1) I'm trying to toy around with the Xanga blog in which I wrote the first writings for my own fiction-realm. Anyone know how to set it up so that the oldest blogs are visible first? I'd set up a link to it but it would be easier if the beginning was the first thing you saw. Maybe next post I'll link to the oldest post (November 2005) and let you, the reader, work your way from there. I haven't written in it for two years. I'd start up again, but I think if I'm going to write I'd rather write the story instead of writing a blog after the story about a journal from before the story. Confused yet?
2) What a weekend for football! Michigan posted the second greatest comeback in the school's history, and it also happened to be the greatest comeback in the Big House. Then the NFL saw some crazy upsets and moments. Brett Farve threw 6 TD's! John Madden probably had a coronary and overall it was very enjoyable.
3) Does my new hypothetical church hire ministers or not? I have to post a correction for my previous post. When describing the role of the senior minister (if this church did hire one) I said something along the lines of "take what a youth minister does and apply it to youth" when I meant to say apply it to the entire Church."
- The small group leaders have a double-duty of sorts. At least initially, the leadership trains them on how to facilitate discussions.
- Leadership doesn't dictate what the small groups must learn about the topic. They give the small group leaders the proper materials to explore it (the verses, the context, maybe a light commentary, Hatter's Greek knowledge, etc.) and let them study it. You give the leaders the material to touch on the topics you want them to discuss, but you let them draw their own conclusions.
- Service. Still working on this one. Will post about it as I get some ideas.
- As Hatter said, getting a church to move to this "model" would be about as likely as getting rid of a congregational vote. Anyone feel like planting? That's a whole new barrel of monkeys in my eyes...
4) Verse of the post: Matthew 9:12-13 "On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Thoughts? Reading it makes me think of things immediately.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Random Thoughts the next day
Two in one week? Can you believe it?
1) A preacher-less church. I hinted at it very vaguely in a previous post so I thought I'd explore it out loud further. If the growth of members of a church happens through small group discipleship why do we preach on Sunday? Again I need citation, but I once heard a statistic that 90% of a sermon is forgotten by the time you get to your car in the parking lot. So why preach? So that the lost can hear the word of God? I thought that's what we are equipping our members to do in small groups. Educating and Equipping. So what do I propose? Check it out. Again just thinking out loud:
- Intensive small groups. The basis for all growth.
- You still meet on Sundays for a service. During the service there is worship, communion, and a 5-10 minute (at most) announcement from the senior minister on what the small groups are to study this week.
- The senior minister meets and works with the small group leaders and guides them to lead the studies that go on in their homes during the week.
- The senior minister devotes his time to guiding the small groups and meeting with the members, building relational ministries. Take what youth ministers do and apply it to youth.
That's the beginning of my idea. No anyone in a position bold enough to flesh it out and try it? Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? That's the biggest random thought's point I've ever posted.
2) I'm watching the nightly news with Katie Couric, and she just made Palin look like a moron. She (Palin) contradicted herself a couple times. Putting aside the fact that Palin may not be sharp on foreign policy at all, I still think it does nothing to dissuade my belief that the media is heavily biased and has already chosen the next president.
3) Mostly for Hatter - I've been invited to join a multi player NWN gaming session tonight with Randy and the gang. Level 10 characters who get 150,000 gold to do with as they please. Then we'll go through the main campaign. The result? A Halfling druid who rocks. When he gets to 40 he will have every shape shift possible to both a druid and a shifter. It's going to be awesome. The concept of a tiny halfling who can turn into an ancient red dragon is hilarious in my mind.
4) Not to go back to politics, but there's one more thing I want to address here. McCain has tried to suspend the debate, claiming he and Obama need to focus on the bail out proposal. Obama's response was brilliant. If you missed it, he basically said that the president is going to have to deal with several things at once, and you can't put those things on hold to focus on just one thing. I am hoping McCain does show up to the debate, it would be a bad move for him not to. He also ditched Letterman, which I wouldn't care about except instead of going to Washington he went and talked to Couric. Again not a wise move. I like both nominees but sometimes I can't help but wonder (media bias aside) if McCain is just trying to lose!
5) Verse of the post: Jesus replied, Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Another verse that blows me away.
1) A preacher-less church. I hinted at it very vaguely in a previous post so I thought I'd explore it out loud further. If the growth of members of a church happens through small group discipleship why do we preach on Sunday? Again I need citation, but I once heard a statistic that 90% of a sermon is forgotten by the time you get to your car in the parking lot. So why preach? So that the lost can hear the word of God? I thought that's what we are equipping our members to do in small groups. Educating and Equipping. So what do I propose? Check it out. Again just thinking out loud:
- Intensive small groups. The basis for all growth.
- You still meet on Sundays for a service. During the service there is worship, communion, and a 5-10 minute (at most) announcement from the senior minister on what the small groups are to study this week.
- The senior minister meets and works with the small group leaders and guides them to lead the studies that go on in their homes during the week.
- The senior minister devotes his time to guiding the small groups and meeting with the members, building relational ministries. Take what youth ministers do and apply it to youth.
That's the beginning of my idea. No anyone in a position bold enough to flesh it out and try it? Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? That's the biggest random thought's point I've ever posted.
2) I'm watching the nightly news with Katie Couric, and she just made Palin look like a moron. She (Palin) contradicted herself a couple times. Putting aside the fact that Palin may not be sharp on foreign policy at all, I still think it does nothing to dissuade my belief that the media is heavily biased and has already chosen the next president.
3) Mostly for Hatter - I've been invited to join a multi player NWN gaming session tonight with Randy and the gang. Level 10 characters who get 150,000 gold to do with as they please. Then we'll go through the main campaign. The result? A Halfling druid who rocks. When he gets to 40 he will have every shape shift possible to both a druid and a shifter. It's going to be awesome. The concept of a tiny halfling who can turn into an ancient red dragon is hilarious in my mind.
4) Not to go back to politics, but there's one more thing I want to address here. McCain has tried to suspend the debate, claiming he and Obama need to focus on the bail out proposal. Obama's response was brilliant. If you missed it, he basically said that the president is going to have to deal with several things at once, and you can't put those things on hold to focus on just one thing. I am hoping McCain does show up to the debate, it would be a bad move for him not to. He also ditched Letterman, which I wouldn't care about except instead of going to Washington he went and talked to Couric. Again not a wise move. I like both nominees but sometimes I can't help but wonder (media bias aside) if McCain is just trying to lose!
5) Verse of the post: Jesus replied, Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Another verse that blows me away.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Random Thoughts on a beautiful day
I really do mean to blog more, but sometimes I feel like I don't have much to blog about. That's no excuse, so here goes:
1) The job hunt continues. I've put in for some jobs in the meantime to at least get some form of paycheck, waiting to hear back from them. Also found something in the paper that may be right up my alley. All prayers being offered are much appreciated.
2) I am a material man. It's a weakness. This whole "not spending money" thing really has me looking at how much I spend when I am making money. I'm a pretty impulsive person, if I see something I want and I can afford it I get it. That's not to say I'm a bad saver, or that I manage my finances terribly. I taught Dave Ramesy. In fact until he went the route of shredding credit cards I was ready to sue. Sometimes I just hate the idea that money is just sitting in the bank, waiting to be used. When I know it can be used for whatever reason I have a hard time holding it back, especially when I think that reason can benefit my ministry in some way.
3) Friday nights have un-officially become "Dude's night out." I head out to GLCC and hang out with my future brother-in-law Erik Kreh. He needs the guy hangout time as he is swamped this semester. Sophomore year is usually your "make it or break it" year. I am glad for the opportunity to encourage him, spend time with him and grow closer to someone who is clearly going to be an awesome addition to the family. There is no doubt in my mind that the love he and my sister share will never perish, but what really amazes me is how well we have connected and got along as brothers in Christ.
4) My Lions are doing terrible. I just found out today that team President and CEO Matt Millen is no longer in Detroit. My suggestion from 3 years ago finally happens. Maybe Bill Ford Jr, who ran his mouth about Millen Sunday night, has more pull than we thought. If I was right about him needing to go good things will happen in my beloved football franchise.
5) This is not due to any recent sermons I have heard, but I wanted to state that certain scriptures out of context start to bother me. For example, 1st Corinthians 13 and its discourse on love is much broader and wider than a context of dating. Jesus' message of "turn the other cheek" and the accompanying verses have a far deeper meaning than "stand there and take it" as it is often interpreted. This will probably be a separate blog at some point.
6) Reading! Sunday a book from Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle" was released. Originally intended to be a trilogy, the third book turned out to be so long he expanded it into four. I read Eragon before the movie came out, and of course the book was far better. I had planned to read the second book (Eldest) before the third one came out. Much to my surprise that happened, so I am now reading through Eldest. Not the best writing, but it is interesting. It's hard not to enjoy the book though. As a loyal Star Wars geek I find its fantasy interpretation worth reading. Had to get one pot shot in.
7) In my own writing world, Lainthia, were I to ever write and publish my own "fantasy setting" I have decided that the actor who played "Murtagh" in Eragon would play my main character Earnoch. Bet you didn't know I had written a litle something something did you? Bet you didn't know you I wrote a supplementary blog that takes place 20 years after this story did you? Bet you didn't know you can get to that blog from my Xanga did you?
8) I've been up early every morning this week, believe it or not. Why? We've been having problems with our internet for well over a week. Monday the tech was supposed to come out in the morning. At 2 we called to see what was going on as he hadn't visited. It turns out there were so many internet complaints in our area they ended up working on one of the central sections of the internet all day Monday. Tuesday they were supposed to come out, but I was out to lunch when they called so they couldn't. They have a respectable policy of not coming if someone is not home. Finally, this morning, the tech guy made it out and fixed our internet.
9) I feel bad for the guy. It really sounds like he is run ragged all over the county and then some to fix people's internet and cable problems. In fact, he tells me that often when he is working on stuff outside people will walk up to him and yell at him, demanding that he drop everything, come to their house and fix their internet problems. The system works people. We have always had someone come out personally and fix our issues when we call. As frustrating as this past week has been, when I consider their side of it I can't be angry. Broadstripe certainly delivers much better service than I would ever expect Comcast or anyone else to.
10) Video Game Business sidenote: I don't have proper citation for this, but certainly you have heard of the computer game World of Warcraft. A massive online multiplayer computer game that claims to have 8 million active players. It is possibly the most successful game ever. Here's where I need my citation. A company recently did a study and concluded that if any company wanted to make a game that could have the potential to top this one, they would have to invest over half a billion dollars into it. That's crazy!
11) This post's verse of encouragement: Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." Once I realized the larger implications of this verse it startled me a lot. I can't imagine what it would be like to be Mary, or one of Jesus' brothers and hear that. I can't imagine what it would be like to be one of the disciples and hear that. Very powerful. Are you doing the will of God today? That seems cheesy but I honestly can't think of a better question.
1) The job hunt continues. I've put in for some jobs in the meantime to at least get some form of paycheck, waiting to hear back from them. Also found something in the paper that may be right up my alley. All prayers being offered are much appreciated.
2) I am a material man. It's a weakness. This whole "not spending money" thing really has me looking at how much I spend when I am making money. I'm a pretty impulsive person, if I see something I want and I can afford it I get it. That's not to say I'm a bad saver, or that I manage my finances terribly. I taught Dave Ramesy. In fact until he went the route of shredding credit cards I was ready to sue. Sometimes I just hate the idea that money is just sitting in the bank, waiting to be used. When I know it can be used for whatever reason I have a hard time holding it back, especially when I think that reason can benefit my ministry in some way.
3) Friday nights have un-officially become "Dude's night out." I head out to GLCC and hang out with my future brother-in-law Erik Kreh. He needs the guy hangout time as he is swamped this semester. Sophomore year is usually your "make it or break it" year. I am glad for the opportunity to encourage him, spend time with him and grow closer to someone who is clearly going to be an awesome addition to the family. There is no doubt in my mind that the love he and my sister share will never perish, but what really amazes me is how well we have connected and got along as brothers in Christ.
4) My Lions are doing terrible. I just found out today that team President and CEO Matt Millen is no longer in Detroit. My suggestion from 3 years ago finally happens. Maybe Bill Ford Jr, who ran his mouth about Millen Sunday night, has more pull than we thought. If I was right about him needing to go good things will happen in my beloved football franchise.
5) This is not due to any recent sermons I have heard, but I wanted to state that certain scriptures out of context start to bother me. For example, 1st Corinthians 13 and its discourse on love is much broader and wider than a context of dating. Jesus' message of "turn the other cheek" and the accompanying verses have a far deeper meaning than "stand there and take it" as it is often interpreted. This will probably be a separate blog at some point.
6) Reading! Sunday a book from Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle" was released. Originally intended to be a trilogy, the third book turned out to be so long he expanded it into four. I read Eragon before the movie came out, and of course the book was far better. I had planned to read the second book (Eldest) before the third one came out. Much to my surprise that happened, so I am now reading through Eldest. Not the best writing, but it is interesting. It's hard not to enjoy the book though. As a loyal Star Wars geek I find its fantasy interpretation worth reading. Had to get one pot shot in.
7) In my own writing world, Lainthia, were I to ever write and publish my own "fantasy setting" I have decided that the actor who played "Murtagh" in Eragon would play my main character Earnoch. Bet you didn't know I had written a litle something something did you? Bet you didn't know you I wrote a supplementary blog that takes place 20 years after this story did you? Bet you didn't know you can get to that blog from my Xanga did you?
8) I've been up early every morning this week, believe it or not. Why? We've been having problems with our internet for well over a week. Monday the tech was supposed to come out in the morning. At 2 we called to see what was going on as he hadn't visited. It turns out there were so many internet complaints in our area they ended up working on one of the central sections of the internet all day Monday. Tuesday they were supposed to come out, but I was out to lunch when they called so they couldn't. They have a respectable policy of not coming if someone is not home. Finally, this morning, the tech guy made it out and fixed our internet.
9) I feel bad for the guy. It really sounds like he is run ragged all over the county and then some to fix people's internet and cable problems. In fact, he tells me that often when he is working on stuff outside people will walk up to him and yell at him, demanding that he drop everything, come to their house and fix their internet problems. The system works people. We have always had someone come out personally and fix our issues when we call. As frustrating as this past week has been, when I consider their side of it I can't be angry. Broadstripe certainly delivers much better service than I would ever expect Comcast or anyone else to.
10) Video Game Business sidenote: I don't have proper citation for this, but certainly you have heard of the computer game World of Warcraft. A massive online multiplayer computer game that claims to have 8 million active players. It is possibly the most successful game ever. Here's where I need my citation. A company recently did a study and concluded that if any company wanted to make a game that could have the potential to top this one, they would have to invest over half a billion dollars into it. That's crazy!
11) This post's verse of encouragement: Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." Once I realized the larger implications of this verse it startled me a lot. I can't imagine what it would be like to be Mary, or one of Jesus' brothers and hear that. I can't imagine what it would be like to be one of the disciples and hear that. Very powerful. Are you doing the will of God today? That seems cheesy but I honestly can't think of a better question.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Random Thoughts during Saturday Night Live
1) SNL used to be funny, what happened? Even Michael Phelps isn't adding anything to the show. On a side note I will say that guest star Tina Fey did a phenomenal Palin.
2) I meant to write about this on Thursday, but I didn't get to it. It's interesting to me that I can still remember the exact moment I found out about what happened on 9/11 seven years ago. I remember that moment, what I did immediately afterwards, and nothing else about that day. As I understand it you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't remember where they were and what they were doing as they found out about it.
3) When I think about 9/11 now I am encouraged because right after it the country was united. Is it possible that humanity only exhibits its best qualities as a reaction to the worst circumstances? Just thinking out loud.
4) I didn't think it would take two points to emphasize this, but SNL IS TERRIBLE.
2) I meant to write about this on Thursday, but I didn't get to it. It's interesting to me that I can still remember the exact moment I found out about what happened on 9/11 seven years ago. I remember that moment, what I did immediately afterwards, and nothing else about that day. As I understand it you'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't remember where they were and what they were doing as they found out about it.
3) When I think about 9/11 now I am encouraged because right after it the country was united. Is it possible that humanity only exhibits its best qualities as a reaction to the worst circumstances? Just thinking out loud.
4) I didn't think it would take two points to emphasize this, but SNL IS TERRIBLE.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Random Thoughts from the middle of the week
In no particular order:
1) Went to the dentist yesterday. Finally got a filling on the chipped tooth that has probably been bugging me for close to half the year. It feels much better. My face was numb most of the day yesterday.
2) My political observations thus far:
Democratic ticket: "We can't afford more of the same, it is time for a change and here's the guy to do it!"
Republican ticket: "Vote for this guy, he was tortured in Vietnam and deserves it!"
3) The media has already selected our next president. Note who gets praised and who gets scrutinized if you don't believe me.
4) Tonight I get re-involved with the youth ministry at South Lansing Christian Church. I'm back in the junior high again and I know it will be great. Still no luck on finding tents to be built but at least I can still do some ministry.
5) A thought that has been floating around in my head and has nothing to do with anything recent: Is a sermon really necessary in a Church service or has it become the most sacred of cows? If I recall correctly statistically you've already forgotten 90% of it by the time you get to your car. Just wondering out loud.
6) Drive-In Church. In case you don't watch the CBS evening news. Thoughts?
7) Verse of the post: Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven." No particular reason for that one, it just stuck out to me. Maybe it stuck out for a reason. You'll know better than I.
1) Went to the dentist yesterday. Finally got a filling on the chipped tooth that has probably been bugging me for close to half the year. It feels much better. My face was numb most of the day yesterday.
2) My political observations thus far:
Democratic ticket: "We can't afford more of the same, it is time for a change and here's the guy to do it!"
Republican ticket: "Vote for this guy, he was tortured in Vietnam and deserves it!"
3) The media has already selected our next president. Note who gets praised and who gets scrutinized if you don't believe me.
4) Tonight I get re-involved with the youth ministry at South Lansing Christian Church. I'm back in the junior high again and I know it will be great. Still no luck on finding tents to be built but at least I can still do some ministry.
5) A thought that has been floating around in my head and has nothing to do with anything recent: Is a sermon really necessary in a Church service or has it become the most sacred of cows? If I recall correctly statistically you've already forgotten 90% of it by the time you get to your car. Just wondering out loud.
6) Drive-In Church. In case you don't watch the CBS evening news. Thoughts?
7) Verse of the post: Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven." No particular reason for that one, it just stuck out to me. Maybe it stuck out for a reason. You'll know better than I.
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