Archive for October, 2008
Cussing Christians
Posted on 10. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
One of the blogs I subscribe to posted this recently. I literally laughed out loud!
Lark is a news site that pokes fun at the Christian sub-culture, but in a very funny way. It’s like “the Office” of news blogs. The material is fictional, but it doesn’t read that way. The first time I came across this site I did a double take, thinking the content was real.
What made me laugh so hard was because the the situation described in this fictional story wasn’t too far off from something that I knew happened in another church. How funny.
It brings up a really good point though. More than it has in a very long time, I feel the church is becoming more relevant to the world.… Read the rest
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Oops: Snow Tubing on a winter retreat
Posted on 09. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Okay, this one was a total accident, who knew that this would happen. I took about 60 kids on a winter retreat called Snow Blast. This was several years ago. I was a little younger then, but I can’t say that this wouldn’t have happened now if the same circumstances presented themselves. Yah, sometimes accidents happen. When I called home to tell my wife about what happened she said something like, “where were all the other adults when you came up with this idea?” Don’t get the wrong idea about my wife, she’s very encouraging, but she’s also very safety cautious. I’m glad I have her to guide some of my decisions. I answered her by saying, “they were all right with me!… Read the rest
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Soul Revolution: Creating an environment for life-change
Posted on 09. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Since I’ve been doing the 60-60 experiment I’ve been thinking a lot about spiritual growth.
When I look back on my life when I’ve seen season of dramatic growth, I’ve found that they’ve usually been the result of some kind of catalyst. Usually a summer camp, joining a new youth group or a missions trip. It often feeds into the typical roller coaster ride of spiritual growth that many of us experienced as teenagers.
I’ve reflected on this a lot and I think a lot has to do with the environment. When at camp or on a missions trip, we’re in a special environment where growth is encouraged and nurtured. While at camp or on a mission trip, God is very present in our lives.… Read the rest
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Soul Revolution: The 60-60 Experiment
Posted on 08. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Here’s what Soul Revolution is all about. Read the first part of John 15. It talks about God being the vine and us being the branches. If we abide in him, he will abide in us. The result? We’ll produce fruit. We’re supposed to stay connected. So, how do I grow spiritual fruit? Just like a branch produces fruit. Stay connected to the vine. Could it really be that simple?
Here’s the deal. I’ve taught many times about how God doesn’t just want one part of our day. He doesn’t just want Sundays. He wants all of us… all the time.
How many times have we said that God is our number one priority but then felt guilty because we spend way more time on 4 or 5 other things than on time with God?… Read the rest
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Oops: The candy drop
Posted on 07. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
In 2001 the church I worked at in Indiana was doing a Harvest Carnival Party thingy. It was my first year there and my Senior Pastor had asked that I make some significant changes and make it an event the pubic would really want to come to. Unfortunately we didn’t have any money to do it any differently than we had done in years past, so we changed our approach. I got together with my team and we started making some big changes. We changed the name (Family Fun Fest), changed the night (if it was supposed to be a Halloween event, let it be on Halloween) and started to raise money. We went the corporate sponsor route and sold booth sponsorships so we could really improve the event.… Read the rest
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Soul Revolution
Posted on 07. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
My church began a revolution this week. Actually the revolution has been in the works for months and months (depending on how you look at it, this things been developing for years). To be honest, it’s one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been a part of. I guess a lot of churches did the 40 days campaigns several years ago and those were usually a big deal, something the whole church can rally behind. Back in 2000, my church in Indiana was very involved in the Louisville, KY Billy Graham Crusade which also was an amazing thing to be involved with. However, there is something different about Soul Revolution. I really believe it has the potential to make a lasting difference in the lives of people which in turn can radically change our church and have a huge impact on our city!… Read the rest
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Oops! More to come
Posted on 06. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
I know, the two mistakes I wrote last week were fairly small ones. Typos. Who doesn’t do that? A good friend and fellow co-worker (she’s practically family… I call her Nene) from a previous church really would like me to share two of my biggest oops that she experienced first hand. What can I say, I was young and she was there to experience them. I’m sure we’ll be laughing about them many years from now.
Typos are one thing. These oops are on a whole different level of mistakes!
I always enjoy hearing about or reading about other people’s disasters. It makes me feel a little better about the dumb mistakes I’ve made or the total flukes I’ve experienced. So, I’ve got three more Oops for you this week.… Read the rest
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Back from vacation
Posted on 06. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Well, I’m back! I arrived to Austin just before 10:00 PM. Now it’s Monday and it’s time to get back to work. Is it just me or is the first day back from vacation one of the least productive days ever? You know, your body is at work, but your brain is still in transit. Hopefully today won’t be like one of those days.
I’ve got a big week this week with a lot of things going on.
This week I plan to write a little about the revolution going on at Gateway. It’s something that has been in the works since before I arrived and officially kicked off this week. It’s big stuff!… Read the rest
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Oops! Major email typo
Posted on 02. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Yesterday’s post reminded me of a very funny typo from an email I sent out last year. I was working at Cross Timber Community Church and we were getting ready of Venture Quest (our version of VBS). We had close to 1000 kids registered and I was sending an email out to all the parents of the kids, close to 1500 emails.
The email had instructions on what the week would look like, what they should expect and how they could be prepared to have the best experience possible.
I’m smart enough to know that before sending an email out to that many people, I should have the email proofed. So I typed up the email and sent it to my assistant.… Read the rest
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Oops! Email typo
Posted on 01. Oct, 2008 by Kenny.
Since I’ve arrived at Gateway a few months ago I’ve made it a point to communicate with parents just about every week. Many changes were in process and it’s very important that all of our parents feel informed and like they are in the loop. One of the ways I communicate is through a weekly constant contact email that points to posts on the Children’s Ministry blog.
Just last week I was sending out the weekly email and I was in a rush. I was trying to tie up all my loose ends before going on vacation and I had a deadline. I skipped my normal routine of having my assistant proof the email before sending it out and depending completely on Constant Contact’s spell check.… Read the rest
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