The New Email

I am giving up trying to reach anyone under 30 years old using email.  The new way to contact the younger gen is through Facebook.  It is a social gathering place that they are way more likely to check than their email address.  I can get faster results sending them messages through Facebook than any other way – except texting… which seems to be the new calling.  Instead of dialing their number to talk, you type in your message and send.  I actually like texting – it is quick, but you have to be very deliberate about what you are sending, otherwise it takes a long time to type all of it in the phone.

If you dont have a facebook get one – it is a fun way to connect with your past and the young people in your life!  Click here and sign up! Then invite me to be your friend – you can share pictures, stories and updates… it is a lot of fun so do it now!

(I need someone to explain to me how to get the Facebook, Twitter, and RSS links permanently on my blog.  I cant figure it out but I know it can be done… help!)

Have a happy New Year!  See ya next week…

Celebrations

For years our daughter’s celebrated their birthday by having a sleep over party on New Year’s Eve.  It was a very loud evening, but they had so much fun.  As they are growing up, that idea seems less appealing to them, so this year we have no plans for New Year’s Eve.  What are some of the ways you have celebrated?  Where do you go?  What is your New Year’s Eve tradition?

Building Commnuity In 2009

I love building groups of people.  I love Creating community where there has been none.  I love bringing people together to love and support one another and enjoy being together.  I love groups and groups of people connecting and growing and learning.  I love it that yesterday when we went to lunch there were like 18 people sitting at a table together.  (one long pushed together table!)  I thrive on that kind of thing.  So when we had a really low turnout at church yesterday I was disappointed.  Especially coming off the previous week (our Christmas service) where there were lots of people.  I wish it wasn’t this way, but for me, the more the merrier and I want as many people involved as we can get.  Not because the numbers are important, but what happens in these groups is important.  People that encounter difficulties in life are surrounded by others that love and support them through it.  People that have experiences that others need can share it with them.  People can accomplish more good and help for those in need together than we can alone!  There are so many reasons to be involved in community, I want to see everyone in one!

As you approach the New Year and you consider your resolutions for 2009, think about making “getting involved in a community” one of them.  If you already attend a church or are in a small group, think about making your attendence there a priority.  I am keenly aware that most people’s attendance at Church or in a small group gathering are just over 50%.  There are all kinds of things competing with church in people’s lives, I would ask you to consider how much of a priority you make it in your life, and move it up a notch or two in 2009.  Good things will come from it!

iPod Fanatic

Last week I was rummaging through a closet in our house that houses all our “hardly ever used junk that we refuse to get rid of.”  (Do you have a closet like that?)  As I oppened a box that I hadn’t seen since Texas.  In the box was my first iPod.  It is white and the old style that has a really small monochromatic screen compared to the ones today.  It had stopped working, and the newer video models had come out, so it was a good excuse to get a newer one.  After I found the old white one in this box, I decided to charge it up and try to sync it just for fun.  Sure enough there was a fix for a clickwheel problem on this particular model.  It downloaded, reset, and sync’d without any problem!  So now I have a retro iPod as well as my others.

I began thinking about how many iPods our family has as was suprised by the answer: Two iPod Shuffles, two iPod Nanos, two video iPods, one iPhone, and a resurrected 2G white iPod.  That is 8 total iPods!  The twins have bought their own, I bought Trish one for Christmas last year, and she has been so good to me over the years with the video and iPhone.  It seems though, we are sold out to iPods and are collecting them like crazy.

So what do you collect?  What have you found yourself hanging on to in the hopes that it will someday work again?  Have you ever looked at your stuff and thought, “how in the world did I wind up with all these?”  Share it!  We want to hear, (and I want to be sure I am not alone in this!)

Why Shepherds?

Yesterday we talked about the angel appearing to the shepherds in the fiend to announce the birth of Christ.  As I was preparing for the message and came across that passage I had to wonder to myself, “why shepherds?”  I mean, if this baby was going to be a savior, a leader, an influential figure, why not reveal his birth to the religious officials, chief priests, royalty or government officials, why shepherds tending flock in a field?

As I learned more, I realized that if the birth of Christ was going to be announced today, the angel would probably appear to auto mechanics.  I think this because I worked with mechanics for about 10 years.  They are the most practical, no nonsense kinds of people you will meet – just like shepherds.  See, if you are out in a field somewhere far from home, you have to be incredibly practical or you or one of your sheep die.  You had to watch for wild beasts, water and food shortages, thieves, and sickness.  You don’t have time to ponder the miraculous, or entertain stories of the imagination.  If you experienced an angel announcing the birth of Jesus, and you told others what had happened they believe you, because shepherds don’t make up stories. There is a credibility that comes with being a Shepherd that is only based on their no-nonsense approach to life.

But the main reason the angel appeared announcing Jesus’ birth to the shepherds was about who Jesus was coming to earth for… The angel says that he was bringing good news for ALL people.  And to prove it the message came to the shepherds, a forgotten and neglected group.  they were the least of the least and didn’t gain much respect from people in the city.  What group better to announce the birth of a savior to?  He wasn’t announced to the priests, royals, or perfect people… He was announced to the average, lonely, outcast.  Jesus is God’s gift to ALL people.  Even you and me.

After they were told about the baby’s birth, they hurried off to see it for themselves.  When they found Him, they were filled with wonder and amazement.  May your Christmas be filled with the wonder and amazement of the shepherds.

Building Pictures 12-19-2008

here are the latest pictures of our building…

Personal Bailout Plan

No one wants a recession.  No one wants to fall on hard financial times.  No one wants to lose their job.  But sometimes these things are inevitable.  Things can go from bad to worse in a hurry, and if we are not paying attention to the warning signs we can run into trouble in a hurry.  We have lived in a season of prosperity that seemed to lull us into thinking there will always be a tomorrow that will bring more opportunity, more stability, and more time to fix whatever mess we find ourselves in.  This recession hopefully is a wake up call not just to the Banking sector and Automotive sector, but to all of us.

I am sure the Auto sector has seen these problems coming for some time now, but they did nothing to prepare for it.  They didn’t do the necessary restructuring or refocusing necessary to carry them through.  So now they are looking for some kind of help to keep them from falling apart altogether.  This is hopefully a wake up call for all of us.  If we continue to go into debt, buying things on credit and spending beyond our means, hoping that in some way the prosperity and growth in America continues so we can afford the things we buy today tomorrow, we will wind up in the exact same place as the Big 3.  If you haven’t started thinking about reducing your personal debt, do it now.  If this recession worsens and more companies begin lay offs, what is your plan?  Do you have savings?  Is there a way you can make ends meet?  If you are buying on credit today, what happens when and if the income you count on tomorrow dries up?  It is time for all of us to take a closer look at how much we bring in and how much we spend every month.  It is time for us all to develop better personal financial accountability.

If you find yourself in a good and stable financial situation during these times, congratulations!  You have bucked the trend of this consumerism and “buy now, pay later.”  That is a feat in and of itself.  But it doesn’t end there.  Begin looking at ways you can help others.  So many people are in such great need, now is the time to step up and help more.  Many non-profits that exist to help those in need are struggling.  Now is your time to take the blessings you have been given and put them to use to benefit others.  You may be able to help show someone how to get out of debt.  You may be able to give more to the organizations in the best position to help those that have lost their jobs, their homes, their hope for the future.  Giving of your time, your knowledge, your finances is such a huge blessing for both you and the recipient, you will not be sorry.  It will be a wise and gratifying investment!

Have you thought about your current financial position?  Are you continuing the habits that may spell disaster – spending more than you make?  Are you knocking down your debt trying to be in a better position if things do not improve?  Are you leveraging your good position to help others if you find yourself in a stable financial place?

This recession is not a good thing, but if it helps us refocus and restructure our current financial position bringing health and stability to our future financial position, maybe some good will come of it.  Learn the lesson from the Big 3, and change before it is too late.

Sign On The Bottom Line

Last night we officially got the vote from the School Board to accept the lease terms and rent space in our building.  In this current age of high building costs and the difficulty involved in all the permiting and building codes, it takes a miracle and a millionaire to build a building.  Churches get so wrapped up in their building debt that they cannot make a difference in their communities in the way the would like.  So for years we have seen churches start up in schools.  Why not switch the model?  Why not begin to build buildings that are specifically designed to be multi purpose buildings?  The partnership of a school and a church makes good sense, Schools meet weekdays, Churches meet weekends, the building gets used 7 days a week. The weeknights are split so the Church can do it’s community reaching activities, and the school gets nights to do their community building or sports activities.  It is a win win, but there are things that must be collaborated on, things that must be compromised on, and things that have to be thought about differently.  We see this kind of jointly purposed space in the retail sector, a Target with a Starbucks, Taco-Bell or Pizza-Hut in it, why not figure out ways churches can do the same thing?

We are doing it.  We are almost completed with our new church building that will house a high school for our local school district.  It took some time to work out the details with the schoool and to build a lease document that works for both organizations, but we did it!  Last night the school board approved the lease, today it will be signed and delivered!  The school is excited, our church is excited, and we are looking forward to seeing how this partnership helps both organizations.  The building is the exciting part, the negotiations can be the tedious part, but the outcome is benificial for everyone involved!  I am so thankful to their board, our elders, and the men that came up with this idea in the first place!

Best Christmas Gifts This Year

Every year there is a list (or two) someone creates touting the best Christmas gifts of the season.  I don’t know who makes these lists because it rarely seems like the stuff I would put on my list would be what they have on theirs, but for the sake of good discussion lets create a list together….

What gifts are you hoping to have under the tree this year?

What gifts are you looking forward to giving this year?

This is your time to show all those list making experts they have nothing on you!  Let us know what your list is!

Michelangelo

Jack’s class has a Renaissance module that he is right in the middle of now. Every year the 5th grade at the school he attends dresses up and acts out parts of the Renaissance in an effort to learn more about it. Last year they had a costume company come in and your could rent the costumes for $5-10. This year it is like $20, and we figured we could avoid the cost and find him stuff to wear for his character. The problem is there are no good pictures of what Michelangelo looks like, unless you are looking for images of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. No portraits, no artist renditions of what he may have looked like… nothing! So last night we were scrambling to figure out what to do for his costume. We have a chisel a mallet coming from grandpa later today. Trish found an oversize long sleeve shirt at a thrift store last night, but other than that what do you do to make an 11 year old boy look like Michelangelo? there is added pressure because they get a grade for their costumes, so we are a little frustrated that there isn’t more information available either on line somewhere or from the teacher. But all the stress is amplified because this is a last minute effort of course. We could have thought ahead and started last week, but who knew it would be this difficult?

Have you ever waited till the last minute on a school project, yours or your kids, and been completely stressed out on how you were going to finish it? (who are we kidding anyway with these kinds of “kids” projects, everyone knows it is up to the parents, right?)