Check out these great aerial photographs courtesy of Google Earth. There is a great article on PC World telling the story about these pictures that Google Earth users are finding as these look through the satellite shots up close. Make sure you follow the links they provide to pictures not shown on the PC World website they are just as good. Enjoy!

(ht: Bruce Chant)

Way back in 2005 I asked Tony Morgan and Terry Storch to make a list of Innovative Churches. Since then Tony has got a gig from Outreach Magazine to create another list of Innovative Churches for them. But I have to agree with Dave Ferguson about his thought or maybe it was the thought of a commenter on his blog that maybe we should start talking about specific things that make these churches innovate which could lead to learning experience for us and not leave us with another list of really cool churches.

What are your thoughts?

[tags]Innovative Churches, Outreach Magazine, Tony Morgan, Terry Storch, Dave Ferguson[/tags]

Were in the middle of some office upgrades network, network printers, actual office phones (with hold, intercom, transfer and extensions) but it is taking way to long. We are literally talking about taking church office out of the Bronze Age into about the 19th century, maybe the 20th. Its an interesting ride watching how everyone is reacting to some of the changes we are making trying to stream line and make the office more efficient and ministry less painful. I think the network cable will be run today so and the network up and running.

We have a lady in the church offer to be out Admin Assistant for the office so we’ve also been converting some dead foyer space into her office. It is taking some time getting used to some being there to do things for you and we are still working out what all she is going to do for us. If you have a Admin Assistant drop me a comment or email about what all they do for your office. We want to firm up her responsibilities since she is wanting to hit the ground running.

Alot going on at the office this week and last. Hopefully this will lead to some normalcy and time to actual do our own jobs.

Don’t forget to drop me a line about your Admin Assistant.

It has been amazing to me how the more and more church leaders and thinkers are grabbing a hold of the church’s real mission to bring the gospel to people through love and service. I think we are beginning to finally get the church back to the roots of “the Way” and the ministry that engulfed early Christians as talked about in James 1, “Pure and genuine religion (or worship) in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

One way this is worked out in the church that needs more attention is using our purchasing power and resources by buying Fair Trade certified products. Which can be distinguished most recognizably by the picture shown in this post. You can learn more about the facts of Fair Trade in Wikipedia. But the reality is that as stewards of what God has given us we should be using them to make sure we are taking care of those in need and not ripping of farmers, producers and workers by looking for the cheapest price available.

The Leadership Network is looking for churches that are participating in Fair Trade. They are doing some research and want to know what churches are doing as they seek to serve the poor and impoverished in the world. They also have a list of Fair Trade companies that are Fair Trade Certified with products ranging from coffee to house wares and a lot in between. It time to spend some energy and resources to see how your church can help support Fair Trade and be a catalyst in your community to spark more awareness for serving those in need.

[tags]Fair Trade, Leadership Network, Social Justice, Poverty[/tags]

Some of the blogs I read, the guys do mind dumps mainly on Saturday and Sunday nights so I thought it might be something worth trying.

-In my devotions the thought keeps coming back in my head that the church is no where near focused enough on helping the poor in direct correlation to how much Jesus talks about it the Gospels.
-I am struggling to understand the parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16, mainly verse 9.
-I need to get back on the reading wagon, I fell off after finishing Simple Church and have been carrying around Irresistible Revolution in my bag for about a month now and only cracked it open once or twice but never dove in.
-We brought our new Senior Minister on board this week, been using a lot of my time getting to know him better and begin building that relationship.
-Gary Lamb stole my name for his church, Revolution Church, he told his congregation last Sunday at their 3 year anniversary. Not that I ever told anybody but my wife that I liked that name for a church but I have always dug the idea of naming a church Revolution and still might some day. Thomas Jefferson said, “Every generation needs a revolution.” That resonates with me on some deep levels and I’m glad to see that it does in others as well.
-Killed my first Black Widow tonight in my garage. I had never seen one up close but the red hour glass was very distinct. I thought they didn’t get to big but this joker was about the width of a quarter. Yikes!

I wish I had taken a picture of how dark black my hands were today after I finished doing the breaks on my mom’s PT Cruiser. What a pain. The front two were a breeze and the second drum break went a little faster the first one which took probably 2 hours by its self. I’m not really a mechanic but like most willing people we get asked to do jobs whether we are gifted or talented enough to really do it. The 5 or 6 hours, in the blazing Florida sun, invested in helping my mom was worth it, but tonight it got me thinking about giftedness.

How many times do we have a whole to fill is some ministry in the church and the first person to even barely mention serving gets stuck in that position. Without thought put into what the position actually calls for, whether or not the person is a fit for the position or not both of those without any thought or energy into helping that person (and all our volunteers) know how God designed them and gift them to serve His kingdom. Maybe this is why volunteer burn out can be a huge problem in most churches? Maybe this is why we can’t find enough volunteers? Maybe they know we aren’t going to help them fit so they don’t even bother.

What if we spent time specially with new people getting an idea of what they liked and didn’t like to do in life and service? What if we worked them into a class that helped them see how God gifted them to serve Him and them got them in direct contact with ministry team leaders that lined up with what they like to do and how they are gifted?* Maybe we would better serve them as they serve the Kingdom?

Just some thoughts.

*adapted from lessons learned from Savannah Christian Church from discussions with their staff and their leadership conference The Next Level.

In Youth Ministry we take our students to great events, conferences, retreats and what not but time and time again we are faced with students who leave whatever set them a blaze and come home to burn out rather quickly. I just returned from an amazing week with my sr high group and God moved in mighty ways to break open some hard hearts and reminded them (really all of us; students and adults) of His unfailing love and forgiveness. We all came back stoked. But like most trips I began worrying about this fall that would occur after an event like the this. But I decided to try some new things after coming back to sustain some level of flame burning in them once we returned home.

-Prayer - which is always the most obvious but we say we pray for our students and ministry but most of the time it becomes like the saying, “I praying for you”. This year I’m really trying to stick with it. I pray for them by name and need everyday.

-I enlisted the help of their parents - I came back thinking I wanted to lay into the parents and say, “God worked really hard this week don’t screw it up!”, but I’m an iron teddy bear. I want to be harsh and forceful but can’t do it. I did have a meeting two days after we got back with the parents and talked with them about needing their help to encourage their teenagers to keep up with their daily devotion we are doing as a group, to love them with compassion instead of black and white, and to not exasperate (Eph 6:4) them. I talked with them about working along side of the youth ministry instead of against it.

-Trying something new - Most of the time we do the same old same old with them when we get back. This time I am talking with them all either face to face or by phone at least every other day. I had a new girl drop me a note on myspace about how special she felt that someone from church actually called her to just talk. I ask them how they are doing, if they have any questions that may have come up about the event since coming home, if they are keeping up with their devotions and encourage them to keep going or to get back on the horse and if I can pray for anything in particular for them.

-Intentional touch - not in a perverted youth minister kind of way. High fives, knuckles to knuckles, hand on the shoulder, hand shakes, arm around them, hugs. I’ve heard the statics that say people go insane when they are not receiving 10 touches as day. I try to be at least one positive touch a when I see them.

I know that prayer for them is the most important and all these others help along the way. It feels different this time and I hope it stays that way.

[tags]CIY, Youth Ministry, Student Ministry, Youth Conferences, Prayer[/tags]