House, MD - Part 2

OK, so I spent my House post ranting about Chase, Cameron, and Foreman . . .

I forgot the part of the show that has been quite amusing all season . . .

I love it when God messes with people.  House is trying so hard to make people of faith look stupid.  He’s been on a rampage all season long . . . Remember the House vs. God episode?

OK, so the show tries to put House and God on the same level . . . or at least comparative . . .

But they are also doing a pretty masterful job of giving God a sense of humor putting up with House’s atheist antics.  They’re pulling out all the stops . . . remember the fetus finger grab?  Who didn’t see that image on the internet a million times a few years ago?  Whether or not FOX ever gets House to admit he’s really an agnostic trying to be an atheist . . . or if they even go so far as to make him a man of faith . . . I don’t really care.  The spiritual commentary within the atheism is quite intriguing, and I hope it is making at least a few people out there think.

New Growth Group - Launched!

I write this post just before bed, after the very first meeting of the new Journey Church Growth Group.

I am excited!  We had three couples (including Emily and I) together to launch the new group.  All of us came from a previous group, but the intention is to create this new group so that both groups have room to grow.  The new group really opened up and had a great conversation.  We all got to know each other better and were able to spend some real good time praying for each other as we get ready for the OVERFLOW series.

I haven’t gotten feedback from the other group yet, but I hope the change has helped them grow together, too.

All in all . . . I am pumped!  God is doing great things at Journey, and if you’re not in a Growth Group . . . NOW is the time to get in one . . . and you are totally missing out on the depth of community we are experiencing at Journey.

Also, I am pumped about the OVERFLOW series! There are so many things that push in around us all day long that try to destroy our JOY.  But God has a promise for us:  if we stay connected to Him through the Holy Spirit, He will fill us to OVERFLOWing.  If we are OVERFLOWing . . . when our lives try to steal our JOY, all they will be able to soak up will be the spillage OVERFLOWing from within us . . . We’ll move on through with even greater JOY as we see what God is doing.

That is my prayer . . . that all of us will learn to experience authentic JOY through what we learn during the OVERFLOW series, no matter what our circumstances.

Finales . . .

OK, so the hot topic on everyone’s blogs these days are the season finales . . .

Tonight was the HOUSE season finale . . .

So, did FOX just decide it would be cheaper to find a whole new cast than it would be to renegotiate contracts for a successful show?

Out of 6 main characters, 3 walked off the show tonight.

Well, at least it wasn’t a bunch of predictable stuff . . . other than Cameron and Chase hooking up . . . AGAIN!

So . . . who’s really going to wind up coming back next season, and who is really gone?  Any takers?

When nobody’s looking . . .

It’s official!

Eric and his family are gone for the week.  “Daddy’s” gone so the kids can play . . .

What mischief are we going to get into while he’s gone?

Anyway . . . be praying for the Taylor family . . . it’s been a crazy year for them getting Journey Church started, and there has been a lot of family issues thrown at them, too.  You know when God’s up to something big, you can expect to find Satan throwing all sorts of darts at it to keep it from happening.  Pray that this vacation will be a time to bond together as a family and come back renewed with a fresh vision to lead Journey Church in the coming year.

Veteran’s Day, the USA, and the Future of History

Today is Memorial Day . . .

A day our wonderful government has chosen to encourage us to remember and honor those who have lost their lives serving our country protecting the freedoms and ideals our country holds dear.

Over the past few years, the media has tried to teach us to appreciate these freedoms and ideals less and less . . . As a result, it is often harder to really appreciate the lives lost to protect us.

I am personally glad to have a day off from the daily grind.  My life has been so crazy lately that an extra day to spend with Emily and to catch up with myself is just what I needed.  We have a vacation coming up in a couple weeks.  Having today to relax will probably make our vacation a whole lot better. 

But, I don’t want to be selfish.  Even though the holiday is a great value to us as a couple, I am taking this moment to remember.  If men and women had not given their lives for our country over the past 226 years, I probably would not be able to sit here on my wireless notebook computer and post my personal thoughts on everything for the entire world to read.  Our nation has left a mark on this world.  Whether or not the USA continues to exist until Jesus returns, we have made an impression that will affect how it all turns out . . . Perhaps we exist simply to set in motion a portion of history prophecied about by men like the Apostle John and the prophet Daniel.

I don’t want to forget those that made that possible.

Happy, Downcast, Joy, Joy!

It’s once again my “Pre-Travel-Guide” blog entry . . .

This week, Eric will be giving us a preview of our upcoming ”Overflow” series about living with joy.

The bottom line of this series is that our feelings can change in an instant . . . one minute happy, the next sad, angry, lonely, silly, or whatever.  BUT, as Christ-followers, our circumstances and feelings may change, but we can always CHOOSE to live with Joy.

Whenever someone starts talking about Joy . . . it is inevitable . . . Nickelodeon’s Ren and Stimpy pop into my head with their annoying “Happy Happy Joy Joy” song . . . and, of course, right now . . . Sara Lee has chosen to adopt the song in their commercials to convey their tag line of “The Joy of Eating.”

Sara Lee might be on to something here, though.  Think about it.  There are certain foods that can overcome any circumstances and any feelings. 

When a girl goes through a major ordeal, there’s nothing a half-gallon of Edy’s Ice Cream can’t make better . . . especially if you can take the whole carton and sit on the kitchen floor with a spoon and just cry and inhale. 

When a 12 year old boy misses that big play in the championship game . . . go to CiCi’s Pizza or to the local ice cream shop, and everything seems to be better.

Sometimes it’s even the joy of preparing food that can make the circumstances of life go away . . .

How many men love to escape from life behind a giant barbecue grill with some fire and a hunk of cow on a Saturday afternoon?

Or what about the relationships that get built around food . . .

What is a tailgating party without all the food?

This, to me, is what Joy is all about . . . having some external overriding influence that can make any circumstance fade because there is a deep-seated contentment deep within you that knows there’s something better.

This is the kind of influence we can have as Christ-followers, when we truly understand the Joy of Jesus deep within.  Life can throw anything it wants at us, but there’s an influence deep within us that helps us put the momentary events in proper perspective . . . and the pursuit of God in our lives reminds us that we have infinite value, no matter what anyone else says or does.

Some people are fickle with joy.  I’m sure you know these people . . . Something terrible happens and it doesn’t even affect them, they just say, “That’s OK” and move on.  I don’t think Joy really works this way.  Jesus had compassion on people in various circumstances.  He even cried on occassion.  He got angry.  Joy doesn’t check circumstances and feelings at the door.  It overcomes their immediate affect and keeps our responses in check, to keep us from sinning.

I’m really looking forward to this series.  I really think there is going to be some great take-home lessons for all of us at Journey through the course of this series.  Maybe it will help encourage us when Journey isn’t growing or developing the exact way we want it to.  Maybe it will help us relate to our spouses, family, and friends better.  Maybe it will help us get beyond that tragic event in our past. Perhaps it will help us look at our jobs and school in such a way as to keep them in propere order in our priorities, and to move on when things go haywire.  Who knows.  I just know it’s going to be awesome!

Where are you headed? . . . part 2

It’s Monday night and my mind is processing a load of information from several sources . . . trying to put it all together . . . even though it’s probably not really even related . . .

Yesterday was Friend Day at Journey.  It was really exciting to have several new folks with us.  It was also really exciting to announce the launch of the new Growth Group in font of a bunch of visitors.  Journey Church holds authentic community as a core value, and Growth Groups are our primary tool help that happen.  I’m humbled by the responsibility to help develop the groups in such a way to accomplish this core value . . .  So, my second “where are you headed” post is an open-minded ramble about where I see the Growth Groups at Journey headed in the future . . .

I’m learning.  Sometimes from my own experiences.  Sometimes from someone else’s experience. Sometimes from a book.  I just finished reading Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small-Group Culture, by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits.  Eric leant me the book to read, and I’ve been working my way through it.  One main reason I’ve taken a while to read it is because I’ve been thinking about putting together an organized way to equip our group leaders to be more effective small group leaders (including myself).

My main take-aways from the book (some of these are friendly reminders, others are helpful insights):

1. Our small groups need to be an environment to help people develop in a relationship with God, with fellow Christ-followers, and to invest in disconnected folks.
2. We need to work on developing relationships with group members outside of group times (I haven’t been real good at this, personally).
3. We need to continue to experiment to find the right way to bridge from Sunday morning to a Growth Group in order to get more people involved.
4. I need to develop a simple, concise, and consistent way to train current and future leaders to effectively lead their groups.
5. We need to define a few clear expectations and goals to define how Growth Groups are considered effective community-building tools at Journey Church.
6. I’m glad Eric is sold-out to small groups.  The more he, as the lead pastor, is involved in and encouraging others to be involved in Growth Groups, the more effective they will be.

Anyway . . . that’s my first-pass of take-aways from the book.  As I think more about it and begin to implement some of the ideas, I will probably sneak stuff out on my blog over the course of the summer.

New Growth Group!

Yes, it is official . . .

In case you haven’t heard . . .

We will be launching a new growth group on May 30!

If you are not in a Journey Church Growth Group . . . let me know, so we can get you hooked up!

Where are you headed? . . . part 1

Another CRAZY week . . .

I have gotten REALLY bad about keeping up with my blog.  Honestly, I’m getting pretty bad at keeping up with myself.  Our office is extremely busy, so I’ve been working from the moment I walk in the door until the moment I leave . . . and usually about an hour later than usual.  (I’m looking forward to our new receptionist starting on Monday . . . It might not help me directly, but should at least help keep the office running a little more smoothly.)

This post is my “pre-Travel Guide” post . . . the post that I use to begin putting my thoughts together to write this weeks’ Travel Guide for Growth Groups.  This week, for “Friend Day,” Eric will be concluding our “Questions” series by asking the question: “Where are you headed/going?”

Interestingly enough, I asked a group of people this question earlier this week.  On top of the work I am trying to keep under control, our company interviewed with a couple more potential church clients this week.  Both churches are considering relocation . . . but for drastically different reasons. 

One church has experienced repeated ups-and-downs for various reasons, but primarily because their facilities are inadequate.  However, a large portion of the congregation doesn’t understand this problem.  Additionally, the church doesn’t really have an identity to describe who they are to the surrounding community.  With several new churches in town, I told them they need to know where they are headed before everyone else rolls over them.  If they choose to pursue working with us, knowing clearly who they are will help us develop facilities to get them where they are going. I am excited to see what God is going to do with this church in the coming months and years!

The other church knows exactly who they are and are content with who they are.  Good for them.  BUT, I’m honestly not sure if where they are headed is really where they ought to be aiming.  I am curious to see what God does with this church.  I am also curious to see if our company gets to be a part of what God wants to do.  As the person who directs most of our church projects, it would be a good challenge for me to work with this church . . . and possibly an opportunity to make a lasting impact on a community.

So, now . . . on to this weeks’ Travel Guide to help you ask yourself the same question . . .

Blog Traffic . . .

Many of you know that I have a web site with all sorts of Ministry-related stuff at http://buildingchurch.net.  The site gets between 200-300 hits per day, which is pretty good for a site like mine.  There are several search terms that rank fairly well and get people to the site.  However, when the site first went online, I noticed that a random quote from a book I read in college brought a good bit of traffic . . .

I noticed the same thing is happening with my blog.  My Emily Dickenson quote a couple weeks ago is about the only Google term that has brought traffic to my site.  So, for those of you who like to make fun of me for being so “smart” and using weird quotes, perhaps there is actually method to my madness.