Monday Morning

A quick and dirty post before I head out today.

I’ll be attending the Texas Technology Forum in Arlington today. Anyone else going?

I plan to Twitter the event – so if you’re interested you can follow along at www.twitter.com/jdblundell. That also means that if you’re not interested in the event or technology or local government and technology – my Twitter feed may be a bore for you today. Sorry. 🙂

I may also see if I can find some Arlington Geocaches if we get some good breaks and such during the day.

Also, Rick Warren scored a big forum event with both Barak Obama and John McCain. The mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Church will hold a one hour interview with both men (I wonder which candidate will be the first to come on the Something Beautiful Podcast :-)).

Watch the story from CNN (HT: Monday Morning Insight)

Well I need to find a post office that’s open this early in the morn (geeze – they’re never open on my schedule) and then head to the conference.

Have a great day. Let me know in the comment section what you’re up to and/or reading today.

My enemies are men like me

US Library of Congress

I have come to give you life
And to show you how to live it
I have come to make things right
To heal their ears and show you how to forgive them

Because I would rather die
I would rather die
I would rather die
Than to take your life

How can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love
My enemies are men like me
I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well
My enemies are men like me

Peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication
It’s like telling someone murder is wrong
And then showing them by way of execution

When justice is bought and sold just like weapons of war
The ones who always pay are the poorest of the poor

– derek webb

Related ::
Thanksgiving Masking

A quote for today

re: Health & Wealth/Prosperity Theology

“…if you simply have enough faith you won’t be like Jesus and be poor and suffer. it is bizarre to say ‘if you have enough faith in Jesus you wouldn’t be like him.”
Mark Driscoll

Related ::
Podcast :: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Luke and Acts
Wikipedia :: Prosperity Doctrine

Did John Mayer write the Message or was it the other way around?

Prodigal John has a fun post over on his blog, Stuff Christians Like about Christians smuggling John Mayer into our camp. I think the original title of the post compared Mayer to Christian artist Chris Tomlin.

I think in some ways, John Mayer has snuck inside the Christian circle like a ninja. Or maybe we smuggled him in, I’m not sure. The point is, he’s here, and Christians have embraced him in a surprising way.

I’m personally a fan of John Mayer’s music. Haven’t seen him live (other than on TV) but I hear his concerts are great as well.

Along with his post, Prodigal John offers up this quiz for all. The list below is 15 quotes either from The Message Bible or John Mayer. See if you can tell which is which.

1. Then they get in all their shopping sprees. At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,

2. Belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword

3. Now we see everything that’s going wrong, with the world and those who lead it

4. I dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday.

5. She takes you in with your crying eyes, then all at once you have to say goodbye

6. You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes, it brought me back to life

7. I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed has been floating … on the flood of my tears.

8. Take all your wasted honor, every little past frustration, take all of your so called problems, better put them in quotations.

9. She says the bible is all that she reads and prefers that I not use profanity

10. And I will walk outside on my own into the light, the kind of clarity that only comes to me on Sunday’s shine, Sunday’s shine

11. I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms— I’m celebrating your rescue.

12. He comes up empty. A string of zeros.

13. Someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar

14. Nightly he strolls in our garden, delighting in the flowers, until dawn breathes its light and night slips away

15. You tell me where to go and though I might leave to find it, I’ll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it

See the answers.

Related ::
Stuff Christians Like :: “Mayer” Christianity
Stuff Christians Like :: Answers to the John Mayer Quiz
John Mayer
YouTube :: Waiting on the World to Change
Chris Tomlin
Wikipedia :: The Message Bible
SSL :: Christian is a poor adjective

  

Twittering in the Old Testament

Thanks to @chadcrawford and @just_pete.

Appears both the prophet Isaiah and the Psalmist both Twittered way back in the day:

Psalm 102 (MSG)

I’m wasting away to nothing,
I’m burning up with fever.
I’m a ghost of my former self,
half-consumed already by terminal illness.
My jaws ache from gritting my teeth;
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
I’m like a buzzard in the desert,
a crow perched on the rubble.
Insomniac, I twitter away,
mournful as a sparrow in the gutter.

Isaiah 38 (NASB)

Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I moan like a dove;
My eyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.

Related ::
twitter
biblegateway.com

encounter goes living room

Yesterday we had a different Sunday morning experience for encounter. Rather than gathering at the Civic Center, we met in 10 different homes around Ellis County. Each group was given a DVD (video below) and the DVDs were followed up with some discussion questions.

We had a great time yesterday morning!

I keep hearing more and more reports from folks who said they really enjoyed their get togethers which came in all sizes. I think the smallest group was 4 or 5 and the largest group had over 20. At least 100 people participated in encounter goes living room and I think everyone who participated was impacted in some way.

For those of you who missed out… or would just like to watch it again… here’s the video from the DVD we watched ::


encounter goes living room from Jonathan Blundell on Vimeo.

Along with the video, each group discussed the following questions ::

  • what would the experience of church be like if it was less like a presentation, building, or club and more like a spiritual home of people each living to fully serve Christ and others?
  • what would it take for people to get to that level of understanding and living?
  • what would difference would it make to people far from God if the church had the feel of a spiritual home?
  • what difference will these truths mean for you?

For those who couldn’t make it – feel free to watch the video, read the questions and share your own answers and thoughts.

Thanks again to all the host homes and leaders who made yesterday possible! You all did a great job!