Monday, September 07, 2009

"Me thinks I am old"

This comes from a blog by David Landrith. It hit home.

This is the mindset of the freshman coming into college ( from Beloit College)

-They don’t remember when “cut and paste” involved scissors.
-Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
-Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton.
-Pay-Per-View television has always been an option.
-Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
-“Whatever” is not a part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke.
-Voicemail has always been available.
-The federal budget has always been more than a trillion dollars.
-Bill Gates has always been worth at least a billion dollars.
-The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.
-They have grown up in a single superpower world.
-They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
-They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
-Digital cameras have always existed.
-Tom Landry never coached the Cowboys.
-Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.

Wow, I am old...

Sunday, September 06, 2009

One Month to Live..

The series, "One Month To Live" has been an earthquake for our church. Alot of things have come together to make it a high impact series.

* For sure, this is a God thing. He is moving. People feel some permission to ask some hard questions. They are thinking beyond the sermon time . They are taking it home, talking with friends and family. The challenge - "If you were given 30 days to to live, what would you change?" is powerful. God takes these kinds of thoughts and uses them.

* Our Worship Teams have done a great job of connecting all aspects of the service. Tim and his teams do more than just sing 4 or 5 songs on Sunday. He has other people that helped with the lighting, the staging, the sound, and the "marketing" of the topic within our building. People drive on to the property and they are confronted with topics. The "yard signs" are preparing people as they come in...

* The mood around this topic is upbeat and positive. This could be a sad , even dark series. But we have approached it with a very positive attitude. This is about living, not dying. People respond to that.

* The stories that are coming to me are amazing. What a joy to see and hear people talk about God and life in such revealing ways.

* The fall is usually really strong attendance wise. But this fall has been the best ever. Why? I think it is a convergence of many factors, not the least of which is that people are inviting friends. (hmmmmm..... Know, love , serve and SHARE...)


I am so looking forward to next week and seeing what God does when it comes to "Learning Humbly."