Spark2Flame

I know you can feel it. It's time for another Friday burning question! Let's share a laugh as we explore,

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. -1 Corinthians 15:58

Why is this so hard to remember? Why do we work enthusiastically (as Paul says) for a little while and then get so discouraged?

I think the main problem is that we rely too much on what we see, feel, and think. Paul wasn’t reminding the Corinthian church for no reason. I’m sure they struggled with this like we all do.

It’s hard sometimes to commit our work, days, and lives to Him because secretly (or not so secretly) we want the credit and recognition. We want the world to take notice or at least the city or neighborhood. Would one little parade kill anyone?!

To be strong and immovable, we have to understand why we work and who it’s for. I may think I’m doing God all kinds of favors while never scratching the surface of a true life of obedience and it causes some shaky feelings and shaky situations.

When everything is committed to Him, I can be enthusiastic and optimistic. Then I realize that nothing I do for Him is ever useless. It carries eternal significance whether I can see it or not.

Seeds get planted, plants get watered, harvest gets reaped—what you do for Him is never useless and I wanted to encourage you and me today. Continuity and consistency is available—in Him.

You’re not just spinning your tires. You’re not falling behind. You’re not wasting your life, talents, gifts, resources, or anything else as you obey Him. God has great things in store for you and me and it is never useless.

As you may or may not know, part of what I’m hoping to do with this blog is cover both faith and the Church as well as the technology used in spreading the message and how we do that. Today's post is another in the technical aspect.

Last week, I switched internet browsers. I’ve never used anything besides Internet Explorer since I started online way back with dial up and a “100 free hours with AOL” CD. To be honest, I had never thought much about it, but it’s all changed now.

Initially I downloaded Google Chrome to check out my sites on this browser (since I do that on firefox already). I was interested to see what it was like, and lo and behold, I like it—a lot.

Here’s a basic rundown of advantages for me,

• It was reported to be faster and it really does seem to be true. The pages load more quickly from what I can tell, which would of course, make surfing that much quicker.
• I’m enjoying the bookmark bar. It’s like favorites, but you can keep your most-used links right in front of you which is incredibly helpful.
• Along with this feature, the ease of use is tremendous. To add a bookmark, click the star. When a link would normally open in a new window, Chrome opens it in a new tab.
• Everything just seems very well thought out. I’ve heard some had problems when it first came out, but it seems everything is running smoothly now.
• One last thing, the top bar is more condensed so there’s more room for the page. Since the navigation is laid out well, it presents things nicely (if that makes sense).

I’m not trying to convince anyone really. I had just never thought about switching and found that I really liked this option. Like I said, I’ve never really used firefox but know people who have so I’m not comparing the two (or three). I’m not here to prove Chrome is the best. I am enjoying using it so far (and when I downloaded it, I had no intention of making it my default).


If you do want an argument on which one is better, you can check out the Snagsta Blog for their take.

What do you think? Have you tried Chrome or use it already? What’s your favorite browser or do you fall in the “I-could-care-less-and-never-thought-about-it” category?

I'd love to hear from you as this is obviously a very important conversation.

I know you’ve been waiting all week for this so here’s Friday’s burning question:

What’s the best fortune cookie wisdom you ever got or heard? What fortune would you like to see in your cookie?

Also you can check out this site where you can make and print your own fortune (no cookies) and read others. Here’s what I wrote: Plan for much spontaneity in your future.

This is a favorite I found elsewhere: It takes more than good memory to have good memories (now that is deep).

Your turn now! Tell me your favorite fortune or tell me why you’re morally opposed to these delicious cookies (I’ve known a few).

1 Corinthians 4:5, “So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

I may start using this. “Has the Lord returned? Then stop judging me!”

We are good at judging—now, discerning? Not as much. We can whip out a judgment in the blink of an eye when someone looks at us the wrong way or behaves counter to what we think they should have done.

It's always interesting to note that in the preceding verses of chapter 4, Paul says he doesn’t even judge himself.

It is a constant battle to guard against being judgmental. Many times it does come from a place of wanting the best for someone, but we have to accept that we don’t know it all or see it all. God does and we can trust Him for ourselves, our loved ones, and our friends and church family.

The only time we see that judgment is okay is if someone says they are Christian and goes on sinning like there’s no tomorrow. They don’t feel conviction. They aren’t growing and changing, but instead justify themselves in the wrong they do. More than trying to ostracize someone, I think Paul tells us to flee these for our own good. It's a dangerous game being played and we don't want to get sucked in.

The fact is though that most people I see in church are of a totally different mentality. They are broken and working out their salvation with fear and trembling. They are not perfect, but they are growing and allowing grace to work.

Those people don’t deserve judgment when they struggle, fail, or screw up; and neither do I. When I become complacent and don’t want to do the work that has to be done, there is a problem. If I struggle with sin, but God is meeting me in the process, there’s no need to cast that judgment.

I read an amazing quote recently, “what other people think of me is none of my business.”

People may say lots of things, but it’s not my business. I won’t even judge myself because I’m screwed up and I get it all wrong. We can each choose to be different, removing the junk in our eye before we try to “help” someone else.

The saddest hypocrite is the one who judges everyone else but refuses to change. I just don’t want to be that.

Besides, Judgmental Christian has been done to death.

1 Corinthians 3:7-8, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.”

I’m not important, and that, my friends, is today’s “tough pill to swallow.”

The work I do—whether half or wholeheartedly, diligently or slothfully—is what will be judged by God. He put a gift and abilities in me to be used for His glory, and I have the choice to use and develop them or not. Paul goes on to say our work will be tested in fire to see if there is any value. This means it’s not just working for work’s sake. It is obeying and faithfully following Him that makes any difference.

The work doesn’t determine my salvation, but it does determine my reward.

I’m not important in the mix of all this. The more I get out of the way, the more He moves. The more I obey and practice faithfulness, the better the work that is done. It doesn’t matter whether things have lasting effect in this life because that is not how we’ll be judged. Our legacy is in the eternal realms, not in the great buildings or thriving (or non-thriving) communities we leave behind.

I can hear already some who might say, “You can’t say that someone's not important. You’ll damage their self-esteem.” At this point, I sort of feel like we’ve catered to self-esteem when we should be concerned with building a healthy God-esteem.

After all, what is important? God, who makes everything work and grow. I’m not important because people follow me. I’m not unimportant when they won’t or quit. I was never important to begin with!

My importance and value lies in what God was willing to give for me. The most priceless gift was given in Jesus. He is important, and I am not. I think I’ll just get over it and move forward.

Anyone with me?

“I believe that we have been sold a bill of goods that says ‘we can be anything we want to be.’ That is just not true. But we can be everything that God wants us to be.” -Shawn Wood

I think this is interesting because it is pretty much the opposite of what we are taught in the land of opportunity. We are taught that if we work hard, apply ourselves, study, make enough money, etc. we’ll be happy and we can do absolutely anything.

Part of growing up though is finding our aptitude and seeing which dreams stick. I’ve heard that one definition of a “calling” is something that won’t go away, it just keeps calling you back.

Why do we beat ourselves up over what we are not? Why aren’t we more concerned with being everything God wants us to be?

I understand the desire to be exceptional and recognized for what you do. Reality TV has made “stars” of people who have no greater talent than running their mouths incessantly. American Idol draws people out every year who are unswervingly convinced they will be the next big thing. The only problem is they have no discernable singing ability or they need to work with what they’ve got to get to the place they are ready.

The bottom line that I think Shawn's quote brings out so well is, we can be everything God made us to be and that is plenty. When opportunity is all around, it may seem this is restrictive and limiting. In fact, the opposite is true. By finding out what God has made you to be, you can focus on that, exercise that, be good at that, serve with that, impact the world with that…

It’s liberating! For myself, there was a lot of junk that had to be broken off before I could even start pursuing what God has for me. Some of it was self-imposed, some was other-people-imposed. Either way, when I began to step out and do what He’s called me to do, it was real freedom.

The ability to choose and "be anything” looks appealing, but in reality it’s so difficult and oppressive. You may float around for months or even years trying to figure it out. Some people never quite figure out what they want to do with their lives, but they sure are excited they can be anything.

What a wonder it is that God formed you with a purpose along with a desire to fulfill that purpose. Through love and relationship with Him, we gain clearer insight as grace is more and more evident and working within us.


How about you—have you been keeping your options open? Or do you see that there is freedom in knowing who God has made you to be? Talk about it in the comments!

It's been pretty light around here this week, but I should be returning next week with more content if the busyness of life doesn't swallow me whole.

Anyway, here is your burning question for this Friday:

What’s the last thing you did specifically for your health? Did it last or was it a quick burnout?

Did you give up soda? Did you start jogging? Do you not care at all
because life's too short anyway?

I have to be honest, this year has been one of the craziest of my life and my eating and exercise habits have suffered greatly. My mid-May resolution is to get back on the wagon and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. That's if, of course, that pizza will quite calling my name.

Okay, your turn. What do you say?

Time for another fun and exciting Friday Burning Question!

I spend too much time thinking about old TV shows and pop culture references so this question stems from those ridiculous asides that my brain seems to take a lot of. In that spirit, let me ask you this…

What catchphrase, old or current, have you secretly (or openly) loved? Which ones drive you crazy and should die or stay dead?

If you need help thinking or want a trip down memory lane, go to this list of 100 TV quotes and catchphrases.

Here are a couple of mine:

I love and still occasionally use “don’t make me angry…you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” from The Incredible Hulk. I also used to love, "I've fallen and I can't get up!" I know, done to death.
I loathe any catchphrase from Mr. Steve Urkel, “Did I do that? Got any cheese?”

Your turn—let it rip ‘tater chip!

I don’t know if you’ve read the Bible, but it seems pretty clear that we are not to live for our own pleasures or to gratify all our own desires. It’s not just because it’s an empty way to live, but as those who follow Christ, we can allow more of Him to be expressed as we decrease.

Narcissism, as we most often use the word today, denotes an overarching selfishness in everything a person does, only thinking of one’s self and promoting your own agenda.

This is certainly a problem, and I have heard it argued that platforms like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging Communities, etc. encourage and promote a deep narcissism in people—that it’s all about the desire to be famous and known.

I believe these applications can certainly amplify such tendencies, but I have to say that narcissism doesn’t start with a technology or platform. You can be narcissistic while preaching a sermon, as a husband, parent, or even feeding the hungry. You can make it all about you and your real or perceived needs.

We each have to continually check our hearts and allow God to transform us.

It reminds me of the story in Matthew 7 where Jesus radically declares that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. These people are understandably shocked, I’m sure. They prophesied! They did miracles! They cast out demons! But He says, “I never knew you.”

We obviously need to constantly check our motivations and make sure we are doing what honors Him, but we can’t dismiss things that could potentially touch people’s lives, share God’s heart, and reveal His love.

There will always be those who use these platforms (and preach the gospel) out of selfish ambition and vain pursuits, but it shouldn’t take away from those whose motivation is to connect, encourage, inspire, and challenge.

I’m just tired of hearing that tools like Twitter are making people narcissistic. It’s like saying someone’s car is at fault when a person who wasn’t paying attention plows through a fence. The problem is inside us.

I believe we can boldly continue on in grace, allowing Him to change us, all the while using every means necessary to share the story of Jesus, both historical and current in the lives of His people.

What do you think? Am I way off base? Do you agree or do you feel these applications are causing more harm than good? Let me hear from you!

This is the second part to my email interview with Anthony Coppedge, the Technology & Communications Evangelist behind a great site called Twitterforchurches.com and an equally great e-book, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter.

If you missed the previous questions/answers, then click here for part 1. In that post, we laid the foundation of the why and some of the how. In this part, we tackle some more specific questions or concerns people may have.

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Spark2Flame: Sometimes the biggest hurdle seems to be in presenting and using a resource within a church body. What’s a way to get church people on board?
Anthony Coppedge: As with any communication from a church leader or ministry, it's important to promote the opportunity to use such a fast, simple tool. From sending an email with a link to the church twitter websites (twitter.com/accountusername), to printing simple instructions in the church bulletin, to posting a video or even a dedicated Twitter page on the church website, to having the pastor talk about it from the pulpit, getting the word out and showing people the value and ease of use is an important part of making the tool work for as many people as possible.

S2F: What do you say to the twitter detractors who say that it's all narcissistic or mundane?
AC: I've received more spam email telling me how great a product, service or person is that I can't even begin to keep count. Yet I still use email. I won't let the spam of those who think I need to hear what they have to say keep me from using an incredibly valuable tool like email. It's the same with Twitter. Yet, unlike email, I don't have to listen to anyone I don't chose to follow. I get all the power when it comes to deciding who and how often I want to hear from a person, ministry or organization.

S2F:Why should church leaders embrace (and not fear) the accessibility twitter creates?
AC: For pastors in particular, as churches and ministries grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to be available for each and every person in your church. It's not that you don't want to connect with people; it's just that you literally can't talk to every single person and really connect with them in one-on-one conversation as often as they'd like.

This reality has, in many ways, fostered the animosity some people have towards larger churches: "they're impersonal." But what if you could make it more personal?

By sharing aspects of your life, you can help people to better relate to you as a person, not just as a pastor. Your real-life sermon illustrations are played out daily. With Twitter, you don't have to wait for a weekend message to sneak in that illustration. Simply post a Tweet and, in the process, give people a view into your life and your world.

Far from creating a pop-culture personality figure these sometimes silly, sometimes deep, sometimes seemingly innocuous Tweets give people a glimpse into your life. A connection like this can help foster a better perspective on your life while providing them with daily tools to help their own journey.

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There you have it! This is by no means an exhaustive study, but again, this prepares you to go get Anthony’s e-book, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter, which is full of great information and will be a valuable resource for you. You owe it to yourself (and church) to check it out. Go follow him on Twitter too (@anthonycoppedge).

Once again, it's your turn. Has any of this changed your mind? Or if you’re a proponent/adopter already, does this reinforce your ideas or give you other ones? Let me hear you!

I began talking last week about Twitter and using it for ministry purposes. There’s a great opportunity in front of us and we need to understand how effective this can be (as well as how not to be ineffective).

For those just joining us, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that seeks to answer the question, “what are you doing?” in real-time with 140 characters or less. It’s taking the world by storm, but is there a purpose in using it in a ministry context?

I’ve talked a little about this before, but I decided it would be far better to let you hear from an expert on these things.

Anthony D. Coppedge is no stranger to these ideas and is passionate about helping ministries leverage technology to communicate with a digitally-infused culture. In his words, he’s a Technology & Communications Evangelist.

He has written an excellent e-book called, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter (click the title for more info). At only $5, it’s a must-have with lots of information to digest and great ideas for using Twitter effectively. He also maintains a blog and the site, Twitterforchurches.com.

He was gracious enough to do an email interview with me that I hope will answer a few questions and start a few conversations. I broke the interview into two parts for the sake of length, but tomorrow we’ll be delving into more specific issues and concerns ministries might have.

Now onto the questions.

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Spark2Flame: What are a couple reasons you see that churches should use twitter?
Anthony Coppedge: Through a combination of text messaging and web tools, Twitter has quickly become more than a new techno-fad. It's a near-instant, almost-anywhere communication with the potential to change the face of ministry. Whether used as a megaphone for updates and announcements or as a conversation, Twitter allows churches to communicate with specific groups of people in real time, on their cell phones.

S2F: Is this just for larger churches or can small churches benefit as well?
AC: Every church - regardless of size - can benefit from short, simple, instant communication. Just as every church leverages email as a viable communication method, so Twitter, too, is a viable communications method. However, unlike email, where a member doesn't get to choose which emails they receive (too much email is really just spam), Twitter is exactly the opposite. Because people choose to follow people or ministries via Twitter (even if they don't want to set up a Twitter account - in which case they simple type in "follow username" to 40404), only people who want information from a person or ministry will receive it. The power is entirely in the hands of the end user.

S2F: Why do you think twitter is so effective in communication?
AC: Connecting with the cell phones of a congregation - in real time - is incredibly valuable. Twitter isn't a replacement for all emails, though it should reduce the number of church email blasts sent out, but instead is a great tool for both time-sensitive information and a more personal connection with those in leadership.

S2F: How would you ease the fears of those technophobes out there, wary of trying twitter?
AC: To follow a ministry on Twitter, all one needs is a cell phone and a text message plan. That's it. Just type and send a text message from your cell phone to "follow username" (where 'username' is the name of the person or ministry on Twitter) to 40404 and you're instantly following that Twitter account. It's really that simple to get started.

Then again, it's also very easy to set up a Twitter account by simply going to Twitter.com and clicking on "join the conversation". The beauty and simplicity of Twitter is in how easy it is to use.

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That concludes the first part, but come back tomorrow for even more valuable information. Also, make sure you go and check out Anthony’s e-book, The Reason Your Church Must Twitter, and go to Twitter (if you're on there) and follow him as well (@anthonycoppedge).

Okay, time to sound off! What do you think about all this? Are you using this or do you still have a lot of questions? Tell us in the comments.

I hope you are having a fantastic Friday! I'm happy to say I'm going into the weekend excited and ready.

From now on, every Friday (except when I don't), I'm going to start asking a simple question.

It may be something fun or something serious. It may be a question to see what you think or how you do things. The bottom line is, I just want to hear from you!

It'll be here and on twitter so feel free to answer it in the blog comments or there, your choice.

Got it? Are you ready?

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What's the last song that got stuck in your head & how long did it stay there?

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For me, it was "Safety Dance" by Men without Hats, today actually. I even tweeted part of it to get it out of my system, but no such luck. It's still there and that was 3 hours ago.

Your turn! Let it rip and feel free to sing to yourself as you type...