One Prayer

Originally posted on Typepad - March 31
This sounds like a revolution! Count me in this prayer!

Take a moment ... it's worth the watch

Originally posted on Typepad - March 24
I watched this this morning and had a moment with God!

Mad Church Disease

Originally posted on Typepad - March 24
If you haven't heard of this, this book was just finished and will be out next February. I know it's a little ways out but . . . I am looking forward to this read!

Check out the author (who is a regular contributor to Relevant Mag) Anne Jackson here.

Knee Jerk Reactions & Color outside the lines

Originally posted on Typepad - March 21
We've all had them before. Knee Jerk Reactions. We are too quick to jump to conclusions about situations without knowing all the facts. It's really easy to do when someone's actions don't match up to what
you're used to in your own life. I'm learning that behavior has it's roots lodged in the heart (both good & bad). To keep an open mind, at times, is the ability to hear without making judgments. When we don't
listen, we miss out on many new insights and possible experiences.

If someone would have told me that most of our music would be played digitally and it would be available to the common, not just the elite, that would have blown my mind. What about sending files through the
air (Bluetooth) ... It amazing even today!

I'm try to stay up on what's going on today, especially with my kids culture. But, sometimes I have to do some research to try to keep up & stay engaged in their culture. I like how one person said it, "When I'm engaged in their (our kids) culture, I can stay in relationship with them."

No one is perfect and we all miss the mark with each other! A recent quote from Perry Noble at NewSpring's Unleash Conference is relevant to this topic: "The older generation seems to always get mad at the younger
generation."

Shepard Fairey has this to say about culture and such: "My whole M.O. was very similar to skateboarding and punk rock, which was the idea that if the mainstream wasn't picking up on what you were
doing, create an alternative scene to the mainstream. My attitude was never 'I want to be an isolated person and do my own thing in direct opposition to the mainstream'; it was more like 'I need to be doing
what I'm doing, and I need to figure out how to keep doing it by any means necessary.' Alot of people think if you are into some sort of subculture or alternative culture that means you are anti-mainstream.
My idea was always 'Well, mainstream is kinda sucky a lot of times, but does it have to be?' It would be cool to educate people about the stuff that I'm into. Sort of enlighten the mainstream--raise the bar
all across the board rather than having to feel like an outsider forever."

How can this apply in dealing with the church and The Church?

I need to stop my Knee Jerks and let people color outside the lines. I just might learn something. And, then, someone might find the courage to take their next step towards Christ because I get out of the way.

What Knee Jerks have you experienced recently?

The Move

This week is known as the week of passion, the week of celebration not only Jesus' death but also his resurrection.  I am grateful!

We at The Crossroads moved into our new office / cafe this week.  Transition is not always easy. Communication and keeping positive are key components in helping ease tensions of change.  I am reminded of a couple of Charles Swindoll quotes:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

What is the hardest part to deal with when we have no control over a situation?

Dougie Depp

If you haven't checked it out...it's pretty fun!  

OK - I am done.

Face in a hole

Only Bob Ross can pull the white man-fro off!  Check yourself out!

39 is the new...29

March 14 is my birthday. I can't remember when it wasn't sunny on my birthday. Got to love spring time!

Looking forward to a great day:

_7:30 am - awaking to breakfast in bed (Oatmeal, toast, pineapple juice)

_ 8:30 am - Taking the boys to PE

_9:50 am - Going to Starbucks with the family

_10:15 am - Going to see "Horton..." movie with the family

_12:15 pm - Eating Lunch with my bro, mom-in-law, sister-in-law, and family

_2:00 pm - Getting the boys new shoes (may get some B-ball shoes too).

_4:00 pm - Return home

_7:00 pm - Light dinner (watching movie on iTunes - "Changing Lanes")

Now that's a great day!

Plans for year 39:

_I plan to exercise more - playing hoops, running, riding my bike to and from work!

_I plan to pray more. I am craving more of God in my life. Need to grow closer!

_I plan to work less. When I am home I want to be home and not "finishing" what I didn't get done.

_I plan to read more books. See work less ... I read a lot just want to read more.

If 40 is the new 30 . . . 39 is the new 29? I feel like I am 34!

The Madness Has Begun

Originally posted on Typepad - March 12
Today starts the NCAA men's b-ball tourney. Love this time of year.

Here are my final four picks: NC, Kansas, Pitt, UCLA || Pitt beats NC - 89-83 We will see!

Testing One, Two, Three!

For my three readers, you may have been concerned about no recent posts. Well I've been looking for another blog home. Check out the possible new spot.

I am liking some it's features, but not liking others. I will be weighing it out and let you know what blog estate I plant roots.

Stuck in a Small World

Originally posted on Typepad - March 07, 2008

My pastor and friend is a writer. This week his new book dropped called Stuck in a Small World. It will be a soft launch of the book but we are planning to roll it out in conjunction with the opening of our Koina Cafe (hopefully by the end of the month). Here is a brief look at the book:

"With the economy in limbo and life zooming at an out of control pace, the family unit is under attack. Common circumstances have plagued our society for years.

Wyatt tackles these issues head on addressing such issues as single-parent families, sibling rivalry, emotionally distant fathers, blended families, families with special needs children, and many more.

Stuck in a Small World came out of a personal experience, when at Disneyland the Wyatt’s found them selves literally stuck on the ride It’s a Small World. The boat stopped, but the annoying music did not. Meanwhile, the loudspeaker kept blaring, “Please! Do not exit your boats!”

With a painfully honest take on his own families stuckness, Wyatt offers a hopeful look at how we can break the cycle of dysfunction and rewrite the music of our family’s repetitive song."

I am looking forward to reading it.

Grappling

Originally posted on Typepad - March 6, 2008

I am talking with several people these days who are wrestling with many paradigm shifting issues. I am one!

Love for God is not an issue. It more of issues with the local church and The Church as a whole. I ran across this quote from Tony Morgan's blog.

"Real faith is dynamic. It's controversial. It's dangerous. It's constantly growing. It asks challenging questions. It involves mystery. You can't put it in a box. You can't keep it quiet. You can't out-grow it. You can't out-dream it. It's more focused on others than it is on self. Real faith gives me peace but makes me discontent to let things stay the same."

We are all on a journey to discover who we are in Christ. May that growth process never end.

What will Church look like?

Originally posted on Typepad - March 05, 2008

Barna released a report recently identifying five segments of church attendance.

From the report:
“The fact that millions of people are now involved in multiple faith communities - for instance, attending a conventional church one week, a house church the next, and interacting with an online faith community in-between - has rendered the standard measures of “churched” and “unchurched” much less precise.”

so, out of the following…which segment do you identify with more? if you would rather remain unidentified, just type in anonymous for your name and don’t link back to your blog.

Unattached - people who had attended neither a conventional church nor an organic faith community (e.g., house church, simple church, intentional community) during the past year. Some of these people use religious media, but they have had no personal interaction with a regularly-convened faith community. This segment represents one out of every four adults (23%) in America. About one-third of the segment was people who have never attended a church at any time in their life.

Intermittents - these adults are essentially “under-churched” - i.e., people who have participated in either a conventional church or an organic faith community within the past year, but not during the past month. Such people constitute about one out of every seven adults (15%). About two-thirds of this group had attended at least one church event at some time within the past six months.

Homebodies - people who had not attended a conventional church during the past month, but had attended a meeting of a house church (3%).

Blenders - adults who had attended both a conventional church and a house church during the past month. Most of these people attend a conventional church as their primary church, but many are experimenting with new forms of faith community. In total, Blenders represent 3% of the adult population.

Conventionals - adults who had attended a conventional church (i.e., a congregational-style, local church) during the past month but had not attended a house church. Almost three out of every five adults (56%) fit this description. This participation includes attending any of a wide variety of conventional-church events, such as weekend services, mid-week services, special events, or church-based classes.

What does going to church look like for you? how do you think “going to church” will look over the next ten or twenty years as our world gets smaller with technology?"


Thanks for Anne Jackson for the info.

Starbucks - Going back to the basics

Originally posted on Typepad - March 5, 2008

Much has been made about Howard Schultz taking the reigns back leading Starbucks. As a former employee, I appreciate the third place concept but beyond that I appreciate the value Starbucks puts on creating an experience for their customers - with overpriced coffee! Here is an excerpt from his letter to his employees. Read it in it's entirety here. By the way, I love how Starbucks refers to employees as partners.

We are at our best when we are entrepreneurial and courageous, push for innovation and reject the status quo. We are leaders not followers--we leave that for others.

We are the third place in the lives of millions of our customers. We are the coffee that brings people together every day around the world to foster conversation and community.

As Starbucks partners, we are bound together by the passion we have for our coffee and the customer experience. More than 170,000 of us stand for quality and an uncompromising ethical standard. We uphold our guiding principles by demonstrating respect and dignity for one another, and for our customers. (emphasis added)

I read the letter from Mark Waltz's blog.

I know all is not perfect with Starbucks but they do a good job at what they do. Like or dislike The Bucks?

Get the Message

I like the Message.

I am an alumnus of PLNU. I like Dean Nelson. I now like Eugene Peterson.
Check this (it's 30 minutes)



By the way, I am trying out another blog site. I am really liking it. There are a few other posts you won't see on Blogger. I may take the leap ... Stay tuned!

Eugene Peterson Interview

Originally posted on Typepad - March 4, 2008

I am an alumnus of PLNU. I really enjoyed learning from Dean Nelson (My World Lit. Professor). Gene Peterson, godly man. This is 30 minutes and he provides a great perspective on the Bible and stories. Great interview.

Liquid Gauging

Originally posted on Typepad - March 3, 2008

Somebody call Al Gore. With gas prices on the rise (summer around the corner, and all the middle east conflict) it is conceivable that American's will pay $4.00 for a gallon of gas. This is common in Europe.

Besides that think of all the other liquids that we are paying too much for:

_ Milk - $3.50+ gal.
_ Coffee - Leave Starbucks with out paying $4.00!
_Water - $1.50 bottle

What else do we pay too much for?