This Thanksgiving was a great time with family – and food.
2 Smoked Boston Butts
3 smoked small turkeys
1 large 3o something pound turkey
2 large beef briskets
1 ham
1 fried turkey
not to mention all the “fixins”
Lot of food, lot of family and a lot of good time together.
Yesterday, we looked at Starbucks for some inspiration in our culture. Pretty cool stuff. Starbucks has made a name for itself by providing a third space. A place other than work and home for people to meet.
Places for conversation are so needed in our culture today. We see a pseudo-relationship with reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor. We watch and choose our favorites and live vicariously through their experiences week after week. Instead of a make believe world of communion, Starbucks offers people a real place to “be” with each other – to have conversations and live life together.
The church needs to reclaim this place in culture. After all, the church supposedly has the answers to all of life’s ailments, right? Surprise, the church doesn’t have all the answers, but we do have an environment where people can feel safe and secure enough to share their personal life; become vulnerable enough to let walls down and breathe.
The ebb and flow of life mimic the ebb and flow of a good conversation. Life and conversation go hand in hand. Without each other an imbalance is left – life without conversation or conversation without life. Together they become something that frees us and empowers us to pursue greatness.
Corona has a tag-line that says, “Miles away from ordinary”. That thought struck me today. As we live our lives – what are we living for. We could say family, country, God, etc. Really though, what are we living for?
The last thing I want to be is ordinary. Not because ordinary is bad, but because we all are different. I want to live a life that celebrates the differentness we all share. Instead of cozying up close to Ordinary, I want to be “Miles Away from Ordinary”.
OK it is the countdown to 3 services. We start a new series – POP CULTURE – and add a service, and change the service times for all services tomorrow. What were we thinking?
I know exactly what we were thinking. We need more space to let more people in to experience what it means to really be loved by God – just the way they are. No really….just the way they are!
I get happy each time I look out and see dysfunctional, abused people who get along and love each other and get to feel God’s love for them every week.
Is it going to require more time, effort, money and energy? Yes, but is it worth it? Yes.
Onward and forward – full steam ahead!
O my God what a book! Our Director of Operations here at Lifepoint gave me this book a couple of moths ago. At first I just couldn’t get into it, but a few days ago I felt like I needed to give it another shot. In two days I had finished and the way the book personifies God and Christ and the Holy Spirit is truly amazing. The feeling and emotions that came up during the reading of The Shack gave me a sense that I was reading some of my own story. Through a tragic set of circumstances an adventurous, well-traveled God emerged. In the end the concept of God and the godhead go through a singularly remarkable transformation in the psyche of the reader. A transfer takes place and into the shack you go. Along with you go all the preconceptions of who and what God is. Once ready for your journey home, each step taken is fresh and new, a symbolic gesture of a new-found freedom and reality of a God who loves and loves well. You will feel yourself robbed of a moment worth remembrance if you awaken in the future having not read The Shack.
Hooray – it’s my birthday. Yes, another year has past, but I have to say that I’m looking forward to next year as though it could be my best so far. I’m not saying that in a cliche kind of way, but with vigor. Never more have I felt more focused and more in tune with myself.
At the same time I know that there will be many changes ahead as well. With change comes a sense of wonder. Wonder about what will come next, and what will be the outcomes. I have written some of the things down that I want to accomplish in this next year. Some are small; some are huge, but all can and I think will be done as my next year draws to a close.
However, for now…..we celebrate!
We are looking ahead at the last week in a series of messages at Lifepoint challenging us to do, “Whatever It Takes”.
Yesterday we talked about a few things that people complain about the way we do church.
We started with music. Some say that it is too loud. In response we sang the Big and Rich song, “Loud” and gave the deep spiritual meaning behind the loud music…we like it loud!
christopherhildreth 