What Every Preacher Should Know...

I just received an email ad with the headline, "WHAT EVERY PREACHER SHOULD KNOW." The ad states:

This book is the "Pastor's Success Handbook" and it is filled with answers to questions that every preacher will need to know during his ministry. Every pastor should have this great book in his library and _______ wants to GIVE it to you! This great book contains simple steps to... Better Crowds * Bigger Offerings * More Results * Greater Revivals * Appealing Sermons * Happy Church Relationships * A More Effective Ministry!
Receive this book FREE! with any purchase of $50.00 or more!!

Hmm... maybe that's my problem. I'm just not sure that's what I think church should be about. Though it probably makes for a good promotional item.

I liked this definition Glenn Smith gave us last weekend at the Healthy Reproducing Churches Conference:

"The Church is a community of Christ-followers who are continuing the mission of Jesus."

I like that. The thing is, it can look a lot different to a lot of different people too. So let me ask you... What is something you think every preacher should know? Or something you "wish" every preacher knew? Really, I would be interested to know.

Lenten idea

I'm sitting here thinking about it, so I might as well write it down. I found a booklet of Lenten Devotions at www.lentendevotions.net and thought this might be a good thing for our church to do. It has a daily reading for each day, beginning on Ash Wednesday (which is February 21 this year). I thought perhaps there might be others that would be interested in reading each days devotions, maybe keeping a journal, and getting together every Wednesday night to discuss their thoughts or something God maybe laid on their heart or a way he was working in their life.

I don't know how many would be up for this. I always seem to have people telling me they heard about this exciting class or that neat study that some other church was doing. I know they're trying to get across to me that we don't ever offer interesting topics for study. And sometimes I feel inclined to give in - you know, let's get together and talk about the End Times, or other religions of the world, or who opened the dang door on the ark. But if you wanna know what I really think... while those might be interesting topics for people to discuss... mostly I think it's a way for people to occupy their minds and keep from addressing the real spiritual needs they have in their life. And while it's not necessarily bad to talk about such things, my concern as a pastor is to try to get people to grow in their relationship with Jesus and with others. And that's usually a very 'scary' thing; it's uncomfortable; and it goes against human nature. It's not popular.

So the question is... do I do things to try to get a lot of people involved, or do I keep plugging away trying to do what I think God wants me to do? I dunno... maybe I'm just stubborn.

Lent is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) prior to Easter. This devotional series is looking at it as a 'Time for Renewal.' Kind of like a magazine subscription - it comes along once a year, it's a pain in the butt, it upsets the routine, it makes you have to stop and think... do I renew? Hopefully it will shine a light on the sin that sent Jesus, the Son of God, to the cross. And that it's not just the sins of others, but it's your sin and mine. It's a time to realize anew the depth of Jesus' love for you and me. He gave his life so that we could live forgiven. How good is that?

Just thinking.

Tech Toys

Not exactly sure what it all means, but two tidbits from PC World that I want to hold onto:

• The Web's Most Useful Sites
• Tech That Won't Tie You Down

Measuring Success

I had a great time at the Healthy Reproducing Churches Conference in Champaign. The main speaker was Glenn Smith - a fantastically down-to-earth guy who "spoke my language." And Gil Rowe (who lurks here from time to time) did an AWESOME job of planning this event (Thanks Glenn and Gil!!!).

I copped this quote off of Glenn's blog:

Large churches are a great blessing to our cities in many ways, and I highly value their contribution to Kingdom work. However, I hope we can measure success not by the size of our church but by the lives that are transformed through the power of the gospel.

A big huge AMEN to that!

Free Ride

It was The Edgar Winter Group who wrote the song, "Free Ride." The original lyrics are:

The mountain is high
The valley is low
and you're confused on which way to go
so I've come here to give you a hand
and lead you into the promised land
so...
come on and take a free ride [free ride!]
come on and sit here by my side
come on and take a free ride
all over the country I've seen it the same
nobody's winning at this kind of game
we've got to do better it's time to begin
you know all the answers must come from within
so...
come on and take a free ride [free ride]
come on and sit here by my side
come on and take a free ride

The Christian Rock band Audio Adrenaline covered the song on their 1996 album "Bloom," slightly changing the lyrics to:

The mountains are high
The valleys are low
and you're confused on which way to go
I know there's someone who'll give you a hand
and lead you into the promised land

Chorus
Come on and take a free ride
Come on and get by my side
Come on and take a free ride

All over the country I've seen it the same.
Nobody's winning at this type of game
They got to do better they got to take aim
All of the answers are coming from Him

Come on and take a free ride
Come on and get by my side
Come on and take a free ride

("The Boys Are Back In Town" was by Thin Lizzy)

Greatest Guitar Solos

City Rag has links to the "20 Greatest Guitar Solos" based on Guitar World's top 100 (HT: Andrew C.).

Oh man... it would be so hard for me to pick. I like 'em all. I have to say, 'Comfortably Numb' always makes me so. And I have always been a sucker for Sir Edward - though Van Halen is another band whose music I have never owned. I remember one night feeling like a king because some girl told me I looked like Eddie (that was at the height of my hair days). Anyway, it's worth checking out.

Gimme some bubbly

We are heading to Champaign, Illinois this afternoon. Well, actually, we'll be in Urbana - the lesser of the sister cities by virtue of her name. Champaign just sounds better, eh?

The city of Champaign was founded in 1855. And if you're thinking the name came from the bubbly... you'd be wrong. They borrowed it from Champaign County, Ohio.

We are going there to attend a Healthy Reproducing Churches conference. I don't think it has to do with making more babies in the church, but... ya never know. I've been to Champaign many times. I've attended University of Illinois football games, concerts, they used to hold the Illinois High School basketball state tournaments there, I attended football camp at the U of I between my freshman and sophomore years, I attended the very first Farm Aid concert there on Sept. 22, 1985, attended a couple of Jason & the Scorcher shows at Mabel's (a nice dive of a club in an upstairs closet), and I've been there for various other things as well - too many to remember I guess.

But, hey, enough about the city. How about the bubbly. Here's a little snippet I got off of this fine blog:

Popular legend has it that the 17th century monk Dom Perignon invented champagne -- hence the classic brand that bears his name. That's not entirely correct. The monk was indeed cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers, charged with getting rid of the bubbles in the bottled wine because the bottles occasionally exploded from the internal pressure. This being 17th century France, the explosions were considered to be the devil's handiwork. Because only Satan would be so unequivocally evil as to ruin a batch of perfectly good wine. French monks weren't big on the teetolling. The truth is, nobody is entirely sure who invented champagne. The first mention of a commercial sparkling wine pops up around 1535 in Languedoc. From there, it gradually spread around the world.

And if you're like me and you've ever lay in bed at night wondering just what champaign really is... This fine blog says it is, "Wine with carbon dioxide bubbles. The producer adds yeast and sugar to previously fermented wine, then seals the wine in bottles or tanks. This results in a second fermentation, which produces the bubbles."

Oh, and if you're ever ordering a bottle of Dom Perignon, you'll sound real smart if you know a little somethin' about the monk himself. Here's his wiki profile: HERE.

Cheers, maties. (for the record - I don't like champaign the drink. But I much like the city)

Pilgrim Heart: Emptying

Soren Kierkegaard said, “Everything which God is to use, he first reduces to nothing.”

In ch. 3 of Darryl Tippens book, PILGRIM HEART, he speaks of the term “Kenosis.” Tippens writes:

“The spiritual act of pouring out oneself, of “emptying” the self of its prerogatives, is sometimes called kenosis, from the Greek New Testament word “kenoo” found in Philippians 2:7 where Paul writes that Christ “emptied himself,” “poured himself out” or “he made himself nothing.” While kenosis has many nuances, at its core is the idea of relinquishment of authority, power, or prerogative. Jesus stands as the supreme example of this generous act of humility. Paul uses Jesus’ act of becoming a human being and living a simple life of service to others as a supreme and eternal pattern for every pilgrim heart.”

This was a good chapter for me to read today (as a glimmer of light begins to emerge). And one thing that many people do not understand about depressed people like me is – the last thing we want is pity. Depression of my kind is not necessarily bad. Tippens points out that “…one of the greatest of spiritual paradoxes is the strength to be found in weakness and the power found in submission.”

These are the main quotes from ch. 3:

On p. 45 he quotes Simone Weil who said, "There is an easiness in salvation which is more difficult to us than all our efforts.” Wow! Now there’s a thought. It is so hard for us to ‘rest in God’ or ‘be still’ when we think we can manage life on our own.

p.48 “Facing and accepting the losses that come with time – diminished physical and mental capacities as we age, lost career opportunities, waning vigor, and broken relationships – are, paradoxically, the way to freedom. They are also the way to Christlikeness.” GOOD

Henri Nouwen: “What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love.”

p. 49 “Humbling oneself, forgiving others, renouncing one’s own inflated certainty (abandoning the fatal need to be right about everything), sharing our material goods, receiving criticism in humility, saying “I’m sorry,” resisting our need to be first, renouncing our “rights,” our entitlements, and our prerogatives – we must practice such daily “deaths” of the self over and over again if we are to develop our pilgrim hearts.”

“The most we can do is quiet our own wills, so that his will can be effective within us. Finally, we rest, knowing it is God’s creative energy that leads the pilgrim heart towards God: ‘For we are what he made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life (Eph. 2:10).”

Finally, p. 50: “Jesus teaches how kenosis is to work. He is meek and lowly, the humble servant to the weak, the needy, and the outcast. He also confronted evil bravely. He taught us to be wise as serpents, as well as harmless as doves.” (He precedes this with the comment: “One can be meek and gentle, like Jesus, ‘[doing] nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard[ing] others as better than yourselves,’ (Philippians 2:3), without abandoning one’s values, and without yielding to “enmeshment” or coercive power brokers.” Then… “Humility before others is essential, but it doesn’t follow that we yield ourselves automatically to those who are abusive and who have evil intentions.”

Ah, yes... the great paradox of the life of faith. Just because things look bad, doesn't mean they are. Just because all seems well, doesn't mean it is. We need God. Jesus showed us that time and again. Life is our teacher still.

Blessings, friends. Peace.

Super Bowl in Fort Wayne!!!

Gotta love that Tony Dungy. Did you hear him interviewed after the Colts finally broke the curse against the so-full-of-themselves-I-can't-stand-'em Patriots? He said it's "...too bad we have to go to Miami. We should just play the Super Bowl in Fort Wayne." I LIKE that idea!

I was so glad to see Tony (and Peyton) finally win - even though I'm not really a Colts fan. I have always been a Dungy fan though. I remember when he was an assitant with the Vikings - I read an article about him leading Bible Studies for the team.

I'm also not really a Bears fan either... but the Bears and the Colts would be my #2 and #3 teams - and the order doesn't much matter. I am hyped for the Super Bowl. Midwest madness.

Other than that it was a strange weekend. My parents came on Friday. Saturday we ate at Casa and had wonderful service by daughter Carrie. Then we drove to Anderson and Isaac gave them a tour of his campus. It wasn't a bad visit - but I started not feeling good Saturday. Then the big surprise snowfall early Sunday morning must have panicked my dad. So... they just up and left while we were at church. They had said they were going to leave afterwards; I saw them loading the car and get into it; I kept waiting for them to walk in; but after church we just found a note on the kitchen table. That was weird.

Today I woke up feeling like crap. My head feels like it weighs a ton, my nose is running, my throat is sore, body aches. Yep, I'll probably have a cold for both upcoming trips. Argh.

Not much else to say...

Emerging Church article

Since the newest EC trend will be to post a link to Scot Mcknight's article in Christianity Today, I better get on board. As always with Scot, a nice article: Five Streams of the Emerging Church.

FYI

Lady Jane is just fine. Everything went well and life is back to normal. Well, other than my parents being here for the weekend. Off to play...

Homeless links

Got a link to The Homeless Guy's blog. I don't know much about him, but thought Isaac might be interested. Also, here is an interesting post on the National Homeless Population Count. Wow. (ht: Jordon Cooper)

Random thoughts (2)

This thought came to me while praying this morning: How much real ministry do we miss because we think it has to be WORK? Life is ministry. May we not forget to live life, for the sake of doing "things" we think we're "supposed to" do.

Pilgrim Heart

Today I began reading Darryl Tippen's book "Pilgrim Heart." I've heard about it from several people and it looks good. As with any book, I began by reading the front cover, then back cover, then all of the material at the front of the book. Then I read the introduction (I know this sounds elementary, but it has made a difference in how I read and what I get out of a book).

In the intro he says, "Too many discussions of spirituality emphasize the private and interior dimensions, neglecting the richly embodied and communal nature of life in Christ. While acknowledging the interior dimensions to spiritual growth, this book celebrates incarnational practices that fully honor the social, practical, and embodied aspects of the way of Jesus."

He goes on, "This book, therefore, is an invitation to consider afresh what it means to live like Jesus."

Yep. That's what I'm looking for.

The last sentence of the intro: "The invitation to begin again is the hallmark of the Christian message: We are fallen; we are broken; yet we are loved, and Jesus continually invites us to begin...again."

I'm looking forward to reading this; and learning to live more in the way of Jesus.

Random thoughts...

It seems I haven't had a decent thought in a long time. Not that my thoughts have been indecent. They just seem to be so scattered and random and it's hard enough to pull something together for a sermon once a week, let alone try to do anything more.

Backyard Missionary Backing Out / Am I Traditional?
I haven't read Andrew Hamilton's blog a lot, but off and on I have. I believe he's in Australia maybe (maybe not)... but, at any rate, he has decided to stop blogging after doing it for four years. No explanation, really. And it's no one's business I guess. Andrew Jones also mentioned the idea of stopping. I wonder... there must be a lot of pressure when you have a widely read blog. How do you keep the 'good stuff' coming, you know.

Anyway, I was looking through AH's blog and found that he had begun attending a traditional Baptist Church again - Just to confuse us. I certainly understood what he was saying. And I have to admit, if I had to find a church to go to, I would probably seek out a smallish-type somewhat traditional church. And, I know I'm not of the emerging ilk that AH is (I'm more of an emerging wannabe maybe, or a mini-emergent, or something like that), but style has seemed to have lost its luster for me. The truth is... and I say this more as a pastor/worship leader maybe, I really LIKE singing old hymns out of the hymnal. I like newer stuff too, but the days of being wowed by drums and screens and movie clips are over for me, I'm afraid. Again, not that I think it's lame, but... I dunno... I think church is so much more about community than glitz. Just thinking out loud.

Hell
Mike Clawson has another good post (as usual) about HELL. I'm hoping he will be at the Healthy Reproducing Church Conference next weekend(?).

Unmarried Women
Smartchristian linked to an article stating that Most American Women Are Now Unmarried. Not sure what to make of it, but it's an interesting thought for sure.

Prayer Request
I don't know if she wants it made known but Jane is fasting today. Not for any spiritual reason, but tomorrow she has to have a colonoscopy. She's not having any problems, but it's a routine measure she takes every few years - because her dad died of colon cancer when he was rather young. I've never had one, but it sounds like the worst part of it is not being able to eat the day before, and having to drink the horrid "cleansing fluid" the night before. At any rate, I would appreciate your prayers that it will go well for Jane and that everything checks out okay.

I'm With Mitch
I wish it got light out earlier. I really wish Indiana would have went to Central Time when we had the chance. The day starts out so depressing when it doesn't get light out until like 8 oclock.

Peace, friends. Rock on.

A perfect thought...

"Ultimate perfection is the ability to tolerate the imperfection of others."
... Francois Fenelon

The Lunch Treat/Trip

I told myself that if I made significant progress on my sermon by noon then I would go somewhere for lunch today. I went anyway. First I had to make a stop at the Jefferson Pointe Walmart (sorry Lily/Erin). As I pulled up I noticed the "Hazardous Devices Vehicle" entering with their lights flashing. I thought maybe someone had called in a bomb threat or something, so I hurried inside, thinking it might be more exciting to be trapped in a Walmart than in my office. But... instead I picked up my AA batteries and coffee thermos, and checked out. Once outside though... they had half the parking lot marked off with police tape; there were marked and unmarked police cars out the wazoo; TV news people were set up and shooting. I think I might have even seen Jack Bauer (maybe not). So, being the brave soul that I am, I walked through the police tape, went up to the gathered crowd and said, "Excuse me, but I am a pastor, can I be of some assistance... Perhaps help you diffuse the situation?"

... Well, okay, that last part didn't happen. Instead I drove across the street and got Chinese food for lunch. Steamed rice with orange chicken and black pepper chicken. Got it to go and started on my way home. Never did find out what was going on in the Walmart parking lot. And probably won't since I don't watch the news, and I usually just unwrap the newspaper so I can put it in the recycling bag.

But... on my way home I got another treat: An REM song. I have always liked REM but for some strange reason I have never owned any of their music. In fact, I was once told that I have a "unique voice - kind of like Michael Stipe's." I wasn't real sure how to take that. Besides... it was... wow, like 28 years ago. I still remember Jerry telling me that as we sat and played guitars and sang at this old gas station we worked at. Jerry's brother's band used to play with REM. Actually, REM used to open shows for THEM. Anyway, I still like to listen to REM, and I still think about sounding like Michael sometimes, even though I didn't really ever think I did. He was probably just trying to say something nice and that was all he could think of.

Well, now I'm home, eating my lunch treat. Wow what a day already. It'll be hard to top this . On a sad note, seeing all the police cars kind of reminded me of the day my neighbor had the SWAT team invade his place. Every time I'm reminded of that it shakes me up still. Hmm.

Peace, folks. Carry on.

UPDATE ON BOMB THREAT: Actually, I did watch the late news. Apparently someone thought they saw a man putting a bomb under a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. It turned out he was a private investigator hired to tail someone and he was putting a GPS device under their vehicle. Not only was he embarrassed about all the attention it garnered him, but he attached it to the wrong person's vehicle. I'm guessing he didn't have a good day.

The Bad Report of an Okay Church

So I just finished my annual church report for my denomination. Hmm… there’s a lot of zero’s. No confessions of faith this year, no baptisms, no new members, no new small groups, no new church plants, no AIM class participants, no discipleship training programs, no teacher training, no missions committee, no new worship services… (yada yada yada). We had three people REMOVED from membership. Our Sunday attendance went down (again). And income was $114,000.00 while expenses were $126,000.00.

However, odd as it may seem, it was really a pretty good year. I just can’t find a place to record the good things on my report. There were lives changed, friends made, people who came out of their shells, who conquered bad habits and overcame fears, and made life-altering decisions; there were marriages saved, good intentions followed through on, dreams realized, and wings stretched. A LOT of good happened in our little corner of the world, and ‘because of’ our little corner of the world. It just doesn’t show up on paper.

I’m not criticizing the report though. I wish we did have more positive numbers, and I totally understand the need and the reasoning for the paperwork. We are also fortunate to have an incredible bunch of people who work at our national headquarters who realize these reports don’t measure the actual ministry taking place. So… I’m not complaining. But if you wanna feel sorry for me and do something about bringing some good numbers to my church report – I’d be all for that too. :) In the meantime, I will think of the people who make up our church. I try to pray for them most days, and picture their faces – what they’re thinking about and going through at the time – and there’s no way to report on that, there’s no way to measure that, but… that’s really what makes my particular job worthwhile.

So… now I gotta lick the envelope. Yuck!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the USA. It seems to me there is a mixed reaction to this holiday - due largely to not understanding who Dr. King was and what he was all about. As evidence, see this article from MSNBC: Some Unaware of King's Dream.

I believe many people feel Dr. King was all about race, and while he was to a large extent... it goes much further than that. He was, and this holiday is, more about JUSTICE than anything else (imho). And justice is not about 'getting even' or 'paying someone back.' It's about MAKING THINGS RIGHT. Here is a link to the text of his famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

I did not know that it was Ronald Reagan who signed the bill making this a federal holiday... and that it was signed on my birthday in 1983! There is an informative article on MLK Day at Wikipedia.

Amos 5:21-24 (The Message):

"I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice--oceans of it.
I want fairness--rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want."

I Have A Dream

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday:

• A 2:50 snippet from his "I Have A Dream" speech: HERE

• The full 17:27 video of the speech from the march on Washington DC: HERE

I recommend the full version be watched at some point.

Stuff to remember

It's been awhile since I visited the churchmarketingsucks site. I found two items of interest (make that 3) that I wanted to remember (click on the link if you're interested):

• The Top 20 Web Sites For Church Communicators, and

• The 25 Most Innovative Churches in America

Oddly enough, my website and church must have slipped through the cracks on both of these again. Dang. Maybe I should write them a letter.

This is also a great post about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Irrelevant Social Clubs: Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Church.

Sometimes the night comes quickly

And the dark lasts so long.
And the dark lasts...

Enjoying the journey

Just a few quotes today from the book "You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader."

p. 28 (by Mattie Stepanek): "Remember to play after every storm."

p. 28 (by Mahatma Gandhi): "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

p. 32: "Management guru Tom Peters claims that the worst thing that can happen to us as leaders is to exhaust our intellectual capital. We must constantly refresh ourselves by getting new information and thinking critically about the information we receive."

Sanborn ends this chapter talking about our need to enjoy the journey of life. If we go on vacation, we would be silly to not enjoy it. And we need to view life more as that kind of journey, rather than day-to-day obligations.

I want to remember to play; to relish the sights and events along the way; to get more out of what I do by enjoying it instead of trying to 'get through it'; to see life as an opportunity rather than an obligation.

And I want that for you too.

Peace, friends.

When I Say I'm Emerging I Mean...

I know that when different people refer to the emerging church it means something different to almost every one of them. Even when I say that “I” am emerging – it can mean something different each time I say it.

But today, when I say I am part of the emerging church, this is what I mean:

There are too many church leaders who lack the integrity to be honest and to practice the very ideals and values they espouse. They suffer from a "me first" attitude of superiority and pride and... well, the rest I'll just leave out.

NOTE: The above paragraph was edited because I was wrong to write some of what I did without first talking to the people I had the problem with. I apologize for not living up to my own expectations of others. Anyway...

That’s the kind of CRAP that I want to emerge from! You know, if you can’t trust church leaders to be genuine then who the heck can you trust? And I don’t want to not trust church leaders. I want church leaders to be t-r-u-s-t-w-o-r-t-h-y!!! IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH HAVING A LITTLE INTEGRITY; WITH BEING HONEST; WITH NOT LYING OR BEING DECEITUFUL?!? It’s stuff like this that makes me not like the church. And it’s stuff like this that drives me to want to emerge and make it different.

The Annual Congregational Meeting

Last night was our church’s annual congregational meeting. It went very well. I have attended too many that did not. I think there were 21 people. I’ve found there are some simple things you can do to help make these meetings more productive.

1. Set the right mood. Last night I had Johnny Cash playing as people came in. And somebody baked about 10 dozen cookies and made coffee. So there was a festive atmosphere from the start.
2. Don’t let people spread out. I made everyone sit in the small section of our sanctuary. Putting everyone in the same area creates “closeness” and doesn’t allow cliques to form.
3. Greet everyone with a smile. I stood at the door and welcomed everyone.
4. Give them something to do when they get there. Don’t allow people time to ‘cop an attitude.’ I had different people handing out the seventeen-page Annual Report, the agenda for the evening, and a copy of the devotion I was going to lead as soon as people came in. This gave them something to look at right away, and it also allowed them to know what was going to happen – we weren’t going to make things up as we went. And it forced people to talk to someone.
5. Start with a song. After the chairman opened with prayer, he turned it over to me for the devotion. First I had everyone sing, “Jesus, Name Above All Names” (and we sang it darn good too). Perspective.
   

Here is a run-down of how the meeting went:

• Scott opened with prayer.
• I gave the devotion. We discussed the difference between a maintenance church and a missional church – using Harold Percy’s “Maintenance or Mission?” handout for reference.
• We went through the Annual Report, starting with the minutes from the previous meeting, then the following reports: administrative, building & grounds, discipleship, fellowship, ministry/missions, outreach/evangelism, pastors, worship, and finance reports. It also included the Proposed Spending Guide for 2007 (formerly called a budget), and attendance records for 2006. This report was approved as a whole.
• We had one person going off the church council and none being added.
• We had a confirmation vote to approve our delegates to conference (which was recommended by the council).
• I led a discussion of New Business. This is an opportunity for the council to inform the congregation of, or get input on, different things we would like brought up. Items discussed were: The future of our Sunday Night Gatherings; Sunday School – are we really making disciples?; Why won’t people formally join the church and how can we make it more meaningful; Reminding people of the “Park” dream; and an update on our homeless ministries in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.
• The last item is titled, “Suggestions for the good of the church.” This is where people can offer suggestions or ideas they might have (even though they can do this any time, but this makes it known that it CAN happen). No one had any, probably because we had already had such a good discussion time.
  

The meeting lasted about 2 hours. Almost everyone participated at some point (members and non-members alike). There was a lot of laughter. People hung around afterward for another 30 minutes or so eating cookies and drinking coffee. We shared a lot of good stories of how God has blessed us and worked in and through us.

It seems every year someone says afterwards that we need to do this more often. Maybe it’s the fact that we don’t that helps make them so good. At any rate…. I’m glad it’s over, because you just never know what might happen. Thank ya Jesus.

As American As... Apple Hype

So Apple, Inc. made their big announcement: cell phones & TV. It's no longer about computers. Now they're jumping head-first into the gadget gargle. And who drowns? Yep... that would be us. They've got us right where they want us - salivating to the core. I've already heard people say, "I don't know what it means, but I want it." Just like lovely little Jessica Simpson in the commercial for... what is she advertising anyway when she says, "I totally don't know what that means, but I want it"? Does it really matter what she's advertising? All that matters is that we've completely lost the taste for apple pie, because we've swallowed the hype game byte by byte.

I resolve to fight back. I will never buy anything ever again. I will grow my own food; make my own clothes; spin my own cotton; chop my own wood... and...

Ahhhh, nuts. I totally don't know what it means................ But America is no longer about pie. And if it is, it sure isn't mom's homemade apple.

Boxes, little boxes... (is somebody singing a Woody Guthrie song?)

Feeling Small

Last night Jane and I went into a furniture store. Have you been to a furniture store lately? I felt like a little kid. Everything is so HUGE! We were looking at bedroom sets (because we got a new bed for Xmas, you know) and we can’t even buy a “set” because it won’t fit into our tiny bedroom. I realize our house isn’t the biggest, but… geesh.

I was depressed this morning. Probably a combination of that, and Ohio State getting killed last night. Not that I like Ohio State, but they’re a Big Ten team, and I'm from the midwest. I don’t know, I don’t think I even like college football anymore. It’s a joke with all the bowls, and waiting so long from the end of the season and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't really matter...

Ahhhh, I gotta get ready for our Annual Congregational Meeting tonight. I would rather like to go see IPFW play Western Illinois at the Coliseum. Not that I’m really into either team, but my parents and sister went to WIU (my sister was a cheerleader there), and I’ve been thinking maybe I should go to some IPFW games and see what they’re like. Whatever. Not gonna happen. I’ll just go home to my small bedroom, minus the large furniture… Don’t you feel sorry for me? Well, don’t worry… I’ll get over it. And at least I won’t need A LADDER to get over it, because I don’t have any HUGE furniture (other than the bed).

Life is funny, is it not? Who’d a thought about making stuff so big…

You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader

I don't generally like to read books on leadership - I suppose partly because I'm not a very good leader, and partly because so much of it seems more like salesmanship to me. But... I picked up a little book titled, "You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader" by Mark Sanborn. One thing I like already is that it's only 100 pages (there should be a rule that all books should be no more than 100 pages - in my book anyway). I just read about a forth of the way through it, and I like it so far. It's easy to read, has short chapters, and makes sense. If I ran a business I would probably make it required reading for all my employees - especially if it was any type of public service place (I'm thinking of some restaurant workers right now...). Anyway... he somewhat bases the book (or expands from) John Maxwell's definition of leadership (and if you know me you know I'm not a big Maxwell fan, but I'll agree with him on this). Maxwell describes leadership as "positive influence." And Sanborn's thing is all about "little l" leadership, rather than "capital L". He says it's "about the small things each of us can do every day to positively influence our customers, our colleagues, our friends, and our communities." He says, "When you do your job - any job - with initiative and determination to make a positive difference, you become a leader." Which he sums up even better by saying, "People who lead - whether or not they have a title - strive to make things better." Yeah. I think we need more people like that. "I" want to be more that kind of a person. He also distinguishes between fame and greatness. So many people want to be famous, but what about great? In his opinion, "fame is based on what we GET in life, but true greatness is based on what we GIVE in life."

So, anyway, that's what I'm reading right now. I hope it continues to be good. This year I would like to read fewer books, but spend more time learning from what I read, and maybe putting into practice some of what I read. Leadership is certainly something I need to work on - not only for me to become a better leader, but also to help others grow as leaders. You know, having a positive influence on others in such a way that they will want to have a positive influence on others... hmm, sounds like something Jesus would do. How 'bout that.

Peace, folks. Rock on.

Not a resolution, but a direction.

"As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life." (2 Peter 1:3)

Now THAT is something I want to do more of this year: get to know Jesus better.

Preparing for Conferences & Conventions

Over the next month I will be attending a Healthy Reproducing Churches Conference and the National Pastors Convention. These are both great opportunities and I am grateful to be able to attend (especially so since my wife can accompany me to both, as well as another couple to the HRC conference).

But... I'm a little nervous anxious about both. I used to love attending events like this - you get to go listen to some great speakers, interact with some like-minded people, meet old friends and make new ones. But it seemed to create a false sort of high - not unlike a chemical experience. I would come home all hopped up on passion only to soon and very-sooner come down into the ordinariness of reality. And roller coasters have never been my thing, you know. Like... was the high worth the coming low?

So, after slowing down on my conference/convention excursions, I am now faced with a double-whammy. But I changed my approach to the last couple I've attended. Instead of trying to soak in everything - with extensive notes and enthusiasm - I've tried to take them more in stride. Writing down less and less; simply hanging out more and more; and trying to appreciate the time more than "use" it as a means to something else.

The HRC conference was nice last year. Very low key. And I hope it is very relaxed again this year. I am looking forward to driving to Champaign, IL with our friends and trying to just enjoy the friendships and the experience as a whole.

The NPC will be a little different - since Jane and I will be flying to San Diego. That will be my longest flight, as well as my first time in California. I'm really excited about going to California, because I've always had a strange attraction to the place; sometimes felt that might be my ending-up point (someone suggested once I go there and pastor a church for burned out hippies); plus it's the middle of the winter and I'm hoping there is sunshine there. But... you know, there will be a TON of pastors and their spouses there also; I won't have a car; and it will be strange territory. So... a mixed bag.

I think if I can face both with a more positive attitude it should go okay. They are great opportunities - not so much for what I can "get" from them - but simply as they are. I will go; I will try to have fun; I will hope to learn "something"; but even if I don't learn anything... the experience will be worth the ride.

Peace, friends. Happy day.

FYI on FYC

In the area of totally useless information, and per a discussion I had yesterday... According to Wikipedia: Fine Young Cannibals was an English band best known for its 1989 hits "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing". Formed in Birmingham, England, by vocalist Roland Gift and former The Beat members David Steele and Andy Cox. Their name came from the 1960 film All The Fine Young Cannibals starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood.

YouTube Church

Hmm. About eight years ago (when I was thinking of planting a church) I thought of using the name "Church.com." Now someone has went and named their church YouTube Community Church. For real. Not sure how long it will last but, hey, it's a concept. (HT: smartchristian.com).

Boy am I rich!

I'm the 190,434,783 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

I got this from Joan's blog. It doesn't look like much when you look at this number, but considering I'm in the top 3.17% richest people in the world... hmmm, who'd-a-thought?

Go ahead and click on the yellow box and see where you stand. I bet you're richer than you think.

I am a Christian. And I'm sorry.

I'm not sorry that I'm a Christian. But I am sorry for all the times I have misrepresented Christ.

Yesterday Lily plugged Jay Bakker's show in her post "It Was Inevitable...". She also shared a quote from him that caught my eye:

"As Christians, we’re sorry for being such self-righteous, judgmental bastards.”

I know some people feel this is being a little too 'limp-wristed' and they're turned off by that sorta thing. But... I don't know... I think there's a whole lotta people that we owe an apology to. And I don't know that it's right to just keep apologizing over and over, but... I'm not sure we've apologized for all the right things, you know.

I know there are times when I am judgmental still - even though I don't think I am at all. It happens. And I don't think we should say the problem is Christianity. It's that we are human. So... I still want to be a Christian. I want to practice Christianity. I want to follow Christ's ways and teachings. And in doing that, I believe I will have much to be sorry for along the way - because I will stumble.

But it's okay to stumble. Just like it's okay to say "I'm sorry." As long as they go together.

Just thinking. Out loud. For cryin'. Out loud. Life is for livin'. Out loud. But some things shouldn't be said. Out loud. And fear is loathing. Out loud. Even though we think it's not. Out loud. Someone will hear it. Out loud. They will see it. Out loud. And whether you like it or not... your thinking is known... just like a clown... who might even frown... but emotions are seen... and always will be... there for the world... to see in a word... whether spoken or not... it doesn't matter a lot... Because.............. I am a Christian. And I am sorry.

Are you a servant?

I have plugged Jim Martin's blog before, and he has another great post today: "Servant-Is It A Throwaway Word?".

A couple of quotes to entice your jump through the link:

"When being a servant looks prestigious, you are probably missing the point!"

"Being a servant is not THE WAY to greatness. It IS greatness."

Fitting Into THE Story

Last night I began reading Darrell’s (aka Whisky Prajer) book "Youthful Desires.” It’s been a long time since I’ve read any fiction, and about as long since I’ve read anything not directly related to doing my job. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but it seemed no longer had I opened the book - all of a sudden I was on page 99. Somehow I had been so pulled into Darrell’s stories that I ‘forgot myself.’ (btw – nice book, WP. Though it does come with a PG rating).

Anyway… Story. This is not an original concept with me, and probably with no one ‘cept the original Creator. I think too many people (and maybe all of us at one time or another) feel that life is a story about US. But the reality is… we are all a part of a larger story. We are not the main characters, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a valuable part to play. Life is God's story... and we get to be in it! The sooner we realize that, the more our life, and life in general, will make sense.

You know how some people can be. If they don’t get enough attention, or they don’t get their way, or things go bad for them… they can do some downright mean and stupid things. And isn’t a lot of it because we think it’s supposed to be ‘all about us’? But what if we got so caught up in God's story that we 'forgot ourselves'? I think that's where the real joy of living comes from.

This morning I read Ephesians 2 from Eugene Peterson’s ‘The Message.’ Here’s the first 10 verses or so…

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in the highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus [is that a great thought or what?]. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he had gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Yeah; Amen and all that. It kind of takes the pressure off, doesn’t it? It’s not our story… it’s just our job to come along for the ride. So let’s get riding, eh.

Peace, friends.

Blog problems?

Is it just me, or is Blogger being a bugger for anyone else? It seems to be running slow or something, and I don't know if it's Blogger, my computer, or my internet provider. Argh.

Uh-oh, I've been had

Yeah so most of you know my name isn't really Danno, right? I don't even think I've ever been called that. I was trying to think back to how I came up with it, and my blog address, and title. My memory isn't so good, but I think I was just in a rushed hurry to get a blog up and going, and it kept telling me that everything I wanted was already taken... so, there ya go. 12ddm. I was either thinking 1-2, or the 12 apostles. Or maybe it was 12 angry men. I dunno.

At any rate, in looking back over my archives, my content has really went downhill. But, ya know, it's a whole new year. So maybe things will pick up. Right? Sure they will. Right? I dunno. Only time will tell. And who exactly will it tell? And HOW does time tell? And, of course, the classic: does anybody really know what time it is? (any guesses as to what song that is from?). Anywayyyy... I've been had.

(is that Carrot Top?)

Simple Ways to Cool the Globe

(Maybe not cool it, but at least keep it from warming quite so fast).
Mike Clawson has a great post on Global Warming (which is also a sorta review of "An Inconvenient Truth").

Here is a list of Ten Things to Do to reduce your carbon output (go to the link for a better read). They include:

1. Using compact fluorescent light bulbs
2. Driving less
3. Recycling more
4. Checking your tires
5. Using less hot water
6. Not buying products with lots of packaging
7. Adjusting the thermostat
8. Planting a tree
9. Turning off electronic devices
10. Sending this list to others. Spreading the word.

Peace, friends.

Snap Preview Anywhere

I just installed Snap Preview Anywhere. I stole the idea from Andrew Careaga (who stole it from Andrew Jones): It's the Snap Preview Anywhere script from the search engine Snap. Just scroll over any link and you'll see a preview of the website it links to. I think it's pretty cool!

NOTE: I un-installed this. While it is really cool, it is also kind of a pain when opening links. Plus, it seemed my blog was having trouble loading. I don't know if it was this or just Blogger in general. I may put it back later.

Lighting the Way

I had an idea while sitting in church yesterday. Something I would like to do at our church maybe.

We attended our home church this past Sunday, and they have an "altar call" at the end of every service. That's where you can go forward and pray at the altar if you want to give your life to Jesus, or if you need to pray for something and you want everybody to know, or something like that. I've never been too into this idea - for several reasons - though I have nothing against those who make this their practice. But it made me think of something else.

See, while the preacher was asking people if they needed to go to the altar, I kind of looked around, and it seemed that some people were really wrestling with some things in their mind/heart. And, while I don't like the altar call idea, I did begin to wonder if it would help people to have SOMETHING to "do" - some kind of symbolic gesture to make a "statement" or to "mark" a decision. And I thought of "Lighting the Way."

I'm thinking, rather than praying at the altar, what if you could light a candle? Not only as a way of making a statement, but also as a symbol of adding Christ's "light" to the situation. Say you're struggling with some sin - you could go and light a candle as a way of saying, "God, I want to give this over to you and ask you to help." Or maybe you want to do something like quit smoking - you go and light a candle as a way of saying, "Today I'm giving this over to God and am marking this day as the day I quit by lighting this candle." Or... maybe you want to light a candle for someone else - maybe you're praying for them and you just want to make a way for yourself to know that you're giving this concern to God. Or maybe you DO want to ask Jesus to guide your life - it's a way to mark this decision as well.

Jane told me this was perhaps similar to what Roman Catholics do. I am not familiar with the practice. But if so... I like it. I like the fact that you can "do" something to back up what you've "decided" in your mind.

I'm not real sure about how to go about it though. I don't know what kind of candles to use; where to put them; how to have people do it; how to handle the situation in general; or if anybody else would be interested. I would appreciate any thoughts or ideas anyone else might have if you care to share.

As always, I'm just thinkin' out loud.

I am back

... though I'm much more than just the back. I am man; I am married; I am all sorts of things. But, I AM back from vacation.

I'm also in that weird state of mind between being on vacation and the reality that work looms in the not-so-distant tomorrow.

It was an "okay" vacation. Had a nice time with my sister's family; no major fights; nice visits with Jane's brothers and some of her family. We didn't do anything major. I got plenty of sleep (meaning almost 8 hours almost every night). The travelling was good; the weather was GREAT. Nothing dramatic happened. And... I think I still have a job to go back to.

The highlight of the week away was probably the Bradley University basketball game in Peoria. That was Jane's gift to me this year, and I ENJOYED it. It has been a long time since we've went to the Civic Center and watched Bradley play. I always followed them growing up, because they were the closest major/mid-major college team to us, and I grew up reading the Peoria Journal Star (and still do most days - online). We always went to 1 or 2 games a year, and it was nice going back. The Civic Center used to seem so much bigger. It's about like the Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

New Year's Eve was a drag. We were both tired after driving the 5 1/2 hours back to FW; unpacked; and decided to go to our favorite neighborhood grill and bar for supper. It was a nice supper, but I ended up getting ticked at some of the help. They have a bad habit at this place of sometimes making customers feel like they're not wanted there. Like we're a problem for them, rather than being the reason they have a stinkin' job in the first place. But... I'm over it. Whatever. It seems to be like that everywhere. Customer service sucks in our society.

Now I'm trying to put on my game face for work. Argh. And... hey... we have a car for sale if you're interested! 2001 Ford Taurus with 122,000 miles. I'm a thinkin' $4,000 is about fair.

Peace out (and in).

There's a price to pay...

...for dreaming.

~ line spoken by a mental patient in the movie 'Jesus' Son.'