Several weeks ago I started twittering. Just before that, Facebook changed their look which I didn’t like. Now, after twittering for close to a month, I’ve grown to like it. Since setting my Facebook status to coincide with my twitter updates, I have gotten 200% more comments. So, I think that using the two together can help build more converstation and community. When people ask me what twitter is, I tell them it’s basically the Facebook status page without all the gifts, pokes and stuff. Although today, Matt Rhodes got the first Twitter Technical Foul for referencing wesleyan women. By the way, we are having a contest to name the Twitter Technical Foul. Send me your suggestions. It does not have to include the words twitter, technical, foul, or redundant. Winner gets full credit and something named after them. Easier to do that than to get “Mullikined.” Speaking of Facebook, watch this video right now. Now, I just need someone to show me how to do twitter pics. Saw something about joining a twibe today. Looks like twitter is taking a page out of the SWU handbook. That is to name every event using the letters “S-W-U.” The SWUperman shirt(anyone know where the template went), the SWUpy’s, SWUper Saturdays, SWUsical, SWUne flu, etc. I take full responsibility for this as all of this started with an idea Mike Keaton and I had(the before mentioned SWUperman shirt). Does this mean that all of us on twitter are twits? I should get a Twechnical for that one. Ding ding ding…we have a winner.
Archives for April 2009
The Future of the Church
I’ve been thinking about alot of things regarding mega-churches, church plants, denominations, and pastoral changes. Here are some of them and I would love to get your take.
1. Vision and long-term commitment seem to be two charicteristics I see in growing church plants. The pastor is unwavering on the vision God has given them and they are open about the fact they want to be at the church until they retire. Would you rather attend a church with that kind of leader or one where the pastor is just trying to get a positive vote every 2 to 4 years and doesn’t really do anything to rock the boat. Are some pastors scared to get a vision from God because it might disrupt things and affect their vote? I’ve never been in that position and that’s why I’m asking the question. This leads to my second thought…
2. A growing trend in larger churches is to have a hand picked successor when the senior pastor/planter retires. Heard about a big church in Louisville that picked their next Sr. Pastor 5 years in advance. Seems to be biblical to “pass the mantle” rather than bringing in a stranger to preach a trial sermon. When a successful Sr. Pastor gives his vote of confidence to the next guy then good things can happen. Of course, if the pastor wasn’t successful then people are gonna want to look elsewhere. Of course, having the foresight to “pass the mantle” would require vision and long-term commitment.
3. I also see churches hiring from within much more than in the past. Again, it does make sense to bring people on staff who are already sold out to the vision and direction of the church and have been actively plugged in. Bringing a staff person from the outside can have tremendous results, but is it safer to go with a proven commodity in someone you already know and trust?
4. I guess my point is if every year we see the church in decline then what are we doing to change that? I’ve heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. What would it look like for the Wesleyan denomination to adapt some of its procedures to follow a pattern that seems to be working? Or we can keep shuffling the deck every few years and getting the same results. Just some thoughts. Am I way off base in my thinking? Why do we often lack the vision and passion needed to reach the world for Christ?
TV Shows I would like to see
Ever wonder what would happen if they took the best of your favorite shows and put them together? I would like to see….
1. Dave Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares
2. Clean Little House on the Prairie
3. Batman: The Brave and the Bold and the Beautiful
4. The O’Reilly Fear Factor
5. Dancing with the Circus of the Stars
6. The Real Housewives of Orange County Choppers
7. 48 Hours Mystery Science Theater 3000
8. Two and Half Ax Men
9. Who wants to be a Millionare Matchmaker?
10. Wheel of Soldiers of Fortune.
You guys got any ideas?
Looking back over the last three weeks
The last three weeks have been a blur. Trip to SC, Easter, birthday, Town Hall for Hope, praise band, trip to Raleigh to see good friend from Philly, trip to Ohio(I’m in columbus as I write this), speaking at a school chapel, Karen’s first wedding show with her coupon books and starting new business. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but I’ve spent many late nights researching and setting things up for my new business. I had been trying to do a better job of getting more sleep and going to bed when Karen does, but that hasn’t happened recently. One night I actually fell asleep on top of the covers when she went to bed early then woke up around 10:30 and got up to work. I have gotten a lot done and now must wait to see if I’ve put into practice works. I just saw that Youk hit a walk off HR to beat the Yanks and that Matthew Stafford has signed on to be a complete and total bust with the Detroit Lions. Sixers won! Ok, the excitement of what I’m learning about marketing and business is spilling over into the rest of my life. Karen and I have had some exciting conversations. We also have faced some stark truths together, but the point is that we are in this together. I feel like I’ve gotten things sort of off the ground and will be able to resume normal sleeping hours this week. The children are doing well. No one’s been sick for a few weeks. Drake makes me laugh everyday and I think his vocabulary doubled this week. It may be that he is using sentences more and more. Charis and Milena need a two day nap because the schedule of the last 3 weeks has been hard on them. I have been challenged recently about the concept of quality time. Just because we are in the same room/house/car with our family doesn’t mean that it’s quality time. One day this week I remember being excited to spend some time with the girls. I got distracted by something(twitter phone beeps perhaps) and the time passed without much interaction. I have spoken to Karen about going “dark” one day a week. Some other pastors I respect spend time away from the electronic stuff periodically. When this starts it will be important to tell those I’m in frequent contact with that I will be unavailable for the next 24 hours or so. No Ipod, no txting, no non-emergency phone calls, no twitter, no computer, no chance you say. I don’t want this to be like the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer vows to stop talking. He keeps forgetting and when reminded always responds,”Starting…NOW!” The point is he never stuck to it. That may be my favorite episode ever. It has Kathy Griffin in it who I am not a big fan of. I’m not really sure why she’s famous. I have been inconsistent in my running during these 3 weeks as well. Partly due to leg issues and partly due to heart(figurative) issues. I guess I’ll go running Monday…without the Ipod.
Remembering Columbine
I was in my office on April 20th, 1999 when the mother of one of my teens walked in to drop something off at the main office. On her way out, she stuck her head in my door and asked if I had heard about the gunmen who were shooting students in Colorado. At that point, authorities had no idea how many gunmen or victims there were. I went home and watched CNN the rest of the day. Later in the day it was released that two students had planned and executed the massacre before taking their own lives. There seemed to be a rash of school shootings in that 2-3 year period. I remember one in Kentucky in particular. I remember our youth meeting that week. There were alot more questions than answers. Sometimes we can never no why things happen. USA Today has been doing a series of articles on the 10 year anniversary of the tragedy. Here’s the link. Turns out we were wrong about some things. The story about one of the killers asking a female student if she believed in God and then killing her after she answered “Yes”: not true says the FBI. Here’s the wikipedia story on Cassie Bernall. Waco, Oklahoma City, the Lincoln Assassination, and Columbine all happened between April 14-20. Puts a downer on an April 18th birthday. In a world that has seen such atrocities as the Holocaust, we still seemed to be shocked by evil deeds. Evil is not some entity floating around picking and choosing its targets. It’s in me and it’s in you. It’s that spirit of the evil one, the adversary, the accuser, the devil that we are born with and but for the grace of God it would destroy us all. It’s the sin nature. Another Columbine won’t be prevented with lectures, marketing, student summits, rallies, or awareness although these are all good and proper. Evil is prevented only by the transforming power of Jesus Christ working in our lives. It’s about every Christian sharing that power through the telling of our stories and the actions that bear the fruit of them. We tend to shy away from using the word,”evil”, unless we’re talking about someone far away or a long time ago. We like to call it “kids being kids”, “sowing your wild oats”, “choice”, “preference”, “lifestyle”, “bias”, “mistakes”, etc. As long as we treat evil as a joke, he will continue to get the last laugh.
Tax Days, May Days, Birthdays
Sorry I haven’t been around the past week. Been doing a lot of research. It’s late and I should be in bed, but I’m working on my business plan. Running has been off the last two weeks. I was only able to run a mile Monday, Tuesday I tried to do a Fitness on Demand workout that kicked my tail, and today I ran about 3 miles and cut my average mile by almost a full second. I am committed to leave the couch potato life behind. I have hit the Mountain Dew pretty hard at times. I go a week without 1 and then I drink 3 in 24 hours. Oh well. I would’ve liked to gone to one of the tea parties yesterday, but I was getting my taxes done. Last year I said I wouldn’t wait until the last minute. This year I’m saying…ah forget it. If you need a laugh check out this site of real job interviews. If you need to be amazed then google the lady who sang in England. She is incredible and a bit overwhelmed by the sudden fame. Since I last blogged I saw the Hannah Montana movie with the twins on Monday. Movies are hard for them especially during the middle of the day. Milena slept on my lap which caused my arm to go to sleep which became a problem when my eyes watered(I’m sensitive so sue me) and my contact fell out. I found it, held it in my other hand for the last 20 minutes of the movie, and then nursed it back to the correct shape and saved it with questionable bathroom sink water. It’s summer movie season whether the calendar says so or not and we’ll find out tomorrow if Russell Crowe can save Ben Affleck. Not his character in the movie “State of Play”, but his career. Ironically, I think Ben is much happier with his life now that his career has tanked, but family is great. Ain’t that funny. Not as funny as Greg Paulus playing QB at Michigan though. Think Greg regrets not going to Notre Dame and playing 2 sports for 4 years? It’s in my New UNC Fan Contract that I am required to hope for his failure no matter where he goes or what he does because of his Dukeness. Him going to Michigan now gives me reason #2. For the record, if I figure out how to make money on the internet, I will not charge any of you for that information…unless you went to Duke.