Last night as part of our midweek Lenten series, I preached on the topic above.  The basis for the talk came from a chapter of Following God without Embarrassing God by Tony Campollo.  Since it seems like my life is controlled so much of the time by technology, instead of me controlling it, this topic was easy to talk about.  I think the church has a lot to learn from the Amish communities.  When I am in this morning, Kevin Smith sent me this video which will blow your mind.  It talks about the exponential growth in information and how technology is transforming the world.   I do not know if this is true, the original source of this video is from a Sony Executive meeting.  I don’t know exactly what to make of this video yet, I think it will take some time to process.  Feel free to post your reactions if you wish. 

Posted: March 5th, 2009 under Family.
Comments: none

Thanks to the hardwork of Maureen on her recent visit, we have redecorated the bathroom for Baby Apel.  We went with a Monkey/Jungle Theme.  However, this does not mean that we are going to raise a monkey. 

Posted: February 25th, 2009 under Family.
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This is a review of an excellent book that I was asked to review by the I-K Synod.  I would highly recommend this book for all leaders in ministry. 

When was the last time you performed a communication audit of the congregation or ministry that you serve? I know merely mentioning the word “audit” can send chills up your spine, but a communication audit nothing like the tax variety. A communication audit is simply evaluating all forms of communication. In her book, Reaching Out in a Networked World, Lynne Baab strongly encourages congregations to regularly evaluate all forms of communication to make sure they are consistent with its values and identity. This is a great book for congregations in a wide variety of settings. It doesn’t matter if the congregation you serve is large or small, stuck using equipment from the early 1980’s or is on the cutting edge of technology, there is much that can be gleamed from a careful reading of this book.

Before you read this glowing review, it might be helpful to understand where I am coming from and why it had such an impact on me. When asked to review a book on the changes in communication and how they are impacting the church, I was initially excited because this is a topic that has been of interest to me for many years. In college I majored in computer science, and still dabble in designing church websites, so I assumed that this book would have very little new information to add to my previous research. While I am not the type of person to run out and buy the latest and greatest gadget, I do stay current on what is available. So imagine my surprise when I started reading this book and instead of skimming each chapter, I found myself pouring over each page. This book is not just written for the techno savvy because the ideas are presented in such a way that anyone can understand and apply them. In general churches usually fall into groups: they are often accused of being “behind the times” when it comes to communication (after all, it wasn’t until Luther that the scriptures were in the language of the common people) or churches jump to using a new form of communication without fully thinking through the consequences. This book will connect with congregations in all situations.

One strength of this book is that it takes a holistic approach to the communication of the church. It begins by discussing the different ways we communicate through the printed materials on a weekly basis. For example, what values do you convey through your newsletter? “Everything about a congregation speaks of its values and its identity. A congregation’s heart and soul is communicated through words, photos, actions, programs, architecture, décor, the arts, and countless other aspects of congregational life (pg 161).” It becomes quickly apparent that Dr. Baab has a wealth of experience for how churches can convey their identity effectively in all mediums. These values are not only the words on the page, but are affected by the visual appearance of the communication through the use of fonts, graphics, and style. The book also includes guidelines for avoiding problems with e-mail and helpful advice for using a projection screen during worship. Many churches have started using some form of video projection during worship simply because the “successful” churches in the area are using it. Baab argues that while there are benefits to using this form of communication, there are many pitfalls as well. The same can hold true for the church website. If it does not communicate the most important aspects of the ministry, then it is less than helpful.

The most influential chapter of this book was the chapter on online community. In this chapter Baab discusses how social networking sites are changing the church. Originally, I thought that sites such as facebook.com or myspace.com were a novelty for reconnecting with long lost friends or staying connected with family that lived out of town. However, after reading this chapter, I re-examined the use of this tool. While it can never replace face-to-face interaction, this can be used to strengthen and build community. For instance, I recently discovered a health concern of a member and was able to offer support. I could also see what support the community was providing for her.

This book provides thought-provoking questions to guide your reflection to the right form of communication for you and your context. The next time you find yourself struggling to effectively communicate, please consider picking up a copy of this book and learn how to communicate the heart and soul of what God is doing through your congregation.

Posted: February 19th, 2009 under Family.
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You may have seen it on TV or advertised in the newspaper over the last few months.  For Christmas, my parents surprised us with an Amish fireplace.  It is wonderful.  It is electric, so there is no messing around with ashes or even a vent as with a traditional fire place.   We decided to purchase the corner bookcase because we liked what it added to the fireplace.  It couldn’t have been any easier to set up and it looks great.  Also, it is totally safe for children because only the air coming out of the unit is hot while the rest of the fireplace remains cool.  Of course that will be a feature that will come in handy next winter after Baby Apel has arrived.   

To see a movie of the fireplace in action, click here.

Posted: February 3rd, 2009 under Family.
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Everyone seems to be talking about the economy these days, and no one seems to have any hope, only more doom and gloom.  While I do not have some sort of false sense that we will wake up 6 months from now and everything will be great, I do have hope for the future.  I have hope in part because challenges can be seen as a problem, or a welcomed chance to ask difficult questions and come up with creative solutions.  Andy Clouch, author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling (InterVarsity Press) and the curator of www.culture-making.com wrote an article for Christianity Today that I feel needs to be read and preached in churches all across the country who are filled with people struggling to find hope.  While some churches have allowed themselves to be consumed by the recent political campaigns and issues that were voted on, this issue of the economy crosses all barriers that exist in the church.  The article is a little long, but please stick with it until the end  "Why I am hopeful" at ChristianityToday.com

Posted: November 13th, 2008 under Family.
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I  subscribe to the ELCA Hunger Rumblings Blog which is a great source to find out what is going on in the world to help those who are without food and other basic necessities of life both in the US and abroad.  Each week I read statistics like, "1 in 6 people in the world will be hungry today and will go without food."  Below is an excerpt from a post made this week.  That I found to be profound and so I share them with you.   

"We could choose to despair over the problems of the world. We could choose to be silent about the injustices we see. We could choose to close eyes to the pain of others and become more isolated and insular as the threats of the economy loom.
Or we could choose to hope. We could choose to speak. We could choose to see the brokenness—remembering that wounds are also doors for opportunity, for transformation, reconciliation and healing. We could choose to take the chaos that lies before us, and use it to be creative, to reshape a world in which people are more valuable than money."

Posted: November 11th, 2008 under Family.
Comments: 2

I ran across the this resource through the ELCA’s Hunger Rumblings Blog.  I found this simple true/false quiz to be very informative!  For instance, did you know that if the world stopped spending money on bottled water, and put that money  (100 Billion) towards infrastructure, then everyone in the world would have clean drinking water to drink.  Intrigued?

Take the quiz.

Bottled Water Quiz
True or False?
1. Bottled water is healthier than
tap water.
2. Bottled water is safer than tap
water.
3. Bottled water is convenient and
portable.
4. Most plastic water bottles are
recycled.
5. The market for bottled water is
growing.
6. The UN is addressing water
issues in the developing world.
7. Some bottled water is more
expensive than gasoline.
8. My purchase of bottled water is
unrelated to safer drinking water
for the whole world.

The answers can be found Here. Thank you to Presbyterians for Restoring Creation for this wonderful resource.

Posted: September 9th, 2008 under Church.
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I do not consider myself to be very knowledgeable when it comes to understanding high principles of business such as the economy.  Outside of some basic classes that I took in college, much of my understanding is remedial.  Since the term "economy" has been used so much in the news lately, I found this article (thanks to my friend Greg) to be very helpful.    Here is one quote from the article that really struck me.  "How did it happen that the nation’s economic hero is a terminal-cancer patient going through a costly divorce?"  If this doesn’t make sense I would encourage you to read this article as it gives a basis for understanding what is going on in the economy.

Our Phony Economy by Jonathan Rowe

Posted: August 23rd, 2008 under Family.
Comments: 1

This weekend I was privileged to officiate at the wedding of a close friend of mine at the Mirasol Club in Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.   The wedding ceremony was beautiful and I am proud to say that Andrew and Jennifer are married and probably enjoying a beach in Jamaica right now.  The setting for the wedding was beautiful, although we were not able to hold the ceremony outside due to the weather.  The wedding coordinator and I had a small disagreement in planning where the wedding party should be standing during the service.  Doesn’t that seem silly?  While a detail like this may seem small, I realized that our argument was not really about what is most visually appealing to those in attendance (and the photographer) but we had a fundamental difference in what the service was all about.    She thought that the wedding ceremony was more like a civil union.  To her this was a formal ceremony in which the couple becomes officially married according to the state.  While that is part of the purpose for the ceremony, it is far from the real purpose.  The central theme in any wedding is not some romantic notion about the love that is shared between the bride and the groom, but rather it is a celebration of the love of God that has brought them together and to seek God’s blessing for the life together as husband and wife.  The wedding coordinator, while very professional and good at what she does, wanted to cut God out of the service as much as possible.  She seemed to disregard the fact that this was a religious ceremony and that it would not only be for the couple, but for the gathered community.  I am thankful that Andrew and Jennifer choose to have a religious wedding instead of a civil union.  They were very deliberate in choosing the scriptures for the service and they even added the element of unity sand, which was the first time I had come across this tradition.  The symbolism of the unity sand is like a unity candle, except that it more accurately shows the blending of two families.  Also, it can be used for a longer period of time unlike the unity candle which you can only use until it burns out.

Congratulations Andrew and Jen, may God bless you all the days of your marriage!

Posted: June 23rd, 2008 under Family.
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“But Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinner. — Matthew 9:13

I have a confession to make: I have watched more reality contest TV shows recently than I care to admit. It doesn’t matter if the contestants are singing, dancing, or performing some rare talent to follow their dreams or win big prize money, the shows seem to draw me in by their interesting characters. In the early rounds of the competition there is a great divide in the level of skill of the contestants. Some people have great talent and they are able to amaze the judges by their innovation and creativity. Others seem to be grossly misled TV. by family and friends to believe that they have what it takes to be a star. Some contestants have been working for decades to hone and perfect their talent, preparing for the moment to perform in front of talent scouts. Others have been putting their routine together for a few hours with the hopes of just making it onto
Regardless of the talent of the contestants, I would never want to be a judge. Read more »

Posted: June 5th, 2008 under Church.
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