January 2009
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Is your church ready to seize the downturn?
Is your church downturn ready? I don’t know, really. Keeping me out of finance is probably a smart idea.
But today I started thinking of our current economic plan here at University Lutheran as I listened to the Harvard Business Review podcast. They were talking about the lead article from their most recent publication, “Seize Advantage in a Downturn”.
Churches just like...
Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It? -... →
Awesome study on what facebook actually does
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Send a chicken in the mail
We send cards to people who have birthdays and anniversaries here at University Lutheran. That’s because we care about people and we want them to know that we recognize them and celebrate with them.
But honestly, I’ve gotten birthday cards from organizations before that have seemed a little cold —— and I’ve probably even written a few of those. So how about...
January 31: Exodus 6-7, Psalm 28, Mark 7 →
University Lutheran Enews - 1/30 →
“Ambition is every bit as dangerous as complacency, but it’s a lot more fun.”
MemberHub →
This looks like it might be interesting. An online church management tool.
January 30: Exodus 4-5, Psalm 27, Mark 6 →
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Which "us" are you talking about, demon?
I just came across an interesting notation that may help understanding of this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:21-28) or may lead to further confusion. Either way, I thought it was interesting, and eventually focuses on what the word “Gospel” really means.
Apparently Rabban Gamaliel, a contemporary of Jesus, had said of Galilee that when “the Son of David”...
January 29: Exodus 2-3, Psalm 26, Mark 5 →
WatchSeth Godin on TED.com (since I quoted him and all)
An excerpt from "Tribes"
I’m loving my first ever Seth Godin book, “Tribes”. Here’s a great excerpt that made me think all “churchy”:
“…a leader can help increase the effectiveness of the tribe and its members by:
transforming the shared interest into a passionate goal and desire for change
providing tools to allow members to tighten their communications
leveraging the...
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I'm waiting (for You)
Today I was supposed to go to court (not for me, for somebody else - moral support is part of my gig here as a pastor). I don’t really like court because it makes me do the thing that I really hate most - wait. (Thankfully, the case got moved and I got out.)
Bestbuy just called me today about my laptop that is still out on repairs (even though they promise me they’re junking it...
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Stay tuned: We're enhancing our mediocrity
Today I read a letter from the leader of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, my church body, about “Mission and Ministry Emphases”.
Apparently a decision has been made. That decision is that my church body will be focusing on three things:
“1. Revitalizing existing congregations
2. Planting new mission congregations
3. Enhanced focus on stewardship of time, talent, and...
January 28: Exodus 1, Psalm 25, Mark 4 →
A Haiku about the subject of the latest podcast
Haiku: Example
Obsession with form above
goal. Jesus is goal.
“Relying on the process” podcast...
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Simplify Your Relationships
Relationships are tough things for us to figure out. This study that we did for +Vespers+ last week takes a look at how we make relationships more complex and complicated than God had intended, and then His simple plan for relationships under the forgivness of the cross.
The Gospel According to Mark, the 12th Chapter
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and...
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What are we reading this year?
The cycle of readings in most liturgical Christian churches is a three year cycle. Each year we hear readings in our church services that we have probably not heard for three years, except on a few of the festival Sundays which have the same readings every year.
This year is “Cycle B”. Cycle B is marked by readings from the Gospel of Mark. Since Mark is such a short Gospel, many Sundays we...
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Sermons: When Jesus said "Follow Me", was He...
Too often when we hear the stories of the Apostles we assume that they were these amazing men who had it all together. The Gospel of Mark’s message is clear - they weren’t. They were bumbling idiots like you and I are, but Jesus still called them to “Follow Him”, and He’s calling you too.
Text: Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee,...
January 27: Genesis 49-50, Psalm 24, Mark 3 →
‘We dance past statues of saints in somebody else’s religion. To me, they’re just rock shaped into glorified nobodies’ Chuck Palahniuk, from “Survivor”, excellent idolatry quote
January 26: Genesis 47-48, Psalm 23, Mark 2 →
“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make...”
– Thomas Huxley (1825-1895, British Biologist, Educator)
January 25: Genesis 45-46, Psalm 22:19-31, Mark 1 →
How to stop accumulating books →
I have a sickness.
I need a support group.
January 24: Genesis 43-44, Psalm 22:1-18, Matthew... →
January 23: Genesis 41-42, Psalm 21, Matthew 26 →
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For the record
I’m not skipping out on you all, I promise. I love having you as readers.
The problem is Gateway/Best Buy. I’ve seriously never seen customer service this awful before. I makes me shudder. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing from either of them right now.
My new (and constantly broken) laptop is in the shop. My old computer that I was using at home just broke. And I sneak a...
University Lutheran Enews - Jan 22 →
Are you afraid of God?
January 22: Genesis 39-40, Psalm 20, Matthew 25 →
Four and Twenty+ Blackbirds →
An interesting Confessional blog that actually makes you think. Good stuff. On my reader.
Top 60 Church Blogs | churchrelevance.com →
Find something new for your Google reader
January 21: Genesis 37-38, Psalm 19:7-14, Matthew... →
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Simplify Your Vocation
+Vespers+ is the weekly worship service at University Lutheran. During the sermon, I still spout off a lot of stuff, but it’s more back and forth. In fact, I even ask questions to get people to talk.
This month we’re doing a series called “Simplify”. It’s based on the idea that too often we make our lives with God way more complex than what they ought to be. ...
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Jesus and an Irishman (or "College Students &...
There’s an old Irish joke that goes something along the lines “What are the similarities between an Irishman and Jesus Christ?” The punch line is, “They both lived at home until they were 30 and their mothers claim they never sinned.” It’s not much of a Christian joke, but it does explain something about a group of people I get to work with occasionally as a...
January 20: Genesis 36, Psalm 19:1-6, Matthew 23 →
January 19: Genesis 34-35, Psalm 18:25-50, Matthew... →
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I blew up...
If you were at University Lutheran this morning, you go to see something that you don’t normally see. You saw the pastor melt down.
During the Gospel reading there was a young man who walked in to University Lutheran, looking kind of lost. He went from one side of the church to the other, looking for a seat, and then finally went back outside again and left. I lost it. Barely no one had...
Hey Lazarus! by Shane Tutmark and the Traveling...
January 18: Genesis 32-33, Psalm 18:1-24, Matthew... →
January 17: Genesis 31, Psalm 17, Matthew 20 →
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Localize
This news story didn’t really interest me because I was interested in it. It interested me because other people were interested in it. The headline? “Tallahassee Woman Among Passengers of Crashed New York City Plane”
If you don’t live in Tallahasse, you don’t care if the passengers were from North Jersey or Columbus, Ohio, or Tallahassee — you just care that...