Inner Revolution

Don't sing it if you can't bring it

My daughter is in her junior year of high school and therefore gets recruiting letters from about 127 colleges every day. It is really hard for a school to stand out in the pack; some schools don't even try. My daughter has figured out which schools have hired the same marketing firm and send out exactly the same mailers on the same days. Surely they realize that the smart students they are after are too smart for marketing that stupid.

Today, however, she received a truly remarkable mailer. On the front is a full color photograph of a girl about my daughters age in a beautiful grove of trees in full autumn colors. The girl is smiling and throwing leaves in the air and at the bottom of the picture the leaves have spelled out my daughters name. The thing that caught my attention is that her name is spelled correctly which rules out a standard mailer; there are like five people on earth with that spelling. On the back were two well written paragraphs that begin with "Hi Brittainy. Are you looking for a college that's unique?" And then the clincher, the only web address for more information was a customized URL that included her name. That is pretty impressive if you ask me.

The only downside is that when we tried the website it did not work. All of the time and  expense was useless because not only did the custom website not work, there was no other website on the mailing for the college. It was all or nothing. They promised something very cool, but they weren't able to deliver.

Growing up in church we sang a song that went like this:

I'm so happy, here's the reason why
Jesus took my burdens all away
Once my heart was heavy with the load of sin
Jesus took my burdens gave me peace within
Now I'm singing as the days go by
Jesus took my burdens all away

What a sweet deal. If I become a Christian Jesus will trade my burdens for instant peace and I can spend the rest of my life with a stupid grin on my face singing a happy tune. I know a lot of very sincere Christians who still have burdens. I know Christians in Kenya who have lost both of their parents to AIDS and have nowhere to live. I met Christians in India who wake up every day wondering where their next meal will come from. I have a friend who is one of the strongest Christians I know who struggles every day dealing with her husband's slow and painful death. I wonder what went wrong with the "no more burdens" formula?

We do so much damage to the Kingdom of Heaven "selling" something Jesus never promised and trying to obscure the reality of life in a sinful world. Whether we are marketing a new church, promoting a program or talking to a neighbor about Jesus I think we need to be very honest about the real deal. Life with Jesus isn't instant and eternal bliss, but it is ultimately fulfilling.

What's the most overblown promise you've heard about Christianity?

A real friend

I'm drowing in guilt over unwritten pages and hiding from my blog, but I had to post this. My beautiful wife got a birthcard this week that said

"There are some friends who will help you move.

There are some friends that will help you  move a body."

What kind of friend are you?

Bookmark

I am working on a book called "Ten Stupid Things Pastors Do That Keep Their Church From Growing". I am not ready to start hyping the book (that will come, trust me), but I need some accountability to get the book written. There is a contract coming in the mail this week that says I will turn in a completed manuscript at the beginning of February and I am terrified. I know that Mark Driscoll is writing six books this year, but for normal humans like me writing a book in four months is pretty daunting.

So here's my plan. I figure the book will be something like 50,000 words based on the first book I co-authored. I currently have about 4000 words written, so if I write 1000 words a day every day for the next 46 days I will have the rough draft done. That means sometime around November 21st I should have version 1.0 ready to send to some ruthless friends to butcher and ridicule. If they finish their evil deed within two weeks I will have from December 5th until New Years to rewrite and produce version 2.0. I can then bring in nicer friends who will merely point and snicker until January 14th. I will then have two weeks to rewrite again and get the manuscript to Zondervan by February 1st. I can then check into a mental health institution for a couple of weeks before beginning work on another book. (Yes boys and girls, the masochist in me is in early discussions about writing a third book. Why do I do this to myself?)

I know this is all incredibly boring to read in a blog, but I want to use you, my faithful readers, to hold me accountable. I have 739 words written so far today, I have to get 261 words done before I go to bed. I'll let you know how it goes. I know you can't wait.

Betrayed!

I love my daughter very much, I just want to get that on the table first. She is beautiful, brilliant and incredibly talented. She is also mean as snot.

If you visited my blog over the last couple of days you were probably a little confused. A few days ago my sweet little Brittainy offered to redo the look and feel of the blog; she's very artistic, so it sounded good to me. I thought she'd pick one of the standard templates and maybe play with the palette a little. Instead she turned Inner Revolution into the Tony Stewart blog. The inside story is that she and I watch NASCAR together (you might be a redneck if...). Tony Stewart is her driver and Jeff Gordon is mine. (Think Red Sox and Yankees) Imagine my shock to find the Home Depot #20 car in the banner of my blog. Betrayed by my own flesh and blood!

How can you not love someone that sneaky?

Random download

Sunday night and I'm processing about 20 different thoughts:

1. The Broncos are getting killed. I haven't had an NFL team since the Oilers left Houston. I've tried the Panthers, but they leave a lot to be desired. I've tried going back to the team of my youth, the Broncos, but they seem pretty weak.
2. Shawn and I are going to Dallas tomorrow to participate in the planning of what turn out to be a REALLY big deal next year. Think nine multi-site churches in three conferences spread across North America.
3. A last minute ticket popped up, so I'm going to Catalyst at the end of the week. Let me know if you're going to be there and maybe we can connect. (Especially if you are going to be at Pappasitos on Thursday night)
4. So far this year I have been to Kenya, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Hawaii, San Diego (3 times, Los Angeles (twice), Dallas (4 times), Kansas City, Atlanta, and all of the Seacoast Campus cities. In November I am going to India. Next year I'm going to stay in my bedroom all year.
5. We are talking to Regal Theaters about a big idea. If we can figure it out it could become the craziest thing we've ever tried. If it works it could change the definition of church in America. Yep, its that big. If it fails, oh well; we've certainly failed before.
6. We have some friends coming in Saturday to brainstorm how we could work together to help the church (universal) dominate the globe. I can't say what church they are with, but it rhymes with ifechurch.tv
7. The Cubs are in the playoffs and the Astros and the Cardinals aren't. Bummer.
8. I had a first on Saturday; I caught a legal sized redfish on my boat, with my rod with bait I caught in my cast net. It only took 6 months.
9. I like being in two small groups. I need all the help I can get.
10. I'm glad Sherry is back from Encounter Weekend. It's great that she can impact the lives of so many women on these weekends, but its good to have her home.
11. I'm running out of reasons to keep checking Facebook. I don't have a clue who most of my "friends" are and I'm having a hard time knowing why I need to know that they are eating breakfast. Either I am missing it or Facebook is still pretty much a college student thing.

Ok, I guess its only 11 thoughts. Still feels pretty crowded in there.

The Curse of Knowledge

I'm currently reading Made to Stick. One of the big ahas is what they call "The Curse of Knowledge". The basic idea is that you can't not know what you already know and once you know it's very difficult to know what it's like to not know. I experienced this as the DMV last weekend.

I recently purchased a new/old Xterra and needed to get it registered. I have no idea how that's done, I think it's some kind of magic. So I grabbed every piece of paper that somehow references the Xterra and headed to the DMV. When they called my number (it didn't take long, they have become rather efficient) I took my stack of incomprehensible papers to the counter. The DMV person asked me what I wanted to do. When I told her I needed a license plate and a title she looked like I had slapped her baby seal. "You cannot have a title today" she explained, "you have to wait ten days." Chagrined and ashamed I just stared blankly across the counter. "What do you want to do?" she asked again. We were at an impasse; she knew how to do that voodoo tha makes a car legal to drive in South Carolina but I didn't know how to ask her to make it happen.

After several sanxious moments of uncomfortable silence I finally explained that I had no idea what I wanted to do. I just bought a car, I brought all of my papers and a credit card connected to all of my money and I was willing to give her both if she was willing to give me one of those little stickers that repel police cars. She took my offerings and began typing my life story into a computer. She stared at the screen, stared at my paperwork, stared at the screen and then she disappeared. Vanished into thin air. Or into one of the offices located behind the counter. When she reappeared she told me to pay her several hundred dollars and then she handed me the sticky little rectangle of freedom and told me to have a nice day.

The Curse of Knowledge; I knew too little and she knew too much. All day everyday she registers cars and doles out titles (after ten days wait apparently) and cannot relate to someone who does not understand the process.

Imagine walking into a church for the first time (or first time in a long time). Imagine feeling a tug on your heart and knowing you need to do something to make it right, to be legal, but having no idea what or how. Imagine hearing about "small groups" and "Alpha courses" and "baptisms". Imagine having someone tell  you need to "ask Jesus into your heart so you can be saved."

I can't imagine how confusing and frustrating that would be. I know too much.

In praise of kiosks

I stayed this past week at a Hyatt Place hotel for the first time. I am not easily impressed by hotels, but this place was amazing. It wasn't ornate or expensive, it was just a hotel done right. The decorations and furniture were Euro cool, there was a 42" flat screen tv in every room. (I think, I didn't actually peek in EVERY room) and best of all there was a self-serve check-in kiosk at the front door. Rather than waiting in line for a night clerk to try to find my reservation (Are you sure your name is spelled with a "G"?) I simply swiped my credit card and out came my room key and a receipt. How cool is that?

Then this morning I read this story about a hospital in Dallas that has self-serve kiosks for people coming into the emergency room. They simply type in their personal information and symptoms and then wait to see a doctor. (Michael Vick...6'2"...210 lbs...dog bite...left buttock) What a great idea! So I started thinking about other kiosks I'd like to see:

1. Counseling kiosk
   Obviously a patient could type in basic information, but what if the kiosk could actually do the preliminary counseling?
   How long have you resented your mother? (1-2 years/3-5 years/from the day I was born)
   How often do you feel like the victim in a relationship? (Often/always/Why are you treating me this way?)
   How's that working out for you?
2. Confessional kiosk
   While I'm not Catholic I think a confessional kiosk rather than a confessional booth could certainly speed things up. The confessor would simply choose from a list of common sins and then the appropriate penance could be imposed. If the Church is real ambitious the tithe could be collected at the same time.
3. Fast food kiosk
   Rather than having to repeat my selections over and over only to have my order messed up ("No mustard" must sound a lot like "Gobs and gobs of spicy yellow goo") I could simply type in my selections prepared my way on a touch screen. I would then be able to read my order before pressing the "Okey Dokey" button. (Yes indeed, I do want a BLT with no tomato. I have tried ordering a "BL", but the blank stare coming back across the counter only confirmed that I would be better off peeling the soggy fruit of satan off the toast myself.)
4. Traffic court kiosk
   The accused motorist could swipe their credit card to begin the court session, plead not guilty, explain that they really didn't mean to be doing 65 in a school zone, type in a couple of electronic tears and then throw themselves on the mercy of the kiosk. The electronic judge would then charge the fine to their credit card and they would be on their way. Same result but in only five minutes.

What kiosks would you like to see?

Whining about airports (again)

I am currently sitting on a plane in Atlanta waiting for a gate. We took off close to on time, but apparently moisture dropped from the sky over Hartsfield, once again stunning and confusing the brilliant engineers who handle getting planes from one location to another. We are "trapped between runways" according to the pilot.

Here's my idea to improve air travel: hire full time smart people to figure out how to get planes from one place to another in a timely fashion. Obviously those currently assigned the task are too distracted by their real jobs to take the time to figure how to deal with things like weather and traffic. I know that a full time employee could come up with contingency plans for things like snow in the winter in Chicago and rain in Atlanta in the fall that didn't involve disrupting the plans of every traveler in America.

Or maybe its just me.

A day in the life

So you're wondering where is Geoff and what is he up to? I can't say much about the last few months, but here's what today look ed like:

Today started at 8:00 a.m. on Remount Road in North Charleston with the opening of Seacoast's tenth campus, the North Charleston Dreamcenter. (The day actually started in my bed two hours earlier when the alarm, but not even I'm interested in that part of the story)  The campus launched with a hopping worship song led by Kenny Gerald and the Dreamcenter worship team. (Literally hopping. It was fun to see Kenny jumping up and down while he sang, he brings incredible energy to the house) Before the day was done over 400 people had attended two services at a brand new church located on the most dangerous street in the most dangerous city in South Carolina. Over the next few months I think we will see incredible change as Sammy Lesky and his team reach out into the community and share the love of Christ with people who can give nothing in return.

After the 9:30 service I drove back to the Mt Pleasant campus to see how their weekend was going. The parking lot was jammed (apparently starting a new campus had 0 impact on the overcrowding) and I had to drive around for several minutes just to find a parking place. The Worship Center (the Big House as we lovingly call it) was completely packed, people standing in the pack. The Chapel was almost completely full and the Warehouse was full as well. It was fun going into the UnFiltered (in the Warehouse) and see Brandon Lake and Robert Knight from student ministry as a part of the worship team. The question that came to me was, "Now what?" We asked people to move to Saturday night and they did. We started new campuses and asked people to go and they did. We opened more campuses and asked people to go and they did. We opened new venues and asked people to attend and they did. Now we have four campuses in Charleston, three venues in Mt Pleasant and the original venue (the Worship Center) is still packed to the rafters with no room to grow. Now what? If you have any ideas I'm all ears.

After church I came home and watched the Panthers put a whoopin' on the Rams and Tiger put a whoopin' on everyone else on the course. (What I really mean is that I watched until I fell asleep and the checked espn.com to see who won)

I thought a great way to wrap up a great day would be to take the boat out for the evening. I couldn't get any takers in the family so I headed toward the dock by myself hoping to maybe catch a couple of fish before it got dark. Alas, the fish were safe when the boat wouldn't start and I headed back to catch dinner with the family. Oh well, there will be another day to scare the fish and enjoy the water.

And that's my Sunday. Next week we open our eleventh campus and begin talking about numbers 12 and 13 which will open in 2008. What a crazy ride.

Hi honey, I'm home

My grandfather on my mother's side once went to the corner store to get bread and didn't come back for five years. I've always wondered how he began that conversation. "Hi honey, I'm home. Sorry I'm late, but you wouldn't believe the traffic. So, what''s for dinner?"

Now that we've gotten past the awkwardness of having not blogged for several months, let me share what's on my mind. It is important in life to know whether you are driving the boat or water skiing. While both involve water and boats and skis and motors, and both are conducted in close proximity to one another, they are very different activities. If the driver spends too much time trying to water ski a catastrophe is just around the corner. On the other hand if the skier expends too much energy trying to turn the boat he will become very frustrated. The driver needs to keep his eyes on the water ahead, steer around obstacles and stop if the skier falls.  The skier needs to stay behind the boat and do his best not to fall. Some days I get really frustrated trying to turn a boat I'm skiing behind and I'm sure sometimes people skiing behind my boat wish I would just steer the boat and leave them alone. I would explain the little metaphor, but I'll let you make whatever application you wish. I know my place.

Sorry I'm late, what's for dinner?