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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 80

May 17, 2013 — 3 Comments

Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:

  • Among sporting events, choose a baseball game if you want to spend quality time with someone else. Last night, I took Anna to a game, and it was one of the best father-daughter experiences I’ve ever had.
  • I’m really, really sad for the churches led by the three megachurch pastors who resigned due to adultery this week. I won’t throw any rocks at those guys, but the damage this brings to their families, churches, and Christ’s name in Orlando is significant. Let all Christians (and pastors especially) watch out for the enemy, who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
  • These three things are beautiful, and as rare as unicorns: an honest, quality, good-value mechanic; a happy and efficient DMV worker, and politicians taking responsibility for mistakes and giving credit to others.
  • I saw the Great Gatsby. Compared to the book, I thought they made it more of a love story than commentary on greed and excess. However, it’s superbly acted and beautifully filmed. It’ll probably be nominated for three or four artsy Oscars. It’s one you’ll want to see on the big screen.
  • It’s surprising how much some non-Calvinists hate Calvinism. Some of the blogs this week were unbelievable.
  • I’ve never tried guacamole. As a native Californian, this is blasphemy…but a blasphemy I plan to continue.
  • I never tried salsa until I was 30 years old.
  • Congratulations to Bill Gates for once again becoming the world’s richest man. At least he gives a lot of it away–90%.
  • Other than the obvious problems, the IRS’s biggest problem in their current malaise is that most people hate them. They have few friends, and the masses are cheering for their defeat. Thus, it’s good for politicians on both sides of the aisle to appear upset and push for serious carnage here. They perform a necessary function in our society, but in the eyes of the masses they have gone from being those who protect against fraud to the fraudulent abusers of power. Whether that’s fair or not will be born out as we see what actually happened. If they were forced to do it by the White House, trust may be partially restored.
  • Going back to my post on accountability this week–let’s apply it to the current White House scandals. In each case, the Justice Department is being asked to investigate the issue. Hah!
  • Remember when the Justice Department was asked to investigate the Justice Department’s Fast and Furious scandal?
  • In each case, there will be an underling sacrificed. In Washington, it’s never the fault of those on top. Good leaders accept responsibility for the actions of those under their management.
  • I’m sorry to rant on the subject…but it’s one of the most stark examples of failed leadership I’ve seen in my lifetime. This isn’t to say the President hasn’t had some shining moments as well. I’m saying this is clearly not one of them–and you can often see a leader’s true leadership qualities when they’ve failed.
  • It feels like the NBA playoffs started a year ago. They really should make the format a little more concise.
  • There is a fitness-Nazi trend among pastors these days. I think this is pleasant reversal from the days of pear-shaped pastors–and I’m jumping in.
  • However, I hope we don’t get vain or judgmental about it.
  • The only book I prefer in paper form is the Bible. I can’t do devotional reading of the Bible on my phone or screen. It just feels too weird. Give me a good leather Bible.
  • According to the ECPA, the best-selling Bible translation in May is still the NIV–though some of this might be the scooping up of NIV ’84 bibles (now out of print) in response to the 2011 update. The New Living translation comes in at number two. They are followed by the KJV, NKJV, and ESV.
  • A study released this week says those who tithe have healthier personal finances than those who don’t. It reminds me of the old Dave Ramsey quote: “If you can’t live on 90% of your income, you can’t live on 100% either.”
  • It’s a shame what’s happened to Detroit. I think it’s a great city–and I hope it can get back on the right track.
  • Suddenly, California is running a surplus. How about that?

What’s on your mind this Friday?

In Books, Christianity, Church Growth, Church Strategy, Current Affairs, Family Life, Film, Generosity, Leadership, New Vintage Church, Preaching , , , , , , , ,
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stream of consciousness

Friday Stream of Consciousness – 77

April 19, 2013 — 2 Comments

Here are some things on my mind this Friday:

  • Sorry for the tardiness of this post. I’m at the Catalyst West conference and thus was providentially hindered.
  • If your church doesn’t have a sufficient budget for conferences and continued learning/team building opportunities for your staff…step it up. This is vital to staff chemistry, morale, recalibration, and birthing big ideas.
  • We were informed at the conference that Dallas Willard, who was scheduled to speak, was in the hospital in critical condition. When I heard the news, I was filled with grief. Though I don’t know him personally (though we have met a few times), my life and ministry have been shaped by his writings than those of any other person. I pray a speedy recovery for him.
  • John Ortberg (a good friend of Willard’s who pinch-hit for him) said he once consulted Dallas during a difficult point in his ministry. He asked Dallas Willard what to do. He paused for a bit, and responded, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” That’s a good word.
  • I don’t care what you say, it isn’t a waste to just lick the frosting off of anything.
  • Sometimes, people who seem like they feel very little feel the most.
  • Hearing Jim Collins speak at Catalyst reminded of how much I’ve liked everything he’s ever written. Great by Choice and Good to Great are my two favorites. He said he likes “How the Mighty Fall” best. There is some really good stuff in there as well…
  • Especially the chapter on “Hubris born of success.”
  • I wish I could really play an instrument well. If I could play one instrument well, I’d pick the piano.
  • A close second would be the drums.
  • I have many pacifist friends and readers of this blog…some who have taken to the twittersphere or Facebook urging people not to use inflammatory rhetoric. As you are urging people not to be mean or use ugly rhetoric after the bombings, let’s not make victims of the perpetrators. Jesus used a lot of harsh rhetoric, and I have no doubt some would be reserved for terrorists who murder innocent children and adults. Let people grieve as they must without trying to fix them—and remember who the real victims are. Having said that, encouraging people not to return evil for evil is good.
  • Speaking of pacifism, props to the Dodgers for not beaning anyone in the recent Padres series in retaliation for the Greinke-Quentin incident. Well done.
  • I think John Ortberg may be my favorite preacher alive.
  • At lunch I listening to a ministry job interview going on next to me. The guy doing the selling of the position just said, “I know you may not like _____ (the Sr. Pastor), but that’s not going to be much of a problem.” OH REALLY.
  • Jim Collins said it right here at Catalyst: “Never confuse personality with leadership.”
  • Another pearl from Collins: “In an organization, all problems are ultimately a leadership problem.”
  • There is no way Kobe is retiring. He’ll be back, and so will Phil Jackson.
  • The Pepperdine Lectures are coming in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to teach this class. I’ll be talking about the leadership problem in Churches of Christ. Pepperdine is always one of my favorite weeks of the year.
  • As I typed that, Rainn Wilson (aka, Dwight Schrute), just encouraged us all to spend our entertainment dollars on good, moral entertainment instead of dirty stuff if we want to see more high quality stuff come out of Hollywood. Thanks, Dwight!
  • At Catalyst, we watched exclusive clips of a new movie on Noah starring Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins and others that’s in production. They look really good.
  • We all need to laugh more.

What’s on your mind this Friday?

In Church Growth, Church Staffing, Church Strategy, Current Affairs, Film, Leadership, Personal, Religion, Sports , , , , , ,
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stream of consciousness

Friday Stream of Consciousness – 72

March 15, 2013 — 3 Comments

Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:

  • I watched Gladiator while I was in Indianapolis earlier this week. It’s my favorite movie of all time. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is ridiculously great. “AM I NOT MERCIFUL????????” Awesome.
  • After a life of fanhood, I left the Denver Broncos for the San Diego Chargers upon the firing of Mike Shanahan. Since then, the Broncos have done everything they can to make me think that was a huge mistake.
  • I’ve come down with what I believe to be a sinus infection/cold/bronchial thing. I hate this kind of sickness because it tends to hang on to me for weeks. I would highly prefer 72 hours of good old barfing. How about you? A month of bronchitis or 72 hours of stomach illness?
  • What kind of question is that?
  • The installation of a new Pope this week has me thinking: how “sinless” should a church leader be?
  • Is there a point at which a fallen church leader has permanently disqualified his/herself from ministry?
  • If so, on what grounds? It would seem David’s murder and adultery 1-2 punch would’ve done the trick if anything. Nevertheless, David remained king and God used him for the rest of his life.
  • But surely, people must trust that a person in leadership is striving to live a Christ-like life–and see more than just striving. How do we mark that line? I believe one exists–but where is it?
  • Am I the only pumped that there’s going to be a Dumb and Dumber sequel with Carrey and Daniels?
  • Rob Bell has a new book out: What We Talk About When We Talk About God. I’ll read it and offer some thoughts on the blog. I don’t plan to do so as extensively as I did for Love Wins, but I’ll offer some thoughts when I have them. I love Rob Bell as a communicator and hold out hope for this book–though the early reviews are placing it theologically between Love Wins and mainstream evangelicalism.
  • When we talk about getting members of the congregation “involved,” what do we mean? Do we mean attend what’s on the church calendar, be involved in serving, or something else?
  • In my experience, some churches mean never let one person do anything for too long. This is a mistake if no one else is gifted for it. If we let Paul’s illustration of the Body rule the day, the Body can see better with four eyes than one. However, it goes blind when it tries to see with its elbow.
  • One common trait of plateaued or declining churches is a misunderstanding of spiritual gifts, involvement, and proper functioning of the Body. There is good reason we don’t let people sign up to be an elder. The same logic should be applied to other aspects of ministry–while leaving room for people to experiment and make some mistakes along the way.
  • I’m really enjoying coaching girls softball this year. I’m trying to be a good coach–and the measure of such is not just wins and losses. Virtually anyone can win with a team of all-stars. Who can win with an average team? Or, better put, who can get them to play together, and help everyone on the team get better–especially the struggling player?
  • Great coaches build units of players that get better simultaneously. They leaven the whole batch of dough. That’s what I’m shooting for. Now whether we get there or not, we shall see :)
  • The same is true of great church staff leaders–whether it’s you or someone you serve with. Work with a great church leader for long enough, and your ministry will rise as well.
  • Preaching wisdom from Randy Harris this week at the National Preaching Summit: “Take what the text gives you.”

What’s on your mind this Friday morning?

In Christianity, Film, Leadership, Personal, Productivity, Sports, Theology , , , , , ,
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 69

February 22, 2013 — 9 Comments

Here are some things on my mind this Friday morning:

  • This has been an amazing week at NVC in a variety of ways. The coolest thing this week was having two babies born on the same day at the same hospital. It makes visitation both fun and easy :)
  • I’m at home with the kiddos by myself for 9 days while Emily completes a graduate school course at Pepperdine. As challenging as it is, I get to spend some quality time with my girls–that’s always a good thing.
  • Why do churches bring in consultants only to spend the time and money–then ignore the suggestions?
  • Why do the churches that implement at least some suggestions pick the safest and least important, rather than tackling the more significant sources of their problems?
  • Answers: It’s too much pain or too much work. Runner up: Too much pride to admit it’s necessary.
  • I was thrilled to learn one of my former professors, Ron Highfield, has a new book out: God, Freedom, and Human Dignity: Embracing a God-Centered Identity in a Me-Centered Culture. I’m only in chapter two, but I’m thoroughly intrigued by where I sense he’s going with the book. I’ll review it here soon. You should pick up a copy if you get the chance.
  • I finally saw the movie, Argo. It was brilliant in nearly every way–but I had two questions: where was any reference the failed military operation, Reagan or the role that incident played in Carter’s undoing as President? I know it’s just a movie…but still.
  • I’m really enjoying coaching Anna’s 10-and-under girls softball team. Our team name is “Moneyball.” Our first game is this weekend. Wish us well.
  • The gun violence situation over the past several weeks in SoCal reminds me of the popularity of car chases out here back in the 90s–with a sadistic end. I run from the cops, take out as many as I can, then do myself in–making sure it all makes TV. God help us if this becomes en vogue.
  • I was in a group this past week where the question on the table was, “What’s the single most important trait you can look for in a staff member other than character?” What would your answer be?
  • I’m not digging the new theological trajectory of viewing traditional views of the atonement as outdated and harmful because it makes God a meany who abuses power and is unjust by punishing Jesus, the innocent in such a “vulgar” way for the sins of the guilty.  21st-Century, Western, philosophical assumptions the only prism through which we must interpret everything? Doesn’t this also assume it happened against the will of Christ? What then are we to do with the Great Flood and the Passover? And doesn’t… we will just leave it there for now.
  • This is on my mind particularly as I preach Romans 3:21-31 this weekend.
  • The Downton Abbey finale was straight up depressing.
  • Maybe Mary and Tom should hook up now.
  • I still believe Thomas is a serpent.
  • Among the Oscar picks for best picture, I saw 3–all of which were fantastic. Les Mis, Argo, and Life of Pi. I can’t pick between the three. If forced to, I think I would pick Life of Pi

What’s on your mind this Friday?

In Books, Current Affairs, Film, New Vintage Church, Personal, Preaching , , , , , , ,
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stream of consciousness

Friday Stream of Consciousness – 61

December 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

Here are some things I’m thinking about this Friday morning:

  • This may be my final post of 2012. I’m adding a post per week to the blog next year, and need to recharge my blog batteries a bit before doing so.
  • I moved to 3 posts per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) last year in an effort to share fewer, better posts. However, I’m moving to 4 believing it’s both doable and can help build better conversation through consistency.
  • As we approach the end of the year, it’s appropriate to spend some time reflecting on 2012. When I look at how I spent my time: I read a little less, I wrote a little more, and spent more quality time with my family. My reading also shifted a bit more toward politics (it was an election year), and technology, and away from fiction. I read 1 fiction book all year—an all-time low, though I’m hoping to finish a second before the end of the year. The rest (20+ books) was non-fiction. That’s likely to make me a smarter, more bland individual. It may give me some interesting things to share, but it will also dry out my ability to share them in a way that will bless people.
  • Reading fiction is so enjoyable, and helps me tell better stories better. It isn’t for non-intellectuals, as some of my colleagues believe. It’s for everyone. If you have to be a snob about it, at least read the classics of literature. Some of the best non-fiction is found in fiction.
  • Grammar it also helps with…Did you get that joke?
  • I took the girls to see Life of Pi. What a great movie! It was deep, had a great story, and even great action. There’s quite a bit of animal on animal violence, but it’s not filmed in a gruesome way.
  • There’s nothing like a long trip full of inconveniences in an overcrowded car with your kids to test your patience and faith. Though this week’s journey was a challenge, I realized we travel far better together as a family now. If our “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” experience (yes, it was that bad) had happened when we had all younger kids, I might be typing this from a padded cell. As it turns out, with kids 10, 8, and 2, only one was true thorn in the flesh. Guess which one :)
  • On the trip, I realized I’m sounding more and more like my parents. Among the classics I echoed were, “Turn that music down, you’re going to hurt your hearing,” “Put down the [insert electronic device here] and spend some time with the family,” and the infamous, “Don’t make me pull over.” Yikes. But, wouldn’t my mom and dad be proud?
  • Skiing and surfing have this in common: there is hardly anything more fun, terrifying, and difficult than to do them even moderately well in high surf/steep mountains. In both cases, it’s totally worth the journey–and an opportunity to enjoy creation far larger than oneself.
  • I was all set to write my “Top 10 Books of 2012″ post, and then I realized I hadn’t read enough books to make out a legitimate top 10. I did read more than 10. I just didn’t read enough that picking the best 10 meant much. If you read 20-25, picking out the best 10 doesn’t mean much So maybe I’ll pick out a top 3 or 5 and post on those.
  • People continue to rib me about buying a Windows Phone 8 and moving away from the iPhone. Keep partying like it’s 2008.

What’s on your mind this Friday?

In Blogging, Books, Church Growth, Church Staffing, Church Strategy, Current Affairs, Family Life, Film, Leadership, Personal, Spiritual Formation, Web/Tech , , , , , , , ,
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