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My Second Grader's Telling of the Christmas Story

Before school let out for Christmas break my son Rhett's 2nd grade teacher asked each student in class what they thought Christmas is about.  Here is the response that he typed out.

The actual project he turned in is below and I have retyped verbatim what he wrote out.

The most important thing about Christmas is Jesus' Birthday and Jesus' being born its also about the wise men and Jesus' Mom and dad.. They had to sleep in a barn well Jesus was born.  When Jesus was born he had to sleep in some hay in the barn.  It smelld bad there was donkys and shee and maybe a cow.  Three wise men followed a star that took them to the new born king and the new born king is Jesus!  When the wise men go there they gave Jesus some stuff and that's what Christmas is all a bout.

By Rhett

"My Top 5 Movies of 2010" (God at the Movies 8 candidates?)

God at the Movies has been a series our church has done for 7 years running.  It has proven to be a series that stirs up great conversation and presents an incredible opportunity to bring spiritually seeking friends.  Now whether we present an 8th installment of this series this summer has yet to be decided.  However, as it is the beginning of the year and many are making lists of what their favorites and best of's the past year. 

Here are my top five movies of 2010 all of which, in my opinion, would be great candidates for God at the Movies 8 should we decide to do it.

1. The Social Network (for those of you missed it in theates, it comes out on Blu-Ray and DVD on January 11.  Aaron Sorkin proves again what an incredible writer he is.)
2. Inception (This is really more like 1b and a film you will need to see more than once)
3. Toy Story 3  (The best of the three. Whereas sequels never deliver like original, this one does!)
4. True Grit (Go see it now.  Who doesn't think Hailee Steinfield playing Mattie Ross gives a stellar performance!)
5. How to Train Your Dragon ( Very poignant learning moments for me as a parent and leader)

I hope you will be prodded to go and see some of these films. 

What were your favorites from last year?

Do any of these make your list?

Dog Days Are Over -- The Importance of Having a Solid Bridge Element

After our four Christmas Services (Dec. 23 & 24) I commented to our lead pastor Ed Noble that the crowd seemed much more engaged than usual and hence he seemed a lot more comfortable from the outset of his message. Now the reason I am bringing this up is because on a high outreach weekend like Christmas or Easter the ratio of regulars to guests are much different than a regular weekend -- meaning there are a lot more guests.  As a result it takes a little longer for the crowd to become comfortable with who you are as a communicator.  It also effects what you say and how you say it.  Nuances that are normal for the regular attendees seem to go over the guests head and it is often met with a deafening silence.

Yet on this occassion this was not the case.  The primary reason I believe, and I know there were other subtle variables played a part, was the song that preceeded the message.  What I observed deepened my conviction of how important it is to have a meaningful, solid bridge element in our servivces to communicate to our spiritually seeking guests that we understand the world they live in; and that here is something that you may have already have connection to that we want to help draw spiritual meaning from.

The music team performed a cover of English Indie Rock artist Florence and the Machine's  Dog Days Are Over.  This song not only served the theme and content of the message, but it is a song that is current and was recently performed during the hit tv show Glee.  The lead on the song Minnie King nailed it. After the service when I played the song for my wife by Florence and the Machine she thought it was Minnie.  In additon it was the type of song that brought lot of energy that I believe really looseed people up. I think we forget what it is like to attend church as a guest. Many guest sit with folded or crossed arms as a indirect way of putting their guards up.  Yet with this song it could not help but relax them.

"Why?" The Greatest Question

A quick thought ...

Last night while flipping through the channels I landed on watching a few minutes of Larry King's final show of Larry King Live. A show that started on CNN in 1985, that he was now calling it quits after 25 years.  The segment I caught had Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast member Fred Armisen playing Larry King interviewing Larry King.

It was fun exchange of questions and one that was posed to the real Larry King that really piqued my interest was,  "What is the greatest question?" 

To which King replied "Why?"  He explained that asking this question (Why?) does two things: 1. it can not be answered in a single word and 2. it gets people to think.

 

 

Learning from TOMS

Since its inception  as a footware company a friend and work colleague had been challenging me to take a look at TOMS Shoes.

After hearing Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie share the story of TOMS at The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) this past August I was definitely inspired by the TOMS story and was prodded to learn more about this company that is not only making a quality product, but having a global impact through it business model (One for One) that for every pair of shoes purchased gives away one pair of shoes to a child in need.

I love finding out what makes organization tick. So when I was given an opportunity to come visit their main offices in Santa Monica, I could not pass it up.  So yesterday I met with their Community Outreach Manager, Allie Tsavdarides,  and left encouraged by company's vision and story, but I also left encouraged with some great leadership learnings as well.

First -- the product. On the right is an example of a TOMS shoe you would purchase.  The shoe on the left is the one a child would receive.

In the United States, TOMS are worn primarily as casual wear.  However, in the countries that TOMS gives its shoes away, this is often a child's only pair.  Hence the color black because it matches most school uniforms.  Shoes are of the essence because these schools require a full uniform that includes shoes.  In addition because they are made for mutlifacated, daily use and they are often customized for that specific countries needs.

Again the shoe on the right is the one you would purchase, the one on the left is the one given.

Now my leadership take aways were invaluable! 

The first being the importance of keeping the mission of an organization clear, focussed and in front of the people.  The word "GIVE" (in reference to their innovative business model of giving a pair away for every pair purchased)  is displayed at various places throughout the warehouse and in some very creative ways. 

The other key leadership learning I took away was the importance of an organization's culture and having the right people on the team that contribute to the team's cultural DNA.  At TOMS skill, character and experience are give-ins in any employee.  What is also critical, is the expression of creativity whether you are in the finance, sales, design or any facet of the company.  And walking around the place, it oozes with creativity.

I hope you will be prodded to make a difference by buying a pair.

 

Halloween Was a Real Treat!

In a post released earlier today, I answered a question that was posed at one of our town hall meetings this past week -- "Will we be bringing back the Family Fall Festival?

In that post I answered the question with the practical and stategic reasons why we wont do the event. At the same time there was strong spiritual conviction that was developing within me on why we should not do the event and this conviction was deepend after what I experienced last Halloween.  Not to sound to corny but Halloween was a real "treat" for me.

To read about it click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this post will prod you in some way in how you approach the events of the evening and I hope you will share a similar experience this Halloween.

Why We Don't Do the Family Fall Festival

Over the past two weeks our church leadership held a series of town hall meetings with our lead pastor Ed Noble fielding questions primarily about the completion of our stewardship campaign, yet it was also opened for any questions about our church life in general.  One of the questions that was raised is the subject of this post.

"Will we be bringing back the Family Fall Festival?"

As the one of moderating the questions and one who had led the event for several years, I decided to answer the question.

The simple answer was "no." 

Here is a re-edited post that I did last year addressing that very question. 

Beginning in year one of our church’s 17 year history we had put on an annual Halloween event called the Family Fall Festival (FFF) that over the years had grown to be quite an undertaking involving hundreds of volunteers, thousands of pounds of candy and thousands of people in attendance. And for all-intention purposes was a pretty successful event in the life of our church.

However, in recent years we have not had this event and it is a good thing. I will explain shortly, however let me first explain what I have deemed as some positives of the event in years past.

1. It served as a great way to introduce ourselves to the community. In 1997 we relocated our church t and with a name change to our church in 1998 we were new and relatively unfamiliar. This event served as great way to introduce ourselves by providing a “give” community event completely free to all participants. I liken the FFF to a better, more strategic open house. I have been a part of a church open house in the past where over 50,000 direct mail pieces were sent to neighbors to come and check out the newly built church in their area. In an eight-hour span -- I believe 50 people showed up -- with the majority of the people being attendees of the church who wanted to get an early look at the property.
2. It served as a great invite opportunity for our church. Whereas inviting people to a weekend service may have been a little more risky -- inviting friends to a free event for their kids where they were sure to get tons of candy and participate in a whole slew of games and rides was a no brainer. It also gave to our guests a positive first impression of Journey or maybe church all together.
3. It mobilized people into action. For many their serving at the FFF on a one time basis was the first step to committing to an on-going serving role. 

Now there were many other positives, but these were the main ones that stood out. Now like most things -- terms lose meaning over time and practices lose its effectiveness over time. Such as the case I believe with the FFF.

Now here are some of the main reasons why I feel not having this event anymore is a good thing.

1. After about 5th year we did this event in the La Mesa community we were pretty well established as a presence in the area. So if the purpose was to introduce ourselves to the community this was no longer necessary.
2. The crowd that we were drawing changed. More and more this became a Christian community event versus an outreach event. It was not uncommon to see another church bus show up to drop of its members. In fact one church pastor (of a huge church in the area) said that they actually copied our flier and put in their church program to encourage his members to attend our event. Now I am all for events that unite the big C church and I am all for serving other churches -- yet this was not the purpose and focus of the event.
3. Volunteer involvement continually decreased. Now this is no reason to stop an event yet some of the reasoning for is valid. Often people chose to do an event in their own neighborhood (expect a follow-up post on this)
4. Overall effectiveness was in question. Though some have acknowledged that the FFF was the initial introduction to our church, over the years these stories have become less frequent. In addition I also believe seekers are changing as well and these methods do not necessarily address where they may be.

Weekend Update: Memorial Weekend Edition

As we are entering into Memorial Day Weekend, if your travels do not take you out of town or if you are visiting San Diego be sure to join us this weekend at Journey Community Church for God at the Movies. 

We are at the midway point of the series looking at the movie Avatar -- the Oscar nominated and highest grossing film of all time.  We cannot overstate what a great opportunity it is to invite people to church -- for three weekends in a row we have run out of programs, invite cards are available at Guest Services.

After service there is still time to sign up for The Global Leadership Summit at the best host-site rates.  Be sure to read the program insert and register at the Guest Services.  And another great opportunity is to sign-up to be baptized at our first church-wide baptism of the year taking place on Sunday June 13.  There is a brief orientation class takes place immediately after service on the upper-riser area of the worship center for those who plan to go public with their faith.

Also being that is Memorial Day Weekend, be sure to take time during the course of the weekend to lift up 
prayers of gratitude for those who have given their lives in service of our country protecting the freedoms that we can often take for granted; and to lift up prayers on behalf of the men and women who are serving all across the globe in the various branches of the military.

Next weekend we are including one more film in the God at the Movies series.  Originally, we had the June 4 & 6 slated as a special stand alone message to put a break in the series.  Instead we are including the other highly voted on people's choice movie -- UP.  For a complete break down of the series go to godathemovies.net.

(500) Days of Summer featured at New Format God at the Movies series

I believe most guys have been in this situation where you enter a relationship with a girl believing there is incredible promise for a long term relationship (or at least that is what you hope) only to be disappointed or should I say brokenhearted because the feelings are not reciprocated.  Often times it is our own fault that we, as the guy, find ourselves in this situation because the girl is upfront with her desire to "just be friends."  Yet despite that knowledge, we still move forward hoping that those gestures and interactions, which from her perspective are purely on a friendship level, has the possibility to build to something more serious.

Now that is one of the key story lines of (500) Days of Summer.  I absolutely loved this film, along with Whip It and Up In the Air, were my favorite movies of 2009 and I am excited that I get to speak from this movie at New Format this Sunday (5/30) at their series God at the Movies.

In preparation for this message here are some potential spiritual themes that I am thinking about addressing ,but I would love to get your input on other potential insights.   Please let me know.

• Is there such a thing as love?
• What does mean to be right, but just not right for you?
• The environment we are in affects everything ... our outlook on life, relationships etc.
• What it means to be happy for others, when it comes at a cost to us.
• All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
• Our thoughts are not His thoughts.

Again any insights you have gleaned from this movie would be greatly appreciated.

"God at the Movies Starts Tonight!"

Tonight our most popular weekend message series God at the Movies kicks off with the movie "The Blind Side." 

Also this weekend we are taking time to honor moms in view of mother's day.  And in case you have not made the connection, The Blind Side was strategically chosen to kick off the series in view of mother's day as the movie features the life of a mom, Leigh Anne Tuohy, and how her maternal instincts and compassion lead to changing of a young man's life.

We will also feature a great run of songs including "As Children," "Our God," "Blessed Be Your Name," "Revelation Song" & a special song dedicated to moms "Everybody."

There is still time to invite.  For complete details of God at the Movies click here.

To see the God at the Movies series promo again click here.

We look forward to seeing you tonight and at the movies!

Getting the Most out of God at the Movies!

No doubt after seeing the promo for God at the Movies this past weekend, Journey Community Church is incredibly excited about the series starting this weekend -- May 7 & 9! In case you did not see the trailer or simply want to watch it again, which I am sure you do click below.

Now that you are even more pumped after watching the promo -- here are some thoughts to make the most of the series:

• Definitely watch the movies ahead of time.  We make no apology that endings will be ruined for those who have not seen the film.
• Use this as a great opportunity to strengthen community in your small group. A few ways of doing this: 1. Watch the movies ahead of time together during your group time; 2. Use your small group to further discuss movie themes discussed in the weekend message or: 3. Discuss the movie ahead of time and then later see how your group's insights compare or differ with those being shared in the weekend messages.
• INVITE! INVITE! INVITE!  The best way to experience this series is to do so with a spiritual seeker.  Trust me on this one.

See you this weekend at God at the Movies!

My God at the Movies 7

Easily the most engaging series we have done annually is God at the Movies. 

Which on the weekend of May 7 & 9 will be the start of our seventh installment of the series. Using the most popular entertainment medium --  movies as a platform to raise spiritual themes and topics this series generates a lot of buzz amongst our church attendees and really raises the "invite factor" to our services.
It is also generates a lot of conversation and sharing of opinions as to what movies should be featured.  And believe me everybody has some suggestion on what movies should be used. 

Yet there are a couple of factors which are considered --  first, did the movie come out in the last year and is available on-demand, as a digital download or on DVD so people can watch the film and so we can show clips of the movie during the services and does it have a substantive subject matter where Biblical truth can be spoken into.  Every year the programming team leaves one or two weekends open for people to vote and we call it the people's choice weekend.  We voted this past weekend and the results of the vote and the rest of the series line-up will be shared this weekend at our services.

 Now if I were making all the decisions for what movies to be featured (which I am surely not) here would be my movies.
Up in the Air (my favorite and what I thought was the best film of the year - nuff said)

500 Days of Summer (if any of you has experienced what it feels like to be right, but not having it be right for you?  this movie makes you feel that like no other)

UP (What does it mean to leave it all behind to accomplish your goal or mission)

Star Trek

The Blindside

Monsters Versus Aliens

What would your movie line-up look like?

Why I Carry a Digital Camera with Me Everywhere

I have made it habit to carry a digital camera with me every where I go and I hope you will be prodded to do so as well. Why? One reason is there are moments that you simply might want to capture on film and second you never know who you might run into, whom you'd like to get your picture with.  Now I know most mobile phones come with a phone and mine does too, yet I choose to carry a camera, and they are definitely small enough these days, because camera phones simply are too inconsistent and often the quality is questionable.

So here is one of those situations where I am grateful I had my camera with me.  My wife and I attended Cirque Du Soleil's KOOZA performing at the Del Mar Fair Grounds (side note if you can see it you should!) and in the crowd attending the event also was legendary, hall-of-fame basketball player Bill Walton.

Bill Walton is amongst the 50 greatest basketball players in NBA history and arguably, considered to be the greatest college basketball player of all time.  It was such an honor to meet Bill.  He was incredibly gracious and when I thanked him for what he meant to me personally and the sport of basketball, he simply responded, "Thank you, the game has been very good to me."

A Personal Invitation to "THE GREEN ROOM" from Nancy Beach

One of the people you will hear from is Nancy Beach whom in my opinion is one of the best leaders I know and I humbled to be able to call her a mentor and friend.   If your church does a video; or thinks through the service order of a songs you do; or simply the senior pastor and worship pastor communicate before going into the weekend you have been influenced by Nancy Beach.  She has been a champion for artists in the church for over 30 years.

Personal Invitation to the Green Room from Nancy Beach from Rod Kaya on Vimeo.

The Green Room is one week from today and there is still time to register to this incredible event for artists.  Journey Community Church attendees register at Guest Services after service for special host site rate.

I hope to see you there.

This Halloween Was a Real Treat!

In my previous post "No Family Fall Festival This Year -- It's A Good Thing" I mentioned that one of the indicators that not doing this event was a good thing was because people were choosing to celebrate Halloween in their own neighborhood.  What really help seal my conviction for not doing the event anymore was the insight I gleaned from reading the book Making Room For Life by Randy Frazee.

In the book (to summarize his point) Frazee mentions how distant we have become from our neighbors with many of us never meeting them even though we have lived next to each other for a long period of time.  Now this insight is nothing new, many studies have proven similar results. 

However the next bit of insight is where I had my "a-ha" moment.  Frazee shared that there is one night when barriers are broken down and an opportunity to meet and connect with our neighbors just makes sense and is very easy to do, the night Halloween.  However he further mentions that on that night when all of our neighbors our out and it gives us (the church) the perfect time to meet our neighbors none of us our home because we are at our Family Fall Festivals.  

So this year -- the first in the nine that I have lived in our neighborhood -- I was able to take our kids trick or treating!  And we had a blast!  It was incredibly cool to meet our neighbors whether it was us going to their homes or staying at home giving out candy.  My wife and I swapped responsibilities back and forth.  I kept internally slapping myself on the side of my head saying,  "This is what I have been missing."  I had such a great sense of connectivity to those who live by me and no longer do I simply see idle homes around me, but rather people that God cares and loves deeply.  

This Halloween was a real treat!

My 1st U2 Concert Experience

In my junior year of high school a good friend was trying to broaden my music palette beyond the normal 80's pop music genre to a band exuded an incredible passion and conviction in their song writing -- he introduce me to the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2.  It was a year later that the The Joshua Tree came out and two songs in particular grabbed me "With or Without You" & "I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For."  That album was followed up with "Rattle and Hum" that also was a film documentary that  I thoroughly enjoyed (I have it on DVD) and I was becoming a huge fan.

However, shortly after this time I experienced a renewing in my relationship with Christ and with that brought a struggle in my spiritual journey that took an unfortunate all or nothing approach.  And what I mean by this is that I would listen to, engage in and watch only "Christian" oriented material.  As time passed my conviction in regards to this loosened. 

Yet the struggle of what is secular and what is sacred continued over the next 5 to 7 years and the question on whether something that was not specifically labeled or themed as Christian had much redemptive valued continued.

It would be at an event over 12 years ago that brought forth an incredible awakening.  It was a church event that primarily featured "secular music" to help tell the story of people's spiritual journey.  It was there and series of unrelated experiences that opened my eyes to how God can use the secular to point to the sacred and how God can use any means to speak to me.

So one event I have been wanting to experience is a U2 concert.  I had missed their previous two tours for various reasons.  However last week at the Georgia Dome I was able to take in my first concert and to say it was an incredible experience would be an understatement.  Here are a few pictures from the concert.  If you get a chance to take in the 360 tour -- I want to prod you to so -- you will not regret it.  With the 360 format there really is not a bad seat.

 

 

 

What Shows are You "Falling" For?

Recently I had a lunch with a mentor/friend and our discussion like always went to the books we were currently reading.  She then posed this question, "How are we going to get all this reading done with new fall television season starting?"  A great question.  I love TV!  If I had to choose TV or movies -- TV would win hands down.  The writing in the television programing these days are exceptional especially the serial shows.  And now with cable channels offering their own original programming and big name actors and actresses valuing the steady work that a television series can provide -- the choices are seemingly endless.  

Now I am not a "real timer." By definition a real timer is someone who watches a television program when it is offered by the TV network not opting to watch it later on their DVR or online or even later in the year when released on DVD (my preferred method).  However, there are some programs that I am committing to watching during the course of season and here it is and I have had to restrain myself:

Mad Men Sunday 10pm AMC 

Dinner Impossible 10pm Food Network

Flash Forward 8pm ABC

30 Rock Thursday 9:30pm NBC

If I can fit these in great ... Lie To Me, The Office, Fringe

What will you be watching?  Let me know by commenting, Facebook Comment or Twitter

Interesting ... Does Anybody Actually Makes Use of This?

On my wife and I's recent trip to San Francisco -- I came upon two interesting signs that got my attention.

Here is the first one found at AT&T Park home to the San Francisco Giants.  Thankfully I did not need to make use of this.

The second was seen at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  If anyone has seen some one use this booth -- please let me know I would love to hear the story.

What Will You Be Doing at 10pm Tonight (PST)?

New Product (RED) items from Starbucks

Today on my second trip to Starbucks of the day I picked up these two portable tumblers.  The first one is for hot drinks, the second is for cold drinks.  What I especially like about them is that not only are they visually appealing they are also part of the PRODUCT RED line where proceeds of the purchase goes to help eliminate Aids in Africa.


In addition I like the notion that I am one of the first to have these products as they are neither on the Starbucks nor the Product Red website.

Twilight at New Format

It is just a few moments before the olleg-age service New Format begins.  Tonight I have privilege of sharing from the movie Twilight as the college gathering is also in their version of God at the Movies.

One of the great things about working with college kids is you can have fun and tonight amongst other things -- there will be many different give-aways including this hard to get collectable.

Yet on the serious side of things ... the text I am sharing from tonight is Colossians 3:1-9.  I believe the main character Edward Cullen, a vampire by nature who chooses to live differently and not become what he describes as being a monster, is a great example of how we often need to make the choice and not give into our fleshly desires, but instead live for a grander vision of what God desires for us.

In a Twilight

This weekend at church we are in part 2 of the series God at the Movies 6 featuring the people's choice selection -- Iron Man.  In brainstorming the possible list of movies to vote on -- I made my case for Twilight to no avail.  (I do believe the main reason for the objection is that the team knew that Twilight would win and they did not want to speak from what they perceived as a teen film)

However, I am having the opportunity to teach on the movie Twilight at New Format -- the college aged service this Sunday night at 7pm.  I am subtitling the message "The Real People's Choice."

So today I am focusing my efforts in preparing for that message and I feeling some pressure from those around me to deliver.  Pray for me as  I prepare.

To understand why I have such an interest in this film click here.

Ending Well (Thoughts on Jay Leno's Final Tonight Show)

I find a great leadership learning lab for me in respect to observing how leaders handle a significant life transition is watching  farewell speeches by influential people.  Here are some of my thoughts of Jay Leno's final hosting of the Tonight show.

"God at the Movies 6" is Coming!

A series that does not seem to run its course is God at the Movies that starting next weekend (May 29 & 31) will be in its 6th year.

This series really raises the "bring and invite" temperature in our church.  I have begun to develop a running list of people to be praying for from members of our congregation who are planning to invite people to a weekend service because a specific film is being featured.

Here is the breakdown of the films featured and they are all available on DVD to view with the exception of one that will be released in time for the series:  Slumdog Millionaire (5: 29 & 31), Iron Man (the "people's choice selection" June 5 & 7), The Dark Knight (June 12 & 14), Gran Torino (the DVD will be released on June 9  -- June 19 & 21) & Traitor (June 26 & 28).

Easter Weekend Art at Journey

Our church is blessed with some great young artists that continually develop and mature in their offerings.  For most new series and on special events we ask these artists to do paintings that capture their interpretation of how the series may be presented on canvass. 

Here are this year's Easter paintings -- the first two are done by team artist Minnaret King and the four thereafter are done by team artist Amy Hoyt. 

All of these paintings are in church lobby for you to take in -- enjoy!

The Reason for God

As we head into week 2 of our series Dialogue this weekend's subject deals with the differences of the world religions.  Now this a subject matter that much has been written on and one message on this subject matter can cover the subject in only from a broader perspective -- this would be true of all the subjects that we will cover in this series. 

Therefore we are encouraging those who are attending this series to pick up the book the The Reason for God by Timothy Keller.  This book will serve as a great resource on the subject matters covered during our series as well as being a great resource that serves to underscore some of thinking that went into the formation of the series Dialogue.

The first chapter of the book "There Can't Be Just One True Religion" fits perfectly with this weekend's message.  Chapter two of the book, "How Could a Good God Allow Suffering" looks at next weekend's message topic.

Our bookstore has copies -- I hope you will be prodded to pick it up.

Pittsburgh Steeler Shirt: Why I Did It

I would argue (I really have no way of proving this) that more people in our church wear Charger gear on a any given Sunday than any other church -- I would estimate 1 out of every 3 attendees had some type of Charger jersey or shirt on.  My wife, Tara, who serves in the children's ministry shared even the kids in the class rooms had Charger stuff on.  Nothing brings me greater joy -- not!


Now while at the Arts Champions gathering, one of the leaders from Pittsburgh shared how she hoped the Steelers would beat my Chargers.  I shared I am not a Charger fan, but a die-hard Oakland Raider fan and in fact if I had a Steeler shirt I would wear it this Sunday.  So on the last day of our time together she handed me a shirt to wear -- I just had to do it.  So just before it was time for me to conclude the service I quickly changed shirts and went up.  As I was exiting our teaching pastor gave them a hint to what was coming by saying this in his concluding prayer "God we pray you will forgive Rod for what he is about to do."  When they opened their eyes and saw me in the shirt they let out boos continually -- I could hardly finish my closing statements.  But there are redemptive reasons behind this, this was not just me giving Charger fans a hard time.  Read below.

Part of the reason I did this because the opportunity presented itself to show that Christians can have fun.  In addition it also showed that a pastor in their church does not take himself so seriously -- they knew I knew I would get that type of reaction.  Just maybe I hope that for those who were guests there take away from the service would be this is a group of people that takes their faith seriously but not themselves.  So that is why I did it.

The Church: A Place Where the Arts Should Flourish

Last night I was invited by one of our programming team members, Skyler Lusteg, to an art exhibit that he and two friends were putting on.  It had recently brought to my attention by another team artist that Skyler, who plays bass on our team, has a real passion to paint and has been doing so daily for several months now.  I could not have been more encouraged by what I experienced. 

Above and below are sampling of some of Skyler's works that he had on display.  I can't wait to see the pieces that he has been working on for our current weekend series that will be featured this coming weekend.  I have known Skyler since he was in middle school and it is really cool to see how he has grown up in the church and found a place within it to express his God-given passions.

At a recent gathering of Programming Arts Leaders that I just came back from one of the concerns that was raised was whether the current generation of college age students and young adults that have an artistic expression would see the value of sharing their gifts within their church not just in broader culture.

In the Dark About Twilight

I like to think that I am up on current events and pop culture as a whole.  I subscribe to over 10 magazines of varied interests and yet I was totally in the dark when it came to the phenomenon "Twilight" the novel by Stephanie Meyers.

The way Twilight caught my attention was about 2 months ago a college-aged friend on Twitter posted "just finished reading Stephanie Meyer's book."

To which I replied, "Who is Stephanie Meyer and what did she write?"

A high school friend on Twitter replied, "Twilight." 

At this point it mean very little to me until a couple weeks later on the cover Entertainment Weekly was "Twilight" now a major motion picture and had quite the following.  Later that week at church I heard some of our high school and college students saying how they attended the midnight showing on Thursday.

The following week a peer of mine in a similar life stage, tweeted: "Finished reading Twilight in one sitting."  At this point I had to pick up the book for myself to read.

Now why would I read this book? 

Well for one thing as a leader in a local church I think it is important to understand the people I am trying to reach and if people are being on such a large scale are being drawn into this phenomenon it is worth taking a look.  The story is obviously striking a chord and addressing some inner longing.  This was the same thinking as to why I read "The Shack."

Secondly,  I must admit it was good story -- I read in a few days over Thanksgiving.

Already, I have seen it pay dividends in a ministry context.  I occasionally pop into our college age service on Sunday nights.  It is good for me to be in this setting to get a pulse on how young adults are relating to God, in addition I will be teaching in the services in 2009. 

During "my favorite part of the service" the mingle time -- I tried to engage in conversation with some of the students I was sitting by.   I am reaching the age where some call me "Mr" so this is not as easy as it use to be.  Well the conversation was going very ho-hum, until I brought up my thoughts on Twilight.  The conversation had a lot of life at this point.  First, I believe they were surprised that I read it and second I believe they sensed I was trying to relate to them of something that they are genuinely interested in.

So don't  get left in the dark -- I would prod you to read it.

Does the Story Need to be True?

Story plays such a critical role in how we communicate.  In the church, the art form of telling a good story is especially needed.

Last week during lunch with a few friends (two of them actors & one in marketing) our conversation centered around the topic of whether a story had to be true in order for it to be used basis for a drama or video done in a church service.  

The conversation also included discussion on what influence did a story being true have an effect on our opinion of a movie.  It really made for a great discussion so I presented the latter question about movies to our programming team today.

Here were some of the key thoughts that came out of our discussion:

• As a general rule a movie did not have to be based on a true story for it to have a meaningful effect on us.
• In addition as a general rule we did not give much thought to whether the story was true or not -- the art form of good film making and story telling seem to have greater value.
• Most of us noted that our favorite movies were fictional in nature.
• Though the story of the movie did not have to be based on a true story the movie did need to be based upon some truth that had meaning. 
• The truth sometimes was not necessarily in the story itself but the story behind the story -- for example something that may have taken place in the director's life that affected how he presented the story.
• Where the story being true did effect us was giving a movie the benefit of the doubt even though a film may not have had the best production or best acting.

What are your thoughts on this?