Fellowship Bible Church’s I2 Conference
I’m heading to Little Rock for the next three days of Fellowship Bible Church’s Church of Irresistible Influence Conference. I’ve missed it the the last two years, and this year I had told myself that I’m going, no matter what. The only thing I’m disappointed about is having to go without some of the other leaders from Journey. It’s always difficult to communicate an experience and what you’ve learned “after the fact.”
Fellowship Bible is probably one of the huge influences in how Journey is structured and shaped. I grew up in Little Rock and actually threw the Arkansas Democrat to its three founding co-pastors, Bill Wellons, Bill Parkinson, and Robert Lewis. I’ve seen the church grow and thrive over the years into a literal mega-church, but to this day, you can set up an appointment (and sometimes even drop in) and have coffee with any of its leaders.
I hope to be attempting something I’ve seen others do… liveblogging. If there’s a hotspot, I’ll try to do some blogging live from the conference to keep all you regulars up to speed.
For those of you left behind in Monticello or its vicinity, make sure to try out Journey’s D-Group! It’s been awesome so far, and there’s only three weeks left.
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David Copperfield messes with my mind…
Click here and let me know if he guesses what’s on your mind…
Many thanks to my grandmother-in-law for totally freaking me out today.
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What kind of parenting do you practice?
George Barna has a book out called Revolutionary Parenting. It looks to be a powerful study and even more alarming call for transformation in Christians’ parenting styles. In it, he identifies three parenting styles:
- Parenting by default, which he says is “the path of least resistance”
- Parenting by trial and error
- Revolutionary parenting, which he says is simply taking the scriptures at face value where they address parenting and seeking to apply them diligently to life and family practices
For the first three commenters, I’ll buy and have the book shipped to you. But here’s the caveat..
- You have to write a blog review of the book on your own blog (If you have no blog, your comment won’t count.)
- Implement one principle learned in the book in your parenting style (telling us in your blog entry what you’re going to do)
- Link back to this post in your blog entry
- And pass the book on to a friend, listing its destination in your blog entry.
Happy commenting… and parenting.
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Unchurched number in U.S. reaches 100 million
According to the Barna Research Group, the number of unchurched folks in the U.S. (those who haven’t attended a religious service in the past six months) surpassed 100 million last year. this included teens and children. It’s enough to make the unchurched population the 12th most populated nation in the world…
To put that figure in context, if the unchurched population of the United States were a nation of its own, that group would be the twelfth most populated nation on earth (trailing only China, India, the churched portion of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Japan and Mexico).
Another interesting study has just been released in a book which you can find in my Amazon wish list, Jim and Caspar Go to Church. It chronicles a former pastor and an avowed atheist as they visit more than a dozen different churches across America and then offers some conclusions, which include:
- An alarming amount of Christians are indifferent towards non-Christians
- Privatized faith far exceeds the notion of communal faith.
- Overemphasis on programmed religious activities andworship performance rather than on helping people experience the presence of God
- Virtually no “marching orders” are given; church members are allowed to simply come and attend with little call for action
- Unwillingness to grapple with tough questions and to allow divergent opinions or dissent
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A runny chihuahua
For those of you with weak stomachs, stop now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Now, on with the post.
My daughter’s chihuahua is named Fancy, Fancy Hairbow, to be precise. When she’s in trouble, which with our daughter is rare, Adelyn will yell, “Fancy Hairbow! You get over here right now!” However, the chihuahua has earned a special place in my life. I’ve discovered that there’s a certain place on a chihuahua that is a perfect match for the end of my Nikes. Just kidding! Please erase PETA from your speed dial.
Honestly though, there’s not much love lost between Fancy and me. I guess picking up poop after three years is getting old. Oh, and there’s Fancy’s love of any rug in the house. And the fact that she barks incessantly at any noise inside or outside. And the fact that she occasionally can knock out a full grown man with her odor. (Fancy, not Adelyn).
You can imagine my dismay Tuesday when upon letting Fancy back inside…
(Her being outside should mean, for any normal dog, an opportunity to relieve herself. However, for this particular creature, being outside means barking. Barking at the cat, barking at visitors, barking at the UPS lady, barking at whatever.)
… I noticed that her bootie was brown. Now, Fancy is normally a light brownish-tan, but this color was definitely a dukey brown. There was a good reason for that, because upon closer examination, I confirmed quickly that it was dukey. Runny dukey. Yep, chihuahua diarrhea. Can life get any worse?
Adelyn, who professes an undying love and devotion for this, this animal, suddenly would have nothing to do with Fancy. A few moments later, it was me, Super Dad and Chihuahua Hater who was spraying Fancy’s dukey bottom off with the sprayer in the kitchen sink. Yep. Then I Cloroxed the whole area.
From that moment forward, Fancy took a steady nosedive into lethargy. She would not get up, she would not bark, and she stayed away from the rest of us. It was wonderful.
However, when Wednesday rolled around, and Fancy was showing no improvement, Carolyn decided that Fancy needed to go to the vet. Of course, that was a great decision for her; she had gone to Hot Springs with some girl friends for Kim Pigott’s birthday. It was an easy call for Carolyn to make from the spa.
So I dropped a pitiful Fancy off at the vet and went to the MEDC monthly board meeting at UAM. That afternoon, we picked her up from the vet after I grabbed the kids from school. The vet had called and said that I needed to come and hold Fancy so they could give her a shot. I wasn’t pleased. I paid $82 for meds, a shot, and a fecal parasite examination and still had to hold a crappy dog (yes, she’d done it again!) while the vet administered a shot.
The vet also did not provide poopy transportation protection. So, upon our arrival at home, I not only had to spray Fancy off and clean her again (and the kitchen sink’s sprayer is so handy), but I had to do the same with my floormat from the car which Fancy had browned like toast. (I used the hose outside for that; I still haven’t figured out why I didn’t clean Fancy off outside either. Mental lapse.)
Anyway, today Fancy seems to be recovering from her bacterial/booty problem. However, I think I need counseling. And a new kitchen sink.
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Defending Harry Potter from Christian naysayers (rated 3 stars)
Looking for God in Harry Potter
by John Granger
My dad recommended this book to me. My folks and I have all read all of the Potter books to date. I’ve pre-ordered the newest one to be released this summer.
I didn’t really need a book that set out to defend Harry Potter from well-intentioned Christians. I don’t mind if people don’t want to read the book. I even don’t mind if folks cast stones at those who do.
However, Dad kept harping about it, so I read it… or tried to. This guy is either a LOT smarter than me, or this book was a real snoozer. He deftly takes the Potter series and claims classic status for it, showing how it uses classical Greek and Latin symbolism as do many of the greats of literature. I was a little surprised by that. Perhaps Mark could speak to some of that. I was bewildered by it.
The author also proceeds to demonstrate how the consistent use of imagery, symbolism, names, and plot actually serve to illuminate and consistently reveal Christian themes. Ideas such as atonement, resurrection, good vs. evil, hope, incarnation, sacrfice, and love are consistent in the Potter books. The author claims these themes and their treatment should draw Christian readers to use them as analogies and allegories, much as pastors and churches have found similar themes in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series.
I can’t necessarily recommend the book to you if you already like Harry. It’s a snoozer, and not nearly as entertaining as reading about muggles. However, if you have previously sworn off of Potter for fear of being indiscriminate, I would urge you to give this book a good reading. It might be illuminating for you though I doubt you’ll enroll at Hogwarts anytime soon.
See more about Looking for God in Harry Potter
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Popularized idolatry gives back
Whoa. Did you see the total raised by last week’s American Idol “Gives Back“? It’s over $60 million so far… and counting. What do you think about that? What are is the historical and cultural perspective for this “instant” fund-raising and mobilization of such a large scale charitable push?
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Yahooey! Apple up in spite of Vista
A story today over at AppleInsider relates that Apple’s market share continues to rise, in spite of the debut of Vista, Microsoft’s first major system revision in 5 years. Hoo hoo hoo ha ha ha.
Blogged with Flock
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Ode to the Drew Theater
It sits forlornly in the middle of Monticello, just south of Main Street. Alone and unused, it was once one of Monticello’s busiest and most entertaining sites for teenagers, families, friends, and out-of-towners. It’s the Drew Theater. Every small town had one at one time, probably.
The small box office juts out on the left side of the front of the building, inviting movie-goers. Its small lobby was just enough to intoxicate visitors with aromas of thick, buttered popcorn. Replete with a balcony and steeply sloped main floor, it could probably seat more than 400 at a time.
We looked at the building a couple of years ago as a possible site for Journey. It was last used by a church – a fly-by-night church that had enough time to paint the walls of the main auditorium purple, as well as the redo the carpet and build a stage that would make Joel Osteen envious. It and Monticello’s old drive-in theater are listed here.
At the time we looked at it, someone, possibly the pastor of this church had been using the box office as a bedroom, and suits still hung from a pole that had been stretched across the room. The place was filthy, and dead rats (we’re talking puppy-sized!) were found in several places. The rats, more than the building itself, were the biggest turnoff for the group that looked at it. I wonder why?
We eventually went a different direction, and the building still sits unoccupied today. It’s available for lease or sale, from what I understand. I have always thought it would make a fantastic small $1-theater. I hope that there’s life to yet to be wrung from this historic building.
In thinking of the Drew Theater, I also think of abandoned dreams generally. The theater was a hotspot in its heyday, but no longer. Someone’s pride and joy became an albatross, passed by and passed over by our “larger-is-better” culture. What do you find in your life has been passed by and passed over? Care to share?
What are your hopes and dreams yet to be realized? Do you have a vision sitting dormant? Has it been abandoned, or is it waiting for the right person or circumstance to revitalize it?
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Is it fair?
Scott Adams, Dilbert creator, has a great post about “what is fair?” To him, fairness is in the eye of the beholder, apparently. Check it out here.
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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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RT @jackieflake: @vthoneybee, Melissa u lived as Christ, your death is gain. God thank u for sharing our sister w/us. Living well yields ... [journeyguy]
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Praying for the@bcmvt and Cheliras families upon learning of Melissa's death from cancer today. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 [journeyguy]
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