I've had it. I'm switching parties

I've been a life long member of the PC party. I've scoffed at Mac users. I've sneered at their tiny little laptops, so sleek, so efficient. I laughed out loud at the see through monitor casings and the funky little mouse. I held me nose up high and gripped that much tighter onto the briefcase that held my 14 pound Dell laptop.

NO MORE!!!!

I'm making the leap at last. I'm going Mac. This will be the last official post from my heavyweight champion of dysfunctional laptops.

It may be a while before I figure out how to turn my new laptop on, so don't be suprised if there is a short delay before the next post. (that will also be hindered by the fact that I've got the kids by myself for a week).

But I anticipate returning to this blog very soon with a whole new level of sleek effectiveness and hip functionality.

"Say it with a Smile"

That's the name of a local band.
They rock.

Its Jaron and Katherine's band, by the way (plus a few other folks you'll recognize from Sunday mornings).

And they are playing at Huber's (on Church St.) this Saturday night.
8pm, more or less.

Come hang out, have a drink with us, and hear some really good music! I think their music goes well with a Merlot, but others tend to pair it with a Fat Tire or a Guiness.

I don't think there is a cover charge, but you do have to have to be 21. Not sure if there is an maximum age....

faith like a child

On the way home from school last week, the following exchange occured:

Nino: Dad, where is heaven?
Me: Well it's sort of hard to say.
Nino: You told me it was up in the clouds.
Me: Well, that's kind of right.
Nino: Well, what about when there aren't any clouds?
Me: I think heaven is kind of invisible to us.
Nino: It can't be invisible. Only God is invisible.
Me: Well, I'm not really sure how to answer that.
Nino: Dad, you're a pastor. Pastors are supposed to know everything about God and heaven and stuff.
Me: You're right. Sorry to let you down. Won't happen again. (yeah right!)

This is too good to not post again...

They just don't make lyrics like this anymore:

Once I tried to run. I tried to run and hide.
Jesus came and found me. He touched me down inside.
He is like a mountie, he always gets his man.
He will zap you any way he can.

From a wiser mind than mine...

This post comes from the blog: Shaping the Soul (you can see it at http://annecoffman.com )
I've never been asked to sing a solo and oddly, I've never been asked more than once to be a part of a choir. So I'm just taking Anne's word for it.

Here's what Anne says.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the fun of singing in a choir preparing John Rutter’s Gloria for performance next week. Although, I have done quite a bit of solo singing, it has been years since I worked intensively on a choral piece. I had forgotten how different it is!

First, singing in a choir is not about how beautiful your voice sounds, it is about how beautiful all the voices sound together. And secondly, when you are a solo singer good pronunciation is about keeping your vowels and consonants as clear as possible. When you are in choir pronunciation is about how the audience will hear what you sing. For example: if I sing as a soloist “Bless you” I pronounce it “Blehss you”. But in a choir, we sing “Bliss you”, because that way the audience will hear “Bless you”.

Choirs are pragmatic and I wish churches would be more like them. Too many church people focus on how comfortable they feel instead of how comfortable a newcomer or visitor is. They maintain comfort by doing things the same way (We can’t do it that way) even though that way really no longer makes sense in 2008. Recently I heard of a church (growing smaller by the day) lodging an official
complaint against their pastor because he dresses casually and is seen regularly
hanging out in town. They want him in a suit, sitting in his office. It doesn’t matter that he is doing his best to make the church more visible in the community and to bring in new people. The church people don’t feel comfortable with where he is and what he is wearing. We can’t do it that way.

When will we learn that it is not about each individual feeling comfortable, it is about making the stranger feel comfortable. When will we learn that it is not about what we say – but what the potential visitor hears?

Small Groups kick booty

Well, if you joined us on Sunday at the Launch, you heard about our new small group program.

We are starting a 9 week session of small groups that will mostly be sermon based, building on the sermon at the Launch. Groups will meet weekly and will focus on growing together by wrestling with the sermon topic and biblical text. The focus will be on applying this stuff to real life and helping each other grow. At the end of the 9 week sessions, group members will have the opportunity to re-up, bow out, or try a different group in the spring.

Half of the small groups filled up on Sunday, but we'll have another opportunity to sign up this coming Sunday.

If you are interested in a group, let me know.

Advent Conspiracy Wrap-up

Thank you all so much for all the ways you participated in the Advent Conspiracy journey with us. I've heard from so many of you who shared stories of how this Christmas was deeply meaningful because of your commitment to truly enter the story and live the story.

I want to invite you to share your thoughts with us. We are do some processing and thinking about what we might do differently next year. And we are trying to gather ideas families came up with for gifts that truly matter (gifts of "presence") and practices that made Christmas meaningful. We'd really value your input and your ideas.

If you'd be willing to share your thoughts, you can do that in a couple of ways.
1. Click on the "Comment" link below this post and type in your thoughts. Choose anonymous if that helps you be more honest.
2. Send us an email at the church office with your thoughts.
3. Call me at the church office.

Thanks again! Check back tomorrow for more on what's happening in the new year.