I took the day off today. Recently, I have been feeling guilty about not spending a lot of quality time (I really hate that phrase) with my son. So today we spent a lot of time together.
I got a new radio installed in the Jetta. This was my Christmas present from Michelle. The new radio allows me to plug my ipod into it, and the radio controls it. The sound is awesome. My boy loved checking out all the radios, speakers, amplifiers, and DVD players. During the installation, we headed over to Panera Bread to get a cup of coffee and some hot chocolate; just us guys.
Afterward, we went to the paintball store to pick up some ammo. Again, seeing guns, ammo, body armor, etc. from a 7 year old's perspective is amazing. "Dad! look at this one! Dad! check this out!"
On the way home, we stopped and picked up Michelle's Christmas present. He was so exicted when he found the Christmas bag with the alarm on it: "STOP! you are trying to peek into this bag! STOP!" How funny is that? Michelle is not as amused.
Later on, we went to the gym, and I taught my son how to play racket ball. So much fun!
Now, we are sitting at the table, catching up on our homework.
It amazes me how calm and "chilled out" my son gets after a good day of "boy stuff". Its days like this that continually remind me that this was how God designed it: boys, hanging out with their dads on a daily basis. You can see it in his personality when we get too busy, and he and I don't get some one on one time. He gets a little cranky, and starts pushing the rules that he already knows are there.
But this is so hard to do, especially when you work the way that I do, which puts you across the world periodically. Making time for them(kids) is the most important thing we can do as parents. I know its hard, because sometimes we just need a break. But we need to. We need to wrestle. We need to play racket ball. We need to make destroyer ships out of legos and break them apart. We need to just watch Animal Planet and chill sometimes.
Today, was a great reminder of that, and I am very thankful for it.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
* Overwhelmed
The things in the back of my mind seem to be pushing forward and disturbing my front burner thoughts - quite annoying. These are the items that are trying to cycle up...
- I still have not bought my brother-in-laws present. Unlike not knowing what I want to get, a completely separate annoyance, I know what I want, but do not yet have it in my possession. We went by the store again today, closed. The last time we went by, closed. They have weird hours and tend to close when they want. My son said they must know when I am coming because they are never closed when Judah wants to go by!
- I have not wrapped ANY gifts!
- I have not addressed any Christmas cards. They have been ready for over a week and I have done nothing more than write the list. I am thinking of cheating this year and just sending them as is, but someone has a voice in the back of my head that tells me how much hand written sentiments are appreciated and I feel compelled to write on them PERSONALLY. (To the voice in my head - you know who you are!!!!)
- I have not taken any continuing education classes this year. My license is up next spring and I need to get my ethics and jurisprudence credits this time. They have some fairly straightforward online courses that would only take me a few hours - but who has a few hours without interruption??
- The dishes need to be done.
- The laundry needs to be folded.
- Should I cook dinner before I take my son to Karate and then reheat quickly after or should I wait to cook until after, which makes us eat rather late?
- My daughter has clearly outgrown her Hello Kitty jeans but keeps finding them in the laundry before I can get them out of site completely...how can I distract her, get them washed and stored without her knowledge?
These are the back burner thoughts for today. :)
Monday, December 8, 2008
"Pagan Christianity"
"Pagan Christianity", by Frank Viola and George Barna has to be one of the best historical accounts of the church that I have read in quite some time. In general, it tries to answer the question, "have you eve wondered why we do what we do in church?" If you have ever asked yourself that question, this is the book for you. You can also check out the website here.
Topics covered are: The Church Building, Order of Worship, Sermons, Pastors, Music, Baptism, Tithing, Christian education, and others. In each topic, the authors give an exhaustive account of the origination, as well as, historical progression to the present day.
My main issue is that the book seems to take on a "holier than thou" approach. Even though the authors are quick to point out that the vast majority of Christians are good, God fearing, compassionate individuals, they still tend to make it feel like if you are not doing it their way (i.e. home church), there is something wrong with you. It should be noted that the authors do differentiate between small groups that meet in homes versus actual home churches. Again, this is an excellent reference book for the history of the church.
Gospel According to Judah....
I am very cautiously of the opinion that a larger body of believers is able to do more good than a much smaller group. Obviously home churches have an advantage in that they do not have to pull from their tithing (sorry giving) to pay a mortgage, pastor, light bill, etc. However, it has been shown historically that getting a vast number together, with a common focus, can have a huge impact on an objective. To me, this is where the current corporate worship settings have a huge advantage. I believe why our congregations' effectiveness are going down hill is mainly due to no accountability with the flock (besides other reasons obviously). Churches allow too much of the pew sitting type to flourish in a congregation. Our focus should be on moving people from "just get them in the door" (evangelism), to "get them involved" (ministry), and finally to "showing others Jesus" (discipleship). Unfortunately, this takes a little bit more accountability than I believe most are willing to answer to.
Problem is, the corporate worship of today is also suffering from an overload of ministries. Churches should cut back on the number of programs and just accept the fact that most of them are not beneficial for their particular congregation. This is very difficult for most to do. Imagine telling an overseas missionary that you are no longer supporting them, so as to allocate resources? Or telling a soup kitchen that since no one has signed up consistently over the last 6 months to volunteer, we will no longer be providing volunteers officially? Stopping a ministry is hard, but no congregation can do all ministries. Churches should take an accurate assessment of what types of ministries the congregation is interested in, as well as, understand the needs of their local community. Volunteer ministries work best when the people that are leading them are passionate about them. This assessment should be done regularly, to see if needs and/or desires have changed.
I think what amazes me is seeing first hand how "different" (new) ministries show their effectiveness, but can not get the proper funding because "their is no room in the budget for it." Other ministries that have been "grandfathered in" tend to get the money, even though they may or may NOT be effective. Again, churches should be regularly assessing their congregation and community, thus adjusting their ministries to fit the needs that are out there. To me, this is a very important purpose of corporate church.
The reality is, a combination of corporate worship where members are expected to be involved, and the use of small groups is an excellent balance. Congregations tend to get the best of both worlds. Churches can distribute money that supports local benevolance, local evangelism, overseas missions, etc. I don't believe anyone can argue the benefits of a corporate worship setting done right. Small groups allow for better spiritual growth forChristians, and an environment that is more favorable for people that Christians are trying to reach out to (non-believers). It is a proven fact that small groups have benefits for both, Christians and non-Christians.
Its blatantly obvious that doing the same thing over and over when it comes to church just isn't bringing non-believers to Christ like it used to. Christians should be looking at new ways to spread God's word, live like Jesus, and worship God in ways that do not go against biblical foundations (Jesus is the son of God, and He died for everyone). We can not be afraid to change.
Topics covered are: The Church Building, Order of Worship, Sermons, Pastors, Music, Baptism, Tithing, Christian education, and others. In each topic, the authors give an exhaustive account of the origination, as well as, historical progression to the present day.
My main issue is that the book seems to take on a "holier than thou" approach. Even though the authors are quick to point out that the vast majority of Christians are good, God fearing, compassionate individuals, they still tend to make it feel like if you are not doing it their way (i.e. home church), there is something wrong with you. It should be noted that the authors do differentiate between small groups that meet in homes versus actual home churches. Again, this is an excellent reference book for the history of the church.
Gospel According to Judah....
I am very cautiously of the opinion that a larger body of believers is able to do more good than a much smaller group. Obviously home churches have an advantage in that they do not have to pull from their tithing (sorry giving) to pay a mortgage, pastor, light bill, etc. However, it has been shown historically that getting a vast number together, with a common focus, can have a huge impact on an objective. To me, this is where the current corporate worship settings have a huge advantage. I believe why our congregations' effectiveness are going down hill is mainly due to no accountability with the flock (besides other reasons obviously). Churches allow too much of the pew sitting type to flourish in a congregation. Our focus should be on moving people from "just get them in the door" (evangelism), to "get them involved" (ministry), and finally to "showing others Jesus" (discipleship). Unfortunately, this takes a little bit more accountability than I believe most are willing to answer to.
Problem is, the corporate worship of today is also suffering from an overload of ministries. Churches should cut back on the number of programs and just accept the fact that most of them are not beneficial for their particular congregation. This is very difficult for most to do. Imagine telling an overseas missionary that you are no longer supporting them, so as to allocate resources? Or telling a soup kitchen that since no one has signed up consistently over the last 6 months to volunteer, we will no longer be providing volunteers officially? Stopping a ministry is hard, but no congregation can do all ministries. Churches should take an accurate assessment of what types of ministries the congregation is interested in, as well as, understand the needs of their local community. Volunteer ministries work best when the people that are leading them are passionate about them. This assessment should be done regularly, to see if needs and/or desires have changed.
I think what amazes me is seeing first hand how "different" (new) ministries show their effectiveness, but can not get the proper funding because "their is no room in the budget for it." Other ministries that have been "grandfathered in" tend to get the money, even though they may or may NOT be effective. Again, churches should be regularly assessing their congregation and community, thus adjusting their ministries to fit the needs that are out there. To me, this is a very important purpose of corporate church.
The reality is, a combination of corporate worship where members are expected to be involved, and the use of small groups is an excellent balance. Congregations tend to get the best of both worlds. Churches can distribute money that supports local benevolance, local evangelism, overseas missions, etc. I don't believe anyone can argue the benefits of a corporate worship setting done right. Small groups allow for better spiritual growth forChristians, and an environment that is more favorable for people that Christians are trying to reach out to (non-believers). It is a proven fact that small groups have benefits for both, Christians and non-Christians.
Its blatantly obvious that doing the same thing over and over when it comes to church just isn't bringing non-believers to Christ like it used to. Christians should be looking at new ways to spread God's word, live like Jesus, and worship God in ways that do not go against biblical foundations (Jesus is the son of God, and He died for everyone). We can not be afraid to change.
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