I only ever write blogs when I am procrastinating...

...and today is no exception. I've got to get some notes hammered out for tomorrow morning, but instead I'm updating this thing.

I leave to go to the States next Thursday. I'm actually looking forward to it a bunch. My circle of friends is growing smaller and smaller, due to people moving away and also to my inability to keep in touch with people, but I still think it's going to be great to spend some time in Fallbrook. My family has been meaning more and more to me lately. On Christmas I phoned my mom 4 times I think. And I really am coming to respect my parents a lot in the past years. Having a three year old who is growing up without his grandma and grandpa around makes me think about them a lot. They really love Eoin so much and I am sorry that they don't get to see more of each other. So I'm looking forward to that.

I'm also looking forward to just going to church. I am definitely preaching one Sunday at CC Fallbrook, but apart from that I don't have anything else booked. Now, likely I'll end up preaching much more than once the whole time I'm there, but I know that for at least Easter Sunday and probably Palm Sunday I'm not going to be teaching, which means that I'll get to wake up, get dressed, get everyone ready and then just drive to church. I don't have to set up chairs or make sure the powerpoint is working right, don't have to coordinate anything with the worship team, don't have to make sure tea and coffee is set up, don't need to prepare the communion stuff, don't need to worry about the sermon... I'll just get to show up and attend church. I'll get to meet people and sing with people and enjoy sitting under the teaching of God's word. I very rarely get to just attend church and I'm really looking forward to it.

Rachel is gonna get one of her tattoos coloured in, and that's cool. I might get something done while I'm over there, I've got some ideas that I've been kicking around, but now that Clay has his gun I might just let him zap me.

I'm gonna buy some new shoes and eat tons of mexican food. I might even buy myself a pair of reading glasses. I'm gonna drink tons of cream soda and maybe even catch a hardcore show for old time's sake. But mostly I'm lookin forward to sittin on my parents front porch and watch eoin run around and play with the dogs and spending time with my family. The family that I was so ungrateful for for so many years. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Credo

title="Wordle: Apostle's Creed"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/545790/Apostle%27s_Creed"
alt="Wordle: Apostle's Creed"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

This Wednesday night I'm starting a series on the Apostle's Creed. I am really really looking forward to it, I don't think I've been this enthusiastic about a new series in a long time. Tomorrow morning I'm teaching 1st Corinthians 7, which is pretty complicated.
I've got some blog ideas written down in my journal. One of these days I'll type them out here.

This is a video I made, I'm going to show it before each study.

On this day in Irish history...

At 11.15 on December 5th 1921, the delegation led by Michael Collins decided to recommend the Treaty as proposed by the British to Dáil Éireann. They declared independence, so to speak.




(from Zoomtard blog)

I am Michael Scott.

I am Michael Scott.
Although I don't share all of his idiosyncrasies and flaws (Thank the good Lord) I do have one glaring similarity with him: I want everyone to like me.
I want everyone to be my friend.
And because of that my ability to lead is impaired.
Michael Scott has no friends or family so he looks to his employees to fill the void. I have family but no friends (at least in this country) and many times I look to the church to be my friend. Failing to make the distinction has cost me respect in their eyes and reduced my ability to effectively lead them.
Dear God give me mercy and help. Amen.

Malc and Amanda get Married

I wish i could pull this off:

The five-word antidote to grumbling Tony Payne

This story has been passed onto me second- or third- or possibly fifth-hand. Who knows how accurate the details are, or whether the words were spoken exactly in this way? But from my knowledge of the man in question, it is entirely believable. In fact, if it isn't true, it's the kind of story that would almost be necessary to invent.

An eminent and well-known English preacher was approached by a congregation member who complained about some aspect of church life. It may have been that he didn't feel welcomed, or that he was finding it hard to make friends and fit in; it could have been that he was finding the service dissatisfying or the preaching too long; it could have been that the music was not to his taste or that his family was not being catered for to his satisfaction. The details of the complaint have been lost in the telling and re-telling of the story.

The preacher listened to the complaint, paused, and then replied with five words that cut straight to the heart of not only the man's problem, but the problem with all grumbling and complaining in church. He simply said, “It's not about you, stupid!” and walked off.

It was a stunningly rude response—the kind that this preacher seemed uniquely capable of getting away with in his very English way. But doesn't it exactly express what is wrong with grumbling and complaining in church?

It really is the height of idiocy to think that church is about me and my needs and my family and my satisfaction. It completely overturns the teaching of the Bible—that church is about God and Christ and loving other people. In fact, if we wanted to summarize Paul's rebuke to the dysfunctional Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11-14, a pretty reasonable slogan would be “It's not about you, stupid!”.

So the next time you're feeling grumpy about church, and are complaining that this or that aspect leaves you cold, remind yourself of the five-word answer to grumbling. And if you're really game, when someone starts grumbling to you about how they don't like the music or how they're sick of the preacher's jokes, just give them a slightly incredulous look, shake your head, and say, “It's not about you, stupid!”.