Google Readertag:google.com,2005:reader/user/14807655234668379052/state/com.google/broadcastJeff Mikels' shared items in Google ReaderCJ2nxcqeqKYCJeff Mikels2011-07-07T12:33:59Ztag:google.com,2005:reader/item/258dcb6e5ee9eaa7The “Everyone is on vacation, anything goes” church service. (AKA tomorrow.)2011-07-02T12:21:27Z2011-07-02T12:21:27Z<p>(I can’t believe we’ve been kicking around this site for 3 years. It’s become a tradition that 4th of July weekend I repost the piece that started the Skittles running joke and let the cat out of the bag about how church is going to be. Consider this your guide to what’s going to happen at your church tomorrow if you live in the United States.)</p>
<p>It is a poorly kept secret that the day before a big holiday, your church is going to do things a little differently than on most Sundays. That is, with a large portion of the congregation out on vacation, they’re going to mix it up a little.</p>
<p>For instance, at a lot of churches, the younger ministers are always asked to preach the day before Memorial Day. Senior pastors know that it’s a lot safer to have some rough-around-the-edges minister saying something crazy to 400 people than 800 people. Same goes with music. Go tomorrow (in the United States) and you’re bound to see some guy who’s always been in the background step forward for a totally unexpected guitar solo. Or a woman that’s always wanted to lead worship will suddenly be behind the mic for the first time.</p>
<p>I call it “Day Before Vacation Syndrome” or DBVS. (Not to be confused with DVS)</p>
<p>And because I am a huge dork, I thought I would offer 8 ways your church can spice up tomorrow and avoid DBVS:</p>
<p><span></span><strong>1. Controversy</strong><br>
Since a lot of folks won’t be in church because they are out on vacation, use this opportunity to address all of the most controversial issues. Talk about politics, popular books, and anything else that otherwise would get the crowd riled up and upset. That way, whenever someone says, “I wish this church was not so seeker-focused and dealt with some of the tough issues,” you can reply, “You must have not been here for obamadrugssex Sunday.”</p>
<p><strong>2. Snakes</strong><br>
Ever thought about incorporating some pit vipers into your service? Why not on the Sunday when everyone is out of town? I don’t know where you can buy a “bag o’ rattlers” but surely someone near you sells poisonous snakes. By the way, I don’t mean to be selfish, but it would really help me out if someone could invite me to a church service where they handled snakes. I’m dying to write about that but won’t unless I’ve actually gone to a service.</p>
<p><strong>3. Church Sumo Wrestling</strong><br>
At every church there are little church politics that no one wants to talk about. The worship minister wants to do more modern songs than the pastor will allow. The elders think the pastor needs to do more Old Testament and less Seinfeld references. The janitor is still mad at everyone over the “glue incident” of 1978. Get those big blow-up sumo costumes you can rent, a huge tube of bootleg jello (this a church after all), and then have everyone settle their differences. How cool would it be to see the super happy pastor’s wife leg drop the super grumpy elder that is always a jerk to her husband?</p>
<p><strong>4. Skittles</strong><br>
Why not throw Skittles out during the service? Instead of saying, “watch this” or “listen to this” or “are you tracking with me” or another phrase that is designed to get people’s attention, why not throw handfuls of skittles at them? Wouldn’t you love to be hit in the side of the head with a bunch of fruit candy delightfulness? I would.</p>
<p><strong>5. Weird instruments</strong><br>
Ever wondered what an accordion and triangle version of the song, “I Can Only Imagine” would sound like? Got a kid in youth group that is really good at beat box? Do you need more cowbell but are afraid most people would hate it? Well, they’re all on vacation. Get the accordion out. It’s go time.</p>
<p><strong>6. Practice Christmas</strong><br>
Next to Easter, the Christmas service might be the most important one you do. So why not do a dry run in July and make sure everything goes well? Just consider it a practice. Do the candles with kids, hang some holly, sing carols, do the whole thing up. Then, that way, when the real Christmas rolls around, you’ll be ready. Don’t tell anyone it’s a practice. Just do it as if it’s a normal thing to do. The look on the face of your visitors and members who show up and find themselves singing “Oh Holy Night” in the middle of the summer will be worth it.</p>
<p><strong>7. Haikus</strong><br>
Do the entire sermon in haiku. It’s not as hard as you think. Here’s an example: Jesus was so cool (5 syllables) He gave His life for our sins (7 syllables) Let’s be close to him (5 syllables)</p>
<p><strong>8. Have an “SCL Sunday”</strong><br>
Why not throw a “Stuff Christians Like” service? We’ll play Sandi Patty and Carman songs. We’ll take a love offering and interlink our fingers when we hold hands. We’ll get a puppet group, named “Strings of Mercy,” to come do the Noah’s Ark story and then I’ll speak. It will be fantastic.</p>
<p>I would do some pop and lock breakdancing tomorrow in the hallway if Cross Point did any one of these ideas. If they don’t, I’m going to do that mime move where you pretend to be stuck in an invisible box. Mime is the opposite of breakdancing.</p>
<p>p.s. There are two things that go without saying: 1. I can’t promise that your church will use any of these tips. 2. I can promise that the church I start, GracePointeLifeTruthHouseNorthRiverElevate, will use all of them.</p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stuffchristianslikeblog/~4/PSQpxwBWl10" height="1" width="1">jon acuff007098983803151388931167497089717928568805030029989219128611tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/df8ab085d7d33539Taking church off in the summer.2011-06-27T12:38:47Z2011-06-27T12:38:47Z<p>Wait, what?</p>
<p>No. That can’t be true. Even typing those words should have caused little mini bolts of lighting to come down from heaven and strike my keyboard, rendering it useless. (Probably didn’t happen because I wrote this on a Mac, and that’s what God uses too.)</p>
<p>But girl, just like Milli Vanilli warned us all those years ago, you know it’s true. I wanted to say “boys and girls” in that sentence, but you see my dilemma. I had a Vanilli opportunity, and I never pass one of those up. Especially when I can use that lip synching, international dance troupe to prove a point that is indeed correct.</p>
<p>We tend to take church off in the summer.</p>
<p>I swear I don’t remember my dad ever dismissing anyone in his church at the end of the spring with a sermon called, “See you in the fall.” But sometimes I think that’s what we hear in our heads. The weather gets warmer. The days get brighter, and around Memorial Day, we pretend the pastor is giving us a pass for the next few months.</p>
<p>Why does this happen? I’m glad you asked:</p>
<p>4 reasons we take church off in the summer</p>
<p><span></span><strong>1. Guest speakers.</strong><br>
As a guest speaker myself, this one pains me, but I know it happens. You wake up, it’s a beautiful day, you start getting ready for church and then remember, “Oh yeah, Pastor Tom is out on vacation this week. They’re having a guest speaker. I’m pretty sure the Bible says something about not needing to attend church when there’s a guest speaker.” And you’re done. There will be no church that day. But when you skip, you don’t know what you’re missing. Maybe this will be the first and only time the phrase “Booty, God, Booty” is said from the stage. I’m just putting that out there. Could happen. Ask the people at NorthRidge Church in Michigan.</p>
<p><strong>2. You go on vacation.</strong><br>
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve gone to church while on vacation at the beach during the summer. That’s horrible, right? Yeah, I assumed so. Thanks for verifying that. Some people love that, though. I have friends who enjoy finding a random, one-off church experience and wrapping that into their vacation memories. Or they hold a church service wherever they’re staying with their family. Both are legitimate options. And if you’re away on vacation, that is actually a good reason to miss going to your home church during summer.</p>
<p><strong>3. You throw the “God is everywhere in nature” card.</strong><br>
What a beautiful day. What a warm, fun day this Sunday morning has already turned into. I’d like to go to church today, but you know, I don’t want to miss God’s glorious sunshine. It’s too pretty today to go to church. Plus, God is everywhere, you know? He made it all. He made the ocean and the mountains and the lake that Sully has a ski boat on. Today, instead of being stuck in church, I will worship God in all his majesty. At the lake.</p>
<p><strong>4. You’re still recovering from volunteering at VBS.</strong><br>
Maybe you had a rough VBS week. Maybe you need to decompress from the “glitter incident.” Maybe there are still a few other people who were a little appalled at how competitive you got with decorating your room. Maybe the animal you brought in on performance night bit you. And, let’s be honest, it’s not easy getting over a camel bite. Things will be better in the fall. Lay low. Remember you did it for the kids.</p>
<p>Will this post dramatically impact church attendance this summer? Probably. I’d like to think we’re going to see a direct correlation, and church attendance is about to spike. But, if it doesn’t, there must be some other reason for taking the summer off from church that I didn’t mention.</p>
<p>What’s your reason for missing church during the summer?</p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stuffchristianslikeblog/~4/N4Wh8N28pUk" height="1" width="1">jon acuff07423030827558078938057075231347717853371480765523466837905205030029989219128611tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/94d1160b2c8939f7Complaining.2011-06-23T12:46:16Z2011-06-23T12:46:16Z<p>You don’t complain about church. That’s one of the things I like about you. That and your breath. It’s delightful. What is that? The black Dentyne gum that is so minty fresh it lights your tongue on flavor with freshness? I thought so.</p>
<p>You’re not a complainer. The moment you get in the car to drive to church, you shut off your desire to complain. You don’t cut people off on the way to church and, upon arriving, you walk in, worship, leave and go home without a negative word. You’ve never complained about Sunday School or how the kids program is run.</p>
<p>I have, though. I used to complain about the traffic at a church I attended. Which, by the way, is the opposite of the Great Commission. “Urgh! I hate this traffic in the church parking lot! All these people coming to worship God and have their hearts transformed! So frustrating. Who keeps making these disciples?”</p>
<p><span></span>That’s a topic for another post. But, in addition to complaining about the traffic, I also complained about the volunteers who were directing it. I’d get all grumpy how our row of cars was getting ignored while the volunteer in the vest kept waving out people who hadn’t been waiting nearly as long as us.</p>
<p>Sermons about grace and compassion would roll right off my back like something even slipperier than water off a duck’s back. You thought I was going to say “water,” but sometimes I shake a sermon even faster than that.</p>
<p>But then I learned a pretty powerful truth about church volunteers that forever changed my habit of complaining. Something that I hope you’ll keep in your pocket for the next time someone complains about a ministry or a program or an anything at your church.</p>
<p>Here it is:</p>
<p>Never complain about something at church you’re not willing to volunteer for.</p>
<p>That’s it. I couldn’t complain about how the traffic at church was directed if I was unwilling to volunteer for traffic duty. I couldn’t get frustrated at how the volunteer in front of our car was weaving the lanes if I wasn’t willing and able to get out of bed early, stand in the freezing cold on some days, and direct hundreds of cars out of the parking lot.</p>
<p>So if you don’t feel like your kid is learning anything in Sunday School, volunteer.</p>
<p>If you wish they did more for single adults at your church, volunteer.</p>
<p>If you hope Vacation Bible School is better than last year, volunteer.</p>
<p>If you wish your church did a better job of welcoming new people, volunteer.</p>
<p>This principle works like a charm. Except if you’ve got a problem with the music or the minister. You can’t just volunteer to give your own sermon next week if, while critiquing the sermon at Sunday lunch, you realize you are complaining. You can’t just bring your own instrument next Sunday and volunteer to play if you feel like worship is incredibly tambourine deficient. That’s what a man in his 70s did one Sunday at my dad’s church. He literally got out of his seat, walked to the front, stood beside the worship leader during one of the songs, and started tambourining.</p>
<p>So don’t do that. But, when it comes to just about everything else, remember:</p>
<p>Never complain about something at church you’re not willing to volunteer for.</p>
<p>Question:<br>
Have you ever volunteered at your church?</p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stuffchristianslikeblog/~4/KyzBkpOwrc0" height="1" width="1">jon acuff0424370575373326903810725089803875823659081000098167215838961070116216990207146014807655234668379052066901748115380410500572510732219099601706910203087075580971tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/f01fb93020be77a2Woe to Me if I Don’t Evangelize2011-06-29T10:00:03Z2011-06-29T10:00:03Z<p style="text-align:center"><a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/Banner.jpg"><img title="Banner" src="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/Banner.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="73"></a></p>
<p><strong>Editor’s Note</strong>: “There is a difference between having a rational judgement that honey is sweet and having a sense of its sweetness,” Jonathan Edwards wrote. “A man may have the former that knows not how honey tastes.” The Bible often describes our knowledge of God and his gospel with experiential language, using “sense” language like “taste and see” or the “eyes of the heart.” The term Christians have used to identify this emotive knowing is <em>spirituality</em>. Expressions of spirituality have taken many different forms, from Catholic mysticism to Pentecostalism. Evangelicals rejoice in the objective work of Christ in the gospel, yet an important aspect of our knowledge of the goodness of God and his saving work is through, what Edwards calls, “the sense of the heart.” That’s hard to define and often harder to bring about. So, over the next several articles, writers for The Gospel Coalition will consider issues related to evangelical spirituality.</p>
<p>Also in this series:</p>
<ul>
<li> Collin Hansen, <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/06/27/you-must-be-heavenly-minded-to-be-any-earthly-good/">You Must Be Heavenly Minded to Be Any Earthly Good</a></li>
<li>Matthew Lee Anderson, <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/?p=10293">Whitewashed Tombs and Gucci-Dressed Sinners</a></li>
<li>John Starke, <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/2011/06/30/why-holiness-must-be-personal/">Why Holiness Must Be Personal</a></li>
<li>Owen Strachan, <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/2011/07/01/anger-god-but-not-lose/">You Can Anger God But Not Lose Him</a></li>
</ul>
<p>**********************</p>
<p>The subtle pride of fear cuts deep. I frequently battle with the fear that my faults and weakness will undermine my gospel witness. Must I be perfect before I evangelize in obedience to Christ’s command (Matt. 28:19-20), in genuine love for the lost (John 17:26) and in passion for the glory of the Father (Col. 1:25-27)?</p>
<p>This quandary knots my soul and mutes my witness.</p>
<div>
<dl style="width:190px">
<dt><a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/IMG_1151.jpg"><img title="IMG_1151" src="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/IMG_1151-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="270"></a></dt>
</dl>
</div>
<p>What great help I found in discovering one of Paul’s deep motives for preaching the gospel: He would rather die than deny God’s work within him. He evangelized from a keen desire to be himself, a new creation in Christ, and thus experience more of God.</p>
<p>To the Corinthians he made every effort to remove all hindrances from the gospel. Certainly he would not exercise his right to receive compensation as a preacher. His motive was not money but an inner compulsion that came from the gospel itself. “For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). He would rather die than give up his right to preach the gospel freely (v.15, see Phil. 1:21ff).</p>
<p>I remember when these words of Paul first had their first real effect on me. My fears were caught up short. Is Paul engaging in hyperbole? Do I pronounce woe upon myself if I do not proclaim the gospel? Is my life devoid of meaning if I do not witness? There are some profound discoveries in Paul’s words for the Christian life and witness.</p>
<p>What was this necessity so weighing upon him? What was it about Paul’s experience of the gospel that he would rather die than keep to himself? I suggest it is the necessity of being himself in Christ. There is something gloriously self-authenticating about the gospel in a person’s life. It silences the lie that there is such a thing as merely private faith. The gospel begets a desire to express itself in our lives.</p>
<h3>Delight to Praise</h3>
<p>C. S. Lewis saw this keenly in his beloved book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Psalms-Harvest-Book-Lewis/dp/015676248X/?tag=thegospcoal-20"><em>Reflections on the Psalms</em></a>. His famous quote on worship applies to evangelism as well: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”<em> </em></p>
<p>Lewis had discovered while reading the Psalms, that “it is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates his presence to men.” The root of evangelism and worship, though different activities, is the same desire to express outwardly this gospel joy that has transformed one’s soul inwardly. In both vertical worship and horizontal evangelism, God communicates his presence to us.</p>
<p>This view of evangelism began to leap off the pages of Scripture where I had not seen it before. For instance in closing his sermon, the writer of the Hebrews motivates us to gospel-advancing hardship by holding out intimacy with Christ in the sharing:</p>
<blockquote><p>So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured (Heb. 13:12-13).</p></blockquote>
<p>The key word is <em>therefore</em>. Because Jesus suffered outside the gate to purify his people, <em>therefore </em>we must go to him (he is still outside the gate!) and endure the sure reproach that awaits faithful witness, boldly telling of Christ to others communicates God’s presence to us. In doing so we will confirm that we are truly a sanctified people. In witness we live out our true identity in Christ.</p>
<p>We saw this in the life of Paul, but we can also see it in the life of the Gadarene demoniac. After Christ’s exorcism of the demonic Legion, the man sat “clothed in his right mind” (Mark 5:15). The man, who before bloodied himself with stones, howled at the moon and broke iron chains like straw, was now sitting quietly, in respectable attire, lucid and calm. His very presence bore witness to the saving power of Christ. This was no contrived act of evangelism. The power of his witness was in simply being himself.</p>
<p>This is what I mean by finding ourselves in Christ as we witness. We enjoy the goodness of God’s presence and in speaking of him, upward and outward, we discover our very purpose for existence.</p>
<h3>Gospel Identity Makes Us Witnesses</h3>
<p>The motivations for evangelism are numerous—not the least being the eternal concerns of the lost. But it is a deep, internal gospel-identity that makes witnesses. Indeed, it’s those who taste and see that the Lord is good who go on to proclaim his excellencies (1 Pe. 2:3,9).</p>
<p>Since I am crucified with Christ, and Christ now lives in me, therefore it is my great desire that my life be consumed in making him known. Furthermore, in making him known, he makes himself known to me. I am fully myself caught up in him.</p>
<p>So there’s a tasting of Christ that I only smell until I witness. Witness flows from a yearning to taste again what once was enjoyed. Without open statement of Christ, I’m always driving by the bakery at baking time and never feasting on the bread.</p>
<p>Now as I seek to witness to my faith in Jesus Christ, my focus is on God and what he will communicate to me of his presence as I seek to communicate his presence to others. I am no less the hypocrite, but witnessing helps win the battle of faith instead of compound it. The spoils of battle accrue to the other aspects of my spiritual life: prayer becomes more earnest, study more diligent, worship more passionate, loving others more free. I’m beginning to feel the glad weight of necessity upon me to preach Christ. And in doing so, I am never more myself, and never more enthralled in God.</p>
<p><a href="javascript:void(0);"></a></p>
<br><p><a href="http://rss.beaconads.com/click.php?z=1262808&k=e4532ca833a2a2bde98aba25cc81e5ff&a=10275&c=128495142"><img src="http://rss.beaconads.com/img.php?z=1262808&k=e4532ca833a2a2bde98aba25cc81e5ff&a=10275&c=128495142" border="0" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="http://beaconads.com/buy/sitedetails/pubkey/e4532ca833a2a2bde98aba25cc81e5ff/zone/1262808">Advertise here with Beacon Ads</a></p>Brent Nelson081166969392405776121480765523466837905207357046644156539531tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/42a04f8c15863176Rethinking Spiritual Growth2011-05-31T07:00:00Z2011-05-31T07:00:00Z<p><img src="http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2011/05/30/toxic.jpg?1306812963" alt="" width="720" height="402"></p>
<p>The gospel has me reconsidering the typical way we think about Christian growth: spiritual measurements and maturity; what it means to change, develop, grow; what the pursuit of holiness and the practice of godliness really entails.</p>
<p>If we’re serious about reading the Bible in a Christ-centered way; if we’re going to be consistent when it comes to avoiding a moralistic interpretation of the Bible; if we’re going to be unswerving in our devotion to understand the many parts of the Bible in light of its unfolding, overarching drama of redemption, then we have to rethink how we naturally and typically understand what it means to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Let Grace Kill Your Natural Instinct</h2>
<p>In his 2008 movie <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Happening_(2008_film)">The Happening</a>,</em> writer, producer, and director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Night_Shyamalan">M. Night Shyamalan</a> unfolds a freaky plot about a mysterious, invisible toxin that causes anyone exposed to it to commit suicide. One of the first signs that the unaware victim has breathed in this self-destructing toxin is that they begin walking backwards—signaling that every natural instinct to go on living and to fight for survival has been reversed. The victim’s default survival mechanism is turned upside down.</p>
<p>This, in a sense, is what needs to happen to us when it comes to the way we think about progress in the Christian life. When breathed in, the radical, unconditional, free grace of God reverses every <em>natural</em> instinct regarding what it means to spiritually “survive and thrive.” Only the “toxin” of God’s grace can reverse the way we typically think about Christian growth.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>What Produces Good & Bad Fruit?</h2>
<p>When it comes to measuring spiritual growth and progress, our natural instincts revolve almost exclusively around behavioral improvement.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Only the “toxin” of God’s grace can reverse the way we typically think about Christian growth.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For example, when we read passages like Colossians 3:5–17, where Paul exhorts the Colossian church to “put on the new self” he uses many behavioral examples: put to death “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” He goes on and exhorts them to put away “anger, wrath, malice, slander” and so on. In <cite style="font-style:normal" title="Col 3:12">v.12</cite> he switches gears and lists a whole lot of things for us to put on: “kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” just to name a few.</p>
<p>But what’s at the root of this good and bad fruit? What <em>produces</em> both the bad and good behavior Paul addresses here?</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>A Matter of Belief</h2>
<p>Every temptation to sin is a temptation, in the moment, to disbelieve the gospel–the temptation to secure for ourselves in that moment something we think we need in order to be happy, something we don’t yet have: meaning freedom, validation, and so on. Bad behavior happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ we already have; it happens when we fail to believe in the rich provisional resources that are already ours in the gospel. Conversely, good behavior happens when we daily rest in and receive Christ’s “It is finished” into new and deeper parts of our being every day.</p>
<p>Colossians 3:5–17 provides an illustration of what takes place on the outside when something deeper happens (or doesn’t happen) on the inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Going Backward for Progress</h2>
<p>In Philippians 2:12, when Paul tells us to “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” he’s making it clear we’ve got work to do—but what exactly is <em>the work</em>? Get better? Try harder? Clean up your act? Pray more? Get more involved in church? Read the Bible longer? Clearly, it’s not a matter of whether or not effort is needed. The real issue is <em>Where are we focusing our efforts?</em> Are we working hard to perform? Or are we working hard to rest in Christ’s performance for us?</p>
<p>He goes on to explain: “For it is <em>God</em> who <em>works in you</em>, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (2:13). God works <em>his</em> work in <em>you</em>—which is the work already accomplished by Christ. Our hard work, therefore, means coming to a greater understanding of <em>his</em> work. In his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/LutherLecturesonRomansLibraryofChristianClassicsPaperbackWestminsterPaperback/dp/0664241514/?tag=theresurgence-20"><em>Lectures on Romans</em></a>, Martin Luther wrote, “To progress is always to begin again.” Real spiritual progress, in other words, requires a daily going backwards.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>The Work of Belief</h2>
<p>Christian growth does <em>not</em> happen by working hard to get something you don’t have. Rather, Christian growth happens by working hard to daily swim in the reality of what you do have. Believing again and again the gospel of God’s free, justifying grace every day <em>is</em> the hard work we’re called to.</p>
<p>This means that real change happens only as we continuously rediscover the gospel. The progress of the Christian life is “not our movement toward the goal; it’s the movement of the goal on us.” Sanctification involves God’s attack on our unbelief—our self-centered refusal to believe that God’s approval of us in Christ is full and final. It happens as we daily receive and rest in our unconditional justification. As G. C. Berkouwer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/StudiesinDogmaticsFaithandSanctificationPaperback/dp/0802848176/?tag=theresurgence-20">said</a>, “The heart of sanctification is the life which feeds on justification.”</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Growth in Grace</h2>
<p>2 Peter 3:18 succinctly describes growth by saying, “But<sup> </sup>grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Growth always happens “in grace.” The truest measure of our growth is not our behavior, it’s our grasp of grace–a grasp which involves coming to deeper and deeper terms with the unconditionality of God’s love.</p>
<p>It’s also growth in “the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This doesn’t simply mean learning facts about Jesus. It means growing in our love for Christ because of what he has already earned and secured for us and then living in a more vital awareness of that grace. Our main problem in the Christian life is not that we don’t try hard enough to be good, but that we haven’t believed the gospel and received its finished reality into all parts of our life.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Take the Focus Away from You</h2>
<p>Gerhard Forde insightfully (and transparently) calls into question the ways in which we typically think about sanctification and spiritual progress when he <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Yyp8g3FFECoC&pg=PA244">writes</a>:</p>
<ul>
<p>Am I making progress? If I am really honest, it seems to me that the question is odd, even a little ridiculous. As I get older and death draws nearer, I don’t seem to be getting better. I get a little more impatient, a little more anxious about having perhaps missed what this life has to offer, a little slower, harder to move, a little more sedentary and set in my ways. Am I making progress? Well, maybe it seems as though I sin less, but that may only be because I’m getting tired! It’s just too hard to keep indulging the lusts of youth. Is that sanctification? I wouldn’t think so! One should not, I expect, mistake encroaching senility for sanctification! <em>But can it be, perhaps, that it is precisely the unconditional gift of grace that helps me to see and admit all that?</em> I hope so. The grace of God should lead us to see the truth about ourselves, and to gain a certain lucidity, a certain humor, a certain down-to-earthness.</p>
</ul>
<p>Remember, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners<em> <a href="http://theresurgence.com/2009/09/22/pauls-downward-trajectory">at the end of his life</a></em>. It was his ability to freely admit that which demonstrated his spiritual maturity—he had nothing to prove or protect because it wasn’t about him!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Our main problem in the Christian life is not that we don’t try hard enough to be good, but that we haven’t believed the gospel and received its finished reality into all parts of our life.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The more I focus on my need to get better, the worse I actually get. I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. After all, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on how he was doing. As my friend Rod Rosenbladt wrote to me recently, “Anytime our natural <em>incurvitas</em> (fixture on self) is rattled, shaken, turned from itself to <em>that</em> man’s blood, to <em>that</em> man’s cross, then the devil take the hindmost!”</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>It Truly Is Finished</h2>
<p>By all means work! But the hard work is not what you think it is; the hard work is washing your hands <em>of</em> you and resting in Christ’s finished work <em>for</em> you. Progress in obedience happens when our hearts realize God’s love for us does not depend on our progress in obedience.</p>
<p>The real question is: What are you going to do now that you don’t <em>have</em> to do anything? What will your life look like lived under the banner which reads, “It is finished”? Answer on <a href="http://facebook.com/theresurgence">Facebook</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size:14px"><em>Post originally appeared on Pastor Tullian's <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2011/04/13/rethinking-progress/">blog</a></em></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheResurgence/~4/exvbryg_UVM" height="1" width="1">Tullian Tchividjian0077435202751470088214807655234668379052tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/5aa5f0d2345a6046How to Honor Your Wife2011-06-01T07:00:00Z2011-06-01T07:00:00Z<p><img src="http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2011/05/22/howtohonor.jpg?1306095420" alt="" width="720" height="402"></p>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size:14px"><em>This post was adapted from the <a href="http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/trial/marriage-and-men">Marriage & Men</a> sermon and edited by the <a href="http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/12/14/how-to-honor-your-wife/">Mars Hill Blog</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p> </p>
<p>Now, my tone is for the men. We speak to men differently than women. Were this a women’s conference, I would not call you all idiots and imbeciles and fools, that you’re a joke, okay? <strong>But you men, this is where it needs to go.</strong> You’ve been glad-handed and buddied up and positive thinking and you’re a winner and Jesus loves you and you can do better. And I’m telling you, you’re a joke. And the real men in the room know it and they see it. And maybe there’s one woman that you fooled and she doesn’t see it because like Eve, she’s deceived.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Show Honor to Your Wife</h2>
<p>Here’s what Peter has to say In 1 Peter 3:7:</p>
<ul>
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayer may not be hindered.
</ul>
<p>In the previous verse, <a href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%203.6">1 Peter 3:6</a>, he said that women, when it comes to marriage are prone toward, what? Fear. Fear. And you know what? Those fears that the women have about marriage are legitimate.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Your Wife Trusts You with the Rest of Her Life</h2>
<p>If a woman marries a man, she’s trusting him with the rest of her life that he won’t hit her, cheat on her, that he’ll work hard, that he’ll pay the bills, that he’ll love their children, that he’ll finish the race well, that he’ll walk with Jesus until the end, that if she gets sick, he’ll look after her, that if she is dying, he will be faithful to her. <strong>Gentlemen, it is a terrifying thing for a woman to trust a sinful man</strong>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Every man who reads this, even the best men among us, has areas of repentance and growth that are required.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As a man, I don’t think I fully understood this until I had daughters, and now I have some understanding of that fear. The thought of taking one of my daughters and walking them down the aisle and handing them to a man and trusting that he will love them and protect them and serve them and care for them and look after them, it causes me fear and grave concern.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Don't Give Women a Reason to Fear</h2>
<p>Women have legitimate fears, and what Peter is saying is that men need to be a particular way so those fears are alleviated. And I love his words, “in an understanding way, showing honor.” That’s a man.</p>
<p>Now as I say this, many of you guys will nod your head and say, “Yeah, that’s me.”</p>
<p>No, you’re not. So let me practically unpack this for you. <strong>Every man who reads this, even the best men among us, has areas of repentance and growth that are required. </strong>And so I want to talk to you men about some things that your woman will fear.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>1. Honor Your Wife Maritally</h2>
<p>What this means is, gentlemen, you’re not looking for a girlfriend if you are single. You’re not looking for a roommate. You’re not looking for a cohabitation partner. You’re looking for a wife. You must honor her while dating, that is when you're on your best behavior. I don’t care if you apologize, do you repent and lead? <strong>Being sorry is not enough; being Christ-like is what is necessary.</strong> </p>
<p>Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Are you selfless or selfish? Do you give yourself up for her or do you take from her?</p>
<h3>What it is to be a one-woman man</h3>
<p><img src="http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2011/06/01/rings.jpg?1306954457" alt="" width="200" height="300">When you get married, men, you are to be a one-woman man. That’s the requirement of an elder and that is the example for all men.</p>
<ul>
<li>You’re not the flirt guy</li>
<li>You’re not the female buddies guy</li>
<li>You’re not the download porn guy</li>
<li>You’re not the “I got another gal on the side I always keep in case of emergency” guy</li>
<li>You’re not the wandering eye guy</li>
</ul>
<p>If you are, you’re not honoring marriage and you’re not honoring your wife.</p>
<h3>Don't make women fearful of men</h3>
<p>I know some complete fools, they like to take their wedding ring off when they go out to the sports bar with the boys. Do you honor your marriage covenant? Do you take responsibility as the head of the marriage covenant, take responsibility for the well-being of the woman?</p>
<p>A woman has great fear. If you don’t honor marriage, she is <a href="http://www.divorce-lawyer-source.com/html/law/effects.html">statistically</a> going to go into poverty upon divorce. She will become yet another single mother. She’ll have to find a way to explain to the children of why they shouldn’t be embittered against you even though you’re a loser. See, these fears are very legitimate. Women have seen this so many times that they’re fearful of men.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a></a></p>
<h2>2. Honor Her Physically</h2>
<p>Peter says that the woman is the “weaker vessel”. What that means is, generally speaking, if a husband and a wife get in a fist-fight, he’ll win. I’ll give you an example. Many of you have seen my wife, Grace. If we get in a fight, it’s not a fair fight. I have an 18-inch neck, she has an 18-inch waist. If someone breaks into our home, I’m not, “Go get ‘em, baby. You’re the tough one here. I’ll pray. II’ll pray <a href="http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Imprecatory_prayer">imprecatory prayers</a> in the closet.”</p>
<h3>You know what, gentlemen? You are stronger than your woman</h3>
<ul>
<li>Do you ever hit her?</li>
<li>Do you ever shove her?</li>
<li>Do you ever push her?</li>
<li>Do you ever grab her, restrain her?</li>
<li>Do you ever raise a hand and threaten her?</li>
<li>Do you ever intimidate her with physical violence?<strong> </strong></li>
<li><strong>Do you give her that look, that pierced, glazed, violent, angry, don’t-push-it-now’s-a-good-time-to-shut-up look?</strong></li>
<li>Do you tell her, “I’m getting very angry, you should just shut up right now. It’s gonna go bad for you”?</li>
<li>Do you get right in her face?</li>
<li>Do you intimidate her with your presence?</li>
</ul>
<p>Shame on you. A man who picks on a woman, what a joke.</p>
<p>Have you ever forced yourself on a woman? You’re a rapist.</p>
<p>You’ll say, “She’s my wife.” You’re a rapist.</p>
<h3>Don't hold your wife prisoner</h3>
<p>When someone is attacked, we call it abuse. As horrible as that is, what is even worse is torment. Torment is when you’re abused and you can’t get out. This is like prisoners of war and those who are held captive in slavery. <strong>For some women, their version of slavery and captivity and torment is called marriage. </strong>Their husband is physically intimidating. She’s afraid of him. She can’t leave, at least that’s what she thinks. She feels stuck, particularly if she’s got children. Some of you guys are tormentors and abusers and rapists and husbands and Christians, and that is absolutely inexcusable.</p>
<h3>Women, a man who hits you is in sin</h3>
<p>Most men don’t walk around thinking about their personal safety. I know a lot of women who do. Does she feel safe with you? <strong>Ladies, if you’re dating a guy who has ever been physically violent, run for your life, run for your children’s life, run for your grandchildren’s life. </strong>If he’s ever even threatened you with violence, there is something profoundly demonic in that man. There is something sincerely wrong in that man. He will then apologize, tell you he is sorry. He will shed a few tears, say it will never happen again and he will subtly shift the blame to you. “You know when you do that, it just makes me really angry. Don’t do that again.”</p>
<p>“Oh, okay, it must be my fault.” It’s never your fault. <strong>It doesn’t matter what you say or do, if a man hits you, harms you, he’s in sin, no excuse.</strong></p>
<h3>Head-of-the-house does not mean bully</h3>
<p>And there are some guys, some absolute block-headed idiots who think when the Bible says that you’re the head of the home, that it means you get to be the bully. There’s nothing uglier than a guy who then takes this same disposition toward his children, especially his daughters.<strong> The grossest, vilest thing is a man who hits a woman, and the man who hits a woman is willing to hit his own daughter. </strong>It’s disgusting.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>3. Honor Your Wife Emotionally</h2>
<p><img src="http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2011/06/01/bride.jpg?1306954741" alt="" width="200" height="300">Some of you say, “I’m not emotional, I don’t connect.” You should. <strong>Men and women have the same emotions; they express them in masculine and feminine ways.</strong> Your wife needs intimacy. She wants you to know her. She wants to know you. She wants you to open up. <strong>She wants you to be passionate and loving and honest, and she wants to know you and she wants to be known by you.</strong> And the Bible says that Adam was with his wife, Eve, and he, what?</p>
<p>He knew her.</p>
<p>There are too many guys that turn marriage into a job description. He does his responsibility, she does hers, and there’s no emotional connection whatsoever. Those are guys whose sins are sins of omission. “I didn’t hit her, I didn’t yell at her.” <strong>Yeah, but you didn’t love her. You didn’t connect with her. You didn’t encourage her. You didn’t pursue her. </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong>Ultimately, you failed her.<br><a></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h2>4. Honor Her Verbally</h2>
<p>How do you speak to her? Do you have nasty nicknames for her? Do you raise your voice? Do you threaten her? Do you give back-handed comments? <strong>Some of you guys would say, “I would never hit a woman.” How about with your tongue?</strong></p>
<p>When you wife is not there and you’re with the boys, how do you speak of her? What do you say about her?</p>
<h3>Dont' put your children in the middle</h3>
<p>You know what? Your children will pick this up as well.</p>
<p>You start saying horrible things about your wife, and the children will be left in this horrible position of choosing between their mother and father and invariably some of the children will despise their own mother and speak evil of her in an effort to remain loyal to their father.</p>
<p>A division in a marriage includes the children, they’re stuck in the middle. They’re casualties of the war.</p>
<h3>If I close my eyes, no one can see me</h3>
<p>You men could defuse this and take away this fear by honoring her verbally. Speaking honestly, respectfully, lovingly to her and about her. Some of you guys forget. You say, “Well, Jesus isn’t there. My wife isn’t there. I get to say whatever I want.” No, Jesus is there even when your wife’s not there. God sees everything. God knows everything, and you’re not getting away with anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a></a></p>
<h2>5. Honor Your Wife Financially</h2>
<p>“If a man does not provide for the needs of his family, he’s denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).</p>
<p>In Genesis, <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Genesis+3:16">the woman’s curse</a> was her children and submitting to her husband. <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Genesis+3:17-19">The man’s curse</a> was providing for his family. And what the weakest, most impish, worthless men among us do is, “Oh, my load is heavy. I know yours is heavy, but I need you to carry half of mine too.” <strong> </strong></p>
<h3><strong>Men, you have to work<br></strong></h3>
<p><strong><a href="http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/07/20/why-men-are-cultivators-warriors-and-sages/">You've got to work hard</a>.</strong> You’ve got to out-work the other men if you want to feed your family.<strong> That’s your responsibility as a man.</strong> If you want any men to respect you, if you want your wife to respect you, if you want your children to respect you, you pay the bills. You make the money, you feed the family.</p>
<p>We live in this day where there are guys telling their wives,</p>
<ul>
<li>“Hey, birth control, abortion” </li>
<li>“We can’t have kids” </li>
<li>“You make too much money” </li>
<li>“I don’t like responsibility.” </li>
</ul>
<p>Shame on you.</p>
<h3>Your wife has a maternal duty to fulfill</h3>
<p>There’s nothing sadder than a woman who loves Jesus and wants to be a mom, and the husband keeps saying, “I’m the head of the home, no.” What he’s saying is “I’m in charge and I command you to sin, to deny all of your maternal instincts." Titus 2 says, “The woman should be homeward in her orientation.”</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’re a culture that is working hard to protect women and children, and no one has the common sense to beat on the guys who are the cause of so much of the pain.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And I know that some of you guys are going to say, “Oh, but this is outdated.” Yes, and I would say look at the condition of marriages and families in our culture and ask if it’s working.</p>
<p>The latest statistics indicate 40 percent of all children are born out of wedlock. It is now at the point where women aren’t even pretending they’re going to ever get married.</p>
<p>They go to college, get a good job, get pregnant, have a kid. They’ve lost any hope of ever finding a guy who can actually carry the load, and that’s tragic. We’re a culture that is working hard to protect women and children, and no one has the common sense to beat on the guys who are the cause of so much of the pain.</p>
<h3>Be generous with your wife</h3>
<p>I know guys as well, they’re not <a href="http://blog.marshillchurch.org/category/campaigns/generous-campaign/">generous</a>. I know one guy, he’s such an idiot. This guy makes decent money and he’s totally chintzy with his wife. She gets no spending money, can’t go out to coffee with the girls because he’s a total control freak and tightwad. Be honoring of your wife financially. I’m not saying you have to live at a lavish and high level. <strong>But what I am saying is live within your means, you make a budget, you tithe, spend, save, invest well.</strong> I know it’s hard to live on one income. I know it’s particularly difficult in this economic climate, but for some of you boys, it’s a built-in excuse to be irresponsible.</p>
<h3>Run the numbers rather assuming you need a second income</h3>
<p>Statistically, if you have children, and put them in day care so mom can work, the other costs that are associated: eating out, take-out, dry cleaning, car, second phone, cell phone, things of that nature, plus the increased tax breaks and costs and burdens very rarely contribute anything to the bottom line of the family. The taxes alone eat a huge portion of it.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33344707/ns/business-going_green/">MSNBC did a big study</a> on this years ago and they brought the data to the mothers who dropped their kids off at the day care. “You’re providing nothing to the income of the family,” and the women are bawling, having a nervous breakdown on television, saying, “Well, then why am I even going to work?”</p>
<p>Because that guy doesn’t know how to run numbers on taxes. He’s not smart enough to find somebody to figure it out for him. He just says, “Put the kids in day care, get a job, shoulder half of my curse. Oh and by the way, I forgot to run the numbers, come to find it’s not really helping.”</p>
<p>Honor her financially.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a></a></p>
<h2>6. Honor Her Practically</h2>
<p>With some guys, the house is a wreck. It’s never finished, the furniture’s broken, the car hardly starts, they live far away from community, they don’t have a schedule, they don’t have a budget, they don’t have a plan, the wife doesn’t know what’s going on.</p>
<p>Honor her practically. Do you have a budget? Do you have a schedule? Do you have an integrated plan? Do you have a life?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a></a></p>
<h2>7. Honor Her Parentally</h2>
<p><img src="http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2011/06/01/groom.jpg?1306954985" alt="" width="200" height="192">Gentlemen, your wife wants you to love the kids. She wants you to help raise them. She wants you to love them, to pursue them. She wants you to get guy time with your sons. She wants you to get daddy dates with your daughters. She wants you to do <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=ephesians+6">Ephesians 6</a> and be their pastor. She wants you to read the Bible with them. She wants you to pray with them. And you know what? You should want that too.</p>
<h3>Do your job</h3>
<p>So many guys who are Christians think “I pay for Christian school, I send the wife and kids to the Christian church. I’ve done my Christian duty.” No, you’ve abdicated your responsibility to others. <strong>It’s your job to love your kids. It’s your job to pray with your kids. It’s your job to teach the Bible to your kids.</strong> It’s your job to encourage your kids. It’s your job to discipline your kids.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Christian, husband, father, employee. Those are your first four duties; it’ll take most of your life. You’re not going to have a lot of time.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A wife will be so forgiving of so many things if she actually knows her husband desperately loves their children, that he serves them, that he cares for them, that he’s tender with them, that he’s Pastor Dad for them. So few children actually have a father. So few of those actually have a Christian father and how few of those actually have a dad who’s doing his job.</p>
<p>And I’ll tell you what, guys, this is not something you have to do; it’s something you get to do.</p>
<p>This is wonderful. Every night, my daughter Alexie, blond hair, blue eyes and looks like Tinkerbell says, <strong>“Poppa Daddy, I need a piggyback ride and a Bible story.” You know what? I do too.</strong> I need that as much as Alexie. I weep thinking of the day that I’m not going to be giving her piggyback rides, so I give her as many piggyback rides as I can because it’s a great season and a wonderful opportunity.</p>
<h3>Honor your priorities</h3>
<p>What this means, gentlemen, is your priorities will be Christian, husband, father, employee. Those are your first four duties; it’ll take most of your life. You’re not gonna have a lot of time. You're probably gonna need to put down your tools, your hobbies, your car, your projects, your golf clubs, your Xbox and probably going to need to put down the remote control, and your laptop, and your iPod to honor your wife parentally. You’re not going to have a lot of time for a lot of other things. <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Gentlemen, your goal is not to stand before God and tell him what level you got to on “World of Warcraft”.</strong></p>
<p><strong><br></strong></p>
<h2>8. Honor Her Spiritually</h2>
<p>All of this comes down to this point.</p>
<p>There are between 11 and 13 million more Christian women than men. Many women go to church on their own. They have to drag their husband to church, they drag their children to church. It is your job, men, to lead spiritually. <strong>You pray with the family. You read the Bible with the family. You pick a good church, become a member of it, submit to it. </strong>You pick the community group or midweek class you will be in. You are the one to lead the family spiritually.</p>
<h3>Start with a prayer</h3>
<p>Some guys say, “Well, I don’t know what to do.”<strong> Just start by praying with your wife.</strong> There are women who will read this sermon and deep down in their heart, this is what they want the most, “If my husband would just pray with me.”</p>
<p>There are some of you guys, you pray with all kinds of people, you don’t pray with your wife. Do you pray with your wife? Do you pray with your kids? Do you read the Bible with your wife? Do you talk about Jesus with your wife? Do you talk about Jesus with your kids? </p>
<p><strong>Leading spiritually is the foundation of everything else.</strong></p>
<p><strong><br></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheResurgence/~4/iDbCbTRJPtU" height="1" width="1">Mark Driscoll039312389091418063290568704568926428569214807655234668379052tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/70bb665e4942958eMen, Temptation, and the Gospel2011-06-02T11:00:37Z2011-06-02T11:00:37Z<p><a href="http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ehmansf/">Harvey Mansfield</a>, Harvard professor of politics and 2011 Bradley Prize winner, just wrote a provocative piece on the distinctive characteristics and faults of men for <em>The Weekly Standard</em>. It’s entitled <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/manliness-and-morality_571624.html?page=1">“Manliness and Morality”</a> and I commend it to you.</p>
<p><a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/mansfield.jpg"><img title="mansfield" src="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2011/06/mansfield.jpg" alt="" width="287" height="193"></a>Several years ago, Mansfield penned the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Manliness-Professor-Harvey-C-Mansfield/dp/0300106645">highly controversial book <em>Manliness </em>(Yale, 2006)</a>, also worth reading, though the professor operates from a non-evangelical framework and sometimes writes in a swashbuckling style. Enjoying the freedom only tenure can bring, Mansfield has questioned gender absolutes in the academy and suggested that men and women are different. These are fighting words in many circles today. I have benefited from his insights and applaud his courage, even if I have some essential disagreements with him.</p>
<p><strong>Differences Between the Sexes</strong></p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/manliness-and-morality_571624.html?page=1">“Manliness and Morality,”</a> Mansfield notes that “<em>Men are more adventurous and aggressive than women. </em>This is true for good as well as ill.” He goes on to say that “Many think that admitting such differences will hurt the chances of women to gain for themselves formerly male occupations that require initiative and drive. It certainly seems strange that being capable of rape can make a person better qualified for greatness, but it’s probably true. Yet it’s not surely true; some women do have these manly qualities and do succeed.”</p>
<p>He also calls attention to the potential vulnerability of women, suggesting that “Being mothers, they are closer to their children, and usually suffer more from divorce.” He goes on to say that “The enforcement of law and morality is done mainly by men or by women with the strength of men. Martial arts! But it’s better usually to call the police. Women need men to save them from men.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/manliness-and-morality_571624.html?page=1">Read the whole piece.</a> You could also <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Manliness-Professor-Harvey-C-Mansfield/dp/0300106645">read the book</a>, noting as you do that Mansfield presents his argument in a style that is sometimes bombastic. His points at times require more fleshing out, more substantiation, than he grants them. Mansfield’s insights are based in his observations, not in Scripture. They resonate, however, with certain tenets of the Christian worldview. From start to finish in the Bible, men are appointed as leaders of God’s church and their homes (with 1 and 2 Timothy providing the essential New Testament data on the matter). As they go, so go their families, churches and societies. When men excel in righteousness, others flourish (see, in a general sense, Israel under David’s reign–1 and 2 Samuel). When men fall into gross sin, others suffer (see the book of Judges). The sins and strengths of men have an outsize impact on others.</p>
<div>
<p>Arnold Schwarzenegger, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mildred-baena-arnold-schwarzeneggers-mistress-and-mother-of-love-child-under-media-scrutiny-after-name-is-leaked/2011/05/19/AFZpGI7G_story.html">father of a “love child</a>,” and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8515714/Dominique-Strauss-Kahn-A-Frenchman-sunk-by-a-sex-scandal.html">long-time seducer and brutalizer of a hotel maid</a>, join a long list of prominent modern men who have failed terribly as family men and leaders. If we started a list of such men, we would have a hard time stopping. Mansfield is right. Men are aggressive. Men are adventurous. Men find monogamy more challenging than women. When men act on their base instincts, channeling their aggression into fornication and marital affairs, they set women up for heartbreak and pain. As Kay Hymowitz has shown in her recent <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Manning-Up-Rise-Women-Turned/dp/0465018424"><em>Manning Up </em>(Basic, 2011)</a>, in the new sexual economy, men are loosed from traditional cultural bonds, which only increases the risks for women, children, and society.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Toward a New Male Order</strong></p>
<p>All of which leads Christian men, men captured by the gospel of Jesus Christ, to realize that this is an age of tremendous opportunity. Godly men have a remarkable chance in this day to show how the Holy Spirit transforms a man. When God gets a hold of a man, he doesn’t merely tinker with him, making him cuss less and smile more. When God saves a man, he looses him to destroy sin and bless his family, church, and society. Christian men are not normal men who sleep less on Sunday and wear Dockers with no creases. Christian men are transformed men, other-worldly men, residents of a new kingdom, servants of a great king, as Randy Stinson and Dan Dumas make clear in their insightful and challenging <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Biblical-Manhood-1/dp/0615469426">A Guide to Biblical Manhood</a> </em>(Southern Seminary, 2011).</p>
<div>
<p>Not every unsaved man will stray, and indeed, the media can make it seem as if every man is out to destroy the traditional family. These ideas are plainly not true. Many men, Christian or not, will not ruin their families. The point stands nonetheless. Godly men have a fantastic opportunity in a society rightly jaded by the failures of so-called “great men”–actors, athletes, politicians, celebrities–to demonstrate the transformative power of the gospel in a man’s life.</p>
<p>We face all the same temptations as lost men. Our flesh pulls at us to compromise our marriages, to take our sacrificial wives lightly, to ignore our children in order to play golf or get more successful or have more fun, to flirt with the cute girl when traveling, to speak ill of marriage, to generally not live sacrificially in the image of Jesus Christ and spend ourselves for the betterment of those God has entrusted us (Ephesians 5). Our flesh encourages us to allow small temptations to grow into strong desires, then to usher those desires into daring actions, then to allow those actions to blossom into patterns of sin that will, when discovered, blow our families and churches apart.</p>
<p>But the gospel, praise God, is stronger. The power of God is inside us, enabling men to exchange the role of pleasure-driven narcissist for that of self-sacrificing pillar of strength. The power of God is at work in his local church, where sinful men find fellowship in the company of brothers who bear the same weaknesses but through the power of the Spirit stand as oaks of righteousness. Instead of comparing black book conquests and planning the next hedonistic plunge, these men link arms to kill sin, love their families, and propel the church’s witness. Whether in a massive church or a tiny one, this band of brothers provides an awesome witness to a fallen world of the mysterious power of the gospel. Men who genuinely find pleasure in their families, in service of the church, and in their vocations show the world that it is not a secular lifestyle for which we were made, but the far more pleasurable way of life sketched out for us in Scripture.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Opportunity Amidst Tragedy</strong></p>
<p>This very day, every man–whether a global leader or an unknown tradesman–has an opportunity to show the world that the gospel does not kill pleasure or aggressiveness. Rather, as Edwards has shown, it frees Christians to experience true pleasure and to act in manly ways for a far greater cause than ourselves. We grieve the trajectory of modern men, and we feel special pain for the wives and children who are, through no fault of their own, deeply damaged by the sins of men. In a broken world, we pray to God to show the world a better way, a greater joy, and a magnificent Savior, who delights in taking sinful men and turning them into agents of his glory.</p>
<p><a href="javascript:void(0);"></a></p>Owen Strachan08116696939240577612154181619778219534401480765523466837905215689743894868203942tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e09fd7e64450aa23Processing Your Work is Part of Your Work2011-06-02T17:09:34Z2011-06-02T17:09:34Z<p>Very well said by David Allen in his latest newsletter:</p>
<blockquote><p>Processing your inbox is your work. It’s not something extra you have to do, or some distraction that doesn’t belong in your life…unless of course you feel the same way about your physical mailbox. Like it or not, dealing with all your email is as much a part of your work (and required to do your job as well as you can) as keeping lists, clearing your head, or doing regular reviews. Yet consistently, we come across a resistance people have to driving their inboxes down to zero on a regular basis—as if that’s a luxury reserved for those who don’t get much input or don’t have anything better to do. It’s a critical component for keeping you in a clear, current and creative space to work and play at your best.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4263561-10812410">
<img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-4263561-10812410" width="468" height="60" alt="" border="0"></a></p>
<p><b>Related posts:</b><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2010/12/the-first-rule-of-doing-work-that-matters/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: The First Rule of Doing Work that Matters">The First Rule of Doing Work that Matters</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2010/11/bonhoeffer-on-work-and-prayer/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Bonhoeffer on Work and Prayer">Bonhoeffer on Work and Prayer</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2010/12/why-work-doesnt-happen-at-work/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work">Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work</a></li></ul></p>Matt14807655234668379052tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/a282597d918f7158Creating a Culture of Courage2011-06-03T14:27:07Z2011-06-03T14:27:07Z<p><em>From Brad Lomenick, check out more of his thoughts at <a href="http://www.catalystspace.com/bradlomenick.com">BradLomenick.com</a></em></p>
<p>Courage is not just a personal trait. It's an organizational trait as well.</p>
<p>And we all want, in some way, to be part of an organization and team that demonstrates courage. That is willing to push up the hill, against the odds, beyond all doubts, to achieve results and impact that most thought not possible.</p>
<p>So here are a a few points about creating a courageous organizational culture:</p>
<p>1. <strong>Allow for Failure. </strong>The road to success is many times put together through multiple failures.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Reward Innovation. </strong>You reward what matters most.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Take bold risks</strong>. Bold vision is inspiring, and creates bold team members.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Pursue the right opportunities.</strong> Aggressively pursue a few things that make sense.</p>
<p>5. <strong>Say NO often</strong>. While it’s important to take bold risks and pursue the right opportunities, it’s also conversely important to say NO to almost everything else. Being focused on doing a few things great is way better than doing a bunch of things average.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Liberally pass on responsibility and authority to your team</strong>. If you want your team to be courageous, give them the chance to lead.</p>
<p>7. <strong>Set standards that scare you</strong>. Your level of excellence and expectation for your product or service or experience should almost be something that is unattainable</p><div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/giantimpact/sites/catalyst/blog?a=tEX86_7IVrM:0vd_-VdwUYc:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/giantimpact/sites/catalyst/blog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/giantimpact/sites/catalyst/blog?a=tEX86_7IVrM:0vd_-VdwUYc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/giantimpact/sites/catalyst/blog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a>
</div>(author unknown)04663834537661642264132935966586527008161450039661952612797614807655234668379052tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/b7f054c89913a8eaTHE MANIFESTO MANIFESTO - Kim Mok2011-03-23T16:59:24Z2011-03-23T16:59:24Z(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/903f7ad2ab7dd2ceWhy I became more charismatic when I became reformed2011-02-11T22:22:09Z2011-02-11T22:22:09Z<p><img title="cross_in_wall" src="http://www.ourrisingsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000005593224XSmall.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="167" align="left">I was raised in the Vineyard church, my dad was a worship leader in the Santa Barbara Vineyard and then later planted a Vineyard as the lead pastor in Lompoc CA. I was groomed in worship by some very talented musicians and worship leaders inside the Vineyard. I observed how these guys led worship, how they structured their songs, how they played their instrument…I was a sponge.</p>
<p>As I began to lead worship in my young teen years I went for it with everything I had. But at that point all I really had was a catalog of experiences, frustrations and longings, some painful, some joyful, some hopeful, some confused. As I’d lead there would be tears, shouts of joy, the full spectrum of “Charismatic” expression. <strong>I was a passionate kid that loved Jesus, wanted to know him and wanted to experience all I could</strong>. In fact one of my favorite songs to sing at the time was “<em>I Want to Know You</em>” by Brian Doerksen. Unfortunately, that “<em>want</em>” didn’t transition from fanciful longing to devoted journey until I turned 24.</p>
<p>I moved my family to Phoenix in 2004 and God led me down a study of grace. I thought I knew what it was, but I had no idea. As I began to read scripture and see evidences of grace in places I never had before, a gospel context started to form. I started reading books by Piper, Keller, Packer, listening to Driscoll, you know, the usual reformed suspects. And truth of scripture started to resonate in me like never before.</p>
<blockquote><p>I was broken deeply by the revelation of God’s grace throughout creation and in my life. I had been enjoying it unaware and abusing it my entire life without any realization of the cost.</p></blockquote>
<p>At that point I was comfortable calling myself reformed. The entire Gospel story was coming alive to me, from creation, to the fall, to incarnation, to the cross and justification, his resurrection and our sanctification, and his return.</p>
<p>Now leading worship, singing the words I had sang previously, they came from such a deeper place. I was a basket case on stage a lot of the time and I was apologetic for it at first. I didn’t want to be a distraction but man, I couldn’t get through a song without crying. I was so broken, so thankful and empowered through the Spirit in such a different way, but I struggled to find my place. I didn’t know you could be reformed and charismatic. <strong>My experience with reformed guys up until that point was a bunch of old dudes who knew a lot about the bible but seemed otherwise unimpressed and unshaken by God</strong>.</p>
<p><span></span></p>
<p>Through guys like <em>CJ Mahaney</em>, <em>Bob Kauflin</em> and others I found out it was possible, dare I say, biblical to be both, to believe in all of scripture and practice all of it, how profound. So then I was comfortable calling myself a reformed-charismatic but truth be told, there weren’t (still aren’t) a lot of those types around, and even fewer worship leaders who called themselves that with an actual charismatic expression. <strong>As my theology grew, so did my expression and my passion and that seems perfectly normal to me</strong>. If my view of God is becoming clearer, his truth driven deeper and his word meaning more and more to me, wouldn’t my response to that grow? <strong>I’m confused by the all too often case of theology growing and expression shrinking</strong>.</p>
<blockquote><p>It seems to me that reformed people should be the most charismatic people around.<strong> </strong></p></blockquote>
<p><strong>But my observation in much of the reformed community is the more you get to know Jesus and His word, the less you are moved and the more dry and unexpressive you become</strong>. The common rebuttal to this is,<em> “I love Jesus, but I’m just not an emotional or expressive person.”</em></p>
<p>I know we’re not all created the same way and there is diversity of expression. But if you are telling me you just aren’t an expressive person prone to any kind of emotional response, then you better not tear up at your wedding, or when your first child is born, or when a family member gets sick, or when they die. As big as those experiences are, they pale in comparison to the grandeur of our God.</p>
<blockquote><p>If you’re moved by things on earth and not above, there’s a problem; it’s not that your heart is unaffectionate, it’s just unaffected by God.</p></blockquote>
<p>My point here is not to attack anyone’s expression, I gave up a long time ago trying to evaluate someone’s heart based off expression. It’s an indicator, but not the only indicator. My point is to share why my expression has grown and continues to grow as I learn more and more about Jesus, what’s He’s done for me and what He continues to do every day of my life. <strong>I pray that the gospel never gets common to me, that when I hear it or sing it, I am moved. I want to be moved by the right things, and God is that</strong>.</p>
<h3>Related posts</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ourrisingsound.com/2011/03/12/video-john-wimber-teaches-on-worship/" title="Video: John Wimber teaches on worship (March 12, 2011)">Video: John Wimber teaches on worship</a> (1)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ourrisingsound.com/2009/07/14/john-wimbers-worship-theology-simply-christ-centered/" title="John Wimber’s worship theology: simply Christ centered (July 14, 2009)">John Wimber’s worship theology: simply Christ centered</a> (4)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ourrisingsound.com/2009/07/30/worship-leaders-play-songs-your-congregation-doesnt-like/" title="Worship leaders: Play songs your congregation doesn’t like (July 30, 2009)">Worship leaders: Play songs your congregation doesn’t like</a> (31)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?i=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?i=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?i=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?a=dMmTLp6W13w:kTQaT3UZQfk:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/OurRisingSound?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OurRisingSound/~4/dMmTLp6W13w" height="1" width="1">Kyletag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e728861163b81095finding simplicity : in the kitchen2011-02-10T14:05:32Z2011-02-08T19:13:51Z<p>This is the second post in the finding simplicity series. You can see the first post on finding simplicity in the bedroom <a href="http://wp.me/pdNGD-hk">here</a></p>
<p>The kitchen is probably my next favorite room in the home. I love to prepare healthy and tasty food – I love to cook! But it is also very easy to get the kitchen so cluttered it is unusable. Here are some great tips for finding simplicity in the kitchen:</p>
<ul>
<li>Simplify the dishes – I buy and use inexpensive corelle brand dishes in plain white. They are tough, easy to clean, and inexpensive to replace without having to worry about a pattern. We also keep our dish count to a minimum – in our family of five we have 10 large and 10 small plates (enough for company), 8 coffee mugs, 8 bowls, and a corresponding number of silverware. No need for huge amounts! (see dishwashing below)</li>
<li>Simplify the dishwashing – a dishwasher came in the house we rented but I don’t use it, and don’t allow my sons to either. Simply washing the dishes by hand as soon as the meal is over uses a lot less water and is much faster! By the time I would load and empty the dishwasher (and clean up the spots the dishwasher missed), I could have washed the dishes by hand, put them away, had some great conversation with those helping, and brewed a cup of tea!</li>
<li>Simplify the cooking utensils – we have a small number of pots, one frying pan, and regularly use <a href="http://chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/declutter-with-the-4-ps/">the 4 Ps</a> to declutter the kitchen tools (spatulas, tongs, etc) The less you have, the fewer to clean, store, and maintain. And the simpler it is to find what you need when you need it.</li>
<li>Simplify the preparation - cook simple meals at home. Eating out less improves your health and finances… besides eating at home is much more fun. Take the time to plan your meals and shopping for a week – or use helpful services like <a href="http://www.e-mealz.com/">E-Mealz</a> to help you shop and meal plan. Buy few packaged foods. Eat and prepare more fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to be Julia Childs – cook simple meals you and your loved ones will enjoy. And slow down and savor the experience of preparation. If you arrive home late, and are too tired to cook, then pre-cook several meals and heat them up when you get home. With a little thought and preparation there is always an answer!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.flylady.net/">Flylady</a> your kitchen! The flylady helped me when I was starting to investigate simplicity and minimalism. Do the dishes before bed so you don’t wake up to a messy kitchen in the morning. Shine the sink (a cool trick that actually works!). Keep all horizontal surfaces (like counters and appliances) clear of stuff. Everything has a place, and each thing should be in its place.</li>
</ul>
<br>Filed under: <a href="http://chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/">Uncategorized</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/chrisbellonline.wordpress.com/1080/"></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=chrisbellonline.wordpress.com&blog=3289263&post=1080&subd=chrisbellonline&ref=&feed=1" width="1" height="1">chrisbellonlinetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/7e8b8a8c1306812e3 Budgeting Ideas That Changed My Life2011-01-23T16:00:50Z2011-01-23T16:00:50Z<p><a href="http://christianpf.com/3-budgeting-ideas-that-changed-my-life/" title="Permanent link to 3 Budgeting Ideas That Changed My Life"><img src="http://christianpf.com/wp-content/uploads/dollarbills.jpg" width="532" height="119" alt="Post image for 3 Budgeting Ideas That Changed My Life"></a>
</p><p>Every once in a while, I run across ideas that change my life in some beneficial way. Sometimes they lie dormant for years, and spring up just when I need them. Other times, they almost immediately help me take action to change my situation. Today I’d like to share with you 3 budgeting ideas that changed my life – forever. They’re not mine, just classic and timeless. Stay with me, these are important!</p>
<h2>1. Make this month’s income, next month’s expense!</h2>
<p>When I started actually sitting down and <a href="http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-a-budget/">writing a personal budget</a> I encountered quite a problem: my income varied heavily month to month. How was I to know how much to spend in the current month? Besides, I had no clue how much I’d make during that month. If I wrote a budget to spend $3,000, and I only made $2,500, I’d be short $500 bucks! And what would I cut? Discretionary expenses? Or would the losses leak over into mandatory expenses?</p>
<p>Out of necessity I discovered that <a href="http://www.thechristiandollar.com/top-5-reasons-to-spend-this-months-income-next-month/">spending this month’s income next month</a> helped me budget. It was a revelation! But wait, it wasn’t: I soon found out that many others before me discovered this budgeting secret. By using this budgeting method, people could spend what they <em>already</em> earned, not what they <em>expected</em> to earn.</p>
<p>Not everyone can jump into this plan immediately. You might have to <a href="http://christianpf.com/16-ways-to-save-money-by-not-being-normal/">save up some money</a> so you can get ahead before you can truly spend this month’s income next month.</p>
<p>Today, I don’t have to worry if I accidentally overspend on one or two of my budgeting categories (although I dislike it when I make that mistake). Oh, and I never ever overdraft. Forget those <a href="http://christianpf.com/new-law-on-bank-overdraft-fees-the-courtesy-overdraft-protection/">overdraft fees</a>! My checking account is nice and plump: a healthy type of plump, that is.</p>
<p><strong><em>Note:</em></strong> Some of you with high incomes might want to set an expense cap at which you can funnel money above the cap immediately into your area of focus (<a href="http://www.thechristiandollar.com/dave-ramseys-7-baby-steps-step-3-save-up-3-to-6-months-of-expenses-to-complete-your-emergency-fund/">emergency fund</a>, paying off debt, etc).</p>
<h2>2. Prioritize everything!</h2>
<p>Too often in budgeting, people will merely write down every category they can think of without properly prioritizing them. When you have a variable income, it’s even more important to prioritize. Why? Let’s say that you have expenses that exceed your monthly income. In that scenario (which might happen at several points of your life), you’ll need priorities.</p>
<p>Here is how to prioritize your expenses:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Mandatory expenses.</strong> This can include shelter, utilities, food, and transportation.</li>
<li><strong>Small discretionary expenses.</strong> This can include going out to the movies, eating out, Netflix, etc. Limit spending here so you can put more money into the next priority.</li>
<li><strong>Major financial goal expenses (area of focus).</strong> This can include paying off debt, building your emergency fund, investing for retirement, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Large discretionary expenses.</strong> This can include upgrading your car, home, entertainment system, etc.</li>
</ol>
<p>These are just a few of the major categories, and they are disputable as to the priority of each. But after working with many people on their budgets, I can tell you that this prioritization works for many people.</p>
<h2>3. Compromise and evaluate monthly.</h2>
<p>If you’re married, you’re going to need to make compromises in your budgeting. Inevitably, one person in the couple will emerge as the primary reconciler of the transactions. That’s understandable. However, both husband and wife should sit down once a month and write the budget together. Make sure you’re both working together, and make compromises when necessary. Don’t insist on doing it your way. Listen to your spouse and the mere fact that you’re working together will get you where you want to be in the long run.</p>
<p>So there you have it. Those 3 budgeting ideas changed my life in ways I could not possibly count. But I do know that we’re calmer when it comes to thinking about personal finance, and emergencies are routinely reduced down to inconveniences.</p>
<p><strong><em>What are some budgeting tips that you can’t live without? Meet us in the comments!</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:right"><em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/khrawlings/3407402643/">Kevin Rawlings</a></em></p>
<h3>Similar Articles:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/setting-a-monthly-budget/" rel="bookmark" title="October 18, 2010">Setting A Monthly Budget: What’s The Most Efficient Method?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/how-to-start-a-budget/" rel="bookmark" title="September 23, 2010">How to Start a Budget: Things I’ve Learned The Hard Way</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/how-to-work-with-your-spouse-on-the-budget/" rel="bookmark" title="July 28, 2010">How To Work With Your Spouse On The Budget</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/create-monthly-household-budget/" rel="bookmark" title="April 30, 2010">Developing A Strong Monthly Household Budget</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/free-printable-budgeting-worksheets/" rel="bookmark" title="June 23, 2009">7 free printable budgeting worksheets</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/help-budgeting-your-money/" rel="bookmark" title="February 20, 2010">Help Budgeting Your Money: Easing The Frustrations</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/budgeting-tips-irregular-income/" rel="bookmark" title="December 18, 2009">4 budgeting tips for the self-employed (or those with irregular income)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/mvelopes-personal-budgeting-review/" rel="bookmark" title="July 26, 2009">Budgeting with Mvelopes Personal</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/family-budgeting-troubles/" rel="bookmark" title="March 9, 2009">Having family budgeting troubles?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://christianpf.com/8-ways-we-dramatically-reduced-our-expenses-this-month/" rel="bookmark" title="February 1, 2011">8 Ways We Dramatically Reduced Our Expenses This Month</a></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<div><div><img src="http://christianpf.com/wp-content/authors/John-21.jpg" alt=""></div>
<p><i>John Frainee is a personal finance writer at <a href="http://www.thechristiandollar.com/">TheChristianDollar.com</a>. His goal is to provide biblical financial principles that encourage people to live healthier lives. Beyond personal finance, John enjoys spending time with his wife and two crazy cats, playing a competitive game of Monopoly, and reading just about anything he can get his hands on. You can also find him on <a href="http://twitter.com/thecdollar">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Christian-Dollar/232635767380">Facebook</a>.</i></p>
</div>
<div> <div><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/db111kjspjr69BE9GG8687BCF7BB">
<img src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/fg102snrflj479C7EE64659AD599" alt="TurboTax - Do your Taxes for Free - It's Easy " border="0"></a>
<br>
<em><span style="font-size:x-small">The articles on this site are for entertainment purposes and should not be taken as financial advice. Please contact a financial professional for specific advice regarding your situation. Also, many of the CPF articles help us pay the bills by using affiliate relationships with Amazon, Google, eBay and others. Find out more <a href="http://www.christianpf.com/affiliate-disclaimer/">here</a>.</span></em>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?i=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:cGdyc7Q-1BI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?d=cGdyc7Q-1BI" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?a=c4WANLVCrmI:Aa3LOvg1RkI:69LSlcDtVW8"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ChristianPF?d=69LSlcDtVW8" border="0"></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ChristianPF/~4/c4WANLVCrmI" height="1" width="1">John Frainee05378475098372821623tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/5ebbb6d56aaeda1bHow to Create a Membership Program that Rocks2011-01-23T13:02:40Z2011-01-23T13:02:40Z<p><em>This is a guest post by Mary Jaksch of <a href="http://alistbloggingbootcamps.com">A-List Blogging Bootcamps</a>.</em></p>
<p>Many bloggers dream of adding a membership program to their blog. And with good reason. A membership program can create raving fans, will make your blog stand out, and can even create a great revenue stream. But most membership programs fizzle out because the creator made one or more of five critical mistakes in creating and running it.</p>
<p>In the last couple of years I’ve set up two successful membership programs, the <a href="http://www.alistbloggingbootcamps.com/alist-blogger-club-join/">A-List Blogger Club</a>, with over 800 paying members, and the free <a href="http://goodlifezen.com/2011/01/03/fitness-challenge/">Goodlife ZEN Fitness Challenge</a>, with over 350 members. And I’ve helped quite a few bloggers to plan and set up successful membership programs. I’ve learned what works, and which mistakes to avoid.</p>
<h2>Initial questions</h2>
<p>Before I share my tips with you, let’s consider a few important questions.</p>
<h3>Is creating a membership program really worthwhile?</h3>
<p>A membership program is a lot of additional work for a blogger, so it’s important to think carefully before you establish one. The upside is that a membership program boosts a sense of community on your blog, creates goodwill, and can be a great source of income. The downside is that it’s hard work to maintain a membership site. In other words, you have to work your backside off in order to make it a success.</p>
<h3>Paid or free?</h3>
<p>Whether you want to create a paid or unpaid membership is a decision you need to make before you start. It’s hard to convert a free program to a paid one without losing most of your members. If you are dead keen on starting a free program, make sure you have a plan of how to monetize it in the future. Otherwise, it will become a drag on your time and energy. (You’ll find some suggestions on how to monetize a free program further down).</p>
<h3>What’s your offer?</h3>
<p>If you want to create a paid membership program, you need to make a crushing offer in order to get people to join. And you need no-brainer benefits in order to get people to stay.</p>
<p>If you start a paid program, just creating a forum isn’t enough. If you offer some kind of training as well, you’re off to a good start. Because people expect information on the Internet to be free, and they don’t want to spend money in order to just bitch and moan about their life on a private forum. But many are willing to pay for new skills.</p>
<p>For example, for membership of the A-list Blogger Club (which Leo Babauta of <a href="http://zenhabits.net/">Zen Habits</a> and I run jointly) we offer free access to any future A-list Blogging Bootcamps, as well as to all the material of past Bootcamps. Members get a monthly interactive masterclass, plus members-only monthly training seminars. All this for an under-the-radar price of $20 a month. Members regularly tell me that we’re giving away too much. True. It’s our intention.</p>
<h3>How can you over-deliver?</h3>
<p>Take-home tip: offer “too much” for a price that’s “too low”. It’s not enough to have a crushing offer. There are some important pitfalls you need to avoid if you want to create a successful program. I’ve sighed over many new programs that were doomed to fail, just because the blogger made one of the following mistakes.</p>
<h2>5 Critical mistakes that can kill your program</h2>
<h3>Mistake #1: There isn’t enough momentum</h3>
<p>You need momentum in order to start a membership program. That is, you need a bunch of people who are ready and eager to join. I reckon that you need at least 50 members in order to make it work. If you have less than that, the program will most likely fizzle out. Nobody likes hanging out in a dead forum where zilch happens.</p>
<p>When Leo and I started the A-List Blogger Club after our first Bootcamp, we started with 45 members. The first month was touch and go because we had barely enough momentum. I used to post on the forum about ten times a day, just to keep the thing alive. Then, as soon as we hit over 100 subscribers, the forum burst into life.</p>
<p>When I created the Fitness Challenge on Goodlife ZEN, Leo Babauta suggested creating a forum so that members could report how they exercise each day. Over one hundred readers had expressed that they wanted to join the Fitness Challenge in comments on my introductory post. So, from day one, I had over 100 members in the program. Now numbers have swelled to over 350 and the forum is a lively place.</p>
<p>Make sure you have at least 50 people who will start your program from day one.</p>
<h3>Mistake #2: You start because you think it’s a good idea.</h3>
<p>Many bloggers tell me that they want to start a membership program. I applaud the idea in principle. But warn that it’s not you, the blogger, who needs to think it’s a good idea. Your readers or participants need to clamor for an ongoing program. My suggestion is to create something on your blog that creates a buzz – and only then start a program.</p>
<p>Let me give you an example: <a href="http://www.bemorewithless.com/2010/quick-start-guides-for-project-333">Project 333</a>—which was started by Courtney Carver of <a href="http://www.bemorewithless.com/">Be More With Less</a>—is the kind of project that’s begging for a membership program. The project is about creating a wardrobe with only 33 items that you can live, work and play in for three months. The project has had a huge buzz on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Project333">Facebook</a>, and Courtney is now developing the project on her blog. I see that her latest post about the project has over 100 comments. That’s a sure sign of enough momentum for starting a membership program.</p>
<h3>Mistake #3: Your program lacks clear benefits.</h3>
<p>You need to give prospective members a good reason to join. I’ve seen a lot of limp programs especially in the self-development field that offer this kind of “benefit”: <em>This program is a place where you can share your journey of development.</em> Boring, right?</p>
<p>What’s important here is to think about what aspirations members share. Common aspirations are the glue that holds members together. For example, fans of Project 333 want to experience practical minimalism, the participants of the Goodlife ZEN Fitness Challenge want to get and stay fit, and the members of the A-List Blogger Club want to become better bloggers.</p>
<p>Once you’ve got the handle on the common aspiration, it’s easy to formulate clear benefits. Just make sure you don’t use what copywriter Clayton Makepeace calls “faux benefits”, that is, features masquerading as benefits.</p>
<h3>Mistake #4: You let spammers and ranters into your forum</h3>
<p>People who join a membership program get hacked off if they read spam comments in the forum. To scan the forum for spam is one of the necessary tasks of maintaining a good program. Make sure that only registered forum users can post. And assemble a group of moderators to help you with the task of keeping your forum clear of spam and rants.</p>
<p>Set the culture of the forum by responding in a friendly, supportive way to comments. Create guidelines and make sure members adhere to them. If you get nasty people in your program, don’t hesitate to give them a warning, and block them if they continue to flaunt your guidelines.</p>
<h3>Mistake #5: You pluck a name out of thin air.</h3>
<p>I’m often amazed at the names bloggers come up with for their programs. Take a name like “Cut Your Coat”. You might think that “Cut Your Coat” is a dress-making program. Wrong. It’s about self-development—but who would have thought that?</p>
<p>Make sure that the name of your program clearly states what it’s about. The purpose of the program needs to be self-evident. If you need to explain the name, bin it immediately.</p>
<h2>How to monetize a membership program</h2>
<p>The best way to monetize a free program is to create digital products that are tailor-made for your ‘captive’ audience. For example, I’m in the process of creating ebooks and podcasts about fitness and motivation for the Fitness Challenge at Goodlife ZEN. The key is to create products that can help your members to participate successfully in the program.</p>
<p>If you run a paid membership program, you can create courses or digital products to sell to your members. Survey your members to find out which relevant skills they would like to develop.</p>
<h2>How to set up a membership program</h2>
<p>Setting up a free membership program is easy. All you need to do is to add a forum to your blog. I use the free WordPress plugin <a href="http://simple-press.com/">Simple:Press</a>. It may not the best forum software, but it’s easy to install, and it preserves the appearance and branding of your blog.</p>
<p>If you want to set up a paid membership site, I suggest using the WordPress plugin <a href="http://member.wishlistproducts.com/">Wishlist Member.</a> It’s a premium plugin and costs $97—but it’s worth it. Wishlist can be adapted to many different program structures. And it’s easy to integrate with payment processors, such as <a href="http://www.paypal.com">Paypal</a> or <a href="http://1ShoppingCart.com">1Shopping Cart</a>, or with email responder services, such as <a href="http://www.AWeber.com">AWeber</a>, or <a href="http://www.MailChimp.com">Mailchimp</a>.</p>
<h2>So should you create a membership program right away?</h2>
<p>Whatever your plans for a membership program may be, don’t be in a hurry to create it—especially if it’s going to be free. Wait until you have enough momentum, as well as a real reason for setting up a program. Then think carefully about the structure you are aiming for. You need to know exactly what you want to offer, and how you are going to deliver it in your program.</p>
<p>Don’t settle for mediocre. Instead, create something of real value. Most of all, be insanely useful. Create something that can change lives.</p>
<p>Over to you—if you’ve run a membership program, what are <em>your</em> tips?</p>
<p><em>Mary Jaksch has created the <a href="http://goodlifezen.com/2011/01/03/fitness-challenge/">Great Fitness Challenge</a> on her blog <a href="http://goodlifezen.com/2011/01/03/fitness-challenge/">Goodlife ZEN.</a> She is passionate about blogging and is co-founder of the <a href="http://www.alistbloggingbootcamps.com/alist-blogger-club-join/">A-List Blogger Club.</a></em></p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://www.problogger.net">ProBlogger Blog Tips</a><br>
<a href="http://www.demandstudios.com/freelance-writing-jobs-bloggers.html?utm_source=problogbanner&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=Yellow_Chair_468"><img src="http://www.problogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yellow_Chair_468x60.gif" width="468" height="60" alt="Yellow_Chair_468x60.gif"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/01/24/how-to-create-a-membership-program-that-rocks/">How to Create a Membership Program that Rocks</a></p>
<div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?a=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?i=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?a=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?i=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?a=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:guobEISWfyQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney?i=-bmHuLZnL5E:Jx7W0-3hrvk:guobEISWfyQ" border="0"></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney/~4/-bmHuLZnL5E" height="1" width="1">Guest Blogger107624729820985927571374275676727417998715827429684973898516090112964300375079270117877264565208511612378826349303091342111549514813208740350640701218421027104915657958419050660637tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/b9ca22d4256255bfTen Most Beautiful Books I Read During the Last Decade2011-01-28T17:44:11Z2011-01-28T17:44:11Z<div>
<div>
<div style="float:left">
<a href="http://qideas.org/blog/ten-most-beautiful-books-i-read-in-the-last-decade.aspx">
<div>
<img src="http://qideas.org/content/showImage.aspx?image=468037-Books.jpg&w=123&h=112" border="0">
<div></div>
<div><p><font color="white">12</font></p></div>
</div>
</a>
<div style="margin-bottom:12px">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<img src="http://qideas.org/images/labelCulture.gif">
<a href="http://qideas.org/blog/ten-most-beautiful-books-i-read-in-the-last-decade.aspx">
<h1 style="margin-top:5px">
Ten Most Beautiful Books I Read During the Last Decade</h1>
</a>
<h3>
</h3>
by <a href="http://qideas.org/contributors/margaret-feinberg.aspx">Margaret Feinberg</a><br><br>
As we enter the second decade of the second millennium AD, Q is
pausing to look back on
the last ten years. In the third of this multi-post series, author Margaret Feinberg considers the books that she couldn't put down during this decade.
<br>
<br>
<a href="http://qideas.org/blog/ten-most-beautiful-books-i-read-in-the-last-decade.aspx">Read Blog Post</a>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div>
</div>
</div>
<div></div>(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/f07eccfb5c20b302The danger of the front row2010-12-15T12:29:01Z2010-12-15T12:29:01Z<p>At Elevation, the people who sit on the front row are hardcore. During worship and the sermon they go nuts. They’re raising their hands. Singing to the top of their lungs. Saying amen, nodding their heads, and scribbling notes furiously.</p>
<p>Because of the way the auditorium is lit, all I can see are the people on the <strong>front row</strong>. And if you only judged the atmosphere of the room by the front row you’d get the impression that everyone’s into this. And that everyone’s getting it.</p>
<p>But if you look through to the <strong>back</strong> of the room, it’s not the same. You notice more people disengaged. Their arms are crossed. They’re mouthing the words to songs, if they’re singing at all. When you’re preaching, it’s as if their face has forgotten that their soul got saved.</p>
<p><strong>As leaders it’s easy to find ourselves only paying attention to the people on the front row.</strong> And I’m not just talking about the front row in the context of worship. We spend most of our time focused on those who are super committed and involved. Understandably so. They’re where we want everyone to be. They’re encouraging and life affirming. They make us feel like we’re moving forward and not wasting our time.</p>
<p>But the dangerous thing about the front row is that it can skew your assessment of the room and make you think your church or organization is in a better place than it is. <strong>You have to be aware of the whole room, not just the front row. </strong>The 70-80% of the room that is more complacent, not just the hardcore 20-30%.</p>
<p>There are so many people in the rest of the room that aren’t into what you’re doing yet. They haven’t gotten it. They haven’t bought in. They may need to be brought along a little differently than your crew on the front row. You may need to alter your approach to reach them and get them onboard.</p>
<p>I’m not saying you should ignore your fan base. They’re your most important asset. I fully believe you should preach to the most passionate people in the room. Some bottom feeders are always going to do what they do, so we shouldn’t settle for the lowest common denominator of commitment and enthusiasm. That will get you nowhere.</p>
<p><strong>But we also can’t afford to forever function on the passion and commitment of the front row.</strong> If you want your church or organization to reach its full potential, you have to get the people with back row <strong>complacency</strong> to have front row <strong>enthusiasm</strong> and <strong>motivation</strong>. And in order to do that, you first have to be able to correctly gauge the entire atmosphere.</p>
<p>Assess the whole room.<br>
Work your fan base. Preach to the most passionate people in the room.<br>
Just don’t leave the 70-80% on the back rows behind.</p>paulcunninghamtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/abca4ed8e1bcc42bHow to organize a retreat2010-12-15T10:00:00Z2010-12-15T10:00:00Z<div><p>(actually, to steal a phrase from <a href="http://rulesofthumbbook.blogspot.com/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://williamctaylor.com/">Bill</a>, an <em>advance</em>. Retreat is too negative).</p>
<p>There's a tremendous opportunity to create events where people connect. Unfortunately, it's also easy to turn these events into school-like conferences, not the emotional connections that are desired.</p>
<p>You can create an advance with a team that knows one another from work, or even more profoundly, with a bunch of independent thinkers who come together to energize, inspire and connect.</p>
<p>I've been to a bunch and here's what I've learned, in no particular order:</p>
<ul>
<li>Must be off site, with no access to electronic interruption</li>
<li>Should be intense. Save the rest and relaxation for afterwards</li>
<li>Create a dossier on each attendee in advance, with a photo and a non-humble CV of who they are and what they do and what their goals are</li>
<li>Never (never) have people go around a circle and say their name and what they do and their favorite kind of vegetable or whatever. The problem? People spend the whole time trying to think of what to say, not listening to those in front of them (I once had to witness 600 people do this!!)</li>
<li>Instead, a week ahead of time, give each person an assignment for a presentation at the event. It might be the answer to a question like, "what are you working on," or "what's bothering you," or "what can you teach us." Each person gets 300 seconds, that's it.</li>
<li>Have 11 people present their five minutes in an hour. Never do more than an hour in a row. The attendees now have a hook, something to talk to each presenter about in the hallway or the men's room. "I disagree with what you said this morning..."</li>
<li>Organize roundtable conversations, with no more than 20 people at a time (so if you have more attendees than this, break into groups.) Launch a firestarter, a five minute statement, then have at it. Everyone speaks up, conversations scale and ebb and flow.</li>
<li>Solve problems. Get into small groups and have the groups build something, analyze something, create something totally irrelevant to what the organization does. The purpose is to put people in close proximity with just enough pressure to allow them to drop their shields.</li>
<li>Do skits.</li>
<li>Have a moderator who is brave enough and smart enough to call on people, cut people off, connect people and provoke them in a positive way.</li>
<li>Invite a poker instructor or a horseshoe expert in to give a lesson and then follow it with a competition.</li>
<li>Challenge attendees to describe a favorite film scene to you before the event. Pick a few and show them, then discuss.</li>
<li>Don't serve boring food.</li>
<li>Use nametags at all times. Write the person's first name REALLY big.</li>
<li>Use placecards at each meal, rotating where people sit. Crowd the tables really tightly (12 at a table for 10) and serve buffet style to avoid lots of staffers in the room. Make it easy for people to leave boring tables and organically sit together at empty ones.</li>
<li>Do something really interesting after 10 pm.</li>
<li>Serve delicious food, weird food, vegan food, funky food. Just because you can.</li>
<li>Don't worry about being productive. Worry about being busy.</li>
<li>Consider a tug of war or checkers tournament.</li>
<li>Create an online site so attendees can check in after the event, swap email addresses or post promised links.</li>
<li>Take a ton of pictures. Post them as the advance progresses.</li>
</ul>
<p>Here's the goal: new friends. Here's the output: a new and better to-do list.</p></div><div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=44enbvWNsqU:TcUhXUmnY7M:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?a=44enbvWNsqU:TcUhXUmnY7M:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/sethsmainblog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/sethsmainblog/~4/44enbvWNsqU" height="1" width="1">Seth Godin10395238096723822051075544300117649787610861002208818131566802695090887457014908123883651979539332870241279626108999981107223388374351122720018003548787435260690464079880173093851016245953540380102254017877865634570845501121802613946431971902065905859973176685056150776463027883240884027483156521839218336468713041760822111992214078980595740656992523843744769416189944497697487857128596740774500804630545737920320731635602697274235652801635057811833178690322840107048901680295544604133991420857335599039894403891942104240836221772272986638610131303192176995483099561805147943780731218139444066700383205685314320990299475123573725587211175240950051690496422799414359654953333595879004471015778150234760546965802414165427217322504502206103963064385564262641617320698388476387341078706849046828175338229073962178806715424391424085306986067455306099633646252203293148142576057368683260403646436079004517314871977804137911960163972492676012747811176621257229106203517693956121567768615052383706342341539290758782396118108935502353344890114530764051675880125740927850815440118815792478311582837984187176040094480522678986946800125859820584429491714693630297288427675080122760183007302621220952355909538018717951610537562706686172704453132555316561458904286066655274306911670863653108174083458486054638265361068265478545447829115809765449922262955050134495356214395430809971718933344688312372806682339663934141314596907396462401051309646288041887515564249036452597856175740003808171071960985885691069530902002615561688969555903175382041090363234421391521739031034643004589847982584914983000541079624054956150524397935768545101201776204733714589864032351956667842439651466996523510377162201649631806311194316135474075975160184690674760057549529003904673948679694257572143171510963202979791819754490925872269404950822217067527936107110020426608676290552253095710691851415251101608214468075047799711164263222821301216157870575799200121817865982505444067510631161162405580456693952060534470714269573757573272663tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0576574289b99881Forget The Social Browsers, Just Install Cortex On Chrome2010-12-15T09:15:52Z2010-12-15T09:15:52Z<p><img title="logo3" src="http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/logo3.png?w=315&h=124" alt="" width="315" height="124">Even though it hasn’t exactly worked out the first few times companies have attempted it, there’s <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/11/rockmelt-social-browser/">another movement underway</a> to create a social browser. Currently, RockMelt, Mozilla, and Flock are all trying to fuse social elements into the way we all surf the web. And two of those are doing it on top of Chrome (or Chromium), RockMelt and Flock. But each of those may simply be too much. Why not just go to the source and add a thin layer?</p>
<p>That’s exactly what <a href="http://cortexapp.com/">Cortex</a>, a social extension for Chrome, allows you to do. Instead of trying to rework some of the UI elements of the Chrome browser to make room for sharing and/or social elements, Cortex simply adds a sharing overlay to any site you’re on when you click and hold down your mouse button. Using this mechanism, you can share to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Instapaper (assuming you set up each of those). It’s simple and brilliant.</p>
<p>All you do is click and hold, the Cortex sharing wheel appears. Then you select which service you want to share an article (or image) with. And if you hover over one of those areas for a second, you’ll see an option appear for you to leave a message alongside the share. This will show up as your tweet, Facebook Wall posting, etc.</p>
<p>If you set it up, you can also use this wheel to share directly with certain Facebook friends.</p>
<p><img title="cc" src="http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/cc1.png?w=620&h=466" alt="" width="620" height="466"></p>
<p>Cortex is the work of two developers, <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/eric-wolf">Eric Wolf</a> and <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/joey-primiani">Joey Primiani</a>, who have managed to get their extension over 10,000 active users in just a few weeks. Primiani was previously an intern at Google where he helped design the touch interfaces for search on mobile and tablet devices. That work is clearly paying off here, and Cortex brings a touch-like approach to Chrome on the desktop.</p>
<p>And it’s easy to imagine a sharing mechanism like this eventually being implemented on touch devices as well.</p>
<p>The key to Cortex is simplicity and speed. You just hold down the mouse button and you can share. The extension picks the best title and image for you automatically. And based on my tests, it’s really good at that. There’s no need to click multiple times to share something, it’s click once, drag, and go. You can share something in 2 or 3 seconds.</p>
<p>I’ve written previously about the <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/04/the-speed-of-share/">speed of sharing</a>, and how important it is. Cortex takes it to the next level.</p>
<p>Find the extension <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/decglnkhpfoocpafihfbeodhgofefaoc#">here</a>, and learn more in the video below.</p>
<p><span style="text-align:center;display:block"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/15/cortex-chrome/"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/jvNItBVll5E/2.jpg" alt=""></a></span></p>
<div><div><div><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase Information</a></div></div><div><div><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/cortex">Cortex</a></div><div></div><div>Information provided by <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></div></div></div>
<br> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/tctechcrunch.wordpress.com/254679/"></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techcrunch.com&blog=11718616&post=254679&subd=tctechcrunch&ref=&feed=1" width="1" height="1"><p><iframe src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~ah/f/v7tfagih50mrtjprksjv4s1ftk/300/250?ca=1&fh=280#http%3A%2F%2Ftechcrunch.com%2F2010%2F12%2F15%2Fcortex-chrome%2F" width="100%" height="280" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"></iframe></p><div>
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:2mJPEYqXBVI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?d=2mJPEYqXBVI" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:-BTjWOF_DHI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?i=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:-BTjWOF_DHI" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:D7DqB2pKExk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?i=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:D7DqB2pKExk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?a=mb4BeMBMfyA:FXs_RcQSmwA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Techcrunch?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~4/mb4BeMBMfyA" height="1" width="1">MG Siegler16588105126072809119022481484019110314530895563411035916141003027677480804790549168622073625639037331130737991714596695709563140437940505080026778151317902467670374069262194595176001994695682490539496113158787038844374201735296381313666900302848039997193907980142199074923920402990665769679556439638104088310240353640383074991871846456281140010725311670699161608469701664377492966tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/fb30ad37d9f82b8eA Word from the Valedictorian of Vacation Bible School2011-01-07T02:00:00Z2011-01-07T02:00:00Z<p>
<iframe src="http://reader.googleusercontent.com/reader/embediframe?src=http://www.youtube.com/v/OhVrcV6WmfQ?fs%3D1%26hl%3Den_US%26color1%3D0x5d1719%26color2%3D0xcd311b&width=702&height=551" width="702" height="551"></iframe>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://theresurgence.com/files/2011/01/06/breaker.jpg" alt="" width="702" height="30"></p>
<p>In all seriousness, we should look for and know Jesus in the Bible like this kid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://theresurgence.com/files/2011/01/06/breaker.jpg" alt="" width="702" height="30"></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheResurgence/~4/KwC3LB54TGI" height="1" width="1">Resurgence050755335412497017180799459122909496096909868624237299622059092553428456468321221602820473884831723314807655234668379052tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/294f99f7b58a09c3What 2011 babies will never know2011-01-07T02:02:00Z2011-01-07T02:02:00Z<p>
<p><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/guykawasaki/fujtrnGHucEAbGpyaijkeyGDrwkkybxttbjmntbqpvxkGjEraBJjvJruvyol/media_httpfarm6static_hCgfp.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="450" height="300">
</p>
<p>If you still feel young just because you don’t have a better answer than “In the womb” to the question of where you were when Kennedy was shot, it’s time to check again for gray hairs. Once you get a look at the list of things kids born this year will never know, you’ll definitely be feeling older. Pass the Geritol, please.</p>
<p><strong>Video tape</strong></p>
<p>Forget a projector, children born in 2011 might never see a broadcast that uses tape of any kind.</p>
<p><strong>Travel agents</strong></p>
<p>Who needs a middleman when the world and all the ways to explore it are right at the tips of your fingers? Ding!</p>
<p><strong>Books, magazines and newspapers</strong></p>
<p>No more meandering the shelves or giving the hardsell to all the neighbors when the school is doing a fundraiser. What’s good for the forest will be a sad day for the nostalgic reader.</p>
<p><strong>Paper maps</strong></p>
<p>Yell at the navigator in the car all you want now that it sits on the dashboard and never skips a beat when you let loose the string of curses that would shame your mother. What if someone hijacks the GPS system, eh, and we all end up in Cleveland? The guy/girl with the sense of direction will get the last laugh then!</p>
<p>Full list at <a>Yahoo Finance</a>.</p>
<p>Poor <a href="http://babies.alltop.com/">babies</a>.</p>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://us.fotolia.com/Tracker/alltop">Fotolia</a></p>
</p>
<p><a href="http://holykaw.alltop.com/what-2011-babies-will-never-know">Permalink</a>
| <a href="http://holykaw.alltop.com/what-2011-babies-will-never-know#comment">Leave a comment »</a>
</p>(author unknown)