Archives for 2008

I've heard tales of Senior Pastors that require the staff to be in the office 8 hours a day through the week. Fortunately that isn't my reality. Actually, I'd probably work less, but don't let my Pastor's wife know. Honestly she works very hard to make sure I'm not working too hard. This past week I put in most of my hours at the house. It is great being able to take a sick day but still get the work done that needs doing. I can relax instead of worrying about all the stuff that is piling up while I'm ill. Actually this illness was particularly convenient as far as sicknesses go. My … [Read more...]

So I stumbled across this pretty cool website. I mentioned it briefly in my post "Let's Talk Sex." It is a Text polling service. You can use it for free with up to 30 responses per poll and unlimited polls. There are fees beyond that based on how many responses you need to allow. Basically you make up a question, either multiple choice or text response, open the poll and provide the information to the people you want to respond.I did this with my talk on sex and it went over great. They were asking this week if we would be doing that again. I am planning on doing this fairly regularly … [Read more...]

I know I've mentioned how much I love technology, but at the same time fight it. I think the main reason I fight my gadgets is because I push them beyond their intended limits. If I had a super fast computer and all the latest goodies I probably wouldn't have to fight it so much. Instead I have a meager budget and big plans that involve things I don't have. This combined with a somewhat unhealthy obsession with MacGyver equals getting the job done at the peril of innocent electronics.For example, my Youth room doesn't have network and it is not feasible to install a wired connection. This … [Read more...]

I have a stack of books to read. Many are recommended non-fiction ministry related stuff. I haven't really had time to read much at all, but one good thing about being sick so much is I was able to squeeze in some time for reading.One of the books I am reading is Saint by Ted Dekker. I have like three Ted Dekker books in my to read pile of fiction. The Showdown is the other book I was considering when I started Saint. I picked Saint because it sounded interesting. Generally the book has been enjoyable. Some of the explanations are a little strange, and even annoying, but I can suspend … [Read more...]

It is my intention to start posting daily again. I went through an illness that refused to stay down. I finally, after weeks, went to the doctor. Good news is my blood pressure, cholesterol, and whatever else they checked is great. Bad news is I had a sinus infection. I say had because I finished off my antibiotics and it appears to be gone. Of course I'm coming down with something else now, but hopefully it will just run its course and be done instead of hanging on for a month.It is that time of the year again when we all think about that December holiday. Of course I'm referring to … [Read more...]

Ok, so first off I'd like to thank the people from over at SCL for their prayers. I posted that I was talking about sex with my youth and wanted prayer. I'm glad I asked. I post more detail on the discussion but I think it went well. I showed 3 videos, two dealing with the same study done by Tyra Banks show, and one about another study linking TV and teen pregnancy rates. I also used some text polls and my group responded. I was not very surprised about the results because they reflect much what the other polls were showing.We had some serious technical difficulties but I had several … [Read more...]

Plain and simple I really just hate being ill. I had a cold last week which is why I didn't post anything for a while. Well that and I had a lot going on.I have finished my extra stuff so I should have some free time. My mother has a nice little website and I design and maintain it for her. She wanted a redesign so I got busy dealing with that late last week and just finished it up a couple hours ago. Earlier today I got my office cleaned up for the first time in weeks as well. A clean office makes for a better day, getting over a cold makes for a better day, and finishing a fairly big … [Read more...]

So yesterday at SCL there was a post about pitting boys against girls in giving contest. On the comments several people talked about how in those contests their church would let the cash count against the other team, like voting against the team, while coins counted for your team.This got me to thinking about how things would look if we were allowed to vote against a candidate. I know a lot of people didn't vote for a candidate as much as they voted against a candidate. A lot of my friends voted for McCain not because they think he is the best choice but rather because they think Obama is … [Read more...]

50s TV announcer dude (5TAD): Hey Timmy, how are you today?Timmy: Fine I guess.5TAD: What has you down there young man?Timmy: Well I heard something about the Soviets planning on blowing us all up with nuclear bombs.5TAD: Timmy, don't worry, if you follow these simple rules you can survive when the reds attack.First, always carry a newspaper. It may not seem like much but our top scientist have reinforced your common newspaper with special ink to protect you from radiation.Second, always know where your fallout shelters are located. You should cover your head with the news paper and go to … [Read more...]

So I am doing a series on Refuge. I thought I would post it here before the series starts. This is in keeping with my attempt and anonymity. Basically I figure that if I post it before I preach it and one of my students stumble across this they will think I got my idea from the blog. Anyways, I think it is very important to teach about God as a refuge right now. Everything is going crazy all around us and God can be that place of refuge. Through this series I plan on speaking about our failed attempts at weathering crisis, different kinds of refuge that we need, places we go to for … [Read more...]