Simplicity: The Killer App

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The older I get, the more complex life gets. Being healthy is no longer exclusively related to how much exercise I get. It involves food, medicine (or lack thereof), genetics, lasik surgery, gym membership, etc. Money no longer involves only work and what I want to purchase…it includes repairs, rent, utilities, insurance, retirement, and budgeting. Church involves more than Sunday morning…it involves responsibilities, phone calls, committee meetings, parking teams and video production. Time that I used to spend carelessly is now appreciated for every free moment it provides.

In a world of increasing complexity, I am grateful for architects of simplicity. Men, women, companies, and applications that make the things I do faster and easier. I love having experts helping me navigate the areas of investment, real estate, bible interpretation, and living overseas. I try to be an expert to others, crafting simple, reliable systems for my coworkers at Dallas Nursing Institute and communicating the complexities of my theological education in a way that is inspirational to the everyday person.

In the technology world: I am grateful for Windows 7. I appreciate the iphone. I praise the business or church with a simple website. And I rejoice for remarkably good free Bible software.

What do you appreciate for adding simplicity to your life?

What should I add to my life to make my time more worthwhile?

And in what areas in your life should you choose to avoid simplicity, and strive to become an expert?

New Technology: Metadata for Everything

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I am always curious to see what technology has in store for us. As this lengthy web video shows, there is room for the online world to contribute to our lives in EVERY setting. We can interact with a single device to learn about everything we see, to record our lives, and to control our transactions. It can effect our relationships, our purchases, and our travel plans.

The key questions I have begun asking myself is: “where is this information coming from? & Are these sources trustworthy and unbiased?” My fear is that a device will come along that is extremely helpful, but extremely biased, and that it’s bias will lead us to act maliciously toward a group of people, a specific country, or against the church.

Online Social Networking Part 2: Meetups…

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If you have a desire to meet and be used as a witness to non-Christians, then you MUST have a look at this powerful networking tool. It’s one of the biggest evangelism fields I know of. Think about it: a listing of local groups that meet for the specific purpose of discussion. Search by interest, search by zipcode. Join a discussion of travelers or photographers or atheists.

A common statistic in evangelistic conversations today is the Christian’s isolation from the non-believing world. I believe this is a technological blessing that helps earnest people to stretch their social network for the sake of the gospel How many secular social gatherings do you find yourselves in?

Have a look at the local networks in the top 20 results from my area, then think about surfing www.meetup.com for yourself and getting involved in a local discussion or two.

Online Social Networking, Part 1: On Facebook…

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While I am not an expert on social networking, it appears to me that there are conflicting understandings of the use of Facebook within the church. Why is it that church people assume that people join Facebook in order to create a vain image for themselves online?

I’m certainly not a part of Facebook in order to see any sort of celebrity status. I’m a part of it because it gives me a window into the lives of people that I have a relational connection with all over the country. Since I have moved to Dallas, it has been my main point of contact to know what is going on in the lives of my friends from that city. In the past 6 months, those “silly” status updates have allowed me to celebrate and contribute to lives of people who have purchased homes, signed up to lead missions trips, and had children. It allows me to recognize birthdays and encourage ministers. It tailors my prayers for my sister, who recently moved to Nashville to pursue a career.

Would another technology have allowed me to have such a knowledge of my friends and family? I think not. Sure a phone call is more personal. An email is more direct. And no one would consider me vain for sending a text message. But they’re just not effective in establishing widespread communications.

I think if we wish to attack technology for allowing expressions of vanity, we would do much better to focus our attention on internet portals like MySpace, Second Life, and online gaming. They allow for a lot more expression concerning our sinful drive for celebrity status and superiority over others.

What do you think???

Another Reason Why Ministers Need to Immerse Themselves in Culture

Church Leadership No Comments »

The world is changing so quickly…it’s almost unthinkable to attempt to consider the future. A huge number of children will solve problems and work in jobs that do not even exist today… This begs the question, how should we seek to prepare leaders of the future church???

Watch this video, then have a look at my suggestions below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9nmUB2qls[/youtube]

My suggestions:
1. Teach them to accurately interpret the Word of God, and create a foundational center of information where the people of the world can go to find a trustworthy source of those interpretations. Because the word of God does not change, and if we can give people the universal principles of the Word of God, they can apply it effectively.

2. Make the major task of the church to train up leaders of character and effectiveness for future generations. If our main task as a church is leadership development, then one thing is for certain: We will multiply our influence, rather than see it diminish. We cannot simply judge our progress on our own performance. The acid test of our lives should be that we ensured that more people would carry our work on after we’ve passed away.

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