Archive - September, 2006

The Church is Broken, But …

September 29, 2006 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I read this over on Kurt Johnston’s blog. I like the practical way in which he thinks. Sometimes we get too caught up in the terminology and structure and just forget to be content and serve. The church is broken, but one day in heaven it will be perfect!


A good friend of mine asked me yesterday, “Do you think the church is broken?”He wasn’t talking about any church in particular, but THE church.My answer: “Yes, but…..”



Yes, the church is broken…or at least parts of it are. It really doesn’t take long to identify lots of broken parts in the church.

But, the church has always been broken…or at least parts of it. I have a strange feeling that if we re-designed church the way we think it should be (simple church, authentic community, socially active, Acts 2, new leadership paradigm, etc.) it would still be broken, just broken in different ways. If we got rid of all the big buildings and met in homes, I bet it would be about six months before we started saying “Wow, wouldn’t it be nice to have a big room somewhere so we could all get together once in a while?” If we flattened the leadership paradigm, I bet it would be about six months before we started saying “Gee, it sure would be nice if somebody was in charge around here!”

Yes, the church is broken…but.


Google Reader

September 28, 2006 in Technology with 0 Comments

I’ve been using Google Reader the last few weeks to view all the blogs and news feeds that I keep up with. It’s a pretty cool web-based RSS reader. First, in Google Reader you subscribe to all the blogs you normally read. Then from any computer I can login and check out any new blog entries. If you typically read several blogs, then check out using a RSS reader like this. It saves a ton of time as well. If you are using Firefox as your browser, then you might want to read more about active bookmarks, which does the same thing.

Are You Moldable?

September 28, 2006 in Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been swamped at work and busy every night. I was reading a familiar passage last night in Jeremiah 18 about how God is the potter and we are the clay. I just stopped and reflected on it a while. Am I being “moldable” right now? Am I letting God shape me and mold me in his image? It made me think about a message I heard Mark Matlock give during the PlanetWisdom Youth Conference a few years back. I dug up the book from the conference this morning before work and looked at his main points. It was pretty cool during the conference because he actually had a potter’s wheel and turned some pottery during the conference as he was explaining it. This could be an awesome series to do in church sometime. Unfortunately, all I know about turning pottery I learned from Patrick Swazye.

Here is Mark’s outline of the steps involved in making a good pot. Of course he had a ton of info to go along with the outline.

  1. Centering - the clay must be centered on the wheel so that it will spin symmetrically. Spiritual Application: Are we centered in our lives around God’s Will? Do we allow God to move us to the center of His will?
  2. Opening - the clay must be opened from just a blob of clay in order to start forming a hole. Spiritual Application: Are we open to God’s will and ready to be crafted and shaped.
  3. Pulling - After the clay is opened, the wall thickness must be reduced and the walls pulled up higher. Spiritual Application: Are we allowing God to stretch us and grow us.
  4. Trimming - As the shaping takes place, the pot often goes off-center and must be corrected and trimmed. As clay is removed the pot loses some of its potential size and shape. Spiritual Application: As we go off-center in life, God will correct us and discipline us in order to re-center our lives on His will. We lose some of our potential usefulness each time this happens.
  5. Shaping - This is where the pot becomes both useful and beautiful. The potter decides whether he will make a bowl, a cup, a pitcher, a jar, or something else. Spiritual Application: God wants to shape us and use us in a way that is a reflection of His character and glory.
  6. Glazing - After the pot dries, glazes can be added to the surface to prepare it for a beautiful finish during the firing process. Spiritual Application: God knows that certain situations we face in life will produce beautiful results later in our lives.
  7. Supporting Clay - Extra clay is needed at the bottom to support it and keep it from collapsing while it dries. Spiritual Application: God places others in our lives to support us. That is why the church is so important in the life of a believer.
  8. Firing - After the pot has dried, it is ready to be put into the fire. Only the potter is familiar enough with the pot to know if it is ready and can withstand the fire. Spiritual Application: Scripture reminds us that our deeds in life will be tested by fire to judge our own inner integrity.

How moldable are you in your life right now? At what point in the list do you find yourself?

Holy Habits

September 24, 2006 in Youth Ministry with 0 Comments

I’ve started a series with the youth on Sunday nights called “Holy Habits” Last week we talked about Why we should study the Bible, and this week we talked about How we should study the Bible. We’ve got a great group of teens, but tonight, either I was too long winded or the rainy weather just got to them, because I definitely lost them by the end. It was still a good meeting, but sometimes you need to know when to call it quits and jump back in next week. I took most of my ideas for the meeting tonight from Rick Warren’s book, Bible Study Methods. I’ve enjoyed going through it and contextualizing it to our youth culture. I want to pass along a love for God’s Word to the youth. So much of youth ministry in this country is spoon feeding to Spiritual infants. I want these guys and girls to grow on their own and start reading and learning and interpreting and applying. Anyway, I think they still learned some valuable things. But as I learned watching G.I. Joe cartoons growing up, “Learning is half the battle”

Our baptism service on the land got postponed because of the rain. So what happens if it rains on the rain date? Do you schedule a rain date for the rain date of the rain date?

Qdoba vs. Chipotle

September 24, 2006 in Family with 0 Comments

Jenni and I had a hot date in Winston-Salem Saturday night. We dropped the kids off at the grandparents house and went to Winston to shop and eat. You know you live in a small town when you have to drive over an hour to go on a date. We ate at a new restaurant in the mall parking lot called Chipotle. They had just opened so they were still figuring out what they were doing. It was almost identical to Qdoba, which is one of our favorite places to eat. So, Chipotle or Qdoba, which is better? To me, I like Qdoba better because they had more to choose from, but Chipotle was pretty dang good.

I like the new trend of cheap and good. It’s nice to go out and eat and get something that is better than fast food, but doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s really crazy to go out and spend 50 or 60 bucks on a meal for just two people. I guess I’m getting old and frugal, but food is food and I don’t have to eat somewhere fancy when Jenni and I go out together. After checking out the deals at Gap and Old Navy, we hung out at Starbucks and just enjoyed the time alone. Life is good, and I’m thankful every time we make the effort to get away from all the craziness and spend time falling in love all over again.

The Biggest Loser

September 21, 2006 in Sports, Technology with 0 Comments

I watched part of The Biggest Loser last night on NBC. I really haven’t watched it more than a few minutes before last night. It’s a neat show, it’s amazing how much weight these guys are losing, but there was something really cool about the show. It’s sponsored by 24 Hour Fitness and the company I work for does a ton of business with them. Several of the weight lifting machines that I have designed were on the show last night. It’s a weird feeling when you see something on tv that you have spent months designing and building. It’s satisfying to know that all the computer time and shop time actually is helping someone make a positive change in their lifestyle.

However, I do struggle sometimes with wondering if all this work is making an eternal difference. I know Colossians 3:17, that whatever we do, we should do in the name of Jesus, but that doesn’t excuse not reaching out to others. I am probably too hard on myself at times, but I do want to remember that my main focus in life should be growing closer to Christ in order to bring Him Glory and reach others in His Name.

Time to Clean Out the Kayak

September 20, 2006 in Crazy Stuff with 0 Comments

What’s up with the ACC

September 19, 2006 in Sports with 0 Comments

It’s college football time again. And the great Hokies are 3 and 0 so far. But the real question is what is going on with the ACC this year. Miami has already lost to Florida State and they got shelled by Louisville. Florida State got beat by Clemson. UVA can’t even beat Western Michigan, although as a tech fan, I actually enjoy watching them struggle. NC State barely beat a I-AA team and has lost to 2 others. The ACC was supposed to be strong this year, but the teams look horrible. I think Amato at NC State will be looking for a new job soon as well as Groh at UVA, although he has a big contract to consider.

I really don’t know how good Tech is. I predict their defense will finish in the top 5 by the end of the year. They are tough this year, but the offense is a different story. They still have a lot of room for improvement. Saturdays are pretty much shot due to college football for me. But at least there’s TiVo
I also caught the Monday night football game last night for the first time this year. I must say that I was not impressed. The chemistry just isn’t there in the announcing booth. Kornheiser just seems uncomfortable, and when he starts quoting Cosell, then you know it’s going downhill. And although I grew up a huge Theismann fan, he just annoys me being too hyper. However, Sunday night football has been great so far. I just wish it didn’t come on the same time as Extreme Home Makeover, which is my kids favorite show.
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