preachingplusblog

teaching public prayer

2004-06-09T12:28:00.000-06:00

Are you searching for a way to teach others how to have a public conversation with God? Would you like to do this by example instead of lecture? Here's an idea.

Next time you are around the table with some friends and you are waiting to eat, practice prayer this way. Get everyone’s attention and say, "Before we eat (at this moment people are expecting you to bow your head and pray. Instead lift your glass and continue…) May God grant us grace, life, and good fun!"

The "Toast Method" of prayer seems to work well. I have a friend who is using it and at the end of one of his “toast/prayers” someone from across the table said, "Amen."

photo finish

2004-05-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

Oh My! News by Million Camera Phones

An interesting short piece from Ohmynews on the sociology of personal technology:

When Japanese national team scored a goal, the soccer stadium in Japan was instantly filled with thousands of flash lights bursting out of ubiquitous Nikons and Canons. Korean team equally electrified whole Korea as they beat European power houses game after game until they were finally qualified for the semi-final. Scenes in the Korean Soccer stadiums couldn’t be different more.

Whenever their beloved team scored a goal, unlike their Japanese counterparts, Koreans opened their shiny clam-shell phones and furiously hit keypads to share ultimate joy with their family and friends sending SMS or voice mails. Far more important to Korean cyber generation rather than simply recording the events as Japanese did, it seemed, was to share their bursting emotion with others and network with them.

Similar scenes were repeated last Friday when they watched their favorite President impeached on live TV. They flip opened phones and called or sent SMS, alerting their friends to this shocking political incident. The instant protest followed that evening near the National Assembly building that drew more than ten thousands protesters could not have happened without these cell-phone calls and SMS.

Nearly two years have passed since the last World Cup and the streets of Seoul are now filled with millons of camera phones. An interesting question comes to mind. If the World Cup was held two years later in 2004, how would young Korean cell-phone addicts have behaved? The answer: take pictures and email them to their friends.

What would happen if people who came to your service on the weekend would report to their friends via cell phone photos? What would they report?

a community building event

2004-05-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

Pacman on the streets

PacManhattan unleashes the old arcade game on the streets of New York. Students from NYU 's Interactive Telecommunications program marked out some city streets, donned costumes of game entities, and played out.

Attentive Smartmob readers will recall that an earlier version of this was launched in Singapore, in 2003.
(thanks to dens)
Posted by Bryan at 07:19 AM |

we shall not take ourselves too seriously

2004-05-06T11:36:00.000-06:00

Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious. Brendan Gill

learn, unlearn, relearn

2004-05-06T11:31:00.000-06:00

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Alvin Toffler

teach your children well

2004-05-05T18:20:00.000-06:00

The Optimistic Child

The Optimistic Child
You can teach happiness

Optimism is not a mere sunny outlook on life, nor is it simple self esteem. Rather it is a type of self-knowledge that can make people healthier and happier. And 20 years of controlled scientific clinical trials have proved that it can be learned. Furthermore, optimism can be taught to children. There is probably no better gift to kids (your own or others) than to teach them how to train themselves to be happy. If for no other reason than the fact that pessimism leads to illness and depression. This book is based on large-scale programs that have taught kids of all backgrounds and dispositions how to be more optimistic.

-- KK

The Optimistic Child
A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience
Martin E. P. Seligman
1995, 336 pages
$11
Amazon

Excerpt:

Why should we bother? Isn't pessimism just a posture with no effects in the world? Unfortunately not. I have studied pessimism for the last twenty years, and in more than one thousand studies, involving more than half a million children and adults, pessimistic people do worse than optimistic people in three ways: First, they get depressed much more often. Second, they achieve less at school, on the job, and on the playing field than their talents augur. Third, their physical health is worse than that of optimists. So holding a pessimistic theory of the world may be the mark of sophistication, but it is a costly one. It is particularly damaging for a child, and if your child has already acquired pessimism, he is at risk for doing less well in school. He is at risk for greater problems of depression and anxiety. He may be at risk for worse physical health than he would have if he were an optimist. And worse, pessimism in a child can become a lifelong, self-fulfilling template for looking at setbacks and losses. The good news is that he can, with your help, learn optimism.

*

Optimistic children explain good events to themselves in terms of permanent causes. They point to traits and abilities that they will always have, like being hard-working, likable, or lovable. They use "always" when they describe the causes of good events. Pessimists think in terms of transient causes. "I was in a good mood," or "I practiced hard this time." Their explanations of good events are qualified with the words, "sometimes" and "today," and they often use the past tense and limit it to time only ("I practiced hard this time."). When children who believe their successes have permanent causes do well, they will try even harder next time. Children who see temporary reasons for good events may give up even when they succeed, believing the success was a fluke.

Posted on April 21, 2004 at 01:04 PM

unexpected tradition

2004-05-03T18:39:00.000-06:00

Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening. Barbara Tober

a motto to eat by

2004-05-03T18:30:00.000-06:00

Never eat more than you can lift. Miss Piggy

taking care of friends

2004-05-03T18:26:00.000-06:00

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire. Francois de La Rochefoucauld

becoming a tribe

2004-04-30T16:38:00.000-06:00

How to Make a Decision Like a Tribe

Next time you're in a meeting, watch the rituals of business: the dueling egos, turf protection, talking-without-listening. Maybe it's time for a different kind of ritual. Something old.

This is a time for tribes to emerge as church. We must consider acting more like family--more tribal than team.

will this kill u.s. cloning forever?

2004-04-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

God, Send a Realistic Tech Flick

In movies, anyone who dares to use a newfangled technology to "play God" almost always opens the "gates of hell."

Bad things emerge: Computers take on evil personalities, wars get started, secret matrixes are developed. Godsend , a new film starring Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, is no different. Jessie Duncan (Romijn-Stamos) and Paul Duncan (Kinnear) agree to clone their son Adam (Cameron Bright), who was killed by a car when he was 8 years old, but wish they hadn't when the clone starts behaving erratically.

The movie is the kind of publicity that people who want to outlaw all human cloning could only dream of. Whether the filmmakers realize it or not, the message is clear: Scientists who want to clone are evil, or mad, or both; cloning should not be done, period.

taking the sermon home

2004-04-30T10:33:00.000-06:00

File-Sharing Is, Like, Totally Uncool

NEW YORK -- Oh, how far we've come from the 78, the 45, even the CD. Now, minutes after your favorite band sounds its last note on stage, you can load a live recording of the concert onto a cigarette-lighter-sized hard drive hanging off your keychain.

Take it home, toss the digital files onto your computer and then e-mail it to all your friends with the message, "Dude! These guys are awesome!"

Do you think people will do this after we preach? Maybe we could promote this kind of activity.

saving lives?

2004-04-25T18:10:00.002-06:00

Fast Talk: Life Savers

It is the most important industry the world will ever know--keeping people alive. It's a huge undertaking by physicians, researchers, product engineers, and more. We asked some of the best: How do they save lives?

Are we in this business?

saving lives?

2004-04-25T18:10:00.001-06:00

Fast Talk: Life Savers

It is the most important industry the world will ever know--keeping people alive. It's a huge undertaking by physicians, researchers, product engineers, and more. We asked some of the best: How do they save lives?

Are we in this business?

saving lives?

2004-04-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

Fast Talk: Life Savers

It is the most important industry the world will ever know--keeping people alive. It's a huge undertaking by physicians, researchers, product engineers, and more. We asked some of the best: How do they save lives?

Are we in this business?

falling in love

2004-04-25T18:06:00.000-06:00

A Little Help from Your Friends

Ah, love -- digital style. You no doubt know of Friendster , the online social networking Web site. In only a year, the service has gained cult status, particularly among the 20-something set, by capitalizing on two ideas: first, that everyone in the world is connected by no more than six degrees of separation, and second, that the best romantic matches are the ones we find through our friends. On Friendster, members post profiles on the Web and invite their friends to post profiles, too. As people invite more friends to join, they can see the exponential growth of their networks -- and can directly contact those friends of friends. Members can provide testimonials affirming their friends' date-ability and can suggest matches of people who might want to go out on a date. The site is addictive -- it claimed more than 6 million users in early March and spawned a new pick-up line: "Are you on Friendster?"

Could we find some help at Friendster to encourage people to fall in love with Jesus? Hmmm... Did I mention that networking may be a key?

people power

2004-04-25T18:00:00.000-06:00

Network Effects

How do Web companies get so big so fast? By embracing the most important strategic mind flip of the 21st century. A world governed by networks is rewriting the rules for how you build companies, market products, and create value.

We could learn a lot by paying closer attention to networks and how people connect--how they actually connect not the way we think they should connect.

NFL Draft!

2004-04-23T09:20:00.000-06:00

OK, it's probably not news to anyone, and it's not a revelation with significant spiritual implications, but I'd just like to remind everyone that the NFL draft is tomorrow.

That is all.

virtual church project

2004-04-22T00:26:00.000-06:00

the Church of Fools

April 18, 2004

According to this BBC News article , "Glimpse inside the virtual church" the church of fools is an experiment launched by a Christian website, Ship of Fools . Even with such a foolish name, the virtual church project has been approved by the church hierarchy.

The Church of Fools could be an indication of how churches could develop.
When the Oxford church is functioning, members will probably communicate with each other through web chat or instant messaging.

by way of Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends

getting to you

2004-04-22T00:02:00.000-06:00

Googling Our Genome

Computers only understand binary code (0 and 1). Still, we can use Google to search for our personal information. Similarly, the structure of our DNA is represented by sequences of molecules labeled A, C, G and T. In this eye-opening article , the Guardian argues that we'll soon be able to search our personal genome for a susceptibility to a certain disease. This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. After all, the National Institute of Health (NIH) is looking at the $1000 genome . And prices will inevitably drop. Soon, you'll have all your personal genome, your code of life, on a CD-ROM.

This raises difficult and ethical questions. Will the government, the insurance companies, your employer or your life partner be able to access your personal genome? Frightening, isn't? Read this overview for some essential excerpts of this must-read article. It also contains some extra references.

Posted by Roland at 05:54 AM |

How will your congregation discuss this ethical dilemma?

Barbie learns

2004-04-21T23:52:00.000-06:00

World Barbie means business

Mattel chief executive Robert Eckert is adding more features to Barbie, a 45-year-old American icon that accounts for half of Mattel's profit, in a bid to revive sales of the world's largest toy maker. He's giving Barbie text-messaging capability and even a new boyfriend after losing more than 20 per cent of the $US1.7 billion ($A2.3 billion) US fashion-doll market to competitors such as MGA Entertainment, the maker of Bratz dolls.

If Barbie can learn new communication techniques maybe we could think of learning new and effective ways to preach the gospel.

Cliche leadership

2004-04-13T11:20:00.000-06:00

Here's a Radical Idea - Tell the Truth!

Let's be honest. we all lie -- not just the occasional whopper, but misrepresentations large and small, all day every day. Indeed in a recent survey of 40,000 Americans, 93% admitted to lying "regularly and habitually in the workplace."

Brad Blanton, psychotherapist, consultant, and author of "Radical Honesty: How to Transform your Life by Telling the Truth" (Dell, 1996), believes it's time for businesspeople to stop lying about lying. "We lie all the time, and it wears us out," he says. "We manage our companies through a series of delusional clichés: 'The customer is always right'; 'I'm not angry'; 'We're proceeding according to plan.' But we all know better than that. Lying takes a huge toll in terms of stress, anxiety, and depression."

"We manage our companies through a series of delusional clichés" This statement describes the way I have observed many congregations to be lead. And, we teach people to try and live their lives by these cliches. The emerging congregationt is fed up with this kind of leading. They have carefully watched and know that "Cliche' Leadership" does not provide help for the complexities of their lives.

It is time we learn to lead by telling the truth.

"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."

2004-04-13T11:07:00.000-06:00

This is True

This is a fun site where you can find good illustrations. You can sign up for a free subscription or a more robust version for around $10.

preaching the same ole theology

2004-04-13T10:16:00.000-06:00

OK, so we're in an emerging culture...blah blah blah. For many pastors this conversation has been about the use of candles and angsty music that's more visceral. I like candles. I like visceral. But, this isn't what emerging preaching or worship is about, Please.

Are you inventing new theology? Yes, that's what I asked. The emerging church needs new theology. We're in a new epoc, epic, era (choose the word that makes you feel good). Gutsy emerging leaders will not be satisfied with a 2000 year old doctrinal statement about God and faith. Should we just ignore those statements? Of course not; but should we preach in a way that challenges those statements and some of the theology developed as a result of those statements? YES.

For example, in your preaching why not tackle some sacred cows, like the one that keeps insisting God is a male. Or, the one that insists there is no truth outsdie of OUR sacred text. That everyone else in the world is just, well...wrong.

Preaching needs to get into these areas if new theology is going to take root. Be bold; create context; don't give your community too much at once; but give them new theology and a way to converse around that new theology for themselves.

are you as passionate about leading as you are about preaching?

2004-04-13T10:08:00.000-06:00

I haven't blogged in a while. My coaching and consulting practice has kept me hopping over the last month or so. And it is with that part of my vocation in mind, I post this blog. Pastor's PLEASE spend as much time learning the craft of leadership as you do the craft of preaching.

My work with pastors across the country is both telling and refreshing. It's telling because it is reinforcing the fact that pastors really DON'T lead well (in general). It's refreshing because I find pastors to be quite open to learning the craft of leadership.

Pastors, get a coach, get some help, be a life-long leader learner. Be as passionate about your leadership as you are about your preaching. Your community is hungry to touch authentic, centered leadership. Make it your intention.

peace,

Dave Fleming

helping curious kids

2004-04-12T15:24:00.000-06:00

Kids Inventor Resources

Inventor Ed gives some good insight on helping those curious kids to channel their energy toward inventing and creating.

concrete help for new comers

2004-04-12T15:19:00.000-06:00

Monthly checklists for home maintenance

This is a good site to send to those who buy a new home and move into your community!

It´s hard to keep track of everything you need to do during the year to maintain your home and stay on top of the activities in and around it. The following home maintenance checklists provide a "to do" list for each month of the year as well as a list of sales that typically occur during each month. And for each month, there is a suggestion for a kit that can help organize little pieces of your life so you can find what you need to when you need it.

free full text

2004-04-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

A supplement to every library catalogue on the planet!

FreeFullText.com provides direct links to over 7000 scholarly periodicals which allow some or all of their online content to be viewed by ANYONE with Internet access for free (though some may require free registration). The issue(s) which are available for free are indicated for each title on the alphabetical periodical lists. The design of this site is optimized for users seeking specific articles for which they already have the citation.

one way?

2004-04-08T11:57:00.000-06:00

The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action. --Frank Herbert

When we present life and the gospel as black and white instead of possibilities, people intuitively know it is not the truth.

insoluble problems

2004-04-07T14:12:00.000-06:00

We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. --John W. Gardner

email the future

2004-04-06T20:59:00.000-06:00

Create an e-mail to send to the future

March 26, 2004

FutureMe lets you address an email to yourself and set a date in the future to have it sent -- pass an email to yourself in ten years reminding yourself about your vow to never, ever drink peach schnapps again and see how well you're faring. Entry Link (via Boing Boing)

view public entries

What's so special about this service anyway? It reminds me how a former colleague was sending a postponed mail with a special message :) to the entire adresslist , days after he left the company. Outlook offers this feature if I'm not mistaken. This probably works as long as a mailaccount is active. Maybe some SmartMobs readers come up with surprising options for FutureMe messages.

Posted by Gerrit at at smartmob.com

What would happen if we would encourage our congregations to write themselves a future email celebrating an important spiritual or congregational day?

professional or pastor?

2004-04-06T20:43:00.000-06:00

Learning Goes Mobile

Mobile learning gives the front-line workforce - such as a retail sales associate, soldier or cable repairman - the access to the critical information sources, learning materials and expertise to learn what they want, where they want, when they want.

Pastors, preachers, and teachers must take a serious look at mobile learning. We are no longer in a culture of professionals. We are in a culture of pastors. It is time that we stand up, get out from behind our desk, and go mobile.

Technology will be an important part of this transition. Keep up.

the renewing of your mind

2004-04-04T22:45:00.000-06:00

Mind Balance

Imagine a world where your brainwaves offer you another degree of freedom in a control system -- and think of how useful that freedom would be for someone who can’t use a conventional controller like a mouse. We can’t lift starfighters with Jedi Mind Tricks just yet, but the MindGames group is taking strides in that direction through the non-invasive real-time analysis of human brainwaves. Mind Balance was the first application developed as part of an ambitious collaboration with researchers at University College Dublin to implement new brain-computer control interfaces.

What will happen when someone's mind is renewed. Does it communicate quicker?

jesus asking his disciples to steal?

2004-04-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Luke 19:28-40

19:28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

19:29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,

19:30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

19:31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'"

19:32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them.

19:33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

19:34 They said, "The Lord needs it."

Could it be that on this sixth Sunday of Lent Jesus ask his disciples to steal His ride for the journey down the path from the Mount of Olives? Isn’t it a sin to take something that’s not yours? Is it good enough just to say, “Well after all, everything is the Lord’s”?

Sometimes I feel churches and other organizations ask me to give because "The Lord needs it" and it feels like robbery.

I must confess this scripture is a strange event and causes me some concern. How can I preach about it without honestly struggling through the questions above?

does this sound familiar?

2004-04-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

To truly grasp the printed word, you gotta hold it

For several years now, I've read the daily news online, by passing the paper edition altogether. When I first made the switch, it felt utterly liberating. No papers hung around waiting to be read or recycled. The newspaper pile was gone, freeing up valuable real estate in my home. So, too, fingers once blackened with ink were now free to roam the keyboard. Point here, click there, and an article of my choosing would materialize onscreen. The efficiency of it all was breathtaking.

When I canceled my subscription to the hard-copy edition of the newspaper, I never looked back - that is, until a recent morning. I opened my e-mail headlines from the daily paper and spotted a half-dozen stories of interest. As I looked at the articles, however, I found that several were fairly long. Suddenly I felt a sense of dread, as if reading had become a form of punishment.

virtual conversation

2004-04-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tattle-tale texting sweeps the Philippines

Keeping in touch, keeping tabs

Texting has come a long way since Briton Neil Papworth sent the first text - "Merry Christmas" - to his colleagues at Vodaphone on December 3, 1992. What began as an operator service through which carriers could inform their customers of network glitches, has become, on shores far from the United Kingdom, a common way of keeping in touch and keeping tabs. Texting has become so popular, in fact, that the Catholic Church explicitly had to ban confessions by text.

The Philippine military uses texting to counter insurgency; it has hotlines set up to receive intelligence by text. Likewise, texting is used to keep the military in check; soldiers can text in complaints or reports of graft. The governor of the central bank regularly fields questions from reporters via text. Various public-interest groups solicit texts reporting corruption, pollution and mistresses (as an index of corruption).

Like other forms of technologically mediated communication, texting allows for an "extensiveness" that is at once immediate and partial. It is immediate in terms of time and space; that is, communication is instantaneous and can be invasive. And it is partial insofar as the circumstances of one's textmate - including his identity - can be withheld or fabricated. In terms of keeping tabs, this makes texting a useful but imperfect tool. While its anonymity may encourage reports, it also puts into question their veracity.

Confession is good for the soul. Is it "real" to confess, connect, communitcate over text messaging? My daughter thinks so.

harmful or fatal is it still sin?

2004-03-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe the Music's Just Lousy?

The music industry has blamed file sharing through services like the original Napster and Kazaa for a prolonged decline in CD sales. Last week the RIAA sued more than 500 people for online copyright infringement, adding to more than 1,000 similar such suits already filed this year...

"While downloads occur on a vast scale, most users are likely individuals who would not have bought the album even in the absence of file sharing," they said.

The question of file sharing and its impact on music sales is one that has come up in academic circles in the past, especially as file sharing at universities is often cited by the music industry as a top culprit for lagging sales.

Is it stealing if it causes no harm? Hmm...

april fools

2004-03-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Net Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year

Whether it be dehydrated water, infinite power supplies or corporate-sponsored tattoos, many a ridiculous item offered online as a practical joke has attracted a stable of true believers. This week, as news sites, blogs and Net merchants gear up for April Fools' Day tricks, hoax watchers warn susceptible readers to be on the lookout for more online trickery.

the rat race

2004-03-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why. --James Thurber

starting something?

2004-03-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

How to Design the Perfect Product

It takes a mundane task and makes it more enjoyable.

If you looking to start something new. Or, change something into the next thing. Read this article with your "product" in mind.

It may all come down to human interaction.

stealing: a way of life

2004-03-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Office Handbook--Chapter 7: Shrinkage.

This is a good article that can be used for an illustration on stealing. It is in good fun.

insuring the possibility of failure

2004-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor. --Ring Lardner

How many times have we given failure the first step?

I frequently hear this in our preaching. We begin by giving the audience a chance to disregard what we are about to say. The phrases usually stem from our guilty and low self-esteem. Our congregations encourage us not to give them a chance not to listen. They have come in the joys and tears of their lives to hear—you and God.

hope is strong

2004-03-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past. --Robertson Davies, "A Voice from the Attic", 1960

Kennon Callahan express it this way,

"Memory is strong. Hope is stronger. Hope is stronger than memory. Find a person living in the past and what you will find is a person who's hope is in the past. It is not finally that people live from past memories. They live from past hope. Many find hope in the past. Many find hope in a future time. The key is it help people bridge that hope to the present."

This is the season of hope not memory.

"We are the people of the open tomb. We are the people of hope!"--Callahan

responsible blogging community

2004-03-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Blog Survey: Expectations of Privacy and Accountability

Formerly viewed as a marginal activity restricted to the technically savvy, blogging is slowly becoming more of a mainstream phenomenon on the Internet. Thanks to much media hype and some high profile blog sites, these online journals have captured the public’s imagination. As novice authors plunge into the thrilling world of blog publishing, they soon realize that publicly writing about one’s life and interests is not as simple as it might seem at first. As they become prolific writers, more bloggers find themselves having to deal with issues of privacy and liability. Accounts of bloggers either hurting friends’ feelings or losing jobs because of materials published on their sites are becoming more frequent.

Are you using blogging as a part of your community/congregational development yet? You might want to think about it.

crime photos

2004-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Camera Phones Helping to Fight Crime

Camera Phones Helping to Fight Crime

By: MARK NIESSE (Fri, Mar/19/2004)

ATLANTA - When Lisa Johnson saw a man exposing himself to her in a parking lot, she reached for her cell phone - not to call 911, but to snap a picture.

The images captured on her camera phone led police to the capture of the former principal of a nearby high school. After his arrest on public indecency charges last month, he resigned from a lower school job.

"It's tougher to escape with any open brutality or crimes when people are able to document what you're doing," he said.

What happens when phones start capturing good and bad preaching? Will it help us get better?

waste not?

2004-03-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. --William Gibson

wasteful book

2004-03-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Slack:In praise of inefficiency

I am reminded of a famous magazine editor's remark that creativity in his business demanded "wastage." Here's a welcomed assault on the misguided notion of efficiency, pressure, and overtime in the workplace. Great managers incorporate "slack" - an incredibly potent stance that yields more resources that it uses. More slack, better business. Down with efficiency.

-- KK

Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency
Tom DeMarco
2001, 226 pages
$23
Broadway Books
Amazon

Excerpt:

The best predictor of how much work a knowledge worker will accomplish is not the hours that he or she spends, but the days. The twelve-hour days don't accomplish any more than the eight-hour days. Overtime is a wash.

Since companies don't typically pay knowledge workers for overtime, any net advantage gained by extraction of overtime would be a cost-free benefit. That violates the ages-old adage that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. And sure enough, there ain't.

This would be a good reference for a sermon on the woman "wasting" her expensive purfume on the feet of Jesus.

cool tool

2004-03-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Dental Mirror

I got mine - made of surgical stainless steel -- from a set of used dental tools at a garage sale for 25 cents. It's incredibly handy for inspecting missing fillings, infections, gum complaints, particularly in kids. And you can look for sharp edges on dental braces. There really is no other way to look deep inside the mouth. The key is to get a proper front-surface mirror, which some drugstore plastic versions don't have. Otherwise at close range there is a slight double image which confuses the image.

-- KK

I think this would be a good EPIC tool to give to everyone in the weekend audience for a series on the tongue.

superhuman help

2004-03-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

What the BLEEX Is That ?

BERKELEY, California -- Move over, Bionic Man, and make room for BLEEX -- the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton -- with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider.

Ultimately intended to help people like soldiers or firefighters carry heavy loads for long distances, these boots are made for marching.

"The design of this exoskeleton really benefits from human intellect and the strength of the machine," says Homayoon Kazerooni, who directs the Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California-Berkeley.

The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg braces that include a power unit and a backpack-like frame. The braces are attached to a modified pair of Army boots and are also connected, although less rigidly, to the user's legs.

More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function like a human nervous system, constantly calculating how to distribute the weight being borne and create a minimal load for the wearer.

"There is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device," says Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. "The pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton."

They should develop something like this for the superhuman demands on the pastor.

prayer: a sugar pill for illnes? Hmm...

2004-03-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Why Sugar Pills [and prayer?] Cure Some Ills

Placebos often make people feel better, but for decades, researchers didn't try very hard to figure out why. A sugar pill, after all, isn't likely to become a best-selling drug or turn a scientist into a star. But now, a new generation of psychiatrists and neurologists is trying to solve the mystery of the placebo.

Why do placebos help some people and not others? How can researchers study placebos without violating medical ethics? As neuroscientist Melanie Leitner put it before an audience of scientists last month, "What does it mean to harness the power of belief?"

"There really hasn't been a whole lot of research on the placebo," said epidemiologist Dr. John Bailar, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. "There's a lot of description and a lot of chatter, but we don't know a whole lot about it."

One thing seems to be clear, however. The brain is a "crucial player," said Leitner during a workshop on placebos at a February meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science .

"What we need to learn is how taking a placebo affects the brain's processing of symptoms and other sensations related to illness, how it affects output and the activity of your immune system," said Dr. David Spiegel , a Stanford University psychiatrist who studies placebos.

Research has shown that people who unknowingly take placebos -- sometimes pills, sometimes injections -- often feel relief from pain, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders and high blood pressure. But placebos don't help people recover from diseases like cancer. "They're more likely to be effective when there's a perceptive component to the illness," Spiegel said.

Some experts say the placebo effect is indeed all in your head, but they aren't too impressed by the idea. "Many people see placebo as just about that doctor-patient relationship, that laying on of hands, that trust," said Dr. Helen Mayberg, a neuropsychiatrist at Emory University. They claim "that placebo is some kind of poor man's psychotherapy. It's just the interaction, and any interaction is good."

be ye silent and know

2004-03-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Of those who say nothing, few are silent. --Thomas Neil

the divine hours

2004-03-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Keeping the divine hours of prayer

A form of prayer at specified times to be used by individuals or groups. The Divine Hours includes morning, midday, vespers (evening) and compline (before retiring) offices, having roots in the biblical tradition. By default the Divine Hours below is displayed based on Eastern Standard Time, U.S. however, you can now localize the divine hours...

This is a helpful tool for those stuck at their desk and would like to observe the offices without retreating to the restroom.

the sound of space

2004-03-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

protecting space

Most people who study how humans behave in public look at what is seen, rather than what is heard.

"There's the visual domination of explaining urban experience," he says, "but if you look at it through sound you get different explanations."

We live in a visually dominated culture and suffer constant bombardment by visible messages.

Adverts, shop fascias, street signs, the clothes of fellow pedestrians, newspaper headlines, magazine front covers, car designs create a visual cacophony.

new "intimate" places to belong

2004-03-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Does your teen have text with strangers?

And you thought your 14-year-old was sleeping by herself. Not if she's among the estimated 95 per cent of high school students now owning a cellphone. Julie Jacobson reports.

New research from Victoria University shows increasing numbers of youngsters tucked up in bed with their mobile phones are, in effect, sleeping with a whole bunch of strangers.

The phenomenon is the result of "cold calling", where teens text unknown friends of friends to gauge the possibility of romance or friendship, then leave their phones on overnight in case they get a call.

Senior psychology lecturer Ann Weatherall, who spent two weeks reading the text messages of 16 year 9 and 10 students (third and fourth formers) and their phone partners, said the study highlighted significant changes in the way young people interacted.

"What was surprising was how important texting is to young adults in conducting their social lives. They relied on their phones as a means of meeting people, to start relationships, to nurture them and to end them."

All the students said they carried their phones with them almost everywhere and most said they had them on all the time. Only a few turned them off at night, or for select occasions such as going to church or on airline flights. During class or at the movies, when mobile calls were not appropriate, most had their phones on silent or vibrate.

There was now a set of social norms and etiquette surrounding texting, which opened up "incredible possibilities".

my new toy

2004-03-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

If little else, the brain is an educational toy.--Tom Robbins

your choice

2004-03-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at.--Carlos A. Urbizo

easter ideas

2004-03-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Easter Ideas from Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, Covenant Community Church, www.touchandchange.com

Here is a link that takes you to our website where we used the CSI:Crime Scene Investigation appraoch....

There are film clips that were created at the Holy Land Experience Theme Park in Orlando, FL. There are a number of other churches that are using the clips that we have made available or the concept....

those who can, teach

2004-03-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Attention, Class!!! 16 Ways to Be a Smarter Teacher

George Bernard Shaw could not have been more wrong when he coined the famous maxim, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches." In a fast-moving economy that is driven by ideas, an essential part of being a leader is being a good teacher.

How else do you persuade everyone in an organization -- whether that means 50 employees or 50,000 -- to move in the same direction? How do you refocus the staff around a scaled-down strategy to survive an economic slump? How do you ensure that people at every level understand the priorities of the moment? How do you develop the leaders of tomorrow?

Simple: You teach. That's different from giving a speech in a companywide meeting or giving orders to a subordinate. That's not teaching; that's dictating. Telling people what to do doesn't guarantee that they will learn enough to think for themselves in the future. Instead, it may mean that they'll depend on you or their superiors even more and that they will stop taking chances, stop innovating, stop learning.

It is time that we start teaching our congregations to think for themselves. If there is one product that has come from poor preaching it is, "they'll depend on you or their superiors even more and that they will stop taking chances, stop innovating, stop learning."

getting great feedback

2004-03-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

How to Give Feedback. Give great feedback! Most people don't. Here are four rules for making your input count.

The first rule of great feedback is this: No one cares about your opinion.
The second rule? Say the right thing at the right time.
The third rule? If you have something nice to say, please say it.
If I haven't intimidated you with my other rules, here's the last one: Give me feedback, no matter what.

This is a helpful article on gaining feedback and giving it. This could be a great first step in getting helpful feedback to your sermons.

heads or tails

2004-03-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Toss Out the Toss-Up: Bias in heads-or-tails

If you want to decide which football team takes the ball first or who gets the larger piece of cake, the fairest thing is to toss a coin, right? Not necessarily.

A new mathematical analysis suggests that coin tossing is inherently biased: A coin is more likely to land on the same face it started out on.

"I don't care how vigorously you throw it, you can't toss a coin fairly," says Persi Diaconis, a statistician at Stanford University who performed the study with Susan Holmes of Stanford and Richard Montgomery of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

There are biases in places we have counted on an unbiased fairness.

fixing the world

2004-03-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

In God's Garage (a dialogue with the Creator)

I found God in a garage in Milan. He asked me what the trouble with my car was.

"What are you doing here?" I exclaimed. "Everyone's been looking for you."

"I'm just keeping myself busy," he said, lifting the hood.

Can the world be fixed?

Is it broken?

epigram preaching

2004-03-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

"An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly." -Edwin P. Whipple

ep·i·gram n
1. a concise, witty, and often paradoxical remark or saying

Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

We may want to learn how to preach with "epigram" and less with "reason."

Life is made of predicaments that are absurd and paradoxical. Many know that reason holds no real answer for their life. "Answers" are for problems. Life is made of predicaments more than problems. We may do well to learn how to supply help living with predicaments and not give so many unhelpful answers.

Joe's "label" posting

2004-03-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Joe,

I believe it was Kierkegarrd (sp?) who declared, "Label me, and you negate me."

A question: As humans we are "form-givers." We must give form to our lives and our narratives. With that in mind, how can we give form to our lives without degenerating into the labeling you referred to? In other words, we have a legitimate need for form, and that, in one sense, creates "labels." How can we bring the form we need, which will mean some kind of labeling, without it becoming the labeling you spoke of?

Labels and titles

2004-03-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

If you're like me -- and I hope for your sake you're not -- you're bothered by being stuck in a world that insists everything be labeled. It seems the practice of identifying and categorizing every single life moment has grown necessary for our consumer mentalities. You know, ease and convenience. I guess we need a quick read on whatever confronts us. I blame advertising and marketing. And Bill Gates. But I digress.

I'm considering a revolution where regular schmoes like me resist the labels. I refuse to be pigeon-holed -- even for market research purposes. I like too many things accross the board to fit in to any category.

where will your next ministry post be?

2004-02-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Kenny Moore Held a Funeral and Everyone Came

A former monk has found a suprising new mission--ministering to the needs of employees at KeySpan Corp.

"Corporate America not only has financial problems , it has spiritual problems ."

-Kenny Moore , Corporate Ombudsman, KeySpan Corp.

flexibility, spontaneity, and concrete

2004-02-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Why Can't Lego Click?

The early space-themed sets caused some worry -- space was not "real" play. Kids had experience with towns and farms, but what did they know of space? Plenty, it turned out.

Adding directions was not done lightly -- how free-form could the building be if it required directions? But increasing the building challenges meant providing basic instructions.

It may be time for the church to figure out how to connect flexibility, spontaneity, and concrete.

imitation

2004-02-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

To do just the opposite is also a form of imitation.-George Christopher

How are you imitating Christ?

the times

2004-02-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

We live in an age when pizza gets to your home before the police. -Jeff Marder

We live in a time when pizza gets to the home before the church.

passionate about the passion

2004-02-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Passion Inflames the Web

At the Internet Movie Database's message board for The Passion , few posts had anything to do with acting, directing or cinematography.

Instead, people were debating everything from the existence of God, the tyranny of organized religion and homosexuals' prospects for reaching heaven. Some posts bore the fingerprints of provocateurs, including a series suggesting a cabal of Jewish media owners and a thread asking, "How many people here think Christianity is a scourge upon the earth?"

Others seemed to make a sincere attempt to navigate the tricky waters of faith in a secular society. Some asked questions about Jesus' death and offered opinions on the nature of sin and the factual basis of the Bible.

According to Internet Movie Database managing editor Keith Simanton, the Passion message board included 32,000 posts as of Tuesday morning, a full day before the movie opened in theaters. Simanton said he was pleased by the high volume of traffic.

"There are some wide-ranging and interesting topics being discussed," he said. "There are, of course, some very lamentable things being written, but there is definitely a conversation going on."

Postings on Christian sites were generally more civil, though one writer at Christian Forums , using the tag centaurman, said Jewish objections to The Passion were part of a historical continuum that featured Jews "destroying churches and murdering and raping nuns."

watching god create

2004-02-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Nearby Star Births Baby Planets

A star only 33 light-years away may be giving birth to new planets, and we are close enough to see it happen, U.S. astronomers said Thursday.

They have seen evidence of a disk of dust orbiting the star -- a disk like the one our own solar system is believed to have formed from.

got entrepreneurs?

2004-02-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Social Entrepreneurs--business as ministry

Entrepreneurs are not bound to an "effort equals results" way of thinking. They think in terms of leverage--how to get the best results in the shortest time. . . the greatest results for the least effort.

Entrepreneurs organize the world differently. They simply see things about the future that others only recognize after they are a reality. They are those rare individuals who create new value by connecting together underutilized assets or opportunities into something that never existed before.

Are there any entrepreneurs on your staff?

more on Luis' thoughts

2004-02-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Luis

You don't have to apologize for your english. I wish I could write in another language as well as you write english!

First, you wrote,

On the other hand the question to Mr. Dobson, for example, seem to be not unfair because his response my not be accurate. For example I might say that I would forgive my spouse if I find out that she has been unfaithful but act differently if it actually ocurred, i.e., divorce her.

So Mr Dobson could say that he would, for example, kick his child out of the house if he finds out his child is gay but in the actual situation he might not do that. The emotions and thoughts that flow in real situations are different from the ones of a hipothetical situation.

----

I think this was exactly what the interviewer wanted Dobson to appreciate. I think the interviewer wanted Dobson to wrestle with the implications of the gay debate from the view of a parent. I do agree with you that we could waste a lot of time on hypothetical situations. If the interviewer would have fired several hypotheticals at Dobson, I probably would have thought, "OK already, enough." But he didn't. He asked one simple question. And there was an unwillingness to be touched by the emotional reality of the question. It was simply dismissed. That was my trouble with it.

----
Then you wrote,

The question of motive might not be seen inmediately but it will likely surface as the conversation/dialogue develops. I personally has stop the "dialogue" with people because I seen that all they are interested in is in debating "foolish things" not in the process of edification.

----

This is an important point you make here. There surely does come a point where dialogue is not possible, because a person's desire is not "mutual discovery" but arguing or even worse. I think, I can say pretty safely here that the interviewer really wanted to know what Dobson thought. In fact, he started his question with the fact that he had often struggled with the question he was about to ask Dobson.

I think thread over the last couple of days is important because we really must become better at dialogue, without entering into meaningless conversation that never leads us to deeper meaning or creative purposes.

peace,

Responding to Luis about dialogue

2004-02-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Luis,

You wrote,

I don't think that as christians we need to answer every question that people asks us, especially if their purpose is not finding truth both "error" or "extreme" in our answer. Jesus didn't answer all the questions address to Him. Do this interviewers wanted to find the truth or make us look like "fanatics"?

As I read your post, I feel like you extremed my idea :) I didn't suggest anyone should answer "every question people ask." Rather, the idea is that the two men never entered the dialogue at hand.

As far as if the questions were pure in motive, I can't say for sure, but my guess is there was some mixed motive in the questioning. Just like there's mixed motives in everyone's questioning (including yours and mine). If pure motives are a prerequisite for answering questions, we'll never answer any.

As to Jesus, I see it a bit different. Of course, Jesus didn't have to answer every question, but it seems to me he was a master at engaging people in the conversation.

Comment on the Aristotle Quote posted by Joe

2004-02-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Joe posted, a few posts ago, this quote by Aristotle

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle

This quote is critical for Christians. As a whole, the lot of us don't hold ideas well without accepting or rejecting those thoughts. It seems more about acceptance and rejection for Christians; rather than about exploration and dialogue. I saw an interview with Dr. James Dobson a couple of weeks ago on Face the Nation. And, last night I saw an interview with Franklin Graham. What struck me, in both cases, was that neither man seemed willing to enter a genuine dialogue.

As I listened to Franklin, I thought, "Wow, this man has five or six 'sayings' in his tool box and no matter what the interviewer asks, he just keeps weaving his sayings into an answer." Sometimes, they didn't even fit the context of the question. What's up???

Dr. Dobson was asked by Bob Shcaeffer-- of Face the Nation--how he would feel about the gay debate if one of his children was gay. Dr. Dobson would not even try and wrestle with the question. He ignored it, referring to the question as a scenario not worth exploring, and just went on to spout his ideals. Why isn't it worth exploring?

Neither man seemed willing to wrestle, struggle and explore. Why not?

We need to recpature the importance of Aristotle's quote--without it we look almost robotic in our conversations. In fact, we don't even look like we know how to converse, much less dialogue.

Some good dialogue

2004-02-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

In the most recent issue of Sojourners magazine, there is an interesting article on why liberals need evangelicals and why evangelicals need liberals. The article is written by two leading Presbyterian leaders--one a liberal and the other an evangelical. Homosexual marriage is an issue central to the article as well. You can read the articles on line at:

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.contents&issue=soj0402

What is refreshing is that this article is an example of what is needed in the church--DIALOGUE. We need lots of it. We must get over a one-sized fits all orthodoxy. Even though there is, argueably, diversity in the Christian tradition, we are rarely willing to entertain the wisdom of "the other side." These articles at least show this kind of dialogue is possible.

assisted learning

2004-02-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Software That Takes Class Participation to Another Level

"When these tools are used in a learning environment . . . participation goes up 100 percent. Everybody gets called on all the time," Weir said. "It leads to better attentiveness."

What new tools have you implemented in your preaching in the last year? Hmmm...

be mindful

2004-02-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle

We need "educated minds" in our congregations. Open minds. Minds that welcome conversation. Minds that "entertain," welcome, and invite different thoughts.

What kind of congregational mind do you have?

church innovation

2004-02-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Places of innovation

More than two years ago, A.G. Lafley, our CEO, issued a challenge to have 50% of the company's innovations come from external sources. In the past, we pretty much had a "do it ourselves" culture. But to really innovate better, faster, cheaper, we had to move toward a more open model of innovation. It's my job--along with 50 or so other employees with the same position--to find ideas.

What would happen if we charged our teams to find 50% of our congregation's innovation from the "outside" community? Could we find help outside of ourselves? Do we act like we know all the answers?

storytime?

2004-02-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

Storytime

To foster that kind of understanding, the company launched its corporate-storytelling program. When the program started, in the late 1970s, it was an hour-long lesson given to new employees when they arrived to sign their W-2s. Today, orientation lasts two days, and the story of Nike's heritage is the first item on the agenda. With the company back on the growth track, Farris envisions a day when the orientation process will last a week and take place at "Nike University."

Storytelling isn't just for new hires. Each "Ekin" ("Nike" spelled backwards) -- Ekins are tech reps known for their Swoosh ankle tattoos -- undergoes a nine-day Rookie Camp at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. A full day is spent in Eugene, where Ekins run at the Hayward field track (where Bowerman coached) and visit the site of Prefontaine's fatal car crash. "We're connecting what we're doing today back to Nike's heritage," says Dennis Reeder, 45, Ekins training manager.

May this weekend begin our "corporate-storytelling program." There's not a bettter time of the year to start than this time with the passion story.

Sacred Space

2004-02-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts on creating space--sacred space

More important, the spaces that he designs have continued to embrace a nervy commitment to such out-of-favor ideas as playful energy, visual daring, and, most significant, human connection. Arguably more than any other architect, Rockwell has put people -- not the stick figures of architectural renderings but flesh-and-blood human beings -- at the center of his projects..."We love it when clients don't talk about what they want the space to look like but instead focus on the things they're really passionate about," says Rockwell. "That's when we start to understand them."

Rockwell likes to say that every space contains a "secret narrative," and it's up to his design team to make the narrative real.

Space is sacred.

emerging church?

2004-02-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Emerging Church in the Times

What do you think? Fact or fiction?

hollywood double standard

2004-02-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

What's with all the fuss over the graphic depictions of violence in Mel Gibson's Passion film? This film accurately portrays the suffering of Christ, and some people are offended by the movie's honesty. I thought people wanted to see violence in movies. I guess it's OK in Terminator or Quentin Tarantino's latest blockbuster, but when the subject matter is Jesus, there's an uproar -- and it's from those righteous folks in Hollywood, no less!

Perhaps there's a psychological issue at work here. When movie violence happens to characters we know aren't real, (most) viewers can dismiss what they see as fiction. No big deal.

But you can't show what really happened to Jesus!

It's too bad people can't see the forrest for the trees: Witness what Jesus endured for you and me. Let it saturate you. Let it assault your senses. Let it overwhelm you and break you down. If you're offended, good. Viewers probably should be offended because what Christ endured wasn't PG-13.

the gospel for this week

2004-02-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

(He [Peter] did not know what he was saying.) vs. 33

Remember:

there are many good thoughts
there are many good intentions to do (to honor)
there are many good ideas

that are worth not doing!

It may be possible that congregations are in the state they are in because too many people are doing too much. It may not be that too little are doing not enough.

While he (Peter) was speaking,... vs.34

Listen as God interupts!

What the internet (church) isn't

2004-02-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

What the internet isn't

Cluetrain authors, Doc Searls and David Weinberger, set us straight -- again -- about how cooperation is what makes the net go round. Their new screed, World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else , they say (in a nutshell):

1. The Internet isn't complicated
2. The Internet isn't a thing. It's an agreement.
3. The Internet is stupid.
4. Adding value to the Internet lowers its value.
5. All the Internet's value grows on its edges.
6. Money moves to the suburbs.
7. The end of the world? Nah, the world of ends.
8. The Internet's three virtues:
a. No one owns it
b. Everyone can use it
c. Anyone can improve it
9. If the Internet is so simple, why have so many been
so boneheaded about it?
10. Some mistakes we can stop making already

As in Cluetrain Manifesto , what is so obvious needs to be explained -- and is clearly and briskly. And with the Creative Commons license, you can and are encouraged to pass their insights along. The site also allows for comments. Visit it. Afterall "We have nothing to lose but our stupidity"

What happens if you replace the word "internet" with "church?"

What's a Soul worth?

2004-02-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.--Marilyn Monroe

all my holidays/birthdays are crammed into 5 months

2004-02-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

This isn't about preaching. Sorry. It's a ramble about my holiday situation. Maybe some of u can relate.

Yesterday I realized that all my family birthdays/holidays are crammed into the first half of the year. We start off with the biggie, Christmas, and cruise into the new year thing. We all navigate that, but then things get interesting for me. My wife's birthday is 2 weeks after the new year. Then we have Valentine's Day 4 weeks later, followed by my wedding anniversary in March. Two weeks after that, there are birthday parties for BOTH my kid's -- separated by only 4 days in the first week of April. Of course, Mother's Day concludes this festive stretch in May.

It's one big party in my house from December till May. At least it seems that way. From one thing to the next, nonstop, there's always something being planned and looked forward to. For the first 5 months of the year, I'm geeked for the next "thing," but after May, it's all over until next year.

Would I change this if I could? Yes, but not the way u might expect. Instead of rearranging dates and spreading events out over the calendar year, I'd add more things to celebrate and look forward to. I'd make one major holiday/family event per month and try to keep that sense of planning and anticipation in constant motion. I suppose there's a risk there that these celebrations might somehow be lessened in intensity because there are more of them, but hey. I'd take that chance.

e-mail me the truth

2004-02-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a link with some interesting facts about where people lie.
E-mail me the truth

This article in New scientist reports on "the first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails.

Hmmm... I wonder about on a blog.

stem cell and moral obligation

2004-02-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Moral obligation?

"Our inspiration is to treat incurable diseases," Moon said Thursday at the meeting in Seattle. "As scientists, we believe that this study is our responsibility and moral obligation."

We must wrestle with the "moral obligation" arguement between helping those inflicted with disease and cloning. There are no easy answers. Yet, the church must speak graciously.

the art of conversation

2004-02-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.-Dorothy Nevill

Wishful Thinking

2004-02-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

Luke 6:17-26

Be careful what you wish for.

In our never ending search to return to "Eden," we are somewhat consumed with seeking "better." "I wish things were better." "I wish I had a better_____." But be careful. Jesus points us to the paradoxical truth that things are many times not what they seem.

6:17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

6:18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

6:19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

6:21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.

6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

6:25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

Jesus could be saying, "Take a look at the people who are collected around you. They are among the blessed. So, watch what you wish for."

He could be saying, "Those gathered around wishing for healing think that they are recieving happiness and joy but they are not. So, watch what you wish for. What you get may not be what it seems."

And He could be saying, "If you are dreaming of having the authority and power to heal like this, watch what you wish for you may get something you didn't expect."

There is a real risk in wishing for more. It is almost always is more than you expected.

recording your ideas?

2004-02-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Quick, grab that idea before it escapes!

Here are some excellent ideas for those who are about to loose that next great sermon idea.

Dylan on Luke 6:17-26

2004-02-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Dylan's lectionary blog

I have a bit of a strange attraction to what some call the "difficult sayings" of Jesus (what can I say? I did my master's thesis on the "Parable of the Unrighteous Steward" ), so believe it or not, I actually like the "woes" in today's gospel. I think sometimes these "difficult sayings" -- things like " whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple " -- can serve a purpose a little like that of a Zen koan -- those 'riddles' like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" A koan pulls our minds in to confound them, and that kind of dislocation from our usual ways of thinking helps us to open up and let go of them. Jesus' difficult sayings pull us out of entrenched patterns of relationship and ways of being in the world; they dislocate us from what's comfortable to free us to establish new kinds of relationship, new ways of being.

Principles for healthy congregations

2004-02-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Designing the "wiki" congregation

I think this list of design principles would be a helpful for starting, or evaluating, a "wiki" (quick) congregation.

Open
Incremental
Organic
Mundane
Universal
Overt
Unified
Precise
Tolerant
Observable
Convergent

Do you have a "wiki" congregation? Want to start one?

Multimedia

2004-02-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Multimedia: the good the bad and the ugly

What are the implicaations of trying so hard to keep up with the media savvy congregation?

Luke 6:17-26

2004-02-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

Some help with this weeks gospel text, Luke 6:17-26

Here is a place to find some quick resources for this week. Enjoy.

What's up with wiki?

2004-02-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

An anonymous post found on the the UBC wiki

What is a wiki?

Is your congregation using wiki? Do you know if they are or not?

This could be a good tool for your community.

Preaching as Art

2004-02-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Art is science made clear.-Jean Cocteau

May our preaching be more art than science!

When Passion is Reduced to a Door Hanger

2004-02-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

When Passion is Reduced to a Door Hanger

Spencer Burke, founder of theOoze.com and etrek, has contributed to the conversational buzz surrounding the highly anticipated Passion movie. Whether you are passionate about Passion or questioning the overall influence it will have, Spencer offers an emerging voice to the conversation.

Taking the Time to Reap the Benefit

2004-02-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Not enough time to blog--or anything else worth while?

Have you tried blogging yet? Have you started sharing the ideas, questions, and conundrums of your life?

I think blogging is one of the most influential tools for a preacher. Try working on a sermon with a "congregation" of bloggers and see what matures.

Don't know where to begin? Click here.

preachingplusblog

teaching public prayer

photo finish

a community building event

we shall not take ourselves too seriously

learn, unlearn, relearn

teach your children well

unexpected tradition

a motto to eat by

taking care of friends

becoming a tribe

will this kill u.s. cloning forever?

taking the sermon home

saving lives?

saving lives?

saving lives?

falling in love

people power

NFL Draft!

virtual church project

getting to you

Barbie learns

Cliche leadership

"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."

preaching the same ole theology

are you as passionate about leading as you are about preaching?

helping curious kids

concrete help for new comers

free full text

one way?

insoluble problems

email the future

professional or pastor?

the renewing of your mind

jesus asking his disciples to steal?

does this sound familiar?

virtual conversation

harmful or fatal is it still sin?

april fools

the rat race

starting something?

stealing: a way of life

insuring the possibility of failure

hope is strong

responsible blogging community

crime photos

waste not?

wasteful book

cool tool

superhuman help

prayer: a sugar pill for illnes? Hmm...

be ye silent and know

the divine hours

the sound of space

new "intimate" places to belong

my new toy

your choice

easter ideas

those who can, teach

getting great feedback

heads or tails

fixing the world

epigram preaching

Joe's "label" posting

Labels and titles

where will your next ministry post be?

flexibility, spontaneity, and concrete

imitation

the times

passionate about the passion

watching god create

got entrepreneurs?

more on Luis' thoughts

Responding to Luis about dialogue

Comment on the Aristotle Quote posted by Joe

more good reading

Some good dialogue

assisted learning

be mindful

church innovation