Web 2.0 and Church 2.0

Okay, so I've been "away" for a while. Just distracted. So, let me try to get back in the swing with a portion of an article I read today about the Web 2.0 craze (Web 2.0: The Power Behind the Hype). One of the interesting things about the Web 2.0 movement is how many similarities there are between it's relationship to Web 1.0 when considered against the relationship between the existing institutionalized church and the church that seems to be being reborn as a movement. Here's the interesting quote that sparked this post:

Web 2.0 isn't a 'thing', but a collection of approaches, which are all converging on the development world at a rapid pace. These approaches, including APIs, RSS, Folksonomies, and Social Networking, suddenly give application developers a new way to approach hard problems with surprisingly effective results.

So, let's reword:

Church 2.0 isn't a 'thing', but a collection of approaches, which are converging on the believing world at a rapid pace. These approaches, including the desire on the part of folks to be part of a movement not necessarily part of an organization, having a missional focus, wanting to transform the community we live in from the inside out vs. from the outside in, redeeming the use of culture rather than rejecting it, (etc.) suddenly give believers a new way to approach hard problems with surprisingly effective results.

Wow! There is a new "web" emerging right under our nose. There is a rebirth of Jesus' Body occurring as well. I want to use the new web. I want to be part of a movement.

Did you ever wonder...

I have a cold right now. Stuffy head, scratchy throat, coughing... you the drill. UGH!

Driving into work this morning, as is my usual practice, I was meditating on Jesus and the Word when I started wondering... Did Jesus ever have a cold? That led to others and, well... here's some of the wondering (wandering) thoughts:

• Did Jesus ever stub his toe?


• Did Jesus ever tattle on his brother or sister?


• Did he sooth the sore thumb of his earthly father Joseph when Joseph missed with his hammer?


• Was he ever tempted to look to heaven when he had to clean up the workshop after a busy day of building?


• Did Jesus ever have a hangnail? Did he just heal it?


• Did Jesus ever have a bad hair day?


• Did Jesus ever have a button fall off? Did he just touch it and it was sewn back on?


• Did Jesus' sandal straps ever break? Did he tie them back together? Speak and new ones were in place of the old ones? Or did he just look up to heaven and the two pieces were one?


• Did Jesus ever have an ingrown hair?


• Did Jesus have any allergies?


• When talking to someone and the sun was in his eyes was he tempted to produce a cloud to shield his eyes?


• Did Jesus ever un-burn a burned meal?


• Did he ever quietly correct the bad breath of someone to whom he was speaking?


• Did Jesus brush his teeth somehow?

Wow... it goes on and on. Trust me no disrespect meant... but God with us... Immanuel offers some interesting wondering.

It's all about timing (on Teach Me Dad...)

An interesting post about God's timing. Kind of goes along with my own realization that Jesus was always at the right place at exactly the right time, doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. I'd add to teachmedad's thoughts my own thoughts in HDJD (How Did Jesus Decide).

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.

As a graduating high school senior this verse was the focus of a Baccalaureate service. I don't remember for certain who spoke. I don't remember all the words that surrounded the service but this verse has been the number one foundation to every day since. The simple truth of trusting in God is so hard for most to grasp. We tend to seek our own understanding and wisdom to guide our ways, but as for me, I've chosen for the author of everything to guide my steps on the path of life.

OMGosh!!! - At Church, an 'ATM for Jesus'

Pastor Marty Baker's 'Giving Kiosks' are catching on. Members say they use credit cards for everything else -- why not tithing?

read more | digg story

No more expensive Bibles (for me)

Several months ago I was given an inexpensive hardcover copy of a new translation of the Bible that I've been carrying and using (I've actually fallen in love with the translation, but had not bit the bullet to purchase the more specialized model I wanted) for personal and group Bible reading/study.

Then, the other day as we were about to begin our Connect Group time I was introduced to a young man, we'll call him Joshua for the sake of this post, who had a biblical name. I asked Joshua if he had ever read the stories about his namesake and he indicated he had, but it had been a while.

Later, as we were leaving he asked if I would pray for him because he was going away for a while. As I assured him of my intent to help him carry his burden while away, I realized where he was going he'd have a significant amount of unoccupied time on his hands. With that in mind I encouraged Joshua to re-read the stories in the Bible about the person whose name he shared. He looked at me kind of funny.

In that quiet moment it seemed as if God said to me loud and clear that Joshua did not have a Bible and to offer mine. In repsonse I asked and he hesitated. I wondered if maybe he had some childhood Bible which he found difficult to read or if he no longer knew where one he had before was MIA now. Without another thought, I pulled from the Bible in my hand the scrap pages with notes and annoucement scratched on them and handed to Joshua a very easy to read and accurate translation encouraging him to enjoy it as my gift to him.

Now, I'm pretty certain that if I had already purchased the more specialized model I'd been thinking about getting I would have either found another available Bible for him or perhaps even gone ahead and given him the more specialized copy knowing I could get another. But there was a realization of the barrier that would have existed in my mind if in my hand had been that $50 Bible rather than that inexpensive hardbound copy. It was so amazing to be in a position to not think another thought about it and pull my personal stuff from the one in my hand and present it to him.

So, today I went to a local bookstore and got another copy of the same Bible I gave away. Identical. Funny, I could almost buy 10 of those for what the one specialized version cost. Now this one is poised waiting on a divine appointment to pass it on to someone who needs an easy to read and accurate copy of God's word.

How about you? Are you carrying a copy of God's word you could give away without a second thought... or are you carrying a heavy investment from which you would struggle to climb out?

Mankind, humankind... either way, God created one race of humans

So, the pastor at the church we attend just finished an interesting series... The Untouchables. He touched on three difficult issues before believers that really shouldn't be that difficult. The first week he led us down the path of examining our views on race.
Having grown up in a military family, as a kid I lived on the east coast and the west coast, then in my church ministry years areas in between the coasts. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the race thing. Then, while telling a story to a group in Colorado before moving to the Nashville area I shocked myself when I realized I had referred to one of the characters in the story by indicating he was a (insert race here) man but neglected to indicate the race of the other man when referring to him (a Caucasian person). WHAM! It hit me... I discovered in that moment, though I thought I had made pretty good progress, I had indicated a prejudice when the attitude of my heart poured out of my mouth. It wasn't a racial slur or even anything derogatory toward a particular race. It was just the simple reality that for no reason other than the fact this character was not Caucasian I used his race to identify him in a story without identifying the race of the other character.
I had another one of those ah-ha moments during this series. Since the day in Colorado mentioned above I've been doing very well. As a matter of fact just days before the message at our church I had been telling someone standing on my front porch about a young man who lived across the street on the corner and was able to successfully describe who he was without saying the (insert race here) kid on the corner. Sounds simple, but try it yourself. Then the morning of the racism message it hit me... clearer than the day in Coloraod. As I was reading around passages the pastor was reading and referring to it hit me that when God created Adam and Eve He created one race. Period. Races were created by man. We truly are one very big family... all from the same original family tree. Thank you God for that revelation. We are ALL family.