I'm starting to question not that some sort of movement happened but rather the extent of this movement and the impact it had on the church in the United States. After being in New York City for two years and being in contact with several different denominations it has come to my attention that NO ONE has heard of the Restoration Movement, no one has heard of Alexander Campbell or Barton Stone or any of those guys. When I bring it up around church leaders of other denominations they have no idea what I am talking about. This has made me question how important this so called movement was in the first place if no one else has heard of it besides some people who come from the Midwest. I'm not doubting that these things happened, i'm just not sure it was the huge revival that everyone makes it out to be. Actually i'm doubting that it was that impactful at all based on my discussions. I'm not trying to trash Restoration Movement churches but after being here for a few years it seems like most of them are behind on the times a little bit. The denominations that I see doing groundbreaking work are the Presbyterians and the Baptists. If you look at the churches that are doing incredible things i.e. Mosaic in LA, Fellowship Church, Solomon's Porch, Mars Hill, Spirit Garage, none of them are Independent Christian Churches. It's not that Christian Churches aren't doing well, it's just that I've realized that other denominations tend to stay in their circles (me included) and don't really know what is going on outside of their little circle of churches. And yes, we are a little circle of churches compared to what is going on out there. I'm just tired of seeing people sold out to their denomination over Christ and after the article from my last post, that is exactly what I'm seeing. These people worship the Restoration Movement and are exclusive to any other denomination. That is not the Restoration Movement I read about in class. That actually seemed like a cool thing, how i am seeing it play out is not anything I want to be a part of. I wish you could just start a church and not have to play the bullshit denominational games because that is all it is. In the long run i doubt God is going to care who was Baptist, who was Independent Christian Church, who was Presbyterian. I think God will care more about who is following Jesus Christ with their lives.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Moving On Up
I'm not homeless anymore praise God. I had to move out of my old apartment on Friday morning and then could not move into my new place in the East Village until Tuesday morning. Ouch! I hate not having a place to sleep, more less not having a place just to sit down and relax during the evening. This morning me and some friends moved my stuff into my little, tiny, closet of an apartment on East 11th St. after driving our huge Mosaic trailer clear through Lower Manhattan. That was scary. Things started off poorly when we got to the Suburban that pulls the trailer and it didn't start. Dead as a doornail. After having it jumped things sped along quickly and we got it finished. Hopefully by tonight I will have air conditioning installed in my window. Please God! Please!!!! I would say my apartment is about 300 square feet total. Enough room for a bed, a couch and a chair. that's about it. It's a great neighborhood though. The people around there are my age and it is just loaded with bars and lounges which will be fun. I can't wait to be a part of that neighborhood. My apartment is considerably smaller but i am very happy with where I live. Woohoo.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Farenheit 911 - Michael Moore
I enjoyed Bowling for Columbine. Farenheit 911 however was not my favorite. It was manipulative, over emotional and lacking in truth to some extent. There was a lot of speculation and many conclusions drawn that I'm not sure about. I am not a Bush fan, in fact I would agree that the war was for false reasons, that is pretty apparent to anyone who has read much about politics in the last few years. I would agree that Bush is an unintelligent speaker and has said many stupid things (See end of movie for much footage of that). In this election however, we are not getting dealt much of an alternative. It's funny here in NYC how many people think that if John Kerry is elected everything is going to change. There will still be troops in Iraq for the next 4 years. That is the beauty of democracy, one man does not make the decisions. As for who to vote for, i'm not sure it really matters much, it's another election we will spend picking the lesser of two evils. George Bush has lied about much for personal and family gain but at the same time John Kerry doesn't really stand for anything. Who do you pick in this election? Your thoughts please?
I enjoyed Bowling for Columbine. Farenheit 911 however was not my favorite. It was manipulative, over emotional and lacking in truth to some extent. There was a lot of speculation and many conclusions drawn that I'm not sure about. I am not a Bush fan, in fact I would agree that the war was for false reasons, that is pretty apparent to anyone who has read much about politics in the last few years. I would agree that Bush is an unintelligent speaker and has said many stupid things (See end of movie for much footage of that). In this election however, we are not getting dealt much of an alternative. It's funny here in NYC how many people think that if John Kerry is elected everything is going to change. There will still be troops in Iraq for the next 4 years. That is the beauty of democracy, one man does not make the decisions. As for who to vote for, i'm not sure it really matters much, it's another election we will spend picking the lesser of two evils. George Bush has lied about much for personal and family gain but at the same time John Kerry doesn't really stand for anything. Who do you pick in this election? Your thoughts please?
I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE OVARY!
I saw Anchorman this weekend and it was hilarious. There were a few parts where I was crying I was laughing so hard. There is no storyline but besides that, it is very creative. It's not the same old jokes. A good comedy doesn't come along very often. It's been pretty sad the last few years. Let's take a look:
Along Came Polly - blah,
50 First Dates - blah,
White Chicks - blah,
Mean Girls - good,
School of Rock - blah (sorry, i really didn't think it was very funny),
Bad Santa - terrible.
Saved - good,
Anchorman - WOOHOO.
I'm excited for some new good comedies to come out. Will Ferrell for Vice President!
I saw Anchorman this weekend and it was hilarious. There were a few parts where I was crying I was laughing so hard. There is no storyline but besides that, it is very creative. It's not the same old jokes. A good comedy doesn't come along very often. It's been pretty sad the last few years. Let's take a look:
Along Came Polly - blah,
50 First Dates - blah,
White Chicks - blah,
Mean Girls - good,
School of Rock - blah (sorry, i really didn't think it was very funny),
Bad Santa - terrible.
Saved - good,
Anchorman - WOOHOO.
I'm excited for some new good comedies to come out. Will Ferrell for Vice President!
Friday, July 09, 2004
Leadership is hard. I think one of the most difficult aspects of leading is that you have to lead even when you don't want to lead. Sometimes one of the last things you want to do is take charge, lead a small group, preach, or even lead by example. Everything in you screams against it in fact. But in those moments you develop leadership skills for life and you struggle through your desires, take a deep breath and force yourself to be the leader you know you are somewhere inside. And hopefully, that is when we develop some of our best leadership skills. Right? I'm not sure yet.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
PECULIER PUB
My friend Bill Clark and I meet every Thursday at the Peculier (yes, it's spelled wrong on purpose) Pub on Bleecker St. to talk about life, culture and ministry. Bill is a professor at NYU and is a pretty big authority in the field of political science. He is brilliant when talking about the church.
One thought he brought up that stuck with me was how our job as pastors is not to do the ministry but to empower other people to do ministry. The people in the church should be doing far more "ministry" than the pastors. I feel like many churches that I have experienced do not create the chemistry to produce this mindset. The mindset is, "well, you should talk to the pastor" or "let's get some interns to cover these job roles." The jobs that interns are taking here in NYC should be being done by members of the church rather than people we hire from different parts of the country. The two leadership journey interns we got for college ministry are really taking roles that shoudl have been filled by people in the church. But now these people are getting ripped off because they are having their opportunities to participate in ministry minimized.
When people decide to do ministry they think of becoming pastors when really pastors do less ministry than people that work regular jobs. We spend less time with people outside the church (mostly due to other people having jobs outside of the church). The question pastors should be asking is not "how can I do ministry in this church and community?" but rather, "how can I help these 200, 400, 2000 people to do ministry in this church and this community. 2000 ministers go a lot further in the community than 4 or 5 pastors can. It makes sense that some smaller churches don't grow because the pastor won't let it. He's made the church think that he is the one who does the ministry and a church can never grow past how many people this man can know. Any thoughts? Man, the things you can think of over a cold Belhaven Scottish Ale. MMMMMM.
My friend Bill Clark and I meet every Thursday at the Peculier (yes, it's spelled wrong on purpose) Pub on Bleecker St. to talk about life, culture and ministry. Bill is a professor at NYU and is a pretty big authority in the field of political science. He is brilliant when talking about the church.
One thought he brought up that stuck with me was how our job as pastors is not to do the ministry but to empower other people to do ministry. The people in the church should be doing far more "ministry" than the pastors. I feel like many churches that I have experienced do not create the chemistry to produce this mindset. The mindset is, "well, you should talk to the pastor" or "let's get some interns to cover these job roles." The jobs that interns are taking here in NYC should be being done by members of the church rather than people we hire from different parts of the country. The two leadership journey interns we got for college ministry are really taking roles that shoudl have been filled by people in the church. But now these people are getting ripped off because they are having their opportunities to participate in ministry minimized.
When people decide to do ministry they think of becoming pastors when really pastors do less ministry than people that work regular jobs. We spend less time with people outside the church (mostly due to other people having jobs outside of the church). The question pastors should be asking is not "how can I do ministry in this church and community?" but rather, "how can I help these 200, 400, 2000 people to do ministry in this church and this community. 2000 ministers go a lot further in the community than 4 or 5 pastors can. It makes sense that some smaller churches don't grow because the pastor won't let it. He's made the church think that he is the one who does the ministry and a church can never grow past how many people this man can know. Any thoughts? Man, the things you can think of over a cold Belhaven Scottish Ale. MMMMMM.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
This week we have had two mission teams from Texas here helping us out at Mosaic. I wish I could say that I enjoy that part of my job but I honestly dread every day of it. I think most of it has to do with so much work and so little response to anything we do. How many hundred dozen Krispy Kreme donuts can I hand out with teams in the morning before we see ONE person come to a service? Praise God this is my last summer working with mission teams because i'm worn out. Today one of the men brought a bull horn thing that he used to make stupid comments as they handed out donuts such as "Donuts are free and so is Jesus." Man, who are these people? Didn't take long for us to take his batteries. It's not that they don't have a good heart and are sincere with their actions but you just can't make them understand NYC culture quick enough to not alienate people. Which leads me to rule #1 - NO mission teams from the deep south, it's just not worth it.
I know we need supporters and this is a way to plug people into our church but these are things that people the church should be doing, not people from around the country. I just think that when a man from Texas offers a donut to a Wall St. Exec, "Y'all want a donut." it may just be turning more people off to Mosaic than getting people interested. This leads me to rule #2 - NO mission teams after the official launch of my church plant East Village Junction.
This week we have had two mission teams from Texas here helping us out at Mosaic. I wish I could say that I enjoy that part of my job but I honestly dread every day of it. I think most of it has to do with so much work and so little response to anything we do. How many hundred dozen Krispy Kreme donuts can I hand out with teams in the morning before we see ONE person come to a service? Praise God this is my last summer working with mission teams because i'm worn out. Today one of the men brought a bull horn thing that he used to make stupid comments as they handed out donuts such as "Donuts are free and so is Jesus." Man, who are these people? Didn't take long for us to take his batteries. It's not that they don't have a good heart and are sincere with their actions but you just can't make them understand NYC culture quick enough to not alienate people. Which leads me to rule #1 - NO mission teams from the deep south, it's just not worth it.
I know we need supporters and this is a way to plug people into our church but these are things that people the church should be doing, not people from around the country. I just think that when a man from Texas offers a donut to a Wall St. Exec, "Y'all want a donut." it may just be turning more people off to Mosaic than getting people interested. This leads me to rule #2 - NO mission teams after the official launch of my church plant East Village Junction.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Saturday, June 12, 2004
THE DECEMBERISTS! WOW!
Last night a new friend of mine Adam and I went to see The Decemberists at Bowery Ballroom. It was one of the best shows I have seen since I have been here and I have seen A LOT of shows. They are incredibly unique musically. I have never heard a voice like Colin's before nor heard music involving that many instruments. They had everything! Accordion, steel guitar, upright bass, flute, a big band bass drum and a woman drummer. You don't see too many of those. If you haven't heard The Decemberists, check them out. I would listen to their EP first which is just called Five Songs. And then check out Castaways and Cutouts. I'm not trying to be a music snob because that is just irritating but it's sad to see a band so talented musically not be commercially succesful and then you watch TV and see bands like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Matchbox 20, bands who just started playing instruments when they decided, "Hey it would be cool to start a generic rock band." What a sad day but at the same time if bands like The Decemberists were commercially successful on a large scale I wouldn't get to see them in a venue that only holds 500 people either. So I guess it works out for me, it's just unfortunate for them.
Last night a new friend of mine Adam and I went to see The Decemberists at Bowery Ballroom. It was one of the best shows I have seen since I have been here and I have seen A LOT of shows. They are incredibly unique musically. I have never heard a voice like Colin's before nor heard music involving that many instruments. They had everything! Accordion, steel guitar, upright bass, flute, a big band bass drum and a woman drummer. You don't see too many of those. If you haven't heard The Decemberists, check them out. I would listen to their EP first which is just called Five Songs. And then check out Castaways and Cutouts. I'm not trying to be a music snob because that is just irritating but it's sad to see a band so talented musically not be commercially succesful and then you watch TV and see bands like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, Matchbox 20, bands who just started playing instruments when they decided, "Hey it would be cool to start a generic rock band." What a sad day but at the same time if bands like The Decemberists were commercially successful on a large scale I wouldn't get to see them in a venue that only holds 500 people either. So I guess it works out for me, it's just unfortunate for them.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Check this link out. My book comes out on August 24th. Alright, I didn't write a whole book, just a chapter.
www.relevantstore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=118
www.relevantstore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=118
Thursday night I had dinner with my neighbor who happens to be homosexual and lives with
his boyfriend. This evening he was with another man Brian whom I guess he is cheating on his live-in boyfriend with. Also present was Karen, a woman who legitimately had questions about being a pastor and Christianity. The other two were drunk most of the night but talking with Karen made it worth the four hours and annoyance.
I have to admit that I was uncomfortable when she started talking about her strap on dildo that she used to use on her boyfriend. Could have done without that info, or all the talkof anal sex. I still don't understand why you would want to do that. Mitch Fatel, one of my favorite comics always says, "I don't understand it, I've never been dissatisfied with the vagina. I've never thought, man, i am so bored, if only there were someplace else to put this."
The first thing that Karen and the boys were wondering was, "Have you had sex before?" So that was interesting. I was like an animal at the zoo. The night was good because I thinkI cleared up some misconceptions about Christianity and what it means to be a pastor because all most people have in their mind here is what a priest is and that's all. They don't understand the difference.
I left encouraged, especially just remembering what Bill Hybels said. Last week he said
that we always leave discouraged with a conversation when we don't take people across the
"line" of Christianity during these visits but maybe that's not our job or God's plan.
Maybe God just wants to use us to take people from a -10 to a -9 as far as how close they are to becoming a Christian. And if we've done that, we've done what God wanted us to doand should feel good about it. And then other times God uses us to take people across that line. I feel like I did what God wanted me to do and I can be happy with that. If God uses me to help bring them to Christ, great, but if it's someone elses job then that's fine too.
Last night Kelli and I went to the Comedy Cellar and saw a show that happened to be being taped by NBC for some new show on comics in New York. It's a tiny place and we were right in front so hopefully we'll be on the show. Darrell Hammond, Keith Robinson, Gregg Giraldo, and some guy from Curb Your Enthusiasm were all hilarious. Colin Quinn kind of sucked as he typically does. It's funny to watch because all of the tourists in the room are cheering like crazy when he comes out because they think he's going to be the best because he is well known but then it's just silence for his whole set. It's not that he's not clever or creative, he's just too smart for his own good and has too many things running through his head. Very hard to follow.
his boyfriend. This evening he was with another man Brian whom I guess he is cheating on his live-in boyfriend with. Also present was Karen, a woman who legitimately had questions about being a pastor and Christianity. The other two were drunk most of the night but talking with Karen made it worth the four hours and annoyance.
I have to admit that I was uncomfortable when she started talking about her strap on dildo that she used to use on her boyfriend. Could have done without that info, or all the talkof anal sex. I still don't understand why you would want to do that. Mitch Fatel, one of my favorite comics always says, "I don't understand it, I've never been dissatisfied with the vagina. I've never thought, man, i am so bored, if only there were someplace else to put this."
The first thing that Karen and the boys were wondering was, "Have you had sex before?" So that was interesting. I was like an animal at the zoo. The night was good because I thinkI cleared up some misconceptions about Christianity and what it means to be a pastor because all most people have in their mind here is what a priest is and that's all. They don't understand the difference.
I left encouraged, especially just remembering what Bill Hybels said. Last week he said
that we always leave discouraged with a conversation when we don't take people across the
"line" of Christianity during these visits but maybe that's not our job or God's plan.
Maybe God just wants to use us to take people from a -10 to a -9 as far as how close they are to becoming a Christian. And if we've done that, we've done what God wanted us to doand should feel good about it. And then other times God uses us to take people across that line. I feel like I did what God wanted me to do and I can be happy with that. If God uses me to help bring them to Christ, great, but if it's someone elses job then that's fine too.
Last night Kelli and I went to the Comedy Cellar and saw a show that happened to be being taped by NBC for some new show on comics in New York. It's a tiny place and we were right in front so hopefully we'll be on the show. Darrell Hammond, Keith Robinson, Gregg Giraldo, and some guy from Curb Your Enthusiasm were all hilarious. Colin Quinn kind of sucked as he typically does. It's funny to watch because all of the tourists in the room are cheering like crazy when he comes out because they think he's going to be the best because he is well known but then it's just silence for his whole set. It's not that he's not clever or creative, he's just too smart for his own good and has too many things running through his head. Very hard to follow.
I was watching John Hagee on television for some reason a few weeks ago and of course what
he said was lunacy for the most part. One thing that he said that stood out was that Jesus
was a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus is a Jewish Rabbi and is going to come back to this earth as a
Jewish Rabbi and because of that most of us won't know him. What is this psycho talking
about? Any clue?
he said was lunacy for the most part. One thing that he said that stood out was that Jesus
was a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus is a Jewish Rabbi and is going to come back to this earth as a
Jewish Rabbi and because of that most of us won't know him. What is this psycho talking
about? Any clue?
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
I listened to the new Pedro the Lion album yesterday and so far the only songs I really like are the first and the last songs. My favorite lyric so far is "bands with managers are going somewhere, bands with messy hair and smooth white faces..." That's funny, he's pretty cynical but i enjoy his writing. The other songs in the middle are kind of boring so far, maybe they'll grow on me. Of course the most controversy has been over David Bazaan using "fuck" in the second song on the album. It's funny how people blow things up. I'm not sure why they expect high standards our of David Bazaan. Why wouldn't he use that word? It's not like he's a professing evangelical Christian, and even if he was, i'm not sure why it's a huge deal. It's interesting how we make a big deal out of things such as people with no professing faith in Jesus Christ not living up to "our" standards. "Oh my gosh, she's getting drunk!" Why wouldn't she be getting drunk? What is stopping her? If I did not have a standard given to me by Jesus Christ, i'm sure my life would be a lot different. It's the problem of trying to change someone from the outside in, thinking that if we can change behavior then it will be easier for this person to become a Christian when in reality Christ has to have a presence in this person's life if change is possible. Change always happens from inside out.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Went to Willow Creek prevailing church conference. Amazing building, even more amazing that all of the teaching pastors have bodyguards. Jesus could have used a few of those as he taught.
Been hanging with Brad, Nick and Brandt and going to see the Cubs kick the Cardinals butt. That is something that I can't take too much of. Go CUBS! Unfortunately i'm going to see the game with a bunch of Cardinals fans. How do these people live with themselves?
I got a chance to do a workshop with the Axis ministry at Willow and at first was turned off. It was as if the entire staff was screaming "Hey look at us, we're hip and trendy." Which i'm not sure they weren't honestly. They looked like they were all from an H&M magazine. They were definitely suburbanites, which is fine but it's just funny. When you walked in the door of the room there was a DJ spinning records. That's cool with me but i never understood exactly why. And then after hearing Jarrett Stevens, the teaching pastor talk about teaching to 20 somethings i felt like an idiot for everything i felt because he's so gifted and really knows what's up. Mike Breaux, Gene Appel and Bill Hybels rocked the house as well. Good job guys. (They're probably not reading it, I understand that).
In other news the book I wrote a chapter in for Relevant Books comes out this fall which i'm excited about. I'm just excited to be included in a book that also has chapters written by Mark Driscoll and my buddy Mike Howerton. They know way more. I bet my chapter sucks in comparison but what can you do. I can't even remembe what the book is called. Hmm.
Been hanging with Brad, Nick and Brandt and going to see the Cubs kick the Cardinals butt. That is something that I can't take too much of. Go CUBS! Unfortunately i'm going to see the game with a bunch of Cardinals fans. How do these people live with themselves?
I got a chance to do a workshop with the Axis ministry at Willow and at first was turned off. It was as if the entire staff was screaming "Hey look at us, we're hip and trendy." Which i'm not sure they weren't honestly. They looked like they were all from an H&M magazine. They were definitely suburbanites, which is fine but it's just funny. When you walked in the door of the room there was a DJ spinning records. That's cool with me but i never understood exactly why. And then after hearing Jarrett Stevens, the teaching pastor talk about teaching to 20 somethings i felt like an idiot for everything i felt because he's so gifted and really knows what's up. Mike Breaux, Gene Appel and Bill Hybels rocked the house as well. Good job guys. (They're probably not reading it, I understand that).
In other news the book I wrote a chapter in for Relevant Books comes out this fall which i'm excited about. I'm just excited to be included in a book that also has chapters written by Mark Driscoll and my buddy Mike Howerton. They know way more. I bet my chapter sucks in comparison but what can you do. I can't even remembe what the book is called. Hmm.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
I saw Ben Kweller and Death Cab for Cutie last night at Irving Plaza. Ben Kweller's new material was disappointing but DCFC put on a great show as usual. Ben Gibbard is such a good front man. Got to meet some more of Kurt Power's friends last night. This guy knows a ton of people. We talked about our idea for a church in the East Village. I think it woudl be called East Village Junction - Where Faith Meets Culture. I would love to meet in this lounge we were at over in Alphabet City the other night. I think people who live over there woudl feel comfortable coming to church if it is in a place they know well and are comfortable. I would love to get started on this in 2005. We'll see what The Orchard Group thinks. This gets me excited.
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