Easter Week: It's Friday ...

This is one of my favorite Easter video presentations. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naajYZSbWdw

Monday Ten ... Or Maybe Tuesday's Version

So, vacation-head can play tricks on a person, especially when it comes to blogging. So, instead of Monday, here's Tuesday's Ten.

1. Spring Break vacations are awesome. I think this was the first time I have taken spring break off. It allowed me to spend a lot of time with my wife and kids.

2. I'm glad spring has finally arrived. Now, we'll only get snow every three weeks.

3. The local mall has an 18 hole "glow" mini golf course. For $8, you get to putt in the dark. To make up for the insane price, they let you go through the course three times. Seriously, who wants that much mini golf in a cave? I'll take the $2 18 hole outdoor course any day...except snowy first days of spring.

4. Got to split a day with the folks last week. Our boys had a lot of fun at each set of grandparents.

5. Spent Friday in Branson at the Landing. I didn't think a person could spend all day in a giant strip mall, and still have a good time, but we did it.

6. My wife thinks I carry a lucky charm with me when we go shopping. I always seem to find the parking spot up close to the entrances. It's a gift.

7. Vacation was great, but it's also good to be back at work.

8. We had our first experience with tragedy last night. One of our two cats was killed by a neighbor dog. The boys were very sad.

9. Sad boys are hard to comfort, especially with the first loss of a pet. As a parent, there isn't much you can do.

10. On a brighter note, we now have Obamacare. Oh wait, now I'm sad.

Vacation Next Week

There likely won't be any new posts next week. It's spring break, and I'll be spending quality time with the family. See you on the other side.

St. Patrick's Day...Not An Occasion To Drink

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm redheaded, and clearly have some Irish in me, but no, I don't consume adult beverages to mark the day.

In fact, it is sad how this day that marks Patrick's death in 461 A.D. has become something so uncommon with the man's life.

Patrick was born to a wealthy family in Roman Britain, but was kidnapped as a teenager and forced into slavery in Ireland. During his slavery, he witnessed the horror of the Druids and satanic influence that enveloped Ireland.

One night, God commanded Patrick to flee and board a ship back to Britain where he committed his life to serving Jesus, and later became a priest in the Church. It was during his studies and time in the ministry that God burdened him to return to the land he fled -- this time to bring Jesus to Ireland.

Patrick returned to Ireland in 433. His knowledge of the Celtic language allowed him to share Christ. Additionally, the Holy Spirit worked miracles against those who opposed Patrick, which allowed Patrick's message to hold sway over those influenced by the Druids.

During his ministry in Ireland, God prepared the way so that Patrick could address the many territorial leaders, winning many, and securing safe passage through their territories. Patrick's connection to the shamrock (three-leafed clover) is believed to have risen from one of these meetings where he used the clover to illustrate the Holy Trinity.

While there were other, more successful missionaries to visit Ireland, Patrick's bravery and determination to follow God's commands in the face of strong, supernatural opposition gained him the fame that carries on today.

So, instead of recognizing St. Patrick's Day as a day to party and get drunk, let's remember it for the man it is named after and for the God who called him to share the Gospel message to Ireland.

If I Were Perfect...

If I were perfect...

• I would never do anything wrong.
• I would never feel guilty for the wrong things that I never did.
• I would never give my wife reason to stress or complain.
• I would get my work assignments done three weeks before the deadline.
• I would not need contact lenses.
• I would have great success at anything I touched.
• I would be an inspiration to all mankind.

Of course, if I were perfect...

• There would be people envious of me.
• Some people would look for ways to destroy me.
• As a result, everything I ever did would be scrutenized for imperfections.
• There would be people constantly wanting a piece of the "midas touch."
• That translates to a lot of moochers always with their hands out.

You know, this also means that if I were perfect...

• Jesus would have come to this earth for everybody except me.
• And, therefore, God's greatest gift to mankind would not have been for me.

So, maybe perfection isn't so perfect.

Monday Ten

1. I've been going through a bout of writer's block the last few weeks, which has led to fewer posts. Hopefully, that will clear up, and we can get back to some more posting.

2. Feel free to post your thoughts and ideas to my posts. Sharing ideas is a good thing. But, please, no solicitations or advertisements. I remove those, so I'm just saving you the trouble of writing.

3. One of the best things I have done is befriend a liberal. I'm conservative in politics, culture and philosophy. My liberal friend hasn't changed any of my opinions, but he has allowed me to see how liberals think.

4. Healthcare legislation appears to be ramping up for a vote this week or next. If Democrats push through what the American public doesn't want, I would anticipate rioting in the streets...or at least some peaceful protests. Regardless the outcome, I expect the Democrats will suffer their worst-ever political defeat this coming November. You cannot be that bull headed toward what the public doesn't want, and not receive a backlash.

5. When the Dems lose power, and I believe they will, the GOP will probably do something to mess it up. 1994's Contract With America was genius. But, the GOP got power hungry, and eventually threw it away. 2010 only has a contract out on Democrats. Without a real vision, the GOP's turn in charge will be temporary.

6. I learned over the weekend that Saturday night church is great for time changes (from standard to daylight), because you get to sleep in on Sunday. Now, for those who throw a fit over Saturday night church, the Hebrew day starts at 6 p.m., so Saturday night is really Sunday. I'll let you chew on that for a while.

7. Our church is going through another series on money and finances. We did this last summer, and this month we are revisiting the subject. What makes it interesting for me is that my wife and I were in debt last summer, paying the minimums. We're debt free now. Hearing talk on getting out of debt feels a lot different now than it did a few months ago. Freedom feels good.

8. My kids like Star Wars. At one time I thought this would be a good thing (I like Star Wars, too). But, after getting hit with toy lightsabers, and having kids running around the house making lightsaber noises, I'm thinking they need a respite. Perhaps some Spiderman.

9. This week is going to be crammed full of pre-vacation work. What stinks is that when I come back from vacation, I'll still have a ton of work to do to make up for the time off.

10. Next week is spring break. I don't think I have ever taken spring break as a vacation. But, I am this year. Can't wait.

The Future of Video Church: The Small Town Model

When Jesus gave his followers the Great Commission, he said,

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The church is the vehicle Jesus created to fulfill this Commission.

This week I've been discussing the video church movement, which takes existing and new technologies to advance the message of Christ into the world. I have intentionally used the words and examples of some of America's most prominent and successful Christian leaders to point out the pros and cons of video campuses.

The truth is that it's too early to know the full impact the video church will have on Christianity. Early results have proven that video church is a valid vehicle to spread the Gospel, and people come to a salvation relationship with Jesus whether the pastor is live or video.

I am a supporter of video church, and think it is a very good use of resources for a church to expand beyond the four walls. Video allows a church to potentially impact many communities in it's area, and this brings me to an idea that churches interested in video campuses should consider. It's a small town concept that involves one main campus in a town, and video campuses in surrounding communities.

This small town concept might have campuses roughly 20-30 miles apart from one another, providing opportunities for people to attend the church closer to home. Additionally, the campuses serve as a vehicle for the whole church to minister to many different communities instead of just a single one or few.

Since the video church concept is still relatively new, small towns will probably be the last to welcome the idea, so it might take some effort for a church to pull off the small town strategy. However, once it takes hold in a community, the idea will be better welcomed.

Tell me what you think.

The Future of Video Church: Video Pastors vs. Real Pastors

I am a tech-loving guy, and when new technology rolls onto the market, I'm always interested to see how it will impact what I do and how I live. This week, I'm looking at the concept of video church. As it is presenting itself in the church world today, video church is essentially a multi-site duplicate of a central, main campus.

The best known video church in America is LifeChurch.tv, which has a dozen physical locations (a thirteenth will be added soon) in five different states, and a virtual, Internet campus. Pastor Craig Groeschel heads up this tech-savvy church that has used technology in ways that no one dreamt possible a decade ago. And, this church gets results, lots of them. LifeChurch.tv has used the multi-site, video strategy to reach tens of thousands more people for Jesus than a single campus could ever reach.

I point to LifeChurch.tv as probably the best example of video church in America today. They are the standard bearer.

But, one of the biggest arguments against video church is that video campuses prevent churches, or at least inhibits them, from developing and sending new pastors out into their communities. Yesterday, I quoted from this article with Rob Bell, one of the most innovative pastors in our country today. He isn't keen on video campuses, and in regards to the video vs. sending-them-out argument, he offers,

There is something more powerful than simply beaming yourself into other
locations, and that is raising up disciples. Over time that will go farther and
faster, but right now it will be more work and slower. With technology today
it's easy to spend all of your energies reproducing your own voice, but there is
a longer view that says, what if instead of beaming video to those ten
locations, we train ten people who can go there and lead? That's a very basic
question that should be in the mix somewhere.

And, that is a very valid point that needs to be discussed. It also goes back to the point yesterday that we don't yet know what the long-term impact of video campuses will be on the church.

I think in the end we will discover that both points of view are correct, and a church that does video campuses should also send out disciples to start new churches in their communities. I believe there are instances when a video campus would be better suited for a community, and there are situations where sending out new pastors will be the better option. Churches need to be open to both possibilities.

Tell me what you think. Tomorrow, I'll present an idea for video churches that I believe would be a winner, but it will take some guts and lots of patience.

The Future of Video Church: Holograms

I came across this post from Tony Morgan talking about how new technology could bring holograms to multi-site churches instead of video boards and projectors.

Clark is a technology company that specializes in providing new technology to churches. They are behind this particular use of holographic preacher.

If the video campus has been a hotly debated topic in the church world, I imagine the holographic preacher/teacher will be an even more divisive issue. In reality, though, a video projection of the preacher and a holographic presentation of the preacher are the same thing.

While I personally like the idea of this type of technology, I can see the argument against it. One prominent, and surprising detractor is Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rob is best known in Christian circles for his Nooma series of videos, which are designed to reach unchurched people in innovative ways that the tradition methods do not.

Rob recently spoke with LeadershipJournal.net about his ministry, and addressed the topic of video campuses.

"It's powerful but there's also a dark side. Video is not church. You put images and music on a screen, and people will listen. But it's also dangerous. You're playing with fire. I think video technology deserves to be scrutinized heavily."

He went on to add,

"I don't think we know yet what the long-term impact will be on disciple-making. In 10 years we may discover what particular kind of Christ follower is formed by video preaching. I see warning lights on my dashboard. It's unclear what video may do to the ways we conceive of life together."

And, that is a very good point to remember. We know what the typical results of a health pastor-per-campus church looks like. We have yet to see the long term effects of video campuses.

I suspect that 30 years from now we will realize that there is no differences between the two types of churches. In fact, we'll probably find that video and hologram campuses are an efficient way to conduct church.

Tell me what you think about holograms and video church. Tomorrow, I'll address whether or not video campuses prevent new pastors from pastoring.

Monday Ten

1. I had a great opportunity to use my new golf clubs this weekend. The weather was wonderful...finally.

2. I chose not to use my new golf clubs, because I chose to spend Saturday and Sunday doing yard work and playing outside with the family. That's probably better than golf anyway.

3. The weather was so nice on Sunday that I cracked open the grill and cooked some burgers and hot dogs for lunch. Few things are as tasty as the year's first charcoal cooked foods.

4. Had a good night at North Point Saturday night. Attendance was down in KidPoint, but that was probably due to the nice weather.

5. By the way, if you've never tried Saturday night church, I'd suggest giving North Point Church a try. You're not doing anything on Saturday night anyway. Plus, you get to sleep in on Sunday.

6. Earthquakes...Earthquakes...Earthquakes.... In recent days, we've had big ones in Haiti, Japan, Chile, Taiwan and now Turkey. I know earthquakes are common, but we've had some sizable large ones in recent days.

7. I'm not certain of any connection, but Jesus said in Matthew 24, "Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come." Connection or not, Christ's words about earthquakes certainly make you wonder.

8. The Bible in a very interesting book. Murder, espionage, betrayal, creation, destruction, deceit, immorality and redemption. And, that's just the book of Genesis.

9. The national tournament of the NCCAA Division II begins Tuesday. KWFC will be broadcasting the games Baptist Bible College will be playing. In my 15 years of working for the station and college, this is the first time they've been in the national tournament, so it's kind of exciting.

10. By the way, I'm the current Singing News magazine Golden Mic award recipient. The month of March is mine.

Take Your Drinks Elsewhere

Okay, I know I'm going to step on toes with today's post, and that's only because those who will be offended actually believe that the building they worship God in is some kind of holy ground that should be respected more than Christ himself.

I was visiting recently with a friend from Indiana who commented that she and her husband were frustrated by their church's leading board, who just the night before had held a fiery discussion about drinks being brought into the auditorium (aka: sanctuary). Apparently, the pastor's wife (not my friend, by the way) was taking the blame.

I don't pretend to understand the full dynamics of this particular situation, but I've witnessed this scenario several times. And, it's one of the stupidest things that Satan uses to get our focus off of God.

In this case, it was drinks being brought into and littering the auditorium (yet there was no concern about the bulletins that get left in the seats after service). I've seen a Sunday School teacher get angry over a children's class using his room on a Wednesday night. I've seen excitement come to a screeching halt over whether or not the blinds were open or pulled shut on the auditorium windows. I've sat in meetings listening to people, claiming to be mature Christians, detail why a fellowship hall shouldn't be painted (their reason: kids might scratch the painted walls). And, twice I've had the privilege of hearing the rage over removing the 100-pound battleship, called a pulpit, from the stage.

The perceived problem in each of these cases was that the church would be dirtied, damaged or destroyed in some way. But, in all truthfulness, the real problem was personal and spiritual. You see, when we get our focus on how the building is used, it becomes more important than people coming to Christ. In each of the cases I cited above, the churches involved were either stagnant or declining. Salvations and spiritual growth were not occurring. And, it was all because the people in those churches had allowed Satan to distract them with silly things.

When Jesus charged Peter and the other disciples with the task of creating the Church, it wasn't so we could squabble over fellowship hall curtains or the color of carpet in the auditorium. Jesus charged the Church with spreading the Gospel message to the world, and leading the world to God.

Somewhere along the way, however, this command has gotten lost in translation. Friends, the buildings we worship in are merely tools to be used. When we fuss and prevent the buildings from being used, we become agents of the Devil by preventing God from fully using the resources He gave us to spread the news about Jesus.

So, the next time someone fusses over a drink being taken into your church's auditorium, remind them that Jesus came to this earth to give life changing drinks (living water), and we should represent him in a like manner.

Monday Ten

1. It's March 1st. Spring is just 20 days away. My money is on it still snowing in April. This cold weather is getting old.

2. I'm a bit sad that the Olympics are over. It was neat having something interesting and different to watch each night. The three highlights for me, USA winning gold in the four-man bobsled (who could've seen that coming); gold in men's figure skating (again, who would've guessed); and finally, the silver in ice dancing going to an American pair at their first Olympics. Great stuff.

3. My wife and youngest child were under the weather for this weekend. Sickness is sickening.

4. My wife bought me a belated Christmas gift last week -- new golf clubs. I can't wait to use them.

5. Since it's been too icky and cold to hit the golf course or driving ranges, I've been practicing putting in my living room. This has gotten my boys interested in golf. I'm afraid something is going to end up broken.

6. It dawned on me today that six years ago, when we were putting our first child into kindergarten, school seemed so different from the way it was when my wife and I were kids. Now that our second child is in kindergarten and our oldest is moving into the middle school years, our kids' schools seem normal, and I can't remember how we did it 30 years ago.

7. I'm anticipating a quiet week at home and work. The home part usually doesn't pan out, but work should be quiet this week.

8. I see where Vincent David Jericho is back on the air...sort of. On the Internet. I enjoy political discussion, and even though I'm not the biggest fan of VDJ, I do respect what he brings to the table.

9. My pastor is going to be in Haiti with Convoy of Hope for part of this week. This coming weekend, he'll be interviewing the head of Convoy during our worship services.

10. Finally, this week will contain some sadness. A college roommate of mine lost his wife to cancer last week. She was 36 and leaves behind her husband and two, young children. The funeral is Tuesday.