Parody

noun
1. a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way
2. humorous or satirical mimicry

verb
1. make a spoof of or make fun of
2. make a parody of; "The students spoofed the teachers" [syn: spoof]

WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University

Community Christian Church Series Video: a parody of the Mac vs. PC commercials to introduce the series "Christian No More.

Time

time passes everyone each and every day...a challenge to say the least...one of my distant friends Larry Tomzack asked the questions, 'Are you drifting through life on a river of routine? Are you wasting your life one day at a time?

Switchfoot Oh Gravity has some good listening and some decent thought lines...

Burn out Bright

If we only got one try
If we've only got one life
If time was never on our side
Before I die I want to burn out bright

Awakening

I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating, I'm bleeding.

I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to live like I know what I'm leaving
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating, I'm bleeding

What the writer describes isn't drifting through life, or wasting life... but living, feeling, learning and yearning...

There is a time, and a season, for every purpose, I want to live life on purpose.

Time

thought about an old song i used to listen to in my long desperate period of search for meaning...listening to the words now make me grateful for where I've come from and where i'm going... now having a life full of a sense of destiny and confident hope...

Time pink floyd
(Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour) 7:06

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.

55 and passing

55 tomorrow! wow that's 20,075 days, 481,800 hours 280, 908,000 minutes and 1,734,480,000 seconds...wait that's 1,734,481,000 seconds, no wait that's 1,734,482,000 seconds catch the drift..

time, gone in a second, probably a millisecond, look there goes another one...

see intime sermon spice

Pattie asked, 'so what are you going to do with the rest of your life? flake out, or burn out, or live it out, I mean really live it!' i like the really live!


see

outward bound

just finished the outreach from the weekend...a snowy day...yet 200 kindness to go bags went out into the community...just starting to receive feed back...
here is a letter...

'I just want to say thanks you for your outreach ministry of 'no strings attached

My sister is practically homebound, is a heart patient/diabetic, is on oxygen 24/7, and it is very difficult for her to get out of her house. She has, on two separate occasions, received a no strings attached gift from your church. The gift came through a member of your church.

I am her sister, we are both Christians, and it really brightened her day to receive this gift. Whoever selected the name of this ministry as “No Strings Attached” is in itself an encouragement to others. I was so impressed the first time she received a gift with the little gift card attached, I thought how wonderful to give to others with no strings attached. That is unconditional love/giving/reaching, etc

in Beginnings, our membership class, each week we give a small group some outreach materials to take out into their community...with instructions to return and give a report. It is fun, upbeat, and stretching for some non-outreach people...the first report will be received next Sunday.

We are planning on a new kick off for 2nd saturday and get on the bus...also, developing an outreach team to help move forward in 2007.


Still meditating on Philippians...One habit i learned from Steve Sjogren is to grab a great fountain pen and write the Bible out longhand. The exercise slows me down on the inside and I somehow see with fresh eyes...

Phil 3 NLT
..I could have confidence in myself if anyone could...If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have more...I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes everything is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Jesus my Lord.
I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law but I trust Christ to save me, for God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith...as a result I can really know Christ...

reminded me of a song...

Take The World But Give Me Jesus by MATT REDMAN

i've thrown it all away that i might gain a life in you
i've found all else is loss compared to the joys of knowing you
your beauty and your majesty are far beyond compare
you've won my heart now this will be my prayer

take the world but give me Jesus
your the treasure in this life
take the world but give me Jesus
is my cry
now ive seen you as the saviour i will leave the rest behind
take the world but give me Jesus is my cry

into the world i go that i might live this life of love
i wont be overcome for you are in me and you are strong
for time and for eternity i know im in your care
youve won my heart now this will be my prayer

chorus

outflow

project outflow...a great small group training, equipping, starting a conversation, listening learning experience by Steve Sjogren and Dave Ping . My friends invited a few of us Dayton Vineyard people to share in the conversation around Outflow a new book, DVD training, out by Group Publishing.. I am always interested in new ideas, conversations that move me forward, sharpen my outwardfocus etc.

i thought the small group edition DVD was best, not because i was a participant, but because of the questions asked and the conversations that followed. there are three main players from the Dayton Vineyard participating in the project.

outflow...connection to God through Jesus His Son...how it translates moving into an outward focused life....

Seeing oneself on DVD is interesting...balding, a bit pudgy in the waist,(my wife tells me that I'm slightly obsessive) yet intense, and sharing experience of inflow to outflow...my line about discipline in the basics...the daily walk...in the mundane...to the extreme...reading my bible, as a discipline that translates into life...or when really needing an infusion...going for a walk opening my heart...listening and noticing...sometimes it is really that elementary...doing what you know to do...read, love, listen, daily seeking to love God...and making Him known...touching lives with my life that happens when or as I'm in Him.

anyway it was a privilege to share some of my life with the project...outflow...hope it encourages people to look beyond themselves, beyond and into Him where all life flows...out to those who need Him most.

Life Saved

from Caleb Roe and some of my comments at the end.

How to save a life...

Caleb:

Between yesterday and today, a new restaurant in the area has donated about 300 meals to us to give to those in need. Two times a day they practice making their meals and box them up for us to go do good. Good we go and do sharing the good news of the Kingdom to the poor and hungry at bus stops, parks, homeless shelters, and in the allies. This was day two of three and the stories have become more evident of God's mercy, power, and guidance.

Here is an encounter I had yesterday. Twenty feet from where a man had been stabbed the night before, I met Dennis. "If Jesus was standing here what would you ask Him for?" ... Pause... "I'd be too ashamed to ask for anything." After a minute of sharing with him about the kindness of God, "true happiness" he said, with tears running down his face, is what he wanted in his life. Dennis received God and his happiness.

I find it incredible how you can miss the perfect time to do the very thing you set out to do but end up being at the right place at the right time. Psalm 23:3 (NLT) says, "He guides me along the right paths, to bring honor to His name". This verse was on my mind as we went tonight, when we set off I didn't have a clue I was going to really see it in action on the streets of downtown Dayton.

Tonight, Steve Bowen, Doug Roe, Randy Stout, and I set off to find those in need with 120 meals. After visiting the bus station and the Third and Main bus stop we still had about 60 meals left to give away. If we made it there two minutes earlier we would have been completely out of food. Discouraged that we could not give it away in one shot we all felt that there was still people to bless. Therefore, on we went. Driving from park to park and up one street and down the other, we found no signs of life. Finally, the idea came to check around a local homeless shelter and that is where we found God's plan for the evening.

As we pulled up with a carload of food, we met Wendell and realized that our food relief mission suddenly turned into a life rescue mission. Wendell was sitting on the street corner with a knife in his hand getting ready to commit suicide. Instinctively we got out of the truck and pleaded with Wendell that there was more for him in this life than what he thought. After a few minutes in conversation we learned Wendell was a well paid district manager for a local restaurant chain and had suffered brain damage after a serious car accident which ultimately turned his life upside and placed him into the destitute street life that led him to wanting to end his life. We shared the gospel with him, prayed with him, and was able to give him the help and hope he needed to live to see another day.

I thank God we were guided there tonight, being able to give hope to the hopeless and showing love to the outcast. I know it was God who made sure we were not completely successful as we would have liked in our first two locations, which would cause us to be right where He and Wendell needed us - to save Wendell's life.

Do you know how to save a life? Be right where God wants you to be, when there be seeking out who it is the He has guided you to, and bring honor to His name by being the person He has made you to be.

Steve:
Yesterday was one of those days where there is a sense of guidance through out the whole day. ...my wife's car was making a bumping noise...so I drive car...evident i needed to get car to shop quickly...no longer bumping but grinding...after delivering food to homeless...i go to CarX...inside is Kelly, a single parent that we have helped, she was getting her oil changed using one of the coupons we gave out at the last single parent meal, i get to talk to her and encouraged her to get involved with this weekends kindness to go...Car...the brake caliper was falling off the car, the last guys who fixed the car left a bolt loose...glad we didn't take that car on a trip to Birmingham... next we wait for Doug and Randy to arrive so we can deliver meals, timing as Caleb mentioned was everything...had my friend Robb taken the meals out, had we given all meals out at one place, had we given up, a guy would most probably be dead this morning, just another homeless man statistic ... we did call 911 and he was taken to a local hospital...a life spared. We are learning...Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

We are learning to notice the unnoticeable, to have eyes that see, ears that hear and a mind that understands...to slow down even when moving fast...a life saved.

Kindness to go

This weekend will be one of our kindness to go weekends...after each service gift bags will be available for the Vineyard people to take to their favorite eatery, grocery store, police station, fire department etc. After every KTG weekend we usually receive several heart warming stories. Sometimes people even write us notes to say thanks. Often people touched by kindness, come and check us out...what is a pretty good church?

We are in a growth phase at the Vineyard...I'm amazed...many new people arriving every week to experience what we do.

We are very grateful and know it's an indication of God's faithfulness. We pray often that we'd have favor upon our lives and that He'd bring the increase. it's happening... with a big I

Here is a song I listen to often...Charlie echo's my desire

Salvation
Charlie Hall

            
Salvation spring up from the ground

Lord, rend the heavens and come down

Seek the lost and heal the lame

Jesus bring glory to Your name


Let all the prodigals run home

All of creation waits and groans

Lord, we’ve heard of Your great fame

Father, cause all to shout Your name

(Riff 2)


Stir up our hearts, oh God

Awaken our spirits to awe who You are

Put a cry in us

So deep inside that we cannot find

The words we need

We just weep and cry out to You

prayer

prayer: moving God toward people and people toward God...

God will do nothing but in answer to prayer. John Wesley

Yesterday, jedi knight Caleb, and myself spent an hour or so in the main room. We listened to some music on our ipods, sat silently, read our bibles and prayed together. This year is a year where we, the Vineyard, are committing to do less, but are believing for an increase. How we going to do less yet do more? By praying, waiting on Jesus, and to stand back, and see what He will do. We are intentionally adjusting our focus...upward, inward and outward.

some thoughts from Philippians as I prayed through the first chapter yesterday.

Phil 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

Paul was a praying man, He consistently prayed for the people of the church...

5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

The people of the church were actively sharing their faith...they had a role to play...they participated...they were outward focused it was part of their DNA

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

this is the He who verse...God ignited their outwardfocusedness and He would complete the work in He began...

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul prayed that their walk would reflect the good news they proclaimed... their words to match their walk

12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Paul was in prison...yet he was still outward focused...everyone in the region knew why Paul was in prison...his stand for the gospel... therefore, the people were encouraged / strengthened to actively share their faith without fear...

15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

It is interesting that Paul didn't focus upon people's motives i.e. selfish ambition, but upon the fact the good news was proclaimed...He rejoiced that even the people who had wrong motivations were at least outward focused...somewhat of a challenge eh?

your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.21 For to me, to live is Christ

peoples prayers + the consistent infilling of God's Holy Spirit= Paul's boldness

The goal: Christ would always be exalted in his life...I like the always, and the now factor...

to live a life where Jesus was always exalted and was always being revealed by his actions, attitudes and his words...

27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

Paul encouraged the people to live godly outward focused lives...and to remain focused on the main thing...spreading the faith of the gospel...

Reading Paul's letters it is evident the main thing, living to know Jesus Christ, and spreading the gospel was the main thing...He lived an outward focused life...even in prison.

Celebrating life...

last night mac, one of the lead pastors and an author of a few books, spoke on celebrating life because: God is with us, God is in us, God is for us...

Talking about celebrating all of life, not just in the good times, but in the times when life is difficult, draining, depressing, and dangerous.

He quoted Job 22:29
"When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will save.

What a great verse considering the context. We can speak with confidence in the midst of our situation because we know God is not finished with us yet and
Rom 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposethat He causes all things to work for the good.

We can call on Him and
He will hear our prayer.

The humility we need is a humility that chooses to call on Him in the day of trouble. Calling He will hear.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you the book of James


Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

amazing what one thought, one verse does to encourage the heart.

Success? Success...needs Humility...

"C.J. Mahaney is not humble. At least, that's what he'll tell you. And that's one reason he's so well qualified to write this book" - Mark E. Dever, Senior Pastor, Capital Hill Baptist Church


leading a great church takes great courage, humility and a willingness to make mistakes, mess up, make bad calls, then ask for forgiveness, and stay the course when success beckons at the door...

success sometimes can be a heady, wowing the senses experience. I'm very glad that Jesus keeps us humble by, ouch, allowing others to point to the flaws in our preceived successful performance...

He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble the book of James.


Humility is the acknowledgement that we can do nothing without His empowering presence in our lives. That He is leading us to do 'His' will. It's the 'His will'' deal that needs the acknowledgement. He blesses what He wants to acomplish in and through our lives. To be honest it is a mystery how He can use any of us. I think the giftings and callings He places upon our lives is more about His grace than we who are gifted, educated, and talented are sometimes willing to admit.

why the above?

had an interesting dinner with two of the most sincere, serving belivers i've had the pleasure of serving with...their comment...(paraphrase)'We are amazed how the leaders of the Vineyard aren't heady with all the success, and with all the accomplishments the church has done. It seems their feet are on the ground...and pretty normal.'

I mentioned that I was from Kentucky and we, the leaders, know who we really are... and to quote a Kentucky saying we all have had 'the snot knocked out of us' more than once. This tends to make a successful person cautiously humble.

I think a prequsite for leading is having the ability of being beat about the head justly and unjustly and how we handle the beating.

We all fail at some point in our journey...our words, our attitudes, our hang ups, our pet peeves, our life style...However, leaders are before more people...and failing, and fail you will... the more people you disappoint...some will let you know their dissapoinment, verbally, or by email, or by letter, or by their leaving...

Leaders lead...Leaders stretch out...and at times fail to see all that needs to be in place to protect, care and serve others while pressing forward. Learning to lead is a process to say the least...not an exact science... I belive we are a cutting edge church...this means we do, we risk and we make mistakes...hopefully we'll also be known as those who also love, care and forgive


Heaven have mercy on us all- Presbyterians and Pagans alike- for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending. Melville author of Moby Dick

Top 10 no, 11 Mistakes

Yesterday Doug Roe,the lead pastor, briefly talked about his top 10 mistakes...i dittoed a few...

there's trouble ahead when I

...move fast forward or do anything in haste

...don't respectfully say no and stand my ground on certain issues

...don't speak the truth in love

...don't work out on a consistent basis

...attempt to live my life on someone elses faith, instead of my own

...become too casual and begin to drift through life on a river of routine

...don't take time to see other people through the eyes of Christ

...don't listen. especially to my wife

...am not patient with my children

...don't nurture / develop God's obvious investment in my life

...don't pay attention to my spiritual gauges...(see pastoral ponderings link my friend David has written about this a few times)

triplets

my wife is a triplet...they occasionally get together..I always say i got the pick of the litter...Pattie is in the middle

digging potatoes

servant:1.a person working in the service of another 2.one who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another: your obedient servant. 3. one who serves another




how does a person learn to become a servant...simple...he or she begins to serve.

I remember being in Scotland, just arrived...had a BTH degree...pushing a wheel barrel digging potatoes in a cold damp field to help feed our community of believers...I thought, what am i doing?...i have a degree in theology here i am in a muddy field digging potatoes...no sooner did i think the thought when i sensed a friendly familiar inner impression...'I'm shaking your head knowledge into heart knowledge...as a young jedi, i understood...humbled, i kept digging potatoes with a better attitude...

it seems all my life and where ever i go i keep digging potatoes...i arrive in USA after 18 years of proven ministry...guess what...I had to start all over...i got to dig potatoes in a different field for 18 months...later I moved on to Cincinnati...to travel as a man's... man-servant booking flights, listening, being a friend, carrying bags...digging potatoes...

now I'm serving in Dayton...doing many great, fun, upbeat, touching many lives, digging potatoes things with a great team of fellow potato diggers...

guess what I've discovered? it is the way of a becoming a servant...

after serving, day by day, week by week, month by month and year after year i think I've learned (or am learning) an important lesson...

it's how you serve that really matters, the heart attitude, learning to serve with a willing heart, that is full of genuine love and joy...

It's the realization that we, no i, am no big deal...therefore, those who know they are no big deals are becoming true surrendered servants... who can do anything, small or great, for the glory of God, and to the honor of His name.

how long does it take to become a surrendered servant? a moment in time, yet, also it takes a life time...most probably you'll find me in my latter years digging potatoes...it's who i am and what i do. it's how I'm learning to become like the Servant King who humbled Himself, came to earth, and reached out to save me... a dirty muddy potato.

What's in a free coffee?

During the Christmas series The Grinch Enlarging Your Heart Scott Sliver gave a few coffee gift cards out to selected people in the crowd...he encouraged them to go to caribou coffee and purchase coffee first for their self then the remainder on people who came in after...here is an exciting report...Coffee given with great love can change the world one cup at a time.

Hi Scott!

I have been wanting to talk with you to let you know about the Caribou Coffee 'experience" that I went on with the gift card from a few weeks back. Things have been so busy, and I keep meaning to get you on Sun but it just hasn't worked out. I wanted to make sure you got this to know just how much fun it was!!

I am so thankful that I was the one to go do this. I don't know that I would have done it on my own but the results were incredible!

The day I went I had to pass these 2 women who were arguing about everything from the time they left the car until the time they got in line behind me. Anyway-I went up and ordered my coffee and told the cashier to use the rest on whoever comes along. She took the card and ran it through and then looked at me and asked if I realized how much was left on the card. I told her I did and that it was ok and that I wanted to show God's love in a practical way to others.

So up come the "arguing 2some" who then proceeded to fight over who was paying, and then trying to come up with the money. The cashier then tells them it is payed for and why and points to me as I am waiting for my coffee. Saying that they were both dumbfounded was putting it mildly. The younger one asked why would I want to do something like that. The older one then asked "is this like that pay it forward thing?" too cute. Anyway I tell them why and there is this stunned silence......

So then the 2 ladies and I strike up a conversation and in come 3 construction workers. I loved the look of total confusion on everyone's faces as they tried to pay and were told they didn't need to. I was asked if 1-I won the lottery and 2-was this a class experiment. How sad that everyone thought there had to be some reason. But the resulting look on their faces when I explained it was something.

However so now there is 6 of us talking together and laughing like long lost friends. In comes a lady for a paper which meant that the gentleman behind her didn't have enough to cover his full price for free. So I decided to cover the difference myself only to be beaten by one of the construction workers who covered this last guys difference.

I went there in the morning on my way to see my clients for my job. I wasn't looking forward to my day because I knew I had alot of stuff to do to help my clients with their medicare and benefits and insurance co's etc. But this just put the cap on my day. It was so much fun to see all these people and to watch as everyone started talking like long lost friends. Even the "fighters" called a cease fire!

Sorry to be so long winded with this, but I can't seem to put into words the feelings that I had while doing this and even after! I think this experience in itself really changed my whole holiday season for me. Thanks again Scott for all you do and all you are for all of us.

Diane

2007

wind down, wind up have some fun with extended family, a great time in Birmingham...we had a good night last night celebrating, not the new year but life together...families together, lighting firecrackers, bottle rockets and basically having a good fun family evening. All triplets having some great photos and a laughing, upbeat, fun filled time...i think laughter, or hearing my wife laugh with sisters is part of the life experience, life goes at a such a fast pace, i often forget the important things that really matter, relationships....relating to God through His Son, relating to others, and relating to all my family, hugging(hard for a non hugger) appreciation and genuine friendship....

What does 2007 bring? who knows?...but i do know we are committed to slowing the pace, resting more and recharging the batteries more often...all outflow with no inflow = downfall...

now at my sisters having a salmon meal, great food again reconnecting, and encouraging each other...

heading home tomorrow...what does tomorrow bring?...every day has enough care for the day, live for the day, live like you are dying, live secure in the Father's grace.....