Relevant Worship

As seek out the place God wants us during this transitionary period, Andrea have been considering putting together a worship set like these guys. You know how much we feel it's important to stay relevant to the culture around us.

Ready to Dance?

What does it take for us to step out of our comfort zone? As you can see from this video, it often takes someone to lead the way. Then it takes some others to put all else to the side and join in. Before you know it, you've got a crowd. Is it possible that this how churches get planted? How people share Jesus?

The Church of Tomorrow?

When I hear people refer to this generation as "the church of tomorrow," my heart breaks. Not because there is no hope for this generation, but quite the opposite. Seeing this generation as the upcoming generation means that we are tragically clinging to the past.

Dan Kimball is correct in the assertion that those in this generation are the primary shapers and influencers in our culture. He writes in They Like Jesus But Not The Church...

"Musicians writing the songs that influence people at a national and global level are primarily in their twenties. The creativity and innovation of people in their twenties and thirties are used in the marketplace and in the music world, but are they given a place to help shape the church?"

Truth be told, this generation is "the church of today," not tomorrow! Unfortunately, the hearts and minds of many in this generation are being squelched because they don't conform to traditional structures of organized religion. The thought patterns and life experience of this generation are like no other generation in history.

From Craig Groeschel and a recent series over at the Swerve blog, let's highlight some important observations about this generation:

Our world is smaller and our perspective is broader.
Because of technology, The lines between global and local has been blurred.

We have a wider definition of "friends."
Today a friend can be someone you may not have ever met before they clicked on your Facebook page and asked to be your friend.

We're more experiential.
Instead of accumulating possessions like previous generations, our generation is into accumulating experiences.

We have been under-challenged.
Many in this generation have been given much, yet we’ve been challenged little. We have more potential than most realize.

Our world is gray.
Many of us in this generation have been told that truth is relative, but deep down we believe and are searching for absolute truths.

We’re searching for a cause.
This generation is looking for something, often anything, worthwhile to live for. When we find a cause, we'll go to extreme measures to make a difference.

We are conversational.
But before we listen to you, we want to know if you’re listening to us. This generation builds trust slowly. If you’ll get to know us, we will listen to you.

We want to be loved.
This generation craves intimacy in relationships. We want to know and be known. We are hungry for acceptance and affirmation and respond well to sincere Christian love.

If you’re quick to judge, don’t bother trying to connect.
Unfortunately, too many Christians are turned off or intimidated by the young, tech savvy, tattooed, and pierced young adults.

This generation doesn’t want to hear about what you believe.
We want to see your beliefs in actions. As strange as it may seem, we are drawn to faith that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, heals the sick, and loves the outcasts—all in the name of Christ, the King. If you’re daring enough to live like Jesus, we might join you. And then one day, we might believe what you believe.

Care to add to this list? Click on the word "comments" below ...

Decorations or God's Light?

Amazing Christmas display with 176 channels and 45,000 lights! The show is so popular that it requires a crew of 3 people to manage the traffic. Very cool.



Many of us put up Christmas lights or have neighbors that do. While the light strung on homes or in our front yards may seem commonplace, they are still reserved for the Advent season.

As we see them, be reminded that they can be more than just pretty decorations. May they serve as symbols of God's great love, given to us through His son Jesus Christ - the great light of this world.

Quotes That Have Messed Me Up!

I've been collecting quotes over a month or two from several of the blogs I follow. You can follow some of the original posts and my short comments on my Google Reader Shared Items Blog here. Recently, I've come across some that have absolutely messed me up!

Craig Groeschel [Swerve]
I believe one of the biggest ministry challenges in our day is small vision. Without intentional effort, most people tend to think small, play it safe, and avoid risks. Is God honored by the size of your vision?

To reach people that nobody else is reaching, you have to do things that nobody else is doing.

C.J. Mahaney
The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive.

Dorothy Sayers
No crooked table legs or ill-fitted drawers, I daresay, ever came out of the Carpenter's shop in Nazareth. (Translation: excellence honors God.)

Mark Batterson [Evolutional]
Most people are bored with their faith. And as Soren Kierkegaard said, boredom is the root of evil. You cannot live by faith and be bored simultaneously

Francis Chan in Crazy Love
Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to other believers.

Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.

Tony Morgan [blog]
Direct mail won’t fix your problem. Billboards won’t fix your problem. Neither will platform announcements or bulletin ads or bumper stickers...until you answer the right questions, marketing could be what’s preventing your success.

I had a very wise man once ask me, ‘If I was new to the area would I go to the church that I was serving at?’ When I answered no, he gently let me know that I was stealing from that church and it was time to move on. (a comment from Ryan over on Tony's blog)

Troy Kennedy [NewWorship]
Is my heart broken for the things that break Jesus' heart? Does my heart rejoice over the things that Jesus rejoices over?

Bill Hybels in Axioms
Passion always leads.

Perry Noble [blog]
Your sin cost Jesus as much as that person's sin

An idol is anything we like more than Jesus.

For far too long, the Church has gotten mad at non-Christians for being non-Christians. I don’t get mad at a duck for quacking. It’s a duck. It quacks.

We need to accept people where they are. Meet them where the are. And take them to a place where they can meet Jesus.

A disciple isn’t someone who knows a lot of information. It’s someone who says, ‘Jesus, I will follow you.’

The early church was HEAVILY led by the Holy Spirit…they didn’t know what to do without Him! We don’t either!

People ask me how I hear the voice of God. How do you not hear the voice of the Lord? ... Where there is no expectation, there is seldom any revelation.

Let me know if any of these mess you up...

Would You Go To Starbucks If...?

Another video I found over at Monday Morning Insight. What if Starbucks marketed itself like the church does? Funny, but sad and true.

Engaging The Senses

I think how we express the message of life matters. Especially new life and second chances. What does it look like to be a new creation?

I love the creativity of expression in the use of lighting, sound, and color to engage the senses in this video. It speaks volumes more than simply saying "we are a new creation." What do you think?

What Makes People Run?

I visit the website Church Marketing Sucks from time to time. Contrary to how it sounds, they've got some real insightful articles over there about how the church needs to be the Church.

In a recent article here, guest writer Bob Lotich writes about what makes people run from a church. Here are his top five with my comments:

1. When everything is mediocre – The word "Christian" is often used by some non-Christians as a word that means "mediocre." That is sad and it is wrong. If there is anything I know about God, He is not mediocre nor does He do anything that is not excellent. Simply take a look at this universe, this planet, or your very intricate, beautifully formed body - it is His excellent creation. He would not be glorified by anything less. The church should not settle for mediocre either.
2. When a place is full of strife – I recently heard it said that of all places, the Church should be a safe place. Whether that is true or not, I can say that many churches are not safe. I have experienced more (or at least the same amount of) self-agendas, back-biting, hardship in churches than I have in many secular workplaces. Certainly the Church is called to be different.
3. When there is an unwillingness to adapt – I'm not talking about the unchanging truths of the Gospel, I'm talking about wineskins here. In a world where most organizations are just barely keeping relevant to the world around them, many churches actually take pride in being irrelevant.
4. When the goal is to tickle ears – While this conjures up thoughts of a watered-down Gospel, it is really much more than that. People need to be challenged in their faith journey. As Mark Batterson says, Jesus didn't die on the cross to make us safe, He died to make us dangerous. We are each meant to live a life of spiritual adventure planned for us by God. But many times, churches are too busy tickling the ears of the congregates, the tithers, the elders, or the established church-goers - when we should be listening to and following the vision of God Himself.
5. When there is no passion in leadership — Having passion gets a bad rap sometimes. It can get you into trouble - and without spiritual discernment, it should. But we must remember that Jesus was passionate. He was passionate when He cried for Jerusalem. He was passionate when He overturned tables in the temple. His obedience upon the cross is even called "the passion of Jesus Christ." At the same time, there are leaders who repeat the truths of God as though they were just words off a page. When God's truth rocks your world and changes your life, it births true passion in your soul that is like a fire that cannot be contained.

When I see things like this in our churches, my heart breaks. I want to tell people to run as far and as fast as they can to a life-giving, Christ-centered community.

So, let me ask you. What has Bob left out? Are there some other things that should make people run? Why don't you add to the conversation here and leave a comment...

What It's All About

Sometimes when I have friends or family that don't understand why I do what I do, why I am sold out to Jesus, I wish I could clearly explain this...



Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17 - NLT)

This Messed Me Up!

I read this on Matt Tulios' blog and it messed me up. How about you?

"i have been given a truly amazing gift. placed in a time of lavish luxury, comfortable couches, and tremendous technology. i don't have to worry about what to feed my children or whether my children will have to beg. my family has three cars, two tvs, climate controls and i live in a region where don't really fear. my trials don't include lack of clean water, religious persecution, false imprisonment, and fear of oppression and slavery.

And there will come a day when i will have to take account of what I did with all this freedom and extravagance. I will be asked how I used these gifts to feed, show mercy, create reconciliation and blessing for others.

Was I outraged by the hurt around the globe?
Did I sleep through times of opportunities?
Was I silent when I should have spoken?"

How Metrosexual Is Your Worship Leader?

Okay, I read this over on Stuff Christians Like. Man, I could read that blog for hours - he cracks me up.

Back to topic. Prodigal Jon says "when you tell someone about your church, there's not a standard system to describe the degree of metrosexuality your worship leader possesses. Wouldn't it be awesome to say, 'You'll love my church and the music. Our worship leader scored a 78 on the SCL Metro Test.'"

I know that you know where this is going. He's posted the test. Go there now and rate your Worship Leader ... and then let me know his/her score in the comments. (It's okay to rate me - I think I scored about a 20 when I rated myself.)

Also, if you don't know what metrosexual is, you can look it up here.

Disappointed Again By Microsoft

One of the things that irks me about Microsoft, one of the worlds most successful companies, is that they let the customers do their quality control.

Whether it is with their software (Vista) or with their hardware (XBox 360), they make improvements on their products when they get complaints, rather than doing a thorough testing beforehand.

That is one of the reasons I am REALLY DISAPPOINTED after paying over $400 for my new XBox 360. After a few minutes out of the box, it was evident that the wireless controller that came with my XBox was not working correctly.

I called the store I purchased the console from and they said that I had to deal with Microsoft directly - Microsoft has some special policy about that. Then I spent 20 minutes online looking for a solution to my problem (not mentioned) and then another 10 minutes on the phone speaking words into an automated system. (Picture that phone commercial where the guy on the bus yells his password into his phone "I ain't no hollaback girl!")

Finally, I spoke with a guy who didn't care what my problem was, who essentially said I HAVE TO PAY to have the controller shipped to Texas. What!!! There are 20 stores by me that have literally hundreds of these controllers, but I have to pay for the privilege to wait almost a month to use something I saved 6 months to buy.

While some say Microsoft's customer support is great in spite of their problems, I say the best customer support is not needing any.

Needless to say, I am disappointed.

Quotable Quips - The Dangerous Good

The heart of the gospel is not niceness or decency but death ... It's much easier to impress people than surrender to God.

David Timms, faculty member at Hope International University, Fullerton, California. From his eNewsletter called In Hope. (June 12, 2008)

I've been thinking a lot lately about spiritual things - especially about what it means to be a Christ follower and a member of a community that makes up His body (the Church).

As David wrote about the "Dangerous Good," I was struck by the thought of our true calling: to continue the ministry of Christ here on earth until He returns. Basically, Jesus came to "seek and save what was lost." We can only carry out His purpose by daily surrendering ourselves to Him.<

"To Those Who Stole Our Stuff"

I came across an amazing, moving story last April. But I have been waiting to share.

Apparently last March, someone stole Kinetic Church's set-up trailer that contained nearly 75% of everything they owned. Can you imagine? What would you do as a church plant?

What is amazing to me is Kinetic's response. Check out the YouTube video below entitled "To Those Who Stole Our Stuff." Then feel free to visit their website to find out more.



I don't know if I could respond the same way. God help me.

Some other links:
http://extemporaneous.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/church-trailer-thief/
http://chrisgoins.blogspot.com/2008/04/church-trailer-thief.html

Tell Them Stories About Jesus

I came across this over on Church Marketing Sucks. In an interview with Aussie Steve Fogg in Australia's largest Baptist church, he conveys what I thought are some really applicable rules for relating Christ to a world that is many times antagonistic toward faith. I believe these are just as applicable to American as well as Aussies.

• Rule #1 - Tell them as many stories about Jesus (not your church) as you can and what he has done for people. And tell them stories that redefine any existing perceptions of him.
• Rule #2 - They don’t want all the answers; "Get me thinking, but don't tell me what to think."
• Rule #3 - Don’t ask for them for money. In fact, tell them that you don’t want their money.
• Rule #4 - Be positive. Not negative. Tell them what you stand for, rather than just what you stand against.
• Rule #5 - Pray. Pray. Pray.
• Rule #6 - Invites and web sites aren’t going to cut it by themselves. How we live our lives and embody Jesus to our friends and family is the best ‘marketing’ the church will every get.

I came across this over on Church Marketing Sucks. In an interview with Aussie Steve Fogg in Australia's largest Baptist church, he conveys what I thought are some really applicable rules for relating Christ to a world that is many times antagonistic toward faith. I believe these are just as applicable to American as well as Aussies.

What Is Love Anyway?

Do you remember that Howard Jones song from the 80s "What Is Love?" I think he was really on to something when he wrote it. Is this kind of love possible? HoJo thinks not. He thinks that we will always doubt this kind of love. While we may doubt it, it IS possible through Christ.

God's love is perfect and therefore, seemingly unbelievable. And yet, that is why it is so amazing! In truth, we really don't need to doubt God's love. And as we accept it, we can tap into His love for others through the Holy Spirit. I didn't say it was easy, but it IS possible.



I love you whether or not you love me
I love you even if you think that I don't
Sometimes I find you doubt my love for you, but I don't mind
Why should I mind, why should I mind

(Chorus)
What is love anyway, does anybody love anybody anyway
What is love anyway, does anybody love anybody anyway

Can anybody love anyone so much that they will never fear
Never worry never be sad
The answer is they cannot love this much nobody can
This is why I don't mind you doubting

And maybe love is letting people be just what they want to be
The door always must be left unlocked
To love when circumstance may lead someone away from you
And not to spend the time just doubting

Amazing Love!

As a worship leader, I love Valentine's Day. While many either see it a wonderful time (when they are connected with a loved one) and others see it as a miserable time (when they are missing a loved one), Valentine's Day is an annual reminder to me of God's true love.

With Valentine's Day approaching this Thursday, the obvious road, then, is to take a look at our Father’s love. Thanks to Shane Yancy over at Nailscars.com who was looking up the definition of love online. Here are some of the top responses.

Love: (n)

1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a personification of sexual affection, such as Eros or Cupid.
5. a strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: such as a love of books.
6. in the game of Tennis, a score of zero; nothing.

Is it any wonder that our culture gets so confused about love? The word of God, on the other hand is very clear:

• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
• Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13
• God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit... – Romans 5:5
• God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
• ...neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:39
• But because of his great love for us, God, … made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – Ephesians 2:4-5
• I pray that you … may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ... – Ephesians 3:17-18
• How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! – 1 John 3:1
• This is love: not that we loved God, but that he [first] loved us. – 1 John 4:9

I am overwhelmed at the idea that God's love for us is unwavering and unchanging, and all His thoughts toward us are through the lens of His amazing love!

Hebrews 11 tells us that He is not ashamed to be called our God. In His perfect and amazing love, He is not ashamed of us. He loves us. And He is proud to be our Father.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chuck Norris Facts

No doubt you've heard of martial arts action hero Church Norris? He's the star of many films including The Octagon, Delta Force, Missing in Action as well as the TV series Walker Texas Ranger.

Well, I came across this website called Chuck Norris Facts that cracks me up. Apparently, I am late on the bandwagon on this because it's been around since 2005. Chuck Norris Facts contains many satirical "facts" that focus largely on about Norris' toughness. Here's a small sample, but I encourage you to visit the site for many more, as well a the favorites picked out by the man, himself.

• Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
• Chuck Norris CAN eat just one Lay's potato chip.
• If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
• Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
• Chuck Norris CAN kill two stones with one bird.

I'd like to hear if you can come up with some original Chuck Norris Facts...

Lonely People

Tony Morgan pointed out this video from a worship service at Granger Community Church. The song is the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby (check it out by searching the GCC player here).

It's an awesome site to see them combine the audio and visual together to create an experience that speaks to today's culture and bring up a topic that plagues many — LONELINESS.

It also brings up a few questions.

• Do you think people remembered the overall message that Sunday at Granger – not just the topic, but the message?
• Do you think first-time guests were intrigued enough to come back next week?
• Was it appropriate to use a 'secular' song in the service?
• What are your overall impressions?

Let me know what you think in the comments...

12 Days of Christmas Video

As I've been preparing Christmas carols for our worship services at Hannaford this December, I've focused in on the 12 Days of Christmas. While I'll share some more info on the origins of the songs in a later post, I do want to share with you a well-done and humorous version from YouTube: