611 The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Today is a day in our country when we honor, not just the man known as Martin Luther King Jr., but the cause that he and so many other great men and women carried the banner for, and hopefully this is a banner that the community also carries. Within the historic speech linked above, Dr. King preached about the ideal that we are all God's children, that oppression of any kind cannot be tolerated, and those of us who have a voice need to use it stand against those oppressions.

The assumption of the masses when MLK day is spoken of is that it is a day about the equality of race. I believe the spirit of what we celebrate on this day goes much deeper. I believe the Human Rights movement tapped into a primal element that God created within all of us. He created us for relationship with one another, and anything that fractures or splinters any of our relationships is causing us to live counter to how He's wired us to live. We are stewards of the relationships in our lives, and every person we build a bond with is a divine gift.

An interesting challenge for this week might be to find a relationship in your own life that might be broken, and by using the the love that God has given us, make contact with that person to attempt to reconcile. This may be exactly what Dr. King had in mind when he dreamed that one day the sons and daughters of former slaves and the sons and daughters of former slave owners would someday sit down at the table of brotherhood.

Have an awesome day.

The Week Link

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:58:00 +0000

With the devastating effects from this week's earthquake near Port au Prince in Haiti, today's link is myriad of organizations who need help in the relief of this disaster that is effecting over 3 million people. At the least, support the efforts of these organizations with your prayers over the next few months.

Haiti relief organizations

Friday's Finds are in tomorrow.

Super Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:15:00 +0000

I wanted to apologize for the late posting of today's Super Tuesday, but I wanted to wait and see how things played out before posting the candidates for today's vote.

As a TV network, it is one thing to have programming on your airwaves. It's a whole other thing to mess up the good programming that is already on your airwaves. If you've been away from the television for a year or two, you may not have known about the NBC late night situation involving Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien that can best described as gross incompetence. Essentially, Conan was the heir apparent to Leno for "The Tonight Show", and because of that growing feeling, NBC promised Conan that he would take over the show back in 2004 to keep him from bolting to another network. But as the date approached for Conan to take over (last June), something weird happened: Jay Leno's ratings refused to drop. It was assumed that Leno would fade into the sunset and give way to O'Brien, and when he didn't fade, NBC panicked and looked for a way to keep Leno on their airwaves.

Without going into detail on the rest of the story, it's sufficient to say that NBC set "The Tonight Show" up for failure by keeping "the old guy" around, and everyone knows in a professional setting that the new guy can't fully reach his/her potential if the old guy is lingering around to look over his/her shoulder. Conan is loved by millions, and is a brand name in and of himself. Yet NBC took this talented comic and mistreated him to the point that it's hard to think that anyone with any entertainment success would ever want to do business with the network in the future.

All of this as context, today's Super Tuesday vote is simple: which late night comic do you prefer?

Jay Leno: This large chinned car freak has been a mainstay for close to two decades on the late night scene, and his comedy is very much reliant on structure; a "set 'em up and knock 'em down" type of comic.

Conan O'Brien: This crazy haired, freakishly tall comic started off as a writer before hitting the night time airwaves around fifteen years ago. His comedy is more reliant on his ability to make fun of himself and roll with the punches.

So who do you love? Cast your vote with a comment or on the 611 facebook page...and do yourself a favor and watch Letterman while this whole this thing sorts itself out.

The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0000

Before we begin the post mortem today, I think it's important to identify the five people who personified what 611 is all about last night, taking the fishes and loaves they have and using them to be a part of God's plan. Bryce Thompson was our lead singer for music last night, along with his wife Jenna, TJ Thompson shredding on the guitar, Ryan Ikeler banging on drums like Animal from the Muppet Babies, and Brian Banks adding the sweet effects.

We also need to send a shout out to everyone who helped us as we made 2040 sandwiches for Cass Community Social Services, sandwiches that will both be given away to the hungry and sold to other organizations to raise money for some the other amazing programs that Cass performs daily.

As for the Post Mortem, the theme for today is that context matters. If we ever run across people who are homeless, the obvious question is "Why?". What get's someone to the place where they are unable to find shelter for himself/herself? If homelessness is a symptom, then what is the illness that we need to treat in the world around us? And if a person is homeless on the account of bad decisions that they've made, are we the kind of people to go ahead and say, "...they got what they deserved."?

No one ever wants to read a list of the mistakes they've made, nor do they want to see the instant replay. We all have made choices of which we're not proud. I believe that our community stands for the idea that no screw up is too big for God's forgiveness, and if that is true, then maybe no screw up should be too big for our forgiveness. If someone is homeless because of their own poor choices, I believe God demands that we come along side of that person, show them love and forgiveness, and walk with them as they learn how to not repeat the same mistakes.

Let's close the post mortem this way: We stand for these ideas because we believe that God has created us and shown us the best possible way to live, devoted to the God's reclamation work; forgiveness, service, and love.

Friday's Finds

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:45:00 +0000

So with the new year off and running, this weekend has lots of hidden little treats for you to experience if you're looking for some fun.

Dwight Slade in concert, Ridley's Comedy Castle, Royal Oak,both Friday and Saturday night: If you like to laugh (I don't), then Dwight will hit the spot for you. He was the winner of this year's Boston Comedy Festival, and has performed on Leno and in Vegas, and has been performing live since the age of 14.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles, NFL wildcard playoff game, Saturday night, 8PM: These are the kind of games everyone loves to watch, when one team's strength goes head-to-head with another's. Philly's big play potential vs. Dallas's stout defense should make for great theatre in the best 1st round matchup of the NFL playoffs.

Our Sunday morning service: I know a lot of us attend the Sunday night 611 service, but you should know that Rick will teaching through a book known as "The Prodigal God" for four weeks, and his first teaching is this Sunday morning. I've read the book and I can tell you that the best stuff is in the first chapter, so if you're gonna catch any of it, this is the Sunday to catch.

Stay safe on the roads this weekend.

The Week Link

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:08:00 +0000

First, apologies for not putting out a H.I. life post yesterday, life happened. I will make this up to you in two ways. First, I'll make next week's H.I. life post a double shot (you'll see what that means next Wednesday). Second, for the Week Link today, I'll give you interview that may/may not blow your mind about television/internet/video mass media, and why the church cares gives a hoot. Enjoy.

Shane Hipps interview

Tune in tomorrow for Friday's Finds.

Super Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:12:00 +0000

Today's vote is on a subject that has garnered a lot of informal chatter over the last couple weeks, mostly by me. But with the decade coming to the close, there are some things have gone undefined. Today's Super Tuesday vote will help put one of these arguments to rest.

The question that has been floated is this: Who was the most iconic figure of the decade? And for the purpose of this exercise, "most iconic" means, in 20-30 years, when you look back on the previous decade, who will be the first person that you associate with the decade. Examples of past possibilities are JFK with the '60's, Michael Jackson with the '80's, or even Hitler with the '40's. So for the zeroes, here are the consensus five nominees for most iconic of the decade.

George W. Bush: Was president during the majority of the decade, and many of his decisions strongly impacted not only western civilization, but global civilization.

Tiger Woods: Not only was his dominance of one sport unprecedented, it led to him named AP athlete of the decade. And his fall from grace was as public of an episode as any other celebrity's fall from grace.

Al Gore: I've been shouted down for this suggestion, but his contribution to internet development (which transformed life in the decade), the fight against global warming and coinciding Nobel Prize, and his involvement in the weirdest election since Dewey/Truman have to make him a contender at the least.

Osama Bin Ladin: Every decade had it's "villain", and he was easily the most public villain of the last ten years.

Brittney Spears: One of the most talked about, googled, and successful child-to-adult celebrities we've ever seen. An extra couple points have to go to her for the historic breakdown in the fall of 2007, when many paparazzi members made enough money to pay for their kid's college by just following her around to see what she'd do next.

So the nominees are in. Cast your vote for the most iconic figure of the past decade.

The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:50:00 +0000

If you missed last night, then you missed some more Old Testament survey, as we looked at the book of 1 Samuel as a narrative piece. I'll repeat myself from last night and say that book is a great literary work, nevermind that it's also historically accurate. It's got tragedy, irony, a hero, a villain, etc., all ingredients used by great writers like Homer and Shakespeare.

The point that we ended up landing on, especially in the small group setting, was that every relationship we have in our life is a gift from God, and every time a relationship is broken or fractured in some fashion, we are wasting a gift God has specifically given to us. And there can, and has with some people, come a point where you break so many relationships that you run out of places to turn for love, support, or comfort.

I hope that you get a chance to join us this Saturday, as we'll go down as a community to make 1500 meals through Cass Community Social Services. In doing so, there's a good chance that you'll run into people going through the program there, and you'll find out that they're there because, along the line, they've had relationships that have been shattered and splintered. So if you're into New Year's resolutions, here's one for you to consider: hold the relationships that God has given you with the highest regard. Let nothing beneath the call God has put on your life destroy the relationships God has given you.

Predictions of the Decade, pt. 3

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:48:00 +0000

We've been having some fun the last couple days playing Nostradamus, predicting significant events for the next decade as we come to a close of the current one. And though I've been using the phrase "for entertainment purposes only" for most of these predictions, this first prediction is the one that directly involves you, and is not just for entertainment.

611 will become a worship community that sets a trend of how faith communities are formed, a trend that many churches will mimic in the next decade. This is not a flippant stab in the dark, and it is not an ego trip. The majority of people who have been to our worship community have loved the format, with some even making statements like, "...after worshipping like this, why would I ever go back?"

The two things that have defined 611 worship so far are short services with accompanying small groups and all community, hands on service projects. Both of these staples will catch on because they both hit at the heart of what we ideally want when they worship: to connect with God, to get to know other people, and to do something meaningful.

2 more fun ones...

There will be a dramatic increase in teen insomnia over the next decade. Two reasons: increased pressure thrown on adolescents at an age when they aren't able to handle it, and an exploding trend of nighttime texting among teens age 14-18.

Television programming will move to a complete "on demand" system, relegating all network and cable channels as archaic. This is a direction that we're already heading, but with ad revenues dramatically dropping for networks, I believe we'll have a completely on demand entertainment world by 2019.

Have an awesome new year...

Predictions of the Decade, pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:03:00 +0000

Yesterday was the beginning of three days of predictions for the next decade on this space. I need to remind you that these predictions are for entertainment purposes only, and I will disavow ever making these when they turn out to be completely off base.

A Republican president will be sworn in on January 20, 2017. This prediction has nothing to do with any allegiance or spite. This prediction is based on America's recent history. Since 1945, our country has alternated 8 year runs in the White House between the two parties, save for two exceptions:

after 8 years of a republican president, President Jimmy Carter, a democrat, only held the office for 4 years before being replaced by President Reagan in 1981
President Bush Sr. continued the republican run in the White House for an extra four years from '89 to '93, before the democrats had their 8 year run with President Clinton

That's a pretty astounding pattern for a 65 year span, and I believe the pattern has two strong explanations. First of all, we are a country of centrists, an even split of people who stand on both sides of every issue. This means that if the governing of the nation swings far to one side or the other, the populace will make the adjustment the next time that they have a voice on a Super Tuesday. Secondly, it's difficult, when one party is in the White House, to find a candidate that isn't either overshadowed by the successes or tied to the failures of his/her predecessor.

Tiger Woods will NOT overtake Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships. There is something astounding about a prodigy setting his/her sights on the highest possible goal in his/her field, and then approaching that goal with confidence, as if he/she KNOWS that it will be reached. This has been the path of Tiger Woods for the past twelve year. Early in his twenties, everyone around golf knew that he was going to be good. But Tiger wasn't ok with just being good. He made it known early on, just a decade ago, that he should be measured by whether or not he breaks the major championships record of 18 held by his childhood idol, Jack Nicklaus.

As this past decade started, Tiger made his charge toward the record, winning four consecutive major tournaments in a stretch from 2000-2001, a run that many in the media referred to as the "Tiger-slam". The major championships started to mount up as the years went on, even as Tiger made adjustments in his swing, his coach, and his caddy. By the time we hit the middle of this decade, the question pundits were asking shifted from "WILL Tiger get the record?" to "WHEN will Tiger get the record?" Tiger's latest masterpiece, his 14th championship, was a playoff win at the 2008 U.S. Open, a win he later admitted he accomplished with a broken tibia and a torn ACL in his left leg.

But a few things changed for Tiger on November 26, 2009. If you haven't heard the story, a quick google search will get you caught up. But going into the next decade, with 5 more major championships needed to break the record that Tiger has eyed since he turned pro, there are some daunting mountains he will need to climb. He's now 34 (his birthday is actually today). 34 isn't old, but it isn't 24. There is a new generation of golfers that is just as hungry and talented as Tiger was when he came out of Stanford in the late 90's. He's also now playing on a reconstructed knee, a knee that may or may not be at full strength 15 months after reconstruction. He's also shown this year, contrary to popular belief, that he's beatable down the stretch at a major. Y.E. Yang's performance at this year's PGA championship was a first, not because he played fantastic, but because he didn't melt under the pressure of playing next to the crowned king of professional golf.

The consensus "second best golfer in the world" this past decade was Phil Mickelson, and he's only won 3 major championships. Under normal circumstances, a major championship is nearly impossible to win, forget having a bum knee and personal life in turmoil. It has been admirable the way Tiger reached for the stars as he became a professional. It was impressive that he took aim at his idol. It was gutsy that he picked the tallest hurdle to attempt to clear. But at the end of the next decade, Nicklaus's major championship record will still be safe.

Part 3 to come tomorrow...

Predictions of the Decade, pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:53:00 +0000

We'll go back to our regular formatting next week, but this week is a three part piece on predictions for the next decade. Read, argue, and enjoy:

There is something about transitioning between decades that makes us nostalgic about what we just experienced. This nostalgia makes us ask questions about the decade. Who was the most iconic figure of the decade? What was the most underrated event of the decade? How much longer will this Angelina/Brad/Jen story have legs?

There are plenty of fun arguments to have with friends about the decade, like artist/album that had the most influence or where the church as a whole had its biggest impact, because of each of us experienced the decade in our own way. If we all are honest, I’m sure that we’d say we are each a far different person in a number of ways than we were ten years ago.

This place of contemplation has sent me in a different direction. I’m curious what kind of person I will be in ten years, and I’m just as curious about what kind of world I will be living in when it’s New Year’s Eve, 2019. But I do believe that there are some trends/patterns that anyone could look at that would lead us to some conclusions about “the Teens”. For entertainment purposes, here are six predictions for the next decade, all of which I will pretend I never made when they turn out to be way off base.

Within the next ten years, each of the three major professional sports (MLB, NFL, NBA) will have a work stoppage. Each of the three sport’s business structures has their unique issues. Major League Baseball has an uneven salary structure, with no salary cap, leading to teams in big markets being able to out-spend teams from small market areas. This is leading to more and more of an obvious advantage for large market teams, and will inevitably lead to small market teams not being able to garner community support for their franchises. For example, the New York Yankees were able to spend a total of $435 million on three players last offseason, and all three were major contributors to this season’s World Series championship team. There are only a handful of teams (Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Angels) that are able to spend on that level. If this league is going to be viable for another century, this structure will need to change, and that will only happen with a lockout/strike.

The National Football League is a victim of its own success. There has been a rise in Fantasy Football Leagues, to the point that millions of people play fantasy football every year now, as opposed to hundreds less than 15 years ago. Because of this, the majority of the franchise's fans are tied more to players than they are to teams, which makes them much more apt to spend a Sunday afternoon at home watching games as opposed to spend ridiculous amounts of money on the stadium experience. They want to see how Calvin Johnson does more than they want to see how the Lions do. And in a large percentage NFL cities, the gate is suffering, which is money that owners count on heavily to make the business structure work.

The National Basketball Association’s issue is much simpler than the other two leagues. The league is paying its players far more than it can afford to pay them. They are making adjustments, like lowering the salary cap of each team by $5 million next year, but this is a band-aid solution. More than half of the NBA teams last year lost money, and that trend will continue at the going rate. The league needs major structural changes to succeed past the next decade.

There will be a dramatic rise in co-housing/eco-village/commune living situations over the next ten years. “Dramatic rise” doesn’t mean a few percentage points either. We will see the number of people in these types of living situations increase by 500% to 1000% over the next ten years. Multiple factors will contribute to this boom in what I like to call the c/e/c livers. First, there has been a noticeable rise in age of first time brides and grooms. The gap between “leaving the house” and “starting a family” is widening, and most people in that age bracket are reluctant to live alone, especially those who had the traditional college dorm experience.

Secondly, the people who will occupy that age bracket in the next decade are people who, for better or worse, are “taking their time” with their post high school education. Because the rate of unemployment is currently at a very high level, students are not anxious to leave college, and many of them are sticking around for a Master’s degree or a second Bachelor’s degree. This means that this generation of students will have more debt from paying for their education than past generations, and will be more likely to look for more economical/efficient ways to live as they start to repay the debt. Splitting a $1500 rent five ways will be a much more appealing way to live for the next generation, on top of the environmental positives and the built-in community that will exist within such an arrangement.

Part 2 coming tomorrow...

The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:34:00 +0000

If you missed last evening's 611, then you're not alone. We had a record breaking 26 in attendance last night. If 611 were a football team, our game would've been blacked out. But we know that many of you were just waiting to catch the post mortem today, since you're still enjoying your Christmas break somewhere else while a few of us are still here in the snow (grrr!)

We started a four week focus on homelessness, not just as a social problem that we can tackle, but as a symptom of a bigger problem that infects more people than just those who have no mailing address. To do this, we began to look at the people in the Bible who, at some point in their life, were homeless, and why that was happening.

Later on this week on this blog I'll be posting my "Predictions for the next decade" essay that will surely be 100% wrong. I bring this up because one of the predictions that I've been marinading on has to do with how people will find personal direction. Last night we discussed how a lack of direction is one of the issues that can lead to to the symptom of homelessness. It's a scary place when you've come to the end of your rope and you have no idea what the next step is to take. I will say this much: When I get to that place, I hope I've got people in my life who will surround me as I step into the unknown. I hope that I've got a clear understanding/trust of the God who promises to have plans for me. And if you're in that place, I pray that you get that God isn't absent from your life. He's never left you, and He never will.

The Week Link

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:28:00 +0000

First, thanks to everyone who gave kind words about the Christmas essay from yesterday.

Second, on Christmas Eve, in the spirit of what 611 is trying to be, here's an uber-interesting look at some organizations doing good work that you may have never heard of before.

Life changers

Have a great Christmas Eve, and after opening the presents, you can check out Friday's Finds tomorrow.

Living the H.I. Life (humpday inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Last week I wrote an original Christmas essay telling the Christmas story, only this essay came with a twist. Because I was doing this for family, there are 40 candy bar or gum brand names within the story, and each person in our family received one of the brands named. I'm posting the story here, and I hope you enjoy it.

The Candy Christmas

It was a cold, snowy Christmas Eve night, four degrees below zero, as the Hersheys drove home from the local department store. Hank Hershey and his dad, Clark, had just been on a miniature shopping spree, as it was payday at Clark’s work, and they had finished picking up all the watchamacallits and thingamajigs for the family Christmas gathering the next day. Hank knew it would only take five more minutes to get home, and he was not looking forward to the annual tradition that would come once they settled in for the night.

“Dad, do we have to go through the Christmas story again?” asked Hank, hoping he could escape the inevitable.

Clark snapped back, “You know this is what our family does. We’ve been doing this on Christmas Eve since before your mother passed away.” It had been just Clark and Hank in the house ever since Evelyn, Clark’s high school sweetheart, had died four years earlier. “Besides, it’s good to remember why we celebrate Christmas before we celebrate it.” Clark launched into a short rant about priorities, but in doing so he missed the turn into their neighborhood, and had to drive an extra mile to circle back to their home.

Hank chuckled, “Maybe our new Christmas Eve tradition can be to orbit our own home.” Clark was a good father, and was very patient with his ten year old son’s newfound sarcasm. He pulled into the garage, and he and Hank carried in the heavy bags of treasures they had just purchased, managing not to crunch any of the next day’s gifts.

As Hank started for the living room, Clark quipped, “Hang up your coat (York oat), and then we’ll meet in your bedroom to go through the story together.”

Hank predictably began his protest. “Dad, Andy’s parents don’t make him do the story anymore, and Reece’s family stopped reading the story together three years ago.”

“Well, son, Hershey isn’t Andy’s or Reece’s last name, but it is yours, and the Hershey’s go through the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. So I’ll meet you in your room in a minute, and we’ll start the story together.”

Clark watched his son stride down the hall to his bedroom, and then started down the hall after him as Hank dove under the covers of his bed. “Rollover,” Clark demanded as he walked through the doorway, “you’re hogging the whole mattress.” As he plopped down on Hank’s bed, he opened his leather-bound NIV bible to the same page that Evelyn opened it to for the first time only nine years earlier.

Hank made one last attempt to avoid the story. “Dad, shouldn’t we wrap the presents we just got before tomorrow?” But Clark clearly rebuffed his young son once again, “No, we’ll go through the story now, and later we can just put everything bought in old gift bags.”

As was the tradition, Clark let Hank decide which part of the story they would read. “Alright, son, what’s it gonna be this year; a section from Matthew, or a section from Luke?” Every year Hank had the option of focusing on a specific section of the story, but he always found that whatever he picked, Clark was always able to bring the story around to make the baby Jesus the centerpiece.

“How about this year we talk about the part with the three musketeers?” Hank said with a less than discreet snicker.

“You mean the three wise men?” Clark corrected.

Hank’s giggle was now more than obvious. “Yeah,” he answered. “The sugar daddies who brought Jesus all the gold, fur, and Franken-something. What was with them? When aunt Lisa had her baby Ruth, all we gave her was a hat and mittens”

Clark was un-phased by his son’s squirrely-ness on this particular Christmas Eve. “Hank, we did the wise men part of the story last year, so why don’t we try a different part of the story this time. Why don’t we take a look at the shepherds this year?” Hank finally caught the hint that his dad was serious, and so he sheepishly nodded as his dad started in on the story.

“A star burst from the sky just over Bethlehem, and an angel appeared to the shepherds watching their sheep, proclaiming that unto them a child is born in Bethlehem…and the shepherds traveled over mounds and through valleys to see this child whom the angel spoke of…” Clark’s voice got louder and louder while he read the story to his son as if it was the first time that Hank had heard it.

When Clark finished reading, Hank was ready with questions. “Dad, how did the shepherds know that what they were following was a star? How did they know it wasn’t an eclipse, or maybe something else weird happening in the Milky Way?” Hank always was one to pose questions.

“Oh, Henry,” sighed Clark, as he smiled and shook his head, “the point of the story isn’t the star. The point of the story is God sent his son to live on earth.”

“But I don’t really get why God would do that. Why couldn’t God and his son stay together? Why do parents and kids get split up sometimes?” Hank quickly realized the tears in his own eyes from missing his mother, and buried his face into his dad’s chest.

Clark kissed the top of Hank’s head, and comforted his son. He waited for Hank to finish his crying, and when Hank began to wipe his face with his sleeve, Clark started saying something that Hank would never forget. “Buddy, I love you so much. And your mom loved you just as much as I do. But as much as your mom and I love you, God loves you even more. That’s why He sent His son, because we wouldn’t have known how much He loves us unless he sent Jesus. That’s why we read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. If we didn’t read the story, Christmas would still be good, and plenty of gifts would get unwrapped. But we read the story together because Christmas is about how much God loves us, and how he showed his love to us.”

Hank jumped in with one more question. “So God sent his son just for me?”

Clark seized the opportunity, and answered with a smile, “God sent his son for you, but He didn’t send his son just for you. He sent His son for the smart people and the airheads. He sent His son for the cool people and the nerds. He sent His son to be a life saver for everyone, because He loves everyone. That’s why our favorite Christmas song is Joy to the World, because God’s love should bring joy to everyone.”

That Christmas Eve was the last time that anyone tried to get out of the Christmas story in the Hershey home. As the years went on, Hank would look forward to reading his mom’s old leather bound NIV with his dad, and after a while, Clark would let Hank read the story to him. And every time they read, they were reminded of a snowy Christmas Eve, when the real meaning of Christmas changed Hank’s life forever.

The End

Super Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:28:00 +0000

There was an article today in the Detroit News that outlined the budget struggles of Michigan's public school system. (You can check it out here) The reality of our school systems, both in and out of this state, is that they are now starting to feel the impact of our country's economic woes. The result is a crunching of budgets and the further exploration of how to maximize the resources to which our schools already have access. All of this brings us to our Super Tuesday Poll of the Week.

Two sets of curriculum that are being used in school systems around us are the Advanced Placement Program and the International Baccalaureate Program. Each curriculum is designed to prepare our students for their post high school education track. But if you are limited to one curriculum to chose for the school in your area, which curriculum has your allegiance? Let's take a closer look:

Advanced Placement Program - Of the two sets of curriculum, this track has been around longer. Their website (linked here) can give you the general idea of what the AP program is, and The NY Times did a fantastic piece on the pros and cons of this program yesterday. For the sake of comparison, let's label the AP program as focused more on the extent of your knowledge base.

International Baccalaureate Program - Of the two sets of curriculum, this track is the newer track. In fact, there are only 17 high schools in Michigan that currently offer the IB program, with 4 of them (Fenton, Clarkston, Notre Dame Prep, and Detroit Country Day) in our immediate area. For the sake of comparison, only 13 schools in Illinois offer IB. You can read on the IB program here, and this is one example of it's implementation in a Florida high school. The IB has a CAS (Creative, Active, Service work) aspect to the curriculum that gives it a slightly different focus. For the sake of comparison, let's label the IB program as focused more on the application of your knowledge base.

So, read up, form an opinion, and cast your vote for the curriculum you believe our schools should be using, as the next generation's priorities will be shaped by the kind of decisions that we make today.

Semi-thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:57:00 +0000

This post isn't in place of any other posts that will happen this week, but it just so happened that I've been overwhelmed with semi-thoughts for the last couple days, and none of them fit into the other weekly formats of this particular space. These semi-thoughts have many applications, but I'll let you come up with those, and if you're so moved, you can write them under this post. So consider this post a "bonus" post: a gift to you on this Christmas week:

Each of us has a personal experience through which we understand God and the world, with each experience having its own unique twists, creating a point of view that is not shared by anyone else. This is why it is a moral covenant of humanity to share our stories with one another. If no else knows the context through which you see the world, then you are robbing from everyone, taking from them a piece of the puzzle God has given us to help us better understand His creation.
Why is it that when I put down a thought with a dot next to it, it's called a "bullet point"? The dot doesn't look like a bullet at all, and the thought I'm writing isn't shot out of any kind of weapon. I'm now very interested in the word processing linguistics reasoning as to how the "bullet point" got its name.
At 611, we are doing a 4 week focus on ministry to children/orphans, and the final Sunday of that focus is Valentine's Day. So we found out today that we have an agreement with Whaley Children's home in Flint, Mi that we're allowed to throw a big Valentine's party on that day for all of the children that are in their program at that night's 611, for the purpose of letting them know that they are loved. This may be one of the top 3 coolest things I'll have gotten to do up to that point in my life. Let us know if you want to help us make it happen.
It struck me recently that the part of us that leads to our greatest successes is many times the part of us that leads to our greatest failures. The totality of our lives can be measured by how we are aware, connect with, and then put to use the greatest gifts that God has created within us. You may be savvy, meticulous, creative, thoughtful, confident, well read, unique, or a jack-of-all-trades. Not one of these traits, in and of itself, is good or bad. But each trait is both loaded with potential yet filled with blind spots. If we can harness in ourselves that which has the potential to be great, together, all of us can have immeasurable impact on our world.

The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:06:00 +0000

A couple quick observations from 611 last night:

1. Talking to a large group of people is difficult enough, and it gets more difficult when you're trying to build a manger at the same time.

2. It's good to have your dad in the area to bail you out if you can't figure something out.

3. I now know what a toggle switch is.

Regardless, the point of 611 last night was that even though God is relentlessly pursuing us because He loves us, we still have to make room for him: in our calendar, in our checkbook, in our priorities, in our life.

I do want to also say, with one 611 left in the year, that I am uber-thankful for each one of you that have been part of this new faith community, whether through the worship services, the service projects, or online. We are barely 4 months old, and I believe God is using each one of you to make a huge difference in our community. I pray you continue to find ways in the new year to be a part of God's work already being done around you.

Finally...Check the blog out Wednesday (H.I. Life), as I've written an interesting Christmas essay that you may enjoy that will be posted for this week's humpday inspiration.

Friday's Finds

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Of course this is the final weekend of Christmas shopping for people who have put it off until the last minute, so I'll advise you to steer clear of any major shopping centers or malls if you wish to keep your sanity. On that note, I have it on good authority that today is also the last day that you can shop online and still get your purchases delivered before December 25.

Reports also have us getting the first snow that sticks this weekend, which means an abundance of potential sledding or skiing options. But if none of these things fill your weekend, here are some other Friday Finds:

The Verve Pipe in concert,Friday, Dec. 18, 7PM, Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI - If you're not familiar with this group, you'll recognize a handful of their songs, including the song "Freshmen", which hit it big in the mid-90's. They're music is a no-frills style of rock that can be appreciated by all kinds of audiences.

Christmas Lights Show, Saturday, Dec. 19, 6:30PM, downtown Rochester, MI - I believe it is Christmas law that one time everyone has to go out to see some sort of Christmas lights exhibit. And if you're going to see one such event this month, then check out this awesome night in Rochester.

611 Christmas Party, Sunday, Dec. 20, 6:11PM, Clarkston UMC - Awful Christmas sweaters are encouraged, bring food if you want, and we'll attempt to have the most cliche'd Christmas party possible this Sunday, and everyone is invited!

The Week Link

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Today is the day that we let you're inner nerdrock make a connection with your inner Christmas spirit. Enjoy:

Weezer sings the carols

Check back tomorrow for the Friday's Finds.

Living the H.I. Life (humpday inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:28:00 +0000

Hebrews 12:2

"Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

I love to write, but at the same time, I hate to write. I love the creative process, I love taking a point and developing it, and I love when what I write inspires, provokes, or even entertains the people who read it. But I can say that I hate staring at a blank screen, I hate when the first eleven drafts of what I write feel like hack material, and I hate scrapping an idea that just isn't hitting the mark.

I wonder if Jesus, "the author", feels this way. I wonder if he's constantly tinkering with our story, because of the curveballs that we throw his way. I wonder if he gets excited when he sees how my story intersects with your story. I wonder if he is the kind of author who lays out a blueprint of the story he writes, or if he is the kind of author who lets the story develop as the characters develop.

This is what I do know: he is the author of it all. The writer who is authoring my story was the writer who authored the Christmas story. In fact, it's the same story, it's our story. So in the next 9 days, don't take in Christmas as "another reality', or "something else". We are living the Christmas story right now. God has not given up on His creation, and he continues to love us when we don't deserve it, just as He did in Bethlehem.

Super Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Today's Super Tuesday vote is a difficult one and one that must be pondered carefully: To host or not to host.

I'm sure all of us have been on both sides of the argument around Christmas time. We've all done the drive to grandma's house with a car full of gifts and food. And we've all done the "get the house ready, everyone's gonna be here in an hour" jig. Let's lay out the arguments.

To host family Christmas: There is a lot that goes into being the Christmas host. First of all, your home needs to be decorated especially Christmas-y, so the host has to step up their game with great lights, a bigger nativity scene, and a tree that doesn't look like it's dying. Second, the host is usually responsible for preparing the lion's share of the meal. That means there will be crockpots and dirty kitchens that need to somehow get immediately cleaned up before the first guest walks in the door. Finally, hosting means doing a thorough job at hiding the things that you really don't want people in your family to get into. Usually kid cousins have a stealth ability to find the one or two things in your house that you really don't want them to play with. However, the good part about hosting is that you don't have to use someone else's bathroom, and you can slip into your pj's as soon as the last guest leaves.

Not to host family Christmas: There is more than you think that goes into not being the host of family Christmas. First, you have to load up your vehicle with everything you're taking, and there's always the danger of forgetting to bring something you need, especially if you have a spouse and kids to think about. Second, depending on how far away your family Christmas is meeting, you have the inevitable car ride with amped up kids knowing that they're about to get an overload of toys and sugar in the next couple hours, which makes them borderline unbearable in the car. Finally, if loading the vehicle on the way there is difficult, then corralling everything and everyone before you leave is twice the headache. Gifts are everywhere, as they had to be played with/tried on immediately, and you're never quite sure of everything that has to get loaded back up into your vehicle before your leave. To top it all off, any kids you may have brought don't wanna go and require more energy from you than you normally have left.
On the bright side, you avoid doing the cleaning that comes from hosting.

So the vote is yours. Post a comment to the blog or to our 611 facebook page to cast your vote.

And despite the potential headaches, I hope that you have blast at your family Christmas this year.

The Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:56:00 +0000

The morning after last night's 611, I'm still marinading on the example of Joseph. Here's a guy who, by the law of public opinion, had every right to jump ship on Mary after she got knocked up. Instead, he has this God encounter, where he's told to stick it out, because something bigger is at work.

Now, everyone I know has about a half dozen Christmas parties that they have to go to this month. Many of those are with either family, friends or work colleagues. The rest are parties you'll crash because you heard they had a nice spread. Regardless, I imagine that in any of those parties there will be a couple characters that get under your skin. You might have a couple family members who you make you cringe when you think about having to have a conversation with them (If you don't, then you ARE that family member, just FYI). There may be people you work with whom you have no desire to spend one minute more than forty hours.

So Joseph is told to do what we all know we should do but don't want to do. He's told to give full love and respect, when he was contemplating jumping ship, to someone that needs it.

The truth is we're all weird, we're all quirky, we all get under someone else's skin. It's part of our lovely humanity. Maybe this Christmas we catch that Jesus came, not just to save humanity from the walls we put between us and God, but to also save us from the walls we put between each other. So when you're drinking eggnog, and your crazy uncle starts yapping about the thing makes you cringe, get over it. One day you're going to be "crazy uncle" to plenty of other people, if you haven't been already.

Friday's Finds

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:34:00 +0000

This week has been a busy one. It is a weird phenomenon that people are so sensitive about Christmas being a "busy time" that they schedule everything a couple weeks before Christmas so that it's out of the way, only when everyone does that, the second week of December becomes the craziest week of the year.

Case in point: Using our church as an example, this week our church has held five "Christmas events" even though Christmas is 2 weeks away: Blue Christmas, Advent night, Staff Christmas Party, Christmas Lights Parade, and the Christmas Cantata. I don't know how we did it, but we've successfully managed to move Christmas up into mid-December.

That being said, here's your Friday's Finds for this Christmas weekend:

The Heisman Trophy Ceremony, Saturday night, 8PM, ESPN. This award is always debatable, and this year is even more interesting, since there really isn't a clear cut favorite to win the award. Who do I think should win it? Toby Gerhart. Who do I think will win it? Colt McCoy.

Christmas Lights Parade, Downtown Clarkston, Saturday, 6PM. This 5 block parade will include all kinds of uniquely decorated floats (and children), and is expected to move at a quicker pace with the wind chill for tomorrow night forecasted to be around -88 degrees.

"It's a Wonderful Life", Saturday night, 8PM, NBC. I've already made mention of this classic in the Super Tuesday blog, but if you're gonna watch a movie this weekend, watch this one. After all, it is Christmas.

Editors note: The 611 service project at Grace is meeting at our church at 9:30AM to carpool. We'll see you there.

The Week Link

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Here's the Week Link, a short video teaching about Atheism that will blow your mind.

Set Apart - Peter Rollins

Check in tomorrow for Friday's Finds

Living the H.I. Life (humpday inspiration)

noreply@blogger.com (611) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:35:00 +0000

John 5:17

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

There is a line in the T.S. Eliot poem, "The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock" that says:

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker...

There are moments of greatness that all of us have. We all have peaks of our life that define us, but those peaks fade. But God is not prone to peaks and valleys. God does not have good days and bad days, and he does not rest on his laurels. He's tirelessly working in us and in the world around us.

The thought crossed my mind this morning that if God wanted to take a vacation, to just get away from his creation for a little while so he didn't have to put up with our constant whining, disobedience, and indifference, He would be completely entitled. But that's not His nature. He relentlessly pursues us, constantly guides us, and perpetually loves us more than we can comprehend.

Bottom line: We have moments of greatness, but God has an eternity of greatness, and He's not even close to done with you.