I do not like hurricanes! I was born in Pensacola, FL, and lived there until leaving to attend seminary. I returned to the Pensacola area a few years ago and now live in Pace, FL, a small community just outside of Pensacola. I remember many names like Camille, Andrew, Frederick, Opel, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, and now Ike.
Though Ike is hundreds of miles away, the waves at Pensacola Beach are 15'-20'. Gas prices are even higher. Today, residents across the state feared supplies will be disrupted and prices will rise. Lines formed at stations, and prices rose to dramatic levels.
Sifting through the news on my favorite news sites, the stories are about hurricanes, gas prices, declining mega churches, and and presidential candidates. While the talking head shows on TV tried to keep their focus on the vice presidential candidates (actually they are only talking about one of them), they cannot keep from showing video of reporters standing in the rain and wind . . . telling us they are standing in the rain and wind.
Many of these news stories are less about the real story and more about the "created" story. For example, gas supplies in Florida are NOT in short supply except that people are hording gas and creating a temporary, unnecessary shortage.
These current events and the associated news creations are similar to much of the chatter experienced in Christian circles. Within the mix of real events and real news is an astounding level of created noise. For example, emails, blogs, conferences, and the research study of the week are increasingly the stories. We publicize what we are going to say, and then we publicize what we said. I suppose I contribute to the situation as I read many emails, blogs, and attend some of the conferences.
Before I sound as if I am opposed to conferences, blogs, etc, let me state clearly that I am not. Much can be learned and many connections can be made at conferences. I have a love/hate relationship with email, and I must admit that it often helps us as a means of communication. Research studies can also be useful resources for ministry. But when posting to our blogs, twittering on our phones, reading and sending email, attending or speaking at the next conference, and discussing the latest research study receives much of our attention and energy, it is little different from a reporter standing in the rain telling us he is standing in the rain.
One of my favorite church starters is Roger Kim. He is in the midst of his third church start in Baltimore city, and he already has church start 4 and 5 on his mind. He rarely attends conferences, though he is known to buy the CDs or DVDs once they are discounted. He is anything but a conference junkie, yet he is a life-long learner. Roger spends most of his time making disciples and starting churches. Click HERE to see the link to his most recent church start.
Saturday will come and reporters standing in the rain and wind will not be the story. Many people will have lost their homes. Based on early reports, several people will have lost their lives. Jobs will be lost and businesses will close. Roofers, contractors, insurance agents, and construction suppliers will have an increase in business for a season. The stories, the real stories will be about people living through these circumstances and about the thousands of people that will travel to Texas and Louisiana to help them.
It will be a good day when most of our blogs and tweets have less to say about what we think when we watch reporters in the rain and more to say about new disciples, marriages that were restored, hopeless people that found hope, orphans that have homes, Christians that loved and served their neighbors even without a church program or emphasis, and men and women that leave everything to make disciples at the ends of the earth. Maybe then USA Today will be able to report that our mega churches and our smaller churches are growing.
Troy Bush
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Hurricanes, Gas Prices, Mega Churches, and Elections
I do not like hurricanes! I was born in Pensacola, FL, and lived there until leaving to attend seminary. I returned to the Pensacola area a few years ago and now live in Pace, FL, a small community just outside of Pensacola. I remember many names like Camille, Andrew, Frederick, Opel, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, and now Ike.
Though Ike is hundreds of miles away, the waves at Pensacola Beach are 15'-20'. Gas prices are even higher. Today, residents across the state feared supplies will be disrupted and prices will rise. Lines formed at stations, and prices rose to dramatic levels.
Sifting through the news on my favorite news sites, the stories are about hurricanes, gas prices, declining mega churches, and and presidential candidates. While the talking head shows on TV tried to keep their focus on the vice presidential candidates (actually they are only talking about one of them), they cannot keep from showing video of reporters standing in the rain and wind . . . telling us they are standing in the rain and wind.
Many of these news stories are less about the real story and more about the "created" story. For example, gas supplies in Florida are NOT in short supply except that people are hording gas and creating a temporary, unnecessary shortage.
These current events and the associated news creations are similar to much of the chatter experienced in Christian circles. Within the mix of real events and real news is an astounding level of created noise. For example, emails, blogs, conferences, and the research study of the week are increasingly the stories. We publicize what we are going to say, and then we publicize what we said. I suppose I contribute to the situation as I read many emails, blogs, and attend some of the conferences.
Before I sound as if I am opposed to conferences, blogs, etc, let me state clearly that I am not. Much can be learned and many connections can be made at conferences. I have a love/hate relationship with email, and I must admit that it often helps us as a means of communication. Research studies can also be useful resources for ministry. But when posting to our blogs, twittering on our phones, reading and sending email, attending or speaking at the next conference, and discussing the latest research study receives much of our attention and energy, it is little different from a reporter standing in the rain telling us he is standing in the rain.
One of my favorite church starters is Roger Kim. He is in the midst of his third church start in Baltimore city, and he already has church start 4 and 5 on his mind. He rarely attends conferences, though he is known to buy the CDs or DVDs once they are discounted. He is anything but a conference junkie, yet he is a life-long learner. Roger spends most of his time making disciples and starting churches. Click HERE to see the link to his most recent church start.
Saturday will come and reporters standing in the rain and wind will not be the story. Many people will have lost their homes. Based on early reports, several people will have lost their lives. Jobs will be lost and businesses will close. Roofers, contractors, insurance agents, and construction suppliers will have an increase in business for a season. The stories, the real stories will be about people living through these circumstances and about the thousands of people that will travel to Texas and Louisiana to help them.
It will be a good day when most of our blogs and tweets have less to say about what we think when we watch reporters in the rain and more to say about new disciples, marriages that were restored, hopeless people that found hope, orphans that have homes, Christians that loved and served their neighbors even without a church program or emphasis, and men and women that leave everything to make disciples at the ends of the earth. Maybe then USA Today will be able to report that our mega churches and our smaller churches are growing.
Troy Bush
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