Wordle

Written by Noel on July 8, 2008 – 8:23 am -

Thanks to Tim from Church Voices for wordling my site.

How to give a man hug

Written by Noel on July 7, 2008 – 5:12 pm -

Thanks to Grounded for this essential tutorial.

With Riverview being the huggy place it is, this is important stuff. Maybe me need a “How to give a Man / Woman Hug” video next.

The Cost of Freedom

Written by Noel on July 4, 2008 – 11:02 am -

I’m nervous about what I feel like posting right now.

Luckily, if you decide to throw stones at this post, you’ll only harm your computer.

OK…here goes…

I was thinking about Independence Day this morning and this great country of ours. And it made me wonder it Satan loves our country.

And I’m not talking about the “moral decline” in America…you can find that anywhere.

I’m not taking about our greed and gluttony…you can find that anywhere.

I’m talking about our…ahem…freedom.

Now, don’t get me wrong here, I heart America. I really do. I think we have an amazing country and I love our system of government. I love our freedoms.

But I wonder if Satan loves our freedoms more that I do.

Why do I say this? Because down throughout history, Christianity has grown more in persecuted countries than in free ones. One of the most tragic things to happen to Christianity was when Constantine not only made it legal, but official.

And now, some 2000 years later, bazillions of Americans say they follow Jesus, but do they really? Or do they just like being part of the Jesus club?

In many other countries, to say you love Jesus is to issue your own death warrant. And yet people do it…by the millions. In China alone, there are somewhere between 10 and 65 million Christians. Why do they do it? Because Jesus offers them hope and yes, freedom.

In our free society, we take it as our “right” to be free. Maybe that’s why we don’t really feel like we need Jesus.

Happy Independence Day.

Galatians 5:13 - For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

55 MPH?

Written by Noel on July 2, 2008 – 5:07 pm -

Lowered-Speed-Limit
This story comes with the best blog post title from Jalopnik:

Michigan Governor Proposes Lower Speed Limits, Removing Last Reason To Stay In Michigan

Here’s the story from Detroit News.

Church on the Move

Written by Noel on June 29, 2008 – 1:22 pm -

Thanks to ysmarko for this video. Wonder how much it cost to move this church…

Wordle

July 8, 2008 – 8:23 am

Thanks to Tim from Church Voices for wordling my site.

How to give a man hug

July 7, 2008 – 5:12 pm

Thanks to Grounded for this essential tutorial. With Riverview being the huggy place it is, this is important stuff. Maybe me need a "How to give a Man / Woman ...

The Cost of Freedom

July 4, 2008 – 11:02 am

I'm nervous about what I feel like posting right now. Luckily, if you decide to throw stones at this post, you'll only harm your computer. OK...here goes... I was thinking about Independence Day ...

55 MPH?

July 2, 2008 – 5:07 pm

This story comes with the best blog post title from Jalopnik: Michigan Governor Proposes Lower Speed Limits, Removing Last Reason To Stay In MichiganHere's the story from Detroit News.

Smoking Paradox in Amsterdam

June 27, 2008 – 9:10 am

OK, this is weird. (via USATODAY.com): AMSTERDAM — Starting next week, you'll still be able to legally smoke a joint in the famously relaxed coffee shops of Amsterdam — but ...

Team

June 26, 2008 – 1:45 pm

One of my favorite things about Riv is our team-based ministry approach. We have multiple pastors, multiple teachers, multiple leaders, etc. (Click here to read a manuscript of ...

Contextualized Gospel

June 24, 2008 – 10:07 pm

Via Boing Boing:

Eric is Coming!

June 23, 2008 – 8:17 am

My friend Eric, who is a pastor at our sister church in Amsterdam is back in the states! You can tell because he has a big gulp in ...

Noelatu and Steve

June 21, 2008 – 9:08 am

Filming this clip may have been the pinnacle of my ministry career.

Ken Lee

June 19, 2008 – 2:51 pm

Thanks to Abby for this brilliant song in response to my last post:

Indian Thriller

June 18, 2008 – 8:15 am

I know what you're thinking: "I wonder what 'Thriller' would have been like if it had been filmed in Bollywood..." Well, as a Public Service, I provide you with the answer.

Every Tribe, Every Tongue

June 17, 2008 – 8:24 am

Certified RANDOM linked to this amazing article on BBC about an isolated tribe in Brazil. I often think about tribes like this when I read this passage: Revelation 7:9 After this ...

What a Weekend!

June 16, 2008 – 9:53 am

Where do I start? This last week was one of the longest I can remember having in quite some time. It started with launching the new series at Riverview on ...

Father’s Day

June 15, 2008 – 8:09 pm

My kids got me a shirt, some shorts, and a pair of socks for Father's Day. It wasn't until afterward that they told me I wasn't supposed to wear ...

1 Day to Go!

June 13, 2008 – 9:35 am

We are 1 day away from our first service in the new auditorium! Amazing! We were here very late hanging and ruining and fixing the projectors. Here are some ...

Asians

June 12, 2008 – 8:33 am

Keeping with last night's theme, thanks to Jasmine 'Chong' Lowell for this culturally sensitive picture:

Yummy

June 11, 2008 – 9:03 pm

Tonight, Grace and I went out to dinner at a restaurant we have been meaning to check out. I was a little skeptical when there were no cars in ...

What Second Life Is Really Like

June 10, 2008 – 8:12 am

glumbert - What Second Life is really like

True Love

June 9, 2008 – 8:26 am

Kristie, our esteemed Creative Director at Riv, is in love. And not just with her husband. And Jesus. Her object of affection is a new set of twins that just joined our family. Our ...

Hi, I'm Noel and I'm a recovering hypocrite. I spend the majority of my time pastoring and teaching at Riverview, surfing the internet on my iPhone, being obsessed with Jack Bauer, and hanging out with my smoking hot wife and four wildly talented children. I plan on spending the rest of my life figuring out how to vicariously plant hundreds of churches without ever leaving my church.

Oh, and even though I work for Riverview, everything here is my personal opinion and nothing more.

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