Will anyone read our Church Brochure?

We had our first meeting in our new building today. We had a brunch. About once a quarter we host a community worship and intercession night, called "Refresh," at a local auditorium. On the Sunday after Refresh we meet at 11:00 AM to allow extra rest, and we have a brunch.

One day as we were talking about the new location I mentioned that I would like us write up a brochure. Now I have the task of doing exactly that! :-) So I started doing some research... you know... I typed "church brochure" in my Google toolbar. I was immediately attracted to an entry with the title: "No One Reads Your Church Brochure." It is on a blog site called "Church Marketing Sucks." Wow! What a title for a site. I guess it gets the point across, doesn't it?

So, I read through that post and a few others that I found. Now I am struggling to write something that will be worth the paper it is on. I think this first version will be more evangelistic in nature. I want to raise awareness in the neighborhood and stir some interest in our church. There are so many thoughts and ideas. What to leave in? What to leave out? I know it will come together, eventually. :-)

Taxes have begun

We started working on our taxes today. We think we will be getting a return so we want to get it done soon! If we were going to pay we would file on April 15th. :-)

Last year we used TurboTax Online and it worked really well. This year we are using it again and we even get a discount through my work.

At one point ShaggaBear had to stand behind me and rub my neck and tell me, "it's okay to breath." I guess I get a little frustrated with the process. It does not always work how I expect it to. TurboTax was also showing a nasty red number at that point that we were going to have to pay. Now it is looking much better and the number is back in the black. We should get the rest of our documents in the next week and then we can finish it up.

Morning in Chicago

I woke up about 5:30 AM today. About half an hour before I intended to. I slept pretty good and I feel good and I'm ready to go.

I went downstairs to have breakfast. They had a pretty good spread. I got scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast, one of my normal breakfasts. I am wearing my new, favorite, blue, dress shirt (is that enough adjectives?). Now I bet you can guess what happened next! I cut into the sausage patty with my lovely, plastic fork and it squirted on me! Yuk!!!! Now I have four little, round spots on my blue shirt. They look like water spots but they are not water so they will not go away. What is a guy to do??? Oh well, it is not the end of the world and I am sure no one will really care. :-)

I will be working this morning and then we have meetings from noon to 4:00 PM. Then I get on the plane at 7:00 PM and get to go home. Yea!!!

Chicago

Well, today I am in Chicago. One of my companies largest clients is headquartered here. We have meetings today and tomorrow so I have to spend the night at a hotel. :-( The only thing I really enjoy about traveling for business is getting to eat out. I love to eat out!

The meeting went well today and I am now at the hotel (free high-speed internet provided). As I was checking in I noticed there was a workout room with an elliptical machine. My brother-in-law told me that he really likes using an elliptical machine and ever since then I have been wanting to try one out. So I went down in my white shirt and dress pants and tried it out for a few minutes. It was a little more difficult than I expected it to be but I think that I could really enjoy using one. They sell them now at ALDI you know. :-)

My wife (ShaggaBear) has been "walking-away-the-pounds" with her new exercise video. It is the new year and like a lot of others we are trying to exercise more. I just pray that we will find a way to make it consistent.

I really miss ShaggaBear and Abby when I am gone from home. Check out her blog to see some great pictures! I have been blessed to not travel much. Hopefully it will not be too often in the future.

Good night.

Brown-Baggin-It

It has been 12 years since I got married and 10 years since I finished college. For the majority of that time I have been taking my lunch with me to work. I estimate I have saved around $1,200 a year by brown-baggin-it. Over 12 years that is about $14,000! That's a good used car!

Anyway, this morning I was tired and I was not thinking well. I forgot to pack my lunch. It was not until I got to work that I realized it. As I was walking to the door of my office I said a quick prayer letting God know that I had forgot my lunch and I was going to need His provision. In the back of my mind I knew that it was not the end of the world. I got paid today so we have money in the bank. I might even have a coupon for McDonalds, Yippy!

By noon I had forgotten my prayer and was getting hungry. The two other IT guys I work with were going out for their lunch, like they do every day ($$$!), and I asked where they were going and if I could tag along. They were heading to one of the local grocery stores to hit the deli. That really did not thrill me so I sent an IM to my boss to see if he had any plans for lunch. He said he was going to Panera Bread with a couple of others from the office. He invited me and I thought that sounded better so I went with them. Is that tacky or what!

As we were getting into the car my boss said, "I'll get lunch, since I owe you anyway". I thought for a minute and then remembered what he was talking about. A few weeks back I mentioned to my boss that I was looking up the dealer of our office security system so that I could get some upgrades. He made a passing comment that if I found them he would buy me lunch. He and another IT Manager had searched for them in vain. I found them the next day and promptly told him that I like Mexican food :-).

Then I remembered my prayer. All I can say is that God is faithful and He can provide in very unusual ways. Over the last several months I have really come to believe that nothing happens outside of Gods plans for our lives.

New Building

Today is our last Sunday at the School building we have been meeting in. After Celebration today we will all be packing up our chairs and equipment and moving down the road to our new location. I am excited about this move. The new location has a little more room and I think it will be a really nice place to meet.

What is Truth?

Is that a tough question or what? I brought that up at our youth meeting Thursday night. It is a question that has probably been brought up in every civilization in history. I found the following passage in John 18:

37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

38a “What is truth?” Pilate asked. ...

This was over 2000 years ago and a civil government leader was asking. I am not sure how far I am going to get but from time to time I will be continuing this discussion.

Assumptions about Reality

We all make assumptions. These ideological assumptions are the basis upon which we each build our own world views. For example, the atheist assumes from the start that there is no God, whereas the theist starts with the assumption that God exists. These assumptions force us as individuals into a certain lines of thinking.

Most assumptions are not able to be scientifically proved or dis-proved. Assumptions require a level of subjective belief or faith in the idea proposed.

Here I will attempt to define the assumptions that I base my world view on.

God

God exists. This makes me a theist.

How do I know God exists

God reveals Himself to us. He does this generally through nature and specifically through the Bible and through Jesus Himself. This is the major sticking point in my assumptions. Some believe that there is a god but that he does not reveal himself to man. On the contrary, I believe the Bible to be the very words of God. This belief becomes the solid foundation my entire framework of reality.

Why do I believe the Bible is God's word? While there has been a great deal of documentation and evidences collected that support its historical accuracy, I have no objective "proof" to offer. I have read the bible through many times and I find it to be the most comprehensive and cohesive work upon which to base my life. Thomas Jefferson did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God but he did feel that Jesus was the greatest ethical teacher that ever lived. I believe that the great success of our nation can be attributed to its early foundations that are rooted in Biblical concepts. If you have not read the Bible, I challenge you to read it for yourself and not take what you hear others say about it.

The nature of God

God is knowable (I am not agnostic). The following are a list of "25 Cent Words" that help to describe the nature of God. God is self-existent, eternal, transcendent, immanent, personal, immutable, omnipotent.

Life and Matter

All that exists was created by God out of nothing. There are two major beliefs on this subject. Evolution and Creation. My other assumptions place me firmly in the Creation camp. There is also just as strong, maybe even better, scientific evidence for Creation (aka Intelligent Design) as there is for Evolution.

The nature of Man

Man was originally created perfect. When the first man and woman sinned their nature was corrupted. All men are now born in a corrupt state and are in need of a savior. Most men (humans, men and women) think that good deeds will be able to "save" them. God sent his Son to pay the penalty for our sin and take God's judgment for us. We cannot earn this gift but God offers it to us freely.