Ok, so this might hit a little close to home for some of us 'True Blue Presbyterians'. I am about as 'True Blue' as they come. My dad, my uncle, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, and my great great-grandfather all are Presbyterian Ministers. My wife AND my brother are in a Presbyterian seminary. Those are just in my immediate family. There are plenty other clergy in my lineage which would take too long to list here. I believe that God lives in Montreat and I believe that everything should be done decently and in order. So, please understand that I know what you Presbyterians are going to think when I suggest what I am about to suggest.
I went to church this morning (well actually it was this afternoon at the 1 PM service) at Buckhead Church. Buckhead Church is what they call a 'satellite' campus of North Point Ministries. Their mission is to "lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by creating irresistible environments led by skilled staff and volunteers." And let me tell you, they have perfected it.
At first glance, this church seems to be an evangelical organization that accomplishes its mission using 'Christo-tainment'. They have lights and video screens and a hi-definition video playback of the sermon. There is a band with 3 guitars, 2 vocalists, a drummer, a keyboard player, and a percussionist. The sound system rivals that of the Georgia Dome. Before the service begins they even have announcements running on the screens like they do at the movie theaters. If you close your eyes long enough, you can almost smell popcorn (j/k).
However, after sitting through the entire service I have a different perspective. What they have accomplished at North Point Ministries is they have figured out that the church most evolve to keep up with the people. They have figured out what people in the year 2005 want in a church and they are doing it. Now, I am no theologian (that is why I am supporting my wife in seminary instead of attending seminary myself) and I am sure there are some issues with their theology that just weren't apparent to me in the 1 service I attended, but they are making disciples of people while the 'Frozen Chosen' is cutting programs.
I believe that we (this 'we' being the PCUSA 'we') need to take a closer look at how we do church. Look around and tell me what part of our church seems successful right now. Some of you may say 'no part'. I may be biased because I am so deep rooted in the youth part of our church, but I believe that the youth programs of our denomination are the most successful parts of our church. So, if we are bringing so many youth to places like Ghost Ranch, Montreat, and Triennium, why is it that the number of members is dwindling?
I suggest it is because we do great worship services at those places and then these youth come back to their churches after college and it is like they have traveled back to the 1820s when TVs didn't exist and especially things like 'sound boards' and 'powerpoint' and 'praise bands' weren't in worship. Now, I am not suggesting that we put a powerpoint screen in every sanctuary, nor am I suggesting that a traditional service is bad. What I am suggesting is that we (again the PCUSA 'we') should be building some churches like Buckhead Church in big cities and give this new style of church a try. We can even preach our own reformed theology and have umpteen committee meetings if we want. What we cannot afford to do as a denomination is stand by and watch as our members die and do nothing about it. God called us to be fishermen of people. He didn't tell us that it had to be in a sanctuary with an organ and stained glass with a person in a robe reciting creeds that no one really understands. He simply said go make disciples. We should do that anyway we can.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Honda Accord LX
Morgan and I purchased a new vehicle this past weekend. Yep, you guessed it. It is a Honda Accord LX (how did you figure it out?). I currently have a Ford Explorer and Morgan currently has a VW Passat. We have been leasing the Passat for the past 42 months and I will never do that again. The Passat's lease is up in a few weeks, so while Morgan was home this past weekend, we went and purchased the Accord.
All in all, we had a pretty pleasant experience, but I have been through the dealership buying/leasing thing a couple times before and so I feel pretty comfortable doing that whole negotiating thing. However, that doesn't make me like it anymore. Why is buying a car sooooooooo difficult. Why can't a car be like everything else we buy? Why can't they just put the price on the car?
The dealership in Hoover that I leased my first Explorer from and am currently buying my second Explorer from, had the prices on the windows and didn't haggle. It was so much easier. The salesman were still paid in commission, but it was $150/car sold regardless of if it was a $60K or $10K car. They dealt in volume. So, it was easier because you knew what you were buying and how much it would cost, but they still pressured you into buying quick and probably before you were comfortable.
The dealership here (Curry Honda, for those who care) does haggle and it is not a fun thing to do. I had to play the other dealerships against them and show them proof of what others were paying (thank you Edmunds.com). The salesman was polite, but I never believed a word he said.
So, why is it like this?
All in all, we had a pretty pleasant experience, but I have been through the dealership buying/leasing thing a couple times before and so I feel pretty comfortable doing that whole negotiating thing. However, that doesn't make me like it anymore. Why is buying a car sooooooooo difficult. Why can't a car be like everything else we buy? Why can't they just put the price on the car?
The dealership in Hoover that I leased my first Explorer from and am currently buying my second Explorer from, had the prices on the windows and didn't haggle. It was so much easier. The salesman were still paid in commission, but it was $150/car sold regardless of if it was a $60K or $10K car. They dealt in volume. So, it was easier because you knew what you were buying and how much it would cost, but they still pressured you into buying quick and probably before you were comfortable.
The dealership here (Curry Honda, for those who care) does haggle and it is not a fun thing to do. I had to play the other dealerships against them and show them proof of what others were paying (thank you Edmunds.com). The salesman was polite, but I never believed a word he said.
So, why is it like this?
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
If it's in the game...
It's in the game!!!
Yes, I made an impulse purchase tonight. Morgan probably will try and make me feel bad about it and tell me how she never buys anything (which is just not true), but the truth of the matter is that I have been home alone all summer and I need something to help me get through the lonely nights (Not PORN, for the perverts out there). I have purchased NCAA Football 2006 for the XBOX and it is sooooooooo worth the money. I have been playing it since I purchased it just 3 hours ago and I am so ready for football season to begin.
So, if you are itching for the best season of the year to start, come join me on the XBOX and we can have some good ole fashioned gridiron battles.
War Damn Eagle,
Robert
PS- Only 45 more days until the National Champion 13-0 Auburn Tigers take the field against the ACC team from Atlanta...
Yes, I made an impulse purchase tonight. Morgan probably will try and make me feel bad about it and tell me how she never buys anything (which is just not true), but the truth of the matter is that I have been home alone all summer and I need something to help me get through the lonely nights (Not PORN, for the perverts out there). I have purchased NCAA Football 2006 for the XBOX and it is sooooooooo worth the money. I have been playing it since I purchased it just 3 hours ago and I am so ready for football season to begin.
So, if you are itching for the best season of the year to start, come join me on the XBOX and we can have some good ole fashioned gridiron battles.
War Damn Eagle,
Robert
PS- Only 45 more days until the National Champion 13-0 Auburn Tigers take the field against the ACC team from Atlanta...
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
My $Million Idea Slogan
See post below ('My Million $ Idea') for more information about my company idea.
But here is my slogan for the company:
'Changing the world, one bottle of water at a time.'
Peace Out,
Captain Agua
But here is my slogan for the company:
'Changing the world, one bottle of water at a time.'
Peace Out,
Captain Agua
Monday, July 11, 2005
My Million $ Idea
I have been working in Corporate America long enough to know that everyone thinks they could retire if they had just one million dollar idea. Like the guy who invented the post-it notes, I bet he ain't still working. Or the guy back in the 80's who invented the Sticky Wall Walkers. The only thing that guy is doing now is getting interviewed by VH1 for 'I love the 80's' episodes. And there are a lot of days that the idea of retiring sounds like a good one.
Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man, two chicks at the same time, man.
Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.
Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.
Peter Gibbons: Good point.
Lawrence: Well what about you now? what would you do?
Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Well yeah.
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I'd relax, I would sit on my ass all day, I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Just take a look at my cousin, he's broke, don't do shit.
Although I love "Office Space" (mostly because it is exactly what my office is like) and although this is one of my favorite exchanges in the movie, I don't think I would do two chicks at the same time or do absolutely nothing if I had a million dollars. I have always thought that if I were rich enough to not work, that I would be rich enough to start a foundation to give money away. I dream of being a philanthropist. So, what is my million dollar idea that will allow me to be a philanthropist?
An idea came to me several months back as I was drinking a glass of water late at night right before I went to bed (that is my nightly ritual). As I finished the glass, I said to Morgan, as I do often "God knew what he was doing when he created water." I say it so often that Morgan just kind of ignored me as she does often when I say things over and over (like she does when I tell her my joke about the town of Roswell being renamed-Ask me later and I will tell you). It hit me that moment that we Americans spend an awful lot of money on bottled water when we have perfectly safe water coming out of our taps. We are 'Water Snobs'! We buy water for an average of $1.19 a 24 oz bottle at the QwikEMart and lots of time we don't even finish the bottle. I think of that scene from the "Three Amigos" when the amigos are riding on camels across the desert and Lucky Day and Ned are dying of thirst. Ned even has sand coming out of his water bottle instead of water, all the while Dusty has so much water that he gurgles his throat and spits it out and then throws an almost full canteen of water onto the ground. We Americans are like Dusty with Bottled Water while the rest of the under-developed world is like Ned and Lucky Day just hoping someone will give them a drop.
I thought a little more about it and realized that maybe there was a way to let us Americans be 'Water Snobs' while at the same time helping the people of the world. So here is my million dollar idea. A bottled water company named 'Living Water' that sells water at the same price as Aquafina and Dasani, however ALL PROFITS from the company go to the Living Water Foundation which is a non-profit that spends all of its money helping to get clean water to people who need it. The Living Water Corporation would be a profitable company whose only mission would be to give all profits to the Living Water Foundation. No 7 figure salary CEO and no stockholders to make money for. Just a corporation who uses Capitalism to make a difference in the world.
So, what do you think?
Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man, two chicks at the same time, man.
Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.
Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.
Peter Gibbons: Good point.
Lawrence: Well what about you now? what would you do?
Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Well yeah.
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I'd relax, I would sit on my ass all day, I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Just take a look at my cousin, he's broke, don't do shit.
Although I love "Office Space" (mostly because it is exactly what my office is like) and although this is one of my favorite exchanges in the movie, I don't think I would do two chicks at the same time or do absolutely nothing if I had a million dollars. I have always thought that if I were rich enough to not work, that I would be rich enough to start a foundation to give money away. I dream of being a philanthropist. So, what is my million dollar idea that will allow me to be a philanthropist?
An idea came to me several months back as I was drinking a glass of water late at night right before I went to bed (that is my nightly ritual). As I finished the glass, I said to Morgan, as I do often "God knew what he was doing when he created water." I say it so often that Morgan just kind of ignored me as she does often when I say things over and over (like she does when I tell her my joke about the town of Roswell being renamed-Ask me later and I will tell you). It hit me that moment that we Americans spend an awful lot of money on bottled water when we have perfectly safe water coming out of our taps. We are 'Water Snobs'! We buy water for an average of $1.19 a 24 oz bottle at the QwikEMart and lots of time we don't even finish the bottle. I think of that scene from the "Three Amigos" when the amigos are riding on camels across the desert and Lucky Day and Ned are dying of thirst. Ned even has sand coming out of his water bottle instead of water, all the while Dusty has so much water that he gurgles his throat and spits it out and then throws an almost full canteen of water onto the ground. We Americans are like Dusty with Bottled Water while the rest of the under-developed world is like Ned and Lucky Day just hoping someone will give them a drop.
I thought a little more about it and realized that maybe there was a way to let us Americans be 'Water Snobs' while at the same time helping the people of the world. So here is my million dollar idea. A bottled water company named 'Living Water' that sells water at the same price as Aquafina and Dasani, however ALL PROFITS from the company go to the Living Water Foundation which is a non-profit that spends all of its money helping to get clean water to people who need it. The Living Water Corporation would be a profitable company whose only mission would be to give all profits to the Living Water Foundation. No 7 figure salary CEO and no stockholders to make money for. Just a corporation who uses Capitalism to make a difference in the world.
So, what do you think?
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Dude, I'm tired
So, it has been a while since my last post. Previously on 24 (man, i want to be Jack Bauer) I had a great week at the Montreat West Conference. The on-stage leadership (Maggi Henderson, Steve Wild, Beth Watson, and Meg and Jarrett Mclaughlin) were awesome. From a visual standpoint, all of my powerpoint and video clips went great. I made some new friends and got to know some old friends better. I even had discussions with some people about my life journey. All in all, it was a great conference and a great week.
Saturday morning I woke up and hung out with people as they waited for their airport shuttle. Finally we left. Once we got to the airport, we were officially 'OFF COVENANT', so me and a few others (not to be named in order to preserve they identity) had a few beers at the airport bar. We boarded our flights and headed home. After a week of averaging 4.5 hours of sleep each night, all I wanted to do was get home and crawl in my bed. When I finally arrived home, my parents and my brother were there. My brother just started Columbia Seminary, so they were at my house for the night because they had been moving him into the dorm room. So, I had to play nice with them and didn't get into bed until around 12:30 AM. I tried to sleep in, but I just couldn't sleep (besides, Miller had to go to the bathroom and he started doing the pee pee dance in my bedroom) so I got up and spent the day helping my brother move into his dorm room.
I was going to call it quits at about 6 and take a shower and chill finally when out of nowhere Morgan appeared. I was overjoyed to see her. She made a surprise trip home because she missed me and I really missed her. It was great that she came home. So we spent Sunday night and all day Monday catching up. Needless to say, I didn't get the rest I desired, but seeing Morgan was worth the sacrifice. I'll sleep in next weekend. WRONG.
Of course Tuesday came around (Monday was the 4th of July so it was holiday) and I had to go to work. Morgan headed back to Jacksonville. Now everyone knows that vacation is actually a catch 22. You do get time off, but that doesn't mean you aren't responsible for the work. So, as usual, I spent the entire week trying to catch up at work after being gone for over a week. Meanwhile I am in charge of planning a Braves game outing for 300 people for my company. Now, since it is work-related, you would think that would count as work. NOPE, I have to do that on my own time. I hate corporate america. So I spend my week catching up and trying to make sure all of the loose ends for the braves game outing are tied up.
Then comes Friday night. The 2nd annual 'Greek Week 1 Keg Party' at mi casa. We hosted this party last year and had a great time, so I told my brother we would host it again. This new class of seminarians sure knows how to party. Last year we didn't even come close to floating the keg. This year we floated the keg at around 11:15pm. Those future preachers know how to party. Peppermint Patty shots and Flaming Dr. Peppers and a couple of Jack and Waters and I was in the perfect frame of mind to go to Waffle House at 2 AM. So, me, Tom and Ashley, Ryan and Amy, and Steve (Tom's brother) headed to the Waffle House and had a great time. Long story short, I crawled into bed around 2:45 AM and Morgan claims I called her around 3 AM (I have no recollection of that and cannot be held responsible in a court of law for anything Jack Daniels made me say).
So, I can sleep in now, right? NOPE. I got up Saturday AM and cleaned up my fraternity house and took care of some more loose ends for the braves game. Then me and my brother headed to Turner field to start setting up for the outing at around 2:45 PM. Game started at 7 and the tailgate (with a caterer cooking burgers, dogs, sausage, etc and 3 kegs of beer) started at 5. Since I am in charge of this shindig for 300 people (my coworkers from ATL and BHAM and their families) I have to make sure everything gets packed away before I go to the game. I finally made it into the stadium during the 6th inning. I was soaking wet (from the rain) and probably not walking straight (from standing too close to the kegs). When it was all said and done, I was showered and in bed by around 1:00 AM. The Braves lost, by the way.
God rested on the sabbath and today is my sabbath. I have done absolutley nothing today other than eat lunch, lay on the couch, and watch hurricane coverage and I Love the 80s (great mix of funny and dramatic).
Peace Out A-town,
Your friendly neighborhood party planner
Saturday morning I woke up and hung out with people as they waited for their airport shuttle. Finally we left. Once we got to the airport, we were officially 'OFF COVENANT', so me and a few others (not to be named in order to preserve they identity) had a few beers at the airport bar. We boarded our flights and headed home. After a week of averaging 4.5 hours of sleep each night, all I wanted to do was get home and crawl in my bed. When I finally arrived home, my parents and my brother were there. My brother just started Columbia Seminary, so they were at my house for the night because they had been moving him into the dorm room. So, I had to play nice with them and didn't get into bed until around 12:30 AM. I tried to sleep in, but I just couldn't sleep (besides, Miller had to go to the bathroom and he started doing the pee pee dance in my bedroom) so I got up and spent the day helping my brother move into his dorm room.
I was going to call it quits at about 6 and take a shower and chill finally when out of nowhere Morgan appeared. I was overjoyed to see her. She made a surprise trip home because she missed me and I really missed her. It was great that she came home. So we spent Sunday night and all day Monday catching up. Needless to say, I didn't get the rest I desired, but seeing Morgan was worth the sacrifice. I'll sleep in next weekend. WRONG.
Of course Tuesday came around (Monday was the 4th of July so it was holiday) and I had to go to work. Morgan headed back to Jacksonville. Now everyone knows that vacation is actually a catch 22. You do get time off, but that doesn't mean you aren't responsible for the work. So, as usual, I spent the entire week trying to catch up at work after being gone for over a week. Meanwhile I am in charge of planning a Braves game outing for 300 people for my company. Now, since it is work-related, you would think that would count as work. NOPE, I have to do that on my own time. I hate corporate america. So I spend my week catching up and trying to make sure all of the loose ends for the braves game outing are tied up.
Then comes Friday night. The 2nd annual 'Greek Week 1 Keg Party' at mi casa. We hosted this party last year and had a great time, so I told my brother we would host it again. This new class of seminarians sure knows how to party. Last year we didn't even come close to floating the keg. This year we floated the keg at around 11:15pm. Those future preachers know how to party. Peppermint Patty shots and Flaming Dr. Peppers and a couple of Jack and Waters and I was in the perfect frame of mind to go to Waffle House at 2 AM. So, me, Tom and Ashley, Ryan and Amy, and Steve (Tom's brother) headed to the Waffle House and had a great time. Long story short, I crawled into bed around 2:45 AM and Morgan claims I called her around 3 AM (I have no recollection of that and cannot be held responsible in a court of law for anything Jack Daniels made me say).
So, I can sleep in now, right? NOPE. I got up Saturday AM and cleaned up my fraternity house and took care of some more loose ends for the braves game. Then me and my brother headed to Turner field to start setting up for the outing at around 2:45 PM. Game started at 7 and the tailgate (with a caterer cooking burgers, dogs, sausage, etc and 3 kegs of beer) started at 5. Since I am in charge of this shindig for 300 people (my coworkers from ATL and BHAM and their families) I have to make sure everything gets packed away before I go to the game. I finally made it into the stadium during the 6th inning. I was soaking wet (from the rain) and probably not walking straight (from standing too close to the kegs). When it was all said and done, I was showered and in bed by around 1:00 AM. The Braves lost, by the way.
God rested on the sabbath and today is my sabbath. I have done absolutley nothing today other than eat lunch, lay on the couch, and watch hurricane coverage and I Love the 80s (great mix of funny and dramatic).
Peace Out A-town,
Your friendly neighborhood party planner
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