Ora Labora

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

If you are 35, you have 500 days to live.

That was the title of a magazine article. According to the author, if you take away the time you will spend sleeping, working, and tending to personal matters such as hygiene, odd chores, eating, and traveling, you’re left with 500 days of leisure between 35 and 70.

In his book, Deepening Your Ministry Through Prayer and Personal Growth, Ben Patterson reflected on how best to spend his remaining 500 days. He wrote, “If this world is all there is, then none of us should waste our time praying. We should literally be grabbing for all the gusto we can get.”

Of course, this world is not all there is, but those of us who lead in ministry can betray a worldly way of thinking when we think we’re too busy to pray. Patterson continues:

A sign of our times, religiously, is the fact that Hans Küng’s otherwise brilliant theological work On Being a Christian did not have a chapter in it on prayer. When asked about its absence, he apologized and admitted it was a serious oversight. But, he explained, at the time of writing he was so harassed by the Vatican and busy trying to meet his publisher’s deadline that he simply forgot. That is my point exactly. Prayer is always the first thing to go when we get caught up in the world’s pace. And only prayer can deliver us from that pace.

Patterson says that his many conversations with colleagues in ministry have led him to conclude that prayer is one of the most neglected features of church life:

Prayer is always getting nudged aside, neglected, or perfunctorily performed as more pressing concerns take center stage. Many of us feel we just have too much to do to make time to pray. That is the problem. At bottom, we don’t believe we are really doing anything when we pray—other than pray, that is.

St. Benedict of Nursia founded his Benedictine order in the sixth-century under the slogan Ora Labora. The Latin word ora means to pray, and labora means to work. He taught his followers that to pray was to work, and to work was to pray. Patterson wrote:

Following that rule, the Benedictine order broke down the artificial dichotomy between work and prayer. From there they also bridged the gap between the manual arts and the liberal arts, the physical and the intellectual, and the empirical and the speculative. A great tradition developed in which learning, science, agriculture, architecture, and art flourished. Much of what is thought of as beautiful nature in Europe today, particularly in France, was created by the Benedictine monks who drained swamps and cleared forests.

It’s interesting that when Paul wrote the Colossians, he said this about their pastor, Epaphras, who was visiting Paul: “Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured … he is working hard for you” (NIV). Notice that Paul described prayer as “working hard.”

It’s not just pastors who need to be “working hard” in prayer. Faithfulness in prayer should characterize all of us who lead others at church. Patterson wrote:

Our prayer is our work! Only when that is true for us will our work be prayer: real worship, praise, adoration, and sacrifice. The classical postures of prayer, arms stretched out and hands open, or head bowed and hands folded, are gestures of openness and submission to God. They express perhaps the greatest paradox of prayer: that only when we give up on our human efforts can God’s work begin and, mysteriously, human effort can come to fulfillment. As Dr. Hallesby puts it in his book Prayer, “Wherever we touch his Almighty arm, some of his omnipotence streams in upon us, into our souls and into our bodies. And not only that, but, through us, it streams out to others.”

Ora labora!

Three Renovations: Our Heart

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 750 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

My wife can’t get enough of remodeling shows: Trading Spaces. Designer’s Challenge. This Old House. Hidden Potential. Surprised by Design. The list could go on.

I can’t exactly say I share her passion for renovation shows, but I have a passion for renovation.

As I mentioned in last week’s Winning Ways, I believe that when God called me here, he gave me a foreman’s hardhat and put me in charge of renovating three areas: our heart, our program, and our look. In other words, I believe God put me here to lead Hillcrest to look afresh at our priorities, our activities, and our facilities.

Now, the order of those three “renovations” is important. If a church makes changes to their activities or facilities without any real attention to their priorities, nothing much happens. Everything starts with the heart.

And this should be the heart of Hillcrest: we are to be a congregation where people can find and follow Jesus together. Some churches are very effective at helping people find Jesus, but they don’t really focus on helping people grow once they’ve come to faith. Other churches are very effective at helping people follow Jesus, but frankly they’re uncomfortable with the issues and questions that seekers raise. Our church needs to be where people can come together to meet Jesus and grow in him.

I recently prepared an eight-day devotional guide that will help you understand what it means to be this kind of church. Pick up the guide at this week’s worship service or download it from our website (click here). If you’re new to Hillcrest, it will help you “catch up” with what I’ve been saying across the four years I’ve been here. If you’ve been at Hillcrest a while, the devotional guide will serve as a refresher.

Now, as important as it is to get everyone committed to the same priorities, it’s not the only area to focus on. To say our hearts are the first thing to renovate does not mean that our hearts are the only thing to renovate. God called me here to lead Hillcrest to examine not only at our heart, but also our program and our space.

In the next two editions of Winning Ways, we’ll look at the renovation of our program and our space.

It’s an exciting time to be part of Hillcrest! Come this Sunday to our “Bold Blend” service or the 10:45am “Smooth Blend” service, or listen online Monday (iTunes; website).

Links to Your World--Tuesday May 29

Top Ten Religious Moments on 'American Idol'

Ride the Harley hearse to hog heaven.

You've heard of real estate, but what about unreal estate? Two Honolulu real estate agents are selling property that's expected to rise above sea level in 10,000 years. Their website here.

A Biblical Theology of the City by Tim Keller.

Rebecca Mead has written on the out-of-control obsession Americans have with the modern wedding ceremony. Albert Mohler interviewed her on his radio show here.

Do you know someone who's read "The Secret Life of Bees"? Learn about why a “goddess” figure has become more attractive to some women than the biblical God (here).

Are you a "helicopter parent"?

Music is a very influential medium. Have you given any thought to how it affects your family dynamics? (here)

Should Christians Surrender the Origins Issue?

Song of the Week: "Your Hand in Mine" from Explosions in the Sky

The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.




The Austin-based Friday Night Lights gets another season according to Austin 360. In hopes of catching the audience they haven't found for it yet, NBC is re-running ten episodes this summer.

I recommend the show, but not without mixed feelings. On the one hand, the "unvarnished" portrayal of teens drinking, hooking up, and sometimes treating each other cruelly isn't easy to watch. (Similar scenes made the film difficult to recommend as well.) In addition, most of us who have actually lived in small Texas towns know all the ways the show doesn't match reality. As one Texas Monthly critic said, the problem with FNL is that it's the way New York sees Texas.

On the other hand, the writing is well-done, and in the midst of all these plot lines of self-destructive choices, you have Coach Eric Taylor and his wife, Tami, as solid, exemplary anchors. Played by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, Eric and Tami Taylor show the kids, and the town, two lives worth following. In fact, it was interesting to watch the character of Tyra Collette change as she had a chance to interact with the coach's family. Initially the school tough girl (played by 23-year-old Adrianne Palicki), her character changed the most through the first season. There was a great moment halfway through the season when circumstances put Tyra at the coach's house, and as she watched Eric and Tami interact with each other, you could see on her face she caught a glimpse of a home life to aspire to.

Many of the stories in FNL simply take an unblinking gaze at lives that could really use a good dose of the Book of Proverbs. But the producers also take an unblinking look at noble choices and sacrifice as well.

This week's Song of the Week is from "Explosions in the Sky," an Austin band whose music serves as the soundtrack both for the film and the television show. The song is called "Your Hand in Mine" from the album, The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (iTunes; Amazon).

(Find out more about the Friday Night Lights “kids” here, and learn what they think about their stay in Austin during the filming.)

What a ‘Thank You’ Note Can Teach Us

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Margaret Miller received a note about our Mother’s Day Out program that’s worth sharing. As you read it, watch for the things that made this mom such a fan of our ministry, because they are the same things that will make your own ministry area successful, too:

Dear Ms. Margaret,

I confess I did not know what to expect when I first enrolled Alice at Hillcrest for Mother’s Day Out. So many of the other programs I had checked out offered bouncy castles every Wednesday or horseback riding or foreign language lessons. Your program was much simpler. Yet, your warmth and kindness were apparent even when I spoke to you on the phone, so I decided Hillcrest might be the best place in spite of the lack of bells and whistles.

I am so glad I made that decision! Barbara and Amy, Alice’s teachers, are dedicated and kind. I spent some time with the class during their “water day” last Thursday, and I did not see a single neglected, bored, or unhappy child. Every single one was engaged. They all felt loved. The kids all seemed to like each other. These are the marks of great teaching and of the love of Christ. Each day, the gentleness with which Barbara and Amy speak to the children, their kind firmness when discipline is needed, and their obvious enjoyment of the kids demonstrate their excellence.

Watching three-year-olds all day is an exhausting experience, and full of mundane tasks. Probably there are many days in which these teachers fall exhausted into chairs and wonder if they have made any difference at all.

They became exhausted so moms could be refreshed. They have shown our children that school is to be anticipated as a place to feel safe, learn and be loved. They have created good attitudes toward learning and friendships. They have given their best to my little girl, and I am so very grateful.

In comparison, the “frills” I had thought so important now seem meaningless. I could not imagine a place I would rather send my daughter. I have such gratitude for you, Mrs. Barbara, and Mrs. Amy for everything you have given us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Did you catch what made this mom such a fan of our Mother’s Day Out program? Love and attention.

It’s a lesson for all of us as leaders, no matter what ministry area we’re responsible for at Hillcrest. There is no substitute for love and attentive care. We will (and we should) continue to look at improvements to our facilities and changes to our programs. But when people come into our improved facilities and participate in our updated programs, believe me, they are looking for more than just improved facilities and updated programs. They are looking for love, belonging, connection . . . family.

You’re doing a great job at Hillcrest offering that. This “thank you” note proves it! As a leader, keep monitoring your ministry area to be sure that we keep the main thing the main thing.

Who knows: You might get a “thank you” note from someone, too!

A Shepherd’s Heart

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 750 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

This past weekend four years ago I started sharing life with you as your pastor. It was a meaningful weekend to reflect on the life we share.

The weekend began at the home of Peggy Wilson. Her husband of 54 years died Saturday morning. I remember many prayers with Peggy and BJ a few years ago when she faced a life-threatening illness. She’s convinced that she was healed for the sole purpose of being there for BJ as he became unable to take care of himself. Significantly, Diane and I drove from the house of our newest widow to the widows/widowers banquet that our deacons host annually.

Further down our church’s age range, Sunday morning we celebrated three baptisms, including a high school student and his mom, and we cheered our church’s 2007 graduates. Then, on the youngest end of our church’s age range, I sat in Gattiland Sunday night for pizza with Awana kids and their parents. I held Ethan McKanna, who’s coming up on his first birthday, and thought about the fact that our nursery is anticipating nine more babies by Christmas.

I count it a joy to shepherd this flock, and that’s not just a sentimental “Hallmark” line. As I’ve told you before, the search committee received over 200 applicants, but you got your most reluctant candidate to come. Leaving my beloved former church was not easy, and our boxed-up household goods left the Cayman Islands long, long before my heart did.

But somewhere along these last four years, that part of the shipment must have arrived, because this weekend I found myself saying, “I’m home.”

We continue the work I launched on my first anniversary with you, when I said God was leading us into three renovations:

Our heart. This is the renovation of how we think. We’re learning how to be a congregation where Austin can find and follow Jesus together. I’ve prepared an eight-day devotional guide that will help you understand this better. Pick it up at church or or download a copy from our website.

Our program. This is the renovation of what we do. Our biggest changes in this renovation phase have been the Hillcrest Institute on Sunday nights and the launch of a second morning service.

Our space. This is the renovation of how we look. A team is developing recommendations for a big campus update, and you should get that report sometime in 2008.

Thank you for sharing life with me! Onward together! Join us at Hillcrest this Memorial Day weekend for our “Bold Blend” service or the 10:45am “Smooth Blend” service for the last sermon in the "Extreme Makeover" series, or listen to online Monday (iTunes; website).

Mike Huckabee Withdraws

Here's an update on the New Baptist Covenant convocation, a meeting I mentioned in an earlier post:

Mike Huckabee, Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Arkansas, has withdrawn from the New Baptist Covenant Celebration planned for next January in Atlanta in protest of former President Jimmy Carter's labeling of the Bush administration's foreign policy as 'the worst in history'. (Baptist Press story)

. . .

Huckabee added that he "tentatively" agreed to participate in the Baptist meeting "with the understanding that it was a celebration of faith and not a political convocation. In light of the program and roster of speakers, as well as the very harsh comments toward our president this weekend, I feel it would be best for me to decline the invitation and to not appear to be giving approval to what could be a political, rather than spiritual agenda."

Does it change your opinion of whether we need SBC representation at the convocation?

Links to Your World--Tuesday May 22

Christopher Hitchens is a militant atheist with a new book out. Recently, Marvin Olasky was invited to debate him in Austin. Olasky is a UT journalism professor, author of the book The Tragedy of American Compassion, and most famous for coining the phrase "compassionate conservatism." He also follows Jesus as the Messiah promised in his Jewish heritage. See some video footage of the Olasky-Hitchens debate in Austin here.

“If the Rev. Jerry Falwell personified the Christian right in the past, then the Rev. Frank S. Page may represent its future,” says the Washington Post, referring to the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention as an example of the "new face" of 21st century evangelicalism. In the same week, the New York Times also covered what they see as a new shift in emphasis among evangelical leaders addressing national and global concerns.

A pastor and blogger addresses "The Myth of Hard-Hearted Southern Baptist Conservatives" here.

“While we Southern Baptists consider Christ to be the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos, we do not consider him fit to serve as a trustee for the Southern Baptist Convention.” A provocative article at The Evangelical Outpost about barring candidates who drink alcohol from serving in SBC positions.

Theology Unplugged. Cool.

Tired of the standard hard hat on job sites? Get your cowboy hard hat here.

The Futurist’s Bookshelf: At the 2007 “annual gathering” of the Association of Professional Futurists, participants were to bring one book that is a “must read” for every futurist. The resulting list was fascinating. I’ve added some of their recommendations to my reading list: Counterculture Through the Ages, The Futurist (a novel), Everyware: the Dawning of the Age of Ubiquitous Computing , Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century, Why? by Charles Tilly, and The Clock of the Long Now. Too many books, not enough time.

In "What Did Jesus Do?" learn the seven priorities that guided Jesus' decisions that can help us in our daily choices.

The article, "Mother-to-Mother Evangelism" can help moms work the INVITE Strategy.

Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("Joy" by Austinite Ruthie Foster), a comment about the "New Baptist Covenant" meeting in Atlanta, six ways to communicate your ideas in a way that will "stick," and an observation about the rising thirst for revenge in our culture. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Song of the Week: Ruthie Foster's "Joy"

The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

A perfect way to spend a Saturday: gathered with thousands of people for a free concert at Auditorium Shores on a cool clear evening with the city skyline in the background. "The Road to Austin" was three hours of tightly-coordinated music--and collaborative efforts--from Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Eric Johnson, Bob Schneider, Malford Milligan, Carolyn Wonderland, Ruthie Foster, Stephen Bruton, and a bunch of others.

Please, oh, please somebody tell me we'll soon be able to have a recording of Carolyn Wonderland singing the Blind Willie Johnson song, "It's Nobody's Fault But Mine" and Malford Milligan singing the Stephen Bruton song, "Bigger Wheel.

Austin's Ruthie Foster did a great job with her hit, "Heal Yourself," and with "Up Above My Head."

For this week's Song of the Week, though, I'm going back to her 2002 release, Runaway Soul (iTunes; Amazon). Here's "Joy"--

There's joy over there
There's joy over there
There's joy over there
There's joy on the other side

There's peace over there
There's peace over there
There's peace over there
There's joy on the other side

I got joy in the evening
Joy at night
Joy in the morning
There's joy on the other side

Gonna say hello to my mother
Say hello to my mother
Say hello to my mother
'Cause there's joy on the other side

No more crying there
No more crying there
No more crying there
Because there's joy on the other side

I got joy in the evening
Joy at night
Joy in the morning
There's joy on the other side

(Interlude)

I got joy in the evening
Joy at night
Joy in the morning
There's joy on the other side

Nothing but joy
Nothing but joy
Nothing but joy
I'm gonna shout
I'm gonna run
I'm gonna fill on up til I'm done
I'm gonna weep
no more
I'm gonna hide
no more

Tell everybody I got good news--
The Son and the Father and the Holy Ghost, too
Jump and shout
Kneel and pray
Soul, get happy, I'm gonna stay all day

I got joy in the evening
Joy at night
Joy in the morning
There's joy on the other side

I'm gonna shout
I'm gonna run
I'm gonna stand up til I'm done
I'm gonna weep
no more
I'm gonna hide
no more

I got joy . . .

(Photo by Steve Hopson)

What SBC Representative Do You Want at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration?

What Southern Baptist representatives would you want to speak at next January’s New Baptist Covenant Celebration? Feedback requested.

The Atlanta Celebration is being billed as the broadest Baptist meeting ever organized in North America. Organizers hope to attract 20,000 people to the gathering. So far, most Baptist organizations in the United States and Canada, about 40, have indicated a willingness to participate in the January celebration.

Notably missing: the Southern Baptist Convention.

The chief organizer of the event, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, says he wants the SBC included in the event and has even asked some notable Baptist bloggers (e.g., Benjamin Cole; Wade Burleson) to help him recruit some Southern Baptist representatives to speak.

Initial reaction to the Atlanta convocation by SBC leaders has been dismissive, but maybe its time to reconsider.

For one, one of the main initial objections has been removed. SBC leaders dismissed the convocation as nothing more than a Democractic party assembly disguised as a Baptist meeting. Deservedly so, since the left-of-center organizers (Bill Underwood, and former Democratic presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton) invited left-of-center speakers such as Bill Moyers, Tony Campolo, and Marian Wright Edelman. Now, however, Republican Senators Lindsay Graham (S.C.) and Charles Grassley (Iowa) and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee are on the line-up.

A second reason why SBC leadership should reconsider: an SBC no-show could be a public relations fumble.

Organizers say they want the convocation to be a chance to improve what they've called a “negative and judgmental" image of Baptists in North America and they hope to unite Baptists into a loose-knit network to address social concerns. When the public spotlight turns on this largest gathering of Baptists in January, shouldn't Southern Baptists be represented or will the SBC end up looking "negative and judgmental?"

Carter has asked for help enlisting some SBC representatives to speak. So, who do you think needs to be there? Frank Page is an obvious choice as our current SBC President. What about Richard Land of our Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC)? Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has proven himself an articulate spokesman on his radio show and as a guest on Larry King Live and as a contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" web feature. Ed Stetzer is better known for addressing the areas of church planting and church health, but he's increasingly popular with younger SBC leaders and would be a good "face" of the SBC in a national meeting such as this. Maybe Vodie Baucum, an African-American conservative who could be a counterweight to some of the left-of-center African-American speakers?

Any ideas? Who would you want representing us? Maybe an equally important question: what spokesperson should not be given a microphone?

Why Do Some Ideas Survive and Others Die?

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

We’ll be a lot more effective as church leaders if we’re “sticky.”

Do you want to rally your ministry team with a vision? Do you want your class to actually remember your lesson after all that work you put into it? Do you want people to act on your recommendations? Then we need to learn how to make the things we say “stick.”

Chip and Dan Heath recently wrote a book entitled, Made to Stick. They identified six principles that they saw over and over again that made ideas survive. It’s a business book, but we can learn something from it as church leaders. Let’s take a quick look at each of the six as the authors summarize them on their website.

PRINCIPLE 1: SIMPLICITY. How do we find the essential core of our ideas? A successful defense lawyer says, “If you argue ten points, even if each is a good point, when they get back to the jury room they won’t remember any.” To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion. We must relentlessly prioritize. Saying something short is not the mission--sound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound. The Golden Rule is the ultimate model of simplicity: a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.

As you lead, how do you communicate your ideas? Are they simple or cumbersome? Someone once told me that the best sermons are those aimed at an 11th grade level of education (I’m trying!). The “vision statement” from the last 8 weeks of LeaderLines is pretty simple: Hillcrest is a community where people can find and follow Jesus together.

PRINCIPLE 2: UNEXPECTEDNESS. How do we get our audience to pay attention to our ideas, and how do we maintain their interest when we need time to get the ideas across? We need to violate people’s expectations. We need to be counterintuitive. We can use surprise--an emotion whose function is to increase alertness and cause focus--to grab people’s attention. But surprise doesn’t last. For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity. How do you keep students engaged during the forty-eighth history class of the year? We can engage people’s curiosity over a long period of time by systematically “opening gaps” in their knowledge--and then filling those gaps.

I think one of the best illustrations of “unexpected” communication is Herb’s “THEM Emphasis.” When he asks us to reach our THEMs, that’s an unexpected use of the English language! Now, I think we need to be careful at this point: as the authors say, doing something “unexpected” isn’t the same thing as just surprising people. And it’s not the same as doing something “cute” or “clever” or “attention-grabbing.” I’m sure we’ve all seen cute, clever, attention-grabbing commercials where we couldn’t remember the product the ad was promoting. Whatever “unexpected” things we do need to serve the purpose of making our words stick.

PRINCIPLE 3: CONCRETENESS. How do we make our ideas clear? We must explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in terms of sensory information. This is where so much business communication goes awry. Mission statements, synergies, strategies, visions--they are often ambiguous to the point of being meaningless. Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images because our brains are wired to remember concrete data. In proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.” Speaking concretely is the only way to ensure that our idea will mean the same thing to everyone in our audience.

“Finding and following Jesus together”--Can we be any more concrete with our vision statement than this? Also, does anyone have any doubt as to what God wants us to do when they hear about our church’s “I.N.V.I.T.E. Strategy?” I mean, even the title of the strategy is concrete: invite! Furthermore, when BJ talks about her ministry’s goal of helping kids climb the HILL, that’s a vivid, concrete picture. How are you doing in your own leadership in making your ideas and teaching concrete?

PRINCIPLE 4: CREDIBILITY. How do we make people believe our ideas? When the former surgeon general C. Everett Koop talks about a public-health issue, most people accept his ideas without skepticism. But in most day-to-day situations we don’t enjoy this authority. Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves — a “try before you buy” philosophy for the world of ideas. When we’re trying to build a case for something, most of us instinctively grasp for hard numbers. But in many cases this is exactly the wrong approach. In the sole U.S. presidential debate in 1980 between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, Reagan could have cited innumerable statistics demonstrating the sluggishness of the economy. Instead, he asked a simple question that allowed voters to test for themselves: “Before you vote, ask yourself if you are better off today than you were four years ago.”

How can we teach and lead in such a way that people see the “sense” of what we’re saying? As the authors say, it’s more than just dumping a bunch of statistics into the conversation. There has to be a way we share a lesson or a vision that causes people to internally and intuitively grasp its worth.

PRINCIPLE 5: EMOTIONS. How do we get people to care about our ideas? We make them feel something. Research shows that people are more likely to make a charitable gift to a single needy individual than to an entire impoverished region. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions. Sometimes the hard part is finding the right emotion to harness.

As leaders, we need to figure out how to reach hearts, not just heads.

PRINCIPLE 6: STORIES. How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell stories. Firefighters naturally swap stories after every fire, and by doing so they multiply their experience; after years of hearing stories, they have a richer, more complete mental catalog of critical situations they might confront during a fire and the appropriate responses to those situations. Research shows that mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation in the physical environment. Similarly, hearing stories acts as a kind of mental flight simulator, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.

I’ve enlisted my wife, Diane, to begin a process of collecting “faith stories” from our congregation--accounts from people you know of how God has been at work in their lives. If you want people to remember your principles or act on your vision, tell stories.

These six principles are useful to your work as a leader. As the authors say, “To summarize, here’s our checklist for creating a successful idea: a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story.”

God bless your work, and may he show you how to be sticky!

Sweet Revenge?

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 750 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Two tugboat captains, pals for years, passed each other every morning in the channel. If all was well, each man would wave, yell ‘Aye!’ and blow his tugboat whistle in a friendly salute.

One day a new crewman saw all of this, and he asked a deck hand, “Hey, why do they do that?”

And the deck hand replied, “What? You mean you’ve never heard of an aye for an aye and a toot for a toot?”

Okay, I had to get that out of my system. You see, I’m preparing for this week’s message in our “Extreme Makeover” series, and this week we’re looking at Christ’s call to reject retaliation (Matthew 5:38-42). “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” cannot be the guiding proverb of a believer’s life.

It’s not easy to put this into practice in a world that keeps people like Lesa Patrock and Alan Abel in business. The Wall Street Journal reported on these two “revenge specialists” a few years ago. Using insights from her college degree in psychology and sociology, Patrock will deliver a specially tailored ‘revenge package’ to the offending party. Cost: $35 fee plus reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred while carrying out the act of revenge.

Then there’s Alan Abel, who has dubbed himself the “Master of Retaliation.” For $25, you can sign up for his two-and-a-half hour session called “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.” The seminar includes a manual of 100 of his proven revenge techniques, such as leaving a loudly-ticking alarm clock in a gift-wrapped box on the desk of the boss who gives you a hard time. He says he’s instructed about 1200 students in the art of retaliation--mostly jilted lovers and offended employees.

Now, if you’re tempted to ask me for the address of either one of these revenge specialists, you might want to come to this week’s Bible study first! Our “Bold Blend” service meets at 9:30am and our “Smooth Blend” service meets at 10:45am. You can also listen online Monday (iTunes; website).

By the way, we’ve scheduled a recognition of graduating seniors for the Bold service. We’ll also celebrate three baptisms. If you want to follow Christ in baptism, contact me immediately!

Links to Your World, Tuesday May 15

The wedding photo montage is now online! See it at our church website here. We’ve slowed down the transitions so you can get a good look at all those photos (about 150!). Thanks to our webmaster, Paul Waldo, as well as Steve Williams and Karen Raulie for a tremendous amount of work on this!

Oh, this online debate through May is going to be good! Find the first of a new series of exchanges between Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson here. Find the second installment here and the third here.

"It feels really strange to have a truck run over your head."

Five steps to becoming a millionaire or at least to becoming financially secure (here).

It's convenient for a policitian to say, regarding abortion, "I'm personally opposed to abortion, but . . . ." It's convenient, but its a fallacy.

Yes, we need to "engage the culture," as the hottest speakers tell church leaders. But James Emery White, reflecting on the recent “Q” Conference, reminds us: “The most critical cultural engagement of all remains personal evangelism.”

A Dutchman builds a working replica of Noah's Ark. I'll be sure to let you know if he starts collecting animals two by two.

In "Jesus in the Jailhouse," learn about a faith-based rehabilitation program in Texas prisons.

Why form the good habits of daily prayer and weekly worship attendance? Gordon MacDonald compares it to his drive down a foggy but familiar road here. Good stuff.

Warning: conversion from an atheist liberal to a devout Christian conservative may be harmful to your academic career.

Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("Longer" by Dan Fogelberg), a lapse of integrity in the MIT registrar's office, Herb Ingram in the KVET jingle contest, as well as continuing coverage of our church's vision. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Song of the Week: Dan Fogelberg's "Longer"

The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

It'll be 27 married years for Diane and me this Thursday. This was our wedding song. Here's Dan Fogelberg's "Longer," from his 1979 album, Phoenix (iTunes; Amazon):

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you

Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you

I'll bring fires in the winters
You'll send showers in the springs
We'll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Burning lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding cracks
And the pages start to yellow
I'll be in love with you
I'll be in love with you

[Instrumental Interlude]

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you
I am in love with you

"Whom Are You Helping Up the H.I.L.L.?”

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

Diane and I had been dating a year by the time we were high school seniors. That was the year a young and newly-married couple became our Sunday School teachers. They taught us a lot about ministering together.

Kirby Hill was a friend I met in college, studying in the same ministry program. He was so far beyond me when it came to theological reflection. His questions, comments, objections and insights were as much a part of my academic training as were my professors’ assignments.

Cecil Taylor was the first pastor I got to see “up close and personal.” I was a Baylor student in an internship, and he was my supervisor. I learned so much in our brief time together, and we still keep in touch (he leads the religion program at the University of Mobile).

This is a small sampling of people who have helped me up the H.I.L.L.

Who’s helped you up the H.I.L.L.? God made us to honor him, invite others to him, love each other, and live his Word--at our church we call that our “H.I.L.L.” to climb. These four actions are the “life purposes” we must fulfill as human beings.

Across the last several weeks in LeaderLines, I’ve pointed out that people are at one of four stages when it comes to these life purposes. If you’re a Hillcrest leader, you should be able to name some people you’re influencing at each stage.

Do you have someone at Stage One? Someone at Stage One is being exposed to the H.I.L.L. we’re meant to climb: She catches a vision of the way life could be as she spends time with believers--in structured Hillcrest activities as well as informal social occasions.

Do you have someone at Stage Two? Someone at Stage Two agrees with the life purposes: She accepts Christ’s offer of forgiveness, commits to the path he wants her to walk, and she formally connects with the Hillcrest community through membership.

Do you have someone at Stage Three? At Stage Three, she grows in her ability to honor God, invite her world to the new life she’s found, love others, and live the Word. She’s climbing the H.I.L.L.

Do you have someone at Stage Four? At Stage Four we move her into a position of influence or leadership where she can advance the life purposes in others.

You and I have benefited from the friendship and direction of others, and we need to offer that friendship and direction to others.

As a Hillcrest leader, can you name people you’re influencing?

This edition of LeaderLines is part of a series:

Week One; Finding and Following Jesus Together
Week Two: Can People Find and Follow Jesus Together?
Week Three: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.
Week Four: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage One
Week Five: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Two
Week Six: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Three
Week Seven: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Four

Atheism's Flaw

“We need the direction of the standard [of the Law] because we are confused sinners. We need the forgiveness [of the cross] because we are guilty sinners. Atheism not only keeps the guilt, but it also keeps the confusion.”

--Douglas Wilson (here).

The Wedding Photos Montage is Here!

The wedding photo montage is now online! See it at our church website here. We’ve slowed down the transitions so you can get a good look at all those photos (about 150!). Thanks to our webmaster, Paul Waldo, as well as Steve Williams and Karen Raulie for a tremendous amount of work on this!

Herb in the KVET Jingle Contest!

So, Hillcrest's own Minister of Education, Herb Ingram, is currently leading the pack in the KVET Jingle Contest for the Sam and Bob Morning Show:

Herb's Jingle

Honest to God!

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 750 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Marilee Jones was the gatekeeper for students seeking a degree from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She resigned last week when it was revealed that she did not have any of the degrees reported on her resume.

For 28 years in the admissions office, Jones was responsible to ensure that only the most qualified students were granted entry into MIT. But on her own resume, she listed degrees from three schools in upstate New York that she did not earn. In fact, she had not even attended two of the schools.

In a book she co-wrote last year providing advice for high school students applying to college, Jones warned against “making up information to present yourself as something you are not.” She wrote, “You must always be completely honest about who you are.”

Good advice. Too bad the author didn’t follow it herself. In a prepared statement, Jones said she had “misled the Institute about my academic credentials” in applying for her first job at the school in 1979, and “did not have the courage to correct my resume when I applied for my current job or at any time since.”

Can people count on your word? Jesus spoke of the integrity he required of his followers. He said we should be so trustworthy that no one would feel it necessary to make us back up our word with any oath or vow.

In this Sunday’s study, we’ll look at what Jesus says about this issue in Matthew 5:33-37. Its part of our ongoing series called “Extreme Makeover.” On the TV show by the same name, a carpenter named Ty Pennington and his crew rebuild a home for a deserving family. In our study series, we’re seeing how a carpenter named Jesus wants to rebuild our lives. Join us this Sunday at Hillcrest (9:30am or 10:45am) if you're in the Austin area, or listen online Monday (iTunes; website).

By the way, since this Sunday is Mother’s Day, bring your mom! And moms of adult sons and daughters: tell them that the best Mother’s Day present you could get from them is to have them sitting with you in the worship service! Months ago, I pledged to pray for the adult children of our members. I’m lifting up your “kids” in prayer even as I send out this article!

One more thing. My thanks to Karen Raulie for the video presentation of all those wedding photos this past Sunday! What a touching way to open the sermon!

Links to Your World--Tuesday May 8

For your Mother’s Day, here’s poet laureate Billy Collins’ piece, “The Lanyard.” From "Writers on Writing," here’s Billy Collins reading it:

The Lanyard

By the way, find animations of Billy Collins poetry here.

Fifty-three percent of a sample of 1,200 college and university faculty members said they have “unfavorable” feelings toward evangelical Christians. Professors expressed positive feelings toward Jews, Buddhists, Roman Catholics and most other religious groups, but not evangelicals. Is there disdain for evangelicals in the classroom? Washington Post explores the answer here.

You may have heard of sleeping like a log, but how about sleeping like a pin cushion?

Hugh Ross talks about facing up to Big Bang challenges

A little perspective on the presidents' job-approval ratings.

University of Minnesota researchers find ceiling height can affect how a person thinks, feels and acts. (HT: Evangelical Outpost)

In “An Upside-Down World,” Christopher Wright tells us distinguishing between home and mission field no longer makes sense.

Ways to Grandparent Older Grandchildren

"Today, one of the most powerful religions in the Western World is environmentalism.” (Michael Crichton, “Environmentalism as Religion”)

“Here are five principles for growing in discernment that have implications for our daily lives: imitate God, distrust your heart, think biblically, involve others, and decide to worship.”

Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("The Wedding Photo Song" by Jim Cole/Clint Black), Hillcrest at Cannes, coverage of the Biola arts conference, why sonograms would reduce abortions, as well as continuing coverage of our church's vision. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.

Song of the Week: The Wedding Photos Song

The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

Update: You can see the wedding photos slideshow here.

We've slowed the transition speed so you can

get a good look at all those photos!

Since this Sunday's sermon was on the permanence of the marriage vows (iTunes; website), I featured a montage of wedding photos from our congregation. Our office manager stitched them together from the most recently married to the couple married the longest--a couple in their 90s who just celebrated 71 years! I wanted her to set the photos to Clint Black's song, "When I Said 'I Do'," but we needed a little more than the 4-1/2 minutes of that song to get through the 150 photos that our congregation turned in. So, we added Jim Cole's instrumental "Effie" to Clint Black's song, creating "The Wedding Photos Song." Here are Black's lyrics:

These times are troubled and these times are good
And they're always gonna be, they rise and they fall
We take 'em all the way that we should
Together you and me forsaking them all
Deep in the night and by the light of day
It always looks the same, true love always does
And here by your side, or a million miles away
Nothin's ever gonna change the way that I feel,
The way it is, is the way that it was

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Well this old world keeps changin', and the world stays the same
For all who came before, and it goes hand and hand
Only you and I can undo all that we became
That makes us so much more, than a woman and a man
And after everything that comes and goes around
Has only passed us by, here alone in our dreams
I know there's a lonely heart in every lost and found
But forever you and I will be the ones
Who found out what forever means

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Truer than true, you know that I'll always be there for you
That's what I had in mind,
That's what I had in mind
When I said I do

Hillcrest and the Cannes Film Festival!

Some Hillcrest members will be on the screen at the Cannes Film Festival this year!

That's the exciting news from Daniel and Tiffany Kilcoyne, serving with the International Mission Board in France! While Daniel and Tiffany were members at our church, we worked with them on a film that Tiffany wrote and directed. Here's an excerpt from a recent note to Hillcrest:

Thank you for all the hard work you put in to help us produce the short film The Pelican Box. Some of you may remember that a little over a year ago, on a Saturday afternoon, Hillcrest Baptist Church became a film set, and many of you became cast and/or crew.

I am pleased to tell you that we still have contact with many [of the actors and crew] because of your efforts to play as extras in the scenes, to make food (lots of food!), and to sit down and talk with the people on the set. Thank you.

We have some more great news about the film. The Pelican Box will be a part of The Short Film Corner portion of the Cannes Film Festival in France. People from all over the world come to this festival, and our film will be there!

AND, because we registered a film, our team leader (Mentanna Campbell) and Tiffany will actually get to go to Cannes for the festival. We will be there!! It appears that film will be an important strategy for our ministry in Marseille; Mentanna and Tiffany will be able to make contacts with members of the industry from all over France and all over the world.

Please pray for this awesome opportunity. We will be actually at the festival from May 16 to May 19. The Short Film Corner will last until May 26.

Thank you for being such a big part of this project.

Here is our prayer:

Please pray that we "may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" and that HE will "do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

Amen!

In Art, Show Them The Wound as Well as The Grace

What do Christians entering the arts need to learn? Lisa Swain, Interim Chair of Biola's Mass Communication Department reflected on some of her students' shortcomings at faith-fueled art:

We get so caught up in wanting people to see Christ, we forget that they also have to see us. And by seeing our struggles, then they will see Christ. You don't show Christ by showing them grace first. You have to show them the wound first.

Wow, a great comment in Jeffrey Overstreet's coverage of the recent conference at Biola University regarding the new Hollywood interest in the “Christian market” for films. Christians in the film industry acknowledge a struggle between typical prime-time stereotypes of Christians (and especially Christian leaders) as "child molesters and lunatics" on the one hand, and explicitly Christian media as “mediocre, sentimental propaganda” on the other hand. But, as Mark Joseph said:

I think Christians have this basement full of amazing stories. But because we were raised in a generation that was told that [filmmaking] is not an acceptable way to tell stories, we're just backlogged with amazing stories to tell.

Intriguing commentary at the intersection of faith and culture.

"The Fetus is Squirming, and So Are We"

William Saletan has an article at Slate (here) about how the ultrasound is changing the abortion debate. Some state legislatures are dealing with bills that require an ultrasound before a woman proceeds with an abortion. He writes:

Pro-lifers are often caricatured as stupid creationists who just want to put women back in their place. Science and free inquiry are supposed to help them get over their "love affair with the fetus." But science hasn't cooperated. Ultrasound has exposed the life in the womb to those of us who didn't want to see what abortion kills. The fetus is squirming, and so are we.

. . .

Critics complain that these bills seek to "bias," "coerce," and "guilt-trip" women. Come on. Women aren't too weak to face the truth. If you don't want to look at the video, you don't have to. But you should look at it, and so should the guy who got you pregnant, because the decision you're about to make is as grave as it gets.

Now, Saletan is no prolifer himself. He writes: "The clash between ultrasound and the partial-birth ban is ultimately a choice between information and prohibition. To trust the ultrasound, you have to trust the woman.” In other words, he's all all for requiring an ultrasound before a woman can go through with an abortion because it assists with the ‘informed’ side of ‘informed consent,’ but she should be permitted to consent to the killing.

By the way, did anyone think one of his closing lines odd? He suggested some tongue-in-cheek amendments to the bill, including, “the woman should also be offered a six-hour videotape of a screaming 1-year-old.” An attempt at humor? Probably. But a comparison that makes the skin crawl. Apparently, he was saying, "Yes, show the mother the ultrasound and let her see that it is a human life she's thinking about aborting, but also show her how mind-numbing the next few years of her life will be if she decides to have this kid. Then she'll have all the facts she needs to make this decision." (Shudder)

HT: Albert Mohler, who also pointed out that this Slate article appeared again in the Washington Post, but with a significant change: the designation “pro-lifers” was changed to “abortion opponents.” It's an annoyance that most media outlets allow abortion advocates their prefered designation--"prochoice." But abortion opponents are denied their prefered title: "prolife."

Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Four

Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter designed for church leaders. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.

I see Hillcrest becoming a church where northwest Austin can find a follow Jesus together. Across the last six editions of LeaderLines, we’ve been looking at this vision--and your part in fulfilling it as a leader. You can find links to the previous articles at the bottom of this LeaderLines.

Today we’ll look at how to lead people into “stage four” in finding and following Jesus together. Hillcrest leaders must recognize that people are at one of four stages when it comes to the “life purposes” all humans must fulfill. God made us to honor him, invite others to him, love each other, and live his Word--at our church we call that our “H.I.L.L.” to climb. When we fulfill those purposes, we are fulfilled as human beings. At Hillcrest, we should expect to have people at four stages when it comes to these life purposes:

Stage One: “I am exposed to the life purposes.”
Stage Two: “I agree with the life purposes.”
Stage Three: “I practice the life purposes.”
Stage Four: “I advance the life purposes in others.”

Someone at Stage One is being exposed to the H.I.L.L. we’re meant to climb: She catches a vision of the way life could be as she spends time with believers--in structured Hillcrest activities as well as informal social occasions. By the grace of God, she reaches Stage Two where she agrees with the life purposes: She accepts Christ’s offer of forgiveness, commits to the path he wants her to walk, and she formally connects with the Hillcrest community through membership. Then, at Stage Three, she grows in her ability to honor God, invite her world to the new life she’s found, love others, and live the Word. She’s climbing the H.I.L.L.

What’s next for her? As Hillcrest leaders, we need to notice that she’s climbing the H.I.L.L. and move her into a position of influence or leadership where she can advance the life purposes in others. That’s our work with people at Stage Four.

Notice a few things about that last paragraph:

First: I’ve described people at Stage Four as those in positions of “influence or leadership.” Positions of leadership involve official roles such as teacher or committee chairman or deacon, and so on. However, there are more positions of influence than there are positions of leadership. Positions of influence include such informal tasks as giving a testimony in a service, being the “go to” person for advice, or being the “E.F. Hutton” for a particular circle of relationships (you remember the old commercial: “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen). Every leader is an influencer, but you don’t have to be a leader to be an influencer.

Second: I believe the only people who should lead and influence a congregation are “Stage Four” people. These are people who agree with the life purposes (Stage Two), are actually practicing the purposes (Stage Three), and are therefore leading others to accept and practice the purposes (Stage Four). Sadly, this is not the case for every church. Too many of us have served in too many church settings where the leaders and influencers were not passionate Christ-followers and did not have a priority to make others passionate Christ-followers. For example, I’ve served with decision-making teams before (deacon boards and church councils) where I was the only one who was practicing the “I” of the H.I.L.L.

Bill Hull said something about this in one of his books:

In many cases leaders who do not walk with God tell pastors how to spend their time and do their job. Such laymen don't pray, meditate on, study, or memorize Scripture. Many have never introduced a single person to Christ. How anyone could lead an organization that purposes to save the world and never lead one person to Christ is the enigma of the church. This kind of duplicity cannot exist even in the business community.*

Amen and amen. If a church is supposed to be a body of people who are learning how to put the life-purposes into practice, there’s simply no reason for anyone who is not personally practicing the life-purposes to lead that kind of organization! Thankfully, at Hillcrest most of those in influence and leadership are climbing the H.I.L.L. But if we find a leader or influencer who has no personal interest in practicing the life-purposes, we either have to inspire them to that calling or replace them with someone else.

Third: It’s the job of leadership to build leadership. The Apostle Paul said something about this: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). Now, he was speaking specifically about the role of pastors, but the principle applies to other leadership positions: multiply yourself! Enlist and equip others! If you’re a leader, part of your job is to watch for those who “get it” and put them into positions where they can lead and influence others. The other side of that coin is relevant, too: make sure you guard the positions of influence and leadership in our church. Don’t occupy those positions with people who aren’t climbing the H.I.L.L. and who don’t have a drive to help others up the H.I.L.L.

Now, there’s one more thing to discuss in this LeaderLines series. As a leader, you need to be able to actually name the people you’re influencing at each stage. We’ll wrap up this LeaderLines series next week with that topic.
_______________________________

*Quote from Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Pastor, page 32.

This edition of LeaderLines is part of a series:

Week One; Finding and Following Jesus Together
Week Two: Can People Find and Follow Jesus Together?
Week Three: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.
Week Four: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage One
Week Five: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Two
Week Six: Stages Up the H.I.L.L.--Stage Three

What "I Do" Really Means

Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 750 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.

Glynn Wolfe was married 29 times. According to Jesus, that’s 28 times too many.

Wolfe held the title as the Most Married Man in the Guinness Book of World Records. Wolfe’s shortest marriage lasted only thirty-eight days, while his longest marriage lasted five years. He kept two wedding dresses, in different sizes, in his closet at all times. He has been married on Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and Washington’s Birthday.

Twenty-nine times he was asked, “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife . . . . Forsaking all others do you pledge yourself only to her, so long as you both shall live?” And 29 times “Scotty” Wolfe said, “I do.”

He was once asked why he bothered to get married when he could just live with a woman. Wolfe replied, “I don’t like to live in sin.” He went on to say, “Some people play marbles for fun, but I play for keeps.”

A few years ago, I read that Glynn Wolfe died alone in Los Angeles at the age of 88. He left behind children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, a number of living ex-wives, and innumerable ex-in-laws. Still, he died alone. No one came to claim his body; the city paid to have him buried in an unmarked grave.

In all his hopping around, Wolfe never found what he was looking for. Maybe that’s because what he was looking for can never be found by hopping around. Jesus said of marriage, “Let no one split apart what God has joined together” (Matthew 19:6, NLT).

In our Sunday morning study series, “Extreme Makeover,” we’re looking at some of Christ’s toughest words, found in Matthew 5. In the TV show by the same name, a carpenter named Ty Pennington leads his crew to remodel a house for a deserving family. In our series, we’re asking a carpenter named Jesus to remake our lives.

This Sunday, we’ll show a musical montage of wedding photos from our congregation, and we’ll look at what Jesus said about marriage. Wow! You really came through on those wedding photos! We will celebrate with about 150 couples during this montage! I believe singles will be inspired to wait for the right partner, married couples will recommit to their vows, and divorcees will find the redemptive power of Christ’s forgiveness. Join us this Sunday at Hillcrest (9:30am or 10:45am) if you're in the Austin area, or listen online Monday (iTunes; website).

Links to Your World--Tuesday May 1

What do teenagers fear most? It's not global warming. A newly-released survey from New America Media suggests that American teenagers see the breakdown of the family as the most severe threat to their generation.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” (Alvin Toffler, quoted at JollyBlogger).

New Exercise Regimen: Pontius Pilates.

In “No Accounting for Chaste,” Dawn Eden responds to news reports on a study showing that abstinence-only sex education apparently hasn’t changed teen sexual behavior.

“Its unique sound, dense and almost eerily spiritual, contains unusually melodic harmonies, and can be described as Gregorian chant meets bluegrass.” That’s what the New York Times had to say about Sacred Harp music (also called “shaped notes” singing).

Find a top-ten list of books about the Holy Trinity here.

Bruce Ware gave three lectures at the Resurgence Conference: Session 1 was entitled, “Uncertain Hands of God and Men: Providence in Process Thought and Open Theism.” Session Two was called “Independent Hands of God and Men: Providence in Classic Arminianism.” And Session Three was called, “Coordinated Hands of God and Men: Providence in the Reformed Tradition.”

“Prediction #2: The American . . . will live fifty years instead of thirty-five as at present.” Predictions of the Year 2000 from The Ladies Home Journal of December 1900 (HT: Evangelical Outpost).

The universe has a designer, speakers say.

Jeffrey Overstreet covers the recent conference at Biola University regarding the new Hollywood interest in the “Christian market” for films.

Have you read the previous posts this week? They include the "Song of the Week" ("Meant to Live" by Switchfoot) and continuing coverage of our church's vision. To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.