Top 10 List #1 (Negative Things Learned)

This is the first of several top 10 Lists I plan to publish...this will let me get a lot out of my system in a efficient manner.

(These reflect things learned over the last 10 years of church leadership, or relearned this year) (If you are bothered by any of them...spend some time soul searching before calling...lol)

1. When someone says that its a 99.9% to 0.1 % that something will not happen...prepare to get the snot beat out of you with a pitiful 0.1%.

2. When people promise...get it in writing...then get a witness...so you will have someone to talk to when it doesn't happen.

3. How ironic that my generation can deconstruct centuries of Christianity without giving a dime or an hour, but call the sincere actions of those who give and volunteer at Sunday School legalistic??

4. It amazes me how the internal system that gets us to school and work on time, and helps us not forget the most remote facts...never seems to work on Sundays or when it their time for nursery.

5. Normally, those who are stoked about the vision always have something else more important to do, and those who rarely speak get the vision done!

6. What is committed to at a planning meeting can almost always be assumed to be a momentary lapse in judgement!

7. Most people of my generation are all about a relationship with God, but don't bother to explore how God defines that...they assume they can define it for themselves.

8. If traditional church is so wrong...what do we have to show for all our right?

9. A lot of people say. "I'm all about freeing people to embrace Jesus...as long as you don't ask me to (insert...pretty much whatever)".

10. I've learned that you value what you put your time and money into; therefore, the church normally isn't worth more than cable.

presidential debate idea

I've always been a political junkie, but this year I keep throwing up in my mouth at the outlandish lies that each candidate wants me to digest. So I've come up with what I think would be the greatest presidential debate of this election.

No it's not a sumo style wrestling match...it's a tad bit simpler.

Each candidate should be required to watch their own TV ads, and the ads of the groups that support them and defend them. Give the owner of the ad 5 minutes to explain it, then the opponent 5 minutes to defend himself. After they get done, have a panel of fact checkers lay out the truth in the ad, the hypocrisy, and the lies.

Anyway, I think it would make for some interesting TV.

not homeowner improvements

This morning I was reading Luke 6 and verses 47-49 jumped out at me. I grabbed "The Message" and found these words: "These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. the are foundation words, words to build a life on."

In my own life, many times the words of Jesus can digress to being just additions to my already established life. However, you and I should constantly ask ourselves, "Are Jesus' words foundational or just additional luggage for the journey?" I think that to often his words are mere trinkets that will fill our shelves with but have little to do with the core of who we are and the destination of our journey.

Luke 6: 47-49 "Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (esv)

update

It seems strange to me how a place once so familiar can become so awkward. The past few days have been spent trying to remember how to do some of this blogger stuff. I think that I've got it working.

You will still be able to access my blog through ChrisAlford.org or you can go directly to ForeignCulture.tv.

back to the future...

Many moons ago, I discovered Blogger and became an active blogger. It was early 2000 when I first experienced the thrill of blogging.

However, over time it became a ranting place. Life took over, and blogging had to take a back seat. I've attempted several comebacks, but nothing seemed quite right. But, I'm returning to the blog address where it all started and we are launching all over again.

Welcome to ForeignCulture!

I'll be customizing the blog as I go...