This is just a heads up:
Don't mess with me. Like i did with Trent Green, if anyone puts a chop block on me at church, you'll pay. As you laying writhing in pain in the aisle (or unconscious), I'll stand over you and pretend like I'm shooting you with an imaginary machine gun.
I started the first season of 24 this week...can't stop watching the intensity!
Do you ever feel like there are two sets of rules? I hate it when bad things happen to people. So, don't misunderstand me. The bottom line is that inequity sucks. Read more about Paris' Shawshank Redemption (minus the sewer crawl).
I received a Naval ROTC scholarship to the University of Miami in 1992. I had planned to go to Lee for one year and then transfer back to Miami. I never did. I was 15 or 16 during the first Gulf War. Had I been 18, I would have probably enlisted. While in Seminary, I flirted with the idea of Military Chaplaincy. I have a lot of very close friends I went to school with serving in combat and in chaplaincy. I guess God had another plan for me. Today, I have nothing but huge respect for our military.
Memorial Day and thinking about how my grandfather served...enlisting about 5 months before Pearl Harbor humbles me. So many people have paved the way for us to be free. I guess the war in Iraq isn't the most popular thing to support. I think it is so hypocritical of some of our leaders to have supported it when it was beneficial for them to do so. But, now that we are in the thick of it, they bail somehow explaining that they never supported it in the first place. Politicians are pretty lame like that.
Anyway, I got this picture from one of my college roommates who is a Captain in the US Army today and I just had to say thanks to our troops publicly. The story behind this picture? This is a 1-504 PIR "Red Devil" paratrooper from Sean Lambert's battalion. A car bomb had just gone off and this guy maintains his cool, rifle ready, and is able to provide cover for a kid hoping to escape the violence.
Sean is Charles Lambert's son. Charles or Carlos as we call him is the missions Representative for south and Central America. He's an all around decent guy. Life Pointe built a couple churches in Nicaragua through him. Sean was right behind me in College. He married my bud, Erik Kemerling's sister Carrie. They are a special couple, serving a great country. I just wanted to pause a moment and say thanks to teh brave men I am privileged to know.
I had a long conversation on Sunday with one of our guys about how I thought the most important right we have as Americans is Free Speech. That right manifests itself in so many other areas of the U.S. Consitution to the point that if it was taken away, all of our rights would crumble.
My heart hurts for people in the world who do not experience the same freedoms as we do in America and in other free societies. This weekend was another tough one on the people in Venezuala. Hugo Chavez is a charismatic socialist. With a smile, colorful words, and a heavy hand, he is rapidly pulling all of the national resources into government ownership. This week, it was the largest television station.
People are protesting. The government is cracking down on dissident voices. Their freedom and way of life is being taken away quickly. I pray for Venezuela. I also pray for individuals that have and are going through this sort of hellish takeover on a more personal level. In Christ there is freedom. He came to set at liberty those that are held captive. He does it right also...no partial freedom or liberty is granted. John 8:36 says, "if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free."
If you are going to be supportive of abortion, have the guts to say you see no problem with terminating the life of an unborn child. Say that you believe that life begins at birth and not conception. Say that the baby/fetus is not yet human. But, you can't have it both ways and be personally against an atrocity yet stand by while others participate in it. Where is the intellectual and moral honesty in that?
Apparently, the Virginia Tech shooter has been identified as Cho Seung Hui. It is difficult to grasp how something like this could happen.
My mind races back to the Ellis Hall fire on the Lee University campus in 1993. I lived in that dorm in 1992 and moved out my sophomore year. At 2 AM one fall morning, Keith Sherlin and Tracy Teague (non-students) doused the first floor with gasoline and lit the dorm on fire as my friends slept. I'll never forget seeing some of my best friends in the world running down the ped mall, black from the smoke wearing only what they went to bed in. It was a huge tragedy with many students severaly burned and injured.
I may live in Miami and bee an alumnus of another school but, today I'm a Hokie. It feels so much like 9/11. I was a New Yorker then. My heart goes out and my prayers are going up for the VTech community.
technorati: cho seung hui - virginia tech - shooting - cho seung-hui
I used to have a long list of religious and political intersections. The list has become significantly shorter. Some things on my list would put me at odds with people in my own church. That's one reason I love our church. We come from all over the map (in every way possible). It doesn't matter because we focus on our common ground faith essentials and make allowances for one another in our non-essential fringe opinions. I truly believe diversity is beautiful. I am not going to isolate some incredible people or be isolated because we don't see eye-to-eye on every opinion.
Today, my list of religious and political intersections is very simple- freedom of speech. Without free speech, you cannot oppose injustice, stand for the defenseless, or speak truth without fear of reprisal. Slowly, I see free speech eroding. I'm thinking about it today in the wake of the Don Imus' firing. The guy is a bozo. But, I defend his right to say stupid stuff. I'll say the same thing for Rosie, Jerry Springer, Al Sharpton, Pat Robertson, an even me. God knows I've intentionally and unintentionally said some things in my life I wish I could "unsay."
I see free speech already unfairly infringing on faith. For instance, in Miami-Dade county an Elks Lodge, Weight Watchers, or boy scouts troop can build and own a facility in a small square of land. But, a church cannot be built on any less than 10 acres. This makes it almost impossible for many churches to build and own their own property.
Did you also know that Curves, dentist offices, and Subways can rent a storefront? But, it is almost impossible for a church to do so. I am not a big fan of doing church in a storefront. But, for some, this is how they facilitate worship gatherings. I find those restrictions to be an unfair double-standard...an infringement on free speech.
So, as I reset my expectations for my religious and political intersections, I will still have other heart cries for America: defense of the unborn and less government regulation. But, none so important as free speech. Without it, no other issue can be spoken of. I am left to wonder how far down the road of limiting free speech will we be willing to go?
tagged - Karl Rove - GWB - George Bush - Rap
I am sad that Anna Nicole is dead. But, the event is over. Get over it already and move on to the next non-news item. It is like the news story was a home run and now the batter just won't stop rounding the bases!
During the conference today I caught a blurb on Drudge about Jesus, Mary (his wife LOL), and their son!? I come back to the cabin and it is dominating the news. Response? If Jesus was married, had a kid and was buried and died, I quit Christianity.
Keep an eye on the story to find out what I'll be doing with the rest of my life. I can give you the spoiler though. It's a joke. Baseless and comical. But, CNN and the rest of the gang will trot out these guys for a couple days to promote their book/movie. Unfortunately, there will also be some hyped up, insecure Christians running around hyperventilating. Pass the popcorn, please.
Related articles:
A couple years ago, I made a decision not to push politics at all from the pulpit. That can be difficult for me personally at times. I'm a news junkie. I follow political news as much as anything. I have very formed political opinions. Some of them are formed from a Christian worldview. Those are my non-negotiables when choosing a candidate for whom to vote. Others are formed from my personal pragmatism. Those are my negotiables.
Ultimately, I believe that as our hearts are transformed by Christ, He will lead us in choosing who our leaders should be. We will filter our decisions through the values of Christ prioritizing our choices based on His stated values.
Non-negotiables for me include:
We rent space out in our church to other congregations because of the level of difficulty it is to secure meeting space and receive favorable zoning for churches wishing to buy land and build. I have several friends that pastor in Miami whose ministries are being run out of properties they own because they do not meet the 2.5 acre requirement for church zoning. Yet, you can find multitudes of groups that are free to assemble on small properties without excessive governmental interference. Such groups would be theaters, schools, daycares, elks lodges, veterans groups, restaurants, health spas, political groups, etc...
Free speech is a foundational right expected by every American. It is necessary for the Church to function similarly to how it presently does in America. Without free speech, other issues are unable to be advocated on an equal level with others. Still, I know that without free speech, the Church can continue to expand. When communist China kicked out the missionaries, killed national church leaders, and outlawed religion not sanctioned the State, the Church in China grew at a pace never seen before. It did this in the face of intense persecution.
My second non-negotiable is the sanctity of human life. Millions of babies are aborted annually. The government fights against genocide overseas. Yet, we endorse the practice of infanticide here in our hospitals. This is a big issue in America brought upon us by a group of unaccountable Supreme Court Justices. I will vote for a pro-life candidate every time when given the option. There may be nuances in our positions on the sancitity of life. But, I think Christians should find unity on this position.
When it comes to the negotiables: Capitalism, welfare, environmentalism, taxes, wars, citizenship, etc..., I think that as believers, we should make room for one another's preferences, interpretations, likes, and dislikes. The community of God is not about the advancement of political agendas and controlling government. It is about being that hands and feet of Jesus Christ in our communities and around the world.
Thinking over the Ted Haggard story and integrity issues for pastors and leaders, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to guard yourself and your relationship with Christ from sin. In response to the story, Mark Driscoll gave incredibly straight-forward advice to pastors and churches. It is excellent advice for maintaining integrity and avoiding inappropriate situations...definitely worth the read.
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Galatians 6:1-2
With a bit of a heavy heart, I've followed the news about Ted Haggard. I first was introduced to Ted Haggard when he spoke at a Lee University Chapel service in the early 90's. He was refreshing, well spoken, and challenging (as you can hear in his latest message). It was stories like his that helped motivate me to be a church planter.
In the 80's he started New Life Church - Colorado Springs in his basement. From there, New Life grew to a church of 14,000 members. Until yesterday, he was the head of the National Association of Evangelicals, the most prominent protestant organization. Today, there is no doubt that he is hurting, his family broken, and his church confused.
Ted is a national figure. He speaks to the President weekly. He is a leader. But, more importantly, he is a man who failed, sinned, and is in need of grace. This is a very public ordeal. There is no doubt in my mind that this will have negative ramifications for the Church in general. All that aside, God's grace is sufficient for Ted Haggard. I will be praying for him, his family, New Life Church, and the cause of Christ here in America.
Today may be a rough day for Ted. But, it may also be a day of great grace and freedom from hidden bondage that God may now be able to renew in Ted's life. I am sad. But, I am also hopeful that the true message of Jesus Christ may have a renewed opportunity in someone's life.
When I was in college, we would burn the midnight oil playing Sid Meir's "Civilization." In retrospect, it looks like I would take the Starbucks' strategy for world domination. I would begin by founding as many medium sized cities as possible defended by basic defensive units as opposed to building a limited number of world class cities. If I could fend off attacks by more advanced nations early on, I would surpass the strength of all combined peoples as these small cities had population expansion, developed technoligically, and had massive amounts of trade.
It already seems like Starbucks is everywhere. But as Allison Linn shares, Chairman Howard Schultz says, "This is still the opening act for Starbucks." Their goal? 40,000 stores. He believes that Starbucks has greatly underestimated the worldwide demand for its coffees, teas, CDs, coffee mugs, and other stuff. Bottom line? Don't just expect Starbucks to open in new markets, expect total saturation of existing markets, more inroads into non-core business, and even greater brand awareness as if that is even conceivable. You can also expect that I will probably re-purchase one of my favorite old games.
tagged: starbucks - Civilization - Howard Schultz
Web 2.0. Whether you are familiar with the term or not, you are familiar with the concept. You've uploaded and viewed vids at YouTube, pics at Flickr, interacted via MySpace, tagged at Technorati (or at least had your searches optimized as a result).
Church 2.0. You should be familiar with this concept as well. It is one of the highest callings of the church. Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door at Wittenberg over these Reformation concepts. Church 2.0 is about total interactivity, community, and sharing. It is vertical, horizontal, and immediate. We've setup a blog for the Church 2.0 series we will be starting November 11th. Check it out. As you do, take a moment to share with the whole world your story of transformation. It is unrestricted. So, share on. Share your story. Share your pictures. Feel free to "add a friend." Live. Interact. Lets do this series together long before we actually officially start in November.
tagged: web 2.0 - "church 2.0"
You know that culture is experiencing a major shift when your 3 year old says, "Dad, is that a commercial?" Kourtney simply does not know life without TiVo.
Listen to Marty's interview with National Public Radio. Apparently, the Today Show will be at his church, Steven's Creek on Sunday morning. Marty handled himself very well and made a great presentation not only for Secure Give but also for Christ.
related post: Marty Baker's Giving Kiosk
tagged: npr - secure give - marty baker - Today Show - giving kiosk
This cool cat, Marty "Big Time" Baker has gone Hollywood with a story on his giving kiosks. CBS, NBC, NPR, and the LA Times have picked up on his SecureGive gig. Great article. Great Story. The marketing of this Church technology doesn't suck! I'm sure Brad Abare would be proud.
tagged: marketing - technology - marty baker - Church Marketing Sucks - NPR - LA Times - Secure Give
Pope Benedict XVI makes a
comment regarding the violent nature of Islam. Radical Muslim clerics respond by
denouncing his comments as untrue and then calling for his death. Then, as if it could not get any weirder, on the heals of the assasination of a 70 year old nun in Somalia, the
Pope expressed:
"profound respect for the great religions, particularly for Muslims, who worship the one God and with whom we are committed to defending and promoting together social justice, moral values, peace and freedom for all humanity."
Is this the same pope that makes absolute statements regarding birth control? Yet, he appears to be saying that Allah who calls Muslim children to die for Mohammed is the same God as our Heavenly Father who sent His Son to die for us? Am I reading this right?
pope - islam - christianity - allah - jesus christ - benedict - mohammed
I'm a pretty big Reality TV fan. Contender and the Ultimate Fighter are by far my favorites. Survivor is next on the list. For the past 6 years, we have had Survivor Night in our home. Friends and Family come over and we watch and hang out.
Well, CBS just announced that Surivivor 13- Cook Islands will be dividing the contestants into four racially divided teams (asians, blacks, whites, latinos). The Bullwinkle Blog quoted Rush Limbaugh as saying, he "was amazed that CBS would use this format. knowing full well that at the end of the show, one and only one, is going to be declared “ the best”, “the winner”. The other three will be losers…… all identified by their race."
Rachel S. of Alas, a Blog says, "I know this is largely a publicity stunt for the show, and my main
problem is that the publicity surrounding the show may inadvertantly
promote the idea that people are more strongly divided by race than
they really are."
So, is this the "Jim Crow, Back of the Bus Survivor" or an ingenious idea on the part of CBS to boost sagging ratings of a formerly cool show? Your thoughts?
Technorati Tags: Survivor 13 - CBS - Rush Limbaugh - Jeff Probst - Reality TV
José Luis De Jesus Miranda. He's Puerto Rican. He's 59. He pastors and leads a "global ministry" with world headquarters in a Miami warehouse. He runs a massage parlor and a Brazilian restaurant at Dolphin Mall. His ministry boasts a 24 hour spanish language satelitte channel, 300 congregations, and 32 education centers. And, he also happens to be God. What?!!?!?
The people following this dude must be smoking crack. This Jesus Christ wannabe has cast aside his white horse in favor of an armored 7 series BMW. Rather than chilling with his twelve disciple, Miami Herald says, he is surrounded by bullet-proof vest wearing bouncers.
Apparently, his revelation that he is Jesus Cristo did not happen all at once. In 1988, he claimed to be the reincarnated Apostle Paul. In the 90's, he announced that he was the "Other," some kind of super-spiritual being. And, for the past several years, he has announced himself as God. Miranda says he does "not need to go into a prayer room to pray," afterall he says, "who am I going to pray to?"
The people that answer the phones at Creciendo en Gracia seem nice and well meaning as they will repeat the standard cultish mantras regarding the deity of Miranda. According to the Miami New Times article, his people "pump their fists in the air and chant, "Dad-dy, Dad-dy" as De Jesus ambles onto the stage."
So, what are the benefits of following this Puerto Rican Jesus?! Sin is abolished. You are free to live however you like. I guess that's an atractive religous dogma to espouse. I could write and laugh (have already done plenty of laughing) all day. But, I'll spare you all. I just had to share a little bit of lunacy from my part of the world. Now, hopefully, I won't attract any protests by their goon squads that have recently been deployed to disrupt church gatherings in the area.
Technorati Tags: Miranda - Cults - Creciendo en Gracia - Growing in Grace - Miami Herald - Miami New Times
Related aricle:
Why Apostle Jose Luis De Jesús Miranda can't be Jesus Christ
Miami: Meet the Brown Jesus
Starbucks is incredible. They have remarkable environments, excellent service, and exceptional product. But, they've hit a snag with their frozen drinks. The time to blend a frozen drink during peak hours slows down their lines, reduces product sold, and increases customer frustration. Frozen products are great. But, I need to get in and out quickly when I'm in a rush.
Starbucks will fix this problem. They will add baristas or make the frozen drinks more efficient. The church has some lessons to learn regarding "process drag." We have engaged in so many non-essentials that our core functions get marginalized, weakened, or cluttered out by the extra-curricular noise. Extra Bold coffee is not our main business. But, we do have a challenge facing the customized, blinged out, American church. Our challenge or our main business is to keep the main business the main business!
Related links:
Starbucks Gossip Starbucks Union Aggregator Starbucks Goes to the Kids
This is my college roommate, Jamison. He's come a long way. I guess he's always been a brilliant guy. But, I would now call him inspirational. In two weeks, he will begin his eigth year as a missionary in the Middle East. He has been incredibly faithful and has had great success. While in the Middle East, he met and married a really sweet girl, Kelly. They now have two handsome children with a third on the way.
When he was 19, he was almost killed in an arson on the campus of Lee University. That was really a turning point in his life. Yesterday morning, we both spoke at Life Pointe. Last night, Jamison spoke at Dwight Allen's church in Cooper City. I am very excited for what God is doing in his life and invite you to pray for them daily with me.
Yes. This guy represents Boca! Thanks, Bob.
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