Church Signs - Annoying!

If you are like me, you get really annoyed by churches that use cheesy slogans on their church sign. For example:

"CH__CH - What missing? UR"

That is so what it takes to draw people to church (sarcasm). The Wittenburg Door, a Christian satire web magazine, apparently is also annnoyed, as evidenced by these rejected church slogans. Enjoy...

Colin Samuel Fitzpatrick is here!

Our boy has finally arrived! He was born yesterday, 4/5/06, at 2:23 in the afternoon, after a 20-hour labor by Marcy (She's a stud...in a girly kind of way). He was 8 lbs. 8 oz. and measured in at 20" long. He was a little anxious to enter the world, so he stuck his hand out with his head, tearing Marcy quite a bit. She had surgery to get sewn up and is recovering nicely. The boy is a looker, despite the fact that he has the Fitzpatrick nose. All are doing well, and we are so excited to have our boy finally be here!!!

Yawn...

What a boring NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game it was last night. As exciting as the tourney had been up until the Final Four, I had great hopes that this would be one of the best, if not the best, tournament of all time (at least all of my time). But the Final Four was a big dud. Neither of the semifinal games was close, nor was the championship. And the tourney had such promise, too. We had upsets, like Northwestern State over Iowa on a last-second shot; like Montana over Nevada; like Bradley over Kansas (yes, Kansas choked in the first round - again!). We had amazing finishes like UCLA over Gonzaga and Texas over West Virginia (Cursed Texas!). And we had the Cinderella #11 seed George Mason make it all the way to the Final Four, the first time in history that a team seeded that low ever made it that far. It had all the makings for the best tourney ever, but at the end, it laid a great big egg.

It makes me think about what we discussed at youth group the last couple of weeks. Sometimes, Christianity is the same way. In our eyes, it can lay a great big egg, too. But it's not because it's bad. I'm sure Florida doesn't think that the tournament was bad in any way. It is because we have the wrong expectations for it. We expect to be happy all of the time. Or we expect it to be about living a moral life. Or we expect God to show up in some big, dramatic burning bush experience for us daily. Whatever it is, we often expect the wrong things about what it means to follow Jesus, and it ends up being a drag to us. Has this ever happened to you?

The Wal-Mart Inn & Suites

When I was in college, I never really did anything exciting for my spring break. While other friends jetted off to Florida or South Padre Island, I usually had just enough money to pay for gas for my one-hour trek home. But if I had been half as creative as Skyler Bartels, I might have had some seriously crazy stories to tell. Enjoy...

Worship Leader, or Lead Worshipper

I witnessed a really cool thing the other day. I was at the church, getting ready for the Saturday evening service. I was the worship assistant for the weekend, which meant that I was sort of the emcee for the service: I welcomed people, ran through some announcements, read Scripture, prayed, and invited the ushers up for the offering. It was about 45 minutes before the service was to begin, and all of the last-minute preparations were going on: soundchecks, double-checking the PowerPoint slides, running through songs one last time, etc. Currently, our stage is adorned by a rather large stained glass-esque picture of Jesus and some traditional Christian symbols. It was while the band was running through one of their songs that I witnessed this cool thing. The worship leader for the weekend was a good friend of mine, Geoff Smith. While he was singing, instead of facing 990 empty seats, he was turned with his back to the auditorium, facing the huge picture of Jesus. I don't know why he did this. Maybe he was trying to hear the band and the other vocalists better. Maybe he was trying to not be distracted. Or maybe, as I imagined it, he was simply doing what he was called to do, and that is worship God. Maybe he was so caught up in that Jesus hanging behind him that he didn't care what was happening around him. Too often we get caught up in the idea that church is a show that we come and consume, instead of realizing that it is a participatory event. We think that those that are up front are in some way more important because they are up front. In reality, they are just one of the worshippers, just like anyone that is sitting in our comfy seats. But we like to be entertained instead of having to participate and present our bodies as living sacrifices, which is our reasonable act of worship. "Let someone else do it, and let me watch," we think. And that is the wrong attitude to have, if you ask me. I wish we could all just turn around more often and stand face-to-face with Jesus and let it be about Him and me...

Kelly Clarkson Video

Before anyone starts slamming me for having the Kelly Clarkson video playing on this blog, let me explain. Two of my students from the youth ministry I used to volunteer with in Ohio are currently in LA trying to make it as actors. They have already appeared in an episode of Charmed, and now are in this video, 'Walk Away.' I have to give them some props, and as much exposure as I can. So now, the three or four people that actually look at this blog will know who they are, too. They are the twins that are singing while washing dishes and wearing rubber gloves. Enjoy...

I'm Too Busy for God

That seems to be the message that I have been hearing lately. Specifically, it has come through loud and clear in two articles I have read recently. This one, from Christianity Today, talks about the abundance of new Bibles that are coming out that "hope to make God's word digestible for the masses not in years, but in weeks, days, and—yes—even minutes." First, there's The Bible in 90 Days, a Bible and a curriculum that allows the reader to get through the Bible in - you guessed it - 90 days. But maybe that's too much of a time commitment for you. If so, there's the HCSB Light Speed Bible which combines the Bible and speed reading to get you through the Bible four times in one day. Four times! And finally, there is the 100-Minute Bible which condenses the Bible to 20,000 words in about 60 pages. I think it reads something like this:

"First, there was God. Then there was Adam and Eve, they sinned, then there was Abraham, who was the father of Israel, who became enslaved to Egypt but Moses led them out and they wandered for a while. They liked God, then they didn't, then they did, then they didn't, did, then didn't, and so on. Then came Jesus. He healed and preached and loved. Then He died, but He rose again. Then the Church was started and Paul wrote a bunch of letters. Then there was some crazy stuff that happens at the end featuring horses and trumpets and bowls. The End."

What does it say about us that we need Bibles that we don't have to spend a lot of time with? We're too busy to really spend time in the Word, right? I mean, we have work, and family, and extracurricular stuff, and church stuff. We need something to get us a quick fix in the Word, but it can't take much time. Is that really the best approach to the Word of God?

And then I ran across this article and pictures of a drive-thru church in Daytona Beach. People drive up just like you used to do at a drive-in movie theater. You watch the service from your car, someone delivers the Communion elements to you there, and then you drive away. Again, what kind of message is this sending. That we're too busy to even get out of our cars? That church is really just a show, so why bother participating? That we don't need the community that church is supposed to be about, and instead, I'm in a hurry to get to my real community on the golf course? Now that's the kind of church I want!

Now, before you think I'm getting all high and mighty on you, keep in mind that I admit that I am just as bad as the next guy or girl in this area. I like to think that I am soooo busy in my life that I don't have the time to really sit down and quiet myself and take time alone with God, whether it be through prayer or time in the Word or worship or whatever. I busy myself with some important things, but also with a lot of inconsequential things. Spending time with my family: important. Watching American Idol: inconsequential. Being with my youth group students: important. Goofing around on the internet: inconsequential. May God help me to be more like Martin Luther who is widely quoted as saying, "I have so much to do today that I should spend the first three hours in prayer."

Johari Window

OK, so I was surfing over at my friend Nolan's blog, and I came across this thing called a Johari Window. It was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up. (from the website - italics mine) I have started one for myself, and would love to hear what you have to say. If you are looking at this blog, chances are you know me a little bit. So help a brother out and make me more self-aware by clicking below and following the directions. Thanks...

http://kevan.org/johari?name=mcfitzie

A Look Back At The Porch

Maybe it was just me, but man, was The Porch good last night! Here's what went down:

First, I get a call in the afternoon from Putty, one of our SIMYs that helps lead the youth band, telling me that no one showed up for band practice on Sunday, so we wouldn't have a band for that night. Bummer. So I figured, "Well, we'll just punt and play some stupid game or something and do some God Rocked My Face Offs." Then, about 20 minutes before we were supposed to start, while everyone is eating and hanging out, Lauren, one of the singers from the band, came up to me and said, "Is it true that we don't have any music tonight?" I told her yes. She said, "That's bad." I said, "I know." She said, "What about doing those iWorship videos? I could lead with those." So we found them on the server, and she and Jen, one of our SIMYs that used to be in the band, picked out some songs.

The meeting started, and we went ahead and played the stupid game that involved marshmallows, which was quite funny. Marshmallows are just fun in a white, squishy package, anyway. We plowed through our announcements, and got to our One Life Revolution announcement, and discussed the Penny War we have going on to raise money for those suffering from the AIDS crisis in Africa. As I'm making the announcement, one kid stood up, pulled out his wallet, and threw some money in one of the jugs. Then someone else. Then another. And another. And another. Then a SIMY. and another SIMY. And another student. And so on. It was crazy how much money they were just giving away like it was God's or something ;-) .

And then, if that weren't enough, we started singing, and everyone was really into worshipping God. So after Lauren and Jen led us in two or three songs, I felt like we should do more. So I got up and said a few words while they picked out a couple more to do. Then we sang some more, and I said a few words. We sang and I read from a Psalm. By the time it was all said and done, we had sung for 45 minutes! It was awesome to see how pumped everyone was to just take the whole meeting to worship God! I can't say for sure, but I think He was pretty pleased with the offering we brought last night. If you were there, that's what worship is about, and should be about in our everyday lives. God rocked my face off last night! I was stressed about the program, and God showed up and said, "It's not about the program. It's about Me." And it was...

Be Your Own DJ

Do you like music? Check.
Do you like downloading songs that you like? Check.
Do you not have enough money to pay for all the songs you want to hear? Check.

Here might be a good alternative for you. Go to Pandora, where you can enter the name of an artist or song that you like, and it will configure a virtual radio station that plays similar music. I just entered the David Crowder Band, and it brought up such artists as Delirious? and the Robbie Seay Band. Pretty cool...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

We finally got some snow yesterday. It warmed my heart as it chilled my fingers and toes. This 60 degrees in January is crazy! It's not supposed to be that way. Winter means snow. So, while it is practically gone already, I'm glad we had a little bit at least. A few other thoughts:

• During a prayer meeting, people prayed for our country that it would return to its Christian heritage. I'm not sure exactly what they meant by that. Probably a return to prayer in school and an end to abortion. But what about ending poverty and taking care of the alien, widows, and orphans? And would it really do us good to have our government agree with our Christian heritage, or would it simply add to our complacency? Look at Israel in the Old Testament. When things were going smoothly for them, that was when they turned away from God to other idols. And when I was in high school, the strongest Christians were the ones in the public schools, where they had to fight for their faith daily. And who do you think is stronger, the average American Christian that has life easy, or the Chinese Christian that has to worship underground? (I know I'm going to hear from my brother about this post) Just a thought...
• I was ever-so-glad to hear that U2 cleaned up at the Grammys last night, and that Mariah Carey did not. Granted, I haven't heard any of Mariah's CD at all, but seriously, who is more culturally relevant when you look at the big picture? I think about stories of REM winning Best Alternative Music Grammy with their first mainstream album when going up against Nirvana's Nevermind, which etched grunge into the consciousness of America. Or Jethro Tull beating out Metallica for the first Metal Grammy. And when I do, I say, "The Grammys got it right this time."
• Have you heard what is going on at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY? A revival is breaking out there, and God is driving people to their knees. This is reminiscent of the revival that occurred there in 1970. Go God!
• Fitz, Jr. in 54 days and counting! if you have any name suggestions, I would love to hear them...but I can pretty much guarantee that we won't use them. I'm fairly sure that Marcy wouldn't allow us to name our child from a suggestion submitted on my blog. But it could still be fun. So let's hear your ideas.
  

Super Bowl Ads

OK, so the Pittspuke Stillers won the big game. Big whup. They had the refs' help in that matter. But what really mattered, as it does in every Super Bowl, were the commercials. Advertisers paid $2.5 million for a 30-second time slot this year. And judging by some of their spots, many of them overpaid. Here is my personal list of the top five and bottom five commercials from the 2006 Super Bowl:

Top Five (in no particular order):
1. FedEx: Caveman - hilarious with a great surprise ending (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it yet)
2. Bud Light: Man Kitchen - although I don't drink, I love it that you can usually count on Budweiser to come up with some original ads
3. ESPN: Mobile - very effective way of showing how much the product has to offer
4. Emerald Nuts: Druid - just too weird to not include it
5. Ameriquest: Hospital - usng the paddles on a fly: classic - and the liittle girl's reaction: priceless

Bottom Feeders:
1. Ameriquest: Flight - just plain wrong
2. Diet Pepsi: Brown & Bubbly - all the Diet Pepsi ads stunk, but this was the worst of them
3. H3: Little Monster - that was weird, wrong, and just plain stupid
4. Toyota: Camry - maybe I'm just too sensitive, but the implication that someone needs to know English to have a successful future seems remarkably ethnocentric
5. Paramount: MI:3 - as much as I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise just needs to go away

If you haven't yet seen the comercials or you missed some, you can see them here...

Train up a child...

Oral, the tech guy at our church, did some clean up work on my baby's ultrasound picture from several weeks ago. It revealed something startling, but not so surprising...

iPods and The Cross

I ran across this article about a pastor in Houston that is using the iPod to talk about the gospel. He is the midst if a sermon series called "iPod Theology," the main gist of which is that the iPod is so simple, and that life can also be simple. Now, I don't have my own iPod (but my birthday is coming up in seven short months, hint-hint), but I have my own take on how the iPod relates to our life in Christ.

The pastor, in making his point about the simple life, says this: "All you do on the outside is push the little button, drive the wheel and pick what usefulness you want out of your iPod," he said. "And so when Jesus talks to us about simplification, it must start on the inside." While the first step in a relationship with Jesus is a simple choice to follow Him, it is much more complicated than that. Just like the iPod, much work and effort went into the salvation process to make it simple for us. With the iPod, there were designers, computer programmers, engineers, musicians, etc. all working to bring about this product. With God, there was the Law - not simple - and then there was the sacrifice of Jesus - not easy - that went into developing a reconciliation with God. And once we start that relationship, it is often not as easy as kicking back and listening to tunes.

The pastor goes on to say, "When I go to iTunes, I select all that I want. When I go to Jesus Christ, he gives me all that I need. It's that simple." Yes, Jesus gives us all we need, but the implication here is that we can design for ourselves what our life in Christ will look like. Fortunately, we don't get to pick the playlist of our lives. When we sign on to follow Jesus, we are submitting ourselves to his playlist. We might want to hear the song of self-gratification; He plays the song of self-sacrifice. We might want to hear a tune about looking out for #1; He plays the tune of service and selflessness. We try to dial in a song about pleasure; He dials up one about dying for Him. We are not afforded the luxury or deciding what our life will sound like once we follow Jesus - He plays it for us. And it's not always easy to hear.

"When I am sitting here and I am rocking out with my music ... you don't know what I am listening to. That is between me and the iPod," he said. "That's between me and God. That's between you and God. All I can be responsible for is myself." This statement by the pastor is one that is very pervasive in evangelicalism. We talk at length about a "personal relationship with Jesus." While our relationship with Jesus should be a personal thing, it is not just about you and Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus should be seen in the greater context of the Church. When the Bible speaks about the great marriage, He talks about Jesus being the groom, and the Church being the bride. Fitz is not the bride (although I bet I would look good in one of those dresses); the Church is. The relationship with Jesus is not simply about you and Him; it is about you and Him and the Church. It may be personal, but it is not individualistic. When you try to keep it to yourself, you are like an eye trying to function like a whole body all by itself (another of the metaphors used for the Church). It simply won't work that way.

I fully expect to hear back from my good friend Brian, since he is the Apple expert. Any of the rest of you have any thoughts?

My New Toy

The thing I have been saving several months for is finally here: my Apple iBook with a G4 processor and 14" screen. It is quite sweet! I am looking forward to having the DSL hooked up at home so I can surf the web there instead of having to come up to the church every time I want to use the internet. Marcy is a little concerned that she will become a computer widow, but I don't think so. This computer will come in quite handy when Fitz, Jr. comes along and we are taking pictures and videos left and right. We need to edit and send them somehow, and now we have the way to do it. The iLife software package that it comes with is pretty cool! So, be jealous if you must. I know my friend Oral is already...

Lawyers...When Will They Ever Stop? (Sorry Stephan)

Just when you thought frivolous lawsuits couldn't get any more weird, along comes this story about the family of a man who is suing Benihana restaurants for his wrongful death. Apparently, the chef - as they are known to do at Japanese grill restaurants - threw a cooked shrimp at the man, and instead of catching it, he ducked, wrenching his neck. Later, when the pain wouldn't go away, the man went for surgery on his neck, and complications led to his death. Now, I feel very bad for the family. I try to imagine the pain that they are going through, and I simply can't put myself in their shoes. But to sue the restaurant, come on! That's just ridiculous...or is it, Stephan?

Jackson Student Makes National News

How about this? Go Scottish dude!

The Misery of a Cleveland Fan

ESPN.com has come out with their misery index, measuring how much misery a football team has made their fans endure. Not surprisingly, Cleveland finished as being the team with the highest misery index, using the categories of Historic Despair, Recent Despair, Historic Pain, Recent Pain, Intangible Misery, and Misery Outlook. Here is what Jim Caple had to say:

"1. Cleveland Browns

Sure, Cleveland once was an NFL powerhouse, winning three championships in the days before Roman numerals. But that was so long ago that America's heartland actually still manufactured things.

The decades haven't been kind to Cleveland since Jim Brown retired to the set of the "Dirty Dozen" to pursue his "acting career." The Browns have had more losing seasons than winning seasons in the past three decades. They've lost five games that could have sent them to the Super Bowl, losing three of them in a span of four years. They watched John Elway march the Broncos 98 yards for a touchdown in the final minutes of the AFC championship game on Jan. 11, 1987. They watched Ernest Byner fumble at the 3-yard line. But just when it seemed it could get no worse, owner/Satan spawn Art Modell stole the team and took it to Baltimore -- where the Ravens won a Super Bowl. Sure, Cleveland got a replacement team. But it stinks. It was like having someone take your Jim Brown throwback jersey and giving you a Jeff Garcia giveaway T-shirt in return.

Lousy teams, painful losses, a hijacked team. Sheesh. The only thing missing from the Browns' misery is Kathy Bates' crushing their ankles with a sledgehammer."

To see how your team fared, visit ESPN.com...

Football and Kong

It is almost getting to the point that I don't like watching football. Now, before any of you revoke my guy status, let me explain. I watched the Rose Bowl, the college football national championship - the 2nd half, at least - last Wednesday night. I liked watching it almost as much as watching the Buckeyes whoop up on Notre Dame. I watched as Vince Young simply threw his team - Texas - on his back and carried them to the title over USC. He threw for 267 yards, and rushed for another 200 yards. He was a beast! But what impressed me far more than any of the numbers that he posted was how he reacted every time he scored or made a big play. Actually, what impressed me was how he didn't react. Each time he scored, he simply walked to the ref, handed him the ball, and walked off the field. No dancing, no Sharpies or diving into the stands, no imaginary cell phone calls. He just did his job, and let that do his talking for him. In marked contrast, I watched the Steelers vs. Bengals game yesterday. Not only did it pain me to watch Pitts-Puke win, but what I really didn't like was the reaction of the players after virtually every play. Score a touchdown, strike a pose. Make a big tackle, pound your chest. Make a reception, start talking trash to the defender. Make a small tackle after the offensive player has already gotten a first down, still act like you did something big and impressive. It doesn't matter what you do, make sure you show everyone that you are big and important. Vince Young and his humble behavior in the title game was refreshing. I never thought I would say this about someone from Texas, but why can't more people be like him (no offense, Guy)? Whatever happened to humility and gentlemanly behavior? On a side note, I'm just glad that he is going into the draft. It increases the chances of Ohio State winning the national championship next year...there I go jinxing them again...

I went and saw King Kong this past weekend. I do have to say that it was a good movie. I don't know that it blew me away like it did everyone else. But it was fine. One thing I noted was that I am getting quite tired of computer-generated special effects. I'm not talking about movies like Toy Story or the soon-to-be released Hoodwinked (go see this movie - a friend's friend wrote and directed it!). Those movies are good because they don't try to be reality. I'm talking about movies like King Kong, and Chronicles of Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (gasp!), where they are trying to portray something that is real through the use of computers. So much of these kinds of movies revolve around special effects. And for the most part, they are pretty good, but still not as good as the real thing. How long before we do away with actors altogether? The day is coming when you will be able to make a movie with computer graphics and some sort of voice-manufacturing device. I know, these movies are good and have a particular audience. I liked them all, but I just know that I am getting tired of all of the computer stuff. Bring back the real thing...or maybe go back to claymation like in Jason and the Argonauts. Now that is some cool special effects!

Books Read in 2005

My reading list is not quite as prolific as my friend Guy (30 books read this year), but I am pretty proud of the fact that I read an average of 2 books per month this year. That works out to be 24 books for the year, for those of you that are arithmetically-challenged. Here's what I read, with a brief comment about each, links to the books at Amazon.com, and my favorites of the year in bold:

1. The Last Don by Mario Puzo - not as good as The Godfather, but a decent mob piece
2. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey - anything by Yancey is good
3. Lightning on the Sun by Robert Bingham - disturbing and depressing, but I still liked reading it - a gift from my cousin's husband
4. Visioneering by Andy Stanley - good for pastors and non-pastors alike, about developing and following the vision for your life
5. Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt - a week in the life of a postmodern church in Minneapolis
6. A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren - a challenging look at modern Christianity in the postmodern context
7. Thriving Youth Groups by Jeanne Mayo - good tips for making your youth group a friendly place
8. The Seven Cries of Today's Teen by Timothy Smith - good info about what teens want/need that I have used to train our adult youth leaders
9. Good to Great by Jim Collins - business principles that we can use in the church (or anywhere else)
10. Do They Run When They See You Coming? by Jonathan McKee - about not turning off visitors and fringe kids from your youth group - didn't thrill me all that much
11. Hurt: Inside The World of Today's Teenagers by Chap Clark - loved it! It made me sad to read about a lot of the stuff that today's teens are dealing with, but I sure appreciated reading it
12. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - the inspiration for Simon Birch, but very different - excellent!
13. The Relevant Church by various authors; edited by Jennifer Ashley - a look at some how different churches are remaining relevant to their culture - ok
14. The Brethren by John Grisham - I really enjoyed this, especially since it didn't have a Hollywood ending
15. The Testament by John Grisham - I liked the fact that it had a Christian character that was portrayed in a positive light
16. Praise Habit by David Crowder - loved it! David Crowder wrote it. 'Nuff said
17. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell - loved it! Rob Bell wrote it. 'Nuff said
18. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - memoirs of a Christian on hi journey - great conversational style
19. Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians by Lawrence Kushner - helps to understand the Jewish understanding of some of what is in the Bible
20. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell - a study on what makes certain things epidemics, social and otherwise - loved it! - probably my favorite this year
21. The Coffeehouse Gospel by Matthew Paul Turner - a discussion on how to turn everyday encounters and conversation into venues to share your faith - nothing groundbreaking
22. The Runaway Jury by John Grisham - the book that inspired the movie - can you tell that I think Grisham is not so bad
23. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - I had to read this classic before the movie came out - great!
24. Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler - the authour writes about his travels through the region that the patriarchs travelled through - very interesting and insightful about the Biblical stories

I notice that these books average a score of 4.02 stars out of five at Amazon (no rating was available for Do They Run...?), so I guess I have pretty decent taste. I think I am shooting for 27 books this year. Shoot! Now that it's in writing, I have to do it. I have already started with Erwin McManus and a book about being a father. Stay tuned...