In The Air
Sep 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: High
//NOISE: Airplane Engine
Emma and I are currently at about 35,000 feet. The sun just went down outside her window. Very cool. Here are some pictures. Emma took the ones out the window.
We’ll update more later!
AMEN!
Sep 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Amening
//ITUNES: You from the album “Monster” by R.E.M.
From The Leadership Blog:
“Many clergy are concerned that pastors do not spend enough years at one church. Only 31 percent believe the average pastor in their denomination stays as senior pastor of a church about the right amount of time. Thirty-three percent believe the average tenure is a little too short, and 26 percent said it is much too short. Only one out of 10 ministers believes pastors tend to stay at the same church for too many years.”
I totally agree with this. A few months ago, I reviewed the book “Breakout Churches” and I remember one of the findings was right in line with this. It said this:
Average tenure of a pastor in the US: 3.6 years
Average tenure of comparison church pastor: 4.2 years
Average tenure of a “breakout” church pastor: 21.6 years
Technorati Tags: church
Jet Blue
Sep 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Laughing
//ITUNES: So Hard from the album “Behaviour (Disc 1)” by Pet Shop Boys
OK, so this is outstanding. Thanks to Michelle Malkin for this bit. You can read the entire article here: Post-PostModern Moment on Jet Blue #292:
Jet Blue, a relatively new airline is primarily known for 2 things: leather seats and personal satellite television for each passenger. Unbelievably, the passengers became aware of the seriousness of the situation by watching coverage of their own ordeal on their personal satellite televisions mounted in the seatbacks. (Ironic, yes, though angryGWN reminds us, Rick Moranis did first suggest it in Spaceballs: The Movie). The pilot initially told the passengers that there was a problem with the landing gear not retracting into the plane. This information was not that disturbing but as passengers saw their own story being reported as a national event on MSNBC, panic quickly ensued. At this point, the pilot told them what was happening and tried to reassure the passengers as much as possible.
Jetblue_interviewAlexander Jacobs, an editor at the New York Observer and six months pregnant passenger on the plane, related the following details of the ordeal to CNN’s Aaron Brown and later, to Anderson Cooper…She said that it was a bit unnerving to see their own ordeal competing with the coverage of the impending Category 5 hurricane in Texas. Mrs. Jacobs said “We couldn’t believe the irony that we might be watching our own demise on television. It just seemed a bit post-Postmodern, if you will.” The satellite television remained available to the passengers until about 10 minutes before landing. She said that the pilot was calm and informative and that the flight attendants were very professional; none of them looked alarmed or scared. The mood in the cabin was varied, some were joking, some quietly concerned, some abjectly weeping.
In a darkly comedic moment as they approached the airport just before landing, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, the pilots announced “Flight attendants, please prepare for landing.”
Doctrine
Sep 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Good
//ITUNES: The Dark Of The Matinée from the album “Franz Ferdinand” by Franz Ferdinand
OK, so in the middle of a completely unrelated conversation on Dave’s Blog, this quote popped up. At first read, I liked it. On second, I didn’t. On third, I kinda did but didn’t like that I did. Any thoughts on it?
J.C. Ryle, wrote in the 1800′s, “…controversy in religion is a hateful thing…But there is one thing which is even worse that controversy and that is false doctrine tolerated, allowed and permitted without protest or molestation…I believe to maintain pure truth in the church men should be ready to make any sacrifice, to hazard peace, to risk dissension, and run the chance of division. They should no more tolerate false doctrine than they would tolerate sin.”
Daytona
Sep 21, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Getting there
//ITUNES: Strange Currencies from the album “Monster” by R.E.M.
Normally, I don’t post about my travels until I get back. However, this time I am too excited so I want to share with everyone. I am headed to Daytona Beach tomorrow.
The reason I am so excited is my travel companion is my 8 year old daughter Emma. When I was in third grade, my dad took me on a business trip with him to Washington D.C. I remember that trip as one of the highlights of growing up. It was my first time on an airplane, I had my dad to myself, we went to museums, I had to wear a tie. It was awesome.
Now, I get to relive this with my daughter. I am speaking at a conference on Friday Night and Saturday Morning and the rest of the time, I get to hang with Emma.
And we are staying right on the ocean. Even better!
I will try to update and post pictures from down there. For now, I have to get my teachings, etc. ready.
The Wicked Husbandmen
Sep 21, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Great
//ITUNES: Snowblind from the album “Drowning With Land in Sight” by The Seventy Sevens
This is the last of the daily parables. Hopefully, you have enjoyed going through these with me each day. There were over 400 people who were reading the same things you were each day. Pretty cool.
If you would like to review any of the old Parables we went through, you can surf over to this archive.
Today’s story is found in three passages. Because of its length, I am only posting the version in Matthew. You can find the other versions here: Mark 12 and Luke 20.
Matthew 21:33-46
“Now listen to this story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.
“Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
“But when the farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, took him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.
“When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”
The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to see.’
What I mean is that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
When the leading priests and Pharisees heard Jesus, they realized he was pointing at them—that they were the farmers in his story. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid to try because the crowds considered Jesus to be a prophet.
What can I learn about God?
This parable paints a picture of what happened with Jesus here on earth. While he was here, the Jews rejected him as Messiah. They missed what the prophets said about him, and they missed him in the flesh when he stood before them. Now, we are in the church age until he comes back to establish his Kingdom. At that time, the Jewish nation will come back into play front and center.
What can I learn about people?
I’m always blown away that the Jewish leaders, with all their scriptural knowledge, missed Jesus.
What can I learn about me?
I reminds me not to take for granted that I understand all of the Bible to the minucia. It also reminds me that want to keep my eyes open for his second return.
Connect the dots.
For the last time, I say “See #3.”
Technorati Tags: parables
The Sower
Sep 20, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Sore Back
//ITUNES: Skin Trade from the album “Decade” by Duran Duran
Today’s story is found in three passages.
Matthew 13:1-9
Later that same day, Jesus left the house and went down to the shore, where an immense crowd soon gathered. He got into a boat, where he sat and taught as the people listened on the shore. He told many stories such as this one: “A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”
Mark 1:3-9
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plant sprang up quickly, but it soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain. Still other seed fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” Then he said, “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”
Luke 8:4-8
One day Jesus told this story to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. This seed began to grow, but soon it withered and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop one hundred times as much as had been planted.” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”
What can I learn about God?
God is the one who grows the seed in someone’s life.
What can I learn about people?
There are many different kinds of people, who each respond to the seed planted in the life in different ways.
What can I learn about me?
I need to keep sowing sowing sowing and leave the results up to God.
Connect the dots.
This is a great reminder that I am to be faithful in my part of sharing teh Gospel with people, and Jesus will be faithful with his. I need to leave the results to him, no matter how hard that might be.
Technorati Tags: parables
Another Ecto Test
Sep 19, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Fa la la de da
//ITUNES: Who Needs Shelter from the album “Waiting For My Rocket To Come” by Jason Mraz
OK, so this is cool. Ecto will automatically fill in my iTunes field for me. Cool. I am also playing with the Technorati tags, too.
Technorati Tags: ecto, itunes, technorati
Ecto
Sep 19, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
//MOOD: Beta 2.0
//ITUNES: “The World at Large” – Modest Mouse
OK, so I am testing different blog interface stuff today. Why? Because it’s my day off and I want to. Now, I am playing with Ecto. I actually think this may be cooler than Marsedit, and it’s cheaper. We’ll see.
Technorati Tags: ecto
