Monday Morning Insights

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    Today’s Buzz:  Kegs, Thomas Road, Ticked-off Bloggers, Wassabi Punches, & Tammy Faye:

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    I’m Sure the Emergent Church is Upset About This...
    Buying a keg for your next party in Michigan is a little more expensive. Large breweries have complained about losing thousands of beer kegs a year in Michigan because retail beer customers have been selling off the stainless steel barrels at scrap yards rather than returning them to stores to get their $10 deposit back.
    As a result, state alcohol officials have boosted the deposit from $10 to $30. Link here. That will just give Michigan’s emergent church leaders something else to swear about.

    “I Thought it was Going to be Kind of Cheesy...”
    “But after I got here, I got caught up in the excitement of it.” Link here.

    It’s Official… the New Pastor at Thomas Road by a UNANIMOUS Vote!
    ...is Jonathan Falwell, Jerry’s son, who has served as Executive Pastor at the church for some time.  But wow… a unanimous vote?  That has to say something, either about Jerry or Jonathan (or both).  Here’s the link. Question:  Has a unanimous vote EVER taken place in a baptist church?

    Brian McLaren on the Worship Industry
    I don’t post much about Brian McLaren here.  To be honest, he makes me a little nervous.  But I’d love to hear some of your input on his short video here on the “Worship Industry”.  Link here... what do you think?  Does he nail it here, or is his thinking flawed?

    Don’t You Hate it When?...
    ...Your 15 year old teenage son handles a situation with more grace and maturity than you do?  As Perry Noble would say, my fifteen year old ‘punched me in the throat.’ I’ve very proud of him; but I still hate when that happens.

    Ticked Off Church Members Turned Bloggers
    We’re having a great discussion from yesterday’s post on church members who leave your church, then blog about it.  We’ve actually had some good, frank discussion with the blog owner (and some church members in question) on this subject.  These are discussions and questions we need to have.  How far is too far?  What do you do if leadership won’t meet with you?  When do you let go?  When and how do you fight against people you feel are hurting people and the church?  I know my thoughts on this issue; but many others feel differently.  Regardless, it’s an interesting discussion that you can join here.

    Wassabi Punches in Scripture...
    My friend Shawn Wood has a great post here on Wassabi Punches in the Bible.

    And Speaking of Seacoast...
    (that’s where Shawn Wood serves)… LifeChurch.tv’s Swerve Blog yesterday posted an interview with Seacoast Pastor Greg Surratt I think you’ll enjoy.

    And Finally… Tammy Faye, the Musical!
    No, it’s not Friday; and I’m not kidding.  While Tammy Faye is in her last stages of terminal cancer, a musical written about her life recently had its first reading in New York City.  Produced by Tim Hur and directed by Ryan J. Davis, Big Tent “focuses on the rise and fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Praise The Lord (PTL) television network and its controversial dealings with the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.  The cast will also include Mark Aldrich as George Dortch, with previously announced “You’re the One That I Want” finalist Kate Rockwell as Jessica Hahn and Allen Kendall as intolerant, right-wing preacher Jerry Falwell. Here’s the news story. And here’s the myspace home, complete with musical clips.

    OK… for once… I’m speechless.  smile

    Have a great day!

    Again today a wide variety of links you'll find only here (and there's probably a really, really good reason for that!). Why is the Emergent Church in Michigan up in arms? What does Brian McLaren really think? And Tammy Faye: The Musical? You've got to be kidding me!...

    Comments

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    1. Peter Hamm on Tue, June 05, 2007

      That musical will kick butt. It’ll be great.


      Brian is spot on with regard to the worship “industry”. There’s far too little honesty. The “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs have to stop. The marketing of Jesus… I can’t stand it. There are some artists making some real genuine great stuff, and I continue to gravitate toward their songs. Songs that talk about who God is, who we are in light of that, and what that means in the here and now, NOT songs about “Jesus give me this give me that…”

    2. RevJeff on Tue, June 05, 2007

      Sometimes I wonder if half of this stuff isn’t just God’s sense of humor….


      Thanks Todd, this post (and links) made a Tuesday seem llike a Friday.

    3. Tobias on Tue, June 05, 2007

      Yeah, it always annoys me when we blanket use the term “worship” to refer to using song and music to praise and worship God. Song and music does not equal worship!! Arg. I agree that music is art; it’s art we use to express things to God. Why is it (rhetorical question) that we’ve made it that mandatory piece of our services that are mandatory parts of a relationship with God and require a certain response? I used to be a worship minister and still serve on a worship team, and I’ve seen frustration often in the eyes of leadership when a particular emotional response isn’t generated in the audience, err, I mean congregation. Let’s get back to worshiping God with our lives throughout our every day, and allow the art we create, including music, provide a unique expression of that worshipful heart!

    4. dpastordan on Wed, June 06, 2007

      Worship industry…he hit the nail on the head!  And music is an artform.  Some forms are great to enhance worship and others less so.  Music is really not necessary for a person to worship God…prayer, reading the Bible, giving someone a cup of water [the Romans 12:1-2 thing].  


      Worship is not entertainment ... it is putting God in His place. 


      A unanimous vote does occur in Baptist churches from time to time.  They are rare.  In February, 1995, I received a 100 percent vote calling me to my present work.  It shocked even me!

    5. Camey on Wed, June 06, 2007

      dpastordan,


      I bet you were surprised! Thanks for sharing that with us. Care to give us an update there now all these years later??


      Thanks again,


      Camey

    6. Doug on Mon, June 11, 2007

      Just my guess, but the Tammy Faye musical sounds like it will predominantly make fun of her and other Christians?


      While there may be an ample amount of material to use, and while I was not a Jim and Tammy fan, I do not think it is right for us to support that which tears down one of our “family members.” There is a steady stream of critical and cutting representations on stage, screen and TV already. Do we really need to encourage more of this just because we thought that someone like Tammy was “way over the top”?

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