Rick Nier...Woo!

True to form, here I am taking advantage of the latest technology from 10 years ago. This will be my first vlog. That's video-blog for any of you newbies out there. But before you go looking at me for about 90 seconds, let me make a few observations. It will be easy to get lost staring into my eyes and not hear a word I'm saying. Fight that urge.  Yes, I introduced myself as an 'Associate Pastor.' That's because explaining my actual job title would have taken 90 seconds, leaving me no time to talk about the book. That seemed like a bad idea.  Before you say it, yes, I am naturally that beautiful. I thought I covered that in the first bullet point. Oh, and the video may be shaky and I may have a few awkward pauses. They said to make the video as natural as possible. Welcome to my world...shaky and awkward.  Alright, enjoy my first, and possibly last, vlog.  The book is The Gospel of Yes  by Mike Glenn. I received it for free from my good friend...

"It's not fair!" My kids say that. A lot! But since I throw them under the proverbial bus many times, let me quickly add that I would probably say it a lot too if I hadn't been programmed by society to know that life is not fair. But I did hear my kids use the 'fair' card in regards to the weather. That threw me for a second. I understand fair when talking about scoops of ice cream or who gets to sleep to current hits versus sleeping to Neil Diamond. I get it when it seems that the blame can be placed on a person. But the weather? Not even the weatherman seems to be able to get the weather. For instance, the other day my wife and I turned the A/C off because the weather channel said the evening would drop into the 60's. Once we did, the breeze stopped and the temperature spiked back up to 130 degrees. Yeah, beautiful sleeping weather, especially if you like to stick to your sheets. So how can fairness be a concern with the weather? Now th...

I used to look at the biggest outcasts in my school and wonder. No, I wasn't looking in a mirror, but there were times when I wondered, and wished that I were. After all, it would have been nice to be the best at something. Have you ever wondered what it would take to be, hands-down, the biggest outcast in your school? I have, but just when I think I may be able to master it, the trends change and everything gets turned upside down. So I am caught in some place in the middle where neither cool nor outcast reside. Mocking me from both sides is my place of honor. There is something worse than feeling like God is always punishing you. It's feeling like God doesn't think of you at all. The insignificant wish that God thought of them at all, even if it is just to be treated poorly. At least then they knew they mattered in some way. I have often wondered if this wasn't what caused Job the most pain. He could man up and battle against the physical pain. He could even d...

This is not a book about baseball. I don't know if you would have ever wondered that it might be, but Kurt Johnston and Tim Levert remind us over and over again of that fact. It's probably because there are 9 practices and they use a baseball team metaphor throughout  The 9 Best Practices for Youth Ministry . I don't want to give away what these guys have worked real hard on. I used this book as an opportunity to review some of what I have been doing in youth ministry. Each chapter tackles a different area of youth ministry, something based off of research done by Exemplary Youth Ministries and their studies. Each chapter was well thought out and written in tandem by these two gurus of youth ministry. Once you have covered all 9 topics, you'll be ready to get back in the game, although this is not a book about baseball. 

There has been a parenting technique my wife and I have learned that has revolutionized our family. If I thought I could write an entire book on the topic, plus do a book tour and somehow turn it all into a movie where I would be played by Matt Damon, I would. Quite simply, the movie would be awesome. However, this technique has probably been written about by too many authors, none of them convinced about the movie project that could be. And the technique doesn't sound all that flashy either. Communication. I know, you've heard this before. But this is like a wonder drug that cures all...almost. My family, like all families, has experienced those meltdown moments when the kids are sweaty and whiny and, shockingly, don't want to be shopping at Wal-mart. Amidst the crying, I'll hear, 'We didn't know we were going to be shopping all afternoon.' Ah, communication. So now we warn them when we see a shopping trip looming. Do they like the shopping anymore w...

I know many people will point to David the Goliath slayer and admire his sensitive side as he wrote many a song. I've got nothing against David's poetic side, but I think my man Heman the Ezrahite should not be overlooked. The man could write some tunes. And let's not forget his trademarked toys of the 80's. I'm sure the Master of the Universe was copied after Heman the Ezrahite. That's not all that was copied. The Sons of Korah, probably the first Jewish boy band, decided to write their own song based on the tune that Heman wrote. I'm glad they did, because here is a sample. Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? ~Psalm 88:10-12 Ok, in the first part of this song, they bring the common themes of 'we're in trouble / please God save ...

I'll admit it. I'm a purist. I want to experience books and movies the way the artists intended, without having someone ruin it by telling me the ending. But that seems to be increasingly difficult in this age of connection. I understand that I am sometimes a bit slower to current trends than others. For instance, have you heard of this new upstart social networking site that's becoming more popular than MySpace, Face-something? I kid, although I would still post to Xanga if there was anyone around to read it. I think we need to be understanding about people who may have had something else to do besides go see all the latest big movies, read the latest best sellers and watch every show on TV. After all, people do have to work....and sleep....and perhaps talk with a real person every once in a while. So I believe we need rules for this sort of thing. For instance, putting spoiler alert in your post or article and then making the very next line TWO WORDS WHICH REVEAL HO...

Jud Wilhite lays out the format from the very introduction in Torn: Trusting God When Life Leaves You in Pieces . He shares just briefly about some difficult periods in his life which led to him asking questions. But he was not content to simply ask why  suffering happens. The important questions, in his mind, are who  and how . Specifically, who do we turn to when difficulties come our way and how will we move forward. That is exactly how the rest of the book is laid out. Wilhite spends the first half of the book looking at the story of Job and answering the Who beyond our suffering. Notice I didn't write the Who behind our suffering, as if God were to be blamed. God is beyond this, and thus, the Who we can turn to in the midst of our troubles. The problems Job faced were squarely on the shoulders of satan, a being so inferior to God that Wilhite compares them to a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Sponge Bob Square Pants. Yeah, it's ridiculous. But because God is ...

I'm not sure if my dad ever felt this pressure, but wanting Mother's Day to go well is not a day that should be left to the children. After all, who better than the husband to discern the emotional needs of his wife? Can such important and daunting tasks be left to the same little ones who barely know how to keep their rooms clean? Besides, celebrating someone else is always something I want a part of. Why? Simply put, it gets you closer to the party. I've recently mentioned why a good party is worth attending , but let's chat about how celebrating others can be a real treat. For starters, there are the treats! Back to the aforementioned Mother's Day, I got the kids together and we planned the day out. Wouldn't Mommy like a yummy breakfast. Of course she would! Cinnamon rolls it is! Assuring my youngest that we would not simply make a couple of cinnamon rolls for Mom, we made enough to put us all in a sugary tizzy for the day. Then there is the s...

It's a rule in the news business that you report the news, you don't become the news. At least at one time it was. I'm not arguing for either side in this age of flash and big names when it comes to the news. However... When it comes to Christianity, I wonder if some pastors are better at selling themselves than they are at proclaiming the Good News. Don't be alarmed, I'm not going to name names. I don't think it's important who we think is the best salesman when it comes to sharing Jesus. This is also not an issue unique to mega-size churches. Any stage is one that could be stood on and chosen to shine from. In fact, I'll go further and say this is not merely a pastor problem. It's a people problem. And how? Have you ever depended more on your delivery than the content to convince someone of their need for God? That's presentation, my friend. To be careful here, I'm not saying we should be rude in our conversations in order to see ...

The other night my family was at my daughter's elementary school track meet. We're trying to hold off calling her 'the Red Rocket' until she proves worthy of the title, but she's pretty fast. And even though watching little children run and jump while braving the windy spring-like Indiana weather is not my top choice of evening activities, it's fun to see my 10-year old compete. But before she gets a chance to run, they do the field events. Watching these elementary kids do the high jump, my 8-year old son asks why they're trying to knock down the pole. When I stop laughing, I explain to my son that they are not trying  to knock down the pole. They are trying to jump over it. It did make me wonder what other things appear to have a different purpose than the one we think we're trying to achieve. I have seen the trend where well-meaning people talk about leaving the church in order to find Jesus. While I understand that painful circumstances are some...

It's part biography, part motivational speech and all how-to. Just by telling his story in Start Something That Matters , Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS, motivates you to want to do something big. If you know what you want to do, Blake will give you plenty of brotherly advice on how to get started, change your work environment and succeed. If you have no idea what you want to do, he just might be able to point out some places you could get involved and help make a difference. The point is, everyone can make a difference. All it takes is wanting to, a willingness to work hard, some creativity and perhaps a little bit of luck. I am not sure I want to start something entirely new. It may not be the time for that just yet, but there are certainly projects, both personal and professional, that Blake has given me some renewed energy to dream about and work towards. 

I don't know about you, but I tend to accept certain realities more readily based on their source. While I certainly understand, and readily agree, that truth is not based on location, I am cognizant of my own reality. Perhaps you are the same. We can agree that truth is truth no matter, but certainly you've experienced a situation where you accepted a long stated truth when someone was able to word it differently. For instance, your parents have told you for years that taking care of yourself would be a good idea. Then a girl comes along and tells you she finds it attractive when guys comb their hair and -PRESTO- you invest in hair products. Or perhaps your pastor has told you for years about God's love, but it doesn't seem real to you until you spend a week at a summer camp. Your life perspective changes quickly while those who have been telling you the same thing go bang their head against a wall. But there is at least one person who I did not think I would ...

There are many moments in the Bible which I would have loved to have been a part of. There are many great leaders and heroes that I would love to meet. Moses with his arms raised as the waters of the Red Sea split apart. Or Elijah as he lay the smackdown on the prophets of Baal. Or even the young David as he slings a stone into the forehead of that giant oaf, Goliath. There were prophets and priests and kings, oh my! But it would almost seem as if God's bag of tricks had run empty by the end of the Old Testament. Things were quiet. Beaten down Jews were returning to their land, but God's presence seemed to be incognito. The glory days are gone and the promise of a Messiah seems long in coming. From this rises a messenger named Malachi, which ironically means...'messenger'. A guy whose message was to remind people that God loved them. He didn't draw attention to himself. He didn't appear to be a flashy guy. He starts and ends with a simple message. God lo...

I don’t want to go all Kevin Bacon circa 1984 on you, when he starred in Footloose and read from Ecclesiastes 3 and single-handedly revitalized a town by reminding them that there is, indeed, a time to dance. Of course, Solomon wrote about several other things that need a time and space as well. But Kevin Bacon can only star in so many iconic roles. Yet there are times and reasons to celebrate. And it’s not just Solomon and Mr. Bacon that think so. David wrote of generation telling generation of God’s mighty acts and celebrating God’s goodness (Psalm 147:4-7). David is clearly a man after God’s own heart on this issue, because the Old Testament Law records at least one month each year of celebrating that the Israelites were to participate in for God’s glory. So what are the reasons not to frown on a good party? First, it takes us out of the mundane, allowing us to refocus on what is important. In the case of the Israelites and the Old Testament Law, that was focusing on h...

With understanding that I am only mostly through this book, let me share with you a few thoughts on Being Jesus in Nashville  by Jim Palmer. It appears to be a book about how Jim wrote a book. It was this book, in fact. Jim wrote a book and people, publishers to be specific, didn't like the book. So Jim continued writing this book, but wrote a book within this book about how and why other people didn't like this book, leaving him feeling compelled to write this book all the more. Is that clear as mud? Good, because that's about how I felt going through this book. Although, I must admit, Jim warns us that reading this book without reading his first two books would be like walking on a movie halfway through. You'll catch on, but you'll have to catch up. Okay, that could be a ploy to sell what's left of the first two books still on shelves, but since he's a pretty good storyteller, I doubt it. This book builds on experiences that he has already explore...

Sunday night I was talking to my teens about suffering and persecution, making sure they realized it wasn't about them. It can be easy to make statements in our 'classroom', while safe from the outside world. Then Monday morning hits. Bam! Pow! Surely there's nothing inherently evil about Monday mornings, but it sure felt that way when a day without obligation for myself turned into a day lying in pain on the couch after throwing out my back. Get this, it happened as I was putting exercise equipment away after having used it. Shouldn't exercise make my already rock-hard core even stronger? I digress. Clearly that is an attempt at sympathy and not a real example of persecution, but I did ask why, while writhing for a position that would be bring semi-relief. But what do Jesus and His man, The Rock, have to say about persecution. Well, Jesus said that persecutions make us blessed (Matthew 5:10-12). He said that His followers should expect persecution (Mark 8:3...