September 2009 – Page 2

This week’s thoughts.

At Laurel Hurst park enjoying friends and a picnic 🙂 #
Anyone got anything to help my brain get online? #
Another Max train stuck in the tunnel?? 🙁 Might be time for a bus. #
Took me about an hour and 35 min to get from the office door to my house door… But my wife made me a fantastic dinner! 😉 #
Just got home from picking Zach up at the airport! Happy times. #
Wow can't keep things straight today – time for coffee. #
my imap connection on my phone works for gmail – just not the webmail…. #
gmail works from igoogle as well… hmmm. #
And it's back! (gmail) we can now resume. #
I have yet to ride a new MAX train… hmmm #
Really, the train has changed destination in route? Boo. #
Really sleepy, g'night world. #
Day number two w/o my alarm, I swear I set it – must have turned it off. Glad for flexibable sched! #
Noon already!?? #
This will be a very exciting day! #
Finally I get to ride a new MAX train! Good ending to crazy day! #
Spending the weekend with my parents – and again next weekend… crazy I know. #

There is NO Virtual Church (Part 2)

This caught my eye while browsing my blog/news subscriptions today and so I thought I’d share it:

Shared by TravisM

This is the second part to the Out of UR article I shared last week… in the end relationship is key to the functionality of “Church” – relationships with God and People and letting God work through all people (yes even the ones that yell from street corners) – we are one.

(Read part 1)

Calvin’s definition of “church” is where the Word is preached, the sacraments are received, and church discipline practiced. That’s a good summary of the defining characteristics of the New Testament ecclesia and a good summary of the main problems with internet church.

Is the word preached “at” an internet campus? Absolutely. In fact, the Word preached becomes the centerpiece. Church is boiled down to singing a few songs and hearing a message.

And while internet campuses provide a great sermon delivery vehicle, and even allow you to virtually raise your hand in response, what they don’t do is allow you to be known and missed. You can’t stand at the end of the gathering and ask for help moving. You can’t help tear things down and clean up afterwards. You can’t look after someone’s kids while they pray with someone else. You can’t take a visitor out to lunch. How can our community be a sign and foretaste of the kingdom when our method of gathering keeps us from ever physically serving, loving, or being present to one another? I know how participating in a congregation begins to make me more like Jesus. I’m unsure how that happens with an internet campus.

Click here for the original and full post

Read all of my Google Reader shared items

Giving

So often we talk about surrendering and giving God “everything”, yesterday on my (very long) ride home I began to think of all the possibilities of life… if I gave “everything” – it was amazing. It is frustrating to think of how it could be, and how much my selfish pride keeps me from doing it.

Many times I feel stuck due to the “responsibilites” of this world – which in a way are part of my “giving everything” – if I’m going to “give” everything I better give these responsibilites to God as well. I think giving him “everything” must include giving him our attitudes towards work, our spouses, our relationships, and all the other responsibilities – and then allowing him to work in those things – not running from them.

It’s time to surrender this stuff, to give God my worries, frustrations, and all the details – I can’t do it anyway. At the same time I have to see what he is asking and how.