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.