The ME Monster
Challenged yesterday by Gus our Executive Pastor in our staff meeting about having a genuine concern for others. To show them enough courtesy to actually look them in the eye and listen to what they have to say and be able to respond with questions. So many times we get caught up in the busyness of the church and we get running and have a list of people that we are trying to connect with that we don’t stop and listen to the stories of the people who matter…you.
On the other side is listening with only the intention of answering. Not really listening. Listening so we can have an answer and sound smart. We covered this in our life group last week. Sometimes listening does not require an answer. Sometimes listening is giving the other person a chance to talk through their thoughts. Sometimes our only intent is to answer to sound smart. To one up them. To turn the answer around so that it becomes about us. I have found myself several times doing this. Answering to sound smart, to hear myself, to impress others. It really is pathetic if you think about it. I have been working on the spiritual discipline of silence. I am currently trying to learn from everybody and anybody no matter who they are or what their age.
For me if I ever get to the point that I convey I know more or even feel like I can’t learn from somebody else then I have a pride issue and I have lost my right to lead. If I ever get to the point where it is all about me and hearing myself answer to sound smart, or to impress or to appear to have it all together, I have lost my right to lead. If I ever get to the point that your story does not matter to me, I have lost my right to lead.
Be careful with trying to sound or appear wise because in the end you will sound and look like a fool. Make sure that people matter to you and make sure that what they say matters to you because I guarantee what they have to say matters to God. Who they are matters to God.
Do you ever find yourself doing any of this? I would love for you to share.
Below is a Brian Regan clip and a SNL clip about the ME Monster. What does it sound or look like when it’s all about you?
Justin Timberlake -SNL
His Friends Call Him J.T.
Got this over on Jon Acuff’s blog called Stuff Christians Like.
Here is what he says: “This has very little to do with anything else except that it’s funny and this site is about funny things. Justin Timberlake had to cancel a hosting of Saturday Night Live. So, to make up for it, he showed up and did the entire show in 2 minutes. Brilliant stuff. There’s a quick NBC commercial at the beginning but what follows is one of the most creative things I’ve seen in a long time. Check out the video after the jump.”
Underdog’s & Zyrtec
There is something about the seasons changing that gets me all excited. Maybe it’s because I love change. I know some people hate it and even fear it but I love change. I love the adventure and the challenge that it brings. I love mixing things up and flying by the seat of my pants, which I have no idea what that means and it honestly does not sound very comfortable. So Spring is coming and with that a fresh start and a chance to maybe even renew some goals that fell apart by January 6th. Here are a few reasons why I like spring.
- Yes it’s getting warmer which is nice until the humidity is at 80%. Then I’m ready for fall.
- Yes I don’t have to shovel, de-ice, defrost or layer up.
- Yes I will spend my weekly allowance on products like Clariton and Zyrtec.
- Yes I will have an extra hour a day to convince my children to go to bed even though the sun is still up.
- Yes my car will have a fuzz grow on it for weeks no matter how many times I wash it because of a little thing I like to call pollen.
Ok so maybe those don’t sound like a whole lot of great reasons to celebrate Spring but what about these?
- March Madness is here! Honestly Thursday and Friday should be a national holiday. Christmas is great but there is nothing like picking the underdog to win and seeing it happen on your bracket. This is the happiest season of all.
- Spring Training is nearing completion and baseball is about to start. Which means road trips to ball games with a friend as I get challenged with presidential trivia.
- I get to put the top down on my Jeep…oh crap, scratch that, I had to sell it…Yes I’m BITTER, back off.
- BBQ…pretty sure that is enough said right there but in case you missed it…BBQ, there it is again for you.
- I love the mountains but I really like the beach. I’m just not a fan of the sand. Love the boardwalk or maybe it’s just all the food on the boardwalk. Either way its a ton of fun for us and the boys.
So those are just a few things. What are some of your favorite parts of Spring? What is your favorite season?
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The Farmers Market
Our staff went out today not for lunch but for an experience. I went to Booths Corner for the first time today which is your typical farmers market. What I was not expecting is to lose self control at every booth. Here is a few things that I ate today at lunch.
- Bacon, Ranch & Chicken pretzel wrap
- Sausage sandwich
- Cinnamon role
- 2 bowls of mini donuts
- Spiral potato on a stick
- Chili cheese dog
- Cheese fries
Here are some things that I learned.
- The farmers market is the Disney world for food lovers. There is something for everyone. Trust me I know now.
- Eating large quantities of food is always more fun with the staff. Except for when they take pictures and make fun of you.
- Our entire staff knows how to eat. I am not the only one with an appetite, women included.
- Bring cash. They don’t like credit.
- I can eat, buy car parts, shoes and get a hair cut all in one place. Great time management.
- Lost of Amish people, but not horse and buggies. How did they get there?
- Stand there long enough and they will give you free samples.
- Don’t settle for the first round, scope the place out and don’t just settle for mediocrity.
- Get home quick. I’ll leave it at that.
Elmo Goodnight Lullabies
If your bored tonight and find yourself done watching the X-Games or your done watching the Sixers lose to the Lakers 
and you want to spend three minutes potentially laughing, check out this video.
25 Days Of Christmas_Day 21
There is a guy who is a phenomenal blogger named Jon Acuff who runs a blog called Stuff Christians Like. He has the incredible ability to take everyday “Christian” stuff and make it humorous. This is a re-post directly from Saying Merry Christmas that I thought was hilarious and insightful. Check out what he writes in bold.
I wasn’t going to write about this one. The Christmas season was going to come and go and I wasn’t even going to touch it. Like every fraternity at Samford University’s view of Freshman Jon Acuff, I was going to reject this.
Until I saw the billboard.
Sunday night, driving home from vacation with my family outside of Atlanta, GA, I saw a new billboard.
On a background of festive red, with big white letters I read a simple message:
I miss you saying “Merry Christmas.” – Jesus
And that’s when, much like the mafia, just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back into the conversation.
I don’t have a problem with that billboard, but there are three things it calls to mind:
1. We invented the phrase “Merry Christmas.”
I’ve only read the Bible from front to back one time. I read it a lot, but from a “read through it straight in 2 years point of view” I’ve only taken one spin. But when I did, I swear I couldn’t find the phrase, “Merry Christmas” anywhere. That billboard kind of makes it seem like Paul said that while he was making tents before he went on his wild missions. “Making tents on Christmas Eve. That is completely bogus. No one even said ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. All these heathen tent makers all say, ‘Happy Holidays.’ So whack.”
2. How do we know Jesus misses that?
Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn’t. I honestly don’t know. Maybe Jesus would say things like “I miss hearing you say, ‘Let’s play some Frisbee golf’” or “I miss hearing you say that you pre-ordered the ‘Stuff Christians Like
3. We would be upset if someone else quoted Jesus for their cause.
If some other group made a billboard that quoted Jesus and that quote was not solidly based in the Bible, we would go spider monkey crazy. (You might rock out squirrel monkey style, but that’s really a personal preference thing.) If someone, even just for emphasis, quoted Jesus as supporting their cause and it wasn’t straight up Bible, we would be straight up upset.
I will see that billboard everyday during my commute, but I’m at peace with it. And there’s a pretty simple reason – It’s not belligerent. I always get a little weirded out when people aggressively make the distinction between “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays.” I completely understand the frustration with a culture that is actively and deliberately removing Christ at every given opportunity, but when we angrily say, “It’s ‘Merry Christmas, not happy holidays!’” we might as well say, “It’s ‘Merry Christmas,’ not happy holidays you jerk!” And that makes people want to celebrate winter solstice instead of whatever those grumpy, fight you on a vernacular level Christians are down with.
I promise.
25 Days Of Christmas_Day 17
This is the most pointless Christmas commercial I have ever seen. It is a spoof on a Calvin Klein commercial. It made me laugh and so I am passing it on to you. I especially loved Santa running down the street with the milk bottles. I am warning you this commercial carries no value with it.
If you have been in youth ministry for any length of time than you will find this funny. I so don’t fit the stereotypical youth pastor. Found this on Josh Griffin’s blog who is a youth pastor at Saddleback.
Beginning and the End
I heard today on the radio that there is a statistic that says 50% of all “PEOPLE” will get divorced which differs from the statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce. I have no statistics to back this up but I would disagree. I think that 50% of all marriages end in divorce but not people. There are many out there who end up divorced several times. I wonder if that is added into that statistic or if it is taken into consideration? The videos below are funny but what do they say about our view on the seriousness of marriage? The second video entertained me but at the end I was left feeling and wondering do people who get divorces really think it’s that simple?
