 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A Rare Interview with… uh… me…
It's been a quiet week here at the blog since I've been traveling... I left for Dallas early Monday, head back to Ohio tonight; then off to the Change Without Compromise conference in Detroit first thing in the morning. I thought I'd share an interview that Karry Oberbrunner did with me recently. He just posted it this morning. I like Kary... he called me a genius AND humble. (I think he may very well may be mistaken). Anyway... here's his interview with me... he asked some really good questions.
Is Reading MMI a Waste of Time?
Uber Blogger Tim Challies is taking on the 'discernment blogs' with a recent post. In his post entitled "Evil as Entertainment", he really takes on the (unnamed) discernment blogs that are always spreading bad news about what's going on in the church. Here's part of what he had to say...
"I want to say a word today about watchblogs or discernment blogs or whatever you want to call them. I am referring to blogs that specialize in sharing bad news. They share stories and videos and anecdotes about Christians and churches and supposed Christians and supposed churches. Day after day they offer examples of all that is wrong in the church. They may vary what they offer a little bit, but what is true of them is that they offer a steady diet of negative content related to the church in general or perhaps related to just one person or one ministry. You know of some of these sites, I am sure..."
Today's Friday funny is yesterday's post on the Lip Syncing Worship Band. It was a total spoof. The video itself was real, but it never happened in a church. Most people figured that out. Some didn't. Read the comments for a good time. (Sorry for those I got with that story).
The Robert Schuller story (about someone impersonating him on Twitter)... totally true.
And today's story about the SBC adopting a new song for their anti-drinking campaign... again... totally satire.
You see, in ministry I think we have a ton of things we need to take seriously... the Gospel is a serious thing. But we can't take ourselves too seriously all the time. We need to take time to laugh and have fun as well. Some of the posts on MMI are my feeble attempt to help you do that.
So... how do you know what is real and what is not here at MMI? Well, use your spiritual discernment, I guess. If something is documented by a real news source, you can bet that it is real. If it seems a little off kilter, then take the time to read it again before you go off and comment on how the state of the earth is going to hell in a handbasket. I admit, some of the strangest stories are things that you might not be able to believe but are actually true. If nothing else, it does make ministry interesting.
The Buzz: Matt Chandler, The Crystal Cathedral, Mark Driscoll, Saddleback, and “The Strip Church”
Last week was a big week for me with the Innovation3 conference in Dallas. The conference went really well, and was a great experience. And, I got to meet a ton of people, and many readers of MMI.
As a result... there really were no updates to the MMI blog last week. My apologies. By the time I got home on Thursday, I was whipped! But I did have time to find some great links and stories from the week, so I'll share those with you this morning. I hope you enjoy.
I should be back on a somewhat regular schedule for the next few weeks. (YES!) If you're not following my updates on Twitter, please sign-up today at Twitter.com and follow me at @toddrhoades. I'll see you there!
Here are today's buzz links...
Did you know? Maybe you've seen this... it's fascinating...
A look into Matt Chandler's Week...
Perry Noble: 15 Things I Wish I'd Known ...sometimes you just have to learn the hard way!
Gay people and conservative Christians are typically pitted as enemies, but a group of local gay writers and leaders is hoping to tear down that wall
Say what you want about Ted Haggard... He married well... Gayle Haggard is the ultimate loving, supporting, forgiving wife...
Crystal Cathedral sells land for $10 million AND makes round of Lay-offs Crystal Cathedrals vision and future s anything but crystal clear, it looks...
Bail Bondsman trying to dig up the "Whole Truth" about Ted Haggard I just wish this would all go away.
$52 million investment scam has ties to Saddleback / Purpose Driven Rick isn't surprised...
Mark Driscoll on Nightline Great interview by Mark. Just wish they would've pulled some more representative preaching instead of the clips they used.
Chick Tracts meet The Strip Church xxxchurch's new vegas strip church
George Beverly Shea turns 100 on Sunday
The 'Daringly Awkward Sermon Contest' Wow... that was awkward...
Ed Young, Jr. on The Colbert Report Whatever.
No Tip for You: You Sunday-Working Skank http://adjix.com/3asm
That Extra $175k: Oh yeah, I thought it was an Act of God oops... officer, maybe not?!
Ted Haggard Apologizes (again) This is getting old...
Should YOUR Church Go Multi-Site? Check out this new tool posted by Geoff Surratt
Mark Driscoll: A Tall Glass of Toilet Water From one of Mark's new books...
I’m at Innovation3 This Week!
I've probably not worked any harder on a project in my life. For almost the past year, my Leadership Network colleague Linda Stanley and our Dallas based team has been working hard on the Innovation3 conference. Well, the time is finally here... we'll be setting up the conference today and starting tomorrow. I'll be quite busy... so the regular MMI schedule might be a little goofed up this week... but there will be lots to read and catch up on. Tony Morgan, Carlos Whitacker, and Cynthia Ware are our official Innovation3 bloggers... plus tons of others will be blogging and twittering the event. Watch here for some live streams and updates as we go!
Have a great week!
Todd
The Buzz:
Here what caught my eye today:
Something Stinks in Atlanta Church The Devil Made me Breathe That Air!
David Foster: Seven Presidential Promises Excellent stuff! Much better than "praying for Obama to fail"
Perry Noble: “What if this Sunday was the last sermon I ever got to preach?” Perry starts a new series on what pastors should ask themselves
Brad Lomenick: Top Young Influencers: January edition Some great people to check out here...
What Blogging Platform Should you Use? Looks like the Catalyst guys and MMI are lone dogs here...
Leadership in a time of transition Probably the toughest time to lead...
Feel free to comment away!
The Buzz: Billy Graham’s Grandson, Praying for Obama Fail?, and Queermergent…
On an early morning flight to Dallas for a one day trip today. Here a a few links that you'll (hopefully) find interesting today...
D. James Kennedy's replacement: Billy Graham's Grandson?!
Introducing... Queermergent?
WorldNetDaily thinks we should "Pray Obama Fails"
The Buzz: Gay Superhero, FREE, Mark Driscoll, Popcorn, Seth Godin, HDTV, and ORU
OK... after yesterday's link brouhaha over bad links... here are some direct links that should work better for today's buzz. These are some things I've found in the last 24 hours that I think you might want to check out...
SPIDER-MAN creator Stan Lee is to unveil the world's first gay superhero... Wonder what they'll call him?
An Unlikely Gay-Straight Alliance This is interesting... from the Christianity Today website.
I Bet the WCA hates the word "FREE" I'm just saying... half a million resources downloaded for free is big bucks when you're charging for it! Way to go LifeChurch.tv!
Mark Driscoll makes "Tim LaHaye’s marriage manuals of the 70’s look like preschool Sunday School materials" I have to smile at stuff like this...
Popcorn in the church... Another look at the theatre church trend from Christianity Today...
SETH GODIN: When newspapers are gone... what will you miss? Seth offers some great advice on what the future might look like...
Going high definition... church style Sure, it's still expensive... but some churches are making the move, bigtime!
ORU cuts 50+ jobs It's a bummer of a day to be working at Oral Roberts University
Find things that you think I should pop on here tomorrow? Let me know!
Why do pastors leave the ministry? Several common issues emerge from the research of Dean Hoge and Jacqueline Wenger: preference for another form of ministry, the need to care for children or family, conflict in the congregation, conflict with denominational leaders, burnout or discouragement, sexual misconduct, and divorce or marital problems. Of these factors, which form the basis for the central chapters of Pastors in Transition, two are especially important: conflict and a preference for specialized ministry. A close third is the experience of burnout, discouragement, stress and overwork. As the authors explore these factors, they provide significant insights into what can be done to help people stay in ministry. The bestselling author of "The Message" challenges believers to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God's revelation, and to live them as they read them. Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness.
Pastors In Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry
Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders
Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.
- on Jim Tomberlin: Multi-Site Church Trends for 2009
- on 15 Innovations the Church Should Embrace Now...
- Top Law on Bill Hybels: The Goal of the Church is to Make Believers Independent
- mitchell and ness on Official Summer Hiatus...
Greg Atkinson
DJ Chuang
Dave Ferguson
Craig Groeschel
Bobby Gruenewald
Scott Hodge
Brad Lomenick
Mayberry Driven Church
Tony Morgan
Perry Noble
Dan Ohlerking
Geoff Surratt
Dino Rizzo
Tim Stevens
LN Books Blog
LN Digital Blog
LN Learnings Blog
MondayMorningInsight.com | PO Box 446 | Bryan, OH 43506 |
