Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Rough Night
I'm going a little crazy tonight. Both my kids are screaming at me because they don't want to sleep, my phone won't stop ringing with people that want me to do strange things, and I have a sermon that I'm trying to write before bed in an hour. I want to find a corner and hide.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Free Food
This Sunday The Venue is having its first Memorial Day Barbecue. We are going to cancel the regular church service and just eat some ribs. So far we have a lot of people that would never go to a normal church service signed up to come because there friends invited them to a barbecue. We are just going to eat and get to know each other better and maybe a couple of people will want to give the church thing a chance after hanging out with us for an hour or two.
On the other side of it, it's nice for us because we only have to load and unload 10% of our gear and the only sound we have to set up is the stuff for house music. This should give the team a well deserved break this Sunday and make it so we can all enjoy our three day weekend a little more.
On the other side of it, it's nice for us because we only have to load and unload 10% of our gear and the only sound we have to set up is the stuff for house music. This should give the team a well deserved break this Sunday and make it so we can all enjoy our three day weekend a little more.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Thank God For Razors
Multipule choice, is this:A) A picture of me after I got out of the joint.
B) Another one of my not so great ideas in Bible College.
C) Just one more reason why so many women are jealous of my wife.
D) Your pastor.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Teaching
I have been away from substitute teaching for a little over two weeks now an d it feels great. I needed a break from it, but to tell the truth, it isn't that bad of a job to have when planting a church. For those of you thinking about doing it, I'd like to help out with some advice.
Here are ten things elementary school principals never like to hear:
1. "I was supposed to have how many children?"
2. "I wasn't aware that smoking in the classroom was frowned upon."
3. "Are leather pants permitted on causal Fridays?"
4. "The good news is that the fire is out..."
5. "I had to use my belt."
6. "They were good, so I let them all go home early."
7. "I had to leave, so I asked my cousin Frank to take over for the rest of the day."
8. " Are you single?"
9. "I may have had one or two before work this morning."
10. " I told the kids about the time I was abducted by aliens."
Here are ten things elementary school principals never like to hear:
1. "I was supposed to have how many children?"
2. "I wasn't aware that smoking in the classroom was frowned upon."
3. "Are leather pants permitted on causal Fridays?"
4. "The good news is that the fire is out..."
5. "I had to use my belt."
6. "They were good, so I let them all go home early."
7. "I had to leave, so I asked my cousin Frank to take over for the rest of the day."
8. " Are you single?"
9. "I may have had one or two before work this morning."
10. " I told the kids about the time I was abducted by aliens."
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Pastor Bekah
It was Bekah's Sunday to preach today. With everything that she's be through this week, I wouldn't have thought any less of her if she'd asked me to take this one (if you don't know what I'm talking about read her blog here). I'm glad she didn't though, her message hit home and she had half the house in tears.
The fact that I have a female pastor on my staff is something a lot of members of the Christian faith would not find favorable. There are some who would inform me that allowing a woman to teach and have authority over men is contrary to scripture (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
I have problems with this:
First, Paul thought Scripture had to be interpreted within culture. When Paul began going to the gentiles with the gospel he had to decide what commands were important in pleasing God. One of the truths that Paul held to was that the physical act of circumcision was not important for the gentiles to follow. This is amazing when you look at the importance circumcision was given in the Old Testament (Moses was nearly killed by God for overlooking this command in Exodus 4:24) and the fact that Jesus never gave any command to stop performing it. Paul had to defend his actions to the church in Jerusalem and after thinking it through and consulting the Holy Spirit they decided that Paul was right (Acts 15). They deemed a major command in Scripture optional because it was hindering the spread of the gospel.
Second, I've never seen a church, no matter how literal they claimed to take the Bible, ever not treat at least one command of Paul's as cultural. How many churches do you know that forbid women ministers based on a few verse yet claim that the chapters Paul's spends talking about the gifts of tongues or prophecy are not for toady? How many keep the rules about head coverings given in 1Corinthians 11?
What about the Holy Kiss? This is an imperative command given five times by Paul, backed up countless times in the Old Testament, and attested to by the early church fathers, yet I've never been in an American Protestant church where two men were encouraged to kiss each other when greeting. Every church chooses which commands in Scripture apply to them, the only questions are, which ones and why. We know that the rules of greeting have changed in the last two thousand years and it would be strange to try to apply those rules to today, yet we refuse to believe that the roles of women have changed since then.
I would wager that Bekah knows her Bible better than 99% of the men in your church. She is a better preacher than 99% of the pastors I have heard (and I have heard a lot of preachers). She has a vision and a heart for this church. She cares nothing for usurping authority, nor is she trying to rule over anyone. She's not trying to play the part of a man. I believe fully that God sent her to this church to minister and the evidence that supports this is that when she speaks people see God a little more clearly. There is not a mega church leader that I would trade her for. To tell her that she can't share the gospel because she is a women seems absurd to me.
To those of you that do not allow women ministers I'd like to say I understand why and I can respect that you are trying to serve God in the way you think best and I hope you see that I am trying to do the same. A few of you however have written some accusations about women ministers that are nothing short of cruel and slanderous. I would advise this small group to be careful when speaking of people they don't know.
If you are in the habit of making such remarks about women pastors The Venue is not the church for you. Neither her husband or I would look kindly on anything that could be taken as an insult to her character or her ministry. I am overly protective of three things in my life: my immediate family, my best friends, and my staff. I consider Bekah all three.
On the last day we will all stand before God to give an account of what we did with what we were given. On that day we will all discover we were wrong about somethings. It may be that I will discover that I am wrong about this, but I would rather have to repent to God because I went too far using everything in my means to spread the gospel, than to explain to him why I turned away the people he sent to preach His Word.
The fact that I have a female pastor on my staff is something a lot of members of the Christian faith would not find favorable. There are some who would inform me that allowing a woman to teach and have authority over men is contrary to scripture (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
I have problems with this:
First, Paul thought Scripture had to be interpreted within culture. When Paul began going to the gentiles with the gospel he had to decide what commands were important in pleasing God. One of the truths that Paul held to was that the physical act of circumcision was not important for the gentiles to follow. This is amazing when you look at the importance circumcision was given in the Old Testament (Moses was nearly killed by God for overlooking this command in Exodus 4:24) and the fact that Jesus never gave any command to stop performing it. Paul had to defend his actions to the church in Jerusalem and after thinking it through and consulting the Holy Spirit they decided that Paul was right (Acts 15). They deemed a major command in Scripture optional because it was hindering the spread of the gospel.
Second, I've never seen a church, no matter how literal they claimed to take the Bible, ever not treat at least one command of Paul's as cultural. How many churches do you know that forbid women ministers based on a few verse yet claim that the chapters Paul's spends talking about the gifts of tongues or prophecy are not for toady? How many keep the rules about head coverings given in 1Corinthians 11?
What about the Holy Kiss? This is an imperative command given five times by Paul, backed up countless times in the Old Testament, and attested to by the early church fathers, yet I've never been in an American Protestant church where two men were encouraged to kiss each other when greeting. Every church chooses which commands in Scripture apply to them, the only questions are, which ones and why. We know that the rules of greeting have changed in the last two thousand years and it would be strange to try to apply those rules to today, yet we refuse to believe that the roles of women have changed since then.
I would wager that Bekah knows her Bible better than 99% of the men in your church. She is a better preacher than 99% of the pastors I have heard (and I have heard a lot of preachers). She has a vision and a heart for this church. She cares nothing for usurping authority, nor is she trying to rule over anyone. She's not trying to play the part of a man. I believe fully that God sent her to this church to minister and the evidence that supports this is that when she speaks people see God a little more clearly. There is not a mega church leader that I would trade her for. To tell her that she can't share the gospel because she is a women seems absurd to me.
To those of you that do not allow women ministers I'd like to say I understand why and I can respect that you are trying to serve God in the way you think best and I hope you see that I am trying to do the same. A few of you however have written some accusations about women ministers that are nothing short of cruel and slanderous. I would advise this small group to be careful when speaking of people they don't know.
If you are in the habit of making such remarks about women pastors The Venue is not the church for you. Neither her husband or I would look kindly on anything that could be taken as an insult to her character or her ministry. I am overly protective of three things in my life: my immediate family, my best friends, and my staff. I consider Bekah all three.
On the last day we will all stand before God to give an account of what we did with what we were given. On that day we will all discover we were wrong about somethings. It may be that I will discover that I am wrong about this, but I would rather have to repent to God because I went too far using everything in my means to spread the gospel, than to explain to him why I turned away the people he sent to preach His Word.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Childcare
Autumn goes back to work on Monday. This means I will be watching my two children every night until she gets home at 11pm. Pray for Ethan and Hannah.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Where I Need To Be
I hate watching someone I care about in pain. I hate the feeling of helplessness that comes from wanting to take all the hurt away, but not being able to. I've dedicated my life to giving out hope and comfort to people through my words, but it isn't until someone close to you is in pain that you realize how awkward and clumsy words really are.
It's then that you realize sometimes all you can do is be there and hope that it is enough. I'm not good at many things, I think I was last in line when the talents were being given out, but I want to be good at being there when I'm needed. I'm sure I will fail at this, but maybe if I get it right once in a while my life and my ministry will make a little bit of a difference in this sad a lonely world.
It's then that you realize sometimes all you can do is be there and hope that it is enough. I'm not good at many things, I think I was last in line when the talents were being given out, but I want to be good at being there when I'm needed. I'm sure I will fail at this, but maybe if I get it right once in a while my life and my ministry will make a little bit of a difference in this sad a lonely world.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. -Douglas Adams
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New Mailer
What do a plastic dashboard Jesus, some cardboard, an empty bottle, kids' toys, a stool, a couple desserts, and a gamma correction all have in common?
They are all part of the process of coming up with our new mailer. It's going to be interesting to say the least.
They are all part of the process of coming up with our new mailer. It's going to be interesting to say the least.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
What Women Want
Things that I found most women don't care to receive as Mothers' Day presents:
1. Power tools
2. A subscription to Maxim
3. Vacuums
4. Copier paper
5. Tickets to the tractor pull
6. Donald Duck earrings
7. Flashlights (yet they seem to be okay with candles)
8. Bowling balls
9. Shirts made from hemp
10. Tow chains
11. Pictures of me with my shirt off
12. Cheese wheels
13. Personalized fanny packs
14. Handshakes
15. Weight Watchers gift cards
16. Books about alligators
17. Wooden shoes
18. Velvet paintings of Liberace
19. Anything shaped like a fish and made out of Spam
20. Suspenders
1. Power tools
2. A subscription to Maxim
3. Vacuums
4. Copier paper
5. Tickets to the tractor pull
6. Donald Duck earrings
7. Flashlights (yet they seem to be okay with candles)
8. Bowling balls
9. Shirts made from hemp
10. Tow chains
11. Pictures of me with my shirt off
12. Cheese wheels
13. Personalized fanny packs
14. Handshakes
15. Weight Watchers gift cards
16. Books about alligators
17. Wooden shoes
18. Velvet paintings of Liberace
19. Anything shaped like a fish and made out of Spam
20. Suspenders
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Never Blog When Tired
I will have been a believer for thirteen years come this August. I've seen some of the best things the church has to offer as well as some of the worst. I've seen many churches, overwhelmed with the mission they been given, trying to be everything that they think God wants and anything that they think people need...
relevant,
holy,
intelligent,
hip,
professional,
traditional,
modern,
causal,
trendy,
political,
environmental,
outspoken,
unique.
In the last thirteen years I've been guilty of most of this and more. In knowing that I wasn't who I was suppose to be I tried continuously to become what I was never meant to be. I conformed to something that I thought everyone would be proud of, holding it out for all to see, just to have God ignore it and the lost to take one look and walk away. The only ones who approved were those playing the same game.
Then eight years ago I moved to California, thinking that I could perfect the game there, but something else happened. In the four years I spent there and the four years after in planting this church everything began to break. My assumptions, my philosophy, my worldview, even my faith. Some of it broke apart fast. Most of it came apart slowly, manifesting when I wasn't paying attention, like cracks in the walls that tell of an unsafe foundation.
So, here I stand eight years later, a different person than the one that left here all those years ago. I can't play the game anymore, I'm too tired for that. My faith has been put back together. I know there are pieces missing, either I'll find them along the way or I won't. I don't think it matters. I've never been more unsure of myself, yet at the same time, I'm totally confident in what I'm doing.
If none of this makes sense to you, don't worry, it doesn't always make sense to me either.
It's not always pretty, but here I am being who I've become, becoming who I am.
relevant,
holy,
intelligent,
hip,
professional,
traditional,
modern,
causal,
trendy,
political,
environmental,
outspoken,
unique.
In the last thirteen years I've been guilty of most of this and more. In knowing that I wasn't who I was suppose to be I tried continuously to become what I was never meant to be. I conformed to something that I thought everyone would be proud of, holding it out for all to see, just to have God ignore it and the lost to take one look and walk away. The only ones who approved were those playing the same game.
Then eight years ago I moved to California, thinking that I could perfect the game there, but something else happened. In the four years I spent there and the four years after in planting this church everything began to break. My assumptions, my philosophy, my worldview, even my faith. Some of it broke apart fast. Most of it came apart slowly, manifesting when I wasn't paying attention, like cracks in the walls that tell of an unsafe foundation.
So, here I stand eight years later, a different person than the one that left here all those years ago. I can't play the game anymore, I'm too tired for that. My faith has been put back together. I know there are pieces missing, either I'll find them along the way or I won't. I don't think it matters. I've never been more unsure of myself, yet at the same time, I'm totally confident in what I'm doing.
If none of this makes sense to you, don't worry, it doesn't always make sense to me either.
It's not always pretty, but here I am being who I've become, becoming who I am.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
New Job
Today I started my new job. If all goes to plan I'll be able to start turning down more weddings and just work 40 hours a week at the pharmacy and the church on Sundays.
It would be nice to be one of those guys that gets to make a full time salary in the first year of planting a church, but that doesn't worry me right now. I have to say right now everything is going really well in my life and I'm content with where I've been placed for right now. This may change at anytime, but for now I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
It would be nice to be one of those guys that gets to make a full time salary in the first year of planting a church, but that doesn't worry me right now. I have to say right now everything is going really well in my life and I'm content with where I've been placed for right now. This may change at anytime, but for now I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
A Rabbi And A Pastor Walk Onto A Pirate Ship
This Saturday night Rabbi Simon Bergman and myself will be teaming up to perform a wedding ceremony on the deck of the pirate ship in front of the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. I thought if I said it out loud it would seem less silly, but now I see I was wrong.
Vegas is a strange place to pastor a church...
Vegas is a strange place to pastor a church...
Monday, May 7, 2007
First Day Off In Weeks
Today was my first real day off in weeks. I never meant to break the whole day of rest thing, but I guess I didn't think about how busy things were going to be after the church started and it nearly killed me. I have found you have to be intentional about your time off or else you will end up not having any.
This whole switching jobs things is going to make it so that I don't have to do weddings any more to survive, so I plan on cutting back drastically on those. It's really good money, but the money isn't worth the dread I've been feeling every week in knowing that the only day that I had a chance to have off is gone.
My rest really started yesterday after we got the truck unloaded. I have now had a full 24 hours of being able to sit around and not have to think about anything related to work. What's even better is that I still have tonight with nothing to do and all day tomorrow as well. I am a happy man again.
This whole switching jobs things is going to make it so that I don't have to do weddings any more to survive, so I plan on cutting back drastically on those. It's really good money, but the money isn't worth the dread I've been feeling every week in knowing that the only day that I had a chance to have off is gone.
My rest really started yesterday after we got the truck unloaded. I have now had a full 24 hours of being able to sit around and not have to think about anything related to work. What's even better is that I still have tonight with nothing to do and all day tomorrow as well. I am a happy man again.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
First Communion
We had our first communion service today. I know, we've been meeting since March and are just now having communion, but it's been a crazy couple months. We decided to go with the come and take the elements when you are ready style instead of the traditional passing of the elements. This might not work when we grow larger, but for now I think kit works just fine.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Of All The Things I've Lost...
Things that I have lost since planting a church:
1. One perfectly good utility knife.
2. One defective folding chair.
3. The church checkbook.
4. Twenty-five pounds (just when you thought I couldn't get any hotter).
5. My delusions (well, most of them anyways).
6. My faith in Christian leadership (I swear, sometimes it feels like we are arguing about the color of the wallpaper as the house is burning down around us).
7. The better part of my sanity.
8. My ability to care about trivial matters.
9. My garage (it's still there it's just loaded with chairs and tables and speakers, oh my).
10. My patience with people who like to talk, but do nothing.
Things that I have found since planting a church:
1. Things in the people around me that I never saw before.
2. A new job.
3. The confidence to do what I'm called to.
4. The church checkbook (It was on the roof of the car).
5. That I don't have everything figured out yet.
6. A trust that I've never known before.
7. Half a bag of chips stuck under the seat of my car (not bad really).
8. That audacity and the ability to look like you know what you're doing even when you don't can take the place of experience and skill 90% of the time.
9. The peace that comes from knowing that no matter what happens God will be there in the morning.
10. The things that really matter.
1. One perfectly good utility knife.
2. One defective folding chair.
3. The church checkbook.
4. Twenty-five pounds (just when you thought I couldn't get any hotter).
5. My delusions (well, most of them anyways).
6. My faith in Christian leadership (I swear, sometimes it feels like we are arguing about the color of the wallpaper as the house is burning down around us).
7. The better part of my sanity.
8. My ability to care about trivial matters.
9. My garage (it's still there it's just loaded with chairs and tables and speakers, oh my).
10. My patience with people who like to talk, but do nothing.
Things that I have found since planting a church:
1. Things in the people around me that I never saw before.
2. A new job.
3. The confidence to do what I'm called to.
4. The church checkbook (It was on the roof of the car).
5. That I don't have everything figured out yet.
6. A trust that I've never known before.
7. Half a bag of chips stuck under the seat of my car (not bad really).
8. That audacity and the ability to look like you know what you're doing even when you don't can take the place of experience and skill 90% of the time.
9. The peace that comes from knowing that no matter what happens God will be there in the morning.
10. The things that really matter.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Hope
I should be asleep right now, but I've been working on my sermon and the caffeine that I've been using for motivation hasn't worn off yet.
This was a tough week, everything in my life just seemed to hit me all at once starting on Monday. Nothing really had changed as far as life goes, it was just one of those times when you start wondering what God was thinking when He put you in a place like this. I swear, sometimes my problems look like giants and I feel like a dumb kid holding a stick and a few rocks.
Today God gave me hope. I found out that I got the job I'd applied for (more to come on that, I feel a list coming soon) and my message is starting to come together among other things. For right now life feels manageable, this is sure to change at anytime, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyway, I should get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be my last day of teaching for awhile.
This was a tough week, everything in my life just seemed to hit me all at once starting on Monday. Nothing really had changed as far as life goes, it was just one of those times when you start wondering what God was thinking when He put you in a place like this. I swear, sometimes my problems look like giants and I feel like a dumb kid holding a stick and a few rocks.
Today God gave me hope. I found out that I got the job I'd applied for (more to come on that, I feel a list coming soon) and my message is starting to come together among other things. For right now life feels manageable, this is sure to change at anytime, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyway, I should get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be my last day of teaching for awhile.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Not Another Tuesday
I really dislike Tuesdays at work. Monday is fine because you have some energy from having the weekend off. Wednesday isn't that bad because at least you're half way through the week. Tuesday on the other hand has nothing to offer you but grief.
It's over now and the week is already starting to look up. It's just really sad knowing that there is another Tuesday out there waiting for me.
It's over now and the week is already starting to look up. It's just really sad knowing that there is another Tuesday out there waiting for me.
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