tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1344290 2011-07-12T15:01:38-07:00 This is an old blog. Aaron now blogs at www.mosaicpastor.com TypePad typepad/aaronloy/a_ragamuffins_bloghttp://feedburner.google.com tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833014e89cbbf85970d 2011-07-12T15:01:38-07:00 2011-07-14T12:34:14-07:00

Hey friends, it's true, this will be my last post on the Ragamuffin Blog. It's been good to me, but the truth is I have been wanting to move over to Wordpress for a while now. It is every bit as quality and it is free (a real plus for us poor church planter types:). And that's not to mention that the real Mike Hegberg has hooked me up with one sweet new design! From here on out, I will...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/07/goodbye-ragamuffin-blog.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833015432d9d273970c 2011-06-29T06:07:06-07:00 2011-06-29T06:07:06-07:00

Today I want to continue the conversation we began a couple weeks ago about the big "P" word: pornography. Porn is a booming, multibillion dollar industry that continues to grow in both scope and accessibility with personal technology. It's big money, and for scores of men and their families, it's big trouble. Millions of men have fallen victim to addiction, with some sources suggesting as many as 90% of men struggling with pornography in some capacity. Today I want to...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/06/faith-theres-an-app-for-that-part-2.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330154326d00fe970c 2011-06-24T09:14:51-07:00 2011-06-24T09:14:51-07:00

Alright, so I am going to put aside the porn talk one more time because there is something I really want to tell you about before it's too late. For the past couple years, I have been a part of something that has profoundly shaped the way that I live, the way that I lead, and the way that I pastor. It is called RHYTHMinTWENTY. Rhythm is a two year journey with twenty other world changers from around the country...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/06/rhythmintwenty.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330154330391b9970c 2011-06-15T09:17:11-07:00 2011-06-18T20:30:48-07:00

Father's Day is this Sunday, so while I promise to wrap up our conversation around kicking porn, I wanted to take a minute a few days out to honor the fathers. For those looking for fresh material, ideas, or just a good story, here are some videos in honor of all the dads out there. I also love this version of the "Team Hoyt" story, set to Sigur Ros. One idea for pastors would be to show this version and...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/06/fathers-day-videos.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833014e88cc9493970d 2011-06-10T07:36:17-07:00 2011-06-15T09:19:46-07:00

"Yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see. But I still love technology. Always and forever." - Kip, Napoleon Dynamite Technology isn't just useful or sexy, it's downright powerful. When we were preparing to launch Mosaic, we trained our launch team on how to effectively use common, everyday tech to spread the word about what we were doing. This was done more out of necessity than strategy, as we had little money to allocate to marketing....

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/06/faith-theres-an-app-for-that.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833014e88ce78d5970d 2011-06-01T07:42:23-07:00 2011-06-15T09:18:46-07:00

My dad gave this to me a very long time ago. I must admit that for a long time, I really didn't like it. I couldn't appreciate it's drab, almost cynical outlook on the task of church planting. It rubbed my vision and my idealism the wrong way. For my dad, however, I could tell it had become over the years a deep source of solace for him during difficult times; something he returned to regularly, perhaps to remind himself...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/church-plantingcount-the-cost.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301538e959061970b 2011-05-19T12:13:22-07:00 2011-05-19T12:16:49-07:00

I love creativity. I love stories. And I love when people come together and combine the two to create something beautiful and meaningful. This is a short film made by some of my friends. Enjoy.

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/supermarket-superhero.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301543238cce9970c 2011-05-11T09:50:36-07:00 2011-05-11T09:52:19-07:00

A couple days ago we had the great opportunity of having our first ever baptism service at Mosaic! On Sunday morning, seven men and women stepped up to publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. It was awesome. Nevermind that one of our amps caught on fire last week, or that we inadvertantly flooded the back of the Bourbon Theater on Friday when we broke a water pipe retrieving Rivertree's baptismal from the rafters. (Ah, the joys of church planting.) On Sunday, none of that mattered...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/our-first-baptism-service.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301538e54485d970b 2011-05-06T12:37:46-07:00 2011-05-06T12:37:46-07:00

Photo RT: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Illustration-Mix/1355399 One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was, “Don’t give away leadership too early.” Now I have to admit this was initially a hard truth for me to accept. I mean, shouldn't we strive to see the best in people? Isn't unleashing the potential of others a central part of leading? I believe both of these things are true of those called to lead, but I am learning that choosing to see what could...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/dont-give-away-leadership-too-early.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301538e4f7ce1970b 2011-05-05T11:36:05-07:00 2011-05-05T11:37:04-07:00

This week a friend asked me an interesting question. Standing at the foot of a trail just outside Estes Park, CO, he looked at me and asked, “Aaron, how would you feel if Jesus returned tomorrow?” Without missing a beat, I responded, “Excited,” and after a little more thought conceded, ”And probably a little disappointed.” Now I know when my Savior triumphantly returns in all power and glory, there will be no lasting feelings of disappointment on that day. But...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/joyless-christianity-really.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301538e3fee3a970b 2011-05-02T07:01:26-07:00 2011-05-02T07:01:26-07:00

Here are some photos from our Easter gathering. There are more on our Flickr page at www.flickr/photos/mosaiclincoln. Photos by Britni Grace.

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/mosaic-easter-photos.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833014e8831e3f9970d 2011-05-01T22:49:29-07:00 2011-05-06T12:41:21-07:00

This last week we had our very first Easter worship gathering at Mosaic. To be honest, weeks before I had already decided in my mind that I really didn't like everything that comes with Easter Sunday. People bring all types of expectations with them on Easter. Among other things, they expect your best shot. And for those of us who are missionally minded, we know that people will come on Easter who aren't normally there - meaning a great opportunity...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/05/a-mosaic-easter.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833014e882d714f970d 2011-04-30T21:47:35-07:00 2011-04-30T21:53:33-07:00

This past week I had the privelege of attending the Exponential church planting conference with my wife, Megan, down in Orlando. During the first main session, Francis Chan apparently made some comments about Rob Bell that were pointed and of a personal nature. (Unfortunately, I wasn't there to hear it since I had unknowingly led my wife to slaughter that morning as we sat through high pressure sales pitch for a time share. After saying "no" no fewer than 12...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/04/francis-chan-apologies-for-rob-bell-comment.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301538e306153970b 2011-04-28T20:12:34-07:00 2011-04-29T06:16:30-07:00

Hey there, strangers! It is a bit sad to think the last time I posted a blog was to announce that we had launched Mosaic! Now we are eight weeks in, we are growing, God is moving in the lives of people, and we are beginning to find our rhythm. Perhaps more accurately, I am beginning to find my own rhythm as a Christ follower/husband/dad/pastor, in that order. It has been a process, one that I sometimes feel we are...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/04/a-new-beginning.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330147e31a705e970b 2011-03-09T09:13:38-08:00 2011-03-09T09:14:17-08:00

It’s official, Mosaic has launched! Sunday marked the long awaited launch of Mosaic with our first weekly worship gathering. We knew that people were excited about what God was preparing to do in and through this new community, but we were unprepared for the 250+ people who would join us on Sunday! It was an incredible morning in which many months of prayer and preparation all came together. The best part of the morning wasn’t number of people there, or...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2011/03/weve-launched.html