Friday, May 30, 2008
Gettin' on the ebay train
My wife and I got busy today putting items around the house aside to sell on ebay. It's been awhile since I've fiddled around with selling stuff online but we're getting serious about getting out of debt after being a part of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It was an awesome 13 week course that I would highly recommend.
Okay, I'll admit that getting out of debt is not the only motivation to hock the stuff that we didn't put in the last garage sale. But it's also because I am tempted to pile even more debt on so I can get a macbook. My laptop died a year ago and I've been using an old model that someone donated to me but it's having issues getting online. I'm ready to make the jump to just using a laptop (no desktop) and mac just seems to make the most sense. The church is sucking air to pay salaries and keep the lights on (just like just about every church, business and family out there) so it looks like once again I'll be springing for this myself. So...anyone want to buy some stuff?! :)
New technology makes me feel old!
I'm still getting used to all the gizmos and whirly-gigs that can be added to my new blog. I'm fairly tech-savvy, but getting back into blogging after being away for a year or two, I'm seeing how incredibly quick technology changes. I'm feeling very old right now.
I just spent about 45 minutes trying to make sure that people could rss me through feedburner...and I'm not seeing where it made any difference. I'll have to play with it more when I get back from camp.
I leave tomorrow for IMPACT, a discipleship camp for students in Toccoa, GA. It should be a good week. I'm a little nervous being a new diabetes diagnose-ee at the schedule, pace and lack of sleep that happens at this camp. I'll post again as soon as I get back about it.
I just spent about 45 minutes trying to make sure that people could rss me through feedburner...and I'm not seeing where it made any difference. I'll have to play with it more when I get back from camp.
I leave tomorrow for IMPACT, a discipleship camp for students in Toccoa, GA. It should be a good week. I'm a little nervous being a new diabetes diagnose-ee at the schedule, pace and lack of sleep that happens at this camp. I'll post again as soon as I get back about it.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Are you LOST? I am, and love it!
Oh My Gosh! Once again LOST does not disappoint. I just finished watching the season finale and I am blown away by the writing. Just as the path to the story line starts to become more discernible (questions are being answered, things start making sense) and then another turn and you're wondering what just happened. I love a great story - one that can make you run the whole gamut of emotions, and draws you in to the point that the characters are people you know and care about. Great stuff! I can't wait to see where they take it next. If you're not a fan of LOST because you got into it too far in to the story line and nothing made any sense when you watched one episode, do yourself a huge favor. Find a friend who will let you borrow the previous seasons on DVD, lock yourself in a room for several days and CATCH UP! Join the rest of us who are totally addicted and utterly clueless as to what it's really all about. If you are familiar with the show and want more info (theories, behind the scenes, and synopsis of the characters and story line) there are a number of sites and blogs to choose from. One interesting and pretty long blog was "A Complete Theory..." on Dark UFO. There's a ton of theories out there, just part of the fun and part of the LOST experience.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
To Greet or Not to Greet
Tonight as I was leaving the church after a committee meeting, I held the door for a young woman and her daughter entering to attend an awards banquet for a local gymnast team. Outside, a group from my meeting were involved in what looked to be an animated discussion. One of the men was making the point that many schools and organizations were using our facilities but we weren't taking advantage of the opportunity to welcome them into the building and help them feel comfortable. We were basically just providing a meeting space. He recommended having a team of folks to take turns acting as church hosts for the various ceremonies, concerts and plays.
A couple thoughts came to mind.
Honestly, my first thought was that I didn't need yet another reason to stay late at church. As a minister, my family many times gets the short end of the stick because there is always something ministry related that I could spend all my time doing. In fact, I'm trying to get folks in our church away from being tied up with "church stuff" every night of the week. I was looking at maybe an hour with my kids before they had to go to bed (and I also needed to eat dinner and mow the lawn - I know I'm not alone with this kind of scheduling challenge). I'll comment more on this in another post.
But my second thought was that he's right. We can't settle for an "if we build it they will come" mentality. It's certainly true, we get a lot of folks wanting to use the church, but using our building doesn't accomplish what we're ultimately about in and of itself. People might be impressed with a facility, but buildings don't produce life change. God does, and He chooses to do it through people. My friend wasn't suggesting a beat them over the head with a Bible strategy, or a fill their pockets with pamphlets gimmick, rather a human touch that has the potential to rub off a little of the Divine more than any stained glass window or really big room. A friendly greeting and a point in the right direction (to the event or the bathrooms) can leave someone with a different impression of a church that might just bring them back.
A couple thoughts came to mind.
Honestly, my first thought was that I didn't need yet another reason to stay late at church. As a minister, my family many times gets the short end of the stick because there is always something ministry related that I could spend all my time doing. In fact, I'm trying to get folks in our church away from being tied up with "church stuff" every night of the week. I was looking at maybe an hour with my kids before they had to go to bed (and I also needed to eat dinner and mow the lawn - I know I'm not alone with this kind of scheduling challenge). I'll comment more on this in another post.
But my second thought was that he's right. We can't settle for an "if we build it they will come" mentality. It's certainly true, we get a lot of folks wanting to use the church, but using our building doesn't accomplish what we're ultimately about in and of itself. People might be impressed with a facility, but buildings don't produce life change. God does, and He chooses to do it through people. My friend wasn't suggesting a beat them over the head with a Bible strategy, or a fill their pockets with pamphlets gimmick, rather a human touch that has the potential to rub off a little of the Divine more than any stained glass window or really big room. A friendly greeting and a point in the right direction (to the event or the bathrooms) can leave someone with a different impression of a church that might just bring them back.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Jon starts back 2 blogging
I've just decided to get back into blogging and I'm pretty excited about building community and making new online friends. I've been reading some blogs to see what's out there currently and I need to get out there even more. Some bloggers have intimidated me a bit because their thoughts are laid out so well and creatively (Seth Godin's blog is a great one to RSS). I find myself saving so many of his posts because of their great insight and practical advice.
I know that I will get more comfortable with the process the more I use it, but the thing that's pushing me is my love for teaching and encouraging. I hope that this blog will do just that.
I spoke with the rest of the staff about the scope and reach of blogging in ministry last week after staff meeting and will continue to dialog with them until we get something going. I'm reading a great book right now on the subject called "the Blogging Church" by Brian Bailey. I would highly recommend it for churches and ministers looking to broaden their influence in the community and around the world.
I know that I will get more comfortable with the process the more I use it, but the thing that's pushing me is my love for teaching and encouraging. I hope that this blog will do just that.
I spoke with the rest of the staff about the scope and reach of blogging in ministry last week after staff meeting and will continue to dialog with them until we get something going. I'm reading a great book right now on the subject called "the Blogging Church" by Brian Bailey. I would highly recommend it for churches and ministers looking to broaden their influence in the community and around the world.
Monday, May 19, 2008
The normal abnormalcy of ministry
I have brought over some of my previous postings in Xanga - mostly so I could remember some of the experiences and thoughts that I've had in the last couple of years.
Previously Posted on Xanga Saturday, December 03, 2005
So sorry for the absence on my xanga. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I'm glad you guys liked Turkey Lurky. As much as I'd love to claim total originality, I saw a guy do something similar that I used to work for - Lanny Donoho, the most creative guy I've ever met and worked with. He lives in the Atlanta area but it was back in my college days when I had the privilege of helping him with his summer camps down in Panama city beach. I was hoping to do the relax and take it easy thing for a week before Thanksgiving. But that was not to be. It typically takes a couple days just to get into the swing of vacation. I stayed around the house so I could get some house stuff done. I got a little done but not much. I did get to ride my bike some on the Silver comet trail. I'm getting more used to the clip shoes. I rode hard three days in a row and got a bit saddle sore but since then I've ridden some more and I'm getting more and more used to it. It's just so stinking far away of a drive to go to a trail that is safe enough to ride on. After the pastor read his resignation on Sunday I went ahead and went in to the office to be with the rest of the church staff to make sure everything was ok. It was pretty non-eventful, everybody seemed to be fine, so I was going to continue my vacation on Tuesday. That of course wasn't to happen as Kalem called me about 10am to let me know about the wreck that killed Justin Devore Monday night. I went over to the house immediately just to let them know i was praying for them, but there's really not much you can say in such a terrible situation. With the pastor's resignation and all the stress that that brought with it i was pretty paralyzed in knowing how to help in the situation as a minister or as a youth ministry for Jason and his family. It was a long week, but I know it will continue much longer for the Devore family and the Harrison family. Let's keep them in our prayers. Right now I'm just a bit numb. Tired I guess, it's Saturday morning and I've been at the church finishing the clean up on the youth room. Wednesday was ton of fun. We played a game in the HS time that I was a little nervous about, singing Christmas carols but it actually went really well and everyone seemed to have a blast playing it. Middle school, don't be mad that I had to nix the game in your hour, you guys had all the good food. We left a huge mess though, I was in all Friday, my normal day off and Saturday getting it in some semblance of order. I have a trip this afternoon to northeast GA to have a Christmas party with April's side of the family. That ought to be loads of fun. I was supposed to preach tomorrow but they're putting that off for a week or so to protect me from all the craziness that might just happen on Sunday. Hopefully everything will go peacefully. You guys have a great Saturday. I'm giving all of you a virtual hug.
Previously Posted on Xanga Saturday, December 03, 2005
So sorry for the absence on my xanga. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I'm glad you guys liked Turkey Lurky. As much as I'd love to claim total originality, I saw a guy do something similar that I used to work for - Lanny Donoho, the most creative guy I've ever met and worked with. He lives in the Atlanta area but it was back in my college days when I had the privilege of helping him with his summer camps down in Panama city beach. I was hoping to do the relax and take it easy thing for a week before Thanksgiving. But that was not to be. It typically takes a couple days just to get into the swing of vacation. I stayed around the house so I could get some house stuff done. I got a little done but not much. I did get to ride my bike some on the Silver comet trail. I'm getting more used to the clip shoes. I rode hard three days in a row and got a bit saddle sore but since then I've ridden some more and I'm getting more and more used to it. It's just so stinking far away of a drive to go to a trail that is safe enough to ride on. After the pastor read his resignation on Sunday I went ahead and went in to the office to be with the rest of the church staff to make sure everything was ok. It was pretty non-eventful, everybody seemed to be fine, so I was going to continue my vacation on Tuesday. That of course wasn't to happen as Kalem called me about 10am to let me know about the wreck that killed Justin Devore Monday night. I went over to the house immediately just to let them know i was praying for them, but there's really not much you can say in such a terrible situation. With the pastor's resignation and all the stress that that brought with it i was pretty paralyzed in knowing how to help in the situation as a minister or as a youth ministry for Jason and his family. It was a long week, but I know it will continue much longer for the Devore family and the Harrison family. Let's keep them in our prayers. Right now I'm just a bit numb. Tired I guess, it's Saturday morning and I've been at the church finishing the clean up on the youth room. Wednesday was ton of fun. We played a game in the HS time that I was a little nervous about, singing Christmas carols but it actually went really well and everyone seemed to have a blast playing it. Middle school, don't be mad that I had to nix the game in your hour, you guys had all the good food. We left a huge mess though, I was in all Friday, my normal day off and Saturday getting it in some semblance of order. I have a trip this afternoon to northeast GA to have a Christmas party with April's side of the family. That ought to be loads of fun. I was supposed to preach tomorrow but they're putting that off for a week or so to protect me from all the craziness that might just happen on Sunday. Hopefully everything will go peacefully. You guys have a great Saturday. I'm giving all of you a virtual hug.
Letting Go of Offenses
Previously posted on Xanga Thursday, January 12, 2006
Currently Reading: The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense
By John Bevere
For your midrash today (Hebrew devotional thought based on a scripture passage - NOT something that requires Goldbond medicated ointment!) let me tell you something God has been working on me about. Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) says "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." It's pretty easy to get offended by someone. Usually the closer someone is to you the more it hurts. People may offend us by letting us down, or betraying us somehow. It can be real or percieved. We can even be offended by God, thinking that somehow He's let us down, not come through for us. If you look through the Bible on the topic of taking offense you'll see some pretty amazing stuff. There's this cool book I'm reading that makes the point that even if someone offends you somehow, they can't change God's plan for your life. In fact, the only person who can change God's plan for you...is you. How you react to offenses shapes your future. Holding on to offenses make us bitter. It festers in us and we are shut off from God's blessing. We are unable to learn, unable to grow, unable to hear God, and unable to be blessed by God if we are holding on to our offenses. Satan uses offenses to get us totally focused on ourselves - on our own rights. We'll tell anyone who will listen how we've been wronged. Here's the secret - LET IT GO. GET OVER IT. GIVE IT UP TO GOD. Allow God to free you from this "bait of Satan" so you can get on with your life. That's been a message I've had to take to heart in the last couple of months and one I wanted to share with you. I love you guys. Let God work in your hearts, He loves you.
Currently Reading: The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense
By John Bevere
For your midrash today (Hebrew devotional thought based on a scripture passage - NOT something that requires Goldbond medicated ointment!) let me tell you something God has been working on me about. Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) says "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." It's pretty easy to get offended by someone. Usually the closer someone is to you the more it hurts. People may offend us by letting us down, or betraying us somehow. It can be real or percieved. We can even be offended by God, thinking that somehow He's let us down, not come through for us. If you look through the Bible on the topic of taking offense you'll see some pretty amazing stuff. There's this cool book I'm reading that makes the point that even if someone offends you somehow, they can't change God's plan for your life. In fact, the only person who can change God's plan for you...is you. How you react to offenses shapes your future. Holding on to offenses make us bitter. It festers in us and we are shut off from God's blessing. We are unable to learn, unable to grow, unable to hear God, and unable to be blessed by God if we are holding on to our offenses. Satan uses offenses to get us totally focused on ourselves - on our own rights. We'll tell anyone who will listen how we've been wronged. Here's the secret - LET IT GO. GET OVER IT. GIVE IT UP TO GOD. Allow God to free you from this "bait of Satan" so you can get on with your life. That's been a message I've had to take to heart in the last couple of months and one I wanted to share with you. I love you guys. Let God work in your hearts, He loves you.
Cracking the whip on student pages tied to our blog ring
Anyways, I finally at least got my desk cleared off with all the pressing stuff so I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of blogging. Just a note on your blog site folks... If you're on our blogring ~SPUR~ FBCVR youth (no longer active) please keep your site clean. In the music you have on there, to the pictures, to your language. I have a friend who was a youth pastor here in Georgia who just got fired from his church because someone's site was inappropriate and connected to his youth group's blog ring. I have a request, either be mindful of what you put on your site and have it Christ centered, or take yourself off our ring. And as a Christian brother, let me ask you, if you're going to have half naked women on your site or the f-bomb or other inappropriate stuff on there, do us all a favor and take any reference to God, Christ, or church off of your site. It's confusing and sends mixed messages to those who aren't Christians. I know that this seems pretty hard core of me. But it's said in love. Be honest on your site, share your feelings, your frustrations, your struggles, your joys and sorrows, but be aware of the overall message that you're sending out to others. This is not your private journal, anyone can check it out and it is a witness and testimony to your life. I love you guys. You can make a huge difference to those in your sphere of influence.
We are weak but He is strong
(Previously on Xanga Tuesday, February 28, 2006)
This weekend has been a real whirlwind. We had a youth worker retreat and it was awesome. We stayed in a really cool cabin in Gatlinburg and hung out and had fun. We also had some great discussion time too. But I was wiped out on Monday. I slept in and was a zombie at work the next day and went home early so I could just crash. Today I feel a ton better.
Last Wednesday was awesome. It was one of those weeks that I felt exhausted and just wanted to get into the old fetal position and sleep. So I figured it would be a great time to give a talk where God would show up and I couldn't take any of the credit. And man, He showed up. We had 13 students accept Christ that night. The thing I was most excited about was that the talk wasn't some emotionally manipulative time where we talked about kids dying in a bus crash or something like that. It was just a "this is what it means to be a Christian, this is how you do it, any takers?" I'm really proud and excited about those of you who came forward. I hope you've already begun to dig into your Bibles and learn a bit about your new found faith. This Sunday night I'll be preaching in the pm service. So please be praying for me and show up to support. Oh, also I'm getting to baptize Jacob Cavendar. Sweet. Hey, all you other folks need to come forward and join the church so I can dunk you! Peace out and lots of love. My kiddos just ran into my office so all hope of getting anything else done today just flew out the window.
This weekend has been a real whirlwind. We had a youth worker retreat and it was awesome. We stayed in a really cool cabin in Gatlinburg and hung out and had fun. We also had some great discussion time too. But I was wiped out on Monday. I slept in and was a zombie at work the next day and went home early so I could just crash. Today I feel a ton better.
Last Wednesday was awesome. It was one of those weeks that I felt exhausted and just wanted to get into the old fetal position and sleep. So I figured it would be a great time to give a talk where God would show up and I couldn't take any of the credit. And man, He showed up. We had 13 students accept Christ that night. The thing I was most excited about was that the talk wasn't some emotionally manipulative time where we talked about kids dying in a bus crash or something like that. It was just a "this is what it means to be a Christian, this is how you do it, any takers?" I'm really proud and excited about those of you who came forward. I hope you've already begun to dig into your Bibles and learn a bit about your new found faith. This Sunday night I'll be preaching in the pm service. So please be praying for me and show up to support. Oh, also I'm getting to baptize Jacob Cavendar. Sweet. Hey, all you other folks need to come forward and join the church so I can dunk you! Peace out and lots of love. My kiddos just ran into my office so all hope of getting anything else done today just flew out the window.
On Student Leadership University
(Previously posted on Xanga Wednesday, July 05, 2006)
Currently Reading: How to Be Like Walt : Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life By Pat Williams, Jim Denney
Last week we went to SLU 101 (http://www.studentleadership.net/) - absolutely incredible week. I really wish they had this when I was a student. I was worn out half way through the conference there was so much information. We stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Orlando, spent time at Sea World and Universal, had sessions with professionals in their field and got a quantum leap in leadership. It was incredible. I am already putting what I've learned into place, and I can't wait to see how it effects those students who went with us.
This week has been a lot of fun on a personal level too. We've had friends from Texas over at the house. Jimmy and Shannon and the girls. The house is full of noise from 4 adults, 4 teenage girls, 2 little kids, 2 dogs and 4 tvs all making noise at once - and a bunch of fire works, since it's the 4th of July and all. It's crazy but a lot of fun. Jimmy is helping me put together a bathroom in the basement. The dude knows everything about this stuff, and I'm enjoying learning from him, and hanging out with a friend I don't get to see as much as I'd like. It's taken forever getting all the supplies together, but once we had all the shopping taken care of, it's actually coming together pretty quickly. Pretty exciting since I don't get much time to work down there. We've been spending so much time on outside landscaping.
PS 5/19/2008
I can look back at the SLU 101 and later 201 in Washington DC and see the SLU program as one of the key watershed events in getting serious about living intentionally. I would strongly encourage anyone to send their middle school or high school students through this program if they're interested in being a leader in life. They have two slogans that I repeat all the time: 1. "There is time in a young man's life when the boy sits down and the man stands up." (I realized that I was a 36 year old boy in many ways at home and at work.)
and "You will be the same person in five years except for the people you meet, the books that you read, and the places you go."
Currently Reading: How to Be Like Walt : Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life By Pat Williams, Jim Denney
Last week we went to SLU 101 (http://www.studentleadership.net/) - absolutely incredible week. I really wish they had this when I was a student. I was worn out half way through the conference there was so much information. We stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Orlando, spent time at Sea World and Universal, had sessions with professionals in their field and got a quantum leap in leadership. It was incredible. I am already putting what I've learned into place, and I can't wait to see how it effects those students who went with us.
This week has been a lot of fun on a personal level too. We've had friends from Texas over at the house. Jimmy and Shannon and the girls. The house is full of noise from 4 adults, 4 teenage girls, 2 little kids, 2 dogs and 4 tvs all making noise at once - and a bunch of fire works, since it's the 4th of July and all. It's crazy but a lot of fun. Jimmy is helping me put together a bathroom in the basement. The dude knows everything about this stuff, and I'm enjoying learning from him, and hanging out with a friend I don't get to see as much as I'd like. It's taken forever getting all the supplies together, but once we had all the shopping taken care of, it's actually coming together pretty quickly. Pretty exciting since I don't get much time to work down there. We've been spending so much time on outside landscaping.
PS 5/19/2008
I can look back at the SLU 101 and later 201 in Washington DC and see the SLU program as one of the key watershed events in getting serious about living intentionally. I would strongly encourage anyone to send their middle school or high school students through this program if they're interested in being a leader in life. They have two slogans that I repeat all the time: 1. "There is time in a young man's life when the boy sits down and the man stands up." (I realized that I was a 36 year old boy in many ways at home and at work.)
and "You will be the same person in five years except for the people you meet, the books that you read, and the places you go."
Lamenting the Death of the Blog...boy was I wrong
(Previously posted on Xanga Wednesday, January 09, 2008)
I came on my site to cancel the SPUR blogring because I don't use Xanga anymore and I can't police the ring (which is totally necessary on a church youth group ring.) I was going to cancel my xanga site as well but doggonit, if I didn't find myself looking through my old postings. So here's my rant whether anyone ever reads it or not. I know that Xanga has been replaced by Myspace as the king of blog sites (and Myspace has even seen a decline with the more grownup Facebook), but xanga was a true blog site and the others are cheap substitutes. I never went the Myspace route. In my opinion, it's the worst of blogging. Little pics, cutsie sayings and other lame apps present smoke and mirrors of who we want people to think that we are - namely, fun, crazy, on the edge. Blogging in my opinion at it's most pure is the diary (or for us guys - the journal or "log"). It was a great way to lay out my thoughts in a therapeutic way, but also a way to let other folks get a glimpse of my insides. I guess that's a little too scary for folks (either that or people really are as shallow as they now portray themselves on these newer "blog sites"). I enjoyed writing out my thoughts, but also letting students see that I'm just a regular person too. I have frustrations, temptations, aspirations and I'm sure many other "ations." I felt like those in our little online community had a special inside look into each others lives. It was a type of accountability through journalling. I was able to keep up with the needs of my online youth and make virtual visitations. But as time went on, people's sites become more about music and cutsie (or downright trashy) pictures and sayings. If a blogger was feeling especially generous they might write one or two sentences. Well, now I have a Facebook account, and I've been sucked in to some of the lame apps, but I basically use it as a contact for friends from back home, or high school, seminary or past churches. I miss the journalling. Yep. Life is moving too quick when you don't have time to jot down your thoughts (or when a little cartoon substitutes sharing ourselves with folks. And yes I see the irony in getting on to folks for letting technology drift them into laziness and shallowness while I pine for the "old days" of proper internet blogging.
Ok, so here's an update. In my last entry, I was so tired after going to one of our camps. that was about 7 months ago. Since then, I've changed ministry responsibilities at my church. I'm no longer the Minister to Students (a position that I held here for 4 years). Now I am the Minister of Education and Assimilation. Basically I am the team leader for the different aged groups in our church, and Men's and Women's ministries, discipleship, Sunday school, outreach and training. It's actually a pretty broad position but I'm excited about the challenges of ramping up what we're already doing and starting some new stuff as well. I feel like I'm getting some footing finally in this new position now that I have an intern taking over our Wednesday night stuff and he is absolutely fantastic. He loves the kids and learns their names and visits the schools. He also works with First Priority so it's a win win. He has been a real blessing to me and to our church and our students. I'm working now on getting together a Discovery class for Sunday mornings (a new members orientation) and a Dave Ramsey financial study on Sunday nights. I'm also starting SS teacher training on a monthly basis on Sunday nights as well and helping to put together to new church website. It's good stuff and I have more than enough stuff to keep me busy. For those who take the time to read this God bless, much love and have a great day. Jon
Post-script added 5/19/2008
I am so excited to see that what I thought was a thing of the past is still going strong! After listening to Dan Miller's podcast on blogging (http://www.48days.com/) I got so excited and decided to jump back into it again. Viva la blog!!!
I came on my site to cancel the SPUR blogring because I don't use Xanga anymore and I can't police the ring (which is totally necessary on a church youth group ring.) I was going to cancel my xanga site as well but doggonit, if I didn't find myself looking through my old postings. So here's my rant whether anyone ever reads it or not. I know that Xanga has been replaced by Myspace as the king of blog sites (and Myspace has even seen a decline with the more grownup Facebook), but xanga was a true blog site and the others are cheap substitutes. I never went the Myspace route. In my opinion, it's the worst of blogging. Little pics, cutsie sayings and other lame apps present smoke and mirrors of who we want people to think that we are - namely, fun, crazy, on the edge. Blogging in my opinion at it's most pure is the diary (or for us guys - the journal or "log"). It was a great way to lay out my thoughts in a therapeutic way, but also a way to let other folks get a glimpse of my insides. I guess that's a little too scary for folks (either that or people really are as shallow as they now portray themselves on these newer "blog sites"). I enjoyed writing out my thoughts, but also letting students see that I'm just a regular person too. I have frustrations, temptations, aspirations and I'm sure many other "ations." I felt like those in our little online community had a special inside look into each others lives. It was a type of accountability through journalling. I was able to keep up with the needs of my online youth and make virtual visitations. But as time went on, people's sites become more about music and cutsie (or downright trashy) pictures and sayings. If a blogger was feeling especially generous they might write one or two sentences. Well, now I have a Facebook account, and I've been sucked in to some of the lame apps, but I basically use it as a contact for friends from back home, or high school, seminary or past churches. I miss the journalling. Yep. Life is moving too quick when you don't have time to jot down your thoughts (or when a little cartoon substitutes sharing ourselves with folks. And yes I see the irony in getting on to folks for letting technology drift them into laziness and shallowness while I pine for the "old days" of proper internet blogging.
Ok, so here's an update. In my last entry, I was so tired after going to one of our camps. that was about 7 months ago. Since then, I've changed ministry responsibilities at my church. I'm no longer the Minister to Students (a position that I held here for 4 years). Now I am the Minister of Education and Assimilation. Basically I am the team leader for the different aged groups in our church, and Men's and Women's ministries, discipleship, Sunday school, outreach and training. It's actually a pretty broad position but I'm excited about the challenges of ramping up what we're already doing and starting some new stuff as well. I feel like I'm getting some footing finally in this new position now that I have an intern taking over our Wednesday night stuff and he is absolutely fantastic. He loves the kids and learns their names and visits the schools. He also works with First Priority so it's a win win. He has been a real blessing to me and to our church and our students. I'm working now on getting together a Discovery class for Sunday mornings (a new members orientation) and a Dave Ramsey financial study on Sunday nights. I'm also starting SS teacher training on a monthly basis on Sunday nights as well and helping to put together to new church website. It's good stuff and I have more than enough stuff to keep me busy. For those who take the time to read this God bless, much love and have a great day. Jon
Post-script added 5/19/2008
I am so excited to see that what I thought was a thing of the past is still going strong! After listening to Dan Miller's podcast on blogging (http://www.48days.com/) I got so excited and decided to jump back into it again. Viva la blog!!!
On a (new) role
(previously posted on Xanga Tuesday, May 13, 2008)
My last posting was about 5 months ago. I had switched into a new role in my church but hadn't really gotten traction because I was still doing the youth thing. But at the end of December, David Parrish came on board as my intern and he has done a great job with the student ministry, and he has freed me up to focus on what I really love doing - training and coming up with strategies to bring people to the next level from where ever they are. It has been a wonderful 5 months (other than it being another 5 months of being denied my Achilles heel - the one thing that I covet and lust after - a Macbook Pro). I'll spin off on this topic for just a moment because it's such a frustration. If you're not a big fan of whining just skip the next paragraph.
Yeh, ok, so I'm not a big fan of whining either. So I wrote the paragraph, vented and erased it.
There we go.
So back to business, in the last 5 months we've been able to accomplish several things through my new position and I'm pretty stoked about it.
We now have SS teacher training meetings where teachers share what's working for them and bring up issues that need handling. We have also started a resource accountability program where the teachers are reading books, listening to CDs and podcasts or going to Associational/state training and getting credit for it. There's a new excitement among our teachers who are running with this.
We have also started discipleship at the church. Our first discipleship group was Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We had 120 register to take the class and the group reduced their debt by $162,000 and saved about $35,000 in the 12 week period that we took the class. We'll be offering this again each year and starting up more discipleship groups in the fall.
We began a Discovery class that meets for four weeks and takes place during the Sunday school hour. It is for new members and interested guests. We've had two sessions so far and had about 30 people go through the course. We've had 7 folks join the church through the program and great feedback from all who have taken the class. It's probably one of my favorite things that I do. I enjoy meeting new folks in our congregation and helping them understand what it means to be a Christian, Southern Baptist, and member of our church and Sunday school.
We've finally gotten the website revamped and it has a ton of great apps and interactive ministry helps. Check it out when you have time. http://www.fbcvr.com/
That's certainly enough info for one entry. Next entry...fun with diabetes.
My last posting was about 5 months ago. I had switched into a new role in my church but hadn't really gotten traction because I was still doing the youth thing. But at the end of December, David Parrish came on board as my intern and he has done a great job with the student ministry, and he has freed me up to focus on what I really love doing - training and coming up with strategies to bring people to the next level from where ever they are. It has been a wonderful 5 months (other than it being another 5 months of being denied my Achilles heel - the one thing that I covet and lust after - a Macbook Pro). I'll spin off on this topic for just a moment because it's such a frustration. If you're not a big fan of whining just skip the next paragraph.
Yeh, ok, so I'm not a big fan of whining either. So I wrote the paragraph, vented and erased it.
There we go.
So back to business, in the last 5 months we've been able to accomplish several things through my new position and I'm pretty stoked about it.
We now have SS teacher training meetings where teachers share what's working for them and bring up issues that need handling. We have also started a resource accountability program where the teachers are reading books, listening to CDs and podcasts or going to Associational/state training and getting credit for it. There's a new excitement among our teachers who are running with this.
We have also started discipleship at the church. Our first discipleship group was Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We had 120 register to take the class and the group reduced their debt by $162,000 and saved about $35,000 in the 12 week period that we took the class. We'll be offering this again each year and starting up more discipleship groups in the fall.
We began a Discovery class that meets for four weeks and takes place during the Sunday school hour. It is for new members and interested guests. We've had two sessions so far and had about 30 people go through the course. We've had 7 folks join the church through the program and great feedback from all who have taken the class. It's probably one of my favorite things that I do. I enjoy meeting new folks in our congregation and helping them understand what it means to be a Christian, Southern Baptist, and member of our church and Sunday school.
We've finally gotten the website revamped and it has a ton of great apps and interactive ministry helps. Check it out when you have time. http://www.fbcvr.com/
That's certainly enough info for one entry. Next entry...fun with diabetes.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
I'm beginning this new blog site after being away from the blogging world for a couple of years. After listening to Dan Miller (48 Days to the Job You Love, No More Mondays) I decided it was crucial to get back into writing down my thoughts and ideas, for my benefit and possibly others' as well. I'll be putting some of my old logs onto this page (from xanga) and regularly posting new thoughts as well. I look forward to getting back into this. More to follow.
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