What About Bob

LSU vs Tennessee

It was a Monday night in 2005.  The only Monday night on record that LSU hosted a football game in Death Valley, thanks to Hurricane Rita.  LSU and Tennessee were in regular play and the half time score found LSU up 21 to zip.

The mistake:  I called my new friends in Memphis to celebrate the obvious victory.  It wasn't long before I wished I'd waited on that phone call.  LSU fell to be defeated by Tennessee.  It was a sad night in Baton Rouge.  As my phone rang off the hook, I promised myself to never, never, never call anyone at half-time.  Yes, I learned my lesson.

Up in Memphis there are many Hog fans like Betty and Charlie and Chuck and Angie.  Well, I'm still not over that loss last week.  So to my TN friends like Mary, Keith, Joey and Susan, I'll not make any prediction but I will definitely wait until after LSU beats Tennessee to make that phone call.

Jesus Saves

  LITTLE ROCK — Drivers on state road 495 have seen the message for weeks: "Jesus saves ... at First Federal Bank of Arkansas."
    "Jesus" refers not to the man Christians call the messiah, but Jesús Gonzalez, a chicken factory worker from Mexico who moved to Little Rock two years ago. The bank, trying to attract minority clients, "employed a little humor," said the bank president in a statement. But it has become a lightning rod for criticism and confusion.
    "I thought they were saying Jesus Christ preferred that bank, and I thought, how do they know that?" says Barbara Chilton, 52, who switched to First Federal just to be safe.
    Others thought the photograph of Gonzalez was intended to announce the second coming of Christ.
    "I didn't think Jesus looked like that," said Dan Gainsburg, looking at the billboard from a construction site across the street.
    The bank caught so much flak from angry Christians that the bank sent workers to remove the ad, but hordes of Catholics, many of them recent Mexican immigrants, had turned the base of the structure into a shrine replete with flowers, candles and religious items.

Leaked Latte

The day didn't start out very well.  This is what happens when your Starbucks Grande Skinny, triple shot, 1 pump Surgar-Free Cinnamon Dolce, 1 Splenda LATTE SPILLS on the hood of your 1994, Hunter Green, Fading Paint, Paid-For, just spent $1200.00 on A/C repairs, dented Honda Accord.  It's not a pretty sight.

Eli's Gal

Eli and his girlfriend "Melissa" caught a quick pose in between their playground activities. 
For some reason, my wife insists that we change the name to protect the innocent, I guess.
Brandi has a funny story about this couple on her blog, The Soapbox.  Check it out.

Worship Talk

Worship Talk.  It's been a familiar discussion topic for many years.  I often say that "if I had a dollar every time I discussed, wrote, addressed, read anything about "worship wars", I could comfortably retire.  It's been a hotbed of discussion at seminary, work, around friends and at home.  It's on the mind of so many people.  We are almost obsessed with the polarizing politics of worship.

When a new person considers visiting a church, the first thing that comes to mind is "How's the Worship?" 
And rightly so.  We want to attend a place that defines us...that fits our style.  "I don't care for that other church down the road with the music they use."  "If they don't do something about the music, I'm moving my membership, or at least holding back my tithe."  "This kind of music can't be Godly."  "This kind of music does not prompt me to worship."

With today's culture, variety of music in worship and our "Have It Your Way" mentality, people shop churches like they shop a car.  When it "feels" right, I'll get in and drive a while, but I'm not committing my whole life to this one place.  I may need to switch down the road.

Ok..  Here's the deal.  I understand all the angles we use today to rationalize worship style preferences.  Yes, we want to equip people to worship.  Yes, we want to "try" to be all things to all people.  Yes, we want to connect to those who need Christ.  Yes, we want to honor the saints.  When will we realize that worship isn't for us. 

We say that "we understand this concept" but do we really?  We say "I worship God" but our feet speak louder than our words.  I believe that we idolize our style of worship.  It's a continuation of the "me" generation and it's been around for a while.  Yes, music is the universal language and certainly is a tool to reach others for Christ.  I agree.  But there is something that seems foul in our churches today when the kind of musical style we select heralds over the people and the work of the church.  We've drilled the church down into a consumer mentality that is frantically trying to market itself to reach more at the risk of being true to not ourselves but to God.

Think about this:  Maybe God wants you to worship Him when things don't quite "feel" our "sound" right to you.  I'm sure the the Apostle Paul didn't quite feel right when he worshipped God in prison. 
I just wonder what God thinks of our worship wars. 

What do I think?  Let the church be the church and not the music.  And the church is the people.  When you don't like the music, focus on God and then focus on people.  Let God be the driver.  You sit in the passenger seat.  Don't trade the car in for another.  Give yourself to the work of the church and let God take care of the music.

I just read an awesome post by my friend, Rich Kirkpatrick.  His post, "What do you do when you are no longer the focus of your church programming" is a very well-written post on this topic.  Check it out HERE.

Resources

Brandi and Kerry working in the Resource Center at VCC.

GameDay Continued

Perfect weather as we wait for the Golden Band from Tigerland to march
down Tiger Alley.

Breakfast with Doug & Debbie

Enjoyed our time with the Pacas family. We arrived in BR at 7:30am!
Early start for GameDay .

GAME DAY

Look for postings throughout the day!

Thanksgiving 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!


         Thanksgiving is a
         time of gratitude to God,
         our Creator and Provider,
         whose guidance and care
         go before us...
         and whose love
         is with us forever.

         Thanksgiving is a time
         to reflect on the changes,
         to remember that we, too,
         grow and change
         from one season of life to another.

         Thanksgiving is a time
         of changing seasons,
         when leaves turn golden
         in Autumn's wake
         and apples are crisp
         in the first chill breezes of fall.

         Let us remember the true meaning
         of Thanksgiving.
         As we see the beauty
         of Autumn, let us acknowledge
         the many blessings
         which are ours...
         let us think of our families
         and friends..
         and let us give thanks in our hearts.

Author Unknown