This is the Truth

I saw this video last week and then someone sent it to me again today.

It was produced by Granger Community Church (http://www.gccwired.com/) in Indiana.

It's very powerful.

Make sure you watch it all the way through. :)

Check it out: http://www.gccwired.com/mediaplayer/playeropener.asp?id=190

Christmas Book List

I think you can tell a lot about a person by the book that's on the nightstand next to his/her bed.

I have a lot of respect for Jason Cullum the Executive Minister at our church. He's a good leader. He's well-informed. He has good ideas and I think all of that stems from the fact that he's also an avid reader, so when I saw that Jason had posted a "Christmas Book List" on his blog (http://thefissiongroup.com/blog/) it caught my attention. And, yes . . . it didn't hurt that my book made his list :).

How many of these have you read?

Business:

Built to Last - Jim Collins

Good to Great - Jim Collins

Execution- Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan

Leadership:

Visionneering - Andy Stanley

Spiritual Leadership - Henry Blackaby

The Five Dysfunction of a Team - Patrick Lencioni

The Five Temptations of a CEO - Patrick Lencioni

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - John Maxwell

The Leadership Challenge - J. Kouzes & B.Posner

A Leaders Legacy - J. Kouzes & B. Posner

The Versatile Leader - Bob Kaplan

Revved! - H. Paul & R.Reck

First Break All the Rules - Marcus Buckingham

The One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham

The 100 Mile Walk - S. Flaum & J. Flaum

The Managerial Moment of truth - B. Bodaken & R.Fritz

The Speed of Trust - Stephen Covey

The Allure of Toxic Leaders - Jean Lipman-Blumen

Christian Living:

Seizing Your Devine Moment - Erwin R. McManus

The Barbarian Way - Erwin R. McManus

It Came from Within - Andy Stanley

Running on Empty - Arron Chambers

Miscellaneous:

Jump Start Your Brain - Doug Hall

The Fred Factor - Mark Sanborn

Revolution - George Barna

Crucial Conversations - Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzer

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell

Wooden - John Wooden

Brand Hijack - Alex Wipperfurth

Grapevine - D. Balter & J.Butman

The Adult Learner - Malcolm Knowles

"First, I'd like to thank my parents for making me possible."

My resume just got a boost yesterday.

I was named "Person of the Year" by Time magazine (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html)

and . . . I guess congratulations are in order . . . because you were, too!

Wow! Won't that look good on our resume?

As I was reflecting on the implications of Time magazine's choice of You . . . I mean Us . . . as Person of the Year, I was reminded of a scene from the Disney movie The Incredibles and comments on that scene I read in the National Review:

"While public schools across America are eliminating honor rolls and honors classes to spare the tender esteem of low achievers, Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) gripes that, 'They keep inventing new ways to celebrate mediocrity.' Young Dash wants to go out for sports, but his parents have discouraged him, because his superpowers would reveal the family's secret. And maybe it wouldn't be fair? 'Dad says our powers make us special,' he protests to his mom. 'Everyone is special, Dash,' Helen says. 'Which is another way of saying no one is,' Dash mutters."—Frederica Mathewes-Green, National Review

I believe that we are all special in that we are all made in God's image, but I also believe that--although we are all special--we must decide to be extraordinary.

Let me give you an example by reminding you of two men we read about in the Bible. One is a rich young man who is a good law-abiding person (Matthew 19:16-22) and the other is a good fisherman (Matthew 4:18-20).

Both are called to follow Jesus.

Peter decided to follow Jesus, but the rich young man chose to walk away.

Both were special, but only one was extraordinary.

One disappears into the dark shadows of history, while the other becomes an Apostle, the evangelist at Pentecost, New Testament author, and a key leader in the Church.

One walked away "sad", while the other walked on water.

We are all special. No doubt about it. That was up to God.

But, whether, or not, we get out of the boat and try to walk on water is an entirely different matter.

Buzz on Christian vs. Christ-follower videos

Having received both positive and negative comments for my posting of Community Christian Church's parody of the Mac/PC commercials I was eager to read this interview with the creator of the video.

The video I posted has already been viewed over 132,000 times at numerous sites on the internet.

Here's a link to the interview:
http://microexplosion.blogspot.com/2006/12/interview-with-creator-of-christian-vs.html#links

Christmas For Kids

Our Church just finished an amazing outreach event called Christmas for Kids.

Now in its 17th year, the Christmas for Kids ministry has become a tradition at Christ’s Church. This year, we provided and delivered Christmas gifts to approximately 1100 financially-needy families in the Jacksonville area.



The 1100 individuals included 200 senior adults, 35 refugee children and 26 children of missionaries that Christ’s Church supports.

Names and wish lists are gathered from local agencies beginning in August. The wish lists are then distributed to Christ’s Church families during the month of November. This year all 1100 individuals had been “adopted” in just three weekends.



PARTNERING AGENCIES

Seventeen local agencies and organizations partnered with us by obtaining and providing the wish lists of each individual we sponsor. These agencies included the following:
Angelwood – Children’s home for the developmentally disabled
Baptist Home for Children – Foster care program
Boys Home Association – Local group home for boys usually abused or neglected
Christ’s Church – Needs within our own congregation
Community Connections – (YWCA) Inner city and other low income youth
Community Connections/Clay County – Previously homeless families often called “the working poor”
Dreams Come True – Terminally ill children
Healthy Families/Healthy Start or First Coast Family Center – program to assist low income, often single mothers learning to raise their children and improve their living situations.
Lutheran Social Services – Family refugee program
Mandarin Oaks Elementary – Low income students
Missionary Children – Missionaries sponsored by Christ’s Church
Nemours Children’s Clinic – Children with cancer
Shands Pediatric Hematology – Children with sickle cell
Shands Rainbow Center – Children with AIDS
World Relief Agency – Family refugee program
Jacksonville Senior Services – Financially needy homebound elderly adults
Urban Jacksonville – Financially needy and frail homebound elderly adults

The local newspaper ran an article on this event: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121306/ner_6687394.shtml.

I think that any church could do this type of program. It's not rocket-science . . . it's love and I know our churches know how to love.

Interview with Bill Pile

I just received the December 24th edition of the Christian Standard and eagerly turned to the interview with Bill Pile.

Bill Pile is a hero to me. I've known about him for many years and recently had a chance to correspond with him. He's the minister at Christ's Church in the City near downtown Los Angeles. He and his wife have ministered in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years.

I love the fact that God has used Bill and his wife, Carmelita, to shine the light in a dark and challenging place.

I also love the fact that Christ's Church in the City is diverse.

In a recent Lookout article (http://www.lookoutmag.com/articles/articledisplay.asp?id=231) Bill wrote:

Ethnic diversity exploded in our little church with people from Viet Nam, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines, Colombia, and Japan. The love and harmony that Jesus promotes among our members is spectacular. Our church is truly a cross-section of the community.

I turned to page 12 of the Standard to read what Bill had to say about inner city church work, but--instead--I read what Bill had to say about facing death.

Bill has cancer and in this interview Bill is asked what he thinks about dying, how people have reacted to his positive attitude in a difficult situation, if he ever wants to give up, and some other interesting questions.

Here's a sample of what he says.

When asked what he would say to those walking through the valley of the shadow of death Bill replies, "Now is the time when your faith kicks into high gear. You've trusted God in small things. He's been faithful. Why would he not be there for the biggest event of your life (outside of your conversion to Christ)? We died to sin and he was there and some day we'll die to this earth and he'll be there."

I think this interview will inspire you.

If you know someone who is facing a terminal illness you'll want to make sure you pick up a copy--or two--of the Christian Standard next weekend to give to them.

If you don't have the December 24th issue of the Standard on hand, Bill's interview will be available on Standard's site on 12/20 on the "Christian Standard Interview"page. http://www.christianstandard.com/

Imagine if Campbell lived today. Would he have a blog? Millennial Blogger?

This weekend I stumbled upon an interesting article on the Disciples of Christ Historical Society's website (http://www.discipleshistory.org). It's written by Greg Taylor the managing editor of a magazine called Wineskins (http://www.wineskins.org). I first read Wineskins when I was in graduate school at Abilene Christian University (http://www.acu.edu/). I immediately loved it and found it to be an insightful and thought-provoking periodical. Wineskins has its roots in the Churches of Christ.

In this article Greg Taylor asks an intriguing question: If Campbell lived today, would he have a blog?

And, yes . . . he mentions my blog in this article, but that's not the only reason this article intrigued me. :)

Here's an excerpt:

Alexander Campbell used publishing to advance the restoration of the church. Had he lived today, how would he use media to move the restoration? What can we learn from Campbell’s use of media that can be applied to our use of media today as we advance our own understanding of restoration?
During his lifetime, Campbell wrote nearly a billion words, and his greatest legacy has been his published volumes of the Christian Baptist and the Millennial Harbinger.
These journals can be found online today. His words have a life of their own and have influenced generations. Gary Holloway said, “the growth of Campbell’s influence can be directly traced to his publishing activities.” [1] Further, Campbell’s writing and editing was a major factor in the spread of the restoration ideal from a regional to a national movement. Campbell also influenced his contemporaries throughout the United States between 1823 and 1866 to also promote the Restoration ideal.
Imagine if Campbell lived today. Would he have a blog? Millennial Blogger?
Today, what can we learn about the spread of influence through writing from how Campbell’s publishing influenced an entire movement? Specifically, how do blogs and similar interactive media reconstitute the potential for life-changing exchanges just as the debates, dialogues, and letters to the editor of Campbell’s journals did in their halcyon days?
The goal of this essay is to look briefly at Campbell’s publishing career and influence and draw a few principles from that insight that might help set parameters for our own interaction in new media such as internet blogs and other web applications and church communication tools.

Here's a link to the rest of the article: http://www.discipleshistory.org/resources/articles/blogger.htm

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Looking Through the Eyes of the Late and Lost II

I originally posted this blog on Monday. This blog generated some interesting comments.

As I re-read it I decided to give it a little more work. I also wanted to make sure that I didn't misrepresent the atmosphere I've encountered at Christ's Church and the experience I had last Sunday.

My opinion of large churches has changed since I started serving with one. Before I started working here I would have had to have been convinced that a church this size could have the impact locally that this church is having. Mistakenly, before I actually started working at one, I thought that mega-churches tended towards self-centeredness. I was completely wrong (at least about Christ's Church). I have been blown away by the heart this church has for this community and the world.

As I write this there are almost 300 brand new bikes in our atrium and thousands and thousands of brand new presents filling every seat in every pew of the auditorium because of Christ's Church's Christmas for Kids outreach program (I'll write more of this at a later date). The people in this congregation and the leadership of this church have invested tens of thousands of dollars just in this program alone. On Saturday morning over 1,500 children and senior citizens around Jacksonville will receive gifts that were purchased by the members of Christ's Church . . . and I'm not talking about one gift for each person. These people submit Christmas lists with many items and--from what I've been told--most of the people get everything they ask for.

But I digress . . .

All of that to say, this church is passionately devoted to outreach, so please read my comments with that in mind.

Here's what my wife and I experienced last Sunday . . . and I bet, if you're honest, it might not be too different from what happens occasionally in your church, too.

My wife and I had an interesting experience yesterday.

We went through the new members' class at church at 9 a.m. yesterday. It ran long, so we didn't get into the 10:30 service until about 10:45.

We walked into the room and it looked completely full. It wasn't--there was a lot of space in the middle of most of the rows--but every end of every pew was occupied.

I usually sit up front (if not on the front row) and--like every church in the world--there was space on the front row, but my wife and I didn't want to make a seen by traipsing what felt like 100 yards to the front of the auditorium, so we stood in the entrance looking for an opening in any pew large enough for two people and on an end so we wouldn't have to climb over a bunch of people.

There was no place on the lower level for my wife and I to conveniently and quickly sit down without making a conspicuous entrance, so we started looking in the balcony, which required us to step way out of the tunnel and look back and up into the faces of every person in the balcony.

At first glance the balcony looked full, too, but upon further review we found a couple of spots on the end of an aisle in the balcony.

We quietly left the tunnel and began walking up the stairs to the empty seats but those seats were being saved for two of the ushers.

"No problem," we said.

Another woman, on the same row, spoke up and offered the seat next to her, so my wife slipped past the nice woman and squeezed into a slot further down the pew.

Noticing there was no place for me to sit amongst all of the women I--like a plane trying to land on a busy runway--circled back and went back to the ground level for another look.

After some time I noticed another empty seat about 8 rows above where my wife was sitting, but upon arriving at the pew I noticed a Bible in the obvious "this seat is being saved" position. Aware that the offering special was wrapping up and the sermon was about to begin and feeling a little desperate and also noticing that there was plenty of room for skinny-ole-me and the owner of the abandoned Bible, I took it upon myself to slide the Bible over and sit down.

It was high. I'd never sat this high in the auditorium before. I felt the need for oxygen, binoculars, a foam finger, and a box of popcorn.

I saw things from a whole new perspective.

May I be honest with you? I sat and stewed as I looked around the room and realized that there was plenty of room for all of the late-comers, but it was trapped between all of the "pew-ends" . . . you know . . . those people positioned at the end of the pew so that they can be the first ones out in case of an emergency or a really long sermon.

But, if I'm being really honest with you, my wife and I were eager to join them in their cause, but on another row, because we had an important lunch appointment and four kids to get from the other building and about 15 minutes to get all of that done, so we wanted to be able to leave quickly.

But, from the balcony, I was seeing things from a whole new perspective: I was seeing our services through the eyes of the late and lost.

As I said. . . I love this Church. It's full of loving and considerate people. This church and this church's leadership have a heart--and a plan--to reach lost people for Christ, but this church--like every other church I've been a part of--has some issues that need some attention. That being said . . . if yesterday had been my first visit to Christ's Church, I probably would not be coming back.

It was an uncomfortable, but preventable experience. No one should have this experience in Christ's Church or your church. I think it's easier to fix than you might suspect.

I am going to offer the following solutions to our leadership team this week. Maybe some of these solutions will be helpful to you and your congregation.

1. Mobilize the Immobile Membership: We need to communicate to our members that we expect them to move and make room for any and all late-comers. Our comfort is not the priority. We must create an expectation that all of our members will move, or even stand, if that's what it takes to make room one more guest. People must be prepared to slide in and slide down without being asked to do so. Anyone who's ever been to Walt Disney World knows the routine when you enter any theater. The cast member on the microphone will say, "Please move completely across the row to your left making room for as many people as possible to to enter the theater. Please don't stop in the middle of the row. Keep moving to your left, so everyone will have a chance to enjoy the show." Invariably a family, or couple, will plop down on the near end or in the middle seats of the row and expect everyone to climb over them so they can have the best seats, compelling the cast member to repeat the announcement requesting everyone to not stop in the middle of the rows. We must always be willing to make room for anyone and everyone who has come to connect with God and his people.
2. Ask the Ushers to "Ush": We have excellent ushers who do a great job before and a few minutes after the service starts, but they are also responsible for serving, so they aren't free to "ush" throughout the entire service. I think we need to assign at least one usher at each entrance to be available to "ush" throughout the entire service to direct late-comers to available seating, or to compel one of the "pew-ends" to slide over and make room.
3. Guest-Seating: Most churches have (or should have) parking spaces designated for first-time guests, but I don't know of any churches that have seats in the auditorium designated for first-time guests. Maybe the reason is because this is a terrible idea. I don't know, but I think it could be done in a way that ensures all late-coming guests always have a seat. Guests do not want--and should not be--identified publicly, or put on "the spot" as "guests" before the entire congregation, so this would have to be handled tactfully, but I think we could have a few rows, or maybe an entire section, subtly designated as "Guest Seating."
4. Saving Souls, Not Seats: We need to tune--and turn--the hearts of our core membership to the need of lost people for not just salvation . . . but also for seats! I understand the need to save seats for a spouse who is dropping off kids in the nursery, or parking the car on a rainy day, or serving communion, and I especially understand--and encourage--saving a seat for a guest whom you've invited to church, but what I don't understand is an unwillingness to sacrifice the seat of a Christian loved-one for an hour (every once in a while) if that's what it takes to make room for a guest to hear the Gospel. We have the potential, through a little sacrifice, to make a great and positive impression. Let's be realistic . . . it doesn't happen every week, but when a guests asks if any seat next to us is "saved" we should always be willing to say with a smile, "Yes. For you." Imagine how good this would make both of you feel.

These are just some thoughts that were generated when I saw our services from a whole new perspective. Next Sunday, you might want to walk in late, sit in the back, and see if you don't see your services in a whole new way.

Evidence of the need for salvation. :)

Trust me . . . you've never seen a baptism like this.

Enjoy.