There's an old line that says, "Communists love people, but only in
groups of a million or more." The implication is that Communists and
Socialists don't care about individuals and everything is sublimated to
the State and the greater good. Just in case you missed the subtlety
there...
I don't think that marketing is
necessarily insidious - it's just a thing - but I do think it's more
hidden and subtle than ever before. I'm going to summarize the video as
briefly as I can and then get to the meat: Marketing in the Church.
Through a series of seeming coincidences, I have stumbled across a ministry that I would like to bring to your attention.
Fathers in the Field (FitF) is an outdoor ministry that seeks "To rekindle and establish the spirit of boys who have been abandoned by their fathers; mentoring them one-on-one in life skills through outdoor activities, and by sharing a Christian understanding of our heavenly Father's love and sacrifice for his children." [taken from FitF's website.]
Working with young men has been a passion of mine for a long time. I don't have a son, but have worked with young men as a soccer coach, teacher, Sunday School teacher, friend, and mentor. As I have lately been asking God for guidance in my life and work, he has been constantly reminding me of James 1:27, referring to helping orphans and widows in their distress. In our modern times, there are plenty of orphans and, unfortunately, many of them have been created by abandonment.
Please pray with me as I ask God's direction in bringing FitF to our church. Also, please pray for your own involvement: whether as a mother or grandmother of a fatherless boy or as a man who God is calling to reach out to the young men around him. Please go to the website listed above and read about what they stand for.
Contact me if you are interested in talking more about this.
After I asked "What would it look like if we
had worship all week without a worship leader?", Eric just kind of
stared at me. Then, he got this gleam in his eye and I got my notebook application ready to go. I had a feeling that Eric was about to start some serious brainstorming.
worship is
Loving God
is it always praise?
attitude
way of life
things we do
who we are
designed to be worshipers
everyone is created to be a worshiper
expression of adoration
Close your eyes and think about worshiping. OK, read that last sentence first, THEN close your eyes.
I'd be willing to bet big money (at least $1) that you saw
yourself and/or other people singing, listening to music, or playing an
instrument. OF COURSE there's nothing wrong with that.
You know how when the preacher or Sunday School teacher is talking
about sex, he always feels obligated to talk about how good it is
before he talks about how bad it is? I've noticed that we do this a lot
in our Christian bubble.
So, I've started to start compiling a handy
list that we can all refer to by numbers in the future. I'm sorry, I
don't see how I can write about this without having some fun. Having
said that, I'll be doing my best to write in full Markie style.
The first thing to get rid of on a mission trip is expectations.
Hopefully, pride leaves right behind it. If you have an expectation of
what should happen, you will probably miss what God is doing while you
wallow in your disappointment. How's that for a picture?
Before I start talking about worship and the cool stuff that happened on our trip to High Island, TX, let me establish some bona fides.
I come from a musical family. My mother was a pianist and singer at church. I have played an instrument and sung since I was nine years old. I was first a trombone major and then a voice major in college. I'm in the choir at church. I don't have a solo voice, but I love to sing. My wife is a professional pianist and worship leader.
There's an old line that says, "Communists love people, but only in
groups of a million or more." The implication is that Communists and
Socialists don't care about individuals and everything is sublimated to
the State and the greater good. Just in case you missed the subtlety
there...
After I asked 
worship is 
Close your eyes and think about worshiping. OK, read that last sentence first, THEN close your eyes.
The first thing to get rid of on a mission trip is expectations.
Hopefully, pride leaves right behind it. If you have an expectation of
what should happen, you will probably miss what God is doing while you
wallow in your disappointment. How's that for a picture?
Before I start talking about worship and the cool stuff that happened on our trip to High Island, TX, let me establish some bona fides.