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stream of consciousness

Friday Stream of Consciousness – 70

March 1, 2013 — 2 Comments

Here are some things on my mind this Friday:

  • Starting out in ministry, one of the most difficult things to do is to get to know oneself as a minister. We think we know ourselves and what we think when we leave seminary. We don’t. The first 5-7 years of ministry is usually spent discovering one’s ministerial self.
  • One’s true peak ministry years are probably 40-55. However, many of those hiring believe they are 30-40.
  • I have awesome parents.
  • Whenever I hear parents say the kids are the most important thing–I cringe. God first, marriage second, kids third. When that order is confused, families get themselves in trouble.
  • It seems to me Christian leaders are struggling more and more with the sovereignty of God–particularly as it pertains to the atonement, heaven, hell, etc. To me, it’s hard to struggle with it biblically. To do so, theologically, begins to unravel the Doctrine of God’s Love, as well. If God can’t really say, “no,” His “yes” to us in Christ means little.
  • The longer he’s out of coaching, the more respect I have for Phil Jackson’s coaching ability. No one has been able to take an amalgamation of odd and finicky parts and build them into a championship team.
  • He was equally masterful at getting the best out of true problem cases (Ron Artest, Dennis Rodman, etc.)
  • A big part of his secret was his emotional IQ, which gave him the ability to know when to let it go, and when to push.
  • I wonder how many pastors have these gifts when managing church staffs. Hopefully, church staffs don’t have many true problem cases. But, there may be some people who bring a lot to the ministry that just aren’t thrilling to work with.
  • So, perhaps Greg Popovich is a better model. Class, teamwork, winning.
  • It’s official, I have fallen in love with the show, Duck Dynasty. Phil is my favorite. There’s an odd wisdom to him to go along with lots of funny stuff.
  • Anyone know what happened to American Idol? I don’t hear much about it any more.
  • Happy sequester day. Guess what? The sun still came up, the earth is still spinning, and God is still in control.
  • I couldn’t trust American media much less than I do.
  • This morning, CNN/Money reported monthly income dropped the most last month as it has in 20 years. The average families income dropped 3.6% last month…though there are some rational explanations for it you can read in the article. It’s still not good. But, these days, one cannot read headlines–one must read content.
  • What’s this going to mean for churches? It doesn’t change the principles of biblical giving. So, let’s not make the same mistakes many of us made at the beginning of the recession–ignoring or downplaying giving because times were tight. It’s in such times we make pivotal, spiritual choices about where our treasure is.
  • The unsung movie of Oscar season was Life of Pi. It’s truly remarkable, and offers great insight into the way non-Christian, pop culture sees spirituality these days.
  • Trying to build anything in California is like trying to plant a garden in your driveway.
  • But, summer (and baseball) is on the way…so I’m in a good mood.

What’s on your mind this Friday?

In Christianity, Church Growth, Church Staffing, Church Strategy, Current Affairs, Family Life, Leadership , , , , ,
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stream of consciousness

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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