Last spring, I attended a conference called Q. Why is it called Q? The conference hosts would never say for sure, but most of the attendees think that Q stands for the many questions the conference asks. Q is not your typical Christian leadership conference offering tips for how to do some aspect of church-life more effectively. Instead, it’s a conference bringing together leaders in media, social justice, education, business, and the church to “think-tank” about some of the biggest issues facing us today.
Each speaker at Q has to boil his or her presentation down to 18 minutes. Once he or she steps on the stage, a digital clock everyone can see is set to 18 minutes. Once the clock hits 00:00 – the speaker must stops whether or not he or she is finished.
After several 18-minute sessions, audience members can choose to go to one of the speaker’s talk-back sessions. A talk-back session is a time to question the speaker on his or her presentation, to share ideas, and to brainstorm about ways to put ideas into action.
What most struck me about Q is it left me with more questions than answers. Sometimes two speakers would have directly opposing views. Both were well-thinking people addressing the same issue and coming up with opposing answers. This paradox made me realize how important it is to really consider things – not just to think I know the answer.
In future blog posts, I’m going to try to give a thumbnail version of some of the issues Q’s caused me to ponder. Because of Q, I am reading Flickering Pixels – How Technology Shapes Your Faith by Shane Hipps. So as I’m using technology to write this blog, I’m wondering:
How does technology enhance my faith?
How can technology impede my faith?
How would God have me use technology?
My thoughts on these questions and more are coming soon….
Hey folks! So some of you may have heard of this company called TOMS
The idea is simple, for every pair of shoes you buy TOMS also gives a pair of shoes to someone who does not have shoes! I recommend getting them as gifts, telling coworkers and friends and even encouraging your grandmothers to buy them! They are doing a good thing.
It is a really great idea and a way to help others while getting some nice foot coverings at the same time.
anyway, its a cool thing.
In the Venture worship service every Sunday there is a point where an offering basket will go by you. The “passing of the basket” can generate a lot of thoughts and emotions in people, including frustration (“Churches…always wanting money.”) or apathy (“I wonder where everyone is going for lunch.”) or guilt (“I think I should be putting something in here, but I’m not.”) or confusion (“Why do we do this every week?”).
In this post, I’d like to address three questions about giving to the church, specifically as they relate to Venture people giving to IBC. The questions are: Why should I give to the church? How do I give to the church? Why the urgency now? The answers to these questions will be personal, honest, and challenging to all of us in Venture. Read More…
Jesus was a servant. The church is supposed to serve. But what does that service look like? What is the difference between a ministry that has a culture of service and one that doesn’t? This post will continue our review of the Venture fall retreat by asking the question, “What does a culture of service look like?” In the first of three posts about this, I will talk about 2 characteristics of a culture of service: a sense of calling and being willing to take risks. Read More…
Just a reminder of the assignments that we given in the past two sermons about marriage from Ephesians 5:22-33. Husbands, you are to 1) take your wives out on a date and tell why you love them, 2) talk to your wives about where you are in your spiritual life right now (and ask her about where she is), and 3) express to her that, apart from Christ, she is first in your life, and then talk to her about how you are doing with that.
Wives, remember, you are to write three “respect” letters or notes to your husbands that say, “I respect you because…”
Why do we want to create a culture of service in Venture? Is it because Danny or Suzanne doesn’t want to do their job? I mean, what’s wrong with just coming to church to grow spiritually? Why can’t I just show up, worship, hear teaching, see my friends, and leave?
Well, we want to create a culture of service at Venture not because we as the staff want to do less work, but because of three other very important reasons. The reasons are: church is supposed to function by serving, serving brings spiritual growth, and the world desperately needs us to have a culture of service. Read More…
We just returned from the Venture Fall Retreat. As a reminder for those who went, and to let the people who did not go on the retreat know about it, I would like to make a few posts over the next couple of weeks to summarize what was talked about and discussed. It was a great weekend. More spcifically, it was a challenging weekend. We were challenged to create a culture of service within the Venture ministry that helps us to grow together in Christ and to love and serve the world around us. The topic of today’s post is actually a question. It is a question that was raised on the retreat to help us start thinking about having a culture of service. The question is: does Venture have a culture of service right now?
The answer to that question, I think, is “not really.” Read More…