rings of fire
I lied—this vacation does include blogging, if blogging means showing video of my cousin Scott and my brother Geoff ruining a baking sheet from our rent-a-house by spelling “USA” in sparklers. Also included for your viewing pleasure are the “Crackling Salute” explosives I bought and Geoff’s plan to light four of them in tandem.
Yes, fireworks are illegal in North Carolina. What’s your point?
home page
After dating Nashville for two years, I’m making a commitment and buying a house. Look, isn’t it fun? This is the back yard, complete with a sunroom and mature elm, cedar and maple trees. I get the keys in just a few weeks and will spend much of my summer hauling stuff across town and getting settled; I hate moving but after two cross-country versions this will be a cinch.
Ironically, the down payment for this commitment comes from the money saved for my wedding. Not all the money—my mom insisted we hold a little back so there’s enough for a dress and some butter mints on the off chance I still meet one of the six remaining 30-something normal Christian men in the country. I’m not worried about it—if he really loves me, we’ll get married in the back yard.
in the enews—friday
In America, anything over 100 years is old—so Plainfield Christian Church, founded in 1829, is a really old church.
But the church and its leadership don’t take themselves too seriously. PCC is spending a year in the book of Matthew and created this video to easily and humorously reinforce some key themes in chapter six.
By the way, isn’t it nice to hear of a church working through a chunk of scripture together rather than always relying on a four-week series? They’ve learned some things in their 180 years.
happy blogiversery
Today marks three years for this blog! (And tomorrow involves a birthday with more threes…….heaven help us.) Here’s a look back…..
Ten of the posts I like best, for one reason or another:
Do we really want a country of McChurches?
The story is bigger than our short-term happiness.
Can Christians drink?
A Holiday Tip.
“Leadership” means dealing with reality—including conflict.
eHarmony: I’m not a fan.
If you must read “The Shack“……
On preaching politics from the pulpit….
Why I’d rather work for men.
An open letter to Tim Keller.
Ten of the posts that received the most feedback, on or off-line:
Apparently you can’t love trees and love God—or so say some readers.
How would Jesus vote?
Parents, please keep your crying kids out of worship services.
“Shout to the Lord” on American Idol…….oh, the drama.
The church’s response to homosexuality.
How I messed up the 2008 NACC.
So we saved ‘em. How do we disciple ‘em?
One attempt to start a small group.
All a-Twitter.
Is this it? I’m ready for more.
Ten people, places or things I still think you should check out:
Books by Henry Cloud
Design Intervention (both versions!)
What kind of church is this?
Ring the Bells: A Christmas Offering
Deadly Viper Character Assassins
Second Guessing God by Brian Jones
always be yourself
And maybe limit your kids’ TV watching.
horsing around
Wow, I think my last post scared some people. Okay, for something lighter from the “in non-essentials, liberty” department (and I dare you to find a better first line to a news story):
Norco church lets worshippers bring their horse to service
The Rev. Alton Vance’s 8:30 a.m. Sunday worship service is punctuated with the sound of snorting, the odor of manure and the sight of congregants decked out in cowboy hats and spurs.
The outdoor “cowboy service” at Norco Christian Church is not for those who prefer button-downed services in a hushed sanctuary, but it fits well into the lifestyle of many residents of the city that calls itself “Horsetown USA.”
Horse owners can tie up their animals at metal hitching posts or a wooden fence. Dogs are welcome. Pastor Vance preaches in front of an Old-West wooden façade and sings bluegrass hymns, sometimes while playing the banjo.
“Some people didn’t come to church because they wanted to ride their horses instead,” Vance said. “We decided we’d give them a good reason to ride their horses to church.”
The cowboy service at the 53-year-old church began in 1989 on patches of artificial grass laid out on a dirt lot. The façade and six small Western-style buildings — all doing double-duty as aesthetic touches and storage sheds — were added later.
Most worshippers sit on metal folding chairs on concrete, while the horses watch from an adjacent grassy fenced area, some with their owners beside them.
On hot or rainy days, only two or three horses might be there. With the sunny, unseasonably warm weather on Sunday, 25 horses attended, some munching grass or neighing as Vance preached. A few owners had to calm down animals that were restless or weren’t playing nice with their equine neighbor.
Becky and Len Conway were a few feet away from their two 5-year-old horses — Tryggur and Katherine Hepburn — during the whole service.
“We need to sit in front of them to make sure they behave,” Becky Conway said. “If they start messing with each other, we can take care of it. They sometimes start to bite each other or kick one another or make too much noise.”
And to think I’m annoyed by a few children in worship.
playing The Price
Congratulations to Brian, who serves as the high school pastor at Crossroads Christian Church’s Lake Elsinore campus, about 20 minutes from the CCC main campus in Corona, CA.
Now the question is, will he tithe on it?
great planes
Planes, Trains & Automobiles is one of my favorite movies of all time. In fact, I watched it three times this week while finalizing a new website. (Shameless plug: www.worship.net)
The movie stars John Candy and Steve Martin as two traveling salesmen trying to get home for Thanksgiving and developing an unlikely friendship along the way. Although it’s now more than 20 years old and from a time without internet or cell phones, the delays, hassles and I-want-to-bash-my-head-against-a-wall-but-only-after-I-strangle-you moments of business travel still ring true.
Here’s hoping you have safe, uneventful journeys this week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Jennifer Taylor
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