groupLINKs for everyone!

One of the primary ways we connect people to small groups at SFMC is through an event called GroupLINK. So far in 2006 we've had two very successful GroupLINK events. After the most recent GroupLINK, we got to thinking about what it might look like to have "special" GroupLINKs for specific types of people. For example, what if we wanted to zero in on, say, plumbers--and help them get into a small group. Well then, we'd want to do a special GroupLINK for them...and we'd want to give it a different name. Plumbers, then, would be invited to attend something we might call Sink Link. Right? The list below represents some different categories of people and some GroupLINK names we might consider using. =)

GroupLINK for:

• Geniuses: Think Link
• Alcoholics: Drink Link
• Armored Car Drivers: Brinks Link
• Pig Farmers: Sausage Link
• Fur Coat Lovers: Mink Link
• Writers: Ink Link
• Crooks and Villains: Fink Link
• Superstitious folks: Jinx Link
• People with Flatulence: Stink Link (of course)
• Baby Girls: Pink Link
• Gay people: Twink Link
• Hockey Players: Rink Link
• Toy Makers: Slinky Link

Feel free to email me with other special GroupLINK ideas!

garage sales are great!

Yeah, we had a garage sale a couple of weekends ago. I hated working the sale but in the end, I decided that I'm a big fan of having one. Here's why: I set my junk out...people pay me money and take it away. I mean, how great is that? The best part: my garage is empty!

Viva Garage Sales!

it's the weirdest thing

Here's the thought I've been pondering since I woke up this morning: How come I can't tickle myself? I mean, I'm a very ticklish individual. It doesn't take much to get me squirming and kicking...a poke here, a stroke there...almost anywhere on my body. But I cannot, for the life of me, tickle myself. Why is that? I know where my "weak spots" are. I know what type of tickling I'm most susceptible to...so why can't I tickle myself. I can poke and massage and jab at myself all day long...nothing. I mean, it takes everything I have not to burst out laughing when the doctor touches me during a physical. I have to concentrate--hard! But I cannot tickle myself. Weird.

working on my personal mission statement

I took some time to work on my personal mission statement today. It's definately a work in progress...and it's probably too long right now, but here's what I have so far:

I will live each day with a sense of passion and expectancy. I will make a choice to be enthusiastic and positive in my daily activities. I will do my best to inspire others to live with a sense of passion.

I will love my wife. I will serve her by putting her needs ahead of my own.

I will worship God with my whole life. I will ask myself these questions: Do my actions demonstrate love for God? Do my thoughts honor God? Do my words please God?

I will always seek to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I will make him the center of my life. I will make decisions based on his example. I will strive to be transformed into the image of Christ.

I will strive to be authentic in my relationships.

I will honor and cherish my friends.

I will seek to find ways to serve others with a grateful heart.

I will learn what it means to truly love. I will strive to offer sacrificial love to my family, my friends, and my Lord.

I will strive to do the right thing even when others aren't watching.

I will make sure my life counts. I will make a difference.

I know, I know, all you personal mission statement gurus are going to tell me it's too long. But at least it's a start.

dud-vinci

Saw The Da Vinci Code movie today. Here's my take in a nutshell:

Very disappointing. I don't know if it was just over-hyped or what...but it just wasn't all that.My buddy felt the same way. In fact, he nodded off once or twice during the film. Maybe it's just as simple as this: the book is always better than the movie and it's way true in this case. Don't get me wrong, it didn't totally suck, it just wasn't that good. I'll be interested to get opinions from people who see the movie and did not read the book. Maybe their take will be different. The book was great, IMO. The movie was just all over the place. The movie felt like the book on speed. My buddy agreed with me when I told him that if I hadn't read the book, I think that I would have been totally lost and clueless in that movie. It just seemed to jump all over the place...and at times it seemed more like a lecture on grail theory and symbolism rather than a movie. It just didn't work for me. I didn't feel like I ever got to know the characters.I'd give it 5, maybe 6 stars out of 10.

more on dan brown (from his website)

Q: ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?

A: Yes. Interestingly, if you ask three people what it means to be Christian, you will get three different answers. Some feel being baptized is sufficient. Others feel you must accept the Bible as absolute historical fact. Still others require a belief that all those who do not accept Christ as their personal savior are doomed to hell. Faith is a continuum, and we each fall on that line where we may. By attempting to rigidly classify ethereal concepts like faith, we end up debating semantics to the point where we entirely miss the obvious--that is, that we are all trying to decipher life's big mysteries, and we're each following our own paths of enlightenment. I consider myself a student of many religions. The more I learn, the more questions I have. For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.

Here's the link: http://www.danbrown.com/novels/davinci_code/faqs.html

Here's another link to an interesting USA Today article about Mr. Brown and his "Code": http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-05-14-da-vinci-welborn_x.htm

the skinny on dan brown

At Sugarcreek Free Methodist Church, we've been in a weekend message series about The Da Vinci Code. We've been looking at some of the claims the book makes, comaring them to Biblical teaching as well as historical records. It's been very interesting and fun. I'm giving the next talk (May 20, 21). It's about the Bible.

In researching material for this weekend's message, I listened to an hour-long interview with the author of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, yesterday. He's an interesting guy. Very thoughtful...a deep thinker as you might imagine. Here are a couple interesting things I learned about him.

He claims to be a Christian...although he never spoke of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, or life change or anything along those lines. He says he grew up with a dad who was a math teacher and a mom who was a church organist. He says he always felt conflicted when it comes to science vs. the Bible because of this interesting dynamic in his life. He comments that as a young boy, trying to decide which way to believe, he chose to land on the side of science rather than biblical teaching because it just made more sense to him. He also says that as he's grown and learned, he's decided that science and religion actually compliment each other and should be viewed as partners in a person's faith.

He reinforced the fact that the book is a novel. He thinks religious leaders have made way too much out of all of this (although I'm sure he welcomes it--it helped him sell over 50 million books). He says he doesn't pay much attention to the press and has not looked at a single book that "refutes" or "rebuts" his book.

I also found this very interesting: here's a guy who just got paid $6 million for the movie rights to Da Vinci, he's sold over 50 million copies of the book...in other words, he could live anywhere, do anything, etc...and he chooses to live in New Hampshire...and he says he's in front of his keyboard by 4 a.m. each day (he feels like if he's not there by then he misses the most productive part of his day)...and he's working on the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. You've got to admire/respect that kind of dedication.

He keeps an hourglass on his desk and takes a break every half hour to do push-ups, sit-ups, and hang upside down (he says it helps the blood get to his head and helps him with new ideas--a fresh perspective).

He claims to write an average of ten pages for every one page that actually makes it into a book.
He's thrilled with the way the movie turned out. He says it reminds him of what the whole movie theater experience used to be about--he says that when he was a kid, movies took him to places he'd never been, they challenged him, they moved him, they scared him, they inspired him...he says this movie is just like that.

He thinks its great that the book has generated so much talk about faith and has caused people to investigate the claims of Christianity and the Bible. Of course, it helped him sell a whole bunch of books. But I got the impression that he's sincere when he says this.

The movie opens this Friday. And, yes, I plan to go see it. I've read the book. It was interesting, and fun. I expect the movie to be the same. The key for me is that I approached the book as it ought to be approached--as fiction. If one approaches it otherwise, it certain could confuse a person. That's why we've done the message series at SFMC--to help people understand the real truth. If your small group is interested in studying The Da Vinci Code, shoot me an email. We've got some cool DVD curriculum that I'm sure your group would enjoy.

american idol shocker

Unbelievable that Elliot and Katharine beat out Chris.

I've thought all along that Chris would probably win the whole thing. How in the world did the others get more vote than him? I'm stunned. I don't think the show will be nearly as good with him gone. Oh well...guess I should have voted.

Here's one theory I've come across as to why Chris got the axe: Chris was a victim of "Tamyra Gray Syndrome": he was so obviously good that people didn't think they needed to expend the energy to vote for him. Sometimes a singer's fans will only mobilize when they feel their favorite is in jeopardy.

Taylor has been a favorite of mine from the beginning. He's just fun. He's not the best singer, clearly, but he's memorable. I think he'll win it with Chris now out of the way. Katharine is exceptionally talented vocally but her performances tend to fall a little on the boring side. To me, nothing she does is remarkable, it's just very good. I've never understood the judges' fascination with Elliott. He's just okay. Nothing remarkable there either. But week after week, the judges gush all over his performances. Go figure.

EQUIP was awesome!

Last evening we had one of our quarterly EQUIP meetings for small group leaders. And we met in the new building! For many folks, it was their first time to be inside the new building. The whole night was a huge success.

Things got started as Pat and Tracy Walker hosted a "huddle" for the Married Small Groups. They started off with a football skit that illustrated the importance of huddling up. We also heard from some small group leaders who have recently experienced the "birthing" process. And then finally we had some meaningful group discussions about curriculum, hosting, tough situations that come up, and more.

The EQUIP meeting got started at 6 p.m. We all enjoyed pie and coffee (I had peanut butter cream pie--yahoo!). Then Dwight hit the ball out of the park by sharing his heart to our leaders. He talked about one of our "Leader Essentials"--THINK LIFE CHANGE! His passion for leading for life-change was incredibly evident.

We also shared some small group time to discuss another one of our Leader Essentials--REPLACE YOURSELF. We got into groups of about ten to talk about:

• Why is apprenticeship essential to group life?
• What are the biggest obstacles to enlisting an apprentice?
• How do we over come these obstacles?

The results of our discussions are posted on www.SmallGroupLeaders.com.

And to top things off, we took a tour of the new building. It was amazing. And the best part?...We stopped in every room, joined hands, and prayed for the people whose lives could potentially be impacted by those environment. Very cool. Very meaningful. I hope you were able to get in on it.

from the muslim world:

I know this story is about a month old, but you may not have seen it. Check this out:

NEW DELHI (AP) - Village elders ordered a Muslim man in eastern India to
leave his wife after he accidentally divorced her in his sleep, a news report
said Tuesday.

Aftab Ansari uttered the Urdu word for divorce, "talaq," three times in
his sleep, prompting his worried wife to discuss the matter with her friends,
according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Under Islamic law, a husband need only say "I divorce you" three times to
secure a permanent end to his marriage.

Muslim leaders in the couple's village in West Bengal state found out and
decreed that Ansari's unconscious utterances constituted a divorce, PTI
reported.

But 30-year-old Ansari said he had no intention of leaving his wife of 11
years."I have not given talaq. When I uttered talaq three times I had taken
medicines to help me sleep," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The religious leaders said that before remarrying, the couple would have to
be apart for at least 100 days and that the wife, Sohela, would also have to
spend a night with another man and then be divorced by him.

PTI reported that the couple has been ostracized because of their refusal
to abide by the decision of the village leaders.

Man, the Muslim world sure seems to have some whack laws. My take on this whole thing? I think the wife desperately wanted out and she made the whole thing up. Looks like it worked. =)

a childhood aquaintance of mine goes to jail

Rose Jr. gets one month in jail

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pete Rose Jr., the son of baseball's career hits leader, was sentenced Monday to one month in prison and five months of home detention for distributing a drug sometimes sold as a steroid alternative to his minor league teammates.

FULL STORY

I kinda grew up playing ball with Petey. We were on rival knothole (little league) teams as kids.

I used to work out with him in the offseason at a place with indoor cages called "The Ballgame."

I remember him wanting to be a pitcher...and I was always a catcher...and a good-sized one, so Petey liked to throw to me in the indoor cages. One day Big Pete showed up to work with Jr. on his pitching. It was me and two Pete Roses in the cage that day. Can you imagine?

Petey was always a decent player growing up...definately not a superstar. In fact, I thought I was a better all-around player than he was at that stage (grades 5-8). He was a bit cocky, as you might imagine (if he worked the pitcher for a walk, not only would he sprint to first base like his dad, but he would clap his hands vigorously while looking at the pitcher all the way to first).

His team always had the best stuff...bags with names and numbers on them, cool jackets, etc. And his mom brought him to our games in her Rolls Royce. Big Pete usually wasn't at the games...but it was pretty cool having that experience...especially since my team ALWAYS beat out his team for the championship.

Despite Jr. being a bit cocky and just an okay player...nobody really hated him IIRC. He was pretty cool.

Sorry to see him go to jail. He didn't have much of a role model for a father, though, did he?

i'm no math genius but...

Somebody sent me this "cute" little math trick. Try it for yourself and see if it works...

1. Grab a calculator
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT YOUR AREA CODE)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number.
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
8. Subtract 2509. Divide number by 2.Do you recognize the answer?

Who comes up with this stuff? Like I said, I'm no math genius...but I came up with my own "math trick" that involves your telephone number. Try my version:

Key in the first 7 digits of your telephone number. Recognize it? :)

a tipping tip

My wife and I went to Pittsburgh Friday with some friends to shop at IKEA. IKEA is a great place...lots of fun, lots of ideas. But, I will admit, the IKEA idea was more for the ladies. The guys? The highlight of our day was definately the lunch buffet at Quaker Steak and Lube!

Quaker Steak is famous for their wings--and we ate a few of 'em that day. Actually...a lot of 'em. They also had boneless ribs, mac and cheese, fish & chips, hot Italian sausage--it's a solid buffet...you know, guy food.

The lunch buffet costs $7.49. When the bill came, the question arose...what's an appropriate tip for a buffet? Have you ever wondered that? I mean, after all, I'm the one who went and got my food. The waitress just brought drinks and took away dirty plates. How much is that worth?

Well, I've never been sure about how much to tip at a buffet so I went online and did a little research. There's a site out there called "The Original Tipping Page." TOTP give guidelines for tipping in a variety of situations. And here's what I learned about tipping at buffets, and I quote,:

5% to 10% of the total bill is suggested. This depends heavily on exactly how
much work is done by the waitstaff. In some restaurants, the waitstaff does very
little. Usually is simply bringing fresh linen and/or utensils. In some other
restaurants, the staff brings drinks, and some orders from the kitchen directly.

So there you have it! Oh, in case you're wondering...my total bill on Friday was about $17.00. I left $2.