Go Pack Oh, Ugh!

Has anyone seen my heart? i just had it ripped out. The governor will surely call this a day of mourning.
Not that I didn't see it coming. They should have won, there was no way they could lose, and yet that's why they did. My wife's boss echoed these sentiments on Thursday when he asked, "Do you want to know what I think will happen, or what will happen? I think there is no way they can lose with everything in their favor, HOWEVER, every time I have felt this way, they lose. So that's what will happen."
That about sums it all up for me too.
So the "Big Game" will hold no interest for me, I honestly don't care what happens.
It was nice being able to see the game on a big TV with lots of friends around us. I think there were 28 of us total (16 kids!!!) but we had a good time till the end. Good fellowship with other believers.

I think about the last football season and realize that as a big football fan, I really only watched 3 or 4 games that the Pack played in their entirety. They lost three of them. I really haven't had time for football this year. With all the church stuff happening, the kids, the meetings, small groups, etc, I just didn't make watching the games a priority. Does that minimize me as a true fan? Some say yes it does. I should order my life around the games.
Then I ask myself, "what is a fan?"
fan –noun
an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.: a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin.
[Origin: 1885–90, Americanism; short for fanatic]

—Synonyms supporter, enthusiast, partisan, booster, addict.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

I can honestly say I don't fit that definition. I mean I don't "cheat on" the Packers with another team, but am I a devotee? Do I live and breathe Packers Green and Gold? If I am to be a fan of something, shouldn't I feel as though they would bring me great joy, not frustration?
O wait, it's a game.

I was writing this post and came across a really funny satirical article about being a Packer fan. I want you to read it and think about the Church. This comes from http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/

Yes, Of Course I'm a Packers Fan

Yes, of course I am a Green Bay Packers fan. My family has adored and followed the Packers for four generations. My grandfather attended every game during the 1960s. My father has held season tickets for our entire family since the early 1980s. I currently have 6 seats on the 40 yard line for every home game.

I have continued the tradition of love for the Packers. It’s important to me that this demonstration of love is passed down to my kids and they come to love and appreciate the Packers as I do. I’ve gone with my kids to about 1 Packer game on average every year for the last 10 years. Although I don’t attend that many games, my kids know the Packers are important to me because I send them to the games. My wife and kids haven't missed a single regular season game in the last 4 years.

Why don’t I go to the games that often? You know how it is; things can get really hectic during the week, and Sunday is about the only day I have for myself. Now, I love the Packers. Don’t get me wrong. Just because I don’t attend doesn’t mean I’m not a fan. I'm really truly crazy about them. I don’t have to physically sit in a seat with other fans to be a fan. There are no laws stating that I need to attend a game to be a fan. Do I have to work for my “fanship” status? I know in my heart that I’m a fan, regardless of what all those hypocritical season ticket holders around me say when I do attend games. They don’t know my heart. Besides, I can watch the games on tv and it’s just as well.

How often do I watch them on tv? Well, I don’t have to watch the game “per se.” If I’m washing my car, I can listen to the game on the radio and it’s just as good. Besides, with my earpiece radio, I can even hear the game while I’m shoveling snow. Like last week during the Seattle game. If I had gone and sat in my season ticket seats, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the game thinking of the accumulation of snow on my driveway. By the time my boys were home with my Dad, I had the driveway cleared. That was a great game, huh?

As far as Sunday’s go, like I said, it’s really the only day I have for myself. I can go to nfl.com or watch SportsCenter to see what happened. As a true fan, I usually find out what happened during the games before I go into work because there is this one nut at work who can talk about nothing else. He brings up the topic of the Packers continually. Farve did this, another guy did that that, Brooks did this play and Green did that play. He knows all the players names and even how to spell them. It’s embarrassing.

Of course we all like the Packers. This is Green Bay, for crying out loud. We don’t have to talk about it all the time. I just don’t feel comfortable verbally sharing my fanship about the Packers with others. Yes, I bought my season tickets. Yes, I go to a game once a year. Yes, I’m training my kids to respect the Packers. But “No” I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it at work. People should be able to tell that I'm a Packers fan because I wear something with a little green on the Fridays before a big game. I don't have to wear a cheese hat for people to know I'm a fan. They should be able to see it by my pleasant smile.

The crazy nut Packers fan always goes straight up to this guy who transferred in from Chicago and tries to convert him. He talks about all the greatness of the Packers. You can tell the Chicago fan really doesn’t want to talk about it. I think it could even be considered harassment. It’s embarrassing. When the Chicago fan asks me, “Hey, aren’t you one of those Packers fans too?” I just shrug it off and try not to make a big deal about it by saying something like, “Yeah, my family has owned tickets a long time. It’s kind of a family tradition. And going to sporting events is good for the kids.”

The crazy Packers fan has all the statistics memorized. He even starts talking about how Farve gave special nods and how the offensive line performed a run block but Farve threw a pass anyway. Who cares about all of the strategy and details? The Packers won! What else do you need to know? We know they won, leave all the detailed analysis to the sports reporters. I don't need to know who nodded to enjoy the fact that we won. At work, let me work. That’s what my workplace is for.

The crazy nut fan put a little metal “G” symbol on the back of his car. How embarrassing. I could never get one of those “G” symbols because I may cut someone off and that would be embarrassing for all Packers fans. Besides, the symbol is very similar to another vile symbol… that of the University of Georgia. I wouldn’t want to confuse anyone into thinking I'm a Georgia fan. I would never want to be confused with a fan of a college team that plays a high school team and calls it a “bowl game.”

In any case, my love for the Packers is something that is really quite a personal matter. But that doesn't make me any less of a fan. You love your team, and I'll love my Packers. If I want to let my seats sit empty, that is my business and not yours. Yes, of course I'm a Packer's fan.

The Question is, am I a fan of God?

Outside the Box! Again?

Sunday we kicked off the Life outside the Box series. The idea of outside the box thinking is something most of us have heard on a regular basis. This idea is especially true in the business world. How many of have heard, "We need people that will think outside the Box." The problem is that we are supposed to think outside of we live. So what happens? Outside the Box just becomes another box. You know it's the next big thing mentality. I read an article today about Google and how they operate. They really seem to do business outside the box. No wonder people rate it as the best place to work.

So Jesus comes along and challenges the "box" of the religious culture in his day. The box in that day was very exclusive and Jesus challenged who was able to get in it. The good news that Jesus would bring would be that the Kingdom is available to people of every background. What a concept.

The opportunity for us to live outside of the box then comes from the notion that Christ calls us to another level of living.  Unfortunately we live in a culture "box" that is all ready to jump off the same clip.  Look at the list of the "blessed" in the Beatitudes and you will see not a list of attributes that we should have, rather a list of people that the Kingdom of God includes.  We have seen amazing transformations when people become Christ followers.  I dare say that in Jesus' time, most of us would not have fit into the religious box of the day.  Yet here comes Jesus offering the Kingdom to us.  That is the hope of the gospel.  

A call to follow Christ is a call outside the box.  Jesus' statements were controversial in his day, and still are today.  A genuine Christ follower is different than the typical church goer.  The Church is full of "lemmings" that say all the right things Sunday morning so they fit in the religious box, then they jump off the culture cliff on Monday by what they listen to, speak about, watch, and do. Not the kind of call Jesus is asking us to make.  I don't think Jesus went to the cross so that we could feel less guilty about our sin.  He paid the penalty for sin and made a way for us to have a real, transformed relationship with the Father.

Vision for 2008

Our focus for 2008 is on the Creative.  We want to be creative in our presentation of God's Word.  

It think that Nehemiah 8 best illustrates what I am talking about when it comes to being creative.

 1 all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

 7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear  and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

Bold and italics are mine to emphasize the point.

As the pastor it is important for me to communicate in such a way that the Word comes to life and is understandable for the hearers.

Wait till you see some of the creative ideas that we have to tell the Easter Story.  I think this is a way to really generate some buzz around town as well as have a clear presentation of the Easter message.

It is always a challenge to come up with fresh ideas that may interest a unchurched person and compel them to come to church.  As Ed Young says, "Las Vegas (or Hollywood) has nothing to say, but knows how to say it.  The problem is that the church has everything to say, but doesn't know how to say it." It is not just about finding a need that may interest people, rather it is making the truth of Scripture come alive.  This is the idea behind the next series.  Life outside the Box is about understanding the heart of the most powerful sermon ever delivered.  Jesus' teachings are so outside of the "religious box" and the "culture box."  Curiously this is where he calls us to live.

Doing life like Jesus does helps us make a real difference by thinking more in terms of the kingdom.  You know that whole big God, little us idea.

 

Actually using this spot for 08

Last year it was a traditional newsletter. In 08, I'll finally use the blog that I set up in 10/06. I know that is really sad but what can I say?

So here is a link to the inaugural post that is actually a video clip.



So announcements you need to be aware of:

1. This Sunday will be a our vision casting Sunday.
2. We will have a special guest with us: Keith McCray who has a vision for youth ministry.
3. This Sunday is a potluck Sunday. Bring your favorite food. We really need main dishes. Stay to chat with Keith as well.
4. Next Tuesday at 7 PM is a Touched Twice meeting. It is for anyone that would like to assist us.
5. Mark your calendars for Sat January 26. This will be our luau in January. A great outreach for our community. Have your kids invite their friends and family. More info to come.

More to come later.