1) You’ve seen the bachelor.  You’ve seen the bachelorette.  But have you seen the Baby Bachelor?

2) Check out this witty & illustrated advice for what to do when animals attack.

3) Here’s a great story (and video) about a deployed father returning home and surprising his daughter.  Get your tissues out:

4) How to pick a fight and do something that matters.

5) Ads with an anti-abuse message that only kids can see.

Which do you think pleases God more:

1. A Christian going to another weekly Bible study? OR…
2. A Christian that partners with a local Muslim group to impact & serve the city?

Obviously, I don’t think that these options are mutually exclusive, but for far too long it seems Christians have placed a premium on separating from culture and “getting deeper” in Bible studies.  In the process we have lost a connection with people around us and, on a larger scale, lost our purpose.  Somehow we’ve forgotten that Christians are called to engage our culture around us and to work towards the restoration of all things in our world.

All things said, I am confident that the 2nd option would have a greater impact for God’s kingdom.  Sure…Bible study plays a role in the development of a Christian.  But don’t forget…our purpose, and “discipleship” as a whole, isn’t simply head knowledge.  And if we truly believe that every good thing comes from God, pursuing the Good should take precedence over the lie that every activity should be evangelistic.  We are called to love & serve people.  In the words of Bob Roberts, “We don’t serve to convert.  We serve because we are converted.”

We are called to engage ALL people, in ALL things, for a Greater Good.  If we can do that, we will all get a far clearer picture of Christ.

1) My friend David Hickman sharing about being ransomed from an imposter persona.

2) Here are pictures that we didn’t take before digital cameras.

3) A video capturing a son paying off his mother’s mortgage. (Found at Relevant Magazine.) 

4) Here are 7 honest church postcards.

5) And last but not least, Alex McManus talks about the implications of Sex with Robots.

Here’s what I have to say to you: as a Christian, your marriage is a reflection of Christ (see Eph. 5:32 & surrounding), so fight like hell for it!  

Some of you have probably convinced yourself that you have a “peace with God” about it.  I’m just not buying into that.  I don’t think that the same God that says that your marriage is a refection of Him would give you a peace about quitting on your marriage.

Divorce is not the solution.  Things like patience, humility, forgiveness, confession is a good place to start.  It won’t be easy, and honestly, it’s going to be one of the toughest things that you’ve ever done to restore your marriage.  Yet…reconciliation is what we as Christians are called to do (2 Cor. 5:18).  What better thing to reconcile than the commitment that you made before God to your spouse?

Point blank:  marriage is meant to last.  It’s not a used car that you should trade in just because you’re having some major (or minor) problems.  It’s your job to fix it.  Stop making excuses.  Stop pointing fingers & playing the blame game.  Hear out your spouse & listen to them.  Sit down together with a counselor.  Do whatever it takes to restore it.

I know that you may not like your spouse right now.   But if you love them, and more importantly, love this God that is reflected by your marriage relationship, you will fight for it.

1. Hilarious Video: Sh*t Nobody Says:

2. An MS Paint Version of LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem:

3. This post by Seth Godin called “Learning Leadership from Congress.”

4. A great post by my friend,  Ben Arment, about Scandalous Honor.

5. This post telling how a business made a 6’4″ Stormtrooper cake.

Photo by RobJewitt / Flickr

This past Sunday, I heard a great message about this simple truth: a good depiction of your heart is how you spend your money.  It’s a gut check for you when you really thinking about it.

Anyways, afterwards I was almost haunted when I took this a step further and thought:  a good picture of the heart of a church is how it spends its money.  I have really been wrestling with this.  When I read the Bible I see statements about taking care of the widows and orphans, fighting injustice, and taking a stand for the oppressed.  Yet very little, if any, of the money taken in by many churches is ever spent on these things.  Excuse me for saying it this way but… what in the hell happened?

I have been on staff at four churches in my life.  And get this…two of them spent 60-70% on staffing and the 30-40% on a facility.  For all of you that suck at math, that meant that 90-100% of the money taken in only covered paid staff and the building.  Sure…they had various times when they would donate some money for a cause or help out with something, but that was the exception and not the norm.  And the buildings sat empty for most of the week.

I see it in church plants all the time.  They work their tail off to raise money and where does the money go?  You guessed it…staff and renting a space.

There’s something wrong with this picture.  There are tons of people hurting, in need of help, or simply in need of someone to listen to them and be a friend, but often their cries and their lives go unnoticed by the Church.

As we move forward in creating a movement here in Columbia, I am committed to making sure that we put our money where our mouth, and where our heart, truly is. Hopefully other churches are, or will be, following suit.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  How does your church spend the money that it takes in?  What do you think about this idea?

“I can’t believe what they said!”
“How can they do this to me?”
“If I were in charge, I would….”
“The church is full of hypocrites.”
“We’re in this crappy situation because of Bush.”
“Obama is driving the country into the ground.”

The list can go on and on.  Being a critic by nature, I know that I’ve griped a lot about things.

What if we traded our complaining and b*t&^# about things and focused on being the solution?

I think that some real change would take place.  At the very least, our attitudes will change.

Don’t let your physical voice be your instrument for change.  Let your actions be your voice.

What is something that you can stop b*t&^# about and affect for change?

How often do Christian’s have an “it’s not you…it’s me” mentality with God?
Stay with me for a second.
We say that things aren’t going well in our spiritual life because “it’s me.”
But do we really believe that?
Do we really think that the problem is us?
Or could it be that…a lot of times…we truly feel like God’s the problem?

Why didn’t He answer my prayer?
Why didn’t He give me what I wanted?
How could He let that happen?
Why don’t I feel like God even cares?

Let’s face it.  We really don’t have faith in Him most of the time.
We feel like God’s not fulfilling MY needs or MY desires.
We don’t really think that we’re the problem.
Because if we did….we would change.

I wish we truly meant it.
It’s not You…It’s me.

Tell me what you think works or would work below in the comments.  (Leave out the things you wouldn’t do).