Rick Nier...Woo!

While swimming with my kids,  Party Rock Anthem  came over the sound system. My 11-year old, who has her own iPod going on 6 months now, asked if she could have this song. Reminding her of a previous conversation, I told her no. The band LMFAO sings the song, which is reason #1.  She pressed and wanted to know why, if the song was okay. Having previewed the video as part of my culture watching (for youth ministry purposes), I knew the song wasn't exactly clean either. I told her it wasn't a good party. Why? I know the tune is catchy, but bad things are happening at that party. Having had other discussions about bad parties, I was again able to remind her of the kinds of things that can happen at parties. A light of understanding started to cross her face.  About that time my wife, along with our 6-year old, swam nearby. She was singing along with the radio, ' Party rock is in the house tonight...' It appears we need to have more group discussions...

It turns out this article I am linking to is written by Anonymous. I believe that Anonymous is normally a very good writer. Sure, there are times when Anonymous has nothing good to say, but this is not one of those times. And, in case you're like me, and you'd like to meet Anonymous or thank him for his words, then we're missing the point. Anonymous has chosen to remain so, if even only for this article, which is something all of us should be striving for. So go check it out.   Woo!

If James Choung ever reads this, I'm going to be honest. Real Life was in a stack of books for me to read. I had to choose between it and another book. This one had short chapters which, for me, meant I would find good stopping points. I had no idea, however, what I was getting into. I had no idea that I would stumble upon a book that organized my own thoughts into a system that felt natural as well as effective. James is a part of InterVaristy and so he takes what he calls the Real Life Continuum, a well thought outs system for understanding discipleship and evangelism. The beauty of this technique, if it can be called that, is that it takes the conversations we should be having and helps us to focus on helping people move along each stage of developing a deep and impacting relationship with God. In order to relay this system, James weaves us a tale of a guy with a job who is both mentor and mentee. The story format makes it interesting, effectively showing how the ...

The following list is part of a larger article by Wayne Cordeiro and Francis Chan. It is over here at Christianity Today . They are writing about why people get so mad at pastors. It's a good read. But I liked this list, because there is still a rebellious youth side of me that would like to put this on a flag and stake it somewhere in every church. Having this in a church wouldn't be so rebellious. Actually, it'd be a good reminder for everyone. The rebellious side would be thumbing my nose at everyone while saying yeahhhh . That would be childish and immature of me, which is why I won't do that. Yet I will share the list, because it is a good reminder that Church is not about you or I. We don't serve God because of what we get. We serve God because He is worthy. Church will not always make you feel comfortable. Church will not be the answer to your every need. You will sometimes not like what happens at church. You might leave a service unhappy once in a...

Leadership Magazine sends me emails with stories for sermon illustrations. If you go to my church, you may hear this one again someday, but I couldn't resist making the connection between authenticity and significance for all my fan here. Check it out. A town in Northern Ireland spent a lot of time, effort, and money sprucing up its image for the arrival of some special guests. On June 17-18, 2013 the world's eight most powerful leaders gathered in the town of Enniskillen, Ireland for the G8 summit. In preparation for the special guests, which included President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the town put up fake storefronts on shuttered businesses. Dan Keenan, a reporter for the  Irish Times , reports that the image-conscious village leaders "filled the shop front window with a picture of what was the business before it went  bankrupt  or closed." In other words,  grocery shops , butcher shops, pharmacies,...

You can click here for the full story, but here's the gist. There was a teenage guy that was in a boat, saw a whale shark swim by and thought, 'Yeah, I could ride a whale shark.' And then he did. I saw this story and had several thoughts. I love teens. They don't even think before they do something. Was there a girl nearby? I hope he didn't waste this stunt on not  impressing a girl. Did he know whale sharks are the gentle giants of the sea before  he did this? Teens are so stupid. They don't even think before they do something. Did I really just read in this article about people worrying about the whale shark? How cute would the girl have to be for me to do something like this? After I jumped in (for the aforementioned cute girl) would she realize it was actually a tiger shark? Could I wrestle a tiger shark? After all, I have been working out 4-5 times a week. From there, the thoughts just get more random. That's part of what I love about te...

I wrote earlier this week about repeating myself. Follow the link if you want to read that, because I'm not going to repeat all that. I repeat, I will not repeat myself. Of course, if you wish to be encircled in a flaming black hole of words, you'll read it and discover that I was basically saying that repeating yourself is okay. The idea is that I can imagine Jesus told some of the same stories a few times, repeating Himself for emphasis. So perhaps it's okay if we do the same. But that is the very thing that many people seem to rail against in Church today. I'm including myself in this, of course. We want fresh. We want new. We want different...unless, of course, that involves change. Don't even get me started on change. I was at our denominational annual meeting just last week. It's a fun, 2-day event where you get to sit on uncomfortable chairs and listen to everyone else talk. I think everyone should go at least once. After sitting in those chairs al...

I've read books on giving. I've heard sermons on giving before. I've considered asking for money here on this blog. (Operators are standing by.) I've seen articles and listened to opinions that cover lessons for both the giver and the receiver. I'm sure you have as well. So why would I even bother trying to pass off another book and opinion to you? Simply put, because this book is different and gets at the heart of the Father. It's a short book and a quick read that is aptly summed up by author Jeff Anderson all the way in chapter 5. That's why this message will not unpack the tithes of Abraham, Jacob, Malachi, Melchizedek, or the Pharisees. Nor is Plastic Donuts  a message about triggering blessings, dodging curses, sowing seeds, or not robbing God. You also won't hear any ideas about how the tithe was for farmers, not fishermen; was applied to crops, not currency; was actually the last tenth, not the first; was expected to be given two to thr...

Do you ever wonder if Jesus repeated Himself all the time? Maybe the stories the disciples wrote down were the stories Jesus told the most. After all, these guys were teenagers. How much were they actually taking notes? How much were they paying attention? When I was younger, I remember hearing pastors and speakers who did not appear to be using notes. I was amazed. Then I realized they fall into two main categories. The first are the speakers who have one sermon they preach while travelling for a year. If I had a single sermon to preach, I could probably memorize it as well. The second category were those preachers who just rambled and said whatever came to mind. I could do that too, but that's doesn't seem quite as amazing. There do seem to be times when Jesus begins to repeat Himself. I found just such a spot when reading John 15 the other day. I imagine Jesus, while preparing this message, saying to Himself, "I really want the guys to get this. Maybe if I say i...

Father's Day is almost here. It's a day I love, quite frankly, because my kids are forced to honor me. It's also a great opportunity for my wife to make a cheesecake. Why a cheesecake? Because I most likely just had ice cream cake for my birthday, which was last week. (In case you missed it and still want to get me something, I'm a size mini, as in iPad mini.) But back to Dad's Day. I just finished reading God Distorted  by John Bishop. The subtitle for this one is what grabbed me; How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters . I should probably begin where John begins. He began by sharing his story, which includes 4 different father figures, only one of which ever modeled anything worthwhile. My story is quite different. My dad, while not perfect (who is?), was always there, committed to providing for our family. He was a good example of many things a dad should be. And, like many others, I find myself wishing I had had more time ...

From time to time I fear that my constant use of the word insignificant  will be confused with unimportant , when nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, it is a question of priorities. No, it doesn't mean the lesser priorities are sinful. Let me explain with a conversation I have multiples times a week. The conversation happens with all of my children, but I'll use my son for this example. (Pre-conversation scene - I have heard yelling coming from somewhere in the house, between children. Using my Jedi mind powers, I have discerned, from the other room, which child is guilty and handed down a verdict, long before any child comes into my view. I've also called down decided-upon verdict. This does not stop the victim...er....child, from still coming to complain.) Son: Daaaaaaaad! Me: Soooooon! Before you even start, I heard everything, because I have the hearing of a dog, combined with a jungle cat. Son: Then why does Mommy always have to repeat herself? Me:...

I've sat before a blank screen more than a few times over the past couple of weeks, trying to write ahead. It didn't happen. Then I realized it didn't need to. I could take a break from the internet without leaving my mark. I could trust that my reader would be fine without me for a week or so. You'll come back, won't you? I guess I'm about to find out. I'm taking a short break to go experience more life and come and write about it. You'll have to find someone else's somewhat-quirky, certainly insignificant stories to amuse you until just before Father's Day. Not that I am predicting or anything, but I bet if you came back around June 13 or 14, you'd find something fresh here. Looking Forward!