Random Stuff

This is all stuff that grabbed my fancy from the blogosphere in the last couple of days.

• Perry made me cry with this.
• Rob's got me really wanting to buy a few new books and spend my Christmas reading. Read this and this.
  
• Los made me flat-out spew coffee with this.
• Jeff Boris is my new hero. Click here.
• And this post on Seth Grodin's marketing blog totally nails my view of how a church should think in view of its presentation.

If you actually go to all of those links and you're on company time... well, let's just assume that you're reading this on your own time ;-)

Good wishes to couple of my homies...

So a couple of my good friends are both going to have a small operation done this week (not together). It may not be the most physically dangerous surgery in the grand scheme of things but this particular surgery can be especially hard on a man's... self-image.

I feel for ya guys! I'm a two year member of the usta'could club myself. So, Dan and Dave, this video is for you.

Disclaimer: this is PG... no vulgarity or overt crudeness, but definitely an adult subject being addressed in a somewhat humorous way.



BTW, the guy in the video is the worship leader at Buckhead Church and a pretty well known blogger in his own right. Check him out at Ragamuffin Soul.

Trunk Monkey... I need one of these!

Most of you have probably seen this before, but I almost spewed my tea this morning watching it. So here you go...thanks to my bro for the link.

Granger Let It Be...Christmas

Okay... it's not very often that I have church envy (alright, maybe a little often) but I am totally blown away by the opening service of Granger Community Church's Let It Be...Christmas.

Go here and click the video logo at the bottom right to watch the entire service. Do it soon... The service will only be up until sometime on Saturday.

p.s. Every week the link changes and takes you to the most current service... the service I originally blogged about was Dec 2. Today (12/18) the link takes you to the 12/15-16 service.

21-day challenge Day #12: John 12

Read: John 12

My Key Verse: John 12:42-43 "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."

My Reflections: This may be for me the saddest verse in all the bible. (I equate this right up there with the young man offered a spot with the 12 but who rejected it for earthly wealth.) They had seen the signs...they had seen him in action...they believed he was who he claimed to be... But they threw away their eternal life with Jesus because, "they loved praise from men more than praise from God."

My Prayer: O God, may this never EVER be said about me. Please bring me to my knees, completely desperate for your approval. Send me back in to the fight again and again, battered, exhausted, wounded but undefeated, all to come back to you and hear, "Well done." I pray that as I seek to open new doors for your Spirit to work through, as I offer all that I am to be a simple tool in your hand, please never let me give one moment of heed to any voice that is different from yours. Help me always recognize what you are saying to me, and then to courageously step out in faith. Let me never be impressed by anyone in this world, except that they model for me what true dedication to you is.

21-day challenge Day #11: John 11

Read: John 11

My Key Verse: John 11:51-52 "He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one."

My Reflections: How awesome is God! How amazing that he would put the truth right in the mouths of those who were responsible for Jesus' death.

Jesus did not come to end the time of the Jews as God's people. He came through the Jews and should have been welcomed and received and celebrated, yet the very ones with the most to gain could not see past their political positions and rejected their very Messiah.

Caiaphas was the high priest...the one person on earth supposedly closest to the God of Israel, but he was more like the ones described in Isaiah 29:13...but as unlikely as it might seem, God gave this man a prophesy about Jesus. Of course, through the hardness of his heart, he completely misinterprets the voice of God and uses it as an excuse to plot the death of the innocent Jesus, but nonetheless God put the truth in this man's mouth.

It reminds me in the OT when the pagan king hired the sorcerer, Balaam (remember the guy with the talking donkey) to curse the Israelites, but instead God intervenes and Balaam pronounces this huge blessing on Israel. That's funny...I don't care who you are!

My Prayer: In this, God, I see your sovereignty demonstrated. I see your hand controlling the nations...accomplishing your will through those who listen to you and even those who won't. I'm so glad to know that you hold my life in your hands. I'm so glad to say with Paul, "if God is for us, who can be against us." You are the creator, you are the Lord of all, you are mighty to save your people and to accomplish what you will. I pray that I will be one who listens to you every day and gladly submits myself to your will without twisting your word to suit my on agenda.

21-day challenge Day #10: John 10

Read: John 10

My Key Verse: John 10:13

My Reflections: Wow, this is another one of those chapter that is just so chock full of spiritual significance--I'm almost at a loss to pick just one. But one verse jumped out at me in a totally new way so here goes...

"The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." John 10:13

Jesus is describing himself as the Good Shepherd, a particularly good analogy considering how unintelligent and easily led sheep are. He is setting up a contrast between himself, the owner and "compassionate father" of the sheep, and a hired servant...a person who has little invested in the flock and would abandon it to save himself.

I know that this passage is only speaking of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, but the term hired hand catches my eye because of the times I've heard church pastors referred to as "hired hands" or "hired guns." Even without the label being affixed, many church members see a paid pastor as the one whose "job" is to do ministry. I hate this thought process. Ephesians 4 is very clear that my job is to prepare and equip God's people to do ministry.

But even more, I hate the thought that I would ever find myself in the position of sacrificing "the flock" (God's Church) for self-preservation or self-betterment or even using God's Church for any selfish ambitions or personal gain. I am not the Good Shepherd, but I hope to be a good shepherd. That is what God has called me to.

My Prayer: God please continue to develop in me the unconditional love for your church. Help me never take lightly the responsibility you've given me as a leader and let me never be a "hired hand." Help me love your church more than I love myself... Help me grow to be a good shepherd.

21-day challenge Day #9: John 9

Read: John 9

My Key Verse: John 9:25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

My Reflections: Simple results. No attempt at theology...no well-reasoned out explanations. The religious leaders of the Jews wanted an explanation of how Jesus was able to heal this man, but the man didn't know (and didn't care.) He simply knew that his life had been completely transformed forever and that Jesus was the one who did it.

And so this man with no religious training or education becomes a powerful evangelist. He has an incredible story to tell and he tells it as he knows it.

If we could all be that confident in the difference that Jesus has made in our lives, and tell it in simple non-theological terms, our stories could have a huge impact on convincing the unconvinced that Jesus is real and alive and powerful.

My Prayer: God, help me to always be ready to give the reason for my hope...to simply explain that I was lost and now I'm not...that I was on a collision course with death and that Jesus gave me life and hope and a purpose to live. Thank you, Father, for never giving up on me when I was running. Please give me chances to share my story and see people trust you.

21-day challenge Day #8: John 8

Read: John 8

My Key Verse: John 8:33 "They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

My Reflections: Jesus offered freedom, but the Jews were offended by the thought that they even needed freedom. They claim to have never been slaves, but the history of the Israelite people is one of slavery. They were slaves to the Egyptians, they were slaves to Moabites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, etc. But even more than that, they were slaves to their tendency to give their loyalty to every other god but the God of Abraham that they so readily claim. Little-g gods like Baal, Asherah and Molech... and like Power, Wealth and Position.

The Jews were in prideful denial and that was their major obstacle when they had the chance to accept the Son of God. To admit we need a Savior is to admit that we are lost.

That is still a major obstacle in peoples lives--especially people who claim to believe in God. Their pride convinces them that they are self-sufficient and have no need of surrendering their lives to God.

My Prayer: Help me God, to always be keenly aware of my in-sufficiency...without the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus, I am lost...condemned by my own inability to ever measure up to your expectation of holiness. Thank you Jesus for loving us even though we aren't worthy and will never fully return your love. Imperfect and desperately in need of being saved, we love you!

21-day challenge Day #7: John 7

Read: John 7

My Key Verse: John 7:46 "No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.

My Reflections: Jesus is speaking in the most visible location at the most attended event in the region. He waits until the very busiest day to give his message that carries the most weight.

The Pharisees have had enough and send temple guards to arrest him, but the guards return emptyhanded. They don't talk about the riot that would have happened if they'd grabbed Jesus in that setting--that may have been excusable. They chalk it up to belief.

"No one ever spoke the way this man does," they tell their bosses. In a time of high profits and social unrest (hmmm...sounds familiar) they are struck by the message they hear. Not really a feel good message, but one of confrontation mixed with hope--but a hope couched in terms they'd never heard before.

It made an impression. It gave hardened military men reason for pause...reason to doubt their orders from their superiors. Who was this Galillean that some called the Prophet and some called the Christ and who spoke of himself as Bread from heaven and the Well of life?

My Prayer: My God, don't ever let me forget that the draw is Jesus. Not programs or experiences or sermons...those things have their place, but lifting up a winsome Jesus who confronted the moral complacency of his time... the lack of social justice... and the self-pleasing, self-centered religion. Jesus, the rebel, still draws people to himself...people on the fringe; people who have little hope; people who society has labeled losers; people who've experienced wealth and power and found that they don't satisfy. Help me lift up Jesus.

21-day challenge Day #6: John 6

Read: John 6

My Key Verses: John 6:67-68 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

My Reflections: Jesus made statements that were hard to accept regarding what was necessary to have life. Statements about eating flesh and drinking blood may have been the biggest obstacle for his Jewish listeners, or maybe they understood his symbolism but couldn't get past the exclusiveness of his requirements. Either way, verse 66 says that many disciples abandoned him at this point. He looks to his leadership...his main 12 disciples and questions why they have stayed while so many have left.

It's Peter that answers him. Peter...who has absolutely no filter between cerebrum and mouth; Peter...often in err but never in doubt; Peter...100%, whole-hearted, fully committed, let's-get-to-it...

Peter speaks openly and honestly -- "Lord, to whom shall we go?" Those are words of desperation. "We have no where else to turn..." "We have painted ourselves into this corner..." "We believe in You and now that we've tasted, there is no other food."

Desperation can be scary but its a good place to be with God. Desperation doesn't fear failure..."what is there to lose?" Desperation won't stop at half-way..."this may be our only shot." Desperation is focused..."I must hold on or die."

I think that if I allowed myself more time to consider the state of my life, the state of human existence and the holiness of God, I would find myself more desperate. I would find myself longing just to get a glimpse of the One who is the Holy One of God...straining to hear a whisper from the One who has the words of eternal life.

My Prayer: God disturb my casual contentment. Wake me up to the urgency that exists all around me. Prune away the things in my life that hold me back from giving you my complete loyalty. Help me rid my life of anything that smacks of dualism...I want every aspect of my life to be built on my relationship to You. You and only You have the words of eternal life. Wreck me with your ridiculous love for me and for every person that I come across. I am waiting and listening.

21-day challenge Day #5: John 5

Read: John 5

My Key Verse: John 5:6 "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

My Reflections: A man lying on a mat, an invalid for 38 years and Jesus asks him if he wants to get well. Was Jesus being clueless, insensitive, sarcastic... Jesus was being perceptive. Some people don't really want to get well. I think about the movie, the Shawshank Redemption, and the description the "Red" gives of being "institutionalized." Getting so used to the bars that you rely on them. Maybe some people get so used to their physical or emotional illnesses that the illness becomes their refuge. "If I've failed to live up to what was expected of me, it's because of _______." An excuse to underperform. A reason to not be responsible. So Jesus asks him if he even wants to get well. Perhaps for the first time, the man was confronted by the opportunity to be well...I wonder if it was an easy decision to trade a life of no expectations for health?

My Prayer: God, what are the things in my life that you've been longing to heal me of, and yet I hang onto them because of some comfort factor. I'm like the vagrant invited in to the feast, given new, clean, expensive clothing to wear, and yet I hang onto my rags just in case. There are so many things I sill need to learn as a leader and a pastor. Please be paient with me, Father and keep showing me how far I still have to go. Help me let go of my crutches, my excuses to underperform and let me soar to the heights that you created me for.

21-day challenge Day #4: John 4

Read: John 4

My Key Verse: John 4:27 "Just then his disciples returned and were suprised to find him talkin with a woman. But no on asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you taking with her?"

My Reflections: Jesus and his disciples journey through Samaria. While there, they stop at a town, the disciples go into town to by food and Jesus stays and strikes up a conversation at a well with a Samaritan woman who has a checkered past and disgraceful present. Jesus reaches across all these barriers (gender, race, sinful lifestyle) to teach this woman and in so doing opens the door to teaching the entire town.

A key insight for me comes in v. 27 when the disciples return. They were surprised...but they weren't really. The fact that their Rabbi was breaking all of the norms and going against culture and religion maybe gave them pause for just a moment, but then they see that Jesus is working and they don't question. They don't interfere. They come back to find him doing something they would never have dreamed of own their own, and yet probably within a very short time, they're assisting in the evangelism of a small Samarian town. Why? Because instead of questioning or listing all of the reasons it was inappropriate or just making excuses as to why they couldn't get involved, they recognized Jesus at work and joined in.

My Prayer: God forgive me of all my notions of who is worthy or deserving of my time. Perhaps I'm not racist (or class-ist or IQ-ist) in my head, but my actions don't always show my theology. Open my eyes, Father, to the fields that are ready for harvest. Open my heart to the people who don't clean up as well as I do, but who are hungry for your life-changing message of hope and grace to guide them out of their chaos. Increase my love for all of those I've labeled needy and excluded from my circle of care. And help me lead those around me to greater efforts to remove the focus from our own lives and comfort and invest our time and effort in those whom you are calling us to minister to. In the name of him who reached across all barriers of time, space and sin to save an unworthy world, Jesus Christ, Amen.

21-day challenge Day #3: John 3

Read: John 3

My Key Verse: John 3:30

My Reflections: (I’m doing the unthinkable…I’m skipping over John 3:1-21, possibly the most theologically rich passage in the bible, definitely containing the most well know verse of scripture. It’s just a little too familiar.)

I write this less that 24 hours after reading about a church in Atlanta that is crumbling because of sex scandals, resulting from a culture of “pastor worship” that was created there since the 1960’s.

Complete honesty time: I struggle with the need to be appreciated…to be impressive…to be valued. I understand where it comes from. (picture me on a counselor’s couch and him saying, “Tell me about your relationship with your father…) I’d like to think that it doesn’t surface all of the time, but I’m sure to those who know me best, who work with me and/or live with me, this is no great revelation.

I should have a life-size poster of John the Baptist in my office with the caption from verse 30 above it, “He must become greater; I must become less.” If there has ever been a mantra that I should start my day with, it’s this: He must increase and I must decrease (that’s right…I’m rollin’ KJV).

In the previous verse, John made it clear that “the bride belongs to the bridegroom.” As I follow my calling, there’s no room for self-importance…there’s no room for a Corbett Fan Club…I don’t need a bigger podium to stand upon. I just need to lift up Jesus; to lift up his name; to point people to him. My job is to make the name of Jesus famous, and to humble myself constantly so that no one is ever confused about who is the focus.

My Prayer: God, you know me, you made me, you gave me every gift and talent that I possess. You have shaped me into the man that I am. Speak to my heart every single day and show me my place. If there is a place of influence that I'm to occupy, then Lord help me to grow in humility and grace as I fill that role. Help me see your vision for my life and to walk in step with your Spirit...not lagging behind, not running ahead. I don't want to be controlled by self-doubt or insecurity, or by their cousins, pride and overconfidence. I just want to be the man you created me to be and to enjoy the blessing of being a part of the church, the bride of Jesus...your vehicle for reconciling the whole world to you. In the name of the one and only Savior, the one and only Lord, Jesus Christ...Amen.

21-day challenge Day #2: John 2

Read: John 2

My Key Verse: John 2:10 “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

My Reflections: My subtitle to this passage would be “Jesus serves expensive wine to drunk people.” Changing water into wine at a wedding in Cana was the first miraculous sign that is described in the gospels. Some might think it not a very auspicious start for the beginning of a revolutionary movement aimed at reconciling the world to God.

The wedding is in full swing, when the unthinkable happens…the wine runs out—an unpardonable offense in a culture that placed such great emphasis on hospitality. Jesus instructs some servants to fill up six large containers with water, and when they take a cup of the “water” to the dinner coordinator, the guy is shocked at the quality of the wine…it's superb. He points out that most would serve the best wine first and then serve the cheap stuff after people were too drunk to know the difference. But he didn’t know that the expensive wine he was tasting had been plain water just moments before.

So, people are drunk, but they need more wine. Jesus provides that wine, and in a setting where any low-quality swill would have been sufficient, he gives “the best.” Gourmet wine. And why not? After all, in v11, John says that, through this miracle, Jesus “revealed his glory.” This isn’t just wine at a party…this is the glory of God. This is an act whereby the Son of the living God demonstrates power over all of creation. Cheap wine was not an option.

So why is it an option with me? Not talking about wine…don’t really care for it, cheap or expensive. But when I have an opportunity to help reveal the glory of God, why am I sometimes guilty of giving less than my best? Why is halfway good enough? Why do I “wing” things that deserve my attention, effort and time? It’s cheap wine and I’m guilty all too often.

• I’m guilty of it with my family.
  
• I’m guilty of it with my preparations for Sunday.
  
• I’m guilty of it with my interactions with the staff and leadership here at NC3.
  

My Prayer: God, here is my prayer: no more cheap wine. No more halfway. No more winging it. But you know me, Lord. You know that everything I’m saying goes against my nature most of the time. When you decided to give, you gave your very best. You gave your Son…your very own self. When we, who are as worthy as a bunch of drunken wedding guests, needed forgiveness, you took our punishment upon yourself, sending Jesus to the cross to die. We needed a sacrifice…you gave your perfect Son. We deserved punishment…you allowed him to be killed in our place. We needed redemption…you raised us along with him from the dead. So forgive me for offering you my left-overs…my spare time. No more cheap wine, God. No more cheap wine. In the name of Jesus, who is more than worthy of all of our praise and adoration, Amen.

A Great Political Ad

This goes out to my very great and semi-fascist (jk) friend who sends me all of his Republican Party crap. (FWIW, I am a registered republican, but I have found I have great disdain for both major parties as well as most of the little ones. Politics stinks!)




Thanks to Jason Powell and Justin Moore for the link.

21-day challenge Day #1: John 1

Read: John 1

My Key Verse: John 1:4-5 “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

My Reflections: Maybe I’m having a bad day, but I feel like I’m surrounded by chaos. There’s chaos in my own life, from being 20 min late b/c of lost keys this morning to just not having any time to spend with my wife because of the busyness of our schedules. Even more than that, I feel like chaos is defining the lives of many of my close friends. Two very good friends are in the midst of major marital problems and it breaks my heart. I see people completely losing sight of our purpose and the vision of life that God has given.

“The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it.” Even those of us who call ourselves Christians are prone to living in darkness. I’m not talking about moral debauchery…I don’t have to be. At least when people who consider themselves Christians go out and party stupid, they feel guilty about it. They know that their behavior doesn’t reflect the presence of Jesus Christ in their life. But people who go to Community Group on Friday instead of the bar, still allow darkness to permeate their lives. It’s not on purpose. It’s almost sinister, the way it happens.

It happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. It happens when we forget why we exist. It happens when the blessings from God—houses, jobs, children, autos, toys—begin to be our reason for living instead of wonderful blessings to enjoy along the way. It happens when our decisions become more about “What I Want” and less about “What God Wants For Me.”

We all want to live our lives. We all want more. We all want to be happy and healthy and comfortable and secure… but we’ve forgotten the source. Jesus came for us. He came to save. He came to teach. He came to love and restore. He came to forgive and remove the shame. “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

My Prayer: God, I want that life. I don’t want chaos to be the rule of my existence. I want to walk in the “unforced rhythms of grace.” I want every aspect of my life—the way I love my wife, the way I interact with my kids, the way I do my job—every bit of it to be filtered through the light that is in my life because of Jesus Christ. I want the peace of God that defies our understanding to be a constant in me, and then I want to be a gentle reminder to everyone I that I touch that there is a better way to do life…a better way that does not consist of darkness or chaos. Today, God, I pray that you will re-infuse me with your vision for my life and more than ever, allow me to be an instrument of your peace. Yours is the power and the kingdom and the glory, forever. Amen

Taking the 21-day Challenge

In conjunction with some of our friends in the area, especially CCC and the NewThing Network, Pastor Kevin issued a 21-day journaling challenge. Basically you're invited to join him (and the rest of our leadership) in 21 days of journaling through the book of John. The challenge...simply read a chapter everyday and journal about your thoughts and prayers stemming from your reading.

Journaling is a practice that I love and respect, but all too often don't make time for. Well time has to be made. I was not originally going to post my journaling, but I said I would Sunday morning, so I will.

Join me. It doesn't have to be online...just find an old notebook or legal pad, open up God's word and get ready to have your life changed.

Let me know in the comments if you're going to pick up this challenge. I'm pumped!

The Most Amazing Conversion

In the book of Acts there are many amazing stories of life change...people who did not know Christ, heard the Gospel and had their worlds radically turned upside down. One of them is in chapter 10, where we see Peter guided by the Holy Spirit, lead Cornelius and his entire household to the Lord. The surprising part of this story is that Cornelius was a Gentile... a Roman military leader, to be specific. Now to this point, all of the converts to the Way (Christianity) were Jews. But God first changes Peter's mind regarding clean and unclean through a vision, and then He pours out his Holy Spirit out on a room full of non-Jews so as to leave no room for argument.

Amazing, right? But not the MOST amazing...

The most amazing conversion actually happens in the next chapter. Very soon, the people who had already accepted Christ (all Jewish) hear about what happened and when Peter comes back to Jerusalem, they jump him. Those who are already in the club aren't so sure that these new people really belong. Well that never happens today, does it?

But Peter explains everything thing that happened and then...

• the deacons decide to pray about it, or maybe
• it gets added to the agenda for the next board meeting, or
• the congregation votes on whether to accept the Gentile believers or not, or...
  

you fill in the blank. What have you seen happen when God is moving in a new way and those who are open to hearing from God get to a certain point before the rest of the "circumcised believers" do?

After Peter explained how God was moving, verse 18 reads, "When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God..."

Now maybe I'm too cynical, but that was the most amazing conversion ever!

May God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Deep is what you do

DANG!! I've never been as tempted to take what someone else wrote and claim it as mine. The temptation is because what I'm about to link is exactly what I have been thinking. Perry has been reading my mail, it seems. I really hope that you click here and read this post, but just in case you don't, here are some highlights...

I have always said that deep is not what you know–but rather what you do. I have seen some of the deepest people I have ever known here at NewSpring Church…let me give you a few examples…

• DEEP is a single mother raising two kids and who has a full time job–yet finds the time to volunteer here at NewSpring every weekend.
• DEEP is the single dad who told me the other day that he works two jobs to support he and his daughter, but that he has gotten a third job so that he can contribute to the campaign, and every dollar he makes doing it over the next three years is going to Gametime.
• DEEP is the college student who refused to give up on her friend, kept inviting her to church, gave her a Bible, was available to her to talk and ask questions…and as a result her friend received Christ.
• DEEP are the parents who are watching a child go down a path that is destructive and is breaking their hearts, yet they claim that God is in control.
• DEEP is the guy in his 30’s who was diagnosed with cancer and only given a few months to live…and through it all his love for Jesus grew stronger and he told everyone how good God was…right up until the last minute of his life.

I could go on and on…but DEEP is NOT knowing a lot of information, but rather being able to apply what you do know to your everyday life…and at the end of the day the name of Jesus is lifted up…no matter what!

or how about this...

I just want people to know Christ. I want people to see Scriptures NOT as a textbook–but rather as a letter from God that communicates who Jesus is and what He has done. I want to see people come to Christ. I want to see families healed. I want to see the poor served. I want to see the excluded included. I want to see people get out of debt. I want to see people discover their spiritual gift. I want to see people find God’s purpose. I want to see Jesus Christ lifted up!

Is that “deep?” Probably not–but it is what God has put on my heart and I am going to try my best to follow His vision Jesus Christ saved me…II Corinthians 5:17 came true in my life…and I honestly think I could think about that for the rest of my life and never truly grasp exactly what happened.

Deep is what you do...I love that. Don't be surprised to hear that out of my mouth for a long time to come.

Hump Day Humor 10-24-07

So as much as I pride myself on being decisive, the connection between these two made it too close to call, so please enjoy your very own Weird Al Star Wars two-fer...

Twitter

On almost every blog I read, the author is twittering. In case you don't capisce, twitter is an app that lets you post to your blog via cell phone. Twittering usually consists of short little updates as to a person's whereabouts, frame of mind, progress on a project or toward a destination of some kind. Snippets.

I don't twitter. I don't text message people, mostly because I so seldom have a need to that I generally forget its even an option...I'd rather just call. And also, I'm cheap a good steward. Texting costs and even though I don't pay for it (NC3 pays for my cell phone) I can't really justify spending money so that I can laboriously type in messages on a cell phone instead of just calling.

Besides, when I blog, it almost always is a major effort. With the exception of my humor contributions a la youtube.com, I almost never fire off a quip. Therefore when time is short, blogging often gets pushed to the back burner. Heck, the whole reason I'm even writing this post is to satisfy the not-so-silent minority of folks who begin harassing me if I wait too long.

So don't expect me to Twitter anytime soon, and don't expect me to care about your twittering ...unless you're, like, Santa or something. That would be cool. I wonder if Santa blogs?

Hump day Humor 10-10-07

This weeks offering to cheer you past the middle of the week.

Are you old-school enough for this?

Hump day Humor 10-3-07

Oops... A good friend pointed out that I didn't post my second ever hump day humor yesterday. I'm so embarrassed. To try to make up for my failure, I reached way back into the vaults for a clip that can't fail. Don't know how many of my blogging pals are homestarrunner fans, but here is my hump day +1 offering.

Everything Must Change (mostly me)

If we are going to be perfect in heaven, why didn't just create us perfect down here? Seriously... I know very well the whole explanation that God created us to love him and to be loved by Him, and that free will is the only way that we could actually choose to love God and not be robots and so on and so forth.

Then why is it going to be different in heaven? Why will we, who are decidedly imperfect, suddenly become perfect? Why didn't God just put us straight into heaven?

Now before you start on the three-page theological email or comment to fix my poor heretical thinking, let me say that I'm not all that concerned about the answer to my own questions. God did what He did. BUT (there's always a but) I am concerned about what these questions suggest.

I believe God's main plan for mankind happens on earth not in heaven.

So what, right? If I believe what I just wrote, then I no longer can excuse myself for not trying to change this world.

Brian McLaren has a new book called "Everything Must Change," and I believe it's going to shake some people up in a very good and needed way.

In it he breaks down the major crises that the world faces into 4 headings: the prosperity crisis, the equity crisis, the security crisis and the problem of religion. This is huge. The problems in our world are not going away easily.

But change is possible. I read the Bible and I see God using His people to change the world...most of the time enabled by a major miracle from Him. I want to see that today! I want to be a person that He uses to change the world. I'm not going to be content to wait for heaven. I'm not going to wait until I'm older, smarter, wiser, richer or __________ (you fill in the blank).

God, please use me today to begin changing the world. I'm not sure what that's going to mean yet, but I don't want to wait around until I do! I'm ready God. Go for it!

God's Tour Guides

For three years in the early nineties, I worked at an upscale souvenir shop on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Our bread and butter was selling unique T-shirts to the millions of tourists who descend upon N.O. every year. I liked working in the Quarter for the most part and enjoyed sales to a degree. But what I really liked was when someone wanted to know about the history or culture of the city. If someone asked one of our workers a question about what to do or why this was like that, they always were sent to me, and I loved it. I think I could have been a million-dollar tour guide if such a thing exists.

Now there are lots of tour guides in New Orleans but so many times, even though the guide knows the locations and history and dates, they often come off a little dry. When I had out-of-town guests, I loved taking them around and showing off my city and sharing with them all of the things that made me love New Orleans like I did. And that's the difference... I loved New Orleans. I was passionate about the story of New Orleans. I was a part of the story of New Orleans and it was apparent to those that received the "New Orleans a la Corbett" experience.


When we talk to our friends or neighbors about church, do they see it as just something we do or part of the fabric of our lives? Are we inviting people to a church history/morality lesson or are we inviting them to jump right into the middle of the greatest adventure... the single greatest love story that has ever been written AND IS STILL BEING WRITTEN TODAY!

What would your neighbor guess to be the most important thing in your life? Your house... your cars... your lawn... your softball team... your job... your involvement in PTO or Boy Scouts? Because what ever it is that they see, it's probably not far from the truth.

We need to be sharing our real life stories of adventure and service and passion and love. Peoples lives are changed when they become a part of the story of God and his love affair with humanity. What story are you telling? What part in the story are you playing?

My Church Communication Model: Spiral Frog

Because I'm always on the lookout for new music and new ways to get new music AND because I'm as cheap as the day is long, I checked out Spiral Frog after a friend turned me on to it. I haven't downloaded any music or even registered yet, and I love it. Why? Because the website treats me the way I want to be treated!

This website is unabashedly open about the process. Advertisers pay them to get people to the site. They use the advertisers money to pay the content creators. You get to access music for free simply by registering and having to look at their website. The ads aren't even obnoxious!!

Why do I care? I don't. But as I looked through the FAQ's to determine if this was actually on the up-and-up, I found that the site's creators were talking to me the way I want to be talked to. They're not withholding info that makes me wonder what they're really up to. They're not talking to me as if I don't have a clue. They don't assume that I'm a technophile. They are just very open and authentic and THAT RESONATES WITH ME!

I get so tired of feeling like I have to be cynical to avoid being taken for a ride. A company (not one that will add much value to my life, btw) comes along and spells it all out and I find myself a fan even before I've really sampled the product.

I've heard that...

• download times are a bit slow
• that the selection is not huge (only 800k songs so far)
• that only one song can be downloaded at a time (so you spend more ad time checking out the site--they admit this!)
• that I have to register and re-register every 30 days.

If I were looking at a product based on these measurable stats, it wouldn't have a prayer, but I already LIKE THE COMPANY! They've got an "in" with me that will carry me beyond their product shortfalls.

How does this apply to what we do for God? How have we alienated people by withholding what "they didn't need to know" or by talking down to them?

New Feature: Hump day Humor

In case the week has begun to drag and you need a little push to get to the weekend, here's the first of what I hope to be many hump day (that means wednesday, don't be vulgar) humor pieces.

R.I.P. Robert Jordan

A great man died yesterday. I did not know him at all, yet I can't even begin to describe my sorrow. James Oliver Rigney, Jr was commonly known by his pen name, Robert Jordan, under which he wrote the Wheel of Time series of books. There are eleven (incredibly thick) books currently with the final book still in the works at the time of his death.

I'd been reading these books with some degree of consistency since 1991, when I was a sophomore in college, so I can only assume that's why I feel so sorrowful...his books had been a part of my entire adult life. Also, I'd begun following his blog (mostly inconsistently) on which he interacted with the thousands of fans of WoT, as well as giving an on-going update on his health status. He'd been battling a rather rare disease, but right up until the end, he seemed so hopeful and confident that he'd beat it...or at least greatly delay it getting him.

Rigney was a professed Christian...high church as he described himself. His faith was strong in his eternal destination, but instead of rejoicing because a brother has gone to be with his Savior, I'm sad, because it seems so wrong. He wasn't done...his contribution was not finished. A month short of his 59th birthday, he had much more writing and living to do.

I miss him.

Just do it!!

Why don't people serve?

I think it has a lot to do with their priorities...that is, what makes it to the top of the list. Probably many people have very good intentions, but their attention stays focused on the top of their list. Their jobs...getting kids to soccer practice, dance, cheerleading, etc...trying to stay caught up (more often get caught up) on stuff around the house...family obligations (weddings, b-day parties, Aunt Sue wants everyone to come over)... it's easy to get overloaded.

Notice that I didn't even include anything that people just might want to do. What's wrong with getting away for a weekend or hunkering down on Saturday to watch college football? Nothing! So it's easy for me to see how serving gets pushed so far down on the list.

Most people wither never knew or have forgotten that serving one of the reasons we're here. Gal 5:13, Eph 4:11-12, Eph 6:7, 1 Tim 6:18 and Hebrews 10:24 are just a few of the many verses in the N.T. that talk about the importance of what we do, and how we do what we do.

I think a lot of people have missed out on the incredible joy it puts in your life when you unselfishly serve someone else...unselfishly means serving someone when there is no benefit to you (except for the joy). There's the old volleyball/church cliche that if you're not serving, you don't get the point (except for rally scoring which is now the norm). If more people served and realized what a wonderful thing it is for them and for their family, maybe service might begin crawling its way up a few people's priority list.

I wonder how much we church leaders have robbed people of this joy and opportunity.

• We've painted service as an "ought to" instead of a "get to."
  
• We apologetically beg people to help us out, when we should be teaching what God says about serving and then help people find a way to jump in.
  
• People indicate that they may be interested in something and we drop the ball and never call them back. (You don't often get a second chance)

I could think of more, but I don't want to be all negative.

Serve! That's the bottom line. Jump in and do something!

I recently had a friend tell me that they were going to drop out of serving so that they could "be a student for a while." Their concern was that they were leading ministries but didn't think they were qualified b/c of a lack of Bible knowledge and experience. I'm definitely not picking on my friend, but if you don't think your qualified to teach then set up chairs... work in the nursery... run the lights or sound... Do something! As far as I can read in Scripture, there's never an escape clause. There's no "Serve unless..." passage.

We were created to do good works. Followers of Christ produce fruit. Let the pagans see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Serve!!

Philips Bodygroomer

So its been a while since I've blogged. I'm not apologizing. I think I've been in a serious "take-in" mode. I haven't really felt like contributing to the blogospherical conversation.

I get to work this morning feeling rather blah. I needed a shove. I got one. A good one. A funny one...okay, a hilarious one.

Worthy of breaking my long blog silence, I give you the Bodygroomer, as shared by Scott Hodge.

Some of my faithful readers may be interested in this product. Hopefully the rest of you will enjoy this ad as much as I did. Maybe this can be a bit of a jump start for the rest of your day.

By the way, I'm back!!!

Hooked on NC3

Or maybe I should say Hooked at NC3. Our weekend service did not have to be canceled as we originally heard that it might. Instead we were able to kick off our new series, "Hooked."

I'm pretty excited about this series because it marks the beginning of our "official/unofficial" partnership with Community Christian Church in Naperville. Official because we've definitely decided to become a part of the NewThing Network. Unofficial because all of the paperwork and such hasn't been done yet so in the mean time, for the next couple of weeks, we're just gonna rip them off! =)

The day went very well. 276 in attendence... a good even spread between both services.

The band was really on! God has really blessed the NC3 family with some serious talent and I want everyone to know that the musicians who play on Sunday mornings totally have hearts to serve. No prima donnas to be found...just a bunch of people who love God and love being used.

I really enjoyed the combination of Mighty To Save/You Never Let Go at the end. Good job, NC3 band!

The Great Morris Flood of 07

Alright, maybe not the great flood, but I did hear that down by the hospital some cars were flooded. Also, a nursing home in the area had to be evacuated. There's a possibility that our weekend service will be canceled (or transmogrified) due to evacuees being housed at White Oak Elementary where we meet.

The Reeves household had all of the excitement we could stand and then some. Thursday night, we arrive home to a partially flooded basement. Water (that we attributed to an overfilled blow-up swimming pool) had flooded one of our basement window wells and seeped into the basement. About a half inch of water over about 1/3 of our unfinished basement. Crappy, but not the end of the world.

In about 2 hours, I had cleaned up most of the mess and had turned my attention to drying the indoor-outdoor carpet that we put down there, but that's when the action started.

"The floodgates of heaven" were opened and the aforementioned window well proceeded to fill to a height of about 14 inches and stream into the basement. This time about 3/4 of the basement had a little less than an inch... including our storage area.

Not fun! With a couple of shop vacs, a submersible pump, a five gallon bucket, lots of towels, and the much appreciated help of a very good friend (who we pulled out of bed at midnight to join the effort), we battled the flood, finally coming out on top about 2:30 in the A.M. Carpets all rolled up to be pitched... submersible pump suspended in the window well to keep more water from coming in... lots of disgusting towels piled up to act as a levee of sorts keeping water contained in the area of the sump... fans blowing the cement dry, we headed for bed.

So Friday morning, my son and I went sump pump shopping and then I started digging into the defective window well. It turns out that there was effectively no drain at the bottom. It was filled completely to the bottom of the window with clay. I started digging (no room for a shovel--I used a big kitchen spoon and a burger flipper) and dug down about 18 inches before I found the top of the plastic drain tile (pipe) that should have been collecting the water that came into the well. I ended up digging down about 8 more inches and installing my new sump pump into the window well, in case the same happened again.

Another friend who knows ever so much more about all things than I, came over and we attacked the drain tile. Not only was it buried but it was completely filled (probably down to the footing) with clay. We dug out as much as we could and then playing dentist with it... flooding with water via a water hose duct taped to a long probe, and then sucking out the muck with a shop vac. Two hours later, the drain would actually handle a little bit of the water. Hallelujah!


Pretty much all day Friday I worked with a crazed urgency to beat the thunderstorms that were supposed to be headed our way. I got a lot done--probably a lot quicker than I would have otherwise--but the storms never came. Thanks, God!

So unless we get more surprises today (Saturday) the Great Morris Flood of 07 seems to be over for the Reeves family.

Starting Kindergarten

Today my daughter Katy started Kindergarten. Wow... That's about all I can say.

Here she is pictured with a few of her classmates. The two on the left, she knows from church. The girl on the right is actually our neighbor, it seems.

I'd like to post a better pic, but for some reason, everytime she saw the camera today, she smiled this weird fake smile with her lips pulled down over her teeth.

School is gonna be fun!

The Six Degrees of a Conversation

So a few days ago, one of my most-read blogs, scotthodge.org posted a few random links including a link to a blog on his radar, davidfoster.tv. David Foster's blog contained a list he called "What I mean when I use the word "emerging." I liked the list.

Following was a comment by Travis Mitchell, which indicated that he respectfully disagreed with Foster's list, and invited readers to visit his blog for a rebuttal. I went for a peek.

I left a comment of my own following Travis' post and since then have been a part of a wonderful conversation about the emergent movement as well as how we each view why we do what we do.

Check out the above links for the story, I suppose. Soon I'll be posting about "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch, but I've got a bit more reading and contemplating to do first.

Changes

I haven't blogged for a while now. We came back from vacation almost two weeks ago and had very big surprises waiting for us.

One of our pastors resigned. This is a pretty big deal when there are only 4 of us on staff, not counting the administrative folks. Going from 4 t0 3 certainly changes the atmosphere around the office. It has also made for some unpleasant discussions, situations, etc.

I consider myself a person who deals well with change, even thrives on it. I think that is more often the case when I'm the change agent. I wonder if anyone likes unexpected, unwelcome changes.

This is a good reminder that "our church" is much bigger than those who meet at White Oak Elementary on Sundays..."our church" is really God's church that we occasionally misappropriate...that is we get confused over the ownership.

Seth Godin blogged about the need for an organization to be clear about its opposites, i.e. who's the enemy. Most time we act like other ministries are the enemy. That stinks. But we start thinking like theres a limited customer base, y'know. If church A has a successful VBS or whatever, and people start attending there instead of our church, then they are "sheep stealers" and our bottom line is affected. We lose precious resources...talent and money.

The enemy is not other churches. The enemy is not the world.

Vacation Part 4

(UPDATED WITH PICS - 8.21.07)
So besides going to churches, what does the Reeves family do for fun? I'm so glad you asked!

Monday -- Into Portland for the Children's Museum. Basically for 6 hours we followed our kids around as they said, "Mom, look at this!" The museum was very cool...especially the water works area. You go in a room and there are about 20 stations where you get to do something with water. Rubber duck maze construction, pvc pipe fountain construction, all kinds of stuff. The rub: there were eight a/c vents in a not terribly large room full of semi-wet children and parents. Obviously they didn't want you to stay in there very long. Overall...A+

Tuesday -- We took 8 hours to make a three hour drive through the Columbia River Gorge (think Lewis and Clark) over to Hood River (windsurfing capital of the world, it seems) and down past Mt. Hood to the Timberline Lodge. We thought Timberline was our big destination, but when we got there, we used the bathroom, looked around for about 10 minutes and then jumped back in the car. On the way to Mt. Hood, though, we stopped at a fruit farm and bought the most ridiculously delicious cherries I've ever eaten. We bought a pound...ate them on site and went back and bought two more pounds. Awesome! Draper Farm, you rule! Overall...A+

Wednesday -- We couldn't get this close to the Pacific Ocean and not at least see it. Tricia wasn't thrilled with the idea of a 2 hour drive to a beach where it was too cold to swim, but then I read about the Seaside Aquarium which contained a marine life petting zoo and the opportunity to feed Harbor Seals. This was reason enough to make the trip. Seaside, Oregon is a cool little touristy town...lots to see and do. We parked on the street and had one of the best meals of the entire trip at Dundee's Seaside Cafe. Pacific beaches are huge! The water was cold, but the sun was warm and the kids swam and had a blast. We spent time in a little old arcade, kinda like Chuck E Cheese without the crappy pizza. The aquarium...well its a good thing that everything else was great, because the aquarium was one room. Interesting, but we were only there about 20 minutes. Still, Overall... A+

Thursday -- Thursday was recoup day. Tricia and the kids went to a little nearby park with a playground and wading pool, I went and ran some errands and picked myself up a little rarely experienced treat that I'm enjoying right now as I type. Today was a rest day to prepare for the craziness of flying back to Chicago.

I'm very divided emotionally. I miss all my peeps...the band, the staff, the planning team and the only other normal people that we know. But I have really enjoyed the Pacific Northwest. Portland is a great town, even if I didn't get to meet Donald Miller. I could really see living here. But then I have to remember that I'm here during the very short period of great weather that they get.

So Chi-town, here we come, but Portland, you haven't seen the last of the Reeves family. Huge thanks to the Lambka's for inviting us to come and letting me wakeboard.

Peace!

Vacation Part 3

As I write this, I realize I haven't posted any pictures. I will do this.

Saturday night went off without a hitch. We attended Living Hope Church at their main campus. All in all, I'm very glad we went. The worship style was very much what I prefer...that is an edgy, guitar driven sound. There was one thing about the worship band that bugged me, but it is far too trivial for me to blog about. I realize that I am often guilty of picking things too death. Good church...needs more greeters. We were checking in our kids and the greeter took us to the wrong place. Oops! Parents are the pickiest, man. First impressions count for a lot!!

Sunday morning arrives and the plan is to attend Imago Dei Community (note the foreshadowing). We drive about 30 minutes to Franklin High School in downtown Portland only to find the doors locked. Now realize that I had checked and rechecked service times, meeting location both Saturday night and Sunday morning. The only people at the school besides Tricia and I and our kids were the 60+ visitors who showed up only to be as disappointed as we were. There was no sign...there were no instructions... no one had a clue. We stood around talking to some of the visitors for a while, and then about 9:30 (service was supposed to be at 9) a guy comes with a stack of flyers for Imago Dei's second annual BBQ and Baptism that's being held at a nearby State Park.

Remember, I'd checked and rechecked the website, just to avoid stuff like. Very frustrating. Because of the time and the way we were dressed, we opted not to try and make the BBQ. Instead we bumped up the next church.

With the change of plans, we now had time to attend the 10:30 service at Southlake. By far the friendlier and best laid out facility of the two we actually attended, Southlake reminded us a ton of Willow Creek. Now, to me that's a great complement in almost every way.

We liked the building so much, we want to bring our building team to see it. Magnificent and doable..

The worship service itself missed the mark with me a little. It was very well done, but it just wasn't the style that I prefer. I'm only talking about style, here...not wrong or right. It reminded me of Willow Creek of a few years ago. The songs weren't dated, they just seemed very performance oriented--probably very seeker friendly. Kinda the Darlene Zschech style...very polished and enthusiastic.

Pastor Kip was an outstanding speaker and the worship leader was very good and very personable and connected well, I believe, with their intended audience. Very much a great experience and if we find ourselves in the area again, we'd visit again gladly.

So there you have it... the three church plan that fell down to two. Still, a great and insightful weekend worshiping God with my family and with a bunch of very commited followers of Jesus Christ.

Vacation Part 2

Here's the story of our church hopping this past weekend...

My plan was simple: find the three coolest churches in Portland, Oregon and through the miracle of modern multiple services, go to all three of them in one weekend.

Problem #1: How do you find out the three coolest churches in Portland? (BTW, cool is not actually a measurable with which I try to judge churches...it's just a lot easier than talking about buzz factor, worship style, leadership structure, use of arts, etc.) I actually googled "cool churches in Portland" but didn't come up with much. So here is the selection process, after all, I only had one weekend in Portland, so I had to choose wisely.

The one church I knew I wanted to check out was Imago Dei. I finally picked up "Blue Like Jazz," and Miller makes such mention of his church, Imago Dei, that I a) wanted to check out the church and b) wanted to track down Donald Miller and have him sign the copy of his book that I'm reading. I'm not really into having famous people sign things, but the book belongs to my friend 3pete and I thought he'd appreciate it. So church number 1 is Imago Dei - Portland.

The very cool couple that were kind enough to invite us to live in their house this week, spoke often of their church, Southlake Church. They both said it was well-known for its music and worship services, so I thought it sounded like a safe bet...plus it's close to Lake Oswego (West Linn) and it offered a 12 pm Sunday service which helped immensely with the 3 church plan. So Southlake Church is church # 2.

The third church was harder. I didn't really find anything for a while...New Hope Church almost got the vote because its huge and we passed it several times on I-205 driving around town. But then I remembered that one of the bloggers that I follow had a list of "churches on my radar." After going to a few wrong sites, I found it was Tony Morgan's. I checked his list for a church in Portland but there wasn't one, but there was one in Vancouver, Washington...just across the river/state line. Living Hope Church. Didn't know much about it but it was multisite and had a solid website and had three services on Saturday. This also fit well into the three church plan.

So the plan was... Step 1: Go to LHC in Vancouver on Saturday night--it was 45 min away, but we picked a 7 pm service and let the kids sleep on the way back. Step 2: Go to the 9 am Sunday service at Imago Dei--20 minutes away in downtown Portland. Step 3: Stop somewhere for brunchish type snacks to fend off hunger pains for the li'l ones. Step 4: Go to the 12 pm Sunday service at Southlake Church--a great option as it's only 8 minutes from the house where we're staying.

So this was the plan. I'm trying to set a good example for post length for my good friend (you know who you are) so I'll continue this in Part 3.

A couple of things...

Alright, I should be going to bed right now, but after catching up on my blog list, I've got a couple of things on my mind. Vacation part 2 still to come tomorrow.

Beef #1
Why is everyone in the blogosphere talking about Facebook. I'm quite sure I'm just not Web 2.0 enough but is Facebook really that revolutionary. People who've been interconnected for years are now all excited because they can connect via the internet... hmmmm, is this really so useful?

I don't know. I haven't tried. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dogging Facebook. I'm quite sure that when I get a little time, I'm going to register and connect with all of these people that I've already been connected with, and then at the very least I'll be able to speak from experience. Until then, I'd really like to NOT open up another blog about Facebook... please?!?!?!

Beef #2
So obesity is contagious. Researchers have discovered that if you hang around with people who are obese you have a greater chance (something like 57%) of being obese yourself. Duh... Is it coming as a big surprise that you become the type of person you hang out with?

Sorry, we've been saying this in Youth Ministry for years. "Show me your friends, I'll show you your future." "It's hard to soar with eagles, when you're hanging out with turkeys." (Although, turkeys never get sucked into jet engines!)

Please report something else, media. Please blog about something else, blogosphere (except for Facebook, that is).

I need to go to bed...I'm crabby!

Vacation Part 1

So we're on an amazing vacation in Portland, Oregon. Some friends of my wife's invited us to come and use their house while they are on vacation. Too good of an offer to resist. I'd never been to the West Coast before.

Thursday, we flew to Portland after several delays at O'hare Airport, arriving about 1:00 am Central Time. We got to spend Friday with Derrith and Evan Lambka, a very cool couple who've relocated to Portland area from Naperville, IL. They have been the greatest hosts imaginable.

The Pacific Northwest is beautiful! Everything is incredibly green, probably due to the amount of rain they get most of the year, but right now is perfect. Highs in the low 80s...lows at night around 70...tons of sunshine... We couldn't ask for better weather.

Well, what do I get excited about doing on vacation? Going to churches, of course. My plan was to drag my family to at least 3 different churches and I succeeded to a point, but I'll save the saga of the search for Donald Miller until tomorrow.

Speaking of Donald Miller, since I'm in Portland I'm reading Blue Like Jazz. VERY COOL BOOK!!

Church Logo

Last night at a communications team meeting to address our future website, we got onto the topic of church logos.

Today I came across this post on the topic at Church Relevance.

Thought I'd throw this out there for discussion and enlightenment.

Personally, my preference is one that is not dependant upon a background color. Also, I prefer one that the logo can stand alone without the need for words.

For the above reasons, "Church on the Move" gets my vote, but all of them are excellent.

The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive

Last week, I grabbed The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive off the shelf at the office and as the wife and kids were out of town for the night, I polished it off in one sitting. That wasn't my plan, but the book is a fantastic read--more than that it's indispensible for church leaders.

Sunday night, I'm catching up on some blogs that I follow and find that Tony Morgan (the first blog I ever read) has also just finished it and he put some of insights he picked up from it down on his blog. They are well done and this saves me the trouble, so here you go from Tony's blog on July 21st:

• "No one but the head of an organization can make it healthy."


• "Initially he insisted on seeing every candidate who cleared the first round of interviews. As the company grew, he limited himself to senior managers and partners."


• "Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team."


• "Create organizational clarity... Essentially it's about eliminating confusion with the company, especially at the executive level."


• "Over-communicate the identity and direction."


• "He was adamant about not using anything slick or glossy, as he called it, to convey the identity of the company."


• "Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems."


• "Success is not so much a function of intelligence or natural ability, but rather of commitment to the right disciplines."


• "When an executive decides not to confront a peer about a potential disagreement, he or she is dooming employees to waste time, money, and emotional energy dealing with unresolvable issues."


• "For cohesive teams, meetings are compelling and vital. They are forums for asking difficult questions, challenging one another's ideas, and ultimately arriving at decisions that everyone agrees to support and adhere to, in the best interests of the company."


• "Even teams that get along well together should be experiencing regular conflict and intense debate during meetings."


• "The search for fundamental values requires a significant level of focus and introspection, and a willingness to acknowledge that all things good are not necessarily essential to an organization."


• "Effective communication requires repetition in order to take hold in an organization. Some experts say that only after hearing a message six times does a person begin to believe and internalize it."


• "What they need from leaders is clear, uncomplicated messages about where the organization is going and how they can contribute to getting there."


• "Healthy organizations use their values and other issues related to organizational clarity to guide their decisions about moving employees out of the company."

Thanks Tony! BTW, the bold italicized items are the "4 obsessions" that Lencioni puts forth in the fable.

Church of the Week

NC3 is the "Church of the Week" at a semi-local Christian radio station, WBGL, 104.7. I'm not really sure how churches are chosen, so I can't speak as to whether or not we should consider this an honor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad of the opportunity, and I thank WBGL for considering and choosing us, but my guess is it won't go far in helping us achieve any goals. Our mission is to build bridges to connect people to Jesus, so our main target is an un-churched person...one who has no relationship with Christ. My guess is that most of those people are not listening to WBGL.

How cool would it be if some of the local rock stations from Joliet or the Chicago metro area were talking about us. Now that would be a kingdom advancing BUZZ.

I believe that God is speaking two major things to our leaders: community and community.

That may sound like the old "location, location, location" bit, but that's not what I mean. What I'm saying is that God is telling us that we need to be more "in community" with each other and that we need to be more involved "in our community."

The world doesn't care about our worship services or the numbers that are being saved and baptized... They don't really care about the campus we're going to build (unless it benefits them in some way, i.e. meeting spaces, ball fields, etc). They can't understand the priorities that we have, but they notice when we serve them. When our church prioritizes in such a way that the community's goals line up with some of our goals as a church, then we can make a difference in our community. And when we make a difference, we can create BUZZ. And when there's a BUZZ, maybe we'll be the church of the week on WRXQ 100.7 -- the rock of the Southland.

Now that would be cool!

Sunday July 22, 2007

Another weekend experience is in the can... We had 274 people in attendance at our two meeting times. It was a great crowd -- lots of fun, interaction, etc.

The band played one of my all time favorite songs this weekend... "Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble" by Delirious? I'll admit that in the past I've been leery to do this song, because as much as it means to me, I'd be devastated if we performed it and it stunk or even if it was mediocre.

Well I give a lot of credit to our band, because the song flat-out ROCKED!!! I had a blast.

We turned the normal flow of the service upside down to fit the subject matter. As part of our current series, REEL LIFE - Finding Truth at the Movies, we grabbed Pirates of the Caribbean pt 3 and talked about Hell. PK actually pulled a Bart Simpson and said it about 15 times in his intro...pretty funny.

All in all, a very good day. I'm glad I get to work with the awesome artists who help plan our worship experiences as well as the musicians, singers and techies who pull it all off.

I'll be vacationing here with the family next Sunday, but I know I'm leaving everything in good hands. Next Sunday will rock!

YWAM in the house

This Sunday, July 15 was a change of pace in a very good way. A team from Arts With A Mission (division of YWAM) came and performed a program during each of our services. They also hung around afterward and conducting a dance clinic for our aspiring dance artists. Someone told me that Tim Kazmierczak now thinks he's a dancer... he he! Good to have the AWAM team, though. Harmoni and her team did a great job.

Our attendance was 322 at our two services, giving us hope that we're breaking out of the summer blahs that seemed to hit a low on the two weekends surrounding the 4th of July.

Here's a question...should every church expect and accept significantly lower attendances during the summer?

Here's another question...what's the difference between being concerned with numbers (because those numbers represent people who will go to heaven or hell) and letting attendance be our measure of success? How do you walk that line? Is that even a line that should be walked?

Two Movies in One Day

I did something today that I don't think I've ever done. I saw 2 movies at the theater today. All right, so there may have been a time or two in my younger years that we paid for an early show and then slipped into another show at the end of the first, but this was definitely the first time that I paid for two shows on the same day.

The first was Transformers. I loved these toys as a kid. I didn't have any, but I was certainly envious of my neighbor who had 19. I didn't really care for the cartoon, though. It just never seemed plausible enough I guess. (Like Thundar the Barbarian was...) I guess the movie followed suit. It was easy to like the Even Stevens kid as the protagonist and his crush/action partner/soon-to-be girlfriend. The CGI was out of this world. The movement of the robots was very believable...if only the plotline had been.

I guess, just like in the cartoon, it just never really seemed plausible that giant advanced robots with ridiculous tech IQ's would give one rip about the earth and it's inhabitants. Some of the robot dialogue was SOOOOO BADDDDD!!

I liked the catch phrase though..."If there's no sacrifice...there's no victory." That's definitely transferable, and it's a good thing as I was watching the movie for an upcoming sermon.

Both movies actually...

The second movie was Live Free or Die Hard, and I wasn't expecting much more from Die Hard 4 than I did from Rocky 4 (or 5 or 6, etc.). I was very pleasantly surprised. Lots of thrills from the word go and Justin Long was a good sidekick for Bruce Willis. The motivations all seemed natural...the acting was good...the dialogue wasn't trite...the ending was even surprising.

All in all, for a homework assignment, LFoDH was a good flick. The theological ramifications...I'm still working on it. Probably something to do with the exchange between Willis' character and Long's character about "I only did what no one else would do." And Long's character responds, "That's what makes you that guy."

Well this is getting long... adios!