Search results for: “good news”

  • College Football Check-in

    Here’s a mid-season check-in of my favorite teams.

    #1 Notre Dame For a team that barely won 3 games last year, I’m please with their progress. I actually think some fans expected the Irish to win 8-9 games based on their week schedule. Essentially, they have beaten the team’s on their schedule that they were supposed to while gotten beat by ranked opponenents. With Syracuse and USC left on their schedule I think they will end up 7-5 before getting waxed in a bowl game. Some have said Charlie Weis is on the hot seat, I don’t see it that way at all. This is a rebuilding process, his team is very young. Now if they are 8-4 next year or less… I can see dumping him.

    #2 Michigan State I’ve watched a couple of their games and been quite impressed. They have climbed to #15 in the polls and if they can manage squeak past Penn State and Michigan pulls off the upset of the millenium, they would be rose bowl bound. Most importantly, they didn’t collapse after the Michigan game. Kudos to State for finally figuring out how to play a whole season.

    #3 Michigan Back in September I said it would be a down year and boy has it lived up to that hype. At 3-8 they have often been stunningly bad. I also said that they would have a chance to beat Ohio State. As long as the bus brings the Buckeyes to the correct stadium on Saturday morning I don’t see Michigan having a chance. That said, it’s a rivalry game and anything is possible. No, I take that back. Michigan has as good a chance of beating Ohio State as Jennifer Graham does in getting re-elected in 2010.

    #4 San Diego State At 1-10 it is tough to find anything good to say about the Aztecs. Sadly, I never made it to one of their games either. When they played Notre Dame I thought they may have a chance to be .500. I must have been on crack that day. The good news is that I may be able to enroll in the grad school and walk on for the Aztecs. Sure, I’ve never played high school football. But I’m pretty good at NCAA 2008 for the Wii.

  • How to respond to critics of your ministry?

    So you’re minding your own business and doing your thing. Then the phone rings and a friend calls saying something like this, “Did you know that someone in the church wrote about you on their blog? They didn’t say nice things! What are you going to do about it?”

    I can understand. For one thing, I’ve been contacted by my fair share of people who aren’t happy about something I posted here on my blog. I’ve even been contacted by the concerned party who was just worried that I might blog about something. On the other hand I’ve seen my fair share of criticism. I’ve been blasted many times on blogs, facebook, myspace, forums, and of course the old fashioned way… church gossip.

    So… what’s Adam’s strategy for dealing with public criticism? I’ll let you in on my secrets. But just keep these secrets between us, OK? I wouldn’t want any f my critics to know how I will respond.

    Secret #1 I see everything. Thanks to the wonder of the internet I am typically alerted automatically within an hour of something posted about me, my family, or things I care about. That means I am almost never surprised by a phone call like I mentioned above. Almost always I’ve already read the critique and decided what I’m going to do! There are both paid and free options for doing this… unless you’re Joel Olsteen the free options should do the trick.

    Secret #2 I ignore almost everything. That’s right. Even the worst criticisms are worth ignoring. Let’s say someone didn’t like what I said in church and they blog about it. Is that swipe really hurting me? Not really. I don’t perpetrate myself as perfect. And I’m big enough to take a couple of shots. I’m also not concerned about “online reputations” too much. If I ran around with a chip on my shoulder about every negative thing being said about me, my people, or my work… I’d end up looking pretty stupid wouldn’t I? Here’s the dirty secret of criticism online: A link is a link. Google could care less if it’s a positive link or a negative link to your blog. All links help your online reputation.

    Secret #3 When a lie resonates, invite a discussion. In my life, about 1:100 criticisms do get responded to because that same lie or critique is starting to pop up on other blogs, discussions, articles, or other places. In other words… if I ignore a criticism 99% of the time it will go away quickly. That’s really the beauty of the internet! There are so many blogs out there that 99% of posts really aren’t remarkable. People read blog entries so fast that chances are no one even noticed the critique. But that 1% of bad things said will get picked up by other bloggers. When that happens I need to think about a response strategy. When I do respond my first step is always to invite a person saying something publicly to contact me privately. I give them my name, the link to the critique, my phone number, and personal email address. If that blog has an email I send them a message there. If not, I leave a comment inviting them to discuss the criticism privately. Some disagree with that, but I prefer to discuss a criticism privately.

    Secret #4 I vent about it, privately. I don’t care how important you are… getting slammed hurts. Even the trivial “who, said what? hahahaha!” ones hurt a little. As a pastor you put everything you’ve got into your ministry so any critique seems intensely personal. I fight my self-righteous attitude to say something here on my blog or to call and demand a person take it back. Further, most pastors don’t realize that they are in the public eye… you may be the most famous person most people in your church know! Here’s the trick. You need some outlets for that anger… and the people around me know full well what this is like. I will read something, make a “huh” little laugh and then talk to one of the people close to me about it. Try it, it helps. that way if I end up responding it is never out of anger.

    Secret #5 Truth always wins. The fact of the matter is that you will do some dumb things. I know I’ve said, written, and done some incredibly idiotic things. If you only ever do safe things you will never be criticized. But the good news is that if you’re a good guy, you’ll always be a good guy. You can’t please everyone and it’s not worth trying.

    Secret #6 There is an ounce of truth in every criticism. That’s why I read them all. WIth an understanding that all criticisms have something to teach me, I think I’m getting a little bit smarter!

  • Need a mechanic

    Wow, our car took a rapid turn for the worse. I don’t know exactly what happened but I do know the engine is making a horrible knocking sound. It started yesterday on the way to work. And today on the way home it got really, really loud.

    Websites I know. Bible stuff I know. Cars? Forget it.

    I need a mechanic and being new in town I don’t even know where to start. Adventure time!

    UPDATE: After comparing the loud sounds my engine is making to some stuff on YouTube, I think the operative word is “the engine is blown.” So I’m grabbing a rental car until we can get some estimates for a repair… or if it’s just wiser to scrap this car and get a different used car. I’m trying to focus on the good here… it didn’t happen to Kristen while I was gone. It didn’t do anything dangerous. (Still runs! I drove it home from work.) And it didn’t happen in the middle of nowhere when I was driving Megan and Stoney across the country. See, lots of good news amidst something really inconvenient.

  • Find the value somewhere

    I don’t talk about stocks very much, but I would consider the stock market a passive hobby of mine. It is a very fascinating time to own stock as the markets are all over the place. One day the market is on fire and you’ll add a few points here and there only to see that evaporate the next day.

    Here’s a couple of simple trading tips that help keep me making money in times like this:

    • If one industry is down, it means another industry has to go up. For instance, today my automotive stocks got nailed. But my oil stocks went up. When the economy slows it means bad news for high end retail and good news for Target, Wal*Mart, and other places people are likely to shop when short on cash.
    • Have firm high and low points to sell. I’ve got a stock that has returned almost 100% in 3 months. It’s ripe for the picking and I can sell it comfortably knowing I’ve locked in an amazing return. Likewise, I’ve had some stocks that have “safety valves” built into my E*Trade account. It hits a certain number and I dump the stock to secure I don’t lose too much.
    • Invest in companies that pay dividends. A lot of investors don’t like dividends. I do. If I made some money by investing in your company, dump it in my account and let me decide to invest it somewhere else.

    I’m no expert. But we’ve consistently survived in good markets and bad. What are your tips?

  • I got lost at the mall

    Want to know something weird about me? I can remember phone numbers. I can remember the names of my 1st grade classmates and some of their phone numbers. I can remember 10,000 details about New Testament history so I can spew them off to an unsuspecting conversant. I can remember a few hundred YMX screen names, where they live, and their real first name.

    But I can’t remember where I have parked, ever.

    I got turned around tonight at Lakeside Mall.  I was even careful to note where I had parked, what store I was in front of and once I got in that store which direction I needed to head to find my car. It turns out none of that helps. I walked out the door, headed towards where I parked the car. And it wasn’t there. And since no one is out looking to steal a 1998 Camry… I knew it wasn’t stolen. I walked around. Looked around. Walked down more aisles.

    It turns out that Lakeside Mall has two Macy’s. Who has ever heard of a mall with two Macy’s? [Shout out to AB! I pulled an Autumn.]

    The good news was that I got what I needed from Steve and Barry’s. Fortunately for me, it was my first trip to the mall since Christmas 2006.

  • Progress in Iraq

    Progress in Iraq

    Yesterday I saw on CNN that US soldier fatalities are down 60% since June. In looking at the raw data you don’t have to get out a calculator to see that there are fewer soldiers being killed today than there were 3 months ago. This is good news! And yet the political spin doctors continue to say nothing good is happening in Iraq and we should leave immediately.

    Another sign of progress was reported on by the Associate Press this week. The headline reads, “Thousands Returning to a Safer Baghdad.” See, fleeing Iraq would be a lack of progress. Being safe enough to return to your homes is a sign of progress.

    Need proof that negativity is just bad press and political games? (Countdown to 2008, 365 days until we vote!)

    It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? It’s said that “if it bleeds it leads” in our press. Clearly, in our country hundreds are dying every day and the press doesn’t care. To the contrary, our soldiers are doing their best to stabilize a region, bring democracy somewhere that doesn’t want it, are defending a government elected by the people, and the press questions their every move and decision.

    Perspective matters in an election year. With 365 days until November 4th, 2008 we all need to be reminded that every news story has a political purpose. As we saw leading up to the 2004 election, the liberal media will stop at nothing to make their candidate look good and the people they don’t like look like idiots. They’ll talk about smaller issues for 8 hours per day in order to continue to avoid the big issue.

    What do you think? Is it all politics or is there really no progress in Iraq with no good news ever going to come?

  • What about those who have never heard?

    I’ve actually had a couple conversations with new believers and Christians alike about this question. Certainly, it’s a tough thing to think "Is God fair to punish people to hell who never heard about Jesus?"

    So, here is a paper I wrote back in my undergrad days. I actually do think it’s good enough and complete enough to say… this is my position on the matter. Enjoy!

    The Fairness of the Creator by Adam McLane

    Romans 1: 18-20:

    “The wrath of God is
    being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human
    beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known
    about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since
    the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and
    divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
    made, so that people are with excuse.”

    Perhaps the hardest lesson to be learned in all of Calvinist theology is that a person whom never hears of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is still responsible to God for not responding to it. The long-stretching arms of Christ’s love for humanity seem nullified by the stern message of God’s wrath. The purpose of this dialogue revolves around answering the question, “Is it fair for God to condemn those people who have never heard or understood the gospel?” No question can be as relevant to our society, no question cuts more straight to the heart of Christianity. Is Christ the only way to salvation? Can man plead ignorance or indifference? Is there hope for those who have never heard?

    (more…)

  • Mind Blowing Statistics

    I’ve about done with the message for tomorrow morning. I’m encouraging our congregation to embrace their life’s mission of reaching their community for Christ. But in the the process of preparation I’ve started comparing some studies, mixed with my own informal study here locally to discover some disturbing truths. I’m going to save both the good news and the bad news until the service. But I can’t help but think as I look at these facts, "Why aren’t people sending missionaries to Romeo?"

    The immediate good news is two-fold. (Not sharing any secrets of the message in the morning.)

    1. God has sent missionaries to Romeo.
    2. God’s desire is to reach Romeo through the local church.

    As I’m busy examining the evidence and fact-checking the data, this is one talk where I hope everyone takes the time to download the message notes and check the data themselves. Even with massive margins of error we’re talking one very powerful observation!

  • Holy Weak

    Lily
    No, I didn’t misspell "week."     It’s intentional. As Holy Week begins I am feeling especially weak and helpless in the face of all that is going on.

    There is an unsurmountable list of thing to accomplish. As always… it’s not a matter of doing things I like vs. dislike so much as I am having to wade through God’s blessings as He abundantly provides.

    This is a MainStreet week. Which means that we are charged with transforming the auditorium into a kids world. A two hour program once per week takes 3 weeks of planning and several days of labor. At this point in the ballgame, everything has to come together. I also have to help all of our volunteers, actors, singers, and everyone else not get complacent and rest on the idea that "it’s been great in the past, this one will be great too." Each MainStreet has gotten bigger and bigger… more and more complicated… and more and more fun! This one is no exception and I’m feeling swamped by it.

    This week is Easter.     Duh. In the midst of preparing my spirit for the week I also have to prepare an incredible experience called "The Journey" for Friday night. Which means after MainStreet ends we have to do a quick change to the auditorium. And then after that service Friday night we have to transform the room one more time for the Easter services. Again, not complaining… just a big weight to carry around this week.

    I have a heavy heart. Last night an uncle past away after a long series of illnesses associated with a stroke several years ago. As he was a believer I am comforted to know that he’s found peace and the pain is now gone. But that is little concession for those of us lost. On top of all that I am trying to determine if it’s possible for me to travel to the funeral and get back here for all of my many projects this week. I have a narrow window of opportunity… let’s see how it works out.

    Chicago2
    Next week is our mission trip.     Every year this thing sneaks up on me. While there isn’t tons left for me to I still need to finalize some details to make certain that 100% of the trip that I can control will run smooth. I love the city, I love the ministry, I love the time with students… and it’s crazy to think that leading a mission trip will actually be a break!

    Weakness. The good news about feeling weak is that it always leads to dependence. If this week goes well it is the direct result of my ability to hand it all over the Father. These are your tasks God, take them, bless them, and use me despite myself.

  • Outreach… from what we should do to what actually works

    Today I got together with some guys in my old youth network. I haven’t been a part of that gang for about a year and it was really nice to start the re-connecting process.

    For the first time since I’ve been here I really felt like I got something out of going today. I have been a little discouraged in general and even though I didn’t really have time to go all the way down there, I made time to get encouraged. So I went a little discouraged and left feeling OK about myself and my ministry.

    Quick sidenote: It’s one thing to teach students "when you feel the most discouraged it’s because you are really close to a major break through and Satan is attacking you with discouragement" but it’s another really hard thing to live. Pressing on towards the goal sometimes sucks.

    Today we talked about outreach. It’s one of those words that means a lot of things to a lot of people. I’ve seen churches call their Christian schools "an outreach" since there are people who aren’t Christians in the school. I’ve seen churches call events "outreaches" that were really events where one ministry of the church was reaching out to another. I’ve been to evangelistic "outreaches" where there was an event and a gospel presentation. I’ve been to churches that call "outreach" serving th community or feeding the homeless. But what is "Outreach?"

    (more…)

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