‘Cause it makes us cool, that’s why!
(Thanks to everyone’s favorite Canadian for the link!)
Month: July 2005 (page 4 of 5)
My immediate predecessor at my church – and really, the pastor who led the church to its greatest days thus far – is blogging. He’s a great and gracious guy. And real smart, too. I’m linking to his blog so some of you intellectual giants can have some conversations. I’ll read along in awe and wonder. Go check out The Y-Blog, “A Humble Internet Experiment In Theology, Biblio-Mania, Cultural Observance, And Tomfoolery.”
Oh, and while you’re there, tell him two words…”Nice hat!”
OK, so I needed a new Moleskine, and since I can get ’em for 15% off at Barnes & Noble, I headed there after supper this afternoon.
As I turned into the parking lot, I noticed there was a huge tent set up beside the store. The tent was packed to overflowing with kids and parents of all sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors. They were standing in and around a tent in the pouring rain at a stinkin’ bookstore, and they appeared to be loving it! I saw people laughing. I saw people engaged in conversation. I saw people having a big time. Why?
Because the new Harry Potter book drops at midnight tonight. (And who said the Internet would eventually cause the book business to dry up and blow away?)
What is it about Harry that elicits such raving fans?
Why are people willing to stand in the rain for hours – in costume! – for a book?
Of course, it’s the experience, stupid.
What are we missing here?
BTW, I ended up getting the Moleskine at another place down the street. And I got a bonus…196 pages instead of the usual 192! Cool!
I mentioned earlier that I’m starting to dig hard into Reggie McNeal’s A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders. Right off the bat, Reggie tells a couple of stories to illustrate the point and purpose of his book…
I could hear it in his voice. He wanted out. After only a year in his new pastorate, Frank was ready to throw in the towel. In fact, he was not sure he even wanted to remain in the ministry. This was his third church. At first, it had seemed to be a fresh opportunity. Now it felt all too familiar. He had been here before – but in another location. The names, faces and scenery had changed but not the plot. The people were good people. They treated him well, but they differed in ministry values and agenda. Frank wanted to reach out to the community; the church seemed content to look after its own. The knowledge that it would take three to five years to shift thier thinking, accompanied by resistance and pain, further discouraged him. He could not stay at it that long, he said. His emotional reserves were depleted. Now, in his mid-forties, Frank questioned whether he wanted to do this the rest of his life. In short, he had lost heart. The lesson: when a leader loses heart, he loses. (p. ix)
I wonder if Frank’s story resonates with anyone else? I wonder if you could insert other names in place of Frank’s…Bob, Tom, Dave, Randy, Joe…Charlie?
One’s serious, one’s just a lot of fun!
A lot of what we try to do as leaders is external. It’s all about style and not substance. It’s about apppearance and not authenticity. Reggie McNeal has a pretty unique way of helping us see that being a leader starts with the heart – who we really are. It’s all about our character. Reggie’s book talks about God’s shaping and molding of spiritual leaders. I’m digging in pretty hard on this one.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle was one of the very first books I remember reading – and it’s still one of my favorites! The picture is a scan of my Weekly Reader Children’s Book Club hardcover edition, dated 1965, and passed down years ago to “The Boy,” and now has made its way back to dear old Dad! If only life was as easy as making that “Pb-pb-b-b-b” sound! Someone once told me that you need some of these books when life is getting way too difficult. They were right!
No matter where you go, you can heed the call of the siren.
Check this link via Starbucks Gossip.
From the stack o’ stuff…
- Getting started with Getting Things Done
- Maintaining your church’s website is hard work. That’s why it sucks.
- “For God’s sake, please stop the aid!” It may be hurting more than helping in Africa.
- Instead of bashing the culture around us, maybe we should write better stories.
Just go over right this minute to Tally Wilgis’s blog and read this post.
Then, after you calm down from wanting to smack the mom, and after you wipe your eyes from hurting for the kids, just find a minute somewhere to thank God for how He trusts You to work in His service – even when it seems you’re not really “helping.”
Except, it often seems, when it comes to church planning. Especially planning creative and innovative worship experiences with impact. Most of the time, it is the senior/lead/grand poobah/big kahuna pastor who just can’t – or won’t – grasp the concept that God just might speak through other creative and gifted people on the team.
What do you do if you serve with one of “those” pastors? How do you change if you’re the senior/lead/grand poobah/big kahuna guys who can’t get their minds and hearts around the concept of team planning?
Len Wilson and Jason Moore over Midnight Oil Productions have some good ideas.
Langston Hughes wrote about it. Fantine sang about it. What happens to your dreams when you get older? Do you lose them? Do you sit around and have a pity party, inviting any and all who’ll participate?
So many people live with regret about the things they dreamed about but never got around to doing. Second Wind Dreams aims to change all that. They specialize in making the dreams of older folks come true. Their aim is to…
…[enhance] the quality of life for those living in Elder Care Communities and [change] the perception of aging.
It is never too late to dream. You’re never too old to give up on your dreams. And it’s never too late to help those around us fulfill their dreams.
What are you doing to help people around you live out their dreams?