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i just saw that someone is selling a perfect replica of the knight 2000, also known as kit, on ebay. other than the gimmic of this, it was kinda cool to see a blast from the past.
update: so in talking with erin, she had never heard of the KITT or K.I.T.T. car. so i had to show how cool it was. funny thing, after watching this, she still doesn't see why it's so cool.
our new venture in youth ministry is now starting out. check out www.thecornercast.net it is our wednesday night bible study & conversation on podcast. as far as i know, this is the first time to put youth on a podcast in this type of format, so it's a little scary to think all that won't be perfect (ie. a long silence from a question). the small group we have on wednesday seemed to enjoy it and some of the youth that don't come are looking forward to downloading it, so that is cool. i know that johnathan enjoyed recording & mixing up the podcast. it isn't listed on itunes yet. i will put that in the works later today sometime. i had to wait to get the feed corrected.
to know why we are doing this, we have a large population of youth who don't come to church on wednesday nights. from what i can tell, wednesday evenings have never been "successful" in terms of numbers. last year we had 15 or so coming and that was a lot apparently. those numbers wained and we continue to have low numbers. so the thought is, do a short podcast of our conversation time and put it out there for others to hear. for those that visit other churches wednesday night stuff, they can get an understanding of the methodist expression that their parents want them to know.
who knows what or where it will go after that. with the turning on of the corner cast and the corner venue we can see that God might shape some folks we don't even know with these ventures.
with this lame post on nothing at all i announce that i have hit 1000 blog posts for "hit the back button to move fwd." this works out to a little over 1.2 posts per day. it is more than others and less than others.
more than all that, this venture has never been about the numbers, but about a practice. sometimes i forget it, sometimes i obsess over it, sometimes it is balance. mostly though, it's an honest reflection of what & where i've been over the last two plus years.
thanks to all who've been along for this milestone
i am guessing that other bloggers got this meeting email. i didn't make it, i opted to have dinner with my wife. wondering though if others made it and what all happened with it.
PRIVATE
INVITATION TO BLOGGERS
January 29, 2007
Good news! After two years of work redesigning UMC.org and adding new features, we’re officially launching the site on Monday, January 29! And we want you to be a part of it.
United Methodist Communications invites you to a launch event for bloggers where we will introduce the site’s new design, demonstrate its innovative features, answer your questions and discuss the church’s decision to take this “generation next” approach.
The new UMC.org is about relationships, connections and bringing people of faith together in new ways. The site was created after more than 250 church members, leaders, and seekers around the world were interviewed in the research phase of the redesign. This research led to the use of many innovative technologies and features, including:
· The new UMC.org Community, the first large-scale social networking site developed by a mainline denomination, where you can establish a profile, blog, name others as “friends,” and a lot more.
· “Our People” section, where visitors can identify and find ways to use their individual talents, and read inspirational stories of faith.
· “Pray” tab, where visitors can submit a prayer request asking others to remember their needs in their prayers.
· “Serve” section, which helps people connect with volunteer opportunities locally and around the world.
· MethoPedia, or the United Methodist encyclopedia, offers a subject-specific view of all resources and stories from the denomination.
We hope that you will want to review our site and help us to spread the word about the new UMC.org. Join us!
WHEN:
Monday, January 29, 2007
7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT/ 4 p.m. PT
WHERE: Web Link: http://umc.acrobat.com/launch
NOTE: After clicking the link, select ‘Enter as Guest’, type your first & last name followed by the organization/site you represent, and then click ‘Enter Room’.
here is a list of warmth in winter workshop links. some mentioned, some not. if there is something missing let me know by leaving a comment.
hosting
www.vinehosting.com (if you wish to use the web empowered church
www.midphase.com - domain name for life! good price, all the perks
www.ipowerweb.com - solid host, excellent support, at this time doesn’t have all the plug-ins, but has most.
www.ace-host.com - an inexpensive option, with all the plug-ins.
CMS
www.webempoweredchurch.com (tutorials, downloads, & forums)
www.sourgeforce.com - Mambo homepage
www.mambohut.com - Mambo & joomla templates
www.mamboportal.com - Joomla homepage
blogs
www.typepad.com (a pay blog site, but has the easiest interface to give a rich site)
www.blogger.com (free, need a little html knowledge to tweak, add links, etc.)
online communities
www.myspace.com - growing community, not Christian, very rough
www.livejournal.com - online community, more of a journal
www.xanga.com - online community
www.friendster.com - online community, your become friends with your other friends friends, chat, photo sharing, commenting
www.facebook.com - online community for college students, you need to use a college email for registration
local bloggers
www.gavoweb.com (me)
www.onlywonder.com - Jay Voorhees, Pastor at Antioch UMC
www.methocast.com - Jay does a Podcast on the Methodist Church
www.stphransus.com - Jonathon Norman, Youth Pastor, Hermitage UMC
scrambies.blogspot.com - Josh Tinley, Editor, UMPH
theleedsjourney.blogspot.com - Lanecia Rouse, Youth Pastor, Belmont UMC
rouserantings.blogspot.com - Ciona Rouse, Writer for UMC
darewebe.blogspot.com - Kara Oliver, Stay at Home Mom
ericcoomer.blogspot.com - Eric Coomer, starving artist
www.ramblingthoughts.com - Jay Huff, recovered youth pastor
www.tnumc.org - the conference website has a number of blogs for different topics
other
www.flickr.com - Flickr, online photo community
www.blogs4God.com - Christian blog aggregator
www.nashvilleistalking.com - News2 blog aggregator
www.nashvilleareajournal.org - Bishop Wills online interactive Life Journal spiritual practice
books
Web Empower Your Church, by Mark Stephenson - a great book on working in internet ministry, not to mention working with web empowered church software
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture, by Shane Hipps - a wonderful, easy read, on the many trends and movements in church and culture due to the changes in technology
Wired for Ministry, by John Jewell - probably the only good church & internet book at the moment, but yet, it’s dated already
these are just some of the views i had from warmth in winter through the lens of the camera. check out more of our youth group experience here.
this weekend i'm banging it around with 2000 plus youth from the tennessee conference in downtown nashville @ "warmth in winter." it is the largest event our conference puts on. i've helped out with it for seven years now making videos for the various sessions and whatever else. this year i'm doing the video thing again, though i have a great crew of youth doing the videos, so i might not have to do anything with that. i know i'll teach a workshop. other than that it's catchin up and and hanging out with old youth friends and new ones. we have around 76 youth and youth ministers from hendersonville here this weekend. a grand crew. we take up almost a whole floor of rooms. it's a good thing too, we were rather loud last night till bedtime.
only thing worthy of talking about is that said bishop recognized me for the first time. apparently some pastor in new york had forwarded him some links to some youtube videos. now that was another fun conversation to have. pictures and more to come.
feeling really sad for my buddy john. one of his beloved pets, whom i actually iconalized a few months back with this little graphic, passed away. i, like many, have had a pet or two pass away in my life. the two kiddo's i have now though, coe especially, have been with me & erin so long it's hard to imagine life without them. loosing either of them, which i think of every so often, scares me so. i feel for my friend as he's realizing some of that anguish now.
O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Inlehain, who brought us so much joy in life, has now died. Inlehain's happy times in
our blogging family’s embrace have come to an end. We
miss Inlehain already. Amen
spent much of today working with the folks at the upperroom and wonder voyage on "the way of pilgrimage" training sessions & a nashville pilgrimage site. i am really excited about the resource. i think it's going to be something wonderful for the spiritual formation of the youth and young adults of our church (possibly the adults). after we were done with our planning sessions for the training, which now looks more and more like a kickin spiritual retreat, ciona and i took the wonder voyage folks around town to scout some various sacred spaces of nashville. a good time had by all. after running all kinds of errands to get ready for this weekends retreat i come home to find some of the endorsements that have been rolling in for the curriculum. many i know, some i don't, i'm excited others are seeing the heart of this resource. it certainly solidifies that this really was something God actively played a part in.
Endorsements for The Way of Pilgrimage
The Way of Pilgrimage is ground-breaking in the way it honors a young person's heart, mind, soul and body. The curriculum goes beyond cognitive teaching of the Christian faith by offering young people a variety of ways to open their hearts to God's love.
Mark Yaconelli,
Author, Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of JesusWhile many youth resources try to "wow" kids into belief, The Way of Pilgrimage takes kids on journey and forms them as disciples. This is a resource that understands that youth are much more ready to "go deep" in their faith than we sometimes think. I look forward to adding this to the resources we use with our youth here.
Rev. Jay Voorhees,
Sr. Pastor, Antioch United Methodist Church
Antioch, TNThe Way of Pilgrimage is a wonderful complement to any parish or congregation’s youth ministry. The program includes 150 daily individual reflection activities along with thirty weekly small group sessions that provide an effective opportunity for young people to deepen their faith and their spiritual practices. This combination of personal reflection and peer sessions greatly enhances this program. Further, the individual reflections are practical, scripture-based and engaging, and the leader’s guide is very complete, making it easy to facilitate the group sessions. This is a valuable resource for those serious about the spiritual journey.
Bob McCarty. D.Min.
Executive Director
National Federation for Catholic Youth MinistryThe Way of Pilgrimage is like a new best friend! You can walk right into its welcoming presence and begin at once to find fresh truths, sprouting up from ancient sources. It will become a trusted guide for those who accompany youth and young adults on their paths of meaning-making.
It promises especially satisfying moments for leaders who wish to engage others in the rhythmic paces of spiritual formation. The weekly gatherings show us how to move from deeply ingrained habits of content-based Bible study into soul-tending practices of contemplation and community that open us to transformation.
The Rev. Dr. Dori Baker
Author, Doing Girlfriend Theology: God-Talk with Young Women
United Methodist pastor, and professor of youth ministry and Christian education.As an organization completely dedicated to the art of pilgrimage we are overjoyed with the Way of Pilgrimage resources. The Way of Pilgrimage is a comprehensive and passionate guide that brings us back to our ancient heritage of pilgrimage through modern eyes and practical application.
Utilize these resources to teach your youth God's unique design of our lives as journeys of exploration and adventure. There is no better resource available to date that prepares your teens as life long pilgrims.
Shawn Small
Executive Director of Wonder Voyage PilgrimagesThis inspiring resource seeks its participants out wherever they are in their spiritual walks and gentle moves them toward a deeper understanding of their own pilgrimage. Through the building of a Christian community of travelers, The Way of Pilgrimage helps all participants shed light on the most unexamined corners of their souls as they begin to make peace with the strengthening of their faith. As an educator of secondary students, I greatly appreciate how consistently this text works to provide spiritual development activities for every kind of learner, from still meditation to verbal expression to artistic interpretations. The accessibility to spiritual formation for both the next generation and the “current” that The Way of Pilgrimage provides is so remarkably comprehensive that no person involved in the pilgrimage will be left unmoved.
Jessica Rosenthal
Educator and Youth Helper
[United Methodist]Finally, a spiritual resource for youth and young adults with depth and meaning! Upper Room Books continues its “Companions in Christ” series with an insightful and creative journey for Generation Next. I love this resource!
Bo Prosser
Coordinator for Congregational Life
Cooperative Baptist FellowshipThe Way of Pilgrimage is a wonderful doorway into the spiritual life. Like the bountiful feast that God sets before us, these volumes are full of wisdom and blessing. Those who accept the challenge to walk with Christ would benefit greatly from this guide. Its exercises are both simple and rich. At every point, the members of the group are encouraged to journey into the heart of God.
Rev. Daniel Wolpert
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Crookston
Co-Director, Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (MICAH)
as many of you might know, jack black seems to have a striking resemblance and manuerisms to yours truly. the plot thickens as to the connection between the two of us. one of my youth has shared with me a picture of mr. black as a child. surprisingly it looks eerily similar to me at a similar age.
so what do you think? could this be my long lost brother. might i have been switched at birth and my brother is not actually my brother?
on this evening of the state of the union address
there is a great discussion going on at the methoblog on politicians speaking at general conference. specifically, president george bush speaking at gc '08. i think wes has the sensible argument to me, that we do not need active politicians speaking at such a gathering. however, people who speak to the politics we need to engage as Christian faith should be acceptable. it's a fine line i am sure. it sparked an old thought for me. what politicians are out there that are methodist. so i googled it and who would have guessed there is a wikipedia page on such a topic.
certainly george bush has been noted as a united methodist, and one that doesn't pay much attention to the bishops of his church. how bout, hillary clinton, dick cheaney, jon edwards, and dennis hastert (former speaker of the house), the angry zell miller.
al gore, sr. was a methodist, his son took some religious courses at vandy (could be methodist) but he is missionary baptist now. ed bryant was in office as a methodist from here in tennessee & john wilder is still around in this state.
some other current notables: jeff bingaman, larry craig, johnny isakson, dick lugar, pat roberts, debbie stabenow, craig thomas, bob taft (was governor), sue wilkins myrik.. i'm sure there are more
i wouldn't mind so much that an active politician speaks at a general or annual conference. i would be remiss if they used the platform for a campaigning stop, which i think happens too easily. if however, they were speaking to some changes that are in line with the social principles then i'd be okay with it. i am not sure how many of these folks would be so intune with the methodist beliefs that they could speak to them. certainly not president bush
this afternoon jonathon and i mixed in with some upperroom friends in filming some spots for a new website that will highlight and sell "the way of pilgrimage" the older youth and young adult family member of "companions in Christ."
it was interesting as some of the spots felt like we were doing the mac/pc commercial parodies. that would have been cool, but jonathon can't act. he did good managing child, enthusiasm, and reading words. it's a tough place to be. he had to jet before i was on my own, so he can't talk trash about me, haha!! one of the running jokes was that we would throw in "way of the master" references. quite a bit of fun, some good laughs. after i was done i chatted with dale as catherine (one of the organizers) had her australian boyfriend read some voice overs. i guess the accent thing is really cool, certainly cooler than mine or jonathon's voices.
in seriousness, the "way of pilgrimage" is a 30 week small group experience that can be broken into stand alone segments or a whole comprehensive understanding of ones spiritual walk as pilgrim (or resident alien for you willimon/hauerwaus fans). it does give educational understandings but mostly it is geared to help shape the heart of the pilgrim searching for Christ. i'm excited about it and can't wait to start to plug it in with our spiritual formation as a youth community. we've adopted the small group meeting model as our base already. it'll be nice to have the curriculum to go along with it.
thanks to all who have chimed in about saturday's training event for the aurora district. i've already thrown down some quick highlights and i'm working to get all the info conveyed onto the blog. the pictures are the only two pics i took of the whole trip, which is very uncharacteristic of me to not take pictures. one is of my room and the other is some of the friends that stopped by the hotel at 7am on saturday morning. it had something to do with an alarm system that was making a bunch of racket. they weren't too talkative to all of us who came out to the lobby to see them. oh well.
the worship went really well. it was one the best moments i've had in a long time. keynote lecture went well. i went off-note quite a bit which was probably best. i do better when i am just going at it. then again, that's the same time i tend to ramble. the workshop was very enjoyable we covered a lot of topics that were technical and not-so-technical. we ran it like just a q&a with me as man with the power (or microphone). that just goes to show how much can be gained by just allowing a group to share together.
here are my notes from the worship and lecture: download worship_aurora_dist.pdf
i keep forgetting to bring home my voice recorder to download the mp3 file of the actual lecture. i'll work to have them up on tuesday so check for an update then.
today my email has been taken over by the nashville area journal. this is a ministry of my bishop. he is a big advocate for the life journal and the techniques used for spiritual formation within in. there was an effort to make this available online. it went through some growing pains and was left for dead. i sent an email and helped bring it back to life and with mark stephenson and the foundation for evangelizm it's now going online.
me, well, i'm just a go between and a friend of mark and the foundation. so i've been in on some of the development, albeit minor pieces, more of content developing. what i am apparently finding out today is that i am on the admin of the site too as i opened up my email to see the journal registrations just coming in. it's very cool to see people jumping in. i know many of these folks. being a big promoter of spiritual practices i'm excited to see people start to use this. doubt this will help my bishop know who the heck i am after all this, but it's possible he could remember my name or at least that i am in his episcopacy. who cares, it might redeem myself for this.
fyi: for those that use the site, i can't see what you might journal about. i just know you are there, your personal reflections are yours and yours alone.
i am back home now from chicago & the aurora district training day. in all things seemed to go very well. i was worn out after everything that i fell asleep in the car on the ride to the airport. thanks to jim for shuttling me around. everyone was way welcoming and a joy to meet & talk too. i'll be posting notes from what we dove into. for now, some reflections
things went well, whatever i said (and i said a lot) people seemed to respond with interest and levels of passion. i won't be offended though if some forget due to a bears game. go bears
currently i'm hanging out just outside chicago. i'm up here for the aurora district training day. tomorrow i'm supposed to lead worship, give a keynote (on said worship), and then do a workshop (how to's to the worship). i'm sorta nervous, i can talk for hours, that i know. the question is if i can make sense. as far as the worship, i'm thinking it's an odd blend of my contemplative tendencies with some contemporary. it has been awhile that i have led singing and order of worship together. i hope that goes well. apparently it's a big crowd too
the flight up here was interesting. a packed flight and i got a seat in the back by the window. that was okay. then a young lady with a 15month old sat in the middle seat. that was still okay... apparently though once the plane started taking altitude the 15month old didn't think that was so cool. so tantrum ensued and screaming into the side of my face happened for quite a few minutes. i'm sure it seemed like forever for mom. she finally took said child to the bathroom where screaming happened, just not to the side of my face. said child was in much better shape when they came back. he took a liking to my highlighter, so i gave it to him till landing. an easy sacrifice from my seat.
as i head off to bed, tomorrow starts early (get there round 7:30, things from 9-2) and if you would keep me in prayers that God does something pretty cool with me. i'd appreciate it.
one thing seems for sure. if i screw up and the bears win on sunday no one will remember. shalom, -g
i received an email today from our laity leader of the conference talking about declaring intent to be voted a delegate for general conference in '08. now we've are talking of making moves as the methoblog to be at general conference. but, should i give it a shot at being a delegate at gc '08?
so i was perplexed to be getting hits from the wittenburg door all day today. for the life of me i couldn't figure out where the links were coming from, all the links just direct back to the main page. then i read the newsletter, what an epiphany, and they have me quoted from my blog post on osteen's best teeth now. so i'm mentioned, cool, i figure i've made it now, or john wrote me in somewhere. i still can't figure out the link thing though.. maybe it is just late
alan has tagged me with this meme on sharing 5 odd facts about me. hmm.. the trouble of coming up with just 5 odd things about me.
future tags: jay voorhees (who never does these things), jonathon norman (who might), my boy thunder, lynnette & sam davidson (cause i like learning new stuff about them)
in preparations for one of our new programs with the youth, a podcast of our wednesday night bible studies. i was looking at having a discussion on capital punishment & our faith. seeing that it is in the global news with the hanging of saddam's brothers, and will come up in the local news regularly (atleast it does here in nashville). the plan was to read through some scriptures, articles, the umc's social principles. one of the articles i've just read is by johan maurer a friend out in portland. one of the parts that caught me was this, i'd encourage a full read of the article here.
Almost anyone who talks about Saddam Hussein in the context of peacemaking feels bound to stipulate to his numerous crimes, including mass murder, not to mention summary executions of his political enemies. Where does love fit in? Just as C.S. Lewis advised not tackling the Gestapo as lesson one in learning to forgive, we do not have to lapse into sentimentality in considering how to love a tyrant. But how is this for a start? Resist the ancient temptation to kill him!
so i'm taking a slow day at home before heading into the office. i am watching cnn (after a few reruns of sportscenter) while catching up on some blogs and news articles. i see this commercial on cnn advertising the "the viral learning center" and my reaction is.. is that for real? so i check it out and here is the first hit on google, a youtube video.
the part of this that catches my adhd is that most find the television to be truth telling. "it has got to be true if it is on tv!" the same sentiment shared if it were in the newspaper. this was the ethic that television and journalism was based on. with the internet though there is much more skepticism due to internet & email fraud. with the power of youtube and other internet ventures viral video that can parody anything is king. can it be that we are now going to have to watch the gimmic viral videos as part of television? we'd get this if it were on snl, but the middle of the day on cnn.. now that could be genius
note: the video i have here is an expanded version of the one i witnessed. guess it's hard to afford two minutes of middle of the day news coverage.
after the reported resignation of president greenway it seems things are not getting better.
Asbury Theological Seminary officials say the school is in crisis after the board forced president Jeffrey Greenway to resign.
The Wilmore, Kentucky, school has formed a "peacemaking task force" and brought in a consultant and "crisis teams" to help heal divisions caused by Greenway's ouster.
...
Critics say the board of trustees didn't give Greenway a fair hearing and circumvented its own bylaws to improperly oust him. A complaint has been filed with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), the agency that accredits Asbury. ATS gave Asbury until mid-January to respond.
Greenway's removal has triggered outrage among some students, alumni, and faculty. Officials shut down an internal online forum after critics used it to lambaste the board.
article tip: will samson
my favorite part of this one "creative battle."
is he crazed? is he prophetic? a rabbi's warning to the american people that the push back against a fundamentalist religious right practice is letting in a more dangerous foe to the faith fabric.
tip: jamey
my buddy bill is back to blogging. his angle seems to be doing a mix of video and written posts chronicling the "traveling tater." not sure where the tater thing comes from, other than the fact that he has a collection of mr. potato heads that he brings on trips. i think it has something to do with the shape of his head.
my buddy jason (a fellow um youth pastor in nashville area) has a great story illustrating the problems when traditionalist mentalities meet youth.
a bit more than a year ago when the methoblog world and church world alike was a buzz i posted this list. the premise behind the post was that you don't need to actually say anything to get comments, you just need to have some trigger words and the people will come, or visit. the blog world isn't as much a buzz, however, i still get hits on this list every once in awhile, so i figured i'd re-examine for relevance today.
here's my updated list
thoughts?
on television the other day i heard a politician talking about ranking important global issues on the basis of national threat. ie. darfur was not a threat to our nation, so it wasn't as important as the war on terror. many would disagree with me, but for us to claim a Christian state, that is some whacked out perspective. i'd suggest that civil unrest around the world is just as much a global threat, if we could tend to the heart of the world then i would rest that infrared hate would be minimal.
in an effort to help keep aware i'd suggest bringing awareness and help to "invisible children" or "night commuters." check out the site for 2007 viewing sites or choose to host one if there isn't one in your area.
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God, turn your backs on the world's "sure thing," ignore what the world worships; The world's a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts. Nothing and no one comes close to you! I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words. Neither numbers nor words account for you. Doing something for you, bringing something to you—that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious—that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen.
So I answered, "I'm coming. I read in your letter what you wrote about me, And I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me." That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being.
I've preached you to the whole congregation, I've kept back nothing, God—you know that. I didn't keep the news of your ways a secret, didn't keep it to myself. I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough. I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth For myself alone. I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.
Now God, don't hold out on me, don't hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn't see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.
Soften up, God, and intervene; hurry and get me some help, So those who are trying to kidnap my soul will be embarrassed and lose face, So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable will be heckled and disgraced, So those who pray for my ruin will be booed and jeered without mercy.
But all who are hunting for you—oh, let them sing and be happy. Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great and not quitting. And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you've got what it takes—but God, don't put it off.
reading this was rather meaningful for my prayer time today
somewhere over the holidays i finished reading barna's book "the revolution." i must say that before entering into the book i felt it was going to be a book that challenged me. i'm not a huge fan of barna, not him personally, but how people use his research to push forth ideologies that i feel mix too much with political ideologies than kingdom practices. with that said, i was pleasantly surprised going through the book.
simply put, barna shares how their research has shown them a growing force in the faith community of "revolutionaries" who are doing church outside the common framework of the institutional church. this doesn't scream "emergent" (or even mention the word) but it sure did feel like it when i was reading it. i suppose in part because the "revolutionaries" are not necessarily part of that framework of practice, but he allows it/them to be whatever it is they/we dream them to be.
through the book i got rather bored of hearing the word "revolutionaries" over and over and over again. other than that, it was an accessible, not lengthy, read and worth my time.
what i have a will probably use it for is to help bridging some of those post-modern/modern mindsets and language gaps. i have long held the perception that barna is for the modern era. this piece, however, does help to say to the modern person, here is what is happening & here is what you can do.
what is happening is this revolution within the world outside of the church. people can do one of three things as barna suggests. get on board, learn what the "revolutionaries" are doing and seek to be like them in spirit. support them, don't jump on board with what they are doing (ie. go to your church as you do) but support them in their efforts to do things differently. both will help to ensure that you, as an institution will be relevant in the coming years. third, stick you head in the sand, you can pretend it is not happening, condemn those who are doing different things. eventually though, barna shares that you will become completely irrelevant to society as a church and will die.
so who is on board with the revolution?
in my down times these last two days i've been reading through mark stephenson's new book "web-empower your church." mark heads up the web-empowered church project through the foundation for evangelism. i've raved over the web empowered church project before and am using it for our youth group website (www.hfumcyouth.org). i had thought that when the book came out it was going to be all about using the "wec" software. i have been pleasantly surprised to find that it is more and more about putting