Whitney Houston Dies at the Age of 48

Tomorrow the Grammy awards will be held, celebrating the best musicians of today. There was perhaps none better and more influential than Whitney Houston who has died at the age of 48. Stars like Mariah Carey and Christiana Aguilera owe much of their career to the influence of the late pop icon.

Her career was far from over. She was getting ready for the release of her upcoming onscreen musical, Sparkle and it was rumored that she would possibly join Simon Cowell on the X Factor. I remember Simon giving extremely bad feedback to any artist on American Idol who dared to try to sing a Whitney Houston song.

I always admired how she kept her music and image cleaner than most pop singer in the sexual realm. Even when she married Bobby Brown, got involved in drugs and behaved erratically she still maintained the respect of singers and fans everywhere.

Her God given gifts were remarkable. It is very fitting that her last public performance this passed Thursday was to sing Jesus Loves Me. A gift like she had seems rarely bestowed and is not to be taken lightly. But, then again neither are the gifts God has given you. When your life is over will we be able to say why you were here? Will we know without a doubt what your purpose was? Get out there and use your gifts, because there was only one Whitney and there is only one you.

Also Read:
Should the Flag be Lowered for Whitney Houston?
Other Memorials:
Patrick Swayze Dies
Saying Goodbye to Brittany Murphy
James Arness Dies: What Can We Learn from Old Westerns?
Osama Bin Laden is Dead!

7 Problems with the Star Wars Prequels

Three teens approached me on the way out of the theater today. They wanted to take have their picture taken with me. Why? Is it because they read this blog? No. Do they follow me on Twitter ? No. It is because I was dressed like a Jedi. Thats right, I took my family to see Episode 1 in 3D in full costume.

I could spend a whole post reviewing a movie we have all seen, or telling you about the 3D upgrade. I am not going to do either. I want instead to talk about the response of the 2nd generation of Star Wars fans.

I asked these guys how old they were when The Phantom Menace was released and they were all 4 and 5 years old.

Then I dug in with these questions:

1. Which is your favorite movie of the six films?
Each of them liked a different movie, but Episode 1, 2, & 3 were the only three named.

2. What do you think of Jar Jar Binks?
They actually liked him and thought he was funny. *GASP*

3. What about the acting and romantic scenes of the prequels?
They told me it was realistic for who they were. One trained in the Jedi order to avoid attachment and the other a sheltered ruler on a peaceful world. Neither knew how to engage romantically. (I'll admit it was much better acting than Twilight)

4. Isn't the original trilogy better?
The answer to this was no. They believe that the prequel trilogy has a deeper plot and more intricate story. (I agree with the second part, but still like the O.T. better)

5.Why midichlorians?
The force ran strong in Luke's family how else do you explain it other than a genetic link?

6.What did you think of the improvement to Yoda by making him digital?
They liked the puppet better. To this I was shocked. When I asked why they responded, "Would you like it if the Yoda in Empire was changed out for a digital one." I offered a resounding, "NO!"

7. Isn't it ludicrous that Darth Maul was only on screen for a few scenes of Episode 1?
They compared him to Boba Fett as more mysterious and cooler because of the lack of screen time. They thought Lucas was genius for recognizing what makes a character like Fett awesome and using the same tactics for Maul.

It hit me that what we grow up with we are attached to. I knew my six year old loves Jar Jar, but I assumed it was because he was young. I knew one day he would leave his Jar Jar loving ways behind, but I was wrong. It is the reason why I love the Ewoks, but people older than me often do not. I was a kid when I saw the Ewoks so I love them. If you saw Jar Jar as a kid you love him and that doesn't go away.

We do the same thing with churches. We love what we know and change is bad. We think what we grew up with is somehow sacred and that new ways are not as good. The current generation may love doing something new and look at old ways as boring or irrelevant. In 30 years the new ways will be old and there will be a new generation of people unwilling to change.

Lets learn from young Star Wars fans and realize that change can be good and look at what we are doing with fresh eyes.


You may also like:
The Phantom Menace Passes Star Wars
Truths from a Galaxy Far Far Away

The Reach of Social Media

If you have ever wondered how much social media plays apart of our everyday lives, then you need to see this video. There are over 350,000 covers of Adele song "Rolling in the Deep". World Covers took  71 of those videos and mashed them up into one fluid song. 

It is staggering to think about how much social media touches lives and the chance to reach the world with your message. What is you message? Is it a product, a purpose, a passion. 

My message is that Jesus gave His life to free us from the power sin and death have over us. He came back to life and wants a relationship with everyone.

Whatever your message is, social media is your best option for getting the word out.

Judgment Free Zone? Really?

You've probably seen the commercials. Planet Fitness is a "Judgement Free Zone". How refreshing that a company would seek to stamp out judgmental attitudes. 

We've all seen the muscle bound jock who grunts like a constipated gorilla to lift a weight so big that you would rent a fork lift to move. It always ends with a resounding thud, as he sends the weights careening to the ground. We all look up in awe, and wish we could be that strong!

Then there is the girl who turns every head, making it a very dangerous environment to be lifting heavy weights. Her hair is never out of place, her makeup doesn't smear when she sweats, she wears only a sports bra and her pants might as well be painted on. There is usually some sort of word across the backside, but it might as well say unattainable. As much as you work out nothing seems to help. 

Unless we are not meant to be them. And we are not. Planet Fitness recognizes this and has rules in place to avoid judgment. There is a dress code to makes sure that "the girl" mentioned above purchases clothing. There is also a "lunk" alarm that goes off if weights are dropped. 

The other day I was on the treadmill when some weights hit the floor and the alarm blared. We all glanced over simultaneously with a look that said "loser". At that moment it hit me. We can work really hard to keep the overachievers from judging us (or more accurately cause us to judge ourselves), only to be the ones judging them.

I think the same is true in the church. A church can work so hard to not major on the minors that we will marginalize other Christians who have any strong convictions that we deem legalistic. Is legalism a bad thing? Yes. Did Jesus confront legalists? Yes. Did Jesus love and die for legalists? Absolutely. 

In our effort to not be judgmental lets beware of thinking we are better than those who think they are better than us.

What Does it Mean When a Pastor Falls?

A pastor doesn't find himself in hot water from making one mistake, he finds himself in hot water because he climbed into the wrong pot. There are small things, a few compromises, a lack of accountability, and a lack of transparency in his life. Its a slow boil.

What happens when a ministry leader falls? I have seen so many pastors, youth pastors, and worship leaders fall in my lifetime. It’s a wonder that I am still involved in ministry circles; much less do what I do for a living. After all, the fall of leaders has been a huge talking point for skeptics over the past few years.

From Baker and Swaggart to Ted Haggard and the catholic priest scandal, it is certainly in the public eye. But its not just televangelists and prominent people who are falling, I have friends and peers who have succumbed to temptation and fallen by the way side.

Why does it shake us to the core when someone we admire falls? After all they are sinful humans like the rest of us. Is it because we made an idol out of them and should only look to Jesus? Maybe, but I don't think that is necessarily always the case. You see, John the Baptist had disciples (followers) and Jesus did not rebuke him. In fact Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Cor 11:1).

What did Paul mean? We are to follow and emulate those that follow Jesus as long as they are following Him. All of the work of God that a person does is through Christ's power, and all of the sin he does is in his own power.

Think of the first ministry leader to fall. It was Satan! Through his fall 1/3 of those closest to God called it quits. I believe our enemy took notice of how easy it was to tear apart God's congregation, and he employs the same tactic today. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter!

As the sheep we need to follow our shepherds as they follow The Good Shepherd. If we see our shepherds fail and fall (and we will), lets recognize the enemies attacks, restore them gently (Gal 6:1) and keep our eyes fixed on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

The Next Big Thing

A few years ago:  Twinkie creator Jimmy Dewar said: “Twinkies was the best darn-tootin’ idea I ever had.” 
Now:  Hostess is filing for bankruptcy. 


A few years ago:  Small video stores were closing because they could not compete with the large chains during the VHS to DVD conversion. 
Now:  Blockbuster videos have "For Lease" instead of "New Release" in their window.


A few years ago:  Mom and pop book stores were folding up when book mega stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders came to town. 
Now:  A tablet reading device like Kindle or Nook can hold thousands of books and the large stores are disappearing. 


A few years ago:  Families looked through the Sears or J.C. Penny catalogues so they could shop from home. 
Now:  We can use Ebay, Craigslist, or Half.com to find items from anyone, anywhere, at anytime.


A few years ago:  The answering machine made it possible to find out who called when someone was not AT their house.
Now:  The number of cell phones in the United States exceeds the number of people.


What has changed:  Methods
What is the same:  We are still; eating snacks, watching movies, reading, buying, and communicating


A few years from now:  We will be doing the same things using new and improved methods. How will we get there? Well, that depends on some innovative people out there or maybe it depends on you.








What other changes can you think of in the past few years? 

Are You Mentoring Unaware?

I was thinking about my mentors this morning. I have several people who speak into my life on a regular basis (whether I want them to are not). There are those who call, check on me, and ask me engaging questions. Then there are those that I have asked to hold me accountable. I value there input greatly.

As I look back over my life I realize that I have had mentors who did not even realize they were mentoring me. I was learning, gleaning from, and endeavoring to be like them. Today, I have mentors who do not even know I exist. People like Michael Hyatt (blogger) & Craig Groeschel (LifeChurch.TV) who mentor me through their; books, blogs, videos and tweets. I learn from their passion, have similar vision, but most of all respect who they are as men.

Who are you purposefully mentoring? Who is watching you? Is your life worth following? Can you say follow me as I follow Christ?

How Serving Has Impacted My Life

I asked Laura Milner, the blog author of Strengthening the Chain to guest post on serving. You see, I have been on staff in the church world for 11 years and I needed fresh eyes on the subject. Laura is also a volunteer youth worker in California and an avid Twitter user. Thanks for reading and feel free to join the conversation.

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I started volunteering in my high school youth group when I was 16 years old. I felt God's call on my life to serve and jumped in, I started leading games and being a part of the planning of our weekly meetings. It was one of the most life changing choices I ever made in my life and would set the tone for who I would become as an adult. And now 12 years, a marriage, 2 kids and 3 ministries later I can say that being a volunteer is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. 

Now I could write a whole blog post on how volunteering can be hard and how I've been broken by God, how I've spent many sleepless nights thinking and praying for the teens I minister to, I could go on and on about how many times I've almost walked away from serving. But if you've been serving for any period of time you already know the struggles, I want to tell you is that serving made me who I am today and I wouldn't change that for anything. 

Making the choice to serve as a life style has filled my life with adventure, friends, mentors and opportunities that I would have never had, had I not been a volunteer. Choosing at a young age to be a part of a ministry helped me survive my teens. If I wasn't plugged in and discipled by some amazing leaders I would have walked down the wrong path and could have completely walked away from my faith. Serving is also how I have made life long friends and most importantly where I met and fell in love with my husband. My children have been raised in service, helping wrap gifts for underprivileged kids, to helping me fold youth event fliers to sitting in awe as they watch dear friends preach their hearts out on stage. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a volunteer. 

If I didn't volunteer in church my life would look completely different. I know I wouldn't have married my husband, and I know I would have made choices that I may not have been able to recover from. Volunteering is a life style for me, not a weekly commitment. I take the call on my life seriously. I have a deeper intimacy with my Savior because I serve, I am constantly growing in my walk with Christ, I am encouraged and challenged by the people I serve with and most of all I get to watch Gods church grow. 

I know too many Christians who are simply content with attending church on Sunday morning and living their life without giving back. And to be honest it makes me really sad. Not only are they robbing others of their God given talent, not only are they robbing themselves of friends and growth, they are robbing God. Yes, I said that! Choosing not to serve when God has called you to, is robbing God. You are robbing Him of using you, robbing Him of stretching you and making you grow. And most of all you are robbing God of the opportunity to work miracles in the lives of others through you. We are ALL called by God to seek and save the lost, we are ALL called to give unconditional love as Christ did! It is shameful how many Christians forget or don't care to give as God gave.

You might think, the church really doesn't need another person. But that's a lie. God only created one YOU, and He wants to use YOU. Being a volunteer will change your life, it will stretch you further then you have ever been stretched. Being a volunteer allows God to move in you and through you. Don't rob the world of Gods gift, YOU!

Camouflage Christianity

A teen in my youth group has a camouflage Bible cover and I like to tease him about not seeing a Bible.

Camouflage looks good on hats, jackets, and even Bibles. But the one place it does not look good is on a Believer's life.

What about you? Do you stand out or are you camouflaged?

Good vs Great Customer Service

I get my haircut at a popular hair cutting chain. At first I tried them just because of a coupon. Why did I go back? Because they offered something that my old place did not.

It wasn't the scalp massages and steamed towels that did the trick. After all those cost extra so they can only detract from the experience if the towel gets cold to soon or the hair wash is rushed so they can get to more customers.

What did it was the fact that they keep track of what haircut I get. They know the length of the guard and the way they thin it out so it will stand up better. And everyone there has access to the same information so it doesn't matter who I get.

Or does it? You can't replace great customer service. Good customer service is personalized, but the great is personal.

After getting the same girl three times in a row and having the same conversations (what I do etc), I wasn't known. In fact on the fourth visit she asked if I had ever been there before. Despite the fact that I am 6'7 and always have my son with me.

The person who cuts my hair now asks about my family, remembers my kids names and that I opt out of the massage chair during the hair wash because it makes itchy.

There is no substitute for great customer service. Is your church, business, or website personalized to the type of audience or customer you have or is it personal. The good will attract but the great will connect.

Back to the Future

My wife and I have been watching the Back to the Future trilogy this week. I had almost forgotten how good they were (especially for their time).

Marty and the Doc constantly hurl themselves through time in an attempt to right wrongs, avoid mistakes, and even cheat death.

Unfortunately, we do not get this luxury. Even if you had a flux capacitor and installed in your Delorian, you would still be stuck with the natural consequences (good or bad) for every decision you make.

Every choice is a fork in the road, a turning point with an alternate destination. Choose each step carefully, because there is no going back.

Angry Birds for Life

I could resist this picture

On Christmas day the mega-popular app based game, Angry Birds did what it has been doing for over 2 years now--it took one more step towards taking over the world. The hit game was downloaded 6.5 million times on a day when even Walmart was closed. Many people were making Angry Birds one of their first apps on their new smartphone or tablet device.

I have it on my IPhone and have to avoid it for its ability to suck the minutes and hours from my day. My whole family enjoys it down to my 4 year old. But is it the game alone or are we struck by the story of the birds who have been wronged so badly by evil pigs that they will stop at nothing to see that they pay, even if it means dying in the process.

What noble cause makes you want to see justice so badly that you would give your life in the process? What about human trafficking, slave labor, starvation, genocide, or abortion? Would you give your life to share Christ in a hostile country where His name is not allowed?

This is the way the world is and at times it should anger us and even propel us into the fray on behalf of the hopeless and helpless. Are you going to be an Angry Bird or a Timid Bird in 2012?