What the church should be about

Read this story by Rick Reilly who now writes for ESPN the magazine.  If only the church did stuff like this.

Personal listening device

Has anyone else seen the commercial for the personal listening device that allows you to spy on your neighbors? They market the device to help you hear the TV when you get old so as to not disturb your spouse or those that you live with. You can also hear wild game coming up on you when you are hunting. You can use it in church to amplify what the preacher is saying. But the most disturbing thing is that they show a lady wearing one listening in to her neighbors or someone in a public place hearing others talk about them.
Here are a few questions:

Is it really that important to hear what others are potentially saying about you?

What if you hear a piece of juicy gossip while wearing said device, how would you use that?

Or if someone said something about you, would you confront them on it or just hold a grudge against them?

In case you are interested it comes either as a device that is a little bit smaller than a credit card or as an earpiece that looks much like a bluetooth earpiece.  That way you can fake people out while you are spying on them.

Favorite things

So I'm not Oprah and I can't give all of my readers each one of the things that I may list, but hopefully I can turn to you something that you may have never heard or confirm that you are cool because you like the same things too. So here is the beginning of an ever expanding list of petty possessions that I want to talk about.

Dave Matthews Band: I spent part of my trip down to Nashville listening to a new DMB album that I picked up. Here are a few reasons why I love DMB. They became popular in large part due to their live shows and they do not shy away from releasing live albums. Most bands are hesitant to do a live album because it's not as polished as a studio album. I have also found that some people do not prefer live albums for various reasons. I on the other love live albums because on a live album you can really tell if a band has musical talent or not. If it needs to be said, DMB has talent. I also like DMB because they are not afraid to expand and tinker with their songs from concert to concert. I could have 6 different recordings of a particular song and each one could vary depending on the solo or whatever else they want to add to it.

a peek into my world

So I've decided to rename the weekly update.  I didn't like the title and I'm not completely sold on this one.  Maybe my 4 readers, which could be an overstatement, can come up with something better.

The week that was:

Just what I needed.  Slow.  Relaxed.  Nothing too big on the plate.  The biggest thing that happened is that I drove to TN on Sunday after our middle school program.  I left at 10AM (EST) and arrived at 10PM (CST).  13 hours baby!  But I can't tell you how awesome it was to sleep next to my wife for the first time in a couple of weeks.

The week that is:

Not much going on down here in TN.  I have some reading to do for class, some hanging out with family, Christmas, seeing old friends, etc.

What I'm listening to:

Wow, a 13 hr car ride gives you a ton of time to listen to things.  The main things that I listened to were a new Dave Matthews Band CD, some praise and worship song that were generated by the genius feature on my iPod and the audio-book of "Jesus Wants to Save Christians."  I'll post more about the book later this week.

What I'm reading:

Same old, same old.  Stuff for class and I picked up the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  I'm thinking this may be our required read for the mission trip this summer.

What I'm keeping my eye on:

The weather appears to be fluctuating quite a bit this week so that should be interesting.  The Titans secured the #1 seed in the playoffs.  The Tar Heels are looking really good this year in basketball.

Also, Holly, her mom, dad, sister and I saw our baby via ultrasound today.  I just wanted to watch her move around and yawn and blink her eyes.  I'm pretty sure that I will spend a lot of time just watching her when she finally arrives.

Lastly, I have quite a few random posts to put up this week thanks to the 13 hr car ride and much time to think.  So stay tuned in!

Darfur video

Watch this video. It was made by one of the students in our youth group. Great job Joel!

Use the center lane people!

Ok, so I'm in the mood to rant a bit.  I am from the south and we have some different habits when to comes to things like driving.  I have noticed that people up here north of the Mason Dixon line do not utilize the turning lane the same way that people do in the south.  I was taught that when turning left out of say a gas station, that if the traffic that is going the same way you are turning doesn't look like it will open up to you in the next few seconds; then it is appropriate to pull into the center lane and either wait or use it to speed up to the flow of traffic so that you can then merge into said flow.  But in the 3 1/2 years that I've lived in PA I have had many encounters where people in the same situation just pull out and cut you off.  It happened to me twice today on my way home!

I remember after I had been here a few weeks, my colleague Doug and I went to this great place called Wawa and I drove.  As we were leaving this same situation came up and I instinctively took the middle lane.  I wish that I had a video camera on in the car because Doug was fairly scared at the move we were making.  My memory is failing me a bit but I think the exchange went something like this.

Doug: "What are you doing?!?!"

Me: "I'm taking the center lane."

Doug: "Why"

Me: "It's what we're taught to do so that way we don't have to dart in traffic and use our car as a weapon."

Doug: "We never learned that one."

Me: "Well maybe you should."

Luckily I don't think Doug has held this encounter against me.  But I still don't understand the thinking behind not putting this move in your driving repitore.

Job I would not want.

NBA coach. It seems that most NBA coaches don't last too long. I wonder who usually has a longer tenure, NBA coach or associate pastor?

Weekly update for 12/15

The week that was:

In a word, crazy.  I learned a musical that I sang in on Friday night and Sunday morning for our church.  I was asked to sing in the Praise Team and do a couple of solos.  It went really well, but I started to lose my voice as the week progressed and I now think that I am about a day from being fully sick.  On top of that our students put on a coffeehouse to raise awareness and money for the situation in Darfur.  Our youth band played two sets that were awesome and one of our students, Joel, made this incredible video that I'll try to post on here.  There was also an art auction of pieces and crafts made by some of our students.  All total they raised $1055!  I'm so proud of them as Doug and I had nothing to do with the event other than to secure the coffee and run sound and lights.  In addition I also preached for 2nd service yesterday.  It went really well and I've heard some great feedback on how people were challenged.  I rewrote things from what I posted online so you'll have to find the podcast if you want the final version.

The week that is:

In a word...chill.  I do not have alot going on at the church so I'm going to focus on the class that I'm teaching in Jan.  I've fallen behind in some of the reading and research that I want to do for the class.  I'm also preparing to go back to TN on Sunday and be down there until Jan 1.  I cannot tell you how much I want to see my wife.  I hate being this alone.  I do not know how people that travel can stand it.  I'd have to find a new job.  But the main goal this week is to rest and relax compared to the past couple of weeks.

What I'm listening to:

There's a band that I found through the Emergent Village podcast called "The Cobalt Season."  They've got a great chill sound and I'm digging them right now.  I've also been listening to Starfield's lastest album, "I Will Go."  There are a couple of songs on there that I want to use with our youth group.

What I'm reading:

Still books for class.  They are systematic works as well as a few books on the Holy Spirit since that is our first subject in class.  I'm also wanting to start Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.  I've heard some good things about that one.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Did you see the guy who threw 2 shoes at President Bush?  That was pretty hilarious.  Bush had two great ducks because the first one would have clocked him in the face had he not moved.  I also keeping an eye on the weather as I leave out on Sunday.  I hope that the road stay clear from here to TN.  The last thing that I want is to be delayed by bad weather.  There is also a conversation around the word missional going on in the blogosphere that I've flagged to read now that I have a little bit of free time.

NAE should be ashamed

I don't know if you've been following the incident that has led to Richard Cizik's resignation from the NAE, but I think it's a great example of ungenerousity. Read this interview from the NAE president in Christianity Today. When will evangelicals learn?

I heard Cizik speak at a conference last summer and enjoyed his look at the history of evangelicalism.  It was an interesting place for him to be because I would venture to say that most of the people in the room considered themselves post-evangelical in the spirit of postmodernity.  But nevertheless, Cizik's call was for the church to remember its missional, evangelical roots that were focused on leading people to Jesus, not on condemning the world because they are the world.  (That last line is a shout out from Hauerwas which if I remember correctly sums up what Cizik was saying.) 

I have one quick question.  Is it a good thing for the church to try to live out the great commission in so many different ways?  (I can clarify that question in the comments if you need me to.)

Sermon help

Below is my sermon for Sunday.  Read it over if you get a chance and give me some feedback.  I will warn you that I haven't proofed it yet so there could be some major mistakes or words left out.  I tend to do that when I type.  Thanks for your help.

A Savior has come....now what?  We are formed into people of the Kingdom of God.

Exodus 16
Isaiah 9:2-7
Matt 5:2-16, 43-48; 6:19-34

Previously we have been answering the question, “a Savior has come, now what?”  Last week Pastor Dave and Pastor Doug answered that the Savior challenges the status quo.  This week I want us to take this idea a step further and look at how the Savior begins in us a process that forms us as people of an alternative kingdom that stands in contrast to the kingdom of the world.  But before we begin to talk about how we are formed, I want to talk about the kingdom of the world.  This is a rather popular catch phrase that we use in Christianity, especially around the Christmas season if you’re listening to Handle’s Messiah.  Deep down as Christmas rolls around each year, we know that we are supposed to be celebrating something unique that has happened at a point in human history.  But how often do we forget this unique event and get sucked into celebrating a totally different holiday?  How often does our citizenship in the Kingdom of God get traded in for a citizenship of the kingdom of the world?

Today I want to talk through 3 periods in history and what the kingdom of the world looked and acted like and how the alternative Kingdom of God speaks to something radically different.  First let us talk about the central story that is found in the Hebrew scriptures, the exodus.  The world in which the exodus story unfolds is wrapped around the narrative of power and domination.  The Israelites find themselves in slavery because the Pharaoh of the day thinks that they might be a threat to his rule and reign as Pharaoh.  So instead of trying to build a bridge of friendship to this foreign people group, the Pharaoh enslaves and oppresses them.  They are forced to build bricks without straw and to labor for the glory of Egypt.  There is even a law passed that all of their male babies are to be put to death upon birth.  It is out of this situation that they cry out to God and God begins to intervene on their behalf.  The story goes that God, through 10 plagues, begins the process of freeing the Israelites from Egypt.  Now it is important to note that as the Israelites are leaving Egypt that God leads them every step of the way and even performs a miracle, in parting the Red Sea, that saves them from the Egyptian army who is coming to force them back into slavery.

I couldn't be more proud.....

..of the students in our youth group. This Saturday night they are putting on a coffeehouse to raise awareness of the situation in Darfur. This came out of a series that Doug and I did right before school started where we looked at Micah 6:8 and what God requires of us. I think many of our students were challenged by the ideas of doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God. One of our students has dared to ask the question, 'why can't we do more?' And so we are having a coffeehouse. Our students are the ones who have put this whole thing together. They are promoting it at their schools and seem to be getting positive feedback about the event. One of our teen bands, The Steadfast, will be performing along with an art auction and coffee from a local coffee shop, The Morning Mug. All of the money raised will go to helpdarfurnow.org and once again I could not be any more proud of our students. Way to go FVCN students!

The trouble with being generous.....

...is that it's difficult to interact with those that are not generous.  I currently find myself at a crossroads in dealing with a few people who view the world differently.  Disagreements are usually a hard situation to navigate in the first place, but when the disagreement revolves around religion or the Bible the situation worsens exponentially.

We've all been there before and know exactly how it plays out.

One person is right and the other person is wrong.  This has plagued the church ever since the Protestant Reformation when we found out it was easier to separate than to reconcile.  Separation allows us to keep our integrity in our minds because we stood up for what we believed in.  Some might even think that they have suffered for the gospel.  But what if suffering for the gospel meant putting aside our own personal beliefs/convictions and learning how to live in a way that reflects the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

So let me ask your take/advice on this matter.  How does one continue to pursue generosity when it is not reciprocated?  How can one begin a dialogue that might lead to a disagreement and not have it blow up in their face?  Lastly, what does generosity look like in the face of great frustration?

Weekly Update

The week that was:

Crazy......after recovering from the wicked virus that crippled us last weekend, Holly and I went on a tour of the major cities in KY.  Holly interviewed at residency programs in both Louisville and Lexington on back to back days.  It was an interesting time that was highlighted by having lunch with my aunt while Holly was interviewing in Lexington.  After her interview on Tuesday we drove back to Murfreesboro and then I flew back to PA on Wednesday.  This past weekend we had a district event here at the church that took a lot of time and energy.  I was supposed to go to our staff Christmas party on Saturday after the event, but I had failed to do any preparations for speaking on Sunday morning to the Middle school students and on Sunday night to the High school students; so I went home and did some quick prep work and slipped into a coma.  Yesterday was a long day but thankfully it's over, only to start back into the same cycle.

The week that is:

Crazy again.  I am answering the call to the bullpen and speaking in "big" church this weekend.  It's only one service as our choir is doing a worship experience during the first service.  Oh yeah, I'm also singing in the praise team for that as well.  So here's my week in a nutshell.  Tonight, adult small group.  Tomorrow, nothing as of yet but I'm sure it will include reading.  Wednesday, same as Tues.  Thursday, Dress rehearsal for the choir thing.  Friday, choir performance.  Saturday, Save Darfur coffeehouse that our students are putting together, should be a cool event.  Sunday, 9AM performance and preaching at 11, Solomon's Porch that evening.  Yikes!!

What I'm reading:

I'm still reading stuff for the class that I'm teaching.  I had to put away 2 books that were taking away from my focus but hope to pick them up soon.  The main book that I'm working through right now is Simply Christian by N.T. Wright.  Thanks Jeremy for the recommendation, it is a great book.

What I'm listening to:

Music for the choir thing.  (I've only been to 2 practices!)  I've also been listening to Coldplay's EP that they just released, Prospekt's March.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

The calendar because I'm counting down the days when I go back down to TN and will be with Holly again.  I do not know how people that travel for work do it all the time.  I usually have a few nights of insomnia whenever Holly is not at home and I get lonely as well.  Which is interesting since I'm a loner by nature.  I guess the dynamics of being a loner has changed since I've been married.

How big is your pile?

That is the question that Francis Chan asked us at the youth specialties convention.  But before you tune me out, let me give you a big of context for the question.  Chan has been a very successful pastor in California in terms of building a mega church that started as a church plant.  He shared with us that God had been dealing with him about what success was in the Kingdom of God and how he started to rethink his priorities in ministry.

Chan then went on to talk a little about discipleship and how Jesus did discipleship.  He talked about how Jesus ministered differently to his disciples than to those in the crowds.  He then talked about the parables and Chan seemed to say that Jesus spoke in them to confuse those that didn't really care about what Jesus had to say.  I don't really know what I think about this but I see what he was trying to say.  He pointed to the fact that the disciples would come up to Jesus after a parable and then ask what the meaning was, this according to Chan is what Jesus means by the good soil. (Matt 13:1-17)  My problem with this is I don't know if I can say that Jesus essentially didn't care about those in the crowds at that time.  I understand that Jesus was concerned with teaching the disciples as much as possible since they were going to carry on what Jesus started.  But I'm a little uncomfortable in saying that Jesus didn't care about those in the crowd with whom he was teaching.  Maybe I'm wrong about this and would be willing to discuss it the comments of this post.  Or maybe I misunderstood what Chan was trying to say.

Anyways, Chan then began to talk about salt (Matt 5:13) in terms of "success" in ministry.  He then did something that has stuck with me the past few weeks and I am still thinking about.  He pulled out a little salt packet, opened it up and poured it on the top of his Bible and said that this represented those in his church who were truly living into the mission of God.  These were the people that he wanted to pour his life into and see how they would begin to flavor the world around them.  He then poured a big salt shaker that you would get at Denny's and dumped it on top of the smaller pile and said that this salt represented those that were just around for entertainment, prestige or any other reason that does not correspond with living into the mission of God.  He said when we get caught up in our "success" that we begin to walk around asking the question, "how big is your pile?"  I had to chuckle a little bit because not only have I been asked that question before, but in some cases I've asked that question.

If you do not know me, I must tell you that I am a co-youth pastor of a large youth ministry.  I do not say this to brag, but to let you in on my current situation.  We have a lot of kids that come through our doors, but Chan has me thinking about what kind of salt our students are.  Are they living into the mission of God or are they there to be entertained or to be seen?  More than anything this has me thinking about the discipleship process that we hope happens organically and I am wondering how intentional we should be about this. I am also thinking about how a student should enter into a discipleship process.  Should they be invited?  Should they take the initiative?  Should it be forced upon them?  What do you think?

I hope that I have done Chan justice in how I have remembered his message that evening.  If not, please correct me as I do not want to misrepresent what he said.  I will say that I totally admire the changes that he talked about that he and his church are making in an effort to live into the mission of God.  I pray that they will continue to allow God to lead them as they shift the way in which they "do" church.

Weekly Update

Hey, I actually posted this on Monday!  Aren't you proud of me?

The week that was:

This has been an interesting week to say the least.  I spent Monday and Tuesday night at my sister's house since Holly started a rotation in Chattanooga.  I had a great time hanging out with my sister and brother in law and their dog, who I guess is in some sense my niece.  On Tuesday my parents came into town and we had a huge meal to celebrate Thanksgiving since my brother in law had to work on Thursday.  Wednesday after her rotation Holly and I headed up to her parents' house to spend the night and then to join my extended family for Thanksgiving.  Here's where it gets interesting.  We arrive at my grandparents' house on Thursday and have a great time with my family whom I haven't seen for quite a few months.  The only problem is that my grandmother is sick with what she thinks is food poisoning and doesn't really tell any of us.  To add to that one of my uncles and cousin show up without my aunt who is at home sick with a virus that they have gotten over a few days prior.  Needless to say Holly and I caught the bug along with the rest of our family and it wasn't pretty.  Luckily this bug only last about 24 hours but it was not a fun 24 hours.  To top it all off I'm pretty sure that Holly and I have given the same bug to her family that were with us on Friday.

The week that is:

Yesterday, Holly and I drove up to Louisville where she is interviewing at a residency program.  She finishes sometime this afternoon and then we head over to Lexington where she will interview again tomorrow.  After that interview we will head back to her parents' house and I will fly home on Wednesday while she returns to her rotation in Chattanooga.  Upon returning home I have a busy rest of the week that includes preparations for Sunday and a weekend district event that is being held at our church.  Needless to say that there is no rest for the weary.

Music that I've been listening to:

Holly and I have spent a lot of time on the road so I'm trying to pick things that we both like.  This consists of Shane and Shane, James Taylor and Christmas music on the radio.  (The latter I'm not so crazy about.)  I imagine that we'll probably hit a few sermons on the way back to TN tomorrow but who knows.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Well UT has hired Lane Kiffin as their new head coach.  I'm actually a bit excited about this as I think he should do a great job.  I just don't expect him to stay too long and I know this will make me frustrated down the road.

On the basketball front, UNC is looking really good and they're not yet at full strength.  They have a show down with Michigan State on Wednesday that I'll get to see!

Lastly, I'm hoping that there is no sort of relapse of the virus that I hope that run it course in my system.