Teach my smart phone a lesson

I have a pretty smart phone, Motorola Razor to be specific. It can do anything. Well, I once tried shaving with it, but it was not so good. But here is my dilemma, Why don't smart phones know it is 3:17 A.M. when the battery gets low. Last night the phone starts whimpering like a 6 month old, and you know it wont just go back to sleep so you get up and plug it in. I am telling you I was ready to plug it into the trash can, but then I would still hear it annoyingly beeping from the depths. And while I'm on the subject.... When you put the little sucker on vibrate and the battery is low it does the same thing. it vibrates, draining your precious little battery every 2 minutes until it dies. Well, I feel better getting that off my chest. Maybe I need a smarter phone that when the battery gets low it can tell me and I can say, I know my dear, I will take care of it as soon as we get home. To which the phone will reply... "Are we there yet?"

Obama Claims He's Visited 57 States - FIFTY SEVEN!

I am trying very hard to stay out of the political scene. But here is one that we cannot overlook. Watch this video from one of the three liberals I won't be campaigning for in November.

Reproducing Churches

Met with some of the guys from Reproducing churches today. Learned a lot from Jim and the lessons he took away from an unsuccessful year in TN planting a church. Bottom line, he said, "make sure that the people you plant with are on the same page with your vision." Apparently he had been misled as to the vision of the people who wanted him to come and lead them, and when the church began to develop in a way that differed with their preconceived idea, they bolted. It is my guess that this is probably the most common of all reasons for a church to fail. "where there is no vision." or the unwillingness to follow a particular vision, the people perish.

Mark Wieble had some great stuff to share and much of our conversation centered on funding for new churches and how much is too much. It is hard to convey to established churches that they must reproduce, especially when they think that it takes tons of money and people resources to do so. If we waited until we could afford kids, most of us would never get pregnant. (God has a remedy, for humans) In church world, it is a different story, but in the end, a baby church is just as rewarding.

Some Questions to consider...

What if we decided not to fund church plants?
Would we be willing to plant?
Would planters still obey the call of God on their lives?
What are we teaching churches by the way we start them that makes it hard for them to reproduce?
Why are we so afraid to release people to launch?
How many churches could we start if we funded only evangelism?

Please Pray for the Pollock Family and Bell Shoals

Word has come that both Pastor Pollock and his son were killed in the plane crash. Please keep their family and church in your prayers. - Joel

Pastor Forrest Pollock Missing

I received news this morning that Forrest Pollock, the Pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist church in Tampa is missing. Apparently, he was flying his private plane to North Carolina and then on to Texas. A search is under way for him in the Mountains of NC. This is one of the great pastors of our state, and has done some amazing things at Bell Shoals. Although, I do not know him, I greatly admire Bell Shoals. Find updates from the church website here.

Day with Amy

Today Amy took a personal day and we will be spending the whole day together without the kids!
We will be going to IKEA in Orlando. It opened several months ago and neither of us have been to see what everyone is talking about yet. Then it is off to the Cheese Cake Factory for lunch. I have never been and Amy has a gift card!

Good News and Bad News

I really don't know why people begin conversations this way. Especially auto mechanics who are holding your car hostage. But, after putting the mini-van in the shop for A/C work, I told the guy at the counter we had been saving for 5 months to have the work done and to take it easy on me. Expense had already exceeded $1,000 when the call came. It went something like this.

Me: Hello
Guy: Hello Mr. Johns
Me: Hello
Guy: I've got good news and bad news, which do you want first heh heh
Me: what is it?
Guy: I found that part for the hose assembly your van has one of two, and I should get it first thing tomorrow.
Me: okay
Guy: I spent all afternoon taking the old one off (Read milking you for labor) and unfortunately it had leaked freon into your compressor and it too is ruined.
Me: okay, what will that cost me?
Guy: Uh, I don't really know off hand (read, Lots more money)
Me: can you give me a ballpark
Guy: I will call you back in a few
Me: By the way, what was the good news?
Guy: That I found the part I needed


Here is why I share my story with you.

1. To complain and get off my chest my frustration.
2. To eradicate the world of the phrase "good news and bad news"
Here is why: When there is bad news, no one likes to play games. Plus, if all the bad news (you owe another $420.00) is mine and the good news is yours (I found the part) Then it does not apply.

A lot of times people fear going to church because the "good news" is delivered as bad news. The church is seen as negative, and no one wants to be on the bad news end of a balanced "Good News/ Bad News " exchange. What makes the gospel so great is that in spite of our thinking that being a sinner is bad news, and not wanting to hear it from anyone especially a pious Christian, is that in fact all the bad news is take on by Christ, leaving only good news for us. Finding Christ is no more bad news, than to find that you owe an enormous debt and Christ has paid it all. The bad news that we are a sinner pales in comparison, to the good news that we have been saved from the penalty of our sin.

Romans 8:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Paper cctv music video

I came across this today. A UK band performed in front of 10 "Big Brother" cameras throughout the city and then requested the film through the freedom of information act. A few edits later they have a quality video all compliments of the British government.
This kind of creativity and ingenuity are what the church needs. When the church seeks to connect with the culture today, we must be willing to leverage any means at our disposal to get our message out.
These guys, rightly or wrongly, believed that their message must be heard by the masses and they were willing to find a effective and inexpensive way to do it. I hope they reach their audience and make their million, they deserve it, but more importantly I hope we reach our world with a message that will change eternity.

Authors@Google: Tim Keller

Fan of Keller. Fan of Google. Google invited Tim Keller to speak on his book "The Reason for God." Good stuff.

New Gadgets I am Test Driving

The busyness of the last few weeks has led me to explore some new gadgets and aps for staying on track. We already went Google a few years ago, so they have to plug in....

1. Remember the Milk - It has been around a while but after dumping Microsoft Outlook I never found a good task manager, RTM works seamlessly with my Google calendar without crowding every date with details.

2. Jott - Now this is where it gets fun. Jott allows me to phone in any ideas to a 800 # and it translates it into text and can be emailed to my inbox, added to my calendar, my Remember the Milk list, or emailed or texted to my staff.

Now best of all, both are totally free!