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November 17th, 2006 by Marc
I’m kind of jealous of the life I’m supposedly leading.
 - Zach Braff
Category: church planting, personal | No Comments »
Archive for November, 2006
What a blast!
November 17th, 2006 by Marc
Last night, as our fall kinship finale, we helped the Alfond Youth Center give away over 430 free Thanksgiving meals to anyone that came through their doors.
I just love giving things away! And I love being part of a group that does to!
It’s all about being a “go and do” church rather than a “come and see” one.
Category: church planting | No Comments »
It’s not the $51 million!
November 16th, 2006 by Marc
Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka said yesterday he was “relieved” to hear the Boston Red Sox had won the bidding battle to negotiate with a US$51.1 million offer for him to play in the major leagues.
The $51 million may seem the reason for his “relief.” But I know the real cause for relief is that Su-san, my brother in-law, won’t have to go very far to see him play.None of the newspaper articles seem to pick up on this obvious fact. They keep fixating on the exorbitant sum of money.
I wonder if he’s philanthropic…
Read the full story at: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2006/11/16/2003336621Â
Category: family life | No Comments »
Why DON’T we do it in our sleeve?
November 16th, 2006 by Marc
Check this 5 minute video out. It’s all the rage on the web and filmed in our very own city of Lewiston!
Sorry I can’t figure out how to make the embed video link work on WordPress!
Category: odd | No Comments »
VCW Centered-set Handout
November 14th, 2006 by Marc
Here’s a copy of the “centered-set” stuff reworked for a handout for VCW.
I may have posted this before. But it’s still something rolling around my heart/mind as I try to help a group of people live this and attract others to it.
What is a “centered-set�
Being a centered-set group is an important concept for VCW. The explanation below was created from information from the Association of Vineyard Churches of East Africa and Kingdomrain.net.
The Laissez-fair of “Fuzzy set†mode
In this model structure and definition are minimized and spontaneity overvalued. People really don’t know why they’re gathering together except to feel the next “high.†Fuzzy sets rarely endure or accomplish much.
Bounded set model
The second model is the bounded set where there is a very definite understanding of what it means to be on the inside and on the outside. There are a set of stated or implied rules that determine who is part of the church. These can include views of the end times or types of “appropriate†dress, movies, music, etc. To belong, to be “in,†one has to follow these unwritten “rules.â€
Centered set model
The third model, which we like to pursue, is the centered-set model. This is an understanding of the church where at the center as our focus is Jesus, the Bible and our particular values which express God’s particular calling to us. Membership is understood not in terms of being inside or outside but something much more dynamic. We understand that people might be at different distances from the values at the center but for us the important thing is not so much where they are presently but in which direction they are moving. We are all on a journey of being more definitely committed to our values and expressing them more fully.In this sense, John Wimber often taught that our values are like the sign on the front of the bus that indicates its destination. We welcome anybody getting on the bus as long as they are clear as to where we are going and are interested in heading in the same direction as us. To quote John Wimber, “You don’t join the Vineyard, you discover that you are Vineyard!†Living out these values will bring different responses depending upon what the Spirit of God is doing in a particular person. We know that God calls people to many different expressions of Christianity. That’s wonderful! At the same time, we know that as some people hear us teach on these values—where we are going and what God has called us to—something deep inside of them will say, “Yes! That’s what I’ve been looking for!â€As Bob Fulton once said, “Go out and sing your song. When somebody comes saying that you are singing their song, then get together. Don’t try to teach somebody your song when they are singing another song.”
Wimber’s commitment was strongly evangelical, and, at the same time, surprisingly open. When he described the fellowship of Vineyard churches sociologically as “centered set,†he meant that Jesus is the center. Faith in Him held the whole together. This contrasts with churches that are “bounded set,†where issues such as eschatology, cultural habits, or liturgical forms define the fellowship. For example, a Calvary Chapel pastor must believe in the “pre-tribulation rapture of the church.†Wimber rejected such careful eschatological defining for his movement.Â
http://www.vineyard-eastafrica.org/join.html
http://www.kingdomrain.net/content/view/40/36/1/5/
Category: church planting | No Comments »
Two fisted?
November 13th, 2006 by Marc
The Winter Lager is in the bread I baked this afternoon.
The Black Lager is in the bottle I sipped as I ate the bread.
Does this make me a two fisted drinker?
Category: coffee & beer | 4 Comments »
I love my kids
November 9th, 2006 by Marc
I’m a dad so I get to brag. It’s my job.
My kids are both interested in worship.
Here’s a clip of the first worship song my son created. It recorded it in February 2005. (You can hear his sister giggle in the background.)
And here’s a clip of my daughter playing “guitar” and singing last night. (The “guitar” is a l-o-n-g shoehorn she strums with a pick!)
I just love seeing them grow! And I’m glad at least one of their parents–their mom–isn’t tone deaf!
Category: family life | No Comments »
Blessed are the miserly?
November 6th, 2006 by Marc
I just read in the Chronicle of Philanthropy that the emptytomb.org released their annual update on church giving.
According to the article, Protestant Christians gave only 0.38% of their income to missions and outreach. These Christians, from 34 denominations, also gave just over 2% of their income to church operational expenses.
2%!
For crying out loud, we’re paying 20% on credit cards. *sheesh*
Can you imagine what havoc we’d wreak on hell if we all at least tithed?
Category: fundraising | No Comments »
Huked on Fonics?
November 2nd, 2006 by Marc
Now, I’m certainly not enamored with our current administration. But this photo cracked me up.
Category: odd | No Comments »
Saints & Senators?
November 2nd, 2006 by Marc
Conversation at dinner last night:
Cale: Dad, the president owns all the states right?
Dad: Not really. The president isn’t a king like we’ve been studying. He rules over the states but doesn’t own them. And he doesn’t rule alone. The Congress and the judiciary help rule.
Cale: But the president is really rich, isn’t he?
Dad: I guess he gets paid around $200,000 a year. But Senators get paid alot too, something like $165,000 a year.
Cale: Sinners?! They let sinners rule the states?
Category: family life | 2 Comments »
