There is nothing boring about God. Religion, yes. God, no.
If you want to get closer to God this Summer, one of the best ways is to read the Bible. OK, I already said that yesterday. But reading the Bible is considered boring by most people and I thought it good that I say that reading the Bible is important again. It's important because it will change your life, not because that's what "good" Christians do.
I didn't read the Bible much growing up...even as a pastor's kid. There were two big reasons. First, the Bible I had access to was written in 17th century English. I didn't talk that way. When I read it, I sounded like I had lisp with all of the words that ended in "eth." Second, I heard people talking like that when they prayed and they thought that you had to speak King James English to talk to God. Something wasn't right about that because when I talked to God he heard me just fine. I waited for a better Bible translation. Until a better translation came along I listened to my Dad explain that "And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me" meant Jacob was going to hang back, send a present ahead, and wait to figure out if the guy he wanted to see would talk to him. All that being said, I didn't study the Bible that much. Now I do.
I study the Bible a lot now, not so much because it's my job but that it's a good book you don't get tired of reading. It's not boring. It's only boring if you read it the wrong way. If you start in Genesis and read it like a regular book, you'll start having problems focusing about Leviticus, which is less that 5% into the book. To really understand how much God loves us and wants a relationship with us you need to read different parts of the Bible simultaneously. Otherwise you get stuck somewhere in the blood and guts of 1st and 2nd Samuel or the "begats" of the Chronicles. The great news is that some genius (I really mean that) figured out that if you read a certain amount of different parts of the Bible everyday, you could read the Bible in a year.
Try using a One Year Bible. Go buy a hard copy or go to www.oneyearbibleonline.com and just click on the current day. You can either read it or listen to it (great for stay at home moms). It will make the Bible much less boring because you get a balanced diet of God's story.
When you read the Bible, you're reading what God thinks about you and the world you live in. You're reading about real life...birth, death, war, love, sex, spirituality, kids, husbands, wives....and the God that cares enough to talk to you about all of it. Read the Bible and I promise you'll be closer to God this Summer than ever before.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Google God...read the Bible
So where do you look for advice about things that are happening in your life. Do you read? Do you Google it? Do you call your spouse?...friend?...co-worker? ... the current prayer hotline on TBN? It's smart to get advice from other people. There's an ancient saying by Solomon that goes like this: "A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel."
History says that Solomon was a smart guy, so it's probably a good idea to take his advice. He says we should seek wise counsel. You can get a good piece of advice from some of the places I mentioned above but you won't always get wise counsel. Ask yourself this question the next time you go to one of your information sources: "Is this place going to give me a quick fix or is it going to give me a principle that will work for the rest of my life?"
There's nothing wrong with Googling for an answer to a problem or asking a friend what you should do in a certain situation. Where most of us go wrong is that we scour our resources looking for an answer and end up exhausted and frustrated. Enter the Bible. We ask our friends to tell us their stories. We read the Web and books to see what people think about any given situation. So why not read the book that God wrote and find out what he thinks about life? Why not read the Bible to begin with, and begin our quest for wisdom and information with a completely reliable information source?
If you're just starting back to church, take this moment to commit to picking up a modern translation like the New Living Translation, New International Version, or the Contemporary English Version and read it. Or go to BibleGateway.com and use its incredible search engine and search dozens of translations. If you've been in church a while but you've replaced looking in the Bible for answers to your life situation with other things, use this moment to recommit to using the Bible as your primary source for answers.
Let the Bible encourage you, strengthen you, make you wiser, and challenge you to change. Make it your starting point for information about life's situations. Things will start to look up very soon.
History says that Solomon was a smart guy, so it's probably a good idea to take his advice. He says we should seek wise counsel. You can get a good piece of advice from some of the places I mentioned above but you won't always get wise counsel. Ask yourself this question the next time you go to one of your information sources: "Is this place going to give me a quick fix or is it going to give me a principle that will work for the rest of my life?"
There's nothing wrong with Googling for an answer to a problem or asking a friend what you should do in a certain situation. Where most of us go wrong is that we scour our resources looking for an answer and end up exhausted and frustrated. Enter the Bible. We ask our friends to tell us their stories. We read the Web and books to see what people think about any given situation. So why not read the book that God wrote and find out what he thinks about life? Why not read the Bible to begin with, and begin our quest for wisdom and information with a completely reliable information source?
If you're just starting back to church, take this moment to commit to picking up a modern translation like the New Living Translation, New International Version, or the Contemporary English Version and read it. Or go to BibleGateway.com and use its incredible search engine and search dozens of translations. If you've been in church a while but you've replaced looking in the Bible for answers to your life situation with other things, use this moment to recommit to using the Bible as your primary source for answers.
Let the Bible encourage you, strengthen you, make you wiser, and challenge you to change. Make it your starting point for information about life's situations. Things will start to look up very soon.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
You've tried asking everyone else what they think. Why not ask God what he thinks?
This devotional series is the result of our God on Film '05 message series. It's primary goal is to connect people with God and/or get them closer than they've been in a while. To see the rationale behind this temporary change in posting style, read the previous post.
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Tuesday, July 5, 2005
_________________________________________________
So you've decided to spend more time with God. Some exciting things are going to take place in your life in the next few weeks because of your decision to walk with God more closely. As I look back over my prayer journal over the past couple of months, it's amazing to see how many prayers have been answered by God. Rest assured that God will do the same for you.
God answers prayer based on what's best for us, not what we want the most. When we ask God to reveal himself and his will to us, he promises to listen and take action. The Scripture tells us "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (John 5:14 NIV). Read that again...he hears us if we ask anything according to his will. That means we have to adjust how we talk to God doesn't it? The adjustment is easier for us to make because God promises that our confidence in how to pray increases when we ask his opinion. Since he's God, his opinion is trustworthy. If our confidence goes up, the time we spend with God goes up.
The first thing I talked about in Sunday's message was that we should ask God to reveal himself to us. When we ask God to reveal himself to us, it's like asking the question, "So what do you think God?" The incredible revelation about the whole thing is when we talk to God this way he actually hears us.
Sometime today, ask God what he thinks you should do about the most pressing issue of the day. Then be still and know that he is God...and your not. He'll begin to make you wiser and more patient in dealing with the things that matter to you the most. He'll hear you and reveal himself to you because you matter to Him. He'll do all of that just because you ask the question, "So what do you think God?"
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Tuesday, July 5, 2005
_________________________________________________
So you've decided to spend more time with God. Some exciting things are going to take place in your life in the next few weeks because of your decision to walk with God more closely. As I look back over my prayer journal over the past couple of months, it's amazing to see how many prayers have been answered by God. Rest assured that God will do the same for you.
God answers prayer based on what's best for us, not what we want the most. When we ask God to reveal himself and his will to us, he promises to listen and take action. The Scripture tells us "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (John 5:14 NIV). Read that again...he hears us if we ask anything according to his will. That means we have to adjust how we talk to God doesn't it? The adjustment is easier for us to make because God promises that our confidence in how to pray increases when we ask his opinion. Since he's God, his opinion is trustworthy. If our confidence goes up, the time we spend with God goes up.
The first thing I talked about in Sunday's message was that we should ask God to reveal himself to us. When we ask God to reveal himself to us, it's like asking the question, "So what do you think God?" The incredible revelation about the whole thing is when we talk to God this way he actually hears us.
Sometime today, ask God what he thinks you should do about the most pressing issue of the day. Then be still and know that he is God...and your not. He'll begin to make you wiser and more patient in dealing with the things that matter to you the most. He'll hear you and reveal himself to you because you matter to Him. He'll do all of that just because you ask the question, "So what do you think God?"
mixing it up...a little change...shifting gears
As a whole, my blog has been a bit random in its content. Sort of, whatever hit me at the moment whether it was a great CD or commenting or even something that ticked me off. That's going to change somewhat for a while (Yuck. Talk about your passive sentences!). As a part of a message series at The Journey Church I've offered to provide daily devotions (5 per week) to those who sign up by email. Since my style of communication is to weave in life stories , I thought I would post them here for eveyone's viewing pleasure...all four of you. In order to massage my ego I must mention that my readership has doubled from two to four in just two weeks. Watch out Terry Storch, here I come...
Change like this is supposed to be the demise of a blog. People read you because there's something they enjoy about what you write about and how you write about it. So I'll look at this as a bit of an experiment. Going from a personal comment on life kind of blog to a devotional kind of blog may knock my readership back to two but, hey, I'm willing to take the risk.
The primary reason to take the different approach for a while is quite simple. I'm lazy. I don't want to write the devotional and blog because, frankly, I don't like writing that much and I'm not as good as Alex McManus anyway. If you don't like the temporary change, go to Alex's blog. His glasses are the same as mine, he's a musician, and he's all about ministry to the next generation. Other than that we're not much alike because he's really smart and I'm just a dumb redneck. Oh yeah, and I've got this prominent Southern accent that he doesn't have. You have to admit that the accent doesn't come across too much in writing, does it?
Back on topic...If you're one of the four diehard readers out there, you just might be able to get something out of the devotions. If not, I completely understand. If it's worth anything, I reserve the right to interject moments of creative overflow or commentary on life as I deem necessary. I know that will help you rest better. We'll see what happens.
In his best Kip voice: Peace out.
Change like this is supposed to be the demise of a blog. People read you because there's something they enjoy about what you write about and how you write about it. So I'll look at this as a bit of an experiment. Going from a personal comment on life kind of blog to a devotional kind of blog may knock my readership back to two but, hey, I'm willing to take the risk.
The primary reason to take the different approach for a while is quite simple. I'm lazy. I don't want to write the devotional and blog because, frankly, I don't like writing that much and I'm not as good as Alex McManus anyway. If you don't like the temporary change, go to Alex's blog. His glasses are the same as mine, he's a musician, and he's all about ministry to the next generation. Other than that we're not much alike because he's really smart and I'm just a dumb redneck. Oh yeah, and I've got this prominent Southern accent that he doesn't have. You have to admit that the accent doesn't come across too much in writing, does it?
Back on topic...If you're one of the four diehard readers out there, you just might be able to get something out of the devotions. If not, I completely understand. If it's worth anything, I reserve the right to interject moments of creative overflow or commentary on life as I deem necessary. I know that will help you rest better. We'll see what happens.
In his best Kip voice: Peace out.
Friday, July 01, 2005
You have to admire Tom Cruise's passion
You have to admire Tom Cruise's passion about life and his religion, even if you don't agree with his religion or like the way he verbally threw up on Matt Lauer. I've been a Tom Cruise fan since Top Gun. The Mission Impossible projects were cool and I really enjoyed watching The Last Samurai on vacation this week. All very passionate movies. I wouldn't expect less from Tom Cruise. In his interview with Lauer he was quoted as saying that he's passionate about life. I would agree. He is one passionate dude.
Mr. Cruise is also passionate about the Church of Scientology. In fact, that's why he really blew up at Mr. Lauer. He went ballistic, pun intended, about his religion. I didn't get to see the interview, but when I read about it I thought it a bit unusual coming from a Hollywood type. I mean, after all, Hollywood types are passionate about a lot of things...usually weird things...but not about religion. When I read about how he went off about how the mental sciences were essentially a hoax I was taken back a bit. Don't get me wrong. If there ever was a "suck it up and tough it out" kind of person, it would be me. But, I think that we overdiagnose and overprescribe meds way too much in emotional and behavioral situations that are even slightly out of the norm. However, I don't totally dismiss drugs or therapy. If you're in the ministry (at least in the majority of ministry environments) for very long you get mentally down. More people in the ministry than want to admit it get depressed. It happened to me. While drugs and counseling aren't the only answer to chemical imbalances they sure can help. I digress...
Even though I admire Mr. Cruise's passion, I find his commitment to his religion suspect. I knew enough about Scientology to get me into trouble so I went to a source that I felt was trustworthy...a minister of Scientology that's also a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. I respect the view of a U.S. Navy chaplain primarily because my experience with Navy personnel has been one that exudes precision. Anyway, back to the suspect thing. To become a minister in the Church of Scientology you have to start out "auditing" other people. Specifically auditing is "a unique form of personal counseling intended to help an individual look at his own existence and improve their ability to confront what and where they are. It is a precise, thoroughly codified activity with exact procedures" (emphasis mine). The auditor keeps a close watch on the counselee by using an E-Meter. The E-Meter continuously measures the electrical resistance of the person's body and
helps the auditor correctly diagnose the person and make necessary adjustments in the person's treatment. The E-Meter ain't exactly an EKG. Read an interesting article on the E-Meter here.
When an auditor establishes their...umm...integrity, they are given the title of minister and wear clerical clothing and everything. The genesis of my cynicism is that Mr. Cruise sounds a lot like a KJV fundie when he starts bashing the "pseudo sciences" of psychology and psychiatry and comes off as a self-professed expert on behavior modification drugs that are readily available on the street. Here's what I really don't get...Why doesn't Tom Cruise think that "auditing" functions, at least on the base level, just like psychiatry or psychology? The intent of any counseling session is the modification of behavior. There's no difference. Except that in psychiatry they actually use EKGs, MRIs, and CT scans.
Another thing I don't get is that Mr. Cruise is a smart guy, but he seems to overlook the fact that Scientology looks curiously like a mixture of Mormonism, Hinduism, and Universalism with a healthy dose of good old fashioned gnosticism mixed in. Then Mr. Hubbard adds a bit of deism to make it look more legit.
One more thing I don't get is how a religion is given so much credibility when it's based on one person's sole writings and teachings with verbosity being the benchmark of truth. Can we get a second opinion from another auditor or something? I even get a second opinion when I ask if a movie is worth seeing. Maybe the reason I like the Bible so much is that it has at least 31 human authors that claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. I figure if over 3o people can come up with the same things about God something has to be right about it.
Wow, that felt better than a discharge of harmful energy...I think. I had a bad muscle spasm one time and the doctor hooked me up to a Medco Sonolator and it made my muscle twitch a lot and then I felt better. Was that like a reverse discharge of harmful energy? Did I dabble in Scientology? They didn't talk to me while they were doing it so I don't think I was "audited". I think I'm OK.
Oh well, you still have to admire Tom Cruise's passion. You have to admit he's a good actor. He's creative. He's intelligent. I also think he's misled. Just my opinion, of course. But what do Matt Lauer and I know about anything anyway?
Mr. Cruise is also passionate about the Church of Scientology. In fact, that's why he really blew up at Mr. Lauer. He went ballistic, pun intended, about his religion. I didn't get to see the interview, but when I read about it I thought it a bit unusual coming from a Hollywood type. I mean, after all, Hollywood types are passionate about a lot of things...usually weird things...but not about religion. When I read about how he went off about how the mental sciences were essentially a hoax I was taken back a bit. Don't get me wrong. If there ever was a "suck it up and tough it out" kind of person, it would be me. But, I think that we overdiagnose and overprescribe meds way too much in emotional and behavioral situations that are even slightly out of the norm. However, I don't totally dismiss drugs or therapy. If you're in the ministry (at least in the majority of ministry environments) for very long you get mentally down. More people in the ministry than want to admit it get depressed. It happened to me. While drugs and counseling aren't the only answer to chemical imbalances they sure can help. I digress...
Even though I admire Mr. Cruise's passion, I find his commitment to his religion suspect. I knew enough about Scientology to get me into trouble so I went to a source that I felt was trustworthy...a minister of Scientology that's also a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. I respect the view of a U.S. Navy chaplain primarily because my experience with Navy personnel has been one that exudes precision. Anyway, back to the suspect thing. To become a minister in the Church of Scientology you have to start out "auditing" other people. Specifically auditing is "a unique form of personal counseling intended to help an individual look at his own existence and improve their ability to confront what and where they are. It is a precise, thoroughly codified activity with exact procedures" (emphasis mine). The auditor keeps a close watch on the counselee by using an E-Meter. The E-Meter continuously measures the electrical resistance of the person's body and
helps the auditor correctly diagnose the person and make necessary adjustments in the person's treatment. The E-Meter ain't exactly an EKG. Read an interesting article on the E-Meter here. When an auditor establishes their...umm...integrity, they are given the title of minister and wear clerical clothing and everything. The genesis of my cynicism is that Mr. Cruise sounds a lot like a KJV fundie when he starts bashing the "pseudo sciences" of psychology and psychiatry and comes off as a self-professed expert on behavior modification drugs that are readily available on the street. Here's what I really don't get...Why doesn't Tom Cruise think that "auditing" functions, at least on the base level, just like psychiatry or psychology? The intent of any counseling session is the modification of behavior. There's no difference. Except that in psychiatry they actually use EKGs, MRIs, and CT scans.
Another thing I don't get is that Mr. Cruise is a smart guy, but he seems to overlook the fact that Scientology looks curiously like a mixture of Mormonism, Hinduism, and Universalism with a healthy dose of good old fashioned gnosticism mixed in. Then Mr. Hubbard adds a bit of deism to make it look more legit.
One more thing I don't get is how a religion is given so much credibility when it's based on one person's sole writings and teachings with verbosity being the benchmark of truth. Can we get a second opinion from another auditor or something? I even get a second opinion when I ask if a movie is worth seeing. Maybe the reason I like the Bible so much is that it has at least 31 human authors that claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. I figure if over 3o people can come up with the same things about God something has to be right about it.
Wow, that felt better than a discharge of harmful energy...I think. I had a bad muscle spasm one time and the doctor hooked me up to a Medco Sonolator and it made my muscle twitch a lot and then I felt better. Was that like a reverse discharge of harmful energy? Did I dabble in Scientology? They didn't talk to me while they were doing it so I don't think I was "audited". I think I'm OK.
Oh well, you still have to admire Tom Cruise's passion. You have to admit he's a good actor. He's creative. He's intelligent. I also think he's misled. Just my opinion, of course. But what do Matt Lauer and I know about anything anyway?
Thursday, June 30, 2005
the end to a short vacation
We were relatively close to the two shark attacks in the Florida Panhandle this week. The last one was closer to us than the first. After seeing this pic on the news, my daughter and I stopped our trips to the local sand bar. I was torn between the logic of the experts that said there was a 1 in 5 million chance of being attacked by a shark and my landlocked, country boy instinct that says it just doesn't make sense to swim where critters can kill you. Nonetheless, I will simply take snorkeling gear on my next trip to the beach. I really love the ocean, I'll just swim underwater where I can see what's coming.
I came home more tanned and rested but I don't feel completely rested. After three years without a vacation, I really did need to take the two weeks in a row suggested by the church elders. I probably could have been gone two consecutive Sundays, I just thought it best to be gone only one. There will be plenty of time for extended vacations later. I plan to splurge on my time off next week and play a round of golf or something. Don't get me wrong though...it was a good vacation, just a bit short.
We spent a lot of time at the pool and walking on the beach. We also took one of those three hour cruise things to Shell Island. I was dreading it for two reasons: 1) I get sea sick. 2) I would have rather been reading. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We came across a pod of 12-15 dolphins. We stopped and watched them and then they cruised along with us. They got withing five feet of the boat on our side. Much cooler than seeing them at the zoo. Shell Island was deserving of its name. Tons of sea shells. Michelle and the girls had a blast. The beach was pristine. I thought of what it might have looked like to the early explorers to see a bunch of tourist running around picking up sea shells and chasing crabs. It was a good deal. Only $12 for adults and $7 for kids. And $1.37 for motion sickness pills.
We're back home in suburbia. Our emotionally needy dog has finally settled down after a few hours. We learned our next door neighbors were evicted while we were gone. Our other neighbors decided they wanted to give us their patio furniture. I don't have to mow the grass tomorrow. Nice. It's the end to a short vacation.
I would really rather be sitting on the balcony of the condo listening to the surf instead of typing this.
Friday, June 24, 2005
looking for the supercritical
I copied this from this week's church e-letter at The Journey Church. Who knows, it may do others some good.
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As we get closer to moving to our new location it's important that we're all on the same page and understand one of the most "critical" things about church planting: critical mass.
Critical mass: An assembly in which a chain reaction is possible is called critical, and is said to have obtained criticality. In a larger assembly, the reaction will increase at an exponential rate, and this is termed supercritical.
I'm no nuclear phyicist, but I do understand the basics of critical mass. OK, for those of you that know me really well you can stop laughing. I said I knew the basics of the principle. I also know that critical mass can be applied to church planting...or any other social context for that matter. (This isn't new information for people that run in church planting or sociology circles, so you folks can move on to the next part of your day now.) Let me put the principle of critical mass completely in a church start-up/church planting context, specifically The Journey Church context.
The social critical mass in a church setting is around 125 adults. How do I know that? Well, let's start with the Bible. When the early church was born, there were 120 adults in the upper room where they were meeting. Those 120 adults were fervently praying and asking God what they should do next. They had reached a spiritual critical mass. Spiritually "charged" believers that God was able to use. The church reached supercritical in a very short amount of time after that and the church grew exponentially.
That took place after three years of intense ministry by Jesus (God in human form). That took place after Jesus has spoken to crowds of at least 15,000. It took place after he had died and risen back to life. The supercritical happened after only 120 of the 500 that Jesus appeared to after his resurrection did what he asked and went to the upper room. (Just thinking out loud here.)
As a spiritual leader, I'm looking for the supercritical to happen. Some would say that I set my goals too high. I say that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think. I understand that we live in a different spiritual/political milieu than that of the 1st century. But the fact is, God is still who he says he is. He actually wants his Church to grow and touch lives that are sick and living in hopelessness. The big question is when will supercritical happen at The Journey? Here's some thoughts...
The first step is to reach critical with critical mass. Based on the history of the Church and some modern day examples, that means that The Journey needs to be a spiritually healthy group of around 125 adults to reach critical mass. The Journey has become a spiritually healthy church, but we only have about fifty adults right now. That means the people that attend The Journey have to invite others to see what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of their faith community, the church.
The second step is to understand the social importance of critical mass in a church plant. There is a social comfort associated with being in a large crowd. For the extrovert it means there are more people to talk to. For the introvert a large crowd means a better chance of going unnoticed. Both introverts and extroverts attend church. If a church hasn't reached critical mass, first time guests will be very uncomfortable. The reason that most church plants don't survive the first year is that they don't reach critical mass. When people invite their friends, neighbors, and co-workers they have to help them understand the social environment by telling them what to expect.
The third step is interpret critical mass to first time guests. If critical mass isn't interpreted to the first time guest they'll leave thinking, "Somethings seems wrong there" or "That whole thing seems broken." It's the church plant attenders job to preempt the perception of the broken social environment.
First of all, authentic and genuine care for the guest has to be expressed. Ask guests things about their interests, where they're from, what their occupation is and then connect them with people in the church with similar backgrounds and connect them with others quickly.
Second, you have to interpret critical mass to a first time guest depending on what "language" they speak. To the unchurched guest, it's best to describe the principle of critical mass using entrepreneurial language. Using phrases like "We're a startup church" and explaining that "you have to like ground floor kind of things" will help them better understand the social environment. For the first time guest that is churched, it's important to let them know we're an independent church plant with no "mother" church. It's also important to let them know about the critical mass thing from Acts 1. Even churched people will need to have an entrepreneurial mindset. If they're coming from a highly progammed churched, don't be surprised if they feel uncomfortable. Don't worry about it. If they're supposed to be a part of the core that God uses to reach critical mass they'll stick around.
Here's the bullet point version:
- Critical mass is critical to our church.
- Know the Biblical and social reasons for critical mass and be able to interpret it.
Let's do the critical mass thing...
Ken
::
As we get closer to moving to our new location it's important that we're all on the same page and understand one of the most "critical" things about church planting: critical mass.
Critical mass: An assembly in which a chain reaction is possible is called critical, and is said to have obtained criticality. In a larger assembly, the reaction will increase at an exponential rate, and this is termed supercritical.
I'm no nuclear phyicist, but I do understand the basics of critical mass. OK, for those of you that know me really well you can stop laughing. I said I knew the basics of the principle. I also know that critical mass can be applied to church planting...or any other social context for that matter. (This isn't new information for people that run in church planting or sociology circles, so you folks can move on to the next part of your day now.) Let me put the principle of critical mass completely in a church start-up/church planting context, specifically The Journey Church context.
The social critical mass in a church setting is around 125 adults. How do I know that? Well, let's start with the Bible. When the early church was born, there were 120 adults in the upper room where they were meeting. Those 120 adults were fervently praying and asking God what they should do next. They had reached a spiritual critical mass. Spiritually "charged" believers that God was able to use. The church reached supercritical in a very short amount of time after that and the church grew exponentially.
That took place after three years of intense ministry by Jesus (God in human form). That took place after Jesus has spoken to crowds of at least 15,000. It took place after he had died and risen back to life. The supercritical happened after only 120 of the 500 that Jesus appeared to after his resurrection did what he asked and went to the upper room. (Just thinking out loud here.)
As a spiritual leader, I'm looking for the supercritical to happen. Some would say that I set my goals too high. I say that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think. I understand that we live in a different spiritual/political milieu than that of the 1st century. But the fact is, God is still who he says he is. He actually wants his Church to grow and touch lives that are sick and living in hopelessness. The big question is when will supercritical happen at The Journey? Here's some thoughts...
The first step is to reach critical with critical mass. Based on the history of the Church and some modern day examples, that means that The Journey needs to be a spiritually healthy group of around 125 adults to reach critical mass. The Journey has become a spiritually healthy church, but we only have about fifty adults right now. That means the people that attend The Journey have to invite others to see what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of their faith community, the church.
The second step is to understand the social importance of critical mass in a church plant. There is a social comfort associated with being in a large crowd. For the extrovert it means there are more people to talk to. For the introvert a large crowd means a better chance of going unnoticed. Both introverts and extroverts attend church. If a church hasn't reached critical mass, first time guests will be very uncomfortable. The reason that most church plants don't survive the first year is that they don't reach critical mass. When people invite their friends, neighbors, and co-workers they have to help them understand the social environment by telling them what to expect.
The third step is interpret critical mass to first time guests. If critical mass isn't interpreted to the first time guest they'll leave thinking, "Somethings seems wrong there" or "That whole thing seems broken." It's the church plant attenders job to preempt the perception of the broken social environment.
First of all, authentic and genuine care for the guest has to be expressed. Ask guests things about their interests, where they're from, what their occupation is and then connect them with people in the church with similar backgrounds and connect them with others quickly.
Second, you have to interpret critical mass to a first time guest depending on what "language" they speak. To the unchurched guest, it's best to describe the principle of critical mass using entrepreneurial language. Using phrases like "We're a startup church" and explaining that "you have to like ground floor kind of things" will help them better understand the social environment. For the first time guest that is churched, it's important to let them know we're an independent church plant with no "mother" church. It's also important to let them know about the critical mass thing from Acts 1. Even churched people will need to have an entrepreneurial mindset. If they're coming from a highly progammed churched, don't be surprised if they feel uncomfortable. Don't worry about it. If they're supposed to be a part of the core that God uses to reach critical mass they'll stick around.
Here's the bullet point version:
- Critical mass is critical to our church.
- Know the Biblical and social reasons for critical mass and be able to interpret it.
Let's do the critical mass thing...
Ken
Thursday, June 23, 2005
we are so Naamanesque
Naaman was a very successful and well placed dude that had a very ugly disease. There was a young, Spanglish sort of girl that worked for Naaman. She told him about a guy that she knew back home that she thought could cure him. It sounded like a great idea to Naaman so he went to his boss and asked for some time off. Since Naaman had an incredible track record, his boss gave him the time off and a bonus to help out with expenses.
Anyway, Naaman goes to see the guy in the foreign country. He walks up to the front door of the healer's office anticipating that he will be seen by the man himself, Elisha. Instead, Elisha sends word to Naaman that all he needs to do is go to the public bathing area (definitely not from America) and wash seven times. Naaman gets really ticked and starts walking away. He's all, "I came this far to see Elisha and he sends out his admin? I thought he would come out and personally see me and do his whole healing thing and make a big deal of curing the sick guy! Instead, he tells me to go bath in a public bathing area? For cryin' out loud, the public baths are ten times better where I'm from than they are here. Who's he kidding?" Naaman is beyond ticked now, he's in a rage.
Some of the people in his entourage catch up with him and try to talk some sense into Naaman because he's obviously lost it. One of his admins says, "Hey, think about it Naaman, you came all this way and were willing to do something extraordinary to get cured. Why aren't you willing to do something simple to get the same result?" Naaman is busted, so he goes to the public bathing area and washes seven times. On the seventh time, he is miraculously cured.
Naaman goes back to Elisha's place and Elisha meets with him this time. Naaman wants to pay Elisha for his trouble...very well. Elisha refuses payment. No biggie for Naaman. But, Naaman needs something to commemorate what just went down. Naaman asks for, and gets, some dirt to take home with him to build a memorial. After all, it was a spiritual moment for Naaman.
It was such a spiritual moment that changed the worldview of Naaman. He stopped worshipping the latest and greatest "designer" god. His life had been changed by the one true God and he made some huge adjustments in his lifestyle. He didn't throw away everything, just the stuff that got in the way of him having a relationship with God.
Why is it that when God offers a simple, mainstream, even boring solution to our predicament we often scoff at it? Why do we think we have to see a mediator when God wants to talk to us personally? Why is it that we have a problem with God when he meets our needs but not in a way that we expect or want? Why do we have such a sense of entitlement and expect that God's servants have to do things the way we want them to?
We are so Naamanesque.
Anyway, Naaman goes to see the guy in the foreign country. He walks up to the front door of the healer's office anticipating that he will be seen by the man himself, Elisha. Instead, Elisha sends word to Naaman that all he needs to do is go to the public bathing area (definitely not from America) and wash seven times. Naaman gets really ticked and starts walking away. He's all, "I came this far to see Elisha and he sends out his admin? I thought he would come out and personally see me and do his whole healing thing and make a big deal of curing the sick guy! Instead, he tells me to go bath in a public bathing area? For cryin' out loud, the public baths are ten times better where I'm from than they are here. Who's he kidding?" Naaman is beyond ticked now, he's in a rage.
Some of the people in his entourage catch up with him and try to talk some sense into Naaman because he's obviously lost it. One of his admins says, "Hey, think about it Naaman, you came all this way and were willing to do something extraordinary to get cured. Why aren't you willing to do something simple to get the same result?" Naaman is busted, so he goes to the public bathing area and washes seven times. On the seventh time, he is miraculously cured.
Naaman goes back to Elisha's place and Elisha meets with him this time. Naaman wants to pay Elisha for his trouble...very well. Elisha refuses payment. No biggie for Naaman. But, Naaman needs something to commemorate what just went down. Naaman asks for, and gets, some dirt to take home with him to build a memorial. After all, it was a spiritual moment for Naaman.
It was such a spiritual moment that changed the worldview of Naaman. He stopped worshipping the latest and greatest "designer" god. His life had been changed by the one true God and he made some huge adjustments in his lifestyle. He didn't throw away everything, just the stuff that got in the way of him having a relationship with God.
Why is it that when God offers a simple, mainstream, even boring solution to our predicament we often scoff at it? Why do we think we have to see a mediator when God wants to talk to us personally? Why is it that we have a problem with God when he meets our needs but not in a way that we expect or want? Why do we have such a sense of entitlement and expect that God's servants have to do things the way we want them to?
We are so Naamanesque.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
a rush of html to the head
The family was watching chick flicks last night so I decided I would tweak my blog. Little did I know that I would be able to make the changes I did. They were daunting, monumental changes since my html skills are like Napoleon's "numbchuck" skills.
The result is a new look and some links that have been added. I'm a minimalist but the old look was boring. Everything has been added for your viewing and surfing pleasure.
The result is a new look and some links that have been added. I'm a minimalist but the old look was boring. Everything has been added for your viewing and surfing pleasure.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
beach blanket blessing
It's been three years since our family had a real, shurnuff, vacation. Vacations in the church planting world seem few and far between for most guys. That's why church planters get discouraged. They don't know when to take a break. In their finite, but very good wisdom, the elders of The Journey decided they would make me take some time off before I get to an unhealthy state of emotion.
Thanks to a very generous family, we're headed to Panama City, FL for a week's worth of beach, pool, seafood, crab dip, watching movies, and hopefully a lot of reading. I'm talking serious down time. Our only connection with Atlanta will be our cell phones. That's right, no Internet for me for a week. I can feel the night sweats already. Since I don't own a laptop right now, I'll get whatever information necessary to life via the TV. GASP...reverting to something as arcane as the TV for information. Whatever will I do? I'm so spoiled.
As The Journey gets closer to the most critical time in it's short history, it's important that I stay spiritually focused and come back with a lot of leadership energy. So, just in case the four people that read my blog care, here's the books I'm taking with me to help me to do just that...
While we're out of town our home will be guarded by our trained attack dog. Let the reader feel the fear inherent with the name "Patches".
Thanks to a very generous family, we're headed to Panama City, FL for a week's worth of beach, pool, seafood, crab dip, watching movies, and hopefully a lot of reading. I'm talking serious down time. Our only connection with Atlanta will be our cell phones. That's right, no Internet for me for a week. I can feel the night sweats already. Since I don't own a laptop right now, I'll get whatever information necessary to life via the TV. GASP...reverting to something as arcane as the TV for information. Whatever will I do? I'm so spoiled.
As The Journey gets closer to the most critical time in it's short history, it's important that I stay spiritually focused and come back with a lot of leadership energy. So, just in case the four people that read my blog care, here's the books I'm taking with me to help me to do just that...
While we're out of town our home will be guarded by our trained attack dog. Let the reader feel the fear inherent with the name "Patches".
Friday, June 17, 2005
www.suejennifer.com
Brilliant. Really. Filing a class action lawsuit to keep The Runaway Bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, and her fiance' John Mason from making money on her really stupid and uncalled-for midnight ride to Albuquerque is a brilliant idea. It ticked Q100 "Bert Show" producer and co-host Jeff Dauler off so much that he decided to file the suit and set up the website. Is it a promotional gag? Probably, but I don't care.
The more I see her in the media, the more infuriated I get. To make things worse, the media dives in like a harpy eagle for the kill...killing in the ratings I mean. OK, now I'm really ticked at Katie Couric. Why doesn't Katie Couric interview some single mother in Atlanta that's working two jobs to feed her kids and pay childcare but decides not to run from her problems but works like crazy to do the right thing? Why doesn't Ms. Couric interview an intern at an Atlanta hospital that's been working 36 straight hours for all of the right reasons and has a lot of other reasons to give up the hell they're going through for the sake of serving humanity? Geez, when I'm mad I write really long sentences, huh? Anyway, props to Jeff Dauler and anyone who recoups their money from the lawsuit.
I have a better idea. I'll go talk to Jennifer Wilbanks and ask her to join The Journey Church. She'll say, "Sure, I'll make sure I invite my friends and family. It'll be a great day and I can support your church plant with all of the money I'm making from my little trip to New Mexico." I say, "Gee, thanks." Then I take off with my wife and kids to Panama City and say I can't take the stress of having a celebrity as a church member. As a result of my (our) stress, my entire family gets henna tattoos while in Panama City. Upon our return to Atlanta, we're confronted by angry, legalistic religious people that demand that we remove our tattoos. We, in turn, see the error of our way, seek counseling and cover up the stain of our sins with tube socks. Heraldo Rivera gets wind of it, jets to Atlanta, and scoops the story of our stress induced flight to Panama City. I get a book deal and make a zillion dollars by selling an insane amount of copies my book Coping With Celebrity Wannabees: My Flight to the Redneck Riviera and Subsequent Struggle With Tube Socks.
Hey, my story is just as believable as Jennifer Wilbanks. Think I have a chance?
The more I see her in the media, the more infuriated I get. To make things worse, the media dives in like a harpy eagle for the kill...killing in the ratings I mean. OK, now I'm really ticked at Katie Couric. Why doesn't Katie Couric interview some single mother in Atlanta that's working two jobs to feed her kids and pay childcare but decides not to run from her problems but works like crazy to do the right thing? Why doesn't Ms. Couric interview an intern at an Atlanta hospital that's been working 36 straight hours for all of the right reasons and has a lot of other reasons to give up the hell they're going through for the sake of serving humanity? Geez, when I'm mad I write really long sentences, huh? Anyway, props to Jeff Dauler and anyone who recoups their money from the lawsuit.
I have a better idea. I'll go talk to Jennifer Wilbanks and ask her to join The Journey Church. She'll say, "Sure, I'll make sure I invite my friends and family. It'll be a great day and I can support your church plant with all of the money I'm making from my little trip to New Mexico." I say, "Gee, thanks." Then I take off with my wife and kids to Panama City and say I can't take the stress of having a celebrity as a church member. As a result of my (our) stress, my entire family gets henna tattoos while in Panama City. Upon our return to Atlanta, we're confronted by angry, legalistic religious people that demand that we remove our tattoos. We, in turn, see the error of our way, seek counseling and cover up the stain of our sins with tube socks. Heraldo Rivera gets wind of it, jets to Atlanta, and scoops the story of our stress induced flight to Panama City. I get a book deal and make a zillion dollars by selling an insane amount of copies my book Coping With Celebrity Wannabees: My Flight to the Redneck Riviera and Subsequent Struggle With Tube Socks.
Hey, my story is just as believable as Jennifer Wilbanks. Think I have a chance?
observations from visiting another church
My youngest daughter has been going to Vacation Bible School at a nearby "contemporary" Baptist church. Here are some random observations:
- The meaning of the word "contemporary" varies widely from church to church. For us it means modern rock music and no vestiges of anything aesthetically related to traditional church. For others, "contemporary" means updating your look in some areas and still functioning like the majority of most other churches.
- Some churches don't care if you come there or not. Nobody greeted me or spoke to me when I dropped off my daughter. Nobody. Not the people sitting at the reception desk. Not even the lady that showed my daughter where her grade level was sitting when I asked her where my daughter was supposed to go. There was no, "Nice to see you." No, "How did you find out about us?" No, "Would you like information about the church?" Nothing.
- "Contemporary" doesn't mean high energy to some churches. There wasn't any level of perceived energy that is normally associated with a large gathering of school age children. I'm all for keeping things under control, but there was no walk-in or ambience music, no video playing or anything that set the tone for the day. Boring.
- I miss the pledge to the Bible even though I think it's a bad adoption of culture by the traditional church.
- Volunteers are the backbone of the church.
- I thank God for The Journey Church.
A closing question: What can a church do to be waiting for culture instead of always trying to catch up to culture in being relevant?
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
must read...
If you've ever wondered why I say the things I say and took the leap into the world of church planting, read this article. It's long...really long, but well worth the read. Let me rephrase that...this article is a must read for churched people.
Thanks to my bud Marty Duren for sniffing this one out.
Thanks to my bud Marty Duren for sniffing this one out.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
smaller than our website gives us credit for
Listening to John Mayer this morning and thinking about a comment from a guest at The Journey this weekend.
The comment was that we look organized and high energy on our website but there weren't nearly as many people there as he was expecting. Granted, this guy visited after having been part of a big ministry somewhere. I totally understand his comment. I wish we were bigger than what our website gives us credit for.
Some say you shouldn't portray something you're not. I agree. That's lying. Since I wanted to make sure we were being ethical in our advertising, I went back and read through our website. We don't misrepresent anything. The fact is, we all interpret things through a predetermined filter of experience, personality, and current emotional milieu...among other things. Case in point; another visitor within the last couple of weeks (that usually attends a well-known megachurch) said that our children's ministry was really organized considering we were a church plant. It's all about perspective.
Our philosophy about how we present ourselves is this: Just because we're a church plant doesn't mean we have to look crappy. You can be high quality and small. I was talking to an advertising executive this past week. He does stuff for Nintendo, Remax, Fisher Price, Hasbro, and Sony, etc. He told me that our website was way above average for a church of any size. I got warm fuzzies all over after he told me that.
Back to the guy that visited this week...
The guy said that he felt like everything that happened at The Journey Church this Sunday was made specifically for him...the worship, the message, and the people. That tells me two things: 1) The guy was looking for God to speak to Him. 2) The Journey is listening to God. I think this time smaller was very good.
A side note to end on: John Mayer is an incredible songwriter and musician.
The comment was that we look organized and high energy on our website but there weren't nearly as many people there as he was expecting. Granted, this guy visited after having been part of a big ministry somewhere. I totally understand his comment. I wish we were bigger than what our website gives us credit for.
Some say you shouldn't portray something you're not. I agree. That's lying. Since I wanted to make sure we were being ethical in our advertising, I went back and read through our website. We don't misrepresent anything. The fact is, we all interpret things through a predetermined filter of experience, personality, and current emotional milieu...among other things. Case in point; another visitor within the last couple of weeks (that usually attends a well-known megachurch) said that our children's ministry was really organized considering we were a church plant. It's all about perspective.
Our philosophy about how we present ourselves is this: Just because we're a church plant doesn't mean we have to look crappy. You can be high quality and small. I was talking to an advertising executive this past week. He does stuff for Nintendo, Remax, Fisher Price, Hasbro, and Sony, etc. He told me that our website was way above average for a church of any size. I got warm fuzzies all over after he told me that.
Back to the guy that visited this week...
The guy said that he felt like everything that happened at The Journey Church this Sunday was made specifically for him...the worship, the message, and the people. That tells me two things: 1) The guy was looking for God to speak to Him. 2) The Journey is listening to God. I think this time smaller was very good.
A side note to end on: John Mayer is an incredible songwriter and musician.
On the Michael Jackson acquittal...
Whatever you think the verdict should have been in the Michael Jackson case, there is a truth that none of us can deny.
Being really weird isn't a crime.
Being really weird isn't a crime.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Sex and The Supremacy of Christ: A Review of Parts 1&2
My bud Marty Duren had a link on his blog for a limited number of downloadable copies of the yet to be released book Sex and The Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. If you read it and review it in your blog, they give you a free hard copy when it goes to print. I think they've stopped handing out the freebies. Sorry.
I've read chapters one through five thus far. I must admit that this would have been an excellent book to have read for a sexual ethics class in seminary. It seems to be a book for pastors, scholars, and those who prefer a heady treatment of a Christian view of sex. Frankly, an unchurched person would struggle with this book. It speaks directly to the Christian subculture that wants an in-depth if not academic approach to the issue of sex.
I personally would refrain from giving this as a marriage building tool to a person or couple struggling with sexual issues. However, I would imagine that this would set well with the college age crowd, in that they would enjoy wrestling with how the supremacy of Christ impacts their sexuality. I envision some late nights discussing the book in Bible study groups on campuses.
The book, as you might guess, is squarely grounded in Scripture. Sometimes excruciatingly so. Save the introduction, I found only a few engaging and relevant passages that get anywhere close to real life application.
The first two chapters, authored by Piper, is a thorough investigation of the supremacy of Christ. It proposes two theses: The first was that sexuality is designed by God as a way to know Christ more fully. And the second was that knowing Christ more fully is designed by God as a way of guarding and guiding our sexuality. While both statements are true, Piper could have handled them more succinctly. He thoroughly outlines how the supremacy of Christ affects everything in our reality. The case he builds for the supremacy of Christ is airtight, but his effort to tie it to human sexuality was a stretch for me.
I'm glad Piper lost me four paragraphs before his chapters end. I was having a hard time seeing how being sexually pure was related to suffering. Granted, it isn't easy being sexually pure but I personally don't associate it with suffering. I've met people beaten and imprisoned for the Gospel. They didn't mention that going without sex while in prison was a part of their suffering.
Ben Patterson's third chapter was well written and more practical. It's a good mix of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. (I haven't used those words since seminary but felt pressed to do so since reading this book.) Good theology and good application. My kind of stuff.
David Powlison's fourth chapter was...well...long. He was tasked with speaking to Restoring Pure Joy to the Sexually Broken. No new ground broken here. I didn't see much to link the supremacy of Christ to overcoming and healing sexual brokenness. He does make a concerted effort to bring in relevant illustrations.
Al Mohler's treatment of Homosexual Marriage as a Challenge to the Church: Biblical and Cultural Reflections is very well written. This would be a great section for a young Christian to read so they might grasp their theological moorings in our postmodern world. It's a hot social topic for the generations to come so I understand why it was included in the book.
Overall: So far it seems like a good book for the seminarian. Not a book that you want to take your small group through. The theological concepts are, of course, usable in sermons but the practical application would be left to the expositor for the most part. We'll see how the rest of the book goes...
I've read chapters one through five thus far. I must admit that this would have been an excellent book to have read for a sexual ethics class in seminary. It seems to be a book for pastors, scholars, and those who prefer a heady treatment of a Christian view of sex. Frankly, an unchurched person would struggle with this book. It speaks directly to the Christian subculture that wants an in-depth if not academic approach to the issue of sex.
I personally would refrain from giving this as a marriage building tool to a person or couple struggling with sexual issues. However, I would imagine that this would set well with the college age crowd, in that they would enjoy wrestling with how the supremacy of Christ impacts their sexuality. I envision some late nights discussing the book in Bible study groups on campuses.
The book, as you might guess, is squarely grounded in Scripture. Sometimes excruciatingly so. Save the introduction, I found only a few engaging and relevant passages that get anywhere close to real life application.
The first two chapters, authored by Piper, is a thorough investigation of the supremacy of Christ. It proposes two theses: The first was that sexuality is designed by God as a way to know Christ more fully. And the second was that knowing Christ more fully is designed by God as a way of guarding and guiding our sexuality. While both statements are true, Piper could have handled them more succinctly. He thoroughly outlines how the supremacy of Christ affects everything in our reality. The case he builds for the supremacy of Christ is airtight, but his effort to tie it to human sexuality was a stretch for me.
Our knowing all that God promises to be for us in Christ gives us the power to suffer with joy. And here’s the link: we must suffer in order to be sexually pure. (pg. 45)
I'm glad Piper lost me four paragraphs before his chapters end. I was having a hard time seeing how being sexually pure was related to suffering. Granted, it isn't easy being sexually pure but I personally don't associate it with suffering. I've met people beaten and imprisoned for the Gospel. They didn't mention that going without sex while in prison was a part of their suffering.
Ben Patterson's third chapter was well written and more practical. It's a good mix of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. (I haven't used those words since seminary but felt pressed to do so since reading this book.) Good theology and good application. My kind of stuff.
David Powlison's fourth chapter was...well...long. He was tasked with speaking to Restoring Pure Joy to the Sexually Broken. No new ground broken here. I didn't see much to link the supremacy of Christ to overcoming and healing sexual brokenness. He does make a concerted effort to bring in relevant illustrations.
Al Mohler's treatment of Homosexual Marriage as a Challenge to the Church: Biblical and Cultural Reflections is very well written. This would be a great section for a young Christian to read so they might grasp their theological moorings in our postmodern world. It's a hot social topic for the generations to come so I understand why it was included in the book.
Overall: So far it seems like a good book for the seminarian. Not a book that you want to take your small group through. The theological concepts are, of course, usable in sermons but the practical application would be left to the expositor for the most part. We'll see how the rest of the book goes...
nobody understands me when I talk Oklahoman...
My wife will tell you that in stressful situations that I revert back to my redneck/country/cowboy patterns of speech. This is exceedingly embarrassing for her. Fortunately, the last few times I have slipped she's not been around.
Just for fun I thought I would let you peek into my subconscious and see just how much of the West I have in me. When I say West, I really mean Western...like Tombstone western. Chew on these for a bit...
"You got a burr under your saddle?" This means, "What's disturbing you that you're not telling me about?" It can also be used combatively with a meaning of, "Who ticked you off?"
"Get off your high horse." Or, "Don't be so freaking arrogant."
"You're beatin' a dead horse." Which being interpreted means, "It's a lost cause, dude."
"You got a hitch in your get-along?" Always said with a wry smile, meaning "Have you seen a doctor about your back?"
There you have it.I'm pinein' for my ropers about now.
Just for fun I thought I would let you peek into my subconscious and see just how much of the West I have in me. When I say West, I really mean Western...like Tombstone western. Chew on these for a bit...
"You got a burr under your saddle?" This means, "What's disturbing you that you're not telling me about?" It can also be used combatively with a meaning of, "Who ticked you off?"
"Get off your high horse." Or, "Don't be so freaking arrogant."
"You're beatin' a dead horse." Which being interpreted means, "It's a lost cause, dude."
"You got a hitch in your get-along?" Always said with a wry smile, meaning "Have you seen a doctor about your back?"
There you have it.
Monday, June 06, 2005
structure should submit to Spirit...another core value
Structure should always submit to Spirit. It's a core value of The Journey and it happens to be one of my personal core values.
I've never been one that liked much of what the traditional church had to offer, except God. It was full of structures that had lost their relevancy, efficiency, and spirituality. Boards, committees, buildings, business meetings, and church members that felt like the church had been built on their family name...all of these structures an invention of fallen men. The structures got more attention than God. In fact, the structures made the decisions and God was asked to bless the structures. How twisted is that? Unfortunately, there's a lot of churches out there that still live in that world. These are the people that use the Scripture that says, "I the LORD do not change" as a mantra for inflexibility.
If most churches came to The Journey Church and sat through the business meetings we don't have and see how much the leaders trust the people and vice-versa, we would have to call 911 because they would go into cardiac arrest. The upside is, we would still make our decisions the same way. The downside is, the cardiac arrest might not scare enough hell out of the typical church attender.
What blows me away is how the Church got so screwed up in its decision making process. I've known churches that have taken years to decide how one fund was going to be spent. The Biblical model is to pray, hear from God, then take the action that He gives. Oh yeah, did I mention that in the Scripture that the leaders got together, prayed, heard from God and then told the people what was going to happen? No votes. No committees (literally the name of a gathering of vultures). No business meetings.
The Church in the book of Acts turned like a modern day JetSki. Nimble, quick, and able to react at a moment's notice from the Holy Spirit. A more literal analogy is that the early Church reacted to the Spirit's leading like a body instead of a business. It moved together, in concert. Swiftly. Sometimes slowly. Always in unity.
When I talk about our land as the "next location" it makes some people jumpy. You see, after we move from the school to the "next location" of a rented property, our next move will be to our land which is another "next location." Human beings are creatures of habit. We don't really like change that much. When I talk about a "next location", they want to hear something with a more permanent ring to it. They want their Promised Land. So do I, but God doesn't do tabernacles, temples, or synagogues anymore. He does the Church through His people, the Body of Christ. That means buildings can and are used by God but frankly I think we've come full circle from the first century to a synagogue model of church. Jesus went to the synagogue to teach, but the bulk of His ministry was in the marketplace...but that subject is for another day.
Back to the subject at hand. Some want to know what the vision is for the next five years. I want to worry about today, because "tomorrow has enough trouble of its own." Yes, we have a vision and we've made plans. We've planned out the details of what has been referred to by one person as "Starbucks meets church". It's going to be a fun place to invite people to hear about the claims of Jesus Christ. We're also fully aware that the Spirit of the living God could tell us that we need to change it tomorrow. That means being flexible. Being willing to submit structure to the Spirit. To succeed at being flexible, you have to be close to the heart of God. Maybe that's why change and flexibility is so hard for most of us.
I've never been one that liked much of what the traditional church had to offer, except God. It was full of structures that had lost their relevancy, efficiency, and spirituality. Boards, committees, buildings, business meetings, and church members that felt like the church had been built on their family name...all of these structures an invention of fallen men. The structures got more attention than God. In fact, the structures made the decisions and God was asked to bless the structures. How twisted is that? Unfortunately, there's a lot of churches out there that still live in that world. These are the people that use the Scripture that says, "I the LORD do not change" as a mantra for inflexibility.
If most churches came to The Journey Church and sat through the business meetings we don't have and see how much the leaders trust the people and vice-versa, we would have to call 911 because they would go into cardiac arrest. The upside is, we would still make our decisions the same way. The downside is, the cardiac arrest might not scare enough hell out of the typical church attender.
What blows me away is how the Church got so screwed up in its decision making process. I've known churches that have taken years to decide how one fund was going to be spent. The Biblical model is to pray, hear from God, then take the action that He gives. Oh yeah, did I mention that in the Scripture that the leaders got together, prayed, heard from God and then told the people what was going to happen? No votes. No committees (literally the name of a gathering of vultures). No business meetings.
The Church in the book of Acts turned like a modern day JetSki. Nimble, quick, and able to react at a moment's notice from the Holy Spirit. A more literal analogy is that the early Church reacted to the Spirit's leading like a body instead of a business. It moved together, in concert. Swiftly. Sometimes slowly. Always in unity.
When I talk about our land as the "next location" it makes some people jumpy. You see, after we move from the school to the "next location" of a rented property, our next move will be to our land which is another "next location." Human beings are creatures of habit. We don't really like change that much. When I talk about a "next location", they want to hear something with a more permanent ring to it. They want their Promised Land. So do I, but God doesn't do tabernacles, temples, or synagogues anymore. He does the Church through His people, the Body of Christ. That means buildings can and are used by God but frankly I think we've come full circle from the first century to a synagogue model of church. Jesus went to the synagogue to teach, but the bulk of His ministry was in the marketplace...but that subject is for another day.
Back to the subject at hand. Some want to know what the vision is for the next five years. I want to worry about today, because "tomorrow has enough trouble of its own." Yes, we have a vision and we've made plans. We've planned out the details of what has been referred to by one person as "Starbucks meets church". It's going to be a fun place to invite people to hear about the claims of Jesus Christ. We're also fully aware that the Spirit of the living God could tell us that we need to change it tomorrow. That means being flexible. Being willing to submit structure to the Spirit. To succeed at being flexible, you have to be close to the heart of God. Maybe that's why change and flexibility is so hard for most of us.
how much should core values cost?
Core values. Every organization has them. They're either stated or unstated. The stated core values are the ones you find on the "about us" page on a website or in an organization's brochure. The unstated core values are the ones that really drive the organization. The key as a leader is to do whatever it takes to make sure that any stated core values are the same as the unstated core values. It's easy to say who you are on paper and be completely different as an organization or as a person.
For instance, the unstated core values of any given organization are apparent by the way that organization interacts with their client. If that org. (I'm tired of typing the whole word so I'll abbreviate it as org. from here on) is customer conscious, friendly, and helpful it's evident that they value the client. The org. may or may not have customer care as a stated core value but it's evident that the org. has developed a DNA that is other-people-centered. They care about the customer. In the orgs. that you and I have visited, there may not be a sign to say that they value you as a customer, you simply feel valued. That's because the org. has trained its employees or volunteers that serving the client comes at a cost. The cost of a customer-oriented core value is: Replacing a bad attitude with a good one, setting aside personal issues, and positively interpreting what is happening in the org. that you don't like that day.
Here's an example from a company I've loved since I was a kid: Sonic Drive-In. Sure, there are some Sonics that have bad service. But overall, the customer service is very good. Even though not all of the carhops rollerskate to your car anymore, it's still a great place to eat. Last Friday evening, they forgot the tomatoes on our cheeseburgers. With a push of the magical red button, our server came with six tomatoes. Ummmmm, extra tomatoes. No muss, no fuss. Just good customer service....with a smile, by the way. You could see that a customer-oriented core value had been adopted by this store. The manager had it and so did all of the employees. You could see that the cost of the customer-oriented core value was a price they were willing to pay.
I don't want The Journey Church's stated core values to be cheap, empty words on a page. There's nothing worse saying you're one thing and being another. I've even considered taking our core values off our website until we become more like our core values.
Since our core values come from the Bible, that means that they are attainable and sustainable. For Christ-followers, we know they're attainable because we "can do all things through Him who strengthens us." They're sustainable because "He who began a good work" in us "is faithful to complete it."
The cost of living Biblical core values is high. It costs us our right to claim church for our own needs. So how much should core values cost? It depends on what you want to pay. To put an old saying a different way....The customer gets what you pay for.
For instance, the unstated core values of any given organization are apparent by the way that organization interacts with their client. If that org. (I'm tired of typing the whole word so I'll abbreviate it as org. from here on) is customer conscious, friendly, and helpful it's evident that they value the client. The org. may or may not have customer care as a stated core value but it's evident that the org. has developed a DNA that is other-people-centered. They care about the customer. In the orgs. that you and I have visited, there may not be a sign to say that they value you as a customer, you simply feel valued. That's because the org. has trained its employees or volunteers that serving the client comes at a cost. The cost of a customer-oriented core value is: Replacing a bad attitude with a good one, setting aside personal issues, and positively interpreting what is happening in the org. that you don't like that day.
Here's an example from a company I've loved since I was a kid: Sonic Drive-In. Sure, there are some Sonics that have bad service. But overall, the customer service is very good. Even though not all of the carhops rollerskate to your car anymore, it's still a great place to eat. Last Friday evening, they forgot the tomatoes on our cheeseburgers. With a push of the magical red button, our server came with six tomatoes. Ummmmm, extra tomatoes. No muss, no fuss. Just good customer service....with a smile, by the way. You could see that a customer-oriented core value had been adopted by this store. The manager had it and so did all of the employees. You could see that the cost of the customer-oriented core value was a price they were willing to pay.
I don't want The Journey Church's stated core values to be cheap, empty words on a page. There's nothing worse saying you're one thing and being another. I've even considered taking our core values off our website until we become more like our core values.
Since our core values come from the Bible, that means that they are attainable and sustainable. For Christ-followers, we know they're attainable because we "can do all things through Him who strengthens us." They're sustainable because "He who began a good work" in us "is faithful to complete it."
The cost of living Biblical core values is high. It costs us our right to claim church for our own needs. So how much should core values cost? It depends on what you want to pay. To put an old saying a different way....The customer gets what you pay for.
Friday, June 03, 2005
fun day
From the inception of The Journey Church, we've wanted to do things with excellence. The band has always been way above average for our size and our children's ministry is getting better every week.
However, the video component of worship has been pretty bad. OK, we stink it up. Bad, really bad. Casey (the worship dude) and I have wanted to smooth things out, but frankly we were completely ignorant of what it took to have smooth video switching.
Enter Greg of Video For Worship. Greg does the video production for Passion events, 7:22, and a bunch of other stuff as well as being on the staff of NorthPoint. He took the time with us today to give us a "Video Switching and Producing 101" class (of sorts) over lunch. We bought a few toys. Nothing over the top. Just things that will take us from quaint to relatively smooth. It won't be long before our startup church will be doing some things like the big boys. No, we won't have a 24X30 foot LED screen or a bank of screens that share a signal but we will be able to show video without looking like we're changing a DVD at home. Thanks Greg.
As soon as I got home from Alpharetta, I hopped in the van with my wife and kids and we went to get some new glasses for Emily, our youngest daughter. I must say that Lenscrafters is a pretty good place to buy glasses. They're a bit pricey, but with our insurance and wife's flex spending plan it's pretty easy to chin. They hooked her up with some way cool glasses. My girl definitely has good tastes. She got her new, cool glasses in just over an hour. Nice. I remember that I used to wait two weeks to get new glasses when I was her age. Oh yeah, Old Navy is having a great sale right now. You might want to pop by and pick up some flip-flops @ 2 for $5 or some baseball tees @ 2 for $12. Don't pay attention to the price you find at the links. The in store price is good. I got a couple of new ribbed tees 2 for $12.
After our Old Navy fix, we went home and watched Ray. Wow. Great movie. Jamie Foxx is unbelievable.
Fun day.
However, the video component of worship has been pretty bad. OK, we stink it up. Bad, really bad. Casey (the worship dude) and I have wanted to smooth things out, but frankly we were completely ignorant of what it took to have smooth video switching.
Enter Greg of Video For Worship. Greg does the video production for Passion events, 7:22, and a bunch of other stuff as well as being on the staff of NorthPoint. He took the time with us today to give us a "Video Switching and Producing 101" class (of sorts) over lunch. We bought a few toys. Nothing over the top. Just things that will take us from quaint to relatively smooth. It won't be long before our startup church will be doing some things like the big boys. No, we won't have a 24X30 foot LED screen or a bank of screens that share a signal but we will be able to show video without looking like we're changing a DVD at home. Thanks Greg.
As soon as I got home from Alpharetta, I hopped in the van with my wife and kids and we went to get some new glasses for Emily, our youngest daughter. I must say that Lenscrafters is a pretty good place to buy glasses. They're a bit pricey, but with our insurance and wife's flex spending plan it's pretty easy to chin. They hooked her up with some way cool glasses. My girl definitely has good tastes. She got her new, cool glasses in just over an hour. Nice. I remember that I used to wait two weeks to get new glasses when I was her age. Oh yeah, Old Navy is having a great sale right now. You might want to pop by and pick up some flip-flops @ 2 for $5 or some baseball tees @ 2 for $12. Don't pay attention to the price you find at the links. The in store price is good. I got a couple of new ribbed tees 2 for $12.
After our Old Navy fix, we went home and watched Ray. Wow. Great movie. Jamie Foxx is unbelievable.
Fun day.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Hillsong UNITED - Look to You :: REVIEW
Maybe I was having a bad day (don't think so) or maybe I just didn't like all of the slow songs on the previoius Hillsong UNITED project More Than Life but their latest project Look to You is absolutey fabulous. I got it for $14.98 at a Lifeway Store and I think FamilyChristian stores are running the same sale.
The first song Salvation is Here starts with a blistering bass line and takes off from there. In the middle is the beautiful All For Love that ends up being big, even huge in sound. My personal favorite on the CD is What the World Will Never Take. The words are phenomenal. These are not seeker songs. This is straight up God worship, loud and clear. If you believe in evangelistic, modern rock worship, then this is the CD for you.
It's a rarity that any CD in our day is beginning to end a great project. There's usually a bad song or two. I personally think there isn't a bad song on this CD. Not even a weak song.
BONUS: It comes with a bonus DVD that will rock your world. Turn it on and worship. My family did. One of the extras is a behind the scenes look at how they pulled of the recording of the event.
We very well may end up learning most of the songs on the CD. It's that good.
Monday, May 30, 2005
confessions of a naive blogger
I have always viewed myself as being above average in being in touch with culture...especially in the last three years. I started blogging thinking it would be a way for me to keep my writing skills sharp. Honestly, I started blogging because my pastor friends were blogging and I am fiercely competitive! We all have our approach to blogging and I've used mine as a cathartic tool in the final stage of detoxing from traditional church. I wanted my blog to be more of a personal, cyber-journal. Not anymore.
I knew that anybody with access to the Internet could find my blog. I also knew that the less I posted on other people's sites and left it off message board and email sigs that I could remain relatively obscure. I guess that was naive to some degree. The fact is, if someone wants to find you on the Web and you have any presence there you will be found.
Completely unconnected people have commented about the blog. I was talking to a guest at The Journey yesterday and she mentioned she had read it. With the heightened traffic on our church website, more people finding my blog is inevitable. That means simplyken is going public (like it already isn't?). From now on I'll be open about it. I'll put it in my email sig. I'll probably put a link to it on our church website. I guess I'll let the world into the mind and soul of Ken Miller...follower of Christ, husband, father, high tech redneck, football lover, and inhaler of Little Debbie Devil's Squares. Oh yeah, and not-so-naive-anymore-blogger.
I knew that anybody with access to the Internet could find my blog. I also knew that the less I posted on other people's sites and left it off message board and email sigs that I could remain relatively obscure. I guess that was naive to some degree. The fact is, if someone wants to find you on the Web and you have any presence there you will be found.
Completely unconnected people have commented about the blog. I was talking to a guest at The Journey yesterday and she mentioned she had read it. With the heightened traffic on our church website, more people finding my blog is inevitable. That means simplyken is going public (like it already isn't?). From now on I'll be open about it. I'll put it in my email sig. I'll probably put a link to it on our church website. I guess I'll let the world into the mind and soul of Ken Miller...follower of Christ, husband, father, high tech redneck, football lover, and inhaler of Little Debbie Devil's Squares. Oh yeah, and not-so-naive-anymore-blogger.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Can blogging help your church?
One of the guys that goes to The Journey Church asked me if I blogged and pointed me to an article at churchmarketingsucks.com. At their site they mentioned an article by Ken Gosnell where he gives four reasons why blogging can help your church. When I saw that it was a lifeway.com article, I was a bit suspect. They're not exactly on the cutting edge, ya know.
So I read the article and did a little poking around. Gosnell may be a consultant, but I'm not sure he's a veteran blogger. I'm a bit taken back that Lifeway would feature an article by a guy that, from what I can find, has been blogging for two months. Huh? Am I missing something here? Nevertheless, here's my take on Gosnell's article.
Gosnell says that: 1. Blogging will bring churches closer together as it closes a communication gap.
He speaks of this primarily as a way of communicating vision to the church that gives people the ability to share ideas and thoughts in a timely way. I think it might work if the people that participate didn't grow up in a churched setting. If churched people comment and participate, the likelihood that they'll shoot an idea out instead of shooting at the vision is pretty slim. On the other hand, if you can get unchurched or recently converted unchurched people to participate it might work. I'm still cautious about buying into this point. Blogging for vision casting might work in my context . I'm just not sure how.
Gosnell says that: 2. Blogging will help to develop sermons and classes.
I want to know how he's done this successfully. By that, I mean how has he personally gotten a broad spectrum of people to participate in the sermon building process? At the risk of sounding cynical, it seems more like a "geez, this is a great idea and it would really change how messages are prepared and delivered" more than "here are a half dozen sermons that have been developed using the process I described". I'm not buying what he's selling so far.
As for me, I've always tried to listen to people and see what their issues are in life and I would welcome a way to expand that. I think blogging could be a great way to get ideas and life stories (used with permission of course). Bottom line: I'm not from Missouri, so you'll still have to show me this one will work.
Gosnell says that: 3. Blogging will break down barriers and remove masks.
I'm totally in agreement with this one. I think it's great for people to see what I listen to, read, think (but not everything) and do. It seems like the post-modern generation values transparency highly. I've never been one to play games. I say take me for who I am, not what you want me to be. When Gosnell says, "People experience significant freedom to communicate when blogging", I say make it known that "Anonymous posters will be deleted and placing of verbal IEDs is not acceptable."
Gosnell says that: 4. Blogging will help the church to engage the culture.
Maybe. People that make up the blogosphere account for less than 4% of the American population. My guess is that many bloggers lean to the techy/geeky side. Granted, culture is being engaged, but the slice of culture you're engaging isn't that big. On our church's account, it's probably not a bad idea.
All that being said....
I'm open to exploring blogging as a tool to engage culture but I don't think it's the next big thing in breaking down communication barriers in or into the church. I do think it has a niche in the communication matrix of a church. I'm just not sure how it's going to work for The Journey Church yet.
So I read the article and did a little poking around. Gosnell may be a consultant, but I'm not sure he's a veteran blogger. I'm a bit taken back that Lifeway would feature an article by a guy that, from what I can find, has been blogging for two months. Huh? Am I missing something here? Nevertheless, here's my take on Gosnell's article.
Gosnell says that: 1. Blogging will bring churches closer together as it closes a communication gap.
He speaks of this primarily as a way of communicating vision to the church that gives people the ability to share ideas and thoughts in a timely way. I think it might work if the people that participate didn't grow up in a churched setting. If churched people comment and participate, the likelihood that they'll shoot an idea out instead of shooting at the vision is pretty slim. On the other hand, if you can get unchurched or recently converted unchurched people to participate it might work. I'm still cautious about buying into this point. Blogging for vision casting might work in my context . I'm just not sure how.
Gosnell says that: 2. Blogging will help to develop sermons and classes.
I want to know how he's done this successfully. By that, I mean how has he personally gotten a broad spectrum of people to participate in the sermon building process? At the risk of sounding cynical, it seems more like a "geez, this is a great idea and it would really change how messages are prepared and delivered" more than "here are a half dozen sermons that have been developed using the process I described". I'm not buying what he's selling so far.
As for me, I've always tried to listen to people and see what their issues are in life and I would welcome a way to expand that. I think blogging could be a great way to get ideas and life stories (used with permission of course). Bottom line: I'm not from Missouri, so you'll still have to show me this one will work.
Gosnell says that: 3. Blogging will break down barriers and remove masks.
I'm totally in agreement with this one. I think it's great for people to see what I listen to, read, think (but not everything) and do. It seems like the post-modern generation values transparency highly. I've never been one to play games. I say take me for who I am, not what you want me to be. When Gosnell says, "People experience significant freedom to communicate when blogging", I say make it known that "Anonymous posters will be deleted and placing of verbal IEDs is not acceptable."
Gosnell says that: 4. Blogging will help the church to engage the culture.
Maybe. People that make up the blogosphere account for less than 4% of the American population. My guess is that many bloggers lean to the techy/geeky side. Granted, culture is being engaged, but the slice of culture you're engaging isn't that big. On our church's account, it's probably not a bad idea.
All that being said....
I'm open to exploring blogging as a tool to engage culture but I don't think it's the next big thing in breaking down communication barriers in or into the church. I do think it has a niche in the communication matrix of a church. I'm just not sure how it's going to work for The Journey Church yet.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
renascentfaith.com
Brian Turner is an emerging kind of guy that has his head screwed on right. I found out about him through my buddy Charlie after he read an article of Brian's at The Ooze. When I went to Brian's website/blog at renascentfaith.com I was pleasantly welcomed after I made a simple comment affirming his article. It's a good place to hang out. He writes with a positive clarity rarely found in a subculture that is immersed in negativity. Read and enjoy.
I had only one minor issue with Brian. It was the potentially disastrous omission of a picture of a Telecaster guitar on his website. There were only pictures of Les Pauls. Not good. Les Paul guitars have their place in music, but since Brian hails from Dothan, AL it was only fitting that he had a true Southern guitar adorning his already good place to hang. He took care of it within 24 hours...with a picture of like six Teles. Cool. All my fellow Tele fans say, "Thank you."
By the way, "renascent" means rising again into being or vigor.
I had only one minor issue with Brian. It was the potentially disastrous omission of a picture of a Telecaster guitar on his website. There were only pictures of Les Pauls. Not good. Les Paul guitars have their place in music, but since Brian hails from Dothan, AL it was only fitting that he had a true Southern guitar adorning his already good place to hang. He took care of it within 24 hours...with a picture of like six Teles. Cool. All my fellow Tele fans say, "Thank you."
By the way, "renascent" means rising again into being or vigor.
God and a medium mocha
I've been breaking in the new guy this week. Some that cruise here prayed fervently with me for a like-minded worship arts pastor. Well, you can mark it down; God answered in an incredible way. Casey Darnell is everything a modern worship church could want and God saw fit to direct him our way. Go figure. Very, very cool.
Special thanks to my bud Heath Baltzglier, bass player in the NorthPoint/7:22 fraternity, to turning me on to this cat daddy. Special thanks to Neal Tankersley of Red Sky and NorthPoint/BigStuf/ad infinitum for the network lead to Heath. Thank you God for your faithfulness. We turned a big corner this week. I'm talking bigger than ginormous.
It all happened because of God and a medium mocha.
Special thanks to my bud Heath Baltzglier, bass player in the NorthPoint/7:22 fraternity, to turning me on to this cat daddy. Special thanks to Neal Tankersley of Red Sky and NorthPoint/BigStuf/ad infinitum for the network lead to Heath. Thank you God for your faithfulness. We turned a big corner this week. I'm talking bigger than ginormous.
It all happened because of God and a medium mocha.
Monday, May 23, 2005
"Get in touch with your peelings, Cuc."
Here's a cool little video that does a nice parody on Star Wars. Whatever your position is on natural foods, you'll be able to mindlessly burn about 5 minutes here.
Here's to you Obi Wan Canoli.
Here's to you Obi Wan Canoli.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
the holy dissatisfaction of Moby
In the most recent edition of Relevant Magazine, techno artist Moby speaks of his faith in Christ and makes a statement that every apathetic Christian should embrace. OK, I know...if someone is apathetic they probably won't care. How about this? For Christians that want a deeper faith but find themselves in a religious rut, they should embrace Moby's challenge. If those of us that do care would live our lives with more holy dissatisfaction, a lot more people would find the joy of a relationship with God.
Moby said: You can never be a follower of Christ and think that you're doing a great job.
Put that in your religion pipe and smoke it down.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
statcounter.com
We use www.statcounter.com to track our web traffic. It's a freebie. Most hosts have something free anyway, but this one is easier for me than the one Interland provides. I don't know how to insert the code into the website. All I know is that it's a blast to look at the report and see who's been looking at your site. It only gives town, state and country but that's still pretty cool. All of the typical stuff like which pages they cruised and how long they were on your site are tracked as well as a bunch of other stuff.
It was easy to see how much our traffic increased when we ventured into billboard advertising for the first time. People headed to the Mall of Georgia from Suwanee, Duluth, Roswell, and Alpharetta have given us some good spikes. I just want to know how somebody from India finds our site? What the heck is up with that?
Here's the billboard...
It was easy to see how much our traffic increased when we ventured into billboard advertising for the first time. People headed to the Mall of Georgia from Suwanee, Duluth, Roswell, and Alpharetta have given us some good spikes. I just want to know how somebody from India finds our site? What the heck is up with that?
Here's the billboard...
some music reviews
Mute Math ep. A couple of the guys from now defunct Earthsuit started this band. While a bit eclectic, their music is soothing and fresh. With mixes of techno, reggae, and Brit pop it's a mix that I find strangely addictive. The song Peculiar People is eerily like an early Sting tune. The words are great and a bit less cryptic than when they did the Earthsuit thing. I personally think 4 of the 7 songs on the EP are outstanding. The song OK is an incredible song of grace. The band is supposed to record a full length project in the Fall, pending more radio play and EP sales. My worship arts pastor saw them in Pensacola this week and said they were phenomenally close to their studio sound. I can't believe I actually like these guys.
United is the modern worship ministry of Hillsong. You can tell that the next generation has been strongly influenced by their older mentors Darlene and the other dude that writes most of their songs. A lot of people recommended this and, frankly, I was dissapointed. The slower stuff was the best, but the rest was musically uninspired. As usual the lyrics are spot on but it didn't make me want to crank the volume. It seemed to have the dynamic that some of us were talking about at lunch a few days ago. When a huge crowd is involved, mediocre music and speaking takes on an energy level higher than it deserves. That's my take on this project and I'm sticking to it. We'll cover a couple of the slower songs on this one...maybe.
Dwell is a worship CD recorded at the Cincy Vineyard by artists from both the US and the UK. It's a best of the best of music from the Vineyard Church worldwide. The first three cuts are worth the price of the CD. Dwell, More Than Ever (our church begs us to play this song all of the time) and Love Me Like You Do are the best of the project. There are a couple of other good ones in my opinion. The whole thing has a very Coldplay feel to it. Nice.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The cool factor
In a rare occasion, I had the pleasure of meeting someone that I first learned about through their blog. Marty Duren is leading New Bethany Baptist Church through a huge transition right now. He's also a voice in the emerging church within the SBC. We met for lunch at the Red Sky coffee house and cafe (It's one of the coolest places around that doesn't have a website. What gives?). If you're ever in Buford, GA you can find it across the street from the Buford Post Office.
Marty says I have cool hair. Thanks for the compliment Marty.
Marty is cooler than cool. Marty is a guy I couldn't be, even though I tried. He's in the process of transitioning a church that, if they don't change, will see the world pass them by at hyper-speed. He's taken the church a long way. He's lasted a lot longer than most guys have in transitioning a church. I think transitioning a church is tougher than planting. Not only do you have to be spiritually at the peak of your game, you have to have great leadership skills.
Don't get me wrong, planting a church is no easy task. I have plenty of friends that have done/are doing it. It's just that I think the old saying, "It's easier to birth a baby than to raise the dead" is so true.
On the other hand, if we had more faith we could see more entombed churches raised from the dead. Here's a thought......If we had more faith, more than the 25% of churches that are planted would survive and thrive.
It takes both hard work and faith to transition and/or plant a church. Both are very different tasks. Both are very cool. Cool meets at Red Sky.
Marty says I have cool hair. Thanks for the compliment Marty.
Marty is cooler than cool. Marty is a guy I couldn't be, even though I tried. He's in the process of transitioning a church that, if they don't change, will see the world pass them by at hyper-speed. He's taken the church a long way. He's lasted a lot longer than most guys have in transitioning a church. I think transitioning a church is tougher than planting. Not only do you have to be spiritually at the peak of your game, you have to have great leadership skills.
Don't get me wrong, planting a church is no easy task. I have plenty of friends that have done/are doing it. It's just that I think the old saying, "It's easier to birth a baby than to raise the dead" is so true.
On the other hand, if we had more faith we could see more entombed churches raised from the dead. Here's a thought......If we had more faith, more than the 25% of churches that are planted would survive and thrive.
It takes both hard work and faith to transition and/or plant a church. Both are very different tasks. Both are very cool. Cool meets at Red Sky.
burb missionary revisited
My bud Gary Lamb made a great comment about burb missionary. In addition to:
- Create a space that has visual continuity with current culture.
- Engage people.
- Talk about things that matter to people.
He said I should add:
4. Create a place where relationships can be formed.
I agree. It has to go beyond engaging people. Since most of us in our area are reaching transplants and not "from here's" it's essential that we give them a place to connect to other human beings. It's a primal need.
Thinking out loud here...that means that the space at our new location will need to be changed. We currently have space allocated for an office for me. No more. That space will be opened up and we will put in casual seating coffeehouse style. In fact, if we can pull it off, we'll compact the resources area or move it so that the foyer/entry will be much more open and inviting to conversation.
My office will become a laptop that sits on a table in the lobby with wireless access. I don't view it as a cool new way of officing. Face it, people have been doing it for a long time. I simply see that it's necessary for me to give up office space which is near and dear to me (remember I'm a 3rd generation preacher) for the potential impact it will make on people that have a desire to be connected.
Small groups/growth groups/life groups etc. will play a part also, but for now the burb missionary thing is all about Sunday morning.
Thanks Gary.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
burb missionary
This evening our family went to visit our church's new location. We're in a school right now and are going to lease 6,700 sq ft of a strip mall. I've always had a missionary mindset. I dig the whole PDC thing...Find a target group and strategize how to reach them for Christ.
According to a friend that looked at planting a church in my area, the population here is about 80% unchurched. Kind of mind boggling since there seems to be a zillion churches in North Atlanta. The zip codes that we impact have an average age of 33 and they have 2.3 kids. The bulk of people end up in the 18-45 year old range. So what does that mean if I'm going to be a burb missionary?
For starters, we have to do church for the next generation. We have to offer culture things that they perceive as adding value to their lives like positive life change, good music, coffee, community, and a safe place for their kids. Some churches do pretty well at making that happen. The only problem is, per capita the number of churches that do it great are pretty scarce. I can name couple of church plants in our area that are doing better than most, but for the most part I would say churches are missing the target.
What do I think it will take to be a burb missionary?
1) Create a space that has visual continuity with current culture. When people walk into where you meet do whatever you can to give them a vibe that says, "These people know what important to me." For The Journey that means they'll walk into a Starbuck's like atmosphere with a full service coffee bar. Just beyond that will be an eye catching kid's ministry check-in that any Discovery Point would be willing to put in their lobby. When they walk into the auditorium they'll probably feel more like they're in a club or an oversized and unfreaking-believable home theatre. Did I mention that it would seat less than 200? I didn't think so. A driving force in that number was finances. Another driving force is that we want to...
2) Engage people. I watched U2's video they made to kick off their How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb project. Instead of a huge media blitz, they hopped on a flatbed trailer and drove around NYC playing their music. Along their route, they engaged the public. They shared their pizza with a fan. They let some guy sit in and play drums for an entire song. They let a guy make his debut singing. They did a free concert under the Brooklyn bridge. Marketing genius you say? Maybe. I call it fresh, exciting, and an astute analysis of what our culture wants...to be engaged. For The Journey that means engaging the seeker. Let them see us worship. Take risks and engage people. Jesus did.
3) Talk about things that matter to people. Talk radio understands culture. They talk about things people are interested in. So does TV. So does the film industry. So should the church. Whether it's expository or topical teaching, just make sure you apply the truth of Scripture to meet people's needs and overcome their fears. Honestly and clearly engaging people with God's word is what my worship arts pastor calls innertainment. It's all about offering the life-changing Gospel in an interesting but clear way.
More on being a burb missionary as I take this from theory to reality.
According to a friend that looked at planting a church in my area, the population here is about 80% unchurched. Kind of mind boggling since there seems to be a zillion churches in North Atlanta. The zip codes that we impact have an average age of 33 and they have 2.3 kids. The bulk of people end up in the 18-45 year old range. So what does that mean if I'm going to be a burb missionary?
For starters, we have to do church for the next generation. We have to offer culture things that they perceive as adding value to their lives like positive life change, good music, coffee, community, and a safe place for their kids. Some churches do pretty well at making that happen. The only problem is, per capita the number of churches that do it great are pretty scarce. I can name couple of church plants in our area that are doing better than most, but for the most part I would say churches are missing the target.
What do I think it will take to be a burb missionary?
1) Create a space that has visual continuity with current culture. When people walk into where you meet do whatever you can to give them a vibe that says, "These people know what important to me." For The Journey that means they'll walk into a Starbuck's like atmosphere with a full service coffee bar. Just beyond that will be an eye catching kid's ministry check-in that any Discovery Point would be willing to put in their lobby. When they walk into the auditorium they'll probably feel more like they're in a club or an oversized and unfreaking-believable home theatre. Did I mention that it would seat less than 200? I didn't think so. A driving force in that number was finances. Another driving force is that we want to...
2) Engage people. I watched U2's video they made to kick off their How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb project. Instead of a huge media blitz, they hopped on a flatbed trailer and drove around NYC playing their music. Along their route, they engaged the public. They shared their pizza with a fan. They let some guy sit in and play drums for an entire song. They let a guy make his debut singing. They did a free concert under the Brooklyn bridge. Marketing genius you say? Maybe. I call it fresh, exciting, and an astute analysis of what our culture wants...to be engaged. For The Journey that means engaging the seeker. Let them see us worship. Take risks and engage people. Jesus did.
3) Talk about things that matter to people. Talk radio understands culture. They talk about things people are interested in. So does TV. So does the film industry. So should the church. Whether it's expository or topical teaching, just make sure you apply the truth of Scripture to meet people's needs and overcome their fears. Honestly and clearly engaging people with God's word is what my worship arts pastor calls innertainment. It's all about offering the life-changing Gospel in an interesting but clear way.
More on being a burb missionary as I take this from theory to reality.
Monday, May 09, 2005
give me the red pill already
This is kind of freaky. A rash of hacks into assumably secure core computers. I wonder if the hackers are headed up by a guy name Morpheus?
A binge blogger diagnosed
I was having lunch to day with some friends. They brought up the fact that I post in spurts.
I would say I'm a binge poster. Actually, I think the term that I used today was that I tend to vomit, feel better, then vomit again.
The epiphany was that I tend to write pretty much when I'm ticked off. I've been an angry human for the last ten years. Get mad...vomit...feel better....get mad...vomit...ad infinitum. If you've ever pastored an established church or are currently pastoring an established church you know what I'm talking about. No more. The detox is finished.
Thanks Tony, Charlie, Gary, and Rob.
I would say I'm a binge poster. Actually, I think the term that I used today was that I tend to vomit, feel better, then vomit again.
The epiphany was that I tend to write pretty much when I'm ticked off. I've been an angry human for the last ten years. Get mad...vomit...feel better....get mad...vomit...ad infinitum. If you've ever pastored an established church or are currently pastoring an established church you know what I'm talking about. No more. The detox is finished.
Thanks Tony, Charlie, Gary, and Rob.
The sacred tradition that is Moleskine
My friend Charlie is generous in many ways. For an old guy he sure stays on the cutting edge of stuff....I love you man. He introduced many of us to the venerable Moleskine. I'm no Hemingway, as evidenced in this blog, but as a pastor I am a writer of sorts. I've gotten less electronic in the last couple of months even though I still write sermons straight into PowerPoint. I've essentially replaced my PDA with 3x5 cards, known in culturally astute circles as a hipster pda. And, wanting to be on the edge of culture as the ever hip Charlie, I bought my first Moleskine the other day.
Here's my thinking...If Hemingway and all those other brilliant guys carried one of these around, maybe there's a creative vibe they have.
No, not a superstitious kind of thing, but the kind of vibe you get from feeling the pen touch the paper. The ability to see emotion in your handwriting when you look at something you've written a couple of days later. Sort of an ancient connection to the mind's process of putting something on paper. I'm convinced our creativity is tied to our spirituality. That's why I'm using the Moleskine as a prayer journal. As God speaks sermons come. As God speaks I can write something down and not hate myself for failing to remember it. The artistic masters were onto something. They just happened to use the really cool black notebook with the elastic band and the nifty little pocket in the back.
Okay, so you can get a composition notebook at Wal Mart for a fraction of the cost but it's sort of like being able to afford a BMW and choosing to drive a '72 Volkswagen Bug instead. Get the Bimmer.
All that being said, I have a new passion and craving for time spent with God. It wasn't the Moleskine that made the difference, but the Moleskine will keep well and it does have a great track record with great minds.
I can use all the help I can get.
Here's my thinking...If Hemingway and all those other brilliant guys carried one of these around, maybe there's a creative vibe they have.
For two centuries now Moleskine (mol-a-skeen'-a) journals have been the legendary notebook of artists, writers, intellectuals and travelers. More popular than ever, Moleskine notebooks possess stylish minimalism and unmatched quality. This century new legends are being created with the help of this modest book. Moleskine journals help in daily life, work and play, at home and traveling the world. This is the journal that has been as it remains today a truly reliable friend - always at the ready. Helping in life - helping create and capture life stories.
No, not a superstitious kind of thing, but the kind of vibe you get from feeling the pen touch the paper. The ability to see emotion in your handwriting when you look at something you've written a couple of days later. Sort of an ancient connection to the mind's process of putting something on paper. I'm convinced our creativity is tied to our spirituality. That's why I'm using the Moleskine as a prayer journal. As God speaks sermons come. As God speaks I can write something down and not hate myself for failing to remember it. The artistic masters were onto something. They just happened to use the really cool black notebook with the elastic band and the nifty little pocket in the back.
Okay, so you can get a composition notebook at Wal Mart for a fraction of the cost but it's sort of like being able to afford a BMW and choosing to drive a '72 Volkswagen Bug instead. Get the Bimmer.
All that being said, I have a new passion and craving for time spent with God. It wasn't the Moleskine that made the difference, but the Moleskine will keep well and it does have a great track record with great minds.
I can use all the help I can get.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
the new worship guy
33% of the people that read this blog have requested that I tell you more about the new worship guy that I hired. That means that 1 of the three people that actually read this thing asked! So here you go...
His name is Casey Darnell. He's 26 years old. Sings like Chris Tomlin, plays guitar and really knows how to lead worship. He's passionate about his relationship with God and passionate about being a worshipper. Like me, he's not fond of the trend to overproduce the worship environment but, like me, he believes that an environment has to be created for worship to be effective (a subject to long to get into on this blog). His favorite band to cover is U2, and I can't wait for our band to do Vertigo in the next month or so. Casey has led youth worship at Buckhead Church, FBC Woodstock, Church at West Cobb, and adult worship at NorthStar Church. He's been around enough big ministries to know what needs to be done and has a vision for excellence. He spent six years in purgatory...er...youth ministry before he felt God calling him to do worship full-time. He grew up independent Baptist and since then has sufficiently transitioned to a kinder, gentler Christian. :-)
How did we find him? I have coffee a couple of times a week at a coffee shop in Buford. One of the perennial keys players of the NorthPoint fraternity works there part-time to help his parents out (they own the shop). We got to be a bit more than just an acquaintance and I asked him if he knew of anyone looking to move into a church setting. After going three deep into the network, I came across Casey. To tell you the incredible timing and circumstances would take too long, so for the sake of space let's just say that God had His handprint all over this thing.
His name is Casey Darnell. He's 26 years old. Sings like Chris Tomlin, plays guitar and really knows how to lead worship. He's passionate about his relationship with God and passionate about being a worshipper. Like me, he's not fond of the trend to overproduce the worship environment but, like me, he believes that an environment has to be created for worship to be effective (a subject to long to get into on this blog). His favorite band to cover is U2, and I can't wait for our band to do Vertigo in the next month or so. Casey has led youth worship at Buckhead Church, FBC Woodstock, Church at West Cobb, and adult worship at NorthStar Church. He's been around enough big ministries to know what needs to be done and has a vision for excellence. He spent six years in purgatory...er...youth ministry before he felt God calling him to do worship full-time. He grew up independent Baptist and since then has sufficiently transitioned to a kinder, gentler Christian. :-)
How did we find him? I have coffee a couple of times a week at a coffee shop in Buford. One of the perennial keys players of the NorthPoint fraternity works there part-time to help his parents out (they own the shop). We got to be a bit more than just an acquaintance and I asked him if he knew of anyone looking to move into a church setting. After going three deep into the network, I came across Casey. To tell you the incredible timing and circumstances would take too long, so for the sake of space let's just say that God had His handprint all over this thing.
Friday, April 29, 2005
UMC leadership are a bunch of weenies
Whatever your stand is on ordaining women or even gay women, you kind of have to wonder about the level of conviction of the UMC leadership. Read here how they're afraid to take a stand on a culturally hot topic.
FYI...I ordain straight guys.
FYI...I ordain straight guys.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
There might be a move from PC to Mac
Our new worship arts pastor is a budding Mac dude. Small wonder. He did the Northpoint thing and his buds do Macs. The preschool director at the church is a true blue Mac fan. Her husband is a Mac freak. I always thought Macs were cool, just too expensive. After a bunch of research and even though Dell has been "beddy beddy" good to me, I think we may just take the plunge into the world of Apple.
If we could just get Christians to be as passionate about sharing their faith as Apple people are about talking about their computers, lots of people would begin following Christ.
If we could just get Christians to be as passionate about sharing their faith as Apple people are about talking about their computers, lots of people would begin following Christ.
the Truth is uncomfortable for the seeker from ___________
Here's my response. It has become a bit of a form response as of late...
xxxx,
I deeply appreciate your kind words about the name of the church. After reading your email, it's very apparent that you continue on a spiritual journey that's been long for you. Our hope is that the name of the church would be the genesis of dialogue just like this one. Our music rocks and our kids have fun when they come. As our website says, we hold the Bible very highly and it is the basis for what we believe.
As I read your words, it is clear that you have read many different people in your search for truth. Your thoughts on the nature and character of God are interesting. It seems as if your perception of God has been guided primarily by Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gary Zukav, etc. Based on what you've written about your belief in God, it seems as if you haven't read the Bible as much as other books. In my view that's unfortunate because it has been proven to be the most accurate historical record of Jesus. Both biblical and the extrabiblical records of Jesus' time period reflect Jesus in a completely different light than what you believe (except for your statement that Jesus wasn't afraid). I would encourage you to read the Bible and see that what it says about Jesus, God and His love. I would encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible. Since you're an avid reader, I encourage and challenge you to read The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. It is a fair and itellectual discussion of the validity and dependablity of the Bible. If you ever attend The Journey, I would be more than happy to give you both as a gift.
As a spiritual architect and coach (and pastor), I see a common thread in what you've written. You deeply desire to determine your own truth, and from a spiritual and logical perspective I find that troubling. My reasoning is this: You nor I have the ability to determine what truth is. Truth, by definition, is an irreducible fact that cannot be changed. Truth is supra-human. Truth is consistent. It is the same in ___________ as it is in Perth or Khartoum. For instance, the truths that exist in the laws of physics (like the Law of Gravity and the Laws of Thermodynamics) are not negotiable. We may choose to deny that they exist or we may even express our dislike for them, but it doesn't change the fact that they do exist. I can either adjust my way of living to those laws or I engage their consequences. It sets the agenda for us no matter how much we fight or deny it. We, as human beings, don't own truth. With that in mind, it seems quite illogical to me that every human being can own and generate their own truth. That being the case, truth must have a single, perfect, and unchanging source. It seems to me that many spiritual seekers I talk to want to define their own truth and therefore define God by their terms. If God is the source of all truth (which I believe He is), I don't get to choose what truth about Him is...He decides what truth is...perfect and unchanging. Truth is also evident. You don't have to look very hard to find it. Think of all the "If this, then that" things that you dealt with yesterday. They are all around us...irreducible facts that will always be true. Truth is absolute.
It seems to me that if God is Truth, He would make Himself easy to find and know. If God is Truth, why would He try to confuse me by making me look all over for Him in countless writings? Why wouldn't He, as Truth, clearly and specifically reveal Himself?
At The Journey Church, we encourage you to come and investigate what we believe to be the specific revelation of who God is through the Bible. Since we don't own Truth, we don't judge people and their beliefs. We don't get to fit what we believe into Truth. Truth determines what love, justice, hope and peace is all about. Come and investigate the claims of Jesus at your own pace. We use the Bible, we just try to let it speak on its own. We believe Truth doesn't change so we must change or our lives will be full of unpleasant consequences. We at The Journey have encountered the Truth and it has wonderfully and radically transformed our lives.
You didn't write me by chance. God is drawing you to Himself. He wants to make Himself clear to you through His word to us, the Bible. If you just can't buy that right now I understand, but an intense, deep relationship with God isn't as hard as you're making it.
My wife and I will be praying for you and your son. You are welcome to visit us at The Journey anytime. We start at 10am every Sunday.
Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
Ken
Her response:
Onto the next step of the journey...
xxxx,
I deeply appreciate your kind words about the name of the church. After reading your email, it's very apparent that you continue on a spiritual journey that's been long for you. Our hope is that the name of the church would be the genesis of dialogue just like this one. Our music rocks and our kids have fun when they come. As our website says, we hold the Bible very highly and it is the basis for what we believe.
As I read your words, it is clear that you have read many different people in your search for truth. Your thoughts on the nature and character of God are interesting. It seems as if your perception of God has been guided primarily by Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gary Zukav, etc. Based on what you've written about your belief in God, it seems as if you haven't read the Bible as much as other books. In my view that's unfortunate because it has been proven to be the most accurate historical record of Jesus. Both biblical and the extrabiblical records of Jesus' time period reflect Jesus in a completely different light than what you believe (except for your statement that Jesus wasn't afraid). I would encourage you to read the Bible and see that what it says about Jesus, God and His love. I would encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible. Since you're an avid reader, I encourage and challenge you to read The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. It is a fair and itellectual discussion of the validity and dependablity of the Bible. If you ever attend The Journey, I would be more than happy to give you both as a gift.
As a spiritual architect and coach (and pastor), I see a common thread in what you've written. You deeply desire to determine your own truth, and from a spiritual and logical perspective I find that troubling. My reasoning is this: You nor I have the ability to determine what truth is. Truth, by definition, is an irreducible fact that cannot be changed. Truth is supra-human. Truth is consistent. It is the same in ___________ as it is in Perth or Khartoum. For instance, the truths that exist in the laws of physics (like the Law of Gravity and the Laws of Thermodynamics) are not negotiable. We may choose to deny that they exist or we may even express our dislike for them, but it doesn't change the fact that they do exist. I can either adjust my way of living to those laws or I engage their consequences. It sets the agenda for us no matter how much we fight or deny it. We, as human beings, don't own truth. With that in mind, it seems quite illogical to me that every human being can own and generate their own truth. That being the case, truth must have a single, perfect, and unchanging source. It seems to me that many spiritual seekers I talk to want to define their own truth and therefore define God by their terms. If God is the source of all truth (which I believe He is), I don't get to choose what truth about Him is...He decides what truth is...perfect and unchanging. Truth is also evident. You don't have to look very hard to find it. Think of all the "If this, then that" things that you dealt with yesterday. They are all around us...irreducible facts that will always be true. Truth is absolute.
It seems to me that if God is Truth, He would make Himself easy to find and know. If God is Truth, why would He try to confuse me by making me look all over for Him in countless writings? Why wouldn't He, as Truth, clearly and specifically reveal Himself?
At The Journey Church, we encourage you to come and investigate what we believe to be the specific revelation of who God is through the Bible. Since we don't own Truth, we don't judge people and their beliefs. We don't get to fit what we believe into Truth. Truth determines what love, justice, hope and peace is all about. Come and investigate the claims of Jesus at your own pace. We use the Bible, we just try to let it speak on its own. We believe Truth doesn't change so we must change or our lives will be full of unpleasant consequences. We at The Journey have encountered the Truth and it has wonderfully and radically transformed our lives.
You didn't write me by chance. God is drawing you to Himself. He wants to make Himself clear to you through His word to us, the Bible. If you just can't buy that right now I understand, but an intense, deep relationship with God isn't as hard as you're making it.
My wife and I will be praying for you and your son. You are welcome to visit us at The Journey anytime. We start at 10am every Sunday.
Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
Ken
Her response:
Thank you for your time and heart felt response. It was kind of you to respondAlmost everyone that I've had this initial conversation with end up visiting once. Most don't stick around because they value "their truth". There's hope as long as they're alive.
in such detail and it is appreciated.
Love, Light, & Peace, thank you
Onto the next step of the journey...
from hate mail to seeker mail
It used to be that when I opened up my email every morning I would cringe, bracing myself for hate mail from a deacon or spiritually unhealthy long-term member. The chance to reinvent and create a biblically based communication culture has allowed me to once again enjoy checking email. Some stuff gets through obviously, but not from core leadership anymore. Praise be to God, King of the Universe.
In the last year or so, it's not unusual to get emails from people asking questions about the church or just dropping a line to say something kind. I thought I would share one I got last night from a lady that was intrigued by the name of our church. While our church name, The Journey Church, is becoming more and more common it still brings in responses from seekers...which is exactly why we used the name in the first place. The following email is why I do ministry:
My response tomorrow....
In the last year or so, it's not unusual to get emails from people asking questions about the church or just dropping a line to say something kind. I thought I would share one I got last night from a lady that was intrigued by the name of our church. While our church name, The Journey Church, is becoming more and more common it still brings in responses from seekers...which is exactly why we used the name in the first place. The following email is why I do ministry:
Thank you in advance for your time in accepting this email.
I am seeking a church close to my home (name of town) that would be accepting of 'New Thought' philosophy. I believe in reincarnation, and that we create our own reality by our thinking and our perceptions of a situation. (In other words, I can CHOOSE to have a good day or bad day, by my own beliefs and thinking.) I believe in one God, the power of prayer, and the peace in meditations and positive affirmations. I believe in Jesus Christ, yet I believe there are many pathways to God, and that all should be honored & respected. I do not believe that if a person does not believe in Christ the way I believe in Christ that they are going to a place called Hell or that God has no place for them. I believe God is pure love, not of judgments and condemnations. I believe once we've made our transition from this life, we find ourselves in the kingdom of God, Love, and the Light of knowledge; & we are all knowing & can see the errors, the places we got off track and "filled with this knowledge" we judge ourselves, (i.e. Karma, our next life (if we so choose, etc)
I believe a person should believe in whatever serves them well & fills them with "peace". Because it is only through our own internal peace that the world can be changed, not by trying to change others or judge their faith and belief in God. I believe the Bible is symbolic and not necessarily to be taken literally in every sense. I believe the Bible has been translated from different languages, was written thousands of years ago, and can be a very confusing piece of history and religious literature, and has caused many conflicts and wars. I also feel that for many years the clergy have tried to control the thoughts of man/woman by interpreting the bible "for people" and then telling them they must believe in a certain way and will say, "But the Bible says..........." thereby trying to make the person feel they should not be using their own inner voice & their own mind to decide for themselves. By giving a voice to "Hell" "evil" & other negatives, they only become more real. And the only thing real (I believe) is God's love, our love for God & for each other, love for the planet, love for the universe. Everything else is just an illusion we create in not believing in the power of God, the power of good (non-judgmental). Jesus was not afraid, Jesus did not judge, Jesus lead by example & let the rest go. God created us all, we are all his children and we will all go home one day. I would like to find a church that has a good mix of new thinking & openness, with (some) "traditional", and of course music. Yes! spirit is about music and God does love a joyful noise.
MY QUESTION: I don't want to be condemned, judged or put down for believing in the teachings of spiritual leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gary Zukav, etc., or saying I don't accept that people go to Hell if they don't believe in Christ the way I do, or for believing in reincarnation.....IS THERE A PLACE FOR MY BELIEFS AT YOUR CHURCH KEN? I have a seven year old son, who is a very spiritual loving child & I'd love to find a "loving" place to worship, and make friends; however, I am passionate about what I believe. Is there room for all thoughts at your place? (I have inquired because your web site intrigued me and your church sounds like fun for all & perhaps especially the children, which is most important to me.)
Once again, a very grateful thank you in advance for listening (and responding :) (I will understand completely, if your response back has to be, a simple "no", most Biblically driven churches are still pretty traditional about what members should believe. But yours sounded like a possibility.) (And by the way, even if you say no & I should keep church shopping, I must tell you, I think your church name is great, life is truly a journey & how fitting for a church name :)
Sincerely,
with peace & light,Name withheld
My response tomorrow....
Saturday, April 16, 2005
An evening with Elton John
I've been a fan of Elton John since 1973 when I was a kid growing up in Arkansas. We lived in the boonies, so even the closest country station didn't come in clearly. On top of that, we lived way down in a holler (hollow for any Yanks reading this) and it was almost impossible to get a good radio signal except at night. After the sun went down, I would turn on my radio and listen to WLS in Chicago. I don't know how, but the signal came in crystal clear, especially after 10:00pm. That's when I first heard Elton John. It was a year later and I got my first Elton John eight track, his greatest hits.
Tonight at the concert (My sister was in town for an Herbalife convention. Elton John was the entertainment and she bought me a ticket. Thanks, Sis.), I realized just how much I listened to those songs. I sang along with most of them. He was phenomenal. Gee whiz, I just don't think he could play a bad song at a concert. He and the band are consumate musicians. Bobby Birch (bassist) was the reason I started playing bass (edit...playing bass again. Dee Murray was Elton's bass player in the 70s). Solid, groovalicious, and lots of pop. Davey Johnstone was right on and did great work. He played two SG doubles (two different colors), a Flying V, Les Paul, Strat, and a couple different acoustics (and Ovation and Larivee I think). Nigel Olsson is a machine.
Michelle got to hear Philadelphia Freedom via my cellphone. Whoever did the sound had it dialed in.
I may try the Peachtree Road project although it has a bit of a country flavor.
Great concert. The ______ is Back was incredible. The guitar on that song always makes me want to learn guitar. I'm sleepy and rambling now..................
Tonight at the concert (My sister was in town for an Herbalife convention. Elton John was the entertainment and she bought me a ticket. Thanks, Sis.), I realized just how much I listened to those songs. I sang along with most of them. He was phenomenal. Gee whiz, I just don't think he could play a bad song at a concert. He and the band are consumate musicians. Bobby Birch (bassist) was the reason I started playing bass (edit...playing bass again. Dee Murray was Elton's bass player in the 70s). Solid, groovalicious, and lots of pop. Davey Johnstone was right on and did great work. He played two SG doubles (two different colors), a Flying V, Les Paul, Strat, and a couple different acoustics (and Ovation and Larivee I think). Nigel Olsson is a machine.
Michelle got to hear Philadelphia Freedom via my cellphone. Whoever did the sound had it dialed in.
I may try the Peachtree Road project although it has a bit of a country flavor.
Great concert. The ______ is Back was incredible. The guitar on that song always makes me want to learn guitar. I'm sleepy and rambling now..................
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Stunned, amazed, and in awe...then "Unbelievable."
"Unbelievable." That was the only thing I could say today after I hung up the phone from a 4.5 hour conversation. The culmination of a process that's actually been going on for three years. The search for the worship arts pastor that has the same passion, vision, and dreams as I do. It's unlike any ministry position interview I've ever been a part of. No committees (buzzards feasting on human carnage...see my previous post), no mind games, no Chamber of Commerce dog and pony show. As I talked in this unfettered walk to Emmaus I sat there stunned, amazed and in awe of God.
I've prayed, I've fasted, I've asked God to increase my faith, and I've told the mountain to take a hike. Then you wait for God to be who He says He is.
Then it happens. God moves.
I hung up the phone and say, "Unbelievable."
More later as we look for the jars to put the new wine in. I'm sure I saw some behind the mountain before it moved...
I've prayed, I've fasted, I've asked God to increase my faith, and I've told the mountain to take a hike. Then you wait for God to be who He says He is.
Then it happens. God moves.
I hung up the phone and say, "Unbelievable."
More later as we look for the jars to put the new wine in. I'm sure I saw some behind the mountain before it moved...
I'm on a roll now...You have got to read this book!
.I'm an Erwin McManus fan. His first book, An Unstoppable Force was the fulcrum to me leaving the First Church County Seat gig I was at and leap into the world of church planting. The dude is dangerous. Some people think he's too pomo. He would say to lose the label already. The bottom line is that he's a prophetic voice that isn't afraid to challenge what he calls "domesticated Christianity". I think I like Erwin because he's not just a theorist mad at "the man", he practices what he writes about. That should, in and of itself, prove that he's not a pomo. When he writes about "having little patience for institutions and beaureaucracies", I am so there. Even if you don't think you'll like reading McManus, or just haven't heard enough about him to take the plunge, go ahead and get the book and read it. Here's an excerpt that will remain a priceless jewel as long as the established church is stuck in the mire of man-made tradition:
"With insects most of us know that bees are called swarms, and ants are called colonies. Among ocean life, I was aware that whales are pods, and fish are schools. Cattle are herd, birds are flocks, and if you watch Lion King, you know a tribe of lions is a pride. If you grew up in the country, you might know that crows are murders. Maybe the most unnerving one is an ambush of tigers."Brace yourself.......
* The cost of pastoring established, unhealthy churches - 3 years of religious detox."I was surprised to learn that a group of buzzards waiting around together to feast on leftover carnage is called a committee. Just this one insight is worth the price of the whole book. This explains so much of what's going on in churches - a lot of committees waiting around to live off human carnage."
Erwin Raphael McManus
* The cost of The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus - $11.55 plus shipping.
* The quote above from the "Resident Alien" - priceless.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
OK, I'm blogging again...
I've been reminded by a few folks that my blogging activity has fallen off. The reason for this is two-fold. One, I am getting better at spending time on things that I do best. Blogging is not what I do best, even though it's a wonderful outlet for frustration. It's sort of like going into the middle of a big pasture and screaming at the top of your lungs, except it's a bit more intellectual...usually. Two, I've been super busy working on finding a worship arts pastor that I vibe with. Like I've told some friends, you would think that North Atlanta would have worship dudes all over the place. The kind I'm looking for are already way busy or hooked up and happy. No worries, God has the right guy out there. I'm feeling pretty good about one for sure. Frankly, I'm cautiously stoked. That's a good feeling for a change.
OK, so is everyone happy now? All four of you that have mentioned something to me...
OK, so is everyone happy now? All four of you that have mentioned something to me...
Monday, March 14, 2005
A great theologian dies...Stanley Grenz
I just read about Stanley Grenz's passing. Stanley Grenz didn't make huge impact on me when he was a guest lecturer in my systematic theology class in seminary. Then he was just the author of my textbook. In reflection, I now see how much he shaped my theology...In a good way. He was conservative in the grand scheme of things, but in a very balanced sort of way.
His writings have helped me especially in the understanding of the holy mystery of the Trinity. With an unusual bit of nostalgia and sense of loss for someone I didn't personally know, I just picked up my copy of Theology for the Community of God and read some pages that were paper clipped, highlighted and underlined regarding the Trinity. I'm going through a message series on the Trinity right now and even though I didn't use the book in my research for the current series, it's pretty scary to see Grenz's influence on my theology.
When I shook Dr. Grenz's hand in class a few years back, little did I know he would influence me as much as he did. Thanks again, Dr. Grenz.
May God comfort the Grenz family.
His writings have helped me especially in the understanding of the holy mystery of the Trinity. With an unusual bit of nostalgia and sense of loss for someone I didn't personally know, I just picked up my copy of Theology for the Community of God and read some pages that were paper clipped, highlighted and underlined regarding the Trinity. I'm going through a message series on the Trinity right now and even though I didn't use the book in my research for the current series, it's pretty scary to see Grenz's influence on my theology.
When I shook Dr. Grenz's hand in class a few years back, little did I know he would influence me as much as he did. Thanks again, Dr. Grenz.
May God comfort the Grenz family.
Friday, March 04, 2005
How do you get a church plant off the ground?
As a church planter I've struggled with that question a bunch lately. So what does it take for a church to grow like an epidemic? A building? Great marketing? Rockin' music and cutting edge ministries? Those are all OK, but the primary answer is quick, easy, and simple (and one I've been overlooking way too much lately)...a sustained presence of God's Spirit in the people of the church. Some reading this will reply, "There's nothing quick, easy or simple about the Holy Spirit." To some degree that's true. But it's easier than I think most of us make it.
For some reason a lot of believers think being filled with the Holy Spirit is elusive, unattainable, or only for the super-freak Christian. The fact is, when God's people are communicating with Him consistently (praying) and they are spending time reading the principles that He's given to us (the Bible), the Spirit speaks to us and through us.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31, NIV)
There are some things about planting a church in the culture of where I live in North Gwinnett (the burbs of Atlanta) that are different than planting a church in 1st century Jerusalem. One of the differences is that our population density isn't what it was in Jerusalem. You have to get in a vehicle to go anywhere. That means we have to do some marketing...mailers, hangers, and billboards. However, one thing that is absolutely the same in the social epidemic of church growth is that it has and always will rely on word of mouth "advertising". Look at this quote from one of the greatest marketing books of our lifetime, The Tipping Point:
"In epidemics, the messenger matters: messengers are what make something spread. But the content of the message matters too. And the specific quality that a message needs to be successful is the quality of "stickiness." Is the message- or the food, or the movie, or the product- memorable? Is it so memorable, in fact, that it can create change, that it can spur someone to action?" -Malcolm Gladwell
There is not a more sticky, memorable, life-changing message than the forgiveness and eternal life we have through Jesus Christ. Churches can spread like an epidemic if you and I will simply be the messengers of a life-changing epidemic. Frankly, I've been relying a bit too much on everything but the Spirit of God. We'll still have to do some marketing but the primary way my church and your church will grow is when we are all filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God boldly.
I'm personally ready for an epidemic. Thanks to Terry Storch for the inspiration.
For some reason a lot of believers think being filled with the Holy Spirit is elusive, unattainable, or only for the super-freak Christian. The fact is, when God's people are communicating with Him consistently (praying) and they are spending time reading the principles that He's given to us (the Bible), the Spirit speaks to us and through us.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31, NIV)
There are some things about planting a church in the culture of where I live in North Gwinnett (the burbs of Atlanta) that are different than planting a church in 1st century Jerusalem. One of the differences is that our population density isn't what it was in Jerusalem. You have to get in a vehicle to go anywhere. That means we have to do some marketing...mailers, hangers, and billboards. However, one thing that is absolutely the same in the social epidemic of church growth is that it has and always will rely on word of mouth "advertising". Look at this quote from one of the greatest marketing books of our lifetime, The Tipping Point:
"In epidemics, the messenger matters: messengers are what make something spread. But the content of the message matters too. And the specific quality that a message needs to be successful is the quality of "stickiness." Is the message- or the food, or the movie, or the product- memorable? Is it so memorable, in fact, that it can create change, that it can spur someone to action?" -Malcolm Gladwell
There is not a more sticky, memorable, life-changing message than the forgiveness and eternal life we have through Jesus Christ. Churches can spread like an epidemic if you and I will simply be the messengers of a life-changing epidemic. Frankly, I've been relying a bit too much on everything but the Spirit of God. We'll still have to do some marketing but the primary way my church and your church will grow is when we are all filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God boldly.
I'm personally ready for an epidemic. Thanks to Terry Storch for the inspiration.
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