MoviePastor.com: Church, Culture, Christ

Things

• It was great to be at church today.  Its weird being a participant rather than the leader but my team  did an outstanding job.  It's nice not to be needed.
• My fantasy football team may not be 3-0 after this week's games.  My running back corps isn't doing too well.  Dang.
• Alabama has a crappy offense.  FSU does too but theirs is less crappy than Alabama's.  Now the reality that Saban isn't going to be the silver bullet in his first year sets in.  I'll be surprised if we win 7 games.
• War Freakin' Eagle!  I LOVE it when Florida loses (although it was more fun when Spurrier was the coach).  I'm not an Auburn "fan" per se' but seeing them stand toe to toe with the Gators was AWESOME!  I thought the timeout thing at the end was desperate and lame.  Glad it didn't work!
• Kentucky may be the team to beat in the SEC.  How does that happen?  After this weekend they may be the highest ranked SEC team.
• KY vs. LSU in the SEC Championship?  Could it be?
• Notre Dame  - 0-5.  I think a coach and an AD probably need to resign.
• We are going to shake some things up at Crosspoint and Im excited about it.
• Our church is here to reach people nobody else wants. 
• Our worship service ROCKED the house today.  Best ever I think!

Great Sunday at Crosspoint

Today was a great day at Crosspoint.  Kevin did a great job with a difficult topic.  Better than I would have done I think.  And the music was rocking.  Next week we conclude Pure Sex on National Porn Sunday.  I will be on stage with our guest Anne Jackson.  I have no doubt this will be one of the best services of the series and the way we conclude it will be powerful.  You don't want to miss and be sure to get your friends there!

Make up Conference!

I was really bummed I missed Innovate this year.  I did manage to attend 3 conferences though and out of those the one that equipped me the most - was churchplanters.com.  Shawn Lovejoy and David Putman are gearing up for next year's conference on Feb 18-19 and the speaker lineup is incredible.  I will definitely be there (baring any colon explosions or similar incidents).  It doesn't matter if you are a church planter or seasoned pastor in an established church - if you want to be encouraged and equipped to reach people for Christ - this is the conference for you!   You can't beat the price either!

Innovation Jones Soda Style

Jones Soda is a pretty innovative company.  With crazy soft drink flavors like Turkey and Gravy they have created a beverage company with a cult like following of devoted fans addicted to their pure cane soda.  What have they thought of next?  How about Fooball Flavored Soda?  Thats right, Dirt, Sports Creme, Perspiration, and Natural Field Turf favor.  In fact Jones is packaging these products for Seattle Seahawks fans as they celebrate a 5 year contract with Qwest Stadium as the beverage supplier - beating out Coca Cola.

How does a drink described as ""kind of salty tasting,with a slightly higher sodium content than the average soda, with a smooth, 'stinky football sock' finish." help a company sell soft drinks?  I have no idea - but its clear this company does things out of the ordinary in order to change the market landscape.

What are we doing as a church thats out of the ordinary that will get our message into the hearts and minds of the culture we live in and attract devoted followers the way Jones does? 

Comfort and Psalms again

When King David was discouraged and things weren't going right - he would encourage himself in the Lord.  I find that the Psalms are one of the best ways for me to do that.  This morning in my reading I really encouraged by the last part of Psalm 19.  Its amazing how God's Word can be so alive and so powerfully active in your life.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
       reviving the soul.
       The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
       making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
       enduring forever.
       The ordinances of the LORD are sure
       and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
       than much pure gold;
       they are sweeter than honey,
       than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
       in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
       Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
       may they not rule over me.
       Then will I be blameless,
       innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
       be pleasing in your sight,
       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Friday Rambling

• Feeling a lot better today!  Should be back to "normal" next week.
• Watched The Bionic Woman on NBC Rewind.  It was interesting and dark but not sure it will be one of my regular shows.  As an added twist there is more than one bionic woman in the show.  That led to an entertaining but predictable bionic cat fight. 
• Lara (my 22 year old daugther) moved home with the two babies (Kristyn- 3 and Madisyn - 3 months) while Curtis is in Iraq.  Needless to say the house is a little busy now.  Im glad we can help her. 
• Lara is starting her own photography business and she is very good at it.  Check out her photos here
• Jordan, my 17 year old is s SENIOR this year.  Holy Crap! We are applying to colleges and getting her ready for the ACT.  She wants to be in nursing or medicine.  Im hoping we can score some scholarship money.  She will be 18 next month!  WOW!
• Watched My Name is Earl last night.  I think I lost a few IQ points.  I saw a couple episodes last year.  Now I remember why I dont watch this regularly.
• Hands down some of the best story telling on television is found in Grey's Anatomy.  I love the way they start the show with a big idea - like last night was "change" - and then expand that idea in each character's life and at the end return to the big idea and draw some kind of conclusion.  Much like we should do in a church service.  One over arching theme each week told in a creative and compelling way.  Grey's does a great job balancing drama, humor,and even music to keep you fully engaged for 42 minutes and wanting to come back next week.  Church should be like that!
• Our team is having a good time at Innovate.  Sure wish I was there - but I don't envy the 10 hour trip back tonight.
• We'll be taking a team to Unleash next year.  Excited about that!  People will only need to take one day off work and its only 5 hours away.  That should be doable for a lot of people.
• Can't wait to be back at Church Sunday!  We are teaching about sex and kids and this could be the most important topic so far this year!  Don't miss!

21 Staples

They removed the last of the 21 staples from my surgery at the dr. office today.  Basically they have a tool similar to a combination of a pair of pliers/office staple remover that expands the staple and then they pull it out.  It stung a little and my stomach looks like Frankenstein's monster - but he said I am healing nicely and he was pleased my poop is working correctly.   I go back in two weeks and they will schedule the colonoscopy and then surgery again at around the 8 week mark to reconnect my plumbing.  That might pretty much ruin thanksgiving but I should be all healed up for Christmas.   Lab work from the surgery came back negative - no cancer.  Thats GOOD NEWS.  I feel much better this afternoon and managed to eat part of a Big Mac on the way home.  Once Im up and running good I am going to join a local gym and trim off about 30 more pounds.  My goal is that next spring I am one lean mean preaching machine! 

More Premeiers

Since I dont have much to do and I have a DVR i've been able to watch a lot of the new shows.  For what its worth here's what I think:

Cane: I never really liked Jimmy Smitts in many roles but this show has a lot of potential.  Its a nothing more than a nighttime soap about a family in the sugar cane and rum business but it was pretty entertaining.  I'd say its a Dallas for the new millennium.   At least it was something different from the usual fare of crime/hospital dramas and crappy reality shows.

Dirty Sexy Money A lawyer who has to babysit the outrageously wealthy misfit "Darling" family and bail them out of their stupidity.  I guess it might be what its like to be the lawyer for Britney, Paris, and Lindsey all in one.  Donald Sutherland is an interesting quirky character but I thought the show was lame.

Private Practice  This show is a spin off of my favorite character from Grey's Anatomy - Addison Montgomery.  She moves to LA to be the OB GYN for a small clinic.  The other doctors are all kind of strange and I think Addison's character will be a lot different from her role in Grey's.  Its not as good as Grey's but theres nothing else on Wednesday yet so I'll keep watching it. 

Life: This show is about a policeman who was sentenced to life in prison and then released due to new evidence.  Now he's back on the force with a big settlement.  It was goofy.  He'd been out of prison 4 months and didnt know that cell phones had cameras and didnt know what an IM (instant message) was.  Give me a break.   There was a lot going on in the house so I couldn't focus on the plot but maybe there isn't one.  I don't see how him being in prison and now he's out with a new lease on life will be interesting after a few episodes.  Dont waste your disk space on this.

Superbummed

Our church has a team of 6 at Innovate 07.  I was supposed to be there but my medical situation derailed that plan.  Im keeping up via my team and Blogs by Scott Hodge, Joe Case, and Dave Ferguson.  Nothing can pass for the experience of being there however. 

As my team is there, im preparing for my Dr. visit today to find out the next steps in my recovery and get 11 more staples removed.  The way it was explained in about 8 weeks they will perform a Colonoscopy to make sure everything is good and no more repairs need to take place - or if they do they can plan for it.  Then they will schedule surgery and reconnect my colon to the exit.  The recovery should be shorter since I will be well going in instead of almost dead.

Currently my recovery isnt as speedy as I'd like.   I am making progress.  But I almost passed out in the bathroom this morning.  I need to ask the dr. why that would happen.  It was the strangest feeling.  Kind of bummed me out too. 

In my reading this morning I meditated on this Psalm (13)

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death 4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Recovery and the psalms

I'm slowly recovering from the surgery - not as fast as I'd like though.  I managed a trip to the mall yesterday.  But last night I was pretty sore so I popped some Vicodin at bedtime.  Unfortunately it was like taking a hit of speed and I didn't sleep much.  Today I am somewhat better but really tired.  I was reading in the book of Jeremiah and good grief that added to my discouragement - so I swapped to the psalms this morning.  So far though this is the way I feel:

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Psalm 10:1

If you read a lot of pastor and church planter blogs they paint rosy pictures of ministry.  Their church is growing, they are having the greatest season of ministry, they are doing the coolest series, they are hosting and attending the best conference, whatever.  I know why they do it.  They want to encourage their people and do great things for God.  They are celebrating what God is doing. 

But sometimes its not all rosy.  Sometimes you get sick and you are discouraged.  Sometimes when you should be in a season of growth, you experience unexplained setbacks.  What I am learning right now is that sometimes life really sucks and God gives people hard tasks and even sends them into a situation where they will "fail."  Read Jeremiah 7:27.  During this process I am coming to understand that my life and my church ministry is not about "success" as most pastors/planters would define it (or as they would prefer to have it).  This life of following Christ is about obedience.  Sometimes when you are obedient things don't go the way you hope they would or think they should.  But God is still God - even when he seems far off and things don't seem to be working they way I think they should.