Archive for 2005

Saw an amazing sunset last night here in New Mexico, and as we conclude this amazing year of 2005, I wanted to shamelessly direct you to a previous post: Righteous Day Mapping. I think it has some great thoughts for beginning a new year with new discipline, direction, and devotion. (OK, so I sometimes stoop to alliteration. I am a pastor, you know.)

2005 has been so eventful as to be dynamically sublime. Let me summarize it, if I can…

• Journey Church began its third year! We continue to live by faith in God’s provision for our family. Journey pays us a housing allowance, but we depend on Caro’s photography business and my intermittent design business for our “livings.” The Lord was so faithful this year to meet our needs AND to help us make significant progress on our debt reduction plan.
  There’s no way to accurately describe how stressful/trying/overwhelming planting a church and being bivocational is at the same time. We are so dependent on people’s prayers and encouragement. We’ve been so blessed to have such a great support system.
• However… in the beginning of 2005, we knew we would be facing the year with a fight. Caro’s Hodgkin’s Disease had come back late in 2004 (this was its 3rd time). For eight months of 2005, we as a family endured chemo and radiation treatments (Caro had to go five days a week to Little Rock for her radiation.) It was an extremely hard, difficult time for us, yet in the middle of it all, we experienced peace. Thank you to all of you who lifted us up in prayer and sent notes, emails, and cards.Today, Caro is cancer-free again!

• In the middle of it all, our kids’ lives began to dictate our calendars to a greater extent than ever before. :) Caro and I saw our social lives devolve to Netflix and Wal-Mart trips. But hey, living in south Arkansas means that a Wal-Mart trip is a social event! from ballet, dance, baton, baseball, peewee football, our minivan was screaming around town. I coached Sam’s peewee football team to a second place finish (ok, it was a 3-way tie for second in a 4-team league, but it was still second place!).
• I began blogging in September. And learning how to podcast (after getting my first iPod!).
• Finally, we began facing some important decisions at Journey in the last two months of 2005. We have restructured our leadership team in some ways, and had to cut staff support due to a decline in finances. At the same time, however, we were provided with a new spot to meet for worship at the same amount that we were paying for the movie theater. We now have space to the right and left of Stage in the Northpark Shopping Mall.

I am excited about the months ahead for our church. 2006 will be days for Journey to flesh out everything we’ve defined in the past three years. I believe it will be our most significant year yet.

These are just thoughts and ramblings I’m having on this last day of 2005 in New Mexico…

Hey…I’m in process of revamping the side column for the Top Posts at Notes from the Trail and would like your input. What 3 posts have you enjoyed the most? I’m looking to get input from about 20 folks, and then I’ll retally the top 15 posts…

Send me an email with your top 3, and I’ll repost the list sometime early next week!

Greetings from southeast New Mexico! The Noble clan is here enjoying the hospitality of the Hunters, Carolyn’s folks, for the holidays. It’s a sign of the times that my in-laws house AND my mom and dad’s house in Little Rock are both set up for wireless internet. Aaaaah. It’s better than creme soda and a moon pie.

Anyway, I’ve been editing some video for the family, and I wanted to share with you all, for posterity, in the hopes of showing you my multi-dexterous talent, the beginnings of a song I’ve composed for the video…

Download voice_01.mp3

Enjoy. Try not to let it move you to tears…

Several folks have asked me what blogs I frequent, or what catches my eye. Well, it really depends on the mood I’m in. Some days I’m in a more reflective frame of mind, while others, I’m poring over information about the latest gadgets. So… for today… here’s my Top 5 Blogs…

5. Tall Skinny Kiwi… I’ve not kept up with it much, but I’ve really enjoyed reading it.
4. Gizmodo Blog… Hey! It’s Christmas!
3. The Pomo Blog… Terry Heaton always has something profound about communication media and strategy in today’s postmodern culture.
2. The Hankins’ Clan… I haven’t met him, and he’s a new blogger (who isn’t?), but I’ve enjoyed immensely some of his thoughts on church.
1. The Dilbert Blog… How can someone be SO disciplined to come up with amazingly funny strips daily AND blog? I mean, I’m funny daily, but I can’t draw…

Christmas Card Competition…
The annual Christmas Card Competition is drawing to a close at the Noble household. “What?!” you might think, “I didn’t even know there was one! How do I enter?” Well, it’s almost too late, but email me, and I’ll send you my address. But the winner will get international fame and glory by being featured here, on the Notes from the Trail blog.
It all started several years ago… 13 to be exact. That was when I got married. Before that, I don’t even recall sending out Christmas cards. I was always amazed how many I received even though I resolutely refused to send any out. I had always figured it to be a scam created by Hallmark to sell more cards. I mean, I gave people presents, and I figured that by sending out cards, I was needlessly informing the recipients that they were on my “I like you, but not enough to buy a present for you” list.
But when I got married, it all changed… Christmas cards became, well, an art. And because I’m a guy, I had to turn it into some kind of competition just to make it fun. It was a little too fru-fru for me.
So now we go by the Three C rule: Who’s was going to be the most Creative, Clever, and whose kids were the Cutest?
Now some of you buy those boxes of cards made by the Dollar Tree and feel fine about it. I would too. Don’t get your feelings hurt. But I assure you, you won’t win the Christmas Card Competition. We’d love to hear from you, but you just won’t get entered for international fame and glory.
However, this year… so far, there are three significant entries. If you haven’t received a card from them, and want to… well, you’re probably out of luck. But here are the top entries to date from the Noble household:
? The Inmans of Arkadelphia, Arkansas – When everyone else goes for the schmooze, they went for playful. Great shot, Kevin and Shannan.
? The Dowdas of St. Louis, Missouri – Caro said “Omigosh! She wins this year!” when she saw it, but that’s a little premature. Entries are still pouring in, and I get half a vote in this thing.
? JJ & Amy Humphries of Monticello, Arkansas – a baby shot with Santa that’s incredible.

It HAS been wonderful to catch up with friends this season. Thank you to EVERYONE who’s sent letters and cards. As the next 30 hours count down to Christmas, the Noble family wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

(For those of you who are just now finding out about the Competition, it’s not too late! Don’t get discouraged. For those of you who don’t care, go on to Dollar Tree and know that my heart’s with you.)

This is a personal note to Todd Heap, tight end for the Baltimore Ravens… (if you know him, please forward this link to him!)

Todd,

Outstanding play Monday night against the hapless Packers. I hate to see Brett Favre struggle like he has this season, but kudos to you! You had an incredible game! Two touchdowns!? Over a 100 yards receiving?! Awesome! You singlehandedly have restored my dignity, pride, and honor. You have enabled me to face my smack-talking 8 year-old son this a.m. and say, “Ha! I’ve advanced to the next round of playoffs too!” So… thank you!

If you’re ever in south Arkansas, I pledge to buy you a cup of Joe at the best coffee house in Monticello… that is, Dad’s Place!

Thanks again for lifting my team out of the trash “heap” of ignominy.

Best wishes!
Jeff Noble

I’m watching the game tonight on the edge of my seat. I need Todd Heap, the tight end for Baltimore, to do VERY well. I’m down by 11 points in my fantasy league in this first week of playoffs. And since my 8-year old son beat me out of a spot in the playoffs in my other league, this is my last shot at dignity in our household.

So… if any of you have any connections to the Ravens, please get on the horn tonight and urge them to get Heap the ball!

I recently took my son and one of his friends to see Chronicles of Narnia. While this isn’t a movie review, just let me say that it was like a creme soda and batch of dukey cookies. (for those of you with weak stomachs, I mean those oatmeal and chocolate and peanut butter “no bake” delights!). There’s really nothing better than that combination. So, read the book, then see the movie. It’s the greatest Christian allegory of our time.

However, my thoughts were jolted as the movie began when the Disney castle logo showed up prominently on the screen. Now, I have nothing against Disney. In fact, Donald Duck remains one of my favorite characters – probably ’cause he’s obnoxious and doesn’t care what people think. But it wasn’t too long ago when I was a member of the Southern Baptist tribe and found with great dismay that the head muckity-mucks of the convention thought it would be a great strategy for preserving our culture and land, while building good will toward those outside the church, to boycot Disney. This happened in summer, 1997, immediately after their convention that year.

Needless to say, I find it quite ironic that one of the most well-produced, and I predict wildly successful movies that celebrates and portrays the deepest Christian themes or our times was produced by the GSBE (Great Southern Baptist Enemy), Disney. Have they seen the light? Has Disney renounced the policies and practices which precipitated the Southern Baptist’s boycott of them?

Probably not. On the other hand, while Disney has prospered immensely over the last 8 years, how have the Southern Baptists done? On adherents.com, the site reports:

The reported membership of the Southern Baptist Convention has risen slowly, which indicates better growth than many “mainstream” or “oldline” denominations, which have actually declined steadily in size over the last twenty years.

But the proportion of Americans who consider identify themselves as Southern Baptists has declined steadily and significantly over the past ten years, from 10% in 1993 to just 6% in 2001.[italics mine]

These figures represent the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Southern Baptists, according to the aggregate figures from a year’s worth of polling by Gallup.

Anyway, after careful thought, I think that a carefully conducted, successful boycott of Southern Baptists might in actuality help them, as it seems to have done for Disney… So grab your “Down with Southern Baptist” placards and avoid Lifeway Christian Stores! Join the boycott!

We’ll check back in 8 years and see if the boycott has been as successful in helping this denomination to grow as theirs of Disney was. ;)

I just swung by Kenny Tomlin’s site to check out his latest, and was disappointed/empathetic upon discovering that this particular season of life for Kenny has killed his blog. Doggoneit. I really enjoyed his entries, and I’m sure he STILL has great observations and thoughts about life, but just can’t commit at present to blogging.

I’ve noticed a few other favorite blog sites slowing down dramatically. Matt’s Widebody Blog has lost weight, but thank goodness, Matt has kept on with the diet. He’s doing great, but his blog is not.

I wonder, as I’m sure many do, how many blogs die a day? It does take great discipline and creative thinking to successfully post insights that folks actually want to wade through. As of today, Notes from the Trail has almost reached 2000 hits since its beginning in late September. Ooooo.

Considering some blogs and sites have thousands of hits a day, that’s a little meager. Oh well. It’s refreshing for me, if for no one else.

I’ve always wanted to have a book published, and blogging has helped me discipline myself to write. So, I’m going to keep on keeping on for the time being.

But please send flowers to Kenny. And poke Widebody to see if he’s still breathing.

What got this line of thought going was some reflections about our church. It’s almost three years old. We have yet to see an adult make a decision to follow Jesus Christ for the first time. I have lots of other thoughts about that related to Bible Belt ministry. (See entry here.) Yet, my mind is considering greater issues this time around.

I know, trust, and believe that it is the Father who calls people to Himself. Yet, it is our mandate to make disciples. (Matthew 28.18-20) How the one reality matches the one imperative is still the greatest cause of evangelistic inertia in the western church. The entire movement of the “emerging church” is, I believe, related to this one conflict… how people are told that they must adjust their life to a God who created them, that there is one way to do it, and that failure to make this radical life adjustment is an eternal, colossal, unredeemable mistake.

In the western church, it appears to me that political freedom has brought a corresponding slow down in church growth and conversion. Where there is political turmoil, oppression, and misery, there the movement to Christ in faith seems to be highest.

Scripture tells us that “it is for freedom that Christ set us free.” Yet it is precisely our freedom – that causes so many problems. We are warned not to use our freedom as a license for sin. Freedom is a great, humanity-enriching experience, but it is also a debilitating handicap for those who will not appreciate it nor discipline themselves to live in it.

Political freedom is a case-in-point. In places where political freedom has been won, the thoughts of its people have degenerated. Entire “free” societies are not built around entertainment, athletics, hunting, hobbies… and crime, gossip, sexual misconduct, financial dishonesty…

The same race that breeds heroes in times of crisis breeds idiots in times of indulgence.

We in the west do not use – very often – our “free time” (ask someone in a land of oppression about their “free time!”) for matters of the sublime. We don’t contemplate the truth that will deepen our souls and direct our wills more to loving our Creator and learning to live in obedience to Him. Rather, our “free time” is filled with the mundane, the immediately forgotten, and small things. It sounds rather like Neil Postman’s 1985 observation in his book title “Amusing Ourselves to Death.”

As a result, our divinely created souls are not filled with things that will enrich and nourish them. When fed a constant diet of movies, music, sports, financial pursuits, business and weather, our souls, well, shrivel. They thirst for the deep things of an infinite nature, but they are fed water and crackers – barely enough to keep us alive.

Not so for those privileged to be oppressed. They are ultimately concerned and blessed by the issues that make men and women great. Life, death, honor, courage, responsibility, love, sacrifice… Regular rubbing against these issues has created a long line of unsung heroes in unlikely places. Their tunes fade grandly in places like Syria, China, Cambodia, North Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Heroes still walk the earth – for a short time -before their melody is quieted by an enemy who would rather men be distracted than distinguished.

May those of us who have been converted to Christ and who also enjoy political freedom elevate our thoughts and senses! Let’s resist the cultural winds that allows idiots to rise above true heroes and shrivels souls.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians. 4.8)

I can’t believe it. I finally turned loose of my trusty Powermac G5 that I bought in September 2003. It seems like only yesterday that I was videoing the FedEx gal bringing it up my front walk. I was pretty excited, as the prior link shows. Anyway, it was my first major purchase as I started Noble Design, and it was hot off the new G5 assembly line at Apple. I sold it on Ebay this week, choosing to replace it with an iMac G5 with a 20″ screen. The Powermac is incredible, and you can do almost unlimited upgrades with it, which I never do. So I opted for an iMac. The new iMacs are simply amazing! If you’re in the market for a new computer and want a bargain, look no further!

BusinessWeek calls the iMac “the best consumer desktop around.” Get one for yourself. If you want to save several hundred dollars, let me help you find a great one on Ebay. I buy and sell used Macs. I know what to look for and give you great tech support and Mac tutoring.

And as the title to this entry shows, using a Mac will make your fluent in at least two other languages….

Kudos to Word…

Lindy Word has become a blogger, and I take full credit for it. (Even though I had nothing to do with it… But still she knows me, and I’m a blogger, and so… I get credit since no one else has yet claimed it..) You’ve GOT to read her initial post and then this post about taking Christ out of Christmas. I tend to agree with her. I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

If you’re here today because of my shamless blog promotion emails I send out, please make sure you fill in the poll. And if you got one, I’d appreciate you driving some traffic this way by forwarding the blog to all the suckers, I mean, friends in your address books.

Don’t forget the “Tip Trough” on the right hand column. You can drop your change in there via Paypal and encourage this humble author to keep blogging. Who knows, maybe some bored trillionaire will drop by the blog and drop a wad of bills into the trough!? Or not.

Another blog to check out…
Also, I really encourage you, as you’re adding blogs to your daily/weekly read list, to check out RJ Martino’s blog. He’s a friend in Little Rock that is amazingly talented with web design and has his hands into a dozen other things that are tech-related and extremely intriguing. I know you’ll enjoy reading around his blog.

I wanted to give my 2 faithful readers a heads up! Ben Coulter’s new CD comes out on December 18. It’s called “Cuzz, Vol. 1″ which, if I know Ben means that there will be at least 5 called “Cuzz.” I think he wants to make as many of these by this title as there are Rocky sequels… ;)

But check out his website, and order a CD. He is an extremely talented up-and-coming country talent. It’s not that he’s incredibly talented (he is), but it’s that he’s real. The $10 is worth it. Buy it, enjoy it, and support Ben.

Just cuzz you can.

More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland. Between 250,000 and 400,000 Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, traveling in groups of families and bringing with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition, and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working class America, and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself. From the Random House summary

It’s just a must-read for those wanting to understand Southern culture better. Why does my state and my neighbors’ states consistently rank below the national average in, well, everything? Well, everything except things like teenage pregnancies, alcoholism, etc.

James Webb’s amazing book, Born Fighting, is a wonderful cultural analysis first of all of the Scots-Irish people whose immigration patterns have made the south what it is today, but moreover the book is revelatory for even a southern native like myself.

My aunt has apparently traced my family lineage all the way back to Magna Charta times, placing an ancestor at its signing. But I’ve never read and digested a book that explains compelling why things are the way they are in the south today.

If you don’t want to get bogged down in the history of the Scots-Irish peoples, just pick up in Part 6 – Reconstruction, Disaspora, and Reeducation.

It’s a great read.

I think I’m going to go buy a kilt.

Another interesting email that was forwarded to me…

I’d be interested in hearing your conclusions from this.

ALL 50 States acknowledge God in their “State Constitutions” :

Alabama 1901, Preamble: We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish The following Constitution.
Alaska 1956, Preamble: We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution..
Arkansas 1874, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government…
California 1879, Preamble: We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom.
Colorado 1876, Preamble: We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe.
Connecticut 1818, Preamble: The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy …
Delaware 1897, Preamble: Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences .
Florida 1885, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty . establish this Constitution…
Georgia 1777, Preamble: We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution…
Hawaii 1959, Preamble: We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance … establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble: We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to chose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble: We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings .. establish this Constitution
Kansas 1859, Preamble: We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges … establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble: We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
Louisiana 1921, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble: We the People of Maine . acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity. and imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble: We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty…
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble: We…the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe … in the course of His Providence, an opportunity .and devoutly imploring His direction.
Michigan 1908, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom establish this Constitution
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings
Mississippi 1890, Preamble: We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble: We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, establish this Constitution.
Montana 1889, Preamble: We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty. establish this Constitution
Nebraska 1875, Preamble: We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom .. establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble: We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom establish this Constitution …
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V: Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble: We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble: We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty.
New York 1846, Preamble: We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina 1868, Preamble: We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those.
North Dakota 1889, Preamble: We, the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain…
Ohio 1852, Preamble: We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble: Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty … establish this ..
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2: All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences..
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble: We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance. .
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble: We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing
South Carolina, 1778, Preamble: We, the people of he State of South Carolina. grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution
South Dakota 1889, Preamble: We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil! and religious liberties … establish this
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI.III: That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience…
Texas 1845, Preamble: We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble: Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble: Whereas all government ought to . enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man.
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI: .. Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator . can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other ..
Washington 1889, Preamble: We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.
West Virginia 1872, Preamble: Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God …
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble: We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility …
Wyoming 1890, Preamble: We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties .. establish this Constitution.

I encourage you to read David Hankins’ post at his blog. It’s an excellent, authentic commentary about being a solution or a critic in the church today. He uses the term “paraplegic to describe the church today. May I suggest we could even use quadriplegic?

Best College Entrance Exam…
You’ve got to read this one!