Archive for August, 2006

So I’m driving to Little Rock today and get passed by this chicken truck bearing thousands of hormone-hopped foul to their early deaths. As it passed me, I glanced over and saw Houdini the Chicken. He’s perched between all the cages, and was watching the road fly by with this expression of consternation. I sped up and captured the moment on my Treo 650. I could just hear it saying, “Oboy! I’m free! I’m free! I’m freeeeee…, uh, now what do I do?”

A few years ago, I developed the following as my personal ministry vision statement. I stumbled back across it today while I was looking for something else on my computer and was encouraged by it. (Is it possible to be self-encouraged?) I guess I simply pleased to see that what I wrote then still means a lot to me now.

“Creative, loving, and inspired ministry that loosens the burdens of religion and leads people to a lifetime, obedient relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Each word in that vision statement is very significant to me and describes my spiritual pilgrimage to this point. Creativity is important to me, not just because advertising and graphic design are in my background, but because from the beginning, our God was a creative God; I don’t believe there is any room for stagnancy in Christianity. Love is the central theme of the Bible, and it is the imperative of the Great Commandment. It is only through daily submission that inspiration will come, and it is only through inspiration that I find the strength to carry  out God’s work. There are five “L” words that I consider essential to Christianity: loving, loosening, leading, lifetime, and Lord. There are two “R” words that are distinctive: religion and relationship. They are not the same. May God use me to accomplish His purposes.

It was a profitable exercise for me then, and I think it might be so for any of you who want to embark upon it as well.

This has been a huge undertaking, but it’s almost ready to go! With the help of Mike Graham, I’ve been creating BuyItFindItSellIt.com (you can type it in lower case). It’s been a several month project, and it’s still not quite ready, but you can view the rough site here.

However, you can now use the classifieds section fully! From now to October 31, 2006r 31, 2006
English: World English Bible - WEB
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin, it will be free to list whatever, however many, that you want. After that, there will be a minimal charge per listing (which will be much cheaper than your local papers!).

I’m excited about BFSit for this region! Please help by spreading the word. The more traffic it gets, the better shopping it will be for everyone! Stop by BFSit – your local and regional online garage sale!

Update: Doh! Link fixed!

BTW, there’s something else coming just around the corner as well! Stay tuned.

9Rules reviews another site by a new member blog called MomAdvice. Looks like a great link for… well, moms. Uh, nuff said.

In an interesting post, Justin over at Radical Congruency, recommends Robert Greenwald’s Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices. This may shake us all up a bit – at least those of us who depend on Wal-Mart for date night. Sigh. I guess I’m going to have to watch it.

By the way, I can already hear Angela giggling gleefully.

Nooooo. I didn’t know. I didn’t know! I missed the first annual Blog Appreciation Day. It was August 24, 2006st 24, 2006
English: World English Bible - WEB
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin. What a bummer! Well… shoot.

To all the blogs I’ve loved before… who’ve travelled in and out my door…
I’m glad you came along… I dedicate this song… to all the blogs I’ve loved before.

Yahoo! The Pyromaniacs blog link me in their entry today. Yahoo. Now I’m famous… for all of 5 seconds. I like how they’re doing their weekly round up of blogs that link or comment about Pyro. Thanks, guys.

I don’t actually use Firefox for my web browser. I alternate between Camino (extremely fast) and Flock (very cool features). But these Firefox flicks crack me up…

Thanks to TJ for clueing me in.

Click now. Don’t wait. Lindy’s latest entry is simply… well, wonderlandful.

There’s a really good, perhaps simplistic, but good description of the emerging church and its leaders here. Many thanks to Craig for ferreting this out.

In addition, Dan Phillips has some insightful, if not abrasive, posts about the notion of theological drift and doctrinal instability in the emergent-emerging movement. His lengthy post is valuable in that it helps the confused bystander who wonders "what in the world is this all about?" with some faces to go with the emergent-emerging conversation, namely Brian McLaren, Mark Driscoll, John O’Keefe, Spencer Burke, Scott McKnight, David Fitch, and Tony Jones.

I used to have this blog that I checked daily – even several times during the day – for its deep analysis, insight and intelligence. That was until this unnamed blogger got sucked into the PC myth machine. He made a post that Bill Gates would have been proud of. It’s full of holes and can be easily attacked. ;)

I know his post was all in jest, and he will always remain at the top of my blogging fix. He’s an incredible blogger, writer, thinker, and friend. However, I call upon all Mac Users who read this blog (Michael, that means you!) to testify to your experience using Macs vs. PCs.

In other news,I thought I’d address some common myths about Macs vs. PCs:

• Macs cost more than PCs... this is a myth that has been perpetuated for years, in spite of yearly analyses by third party reviewers that show you get far more bang for your book with Macs. (And this is just a financial advantage. This does refer to the greater system stability, peace of mind, virus freedom, etc.)

Systemshootouts.com
Apple vs. Dell – One great quote from this article: Sure, you can get a cheaper Dell notebook, but that’s almost like
saying you can get a VHS for dirt cheap when we’re talking about DVD
players.

Some studies point out that owning a Mac is ultimately even more less expensive, because the cost of supporting the PC is so much greater. Factor in computer support, tech visits, virus protection costs, time spent overhauling your system, reinstalling, and defragging your HD…

That’s my first salvo. Anyone want to tackle another myth?

BTW, surf over to Guy Kawasaki’s site. He’s one of the preeminent professionals in the field on Macs who doesn’t work for Apple.

Oh, BTW2, those batteries that forced the Apple recall were made by Sony… who makes, uh, PCs. I know some folks who swear by Sony, in spite of it all. they make nice gadgets, like cameras and Walkmans, but their computers? C’mon.

BTW3, now that you’re converted to Macs by this one simple rebuttal, you can go get this cool shirt.

This 1 Peter reading is turning into more of an interactive Bible study, so if you still haven’t read the first chapter, go grab a cup of Joe and pick up Pete, chapter 1.

I’m using the New Living Translation, second edition, for these observations…

I love the combination of great expectation and priceless inheritance in 1.3-4. I wonder just how much I really expect this priceless inheritance? Heck, I get excited over receiving any
gift, big or small. (hint, hint) I’ve never received something beyond
estimation of worth before. I’ve never expected to. But Scripture
promises it and urges me to count it as fact. Something unimaginably
good is coming for me. How does that affect my attitude, life, actions, and relationships today?

My salvation/inheritance is kept in heaven for me – pure and undefiled. God is protecting me through my faith and by His power
until we I receive it. In the meantime, the certainty of that great day
should produce joy – trail-conquering joy. Joy in spite of, and to spite all this world flings at me.

Living here, until then, requires me to think clearly and to exercise self-control. It is about perspective, reality, and will. The things I choose to do and say must be chosen in light of spiritual realities. I must seek holiness!

I must choose not to gratify the desires of my flesh. “Don’t slip back into your old ways to satisfy your own desires.” (1.14)

Here’s a thought: the obvious resurrection and glorification
of Jesus was the reason people trusted in God in the first century.
(1.21) So often today, we have to trust the Bible that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He ascended to heaven. But it’s clear here that Jesus’ resurrection was a doubt-shattering proof for God’s Word and plan (not the other way around, as it is so often for us) to Peter and those living then. There was no question that it happened. The real response was since it happened, what does that mean?

First off, Peter says it means we must love another “deeply with all your heart.” (1.22) No hedging here. It requires a sold-out, selfless, pure and earnest love that…

• considers others better than yourselves…
• puts others first
• considers how we can spur one another on to love and good deeds
• that gives to support the needs of the saints and the work of the ministry
• that seeks not to be a burden to spiritual leaders
• encourages each other daily
• places spiritual growth of others and of self as a matter of deliberate pursuit
• serves diligently

The body of believers that totally gives itself to loving each other will become a white hot furnace of transformation and life. Unbelievers will be inexplicably affected by such love, and this radical love will prove all over again that Jesus’ resurrection really happened, that He is alive and His life is the cause of ours.

In the first century, Tertullian recorded this observation that the pagans had about Christians:

But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another,
for themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready even
to die for one another, for they themselves will sooner put to death.
And they are wroth with us, too, because we call each other brethren;
for no other reason, as I think, than because among themselves names of
consanguinity are assumed in mere pretence of affection.

As a result of this confidence in Jesus’ resurrection, our love, or rather, His, will transform us. For where love is, God is, for God is love.

We will see new desires spring up in us that we didn’t have before – God’s desires will surface in our hearts. Our behavior will continually change as we choose to “get rid of all evil behavior.” (2.1) Deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and unkind speech will gradually (and in some cases, instantly) become nauseating to us. Blessed is the person instantly convicted by such sins. May we allow immediate conviction to bring instant confession.

As we experience renewed minds and behaviors, we are reminded that we are not the source of our own goodness. It is from God. Therefore, we “must crave pure spiritual milk so that we will grow” into a full experience of our salvation. How many believers stop at salvation, never growing in their love and trust of Christ? They miss the full experience!

Hebrews 5.12-14 encourages us to grow in our diets. Only babes stay on milk. Press on for the banquet! “Solid food is for the mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” (5.14)

Questions to respond to in the comments:

• What two concepts from 1 Peter 1 most impact you?
• Can you identify any way of thinking you’ve had that needs to change?
• How does Jesus’ resurrection affect your decisions and lifestyle today? What observations can you make about your own faith in light of this?
• How’s your love-ability? What are real, practical, and long-term ways that you can express deep love for believers? (in your church? family? city? world?)
• How excited are you – really! – about your coming inheritance? How does the thought of it impact your view of things you may cling to here?
• What needs to change in your attitude about this life in new of the fact that you’re a “foreigner in the land?” (1.17)
• Other general comments……

Swing by This Next and set up an account if you’re a gadget geek, or even if you like cool stuff.

If you’ve been wanting to understand better the dialogue and critiques of the emerging church movement, spend about 40 minutes on Scott McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog reading these articles…

Wade Burleson smacks one out of the park over at Grace and Truth.