i love these voices

now that 90% of the "church makeover" is done, i can spend a bit more time back in the world of blogging :) so, i thought i would share with you just two of the blogs i have been reading as of late. ok, i love these voices;

lacey hearty:
this is the coolest thing i have seen writen in a long time - you have to check it out; head over to lacey hearty's blog and get a grip of what she is sharing - man, this is so very cool.

jeffery davis:
you have to read what this guy is putting up in the air - great thinking stuff - stuff i just love to either agree with, or disagree with, but mostly it is stuff that makes me think; and now he has a new domain :)

"faith forward"

i have been driving myself crazy this past month with doing some very cool things - first, we are moving the church i serve as lead pastor to a new location. we are the only church in the area that would willingly change locations with a bar....twice. we are excited about the move and what God is doing in our community of faith - check out our new site and new name [247thechurch.com]

second, i have been helping put together a site for the "faith forward" forum happening - in of all places - the crystal cathedial. it should be a very cool event one where they are trying to bring together the traditional, contempary and the emerging to speak with each other. for me, the excitement comes in the form of hanging out with some old freinds - len sweet, chis seay, jim palmer and the like and to make some new ones -

here is the very cool part - me and spencer burke [the ooze] will be running the blogger cafe and are so very excited about what is happening. it would be great to hang out with some ginkworld friends, and the ooze friends and make some new friends - so, drop by and visit if you are at the event - check out the site [tweeking it as time moves along] and register for the forum. i think this will be a great opportunity for the emerging/evolving church to set to the plate and take a swing at the ball - i hope to see some friends out there :)

going crazy

it has been a crazy past few weeks. about a month ago we were approached by a local bar owner about switching buildings, and it has been one wild, God filled ride after another.

we have moved to a very cool, new location that we believe will allow us to do so much more - and do it with the style and grace we desire. we have gone through some major changes [and i am in the process of writing more about that in an article entitled "the evolution of a church."] from our name, we are now "247 the church" to our look - but in all this, we have keep the core - in fact, we are become more committed to God and what God can do with us. in just this short period of time we have seen God work in some very powerful and eye opening ways - as for the future? well, we are all wearing shades :D

doing business

i just read an article about business and the like still sending junk mail and other mail to the world trade center. it has been five years, and the big business of "selling an address" is still focused on making money. i find this hard to grasp - now, i would think removing the world trade center from a data base would be hard if the trade center was "mixed in" with all the other local stuff - but the trade center had its own zip code - 10048. removing them from the data base would be simple, a few button and just a bit of time - but that would also mean the companies selling the bulk mail information would make less money - sounds like a case were "capitalism" is over caring.

world aids day?

this may sound like i am "bitching," and maybe i am, but i am not impressed with all the churches lighting candles for "world aids day." i find it insulting and all in the game of religious politics. what i have been able to gleam from all this is that denominations get a little press; religious leaders can look a bit more "jesus-like;" photo ops are posted on denominational news sites so the followers can say how impressed they are of their leaders; articles pour into the news services; but mostly i think those people get a kick out of hearing themselves speak.

if aids were truly an issue for the different churches making bold proclamations why are they not making them when the camera are facing the other way? why is this only "big news" when they can smile, have their picture taken and can say, "look at what we're doing - we truly care about aids people." where were they when my friend was in the hospital with aids and i was almost fired from the church because i hugged him and held his hand, while the denominational leaders told me that i should have never embraced the man, and i should resign - and then turn right around and say [in public view] that we need to work together to end aids. i find this pompous on their part.

for me aids is a all year long, every day event that is killing millions of people all over the world - one day of pictures and speeches is nothing, it is less then nothing; it is rediculas. i would love to see them put their money where their collective mouths are - spending on aids has declined, some churches still see it as a curse sent by God on those "gays." while many other just turn a blind eye, unless they can get their name in the paper. aids is killing people, and we need to get off our collective asses and move all year long. i find it intersting that the conservative churches do nothing because it does not impact then directly [if aids only killed old, fat, balding white guys and old over make-uped ladies they would be all over it] and liberial churchs do nothing because that would mean they would need to give up a "wine and cheese tasting night" at the church and get involved in something that mattered and could get them dirty [and that is what they pay others to do].

of all the denominations [i exclude the southern baptists from this because i felt they had too much on their plate, dealing with gay penguins, shunning 16 year old actresses, and and demanding that wally-world not give money to gays] speaking out this one day of the year seems so small, and insulting. to be honest, it is not even a good starting point. all it does is bring attention to how little they are doing throught out the year.