Recently began going through Ephesians with my men’s accountatiblity group. Some people ask me how I study for a message and/or read God’s Word for my personal worship times. Several elements are the same. The foundational piece is a breakout of the chapter (especially in non-narrative passages). This allows me to see the main points and reinforcing points. You don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew (though it can help), just outline a more literal translation (ESV or NASB). Use the tab key to push over modifying statements where they start under the phrase they modify.

Using this method:

1. Forces you to slow down and reflect on each phrase of a passage and wrestle with where it sits in relation to other phrases.

2. Shows you the main points of a passage.

3. Allows you to mark purpose/end result statements (arrow). Often these are “so that…” or “in order that.”

The rest of the week I tend to alternate between reading this document and making notes on the page about what God is saying and the regular paragraph layout in my ESV Bible. It is amazing what new things I am able to to see using this method.

Okay, cool production but nothing as hooky or memorable melody wise as their previous albums.

It Might Get Loud movie by Sony.

Watch the trailer of the Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White talking about the history of the electric guitar. A new movie coming soon.

Use this on Firefox to kill all those goofy quizzes people take and then share publically. HALLELUJAH.

Little tweak to my email is allowing me much less stress and keeping the inbox flow to zero.

Create three folders and archived topical folders.

1. __crucial action
2. __semi-crucial action
3. __peruse
4. my other series of topical folders (graphics-comm, personal, worship design, sermonater, staff ,event coordination, tech, web, sans “__”etc. ad naseum. I have tons of these).

You’ll need the “__”  on 1-3 to make them sit at the top.

Each email gets quickly assessed and flown into one of the folders based upon its crucial nature .

1. Things that need action in the next 48 hours. (ex. Sr Pastor stuff and Exec Pastor stuff) almost always go into __crucial. Stuff that is important but not vital within the next 48 goes into semi-crucia
2. __Peruse is for things to ponder in moments of stillness. The “check this out” other people send me at times (ex. articles, try this, etc.)
3. If something is “handled” or “FYI” it gets moved for reference into a topical folder. (example emails re: Vietnamese art exhibit that I might to recall at next years exhibit.

Sometimes I send myself a to-do email and throw it into __crucial, __semi-crucial, __peruse, etc.

As this has become my to-do list, it has the side benefit of keepin my inbox at zero. It also keeps the main things the main thing as I work in __crucial the most. I am in email more than any other program and with one click I can see what is most crucial that I be about. Vitalist is still our tool of choice for delegation, but this is easier for my personal to-do. Feel free to ask me questions.

As goofy as it sounds. I am all for the constitution (and right to carry even) but this is a bizarre blurring of lines for a worship service.

[via Rocket Dave Bryant]

Fascinating
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/548
Goes to our non-neutrality in regards to rationality and the effect of the Fall upon thinking patterns.

I just returned from a Quest with Fellowship of the Sword. I have had many spiritual moments in my life but other than salvation, marriage day and birth of my children, nothing has come close to the experience I had there in the mountains of North Carolina. This isn’t some mamby-pampy retreat but an intense 5 day process with 18 other men. WOW. I highly encourage you to go. I am committed to their process and thus cannot tell you what I did because it would ruin it for you. I can tell that I learned to ABIDE!

A friend on Facebook is hijacking old SNL Deep Thoughts with Jack Handy quotes. People are calling him a genius once again proving the secret to creativity is hiding your adaptive source. HA! Some of his better hijacks…

Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It’s a shark riding on an elephant’s back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

I hope that after I die, people will say of me: “That guy sure owed me a lot of money.”

I guess of all my uncles, I liked Uncle Cave Man the best. We called him Uncle Cave Man because he lived in a cave and because sometimes he’d eat one of us. Later on we found out he was a bear.

Where does your area rank and how can your church reach out during these difficult times with creative ministry (job fairs, message series etc)?

Click here to see the map.

Look how we are linked globally; think of the power that has for the Gospel and transformation.

Playing For Change | Song Around The World “Stand By Me” from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

[via rocket dave bryant]

http://shinichimaruyama.com/

Check it out; nice work! Love the concept behind it. He throws India ink-water mixture into the air and photographs it midflight.

Someone please stop the madness. However, did I miss its Oct 08 release.