Posts Tagged ‘Church’
Javallujah! What if Starbucks Marketed Like the Church?
Posted in Church, Communication, tagged Church, Marketing, Starbucks on July 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Wordless Wednesday ~ Church Destroyed in Mississippi Tornado
Posted in Church, Wordless Wednesday, tagged Church, Tornation, Wordless Wednesday on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
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Do We Need a Food Revolution?
Posted in Church, Health, Social Issues, tagged Church, Food, Glutony, Jamie Oliver, Obesity, Pastor, Revolution on April 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »
America’s Obesity Problem
…Is it a Problem for the Church? (Part 1)
I have to say that I was absolutely intrigued with the reality show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
Image by ‘scandic hotels' from Flickr Creative Commons
The show came about because of one concerned pastor in Huntington, West Virginia. He was traveling and noticed that in the malls of California and in the beach area…everyone seemed thinner than people back home. As the thought weighed on him, he decided he was going to address the subject of obesity and what a serious problem it is with his congregation.
A few days before this West Virginia pastor was planning to convey his message on obesity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study naming Huntington the fattest city in America. It declared nearly half of the residents in the area to be obese…Yes, nearly half. This city of 50,000 lead the nation in heart disease and diabetes. I’m not making this stuff up.
The concerned pastor gave an invitation to be a part of their own Biggest Loser and asked people to join in. They started working out, started having healthier Wednesday evening fellowship meals, and the local radio station started running the story…ABC, CNN and the national wire picked up on what was going on…and Jamie Oliver heard about it over in England. (Oliver is known as The Naked Chef for his clean way of preparing food that is “naked” without additives and preservatives, but fresh food.)
Jamie teamed up with ABC and traveled with a film crew to start a food revolution in the community of Huntington.
When I watched the first episode of The Food Revolution I have to say I sat in disbelief of how families actually eat…and every day…and the school lunches were totally scary!
I sat and listened to this concerned pastor and wondered why I have never, no not one time, heard a pastor address any food sins. American’s are abusing their bodies with food more than ever before…and we don’t address it in the Church. (All cases of obesity are not caused by gluttony – there are sometimes health-related issues involved.)
Image by ‘Streetfly JZ' from Flickr Creative Commons
Should we address the sin of gluttony in our churches? I mean, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is the number one health threat facing Americans today.
…hang with me…and we’ll look closer at this American epidemic.
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This Weeks Top 5
Posted in Church, Leadership, Social Issues, tagged Church, Human Trafficking, Serve, Spiritual Gifts, Starbucks on April 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
This Week’s Top 5 Blog Post Fav’s
Is There Room for Me in Your Church ~ Tony Morgan
I shared this with Brian yesterday, and it has absolutely nothing to do with my connection at West Ridge. It’s just a general observation from the conversation that I’ve witnessed online in recent years. Here’s the gist of it…
People with spiritual gifts like mine aren’t welcomed in your church. My spiritual gifts include leadership and administration and discernment. That’s how God has wired me. (Read More)
Starbucks Christianity – Jonathan Pearson
Church has adopted a culture of talk, dress, likes, and dislikes.
The Church has developed it’s own culture.
It’s not that hard to spot a pastor in your local Starbucks.
You can tell by the clothes he’s wearing, the coffee he’s drinking, or even the computer on his table.
The Church has become another culture. (Read More)
Thoughts on Mark Driscoll and Stay at Home Dads ~ Nicole Wick
I ran across this YouTube clip of Mark Driscoll and the Mrs. answering questions from the platform at Mars Hill Church. This clip is Mark’s response to a question about stay-at-home-dads.
When I first saw this, it absolutely infuriated me. My husband is a stay-at-home dad. By choice (his and mine), so needless to say I disagree. And I don’t think it means he’s less of a Christian. And I know it doesn’t mean that he is less of a man. Nor does it mean that I am less of a woman. (Read More)
The Sex Cafe ~ Anne Jackson
Thursday morning, our first meeting was with a young woman about my age who, for safety reasons, I’ll identify as L. We met her outside in the middle of the city, where she hopped in our van. I immediately liked her. She was intelligent and witty, and when we asked her where we should go for our meeting, she directed us toward a cafe in a nice part of town and said she had a surprise for us. (Read More)
Can We Serve Too Much ~ Caryn Rivandeneira
Every few weeks, my husband and I get together with a group of friends. Since we all met at church—and since we were the brainchild of our teaching pastor and his wife—we might look like a “small group,” but that’s not quite right. We get together and eat and drink and talk. And talk and talk. Whoever hosts gets to choose the topic of discussion—or to throw out some questions. We offer each other openness and confidentiality and support. And I love it. (Read More)
The Naked Truth
Posted in Church, Social Issues, tagged Christianity, Church, Google, Naked, Nudist, Truth on April 6, 2010| 2 Comments »
Image by ‘Jillian Corinne' from Flickr Creative Commons
What…is the newest trend in church-going?
…going naked?
Image by ‘Jillian Corinne' from Flickr Creative Commons
I am hoping not!
This is about the wackiest trend to hit “Christianity” (if you can call it that? – Yikes!) I’ve seen in awhile…just sayin!
A Baptist Church in Texas has an advertisement that states: We are lambs before the Lord, and every Sunday we give thanks to Him with all of our body and soul. And it includes the sacrifice of our garments, for it was when Eve ate from the Tree of Life and gathered fig leaves that mankind fell into sin.
Seriously?!
I found the First Nudist Church of the Internet in a Google search…but I was afraid to open the link for fear of what I might find!
A church in Virginia located at a nudist resort made big news earlier this year as their story made the rounds on various television stations…and everyone is nude, including the pastor.
Hey Folks…I’m not making this stuff up!
Is this a new fad in the church world? Is this Looney Tunes Christianity at its best? Is this a “God” thing or a “god” thing? I have an idea of what I think ~ totally Craziness! What will we come up with next?
Oh my!
Let’s Celebrate April Fool’s Day ~ Best Church Prank Ever
Posted in Holiday, Random, tagged April Fool's Day, Church, Prank on April 1, 2010|
It’s April Fool’s Day and to celebrate I just had to show the best church prank ever, ever, ever pulled since the beginning of time…I mean it just has to be!
So, so, so funny…you gotta watch:
CHURCH MARKETING DIRECTORY
Posted in Church, tagged Church, Communication, Directory, Free, Marketing, Tool on March 24, 2010|
Image by 'jkoyte' from the Flickr Creative Commons
Are you needing help finding someone for graphic design or maybe to design for your church website?…maybe you need help with research studies or where to find out about new technology that would help your church be more relevant in today’s culture?
The Center for Church Communications has put together a free tool to help provide info on subjects from administration to multi-media, from helping find church management software or help answer the question about church photography…a one-stop shop, if you will.
Image by ‘brtsergio' from the Flickr Creative Commons
The Church Marketing Directory is a lightly edited list of tools, resources and companies that will help a church communicate better. It is not an exhaustive list by any stretch. In fact, they invite us to suggest resources to be added to the list.
The Center for Church Communication believes like me ~ that the Church has the greatest story ever told, but we don’t always know how to tell it. This may be due to a communication problem. The story is sometimes lost due to poor research, little planning, bad clip art, cheesy photos and unremarkable ads.
Through this free tool that the CCC offers I just might be able to conquer some of those communication problems and reach more people in my community. It’s all about helping the Church matter.
I love free stuff ~ finding free materials that I can really use…now that is always a BIG win for me…and you.
…and helping me with my communications problems – bonus!
Cage Fighting for Jesus
Posted in Random, Social Issues, tagged Church, Combat, Fight, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, Sport on March 22, 2010|
Some would argue that MMA is the fastest growing sport in America.
Image by ‘superwebdeveloper' from the Flickr Creative Commons
What is MMA?
Mixed Martial Arts – a full contact combat sport mixing different techniques of martial arts such as kickboxing and jiu-jitsu which includes striking and grappling techniques while both standing and on the ground…a hybrid cross-training of the arts.
Fight Clubs are springing up in congregations across the country and seem to be enticing men back through the doors of the church.
There is a huge debate about what is seemingly a violent sport being promoted in the church these days. Recently the New York Times featured an article “Flock Is Now a Fight Team in Some Ministries” that has stirred up quite a conversation on Jesus and the fight.
Some churches host fight night viewing parties and show events on a big screen and share how Christ fought for what He believed in, while other’s host live cage fighting events and weekly MMA instruction classes.
I attended a Cardio Combat session at Willard MMA recently which opened with prayer which included all involved and then went on to provide exercise and instruction on kickboxing technique – what a way to get in shape! It was crazy physical fitness…and yes, what a way to sweat! The Willard MMA invites all to come to Christ with a clear message of the Gospel spelled out its website.
Anointed Fighter’s vision is to serve as ambassadors for Christ to the fighting community around the world by creating platforms and resources that deliver the gospel in relevant terms to the fighting culture. This includes an online magazine, which includes forums, devotionals, and curriculum to defend yourself and defend your faith.
Image by ‘Divemaster Doug' from the Flickr Creative Commons
A full line of Christian Combat gear is available to help share your faith on the mat through Fight 4 Christ. 100% of all the profits from the gear sales go directly to a charity of the month.
Jon Stem teaches the sport of Mixed Martial Art known as Jujiden at King’s Chapel Assembly of God. His classes range in age and skill level. He receives positive feedback regarding the class from the congregation of his church. Jon states, “The class serves as an incredible avenue through which to build relationships with guys and earn the opportunity to speak into their lives through those relationships. In teaching this class, I have had the opportunity to get to know guys, who ordinarily, may never have darkened the doorstep of the church. I have had the opportunity to share Jesus through the example of my life, to give advice, to be there for those who have experienced hard times while in class, and to talk about my faith one-on-one with guys who are now not only my students, but also my friends.”
Brandon Beals is the Fight Pastor. He is an avid mixed martial arts fan and blogger. He also happens to be an Assembly of God pastor at Canyon Creek Church in Mill Creek, Washington. “Compassion and love – we agree with all that stuff, too,” says Brandon Beals, “But what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter.”
So…is the ultimate fighting experience a new tool for evangelism and outreach to the community? Is MMA a viable way to reach men and young boys…and possibly girls with “The Fight Chick”, for Christ?
….it would seem so.
Hologram Pastor: Really Cool…or Really Creepy?
Posted in technology, tagged Church, Creepy, Hologram, Pastor, Sci-Fi, technology on March 8, 2010|
Technology is speeding up at record pace…are our churches keeping up with what’s on track for the future?
The latest and greatest thing coming to a church near you, a Hologram pastor!
A hologram is a three-dimensional representation in photographic form, recorded on film by a reflected laser beam of a subject illuminated by part of the same laser beam…so basically a virtual pastor.
Image by ‘lenara’ from the Flickr Creative Commons
The multi-campus church is making great use of video technology while projecting a real-time video onto a big screen of their pastor sharing God’s Word. This seems to be common practice these days.
But what about a hologram pastor? Tony Morgan recently demonstrated this new phenomenon by projecting a hologram up on the platform with him while he was preaching.
Is this too much Star Trek, Sci-Fi “Beam Me Up, Scotty” weirdness or is it viable tool to help the church be current and relevant with the culture and possibly reach more young adults that are reportedly shying so far from the church these days.
The Christian Post recently published an article on this fast forward technology, Hologram Preachers Slated to Appear in Churches – it’s a pretty interesting read.
I’m still not sure if I think it’s really cool or just really creepy!
Hey It’s the Church Girl Next Door…..
Posted in Random, tagged Church, Life, Random on March 4, 2010|
- Hope you come along in the adventure I call life – where it’s all be about random stuff on church life and just whatever is on the agenda on any given day.
The Church Girl Next Door 