What Oprah Can Teach Us About Worship

I’ll admit it: I give Oprah a hard time.  And I give people who watch Oprah a hard time.  But I’ll give the Great O this: she understands worship.

Nope, not true, biblical worship, but worship nonetheless.  She understands that worship is participatory, not performer-centered.

I’m not sure how I’ve missed this video that’s been floating around these here internets for a while, so if you’ve seen it, forgive me.  But take a moment…or six…and watch.

The setup is this: for the kickoff of her 24th season, Oprah threw a concert for all of Chicago featuring the Black Eyed Peas.  What she didn’t know is that her production staff brought in a choreographer to work with the crowd of thousands for hours before the concert.  In the front row is a lone girl, dancing herself silly.  All around her are people standing still.  And then…

…well, see for yourself:

Choreographer / director Michael Gracey said, “There’s something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate.  That’s why it was so magical for both parties.  Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone.”

The takeaway for us churchy folk is obvious: worship is not a spectator sport.  And while we have to be careful with the “create something that neither of them could have done alone,” the fact is that when we come before a living God and worship him in a living way, life happens.  Majesty is recognized.  Sin is revealed.  Glory is known.  Awesome stuff happens.

This Sunday, worship like Oprah taught ya.

 

Getting Old Stinks

Hey guys, Valentine’s Day is coming up (no seriously, check the calendar!), and no doubt some of you have wives who will be celebrating a birthday soon.

That’s why I’m glad to bring you the following idea via MyFoxDC.com…

Iowa Man Spells Out Wife’s Birthday Message In Manure

Snarky commentary and suggested captions begins…now:

• Nothing like celebrating your number one with a little number two.
• “So honey, I was just looking at all of this manure, and I thought of you…”
• “Just as the moo-moos had a movement, so does your life move me.”
• Happy birthday to poo!
• Happy birthday and all that cr… um, stuff.

 

Keep An Eye on This Guy

BaptistMessenger.com just named our own Pastor J.D. as one of the Top Ten Pastors To Watch in 2010.

Truth be told, we’ve been watching him for a while now.  That extra slice of pizza on your lunch plate?  It won’t be there long.  Sticky fingers he has.

But truly, this is a high honor, and leads the Summit to a high calling.  Just as sure as evangelicals are watching our pastor, you can be sure that ol’ ugly himself is watching as well.  Satan loves nothing more than to see a leader fall, to ignore his family, to compromise his leadership…so would you join me in praying for Pastor J.D. this year?  (Heck, you can do it in 2011 too if you’d like.)

Pray Magazine offers a list of scripturally-based prayers to pray for your pastor.  I’m going to be using it, and I’d invite you do to so as well.

 

Happy New…Day?

Like many of you, I rang in the new year by watching the celebration in Times Square.  It seems that December 31 isn’t complete until we see Jennifer Lopez in a gold onesie or Dick Clark proving that he’s still somewhat alive.  The good news this year is that we celebrated in the Central Time Zone, so I still got to sleep by 11:15.

Every year I’m reminded of the curious nature of the new year event.  Millions worldwide view it as a clean slate, an opportunity to rid our minds and lives of previous wrongs, grudges, and failures.  It’s as if January 1st hearkens some sort of rebirth – both physically (check out all the fitness equipment on sale), organizationally (how many started the year with a brand new calendar / day planner / etc.?) or spiritually (church attendance, anyone?).

But scripture reminds us that a new start doesn’t have to wait until New Year’s Day.  God promises in Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that “ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Every day, his grace is new.  Every day, his faithfulness is renewed.  Every day, we get a fresh start.

 

Year End Review: Posts

A couple of days ago I sat down and did a quick (10 minutes, tops) review of this years blog posts.  Less than ten minutes, because to be honest, I’m not that interested in reading that much of my stuff.  Plus, it only took that time to see a few themes develop…

• 2009 has been full of great people.  I’ve been able to stand beside some amazing peeps as they started attending the Summit, gave their lives to Christ, committed their lives to each other, and welcomed life into the world (keep in mind, not all of those were the same person).  I’ve also said goodbye to some great friends who have left for the mission field and gone home to Jesus.
• My family continues to be an incredible source of humor and a place of refuge.  Yes, I put their lives up for all to see from time to time, but doggone it, I’ve got a great family.  I’m thankful for ‘em.
• God has defined and refined my life’s direction.  In reading back over posts, I can see how he’s grown me, shaped me, and taught me.  Good stuff.  Good, good stuff.

So here it is, ten random samplings of some of my favorite posts of ‘09.  For heaven’s sake, don’t read them all (I didn’t).  But click on one and join me on memory lane…

• Extreme Home Breakdown
• The Ministry of Pursuit
• Tell the Why
• Broken People
• Futility of Balance
• Jon Minus Kate = Not Too L8
• Grace at the Altar
• Count the Cost
• Be Still and Know
• That Rings a Bell

 

Year End Review: Books

I dig me some books, and there were some doozies this year.  Here are the best books I read in ’09, in no particular order…

• A Comedian’s Guide to Theology: Side-splittingly funny, yet amazingly doctrinally-correct book.  If your idea of theology involves the words “dry,” “dusty,” or “I’d rather be mauled by ferocious rabbits with dull teeth,” this is the book for you.  I reviewed it here.
• Through Gates of Splendor: How I made it through 25 years of the Christian life without reading this book is beyond me.  It’s like making it through 37 years of being J.D. Greear and never quoting C.S. Lewis.  A must read missional biography.
• Eat This, Not That!: Pow! I just threw a diet book in the pile.  This book helped change my physical life more than any other this year, and I was less miserable than I thought I’d be.  I talked about it here.
• The Starbucks Experience: If you’re in the guest services biz at your church (or any other organization) you owe it to yourself to read this masterpiece by Dr. Joseph Michelli.
• Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us: Seth Godin is the guru of all things business, leadership, marketing, and maybe hermit crab breeding (not confirmed, but I bet he’d be good at it).  I took my team through Tribes this year after reading most of it in one plane ride.  Yep, it’s that good.
• Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself: Another great, very funny book that walks through the themes of pride, self-deception, and spiritual growth.  Mark Steele is uber-funny.
• Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls: If you are a parent, will be a parent, or had parents, this book should be on your shelf.  What Gary Thomas did for husbands and wives in Sacred Marriage, he now does for people who change diapers, put kids in time out, and set curfews.
• Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why Is The Gospel of Love Dividing America?: The book that became a documentary, this read is a fascinating look at what mainstream America really thinks about evangelicalism.  Brutally honest, compelling, convicting.
• A Praying Life: Connecting With God in a Distracting World: Without a doubt the most influentially shaping book I read in ‘09.  We gave away a few copies over on the other blog, but if you didn’t win it, you should buy it.
• The Pursuit of Holiness: Repeat everything I said about Through Gates of Splendor.  Somebody should make you read this within the first year of being a Christian.
• The Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected are Redefining Community: I just finished this one two days ago, and it was so powerful I included it as #11 on a Top Ten list.  Watch for a full review coming up on the blog soon.

So, what have I missed?  What should I be reading in 2010?

 

Year End Review Begins

Here it is, the second annual Connective Tissue tradition known as the Year End Review (also affectionately known as My Brain Is Too Fried To Come Up With Anything Else Original, but let’s not get distracted).

This week we’ll be hashing out the best posts of ’09, the best books of ’09, and maybe another best of if I can come up with it (don’t hold your breath).

Tune in tomorrow for the first Best Of!

Or maybe Wednesday.  I don’t know.  It’s that fried brain thing.

Editor’s note: So what just happened was, you wasted everyone’s time with six sentences, all in an attempt to get ‘em back tomorrow.  Or excuse me, maybe Wednesday.  Wow.  That should make a Worst Of list.  I’m just sayin’.

 

Tonight is the Night…

O Holy Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever.  And whatever guy butchered this version is the greatest anonymous prankster to walk the earth.

So gather the family, grab some egg nog, crank the speakers, and laugh ’till you puke.

 

You Make the Caption

Complete this post and submit your caption below!

(Thanks to Adam Moore for the picture!)

 

Christmas Movies We Can Do Without

In yesterday’s post I told you about the Christmas songs that make me want to dive headfirst into a den of angry wolves.  Lest ye think that only one type of media angers me, here’s what I don’t understand about Christmas movies:

First, what defines a Christmas movie?  Apparently the good folks over at ABC Family haven’t quite figured that out.  Oh sure, I can understand How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys. But what’s the deal with those Harry Potter movies?  True, I’ve never actually seen a Harry Potter movie (I’m typically busy reading Leviticus and praying for you witchcraft-practicing necromancers who have), but am I missing something?  Does Santa swoop down at the last minute and deliver presents to all the good little wizards?  And I’m sorry, ABC, but showing The Incredibles on Christmas Day makes no sense.  Yes, Mr. Incredible is a fat man in a red suit, but he ain’t the same one!

And then of course, everybody from ABC Family to Lifetime has to come up with a dozen new Christmas-themed movies each year.  Just a few names that I am not making up include Holiday in Handcuffs, Cranberry Christmas, 12 Men of Christmas, Holiday Switch, A Very Merry Christmas, and my personal favorite, The Year Without Any More Stupid Christmas-Themed Movies. (Okay, I made that last one up.)

So I asked you yesterday, and I’ll do it again today, which Christmas movies grate you?