Month: February 2008

  • A true Michigan winter

    big snowLet’s just say the picture is an exaggeration. But we’ve had a very good Al Gore inspired winter in Michigan.

    It started in November and it has stayed until now. Non-stop cold, lots of snow, few warm weather breaks, and a lot of storms.

    I love winter. I love snow. I really like driving around after a fresh heavy snow. I love everything about it.

    For the last several years lifelong Michigan resident have told us, “These winters aren’t like we used to have.” Well, those same people are now saying, this is just like we used to have.

    I want to give perspective on the snow to people outside Romeo. We’ve got about 18 inches of snow in our yard and on the roof of our house.  Along our driveway, where we’ve piled up snow from shoveling it’s about chest high. (3-4 feet?) As the snow was melting today with the warm temperatures I was out digging out the downspouts out of the ice and snow. The main one was buried under 5-6 feet of slushy snow… I never found it.

    We love winter weather. And we’re happy to be surviving a “real Michigan winter” here in Romeo.

  • Ice!

    This is insane. There is a ton of ice out there so we’ve been forced to cancel our 9:00 AM service.

    Update: We’re canceling all services for the day. There’s a first time for everything.

  • Videos, blue keys, and more…

    blue keysMy basement is a fan of Blue Man Group right now. Hanging from the rafters are tons of chunks of metal with a fresh coat of blue enamel on them… drip drying.

    I spent about half of my week making a video for Sunday’s service.

    We called in some favors this week to get some “wow” stuff.

    Jimmy has learned a brand new song just for this service. It’s amazing.

    Bob is completely jazzed about his message.

    Why all the fuss? This week’s service will be unmissable. Seriously, I know they are calling for ice and rain tonight… but you need to know this service will be worth ice skating, snowshoeing, or whatever it takes to get there.

    I’ve been at Romeo almost 5 years. And I’ve gotten fired up about some Sunday’s. This one ranks right up there. The word all week we’ve used is “Killer.” I think this service will be killer.

    If you’ve never joined us at Romeo: This is going to be the perfect jumping in point. If you come Sunday, you’ll leave knowing exactly who we are, what we’re all about, and why we do what we do.

  • 30 Day Sex Challenge

    Relevant Church in Tampa, Florida has certainly attracted some media attention. Check out this challenge.

    • “An openly edgy Christian church is launching what they’re calling a 30-Day Sex Challenge to help members improve their relationships and rediscover themselves.”
    • “Single folks are to abstain from sex for 30 days…Married folks, on the other hand, are supposed to have sex every day for 30 days.”
    • “Relevant Church leaders know the campaign may shock, even disgust, some people in and outside the church. But that was the idea. Create a buzz about a topic a lot of people don’t like to talk about.”

    What do you think? (No debate here this is pretty close to what the Bible teaches about sex.) Is this too far ? Not far enough? Are right on with the culture?

    HT to Tim Stevens

  • Valentines Day

    Love Frog WebkinzYep, it’s that day again. You know, the day of the year when men frantically run to Hallmark on their lunch hours to pick up that ultra-special card that expresses deep love in a shallow world.

    Here’s a rant I posted 3 years ago today about Valentines Day.

    Today is slightly more subdued. The kids are excited because we gave them the Valentine’s Limited Edition Webkinz Love Frog. His name is Valentine.

    For those who are like me and do not appreciate Valentine’s Day. Just a reminder that we should take a few minutes to commemorate the massacre. Just makes me want to watch The Godfather tonight.

  • Hope for Me Yet from Married Life

    I just featured this in the brand new weekly newsletter we’re sending out here at the church, and I want to share it with my readers since I know many of you are not yet on our e-mail list. This is our worship leader, Jimmy Savage, performing at our Married Life event last weekend.

    Feel free to join our free e-mail newsletter for a fresh video each week from romeochurch.com, a preview of this week’s services, and notes from last week’s message. Even if you don’t go to our church or live in our state… I think there will be something there each week worth checking out.

  • An introduction to Youth Ministry Exchange

    I know a lot of people who are a part of my life don’t really know anything about “the other” part of my life. That is, my role at Youth Ministry Exchange. I say, “it’s an online community for youth workers” and I recognize that it doesn’t mean anything.

    Well, our friends at Gospel.com were nice enough to create this video about YMX. It is awesome!

    If you want to explain to others what YMX, how it works, and what it’s all about… here is the code to embed this video.

  • My Ministry Dip: Gaining Traction

    It’s winter… so this is a metaphor that anyone can understand.

    At Romeo, our tires are getting traction. As I reflect back on the last few years of ministry (my primary work) I can’t help but see where we’ve come and where we are headed.

    (more…)

  • E-mail that costs you a billion dollars

    As far as slip ups with technology go, this one is pretty major. A lawyer for drug manufacturer Eli Lilly thought she was sending an email to her co-counselor on a billion dollar case.

    Unfortunately, her co-counselor shared the same last name as a person doing a story on the matter with the New York Times. He already knew about the deal but didn’t have enough sources confirming the story to make it public. That is, until he received the mistaken e-mail.

    The story exposed details of a billion dollar private settlement that would have otherwise remained confidential.

    Here’s the story.

    What’s the lesson here for your personal email, business email, and super-duper-uber private messages?

    HT to NPR

  • Is James Dobson’s Reign Over?

    James Dobson I’ve talked about this before. But I think it is safe to say James Dobson no longer represents the middle of the road Christian. I don’t think I’m in the middle of the evangelical road, but I think it’s becoming clear that he’s now losing traction with the masses.

    I hate to sound like Rush Limbaugh. But I predicted sentiments like this. Middle of the road evangelicals are leaving the right-wing conservative camps in droves to express their dissatisfaction with their ignoring the policies that motivate young Christians to action. Justice. Equality. Education. Environment. These aren’t ideals to young Christians, they are minimum requirements and Dobson’s old-fogey-out-of-touch ways aren’t even on their map.

    Prime example of Dobson’s lack of connection with today’s young Evangelicals:

    Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can’t vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country. Source

    How mature. He doesn’t get his hand-picked candidate so he isn’t going to vote. (Allegedly)  Good leadership there Mr. Dobson.