Things I Just Don't Understand (part 5)

After every message at Discovery, whether I speak or not, we answer questions that people might have about the message.  Sometimes people share comments, critiques and things that maybe didn't relate directly to the message but they needed clarification on something going on in church.  We find that the easiest way to encourage communication is to allow it to be a two way street.  That way if people don't understand exactly what's going on, or worse, somebody misspeaks and gives the wrong information, that way we have a chance to correct and clarify before things get out of control.

Anyhow, I'm still not sure where this originated because I don't look at who actually asked the question, but I got a very odd one this week.  Somebody wrote, "There's a rumor that's started that Jason is going to be leaving Discovery to start another church.  Is he?"  My first reaction was, "Huh?"  Sure church planting hasn't been easy for me or my family.  Sure, people have issues and problems and I'm called to help them deal with them and it sometimes gets messy.  Sure we've been setting up and tearing down "church" every week for over three years now and it's work.  But leave?  Never.  I intend to stay at Discovery as long as Discovery is still around and making a difference in people's lives and in the community.  I see myself growing old and dying here.  When I drive home, I can picture my grandkids playing in my front yard.

So no, I'm not going anywhere that I know of and how that rumor got started is just one more thing I just don't understand.

FAQ - New Series Starting Soon

In a few weeks we'll be starting a new series called FAQ where you guys get to ask the questions - from the silly to the serious, from the Bible to the bathroom (well, maybe not the bathroom).  There are a couple of ways to submit questions early and during the series.  The easiest way for blog readers is to CLICK HERE and type in your question.  If you'd prefer to think about it and text it in, you can do that by texting "ASKDC" followed by a space and your question to 99503.  

But wait, there's more.  You can also use any smart phone by going to poll4.com and again, type "ASKDC" followed by a space and your question.

During the series questions will be live, but also moderated (we don't want bathroom humor and the like)  Here's just a sneak peak at what it will look like with approved questions (these were submitted the past couple of days)  There's no guarantee that we'll answer or even address every question, in fact, I'm sure we won't, but this is what people are thinking and wondering.

Create your own sms poll at Poll Everywhere

Things I Just Don't Understand (part 4)

I remember when I was in school (and considering college and post graduate work I've been in school a long time) whether you didn't do your work and pass the tests you or you turned in every assignment, studied and passed exams, either way, you earned a grade.  Some got A's and B's and yes, some people actually earned an F.  In fact, I often told students who asked me to pray for their exams that they would get the grade they deserved instead of that they'd get an A.

So I don't understand what goofball came up with the idea that schools shouldn't give F's and should institute a "no-fail" policy.  I was reminded of this when I saw this article today.  I'm guessing there's a reason that the high school drop out rate is around 30% in the US and it's not because students don't get enough "do overs."  I mean seriously - do people really think that not allowing students to fail prepares them for the real world?  Are you kidding me?  Whoever came up with that idea deserves their own "F."  I just don't understand the reasoning behind lowering the standards so the kids who don't measure up can feel better about failing.  Somebody please explain this to me.

Things I Just Don't Understand (part 3)

This is worth the entire 8 minute watch. I do not understand how I haven't seen this before - absolutely amazing! Thanks for finding and posting it Gentzlers

Things I Just Don't Understand (part 2)

I remember the very first computer I ever used.  It was a Vic 20, followed by a Commodore 64 and so on and so on.  When I got to college I bought my first PC - it had Windows 3.1.  Upgraded to '95, '98 and XP (never did make the leap to Vista).  

You know what else I remember - crashes, viruses, reboots, reformatting, defragging, the blue screen of death, CTRL+ALT+Del, slow boot times, lagging processing, "Not Responding" messages, and plenty more.  Oh, those were the days.

What I don't understand is why it took me so long to listen to the people who talked about how simple and easy and solid Apple computers were.  I should have listened.  In middle school, I remember the first computer lab had Macintosh's in it.  Guess I'm not that quick after all - took me 20 years to go back to the Mac.  And I'll never go back to PC again.  I just don't understand how people can be happy with a Windows PC.

Things I Just Don't Understand

So this "look" has been around for a while and I've never understood it.  I remember having kids in my youth group that had to hold their pants up so they wouldn't trip just to play some of the games. I just don't get it.  First of all, I've tried wearing my pants this way - it's just not that comfortable.  In fact it kinda feels like you've got some "leftovers" you forgot to wipe.  And how do you keep them up without constantly reaching down and holding on or having to pull them up?  Wouldn't it just be easier to leave them up?  I mean, do you really think people want to see your rear end more clearly so you need to drop your drawers?  I'm sure part of it is cultural and since I'm not part of that culture, I'll never get it, but still....somebody explain to me the thoughts and reasoning behind saggy pants.

I've Got to Get This Off My Chest

There are some things that I think are just stupid.  There's no nice way to say it and when I encounter these people or events it makes me want to explode.  Now, I'll admit on the front end that I may not have all the necessary information, but based on my limited knowledge of the following situations, I've just got to get this off my chest.

Stupid #1

Last week, Lora and I took Tyler and Tanner with us to Wal-mart to buy some paintballs so we could play in the back yard.  We went to the self-checkout place since we only had 3 items and I asked Tyler (12) to scan the paintballs while I grabbed the other stuff.  Apparently paintballs require some kind of verification/override and I'm fine with that.  What got me was the clerk who came over started ranting about how it's illegal for Tyler to scan paintballs.  Huh?  Lora and I both told her we're the parents and we're paying for them.  Didn't matter - still supposedly illegal.  She voided the paintballs and made me scan them.  Whew!  You can all sleep well now knowing that Wal-mart is keeping you safe!  Stupid.

Stupid #2

This whole deal with Miss California answering the question about gay marriage that Perez Hilton asked her during the Miss USA pageant (which Miss North Carolina who goes to ECU won by the way!)  Listen, the question was a "What do you think...?" kind of question, and she said what she thought.  Apparently she should not have answered the questions because all kinds of people have their proverbial panties in a wad because they didn't like her answer.  Heck, Perez called her bad names on his blog and the California pageant officials didn't even talk to her after she came in runner-up.  I can understand if she'd said something like "I really like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches better than bologna" and didn't actually answer the question, but good golly, she answered the question.  So much for "tolerance" of different viewpoints and opinions.  Stupid

Stupid #3

I hesitate writing this because it's a local news story, but 4 kids bust into a guy's house, beat him up, force his girlfriend into another room and rob him while 2 more kids wait outside.  At some point the victim grabs a shotgun and shoots at the guys who robbed him (apparently as they're leaving) and hits one who later dies.  The kid who got shot gets loaded in the car and his "buddies" literally roll him out the car door at the hospital and then drive the car they "borrowed" back to where they took it from and bail.  The guy who was being broken in on, beaten and robbed is now being charged with 2nd degree murder.  Look, I'm just saying, if you bust up in my house, beat me up, and start moving family members around and then think you're gonna make a run for it - I don't care if I know you even - if I see you and can fire off a shot - I'm gonna (so be warned).  What's was he supposed to do, wave nicely and yell "See you later"?  And of course everybody involved is "a good kid."  Yeah, sounds like it.  I wonder if the guy they were robbing found the warm chocolate chip cookies the crooks brought him?  Stupid.

I could go on, but those are the three I just needed to get off my chest so I can get back to work and stop thinking about stupid things that happen and stupid people.  Oh, and if you have a "stupid" story, I'd love for you to leave a comment and share it. 

Reflections

Alright, it's now the Wednesday after Easter and I think I've collected my thoughts about the last few days - here they are in bullet form

• Doing something for the community is a lot of work and requires a lot of help
  
• It's also worth it to do the work necessary to bless the community
  
• There were over 1,000 people at the Easter Egg Hunt
  
• We had between 70 and 80 volunteers working and they all looked great sporting their new Discovery Church T-shirts
• Wonder why I needed to be at the TV station by 5:15 for a 5:55AM appearance
  
• Our crew of volunteers was absolutely amazing - great attitudes and great job
  
• We had people donate the Wii and the PSP and games we gave away so we didn't need to buy them - that was great
  
• Even though it stormed the night before and rained just hours before - it ended up being a beautiful day for Greenville's Largest Easter Egg Hunt
  
• I've heard nothing but positive feedback so I think we made a positive impression and opened some doors
  
• We had a good number of guests at our Easter service
  
• A handful of people made life-changing decisions about believing in, trusting in and committing to Jesus Christ
  
• My wife is amazing.  Easter dinner was going to be us and my parents and morphed into that plus 10 more.
  
• I love being hospitable, spontaneous and inviting people to share life and meals with me and my family
  
• I feel bad because I thought of a couple other people that we should have probably asked to join us but it was after the fact
  
• I've been asking people what their thoughts on the Egg Hunt are and so far everyone thinks we should do it again next year
  
• You can share your thoughts HERE too if you'd like (I'd prefer you were there or at least heard something about it)
  
• Been encouraged by what I've read and heard happened this Easter at other churches.  People met Jesus!
  
• Excited to be going to a father/son camping trip this weekend with my three boys
  
• A little bummed that I'm not going to be there to hear Steve Thurnau speak for the first time at Discovery
  
• I'm actually a little scared too since I know a little bit about Steve 
  
• I'm still recovering from the weekend.  Couldn't sleep last night even though I was exhausted - too much to think about
  
• Real excited about some of the things we have coming up - particularly some of our series
  
• Wondering how to get the word out better to the community about Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope meeting on Thursday, April 23rd at 8:00PM.  We're hosting it at the Boys and Girls Club
  
• On Mother's Day we should launch a new kid check-in and meeting spaces
  
• Our new website is up (still being updated and tweaked)  Check it out at www.discoverync.com and let us know what you think
  
• We'll be doing a series called FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and people can start texting their questions in now (and will be able to do so live during the series)  Text "ASKDC" to 99503 along with your question or go HERE online or Poll4.com on your phone and start your question with "ASKDC"  All entries are moderated.
  
• We're doing OnePrayer again this year in July, a series on Forgiveness from Psalm 32, ones on financial stewardship, sex, death and the afterlife, and on a Biblical worldview.  So looking forward to these which take us through November.
  
• If you've read this far - thanks
  
• Open Door Church gave me their CO2 tanks for setting up paintball in my back yard (Thanks)  Excited about playing Paintball with the Pastor!
  
• All the kids really want a tree house so that will be one of the summer projects this year.  Have some VERY cool ideas!
  
• I didn't take time to eat lunch so I'm gonna go eat dinner and wait for my wife to get home.  I am so in love with her.
  
• I get to pastor some of the coolest and most amazing people around.  What a privilege.
  

Inconsistency

Lately, my blog has been a picture of inconsistency.  Sometimes, there are posts back to back to back and other times, nothing for a week.  If someone uses a blog reader or subscribes to the feed, fine - they'll only notice me when there's something new.  But for those poor people who manually check - how thoroughly disappointing it must be to see nothing.  Hopefully they're not discouraged enough to stop.

Why is it people are inconsistent?  Lack of effort?  Lack of know-how?  Lack of commitment? What is it?  In almost every area of my life there are times when I've been inconsistent.  Basic life stuff like eating, sleeping and using the bathroom have been inconsistent.  Date nights, family time and even prayer time and Bible study time have all had seasons of inconsistency.  

No answers today folks, just the question - what causes me to be inconsistent?  Or if you'd rather not guess, what causes you to be inconsistent?

Get Your Friends to Church This Week

I'm excited about the next couple of weeks.  I'm praying that Jesus shows up in an undeniable way.  I'm pretty well finished with the messages for this week and for Easter and I think they're going to be pretty powerful and present people with an opportunity to respond to the good news of Jesus.  I don't care what kind of troubles your dealing with or questions you might have, I think you and your friends will find encouragement, hope and life this weekend and next.  So what are you waiting for?  Invite your friends and we'll see you on Sunday!

Men and Marriage

It's no secret that in general, men are lazy, apathetic and not at all the spiritual leaders of their homes or lovers of their wives in the way they've been charged by God himself to be.  More often then I'd like to admit, I fall into that category.  Since I just got slapped in the face with this, I figured I'd share it with you as well.  It's not short, it's not fluffy-feel-good stuff, but it's needed.  Carve out an hour to invest in this, but only if you think you can handle it.