Found, Changed and Rearranged

June 15-18, 2008

June 15-18, 2008
Originally uploaded by sheila.addison

We've spent three of the past four days with our cousins. They were gone only five minutes when Louis said, "I'm bored." We had a great time at their cottage on Father's Day. Then they stayed at our house for a couple days. Despite being unseasonably cool, they insisted on swimming in Lake Michigan and doing the Slip-N-Slide.

The big news from Monday was an encounter with an Eastern Hog nosed snake at our back door. It puffed its neck out at Louis, so I decided to trap it and figure out what it was before letting it loose in the yard with young kids. The capture was hilarious. The whole time Emmett cried, Teddy screamed and Louis was shouting directions. Turns out the snake is harmless and its defense mechanism to scare people off (the puffing neck/hissing sounds) have served in their decline as people mistakenly believe they are dangerous and kill them. I have to say that was snakes fate until I figured out otherwise.

The Ten Commandments

I love This American Life. I thought you'd be intrigued by these stories of people struggling to follow the Ten Commandments.

June 8, 2008

June 8, 2008
Originally uploaded by sheila.addison

Sunday was such a fun day with the kids.

Mycophobia

I may be developing an irrational fear of mushrooms or perhaps it's the fear that my 1 year old will think it looks like something good to eat. On second thought, he's a picky eater, so it's not that likely. At any rate, they seem to be propagating like rabbits in our yard, so I uprooted about fifty of them yesterday. Today, I give you, the Mushroom Graveyard.

Within 24 hours these two sprouted right up like magic.

I know plants can grow rapidly, but this is just a wee bit freaky.

Deeply Biblical. Relentlessly Accepting.

In short, that's the heart of the new lead pastor at Spring Lake Wesleyan Church, Peter Yoshonis, and I love it. I want to be part of a church that teaches the Bible. And I want to be part of a church that accepts people where they're at.

We did a survey during a service last fall where everyone in attendance was asked to participate. One of the questions asked was:

"Was there an identifiable time in your life when you began a personal relationship with Christ?"
__ Yes, and it was quite awhile ago.
__ Yes, very recently!
__ No, but I’m seeking to know more about Christ.
__ No, it’s not really my interest right now.

98% answered yes. Only 2% of the people at our church said no. Only 2% were seeking... kickin' the tires around to see how they work... this is where I see the "relentlessly accepting" part being so critical. Our church should be a place were people from all walks of life, at any stage in their spiritual journey are accepted and fed.

I have great hope for the future - for greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city. We ended this morning with this song, God of this City.

WiBo thoughts

I'm back from the dead and live to blog once again. Last week I attended the The Whiteboard Sessions and heard from eight speakers serving in varying ministry capacities. Each had 30 minutes to share one compelling idea. It was a diverse group of speakers, ranging from those who leverage culture to those who practically shun it. Behind the scenes video is available too.

 

Mark Batterson of National Community Church 

• For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9

• So, if our thoughts are the heavens distance apart from God and it takes approximately 13.2 light years to cross the universes, consider this...

  Your best thought on your best day is at least 13.2 billion light years short of God.
• Your dreams are too small.
• When is the last time you confessed the smallnes of your dreams to God
• In the 1st century, the average person traveled no further than 35 sq/mi from home in their lifetime, yet God told them to go into all the world to tell everyone about him. This means climb the highest mountain, learn the hardest language. You get the picture. Today we are still trying to accomplish this.
• Stop doing ministry from memory. User your imagination
• Stop imitating. Be creative.

Vince Antonucci of Forefront

• This guy is crazy funny. He was "concerned" no one would know him so he made a video of himself on the street walking up to random people asking them to interview him. You can watch it (rather listen) starting at 3:00 minutes. It cracked me up.
• Keep listening and you'll here some of his background story. although he said many good things, the best part for me was hearing how someone could live the first twenty years of life, never knowing a Christian or being introduced to the Bible or Jesus. (In the northern biblebelt this seems unfathomable.) It was eye opening and refreshing and helped popped the bubble - again.
• He has a really nice wife too. Jennifer spoke at the luncheon I attended this day. She too was refreshing and real. It's no wonder their minsitry is flourishing. Real, accessible, honest faith is so compelling.

Darrin Patrick

• We are made to worship and serve. You will worship something; it will be God or something else.
• An idol is the sin beneath the sin.
• Idols are best seen when threatened or disturbed
• Idols hide in your motivations.

Mark Dever

• We are not lone rangers managing our own personal (lost) portfolio
• There is something about our corporate relationship that confesses to the world, "This is good."
• The church is God way of displaying himself.
• Mark Dever describes his church as "blended" (the best of the 16th & 17th century)

John Burke

• I am the vine; you are the branches He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5
• Stay connected, you can't help but bear fruit. Not on your own, but through Him.
• Does 60/60 campaign every three years. Every sixty minutes for sixty days a beeper prompts you to ask yourself, "Is this where you want me to be? Is this what you want me to be doing?"

Perry Noble

• He was interesting to hear speak, although his talk was felt directed towards preachers in the audience, so not too many take-aways for me. He must have brought a large contingent or had a ton of fans there because he was getting a ton of "Amens!" during his talk.
• "Kermit is green, not God. It'll be a cold day in hell when I'll preach about recycling and forsake the gospel and name of Jesus Christ."
• For a guy that gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church, I was quite shocked he took such a cheap shot at Rob Bell, who also gets a fair number of negative comments about his preaching, motives and the way he leads his church. It's easy to judge from the outside. One series does not a preacher make. I like Rob Bell. I like Perry Noble. I wishPerry Noble had thought through his comments more thoroughly.

Ed Stetzer

• "Conference talks are like ministry pornography - an unrealistic depiction of something you will never have."
• "I am thankful for Thomas. Because of his doubts, Jesus gives us a clear answer - "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
• We lead others to believe that the Christian life is easily lived because we are unwilling to share our struggles and doubts while in ministry.
• Churches have all these mission, vision, value statements, but we really only need one thing. Jesus gave it to us, "I am sending you. Now go" This is true for me. A reading of Moses' calling to go was what finally opened my eyes.
• Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. - John 20:29  I love this. He talking about me. I am blessed.

Stuff Christians Like

For all you entrenched Christians and even more so, for those of you who think you are not entrenched:

I give to you my new favorite blog, StuffChristiansLike, that provides a fresh perspective to things we do and say without thinking. Read it. Be Convicted. Laugh.

Some Favs: Singing with our hands raised, The Tankini, Baby Crack and Veggie Tales, and for the church-marketer in me Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

Mailbox update

Way back in Febraury, I wrote about our mailbox being blown into oblivion by a snowplow. About a week later we found the box along the street. Unable to attached it back to the post as it once was and needing to receive mail, we jerry-rigged the box back on with rope. Classy!

About a week ago, who showed up at our door? The Muskegon County Road Commision. Apparently it takes two months to send someone out to investigate.

The man was very nice and noted that they had lots of problems this winter. He asked if we would like to be reimbursed the standard cost of a mailbox (which would not cover the full replacement cost of ours) or if I would like them to try and fix it. In spite of my certainty that asking him to have it fixed would plunge this work order into some governmental blackhole, I relutantly I asked him to try.

They proved me wrong folks. This week, without fanfare or notice, the mailbox was fixed and it looks brand spankin' new! Good work fellas!

Lost and Found

Here's my deal. I know and understand to my very core what it means to be found. In spite of attending church my whole life (except for during the four years I attended a Christian college), I pretty much ignored God. The great thing is that He continued to pursue me until one day it all changed and I knew that I had been found.

Having the benefit of hindsight, I know that I was lost before that moment, but I would have never characterized myself that way. In fact, I might have laughed at the term, maybe even been offended. So why is it that we churchy people refer to others as lost? Having an "insiders" perspective, I know it's meant in love, but it may not be received in love. In fact, it could be a barrier to someone even hearing us. I hate barriers.

I continue to cringe every time I hear the word "lost", but have never been able to offer a satisfactory alternative name. Then I ran across this post and now I think I have my answer - the people Jesus loved.

Victoria Beckham Is A Unique Marketing Tool

My friend has a unique gift for pointing out hilarious things in the media. In a recent post, she questioned the marketing genius behind these ads.

These are Victoria Beckham’s new Marc Jacob ads.  And they are retarded.  I had no idea that Marc Jacob had his own line of dishwashing gloves, but apparently he does, and they apparently make you want to curl up fetal-like and suck your thumb and/or make out with frogs.