http://www.ministrygeek.net emerging ministry at its geekiest Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:49:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Ok, another link post. Seems like all I have been writing here lately, other than my weekly church article, is about other people's posts. I'm going through a quite a transition right now in my own faith and ministry journey. I know many great things will come from my own ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/08/12/great-is-thy-effectiveness/ This is why Kathleen Sebelius rocks.  Track down Stephen Colbert's remarks on Canton, KS (sorry, no time to look up the link for you :( )  Then read this. My grandpa was from Canton and I used to tease him endlessly about it.  I only wish he were here to see ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/08/01/we-have-the-coolest-governor-ever/ I just stumbled on the very first article I've ever read from a United Methodist with "Reverend" in front of their name who actually "gets it" (found via the North Alabama Conference's Young Clergy blog.) A good 95% of this article had me cheering and making me felt called ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/31/wow-a-good-um-young-adult-article/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Let me add my “thanks” to the chorus for those who helped out ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/31/trinity-tower-for-31-july-2008/ Ok, so I left the word "versus" out of the title...  I thought it would be more eye-catching this way. :) Last Sunday and this Sunday my sermon is on the two creation stories in Genesis 1-3.  Specifically, both are true (in that we live them every day), but one has ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/29/good-sin/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Ok, remember the days of closed book tests (some of you are in ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/24/trinity-tower-for-24-july-2008/ It's a bit of a (rare) lazy Saturday afternoon and I am catching up on my blog reading from the past week.  I just read this fantastic post about a Biblically inspired alternative to the typical, Modern "mission statement/vision statement" approach to church leadership.  It basically proposes a model based ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/19/contrived-effectiveness/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- I've noticed that a few farmers in the area have already started to ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/17/trinity-tower-for-17-july-2008/ We heart you too, Tony; we heart you too. Seriously guys, great show.  It's nice to actually meet the people who have so influenced my own journey.  Besides, I got my coveted Trucker Frank for President t-shirt-- that's all I was really after. Keep up the good work, and for God's sake ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/15/church-basement-roadshow-in-wichita/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- I had the privilege of studying the Hebrew language during my last year ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/14/trinity-tower-for-10-july-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- As many of you already know, as of July 1 I am full ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/07/03/trinity-tower-for-3-july-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- As many of you know, my wife has been appointed as the pastor ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/06/26/trinity-tower-for-26-june-2008/ I had a good emergenty-type thought today that I thought I would share (and record so I don't forget it.) There is quite a bit of talk about the appropriateness of enculturalization of the gospel.  In other words, is it right to take the gospel and "clothe" it with the culture ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/06/19/the-master-enculturator/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- This is wedding season at Trinity.  We typically do six or eight weddings ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/06/19/trinity-tower-for-19-june-2008/ We had a bit of an experience eating at the Yard House restaurant near the Kansas Speedway last night.  The restaurant was negligent to the point that I wanted to share it for posterity here and for anyone else who might think of going there. Below is the e-mail I sent ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/06/13/yard-house-tornado/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- My office looks out on the edge of the courtyard on the south ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/06/12/trinity-tower-for-12-june-2008/ As I’ve explored the sense of call I feel both to the emerging church movement and to the United Methodist Church, I’ve often felt the “chafing” that leads many emergent-types to declare that postmodernity simply cannot exist within an organization as modern as the UMC.  I still feel deep in ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/29/annual-conference-and-generative-friendship/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- I can't tell you how many graduation ceremonies I've been to where I've ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/22/trinity-tower-for-22-may-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- By the time this reaches you I will be just about to walk ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/15/trinity-tower-for-15-may-2008/ My hip is recovering nicely from my December 30 fall...  I still can't believe that of all the people I'm in ministry with, it's the 30-year-old pastor who breaks a hip.  There is still a very slight chance I might need a hip replacement if blood flow to the ball ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/10/whats-that-squeaking-sound/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- I thought I would give you update on my hair.  You may remember ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/08/trinity-tower-for-8-may-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Are there any Christians in your life you disagree with?  In my experience, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/05/01/trinity-tower-for-1-may-2008/ I have been reading many bogs in the past week about General Conference, the national body of the United Methodist Church that meets every four years-- big stuff.  Blogs are a fantastic way to get news from afar.  Many are less than objective, of course, but you get a rich ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/29/some-deep-thoughts-on-general-conference/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Pat has talked about the upcoming international gathering of United Methodists known as ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/24/trinity-tower-for-24-april-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- The past few weeks, Pat and I have been joining some incoming members ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/17/trinity-tower-for-17-april-2008/ My wife Amy and I just had a fun little IM chat about matters emergent. I joked about it becoming a blog entry, then thought, "What could be better than just sharing the conversation?" So, with her permission, here it is. Names have been changed/removed to protect ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/11/a-little-emergent-conversation/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- A short while before Easter, my wife got the call from our District ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/10/trinity-tower-for-10-april-2008/ If you haven't heard, United Methodist leadership professor Lovett Weems has written a new book called The Crisis of Young Clergy. I haven't read the book yet (I'm planning to buy it today if the campus bookstore has it in stock), but I have read many of Weems' thoughts ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/09/the-crisis-of-young-old-clergy/ Ok, I just read yet another article on how we need to take the church outside the doors to serve the world, implying that our lack of doing such is the reason for mainline church decline.  It's a good and well meaning sentiment-- truly we aren't fully the Church if ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/08/taking-the-church-outside-of-the-doors/ Vending Machine Jesus Originally uploaded by jslater316 Check this out... (sorry for the blurry phone picture) So I'm walking through Hastings, a video/games/music/book store, yesterday, I walk by the kid's vending machines (you know, the type where stuff comes out in plastic eggs?), and I saw one that immediately demanded two of my ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/04/vending-machine-jesus/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Happy Easter-- again! This is about the time we start to “move ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/03/trinity-tower-for-3-april-2008/ Since my visit to Mozambique about a year and a half ago, I have become interested in the effects of colonialization and the role missionaries played in it, intentionally or unintentionally. I was amazed at how many Mozambiquans leave their culture at the door and become perfect western Christians, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/02/contextualization-and-colonialization/ Not sure how many rural-types read my blog, but considering I'm a Kansas pastor going to a seminary bordering Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, I'm guessing there are a few. I just found out about a brand new blog that shows some serious promise and is filling a huge, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/04/01/new-blog-emerging-rural/ Someone just asked me what I thought of preaching in postmodernity, and it was a good opportunity to get a few abstract thoughts "floating around in there" into words. I thought I would put them here, too, with a few edits for clarity's sake in this context. Thoughts? ----- Preaching ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/31/preching-in-postmodernity/ Check this out: http://cometothewaters.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/it-appears-they-nevered-liked-his-church/ I've always suspected young adults have always been a weak demographic in the church, and researching numbers for that has been on my to-do list for years. :) The above blog post is short and contains no real hard numbers, but it is provocative. It's not that the church ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/31/young-adults-and-the-institutional-church-in-the-1940s/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Happy Easter! It’s so hard to grasp exactly what that phrase means!  Easter is ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/27/trinity-tower-for-27-march-2008/ From Mike King's blog: Today is silent Saturday.  Nearly 2,000 years ago, this day was the day that our Lord's body occupied the tomb.  The crucifixion was then history and the disciples hid in fear and confusion.  Yes, this is the day of the entombed Christ.  Silent Saturday... Thank God the story ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/22/the-day-of-the-entombed-christ/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Holy Week is here already-- and so early this year!  This is the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/20/trinity-tower-for-20-march-2008/ “To put it one way: The question isn’t so much ‘how are we different in what we believe/think?’ as it is ‘how are we connected? what can I appreciate and learn from that other person’s perspective/tradition/tribe/camp?’” - Steve Knight Well said. If you read the whole post from which it ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/17/third-way-or-different-plane/ For those who don't know it, I was a meteorologist before becoming a pastor.  That means, technically, that I still am one, though not a practicing one. The Wichita Eagle ran this article this morning.  What an interesting theory!  The idea is that the amount of moisture present in the winter ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/16/winter-wheat-and-meteorology-muscles/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- A while back I read the most wonderful description of how to listen ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/13/trinity-tower-for-13-march-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- A major theme during the season of Lent is forgiveness.  We often think ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/03/06/trinity-tower-for-6-march-2008/ I get into productivity systems like David Allen's "Getting Things Done."  I read this post today, written by a pastor with a similar interest, and it hit home in a big, big way.  Anyone else out there (ministry-type folks especially, perhaps?) want to say a sheepish "amen" to this? I've been ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/02/29/a-theology-of-pastoral-busyness/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- One of the things the season of Lent reminds us of is humility.  ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/02/28/trinity-tower-for-28-february-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- It’s almost hard to believe we’re already several weeks into the season of ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/02/21/trinity-tower-for-21-february-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- Happy Valentine's Day! This Valentine's Day, my wife and I are skipping “wrapped” gifts ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/02/14/trinity-tower-for-14-february-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- As I write this, I just finished watching the Super Bowl with some ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/02/07/trinity-tower-for-7-february-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- I came across an interesting concept this week that I thought was worth ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/31/trinity-tower-for-31-january-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ———- The lessons learned from my broken hip just keep rolling in. This ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/24/trinity-tower-for-24-january-2008/ Saw this AP article in the Wichita Eagle this morning. It's about Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" (a great book), not strictly about the emerging church, but still it seems to come closer to describing the movement than any other newspaper article I've seen. Enjoy. http://www.kansas.com/194/story/285533.html http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/19/finding-faith-losing-the-labels/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ---------- My hip continues to get better each day, but it looks like ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/17/trinity-tower-for-17-januaray-2008/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ---------- Who would have thought that of all the people at Trinity, the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/10/trinity-tower-for-10-january-2008/ Well, it occurs to me with Andrew's comment on my last post that many of my friends don't know what I've been up to the past week. I don't often just talk about my own life on my blog (for no good reason I suppose,) but perhaps I should. Last ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/07/my-hip-story-man/ Just catching up on blogs while recuperating from my broken hip (really now, I'm only 30!).  I saw this on Tony Jones' blog and it resonated enough with me I thought I'd share. A Franciscan Benediction: May God bless you with discomfort, at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2008/01/07/a-franscican-benediction/ I saw this HIGHLY sarcastic quote on CrunchGear today: Truly, we are blessed to live in a land where folks want the Wii more than they want the troops to come home. Ouch.  Really ouch. http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/12/24/ouch/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– December is about waiting.  We wait in lines, wait for deliveries from the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/12/20/trinity-tower-for-20-december-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– One of the amazing things about Christmas is the fact that God would ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/12/13/trinity-tower-for-13-december-2007/ Life is good. I just finished preaching on the wave-particle duality of light. I talked about how light is fully wave and fully particle, about how Jesus was fully human and fully divine, and about how we are called to live fully on earth and fully in the kingdom of ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/12/09/the-physics-of-light-and-the-light-of-the-world/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– “Black Friday” is past and we now find ourselves in the season of ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/12/06/trinity-tower-for-6-december-2007/ Ok, so I'm taking Hebrew right now, and in today's class we tackled one of those wonderfully difficult translation issues that so made me want to learn the language. This one, however, made me ask myself an even more serious question about how we interpret the Bible even when ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/30/happy-happy-hermeneutics/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– The last few weeks in worship we have been talking about the saints ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/15/trinity-tower-for-15-november-2007/ Just a quick link to pass along of a blog post I enjoyed reading.  I have heard a lot of talk lately about pacifism, and I am very glad of that.  I am a near-pacifist myself.  However, it bothers me that the other side of the argument has been nearly ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/14/pacifism-and-counterarguments/ *** CAUTION: The following blog post contains uncharacteristic allusions to a lewd word, and the links do more than just allude to it. *** I just read something that was so funny it made my entire day. I made a joke about "Shinola" to my wife, and I assumed she ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/12/shinola-and-the-other-thing/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– I love the fall...  There are so many wonderful things to love this ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/08/trinity-tower-for-8-november-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– I read a quote this week that has been on my mind: “…we ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/11/01/trinity-tower-for-1-november-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– A few weeks ago, a delegation from our church went to the Leadership ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/25/trinity-tower-for-25-october-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– Have you noticed lately that my hair has been getting longer and longer?  ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/18/trinity-tower-for-18-october-2007/ Ok, writing this post is going to put me behind in getting to the laundromat. Oh, well... When an idea comes, an idea comes. Tomorrow morning I am preaching what feels to me like one of the best sermons I've ever written (read: best sermon that God and biblical ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/13/postmodern-preaching-finding-the-experience-of-the-text/ Just read this. Take note, Saint Paul School of Theology. <snicker> Now we'll see if my wife really reads my blog. (we're a seminary student/clergy couple) The sad part is, the stuff in that article makes perfect sense from their theological vantage point. In the interest of good ecumenicism and ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/13/wife-of-the-equipping-minister/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– How much time have you spent in the wisdom literature of the Bible?  ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/11/trinity-tower-for-11-october-2007/ Here's a good post over on gen-X Rising. I've posted before about my feelings on our UMC's Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors campaign (with the usual proper respect to the good intentions of its creators), but here's yet another way to look at it. The ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/08/of-open-hearts-and-polytheism/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————–  Last week the world lost someone who was very special in my life, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/10/04/trinity-tower-for-4-october-2007/ This week the world lost an incredible man who brought sunshine to the lives of tens of thousands of people and who saved the lives of God only knows how many. And while he was at it, he made me the person I am today. Jim O'Donnell, 1929-2007 I was always ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/28/jim-odonnell-a-tribute/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– Something simple this week, or at least using fewer words than usual…  I ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/27/trinity-tower-for-27-september-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– When you read the stories in the Bible like the Israelites escaping from ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/20/trinity-tower-for-20-september-2007/ Just saw this on Mike King's blog in Kansas City, seems like wisdom to me. "In times of change the learners will inherit the earth while the knowers, will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Eric Hoffer http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/18/listeners-and-knowers/ I was honored to give a presentation at my church, Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, this morning about my trip to Mozambique to raise awareness of the Nothing but Nets campaign. Nothing but Nets is a partnership between the UMC and the NBA, among others, trying to ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/16/nothing-but-nets-presentation-links/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– The world changes quickly, doesn’t it?  I just celebrated my 30th birthday.  I ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/09/13/92/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– We write these articles for the Tower usually about a week before it ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/08/30/trinity-tower-for-30-august-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– Since I’m still technically a meteorologist, perhaps it’s appropriate if I give a ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/08/23/trinity-tower-for-23-august-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! ——————– Last week I got to see the musical Hairspray at Music Theatre of ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/08/16/trinity-tower-for-16-august-2007/ As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article.  I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts! -------------------- I'd like to talk for one more week about Evangelism, though this time ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/08/09/trinity-tower-for-9-august-2007/ In the past few weeks we’ve talked about evangelism, why it is important, and why it’s such a necessity to welcome people into the church.  But this week’s look at evangelism just might be the most important simply because it’s the area where most people are weakest: evangelism outside the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/08/02/trinity-tower-for-2-august-2007/ Ok, you may have noticed some rather major changes...  I decided it was time to change my blog around.  My life has changed quite a bit since I first started it, and I decided it was time to change my blog around to better reflect where I am now.  Among ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/29/blog-re-design-in-progress/ For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about evangelism.  This week, let’s talk about a type of evangelism that is a little indirect: hospitality. If someone new comes to church, it means they are exploring for whatever reason.  It takes a lot of courage to walk through the doors ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/26/trinity-tower-for-26-july-2007/ Last week I mentioned that I’d use this space to talk about evangelism for the next few weeks—not pushy evangelism or late night TV evangelism, but healthy evangelism.  It’s one of my favorite topics, and it’s a part of our faith all to easy to overlook. This week I want to ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/19/trinity-tower-for-19-july-2007/ A while back I blogged about a problem I see with the United Methodist slogan, "Open Hearts, Open Mind, Open Doors" (with respect to the good people of the UMC who maintain this campaign, of course). It generated a fair amount of heat both here and even more ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/18/open-hearts/ I normally hate to give in to blatant marketing ploys, but this is just too much fun... It's the Simpsonizer! Here's a Simpson's version of me (cargo pants and all!) and of my wife, Amy. Enjoy! http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/16/the-simpsonizer/ I don’t know how you feel about the word “evangelism,” but there’s something about the word that still scares me. Part of it is thoughts of pushy intrusions into peoples’ lives and part of it is thoughts of TV and radio preachers who’ve abused the faith. I’m even put off ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/07/12/trinity-tower-for-12-july-2007/ Independence Day is fast approaching, and how wonderful it is to celebrate the day we declared our freedom from foreign rule, July 4, 1776. A while back I studied Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who opposed Hitler and Nazism in the 1940s—this is a man who knows a thing ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/06/28/trinity-tower-for-28-june-2007/ Every summer when seminary classes end, I look forward to having more time to relax.  It never ceases to amaze me, however, just how quickly I find myself buried in things to do no matter how hard I try.  What is it that causes this?  Is it that I don’t ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/06/21/trinity-tower-for-21-june-2007/ Well, I’m married.  The wedding was wonderful; thank you all for the support you’ve given me already and for more that I know is still to come!  Not surprisingly, I’ve been thinking a lot about honeymoons this week. I had never really thought about the role of a honeymoon in a ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/06/14/trinity-tower-for-14-june-2007/ Many times over the last few days, Amy and I have said, simply, "We have good friends." (by this we mean family as well) Who could say more? So many times over the past few months, friends and family have done things for us that we certainly don't deserve, though ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/05/29/we-have-good-friends/ If you follow the news very closely, you probably heard that last week we lost a big name in 20th century American Christianity: Jerry Falwell.  Now I have to admit that he and I come from different schools of thought, and if we had ever had the opportunity to talk, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/05/24/trinity-tower-for-24-may-2007/ I have one more story to tell from my trip to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit in Kansas City. The last room of the exhibit had various other forms of printed scripture from after the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls. One was a beautiful, ancient Jewish ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/05/17/trinity-tower-for-17-may-2007/ For the last couple of weeks I’ve been sharing thoughts from my trip to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in Kansas City.  The exhibit included many artifacts from Roman coins to 4,000+ year old oil lamps, but this week I’ll talk about the scrolls themselves. The scroll fragments were amazing!  I ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/05/10/trinity-tower-for-10-may-2007/ Last week I told you about my trip to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit traveling through Kansas City, and I promised more stories over the next few weeks.  I went to see the scroll fragments themselves, of course, but I was pleasantly surprised to see so many other artifacts ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/05/03/trinity-tower-for-3-may-2007/ There's always a lot of inviting and welcoming people to "come be like us" and so seldom any "let's go be like them." A passing thought on mainline evangelism from my little corner of the world, jotted in my notebook to express frustration. Perhaps it will prove to pass quickly. http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/30/a-passing-thought/ My Fiancée Amy and I shared an amazing experience last week: we went to the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit currently in Kansas City.  If you’re not familiar with the Dead Sea Scrolls, they are a large collection of scrolls found in Qumran at the north end of the Dead Sea ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/26/trinity-tower-for-26-april-2007/ I noticed something this Easter that I had never noticed before, though I doubt it’s a new phenomenon.  A lot of Christians (me included) tend stay focused on Jesus death even while we’re celebrating the resurrection. Don’t get me wrong…  Both things are important.  How could Christ be risen if he ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/19/trinity-tower-for-19-april-2007/ Yes that's an incredibly long title, and yes, you heard that last part right. Let me explain. Three things happened in my life this week: I got to hear/be in conversation with Brian McLaren in person, I read an article on evangelism that is changing my thinking on ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/15/ten-things-i-wish-more-united-methodists-knew-about-young-people-or-why-open-hearts-open-minds-open-doors-repels-young-adults/ Happy Easter, Christ is risen! That phrase used to bother me…  I don’t claim to be an expert in grammar, but I used to think, “Shouldn’t it be ‘Christ has risen?’”  It’s in the past tense, a statement about something that happened long ago, right? Theologians have a long history of making ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/12/trinity-tower-for-12-april-2007/ It’s so easy during Lent to get caught up in Christ’s death on the cross.  Now I know what you’re thinking…  That’s the idea!  We’re supposed to be moved by Christ’s sacrifice during Lent!  Indeed that is part of the purpose. But at the same time, Lent always points toward Easter.  ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/04/05/trinity-tower-for-5-april-2007/ So how has your Lenten journey been going?  Have you been keeping up with your devotion to God as you planned?  As we draw ever closer to Easter, perhaps it’s a good time to revisit the question John Wesley wanted asked at the beginning of every early Methodist Class Meeting: ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/29/trinity-tower-for-29-march-2007/ I read the most compelling article on The Ooze today. The theological argument is interesting, and whether or not you agree with it I think it is one we as the Church need to be discussing in this increasingly post-"conservative vs. liberal" age. BUT, that's not my point in sharing ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/26/story-as-a-vehicle/ Okay, this is funny.  I just took an online quiz on finding your "theological worldivew."  I suspect the quiz is deeply flawed and is by no means the final authority of what you believe, though I have to admit the results look strikingly familiar for me peronally.  It said I ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/16/theological-worldview-quiz/ So far this Lent we’ve talked about prayer, fasting, and public worship.  Of course there are other “spiritual disciplines” too, and perhaps we’ll cover them in the remaining weeks of Lent, but this week I’ve been thinking about a concept that seems to run through all of them: hiddenness. I am ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/15/trinity-tower-for-15-march-2007/ For the past few weeks, I’ve been encouraging you to think about what John Wesley calls “Spiritual Disciplines,” those things which, when we discipline ourselves to do them, open our hearts to allow God to come in.  So far we’ve talked about prayer and fasting.  This week, let’s consider something ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/09/trinity-tower-for-8-march-2007/ The season of Lent, which started with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter, is among other things a season for us to prepare ourselves for Easter by seeking earnestly to deepen our faith.  There are many methods we can use to let God into our lives, many means by which ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/03/01/trinity-tower-for-1-march-2007/ Lent, the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday is a time in the Christian year where we make extra effort to return to God.  As Christians, we have many ways of doing that: prayer, scripture reading, service… the list could go on and on.  Often these methods are called ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/02/22/trinity-tower-for-22-february-2007/ Last week was exciting at the seminary in Kansas City.  On Wednesday a chemical plant north of downtown exploded, sending a plume of dark smoke with unknown toxins into the air over downtown KC.  (I put a couple of pictures on http://ministrygeek.net/.) The plant was just north of downtown; the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/02/15/trinity-tower-for-15-february-2007/ Evil is real.  You don’t have to look very far in the world to confirm that fact.  Many theologians, though, draw a distinction between two types of evil: natural evil and moral evil.  Cancer and tornadoes are examples of natural evil; they happen naturally without any human involvement.  Moral evil ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/02/08/trinity-tower-for-8-february-2007/ “But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” - John 21:25 The simple fact is that the human mind is not large enough to grasp the ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/02/01/puzzle-pieces/ I've been thinking a lot lately about creativity. Part of that comes from realizing that my sermon writing process is highly creative. Of course there's a lot of left-brain stuff going on in the study, etc. that leads up to the actual writing, but the writing process itself ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2007/01/22/towards-a-theology-of-creativity/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/29/mozambique-journal-entry-9/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/28/mozambique-journal-entry-8/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek! The trip was incredible, life changing. I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time. Each day one entry from my journal will appear here. Mostly, it ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/27/mozambique-journal-entry-6-2/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/26/mozambique-journal-entry-6/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/25/mozambique-journal-entry-5/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/24/mozambique-journal-entry-4/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek!  The trip was incredible, life changing.  I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time.  Each day one entry from my journal will appear here.  Mostly, it will be the chronological ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/23/mozambique-journal-entry-3/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek! The trip was incredible, life changing. I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time. Each day one entry from my journal will appear here. Mostly, it ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/22/mozambique-journal-entry-2/ Sorry for the month of silence on ministrygeek! The trip was incredible, life changing. I have decided to publish my travel journal here, and I am going to post it one day at time. Each day one entry from my journal will appear here. Mostly, it ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/11/21/mozambique-journal-entry-1/ Not much to say yet... We are in Washington DC right now at the Dulles airport Quality Inn. Our long flight to Johannesburg leaves tomorrow at 12:50pm, but we have to go through international check-in first. We had to wait outside of the airport in light rain ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/10/19/early-update/ Okay, technically that's T-minus 30 minutes to the van that goes to the Kansas City Airport... I'm so excited! We won't actually get to Mozambique until very late tomorrow (if I do my time-zone math correctly). I am hoping to post updates here about how the trip ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/10/19/t-minus-30-minutes-to-mozambique/ We had a bit of a tense meeting at my larger church this evening, but a one that ended up making some good progress. Appropriately, there was a thunderstorm during the meeting But, equally approriately, look what happened afterwards! (All I had was my Palm camera; sorry ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2006/07/12/picture-of-a-covenant/ Have you seen the TV show Firefly? Firefly was a wonderful show by Joss Whedon that no one watched (he also did Buffy the Vampire Slayer—don’t let the weirdness detract from the show’s quality). It was cancelled before they had even aired all of the completed episodes. ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/12/22/lets-be-naughty/ Isn’t it wonderful that our society has secularized Christmas? The days when our culture was so strongly shaped by the Christian faith were bound to pass. It happened because of societal forces larger than any one person or group. Sooner or later our society was going to become secularized. Now, ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/12/22/thank-god-for-santa-claus/ A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend Amy and I had a “date night.”  It was Amy’s birthday, so we had a good excuse to cancel/turn down other appointments that night.  We went to dinner at Kona Grill on the Plaza and then went to see Serenity at the Plaza movie theater.  It ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/10/21/date-night/ I just finished watching the movie Constantine. The geek in me was hoping for a movie about the Roman emperor and the rise of Christendom, but oh well. :) As it turns out, the movie is about John Constantine, a man with exceptional abilities who is caught quite literally in ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/07/21/of-pigs-going-swimming-or-living-in-a-post-constantine-society-not-about-what-you-think/ Idea #1: I’ve been reading Adam Hamilton’s latest book, “Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic.” It uses selling swimsuits in Barrow, Alaska as a metaphor for evangelism in a post-Christian culture. It’s a good book, looking past the usual shortcomings and dangers of the “business” model of ministry/evangelism. Idea #2: I am ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/06/19/the-four-sided-swimsuit/ Have you ever noticed how many new United Methodist churches downplay their denomination? Many have the church’s name in great big letters then, in tiny letters below it, “(a United Methodist church)”. I suppose the main reason for that is because it’s no longer “cool” to be part of a mainline ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/04/28/why-i-wear-my-cross-and-flame-pin-every-sunday/ My first blog. I’ve been putting this off for a week or so now, with the ever present fear of the “blank page.”I’ve always had a tendency to over think whatever it is I’m doing, so perhaps that’s a good place to start. So why has it been so hard for ... http://www.ministrygeek.net/2005/04/21/the-bush-still-burns/