Connections

This weekend, the National Missionary Convention was held in downtown Indianapolis. Over 10,000 were in attendance of all ages. I was able to catch up with a number of folks that I've met along the way, and continue to walk away in awe of what God is doing in the world...and how he's utilizing folks like you and I. A few of the folks I spent some time with this weekend:

Dave & Lisa Sprinkle - Lisa was in my youth group in Ohio a bunch of years ago. She and Dave live and work among Indian reservations in Arizona & New Mexico. Their ministry is called Hope In Transit. Very creative...they have a travelling music school on various reservations, providing free music lessons to kids, and telling them about Jesus along the way. Very cool...

Ajai Lall - Without a doubt, one of the most amazing men of God I will ever meet. Had the privilege of visiting the Lall's minisitry, Central India Christian Mission, a few years ago. Just an unbelievable ministry. We were fortunate to arrange for Ajai to speak at our church this Sunday. It was a home-run as expected. Can't say enough about what CICM has accomplished, and all that Ajai has been through - persecution, government stubling blocks, you name it. Oh, and only a small percentage (3% or so) of the over 1.2 BILLION profess any form of Christianity. Ajai is definitely called to do what he's doing.

Another old friend, whom I've bumped into over the years, and whose name I won't use, is currently running a coffee shop in K*bul, Afgh*nastan. His strategy is to simply run a business and live & work there, growing friendships. The dream is to start other shops, and hand off the ownership of these to other Christians, to slowly build a stronger base of believers in the country. Fascinating... if you want to get involved & help somehow, contact Team Expansion

Many more...these are 3 that pop into my mind at the moment, and I'm thrilled to know them and have the opportunity to pray & support them my own way. You're welcome to as well!

Do I Creep You Out?

Found this humorous...Weird Al and the JibJab guys joining forces...

Do I Creep You Out | Send To Friends | Funny Animations at JibJab

Jesus for Tots

Seems the good folks at the Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company, and their one2believe division, had a good idea. Give 4,000 of their talking Jesus doll to the Toys For Tots program. Only problem...the TFT people don't want scripture-quoting Jesus dolls. So they said no (read about it here). Not a big deal, thinks I...can't the folks at the doll company just give away the Jesus dolls anyway? Seems like that's what we're supposed to be doing anyway with this free Gospel we've been given, the one so many have exploited & capitalized. Click the picture to order your own version, including David, Moses and others!

Prescription Drug or Metal Band?

A little something fun....answers at the end!

Prescription Drug or Metal Band?
BY ERYK SALVAGGIO
- - - -
1. Norvasc
2. Xentrix
3. Skelaxin
4. Glycolax
5. Eidolon
6. Acyclovir
7. Hirax
8. Mythotyn
9. Krabathor
10. Ilium
11. Ketek
12. Insomnium
13. Armour Thyroid
14. Depakote
15. Lantus
16. Diovan
17. Zetia
18. Gorgoroth
19. Amebix
20. Finntroll
21. Behexen
22. Flonase
23. Xalatan
24. Avelox
25. Ted Nugent
26. Treponem Pal
27. Advair Diskus
28. Zocor
29. Ensiferum
30. Ambien

Metal bands: 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 29
Prescription drugs: 1, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 22, 24, 27, 28, 30

The Haggard Truth

In the past couple of weeks, two hard-to-watch items have bombarded my television screen. First is the ad-nauseum political commercials that seem to never end. Fortunately, we have a brief reprieve until the next election season. For some reason, it got really old, really fast.

The other more difficult thing to see and learn about was the fall of Ted Haggard. Admittedly, I've never been much of a fan. Not because I thought he was a fraud, crook, or cult leader (as he's since been called by many in the media). But because for some reason he was one of a handful of people that "spoke" on my behalf. Not because I wanted him to, and not because he really did speak for me. But because he was the main mouthpiece for this loosely arranged group in our country known as evangelicals. Some 33 million of us, the majority of which didn't have a say in who would speak on our behalf, and my hunch is don't really want anyone but Jesus speaking for us in the first place. But its a reality, and now those of us who fit into that category of evangelical, whether we like it or not, live with the fall-out.

I certainly don't fault Ted Haggard for being any kind of spokesperson. Often its driven by other forces, like the media who need someone for a sound bite, or other special interest groups who can find someone who lines up with their particular ideology and "anoint" someone as the voice of their movement.

Truth is, I believe in a God of transformation & restoration. I do believe he has worked through people like Haggard, and I believe he can again. Sure, right now its a big target, and any jab or lob will hit just fine. I just hope we'll all look in the mirror before throwing stones. Admittedly, I don't always do that, and have been quick to partake in the jokes and/or criticism. For that I repent and seek forgiveness. Instead, lets pray for Haggard and his church and his family.

Here's a terrific article called The Haggard Truth from Gordon MacDonald, who is no stranger to forgiveness & resoration. It's very well said, and I hope you'll read it and pass it around.

7 Steps to My Best Life!

Oh, how I was hoping that something like this would hit the market! Not because I needed to pick up one for everyone on my Christmas list, but so I would have something to make fun of ad nauseum. Apparently, the folks at some lame board game company thought this would be a good idea. I guess they ran out of other games to copy-cat and simply add "The Bible Edition" to the title. You know..."Outburst - Bible Edition" or "Apples to Apples - Bible Edition" or "Operation - Bible Edition" (if this one did exist, I suppose removing the Adam's Apple would take on a whole new meaning...). Looking to pick up your own copy of this ridiculous waste of money? You can get it on sale here, but you better hurry to beat the rush! Order today, and get the new copy of the Prayer of Jabez video game for your XBOX 360. You can "increase your territory" by marching on Washington and single-handedly impeaching one left-wing democrat after another....

(Jesus died for this?)

New Products 4 U

Need some new products for home, office, or car? Here's some to choose from. They do lean a little to the left. The "Jesus was a Liberal" T-shirt might give you that impression! And though I don't particularly line up with all I see here, a few things struck a chord...like this bumper sticker! Click the pic to check out the site for yourself....

Spider House

My friends have been dealing with an unbelievable dilemma for the past year. Their home is infested with brown recluse spiders. They have had all sorts of experts & "bug" people check it out, and nothing has worked. Many friends, family & church folk have stepped up to help, mostly by offering some sort of housing. But I'm sure they're approaching the proverbial 'wits end.' They can't live in their home, but they still have to pay the mortgage, insurance, you name it. Both insurance & mortgage companies have been involved, but so far, little help is available or offered.

Our local ABC affiliate does a "Call 6 For Help" feature each week. Tonight at 6:00 on channel 6, my friends the Cooks are featured - Chad & Wendy and their kids. I hope lots of people watch, and that we would all pray that through this being aired, some solution might arise. Watch if you can; not sure if Channel 6 will put the entire story on their site after the fact, but it appears they archive the stories here, so you can probably watch the story after Thursday the 2nd. You can catch the trailer for the story here (or click the picture).

Voting God's Politics

"Christians have a moral and civic responsibility to participate in the political life of society. We must, however, remember that God is not a Republican or a Democrat, and prayerfully measure the policies of all candidates against a range of Christian ethics and values. A broad set of Christian values should inform our politcal decisions."

That paragraph is taken from the opening section of "Voting God's Politics," an invaluable booklet produced by the folks at Sojourners and Call to Renewal. It's not one of those right-wing "here's who to vote for" pieces of brainwash that usually come to my inbox. Rather, its design is to paint a broader picture than the one commonly woven into the fabric of the nation, that Christians are only concerned about Supreme court judges, abortion, and homosexual marriage. Sure, those are legit....but what about compassion & economic justice? What about peace and restraint of violence? Racial justice? How about all of the "ethics of life" issues, including capital punishment and genocide? Human rights and gender injustice? Family and culture renewal? Stewardship of God's creation? The list could go on & on...and it probably does. But often, we evangelicals have ignored the majority of that list and focused on what we've deemed the "top" priorities (which is another debate entirely).

So, I hope you'll check out the Voting God's Politics guide and see for yourself. You can get it here...if for some reason that doesn't work, please let me know...I'll personally email you the pdf so you can print it out. There are several other things to check out there, too. While you're at it, sign up for the Sojourners email blurbs. Always good stuff.

Fancy New T's

Came across this random T-shirt company appropriately named randomshirts.com . Thought I would share a couple of designs that made me chuckle.... most shirts are only $10. Kinda fun...

Come As You Are, We Have An Espresso Bar

Had the opportunity to preach at the weekly chapel service at the alma mater, Kentucky Christian University. It was good to be there. Interesting how different things seem having been gone from there as a student since May of 1989. Frankly, the hairstyles & clothing felt a little like the 70's (not to mention the carpeting in the chapel building that was probably put down in 1972...). It was a treat to be there, and I hope I had something to share that was worthwhile for the students that were there.

I did have one moment of attempting to be funny, and it killed. But I think it killed for a reason. I was speaking on the importance of getting Christianity "out there," instead of keeping it holed up into our little subculture. As a former student at a Christian college, its pretty easy to completely miss the reality that you're being absorbed by a subculture, and you can totally ignore the bigger culture that's happening (and changing) all around you.

Here's a piece from my message...the first a quote from George Barna, followed by a paragraph aimed at the city where I live:

"This is our reality, despite 320,000 churches, 800,000 ordained ministers, several networks devoted to religious broadcasting, evangelistic ministries that spend $200 million on television time and $100 million on radio broadcasts each year, 5,000 evangelistic para-church organizations, and a Christian book and music industry that boasts $1 billion in annual revenues." By all accounts, we should be ‘out there’, shouldn’t we?

Where I live, with a population of some 65,000, and around 144,000 in our county, we have well over 150 churches, 3 Christian bookstores, a denomination headquarters for the Church of God Anderson IN, a Christian college with 3,000+ students, a seminary with 150 or so students, 6 Christian schools and counting, more church preschools than we could count, Bill Gaither and Sandi Patti, a handful of mission organization headquarters, and new churches starting all the time because apparently there aren’t enough of those "come as you are - we’ve got an Espresso bar" kind of churches. And yet our crime rate doesn’t change. Divorce & teen pregnancy are still toward the top of state levels. Homeless ministries that continue to grow out of necessity. And thousands that are still lost and uninterested in what they see as the hollow promises of organized religion.

OK, so the Sandi Patti/Bill Gaither thing got a laugh. But I was totally unprepared for the response to the "come as you are - we've got an Espresso bar" kind of church phrase. I thought I would come across as a cynical, fuddy-duddy, out-of-touch-with-church-growth kind of guy. But what I sensed through the laughter was a little bit of agreement with the overall point I was making.

So, what's the point I was making? That none of the above "stuff" is getting it done - not even the whole "wear whatever you want, sip a cup of Joe, and sing a Tomlin song" thing. Sure, there may be a few folks who have been reached, and a handful of de-churched, turned off folks who are re-engaged with this new flavor of church that seems to be "brewing" all over America. But is that it? Is that the best we can do to make Jesus real to people?

Please understand, I'm all about finding whatever works and finding better ways to bring people to Jesus. Those guys in Mark chapter 2, who busted out a roof to lower their friend in because they thought Jesus had the answers for their friend? Those guys are my heros! I'm all for innovation & progress that brings Jesus to those who don't know Him.

However, and maybe this is just cynical ol' me, but I'm seeing two things happen. First, it just seems like a lot of shuffling the deck. The cool "church of what's happening now" just attracts Chrisitians from other churches. Sure, this is nothing new. In our particular spot on the map, they all seem to be fighting over college kids. Most of whom are Christians already, looking for the cool place to be. I know I'm generalizing here...there are a ton of reasons these kids flock to the aforementioned Tomlin-singing, coffee sippin' places. I'm sure some are legit, and most use the right terminology (they speak my language there, I can find true community, etc.) So sue me...but that's what I see.

The other thing that I see happening is really a two-fold result. Brain drain & dropout. We've all heard the brain drain explanation as our best & brightest from our states or counties or cities move on to other places where the grass is presumably greener. I see it happening in the church to some degree. Lots of established churches that really do want to reach the lost and really do have a desire to create a culture that is accommodating and speaks truth (is that possible?), and yet a whole bunch of our future influencers & decision makers are stepping out & congregating elsewhere. (NOTE: I'm not blaming them! I'm not blaming them! So before you respond & rip me...read on!)

The other result that I've personally seen happen is when young Sally goes to college, finds the hip college/coffee/Tomlin-singing service (sorry to bash Tomlin...I'm really a big fan...but you know what I mean...), and then Sally moves away and winds up somewhere like Toledo or Omaha or London, KY, and she can't find "the church of what's happening now." If, and its a big IF, if Sally's faith is tied up in her experience at the hip college deal, what happens when the best option is...you guessed it...some sort of organized, evangelical congregation down the street? If your faith is tied up in experience only, and that experience comes to an end, what happens to your faith? Take a look at the giant sucking sound of kids who leave church youth groups and go to college and walk away from their faith! Isn't that telling us something? Maybe we're pretty good at converting kids to love their youth groups or whatever and all of the warm fuzzy feelings that go with it, but maybe we're not pointing them to Jesus?

Yes, I'm part of the problem. All of us in church leadership are part of it. The cultures we've created don't address the heart of the reason(s) that those who flock to the coffee bars & such do so in droves. Sure, we spend a lot of time keeping the machine going, and putting bandaids on the concerns of the already convinced.

Is this really the best we can do to engage our culture? Candles & powerpoint & coffee? I wonder if those we're "reaching" with this model are starting to see through it a little. Yes, its cool & all, but its no substitute for genuine authentic faith in a God who couldn't care less about my coolness or hip factor and in most cases wants to strip me of that because that makes it all about me, not him.

Genuine, authentic faith is attractive. Regardless of music style, facility, dress code, generational differences, or political affiliation. The Church has to continue to disciple people toward being real, authentic, and dwellers in the Kingdom.

Let the ripping begin....

Free Derek Webb

I'm a big fan of Derek Webb and his music. He was one of the original members of Caedmon's Call, which will mean something to some. But as a solo artist, the guy is somewhat unglued, breaking all the rules, and saying things lyrically that I didn't think many Christian artists were even allowed to say! If you haven't heard of him or checked him out, now is the time. In fact, here's the kind of "breakin' the rules" guy he is. He's giving away his newest CD. It's been out about a year. Now you can get it free by downloading it. No kidding... go to www.freederekwebb.com and find out more! While you're checking out the site, find out a little about what makes him tick. Some on his website, but here's a feature article from Relevant Magazine. (OK, so this isn't exactly the cover article, which I couldn't seem to find...get your hands on a May/June Relevant and read it...)

One of my favorite lyric lines from the free Mockingbird download, I think the song is called "A King and a Kingdom" goes something like this -- "There have been two great lies: if y0u eat of the fruit of this tree you will not die, and Jesus Christ was a white, middle class Republican." I guess people actually get up and leave his shows when he gets to that line! I find that refreshing...check him out, and get Mockingbird FREE! Derek also has his own MySpace presence, complete with concert listings, a chance to hear his stuff, etc. Go there, too!

"I'll hit you with these crutches!"

By now we've all heard about & probably seen the footage of the footbrawl during Saturday night's game in Miami. It was an ugly mess. I of course missed it live, and went looking online to see what all the fuss was about. A couple of observations....first, before I found video, I found pictures. It became apparent that pictures of a football fight looks a lot like football. Then I came across this picture, and wondered what the guy on crutches was thinking! And if you haven't seen the footage and/or listened to the idiot broadcaster, that's worth you time. Not only should several of those players be kicked off their teams, but that broadcaster (a former Miami player, I'm told) should be looking for a job elsewhere. I'm sure there's a Shoney's breakfast bar he could stock or something. I guess the honest truth is, as ugly & wrong as the whole footbrawl incident is, do we have a certain sense of fascination at watching it unfold? Are there people who would actually pay to see this happen? Isn't this the sum total of the appeal of the National Hockey League anyway? Do we all have a little Roman colliseum mentality hidden deep within our psyche?

Meditteranean, Anyone?

So, today I broke all personal rules and went through the McDonald's drive-thru. I have been fairly good lately, and since I had a dentist appointment that was cancelled, I had a few extra minutes. I purchased one of the "meal deal" options, which gave me a tasty sandwich, a hasbrown, and a medium diet coke. Fortunately, the fine folks at McDonald's are entrenched in their Monopoly promotion, so I had the chance to unveil the "playing pieces" and win big prizes! Imagine my suprise when both playing pieces from the diet coke cup were both Baltic Avenue. Odd, but no problem, thinks I. The hashbrown "containalope" will undoubtedly bring me greater fortunes. Or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I once again unveiled 2 more Baltic Avenue playing pieces! Is there some sort of Monoply nazi out there just messing with people? I don't know...maybe mix in a railroad, one of those high-dollar dark blue pieces, maybe even have me go to jail? Is there some sort of 'Monopoly Monopoly' going on? Like a few years ago, when some folks managed to con Ronald & friends from a few hundred thousand bucks during the Monopoly bust of '03? Some disgruntled Cheesburgler dude in a factory matching all of the playing pieces on the cups & 'containalopes' just to mess with people? Well, I'm not letting this get me down. I've determined my options are this...

1. Solicit as many Mediteranean playing pieces I can get and give the money to missions (if you have a Baltic and a Mediteranean piece, you win $100....so I'm halfway to $400....that will send a kid to Bible College in the Philippines for a year...)
2. Solict more Baltic Avenue pieces and wallpaper my basement
3. Boycott McDonalds for the good of my health and wallet (a move that needs to happen anyway)

I think I'll go with 1 and 3, but since 1 is unlikely to actually happen, I'll stick with 3. In the mean time, if you need a Baltic Avenue or four, I'm your man!

(BTW, Super Size Me is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, check it out. I have the DVD...$2 in a bargain bin...and I'm willing to loan it out!)

My $5 Car...I'm Not Kidding

I live approx. 200 yards from a large car dealership. It seems they always have some sort of giveaway, drawing, and gimmick to get people over to the lot. For the last week, they've given away a car for $5, one per night. I decided that I lived close enough to justify going over and seeing what happens. And as luck would have it, I am now the proud owner of a 1997 Ford Contour, with over 148,ooo miles. Go figure. And I said I would never own another Ford, after what has affectionately been referred to in my family as "The Tempo Debacle of 1990."

Anyway, the jury is still out on the Contour. It does run, and for those that know me, it runs a little like several of the cars I've owned. For those who don't know me, I've owned what can only be referred to as some "hum dingers." However, the Contour has many "things" going on, and I've spent little time uncovering all of those. Obviously, it wasn't real closely taken car of by its previous owner. I've only driven it the 200 yards from the dealership to my house. Only then did I discover that I have to roll down the window to open the door! Admittedly, I laughed out loud. And though you can't see from this picture, the front bumper has somehow drooped down (my best description), and the previous owner thought using some packing tape to hold it in place would be a good idea!

So, much may be fixable, including the Scotch Tape job on the front. I'm trying to decide what to do with the car...your advice would be helpful. Sell? Keep? Other?

Irony

Sometimes, the irony just provides the humor. Couldn't help but laugh when I saw the name of the actress who plays Mother Teresa....

Miracles Never Cease

I'm not sure which is more frightening...that someone thought these porcelin items would be a good idea to produce, or that there are those out there looking to buy stuff like this. But what is REALLY funny and disturbing is the "entire collection" of Jesus porcelin figurines. Go ahead, name the sport...you can find a Jesus to match. My favorites? Its a toss-up between golf & martial arts. Go ahead...do your own shopping and pick your fave! I'm disappointed that curling didn't make the list...

You can view these "works of art" here...
(Apparently, another funny tid-bit...all of the "children" in these figurines are Caucasion. Not to worry...more politically correct figures are on the way. Wonder if they'll stick with the Caucasion Jesus, or if they'll make him look, well, like a Jewish middle-east resident??)

rapture

Are you ready??

Political Science 101

DEMOCRATIC
You have two cows.Your neighbor has none.You feel guilty for being successful.Barbara Streisand sings for you.
REPUBLICANISM
You have two cows.Your neighbor has none.So?
SOCIALIST
You have two cows.The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST
You have two cows.The government seizes both and provides you with milk.You wait in line for hours to get it.It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.Your stock goes up
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.You go on strike because you want three cows.You go to lunch and drink wine.Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.You break for lunch.Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.You have some vodka.You count them and learn you have five cows.You have some more vodka.You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two.You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.They go into hiding.They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.The cow is schizophrenic.Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.The cow asks permission to be cut in half! .The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.Everyone votes for the best-looking one.Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.Some people vote for both.Some people vote for neither.Some people can't figure ! out how to vote at all.Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.They make real California cheese.Only five speak English.Most are illegals.Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Another Tribe, Another New Testament

I'm a big fan and believer in the little-known efforts around the world to translate the Bible into native languages. There are a number of groups I'm aware of that work in this important arena, including Pioneer Bible Translators, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and New Tribes. I have acquaintences & friends in the first two organizations, who labor in Indonesia and Papau New Guinea. Here's a short story from Mission Network News about a people group that will soon receive its own New Testament....

Papua New Guinea (MNN)--New Tribes Mission reports success in a Papua New Guinea New Testament translation project that has lasted seven years. The completed efforts arrived in the form of 15-hundred copies of a beautifully bound Asengseng New Testament. The New Testaments will soon be on their way for a two-month voyage to West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. Their arrival will occasion a joyous celebration for four Asengseng elders -- Giaman, Krosli, Wisnamli and Tawin -- 20 Bible teachers, and the believers in ten local churches who are eagerly waiting to get the new Book in their hands.In preparation for this, Bible teachers last year began working toward chronological teaching at Elihi, another village in Asengseng. Pray for the literacy classes which are continuing in various villages throughout Asengseng - both teachers and students.

If you would, pray for those working in villages around the world, learning languages, teaching literacy, and slowly making God's Word come alive.