Change For 2008, 2009, & Beyond

2008 may be marked by a simple word. Change! The mantra and motto of Barack Obama. And…it worked. The nation fell in love with change and Mr. Obama is now President Elect Obama.

What's changed? Careers have changed. Families have changed. Markets have changed. Politics have changed. Travels have changed. Pepsi revamped their beloved blue, red, and white circle. Walmart is now followed by an asterisk or perhaps a sun burst. Does anyone truly know?

Once feared...change is now embraced and expected.

The plan of my parents was simple. Have fun in high school. Flirt with a draft and float through college. Then…pursue a factory. An anchor. A safe and stable career. Whether at factory x, y, or z. It was a defined paycheck. A fixed standard. Followed by a family, pension, and vacation. Topped off with some golf. This plan no longer exists. It has changed.

With 2009 on the doorstep…one thing remains constant. Change. How will the church respond? How will you respond?

What if Apple took a year off? Or…what if Google simply gave up? Would they be missed? Who would deliver the next iPhone or iPod? Who would continue the evolution and revolution of everything web? Why not you? If not you…that gal or guy a cubicle or two away will. Life will go on and a new Apple or Google will emerge. Nothing should be taken for granted. Remember? Change is now embraced and expected.

What an amazing opportunity for the church! We can change the belief and perception of culture. Instead of being known for what we are against…we can be known for what we are for. Instead of judgmental or just plain mental depending on the voice…we can be known for the love of Christ. John 3:17 notes, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Now…that’s exciting!

We’ll explore this topic within the early days of 2009. Bringing the church from condemnation to salvation. Until next time. Jed.

More On The Christian Bubble

As I’m in the midst of “They Like Jesus But Not The Church” by Dan Kimball…here’s a segment from this book…speaking of the Christian Bubble noted a week or so ago.

“Things really start changing in phase 3. As we slowly withdraw from ongoing relationships with those outside the church and focus on relationships with those inside the church, something happens. Once, it was more natural and even exciting to share life with people at work or at school, with relatives, or with neighbors. But slowly we begin to see evangelism as something the church does, primarily through events. We get more excited about going overseas to the mission field on summer trips than about the mission field we live in every day. We start to see evangelism as inviting people to go to a church, where the pastor will do the evangelizing and explain Christianity, instead of spending time with people and talking with them and being the church to them. During this phase, we stop praying daily for those who don’t know Jesus and instead pray for our church’s latest building project or latest program. Other than maybe at an office Christmas party that we have to go to, we rarely ever hang out with non-Christian friends or go to movies with them. For the most part, only Christians are in our circle of peers. We begin buying little Christian stickers or put metal fish symbols on our cars, and we even have a few Christian t-shirts. We set our radios only to our favorite Christian radio shows, and most of the music we listen to is Christian. We make a trip to the amusement park that has the special Christian day each year featuring Christian bands. We find ourselves regularly using Christian words and phrases and clichés, such as backsliding, prayer warrior, fellowship, quiet time, traveling mercies, “I have a check in my spirit.” (Apart from the word fellowship, none of these are even from the Bible.) The transformation is complete. We have become citizens of the Bubble.”

Dan must be talking of someone else. Certainly not you or me. More segments to follow as I continue reading…

Christian or Christ Follower - Part 2 of 2

Once again…from our friends at Community Christian Church. Just the remainder of Part 1 from earlier in the week. We are heading up north to the Scandinavian homeland to eat some Scandinavian food and visit some Scandinavian family. I see a theme developing. Hope to catch a movie and perhaps read a book. As such, this blog will probably be quiet until next Monday or Tuesday. Until then. Love God. Love People. Love Life.

Merry Christmas

A little Christmas humor. Enjoy and have a blessed Christmas with your family and friends! Jed.

Santa's List & God's List

Buddy the elf roams and wonders about our home. Nope…not Will Ferrell…although that would be pretty cool. But…one of Santa’s little helpers that our daughters named Buddy. It’s the Elf On A Shelf. Buddy hides each day and watches each move. Better be good. After all…don’t want to end up on the naughty list.

Christmas Eve is upon us. So…it’s probably too late to get off the naughty list. Bummer. But…don’t worry. There’s always next year.

What about “the” list? God’s list. Revelation 20:15 notes, “Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” We all know that Buddy is not real (except for my girls). But, let’s not be fooled. God is tracking and watching. And there’s a naughty list. Revelation 21:8 notes the cowardly, the liars, the idol worshipers, the sexually immoral, the unbelieving, and so on. This list will have their part in the lake which burns with brimstone and fire.

Now…I don’t turn brimstone and fire very often. Nonetheless…this list is a reality. I was once a member. But, not any more! For Christ died for me while I was still a member. His death and resurrection paid my dues and erased my membership. Praise God! Not just for me…but, for you too. Please check out this page from Campus Crusade for Christ.

Merry Christmas from 832 Ministries!

The Christmas Linebacker

Loving God. Loving People. Loving Life. The motto of Harvest Chapel (located in Sandwich, IL). Wes Bell kicked off the message with the following video. Not sure where he got it from. But, it’s a goodie. Check out Harvest Chapel if you’re finding, looking, seeking, and so on. Friends will be made and these friends will become family! Enjoy.

Plan, Planned, & Planning

Plan. Planned. Planning. Three great words. These words consume articles, books, careers, and ultimately lives. For instance…with a simple search on Monster you’ll find a Director of Clinical Planning, a Global Planning Manager (sounds important), a Merchandise Planning Analyst, a Planning Engineer, a Supply Chain Planning Senior Analyst (now…that’s a long one), and the list goes on. I guess momma was right. It pays to plan.

As Christmas approaches…just think of the planning. The cards. The families. The meals. The pictures. The presents. The schedules. The travels. The trimming. The wrapping. Wow! Perhaps a Planning Engineer is needed to help navigate these holiday waters. Can I get one at Target...along with a few stocking stuffers?

What about everyday life? We have gadgets and gizmos that beep, buzz, sing, and twitter. Why? All in the name of planning. We have cars telling us they need oil and fridges telling us they need milk (which is kind of freaky by the way). Yep…planning is all around.

But…planning is not all bad. After all, who doesn’t love a good plan? Especially when this plan comes together just as…dare I say…planned.

Christmas is a mere three days away. Let’s think back to the first Christmas. God’s plan involved some animals, a manager, a stable, and some sheepherders. The birth of Christ. The Perfect. But…how will we know this Messiah and Savior. Luke 2:12 notes, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” What? Now…that’s the puzzler of all puzzlers. Did that angel just say a manger? We’re talking about the Savior. Right?

Probably safe to say that our plan may have differed. Even if only a little. ;)

What’s the point? Only a handful captured the first Christmas. The remainder were too busy, too lazy, too tired, or too whatever. Let’s slow down this Christmas and be counted within this handful.

Christian or Christ Follower - Part 1 of 2

From our friends at Community Christian Church. A cool place! Check them out.

Numbers - Bears & Bulls

Who loves math? Come on now…don’t hide behind your desk, break into a sweat, or veer into a ditch if you’re driving and reading (naughty…naughty). I’ve been through Calculus 1, 2, and 3 and guess how much I remember. Actually, let’s not guess as it will only depress those who invested in a noteworthy education…me included.

Back to math…let’s look at some numbers from recent times. After all, it’s been quite a roller coaster the past couple of years. Hang on!

07/19/07 – Dow Jones closed above 14,000 for the first time in history. Wow! Shortly thereafter, the credit crunch hits and hits hard.

08/10/07 – Central banks coordinate efforts to increase liquidity. Billions. Yep…that’s Billions with a Big B.

08/16/07 – Countrywide Financial Corporation narrowly escapes bankruptcy with an emergency loan of $11 billion.

08/17/07 – The Federal Reserve cuts the discount rate to 5.75%.

Ok…let’s fast forward to 2008 and forget the dates and numbers as they make for poor reading. So, who made Santa’s naughty list?

 Bear Sterns is history. Huh? They were only founded in 1923. So, they’ve never been through a downturn before. Right?
 Indymac Bank is history.
 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now federally operated and owned. Awesome!
 Lehman Brothers is history. They were only a 158 year old company and financial pillar of America. No big deal.
 Washington Mutual is history…although I still receive credit apps from them all the time.
 AIG and Citigroup are saved from becoming history.
 The stock market sucks and the discount rate is now at 0% as billions upon billions are injected into the markets.

Enough said on that topic. Let’s look at some numbers that never change…no matter who’s elected or what bear or bull claims the street.

1:18 – James says you are God’s choice possession.

3:22-23 – Lamentations says God’s love for you is endless and His mercies new every day.

4:13 – Philippians says you can do all things through Christ.

5:8 – Romans says Christ died for you while you were still a sinner.

17:8 – Psalms says you are the apple of God’s eye.

54:10 – Isaiah says God's unfailing love for you will never be broken and He has compassion for you.

119:76 – Psalms says God’s unfailing love will comfort you.

Pretty cool. So, replace the uncertain with the certain as it’s obvious that God cares and loves you. Until next time. Jed.

Confused Yet?

Well…this blog has been up and running for a few months. Little did I know what I was getting into as the “blog world” is one confusing place! ATOM feeds. Blogger. Commenting. FeedBurner. Following. Gadgets. Google Analytics. Linking. RSS feeds. Subscribing. Tracking. TypePad. Widgets. WordPress. My head is spinning. Feeds still confuse me…but, perhaps one of these days I will master this world. Until then…I’ll just pretend.

I somewhat feel like an outsider. The “blog world” is full of people with buddies, friends, and smarts. Me? I’m just looking through the window…pretending. Huh? What about the un-churched? What must they feel like?

First off…where do you even start? Apostolic. Assemblies of God. Baptist. Catholic. Lutheran (which one). Methodist. Non-denominational. Presbyterian. Seventh Day Adventist. Oh no. My head is spinning again.

Let’s take it one step further. Amen or zipped lips. Baptize adults or babes. Confirmation or not. Grape juice or wine. Guitar or organ. Khakis or jeans (now, that’s an important one). King James or Message. Raise hands or not. Women leaders or not. Oh boy…

And we wonder why. Why do people mock the church? It’s pretty obvious to me.

Let’s look at some statistics from The Barna Group.

There has been a 92% increase in the number of un-churched Americans in the last thirteen years. In 1991, there were 39 million un-churched Americans compared with 75 million currently (2004).

Yet, more than three out of five (62%) un-churched adults consider themselves to be Christian. And…44% claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus. However, 64% believe Satan is merely a symbol of evil and not a living being. And…51% believe Jesus sinned (2006).

We…the Christians…look at the un-churched as being confused. They…the un-churched…look at the Christians as being confused. So, everyone seems confused. What to do? Until next time. Jed.

Wars With Gas Stations = Laughter

Psalm 2:4 reads, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” That’s pretty cool. Do you ever really think of God laughing? And, if so, laughing at what? Well…let’s look at my morning.

Heading to the gas station this morning and loving $1.59 per gallon. Even with a collapsing economy…I feel victorious at the pump. Reaching for my wallet. Wait a second. Where's my wallet…which was followed by the five pocket shuffle. Bummer. Heading home.

Ok…I’m back with my wallet. Wait. My “gas door” is frozen shut. This is a joke…right? Beating and pounding my door with my fist. People starting to look at me…probably wondering why I’m beating and pounding my poor little car. My car wins and I walk back to the driver’s seat with as much dignity one can muster.

Sitting in my driveway with screwdriver in hand. Wife holding up lever and me prying away. Finally…it opens. I think I’ll leave it as such while driving back…for safe measure. It’s just one of those mornings.

This morning was not the first as I’ve fallen victim to the gas station before.

Drove off one time with the hose still in my tank. Oops!

Hose popped out once and did not shut off. Kind of like wrestling a wild snake. Needless to say…my cloths were soaked with gasoline as I quickly and quietly looked around wondering who witnessed my folly. The worst part…I had to go in and pay…one swishy gasoline soaked step at a time.

I’ve contributed my share of material for “He who sits in the heavens…” I’ve often thought God watches the greatest reality show of all time. Our lives.

They say kids laugh 200 to 400 times per day. This number supposedly shrinks to 15 by the age of 35. Perhaps it’s time to take some pointers from kids. Let’s start with a good one from Reverend Fun.

Fact - Computers Crash

The screen fades. As a precautionary, a box appears with four languages. Why the four languages? Who knows…perhaps for the multi-lingual among us or the simple jollies of a demented programmer? This box says you must restart and restart now! Oh…the bliss of computers.

This box has consumed, haunted, and plagued my last few days. But…never fear! I have conquered this box. That is after a complete reinstall of anything and everything. Followed by a complete restore of addresses, documents, emails, songs, and so on. Which all means that I have lost hours upon hours of my life. Wait a second. Perhaps I misspoke. It appears this box has conquered me.

I envision God looking down at us. Our screens fading. Our boxes appearing. We must restart and restart now! At what cost? After all…a day is like a thousand years to God. So, we should be up and running after just a few seconds of time. Sounds easy enough. Right?

But, God strives for the perfect and not the excellent. The excellent is just enough…giving the appearance of the perfect at first glance. Steve Jobs should take some pointers from God. If so, I wouldn’t have spent my weekend with languages I don’t understand. However, the perfect is too costly. Too costly for even the beloved iMac to achieve (sorry fellow Apple lovers).

Praise God! He reinstalled and restored and got us up and running again. He provided a permanent fix. He provided the perfect. At what cost? His life!

With Christmas on the horizon, let’s not forget Immanuel. God with us. The Perfect!

Thus Far

I’ve done the deed and survived. Perhaps I dreamed of pushing and forging through a crowd. Running over some folk with my stroller. Or giving a kind nudge to another car. But, it’s no surprise. I’m a sinner. Regardless, I survived a day of shopping with the family. And…just a couple of weeks before Christmas. Wow (patting self on back)!

So, what was the highlight? Lunch time in the food court (aka…taking one’s life into their own hands). Tables are a hot commodity. Parents having their kids ducking, running, and weaving to claim their domains. Strollers racing down the isles as if it were NASCAR for moms. It would make excellent television.

After fending off the herd, we ended up sharing a table with a women…probably in her 50’s. Ok…back to the Christian Bubble. What to do? Eat and ignore. The standby of Christians for decades. Or, let’s make a new friend. Risky but rewarding.

Well…we learned of careers, grandkids, husbands, and kids. It was fun! More than anything, she learned of God’s provision for our family. What a cool opportunity that may have slipped peacefully into history. As we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help but smile. Seeds were planted. So, what other Christians will water? Clearly, the ones outside of the Christian Bubble.

Thanks Dan. On a lighter side…I have the perfect remedy for the upcoming family events. Watch below. Until next time. Jed.

Breaking Out Of The Christian Bubble

Starting today and the results will be up soon. Stay tuned. Should be fun!

They Like Jesus But Not The Church

I stumbled upon a guy by the name of Dan Kimball the other day. Actually, I bought his curriculum for the college group.

“They Like Jesus But Not The Church”

It’s very interesting and intriguing. The first session talks of a Christian Bubble. Are you in one? What are you doing tonight or how about this weekend? Hanging out with Christian friends? Going to a Christian bookstore? Going to a Christian concert? Going to a Christian program? Going to a church? Listening to Christian music? Talking with Christian friends?

Do you see a theme? Christian! Don’t get me wrong…all good stuff. But, how does the world learn about Christ if the Christians are caught up in bubbles?

Here’s a list of all the sessions and a promo video…I would encourage you to check it out.

 Isn’t the church just organized religion that is politically motivated?
 Is the church homophobic?
 Does it take the entire Bible literally?
 Does the church repress women?
 Is it judgmental and negative?
 Does it arrogantly think all other religions are wrong?