You’re invited on a new Journey…
I think Jenny may have said it the best, but hear it here as well:
YOU’RE INVITED TO JOURNEY!
We’d love to have you join our group of imperfect people in imperfect pursuit of a perfect God. It’s been my life motto for a while now, but I really believe our purpose is to magnify God as life’s ultimate joy.
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Ode to a librarian
I sent my mom an email this morning in response to her retirement reception that my family attended ysterday. She concluded a 33-year tenure at Pulaski Academy as the lower school librarian (she usually corrects me and says “media specialist” since she has a Master’s in that area). However, I and all the students whom she’s touched over the years simply know her as the “librarian.”
As I grazed the snack table and visited with the dozens of new faces and old friends in attendance yesterday to honor her, I was moved by the tribute to a life well lived (Not that she has ceased living well!). However, the immense gift of learning and a love for reading prompted me to dash off these lines to her in an email this morning:
Mom, it was an awesome tribute to your life of teaching, love for learning and reading. You deserved it all and more. I was nervously contemplating a “speech” when you suddenly called Amy up there to help you. I didn’t know if I was going to be next, but I would have said…
“My mom instilled in me so many things. First and foremost she and my dad helped lead me to have a love for Jesus Christ. That was the first and best gift to me. However, I count my love for reading as perhaps my mom’s second greatest gift to me. It is through reading that I am most influenced. In reading, I learn, discover and am further shaped into the person that God has created me to be. Especially as I immerse myself into the depths of God’s Word.
However, it is also in reading that I laugh, swim, explore, fight off pirates and bad guys, solve crimes, and boldly go where no man has gone before… until I’m interrupted by the telephone or one of our kids. The joy of losing oneself in a book or verse is an indescribable gift that a person can never take lightly. For that I am sure, I will be eternally grateful.”
As I reflected more this a.m., I know it was a privilege for me to be able to attend P.A. Mom’s employment there made that possible; our family would not have been able to afford me and my sister’s education there otherwise. Having your mom work at your school from first through twelfth grades presents certain challenges. For one, I was never sent to the “principal’s office.” For me, it was always the threat of “do you want me to send you to your mother’s room?” Nooooooooo!
After graduating from college, I struggled deeply for several months with what emerged into a “call to ministry.” Since the fall of 1991, I have continued to seek and allow God to use my life “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4.12). Throughout the past 16 years in full-time and bivocational ministry service, it has been the Word of God that Christ has used to distinctly speak, guide, shape and direct me.
I thank my mom again for instilling within me a love for reading, for reading not only has shaped my life but enabled me to help shape others as well.
Who would have thought that a a vocation known for “ssssshhhhhhhhh” could impact so many?
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City sales tax…
Jason has a great blog entry questioning the need for an ongoing sales tax in our town when the city cannot even fully account for where it’s spent the last $15+ million. For those of you wanting to know, I’d encourage you to attend tonight’s Council meeting (May 30 at 6:00 at City Hall).
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Jesus ranks top in revised Wikipedia articles
For those of you familiar with Wikipedia, you know that it is a user-contributed encyclopedia. Articles on any topic can be edited, added to, and revised by users. First of all, that should make Wikipedia your first stop, but definitely not your last, as you begin to research information about a subject.
Knowing that “information” can be changed by anyone should make you wary of its authenticity or accuracy. However, with that said, there is a surprising amount of veracity to Wikipedia articles. It’s amazing to me that people have that much time that they care enough to make sure that something is “right” or historically accurate about a subject.
It places informational power squarely in the hands of the individual and removes it from a publisher.
It was fascinating to me to discover this article that says that Jesus tops the list of the most highly revised Wikipedia articles. You can read about the Top 20 there. There are also interesting graphics that show you the activity that the site sees as it grows and flows.
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A cup of brown goodness
For guys like me who are computer jockies, really hard work is rather inconsistent. Most of the rest of you do your best to avoid it as well. However, since Monday, I’ve been putting in anywhere from 5-8 hours of work up at the new Journey location, and as I prepare to head back this a.m. (for our 10:00 workday), I marvel at the sheer joy of quietly drinking a cup of coffee.
Blog reading and blogging have fallen by the wayside all work as I’ve joined a ton of the hardest-working, (and laughing-est) people I know to work side by side on a project that will enhance our church’s ability to minister to our community in wonderful ways. One of the more special things that we’ve seen take place this past week are the friends we have (or just met) who have joined us with mud knife or hammer in hand to help us work. Friends that have been reading our blogs, friends that go to other churches, and even friends who have resources for us and have given them to us freely.
The story of the Journey renovations is not one of sheer human effort. It’s a story of the magnitude of God’s love and grace. I’ve seen it in simplicity and in complexity. The mounting expectation of God’s continued work in us and through us is palpable. While the facility will be a unique and wonderful tool for us, I see it as more of a beachhead. It’s a place from which we’ll minister and bring others in to equip for ministry. However, the bulk of our ministry will continue to take place in homes, schools, work places, and ball fields.
Irresistible Revolution…
Alternating between wanting to throw it against the wall and taking copious notes out of it, I’ve found Shane Claiborne’s book to be nothing but perspective-challenging. I guarantee it will offend Bible Belt Christians. Praise God.
Get ready for a review of it here soon.
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Seven worst communication-killers
Over at MMI, there’s a great article that details the following “7 Worst Communication Habits for Church Staff.” The seven no-no’s are taken directly from a leadership article on the CEO Refresher website, but Todd gives them practical application to the church.
- Contacting others only when you need something.
- Not following up, or closing the loop.
- Not returning telephone calls or email messages.
- Foregoing basic courtesy.
- Not listening.
- Telling lies.
- Spewing chronic negativity.
I think these seven are immensely helpful guides for all of us, whether church staff or not. We all need to improve our communication, especially in a church like ours were so much is organic rather than organized.
Using people instead of things
When you contact folks only when you need them, it sends out a negative message over time. Essentially you’re using people. I’ve always heard that you should use things, not people. It’s a sure indication of a task-driven mind if people are seen as a means to accomplish things. It’s so vital in today’s disconnected world to for me to learn how to honestly ask, “How are you doing?” and mean it. (See listening below.) Real, vibrant and loving communication means that I’ll slow down and begin to ask myself, “What does _____ need most to grow?” My communication with that person, then, should be tailored around how God might use me to encourage them to good works and spiritual growth.
Let us consider then how we can stimulate one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10.24)
The phone thing…
I cringed a little when I read #3 cause I can already hear the chorus of “Amen’s” emanating from those who know me.
I am not a phone person. In fact, I would rather play Solitaire on my phone before falling asleep at night than I would answer it. But that’s just it. I honestly try to return phone calls. Very often, I let 24-48 hours pass before I do so, but I really don’t intentionally not call someone back. However, in my defense (and probably yours too), if people don’t leave me a message, I hardly ever return a phone call just because my phone log shows that someone attempted to call me.
In addition, if I’m right in the middle of something, or talking to someone in person, I will rarely answer my phone. I just try not to let the phone be an interruption. Imagine how much it bothers you if you’re talking to someone in person and they keep answering their phone consistently. I think it’s rude. Occasionally, it’s fine, but don’t make a habit of it.
In short, my phone philosophy needs some work, partly because I see the phone more as a tool of communication rather than actually facilitating communication itself. It’s hard for me to focus on the phone; I do much better in person. I admire those of you who are able to do so.
Not Listening
I think this point is a huge one in our society today as well. It’s so important to fully engage someone when they’re talking. Try not to be thinking about what you’re going to say next. Simply listen. Give the person your full devotion and attention. Work hard to kill your sitcom-trained attention span. Don’t answer your phone. Don’t think about your grocery list. Be there. Fully present. Your full attention is one of the most vaulable things you can give to another person. You’ll be surprised how a couple of days of truly listening will help you get to know people better and improve your communication skills.
What do you think?
- Let me just open this up for your communication suggestions as well.
- I’ll also open myself up for your criticism. Grade me. I’m listening.
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A church move
I’ll be away from the computer most of the week as we are in process of moving our church from where it’s rented for the past three years to our very first owned location! This will be our seventh location in our four-year history! I guess it’s appropriate that our church is named “Journey” Church.
If you’re in the neighborhood and want to help, we’re not picky. Stop by and grab a trowel or paintbrush. Our goal is to be in the facility by the first Sunday of June. You can read more here.
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A Mormon married to a Christian… the story
Sherri Day has published a story over at tampabay.com about a Kentucky Southern Baptist who has been married to a devout Mormon for 25 years. It is interesting story of commitment, faith, and truth. Throw in the wrinkle that the husband also runs Christian Research & Counsel, a ministry designed to confornt “counterfeit Christianities,” and you get a great family reality show in the making, maybe better than The Osbournes. Some who read this will wonder, “But I thought Mormons were Christians?” Perhaps you should read this story to help you understand that there are significant theological discrepancies between Mormonism and biblical Christianity.
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Improving your Christian blog
Adrian Warnock had the opportunity to attend Tim Challies‘ blog seminar recently, and he kindly posted some of the notes from that conference for our benefit. Here are some highlights:
- Evangelism — the nature of blogs results in people gravitating to like interests — Christians tend to read Christian blogs, etc. If we are to make a mark on evangelism in this medium, we need to do what has always been done in society in general – filter outward; shine a light there. Christian bloggers may need to write about other things that interest them, while still maintaining their identity.
- Filtering — there’s been a dramatic rise in the amount of information available to us — too much of it can be a liability. We need to use discernment to filter out the garbage from what is valuable, and also not to give undue time to blogs at the expense of other things, like reading Scripture, praying, reading good books, and other things. Don’t become too narrow.
- Control — just because you CAN say it doesn’t mean that you SHOULD. What you write may be available on the Internet for a VERY long time!
- Replacement — don’t find your sense of community online rather than in a local setting — don’t neglect the church and family.
- Controversy — Nothing generates traffic like controversy, but it isn’t helpful — it’s only malicious. Avoid becoming specialists in discouragement and gossip.
You can listen to the seminar here by scrolling down and looking for “Tim Challies – Blogging Your Ministry.”
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iPhone coming soon!
It’s almost here. Read what one industry insider is saying about how the iPhone is already beating estimates!
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Dads know everything…
Overheard on Justin Blanton’s blog:
 I wonder how long it’s going to take my future kid to figure out that I don’t know everything, and that every time I say, “we’ll talk about it later,†I’m actually just buying time to Google the question. I predict not long.
Exactly. Has Google become our online brain?
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Ode to Jerry Falwell
Tall Skinny Kiwi says that Falwell will be remembered for “TV ministry, money issues (did he really receive 3.5 million from the Moonies), fundamentalism, politics, Moral Majority, Religious Right, Liberty University, welcoming Catholics, lawsuits with Penthouse and Hustler, overplaying his cards at 911, strong views against homosexuality and abortion . . and tele-tubbies.” He also has some interesting insights into Falwell’s legacy in the post.
Get Religion blog also has a post on Falwell that is a good read.
What do you think of when you think of Jerry Falwell?
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More reasons why MySpace stinks…
Many of you know that I hate My Space. It’s not a social site; it’s a parasite. There are just too many reasons to count why. I’d invite you to share your #1 reason why you hate MySpace. While you’re at it, here are 10 reasons why “MySpace can ruin your life…” Thanks to KT for sending me the link!
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Identity crisis
Will the real Jeff Noble please stand up?
OK, I know there are more Jeff Noble’s out there. I’ve looked on Google. I know all of you have “Googled” yourself before too. What’s strange is that there are several designers and photographers out there with my name…
There are also Jeff Noble pastors out there too! Crazy. I got a nice email from one of them the other day that provoked this post.
- Pastor Jeff Noble at Golden Grove Baptist Church in Australia
- Senior Pastor Jeff Noble at New Life Evangelical Free Church in Aurora, CO
- Pastor Jeff Noble at Main Street Baptist Church in Detroit, MI
No profound conclusions, just fascinated. Are there anymore me’s out there?
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Homeschooling… a unique calling
Jim over at Church Tech Matters offers a sensitive counterview to Tim’s post about homeschooling that I had linked earlier. It’s a great read.
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Next time you’re in DC on a Sunday…
As many of you know, Caro and I were recently able to go to D.C. with some leaders from our area to petition our Congressfolks for various economic growth items. While there, we enjoyed our visit to Capitol Hill Baptist Church where Mark Dever is pastor. Great expository teacher! However, I recently stumbled across a link to the National Community Church, and I must say, it looks inviting and intriguing. Next time I’m in D.C., I would love to connect with the leaders there.
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My Space giving ground to Facebook
Check out this interesting article over at the Compete blog comparing My Space to Facebook. The image below shows “Facebook saturation.”
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The 5K Fun Walk
You know, I never saw it coming.
A few weeks ago, Adelyn commented to Carolyn that she would like to “run.” She didn’t mean run away, simply run. Carolyn helpfully suggested that she enter the Rough & Ready 5K Run/Walk, and so she began training. Her training also became my training. You see, Carolyn wanted someone to run with Adelyn around the block. I started doing it reluctantly at first, but then actually enjoyed it. I found I could run without stopping for great lengths – that is, the length between two mailboxes.
We ran/walked together for about two weeks. This past weekend was our town’s annual festival. As small-town festivals go, it was good this year – much better than last year. Sometime Friday night, I thought to ask Carolyn exactly when the 5K Run/Walk was the next day. 6:45 a.m! The next morning, we all headed up to the city park for the extravaganza. We, of course, entered the 5K “Walk” portion, and at around 7:15, the gun fired and away we… well, walked.
I saw immediately I had a problem. Adelyn left me in the dust to walk with three gals who had obviously “power-walked” before. I hung back to visit until I realized that Adelyn was about 100 yards ahead of me, and I thought, “What if she gets tired and wants to slow down? She’ll be by herself…” So I jogged up ahead to close the gap to about 50 yards.
As I tried to keep the distance between us consistent, I noticed something odd. When one is power-walking, you cannot control your butt. It gyrates side-to-side in amazing fashion. I thought it was just an ailment of Adelyn and the women she was walking with, but I soon realized that mine was doing the same thing. My arms were also wildly swinging. Humiliating. No one had warned me that you cannot look cool and power-walk at the same time.
About 2 miles into this 5K, I realized that I was not closing the gap, but actually losing ground. That’s when I began swinging and stepping with a purpose. I finally was able to get about 20 yards behind Adelyn and the other leaders (yes, Adelyn was keeping up with the older gals). She was quite the sight. She seemed to be interested in talking, looking at flowers and frolicking along like “a puppy” (as one of the ladies later told me) than power-walking. Me, I was pooped.
It was with less than a quarter of a mile left when Adelyn noticed how close I was, and after a brief pause, stopped to wait for me. Sniff. She sacrificed her place for me. Sniff. We finished the rest of the way holding hands.
When we crossed the finish line, everyone yelled as if we had just beat the Russians in Hockey in the Olympic games. I was kind of surprised by this. No one ever cheers for me when we leave the mall, and I think I do more walking there. However, I was a little chagrined to realize that by keeping up with Adelyn, I had won first place for the male walkers. I think there had been three of us total. Great. I did get a nice little trophy, which I gave to Adelyn, because she really deserved it, and Adelyn came away with her own trophy – a diamond ring she found while walking!
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Review of Post Modern Pilgrims (rated 4 stars)
Post-Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century Church
by Leonard Sweet
You can go wrong reading Leonard Sweet, but you can’t go far wrong. I never know what I’m going to get from this Christian futurist/theologian, but this was a good read.
Post Modern Pilgrims outlines what he’s been saying for years about the need for the church to be EPIC:
- Experiential
- Participatory
- Image-driven
- Connected
I’ve heard Sweet speak at several conferences when I was in campus ministry, and the book was like a refresher course. Of all the books he’s written and that I’ve read, this was perhaps the most readable. (Apart from A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Cafe)
About experience, Sweet encourages the church to quit being so heady and to engage people completely. This postmodern generation is thirsty for real, authentic, piston-charging experience.
It’s marked in extreme sports, video games, and reality shows. Sweet notes, however, that one has to be sensitive when creating a church climate of holy experience:
Experiences can become idolic as well as addictive. Postmoderns collect “experiences†like moderns collected “stuff.â€
I love how Sweet later affirms that for the believer in Christ, whether modern or postmodern, experience must always submit to obedience.
Saying yes to the moment does not mean letting the moment define the yes.
When Sweet talks about participatory, he points to festivals like Burning Man as an example. The postmodern generation (and everyone else, I think) is no longer satisfied with sit and soak church. The very nature and vibrancy of being a follower of Christ demands that we vacate our classroom-model churches and model community, service, incarnation, and love to the world.
People want to be involved. They do not want the entire reason for the church membership being to keep the machine running and to pay the light bills. He says one church attempting to provide experience is Community Church of Joy. Regardless of the fact that it’s name gives me the eebie-jeebies, I think that since his book’s publication, many, many more churches are amping it up with it comes to offering participation-focused ministries. I think it’s scriptural. After, Ephesians 4 tells us that ministers are to equip God’s people for works of service.
Sweet’s chapter on being image-driven is equally fascinating. Why is it that so many Protestant churches (and especially new church plants) are so, well, visually dead? Sure, they splash a nice Powerpoint every now and then, but art, beauty, architecture and majesty are simply absent. Sweet (and others) point to the Reformer’s emphasis on how many of the ascetic features of the Roman Catholic Church had become ungodly. Millions were spent on church edifices, while the poor and hungry lived in the shadows of the steeple.
However, I agree with Sweet that the pendulum swung too far. God is beautiful. He said about the world he created, “It is good.” The church today needs some sprucing up, and it needs to encourage and facilitate and produce rich, meaningful art. One church doing a good job with image is North Point in Atlanta. Their website uses the images of Foyer-Living Room-Kitchen to help communicate the progressive stages of relationship.
As far as web sites go, Sweet talks about the importance of a church being connected. While he means much more than just the internet, Sweet says that a good website is like a watering hole. Everyone should go there for refreshment. He uses phrases throughout the book that surprise and delight you unexpectedly like…
- As for me and my mouse, we will serve the Lord
- Word of “mouse” communities
Though written in 2000, Sweet says that at the time, 85% of churches now offer some type of cell group opportunity. That was a little shocking, and there was no footnote or documentation for the assertion. I tend to disagree with that. I don’t think that just any smallish group of folks gathering inside or outside the church classifies as what most of us who are seeking to model small group ministry would call a “cell group.”
Sweet takes a great parting shot at churches (I really chuckled out loud) and other organizations when he decried the silliness of websites that are merely brochureware. It’s not hard to imagine what he means – one page jobbers that are more like a digital poster than an interactive experience. For a great example of a site that encourages much of the above, check out theooze.com.
All in all, I’d recommend Sweet’s book (and mine is available for borrowing) as a good stab at a postmodern primer.
See more about Post-Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century Church
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Escape temptation
Shawn has a great post and a wonderful little graphic (shown below) related to resisting temptation.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10.13)
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About
Notes from the Trail
The Personal Blog of Jeff Noble
Info: From the misty hills of Virginia, "Notes from the Trail" seeks to encourage you on your journey. Written by a graphic designer-pastor, this blog is a blend of humor, insight, and faith discovery.
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Copy this number: 6058013378446529, and then reload my Starbucks card here!Lifestream
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RT @churchplant123: If you want to be a successful new church planter, shave your head. It's the Samson principle. [journeyguy]
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For a brief second, I had just over 500 followers. After blocking spammers and businesses, I'm back under. Do you filter your followers? [journeyguy]
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New blog post: Review: Sticky Teams: Larry Osborne is pastor of North Coast Church, a megachurch, by anyone’s de... http://t.co/KKL4zZFs [journeyguy]
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A blog from the past: "The need for church planting" http://t.co/iwlT5jOh [journeyguy]
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RT @funnyoneliners: I keep a well-stocked pantry in case friends drop by. I could hide in there for days. [journeyguy]
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