Connexion

The stuff MY dreams are made of...

X wide right; Y left slant; and Q goes deep

I had a fun lunch conversation with Keith today. The class that Keith leads on Sunday mornings has been discussing "vision." Keith asked me where vision comes from... 

**Warning - a Rant ensues**

I think many Christians expect the Pastor of their Church to be like the coach in American Football. The coach designs the plays, calls the plays, and then watches as the team wins (or loses). There are many christians who expect the pastor to also be the quarterback, and the running back, and the receiver, but we'll leave that for another post - this is about vision! 

So... The pastor is like the coach. He's the guy with the vision. All goes well as long as he's good at his job, right? I mean, if the pastor is worth anything, the church is growing and everyone is happy and money in the plates flow... (Yes, that was sarcasm) 

That might work for football - but I'm not sure it works for church. Don't get me wrong, I think the pastor is a leader in the church, and I think the pastor should be listened to and respected and loved - but if the church is truly a body, and Christ is the head, then the pastor is a leader, not THE leader. I believe that the body can and should have input in vision! I've seen way to many pastors that "hear from God" and lead churches to do things when no one else in the church really wants to do what's suggested! ...as a matter of fact, I used to be one of those Pastors! (I can still remember thinking "I'm the Pastor, its my way or the highway! God called me here as your Pastor, you are supposed to listen to me!")

The truth is that vision comes from God, and if its really from him, the pastor will hear it and the body will hear it and everyone will say, "Yeah, that's the way we should go!" Vision is as much about listening as it is about leading. There can be no vision if God has not spoken.

I think a lot of times when people say, "We need more vision," what they really want are marching orders. They want a magic bullet to grow the church or a formula that is guaranteed work... They also think that if the church isn't growing its the pastors fault, but that might be another post. Look through the New Testament and show me examples of vision. I see Jesus at the well, and the disciples not even wanting to be in Samaria. I see Philip ministering to a guy on a road he didn't even plan on being on and then vanishing. I see Paul moving from place to place and the church really beginning to grow because of persecution. 

What I see throughout the New testament is that God calls all Christians and churches to pretty much the same thing. We are supposed to love God and love people. We are to serve and give and make disciples. When we obey, we grow and we get stretched and he calls us deeper. 

I think we are still in love with the "church growth" ideas from the eighties... We see churches as organizations not organisms. We want business plans not works of the Spirit. We want easy answers, not sacrifice and repentance and revival and authentic community.

What if the truth is that we are scared to really go to God and ask him what he wants from "me" so we lean on a crutch. The crutch is "I need someone else to tell me what to do." 

Yes, churches need leadership and they need to have good leaders in place. Yes pastors need to be good leaders and need to have plans, and vision is important. ...but the first task of leadership is to listen. Vision is as much about listening as it is about leading. There can be no vision if God has not spoken.

Here endeth my rant...

This would improve my focus!

Five things about facebook

I've been facebook(ing) for a while now. I think I did it before any of my other friends, but now it seems like everyones doing it. As an authority on facebook, I believe its time I pointed out a few of the oddities I've come across...

Are these people really my friends? My wife and I were having this discussion the other night about a "friend" that had requested she add him. She doesn't know him. She has no clue who he is, but she knows several of his friends. They apparently went to the same high-school, or at least grew up in the same town. Is he a "friend" - NO - but what does it hurt to add him, right? I have a lot of friends. Most of the people in my friend list I actually know ...well at least 50% - lol On a serious note, one can never have too many friends. When my mother died this year, I twittered (which updated my facebook status) about the experience and what I was going through. The out-pouring of concern was very appreciated. I even had one old high-school friend pick up her phone and call me. That was really touching...

It really is fun when your old high-school buddies start reminiscing. By far, the best facebook laughter comes from old high-school photos. Big hair form the 80's, geeky friends (I am one), crotch grabs in group pictures ...all very funny to see again 20 years later. By the way, I think the 20 year mark is when the high-school facebook explosion occurs - at least for us old people

Facebook is the only place I know where chain letters are actually thriving. The latest greatest is "25 things about me" which makes you send it to 25 other friends when you get it. Every wave, quiz, or application also makes you (or wants you to) send it to your network of friends. Some of these are pretty fun - others I just refuse to participate in. I don't need to be part of a wave, and facebook already has my birthday listed... If this stuff comes to my email its called spam, right?

Have you chatted yet? Or set up a meeting with someone? Facebook is a social media tool. I think for many it serves as just a time-waster - but when one of your friends starts a chat session with you or you get an email about a coffee meeting - all through facebook, you start to see real potential. For instance, I am not a great "phone talker." I pretty much avoid my phone whenever I can - but about once a week my sister and I will chat through facebook and its been very nice! I also have a bunch of Austin friends that use facebook almost like their regular email, and comment (with much humor) about my status...as do I about theirs!

Here's what I am doing right now... Have you updated your facebook status? I twitter, which is linked to my facebook status, so my status changes a lot. I probably annoy some people. In fact, I had one friend who actually requested to not receive my status updates. (Made me really wonder why we are friends too...) My wife and I both update our status fairly often, and half the time, we are sitting next to each other on laptops commenting on what the other one of us is saying or doing. People comment on my status a lot - and I return the favor. Comment threads can get really long, and its sort of silly ...but then what about facebook isn't sort of silly!

Okay, I left off two... Flair and the head-shot. Maybe I'll write about them later. Happy Facebook(ing)! ...oh and by the way, DONNA, you will never out-poke me!!

6 diets that won't work

As you are probably well aware, many in America like to focus on losing weight around the first part of the new year. I am usually one of them... Newsweek, has a really good little article that highlights the top, current fad-diets and points out their faults. (read it here or there)

I have seen a little success so far this year in the battle against my waistline - but I am not dieting! I have decided to participate in the age-old, wise-sage, yoda-like tradition called: Eat Less, Work Out More.

Here's the plan in a nutshell: I eat less than I normally would have and I try to eat better stuff than I used to, then I make myself get my butt of the couch and go work out. Since I am training for a triathlon, I can go run, or I can go the gym and swim, or I can hop on my bike. I've also added a little weight training to the mix and that is kicking my tail! ...but my plan seems to be working! Without really trying I am about five pounds lighter and counting.

I couldn't resist reposting this...

I saw this on my favorite morning show host's blog, and I just couldn't resist reposting it - Warning - You are going to laugh and you will also feel bad that you are laughing - but you will keep laughing!

Just haven't felt like it...

Around the holidays, I took a little blog break. I wrote a few posts in January and then I fell off the wagon! I honestly haven't had much to say, and unlike most preachers, when I don't have anything to say I try to shut up! 

So I've just been (twitter)ing and (facebook)ing. I'm really enjoying both of those social media sites. My wife has become addicted to facebook too! 

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be blogging along like nothing happened before too long, but I haven't even been reading any good blogs lately... Must be some kind of flu-like-blog-bug or something.

The Reality Check

It may not look like it, but that guy to the left (me) is FAT! ...as in overweight - Obese.

Last night I had a "orientation" with a trainer at my gym. I wanted to set my base levels - check my weight and BMI - just to know where I was so as I work out this year and lose weight, I'll have something to go by...

My trainer checked my body fat and showed me this handy little chart he had - I was at 25% body fat - and according to his little chart that put me in the overweight category. Not the athlete, not the lean, not the fit, but the overweight!! OUCH!

What's funny is that I am pretty fit. I work out a lot. I ride my bike a ton of miles each year. I am active.  ...but the truth is very different. The truth is that I am carrying too much weight around my mid-section. The truth is that I eat poorly and haven't ever really done much about that. Weight around the middle is the leading cause of much of what ills people in America. Heart disease, cholesterol, cancers, etc. can all point to examples of people carrying too much weight around their stomachs. My dad is shaped this way, my grandfather was shaped this way, and as much as I hide it - I am shaped this way...

Anytime we see ourselves for what we really are, it scares us. Hopefully it shocks us and helps motivate us to make the changes that we need to make. I am hoping that my reality check will help me to see that even though I think of myself as fit, the reality is that I still need to lose some weight and get my stomach in control!

Oh and by the way, Tai the trainer also showed me some exercises I needed to incorporate into all that the tri stuff I am doing - some stuff with weights... So, today I am so sore that I can't even stretch out my left arm completely! Oh the joy of starting... 

T.V. that makes you think...

Most of reality TV is a joke, but one show in particular Dana and I watch every season: The Biggest Loser. This season features and 18 year young man named Daniel who starts the show at a whopping 454 pounds! ...can't wait to see the weight come off and his life change!!

You can see the rest of the contestants starting photos here.

The Phenomenon that is YouTube

Dave Madden turned me on to this amazing, entertaining, and informative video. It's long, but actually worth it. I agree with Madden, "It will blow you away!"