The American Idol Church

A lot of the churches that are vibrant, growing, and changing the world today are doing so because they follow the method of American Idol. Churches that are stagnant, plateaud, and doing little Kingdom work could do well to pay attention to the American Idol world we live in.

American Idol is a vastly popular television show amongst generations today. It is so because of two main principles: 1) You don't know what is going to happen. and 2) You can be a part of it.

Our churches need this. We need churches that have a vision for the future, a vision that will do great things, a vision that creates change, a vision that inspires, a vision that is so big it requires God. A vision big enough, that grasping at it demands you not actually know what is going to happen. Outside of this vision though, it has to be something that all people of the church can, and want to participate in.

If you can accomplish those two things, you are well on your way to a church that will grow, be active and change lives in a positive way. If you are lacking either of these things, your effectiveness is likely limited.

I hope to be the kind of person who doesn't always know how things are going to turn out. The kind of person who leaves room for God to move and work, but also the kind of person who is actively participating in the work that God is doing.

Sentiment to Soreness (Guest blogger edition #2)

I'm exhausted. Seven viewing sites and 26.2 miles later, I'm exhausted! In the afternoon that followed, I took a nap while Nate watched football. Today I went to work barely functional. The dazed look in my eyes only proved to coworkers I was not ready to face the tasks ahead of me. It was in those slow moving, difficult-to-focus moments I began to understand how much Nate completing the marathon and accomplishing his goal really meant to me. I hadn't realized emotionally invested I was.

Well, today his legs are sore, and my brain is sore. But I didn't run, I watched. So tonight I not only applaud my man, I also make sure the blogging gets completed because he couldn't get to the computer - even though it is a laptop.

Way to go Nate!

I'm Very Sore

At the expo yesterday, where we had to go, they had a panel of people to talk to first time marathon runners. Jenny and I went.

One of the things they said was that for every second you run faster than the pace you are intending, it will add up to minutes by the end of the marathon.

I started the day with a pace group, a runner who runs only to help other people keep a steady pace. Our first split was at three miles and she immediately apologized. She had a watch malfunction and ran us 1:53 seconds per mile faster than we were supposed to be running.
Those definitely caught up with me.

Fortunately, heat, muscle cramps and pacing withstanding, I finished. I've got the shirt and medal (along with witnesses) to prove it.

Life goal accomplished.

What's Wrong With Me?

Tomorrow will begin with lots of things that aren't normally part of my day, and I don't know how they ever became a good idea in my head.

Starting off, I have to wake up early. Real early. Like, I'm supposed to be in downtown Minneapolis at 7:00 early.

The second makes the first even worse. I'm going to eat breakfast. I rarely eat breakfast. Tomorrow, however, it actually will be the most important meal of my day, solely because of reason three.

At 8:00 in the morning, I'm going to begin running a marathon. If all goes well, sometime within the next 6 hours I will be 26.2 miles away from where I began, with nothing accomplished except a lot of sweating. I'll get a medal, a t-shirt, and the joy of knowing that I'll never have to run a marathon again. If after 6 hours, I haven't completed the required distance, I just might have to put myself through it again.

Here is to hoping I can't walk Monday morning because I finished, not that I can't walk because I'm hurt and didn't finish.

Kids, Brush Your Teeth

Last night was Jason's bachelor party. We struggled for a long time with deciding on the kind of outfit we would make him wear. Our own levels and lines of what would be appropriate came into quesiton. We had found some outfits that would easily be the funniest and most humiliating, but were across even our lines for what we would be able to take him out in public wearing. So the debate began, most humiliating outfit, or outfit we could humiliate him in the most.

We decided the second.

Here are some quotes from the night...

"sir, you will remind me to brush my teeth three times a day so I never have to see you again."

"Look kids, the tooth fairy."

That's right, our adult male tooth fairy was present with us last night as we ate dinner. As we waited for the rest of our party at the restaurant, one man, leaving to smoke a cigarrette caught view of Jason. He didn't then go smoke. Instead, he walked back into the dining area of the restaurant and grabbed kids from random tables so as to bring them to get pictures with the tooth fairy.

Here are some visuals from our night.

The nightmare began here:

And continued at his old workplace.

Here was our friend (Don) who found lots of kids for us.

And some of his kid.

And for those still waiting for more, here is the transformation process.