Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Last night I had my introduction to Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. What a treat. After work on Friday the family loaded up and went to the new Five Guys. The food is great. I had a cheeseburger. I have to say it was probably the best cheeseburger I have had in a restaurant. It was so fresh and moist. The whole experience was great. As we walked into the place we were greeted by friendly associates. Everyone seems happy to be there. Not like some places you go. The place was clean. Man, the fries. They are fresh cut and they taste amazing. On a white marker board it told you where the potatoes were grown that the fries were made from today. We ordered a large fry for the four of us to share. If you've never been there, everything is served in a brown paper bag. So we poured the fries into the bag, tore it open and everyone dug in. There were enough fries for 2 adults and 2 kids with lots left over.

I talked to the owner Chris Calloway and the General Manger (can't remember his name) after we ate. I have to hand it to theses guys (all five - and then some!). They and their staff made my first experience at Five Guys a great one and not the last one.

Keep it up Five Guys!

Thinking About This War

I read this today from Seth Godin blog.

This is the first war that's a marketing war.

The New York Police Department just released a report on Jihad and terrorism. [It seems as though the NYPD has taken the document down. Not sure why....Here it is.] It's controversial, particularly among people who haven't read it. I'm going to skip over some of the ethnic generalizations and focus on other parts of the document... I think there are some fascinating implications for marketing in this document, so here's my riff (those who wish I would just write about selling soap should skip to my next post).

How come there are no longer any famous bank robbers?
During the heyday of bank robbery (from Butch Cassidy to John Dillinger), banks were a great option for criminals. After all, that's where the money is.

The FBI realized that they didn't just have a crime problem. They had a marketing problem. Bad guys knew that robbing banks paid. In response, the FBI did a few things. First, they focused on catching every single bank robber. And second, and more important, they built Alcatraz and promoted it like crazy.

Alcatraz marketed a concept. "Bank robbery is a really bad idea." Combine that with some big arrests, marked bills, silent alarms, video cameras and some movies and TV shows and the act of robbing a bank shifted from easy to dumb. There's no doubt that Dick Tracy and the FBI TV series did more to stop bank heists than bullets ever did. The money might have been in the banks, but smart crooks looked elsewhere to commit their crimes.

No ads were purchased, but marketing was done nonetheless. Stop for a minute and think about that. The FBI did this on purpose. They marketed to criminals. They spread an ideavirus.
Some people saw the post 9/11 world as an enforcement problem. With enough guns and wiretaps (along with a modern Alcatraz), the idea was that a similar sort of anti-crime marketing could be effective. Catch every single terrorist and put them in a high profile jail. I don't agree with this perspective. There's still a marketing problem, but it's a different one.
As the NYPD report points out, fundamentalist terrorism is an ideavirus. It spreads (via mass media) but unlike bank robbers, Jihadists and others are far more immune to the idea of law enforcement. In fact, unlike the bank robbery meme, the ideavirus that leads to this behavior is actually enhanced and further spread by traditional enforcement tactics and martyrdom.
The NYPD report frequently mentions the Internet as an enabler and connector, but monitoring and regulating the internet isn't going to be effective in stopping the problem. If the RIAA can't stop file sharing, imagine how difficult it will be to hinder the spread of text online. The medium is far too permeable. If we shut down all media, including the Internet, we could slow the virus, but even that wouldn't stop it--and no one is willing to pay that price.

The best way to counter an ideavirus, any ideavirus, is not by challenging the medium in which it spreads. It didn't stop pirate radio or salacious TV shows or online porn. What has always worked the best is countering one ideavirus with another one. To use the same medium to spread a different, better, more powerful ideavirus. You don't counter racism by making the act of uttering racist statements against the law. You do it by spreading an idea (racism is hateful, wrong and stupid) that keeps the racist from expressing his ideas because all his friends will shun him if he doesn't.

If you want moderate ideas to spread in a community, promote the people who are spreading those ideas. Make them heroes. Amplify their message and help it spread.

Hamas leverages and extends its power in Palestine by providing health care in neighborhoods. That's the message that gets through to the people on the ground. Every action a group (any group) takes tells a story. What's that story? Does it spread? When it spreads, how does that story affect the conversations that people have with each other? If the NYPD is right (and I think their analysis of how this meme spreads is right) then the most important thing our government can do is discuss what sort of ideavirus they are working to spread. And then take action. And spread the right story in the right way.

What's the story? What is the TSA 'saying' in their work at LAX? What is the brave soldier saying as she does her stint in Takrit? What does the NYPD or the school district or the local hospital say as they interact with immigrants in their daily lives?

I guarantee you I don't know the answer. I don't know where we should send troops and how long we should stay there. I don't know who to arrest and what to look for. But I do know this: it's a marketing problem, the most important one we face. By and large, the marketing is being done by people who don't see that we have a marketing problem. Understanding the words and concepts behind the ideavirus is the critical next step in spreading the right message to the people who need to hear it.

I sat in my office six years ago, looking south along the Hudson and watching our world change. I don't think anyone could have predicted then where we'd be now. I'm hopeful that by looking forward, we can market our way to better place. Thousands of brave people have sacrificed for our safety and peace of mind. I'm grateful to them. The next step is to get smart about strategy and marketing.

Pot at the End of the Rainbow

Do I need to say anything?

Crocs

New Podcast

Here are the links to 2 new messages from Christ the Deliverer by Fr. Joe Butler.

From the Grandstands

Salty Light

Walking On Water

There was Jesus, then Peter, and now this this poor guy.

Servant Evangelism Video

Check out the link and watch the video by Steve Sjogren on Servant Evangelism. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxqirOI_lrk

Gator Football

Gator Football: Need I say anymore?

Are We Borning With The Good News?

Click on the link below and check out this video. It's funny but maybe it will make us think about our Sunday Services.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUniFpU0rQA

Where On Earth Is The Church Going? by Steve Sjogren

Ever wonder “Where will things be in ten years?” I abide by the wisdom that our greatest mistake is to overestimate what can happen in the long run (ten years say) and to underestimate what change can happen in the short haul (five years).

With that in mind, let me take a shot at what I see coming around the corner in several areas in the Church scene in the next decade in several important areas that make up the spiritual “umph." I am basing this not on what I see happening right now, but on what I sense is the convergence of what God has obviously been up to over the past several decades. Rivers tend to flow, not zig zag. His progress is referred to as a river continually in the scriptures. That direction seems to point to the following.

This week let’s look at evangelism.

From Complexity to Simplification
Simple does not mean nixing the message one bit. Peter apparently thought there was great power in the Early Church in believers sharing their Jesus Story – “be ready to give an account of the hope the lies within you…” If it is possible to be over trained and to try too hard to be effective, we have gone that distance in many cases. We have undermined the profound power that is present in conveying to others how Jesus has changed our lives as Peter directs us. Keep in mind, for the first 3.5 centuries when the Church’s effectiveness was at an all time high they had not access to the printed scriptures. What they did have was an unstoppable passion and a conviction that people mattered big time – and they were armed with their life changing story they were not one bit afraid to share once they had gained the right to convey that story.

From www.stevesjogren.com

Money For Karate Lessons

If what you are doing doesn't work then change your method.

New Podcast

Here is another CTD Podcast. Click in the name of the message and it will take you to the podcast page. Changing the World...Even when it seems like your alone.

New Podcast

Here are 2 message that I gave at Christ the Deliverer in St. Augustine, FL.

Just click the link below and it will take you to the podcast.

Changing the World - Part 1

Changing the World...even when it seems crazy - Part 2

City Gates

The City Gates and the Fort in St. Augustine, Florida - The Nation's Oldest City

Dare Not Walk Alone

I just found this yesterday. Film maker Jeremy Dean made a movie called "Dare Not Walk Alone." This is about the Civil Rights struggle here in St. Augustine and it's history. But it is also about the struggle that still goes on here in St. Augustine after some 43 years. Here is a link to the movie website.

"Creators of Culture"

I found this on Scott Hodge's blog. Really good article - "Evangelicals seek role as creators of culture. " From a MSNBC posting.

Here's Your Sign

This is a sign between San Antonio and Houston TX. Got this from Bishop Kenneth Myers website.

My Best Friend and Supporter

I want to introduce to you my very best friend and supporter I have ever had. She is my wife Eileen. We have been through so much stuff together over the last 9 years. I can hardly believe that this October we will be married 10 years.
I want to publicly thank my wife for believing in me and standing by my side through everything. She is one who always sees the glass being half-full. She encourages me, kicks me in the butt when I need it, and loves me no matter what. Thanks babe!!!

Another Mark of Stupid on the Church!

My wife was talking to a friend of ours who lives in another part of the country. Our friends have a little girl who is about 8 years old and is autistic. They recently moved to this city because of a job transfer. They began to look for a church to attend and found one. After attending a service, which they really liked, the children’s director came to them and told them that they needed to attend the other Sunday service. They explained that it was impossible for them to get to that service. But it didn’t matter. If this little girl was to be a part of the children’s ministry, there was only one service they would allow her to attend. The worst part was that there was no explanation given for this decision on the part of the children’s director.
When I heard this it made my blood boil. I can understand that from time to time we may not have staff to deal with situations that may arise in our ministries. But you deal with it in a way that Jesus would deal with it. Thank God that these people are long time Christ-followers who did not walk away from the Church. What would have happened if they were young in their relationship with the Lord or a "not yet believer." I can say they have left "that" church and are looking for another.

In our places of service God so many times gives us opportunities for innovation and servant-hood and we miss it. God please help us to not miss it - but get it right!

Church Planter's iPhone

Small Things Change the World

Recently a movie came out called Evan Almighty that has a message that I think every Christ-follower should examine. In this movie Evan wants to make a difference. I will not tell you everything that happens in case you haven’t seen the movie, but the gist of it is that God appears to Evan and upsets his world with a mission – to build an ark. In the process Evan says that he doesn’t know where to begin. God tells Evan that he hears that a lot and then he asks Evan if he wants to know where to begin. God tells him that it begins with one random act of kindness at a time.

What a concept! You would think that this would be something natural for Christ-followers. But unfortunately that is not the perception of most "not yet believers." I recently played a video during one of my messages that showed a ‘man on the street’ segment. In this video people were asked what they thought when they heard the word Christian and Jesus. Most everyone had very favorable things to say about Jesus but when it came to the Christians it was totally different.

Christians were seen as judgmental, unkind, unloving, and rude.

That is very sad when you think about it. The word Christian came about because people were acting like Christ.

Well, I believe that we as Christ-followers are called to change this image of the Church. We should be making it easier for "not yet believers" to come to faith, not harder. I’m not talking about changing the message of faith, but the way we as Christ-followers live our lives.

What would happen if we took the advice of God in Evan Almighty? What would happen if we took it to heart to commit one random act of kindness a day, if we truly began to live as the people of God and not self-righteous Pharisees looking down on people? Well I tell you what would happen. Our city would begin to see change. Paul said it is the kindness of God that leads men to repentance.

Where do you and I begin? With one random act of kindness. Why not buy the coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks or Barnes and Noble and let them know that God loves them - no stings attached. Why not help the single mom who is doing everything she can, but still needs some help with the kids or needs her oil changed. How about the person who cannot care for their lawn anymore? The list goes on and on.

These may not seem like spiritual things but they really are spiritual. You see, small things done with great love change the world.

If you would like to read more about this type of lifestyle, my friend Steve Sjogren has written a great book called Conspiracy of Kindness.

Also if you are tired of church as usual and want to be a part of a community of faith that is trying to live the Jesus lifestyle come visit Christ the Deliverer. We meet at St. John’s Academy at 1533 Wildwood Drive every Sunday at 10am. Also, you can learn more about this lifestyle at www.fr-joe.blogspot.com.

One of the Best Things About Being A Dad

This is one of the best things about being a dad. We had a great dinner at a place in Palm Valley called Barbara Jean's. The water in the background is the Intercoastal Waterway. Throughout dinner we could see boat and jet skis going up and down the Intercoastal. I was getting a little envious.

Girls at Klye Petty Charity Ride

Here is a picture of Elizabeth and Sarah with Kyle Petty behind them. This was the Klye Petty Charity Ride stop in St. Augustine, FL.

You Want To Change The World?

Want to change the world - move your feet and cross the road. Watch this short video. Just clink on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Sr_dVf_TI

New Podcast

Here are the links to 2 podcast. They are messages that I gave at Christ the Deliverer in St. Augustine, FL

I Want My Name Back - Ways we misrepresent the name of Jesus.

The Church as a Field vs. The Church as a Force - 2 different philosophies of the Church

Theology of Laughter by Mark Batterson

I have posted this from Mark Batterson's blog evotional.com . This is something we all need to remember.

With our Variety Show coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post a theology of laughter.I believe that the happiest and healthiest people in the world are the people who laugh at themselves the most. You've got to take God seriously. But you can't take yourself seriously.We laugh during prayer all the time at NCC because I like joking and I think God enjoys it too! There are moments to intercede with tearful intensity. But can you imagine a relationship with someone you never laugh with? Can you imagine your conversation never being sprinkled with a little humor? How boring! I think it's ok to bust out in gut-wrenching laughter during prayer every once in a while! God loves laughing with His children!Honestly, I think we grossly underestimate God's sense of humor! Just look at the baboon's butt. Why did God create it that way? I have a theory: God never stops laughing. I have three kids and they crack me up all the time! What with six billion of us running around doing and saying funny and silly things, there must be something absolutely hilarious happening somewhere all the time!I'm not suggesting that God isn't crying as well. But I think we've missed the sacredness of humor. I think it's part of the image of God. It is one of the capacities that sets us apart from the rest of creation. Hyennas cackle. But humans have the unique ability to laugh. Certainly loving God with all of your mind includes the medial ventral prefrontal cortex--the seat of humor!I believe the chief end of man is to glorify God and ENJOY Him forever! We tend to ignore the second-half. Maybe we need to take fun more seriously? For what it's worth, when we're hiring staff, a sense of humor tops the list of what we're looking for! If we can't laugh together we can't work together!Honestly, if our church services were a little more fun and a little more enjoyable we might have a few more people come back! I know I might take it on the chin for saying that church ought to be fun. I'm certainly not saying that it shouldn't be convicting as well. But what is one of the primary reason people don't go to church? It's boring!I don't think we stoop to the level of having fun because it's fun. I'm simply challenging us as spiritual leaders to cultivate the God-given ability to laugh. And it starts with the ability to laugh at yourself.

Reflections From Ezra

I read the book of Ezra today and have compiled my reflections from this book.

1. There is a phrase that stands out in Ezra - "Because the gracious hand of the Lord was upon him." God's favor rested upon Ezra to do the work that he was called to do. We must remember that God's favor will be with us if we are doing what He has called us to do.


2. At every point in their faith journey, God met their needs. Even when things look really bad we need to remember that God will provide. Believe it - even when it is hard to.


3. Your enemies will arise as the work of God gets under way. They will lie and do whatever it takes to stop the plans of God. Keep on doing what God said. Never stop until He says stop.


4. God will have the final say not your enemies.

Raising Money

We are now in the process of raising money for the church plant here in St. Augustine. In this whole process of planting I am having to change my mindset. Thank God for all the guys who have gone before and done it. We are trying to raise $100,000 for the first years budget. This may not sound like a lot to some but it is something that I know is stretching me. This past Monday I had a veteran church planter encourage me that we could make it. To have Steve Sjogren speak into my life some very simple words was life to me. After all, we all know that small things done with great love changes the world. Thanks Steve - you will never know what your words did for me.

We already have in place our Worship Arts Director, our assistant music person, and myself. We are holding a weekly service for encouragement, laying the foundational DNA, and Holy Communion-Eucharist.

If you would like to invest in the "Nation's Oldest City" and help us see 'not yet believers' and Christ-followers change St. Augustine, then e-mail me at frjoe@ctdchurch.com or call us at 904-794-5808. We would love to talk with you about your investment opportunities.

Smoking Section

If you are going to reach the world, you have to sit in the smoking section.

"Give Birth To It"

"Give birth to it and nourish it.

Produce it but don't posses it.

Act without expectation.

Excel, but don't take charge."

Lao Tzu

July 4th - Crazy Week

What a day and a week. Things have been really crazy. This past Monday my wife was admitted to the hospital. At about the same time, our new Bishop flew in from Texas. We were supposed to meet with him and his wife, but instead Bishop Ken and Shirley came to the hospital to pray for us. For dinner on Tuesday we had a great time of fellowship at a friends house with Bishop and his wife. Thank God for the friends who stepped up and helped with my 4 and 5 year old girls. Eileen was really bummed about not being able to be there but was thankful she was doing better.

We had planed to meet friends for the fireworks tonight but instead we went to the hospital and the girls, Eileen, and I were able to watch them from the 8th floor. They were great! St. Augustine always does a good job on their fireworks display. We were really happy we could still be together as a family and keep our tradition alive.

Tomorrow I'm planning to meet with Bishop Ken for a few hours before he and Shirley fly back to Texas. This trip was really crazy with everything that has happened because of Eileen being in the hospital. But I can tell you one thing. I was considering giving up and throwing in the towel. I had had enough of church work and all the junk that can go along with it. But when a true spiritual father comes upon the scene things can change. There is a renewed sense of destiny and purpose. I know what I am called to do and I will see the vision for our community -St. Augustine - fulfilled.

I'll BePerfect...

Check out this bumper sticker. I think it says it all without any explanation.

Ancient-Future Worship?

These are pictures from a ministry in Boston called LIFT. It is called "catholic worship for a new generation." It is taking the ancient practices of the faith and joining them with the cultural relevant methods.

Ancient-Future Worship?

Church Signs?

"Going to Church" VS. "Being the Church-Scott Hodge

This is from Scott Hodge's blog. Scott is the Pastor of The Orchard.

"Going to Church" VS. "Being the Church"

I can't seem to get enough of this conversation...
Is church supposed to be a place that you GO TO or BELONG TO? Or...............is it more about BEING something or someone?


It seems to me that the early church was more about people than it was about buildings and programs. (Not that I’m anti-building, we have a pretty nice one that has proven to be a tremendous TOOL – but that’s all it really is - a "tool.")


Think about this - if you take away the people, what do you have? A building! Some sound equipment. Perhaps a nice place to have a piano recital. That's it!


We discussed this in our staff meeting last week and about how we need to intentionally build this kind of thinking into our church community - all the way from the little kids to the adults - because the more I see church as something "I AM", the less I will see it as "all about me and my needs." And the less I see it as being all about ME - the less consumeristic I will be in my thinking and the more I will be able to contribute towards making it about those who don't know God.


My dad used to always say - "When you realize that it's not all about you, you will find that your needs will be taken care of." Simple, yet so true. Yet, this thinking slaps the living daylights out of the consumeristic mentality that so many American churches are full of. It's the mentality that says, "Feed me, give me this program, give me this, give me, me, me, me, me..."
I'm really praying that God would help us to be the kind of church community that realizes that we are not here for ourselves - but for others. The kind of church community that realizes that church isn't something we "go to" - but something we ARE on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc...


That means that I need to be focused on BEING the church - loving and accepting people, reaching out in care to others within our church community, focused on being the hands and feet of Jesus right here in our local community and then even further out in our global community.
So let me throw this one out there... What do you see as the purpose of church? How do we help people stay focused on BEING the church VS. seeing church as something you ATTEND or GO TO?

Leadership Development-Tony Morgan

This is a blog entry from Tony Morgan. Check out his blog from the sidebar link.

Leadership Development

Several of us had a great conversation the other day related to the launch of our Greenville campus. We were talking about the importance of leadership development. After our conversation, these realities have been challenging my thinking:

Leaders can't be recruited from the platform. We have to challenge them one-on-one.

Leaders won't be fulfilled performing tasks. We need to give them responsibility.

Leaders don't follow doers. We need to make sure they're connected to another strong leader.

Leaders don't want to be micromanaged. We have to eliminate the tendency to control the process and, instead, hold people accountable for the outcomes.

Leaders won't commit to ambiguity. We need to offer a clear vision. (And, it better be big.)
Leaders don't just show up. We have to be intentional about leadership development.

John Maxwell challenged us in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with this statement:
"When a leader can't or won't empower others, he creates barriers within the organization that people cannot overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to another organization where they can maximize their potential."
He went on to explain, "Only secure leaders give power to others." In other words, failure to empower other leaders is a sign of insecurity.

This stuff is smacking me in the face. Where are my insecurities limiting the leaders around me? What changes do I need to make to empower new leaders? How does our ministry need to change in order to improve leadership development?

A Good Read

Couple of Sundays ago one of the men in the church gave me a book, The Creek by J.T. Glisson, to read. He knew that I needed a book to help me escape for a while. This is a true story about life in Cross Creek, Florida during the 1930's and 1940's. It is about the way of life for a Florida Cracker. Good read! I laughed and at times was sad. It made me think of the stories of my father and grandfather in South Georgia.

New Season - New Day

Last night my wife encouraged me to go to the Sunday night service at a fellow pastor's church (They were having a special speaker - Bishop Ken McNatt). She said she thought I just needed to get out and maybe God had something for me to hear or experience. Well, she was right. Bishop McNatt spoke about Joash being hidden in the Temple for years and at the right time he was brought out and crowned King.


Man did it hit home. That is just how we have felt. Like we were hiding out just biding our time for whatever was going to happen. Bishop McNatt said that there were some there in the service that God has had to hold back to prepare you for what is ahead. Now the appointed season was here. Now was the time to be released. I sat and cried because God was using this Pentecostal/Charismatic Bishop to speak the Word of the Lord to me. Things that I had been sensing and writing in my journal were being said by the Bishop.


We have now entered a new season and a new day. The work in St. Augustine is being taken out of the cave to impact people's lives. It's not about us - it's about the Kingdom!

What to do when you are in prison.

Today's appointed reading was about Paul and Silas when they were thrown into jail. These guys were doing the right thing in preaching the Good News and there was a demon possessed girl that was following them. She was yelling and telling everyone that they were from God with the message of salvation. Paul finally got tired of it and commanded the demon to leave her. At his command the demon left and she received deliverance from the torments of this demon. She was a slave and her master was really upset because he was not going to be able to make money off of her any longer. The slave owner stirred the people up and Paul and Silas were beaten with wooden rods and thrown into jail and had their feet put in stocks.

As I looked at this passage from Acts 16, here is what I discovered for you today:

1. Sometimes bad things happen when we are doing the right thing. This is just reality. We have to accept it because we live in an imperfect world.

2. The problem is not that something bad happens, but what we do when it happens.

There is an improper response. That is to try to get even and take your revenge. This never works. It just keeps us bound to the stuff.

Then there is an proper response.

3. The proper response is to praise and worship God in the midst of the bad.

What did Paul and Silas do in the midst of the jail? They sang hymns and worshipped God. Now, this is not the natural reaction for us. We would much rather fight, cuss, or get revenge. But as you look throughout the Bible, we see people who were in a really bad situation that God told to worship in the midst of it and victory came. Look at Joshua 6 - the children of Israel were at Jericho. What did God tell them to do? Shout against the walls of Jericho . Crazy right! Well, when they did, the walls fell down. In 2nd Chronicles 20 what happened when the King put the singers in front of the army? The enemies of the people of God fought among themselves and killed each other! Then they went into the enemies camp and took up the rewards.

It's not easy to praise and worship during hard times. It takes a choice of your will to just do it. You need to remind yourself of all the times that God has come through before. You need to remind yourself that God is good for His word. So, in the midst of the struggle and the junk of life, stop complaining and begin to be thankful and worship God the best you can. It may just start as a thank you God or God I love you. Wherever you are - just start!

New Beginnings

So much has happened lately. My wife has been in the hospital and then the recovery process has been hard. She is not a person that is sick often but to have pneumonia and possible blood clots in her lungs has really been hard. But God is really good even in the midst of all this.

Well, after 11 years of pastoring a church in St. Augustine, Fl, we get to start all over again. We have left the denomination we were a part of for the last 14 years. After much prayer and investigating the evidence we could no longer stand in integrity before the people and before God. So, we have begun a new work in St. Augustine called Christ the Deliverer. We are going to be an outward focused church-reaching out to the lost and serving St. Augustine. It is our desire to not just come to church but truly be the church. We want to change people's view about Christians and the church. We want to truly raise up "Christ Followers" who are impacting the society one person at a time.

Over the next months I will tell of our journey as we reach out.

Life is Crazy

Sometimes life takes on a crazy turn. For me, the last several months have been just that. I feel like I have been on a roller coaster and have not been able to get off. The Christmas Season started off for me with staff problems. Then my father went into the hospital several times beginning the weekend before Christmas. It is amazing how the roles begin to change as our parents get older. My Dad is now 80 years old and sometimes it seems that I am the parent and he is the teenager. I guess this is the great "get back at you."

We have been in the midst of struggle for so long that sometimes it is hard to see beyond it. But, we are right around the corner of a new beginning. For the last 7 years we have fought with everything we have to build the Kingdom and the church in St. Augustine. I am believing what God has said that this is the 8th year and there is going to be release.

If you are fighting for the Kingdom and know that God has not told you to move on, hang in there. Listen to what God is saying and then do it.

I Wait Before the Lord-Psalm 62

Today's lectionary reading from the Psalms is Psalm 61 and 62. As I read Psalm 62, verse 1 stood out. "I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him." (NLT) During this Lenten Season many of us are in need of a breakthrough in some area of our lives. For each of us the area is different - but no less important.

We need to understand that we must wait before God. This is not just an empty act but it is knowing that He is our rock and our salvation. In the midst of all the pain you and I may be going through, we need to raise our voices, and let our actions worship the Lord our God, because our victory comes from Him. Begin to look at the bigness of God instead of the bigness of your problem. This does not mean the problem will go away, but our attention does turn away.

3-4-07 Sermon Podcast

This is a link to the sermon from Sunday's Mass 3-4-07.

It has been a while!

It has been awhile since I posted on the blog. Life has been very crazy for me over the last month. Lots of stuff happening and trying to figure out what is next. But, I am back and ready to post. Look for reflections on the lectionary readings.

They Learn By Example

Couple of weeks ago my family and I went to Miramar, Florida, for the consecration of our new Bishop, David Simpson. After we had lunch, we went shopping. I took my oldest daughter (5 years old) with me and my wife took our youngest daughter with her. As Elizabeth and I were walking I saw a homeless man with his shopping cart sitting on a bench. As I saw him God spoke to me to give him $5.oo. In the past, I would have only asked if he wanted some food and gone and gotten it for him. But lately, God has been changing my heart. We walked over and I told the man that I felt like God wanted me to give him $5.00. He thanked me and we talked for awhile and we went on our way. Later, Elizabeth asked me why I gave the man some money and why he didn't have a house. So, dad explained as best I could to a 5 year old. I told her that God told me to give him money and I had to obey God.

Later that night at the service, Elizabeth made friends with the lady sitting behind her. She colored a picture for her and then gave her some of her pennies. That's a big deal! The lady did not want to take her money, but Elizabeth said "God told me to give them to you and I have to be obedient."

What example are we teaching by our actions?

Can Starbucks Teach the Church Anything? Part 2

One of the principles that Starbucks continues to express is they are active in the community. There is a social responsibility that they are committed to. Some of these concerns effect their "bottom line" but they are still committed to it.

What would happen in the "evangelical" church if we took the "social gospel" seriously? Most times we have left the "social gospel" for the "liberal" side of the church and have only looked at spiritual matters. Well, it is past time for us to get off our backsides and merge the two together. We serve people not to convert them - but because that is what Jesus did. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words." Our actions will speak volumes to the not yet believers. Remember, words are cheap.

This past Sunday was my youngest daughters 4th birthday. We had lunch with the Godparents at a Mexican restaurant. After we cut the cake and everyone was eating it, my wife said "I think I need to ask the family sitting near us if they would like some cake". (They had several young children with them.) I told her to go for it. She did and they accepted and were very kind. When I took out some of the presents, the father of this family asked if we needed help. My wife thanked him but told him it was OK, we could get it because there was not that much. As we were loading up the kids, they came out and got into their SUV. It had a fish logo on it, only this said Darwin in the middle of it and had feet on the fish. We began to laugh at what God had done. You see, we had just come from our Sunday service and I still had my collared clerical shirt on. There was no mistake that this family encountered kindness by someone who called themselves a "Christ-follower."

We need to go "out of our way" to touch the lives of people with our simple acts of kindness. "Small things done with great kindness effect the world."

Preparing for Treat Me Like A Lady

This St. Valentine's week we are going to have an outreach called "Treat Me Like A Lady." We are going to give gift bags to prostitutes to let them know that they are special and God's not mad at them. In fact, He loves them more than they could ever dream. We will not be preaching to them - just showing the love of God in a really practical way.

We did this several years ago during Christmas and the impact on people's lives was unbelievable. One girl told us that it was the only Christmas present she would receive.

What would happen if all across the country groups of people and communities began to do this on Valentine's week? Well, we would be like Jesus - hanging with the prostitutes and sinners.

Quote on Criticism

"Don't mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it; if unfair, keep from irritation; if it is ignorant, smile; if it is justified, it is not criticism - learn from it." Author unknown

If you are the one speaking it, remember how you say it will go a long way in how it is received - vinegar or honey.

Good Quote

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." Rabindranath Tagore

First Coaching Session

Last week I had my first ever coaching session. What an experience! Steve Sjogren, founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati and founding pastor of a new church launch in Tampa called Coastland Tampa, was my coach. I had an hour long call with about 7 others on communication - speaking and writing.

It was a really good experience for me to have someone with the background in speaking, writing, and church planting that Steve has to speak into my life. I received a lot of very practical things to take back to St. Andrew's and apply.

I would like to continue coaching sessions with Steve. So please pray with me for the funds to do so. We are a small church and it is not in our budget to do this now. I really believe that it is a key for our growth as a community as well as my growth as a leader. If you would like to talk to me about this please email me at frjoe@standrewscec.net.

Can Starbucks Teach the Church Anything?

I am reading a book by Joseph A. Michelli called "The Starbucks Experience." (Really easy read.) As I have been reading this, I have asked the question - what can the church learn from Starbucks? So, I am going to share with you what I have discovered over the next few days.

Michelli states that Principle 1 is "make it your own." Under this principle he says that Starbucks has a model for their partners called "Five Ways of Being." Here they are: 1. Be welcoming 2. Be genuine 3. Be considerate 4. Be knowledgeable 5. Be involved.

1. Be welcoming. Remember what it was like the last time you walked into a Starbucks for a great cup of Java. You were welcomed and made to feel at home. You belonged there. Michelli says that there are several questions that guests ask. Do the staff members care to get to know me? Do they remember me? Will they take care of my needs? Do I matter? Am I invisible?

Now relate that to our churches. How do we rate? I know that it has made me take a look at what we as a community do to embrace our guests on Sundays. I know that we are in for some changes to be more welcoming to our guests.

New Podcast-Community-What is the Church

Here is a link to Sunday's sermon - "Community-What is the Church?"

Resolutions, Resolutions

At this time of the year everyone is making resolutions. We all do it. I'm not going to do this or I'm going to do this during this new year.

Well, I am no different. I have made some resolutions that I hope and pray will help change my life.
Here they are:
1. Take care of myself physically. So many times as a pastor it is so easy to skip this - especially being a bi-vocational pastor. Well, this year I am going to eat better-eat the right foods. I'm going to exercise. Well, I'm going to begin by walking and as I lost weight and the knee is better add some other types of exercise. Got to be here for my girls!

2. Date my wife. This past year we have not had very many date nights. I have just let stuff get in the way and not having family in St. Augustine to help with the kids has also not helped. If I do not make my wife a priority and date her, my ministry is useless.

3. Spend more time with my girls. It's time to begin daddy date night with the girls. They are 5 and almost 4 years old now. They need to know how a man should treat them. I want to instill this into them now, so when some boy comes along they will not fall for his junk.

4. Spend more time reading my Bible. As pastors it's easy to read the Bible to get your messages or sermon. I have begun with a reading plan to read through in the NLT.

5. Pray with my wife. One of the dangers of being a bi-vocational pastor is that you are so tired by the time you get home and do something with the kids, or go off to a meeting that sometimes you don't pray together. Well, that's not good enough any more. This is a priority for me this year. My wife needs her husband to pray with her every day.

6. Understand my "vocation" is be a pastor/priest, it is not my life.

I want to thank Perry Noble , the pastor of New Spring Church , for his writing about this type of stuff. Perry, your blog has been a life line for me and my wife. This past Sunday I told my church that Eileen and I are going to date. If they call with an emergency it will be passed on or it can wait. If fact, during date night I am turning the phone off!

Happy New Year!

I want to say Happy New Year to all of you . I pray that 2007 will be your best year yet. May you know the favor of God this year.

Committment

Got this from Mark Batterson's blog.

"Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant." Stephen Covey

Simply Strategic Stuff

I just got my copy of Simply Strategic Stuff! - Help for leaders drowning in the details of running a church. I wish I had had this years ago. Some really good information in it. Check it out.

Outflow

I just got this month's copy of Rev! Magazine. There is an article that is a must read called OUTFLOW by Steve Sjogren and Dave Ping. "What if your church really embraced the idea of letting God's love flow out into your community?" This question is address in the article. Also Steve has a book coming out in Jan 2007 titled "Outflow." Need to get it!

Wild Sunday Celebration

Yesterday, my associate came in and said we have a guest and she says that she has "something that needs to come out". As the service began I could tell that she was uncomfortable. As I preached I could tell that she was even more uncomfortable. After Communion, I gave an invitation for anyone to respond to God's call. She did, and prayed "the"prayer - God here I am. After the the service she came up for me to pray for her. I asked her what she needed and she told me "it needs to come out". She had been involved in a spiritualist ritual and became "infected" by a spiritual force (i.e. -demonic presence). So we began to pray for her and watched as God set her free from that and many other things from her past.

Now here is the kicker about the whole thing. One of our single guys was on his way to church Sunday morning. As he was driving he saw this lady that appeared to be homeless and hiking on the side of the road. God spoke to him and told him to stop and pick her up. Fear and all, he did what God said. He asked her where she was going and she said the beach, but she needed to go to a church because she needed to get rid of this thing. So, he told her he was on his way to church and our church was meeting at a hotel on the beach. So she came in and found what she was looking for.

God, please let us be faithful to hear and obey what you are saying to us!

What An Eye Opener!

I have been having some knee pain for some time now. I just kept saying it was an old football injury. Well, this past Monday I went to see my orthopedic surgeon to finally take care of the problem. During the exam, I thought that the headlines on the St. Augustine Record on Tuesday would read - "Priest Hurts Doctor During Exam". To say the least, my doctor discovered the source of pain and created even more. So, the testing process begins with an MRI and what ever else is needed.

The eye opener were his words to me, "If you don't do something about your weight you are headed for knee replacement in the future". That may not mean a lot for some, because it is done every day. But to me it was the "last straw that broke the camels back." For months and months I felt that God was telling me to do something about my weight. I would hear this "word" and say yes Lord I know but continue my bad habits. As a bi-vocational pastor, it's easy to let bad eating and bad exercise habits continue. You are always running from here to there. You work all day at one job to come home to the ministry and start all over again. It's easy to drive through and get some fast food and give an excuse not to exercise. But the realization for me and hopefully for others is - it is killing us.

What good are we going to be with our church plants, churches, and our people if we eat ourselves to death? The enemy of our soul doesn't need to take us out, we are doing it to ourselves.

Well for me, I had already decided that it was time to become disciplined in this area of my life. Between God speaking and the doctor's report, it's hitting home. But the most important thing was my beautiful almost 5 year old saying, "Daddy, I want you to be smaller so you can play with me on the playground". Want to talk about ripping your heart out. As I think about putting the food in my mouth I have to remember her face and her words.

I know that this has been really personal and it's been hard to say this, but I know that there are others in the same situation. Know that we can become healthy and live for years to build the Kingdom. Let's go for it!!

Come with ears wide open!

On Monday nights, I and 3-4 other guys meet and pray for the needs of our church and for the mission of St. Andrew's. Our major thing is we just want to hear what God is saying. We pray for awhile and stop and listen and I ask if anyone is hearing, feeling, or seeing anything.

Well, tonight we began and I kept hearing Isaiah 55. So I turned there and the first verse I look at is verse 3. It says, "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life..." (New Living Translation) I began to think and ask myself the question, how many times have I come to God with ears closed shut. I really didn't want to hear because I wanted it my way. How many times had I been like a spoiled kid who always gets their way?

It made me remember that this is not just some spiritual exercise, theological discussion, or just another religious experience. This is real life. If I will listen to Him when I pray - he will speak!

New way to enjoy coffee

A new way to enjoy coffee. Just open the package and smell the Caribou Coffee. Got to get it where you can.

Thanks to Steve Sjogren

I want to thank Steve Sjogren (pictured at left) for his encouragement to write. I know that I have many things inside of me to say. But too many times I think nobody wants to hear what I have to say or it's not good enough.

Since I have begun this blog, it has surprised me the number of people who have made comments about the blog - friends, fellow priests, and people I don't even know. It seems that there are people who will read what I write and some even enjoy it.

Never give up on the dream (writing was my dream). Don't talk yourself out of it. If you listen to that voice long enough you will never live out the dream. Just go for it.

Check out Steve's websites - Outward Buzz , Growing Edge Buzz, Servant Evangelism, and Coastland Tampa.

I Have Entered the World of Podcasting

I now have entered the world of podcasting. My recent sermon, "Mad Money Part 1" is now on the web. http://www.mychurch.org/church/media/library.php?c=244879

"Mad Money" Series

I began a series called "Mad Money" this past weekend. What a blast! Here is the "Top 10 Mad money list."


Ron Blue gives some really good advice: TOP 10 LIST
10. Evaluate you motives. Why move the target? Psalms 139

9. Run the numbers. Luke 14 Count the Cost

8. Consider your reputation - whatever we do with our time and money effects our reputations I Thes 5:22

7. Avoid get rich quick schemes Prov. 28:22

6. Give to the needs of others IICor 9

5. Never co-sign for a loan Prov 6:1-4

4. Avoid indulgences I Tim 6:6-8

3. Prepare for decrease because it will come Phil 4:10-13

2. Seek Godly Counsel
Safety in a multitude of counselor

1. Seek God's Presence
Not the stuff Matt 6:33

If You Don't Succeed - Do It Another Way

"If at first you don't succeed, then sky-diving is not for you." unknown

Got this quote from Kem Meyer, Granger Community Church.

Mad Money

I am so excited about the new sermon series that I begin on Nov. 19th. The series is called Mad Money. I do not think I have ever been this excited about preaching on money. I know that as our people catch it, they are going to be free in this area of their lives.

Also, this is our first time using invite cards. We have given out cards and personal letters were mailed out. Let's see what God does now.

Guerillas of Grace

I have been reading this book by Mark Batterson - Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. I came across this today. Ted Loder wrote this piece called Guerillas of Grace.

"How shall I pray? Are tears prayers, Lord? Are screams prayers, or groans or sighs or curses? Can trembling hands be lifted to you, or clenched fists or the cold sweat that trickles down my back or the cramps that knot my stomach? Will you accept my prayer, Lord, my real prayers, rooted in the muck and mud and rock of my life, and not just the pretty, cut-flower, gracefully arranged bouquet of words? Will you accept me, Lord, as I really am, messed up mixture of glory and grime?"

Can you relate to that? When I first read it, I was saying that's me. God hears us in our best times but more importantly in our worst times. Recently another priest had a prophetic word for me. He told me many things that no one would have known. One thing he told me was that God had heard me crying out to Him. Even the times that I was screaming at the heavens. He went on to tell me that the Father was happy because there was passion in my crying out to Him.

Go ahead and scream! God already knows that you want to. He doesn't have a problem with it. Our religious mind is where the problem is. Look at David in the Psalms. We read every type of emotion. It's o.k. Stop being so uptight about it all.

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

I just began reading this book by Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. Awesome book! I have already been challenged by the first two chapters. Many times the struggles we have in life are just opportunities for God to show up and show His glory and power. As a friend of mine says, it gives God a chance to "show out."

This is a must read.

Fr. Joe and Barry Scott

Destiny in Selma, AL Part 4

The last night of Convocation was a real encounter with God. After the teaching, Abp. Jones began the ministry time. He had several "words of knowledge" and began to pray for people. He had the priests and deacons come up and pray for people. I know of at least 3 people who were deaf in their left ear and God restored their hearing. Many other miracles occurred.
Abp. Jones prayed for everyone and asked God to empower us to walk in this type of power in our home churches.

This past Sunday, after the worship through music time God began to give me several "words of knowledge" and I began to pray for healing. We have a man in our church that had a stoke 10 years ago and has not been able to move his leg without help since the stoke. After prayer he lifted the leg off the ground by himself. What a miracle! For 10 years he could not move the leg by himself and now he is moving it! Thank you God!!!

Thanks Jill

My friend and former member of St. Andrew's let me know that we had some typos on the blog. Thanks for your help. All this is new to me and I am reminded that I must have someone proof everything.

To those of you who have been reading the blog, sorry for the mistakes.

Destiny in Selma, AL Part 3

The picture shows some of the events of "Bloody Sunday" 1965. This day was a day of destiny for the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. But some 41 years later history and destiny are coming together in Selma, AL again. The Gospel of the Kingdom is being proclaimed and lived out.

Over the days that we were at our Convocation we experienced the fresh fire of the Spirit of God. The fresh wind of the Spirit blew over us and began to refresh and change us. I will talk more about this over the next few days.

Destiny in Selma, AL Part 2

What a day in Selma. Bp. John Holloway spoke this morning on Evangelism. It was great to hear him saying the same things I have been saying at St. Andrew's. Thanks be to God we are hearing what God is saying.

Great fellowship this afternoon. This evening the young adult band Surrender led the worship through music. Man it was great. The presence of God was very real tonight. Bp. Mike Davidson from the Central Province spoke and had the Word of the Lord.

After the service we discovered that someone broke out the glass on the drivers side doors of our truck and stole our DVD player. Talk about a let down. Coming from the presence of God to have to deal with this. But this is what it's all about. Learning to deal with the realities of a fallen world. Did I deal with it right? In some ways yes. In others no.

With all this happening, something really good must be right around the corner. God, I am ready for it.

Destiny in Selma, AL

Yesterday my wife, girls and I loaded up my truck and made our way to Selma, Al for our church's fall convocation. It was a long drive with a 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old but they were wonderful.

During the night I got sick with some type of bug and was sick all night long and part of today. But I made it to the opening service. What a night. As the worship through music began I began to feel better. God spoke through one of our Bishop's wives that God was meeting us for a very special time and there would be healings and people beginning to walk in freedom. We would know His glory.

Abp. Jones preached about Peter. He said that Peter was a surrendered failure. Peter blew it many times but he always had a heart to do the will of God. Sounds like many of us. But we have bought into the perfection thing and live a life of guilt and shame because we don't measure up. Let's become like Peter!!!

A Journey Along the Yellow Brick Road

On Sunday I will finish my current series "Evangelism is not a Dirty Word-Making the Gospel Good News Again." I have been dealing with Servant Evangelism. This final installment will be "A Journey Along the Yellow Brick Road." (Taken from Steve Sjogren's book -Changing The World Through Kindness and changed from spiritual warfare to servant evangelism.)

Each of the characters in the Wizard of Oz show us something that each of us go through in our journey toward learning to serve others. It is really going to be fun preaching this sermon. I even have a copy of the music of the yellow brick road to play at the beginning of the sermon.

New ways of doing things to get the people to remember and understand. Beginning to think outside of the box.

Funny

Look at the hard times again

So many times as we go through hard times we forget the big picture. I have been reminded of this today.

In April of this year my church had to move out of its rented location after 7 years. This was really hard. We began to meet in a local Catholic Church but after a few months were asked to leave because the Spirit of God was moving and people were responsing with acts of worship. You know being free in their expressions. So, we moved back into a hotel meeting room.

About 4-5 weeks ago an employee of the hotel asked us to pray for her because she had cancer. We prayed that God would heal her and today she came and found me to tell me the physicians have said the cancer is gone with no treatment.

If we as a church and I as a pastor had not gone through the hard times we would not have been at this hotel for church services. It just reminds me to think about the hard stuff in a new light.

Top 10 ways to know you are in a really bad church

10. The Church bus has gun racks
9. Staff consists of "Senior Pastor, associate Pastor, and Socio-Pastor"
8. The Bible they use is the "Dr. Seuss Version"
7. ATM in the lobby
6. Services are B.Y.O.S.-"Bring Your Own Snake"
5. Choir wearing leather robes
4. No cover charge, but communion is a 2 drink minimum
3. Karaoke worship time
2. Ushers ask "Smoking or Non-Smoking?"
1. The only song the church organist knows is "Innagaddadavita"

New Book: Never Eat Alone

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi is a great read. Keith writes about how to build a lifelong community of colleagues, contacts, friends, and mentors. This is a must read for anyone who truly wants to make difference in people's lives.

I Want My Name Back Part 3

2. We misrepresent the Name of Jesus when we move away from sinners.

The average 'Christian' after one year of being a Christian has no friends outside of the Christian environment. What a sad commentary. How do we reach people with the love of Christ if this is how we act? If we look at Jesus, he was a friend of sinners. It seems that he was more comfortable around sinners than around the "religious" people.

Today we have 'Christian' health clubs, stores, clothing, bowling alleys, and the list goes on and on. In fact, we could go our whole life without being around non-Christians if we really wanted to.

The problem with this is this is not who Jesus is or what he is like. If we are to be like Jesus we must get out among those who do not know him and be with them. It is not a time to judge them, but to share their life and get to know them. Instead of trying to get them to say 'the Prayer', why not ask them how their day was? Why not be their friend? If we would begin to do this and treat people with respect I believe that they would come to faith much quicker.

Lay down your Amway salesman evangelism and begin to be real with people. Get out among those that Jesus misses most. Let us truly become Christ-followers.

I Want My Name Back Part 2

Last week I began to share about God wanting to reclaim His name. I was sick part of last week so I am behind in postings. So, let's get started.

1. We misrepresent the name of Jesus when we use Jesus' name apart from His nature and character.

Let me explain. Several years ago a young man was murdered by other young men because he was gay. During the trial, a pastor and his church members were at the courthouse with huge signs saying "God hates fags." As I saw this my blood boiled. God does not hate anyone. That is not His nature or character. But that is all that everyone saw on the evening news.

As you examine Exodus 34 we find God revealing Himself to Moses. In so doing, God reveals Himself first as loving, merciful, full of grace and then as a God of justice. So many times we as "Christians" get it backwards. We want to give out justice first and save the love, grace, and mercy for ourselves. St. Paul says that it is the goodness and mercy of God that leads us to repentance.

So, before we open our mouths and say this is what God is like we better check out His nature and character before we say anything. Let us truly become "Christ followers."

Book: a.k.a. "LOST"

Do you hate the "E" word-evangelism? Then this is a book for you. We have made evangelism so hard but it is really simple. It's doable. You just have to learn to be yourself and forget all the pre-programmed ways of doing things and let God do it. This book will help you in your quest to share the real Jesus.