Conchords (aka the Hiphopoptamus and the Rhymenoceros)
• The Idea of North
• Weird Al Yankovic (clip)
  
• Cake (clip)
• Ben Beilharz
• Robert Martin
• and Ebb and Kander, writers of the musical 'Chicago' which has the honor of being both comedy and 'noir'.
  

Teaching kids

Here are some on-line resources for Bible-centred ministry to children:

• Sandy Galea
  

• EMU (CDs and the Bible in 10 easy lessons)
  

• Christian Focus
  

• Christian Education Publications

• Youth Works

• Matthias Media - 6 year Sunday School syllabus

• Matthias Media - other resources
  

• Show and Tell

• Oasis
  

• and there are more from Jean's post
  

Thanks to my friends who ministering to children for this list and their faithful work. I'm afraid I can't elaborate on it myself.

On Mission, we were challenged to think of children's ministry as families' ministry, men's ministry and new-comers ministry.