Church on the Move
Jun 29, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Thanks to ysmarko for this video. Wonder how much it cost to move this church…
Smoking Paradox in Amsterdam
Jun 27, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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 for a cigarette, you’ll have to step outside.
A tobacco ban that goes into effect Tuesday in the Netherlands has both tourists and shop owners, like, totally confused, man.
So in honor of this new law, I present a picture of myself in Amsterdam. Proceed with the mockery, my friends.
Team
Jun 26, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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 a message on the concept).
This weekend, we are launching our summer series which is always one of our favorite times a year. Basically, we pick a theme and have a ton of different people teach along that theme. This summer we’ll have 8 different people teaching on 8 different Bible characters. I am so stoked.
I’m also stoked about our East Lansing Venue we are launching this fall. If you missed this past weekend at Riv, here’s a bit of the message where I talk about it:
One of the cool things is even though we are doing video teaching 60% of the time at the new venue, it will still be a great opportunity to raise up new teachers who don’t have to have the burden of teaching every single week. In fact, over the next year we’ll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 different teachers sharing the burden of the 191 services that will be held between the different venues. How cool is that? Very cool…very cool indeed.
Eric is Coming!
Jun 23, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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 his hand.
And here is the coolest part: he will be teaching at Riv the weekend of the 19th/20th of July! I am so excited. Their church has been doing amazing things in a city that has a reputation (partially deserved, mostly undeserved) of being filled with marijuana and prostitutes. I am so excited for him to share what God has been doing.
Noelatu and Steve
Jun 21, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Filming this clip may have been the pinnacle of my ministry career.
Ken Lee
Jun 19, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
Thanks to Abby for this brilliant song in response to my last post:
Indian Thriller
Jun 18, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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
Jun 17, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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 I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
Two random questions are floating around my head this morning:
1) What will that day be like? Will everyone shout in their own languages?
2) How do we reach tribes like this for the gospel without killing them with things like the common cold?
What a Weekend!
Jun 16, 2008 Uncategorized Hodge Podge
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 Saturday and Sunday. It was our last service in the old auditorium.
Early the next morning, I hopped a plane for Virginia Beach where I hung out with some of Riv’s college students (and some others from U of M) for a couple days at College LT. Then, at 4am on Wednesday, I was back on the road to head home.
Wednesday through Friday were like a month of time, jammed into a few days. Late nights, early mornings, the stress of getting our occupancy permit at the last possible minute and we were finally ready in the new auditorium. I went in early Saturday but really had nothing left to do. It was odd…but I couldn’t stay away.
Finally, Saturday night the time came and people started to trickle in. Again and again, people were first amazed with the acid-washed concrete on the lobby floor (I have to agree). It was so fun to watch people wander around, taking in their new church home. As one person put it in an email to me:
We love the new place that holds the church.
Then, we got to worship in our new auditorium. Amazing…it’s been such a long time coming, and it was surreal to actually be in the space. On one hand, it almost felt like we were at a conference somewhere. But at the same time, it felt so “Riv.” Again and again and again I got to experience this same thing as we went through our three services.
As Michael put it:
Riverview’s first services took place in the new building to day, and they where profoundly the same :-) And I mean that in the best way possible.
Thank you to all who have been involved in this process. Many people have sacrificed their time; from volunteering to move 1200 chairs out of a semi, to cleaning and sorting and moving tons of stuff, to cooking food and keeping the armies fed. It has truly been a team effort.
And I am still amazed that this young church of ours has pledged more than $2.5 million to give over 3 years and is tracking to give even more. It is humbling to be involved with such an amazing group of people.
Thank you to everyone…I can’t say it enough. I wanted to post pictures from the weekend, but I didn’t take any. Stay tuned to Brett’s blog, though, because he had a camera on him.
