Book #22...

The Fine Line
Kary Oberbrunner

As Christians we are called to be in the world but not of it, right? But what on earth does that kind of life look like?!?!

Kary brings it down to the fact that people tend to be in one of three camps.

The Separatists are the ones who hide from culture and, in doing so, cease to be relevant to those around them and have no impact for Jesus.

The Conformists are the ones who get so absorbed by culture that they too become irrelevant in having an impact for Jesus.

The Transformists are the few who can walk the fine line and balance the ability to be relevant to those around them while remaining connected to Jesus.

If I was to be honest I'm a conformist with separatist tendencies. I can get consumed by culture, or I can pull back so far that I remove myself completely from certain aspects of it. It's like a pendulum that never stops swinging. I'd rather be a transformist.

"That's what Transformists do. They shape the future by changing the present. They transform the world around them."

I want to be that.

I will gladly place this book on my must read list. Go buy it.

In the meantime, which camp do you fall into?

Book #21...

The Principle of the Path
Andy Stanley

I had BIG expectations for this book. With Andy Stanley’s name was attached to, I was sold on it before I had even read the back cover or the endorsements. Then I started reading and I felt like the wind was getting sucked out of me. The first two chapters were almost reading like a self-help book.

“If you do this, then you will get this.”

“If you change this, this will happen.”

But then Stanley set the record state by stating outright that “This is not a self-help book.” Can the man see into my mind?!?! He completely addressed some of the skepticism that I was starting to feel since the start of the book, and for some reason that gave me enough hope to keep on reading.

I’ll admit that this doesn’t rank up there as my favorite book by Stanley, but nonetheless I find the premise and the content to be worthy enough of some reading time and some consideration for life choices.

The basic premise is that our intentions are not what will determine how our life ends up. Rather, it is the direction we are taking that will dictate (for the most part) where we end up. And, if that happens to be the case, then maybe we have a responsibility to do something about how we are living, particularly if we have an ending location in mind.

Makes sense for the most part, even though it still sounds a little too much like “self-help”. But it was a good read and it might just help give you some food for thought as to where your life is headed.

Book #20...

Violets Are Blue
James Patterson

So, my mom bought a stack of Patterson books at a library sale and sent them my way. And we all know I'm a sucker for free books. But this was a book about vampires for crying out loud! At least I'm not out of pocket anything for this one.

(But I did read it...)

Downloading as I type...

Need I say more?

(And yes, it's legal!)

Unsilent silence...

I just spent the last 24 hours out at Camp Kawkawa.

Intended purpose? Silence.

Mission accomplished? Not entirely.

Was it worth it? Yes.

I did some reading, some journaling, some visioning...visioneering...uh...dreaming. I wrote. I kayaked. I waited. I listened. And amongst other things I heard the music from the camp over that spoke of tequila making someone's clothes fall off and someone else holding a beer while their girlfriend got kissed.

Brought the whole time to a close with a family canoe trip when they came to pick me up.

Now I'm back at home and ready for another week.

Why isn't it normal to do this more often?

Silence...

I have a friend Andrew who has been bugging me for a while that I need to take a silent retreat. In fact, it was something that I was feeling strong enough about that I got our Exec Pastor on board and these mini-retreats became part of my soul care plan for the ministry year.

It also turns out that I'm going to be teaching about the spiritual discipline of silence/solitude next Sunday. And since I've passed things over to Josh for the next few weeks, I figured that now was as good a time as any.

The more I think about it, the more nervous I get.

I'm not a silent guy.

But I think I need to unplug and listen.

Have you ever done a silent retreat? What do you do?

Geek alert...

I've noticed a few mentions of Google Wave throughout the day. So, since Erin was out and about and the kids are in bed, I figured I'd be a total geek and watch this video of Google Wave.

What will be some ministry implications and possibilities of this gem?

Student ministry moment of the week...

I get back to the office yesterday after lunch and I'm looking forward to a solid 2 hour chunk of time where I can do some prep work on some premarital counseling. I've been struggling to even find the time over the last few weeks to work on this project, so I was hopeful that this would be a productive window.

Yeah, the key word being "hopeful".

Instead I had one of my high school guys waiting at the church for me with this comment:

"Hey. I was coming over at 3 for the drop in, so I thought I'd just come now since I wasn't busy."

I think I may adopt a new student ministry motto.

"Students: they're not busy, so why should you be?"

Seriously though, I'm glad that my students feel like they can just stop by and hijack some of my time.

European Champs...

Congratulations Barcelona.

I think it would have been a more interesting game though if Manchester United had actually showed up ready to play.

I don't think I've been this disappointed in how my team played in a long while.

What system...

Yesterday I sat down in the Youth Centre with Jamie and Josh, cracked open a Coke and listened to Andy Stanley talk about systems. (Go buy the DVD here.)

It did more than just inspire me. It rattled me to my core.

"Systems create behaviors."

We are all surrounded by systems. Our family, our work, our sports teams, our churches. And each system will elicit a behavior or action from the individuals involved.

So, what do you do if you don't like the behaviors that are showing up? Do you just get rid of the people? No. You change the system.

Uh...how did I miss this?

I will not change behaviors of my students or volunteers over night. But I can recreate a system that will allow their behaviors to change over time.

As a leader, I need to take responsibility for the systems that I have put in place, whether I did so intentionally or accidentally. Somewhere along the line I have been rewarding the wrong things, which in turn has created a system, which in turn has brought about certain behaviors and attitudes.

I cannot let that continue.

The system needs to change.

I'm neck-deep in asking big questions and re-evaluating how we are currently "doing" student ministry, because I think we've got some poor systems in place.

I'm curious to know, what systems around you need to change?

Quoteworthy...

We occasionally watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight.

It's on in the background right now.

Jon is trying to explain himself and his actions over the last few months. I'll spare you any commentary on that, but he did say something that I found completely profound.

"One day my kids will Google me and I will have to explain myself."

So...what would your kids learn about you if they Googled you?

Does that motivate you to pay attention?

Offline...

I woke up Saturday and wondered what I got myself into. I usually do a little morning blog reading in between cinnamon buns and soccer, so when there was no soccer to watch it made the commitment to being offline that much more difficult.

It got a little easier as the weekend went on.

In fact, I was quite surprised by how quickly I adjusted. I know it was only 2 days, but I figured I would spend 2 days fully regretting it. I didn't. Instead I find myself thinking I should do this more often.

It gave me some more time with the kids, more time outside, more time to read, more time with my wife. It's somewhat discouraging to think of how much time I've wasted away in front of this computer when I could be spending the time more appropriately with real life human beings.

What's next? I need to come up with some sort of plan for computer usage. I'll work on that and get back to you. I'm not going to go dark. But I will try to be more selective about when I'm online.

Online sabbatical...

I've been bugging Josh that he's a Facebook addict.

He has co-accused me of being a Twit addict.

It's a never ending argument.

But I recently read a post by Anne Jackson that says some good things about how to know if you are an addict. Quit for two weeks and see how long you last.

Now, I won't be silly enough to do that. But I do need to try this on a small scale. So I'm unplugging for the weekend. No blogging. No Twitter. No Facebook. Nada.

I'll plug back in Monday afternoon and see how things are going.

I'm hoping this can also help prepare me for a message I'm preparing for on June 7th. What is it? Making room in our lives for intentional silence so we can listen for the voice of God.

This is one of the things I need to do in order to make silence.

I'm also tentatively planning on a mini silent retreat On June 1 & 2. I'll keep you posted.

Strange grads...

This stems from a phone call at 9:15am from a recent grad of ours. This is part of the conversation:

Grad: "Hey Mike, have you been in your office yet?"

Me: "No. Why?"

Grad: "Oh...nothing. I'll ask you later then."

It's my day off and now all I want to do is go and find out what a group of grads may have done to my office last night after their ceremony. I know I shouldn't have left so early.

Should I worry?

In a world of students...

It's grad season. And since our church building is one of the largest in the city we host most of the graduation ceremonies for the high schools. As it turns out we have a group graduating tonight and then another group graduating tomorrow!

And when did I find out? This week!

And do you think we actually have tickets? Well, after a quick scramble by some of our awesome admin staff we were able to get access to tomorrow night's ceremony, but not tonight's.

But that's not a big deal since I happen to have keys to the building. I'm playing the "I'm on staff" card and I'm going to see if I can just walk in if I make it look like I know what I'm doing.

Is that dishonest?

Star Wars wins...

Payback to the Star Trek universe for stealing the Star Wars plot.



(ht/ Josh Griffin)

Book #19...

The Sacred Echo
Margaret Feinberg

I bought this after sitting in on Margaret's session at Catalyst West and it was also driven by my desire to have some new voices to listen to. I loved the idea of listening for those echoes of God's voice. Those moments in our life when it seems like God keeps saying something over and over again. Those moments that we cannot afford to ignore.

As I was reading, I'm reminded of the scared echoes that I hear from God from time to time:

• I love you.
• Love people.
• Slow down.
• Keep going.
  

This was a great book. I'd suggest that you buy your own copy and try to pay attention to some of the echoes of God in your own life.

Book #18...

Afraid
Jack Kilburn

I've been reading J.A. Konrath since some time last year and I've been enjoying his writing. Sure, it's not exactly family-friendly reading, but I find his books to be a good change of pace where I don't have to think too much and I can jump in and out of the story whenever I feel.

While stumbling around the web I discovered that Konrath had written a new book under the name Jack Kilborn and decided that I should read it. But I forgot about it until I was wandering through the Seattle airport and saw it sitting on a shelf. So I bought it and dove in.

This is definitely not a detective mystery like the other books he has written. It's not good reading for those with a weak stomach, or with too vivid of an imagination as it might keep you awake at night for weeks to come. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's classified as a horror.

But, once again I was sucked in and found that the short sections (there actually are no chapters in this book) made it easy to pick the book up and set it down at almost any given time.

Good read.

Long Weekend Recap...

We ran away this weekend to Seattle. We've been saving up our Starwood points for a while and realized that we could trade them in for a free night's stay, so I took Sunday off and we headed south.

We spent some time at the zoo, we shopped some used music & book stores, we swam in the pool, we slept in, we wandered the Pike Place Market, and we ate on the waterfront. A nice way to spend the weekend.

After we returned home last night we had some friends come over to watch our kids so we could head out with Erin's parents and with Josh to watch the new Star Trek movie. A few random observations from the movie:

• It's way too distracting when the idiot behind you keeps kicking your chair through the ENTIRE movie
• Somebody had brutal gas. And it wasn't me.
  
• This Star Trek movie was a lot like a Star Wars movie I saw years ago.

Summer is coming...

Because we're CHAMPIONS!

Free music...

If you would like some free live Coldplay music, go here.

Scamming the Tooth Fairy...

Yes, we are heathens and our kids believe in the Tooth Fairy. Or the Tooth "Person" as I like to call him/her.

Here's the background for this story.

Aidan lost a tooth a while ago, but he accidentally swallowed it. He didn't place it under his pillow for obvious reasons and he missed out on the $1 reward. We all pretty much forgot about the incident.

Fast forward to last week when Aidan lost another tooth. (And lets give me a shout out for pulling that thing out. It was my first tooth pulling as I'm normally quite adverse to yanking things out of anyone's mouth.)

Aidan gets the idea to place a note under his pillow explaining to the "Tooth Person" that he didn't get his money for the last tooth he swallowed.

You got to give the kid props for trying. So I (uh, I mean the "Tooth Person"), showed a little mercy and gave him a quarter with a note explaining that a full $1 is only given when the tooth is under the pillow, but we could "sneak" him the $0.25.

He was thrilled that he got the quarter.

But then Becca gets an idea to leave a similar note. But she decided to take things to a whole new scamming level. She writes a note to the "Tooth Person" about how she lost 4 teeth and swallowed them.

Yeah...right.

Well, I (I mean the "Tooth Person") started leaving notes with her each night about how her smile does not show any more missing teeth than what she has already been paid for. I also wrote about how lying is not right and it may place future "Tooth Person" visits at risk.

The good news is that she apologized in her return notes. And now she has hung the notes from the "Tooth Person" up in her room as a reminder to tell the truth.

While somewhat humorous, this story is only the tip of a large iceberg. Our little girl has been having major problems with truth telling lately. This has been a tough week on us as we have tried to figure out what to do in order to help her get out of this habit. Let's just say that there have been some significant changes to her little life that we think will help bring about some behavior changes.

So, if you think of it, can you pray for us all?

Sometimes it's tough being a parent.

Tunes...

Here's a few things that have popped up lately that I'm totally digging musically.

Eddie Kirkland - I was on the hunt for some new music to teach my students, and came across Eddie by way of North Point Music blog (which you should definitely subscribe to if you're involved in worship leading at your church). I immediately bought a few songs from his album Orthodoxy from iTunes. I like Eddie's music, vocals and lyrics...aka the trifecta! I'll suggest you listen to "Hands of the Healer", "Nothing But You", "Sweetest Mystery" or "Never Failed Me".

Glare of Rockets - Mariah sang at Catalyst and I thought she had a great voice, but I'm particularly digging the song "Standing At the Scene".

Dave Matthews Band - This is probably no surprise, but since their newest single hit, I've had it on replay. I wouldn't classify it as an epic DMB song, but I'm still liking it.

Tim Hughes - Once again on the lookout for new music for the band to work on, I discovered this gem called "Holding Nothing Back".

Death Cab For Cutie - Picked up "The Open Door EP" and have enjoyed it.

U2 - Our copy of "Medium, Rare, Remastered" arrived in the mail and I've been enjoying what seems like new music.

Catalyst West Review (part 8)...

A few thoughts from Friday, April 24 at Catalyst West.

Erwin McManus is a creative genius. And his talk challenged me to look around me to see how I could possibly help others to awaken their dreams.

Rick Warren was interviewed by Andy Stanley. Good stuff. And funny to boot. Rick is a wise man with lots of great insights, even if you aren't a fan of the whole "purpose driven" thing. The guy loves Jesus and loves people. You cannot miss that when you see him talk.

Particularly helpful is his advice to:

• Divert daily: know what energizes you
  
• Withdraw weekly: if you aren't taking a day off every week, you are breaking the commandments
  
• Abandon annually: the world can get along without you.

Craig Groeschel hit the stage to break apart some common myths that he had been taught, but then eventually began to think himself. The idea that the church should be a safe place, the idea that building his ministry was his highest calling, and the idea that success is only found in the big numbers. I appreciated his honesty and could see how I myself have bought into these myths from time to time.

He also introduced us to the concept of 3rd line believers.

• Line 1: I believe in the Gospel enough to benefit from it.
• Line 2: I believe in the Gospel enough to contribute comfortably.
• Line 3: I believe in the Gospel enough to give my life to it.
  

Think about it. If you are currently involved in church leadership of any sort, what are most of the people around you living like? What are you living like?

Me? I'm Line 1 with gusts of Line 2. I need Line 3 and I'm realizing more and more that I have a long way to go and that some major changes are needed in my own life in order to do so. Maybe I'll share more about this in the future.

Francis Chan was the wild card for me. I've heard so much good stuff but never heard him before. I had also read Crazy Love and wasn't crazy in love with it. But after hearing the man pour his heart out, I've got nothing but the utmost respect for him.

--------------------------------------

I should point out that I am not doing justice to any of these speakers. And if you're tempted to dismiss anyone based on what I've typed here, please be kind enough to reconsider.

I'm still working through some of these thoughts/words/challenges in my won life. It's a work in progress that I'm hoping to spend some more time reflecting on at an upcoming personal retreat that I NEED to take.

All in all, I'd say Catalyst was worth the time and money, and I'd like to take it in again next year. The only change I would like to make is being able to attend with some more team members so that we could spend time processing together.

Catalyst West Review (part 7)...

Continuing with some thoughts of Thursday, April 23rd.

Jud Wilhite used a creative visual for his talk (his summary notes are here) that I'm bound to steal for the future. He wrote words on a mirror that could reflect how we view ourself. Then at the end he smashed the mirror revealing the words "In Christ" (or something close to that). I've since seen a similar version pop up here at Josh Griffin's blog too.

If it works, it works.

Brian Houston may not have captured me much with his overall content, but his lead in words sunk in and bounced around.

"I'd rather be a church builder than a church critic."

I'll be the first to admit that I'm often cynical and somewhat lacking in hope, particularly when it comes to the "church". It's Brian's words that keep echoing to remind me that my focus needs to be building, not just critiquing. I usually forget the building part.

Would I rather be a church builder or a church critic?

Cool...

I'm having a rough night.

Not much I can say except that I'm eating my words and starting to reap the effects of too many weeks running at a break neck pace. Now my body is making it known that it will have no part of this craziness.

Well, I decided to quickly check my emails (not my work ones) while transferring a few pictures from yesterday's Mother's Day outing.

I was greeted by these words,

You are receiving this email because you are one of the winners of Anne Jackson’s recent blog giveaway of The Fine Line, by Kary Oberbrunner.

Apparently I won a free book because I left a comment here on Anne Jackson's blog.

That was cool.

Also, I think I may live in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen with three of the most beautiful people on earth.

This was from our trip to Bridal Falls.

That was also cool.

Yes, I'm bringing "cool" back.

It's Monday...

The week begins again.

It will be a little more bonkers than usual.

But I will keep myself afloat and my priorities in check.

What's your week looking like?

Catalyst West Review (part 5)...

While I found this session less than life changing, I did find Guy Kawasaki to be fairly creative and somewhat funny. And his notes were easy to type out, so here's a summary on the "Art of Innovation":

1. Make meaning
-end bad things; create good things
-do something to change the world
2. Make mantra
-most mission statements are too long
-choose 2 or 3 words that define your church
3. Jump to the next curve
-don't define yourself by what you currently do
-get better
4. Roll the DICEE
-Deep, Intelligent, Complete, Elegant, Emotive
5. Don't worry, be crappy
-if we wait for things to be the best, the world will pass us by
6. Polarize people
-if you try to appease everyone you will achieve mediocrity
-if your create something great you will create controversy
7. Let 100 flowers blossom
-take what you get, even if it's not what you expected
8. Churn baby, churn
-keep working
-how can you evolve your product?
9. Find a niche
-what makes you unique and valuable?
10. Follow the 10-20-30 rule
-10 slides, 20 minutes to view slides, 30 point font
11. Don't let the bozos grind you down

Catalyst West Review (part 4)...

I think Andy Stanley is the man. Not in the same way as Brad mind you. I dared him to try and get Andy to sign his chest while we were at Catalyst and I think he actually contemplated it!

Anyways...when Andy talks I tend to listen. He's one of the regulars that I listen to on my iPod because I find that he oozes wisdom. He almost always has something to say that can force you to rethink or reevaluate your life for the better.

His focus was on "Leading in Times of Uncertainty".

"The higher up you go in an organization, the more complexity and uncertainty there is."

"Uncertainty is why we need leaders."

"Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership."

"I will always be uncertain. I'm certain of it."

"As a leader it's ok to be uncertain, but it's not ok to be unclear."

"Pull back to that thing that God called you to do in the beginning. It will help bring clarity."

"When uncertain, get clear. Retreat to your vision."

"We tend to fall in love with our plans and we forget about our vision."

"Where's the vision conflicting with the plan? Sacrifice the plan for the vision."

What one quote would resonate or bother you the most?

Catalyst West Review (part 3)...

A few quoteworthy items from Erwin McManus' closing session at the Origins Lab.

"We focus so much on a theology of being separated from God that we forget about the theology of everyone being created in His image."

"We're more committed to visual success rather that true transformation."

"Are we willing to risk the loss of our reputation to be part of what Jesus called us to do?"

"There's nothing we do in the first space that isn't heard or known in the third space."

Some of these are still ringing in my ears. As I look at how often I strive to be viewed as successful or I try to gain a good reputation, but I sometimes neglect to ask whether I am truly seeking to be a part of what God is calling me to.

I know that I'm not a complete washout, but I do know that I need plenty of healthy reminders (ie- kick in the butt) from time to time.

How about you?

Catalyst West Review (part 2)...

A few highlights from Dan Kimball speaking about the missional church and the need for us to recalibrate church.

• We are the church. We don't go to church.
• There is no status difference between paid and unpaid staff.
• The building is our missional training and support center.
• It's not God's house.Evangelism is caring about people and going through life with them.

Quoteworthy:

"How can we know anyone if we're so busy with ourselves?" -Dan Kimball

"Not recalibrating theology, but recalibrating how we discuss theology" -Dan Kimball

Catalyst West Review (part 1)...

I jumped on a plane last month with Jamie (our young adults pastor) and headed off to Irvine, CA for Catalyst West. Since we were traveling so far we figured we might as well take in the Origins Lab the day before it officially started. The morning started off with everyone together in one room for a general session before letting us break away and choose our midday labs that were scattered across the campus of Mariner's Church.

I found my way into a session with Margaret Feinberg, one with Dan Kimball and a panel discussion with some of the pastors from different Mosaic campuses. While all three of those sessions were decent, it was the time with Erwin McManus that left the biggest impression.

Erwin McManus read from Acts 17. He went into a lengthy conversation about how we as Christian leaders need to move beyond the first space (our self made "Christian bubble") and into the second space (where we live and play everyday and rub shoulders with people that don't know Jesus). By doing so can find ourselves invited into the third space (the place we cannot force our way into; it's invite only). We only get there after earning the right to be present and to be heard in the second space.

If that's a little convoluted, sorry. Erwin actually needed to come back after he spoke in the morning and readdress it in the last session. Either way I found myself processing.

I was wondering if I get so content in my first space bubble that I completely forget about the spaces beyond. Where have I earned the right to be heard? Where do I have an influence? Where do I strive to be an influence?

Quoteworthy:

"Just because I can't answer your questions doesn't mean there isn't a God. It just means I'm stupid. There's a big difference." -Erwin McManus

"Most of us really want to be popular in the first space, thereby limiting our impact in the second space, and eliminating ourselves entirely from the third space." -Erwin McManus

"Wouldn't it be amazing if we stopped playing around in the first space and started living and making a difference in the second and third space?" -Erwin McManus

Book #17...

Death By Love
Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears

I started reading this as prep work for a message I was getting ready to teach on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The book consists of 12 letters that Mark writes to different individuals explaining how the death and resurrection of Jesus can impact their life. He dives into detailed descriptions of everything from justification to propitiation to expiation to unlimited limited atonement.

It was not a simple read. Nor was it always pleasant. Many of the personal stories of the individuals that Mark writes to are just plain uncomfortable to read. That said, it isn't something to ignore. I actually found that it brings new life to everything I'm reading.

I'll also admit that Driscoll's tone sometimes teeters on condescending. But, if you know that he's a "call-it-like-you-see-it" kind of guy, it tends to match up with what he's like when preaching and teaching.

This book is a great resource that I imagine I'll be dusting off time and time again. I'd recommend reading it.

Looking back...

Here's a photo update from the last month.


Playing Tanks at Easter.







The intern celebrates a birthday.







Meal #1 from the Catalyst West trip.








Walking Hollywood Boulevard before Catalyst West.








Reason #1 of why I have dented walls in my hallway.











Reason #2 of why I have dented walls in my hallway.











Guess what came in the mail today.

Better late than never...

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe
Larry Osborne

This is the review that I mentioned was due while I was in California. Sure, I'm well aware that I've been back from California for well over a week, but I suffer from a mild case of "not-doing-things_itis".

As far as life changing books go, this is not one of them (at least for me). But it's not a horrible book either, by any means. In fact, I love the concept of trying to break down some of those "spiritual urban legends". There's just too many of them floating around.

The big ones that Larry focuses in on are:

• Faith can fix everything
• Forgiving means forgetting
• A Godly home guarantees Godly kids
• God has a blueprint for my life
• Christians shouldn't judge
• Everything happens for a reason
• Let your conscience be your guide
• God brings good luck
• A valley means a wrong turn
• Dead people go to a better place

I'd have to say that I wasn't completely enthralled with the depth of content, but I do believe that many of these topics would be great launching points for a small group study. I could see this starting some great conversations with people who have grown up in the church, as well as people who had no connection with the church. The thing is that in both groups you will likely find a pile of people who believe these previously stated "spiritual urban legends".

I've got 2 free copies to give away.

Let's go with the first two of you who can share a "spiritual urban legend" that you have had to unlearn. Leave an email address so I can contact you.

I could do this...

How long would I have to ride my bike before I could do this?

My wife think I'm crazy...

I do not know why I find these things so funny, but Erin is getting concerned.

Tell me, should she be? Or is this actually funny?

Get Your Dukes Up from Si on Vimeo.

May...

What on earth happened to the sun?!?!

I'd like yesterday's weather back.

I'm sorry that I'm lacking any profoundity today, but I felt like I must blog after being such a slacker last month.

And let's not mention the fact that I still haven't gotten around to the book review that was due last week...sheesh!

Oh yeah...and go follow me on Twitter.

Tweet off...

I started a Twitter account back in 2007. That was before it was even cool. I tweeted once and left it alone. But now I'm back and I need your help.

Josh and I decided to create a competition to see who could gain the most followers on Twitter by mid-June. The loser has to do something stupid. I'd rather that I was not the loser.

All I'm asking of you is to sign into Twitter and follow me. If you do, I promise to follow you in a completely unstalking fashion. Deal?

If I sound pathetic asking you to do this, then you need to know that Josh got his mom to sign up for an account to start following him.

If you're on Twitter, just look for knotter.

Book # 16...

Mad Church Disease
Anne Jackson

I'm starting a new list of books that must be read every year and this one is going on the list. As someone who has experienced countless sleepless nights and even an occasional panic attack, I'm well aware of some of the burnout that can come from working for a church.

I'm also thankful that I haven't been wiped completely off the map by it. But to stay that way I need to take some precautions.

This book will not only be a wake up call for many in ministry, but I think it will save lives.

If you are in ministry, do yourself a favor and go buy the book. Seriously. Do it.

The "other" voices...

Two things dawned on me lately that I'm not particularly proud of.

One is that even though I like to think I'm a half decent communicator, I'm finding that I still have a long way to go to become a better communicator with the 3 other people closest to me. So that's one area that I need to key in on. It's a work in progress that I'm trying to sort out.

Second, I have found that I have surrounded myself with a lot of input by 30-40 year old Caucasian males (mostly from the US). I'm sure there is some societal explanation for this that I will never understand, or attempt to understand, but I am unnerved that it is there nonetheless.

I heard Rick Warren speak this last week about how we need to learn from everyone. I'll spare you the details of the interview for now, but suffice it to say that it gets me thinking.

Who do I learn from?

What books am I quick to buy and read?

What podcasts and speakers am I quick to listen to?

Needless to say, I need to start listening to some new (and in some cases "older") voices. So here's what I've done, or am doing:

• Read "Mad Church Disease" by Anne Jackson.
• Attended a seminar and picked up a book by Margaret Feinberg
• Picked up "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton
  

I know there's more to be done, but at least it's a start.

So, what "other" voices are feeding into your life?

Catalystic review (not)...

A few of you were probably fast enough on the blogging front to catch a couple blog posts I made from my cell while I was away at Catalyst this week. Nothing really exciting, except maybe for the photo of what I ate while at Fuddruckers in Burbank.

At some point this week I hope to do an official summary of the week, which I must say was great.

I also have some reading updates to do, a few books to give away, and a few other randomocities.

Hope I see you around this week.

Weekend update...

Wow, I'm becoming a blog slacker.

Wondering what I'm up to? I'm not too sure myself some days. But here are the big two:

• Watching playoff hockey.
• Watching football (EPL, FA Cup, Champions League)

And here's a little video for your viewing pleasure.

Book #15...

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe
Larry Osborne

I'm participating in a blog tour for this book next week, so I'll save my thoughts for then. I'll also be giving away a couple free copies of the book in case you don't want to buy your own, so you might want to stay tuned if you like free stuff.

Starting the week at 4:00am...

Our friends Ryan (former intern) & Lauren were staying with us this past week and I offered to drive them into Vancouver this morning so they could catch their flight. Not 10 minutes into our drive we witness 2 people jogging. Who on earth jogs at 4:25am on a Monday? Or on any day for that matter?

I was back home by 6:30ish, but instead of heading back to bed I opted to do some video editing and catch up on some reading.

But the couch is looking more and more appealing as time passes.

And if I go back to bed I am worried that I will not wake again until tomorrow. And I have things I need to do today.

So...

It's Easter. What are you up to?

Thursday afternoons...

I had a crappy night at youth last night. It was one of those occasions where it seems like little is going right. Everything from the setup to the worship to the message seemed to be off. And I have no explanation for it. I was more prepared than usual, and yet I was completely out of sync.

In order to not get caught up in the "woe is me" mentality, I have decided that I shall try to focus on the things that bring me joy on these cloudy Thursday afternoons.

The guacamole video from 2 weeks ago is still changing lives. Swarley Swift has "entered" the world. We have friends camping out with us. I'm a couple of weeks away from a California trip. And I finally have new glasses that are not disintegrating (sorry Nathan & Peter, but I couldn't go for the matching specs like you).

And since you have hopefully already shared in the joy that is the guacamole video, I will now present you with Swarley Swift's video debut:


Swarley Swift (The Medley) from knotter on Vimeo.

Book #14...

Starving Jesus
Craig Gross & J.R. Mahon

It seems like everything I'm reading lately tends to challenge me in the same areas. And since the theme of this book tends to be about getting "out of the pew", it's once again fitting as some of the topics in the book (Bible reading, outreach, fasting) are things that have been popping up in other areas of my own thought life.

In the last couple of weeks I feel myself being pushed to make some changes. Things cannot stay the same. I don't mean to be cryptic, but I haven't been able to flesh anything out yet. I just know that it's there.

As for the rest of this book, it is a combination of Craig's thoughts, mixed with J.R.'s stories, and interspersed with scripture. While the book doesn't detail the entire 40 day journey they took on their Starving Jesus Tour back in 2006, it does give some of the background into what led up to the journey, as well as highlighting some of the more noteworthy moments in their travels.

Mostly, I'm just thankful for the push.

Catching up...

The week in review:

• Started a new teaching series for our students called Coffeehouse Theology. We based the idea on the book of the same name that I'm currently working my way through.
• Almost had a drunk homeless man take a swing at me 10 minutes after hugging me for finding him a way to stay out of the rain.
  
• The Habs have really turned things around and I'd like to think they could really make some progress in the post season if things keep clicking.
  
• Welcomed home some friends from their YWAM trip with a spaghetti supper. It's great to share some laughs and reconnect after not seeing them for so many months.
• Trying to buy some guitar pedals. I've got my eye on a few Craigslist leads, but we'll see if things work out.
• Watched my son completely break down in tears when he lost most of his money in last night's Monopoly game to his mom. To be honest, I almost cried 30 minutes earlier when she took all my money too.
• Where was Becca during the game? Washing the dishes. Sure, if I was her boss I would have fired her for not actually cleaning anything. But hey, she wanted to do it. You can't say no to that, right?
• Watched Liverpool score in the final minutes their game which keeps the pressure on United to keep winning. No more slip ups.
• Hung out with the soccer boys today and had a BBQ. I like these guys, and while I can get frustrated with our lack of skill at times, I do like hanging out with these guys.

To the prairies and back...

A few weeks ago we were in Manitoba for a little visit. I'll spare you the complete details, but here are a few pics from the journey.

We found some time on our trip to snap some family photos. It was kind of an early 35th anniversary present for my parents. Lots of wet shoes from the snow, but at least we got a sunny day.

A friend, Nathan, hooked us up with some wheels while we were in the area. I seriously expected a used 1982 Dodge Caravan, so I was surprised when we were handed the keys to this beast.

I use the term "beast" affectionately. I'm not a big fan of Mustangs (or Ford for that matter), but ripping around town and splashing through March puddles in this thing was a blast.

And yes, I did actually put the top down, even if it was only for a few minutes.

But have you ever tried to sit in the backseat of one of these? The kids didn't have any leg room, and they hardly have legs!

A quick drive into Winnipeg on the Tuesday of our trip found us enjoying French toast with an old friend while making two more new friends. Chris, Kelly and Ben were great hosts and it was so great to catch up with someone I haven't seen in over ten years.

You know those people that you can start talking with and it's like you never missed a beat? This was one of those times. I wish we were a little closer to hang out more often, but we'll look you up the next time we're in town.

Just call me a tragic comic...

10,000 points to the first person who can correctly identify which band wrote a song containing the above lyrics. (No Google cheats!)

Now on to my unrelated topic.

Where have all the good comedies gone?!?!

This past weekend I tried, and subsequently failed, to find a good movie that would evoke within me the most sincere type of laughter. You know, the side splitting, gasping for air, rolling on the floor laughing my...you get the point.

The culprit this time around was Role Models. And while I am consoling myself with the fact that it only set me back $0.88, I'm still miffed that I was once again left without a solid 90-120 minutes of side-splitting laughter.

I've tried them all in recent months: Step Brothers, Love Guru, Pineapple Express, Superbad, Tropic Thunder, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and likely a few more that I have tried to forget about. Taking into consideration that I saw Tropic Thunder in the theater, I've probably spent close to five whole dollars on the others.

Now, I know I should count myself lucky that I haven't been forced to fork over a mind numbing $6.00 to Blockbuster each time I want to kill 90-120 minutes of my weekend, but I'm annoyed nonetheless. Each rental has left me with a few chuckles, but nothing I could take to the bank. Nothing that makes me say to myself or others, "Now THAT was a funny movie!"

Can somebody please point me in the direction of a newer release that will actually make me laugh? I want a funny movie that I'll find myself quoting for weeks to come. A movie that I'll gladly recommend to others. A film that leaves me gasping for air.

The Princess Bride.

Brain Donors.

Men in Black.

Fletch. (Just for you Jon!)

The Three Amigos.

Tommy Boy.

Airplane.

Napoleon Dynamite.

Seriously, what happened to all the funny?

I forgot how to read...

I am WAY behind on my reading goal of 52 books for this year. But I'm not giving up hope that I can get back on track.

I just finished book #13, which I've been working on for well over a month.

The Know-It-All
A.J. Jacobs

I actually swiped this book from my wife after she took it from the library. It traces Jacobs quest to read his way through the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. It's basically a large collection of mostly funny, sometimes eccentric, observations. You'll laugh, and you might even learn something.

I learned that a book, as defined by the UN, is anything that is at least 49 pages long. Erin can no longer argue that some of the books I've included on my reading list are not books.

Go watch...

Here's my list of three things you should make time to watch sometime in the next week:

1. ABC's Nightline Faceoff "Does Satan Exist?"
2. Mark Driscoll's final session at the Acts 29 Boot Camp. (I referred to this a few weeks ago here.)
   
3. Simon Panrucker singing about guacamole and cake. (I'll embed it below for your viewing pleasure!)

Guacamole from Si on Vimeo.

9 years later and I'm still in...

Last weekend I sat in a room full of students for the annual Legacy youth conference at Ambrose University College. And while I expected this to be like every other weekend. Little sleep, tested nerves, mediocre teaching, rock star worship, awkward small groups, skits full of inside jokes, and terrible food. (Optimistic, eh?)

In reality what I got was more reminiscent of a similar youth conference 9 years earlier where God decided that it was time to do some work on my heart.

This past weekend I was faced with the fact that I've let bitterness take over so much of my life and my heart. And it was clear that it could not be ignored any longer.

In one of those experiential teaching moments I found myself setting aside my pride and selfishness and confessing my bitterness to God. I felt like He was asking me to let go and in doing so I experienced grace.

Now, I know that I'm not done. I still have many rough edges that need some sanding. But I'm trying. And I'm remaining open to what God has for me.

It was this past weekend that God reminded me of what he has asked me to do with my life. Not just in what I do as a "job" but also what I do with my heart.

So, I'm still in. That's what I told Him.

It's a heartfelt response much like I remember distinctly from 9 years ago.

It's a reply I've been hesitant to make, but it's one that I need to make regularly with sincerity.

I'm in.

Thursday...

I have some thoughts brewing.

In the meantime, for all you married folks...when's the last time you hung out with your spouse?

Tuesday...

I'm wiped. How about you?

Musical notes...

Here's a few of the hits and the misses with musical purchases lately:

• Decemberadio "Satisfied" - Sounds too much like 80's Christian Hard Rock. Think Guardian and your close. MISS
• Josh Wilson "Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup" - I took a leap with this one after watching this video of him doing some sweeting looping. The album is a little too unoriginal and strikes me as too much of a typical Contemporary Christian Music album. MISS
• Enter the Worship Circle "Fourth Circle" - I've been on the hunt for some new "worship" music and this fit the bill of new and original. I'm totally digging it and the band gets major bonus points for posting all their guitar tabs on their site. HIT
• Jason Mraz "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." - You can accuse me of being a 13 year old girl, but I like the guy. And this Limited Edition came with an extra CD and a DVD. HIT
• U2 "Get On Your Boots" (single) - A huge waste of $0.99. I'm glad the rest of the album didn't follow in the footsteps of this one. MISS
  
• U2 "No Line On the Horizon" - It's freaking U2, what do you expect? Apparently they'll be in Vancouver on October 28. Anyone else in? HIT
• Mat Kearney "Closer to Love" (single) - His last album contained a few too many redo's from his first CD release, so I'm stoked about the new album coming out in May. HIT
  
• Dave Matthews Band "Sledgehammer" (single) - From the "Live at Mile High Music Festival", this is a fine cover of the Peter Gabriel hit. I still cringe every time I hear Dave's version of "Sweet Caroline", so when he does a cover I get nervous. But this one was well done. HIT

Changing my outlook...

After weeks of rolling up the rim and hoping...even sometimes praying for a winning cup, I've decided to face reality. I'm already a winner. Therefore I'm no longer 1 for 13. I am now 12 for 13. I'm changing my persepective.

Sure, it may sound like reverse psychology, but I'm ok with that.

Who watches the Watchmen...

Not I.


Seriously, I found myself staring at the screen and wondering when it was going to be over, and that was only 30 odd minutes into it! Another 15 minutes and I was no more enthralled.

It was finally around the 60 minute mark that the movie was ditched in favor of a 12:00am Salisbury House run.

Would you believe...

Today I drove around in a convertible.

I lost again at rolling up the rim.

My kids woke up 2.5 hours earlier than usual.

I reconnected with 2 people in the last week that I haven't talked with in over 10 years.

Driscollisms...

I found a link that allowed me to watch part an Acts 29 Boot Camp video online yesterday where Mark Driscoll was talking about "The Call to Endure".

Here's a few notes I scribbled down in the midst of a million other things that were going on. I'll spare you the commentary as I believe most of them are self-explanatory.

"Minister from your life. Don't make ministry your life."

"Don't allow ministry to become your idol."

"Ministry is the one idol that other Christians will bless."

"Sabbath is fun. Involuntary Sabbath is not fun."

"(In the church) Your wife and children should do whatever they would do if they were not with you."

"You'll have lots of fans, lots of foes, and very few friends. Ministry is lonely."

I know Mark ruffles some feathers. But I find much of what he does say to be pure gold in the wisdom department.

This is Tuesday...

It feels like Monday so I will now bombard you with randomness:

• Yay for Brad! Senior Pastor of Parking & Recycling.
• This season of 24 started a little slow for me, but it appears that Jack is finding his groove.
• Had a Youth Ministry 3.0 "book club" meeting (part 1 of 4) with some of my leaders last night. It was a fun conversation topped off by Kool-Aid and over-sprinkled sugar cookies.
• I am angry at "Christian music". I bought a stack of CD's so we could get some new tunes for our youth nights and 2 discs completely suck. Can somebody please point me to a decent "Christian" band?!?!
• Taking a trip to the old stomping grounds in Portage this upcoming weekend. I hear it's cold there. Very, very cold.
• I'd like to go see Watchmen, but I cannot find the time.
• I have too many books that are in progress, with no end in sight.
• I would like to do something random and different today. Suggestions?
• I think my wife is beautiful.

How's your Tuesday?

Book #12...

A Christianity Worth Believing
Doug Pagitt

This book gets me thinking. How much do I currently believe about my faith just because everyone else around me believed it? How much do I actually know for myself? How much do I live and hold on to because I want to, and not just because of my upbringing?

How often do I question? How often do I search for answers? How often do I dig into life and God?

The answer? Not nearly enough.

I think my favorite part of this book was when Pagitt introduced me to the term of "contrarian". Now, I will be the first to say that I'm not usually one to rock the boat. In fact, I probably wish I was more rebellious that I actually am. Not just so I can stick out or be "relevant", but so that I can cause myself, and others, to think more.

As Doug describes a contrarian, I found myself nodding along.

"But to me, being a contrarian means holding out hope when others have stopped hoping. It means looking past the limitations and imagining the possibilities. It means rethinking ideas that have been ignored or dismissed in the past." (7)

I don't want to be the one who loses hope. I don't want to stop thinking and rethinking. I'm not satisfied with the same old thing repeating itself over and over and over again.

I once got told that I was too pessimistic. I've struggled with that label. Maybe to some extent it's true, but I tend to think that a pessimist gives up on hope. A pessimist gives up on dreaming. They give up on thinking and rethinking. They give up on what could be. They give up on what needs to be done or what should be done.

I don't want to be the one who gives up.

And why? This pretty much sums it up:

"We are convinced that when we stop asking questions, when we turn away from a set of facts or an idea screaming to be considered, that's when things really fall apart. We are not trying to cause trouble; we're trying to stay out of it." (8)

I'd like to be the one who asked too many questions, rather than the one who regrets asking any.

That's my Sunday ramble for you.

Breaking out in random song...

I've been unable to wrap my head around the fact that people actually enjoy dramatic productions where the cast appears to break out in spontaneous song at any given opportunity.

So I took my wife to see Annie last night. I bought her the tickets for Christmas and I think it was one of those gifts that she never expected.

While I would say that Stomp was a far more entertaining show, I didn't find the evening to be as painful as I would have thought. I almost feel culture, except for the fact that I felt like I was at a circus since there were so many kids at the show.

Oing, oing...

There are no words to describe this.

I cannot believe that this guy makes a living doing this.

But then I wonder if I've ever had days where I made no sense like that.

I hope not.




(ht Matthew Paul Turner)

I'd like to try something new here...

I've tried reviewing movies, music and books. But reviews tend to be so fickle anyways, so why bother?

I've tried random video posts. But if you post too many they actually cease to be random, don't they?

I've posted cool guitar videos I've stumbled across.

I've posted recaps of my week.

I've done reviews of our weekly student ministry events.

I feel like I've become an ADD blog, so I'm curious. If there was anything you would like to see/read here more often, what would it be?

300...

That's the number of unread posts in my Google Reader and it should say enough about the state of things lately.

In the meantime, I'd like to know if you bought the new U2 CD yet.