If you are like me you try to read as many articles, blogs and books as possible but just cannot catch all of them.  “In Case You Missed It” is my way of pointing out a few “reads” that I think are too good to miss.

Dare We Laugh at World of Warcraft? – Mark Sayers

Communicating Christ to consumers of popular culture means sorting the good influences from the bad. A review of Ted Turnau’s ‘Popolgetics.’

Way back in the 1990s a conversation began, one driven by the mandate to reach what was described as a new postmodern generation in the West. Yet strangely, this twenty-year conversation has produced very few books which offer a genuine framework for sharing the gospel with actual postmodern people. This is what makes Ted Turnau’s new book Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective(P & R Publishing) such a unique and interesting work. Turnau writes from the fusion of Western liberalism and post-communist atheism that is the Czech Republic, where he teaches cultural studies at a liberal arts college in Prague. Daily immersion in one of the West’s most secular cities has obviously given him a keen eye for exploring the cultural ground into which the gospel must be communicated.

An American apologist writing from the heart of Europe will no doubt invoke memories of Francis Schaeffer in the minds of many readers. Yet whereas Schaeffer addressed the commanding heights of the arts, philosophy, politics, and science, Turnau is concerned with the way that popular culture implicitly and explicitly molds our behavior and beliefs. While many Christians would question the worth of exploring the worldview implicit in, say, World Of Warcraft, Turnau reframes Schaeffer’s quote about modern art for those wary of engaging popular culture: “Dare we laugh at such things?….Christians should stop laughing and take such men seriously. Then we shall have the right to speak again to our generation.” Thus the impetus behind Popolgetics is a call for Christians to be serious about popular culture if we are to be serious about mission.

Read entire article here.

How Lecrae is Changing Hip-Hop – Tyler Huckabee

If Lecrae is nervous, he hides it well.

Nobody would blame him for a few jitters. He’s become a major player in the new wave of Christian hip-hop. He has a new album, Gravity, releasing September 4, and it’s poised to take his spectacularly consistent delivery of faith-laced rap to exponentially bigger crowds. But he talks about it with an easy confidence—and, well, he has reason for that too.

Lecrae is at the forefront of a movement that mixes faith and hip-hop without weakening the integrity of either. In his first five albums—all from the label he co-founded, Reach Records—he rewrote the rules for Christian hip-hop like he never knew there were any. His 2011 offering, Rehab: The Overdose, nabbed the top spot on iTunes. His first mixtape, Church Clothes, was downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours. And when he performed for BET’s Hip Hop Awards, his name started trending worldwide. It’s all for good reason. Lecrae’s faith themes come across forceful instead of forced. We talked with him about the integral role faith plays in his work, among other things, and how it will always be a part of what he does.

Read entire article here.

The Encouragement Files – Andrew Bradshaw

The author of Ecclesiastes writes that there is a time for everything. Working in ministry, you know this. In ministry, there are times where everything seems to be working (12 trusted Christ at the Call of Duty tournament!!!). Other times, not so much.  You need an Encouragement File during both of these times:

WHAT IT IS
An Encouragement File is simply a file of encouragement that you have received by other people. I keep a literal file folder of papers in my desk, readily accessible if I need it on an off-day or during a discouraging season of ministry.

HOW TO START
Begin collecting encouragement from others. Pastor Appreciation cards, encouraging e-mails from parents, notes from your spouse or parents, and Facebook statuses are great places to start. I copy and paste Facebook statuses into one file and occasionally print it out to update my encouragement file. You are looking for EVERY single piece of encouragement that you can find.

WHEN TO USE IT
1.  Times of discouragement. There will be times in your ministry where you will get greatly discouraged. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will!  During these times, read through your Encouragement File. Be reminded that good things DID happen at one time, and lives were positively changed.
*If continually discouraged for a lengthy period of time, consider seeing a non-local Pastor (someone that you can let your “Pastor-guard” down to) or a highly recommended, Christian counselor.

2. Times of planning. Pull out your encouragement file when you plan your ministry calendar. You would be amazed how helpful it is to start out with a list of events/topics/Scriptures that teens or parents were already helped by. It’s a good reminder that expensive/flashy/etc. is not always the most effective (i.e. “The car giveaway touched my heart last night!” or “The Pizza For Life giveaway forever changed my teen’s life…”), but the consistent, steady, and Godly influence of you and your team are more effective.

Here’s a start for your Encouragement File: You are making a positive difference in your teens’ lives!