I’ve been thinking about character (the person you are when no one’s looking) while preparing for next Sunday’s talk.  I watch a couple of reality shows:  “Apprentice” and  Hell’s Kitchen.    They both have one thing in common.  Whenever someone gets caught on camera doing something that makes them look like a big jerk, they all say the same thing.  “I’m not normally like this…”  

On Celebrity Apprentice this week,  Dennis Rodman said after yet another angry confrontation, “I don’t have a hateful bone in my body…I can get along with anyone.”  On Hells Kitchen this week one of the Chef’s blubbered into the obligatory “confessional” camera,  “I’m being made out to be the b*tch of the kitchen…In real life I’m a very cool, nice, person.  Really?  I wonder if the people that actually know them would agree?

Thank God we don’t all have “celebreality” cameras following us. (yet)  I’m sure that all of us would have moments we would be ashamed of if we did.  But when we say “I’m never like this…”,  “I never do this…” is it true?     The answer to that question is our character.

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.:  Abraham Lincoln

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I think the answer is comedy… they make the jokes that so many others in America are “thinking”. They poke fun at a political process that so many are cynical and weary of… They are actually gaining credibility by pointing out the absurdity of “the system”…

How does that relate to religion in America? I think the parallels are becoming clearer every day. So many people are cynical and jaded with “the system” but (just like in politics) they are still looking for a “savior”… So how can we introduce them to “the Savior”? I think we have to be willing to poke fun at ourselves and our “religious system”. Put the most serious subjects in the funniest settings… Make laughing together a bridge to understanding and belief. Who knows…maybe someday they will have comedy courses at seminary…it certainly couldn’t hurt.

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Last night I (like everyone else in America) was watching the Idol results show. As usual they had a couple of artists perform to stretch five minutes of “results” into an hour long show. Did anyone else notice that everyone was singing about Jesus? The Clark Brothers (video above) did “This little light of mine” and Dolly Parton performed “Jesus and Gravity” (insert your Dolly Parton “gravity” joke here)

How is it that churches (as a whole) all over America are losing membership and “attendership” in relation to our growing population…and the producers of the most watched television show in America thought it would be perfectly acceptable for both of its performing acts last night to sing about Jesus? Is there any explanation other than that people still “like” Jesus just fine…they just don’t want to come to church to hear songs about him? Isn’t that kind of ironic in the sense that so many churches think that the way to attract a bigger crowd is to add “contemporary” worship music?

As a former “Worship Leader” I think “Worship” music (whether it is hymns or “contemporary worship”) is partly to blame for the irrelevance of church in society. So many people have been convinced that singing a few songs on Sunday morning is how we “Worship” God… I don’t think so! Here’s a little experiment: Next time your boss at work asks you to do a project, happily accept…and then completely ignore the work he has given you. Instead, gather as many of your fellow workers into the break room each week and “worship” the boss… Sing songs with his name in them, memorize his memos, “preach” from the company handbook…be sincere, be reverent and “sober”, feel great about your worship. Let me know how the boss feels about it when he comes back for the completed project… Happy Job Hunting! (monster.com)

So what kind of music will “bring” people…and Jesus…back to church? I don’t think it matters. I’m looking forward to Clean Slate rocking the new Alterbridge single, a Daughtry tune, and a couple of their originals at actionchurch on Sunday. The Clark Brothers (link for email subscribers) proved last night on Idol that an old “Gospel” song done with great passion and musicianship can bring the house down… Whatever the “style”, whatever the “genre” I think that the key to truly “worshipping” and being relevant in our nation are is the same- “A little less talk, and a lot more action”!

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Here’s another show I’ve only seen a partial episode but could potentially dig… Ax Men

And of course these guys are coming back! Deadliest Catch

I never thought I would be so excited for a show about cooking, crab fishing, or logging to come on!

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Bonus quote: Yes. It is true. I, Michael Scott, am signing up with an online dating service. Thousands of people have done it, and I am going to do it. I need a username, and… I have a great one. “Little Kid Lover”. That way people will know exactly where my priorities are at. -Michael Scott

No extra charge for that one…

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I believe the principle of “getting what you give” (or “karma”) is part of God’s plan. I believe that if you live life in a kind, loving, and generous manner…you will experience a more fulfilling life. I believe “doing good is good for business”. If you run your business in a honest, generous, “serving others” manner…your business will be more successful. But I also believe that you can do all of those things and really awful things can still happen! Life isn’t always “fair”.

I think many Christians (especially preachers) do a disservice to people by telling people that “If you live for God you will be blessed in everything you do!” “If you give to the church you’ll never want for money.” “If you read your Bible and pray everyday God will protect your family and friends.” etc. In the end, this “My-Name-is Earl-karma-theology” leaves people just like Earl in the episode I just watched… disappointed and defeated.

In reality the Bible is full of people who lived pretty amazing lives and still faced some horrible circumstances. People who were absolutely faithful and still had moments when life sucked. What I’m depending on is that through good times and “bad”, God has the best plan for our lives and we can trust him to have our best interest in mind. I can’t think of a better way to say it than King David (who truly had some unbelievably “low” points in life) said it in Psalms nearly 3000 years ago…

30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalms 18:30

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• The “sales dudes” at our local “Buy More” definitely are NOT on commission…he seemed like someone asking to purchase (3) 50″ plasmas was sort of a hassle to him?!?!
• The reason why we are using plasmas instead of projector/screens at this point is because our good friend Matt over at Unity Pro Audio and Video suggested that we would be better off purchasing flat panels locally than purchasing projectors and screens from his company at this point! Matt is a supporter of actionchurch, a follower of Jesus, and a business owner that puts integrity before profit so if you need any gear…check with them first. (They even have a new online store opening up.)
• …although they are not “cheap”, it’s certainly a good time to buy a flat panel. We are able to purchase (3) 50″ (two for the main service and one for actionkidz) Vizio monitors for less that $4000.00. That’s about what a single 42″ cost just three years ago!
• This is the single biggest purchase we have made for equipment for Sunday Mornings. That is possible because Fat Daddy’s already has all the other sound and lighting equipment we need. Yeah God!
• Since most adults and all children have been raised watching television, I believe the visual component of communicating the Good News of Jesus is now more important than ever. In many cases the visual image and words projected on the screen have a better chance of “registering” with the listener than the spoken word. If you would like to be part of communicating this life changing truth please consider donating to help cover the cost of our video system. Tax Deductible donations can be made online or contact me @ info@actionchurch.com.

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Michele and I have always loved this commercial (link for email subscribers) and they actually showed it a couple of weeks ago at church. Liberty Mutual uses the commercial to show “responsibility”…I think it is a great picture of what the Kingdom that Jesus preached about should look like. We should know people who follow Jesus because they are a little kinder, a little more generous, a little more loving and accepting, quicker to forgive, easier to work with, etc. Every time someone becomes a follower of Jesus the world should be a little better place. Christians should be known for setting off “chain reactions” of goodness instead of by what book they read or the meeting they go to on Sunday morning. That’s my dream for my life. That’s my dream for actionchurch. What’s your “policy”?

43″Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (pharisees)and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Matthew 21:43 Niv

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What’s the use of having all the “answers” if no one cares about the questions?..(email subscribers-link for video) I think the reason why we as Christians often seem so “out of touch” is because we haven’t “listened” to our community enough to know what their “questions” are… We are saying “Hey wanna know more about the book of Galatians?” when our community wants to know how to deal with money. We are saying, “Hey we’ve got all the answers about the Hebrew “circumcision” sect in the first century church”-when our community would like to know how to deal with the relationships in their life. We’re saying “Hey, we know what will happen when you die”- when in a country with an average lifespan of over nearly eighty years, most people think they can “wait”to deal with eternity.

Are the book of Galatians, circumcision, and heaven “unimportant” issues for the church? Nope, even the principals that related to the circumcision argument in the early church can be valuable if used to answer a “question” that our community has today. Maybe instead of teaching “about” the Apostle Paul, we should actually follow his example and teach “like” Paul. When teaching a community that worshiped natural “gods” like the sun and moon Paul would say that he had “news” from the God that brought the Rain and Sun for their crops. When talking to a hyper religious community that even had shrines to the “unknown god” Paul would say he represented that “unknown God”… He always framed his “answer” in relation to a “question” that his listeners had. I think we should too…otherwise we come off like Dwight on The Office who once asked Jim “Do you know what the best kind of Bear is?” He actually had an answer…I just can’t remember it…because it didn’t “matter” to me….

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