History in the Making

What I don't like about YouTube

It's taken me a while to put my finger on this feeling, but I think I've got an analogy. Ever see the movie AI where Haley Joel Osment is half-robot, half-human? Remember when he's on the lam and comes across a gladiator-like flesh fest where robots are being mutilated ~ shot through rotating blades from cannons ~ all before cheering crowds? Yeah. That's the feeling I get on YouTube.

On a Personal Note...

Whenever I'm occupied by events for several days in a row, Ainsley heads to Virginia Beach with the kids for some quality time with her fam. It's easier for her... safer... and hey, who wouldn't like to go to the beach? They're coming back today, and boy I'm ready for them to be back. All I've been eating are chips and orange juice. Oh... Ains wrote a mushy post about sharing the same bed with our 3-year old Wyatt for a few nights...

Ains and I finally got a settlement date for our new home in August. We're excited about getting our own little piece of the northern Virginia pie after 6 years of watching the local real estate market skyrocket out of reach. God is providing this place to us in a miraculous way because there's no way we could have done it without him. Our desire is to impact every neighborhood we live-in for Christ in some way. Downside is... now I have to learn how to do home repair. ugh.

New Message Series on Vision

I LOVE talking about our church's vision. And we're doing it again starting this Sunday with a series called Elevation. We compare our three ministry environments ~ Sunday morning, small groups and leadership ~ to three aspects of mountain climbing: The guest lodge, climbing teams and sherpas who know their way up the mountains. Love these graphics by Josh Wilcox, our amazingly gifted designer.

Holy Hangover from Getting Buzzed

Talk about a spiritually enriching couple of days at Buzz. Wow. Here are some notable quotables from day two...

Craig Groeschel

"Our prayer to God should be: 'Disturb me'"
"I confess I'm a recovering 'practical athiest'"
"A practical athiest is someone who believes God exists but lives as though he does not."
"In college, I felt called to ministry, but no one was calling."

"We make the mistake of believing our effort is better than God's power."
"If I blame myself for the loss, I may very well take credit for the victory."
"Samson did not know the Lord had left him." ~ what a dangerous unawareness!

"You can't be a people pleaser in ministry because there are some things in the Bible that don't make people smile."

Mark Batterson

"If we ignore the culture, the culture will ignore us."
"At NCC, we are building an airplane in the air."
"1% of the intangibles make 99% of the difference in our church environments."

No iPhone Today... (sigh)

I have to wait until August 20 when Ainsley's Sprint contract expires. Maybe this is providential. Maybe the iPhone will be recalled next month due to frozen keypads or defective batteries. Or maybe Apple will announce a new iPhone that shoots video... [Work with me... I'm justifying the pain here]

So go stand in line you early adopters! Gloat all you want!

I'll get the iPhone 2.0 on August 21.

My Mind is Still Buzzing...

I'm the kind of guy who reads more between the lines than what's actually there. I designated an entire page in my Buzz notebook to record thoughts that had nothing to do with what the speakers said, but everything to do with what God was telling me. I won't reveal the more vulnerable ones, but here are some suitable for public consumption...

- The right video can be really, really powerful. I poo-poo videos most weeks because they're such hard work, but Mark showed a video today that really grabbed me, and I want our people to be touched in similar ways.

- I'm good at killing things that aren't fruitful in my personal ministry. But am I looking at the fruitfulness of our people's roles and giving them permission to stop doing what isn't working?

- I haven't talked about my whole vision for RCC because I'm afraid it would scare some people. I need to get over my fear so they can get over theirs.

- I need to improve my listening. Listening to the lyrics of songs. Listening to the needs of our community. Listening to the wisdom of our people. Listening to the cries of culture.

- The worst fate, in my opinion, that our church could suffer is not running out of money, not losing people... but being ignored by our community.

- What good is a church that runs like a well-oiled machine if it isn't reaching lost people?

Two trains leave from different stations...

I've got an iProblem.

Ains and I have a shared cell phone plan at Sprint.
My phone number is the account holder.
My 2 year contract is long over.
Ainsley's got until August 20.
I want the iPhone from AT&T.
This weekend.
I can't switch my number without killing Ainsley's account.
But we'll still have to pay for service... that she's not getting.
Sprint won't make Ainsley the account holder.
Without another 2 year contract.
Which she doesn't want.

Do I hold off my iDreams until August 20.
Or do we pay Ainsley's $150 cancellation fee.
Or does the Sprint CEO read my blog?

Craig Groeschel: Final Session of Day One

Craig Groeschel doesn't disappoint. Some great thoughts to finish up day one...

• You have everything you need to reach the people God has called you to reach.
• Limited resources + Increasing passion = Exponential innovation.
• Our problem is not limited resources... it's diminishing passion.

And his four main points...

1. Innovative Leaders Heal the Sick
   It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
   "To reach sinners, you have to sit in the smoking section."
   Who is God calling you to reach that no one else is reaching?
2. Innovative Leaders Love to Break the Rules
   Unlike NASCAR drivers, innovative leaders turn right.
   The church has more ungodly, stupid rules than anyone else.
   Today's contemporary is tomorrow's traditional.
   What is God calling you to try that hasn't been done before?
3. Innovative Leaders Offend Pharisees
   The things closest to the heart of God are what offend Pharisees most.
   Don't worry when people criticize you; worry when they don't.
   What new thing is God calling you to create that will be hated today?
4. Innovative Leaders Redefine Success
   Stop trying to build attendance and start building the Church.
   Success is not what we think it is.

Tim Stevens at Buzz Conference

Tim Stevens of Granger Community Church just gave one of the most powerful talks on being missional that I've ever heard. I felt my heart being pierced over and over again with conviction... and the video illustrations he used from Granger drove his points into proof positive. Some sticky thoughts...

• He quoted Jim Collins on the giant concrete flywheel of momentum. It takes a lot of pushing to get to a place where the flywheel starts to spin on its own.
• Most churches don't create momentum because they're not doing anything to impact the community.
• The unbelieving people in our community have a veil of need over their faces. They're blind to any presentation of the Gospel until someone helps lower the veil.
• Find great art and recreate it.
• People don't learn from information dumping; they've been reprogrammed to think visually.

Tim used several videos that were extremely powerful ~ but Buzz was again plagued with technical problems this year [as any portable conference would be], so there were some glitches that diluted the impact. But the first few hours of Buzz have already satisfied the cost of admission for me... and Craig Groeschel hasn't even gone yet.

Doh! I'm late for his session... I'm sitting in the Amtrak terminal at Union Station surrounded by friendly homeless guys....

Blogging Live from Buzz Conference in DC

Matt and I are here at Union Station in DC for the Buzz Conference. The environment has improved 200% from last year. The theater installed luxurious, high-back leather seats; allowed NCC to install their lighting in the theater; and the Buzz-themed decor looks great. Not many bloggers here this year from what I can tell, nor many local pastors. But the theater is full, and the atmosphere is exciting...

Mark Batterson kicked it off with an adaptation of the CIA's 10 Moscow Rules for its secret agents during the Cold War Era. You can find the list on his blog... but here are a couple of other thoughts that stuck with me from his talk:

• In the parable of the talents, the reward for good work was more work.
• We all have fig trees in our lives that we need to curse, just as Jesus did, because they're not bearing fruit.
• When we quote the Bible, we gain credibility with Christians. When we quote non-biblical sources, we gain credibility with unbelievers.
• Leadership is keeping what is sacred from becoming routine.

Hump Day Review

Doesn't look like anyone is live-blogging Buzz Conference this Thursday and Friday, so I'll have to step up and save the day... my Canon PowerShot is broken, so I may have to get creative with my camera phone.

The iPhone is out at 6:00 pm on Friday??? Wha? Are we gonna have to stand in line for this thing like Tickle Me Elmo at Christmastime?

Speaking of iPhone, NY Times columnist David Pogue You Tube's the arrival of his own iPhone... hilarious.

A key location in Reston Town Center has greenlit free advertising space for our church during the week... giddyup. I won't mention who, just in case the company's national office Googles themselves. Don't want to ruin a good thing.

Speaking of... my blog once got tracked by Klondike Bar for mentioning one of their products in a post I wrote called "The Klondike Bar Effect."

I spent this evening prayer walking Reston Town Center. It's such a parisian city-like environment in the evening... fountains spewing, lovers strolling, winebibbers laughing, romantic music playing.

I'm gonna do it... I noticed that Zondervan is accepting unsolicited book proposals in the area of ministry resources for church leaders, so I'm going to send in a proposal for a book I've been working on for several years called "Waiting for the Wind." I've got 6 of 12 chapters drafted so far... This has been a dream of mine for...

Do they make ribbons for that?

One day in Heaven, I think we're going to realize that evangelism is the greatest humanitarian relief effort in the world. I love that we can do everything we can to avert death on the physical level... but what ultimately matters is not what kills the body, but the soul. To consider this cause less compassionate is to totally underestimate the presence of God.

Holy Hangover

Our leadership team met at Silver Diner in Reston last night until almost midnight. I'm so tired I could puke today... but man, was it encouraging. So blessed to be able to serve with the guys I do.

Thank Goodness for Bluetooth

I must look like the neighborhood stalker because I prayer-walk most nights in our development. On Saturday nights, I'm usually vocalizing my message for Sunday as well, so it's a lot of passionate talking and walking... which has made for a few embarrassing run-ins with unexpected passers-by. I've resolved the issue by carrying my cell phone with me and quickly addressing a fellow named Gary on the phone whenever I get caught off guard. I know that the last thing I'd want in our neighborhood is a man walking around, late at night, apparently talking to himself. =)

Our crazy little man is learning to swim

This morning, after staff meeting, I peeked through the fence at our neighborhood pool where our 3-year old Wyatt is learning to swim. It warms your heart as a father to see your little booger growing up. So far, he's not doing very well though. Ainsley said he yelled at the life guard all morning for pressuring him. =) I've been praying with Wyatt that he would have courage for his swim lessons... so apparently we're encountering some spiritual warfare. =)

What's Your Prop?

The incredible book "Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln" describes how effective leaders embrace "props" to reinforce their images. Lincoln, for example, didn't just wear a stovepipe hat on the one occasion he was photographed ~ that was his signature prop to help him appear even taller. Churchill smoked stogies as a part of his image. George Washington used to climb out of his carriage a mile outside of town so he could ride-in on a white horse. These were all strategic "props" to reinforce their carefully crafted images.

I can think of several "influencers" today who use "props" to craft their images: Chuck Colson's thick-framed glasses, Steve Jobs' black crew neck, Rick Warren's Hawaiin shirts... Tucker Carlson abandoned his bow-tie, but it was working for him.

Divine Moments

Ainsley told me an incredible story about her sister Tiffany yesterday... She and her husband Lou live in Virginia Beach and attend a church that was started by my friend Jason Roberts. They were having a driveway conversation with a neighbor who is highly reluctant to attend church. After declining their invitation to go with them, he admitted that if he could have a spiritual conversation with anyone, it would be with a guy who used to coach his soccer team long ago. "What's his name?" Tiffany asked. "Jason Roberts," he said.

"He's our pastor."

Encouragement by Numbers

The analyst in me loves stats. So if you have trouble mixing strategy and ministry, this post isn't for you...

But the chart below attached represents almost five years of attendance at History Church-now-Reston Community Church. You can see the major holidays up high... and the winter blizzards down low. You can see the periods when we lost worship leaders... and the season after Matt Morgan came on-staff two years ago this month.

I've drawn a trend line across the lowest numbers to show our growth [because the low ones are the only realistic measure]. And I've highlighted the period in our church 8 months ago that prompted our relaunch in the Town Center. It was our own personal dip that we got through.

I was telling Ainsley this morning at Tyson's Corner mall that seeing the recovery of our tend line has been so encouraging to me... and she told me to blog this. So here it is.

White-Knuckle Sunday Mornings

Sunday morning, our worship pastor Matt arrived early to discover that the annual Reston Town Center bicycling races had completely surrounded our theater location with their track! This is extremely-fast, pro-level bike racing ~ even the national champion was on-hand to do a few laps. So not only did all of our guests have to wait for breaks in the races to cross the street... but our theater was completely inaccessible for our trailer.

Matt chased down the race marshall and explained our situation. Thankfully, he obliged us by letting us move the trailer across the street during a brief interlude in the race... so it all worked out. But needless to say, it was a white-knuckle morning.

Baby dedication was incredible ~ tons of guests. And newcomer's lunch at Uno's Pizza after the service is always a blast for me. Photo of Matt dedicating our little guy Dylan for us in the service...

Sunday Tomfoolery

A theremin is an electronic instrument that was invented in 1919 and is played by motioning your hand over a stream of air to manipulate sounds. If any of you are fans of Gnarls Barkley's song Crazy, this'll tickle your fancy: The guys in this video passed the sounds of a theremin through a guitar effects plugin to reproduce his hit song. In other words, Gnarls' voice is being reproduced purely by the subtleties of hand and finger movements.