Want a good laugh? Watch this video.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Demographics
Are you interested in the makeup of your area? Here is a cool web site called ZipSkinny that gives you the demographic breakdown of your zip code and the zip codes around you. I've checked it out for the three zips around me and it appears to be relatively accurate. If you plug in your zip you get seven tabs: Basic Info, Charts (the basic info by charts), Comparison with other zips, schools, map, build a widget, and About ZipSkinny. The information is based on the Census 2000 data and you can access that information here. If you do check it out leave me a comment about the accuracy or inaccuracy of what you find. You might find this info helpful if you want to do a mass mailing or door knocking (yes some churches still door knock).
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A Better Way?
I'm sure many of you have read about the teens in Polk County, Florida who allegedly lured another teen girl to a house and then proceeded to beat her while capturing the violent scenes on video for possible uploading to You Tube. There have been many incidents in which teens have done crazy things for You Tube. Currently the media and other "experts" are wondering whether or not You Tube and other web sites like it are encouraging this sort of behavior. The discussion isn't really any different when the subject is the violent video games that are popular today. The teens allegedly involved in this latest violent reality filming have been prevented by the judge from watching You Tube and engaging in any chat rooms. I'm sure some see this as a step forward. I know many religious folk would like to see such things as You Tube and video games banned altogether. I'm not sure that is really the better way to handle this situation and others like it. Don't get me wrong, I wish such stuff didn't exist at all in our country. However, is using governmental power to banish really the better way?
I receive each Monday morning an email from Roy Williams (the Wizard of Ads which you can read here). To shorten his memo just a bit, he claims that we all have a "guide pattern" and a "challenge pattern." The guide pattern is our world view. The challenge pattern is the problem we are trying to solve. We all use our guide pattern to help us solve our challenge pattern. His illustration is a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the box is our guide pattern and the challenge is figuring out how the pieces fit together. Without that guide pattern it would be almost impossible to put that puzzle together.
These teen girls had a problem, another teen girl who was taunting them. Their guide pattern was apparently other You tube videos. So they allegedly lured her into a trap where they could film themselves solving their challenge and following their guide pattern. If they had another guide pattern their solution would have been different.
Since our country is slowly pushing out the guide pattern that has been here since our country's inception, it is no wonder that teens (and adults) are creating a guide pattern from video games and the Internet. We will all fill our lives with a guide pattern because that becomes our identity.
Jesus told the story (Luke 11:24-26) of an unclean spirit that goes out of a man. The spirit cannot find another resting place so he comes back to the man. He finds the house (the man) swept and in order but empty. He finds 7 other spirits more evil and they come and inhabit the man. His state is worse than the first. People today need the gospel desperately and we as God's people need to help them find the right guide pattern for lives.
I receive each Monday morning an email from Roy Williams (the Wizard of Ads which you can read here). To shorten his memo just a bit, he claims that we all have a "guide pattern" and a "challenge pattern." The guide pattern is our world view. The challenge pattern is the problem we are trying to solve. We all use our guide pattern to help us solve our challenge pattern. His illustration is a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the box is our guide pattern and the challenge is figuring out how the pieces fit together. Without that guide pattern it would be almost impossible to put that puzzle together.
These teen girls had a problem, another teen girl who was taunting them. Their guide pattern was apparently other You tube videos. So they allegedly lured her into a trap where they could film themselves solving their challenge and following their guide pattern. If they had another guide pattern their solution would have been different.
Since our country is slowly pushing out the guide pattern that has been here since our country's inception, it is no wonder that teens (and adults) are creating a guide pattern from video games and the Internet. We will all fill our lives with a guide pattern because that becomes our identity.
Jesus told the story (Luke 11:24-26) of an unclean spirit that goes out of a man. The spirit cannot find another resting place so he comes back to the man. He finds the house (the man) swept and in order but empty. He finds 7 other spirits more evil and they come and inhabit the man. His state is worse than the first. People today need the gospel desperately and we as God's people need to help them find the right guide pattern for lives.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I met Matt Dabbs!
Today I hosted our area wide preacher's meeting. Attending was Matt Dabbs. Matt and I met through the blog world back in 2006. We've been visiting each other's blogs and saying we should get together. Well a couple of preachers from the Tampa area have been coming to the meeting and have encouraged Matt to come. Finally he does and we meet. We had a great meeting and what a blessing it was to actually hear Matt's voice and listen to him share out of his spiritual knowledge. Then we got to have lunch together. We all ate at a Mexican place here in Mt. Dora. A great day. Hopefully we will have other opportunities to get to know each other.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Good enough for now
You Are Apple Pie |
 You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. You prefer things the way you've always known them. You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that. Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style. Those who like you crave security. People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them. You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin. And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect. |
Not quite what I want
You Are 7 Up |
 Understated and subtle, people warm up to you slowly. But once they're hooked, they can't imagine going back to anyone else! Your best soda match: Diet Coke Stay away from: Mountain Dew |
Saturday, April 05, 2008
More on Jesus, me, and the church
Let's get something straight. The first century church WAS NOT PERFECT! In fact they were just as much the sinners as we are today. Don't try to tell me that the reason for our "image" problem today is because we aren't as good as they were. And that they way to cure it is by better behavior on our part. And don't try to tell me that the church in the first century were such darlings that everyone loved them and they always did the right thing. They weren't loved by everyone - they were often persecuted. They didn't always do the right thing. They needed chastisement often got it by a letter from an apostle or prophet.
The church at Rome was divided between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Apparently there was some judging going on that wasn't all that pleasant (Rom.14-15). Paul had to set them straight. And let's not forget that Paul and Barnabas had a rather LARGE spat concerning John Mark. The church at Corinth was quite divided. There are at least four groups that we know of. They were quite egotistical about their gifts and who knows what else. We won't even get into the Galatian error. Regardless of what that error entailed, Paul was pretty mad about it. He didn't have anything good to say to them in the letter. The Philippians had a couple of ladies arguing. I'm reasonably sure that their argument is probably bigger than we realize otherwise Paul wouldn't have dealt with it. The church at Ephesus had some elders who would begin to devour the flock. Later Jesus in Revelation says that the church at Ephesus was way too interested in putting people down than loving them. The church at Thyatira tolerated sin and the one encouraging the sin. The Laodiceans were quite self-sufficient. They didn't need anyone - including Jesus. The church at Saris was hung up on their past reputation and were dead to the present. Don't forget that Peter was confronted by Paul and stood condemned for his actions in Antioch.
And yet the problem is us. As Paul told those who trusted in The Law (Romans 2:17-24) that their inconsistent behavior was causing the Gentiles to blaspheme God. Those outside of Christ will blaspheme the name of our savior because of our inconsistency and sin. But we will always be sinners. Those before us were sinners, and those after us will be sinners. Our sin will always get in the way. We will never overcome the fact that we are imperfect. So the way to overcome this is not by telling us how good the first century church was. We need to focus on our savior and Lord. We need a healthy dose of his grace and how to be gracious to others. We need to keep our eyes and ears on the Word that God graciously brings to us and heed what it says.
We will always have disagreements. We will always have people dividing who think they are right in their beliefs. We will always fail under the scrutiny of the world. And yet if we realize that we are sinners we will seek a power outside ourselves (2Cor.4:7; 1Cor.2:1-5). We will seek the one who can make us adequate (2Cor.3:4-6). So we are the problem and the solution. But we are only the solution as we trust in Christ. Praise to the one who is perfect on our behalf.
The church at Rome was divided between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Apparently there was some judging going on that wasn't all that pleasant (Rom.14-15). Paul had to set them straight. And let's not forget that Paul and Barnabas had a rather LARGE spat concerning John Mark. The church at Corinth was quite divided. There are at least four groups that we know of. They were quite egotistical about their gifts and who knows what else. We won't even get into the Galatian error. Regardless of what that error entailed, Paul was pretty mad about it. He didn't have anything good to say to them in the letter. The Philippians had a couple of ladies arguing. I'm reasonably sure that their argument is probably bigger than we realize otherwise Paul wouldn't have dealt with it. The church at Ephesus had some elders who would begin to devour the flock. Later Jesus in Revelation says that the church at Ephesus was way too interested in putting people down than loving them. The church at Thyatira tolerated sin and the one encouraging the sin. The Laodiceans were quite self-sufficient. They didn't need anyone - including Jesus. The church at Saris was hung up on their past reputation and were dead to the present. Don't forget that Peter was confronted by Paul and stood condemned for his actions in Antioch.
And yet the problem is us. As Paul told those who trusted in The Law (Romans 2:17-24) that their inconsistent behavior was causing the Gentiles to blaspheme God. Those outside of Christ will blaspheme the name of our savior because of our inconsistency and sin. But we will always be sinners. Those before us were sinners, and those after us will be sinners. Our sin will always get in the way. We will never overcome the fact that we are imperfect. So the way to overcome this is not by telling us how good the first century church was. We need to focus on our savior and Lord. We need a healthy dose of his grace and how to be gracious to others. We need to keep our eyes and ears on the Word that God graciously brings to us and heed what it says.
We will always have disagreements. We will always have people dividing who think they are right in their beliefs. We will always fail under the scrutiny of the world. And yet if we realize that we are sinners we will seek a power outside ourselves (2Cor.4:7; 1Cor.2:1-5). We will seek the one who can make us adequate (2Cor.3:4-6). So we are the problem and the solution. But we are only the solution as we trust in Christ. Praise to the one who is perfect on our behalf.
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