I saw these dudes (link to God's Pottery website) on Last Comic Standing last night. I laughed, I cried...I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit. They have captured everything "cheezy", "too nice", "preachy", and just over-the-top-annoying about "Christians" and turned it into a comedy act. Their "act" is funny,and "true"...but sad when you think about the "caricature" that Christians have become in our society...yikes.
I read a report this week that listed Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as two of the most powerful political pundits in America. How did these two very funny wing nuts make it on the list with so many other seriously powerful and "powerfully serious" talking heads? How did their shows on the little watched Comedy Central become such opinion leaders?
I think the answer is comedy... they make the jokes that so many others in America are "thinking". They poke fun at a political process that so many are cynical and weary of... They are actually gaining credibility by pointing out the absurdity of "the system"...
How does that relate to religion in America? I think the parallels are becoming clearer every day. So many people are cynical and jaded with "the system" but (just like in politics) they are still looking for a "savior"... So how can we introduce them to "the Savior"? I think we have to be willing to poke fun at ourselves and our "religious system". Put the most serious subjects in the funniest settings... Make laughing together a bridge to understanding and belief. Who knows...maybe someday they will have comedy courses at seminary...it certainly couldn't hurt.
Last night I (like everyone else in America) was watching the Idol results show. As usual they had a couple of artists perform to stretch five minutes of "results" into an hour long show. Did anyone else notice that everyone was singing about Jesus? The Clark Brothers (video above) did "This little light of mine" and Dolly Parton performed "Jesus and Gravity" (insert your Dolly Parton "gravity" joke here)
How is it that churches (as a whole) all over America are losing membership and "attendership" in relation to our growing population...and the producers of the most watched television show in America thought it would be perfectly acceptable for both of its performing acts last night to sing about Jesus? Is there any explanation other than that people still "like" Jesus just fine...they just don't want to come to church to hear songs about him? Isn't that kind of ironic in the sense that so many churches think that the way to attract a bigger crowd is to add "contemporary" worship music?
As a former "Worship Leader" I think "Worship" music (whether it is hymns or "contemporary worship") is partly to blame for the irrelevance of church in society. So many people have been convinced that singing a few songs on Sunday morning is how we "Worship" God... I don't think so! Here's a little experiment: Next time your boss at work asks you to do a project, happily accept...and then completely ignore the work he has given you. Instead, gather as many of your fellow workers into the break room each week and "worship" the boss... Sing songs with his name in them, memorize his memos, "preach" from the company handbook...be sincere, be reverent and "sober", feel great about your worship. Let me know how the boss feels about it when he comes back for the completed project... Happy Job Hunting! (monster.com)
So what kind of music will "bring" people...and Jesus...back to church? I don't think it matters. I'm looking forward to Clean Slate rocking the new Alterbridge single, a Daughtry tune, and a couple of their originals at actionchurch on Sunday. The Clark Brothers (link for email subscribers) proved last night on Idol that an old "Gospel" song done with great passion and musicianship can bring the house down... Whatever the "style", whatever the "genre" I think that the key to truly "worshipping" and being relevant in our nation are is the same- "A little less talk, and a lot more action"!
I'm looking forward to having this guy back on TV tonight! I've missed his rants and obvious passion for excellence...
Here's another show I've only seen a partial episode but could potentially dig... Ax Men
And of course these guys are coming back! Deadliest Catch
I never thought I would be so excited for a show about cooking, crab fishing, or logging to come on!
I'm friends with everybody in this office. We're all best friends. I love everybody here. But sometimes your best friends start coming into work late and start having dentist appointments that aren't dentist appointments, and that is when it's nice to let them know that you could beat them up. - Michael Scott
Bonus quote: Yes. It is true. I, Michael Scott, am signing up with an online dating service. Thousands of people have done it, and I am going to do it. I need a username, and... I have a great one. "Little Kid Lover". That way people will know exactly where my priorities are at. -Michael Scott
No extra charge for that one...
I was watching a re-run of "My name is Earl" the other day...and in the episode Earl decided to give up doing good things for the people he had harmed...because "Karma" wasn't giving anything "good" back to him. (I guess he didn't factor in the "Karma" had taken him from being a career petty criminal to being someone who actually added goodness to the lives of those around him...)
I believe the principle of "getting what you give" (or "karma") is part of God's plan. I believe that if you live life in a kind, loving, and generous manner...you will experience a more fulfilling life. I believe "doing good is good for business". If you run your business in a honest, generous, "serving others" manner...your business will be more successful. But I also believe that you can do all of those things and really awful things can still happen! Life isn't always "fair".
I think many Christians (especially preachers) do a disservice to people by telling people that "If you live for God you will be blessed in everything you do!" "If you give to the church you'll never want for money." "If you read your Bible and pray everyday God will protect your family and friends." etc. In the end, this "My-Name-is Earl-karma-theology" leaves people just like Earl in the episode I just watched... disappointed and defeated.
In reality the Bible is full of people who lived pretty amazing lives and still faced some horrible circumstances. People who were absolutely faithful and still had moments when life sucked. What I'm depending on is that through good times and "bad", God has the best plan for our lives and we can trust him to have our best interest in mind. I can't think of a better way to say it than King David (who truly had some unbelievably "low" points in life) said it in Psalms nearly 3000 years ago...
30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalms 18:30
Michele and I went yesterday to purchase the plasma TV's we will be using as video monitors at Fat Daddy's. (I can't believe we are less that two weeks away from our first "test drive" service on Sunday morning). A couple of things:
component of communicating the Good News of Jesus is now more important than ever. In many cases the visual image and words projected on the screen have a better chance of "registering" with the listener than the spoken word. If you would like to be part of communicating this life changing truth please consider donating to help cover the cost of our video system. Tax Deductible donations can be made online or contact me @ info@actionchurch.com. Michele and I have always loved this commercial (link for email subscribers) and they actually showed it a couple of weeks ago at church. Liberty Mutual uses the commercial to show "responsibility"...I think it is a great picture of what the Kingdom that Jesus preached about should look like. We should know people who follow Jesus because they are a little kinder, a little more generous, a little more loving and accepting, quicker to forgive, easier to work with, etc. Every time someone becomes a follower of Jesus the world should be a little better place. Christians should be known for setting off "chain reactions" of goodness instead of by what book they read or the meeting they go to on Sunday morning. That's my dream for my life. That's my dream for actionchurch. What's your "policy"?
43"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (pharisees)and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Matthew 21:43 Niv
What's the use of having all the "answers" if no one cares about the questions?..(email subscribers-link for video) I think the reason why we as Christians often seem so "out of touch" is because we haven't "listened" to our community enough to know what their "questions" are... We are saying "Hey wanna know more about the book of Galatians?" when our community wants to know how to deal with money. We are saying, "Hey we've got all the answers about the Hebrew "circumcision" sect in the first century church"-when our community would like to know how to deal with the relationships in their life. We're saying "Hey, we know what will happen when you die"- when in a country with an average lifespan of over nearly eighty years, most people think they can "wait"to deal with eternity.
Are the book of Galatians, circumcision, and heaven "unimportant" issues for the church? Nope, even the principals that related to the circumcision argument in the early church can be valuable if used to answer a "question" that our community has today. Maybe instead of teaching "about" the Apostle Paul, we should actually follow his example and teach "like" Paul. When teaching a community that worshiped natural "gods" like the sun and moon Paul would say that he had "news" from the God that brought the Rain and Sun for their crops. When talking to a hyper religious community that even had shrines to the "unknown god" Paul would say he represented that "unknown God"... He always framed his "answer" in relation to a "question" that his listeners had. I think we should too...otherwise we come off like Dwight on The Office who once asked Jim "Do you know what the best kind of Bear is?" He actually had an answer...I just can't remember it...because it didn't "matter" to me....
Okay, I understand that makes no sense unless you watched the season premiere of The Office last night. If you have it tivo'd I won't spoil it for you but it was funny as always. I love the office (every workplace should have a "Dwight") and judging by the ratings, "America" loves watching the story of the most dysfunctional paper company in Scranton, PA unfold also.
I think part of the popularity of this show is that so many of us have experienced a boss like Michael Scott. So many of us suspect (or know) that we may actually know far more about actually doing our job than "management" does. So many of us have watched in amusement and frustration as our "bosses" struggled with situations that seemed like "common sense" to the average employee. I think a show like The Office is funny because it is, in an exaggerated way, "true"!
Want to fix your "failing" company? There are guys in the break room that know what the problem is and probably have a good idea how to fix it. Want some real "solutions" to the problems we face as Americans? Don't go to D.C., go to a working class coffee shop in K.C. (Kansas City). Want to know why your Church isn't growing and impacting your community in the "unstoppable" way God intended? Don't ask the "steering" committee, ask the guy who owns the diner down the street...he's heard why people don't want to be part of your church's "deal".
I believe in the wisdom and power of "ordinary" people. My Bible is full of stories of how they changed their world. I am so thankful for the very clear vision God has given us for actionchurch. What excites me most is that our vision is made up of so many "What's" and "Where's" but so few "How's". We know "what" people we are to serve, we know "where" we are going, we know "what" actionchurch should "look like" etc.....but there are so many "how" questions that still need to be answered! That's exciting to me, because I know each "how" answer is going to come from an "ordinary" person who has just been waiting for someone to "ask".
How are we going to organize and energize the amazing children's area we need to serve all the kids that are going to come? Someone knows. How are we going to make people from so many diverse backgrounds and experiences feel welcome...in a nightclub? Someone knows. How are we going to organize home groups so these new "revolutionaries" can stay connected to each other and God? Someone knows. How can we most effectively gather and send "action teams" out into our community to serve others? Someone knows. How will we "pull off" getting Fat Daddy's clean, set up, and ready to have church in just three hours each Sunday morning? Someone knows. I can't wait to meet all the "ordinary" people that God is sending ready and prepared to answer the "how" questions that we cannot...
Are you that "someone"? info@actionchurch.com
We watched the new Chef Gordon Ramsay show Kitchen Nightmares last night and I am definitely adding it to our Tivo "season pass" list. I really liked it. I am not a "fine dining" guy (I "heart" Cracker Barrel and Olive Garden) but I love to watch the Chef at work.
The show reminds me of a mix of Extreme Home Makeover (If Ty cursed and screamed at the people before building them a new house) and Super Nanny (because of the British accent and the behavior of the "makeover subjects").
However you package it I am a "sucker" for any show where ordinary people submit their lives to an "expert" and their lives are forever improved...it reminds me of what Jesus does in lives everyday...minus the "bleeped" out language.
I know, "you might be a redneck" if you post about farming and nascar in the same week. Technically Sunday starts a new week so I think I'll be okay... But I'll admit it, I'm a "gear head". I enjoy watching fast cars go around in circles. I understand stuff like "pit strategy" and being "loose" or "tight". Hi my name is Don and I am a nascar fan, I am part of "Earnhardt Nation". (Wait, maybe I am a redneck!)
To a nascar fan, one of the best races on the schedule is at Bristol, TN. Imagine cramming 160,000 rabid fans and 43 cars on a track probably smaller than your local Target parking lot. I think Bristol is what would have happened if the gladiators in the Colosseum had been given race cars to drive instead of weapons. Cars slide, wrecks occur, tempers flare, and excitement ensues...until last night.
This year they repaved "Thunder Valley". They made it very smooth. They reconfigured the banking so cars would have plenty of grip and wouldn't have to "beat and bang" their way to the front. Their new safer cars made it a much less dangerous place. In the pre-race show the commentators and the drivers raved about the new surface and how great the race would be now that it was so "smooth and easy to pass". I fell asleep. Without the "roughness" of the track, without the difficulty, without the "drama", the race became boring.
Sometimes I wonder why doing anything worthwhile has to be so difficult? Why it can't be "Smoother"? Why do there have to be so many "bumps" and "wrecks" along the way? Maybe the Creator of history also thinks "smooth is boring". Maybe (like everything else he does) HE desires to tell a "good story". Maybe the one who has been "weaving" our human story since creation also enjoys the drama of conflict and danger. Maybe because I am created in his image, "smooth" racing puts me to sleep...
Or, maybe I am just getting "too old" to stay awake after 11pm...
If you ask any lawmaker, regardless of their political party affiliation, how to change behavior in society-their answer will always boil down to education and legislation. It's simply the best government has to offer. Does it work? Not so much. If it did, surely by now people would be "educated" that murdering other human beings is really not a "nice" thing to do. Surely everyone in America is at least "educated" in the fact that murder is "unlawful" and will get you at minimum a long prison sentence (unless you are a celebrity with a really good lawyer). If education and legislation were successful in changing sinful behavior would there be still be drug use, drunk driving, rape, or for that matter, littering in our society?
Does religion offer a better alternative than education and legislation? Unfortunately, I think it's just more of the same. So many well intentioned evangelicals firmly believe that if people "just knew what the Bible teaches" about a particular behavior...people would "change". Really? Is that all it takes-more "Bible education"? Ironically, because even "good Bible teaching" doesn't stop the sinful behavior in our society, the same people lobby their legislators in government to pass more laws legislating sinful behavior. Issues such as abortion and gay marriage become rallying cries for the religious to "educate" and "legislate" our society into a sin-free utopia.
I believe there is a better way. I place all my trust in the Good News of Grace that Jesus gave his life for. I believe jerks like me (and you) can be given a fresh start and a new "identity". I believe in redemption. I will not waste one moment of my time as a pastor trying to "legislate" morality using the power of our government. I believe the only hope to truly change our society are found in the words of Jesus. When faced with an accusing crowd of "legislators", "educators" and a naked woman caught in the very act of adultery(read about it here)...Jesus didn't react in the way the crowd must have thought he would. First, he sent her accusers who wanted to enforce the legislation against adultery away in shame. Then he said the most hopeful,"grace-filled", and powerful phrase I have ever encountered. Jesus told the neighborhood slut, the woman that the religious people found beyond hope, the one woman in the village that the religious "police" were sure they could catch naked and "in the wrong bed" if they needed to prove a point to Jesus... He said to her..."Go now and leave your life of sin." It wasn't a threat or a warning-Jesus believed she could actually change! That's the power of Grace...I'll chose that over legislation and education every time.
I just ran across an article about how my "friend" Tivo is shaking up the Neilson Ratings. (link). After owning a Tivo (or two) for over five years it has taken on "appliance" status at our home. (Meaning, if it were to break I would replace it immediately...like the fridge.) Because of Tivo, we no longer "waste" our very limited TV viewing time watching "whatever is on", we record and watch what we want to see. An added benefit is that we also don't have to watch commercials anymore...
That's where the "problem" for advertisers comes in. DVR's such has Tivo have become so widespread that the advertisers are losing their "captive" audience. Viewers have more "choices" when a commercial comes on than to flip to another commercial on another channel or get up and head for the bathroom or fridge. They can simply "fast forward" through the commercial. In short, fewer and fewer people "have to" watch commercials anymore.
It remains to be seen what advertisers do now that they are admitting that people aren't really watching their commercials. I expect there will be more products actually placed in the shows and events such as the Nascar race I watched last month that never "stopped" for commercial break...it just played commercials in a small window on screen. Advertisers "admit" they will have to be creative and engaging so more people will choose to watch their advertisements. (I actually thought that was what advertising was all about!?)
Every year, fewer and fewer people "have to" attend our churches. There is no longer a social stigma against people who don't attend. (There actually might be one against those who do.) Each new generation has fewer children "raised in church". We are losing our "captive audience". For years we've complained that people are "supposed to" attend church. In the last few years, some have even admitted (like television advertisers) that perhaps our neighbors don't want to hear our "promotional messages" for God. I think the next step is beginning... It's time that we become creative and engaging (in both our church services and lifestyles) so more people will choose to hear our message. (I actually thought that was what the "good news" was all about!?)
Sometimes the simplest advice is the best advice. Wow, I wish I would have heard this "wisdom" earlier in life...like before I got that mullet hair cut...I could go on...and on.
Michele and I enjoy watching Hell's Kitchen (link) on Monday nights. I think it is one of the funniest shows on TV...even if it wasn't intended to be. So what can you learn about "church" from a Master Chef who is also a "Jedi master" in profanity? I think plenty... here's just one of the things I've noticed recently.
There's nothing more important than your good name!
Nothing makes Gordon Ramsey more angry (and that's saying something!) than when he believes something is being served from his restaurant that will damage his "name". "Your menu, my standards!" is what he yelled at an aspiring chef last week. I think church leaders, especially pastors, could learn a lot from that. When we allow substandard things to be "served" out of our churches to our communities because "they're just volunteers" or "it's close enough for church work" or "we can't afford to do it "right", I believe it dishonors both the name of Jesus and the wonderful men and women who chose to serve him. We should remember that when something is done poorly, stingily, half-way, ineptly, or sloppily it doesn't only reflect on the church or pastors "name", it reflects on Jesus!
I believe it also dishonors volunteers efforts when we allow low standards and lack of resources to cause them to put out a final result they can not be proud of. They are not "just volunteers" or "free labor", they are the heart and soul of our efforts to serve our communities! I actually believe the best use of church paid staff is to empower, train, and provide resources for volunteers. Instead of "patronizing" volunteers with low standards that reflect badly on the "name" of Jesus and the Church, we should honor them by guiding them into doing truly extraordinary things! (If you wonder why I'm so passionate about volunteers, I have spent much of my life in "unpaid" ministry positions...and to this point everyone, including myself, is a volunteer at actionchurch.)
I certainly don't plan to scream insults and curses at staff and volunteers like Chef Ramsey does to "keep standards high"! I'm pretty sure the "love your neighbor thing" pretty much rules out that kind of behavior. However, I've been reading Nehemiah , and he made "the Chef" look kind of tame when it came to protecting the "name" of his "organization"... Nehemiah 13:25 "I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. .. (link) Yeow! I think I'd rather work at Hell's Kitchen...
If Vh1 ever does a "40 top Sunday School Songs of all time" countdown, what do you think the Number one song would be? (It could happen, they already counted down the 40 most softsational soft rock songs.) My vote is for "Jesus Loves Me" in the top spot, with "This little Light of Mine" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" rounding out the top ten. Did I miss any?
I can't imagine any song could beat "Jesus Loves Me" on the countdown. Does anyone in America not know that song...even if they never stepped foot in a Sunday School their whole childhood?
I wonder if "Jesus Loves Me" is so ingrained in the thinking of American church goers that it affects the way we "do" Christianity. I'm not "hatin on" Jesus loves me...It was the first song we taught Reagan...she calls it "The bible so". Although it is always dangerous for me, I'm just thinking out loud.
What if we "did" our lives as Christ-Followers a little less "Jesus Loves Me" and a little more "Jesus loves the little Children of the World"? What if our lives were a little less "They are weak but he is strong" and a little more "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine"? What if the message of the church was a little less "for the Bible tells me so", and a little more "Red and Yellow Black and White, all are precious in his sight"? Would a simple change in focus and attitude change the way we connect with the world around us? I think so.
I worked out for the first time in three weeks last night. I stopped because of the possibility of rupturing my spleen. (a complication of the mono). I don't exactly know what my spleen is...but it is truly a sweet excuse not to excercise.
Actually, I enjoy working out. Even on the days I have to "drag myself" downstairs to our home gym after work, I always feel better afterward. Here's what struck me as I worked out last night. I have been weight training for years, yet after only three weeks "off", I could easily replace that time with sitting on the couch, eating Oreos, and watching TV. I am really going to have to have self-discipline to get back in the "habit" of working out.
Why is it that good habits are easy to fall out of, and bad habits are hard to break? Why is it that I have to discipline myself to read the Bible and talk to my creator, but no one has ever had to remind me to watch more TV? I think there is a little "George Costanza" (wiki) in all of us. Maybe we should just do the "opposite" of what our natural instincts are. What do you think?
Wow! I'm pleasantly surprised to see a "dude" still in the final three. Even if he is a "beat boxer"... Simon had it right about Lakisha "going home". As the show was ending my wife got a BIG laugh from me by saying. "They should have eliminated Barry Gibb!" I couldn't agree more!
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