covalent church

80s Video Dating Montage

If you're looking for a state-of-the-art speed dating service, this would be one worth looking into.

The Character Gap

Henry Cloud asks a great question for ever leader in his recent book, "Integrity":  Are you working on closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be, in terms of character and integrity?  

There are three dangers around the corner for any leader who lets their character growth begin to slide:

1.  Hitting a performance ceiling well below one's potential.

2.  Hitting a big challenge, obstacle or scenario that derails you.

3.  Reaching high levels of success only to self-destruct and lose it all.

If you look at where you are, and see that you're not yet where you want to be, that's the character gap. It's one of our greatest challenges, but it's also a daily opportunity for growth.

The Generation Gap

Agree or disagree:  when a church puts "multigenerational" in their tagline, or on their website, what they really mean is, "we are an aging church that wants to have more young people attending so that we don't die, but we don't want to change enough to actually attract any of them to come."  John Ortberg wrote a fascinating article a few weeks ago in which he talks about the divide between generations, especially when it comes to cultivating vibrant communities of faith.  A couple of his key thoughts:

• Older church members tend to underestimate the difference between the generations, while younger people tend to overestimate that divide.  
• One of the greatest threats to healthy growth in a church is that each generation or group of people tend to ask the question, "am I gaining or losing influence in this community?"  
• if there are not regular disagreements in leadership circles of a church, it's likely that as leaders we have not fully engaged with people of each generation.  Trying to reach multiple generations will inevitably lead to conflict - and that's not such a bad thing, because that's where we grow.

The article can be found here.

Cats

This pretty much captures my thoughts about cats. I can't wait to use this in a sermon.

Interviewing Satan

Craig Groeschel is a pastor in Oklahoma, who is always finding creative ways to communicate help people think about faith and life. I didn't realize he was this funny, though...

Mr. T Treat your mother right

The Greatest Coach Ever

  

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I can't remember the last time something on television captured my attention, and my heart, more than the show 'Friday Night Lights'.  Maybe it's my Texas roots, my love for the game, or maybe it has something to do with the head coach who for three years has led the undersized, but never outhearted Dillon Panthers onto the field.  I am obsessed with the leadership style and raw character of coach Eric Taylor.  It's his poise under pressure, his ability to navigate conflict and motivate his team when everything is going against him, that keeps me glued to this story, even when the melodramatics of high school life get a little overplayed.

For the past three years, I have coached a local high school lacrosse team, and there are times when I find myself saying, "what would coach do?"  It hardly ever works.  And now, after last weeks episode, I'm wondering if I need to back off that question, unless I want to end up coaching East Wesminster's lax team...

Where are we going?

Is 'contemporary' a four letter word?

Part of my job working at a church is leading something we call a contemporary worship service.  The word contemporary refers to a certain genre of music, which, broadly defined, is anything NOT traditional.  For many people, the word contemporary refers to the "Jesus is my boyfriend" rock ballads of the 1990s that captured the attention of middle-aged churchgoers that were falling asleep in hymn & organ driven mainline services.  

The funny thing about the word contemporary, is that only traditional churches use it to define their worship.  In other words, contemporary is only useful in reference to something that's not.

Moreover, the word conjures up all kinds of negative sentiments for many people who fear contemporary christian music like the plague.  

I've struggled with dropping the word altogether, but have faced resistance in trying to use another equally nebulous term like, "modern", "alternative", or "emergent".  

Plus, why do we feel the need to describe a worship environment based solely on the style of music? 

If someone has a better idea, or thinks I'm over-analyzing this, I would welcome some insight. Otherwise, I might go with "Praise-byterian".  Wait, it's already been used.

Fall in Jackson Hole

A friend took this photograph while doing a shoot on the fall foliage in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I can't think of a prettier place on earth. Somehow I've found a way to return there six times in the past two years, and every experience outdoes the last.