As I mentioned yesterday, I think that our teaching as Pastors resembles TV writing in several ways. Here’s another… Great TV shows create discussion long after the TV show has aired. The link I gave to Lost yesterday was the a site called www.the fuselage.com. It’s a site where people can talk about the show and share their theories (Some intersting, others bizzare) and ideas about the show. But the important thing is, it creates further discussion. That’s why I like teaching messages that answer some questions and create new ones. It forces us to think and further the conversation. … Read More
Some Thoughts on Teaching (Part 1)
My wife just attended a screenwriting seminar (She’s writing an amazing screenplay!) and one of things discussed was the difference between writing for movies and writing for TV. The instructors spoke about how different of a discipline each are. I think because we meet in a movie theatre, I always compare my messages to movies. But in actuality, what we do as Pastors more resembles TV writing than the big screen. Here’s what I mean… TV writing moves the "big" story an inch, while movies have to give you the whole thing. A movie gets 2 hours of my life, … Read More
Who are these people?
I’m conducting an experiment. We have a lot of people in our church who have little or no church background (If I had a dollar for every time I heard that!). But seriously, because these folks are so new, they don’t come to church every week. This has its’ share of challenges. So this weekend I asked, “Who was here last weekend?” 50% of the hands went up. That makes sense because every week I stand up in front of these people and ask myself, “Who are these people?” We had a pretty good idea it was going to be … Read More
Tickets: The good news and the bad news
I just ordered my tickets for the Chris Tomlin concert on 2/18. I’m lookng forward it. I got pretty good seats for buying them a week before the show. In other ticket-related news, Marlins tickets went on sale today and I was planning on buying tickets for 3 games (June 30, July 1&2), but I did not. Why? Because all that was left was junk. And these are the days that the Red Sox are coming to town. I’m upset. Now, this simply means that I will need to buy good seats from a "Ticket broker" before the game. But … Read More
Book Review: Adventures in Missing the Point
I just finished reading "Adventures in Missing the Point" by Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo. Let me first say, "WOW!" I loved this book. While I didn’t agree with everything written, I appreciated several things about it. Here’s a couple: #1 – Permission to think, granted – I appreciate the fact that the authors forced me to think. The book was written in a responsive format where one person would write the chapter and then the other would respond to what the first wrote. What I love is that they didn’t even agree with each other on some issues, … Read More
Me Watching Me Teach
I just got a DVD in the mail from my message at the Calvary Chapel Southeast Pastor’s Conference (thanks Rod). Honestly, I don’t know how guys watch themselves every week! I watched about 10 minutes and it was rough for me. Plus, I was watching the message on my Powerbook when a staff member walked into my office. I don’t know, it just felt weird. I’m sure there’s a ton of value in watching yourself teach. There’s probably a million little annoying habits I have that I have no clue because I never watch myself. But man, this is tough! … Read More
New Series this Sunday!
We’re kicking off a brand new series this Sunday! It’s called, “Walk on”. Many times we’re looking for God to be somewhere other than where we are right now. I believe the reason is because we don’t see Him working in the here and now. But instead of looking somewhere else, if we will simply “Walk on”, we’ll find Him in our circumstances now! It’s going to be a study through the book of Numbers. I’m really excited about it. I’ve been studying this for the last couple of months. I’m about ready to explode with what I’m learning!
9 Years…
9 years ago today I married my wife Carey. It was the best day of my life. Today I can truly say that I am more in love with her than I was the day we got married. Carey, I love you… “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” (Genesis 29:20)
If Church Planting were a TV Show (Part 3)
Well, what was year 3 like for me? It was a lot the hit show "24". I got to be "Pastor Jack Bauer" and go 24/7 as well. Why? A couple of reasons: #1 – I didn’t take my own advice of not starting things too soon – So when things didn’t go as hoped, I had to become involved. Just like Jack, I was running around like a madman trying to solve every problem. #2 – People were bringing nuclear bombs into the church – OK, that might be stretching it a bit, but they had some pretty explosive … Read More
Why Do we Love Rules so Much?
The Florida Marlins, having shaved mot of their payroll from last year have decided that it’s time for all facial hair to be shaved. This article from the Boston Herald reveals that new Marlins manager Joe Girardi (An Ex-Yankee for those keeping score at home) says he’s going to do what is part of Yankee "Tradition" and allow facial hair (Actually, you can have a mustache on the Yankees, but that’s it). Is this not the most stupid rule ever? Not just because I’ve sported a goatee or beard since I was 18, but why impose rules that aren’t going … Read More
