Tag Archives: action

The Twenty #3 – Why church is Relevant for Me

I used to work at a church where “relevant” was tossed around like a baseball. It was one of three words that closed out our mission statement. But, I’ll be honest, these days I cringe a little bit inside when I hear the words “relevant” and “church” in the same sentence.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think church should be relevant. But, I’m not sure it should be a primary focus. I think the climb up the mountain of “relevancy” can be a slippery slope.

I believe that the concept of “church” will always be relevant because God designed us to live and love and learn in community…in the church. However, that may not always be the case with the institution or organization of the local church. For me, the local church is only relevant if it’s a representation of the Church.

These days, church is more than just a place I go to on Sunday mornings. And that’s what makes it relevant for me. It is family. It is support. It is accountability. It is love. It is compassion. It is encouragement. It is being challenged. It is brokenness and grace in action. It is rest. It’s gathering together with people whose hearts are knit together in some way to worship the One who created them all. It is the Church in action. And that makes it “relevant.”

Is church “relevant” for you? Why or why not?

2 Comments Church

Saving the Church?

“The arts will save the Church.”

I’ve heard that said countless times in the last couple of months and I’ve even said it myself. But, the more I’ve been thinking about it, the more something about that phrase just doesn’t sit right with me.

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that the arts can have a very meaningful and sacred place in worship. They can both guide people to the Father’s feet and be a response of worship when sitting there. However, I think saying they will save the church is giving them entirely too much power. To be honest, I’m not sure that the Church even needs saving. And if it does, I think it’s a bit presumptuous of any of us to think that something we do will save it.

Now here’s the thing, I understand what most people who say something like that mean…where they’re coming from and what they’re getting at. But, I think that language…one of something we do saving the Church…is a dangerous one…one that will slowly change our motivations if we’re not careful.

Honestly, that realization is a relief to me…it takes away a lot of pressure. Does that mean I stop using my creative and artistic gifts to serve the Church in worship? Absolutely not. But, it does mean that I remember that the Church doesn’t need me or my art or creativity. That at the end of the day I’m simply asked to pour out what has been given to me.

I just can’t shake a question that’s been nagging at me for months…what would it look like if “better” art or “more” creativity wasn’t our focus. I wonder if a focus on truly living out the faith we claim to have as a community of believers would result in expressions of worship far beyond anything we could ever imagine because they wouldn’t be born out of a creative brainstorming session but rather an encounter with the living God as we walk in relationship with Him.

I don’t have the answers of what that “should” look like…or even necessarily if the Church “should” look like that to begin with. I just like to ask the inconvenient questions. :)

Thoughts?

3 Comments Church, Creativity, Worship

Method to the Madness

I may have a great deal of artistic dreamer in me, but at the end of the day being organized is what keeps me productive. I cannot focus without systematic organization of some sort…but I will admit that too much kills the creativity so there is a balance. Organization allows me to execute ideas and projects that would otherwise remain simply ideas. I used to live by post-it notes, my spiral bound planner, and a dry-erase wall calendar. But, these days my organization has gone digital. I thought I’d take a minute to share some of my favorite apps and a bit of my workflow for getting and staying organized.

Things
A few months ago I went looking for a more robust task-management system. The twittersphere offered up several suggestions. I tried Action Method for a bit but it didn’t stick for me…I think it was the lack of a desktop app…not really sure. I also tried out Things and it stuck. I’ve been using it for several months now and love it. The desktop app is a one time $49.99 and the iPhone app $10 I think. A small price in my opinion for getting and staying organized. The only feature I’m still waiting for: over the air syncing…right now it only syncs on a wireless network.

Things is my to-do list. You can set up areas of responsibility as well as projects within those areas. I really love, however, that I can add a to-do item that doesn’t fall into any of those categories…it just kind of floats. I can also schedule due-dates for items and even set them to repeat. For me, part of being able to create and dream is emptying my mind of distractions or things I’m trying to remember. When something comes to mind I put it into Things and then I can forget it. Since reading Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
I’ve been more disciplined at making sure the to-dos I put in are action steps…breaking projects down if necessary. At the start of the day I take a minute to rearrange the items in my list for that day in order of priority. Sometimes the list gets cleared. Other days, things get rescheduled because something else important arrises. I’m learning to be okay with that. :)

Evernote
This is a huge aggregation tool for me. I use it to collect ideas, articles, blog posts, conference notes, business cards, etc. If I find something I think I may want to remember I clip it into Evernote and file it in a variety of notebooks I have set up. I love the search capabilities and the fact that I can access it from my desktop or my iPhone. The things I put into Evernote are meant to last…they’re things I want to keep for future use and reference.

Simplenote & Notational Velocity
I started using this app duo after Scott McClellan wrote about it on the Collide Blog. It’s been great for capturing quick, random thoughts, important information, or just keeping details about a project within quick reach. Also, if I’m in a meeting or conversation and don’t have a paper journal with me, or just want electronic notes instead of handwritten, it’s great for that on the phone or desktop. For me, what goes into Simplenote isn’t meant to be permanent. I sort through it once a week (I have this scheduled in Things) and either let ideas/thoughts sit there and marinate a bit longer, delete them, or turn them into action steps in Things. Simplenote is more original thoughts & ideas whereas Evernote is often inspiration I’ve collected. Both of these are free apps. Simplenote is the iPhone version & Notational Velocity the desktop app but they sync over the air.

iCal
If something has to happen at a specific time, it goes in iCal. It is my appointment/places to be system. I don’t often put meetings and such into Things…I like to keep those separate from my task list…just how my brain works I guess. But I also don’t like to clutter my calendar with too many “to-do” items. There are two things I have in iCal so that I can get an alarm on my phone for them everyday – one is an Idea Capture and the other a Photo Capture. Just two things I attempt to use to make myself stop and take time to create for the sake of creation…not for a project or product.

Paper Journal
Yes, there are still times when I go analog. There is something about the physical act of writing that I like when it comes to recording long term goals/dreams/big ideas. There are also times when I’m in a meeting or conversation with someone and prefer handwritten notes to typed. Eventually though, everything in my paper journal ends up in one of the digital apps. Sometimes I file the notes/thoughts/ideas into Evernote for long-term keeping. Sometimes they go into an ongoing note I keep in Simplenote called “Blog Ideas” to marinate a big longer. There are others that become action steps in Things. I go through this paper journal about once every other week and filter things into Evernote, Simplenote, or Things. Sometimes, there are things that end up staying in the journal itself to marinate a bit longer.

So, there you have it, my favorites. Do you use any of these tools? What are others you use?

4 Comments Organization

Tribes vs. Movements

I read Seth Godin’s Tribes when it first came out, but recently decided I needed to re-read it. In the season of life I’ve found myself in “tribes” seem to be playing a big role. I’ve found a place in several different tribes of varying sizes. Tribes where I’ve found community, friends, & mentors. I’m also, somewhat begrudgingly, coming to the realization that whether I like it or not & whether I consider myself one or not, God may be calling me to be a leader within a tribe. And so, back to the basics I’m going.

I haven’t finished the book a second time yet, but in just the first few pages something struck me – the difference between a tribe & a movement. I think we often confuse or equate the two.

Godin defines a tribe as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” A few pages later in the book Godin says, “Every one of those [stuck] tribes, though, is a movement waiting to happen, a group of people just waiting to be energized and transformed…A movement is thrilling. It’s the work of many people, all connected, all seeking something better.”

You see, a tribe is not a movement. All that’s required to be a tribe is to exist with commonality. A tribe communicates with itself. A movement communicates with the world…through action. A movement requires action…a movement is a tribe in action…a tribe in action creates a movement.

And the world needs more than tribes, it needs movements. It needs people who step out in faith and do something…together.

Sidenote: I found the image above in a Flickr photo group for To Write Love on Her Arms –  a tribe that has created a movement of love. Check out what they’re doing here.

Comment Deep Thinking, Leadership, Relationships

The Week the World Got Smaller in Memphis

The world got smaller last week. Okay, maybe not literally, but it felt like it did…in so many ways.

I showed up in Memphis on July 3rd to help with a youth camp…that’s about all I knew going in. It was great! Paul told me there were some awesome people coming in to help out as well, though I didn’t know who they were, how he knew them, or where they were coming from. I’ll spare you the crazy God orchestrated details but turns out they weren’t as much “strangers” as I thought. I left Memphis with some incredibly amazing new friends…the type of people you meet and you just know that you met them for a time and a purpose much greater than you can imagine right now.

The world also got smaller in a completely different way. I feel like I literally spent the week in a third world country which has been transplanted right into the middle of Memphis. This “country” is an apartment complex consisting of 10-15 buildings with several apartments in each of them. Apartments that for the most part contain the bare minimum. Some of the apartments house 10 people…people who come from at least 11 different countries…and probably more. People who are refugees…who have stories beyond anything I can likely imagine. But most importantly they are people each created and loved by the same God who created and loves me. Wow! That fact makes the world seem much smaller than it is. It makes the things I think and worry about on a regular basis seem so incredibly minute. Because at the end of the day what matters to God is what should matter to me…people!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13. Faith equals action. Hope can change a life. Love makes the world smaller.

Comment Deep Thinking, Just Life, Missions