my twitter friends heard it first last night.
the mad church disease manuscript is done!
at least the rough draft anyway.
thank you again for all you have done to help!
Blog
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Video Update for Mad Church Disease
needed a little break from writing and got to thinking about you guys…GOTTA LOVE THE YOUTUBE FREEZE FRAME…goo. They all looked like this. ::sigh::
by the way, if anyone has any secrets as far as making their internal mic on mac book pros work a little better, please share. i know i’m kind of quiet naturally, but i was talking pretty loudly here! my input settings are maxed out in system prefs and i put the volume at 150% in iMovie…you’ll still have to turn it up to hear me….so, help a sista out?
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not eating the chocolate bunny
as craig said on swerve today, the staff at lifechurch.tv is resting, fasting and praying this good friday. i am really looking forward to having a day of focus like this.it has been a while since i asked how i can pray for you guys, so please, allow me
to do so today. how can i pray for you this easter weekend? -
how can you say no to this?
i frequently check compassion’s site for children in uganda who have been waiting longer than six months to be sponsored. much to my surprise (and delight) it hasn’t been turning up any results.
until today.
oh-my-gosh-i-want-to-sponsor-her-myself. chris had to stop me or else we wouldn’t be able to pay our rent…
this is jacqueline. she is five. SHE HAS BEEN SPONSORED! THANKS!
click here and be taken directly to jacqueline’s sponsorship page.
There are 3 children in the family. Her father is sometimes employed as a seller in the market and her mother is sometimes employed as a farmer.
As part of Compassion’s ministry, Jacqueline participates in church activities. She is also in kindergarten where her performance is average. Playing with dolls and playing group games are her favorite activities.
the market her father sometimes works in probably looks a little bit like this. (thanks, shannon, for the pic!)
anyway…i have a feeling this little girl will break a lot of your hearts, so if you’d like to sponsor her,
click here and be taken directly to her sponsorship page.because every time i’ve done this, you guys have sponsored these long-waiting children within hours of me posting. so, if you click and it says she has already been sponsored, why not find another child and rescue them from poverty today?
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rotating strengths?
i have taken the strengths finder now 3 times (the 2.0 version this last time, today).
here have been my results:
In 2004:
Strategic
Connectedness
Ideation
Belief
InputIn 2006:
Strategic
Connectedness
Restorative
Intellection
InputIn 2008:
Connectedness
Empathy
Intellection
Belief
Inputso there are some clear themes that have stuck around through the ages. i am a little surprised strategy fell off the list entirely after being my signature strength for the last few years. connectedness always proved to be a close second, so having it as the signature strength now makes total sense.
if you want to see more about what those strengths mean, you can click here.
what about you? have you taken the strengths finder?
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an abundant life
what does an abundant life look like to you?
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quick easter poll
ok, so, i get a lot of emails around christmas and easter from really stressed out church leaders/staff/volunteer/family members, the like.
and i’m curious…
easter weekend makes you feel…
your vote is anonymous, but feel free to discuss as well…
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an unbalanced easter tradition?
easter and christmas are historically the most attended weekends in the church. many people only go to church on these weekends.
something i woke up thinking was, what if, in addition to having the amazing services most of us have, we added something different to our focus?
we would have services…worship and celebrate together…but it doesn’t end there.
to “this is the weekend you need to be AT church” we add “this is the weekend we are all going out into the community and bringing the message of the gospel TO the community?”
why not start new traditions in addition to one that the church has had for centuries?
with the masses of people who typically come on these weekends, can you imagine the impact this could have on a community?
just a thought.
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sex rules!!
ok, married people, sex does rule (cue 80s lingo flashback…now).
but that’s not what we’re going to talk about.i’d like for us to discuss THE sex RULE.
“the rule” (for lack of a better term) that most churches have which states a married woman and a married man cannot be alone (car rides, office time, counseling, meals, travel, etc.) with a member of the opposite sex that is not his or her spouse.
all of the churches i have been employed by have “the rule.”
yet, i was talking with a friend who is also on staff at a church who does not have the rule. he thinks it’s a little legalistic.
another friend said,
“you know that whole theory where people live up to the expectations set before them? to me, this rule says, ‘we don’t trust you to make wise decisions on your own, so we’re enforcing a rule that might help keep you out of trouble.’ of course people are still having affairs and getting involved inappropriately. they’ve already been told they can’t be trusted!!”
one church i was on staff at a while back had the rule, and yet within a couple of years, four staff members, including three in public leadership, had affairs. and this happens all the time. to churches with “the rule” in place.
so…what do you think? is “the rule” necessary? should husbands and wives involved in church leadership set “their rule” instead of the church? does it really prevent anything? or is it a darn good idea that protects leaders? what do your “rules” look like if you have any??