Living on the Cheap

Since so many reports have been coming out the past couple years revealing the deep debt that many young adults carry, I thought this site might be helpful to some of you. Consider how you can cut costs to free yourself of debt and make YOU the master of the funds God gives you. And even if you aren't in debt, maybe you can glean some helpful tips!

Decision Making by Teddy

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

-Theodore Roosevelt

David Crowder MSN Artist of the Year

THE album of 2006 for me was David Crowder*Band's "A Collision". From start to finish it is a masterpiece.

Obviously many other people agreed, and through online voting David and his band were named MSN's Artist of the Year.

Congrats to David and his band!

Free Bible Software

I just heard about Bible Explorer, a free full-featured Bible software program. It is PC only, so for you Mac guys like me, you can check out MacSword.

Latest Tunes...

I'm currently enjoying Charlie Hall's new CD "Flying Into Daybreak". One of the songs on the album is going to be our theme song for the Watershed Retreat. But you'll have to come to the retreat to learn which song it is! (Or buy the album and then I'll tell you which song!)

From the mouths of babes...

I was just getting ready to close my computer when I remembered I was going to blog about a quote I heard today. This one was too good (and cute) to not post.

Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, our church hosts a MOPS group. While the moms are in the main session hearing a speaking, talking around tables, and enjoying great food, their kids are being loved and cared for by great volunteers.

In the 3-year-old class this morning, the volunteers were teaching the kids about rules and how rules are designed to keep us safe. As part of the discussion, the teacher said "ok kids, pretend you are at the mall with your mommy. What rules might your mommy have while you are there?"

One kid said something about holding hands. Another said something about not running. And then a little girl spoke up.

"Keep your head up so you are following the right legs."

Oh God, my heavenly daddy, help me to keep my head up so I will follow where you lead!

Waterblogged

For those of you in Cedar Rapids, I thought I'd let you know that Watershed now has a blog. It's not "mine" per se - the majority of my blogging will still occur here - but for announcements and occasional thoughts about life as a young adult, head over to http://thewaterblogged.blogspot.com/

Failing Quickly

Personal News
I sure hope it is okay for pastors to have bad days 'cause I've sure had one today - mostly due to the cold. First my garage door was frozen shut (because my oldest child - bless her heart - wanted to help me out by shoveling the drive, so she used the garage door to help scoop the snow onto her shovel...). Now the weather-proofing seal at the bottom is broken from my attempts to unstick the door.

Then I heard my sump pump running constantly because the hose outside was frozen. In the process of unhooking the hose so the water could flow out, I not only broke the hose (which was plastic, so no big deal) I also broke off part of the pvc pipe coming out of the house (which probably is a big deal). I'm just thankful that we caught the sump pump running before the motor burned out - which happened to us LAST winter. Anyone have a creative yet really cheap way of getting water away from my house in a manner that won't freeze in the winter? (Everyone tells me heat tape, but the heat tape package says "do not bury or allow to touch the ground" - that doesn't work for a sump pump hose.)

What a way to start the day...

Personal Thoughts
I just read the Swerve blog post about Failing Quickly. Part of me deeply agrees - life is too short to keep watering a dead plant. I've seen many ministries limp along because those leading them thought it would be "admitting failure" by shutting it down. So tons of energy and resources go into something that ends up shutting down in the end anyway.

But I highly value perseverance. The Scriptures tells us it will develop wisdom, maturity, and godly character within us. So I think there is there a balance between failing quickly and perseverance, but where is it?

I do know this - in ministry or business it's probably okay to fail quickly at times. In life it isn't. Failing quickly on marriage should not be an option. Failing quickly on a loan is a really bad idea. Failing quickly on your closest and most faithful friends or family should never be seriously considered. Structures and methods can be quickly failed, but people and integrity shouldn't. So while I don't know the line between perseverance and healthily failing quickly (that was probably really poor grammar!), I do know there are some things we should never fail quickly.

Online world = Real world?

According to the USC Center for the Digital Future's 2007 report, 43% of Internet users say that their online communities are as important as their real life communities.

Hmm... I'm going to need some time to chew on this one.

Thanks to LifeChurch.tv's Swerve blog for the link.

Act like a Christian...

I really appreciated Gordon McDonald's thoughts over on LeadershipJournal.net, especially the first section. It reminded me of conversations I've had with people about orthodoxy vs. orthopraxy. Last night during New Covenant's Family Night the topic was "faith". For the Family Discussion Time, we listened to the Rich Mullins' song "Faith without Works is like a screen door on a submarine" (that's not the official title, but that's how I remember it!).

What evidence is there that you are a follower of Jesus? Are you counting on good theology to prove you know God? Or will people believe you because of how you act and what compels you in life? Is your faith being put into action?

My Inventive Daughter

I posted yesterday in a P.S. that my oldest daughter, K, was going to "Districts" with her Strawberry Popper Topper invention. Out of 41 inventions, hers was one of the top 14 according to the judges, so she gets to go on to "Regionals", which will be held February 15 at Westdale Mall.

Congrats, K!

House Churches in Secular News

I thought it was interesting that ABC News thought an article about house churches was newsworthy today. The author of the article seemed somewhat familiar with the church culture in America and must have been fairly familiar with some of the evangelical megachurches in the nation to call up Willow Creek and Saddleback. I thought it interesting that while the author was probably wanting to pit a fight between pro-house church camps and traditional "building church" camps, the Saddleback and Willow people just appear to be going with the flow and helping people connect to Christ and each other as seems best. Seems like a great attitude to have!

I am not "anti-house church", but whenever I have read articles by extremely "pro-house church" people, I often find their comments to be immature and steeped in cynicism or sarcasm, and I saw it again in this article. Some of them appear to have been extremely hurt, and so their house church is more of a reaction to "building" churches rather than a creation birthed from a firm conviction that this is where and how the Lord has led them. And it has been my experience that organizations built as a reaction to something are not the healthiest of groups.

Eating My Fruit

I like fruit. Especially fresh fruit. Strawberries, bananas, apples, pineapple, peaches, grapes, and on and on. I'm not sure I've met a fruit I didn't like (but I'm sure it is out there).

I've been reading through the Old Testament for the past few months and am currently in the book of Proverbs. This morning I came across verse 14 of chapter 14. Because I like fruit, this proverb stood out today. I really liked the truth behind it, so I thought I would share it here:

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,
and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. (ESV)

My parents have a silly Winnie-the-Pooh book that my 3-year-old son likes to read when we are there. Rabbit gives Pooh a pumpkin seed. Pooh plants the seed and then cares for it constantly from Spring until fall. At first Pooh is congratulated by Piglet for growing a vine. Then Owl congratulates him for growing a flower (which he says will become a cucumber). At this point, Pooh has to tap is head and say "think, think, think". He finally reasons that if you plant a pumpkin seed, you should get a pumpkin, not just a vine, or a flower, or even a cucumber.

Are you angry in life and don't know why? Perhaps you are "backslidden in heart" and have not been making Jesus your first love each day. Perhaps you've planted seeds of unforgiveness - should you expect the fruit of joy?

Are you depressed? It could be a chemical thing with your body and mind (if so, seek medical help), but it could also be from planting seeds of despair or seeds of poor choices.

Are you directionless in life and your fruit is the unknown? Perhaps you've been "backslidden in heart" and planting lazy seeds with your faith.

I know one of my regular prayers is that I would be consumed with love, joy, peace, patience, and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. According to Prov. 14:14, I need to be a good man. But Jesus told us that only God is good. So for me to be good, I must be like God. That only comes through the work of God, who through the cross made me a new creation, transforming me to be more like Christ. My prayer is that he would continue that process of perfecting my faith so that I can see more of his fruit in my life.

So what seeds are you planting today? Who are you going to follow? To follow yourself is to be a "backslider in heart". To follow Christ is to be on the path toward good fruit.

Personal P.S.
Speaking of fruit, congratulations to my oldest daughter, K, who was in the Top 8 of all 4th graders at her school's Invention Convention with the Strawberry Popper Topper. Today (on her half-birthday!), she gets to take her invention to District and compete against the other 4th grade winners from all the other elementary schools in the Linn-Mar district.

Young Adults Want "Genuine" Church

The Christian Post reports that another survey was recently released citing statistics saying that young adults like yourself (ages 18-34) feel left out by the church, they want "genuine" church, they want to put their faith into action through social work, and they crave relationships.

I don't discount the survey results one bit, primarily because we've been hearing this for years. There is nothing really new in this survey's results. Maybe LifeWay had to do their own survey so that those Southern Baptist churches that ignored previous surveys would finally listen? Or perhaps they are releasing some new material targeting the young adult population and needed to justify it with their own research. Who knows.

But what makes me not embrace these findings with passion or a "see, I told you so" attitude is that I don't think these things are necessarily true of only young adults. I think ALL humans crave relationships. I think most Christians regardless of age want "genuine" church (it's just that "genuine" looks different to different people). I think many followers of Jesus in all generational stages want to put their faith into action. And there are many people that feel left out by the church - just ask a 45-year-old single-again or never-married person, or an immigrant from another culture without any fellow countrymen in the community, or the senior citizen whose church is becoming more and more contemporary (music, fashion, programming, etc.), or the business man with the demanding travel schedule. It seems most anyone could find some excuse for not being accepted.

If we try to say these survey results are only about the young adult years, I think we make three errors:

#1: We isolate young adults even more than they are. Churches come up with special programs and groups just for your age group, and many of your peers end up missing the richness of being mentored by those older than us or giving to those younger than us. While we need to have young adult groups (like the Adult Bible Fellowships I oversee or movements like Watershed), we can unintentionally put young adults in a bubble, making life even more difficult for them and making them feel even more unwanted or disconnected from the church family. That's why things like Men's Fraternity are so valuable.

#2: We keep young adults focused on themselves. There is so much going on during the young adult years that it is very natural for young adults to focus on themselves. Many of you are still trying to figure out exactly who you are and what you want to do with the life God has given you. But often the best way to find out your passions, spiritual gifts, personality, etc. is not to hole up in a small group of other young adults complaining that the church is ignoring you or you can't get a date, but rather start serving others - within your generation and outside your generation - gaining experience and exposure to many things. So often when we get our eyes off of ourselves, we learn more about ourselves than we ever expected.

#3: We devalue the humanity of other generations. By saying that these findings are all about young adult age group, we miss out on the other generations that feel these exact same things. Yes, I know that the 18-30 age group is often the most overlooked group by the church. This time of life is so transitional (college, jobs, marriages, first kids, first house, travelling, etc.) that it makes it hard to minister effectively to those in your peer group, so special attention and thought is needed. But we mustn't make the mistake of then ignoring the other generations that also crave genuine worship, deep relationships, and kingdom-minded action. We as young adults don't "get it" alone while everyone else is missing it.

I remember hearing Bill Hybels talk about being a bit insulted when the recently-revamped Axis was starting up at Willow Creek over 10 years ago. The young adults starting this new church-within-the-church talked about having something "genuine" and "real". These were the same words and attitudes that Bill and his friends had when they were starting Willow Creek up in a theater in the 70s. While he wisely let them go start something that would more effectively reach their generation than the "regular" worship services at Willow would, I couldn't help remembering that this pastor in a different generation had the same cravings that I and my peers had.

Feel free to share any thoughts you might have about the survey results or young adult ministry in general. Perhaps you think we are missing the mark at New Covenant or in Watershed, or maybe you are thankful for what is being done through NCBC or Watershed and these survey results show you that we are trying to effectively minister to you and your peers.

Thanks to Catablog for the story and link to the Christian Post.

Windows Vista and Mac OS X

As you eagerly await Macworld Expo this week (as I am), here is a video from David Pogue of the New York Times that surprisingly reveals that the new Vista OS from Microsoft is NOT a rip-off of the best OS I have ever worked with Mac OS 10.4. It's quite convincing if you ask this Mac addict. ;o)

The Liar's Club

Many people think the only way to advance in life is through lying and cheating. And yet, when someone is caught doing it, people get upset. That's because character really does matter in life.

Pat Forde, a columnist for ESPN, is not a follower of Christ as far as I can tell. His "Dash" column frequently has a scantily-clad woman adorning his sports insights. And yet he is upset that Nick Saban, after repeatedly saying he was not going to Alabama to be their football coach, was just announced as the Crimson Tide's new head honcho.

Integrity and character really do matter, even to those who don't follow Christ. Romans 2:15 tells us that God has put His laws on the heart of mankind. Part of God's laws for life include not lying. So no wonder Pat Forde, who has probably lied in his own job, gets upset seeing someone else lie.

So to you, my young adult friend (and those of you not young adults), don't lie. It's not worth it. It doesn't save you face. It doesn't help the awkward situation go away. It only complicates things and loses you respect.

Blogging (and Life) Lessons

Scot McKnight (pictured) recently posted about lessons he has learned this past year as a result of his blogging. I especially liked #4 (even though in a rare moment I skirted with it myself in my last post). But I think the lessons he learned we could all apply in life, even if we don't have our own blog. Things like having fun, treating people with respect, realizing that ministry can come from unlikely places, the importance of relationships in ministry, and others.

While I don't have NEAR the readership Scot does (nor do I ever plan to), I hope I can maintain as consistent a blog as he does. Scot challenges his readers, he allows others to see what he is learning, and he makes his blog a mix of deep thoughts and light personal moments (because both are important and neither is more spiritual than the other).

May you and I live our daily lives the same way.

2007 Prognostications

Each year at the turn of the calendar (which, by the way, is man made, and their are lots of different calendars, but I digress...), various people feel the need to prognosticate about the future ("prognosticate" is my Big-Word-for-the-week (Thank you, Tye). Feel free to randomly drop it into sentences during casual conversation... I'm digressing again...). Fortune tellers, tabloids, gas station clerks, and even everyday average survey takers (who, if correct, will be paying out the nose for gas for their SUVs while waiting for Jesus to come back to save them from the next terroist attack which will come after extraterrestial life is discovered... stop the digression, Erin...) are making predictions about what the next 365 days hold.

One of the annual participants in this new year sport is Pat Robertson. This time around, Pat has made headlines saying that God told him that by the end of the year, a terrorist attack will occur in the U.S. which will result in mass killings. (Pat's clearly an optimist by nature... okay, I'm done with these parentethical digressions...)

While I'm sure Pat will be raked over the coals in the blogosphere by Christian and non-Christian alike for these comments, I want to focus on something different. The thing that stuck out to me in the ABC News article was this quote by Pat about his previous prophecies:

"I have a relatively good track record," he said. "Sometimes I miss."

But God says that his true prophets never miss. If Pat was really speaking for God, then he would never be wrong about these predictions. A good track record isn't good enough. Only 100% accuracy is the proof that someone's prognostications are truly from the Most High God.

I've sensed things about the future before that I thought were from God. Sometimes they were right. Sometimes they were wrong. Which is why I didn't share them publicly or claim to be speaking on God's behalf. I'm not a prophet. I'm a child of God who yearns to listen to his Daddy's voice. But sometime's in my childishness, I misinterpret what He is saying to me. And with Pat this time around, I'm hoping that's the case.

My prognostications for 2007:
#1. Billions of people will ignore Pat Robertson's prognostications.
#2. Erin Bird will not resolve his parenthetical digression problem (because it's not a problem... really... it's not... I can quit at any time... see...).

OneP3 - For hurting wives

I am not a female and I have a GREAT marriage. Yet I found myself inspired by the women behind OneP3. They are two women going through separation and divorce. But their response to their pain is amazing.

I love how they have clung to God in the midst of their pain. I'm inspired by how they have made a decision to still be women of the Word even when their husbands aren't being men of their word. I'm encouraged by their honesty. And I'm praying that God through his grace can make something beautiful out of their marriage messes by renewing not only their marriages, but of others who hear their story.

I think what encourages me personally so much by this is that for years I have been telling pre-married couples and struggling married partners that "marriage is not yours. It is God's. And because marriage belongs to God, you don't do things in this marriage ultimately for your spouse - you do them ultimately for God. So even if your husband is not leading or your wife is not submitting, you are still called by God to fulfill your role, no matter how tough things get."

That is so hard to hear, and even harder to live out, but I believe it to be true. And obviously the women of OneP3 believe it as well. And they are actually trying to live it out, no matter how tough things are right now. It's affirming to see someone living out something you've been preaching for years (even if they aren't doing it because of me!).

If you have a female friend going through a tough marital relationship, please show her this site. She might be encouraged by it, and be inspired to do the things that will draw her husband back to her. Now we need to find a guys' site that will tell guys to love and lead their wives by following Christ's example - death - even if their wife is like Gomer.