Drive-In

Drive-Ins are still pretty big in my neck of the woods, but I hadn't gone to one in quite some time. Last night, though, Katie and I went to see 'Get Smart' and 'Kung-Fu Panda.' Both movies were slightly above average, but I was impressed with the Drive-In experience.

Arguments for Drive-In over Cinema
~ no sticky floors
~ allowed to bring your own food
~ still have option of buying food
~ you get 2 movies
~ comparable in cost
~ no struggle finding your car after
~ you can adjust the volume
~ fresh air available
~ more roomy (if you have right vehicle)
~ delightful dancing hot-dogs at half-time

Robbed!

I'd been house-sitting for my aunt & uncle this week. Thursday, when I went to work for the day, I neglected to lock the doors. When I got home Thursday I realized my blunder. Tons of stuff was gone. The microwave. The stereo. Even the pool table. Gone. I had no idea what to do. Should I call my aunt & uncle or let them enjoy the rest of their vacation? Somehow or another, some people from our church caught wind of my predicament and came (I guess for moral support). But I felt horrible. It was my fault. And there was no real way to make it better.

Then, as luck would have it, I woke up. It was only a nightmare. I had house-sat a month or so ago. But that was over with. It was a new day. And as I drove to the Lockport church today I was reminded of how gracious God is to give us new days. Fresh starts. New mercy. New Grace.

Be Kind Rewind

I was surprised by this movie. I figured it would be somewhat funny (I tend to like Jack Black more than more), but it also contained a message that has been on my heart. Jack Black plays a man who has recently been magnetized. He enters a struggling VHS-only video store and his condition erases all the tapes! Black and the stores only employee set out to re-make all the movies themselves. Not only does the neighborhood love the films, but they wish to participate in the movie making process.

It was pretty funny, but I really liked the message of the movie and how it relates to local church ministry. 'Be Kind Rewind' (the name of the store) couldn't compete with the DVD rental places in terms of video quality. And they certainly couldn't compete with Hollywood in terms of movie-making quality. So what made them successful? It was the fact that there movies were home-made. They included the community.

So often ministers (ordained and volunteer) struggle to compete with the local schools, clubs, and entertainment. But the reality is that we won't be able to compete in dollars and worldly quality. What we have to offer is relationship. Incarnation. The radio preacher from the mega-church may be a more inspiring speaker, but he's not present through the ups and downs of life. Be Kind Rewind confirmed, to me, the value of local church ministry.

Marriage Decision 1

Adam is from a polygamist tribe and has five wives. A missionary brings the Gospel message to the tribe and Adam & his wives are converted to the Kingdom of God. Should Adam divorce all of his wives? Should he divorce all but his first wife? Should he remain married to all? If so, can he be a leader in the tribes church?

Be 200,000

Be my 200,000th visitor
Make it happen today!
Keep hitting refresh :)
You know you want to...

OT Idol #18

VOTED OUT LAST WEEK
21 Eve
20 Esther

This week we'll be voting 2 hopefuls out of GROUP B. First, in light of global warming, name the character Who brought the most damage to the environment (be creative). Second, name the character guilty of the single greatest sin.

Group B
Gomer
Job
Joseph
Joshua
Moses
Noah
Ruth
Samson
Samuel
Solomon

Remember the TWIST, I have picked 1 OT Idol character. I will try to MANIPULATE victory for them via my categories and word choices. If one of my characters wins, you are all losers (even moreso than you are now). If not, the people/person who voted AGAINST the winning character the least amount of times are/is the winner (NOT VOTING any given week will count as a vote against the winner, so you'll have to vote a lot to win)

Pendulum Theory

I've been thinking a lot, lately, about pendulums and how they relate to our actions. On any issue, there is the correct understanding represented by the balanced pendulum (marked C for center). There also exists a pair of opposite extremes (marked L & R for left and right). For example, let's say the correct position on abortion (C) is that it is wrong. A doctor might rebel against this by increasing the amount of abortions he performs (thus becoming an extremist, L). Another man might militate against the doctor by blowing up an abortion clinic (thus becoming an extremist, R). In this example, both extremes are to be avoided.

As a pastor, I think a lot about how the church should act (C). I see the way many Christians currently act (Some act within the L and some within the R). Some in the L position think the L position is right. Others in the L position, however, are just acting like L is right in an attempt to bring the R position back to the middle. And vice versa. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a person thinks L is right or if they are just trying to shock R back to C. For example, the authors of 'Pagan Christianity' may very well be taking position L for different reasons. Viola may think L is the correct position whereas Barna may simply be arguing for L in order to bring R back to C (just a guess).

But lately, as I think about how Jesus lived His life on earth, I don't view Him as arguing for L or R, but only for C (Granted, the C position sometimes sounded like an extreme position to take based on how far L or R had removed themselves from the center). I feel like God is teaching me that to act/argue for L or R just to move R or L back to C is really a show of impatience. If we are willing to be faithful to C and humble about ourselves, we will act/argue for C even when we're passionately against L and/or R without resorting to a faux support for R and/or L.

My Crocs

Knew Numbers

Reading 'The Shack' (1st fiction in years)
Put $1000 in savings each month of 08
Been a 'couple' w/Katie over 9 months
Taught at 3 churches in past 2 weeks
Only at 32.5 biking miles so far
Now own 1 pair of Crocs
Turned 27 one week ago
This is post #1234

OT Idol #20

VOTED OUT LAST WEEK
Jeremiah
Jael

Group A is down to 10 contestants. Now it's time to get rid of 2 more. First, in light of the Wesleyan General Conference name the character that you think is the WORST 'General Superintendant'. Second, in light of the Celtics NBA Championship, name the character that you think was the LEAST athletic.

GROUP A:
Abraham
Daniel
David
Deborah
Elijah
Elisha
Esther
Eve
Isaiah
Jacob

Remember the TWIST, I have 1 remaining OT Idol character. I will try to MANIPULATE victory for them via my categories and word choices. If one of my characters wins, you are all losers. If not, the people/person who voted AGAINST the winning character the least amount of times are/is the winner. (NOT VOTING any given week will count as a vote against the winner, so you'll have to vote a lot to win)

Wii Update

I had my first hole-in-one on Wii Golf last night. In fact, by the 7th hole I was 5 under par. Then things turned south quickly and I finished 1 over! I think I actually like the golf more than the bowling. Speaking of bowling, though, I increased by high score to 241. Have you kept track? What is your high score?

Incarnation

Imagine you're a widow and that today marks 2 years since your husband's death. As you struggle through the day, mostly spent cleaning the kitchen, you receive a surprise phone call from a friend from church, surprising because this friend has never called before. The conversation moves from the weather to family to church and back to the weather before concluding. You hang up feeling happy, encouraged, and loved. No mention was made of the significance of the day. Is it possible that God simply provoked a clueless member of the congregation to call? You wonder.

The following Sunday you see your phone-friend in the foyer. You thank her for the chat and reference having really needed a 'lift' on that particular day. Your friend smiles and references how much she enjoyed the chance to know your husband and what a good example of Christ He was. She figured you'd appreciate a call. You smile, but part of you is disappointed. You had been wishing that the phone call had been a 'God-thing,' but now you realize it was just a thoughtful member of your church family. You appreciate her care, but part of you still wishes the moment had been more... magical.

Later that night you lie in bed. Your mind is shifting through a scattering of thoughts from the day. And a thought comes to mind: Perhaps God's preferred way of blessing us is not through magical 'God-moments' done despite of the people around you. Perhaps God's preferred method is to work through people. Could it be that God's greatness is more readily seen in the fact that He put love and care for you in the heart of a young lady who had only 5 years ago been an absolute stranger. You fall asleep while wondering who could use a phone call in the morning.

08 Mini-Golf

In 2007 I kept track of our mini-golf scores

We played our first round of 08 today

So here's a post for 2008 results

Matthew (50, 49)
Katie (55, 56)

The AC Question

Should you buy an air conditioner?

#1 Scenario (best case)
You decide to NOT buy one and tough it out. And it turns out the there are only a few hot days. You didn't buy and you didn't need to.

#2 Scenario
You decide TO buy and the Summer is long and hot. You did buy, and it's a very good thing you did! You feel smart

#3 Scenario
You decide TO buy, but you end up not really needing it. You regret your purchase, but at least you have it for next Summer.

#4 Scenario (worst case)
You decide to NOT buy one, but it's the hottest Summer ever. You daily regret your decision, but continue to not buy one b/c you figure Summer will end soon. And you'll prolly do the same thing next year.

OT Idol #22

VOTED OUT LAST WEEK
24 ADAM
23 EZEKIEL (one of mine!)

This week we'll be voting 2 hopefuls out of GROUP B. First, in light of the upcoming Father's Day, name the character who made (or would have made) the worst parent. Second, name the character whose story would make the worst Hollywood Movie.

Group B
Gomer
Jael
Jeremiah
Job
Joseph
Joshua
Moses
Noah
Ruth
Samson
Samuel
Solomon

Remember the TWIST, I have picked 1 remaining OT Idol character. I will try to MANIPULATE victory for them via my categories and word choices. If one of my characters wins, you are all losers. If not, the people/person who voted AGAINST the winning character the least amount of times are/is the winner (NOT VOTING any given week will count as a vote against the winner, so you'll have to vote a lot to win)

Generous Orthodoxy

I finally got around to reading Brian McLaren's 'a Generous Orthodoxy' as my latest inSTALLment in the toilet reading series. I had almost bought the book a number of times over the past few years, but finally found it on discount for a few dollars some months back. I attribute the delay to my lack of interest in the 'emergent movement.' That being said, the book was interesting enough to merit completion.

I suppose, if anything, I am a little surprised that McLaren is so controversial in some circles. I didn't read anything startling. Some of the reviews I'd read of the book were completely unfounded. Most of his thoughts resonated with me. The Christian life IS about a walk, not just a bunch of head knowledge. The Bible IS a narrative, not a proof-text container. I really liked the early chapter titled 'The 7 Jesuses I Have Known' which was a bit of a background on McLaren's own testimony. And while the 'Why I Am _____' chapters got a little boring toward the end, I was still compelled to finish.

In summary, I'd have to say that I think well of McLaren and his book. Some of his statements are 'fundamentally incorrect' (so to speak), but not actually incorrect (in my opinion). I, frankly, loved his writing style. I wish all (or at least most) Christian writers wrote so casually and openly. Overall, I applaud McLaren's offering.

Writing Rankings

How do you prefer to put words on a page?
Here are my preferences:

1) Mechanical Pencil
Stays sharp. Easily erased. Always accessible.

2) Keyboard/Computer
Fast. Easy delete. Fun fonts. Less accessible.

3) Regular Pencil
Can be sharper than mechanical, but needs upkeep.

4) Old-Fashioned Type-Writer
Makes great noise, but inconvenient in a # of ways.

5) Pen
Can be blotchy or stop working. Less-erasable.

Bi-Vocational

I just realized today that I am a bi-vocational minister. Of course, I'm not bi-vocational in the traditional sense (having a full/part time job in the world and a full/part time job at the church) since my full time job is being an assistant pastor and my (very) part time job is being the preacher at a smaller church. So I don't count, but I do feel that bi-vocational ministers will continue to increase. I can think of 3 pros to being/having a bi-vocational minister:

1) Gives the minister better perspective
2) Causes congregation to step up to plate
3) Allows more funding of ministry vs. clergy

VP's

Now that Obama & McCain appear to be the Presidential candidates, the discussion turns to their Vice Presidential running mates. Which guy/girl will they pick? Why? Who gets them the most votes? Who helps them the most during their presidency? Will one of them make a selection that will cost them the election?

If you were McCain, who would you pick?
If you were Obama, who would you pick?

OT Idol #24

I have divided the 24 OT Idol candidates into 2 groups by alphabetical order. This week we'll be voting 2 hopefuls out of GROUP A. First name the character you like the LEAST. Second, name the character with a name you would NEVER use for your own child.

GROUP A:
Abraham
Adam
Daniel
David
Deborah
Elijah
Elisha
Esther
Eve
Ezekiel
Isaiah
Jacob

And there's a TWIST, I have picked 2 OT Idol characters. I will try to MANIPULATE victory for them via my categories and word choices. If one of my characters wins, you are all losers. If not, the people/person who voted AGAINST the winning character the least amount of times are/is the winner.

Confusing? I think so too.

Steve Gregg

My favorite Bible teacher is Steve Gregg and this Summer he'll be coming to our church for a men's event and Sunday morning services. Who is your favorite Bible teacher and have you ever met him or her? Should I pay close to $1000 to have Drew Marshall come for next year's men's event?