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Spark Takes A Much Needed Risk
Spark is a great read!
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group sent me a complimentary copy of this book for my review.
I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and we would frequently sing the hymn Pass It On – “It only takes a spark to get a fire going…” Little did I know the concept of “spark” would take on a whole new meaning in my later years. In his new book Spark, author Jason Jaggard defines a spark as “…a choice. A small risk. It’s a flash of light that brightens the everyday routine of your life. It’s a decision to move from inaction to action.” A spark is finding something that would make you, someone else, or the world as a whole a better place and actually doing that thing.
Jaggard’s organization Spark Good encourages people to form Spark Groups (a group of about 8-10 individuals who meet for five weeks encouraging each other to take a small risk each week) with their friends and family. The book talks about why we need to take risks and tells the stories of several individuals (including Jaggard himself) who took risks and how they bettered themselves and others as a result. It is definitely an easy read and I got a wealth of information from it. Here are a few takeaways that impacted me:
- “Sometimes doing one imperfect but beautiful thing can lead you to more beautiful things later on if you are listening for God. Contrast that with doing nothing. Most of the time doing nothing leads to more nothing.”
- “Sometimes God calls us to wait until He speaks. Other times He is waiting for us to act. And other times still, He won’t speak UNTIL we act. It’s in the acting that we hear Him speak. It’s when we move that we begin to see God more clearly.”
- “When God moves and you stand still, God becomes blurry. Oftentimes the only way to see God clearly is to move along with Him.”
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with finding the next step to take in their life (after being unemployed, dealing with tragedy, or if you feel like you are in a rut). My only problem (and this is very minor) is the style of Jaggard’s writing – he writes a sentence or two then puts a space, then he’ll write another sentence then put another space, then write two more sentences and put a space…it’s not your “traditional” writing style and that kind of annoyed me. One of my friends described it as “writing down his thoughts.” This may or may not be a distraction for the reader (it was a distraction for me because I myself am a writer) but other than that it was a great read.
You can read the first chapter of Spark online. Watch the video for the book trailer below.
Photo Credit: By Parable.com
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I Love My Church – Singles Leader Edition
View from my room this weekend
What an organization does (or doesn’t do) to equip its leaders is a reflection of that organization. I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of a church that greatly invests in its leaders – Buckhead Church. The staff is always doing something for us to help us grow and become better leaders – whether it be giving us a book, spending one-on-one time with us, or having a guest speaker come and share with us. This weekend was yet another example of the giving nature of not only the church, but the Singles Ministry: The Singles Leader Retreat.
In its second year, all of the leaders and staff in the Singles Ministry came together for a weekend (this year it was held at Cohutta Springs Conference Center in Crandall, GA) of teaching, social time, and some alone time with God. This year our speakers were Rodney Anderson (Singles Pastor at Buckhead Church) and Jeanne Stevens (she and her husband Jarrett Co-Pastor Soul City Church in Chicago, IL). One of the messages (given by Rodney) was on Psalm 139:13-16:
“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
This passage has been at the forefront of my mind lately, as this was the third time in a couple of weeks that it has brought to my attention – Day 11 of 40 Days of The Jesus Creed used this passage, my roommate and I were talking about this passage the other day, and now Rodney spoke about it at the retreat. As leaders, we get so caught up in leading others that we often neglect ourselves. God took the time to create and care for us – we are of great value to Him. As a result we need to care for ourselves: eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and take care of ourselves spiritually and mentally.
What are you doing to take care of yourself as a leader?
Here are a couple videos they did for us this weekend at the Singles Leader Retreat. Enjoy!
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Helping A Friend
Be a part of 1 Million Laughs for Charity!
This isn’t one of my normal blog posts. It’s going to be short and sweet. My friend Dave Pileggi at Pretty Funny Stuff has a video he has created that benefits charity. We are trying to help the video go viral, so if you could post it to your social media sites: Facebook, Twitter (mark with the hashtag #1MillionLaughsForCharity), Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. The video is hysterical and the song is available for download via Dave’s website, iTunes, and Amazon.com (search for “1 Million Laughs For Charity” on iTunes and Amazon.com to find the song). It’s only $.99 per download and 1/2 of that goes to Lazarus Ministries in Atlanta – helping meet the basic needs of the homeless.
Dave’s video is below. You should be able to click on it to open it up in YouTube.
Photo Credit: By Jim Champion
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Really Church?!
Real life is lived in circles not rows!
A friend of mine recently posted a video to Facebook that really bothered me. Apparently Sunday, September 18 has been deemed “Back to Church” day by a group of local churches. In theory, I think what they are trying do is good but the delivery just isn’t right. I know I may receive some backlash over this, but here goes. What bothers me about some churches is they try to be something that they are not – Why advertise using a hip, cool, and contemporary style when you are a more traditional church? Why try to appeal to a younger crowd when your congregation is predominantly older? This is one of the biggest problems I had in the church where I grew up – it felt like they were trying so hard to be something that they were not, to the point where they were alienating people.
The church I currently attend has a very contemporary style of worship – they aren’t going to break out the pipe organ and cover all the windows in stain glass just to reach people that are into that. That’s not who they are as a church. The church I grew up in was a very traditional church and they attempted to do a contemporary style worship service and it went over like a lead balloon (to the point that several of the younger members left the church because it was so bad). My point is, find what it is that your church does best and embrace that! One church is not going to be the right fit for everyone. If your church is more traditional in style, become informed about a church in your area that is more contemporary – it’s okay to tell people “Hey, we’re more traditional but if you want more of a contemporary style the church down the street may be what you need.” The Church (notice the “Big C”) get so competitive when we’re all trying to achieve the same goal…reaching people for Christ.
My second problem is the video looks incredibly cheesy. I honestly would be embarrassed if my non-Christian friends saw that video. Their first response would be “Really?! You want me to come to your church based on that video?!?! No thanks – I’ll pass!” As a church we need to quit trying to do things WE THINK will reach people…we need to meet them where they live. When was the last time you asked a non-Christian friend or family member why they don’t like church or why they don’t attend? Ask, then listen to them – help them find a church that meets THEIR needs, not what YOU think they need. Again, it’s not “one size fits all” when it comes to church.
My final problem with this is why is Sunday, September 18 such a big deal? Why are we not making an effort to live daily as an example of Christ showing those around us why we are different? The way to get someone to come to church with you is to develop a relationship with them. I was talking with a friend at church on Sunday and he said that every Sunday at our church that 10% of those attending that day are guests who have never been to the church. At first, to me that didn’t sound like much, but when you figure each of our three services holds about 3000 people a week – that comes to about 900 people a week who are visiting for the first time. WOW! That is 900 people who have built a relationship with these people and genuinely care about them enough to bring them to church. When we have these “Back to Sunday” type events, people think we are treating them like a number or a “check mark” we get for doing our good Christian deed for the day. I don’t know about you, but if I was a non-Christian that be the quickest turn off from church for me. So why do we do it?!
My challenge is two-fold: 1) To the Church (again notice the “Big C”), don’t be fake and try to be something that you’re not – people can tell when you’re not being real or genuine. 2) To the church (notice the “little c”) live a daily life for Christ that would help you develop genuine relationships with non-Christians around you. Relationships where they know you care about them and don’t just see them as a “soul to save.”
Below is the video my friend posted on their Facebook. Feel free to share your thoughts in comments below.
Photo Credit: By s marcu
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The Concept of Mercy
God is on call waiting for you.
I was reading Day 9 of 40 Days Living The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight this morning and the overlying theme on today’s entry was mercy. It’s hard as a society to grasp the concept of mercy, because it’s not something we typically experience in our world on a daily basis. My first instinct was to go to the dictionary to see what mercy actually means.
Mercy – /mur-see/:
- Compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power; compassion, pity, or benevolence.
- The disposition to be compassionate or forbearing.
- The discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
- An act of kindness, compassion, or favor.
- Something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing.
Though all five definitions are appropriate regarding God to some degree, the last definition is what really felt applicable for me when it came to this excerpt from the book. McKnight talks about the fact that it is God who provides mercy and that is only provided when someone needs it. He uses the analogy of God being “on call” when it comes to giving mercy to those who need it. The example made me think of my friend who is a nurse – she is often on call for her job. The only way she provides care when she is on call is if someone actively calls her and says “We need your assistance today.”
Not to sound trite with a “Sunday School response,” but God is available at our calling…we just have to actually take the initiative and call Him! Matthew 7:7-12 encourages us to just ask and God will follow through, but you have to start by asking…don’t just expect it to happen. One of the biggest challenges we as the human race face is to show mercy to those around us, especially when they don’t ask for it or we don’t think they deserve it. God has shown us mercy, so it goes without saying that we should do the same for others.
Photo Credit: By Hades2k
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God Isn’t A Part-Time Lover
Godly love isn’t part-time.
In preparing for my day, I read today’s entry from 40 Days Living The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight. Day 4 talks about seeking the face of God. We build relationships with others when we spend face-to-face time with them. God doesn’t have a physical face like ours, but this is how we as people with a finite mind can get a better grasp on developing our relationship with our Creator.
One quote from today’s reading just really hit home with me:
“Love isn’t God’s part-time vocation, as if God is sometimes holy and other times loving. God is love, always and forever. And, the face of God’s love is His unconditional regard for who we are and sacred concern for everything we do.”
We think of love in earthly terms, but to quote dc Talk (yes, I’m kickin’ it old school this morning) – “Not love like we know it, like ya love your girl. It’s a love from above not of this world.” God can show us love through many ways (not in a “new age…God is in everything” kind of way). He reveals Himself to us through people, circumstances, and His Word. For me, I feel like He reminds me of His love through music.
In 2001, Michelle Branch released the song “Everywhere” and it filled the Top 40 radio stations. Several in my circle of friends were convinced that she was a Christian and that the song was about her relationship with God. The lyrics had that kind of cryptic “I am singing about another person but I could be singing about God” vibe to them so who really knows her intent when she wrote the song. (The video shows her obsessing over a guy, but the visual of a video doesn’t always correspond with what the singer intended with the lyrics.) Here is the chorus, so you can judge for yourself –
“Cause you’re everywhere to me. And when I close my eyes it’s you I see. You’re everything I know that makes me believe. I’m not alone. I’m not alone.”
I was listening to the song the other night on my iPod and it just made me reflect on how, regardless of our circumstances, we’re not alone…for God is with us and His love surrounds us. Enjoy Michelle Branch’s video for “Everywhere” below.
Photo Credit: By Bill Ward
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Catching Fire Definitely Sparked My Attention
Katniss Everdeen is the “girl on fire.”
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, picks up right where The Hunger Games left off with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they take part in the Victor Tour of the Districts. While on the tour, Katniss discovers what appears to be an uprising in some of the districts and unbeknownst to her she is the cause of this rebellion. When she and Peeta eventually make it back home to District 12 they find that the Peacekeepers have taken over and have basically stripped everyone of their freedom and have threatened or even killed numerous citizens. Katniss feels horrible that all of this was caused by her actions so she makes a plan to escape while she is in the woods one day.
Through her trip in the woods, Katniss meets two runaway girls from District 8 who tell her of a secret District 13 that is a peaceful place where they hope their troubles will end. When she gets back from the woods, she discovers that the “Quarter Quell” (a special event that occurs every 25 years) takes place for the Hunger Games this year. Each “Quarter Quell” has a unique twist to it (ex. the year Haymitch Abernathy won they had twice as many participants) and this year is no different – the participants are selected from the surviving victors of past Hunger Games. Since Katniss is the only female surviving victor from District 12 she is forced to participate and Haymitch is selected as the male tribute, but Peeta volunteers in his place.
Peeta throws additional plot twists in the mix at the interview process with television host Caesar Flickerman (I won’t spoil the surprises). During the games Katniss and Peeta form an alliance with several previous victors including pretty boy, Finnick Odair and sarcastic cynic, Johanna Mason. Wiress, an older former victor helps the group discover something about the playing field they are able to use to their advantage. Another major plot twists happens at the end so their is never a dull moment from the first page to the end.
I really enjoyed Catching Fire as much as The Hunger Games. The movie version of the first book was a little disappointing, but here’s hoping that the sequel will be worth the wait – November 22, 2013 can’t get here soon enough!
Photo Credit: By Wikipedia.org
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T Minus 39 Days Until Brazil!
Friends from one of my previous Brazil trips.
The “official” countdown has begun! The past few days have made me all the more ready to leave for Brazil – my e-mail account was hacked and I’ve been sick all weekend (had a fever of 101.4 on Saturday) but I’m finally starting to feel better. My SUV has also decided that now is the time to start acting up again. Happy happy joy joy!
As of July 21, I am only $610 away from having all of my funds raised for my portion of the trip. If you are interested in contributing, it’s not too late (and it’s tax deductible). We have also added another person to our team – Elisabeth! If you want to pray for our team members specifically they are: Scott (me), Adam, Krista, Courtney, Valerie, and Elisabeth. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this exciting trip. Our next team meeting is this Sunday.
We as a team have decided to read 40 Days Living The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight as a way to prepare for the trip. The book focuses on the scripture passage Mark 12:29-31:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
When your primary focus is to love God and love others, then everything else falls into its proper place. The book is broken down into 40 chapters (a chapter a day) and one of the things it encourages you to do is to quote Mark 12:29-31 in the morning when you wake up, before you go to bed, and throughout your day. I’m really excited about going on this 40 day journey with my Brazil team to help us prepare for what God has in store for us in Londrina.
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Don’t Quit Your Day Job…Yet!
Quit the right way!
In many circles, Jon Acuff is considered a rock star – he has his own blog, has written three books (including Gazelles, Baby Steps And 37 Other Things Dave Ramsey Taught Me About Debt and Stuff Christians Like) and he speaks to millions of people a year. With all these accolades, one of the main titles Acuff talks about frequently is that of “serial quitter” (having had eight jobs in eight years). Quitter, tells the story of how Acuff went from working a job he could barely tolerate to finding and starting his dream job. With a self-deprecating sense of humor, the author tells of how he learned that you cannot truly quit your day job with out a great deal of preparation.
Some great takeaways I found in this book are:
- Some times you need your day job to fund your dream job.
- Test your dream job to see if it truly works before you quit your day job.
- Find a support network who believes in your and your dream job.
- Create an “opportunity filter” that shows what you would be willing to do or not do in order to achieve your dream job (ex. only travel only 2 weekends out of the month, no back to back trips, etc.)
Quitter is an easy read that I really enjoyed and I would highly recommend to anyone who is not happy at their current job. As someone who is currently unemployed, I also got a lot out of the book. One of my favorite quotes from the book was “Find your passion. Practice it. Then plan it.” – a lot of people think they have to plan everything first and then take action. More often than not, when you practice your passion the plan will appear in the process.
Photo Credit: By Better World Books
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The Next American Idol (Judge) Is…
Who will replace the AI judges?
American Idol is one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve watched it every season since it started. I saw two of the American Idol tours (the year Taylor Hicks won and the year David Cook won). I even voted for Phillip Phillips this year and have his song Home on my iPod. If you keep up with pop culture at all, you have probably heard recently that both Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will not be returning as judges for season 12 of the show. At this point it is not known if Randy Jackson will stay or follow suit. Ryan Seacrest has signed a 2 year deal to remain, so he will be hosting through at least season 13 but who knows are that.
With at least two of the three judges leaving the show, it’s time to make some changes to bring American Idol back to the juggernaut that it was when it first started back in 2002. First off, they need an “anchor” female judge who is known and loved by many (the X Factor has Britney Spears and The Voice has Christina Aguilera). Someone like Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, or even a music veteran like Carole King or Chrissie Hynde could potentially be a good fit. Next they need someone who is up and coming or really current right now – someone like Carly Rae Jepsen, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Ellie Goulding, or even Katy Perry. A music producer or someone in the industry is a must for the panel – like Jimmy Iovine, Will.i.am, or even someone like Diddy. Finally, I think they should bring back a fourth judge and have it as a “rotating” judge homecoming for AI alumni (winners and those who have had a significant impact on the show) – Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, Kris Allen, David Cook, or Jordin Sparks. This would be nice because they would only be there for a week, so it wouldn’t greatly impact their touring or appearance schedules. It would also be a great way for the audience to see “where are they now” regarding their favorite former AI contestants.
As we discovered in season 9, finding the right judges can be a hit or miss process (Ellen DeGeneres?!?! Really?!?!). If you could pick, who would you like to see as the new judges for American Idol season 12?
Photo Credit: By Darren Wittko
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Scott Couey 