Monday Morning Update: October 27, 2008

The Week That Was: This past week was pretty good. Saturday was my birthday. I turned 30 for those of you who missed it in a previous post. Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. It meant a lot. My mom and aunt came out for a visit for the weekend. It was good to see them. As far as school goes, I am officially halfway through the semester. We registered for classes last week. I will be doing a J-Term intensive class on New Testament Greek in January, which means I'll be living in Philly all week throughout January. I also took the plunge to go full-time again next semester. I think I can do it!

Church Review: This was the first Sunday that I preached in a while. I am doing a series on worship. This Sunday's message focused on Our Response to Who God Is. While I don't always take much stock in immediate feedback from a sermon, a few people spoke with me that they had some good discussions about the sermon yesterday afternoon. I think that is always a goal of mine is to preach something that begins a conversation about our relationship with God.

Where I Am At the Moment: I am at home right now. I have to do a Biblical Interpretation project this afternoon before Charge Conference tonight.

On My To-Do List This Week: I have a clergy meeting tomorrow where I am presenting some stuff in regards to background checks. I am one of 3 pastors around 30...so most of the pastors have no clue who I am. But it will be good to contribute to the meeting. I am also working on a college age mission trip this week.

What Abbie is Up To This Week: Abbie has had about 4 teeth come in during the last three weeks. She has started evening out in her mood, so maybe there is a break coming. She is a talker. She gabs and gabs. It is fun trying to figure out what she is saying.

Book I am in the Midst Of: I am mostly reading seminary stuff. Not much else.

Music That Caught My Attention This Week: While I did receive a new iPod for my birthday (thanks andrea!), I haven't heard any new music. I am in a busy school cycle again.

How I Feel About this week: I am feeling good about the week ahead. I think Andrea and I have some time schedule to get away together on Saturday. Once I get through school, it will be a great week!

Thoughts On Thirty

Tomorrow has the potential to be a rough day. It is my 30th birthday. None of my birthdays in my 20's carried as much weight as this one. While I am certainly not entertaining the notion of jumping off a bridge, there is a strange stigma about hitting thirty in my mind.

Here is the reality of turning thirty...

• It's been 14 years since I started to drive.
• 12 years since going to college
• 8 years since getting married and graduating college
• In just 20 more years, I'll be 50.
• As I connect with college students, I worry about being the creepy old guy hanging around campus.
• Or being confused with a facebook stalker!
• My friend told me the other day that my hair was thinning out in the back (Thanks pal!)
• I was 14 years old the last time the Pirates had a winning season

So I turn 30. They say that age is just a number, and it is. I have been overwhelmingly been blessed by God throughout my life. That's the point, I think Andrea and I have tried to be where God wants us to be. That has been exciting for the past eight years together. As we do that into our thirties, I know that God will continue to use us beyond our wildest imagination. I just wish I could stay 29 or something!

More Rob Bell Links

I was taking a break from some seminary work this morning and came across a couple of links regarding Rob Bell. Since I've included him in the last two post, I thought I would pass them on.

First, is a Time magazine article on Rob called The Hipper Than Thou Pastor. It's basically an introduction of Rob to the nation.

Second, and more importantly, is a book review of Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Ben Witherington. You can access the blog and review here. Dr. Witherington is a New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is a highly regarded scholar, so I was really interested to read his review. If you go to read it, let me tell you first that it is long and in-depth. But it is a good review.

Just Sniffing Around

I was watching the Tampa Bay-Boston game last night before going to bed and found something really interesting during the game. No, not the fact that the Red Sox came back to win (should have never happened). It was about Rays manager Joe Maddon.

Early in the game, TBS showed a video clip of Maddon before the game going around the outfield speaking with his pitchers. The commentators said that Maddon does this before every game and rarely calls a player into his office because he is out "in their office" on a daily basis. The commentators went on to say that Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa also does this and calls this "sniffing around." Maddon has a great rapport with his team, I'm guessing in large part because of his willingness to meet them where they are.

The Church should do a better job of this. I know there are churches who do, but most churches that I know expect that people come to them. Pastors expect congregation members and leaders to come to his/her office. We have an "if you build it, they will come" mentality about our worship services. What if Pastors and Christian leaders did more "sniffing around?" Instead of locking ourselves in our offices, we spend the bulk of our time meeting with people in their homes, the local coffee shop, athletic fields, and other places where people are comfortable. How much more would we learn about people? About the needs of our communities? About life outside the church?

On a totally seperate note: I'm wondering if Joe Maddon is what Rob Bell will look like in 20 years. Maddon certainly doesn't look like a baseball guy when he's not on the field. (Sorry for the old pic...the off the field pic looked most like Bell.)

Rob Bell Interview

Actually, I don't interview Rob Bell. It would be cool, but I don't have that kind of influence that I could call Rob up and interview him.

So Rob has come out with a new book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I think the title is genuis, but I know that others are offended by it. I have yet to read the book (it's not on my seminary reading list for some reason), but I heard a really good interview with Rob regarding the book. Relevant Magazine has a 2 part interview with Rob on their October 6 and October 13 podcast that is available on iTunes for free and from their website. The interview is pretty candid about the book and some of the criticism that Rob receives from many churches. Relevant also has a print interview up on their site with Rob.

I am personally looking forward to reading the book and being challenged in my understanding of our faith...especially in our American context.

So what are your thoughts? Do you agree/enjoy/grow from Rob Bell's teaching, writings, or nooma videos? Or are you ready to burn his books and call him a heretic? Somewhere in between? Talk back in the comments.

Monday Morning Update: October 13, 2008

The Week That Was: The week was pretty crazy. I missed one of my seminary classed because Abbie needed picked up from Day care. Once I left Delaware for school on Wednesday, I did not make it back to Delaware until Sunday evening. Five days on the road. The reason, was the Delanco Fall Retreat, which I was deaning. The retreat went really well and gave us the opportunity to visit with some good friends. There was a nice move of the Spirit for students to surrender their lives to God on Saturday night. Our speaker, Dustin Staples, did an excellent job with each of the messages. It was great to see him and Ashley. Becky and I co-led worship, each of us taking 2 services and leading. She did a wonderful job.

Church Review: Wasn't there. But I have heard that the guest worship leader did a great job.

Where I Am At the Moment: I am at home. Abbie is napping. Her daycare is closed today for Columbus Day. Which is fine by me because I don't really feel like doing much.

On My To-Do List This Week: Now that the retreats are over, its time to concentrate even more on School. This is reading week, so I have a couple mid-terms to do and some other projects. All of it managable once I get organized. I have some paperwork to catch up on at work as well.

What Abbie is Up To This Week: Abbie had 2 molars come in this week. It hasn't been terrible...she's just not been herself at times. She is also getting more shy around people that she doesn't know.

Book I am in the Midst Of: I skimmed the book "The History of the United Bretheren Church" the other day. I have some books to read this week for school.

Music That Caught My Attention This Week: I downloaded Anberlin's new CD this past week. It is really good. They re-recorded one of my favorite songs "Feel Good Drag". Great ear candy. If I haven't posted it here before, you really should listen to Brooke Fraser's new CD "Albertine". Very well done. (She's the author of the Hillsong song "Hosanna.")

How I Feel About this week: I'm tired. I feel like I have a lot of school work to do this week, but it will be better once I get organized.

Chaging Paradigms: Worship Pt. 1

A few days ago I wrote about changing the paradigm of various aspects of Christianity here in America. I want to begin focusing on the aspect of worship in our churches. Part of my responsibility at Avenue is to lead worship at two of our services, so I am pretty engrained into the weekly rythmn of worship in our community. But as I lead, I have become increasingly aware that there needs to be change within the arena of worship.

First, there is a consumeristic mentality within most congregations when it comes to worship. On Sunday morning, the average Christian in my setting (and I'm guessing elsewhere) comes to church looking to be 'fed.' I hear this on a regular basis; "I'm really being fed through the message," or "I don't feel like I'm being fed." Others say, "The worship (usually meaning music) didn't connect with me today." These are just a few things that you hear in a consummeristic congregation.

There is a great danger with this outlook that expects the church/pastor/worship gathering to do something for the congregation. The purpose of worship is not to be fed (although it will happen), but it is to direct all our praise and adoration to God. In worship, there is an audience of One. And each person who walks through the doors of the church are not the receiptient of the service, but are the givers. In Worship, we are to give our all to God.

How do we move from consumeristic worship to God-centered worship?

1. Our image of God must grow: For many of us, we have a view of God that is really small. We've lost touch with God's majesty, glory, and splendor. We easliy forget God's mercy and grace. When we have a better grasp of majesty, of God's 'largeness', then there is nothing we can do but to fall down in worship.
2. Our Worship Services Must Change: Probably 99% of our churches feature seats that face the stage where the pastor speaks from, much like a concert. Maybe we need to create churches that are circular in their seating so that we are more unified in our praise. We remember that we are a part of a community that worships.
   
   We also need to reexamine what we do in worship and the message it sends. Are things we do in worship focused on God- or ourselves?
3. We need to feed ourselves: For many in our setting (and I suspect plenty of others places), our people only crack their Bibles on Sunday morning. As pastors, and church leaders, we need to develop congregations who are studying the Bible, growing in small groups, and using their gifts in service. When this happens, then our worship services are not consummeristic, but become focused on God rather than ourselves. When we are more focused on God- we become more focused to bring God's Kingdom here on earth.

Monday Morning Update: October 6, 2008

The Week That Was: This past week was pretty good overall. It was a pretty straight forward week until the weekend. This was our annual Fall Retreat. Because of attendance, we made some tweaks to the retreat, but overall it went really well. (honestly, better than I anticipated). Randy Chambers from FCA spoke at the retreat and really challenged us to surrender our lives to God. I believe it was a good weekend for the students that were there as well. On Sunday Night, we had some of our college students/young adults over for Bible Study and the Steeler game (with iCarly thrown in there for good measure)

Church Review: From what I heard, it went well. One of my students, Becky, led worship for us. From what I heard, she did a great job with limited resources (her guitar was the only instrument!).

Where I Am At the Moment: I'm at my office computer getting ready for a staff lunch at Applebees. Sweet.

On My To-Do List This Week: I have a three page paper that is stressing me out. It's on the Trinity. It really shouldn't be stressing me out, but I really want to get my paper done well. More for my own understanding than the grade. I am also getting ready for another retreat this upcoming weekend at Delanco Camp.

What Abbie is Up To This Week: I'm not really sure. I've been gone enough this week that I haven't seen as much of Abbie as I would like to.

Book I am in the Midst Of: Even in the midst of seminary reading, I picked up Rob Bell's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I may start reading it this weekend.

Music That Caught My Attention This Week: I'm hoping to download Anberlin's new CD today or tomorrow. They are one of my favorite bands.

How I Feel About this week: Coming off the retreat, I'm exhausted and cranky...hopefully that will change in a day or so.