I just saw this awesome video on SXSW on DirecTV. The story is here.
March 20, 2009
March 16, 2009
Community Partnering
An aspect of missional ministry that is of great importance is the willingness of the local church to find partners in the community that open bridges into that community over which the gospel of Christ will travel. While building networks with other churches is also important, the community is impacted in a different way when governments, schools and businesses find that churches are interested in helping these entities become successful in their own mission.
In 2007, our then Pastor of Worship, Dan Brothers, had a vision to take our annual Christmas production outside in partnership with a local resort area. It was a pretty big step for us as it required a pretty large number of volunteers, but went very well with a good attendance. In Christmas of 2008 we again partnered with this resort and, based on our first partnership, they gave us a better location and offered to help with assorted expenses. We also agreed to allow our stage and sound equipment to be used by other groups at times when we were not utilizing it.
Last week two of our pastors, Ronnie Cansler and Joey Jernigan, and another leader from our church met with the marketing and management groups from the resort in order to get a jump on Christmas for this year. Because of weather concerns in December our goal had been to utilize a tent to help in the event of rain and give us the option to provide heat to those who attend. When the resort learned of that possibility, they agreed to foot the cost for all of the weeks of use with the exception of the two weeks that we actually use the tent. In return, our stage (which we build on site, tear down and remove) can be used by various school groups who come to sing carols, etc. We provide audio and lighting volunteers.
We would have been content to have that agreement as it allows for tremendous influence in our community but there was more. This particular resort has campgrounds and a 1,500 seat amphitheater. The management has agreed to allow us to do VBS, Bible clubs, mission VBS, etc, pretty much anything that might be on interest to those who are camping. We can also utilize the amphitheater for a concert series or other special musical event. They’ve given us the option of giving any message as long as the participants have the option to leave at any time.
Why would they do this? First, because our partnership has been done with an eye toward excellence. Each year that our stage and decorating is taking place, it amazes the employees of the resort than so many people will do this as volunteers. Second, because it generates income for the resort. At Christmas we are included in their marketing plans. Campground ministry opps will be another promotion that they can utilize if they desire. Any concerts that we perform or host generate gate revenue that otherwise would not exist for them. Third, because they have become convinced that we really have their interest at heart and are not simply looking out for our own. In community partnerships this is a key.
In many communities churches are seen as self absorbed, self focused and disinterested in anyone not already interested in them. Any meaningful partnership will require that churches demonstrate extended, not passing, interest in the benefit of businesses and organizations already in the community. It is this extending of ministry outside the campus parameters that catches the attention of non-believers. Each and every time they ask the question, “Why?” is another opportunity to give a reason of the hope that is in us.
March 13, 2009
I need your vote!
March Madness has started again at SBC Voices. I’m in the East Division; you can vote for 4 blogs in each division. Put me over the top!!
March 4, 2009
March 2, 2009
Recent Music and Sermon Series
I get the question occasionally about what, if any, secular music we do in our services. We have done a lot recently; here’s the list.
For our series on work entitled Take This Job and Shove It, we did the following:
Take This Job and Shove It, Johnny Paycheck
Bang on the Drum, Todd Rundgren
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford
Taking Care of Business, BTO
Forty Hour Week, Alabama
For a sermon yesterday on baptism, we opened with:
Come Alive, Foo Fighters
Yes, we do an occasional lyric tweak as required. And, yes, our band is multi-talented.
We also introduced a song that’s a year or so old, but new to us. It’s called Our God Saves, by Paul Baloche. Simple but powerful; worth checking out.
February 11, 2009
The Mike Wallace Interview
“Whether you agree or disagree with what you will hear, we feel that none will deny the right of these views to be broadcast.”
A friend recently told me about a project at the University of Texas in which 1950’s era interviews by Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame. The name of the show was The Mike Wallace Interview.
There are some really interesting subjects here: Reinhold Niebuhr, Margaret Sanger, Aldous Huxley, Malcolm Muggeridge and others. Each appears to be about 30 minutes long and carries the original ABC lead-ins and Mike pitching, and smoking, Phillip Morris cigarettes (his sponsor). The worst part of each episode is the theme music which is laughably bad; it sounds like a Saturday Sci-Fi channel movie.
This link to the lineup an be found here.
February 6, 2009
Random Ramblings, 02.06.09
The more global warming conferences we have, the colder it seems to get. Keep it up guys!
Michael Phelps smoked some expensive weed. Losing endorsements: Drugs are like that, too!!
RE: problems face by President Obama’s nominees. Trying to find a politician that does not have a questionable background is like trying to find a woman in the cathouse who hasn’t had the clap.
If I ever ran for POTUS, Ben Cole would be my campaign manager (chief of staff if I won) and Brett Compton would be my press secretary (on both counts). After that, the rest would be a piece of cake. I can assure you that my administration would be “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Some people will spend any and all amounts of money to keep their pet alive. I am not one of those people.
I wonder if Chesley Sullenberger can pilot all my flights from now on?
Facebook and Twitter seem to be putting a crimp into the blogosphere.
Who cares whether or not Jessica Simpson gains 1 pound or 100? Besides Tony Romo, I mean…
Every TV show I watch with my son turns into a live action Mystery Science Theater 3000.
My two oldest children have my sense of humor and my third is getting it. The world is not ready.
My Mom is in her mid 60’s and has virtually no gray hair. Where in the world did that gene go?? It sure didn’t come to me.
Any of you pastors ever notice that the person/people who know the most about how to spend money in the budget are the people who give the least?
Google is starting to be omnipresent. Cue the new mark of the beast theories.
February 4, 2009
Happy 25th Anniversary to my amazing wife, Sonya
Twenty five years ago today, I walked down the aisle an unsuspecting young man of 20 years who was thrilled to the core to be marrying Sonya Edwards, who I had been dating for two years. As we have discussed many times since neither one of us had the slightest idea what we were doing, only that we truly and deeply loved each other and wanted to spend our lives together.
Two weeks before our first anniversary, our first child was born (yeah, do the math), a girl, Beth, now married herself. When Beth was about 18 months old, Sonya was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease about which we knew virtually nothing other than it was a type of cancer. A surgery and lots of radiation later, we held on for the wild ride of CT scans for the next two years until we would know whether all those shadows were something scary or just scar tissue. Thankfully she was pronounced clean and we could start trying to have children again.
It was a while, but in 1991, just over six years since Beth’s arrival, Timothy was born. We’ve always considered him a miracle in the sense that we did not know for sure if Sonya would be able to become pregnant again. If you’ve ever met Timothy, you’ll probably not be surprised to find out that radiation was somehow involved, though you would likely have been thinking more along the line of Three Mile Island.
In 1995, quite unexpectedly, we found that we were expecting a third child who entered this world in December of that year, Abigail is, as her name suggests, a source of joy. After that blessing, Sonya was pretty insistent that I visit a particular doctor about a particular procedure. Using some pretty colorful language she…uhm…convinced me to go.
When I talked to my Dad about getting married, I was making $6.00 or so an hour working at a pest control company. He said it wasn’t enough to live on, so I asked my boss if I could get a raise up to $7.00 so “I can ask Sonya to marry me.” With complete disregard to my impact on Sonya’s future, he agreed to give me a raise. So, we married with making just over today’s minimum wage and her making more per hour but only working 30 hours or so a week. When the aforementioned unexpected first child was born, Sonya quit her job and I got a new job (delivery courier) making $310 a week. The young Bill Gates was getting a run for his money.
I eventually lost that job due to various off the job injuries that caused me to miss work for extended periods of time. So, after getting inspiration from the movie Baby Boom with Diane Keaton, we started working from our basement making decorative crafts both to wholesale to stores and retail at various shows around our area. I wielded a mean hot glue gun in those days. It goes without saying that Sonya’s unending work ethic drove our income as I was mostly useless with a leg length, post surgical cast while being intimate with my new best friend, Percocet.
After than episode, I was called to pastor a small family owned and operated church well south of Atlanta. For two years we ministered together and she was my biggest cheerleader even when things fell apart. She stood with me as we started a new church in a skating rink, even when we had to set up our Sunday morning chairs beside Saturday night’s wrestling ring. After our subsequent departure they bought property and continue to meet until this day, some 16 years later.
She stood with me as we could not afford to continue to pay rent and have to move back home: her to her parents and me to mine as neither home was big enough for our family of four. She waited patiently as my Mom used it as an excuse to enclose their garage, something she’d always wanted to do, so that we could move there together for the few months it took to find another ministry position.
She labored through a mission church assignment where she was the only nursery worker and the setting was truly a challenge. She gained poise and confidence as I served with a great staff at an Atlanta area mega church, always providing the balance I needed and warnings about who was legit and who was out to get me.
After God began to wrestle with me about leading a local church again, she prayed and partnered in another new adventure that brought us to New Bethany in 1998. She’s home-schooled all three of our children: Beth to scholarship and a graduation Cum Laude with distinction, Timothy to his recent acceptance to college to begin in the fall and Abigail who is now in middle school. In the midst of this she’s become an amazing home decor person, furniture recoverer, greeting card designer, costume maker, home organizer, horticultural practitioner, cook extraordinaire, Ebay seller and more other things than I can bring to mind.
She has provided more wisdom, encouragement and love to me than I could ever have been able to imagine coming from one person. She has read the Bible through more times than I’ve thought about doing it. She’s respected by everyone who has ever met her and the model for pastor’s wives: just be yourself and don’t worry about it. If you want to wear a skirt, wear a skirt. If you want to wear jeans, wear jeans. If you want to sit on the back row instead of the front one, then sit there every week. Make your husband your first priority after Christ and who cares if you play the piano, direct VBS or sing solos. Guide your own children to Godliness and shrug off the expectations of others.
In those melancholy moments I wonder what I would do if Sonya were to die. The only answer I can come up with is that I’d probably die too. I cannot imagine the poor woman who would have to measure up to the standard bearer and I hope I never have to find out. I really and truly hope that February 4, 2009 is the anniversary of our first twenty five years, not just twenty five years.
For whoever is reading, I love Sonya Duren like I love no one else. I would marry her over again, every single time. She’s everything I never knew I wanted and more.
I love you, honey. God is glorified in your life and both He and I are pleased.
I can’t wait for BC…
February 2, 2009
If you need a Monday morning laugh…
Ellen DeGeneres talks to Gladys Hardy from Austin, TX.
