Andy's Blog

If you aren't a psychologist you can go ahead and stop reading this post. Alright, all psychologists now? Here's the question I pose on this proverbial, digital couch: why is it that I truly like Erik, but I can't stand JaSoN...

Ohh, you'd like a little bit of context.

Sure.

See, Erik is the creator of AllenHuntShowSucks.com. We sometimes exchange as much as 15-20 e-mails a week. He tells me when he goes on vacation. I tell him when I am sick. I generally care for him as a human being. He's an atheist. He pretty much hates everything I stand for. Our relationship reminds me of Professor X and Magneto in the movie X-Men. We are bitter sworn enemies, but we have a fondness and respect for one another that seems to transcend the enemy thing.

JaSoN on the other hand is an annoying blog commenter at TruthTalk Live (a Christian radio show, on Christian stations that Allen and I sometimes fill in on). JaSoN and I's relationship is strictly bound to the blog. He tells me I don't believe in Sola Scriptura. I tell him Sola Scripture isn't even in scripture, so we must rely on theological concepts like the Wesleyan Quadrilateral to pick up where scripture leaves us. I really could careless about him. He's a Christian. We probably basically agree on about 95% of the main issues related to our faith. But for the 5% we disagree on, I want to punch him in the face. Our relationship reminds me of Peter La Fleur and White Goodman in the movie Dodgeball. We are bitter, sworn "brothers", and thanks to atonement for sin, we will have to spend eternity with one another.

So Dr. Internet, do you have enough to figure out why I truly like my "enemy" but dislike my "brother"?

I know. I don't have an answer either. I have been puzzling about this for months now.

I guess if I had to pinpoint it, my real distaste for some other Christians probably stems from what I would call the "bastaderization" of the Gospel. We have reduced the Bible to be "the owner's manual of life" and it has all the answers. We come up with inconsistent theology, and we proof text certain scriptures to make our point more convincing.

But the way I see it, there are some questions the Bible doesn't answer (i.e. How do you make a plane fly? How do you start a heart after a heart attack? Why are some people always depressed?). And that is where we turn to science or medicine or psychology.

And whether preachers would like to admit it or not, there are gray issues in the Bible (i.e. Why does it seem perfectly acceptable for Solomon to sleep around, but I can't? Is is wrong to use English swear words? Is masturbation a sin? Is it ok to pass the homeless guy on the street and not help him out?). And that is where we turn to scripture, reason, experience, tradition, and prayer.

In the end, I guess it is that I seem to forget that I need to approach JaSoN with grace and patience and love, because I think it doesn't matter. Sure we disagree, but his opinion of me won't have any effect on his life or eternity. Where as, psychologically speaking, with Erik I seem to think the way I interact with him could have an eternal difference.

I should probably pray about that inconsistency of behavior.

Thanks Doc. This session has been great.

I logged into Facebook the other day and came across an interesting news feed. Apparently, even though my Aunt & Uncle had a wedding more than 20 years ago, it wasn't official until December 26, 2007; at least according to Facebook. I hope their first year of marriage is a good one. Finally their bastard children (Julia you better be laughing) have been vindicated. I think I found this all the more ironic because of what happened to me four days earlier...

My (ex-)girlfriend and I broke up three days or so before Christmas. This is now the 9th time in life I have gone through the infamous "breakup conversation" - it's never fun. But two things happened in this breakup that never happened in any other: she changed her Facebook status in the middle of the (2.5 hour!) conversation¹. The most fascinating thing happened because of this: before she even left my house, I had 13 text messages, phone calls, e-mails, or Facebook messages.

All this got me thinking about communication and how it is changing. Out of the 13 communiques, the best by far was where person A saw on Facebook I was "no longer in a relationship." He proceeded to text message person B, who was driving with her sister to South Carolina. Person B then proceeded to text message person C. Person C then left me a voicemail. I was unable to pick up the call due to the fact that all this happened within 10 minutes of the Facebook "change," and as it turned out, I still had about an hour left to the conversation.

But this isn't about breakups, this is about communication, and how it is changing. I came across an article on Newsvine about how computers are writing financial news stories. Why? Because they can publish within .3 seconds of companies' initial post to NYSE & NASDAQ!! This is a huge advantage to hedge traders.

This also makes me reflect on a conversation I was having with a radio friend the other day about how churches and pastors miss the point in communication. Whether good or bad, Americans have about a 7-minute attention span before it "wants" a break². This is largely due to the fact that most TV shows are 21 minutes long and have 9 minutes of advertising per half hour. Yet pastors wonder why when they get up to speak for 30 minutes (which is actually short for most pastors) people are bored and uninterested.

Communication fails to be communication if it doesn't communicate. I know profound! But seriously, think about that. It's a simple point, but often missed in the communication fields. Pastors fail to communicate by failing to change styles because their arrogance makes them think of course people want to listen to them talk for 45 minutes, they are brilliant. It doesn't take Steve Jobs to tell us that newspapers and book are dying off because people aren't reading. Radio is slowly dying as well.

None of these communication forms will ever die off completely. They will just continue to become less relevant unless they change. The challenge for the next wave of ministers and communicators is to look for ways to communicate in a way that is Facebook official.

For the past 2 years I have to admit I felt a little like Dorthy wondering around Oz trying to find her way home. No, not because a tornado picked me up and plopped me in some imaginary land with munchkins and flying monkeys. I felt like I have been in Oz because I never felt like my previous church (which was my place of employment) was ever home. On October 21st, I stepped in through the doors at Stonecreek Church in Alpharetta, GA and I have to say, it feels really good to be "home again."

Now I don't mean to be belittling to Mount Pisgah by any means. Mount Pisgah was and is a great church. If you're 30-40, have three kids, and like a church that tries its best to blend traditional and semi-contemporary it is great. But it just wasn't my style. And that's ok. But being back "home" has just reminded me how important it is to have a "home."

I like being at Stonecreek because it feels like being at Northpoint, only smaller (which I like). Worship is young and contemporary and rockin'. The sermons are extremely biblical and applicable. I haven't gotten involved yet (even though I have been tempted) because I feel right now it is important for me to just "go to church." But most importantly, it's a place that I would feel comfortable bringing my non-Christian friends.

But my point with all this isn't really about how much I like Stonecreek. Rather, my point is how important it is to be in a church where you experience the presence of God. Especially in the South, church becomes a check-listed item that just needs to get done in the week. But it shouldn't be like that. Every time (ok not every time) I enter a sanctuary I think about the reverence the Jews would have when entering the temple. About how it was a place that was so holy, there was a room where only the high priest could enter and only once a year, and they would tie a rope around the priest in case his sin that year caused him to die in the presence of the Holy God.

Sure, God is everywhere, and the sanctuary is no more "holy" a place than anywhere else. But the presence of God is important. And no matter it if is at Mount Pisgah, Stone Creek, Northpoint, Northcoast (Jefferson & Chris if you are out there, still my favorite church even though I turned down your job offer), or anywhere else; experiencing the presence of God, even if for only an hour a week, is so completely vital to a full life. Unfortunately, you aren't going to find it from the man behind the curtain. This abundant life can only find it at your home church.

I did something this week that I have only done three other times since graduating college: I took a full, 2-day weekend. I have worked 6-days a week 108 of my 111 weeks of employment (except vacation). I am not complaining about this. But this 4th 2-day weekend got me thinking about why I don't take more of them. And then that brought me to the realization that I think Jesus probably pissed off a lot of people sometimes. Why? Because he wasn't afraid of "wolf criers."

I have two people I work with that are awful wolf criers (you know, as in the boy who cried wolf). But instead of crying about a wolf, they come to me with projects that are usually last minute and always an emergency, with the tone that their department is more important than everything else going on (even though the "Worship" department is what is always tasked as what is most important). I'll spare the details. But sure enough, at the end of this week, I had another wolf-crying session from one of the two and it got me thinking about Jesus.

Jesus wasn't afraid of "wolf criers." I think a passage in Mark sums this up the best:

Mark 1:35-39 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Now a little context. Jesus had just got done healing many people in Capernaum. So, naturally, when people caught wind of this, everyone who was sick came to him. Pretty noble right? I mean, healing people is way more important than producing a video. Yet Jesus "figuratively" stares them in the face, in all their pain, and says, I have better things to do (including rest) and I am sorry, but I need to stick to that.

Jesus knew two things: 1.) what His mission was, and 2.) that He, being fully man, was limited by time and energy to meet the expectations of everyone. These are two things I am not sure I am good at. I do think I am better at #1 than I am at #2, but it doesn't matter if I know what my purpose is, yet fail to hold to it. I can't blame people for coming and asking. I can really only blame myself for being more concerned with what they think of me over what my purpose is.

Last night, I received a text at about 11:32 pm from my friend Erin who is an Anaheim Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Angels Strike Force Girl. The text was informing me of the important news that they recently got to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at the most recent Angels game and it was on YouTube. For those who care, here is the video, she is the one second from the left.

Now, when I think of Erin I think of one thing: Christmas (and the time she shot somebody in the face with the t-shirt gun at the ballpark, but mainly Christmas). Why do you ask? Because she is the only person I know who has a countdown to Christmas and starts singing Christmas songs in August.

I moved on and decided to unpause my Comcast DVR to watch The Colbert Report and what do I see.....Stephen Colbert in a Christmas hat. I know, weird. I thought it was a rerun. But alas, it wasn't. His point: the day before was June 25th, or halfway to Christmas.

Between Erin & Stephen it got me thinking about Christmas. It actually got me thinking about two things about Christmas: 1.) how much I hate the Christmas season, and 2.) how Jesus was actually probably born in June or July (due to the fact shepherds were out in the field which would fit more in the summer months not winter).

Andy, aren't you a Christian, how can you say you don't like Christmas? I have many reasons really. I think about the materialism associated with Christmas, and Jesus' anti-materialism message, and have to chuckle, if not cry a bit, thinking about the irony.

I also think about how what a facade Christmas has become. Think about it, people who never attend church, who don't really align themselves with Christian beliefs, always seem to "have" to make it to Church on Christmas? And as ministers, we cater to the seemingly American-ingrained nostalgia associated with Christmas and we wouldn't dream of not signing carolls, putting up trees and lights, etc... I always wondered why churches didn't approach Christmas like they do, well, June. Why doesn't Christmas look like this past Sunday?

My mother became a Christian my senior year of high school. I remember having a conversation with her later on that year and she was telling me one of the things she never realized is that Church wasn't like Christmas every Sunday (and that all the Bible wasn't just like Psalms). This had a profound impact on me as I started to wonder how many people think all there is to Christianity is signing Christmas Carols, worshiping a baby, and something about myrrh (what the heck is that anyways).

True Christianity doesn't get displayed at Christmas time. True Christianity is what happens in October, March, and yes, even June.

Well I know somewhere in the O.C., Erin is appalled at me. But at least in about a month it will be Christmas season for her. Which now that I think about it, she spends 5 months of her spiritual journey focusing on Christmas, so I don't really have a problem with her - its all the rest of us ;)

P.S. They sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" wrong. It is "root, root, root for the Cubbies." The only way to sing that song.

I was at Hand in Hand the other night (a bar in the Highlands) and amidst the conversation, Oasis's Wonderwall began to play and it took me back. Wonderwall always reminds me of one thing: doing pot.

See that's what songs do to me, they make me remember stuff.

Confessions of a Broken Heart will always remind me of driving on the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne, Australia. Runaway Train will always remind me of my paper route in 4th grade. The Difference will always remind me of traveling by bus through the French countryside with 40 8th graders. Comfortable will always remind me of Laura. I Believe by Blessed Union of Souls will always remind of of riding the bus through Inverness Lakes in middle school. Clumsy by Chris Rice will always remind me of Nate and I walking into Bob's apartment in the Willows. American Dream will always remind me of Jerusalem, Israel. Strawberry Wine will always remind me of sitting on the bus on the way to Mexico thinking of Emily. Gold Digger will always remind me of baby Jadyn. Jesus Take the Wheel will always remind me of Rachel and her hate for Carrie Underwood. Hanging by the Moment will always remind me of driving down I-75 with CJ on the way to Hilton Head. Come What May will always remind me of driving up to Big Bear with Cheria in Daren's suburban. Freshman will always remind me of driving down Aboite Rd. Emotionless will always remind me of my roommate Taylor and I talking about my relationship with my father. And that my friends, is just a quick cursory look at my Top Rated Songs in random order in iTunes.

Weirdly enough, Wonderwall was the "song of the Borgmann/Borne/Hoffman ski trip" in 8th grade where I first encountered pot, and to my credit I turned it down on my first offer. It wasn't until spring break later on that year that I did pot (which reminds me of You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette). But You Oughta Know didn't come on this night at Hand in Hand. Wonderwall did. But thinking of my stint with pot at 14 years old got me to think about life change - as 8th grade was also the year I encountered God.

I think one of the most frustrating things about being a minister is that you are making your entire life about "life change" but you rarely get to see life change. I used to want to be a doctor, and I think to myself, that would have been easier to some degree. I would make my life about saving people's physical life, sometimes I would fail, but when I would succeed, I would know it. But in being a minister I rarely get to see what I succeed or fail with, and that is really discouraging - no matter how "successful" & "talented" people tell me I am.

So what do I do? I think about what I am grateful for. I am grateful for people like Nate Hasty, Bob Caley, and Pat Rowland. I want them to know that because of them, my life was changed. Because of them, I didn't follow the drug path in high school. Because of them, I turned from my selfish ways (well, I am trying to). Because of them, I made a purpose out of my life to follow God and hopefully instill life change in others. I just hope my life will be an oasis of life change like these great men and not a mirage.

I am sorry I haven't been posting very much, it has been some crazy days here in Georgia. I won't go into all the boring details, but last night I directed a Michael W. Smith concert and it was awesome.

Now I know what you are thinking: Michael W. Smith, that guy is so lame. And to some degree I would agree with you. He is a little dated (heck, his songs remind me of Freshman year of high school). And frankly, as far as concerts go, it was pretty "lackluster." But from a video director perspective, it was one of the best events I have ever done - and that made it rockin' for me.

Now I have been quoted as saying that one thing I love about worship is that it goes beyond music. And frankly, there are few times I feel closer to God than when I am working (probably only behind playing with Jadyn and traveling). But what I usually mean by that, is that there are moments where I look at something and I realize something fits just so unbelievably perfect, and it was so accidental, but still so perfect, that it had to be the hand of God. It are these moments where I truly feel a part of a father/son relationship with God. Just as a father and son might build something together, there are many times where I feel I am "building" something together with God.

Last night was by far an event that had the most amount of these moments. Athletes refer to these moments as being in the "Zone". I never describe it like that. I describe it more as a partnership. These times are just some "zone" I happen to have stepped into by accident or luck, it is a partnership with the Creator of the Universe, working together, and having a blast doing it.

I needed this too. April/May has been an awful month for me. As my friend Kyle puts it, it was coming at all sides: family, work, personal. It isn't that things are awful, it's just one of those times where you need some good alone time with your Heavenly Father, and working more hours sure as heck doesn't give you that. But this event did, and for that I am grateful.

I have had other "major" events in my short career (Mel Gibson & Lee Strobel Passion of the Christ, etc... ), but this by far was the best. It was a close to perfect as possible, I just wish it was with someone who could have really "rocked the house" ;) (like the Jeremy Camp concert I get to direct in October).

Last week marked the launch of (to my understanding) the first "anti-Allen Hunt Show Website" (aka AllenHuntShowSucks.com). Some might be worried. Some might be offended (can you imagine creating a "Your-Pastors-Name-Sucks.com"). But not me, I love it!

The guy who put this site together is named Erik, and he lives in Athens (for those of you outside of Georgia, Athens is like Bloomington, IN or well I don't have a good California reference for it). He first contacted us with the email address allenhuntsucks@"a-certain-domain-that-I-won't-mention".com - Since then, I have probably shared about 30 or so e-mails with the guy, and I even gave his name to a reporter who asked me if we have had any critics. He is quoted alongside myself and Allen in an upcoming article to (hopefully) be published in Talkers Magazine. He is to some sorts a nemesis. But he's not a nemesis like that bratty girl in high school was because she stole your boyfriend. No, this nemesis is more like Dr Xavier and Magneto in X-Men (yeah I know I am a nerd). It's a nemesis I at least respect. A nemesis I enjoy conversation with. A nemesis that I think in the end could have big impact on both of our lives. So again, I love this stuff.

Why? A few reasons. First, as always, I like to assume faith doesn't exist (which it does). But even with out a faith perspective this is great because it is great press. Someone once said there is no such thing as bad press. And the more I work in the media, the more I think that is true.

Second, I love the fact that Erik hates our show, yet he listens all the time. I know he listens because he e-mails me all the time to tell me what we are doing wrong. There is something amusing to me about a guy who hates us, yet is either a.) entertained enough to listen, b.) intellectually stimulated enough to listen, c.) both, or d.) bored enough to make it his life goal to dispute us.

Third, and this is where faith comes back in, I think it is sad that Christians usually disengage from those they disagree with (when was the last time you saw Pat Robertson engage in a meaningful conversation with Planned Parenthood, or Jerry Falwell engage in a conversation with Nancy Pelosi). How truly sad. What message does that send. It basically says that as Christians, we claim to believe in "the Truth," but we are so insecure about it we won't engage with anyone who might point out "it is a lie."

My fourth reason is that people like Erik are exactly the type of people we want listening. We are not James Dobson. We do not have a radio show simply so we can pow-wow together as Christians and talk about how great we are and how politically powerful we must be in order to keep marriage intact and baby's popping out. Life change does not come from arguing. It comes from respect. It comes from honor. It comes from discussion. And it comes from the Holy Spirit. None of which are a simple, 10-minute, do you want to accept Jesus as your personal Savior type of interaction. Patience is key. And even if Erik "never comes around," the discussion will be a lot of fun, and there is no way that sucks at all.

If I were to guess, I am at about 37,000 feet, halfway back from Okinawa to Tokyo. This morning I boarded a ferry by myself, leaving a team I had grown to love behind on an island off of Okinawa in order to get back to Atlanta by Sunday.

The ferry we took to over to the island was slow. The trip took an hour and 45 minutes. But at least the day was nice; a good day to be out at sea. The ferry I took this morning was fast: same trip took 25 minutes. But the weather was overcast and the water was choppy.

I loved the ride though. There is nothing like being on the East China Sea (as long as you don't get sea sick). Now I can't describe the breath taking view from the boat (a picture doesn't do it justice), but there reached a point where we lost visual contact with the island and Okinawa. Nothing but water and clouds. It was beautiful. It made me realize how this never happens: to have essentially nothing in sight. Now I have done a lot of cross country travel and their are times when traveling through New Mexico sure feels like this, but it isn't. There are still mountains, roads, birds, vegetation, etc... But not this morning. This morning there was nothing. This morning all there was, was water and gray clouds as far as the eye could see (which wasn't too far).

It's weird how isolation can feel so warm. It was lightly raining and I was standing outside. It wasn't particularly warm, but not cold either: it was perfect. It's obviously damp, but I am not really wet. It's serene.

It makes me realize how little time I take to rest. Sure, I on average sleep about 10 hours a day, but as soon as I am up, I am UP: full-tilt. How sad is it that devotions, prayer, and quite reflection have been replaced by ministry, work, and bouncing from one event to the next because heaven forbid I miss something with friends.

Even now at 37,000 feet, I look out my window and we are above a blanket of clouds. There's nothing. But in the cabin the flight attendants are running around, a movie is playing on the screen, and I am writing this. It's not like the boat. When I return to Atlanta, I think I need to get off the "plane" and live more on the "boat."

I had quite the lesson in turning the other cheek the other day. We are trying to hire my replacement here at Mount Pisgah. This means that I am doing my first *real* job interview from this side of the interview. We had a candidate (who will stay unnamed) who I decided was not the right fit.

What follows is a response I got back from him after we told him we were no longer interested. And yes, I got this e-mail at 2:30 am on a Wednesday morning, after working a 15-hour day on Sunday, a 12-hour day on Monday, and an 18-hour day on Tuesday! I will warn you, its long. If you are busy, you might want to skip this post.

His first e-mail

Well, Shucks,

I appreciate the chance .
...... Oh! wait you never gave me one!

Well at least i didn't waste my time.
.... Oh wait you did waste two weeks of my time giving me the run around

It seems like you had something going under the table from the start. If [another candidate] was qualified to do this job than I'm a least as good if not better. When we first sat down you made it sound like I was hired. Then I start working with Andy who can't keep up with a phone number and he grinds the whole thing to a halt. I'm not sure what you could have learned about my abilities by now. Andy can barely stop talking about himself for long enough for me to get a word in. It's not like what he does is that great. There's a vidcast tutorial on Final Cut Pro I down-loaded thats produced by a 12 year old. You guy's are going to need a bigger church soon or Andy's head will be too big to fit in it.

I know I'm burning a bridge with this angry rant but right now my wife is crying holding my baby wondering how we're going to pay rent, car payment, the gas bill. I've never come this close do doing something I was so perfect for to have it ripped away so callously. This is just a lesson for the both of you. Please think twice before you dangle some bit of hope in front of someone you consider unworthy. People out here in the real world have hard lives and big responsibilities. You shouldn't thoughtlessly kick someone around for a few weeks because your too cowardly to say what you really think.

Here's an excerpt from Andy's blog about how much money he makes. This was really nice to read after getting your email!

I start to reflect on the topics of most of my conversations with other 20-somethings. I find increasingly that my conversations are on the topic of money, especially regarding the long-term. From the ever so classic, should I buy a place conversation, to 401(k)s, to having my salary deposited directly into a savings account vs. a checking account because I only pay three bills all month (rent, credit card, and tithe) and I could probably make some money on the $2,800 after taxes every month sitting in a 5.05% interest account while I wait to pay my bills. And I think to myself, man the 20s are one sexy time to be alive ;)

Here's me my wife and [son]. We know what working hard and doing the best we can is all about. [Insert picture of him, with his wife and child]

My Response:

I am very sorry you feel this way. Ultimately what it came down to is that I just felt you weren’t qualified to do the job after our conversation on Sunday afternoon. When I asked you what video editing programs you have worked with, you couldn’t produce a name and you said you mainly use “free programs.” I am not trying to sound harsh, but I have worked with a lot of video producers and I have never heard of anyone using a free program. In addition to that, I asked you for examples of your video editing work and you couldn’t produce anything for me. When I applied for my job at Mount Pisgah, I submitted a DVD with 3-hours of work on it, which had over 45 videos.

As far as your personal comments about me, I am going to elect not to respond. With the exception of one: regards to me talking too much, again I am sorry it appeared that way. I will say this, and I hope you read this as helpful as you pursue other job ventures in the future, and you don’t read this as me trying to bash or retaliate as that is not my intention. But one of the other observations I made was that you don’t listen. I really felt I didn’t talk nearly as much as I usually do, and I would try to explain something about how we do something, and before I would finish you would interrupt me. When interviewing for a job in the future, I would highly suggest against doing this.

Again, I hope you read this as helpful constructive criticism, and not a retaliatory bash. In the end, employers don’t have a responsibility to hire anybody they don’t seem fit, and being in talks about a job, does not constitute dangling a job in front of someone. We never promised [an other candidate] a job either, so a comparison to him, really isn’t appropriate in this situation.

I know this probably won’t seem like much, but I will continue to pray for you and your family. I am sorry this venture didn’t work out and I truly hope you find the right job for your skill set.

His Response Back:

What I meant by free was pirated. The work I did was on a PC at least 4 years ago for a less that forthright company which I left for reasons related to that. I've since upgraded the computer. I said i did flash animation and not video. You guys never gave me an idea of what you we looking for. Were you looking for a new Videographer? Or an all-around tech person. I learned to use final cut pro in a couple of hours with free tutorials and would have produced a fine video in no time had I been given the opportunity.

Also, It always seems like people are interrupting when you talk non-stop. Mostly I was trying to get answers - what is it you really need! What projects do you have on the horizon? What's the division of Labor. Since you would barely speak to me on your own I felt it necessary to try to become involved in a conversation.

Next I don't need career advice from a 24 year old. I was working and paying bills when you were living with Mom and Dad and playing video games or what ever. I've started small companies, worked for a corporation with 28,000 employees, produced an entire product catalog, and made countless sales calls. Not that it matters, but I can also play guitar better than you could dream of and was already working on an original score for my video. You new I didn't have video experience from the get go. I told you I had done wed design, music production, power point, photoshop, and flash. If the video part was so crucial why didn't you just say that the first day. When I said I hadn't done video you even said you were willing to train!

My beef is not with the job requirements but with your lack of communication. Why string me along if you're not interested? If i hadn't pushed you you might have drug this out for a month. Oh and I saw your videos on your web page , Big woop! I hope you stay close to the Church because the real world would eat you alive.

Good Luck, [Man’s Name]

P.S. I'm not interested in your reply

Yeah! Good stuff. That's always a pick-me-up right before bed after working 45 hours in 3 days! Anyways, now I am not going to go into all the erroneous claims he made in both his e-mails. If you don't believe that there are erroneous claims, it is alright, it isn't necessary for my observations that follow.

The point is that I obviously feel they were many erroneous claims, of which my gut reaction is to respond to every one of them. And frankly, it took every piece of strength I had not to respond and tell him exactly what I felt. But Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek and for once I listened:

Matthew 5:38-40
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Now I am not writing about this because I am particularly good at this. In fact, I am usually awful at this (just ask anyone I work with or just about anyone who I have a conflict with). At one point, I even prayerfully considered sending him and his wife some money anonymously (I decided not to, which was probably a mistake). And for this one success of turning the other cheek, I can probably count 1000 times when I have failed. But Jesus still tells us we should, and I think He's right. It's a hard lesson to grasp, but it is a good lesson to master (if you can).

(P.S. It should be noted that I am about 98% sure this young man has stopped reading my blog as his IP address has not recently been logged, and this happened a little while ago. So please do not think this is a passive aggressive attempt to "send a message" to him)

Today is one of those days where you wake up and you know life will never be the same again. These days are really no different than any other day - other than one small detail. And the day after usually doesn't bring about immediate change. But you know inside this could be the day that changes everything. This could be the day you look back 50 years and pinpoint as "the day" - it could also be the day you look back at in 18 months and realize was the day you needed to start looking for another job.

Ten days ago, I arrived as I always do in the parking lot of Taco Mac on Holcomb Bridge Rd at 4:20 pm to depart for WSB studios with Allen and Jeanette. Jeanette was running surprisingly late. I didn't think much of it, and I hoped into Allen's truck. He turned to me and said, "how good are you at a keeping a secret."

Those are always scary words - especially for someone like me who likes to talk. This is not to say I am not good at keeping a secret when I need to, this is just to say I usually like talking about stuff.

"Next Tuesday," he tells me, "I am announcing to the staff and congregation that after much thought and prayer I am stepping down as Senior Pastor of Mount Pisgah and I have asked my successor to be named by June. I am willing to stay for up to a year for a transition period, but I feel called to pursue the radio show full time, and now is the time to do it."

Needless to say, I was shocked. I knew as the radio show program would grow, Allen would take more of an interest in the show and less of an direct interest in Mount Pisgah. He'd go from preaching, say 42 sermons a year to maybe 26. He would eventually step away from all things besides casting vision, preaching, and radio. But I never expected this, and I never expected it this soon.

I have the mixed emotion of extreme excitement and nervousness. It is kind of like riding a roller coaster when you are afraid of heights (like me). You know this is going to be a blast. You know are going to be safe. You know everything will work out fine and in the end you'll be so overjoyed all you'll do is long for the time just 5 minutes earlier when you could do it all over again - for the first time. But when your box car takes that first link in the chain to the top of the hill, you are still a little nervous.

From this moment on, sink or swim, it's just Allen and I. Sure there will always be Glenn, and probably Jeanette. And eventually we'll hire more people as the show grows. But for now it just feels like Allen and I. However, I can't imagine anyone better to ride up the hill of the "roller coaster of life" than Allen, because roller coasters are always much easier to surmount when you have a friend sitting right there with you. Sink or swim, I am proud to take this step and I am proud to do this with Allen. Alright, everyone put up their hands becuase here we go........

An element of my previous job in Los Angeles included picking up speakers that would come to APU from the airport (this usually was when people had to get the airport fast, someday when we have more time I'll tell the story of Christine Caine). It so happened that speakers that I picked up I usually become closer with than those that I didn't (except for Fred Stoeker, who even though I picked up, we never became close). One of my favorites was Brennan Manning.

Some of you have probably noticed that I took the last week "off" from writing blogs. Sorry. We all need a break sometime. I was not planning on writing anything, except Jury Duty was too much of an event so I couldn't stay away. But I digress.

As so it happened, I found myself with Brennan before chapel one day. Everything was in order, so we just had a talk on the leather couch up in UTCC. One of the most profound things Brennan Manning shared with me during this conversation was that you can't be good at everything, but that which you are good at, you better be proud of it. I am not even really sure how this got brought up, but I was glad it did.

I think (no one tells me this directly, but I can just "feel" it) that many people I come in contact with think I am conceited & arrogant. I am a very opinionated individual and that which I know I do well, I make sure this is made known in the right context so people can take advantage of what I can offer. Most of the time this is relation to technology, but other things as well. Because ultimately I know that God created all of us uniquely special and if we choose not to make available that which He gave us, we will one day have to answer as to why we chose to do this.

Christians suck at this, and arguably they are probably the most blessed. We think as soon as we start discussing that which we are good at, we are instantly conceited, self-centered, and prideful. We throw in statements like "ohh not me, but God" sometimes to cover for it, but ultimately our entire lives should be dedicated to God, so that statement should be a given. I used to care a lot about whether or not people thought I was conceited and self-centered. In doing so, I would fight the urge to share what I thought. But ever since my conversation with Brennan Manning sophomore year, I decided that I would always be honest about what I am not good about, but I am not going to sit idly by and let my gifts & talents go to waste - and neither should you.

I feel that most of my job is taking that which I see in society and "translating" that into Christian principles. Take this blog for example. Most of what I post on here has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus. Yet, it is my goal, that at least 80% of what I write eventually gets back to Jesus in the end. But today's post is an easy one. Why? Because Microsoft gets ministry better than most churches.

Now I should state for the record that I hate Microsoft. I am an Mac-man when it comes to operating systems; I am a Google-man when it comes to web-based applications; I am a Firefox-man when it comes to web browsers. Understand that what I am about to say almost kills me to say it. So while I don't think Microsoft knows what they are doing when it comes to computers, I do think they know what they are doing when it comes to ministry; which is probably why even though they don't know what they are doing with computers they are still incredibly successful. But I digress.

This is a quote from a recent CNN article:

In technology, 'evangelism'...is the process of reaching out to independent developers and persuading them to use that company's products as a platform upon which to write software programs..."Evangelism is a significant part of Microsoft's success..." says Greg DeMichillie, a senior analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft.

Bingo! Microsoft knows that if they are to survive and fulfill their mission statement, evangelism has to be at the center of what they do. It is not enough to simply just keep the status quo and make their existing customers happy. They have to pursue those who aren't already apart of their organization and convert them to be full-fledged followers.

The church sucks at this. Most churches I come in contact with are more concerned about appeasing those that have already been in their "club" for years, than they are about pursuing those who would never step foot inside a church. Ultimately it is why the North American church is failing at its mission to go out into the world and make disciples, while Microsoft continues to succeed at its mission to bring in billions of dollars a year by providing horrendous computer applications.

America is better at making Microsoft followers than they are at Jesus-followers. In the end, this means that Microsoft is getting what the church should be deeply concerned about: people.

This past Sunday was the the worship service I hate the most in the entire year: "Patriotic Sunday." It seems over the short 225 years of our nation’s history, we have increasingly associated Christianity with the USA. I don't think this is a positive relationship for Christianity or the States.

Let me first say that I am not "anti-American." I love living in America. I love our freedom. I support the troops (which is such a pointless statement now days), and I even support the Iraq war (as I have posted on before). I believe whole heartedly in democracy as well as the unalienable rights all humans share because they are children of God. I just want to state that for the record, but I digress.

The largest enemy in my mind to Christianity in the 21st century, western world is moral relativism. We might not all understand moral relativism, but to put it simply it is the whole idea that "what is right for you is right for you, and what is right for me is right for me, so don’t tell me how to live my life." However, the foundation of Democracy is moral relativism. And hear me out on this.

Democracy is built on the principle that every vote counts (and given the 2000 election, we mean that). But in order for every vote to count, society must concede that all are “right” when they go to the polls which allows for them to voice their opinion. Take rape for example. Rape is not immoral in the US simply because the actions are heinous. No, rape is immoral because at least 51% of Americans who think they are right (or at least those they elect) have said it is immoral. That's it. That's the only reason it is is illegal. And this rings true for all of our laws.

This is not to say that I think Democracy is de facto evil. Not at all. And given the state of a "fallen" (i.e. sinful) world, it is probably the best government we can attain. But just as I wouldn't say Jesus would have you drive a Honda because it is the best car, or Jesus loves the Cubs (which he does), I have a hard time saying Jesus loves Democracy. This means that Christians should think long and hard about the logical implications to what they are associating the Gospel with; or before we know it, that which we have toted a "God-send" for years may turn back to bite the hand that fed it if 51% of the people decide we are wrong.

You know what seems to suck about being a Christian (and I think if we were all more authentic we would admit this)? What sucks is that nothing ever seems to be enough. It seems like we “sell” Christianity on the simplicity of the gospel. Then when someone becomes a Christian, we complicate it by adding things to do. Then when those things are done, we tell people that God expects them to in turn be responsible for all the people who have yet to come to this realization as well. While not a Christian, Chuck Klosterman experiences this in an Arkansas hotel room – admittedly while high – while watching a show on “Christian TV” that goes something like this:

“The protagonist [Steven] is a teen…who is torn apart by temptation. But what’s interesting are the things Steven is tempted to do; he is not tempted to try drugs…nor is he tempted to have sex…Our hero is never involved in any of that sh#*. Steven’s gut-wrenching crisis…is the temptation to not save his adolescent peers from doing all of those terrible things. In other words, he is not frayed by a desire to go down on his girlfriend or the desire to get drunk and feel cool…His problem is that he wants to merely ignore all the kids in school who are going to hell."
-Killing Yourself to Live (Page 99)

What fascinates me about this is that I was Steven in high school (although admittedly, unlike Steven, I was also tempted to go down on my girlfriend). But what people like Chuck will never understand until they too are “tempted like Steven,” is that it is precisely the charge to “make disciples” in an unfriendly world that makes faith in Jesus for an intriguing life.

Five years out of high school (and 3 years out of my teens) I find myself working at a church (which as I have stated before, I don’t usually like telling people I meet). What I miss the most now that I work in a church is how few people I run into that aren’t Christian. It drives me nuts. But I find that all people are pretty much like this – Christian or not. If you work in NYC and are 30, you are somewhat of pretentious individual surrounded by other pretentious individuals. If you are white, wealthy and in your 50s, most of the people you play golf with are also white, wealthy and in their 50s. But a faith in Jesus is about bringing all of humanity into community centered around the Cross (which is totally different than a plain, vanilla, “we-are-all-the-same” community).

Jesus wants all of his followers to spread the “good news” to people we come in contact with. However, unlike most “evangelism” movies, this doesn’t usually take place with the random guy on the plane, or by preaching on the street corner. After all, Jesus doesn’t just want followers, he wants relationships. These relationships are between Him and his followers, as well as His followers and other followers, as well as His followers and those yet to be His followers. While nothing may ever seem to be enough in the Christian life, I think we should all admit that it is this drive to surround ourselves with people different than us that makes life intriguing enough to be worth living.