So my family got me these for a combo birthday / Father’s Day gift. They’re the

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD Headphones

Wow!

I feel like I’ve got 2500+ songs in my iTunes that I’ve never really heard before. I’ve been listening to old favorites for the past couple of hours and I simply can’t believe all the stuff that’s in their that I was missing.

And as awesome as they are, I’d have to say I was reminded today of a couple of other things I’ve been missing…
*Really wanting to worship with our community. When you start a church and are part of almost every facet weekly, it can become a grind. It is a thing you do. You just move from thing to thing; you’re so tired from prepping for the thing (often shorthanded) that you just don’t really care about the thing by the time it get’s there. The last two weeks have simply been a huge breath of fresh air for me & I think our community. Moving our worship gatherings to Sunday mornings while making me nervous at first have proved to be an energizer. I love that we struggle to start worship because people are standing talking. I love that people aren’t leaving. I love that their are new faces. I just love taking it all in. Beautiful.

*Time with family & neighbors. Our spring got madly out of control. We literally had something every night of the week….not all of us every night but at least one of us somewhere each night. STUPID! But this summer we’ve slowed a bit and I have gotten to sit down for dinner with my family three nights this week…at our table(s) and also we’ve gotten three nights with neighbors/friends. It’s good to have that relational space and actually just get to sit and listen and eat and drink and share and laugh. I am praying for more & more of that over the summer. My soul needs it.

& oh yeah to get my dissertation research turned in

So, thanks fam, friends and Dr. Dre!  You guys are awesome. I feel like I’m hearing the music again and that’s a really really nice place to be.

When your idea of church is built on what happens here…

Then things like this are going to happen…

And things like this will become the norm.

*We protect what we value and show is ever so valuable (to most but not all).

Sadly I think it’s because without it our churches would fall apart or if we, didn’t put on the show most people would just find some where that was offering one.

Pastors know this; we can say that we, the people, are the church but the reality is try being a church without the show and you’ll probably find yourself with a small community and us pastor types don’t like that. It’s hard on the ego, doesn’t pay as well, nor does it get us on the speaking circuit.

And in this case no matter what a probable well meaning volunteer meant to do, this incident will probably cost the kingdom far more people than it will gain because of all of the bad press.

These Folks Did Far Better With This Than I Did…

Blessed are the Un-Cool

Distressing Disguise or Distraction?

“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

HT: The Gospel Driven Church