Do yourself a favor, skip the 22 minute sitcom you were going to watch on Hulu during your lunch break or later tonight and watch this instead. The illustrations and explanations make it easy to understand, plus, you’ll be able to throw around economic terms like “planned obsolescence” or “externalized costs” at your next party.

(If you found this video interesting be sure to check out the other videos from The Story of Stuff Project)

Here are a few of the statistics they shared in the video that I found most disturbing:

• Over the past three decades, one-third of the planet’s natural resources base have been consumed.
• In the United States, we have less than 4% of our original forests left.
• Forty percent of waterways in the US have become undrinkable
• In the U.S., industry admits to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals a year.
• The average U.S. person now consumes twice as much as they did 50 years ago.
• Each person in the United States makes 4 1/2 pounds of garbage a day. That is twice what we each made thirty years ago.
• For every one garbage can of waste you put out on the curb, 70 garbage cans of waste were made upstream to make the junk in that one garbage can you put out on the curb.

Here’s the question I’ve been pondering since watching this video, How do we raise children in this consumeristic society without them jumping on the consumer hamster wheel themselves?

We skipped Thursday night’s session so that we could hang out and talk with our team. Well, this is what we missed.

Ummm….ouch. Talk about challenging!

Lisa and I have definitely had some times over the last 12 months that we’ve moaned and complained about how hard things are. We knew that planting a church would be difficult. When you’re in the thick of challenges and setbacks all around you it’s easy to feel like the universe is conspiring against you.

But really, isn’t that what we signed up for? Isn’t our life pretty tame compared to the stories of the men and women of faith in the Bible? God called us to be world-changers, to follow in the footsteps of other world-changers who have gone before us.

Just look at this snapshot of the men and women of faith from Hebrews 11:

“Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless – the world didn’t deserve them!” (Hebrews 11:33-38)

…aaaand, then there’s me.

Turns out, I don’t have very much to complain about. Unless memory fails me, I don’t think I’ve had to pray about being delivered from whips, chains and dungeons. At least not lately.

So the real question is, as Francis Chan puts asks, are we living a life worthy of the Bible?

Where exactly would your story fit in the Bible? How many sermons would pastors preach about it? Would people study it or skip over it?

I’m not saying we need to always have the answers to tough passages in the Bible. Sometimes the best answer is, “Man, I really have a hard time with this verse and don’t really understand it.”

For example, here’s a couple of passages we have all read a lot from Acts 2 and Acts 4 about the founding of the early church:

And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

The whole congregation of believers was united as one – one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need. (Acts 4:32-35)

It’s an amazing and powerful passage about the impact these early believers had on their culture but it sounds rather idealistic, doesn’t it? Selling possessions and pooling resources to create equality among everyone? Nothing being owned individually but everything shared equally? Some might call that socialism or even Marxism.

Without getting caught up in political tangents or nasty discussions I’d like to know…

Do those verses apply to us today? Were early believers socialists?

I was fascinated by Danial and began reading up on other Savants. The more I read the more intrigued I became with the abilities of these amazing individuals who may lack some of the most basic skills (such as tying their shoes) while being able to do such amazing things as draw an entire city from memory. I came across several documentaries on YouTube that are definitely worth checking out:

• Derek Paravicini “The Musical Genius” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, 60 Minutes Segment
• Daniel Tammet “The Boy With The Incredible Brain” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
• Kim Peek “The Real Rain Man” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
• Stephen Wiltshire aka “The Human Camera”
• Flo & Kay “The Rainman Twins” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
• Alonzo Clemons “Savant Scluptor”

It just makes me wonder, what are our amazing brains really capable of? Do we have a “governor” in our brain that prevents us from fully utilizing everything it is capable of? I can’t help but think of 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Kinda makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Here’s a neat little graphic about some of the more famous savants and what their brains are capable of.

Do you think our brains are capable of more than we use them for? Will we ever be able to figure out how to tap into their full potential?

Too many in our families and churches die rich, with dreams clutched tightly to their stilled hearts. Too many go to their graves with their potential trapped inside. My motto in life is “Die Empty!” I aim to give the graveyard nothing but a vacant carcass of a used-up life. I want the words on my tombstone to read “Empty!” Nothing left. No more gas.

This paragraph seems contradictory from someone who later went on to write a book on burnout called Leading On Empty. Is he saying that we should just give and give until we’re completely used up and burned out? No, what he is saying is that each of us have potential that lies dormant within us. We each have dreams that we’ve been holding onto, in some cases for 20 or 30 years, and we’re waiting for the right time to make those dreams a reality. The sad thing is that without even realizing it, many people continue to put off that dream inside their heart until one day their life has passed them by.

I think some people treat their dreams like collectible baseball cards or comic books – they talk about them, show them off to friends but wouldn’t think of taking them out of the plastic wrapper for fear of tarnishing them. Dreams are meant to be ripped out of the plastic wrapping and put into use! Potential is meant to be used and explored, not quietly cultivated and kept on the shelf!

God has given Lisa and I some pretty big dreams. Dreams that sometimes scare the crap out of me! And yet I’ll be darned if I’m going to let the potential God has placed within us remain untapped. I’m not tooting my own horn or thinking I have some special ability that no one else has. The fact of the matter is that we all have untapped potential. God has filled every one of us with a treasure that this world desperately needs.

Those dreams lies wrapped up inside of you. The question is, will the grave inherit your dreams? Will you deprive this world by taking your God-given potential with you when you die? Or will you go to the grave with Paul’s words on your lips,

“My life has been poured out as a drink offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7)

I don’t know about you but that gives me goosebumps.

In the movie, news anchor Howard Beale (played by Finch) delivered a speech railing against the media machine he was a part of.

We’ll tell you any sh*t you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds. We’re all you know.

You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here. You’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal.

You do whatever the tube tells you.
You dress like the tube.
You eat like the tube.
You raise your children like the tube.
You even think like the tube.

This is mass madness — you maniacs! In God’s name you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion.

Here’s the full video of the speech from the movie (note: scattered profanities throughout the clip). Even though this movie was made over 30 years ago it holds frightening relevance to our media-saturated culture today.

Speech from the Movie “Network”

Pretty heavy stuff, isn’t it? While this film was made before the advent of the Internet you could just as easily replace the word “tube” with “the Internet” for an equally challenging rebuke.

What do you think…Has the Internet, blogging and social media made things better? Or are we in even more danger of losing our ability to think for ourselves?

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time…

How often do we have this hyped-up idea of what ministry is going to look like only to find out that a lot of the time it can feel, well, like a job.

Some people think Pastors receive their message each week by divine revelation when most of the time there’s hours spent staring at a blank screen trying to find the best words to say what’s on their heart.

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time.

The truth is that worship leaders often spend a lot more time writing arrangements and organizing band practices than they do in worship.

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time.

Missionaries don’t walk out their front door in the morning to find 20 people waiting there ready to accept Christ. Most of the time they’ll go weeks or even months with no visible fruits for their labor.

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time.

Filling out paperwork for your 501c3 and signing rental agreements is as much a part of planting a church as prayer services and Bible studies.

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time.

Youth Pastors sigh when their youth group can’t even remember what the message was about last week but they can quote the entire Napoleon Dynamite by heart.

Things don’t feel spiritual all the time.

It’s easy to romanticize our walk with Christ but even the best of us have days when we feel very unspiritual. It’s on those days and every other day in between that we need to remember that God is just as much at work in the “valley of normal” as he is on the “spiritual mountaintops.” It’s all part of the journey. And on our journey…

…things just don’t feel spiritual all the time.

Lisa and I were on the way to an important meeting a few weeks ago and were discussing our hopes for the desired outcome. The ensuing discussion brought up some interesting points that I’d like to pose for thought and discussion.

Hope vs. Confidence

We all have important meetings we have to go to from time to time in our lives. Job interviews, business meetings with the higher ups in our company, a presentation or proposal for our business. Most of these meetings could have a short-term impact on our day-to-day lives but some of them have the potential to be truly life-changing.

Most of us tend to go into these meetings thinking the same thing: I hope they like me; I hope they like what I have to say;, I hope they hire me; I hope they buy my product. Wheter you realize it or not, when you think those kind of thoughts you cut your chances before you even walk into the meeting. Here’s why: out thoughts determine our attitudes and our attitudes determine our actions. When we walk into a meeting thinking “I hope…” we will come across as hopeful, maybe even needy and desperate.

Can I share an inside secret with you? I know how this is going to sound so put your judgments aside for a moment and hear me out.

When I walk into a job interview, business meeting, etc., here is what I’m thinking: I really am all that and a bag of chips. I’m not just good, I’m amazing and these guys are complete idiots if they don’t ______ (hire me, accept my proposal, use my services, etc.).

Change The Way You Look At Things

Proud and obnoxious? Absolutely. But remember, important meetings are no place for humility and modesty. You’re trying to convince a skeptic that you or your idea or product are worth investing in.

Here’s why I think that way. When I walk into a meeting thinking those kind of thoughts it bolsters my confidence and changes my whole mode of communication. It subconsciously changes the words you use and how you present yourself or your idea. It was Max Planck, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, who said, When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Instead of asking them to consider my service, I’m giving them the opportunity to purchase my expertise. Instead of simply hoping they hire me, I’m displaying poise and confidence in my abilities. When you begin to change your mindset, everything about you begins to change.

I cannot begin to tell how important this mental posturing has been for me through the years. Remember, this kind of attitude takes time to grow and develop. Confidence doesn’t always come overnight. And of course, it always helps when you have the goods to back up your claim, but that’s a subject for another post.

I’d like to know what you think. What is your mental state when you walk into important meetings? Have you ever experienced the opposite of your desired outcome because of hopefull or worried thoughts?

I don’t know about you but I find it way too easy to get hung up on past successes, especially when I compare them against where I’m at now. For some reason we think that God’s preferred  method of growth is a steady 45 degree angle up with each success building on top of the last one. each opportunity followed by an even better one.

But what happens when our success is followed by a failure…and then a closed door…and then another? What do we do when the “good old days” become the “better old days” and we begin to wonder why God isn’t blessing now like he was then?

From Bad To Worse

The Israelites wondered the same thing. They went from captivity in Egypt through the desert to Jerusalem. They lived through the glory years of King David and saw King Solomon build the temple, which by Biblical accounts was a sight to behold. Then Jerusalem is destroyed and Israel is again led into captivity in Babylon.

After decades of captivity in a strange land they’re finally ready to return to Jerusalem. But there were tears instead of cheers as they returned home and saw their beautiful temple in ruins. They rebuild it but those who were old enough to remember the former temple couldn’t help but feel sadness for all they had lost.

Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?
Haggai 2:3 (The Message)

They weren’t in Babylon any more. But they weren’t really home either.

The Night Is Darkest Before The Dawn

The sunset on their past blessings turns to night as Israel enters a period of over 400 years of prophetic silence (the chronological span between the book of Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament). The night really was darkest before the dawn because during those 400 years Israel was conquered and occupied by the Roman armies. This time their captivity came to them in their own land.

Who then can wonder at the hesitation of the Jews to listen to this upstart carpenter from Galilee when he told them that “the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19) Really? The Lord’s favor is here?

It was into this dark time of hopelessness that God chose to send his son with the message that the Jews had been waiting for thousands of years to hear.

Sometimes we’re right where God wants us to be but for some reason it doesn’t feel like home. We’re surrounded by reminders of what God has done in the past and wonder what in the world He’s doing now.

But maybe He’s not done with you. Maybe He’s trying to close a chapter in your life that we want to keep it open. Maybe He wants to close that chapter so He can write a new one.

Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (The Message)