Celebrating Baptism

While I typically cannot sleep on Saturday nights, I have an extra measure of excitement when I know that I will baptize someone the following day. Church members seem to smile a little larger and shake my hand a little firmer on those Sundays when the baptistery is full of water. After the service, our entire church celebrates with a huge birthday cake for the one who just professed their faith. I believe that all churches should celebrate baptism. We put so much hype into a wedding (and rightly so), but a wedding represents the second most important decision a person will ever make. A decision to follow Jesus Christ is infinitely more important – the celebration should be exponentially larger than a wedding reception.

So when I read this story, I rejoiced with NewSpring Church. They had the marvelous problem of figuring out how to baptize 562 people in one day. What did they do? They set up above ground pools and held a tailgating party in the parking lot. Praise God for revival in the land! Thank you, NewSpring, for showing us how to party!

All in Common Vice

If you’re a pastor, you know firsthand that some of the funniest moments in life occur in the church. One of these ‘moments’ came this Sunday in our church while singing during worship. My father and mother, visiting from Nashvegas, pointed out that we sang “all in common vice.” Apparently, the great PowerPoint typo this week was changing the word “voice” to “vice” in one of the worship songs.

We got a good laugh at lunch when my Dad mentioned it. Of course, I didn’t even notice the typo and was singing all along that we were all in one common vice together.

At least either way you read the typo, we held to a correct biblical doctrine.

The wonders of spell-check…the blessings of laughter…

India: The Statistical Center of Gravity

Before I was called into the ministry, I worked for a commodities firm trading power and natural gas for large industrial end-users. During my tenure at the company, I was placed on a team overseeing some of the technological advances we would introduce to our clients. We ended up outsourcing a good portion of the work to a company in India. They would build the system overnight; we would come in the next morning and double-check their work.

During this process, I interacted with several people from the country, mainly via email and conference calls. Though I didn’t build any real relationships, it opened my eyes to a massive trend in the corporate world: outsourcing technology departments oversees to India,

Reading this article opened my eyes further. According to recent research, India is the statistical center of gravity for those that have never heard the good news message of Jesus Christ.

“Statistical center of gravity” is a demographic term referencing the global point where an equal number of a people live to the north, south, east and west. India is that point for the unreached population of the world.

This article also revealed that 86 percent of the world’s Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists don’t personally know a Christian.

So the next time you call your bank, credit card, mortgage company, or any other call center, remember that India is the bulls-eye for the world’s lost. Remember that the person holding the other end of the phone may be talking to a Christian for the first time. Remember that this may be the only opportunity for them to hear the gospel. Perhaps you might find yourself winning someone to Christ a world away.

The Naked Pastor and the Great Commission

I was recently posed a simple question: “What makes a church innovative in fulfilling the Great Commission?” Innovation is making creative changes or introducing a new perspective on something already firmly established.

The Great Commission is established in Matthew 28, right before Christ ascends into heaven, leaving the disciples to continue the good news message of great hope and security. Since Scripture is the incarnate Word, unchanging as God is unchanging, how does one innovate on the gospel?

Obviously, the message itself doesn’t change – rather the mode, means, and ways of communication change. Scripture is sufficient; no other additions or subtractions to the gospel are necessary. Indeed, such changes are heresy. But the way we spread the gospel must be contextualized to the culture. You’ll never reach anyone without going and telling – couch potato Christians will never be great soul winners. Additionally, you’ll find difficulty in reaching people for Christ without first connecting with them – you must somehow communicate validly to them the unchanging gospel message. Whatever barriers exist (language, culture, etc), they must first be broken.

So when I came across this church, which is broadcasting their pastor’s every move for five weeks straight (24-hours a day), it got my attention. They call the undertaking “my naked pastor.” This nakedness, or transparency according to them, is to demonstrate how we all live in a fishbowl. Their goal? To reveal that the more transparent people are, the more God does amazing things through them. Without a doubt, it’s an innovative way to spark a connection between people, the church, and God. But what do you think? Does a stunt like this break down barriers or put up new ones? How could it help further the gospel message?

Cartographic Links

I must admit to you an odd fascination. Ever since I was a child, I have loved looking at maps. My parents gave me a globe for Christmas one year, and what would have been a neglected gift by most children, I used frequently. Geography was one of my favorite subjects in junior high; my free electives in college were used to take geography classes.

My addiction to the weather channel is directly attributed to the trance it puts me in as I watch weather patterns crisscross over the lower 48. Google Earth is perhaps one of the greatest tools on the Internet.

So when one of my friends in the ministry emailed me the following links, I was fascinated. If you’re as engrossed with maps as I am (probably not, but they still are quite interesting), you’ll like to take a visit here and here.