I was talking with Santos (a blog lurker) about a post a few weeks back about the guy that took a tech fast. Then this week I was listening to a Geeks and God podcast where they highlighted this video. The content is interesting to say the least. He is a little long winded, and I think he could say simplify some of his sentences into some more concrete points. But think about it. I think the most thought provoking were watching TV like a doctor’s appointment rather than an all you can eat buffet, and admitting that everything digital might be found. It’s a good reminder if anything.

Resolution for Surviving the Future from Jon Barnes on Vimeo.

it’s over. i can hear it again. the broken record. frustrated students: whining, procrastinating, quitting, etc. it is only drowned out by the exact same sounds coming loud and clear from the other teachers. frustrated to say the least. it is less compelling than ever to get up and go to work. maybe it won’t be as bad as i remember from 10 days ago. hopefully.

I went with our church staff down to Lodi on Wednesday to listen to Reggie speak on Missional Church Architecture. A lot of the discussions I have had with the staff include parts of Reggie’s Present Future stuff. He really makes me think, examine, and question what is going on in me, my circle of influence, and my church. I will just list some of the things he said that I think are important. If you get a chance to hear him speak, I would definitely recommend it. Disclaimer: these are all in some context and I jotted them down as he spoke, so think deeply, tread lightly.

• People used to make stuff (manufacturing to service)
• We pay for stuff we don’t want to do
• We outsourced spiritual formation to the church
• Most of our churches are too secular for our culture
• They look for God and they find church instead
• The church becomes a way that the kingdom is breaking into the world
• Jesus is the hope of the world, not the church
• We are not running this sucker
• The church isn’t the destination
• The church is like an airport, it’s just a connector
• Are we releasing people and resources to bless the world
• Release people into leadership
• People count even if they don’t show up to a building

I recently finished two books, The Dip by Seth Godin, and Uprising by Erwin McManus.
The best thing from Seth was that quitting a lot of the wrong things is the only way to succeed in the right thing. It’s not the same as giving up. At all.
The best from Erwin was the the whole book. It was kind of like one giant kick in the pants. Get going. Not in 6 months. Now. Very substantial motivation. Loved it.

Next up: A.J. Jacobs‘ The Year of Living Biblically. Hopefully it is as lighthearted as it seems.

This article is pretty interesting. The guy takes a sabbath from his tech stuff and he feels “connected to myself rather than my computer. I had time to think, and distance from normal demands. I got to stop.” It’s strange that most Christians don’t have enough time for a sabbath, but the pseudo-benefits of it can be felt by anyone. God made us with the need for a day off. It’s just a good reminder.

I submitted a banner for Tony Morgan’s banner contest for his blog, and mine was put up on March 1st. Just some photoshop reflection style stuff. But it’s green. Which is perfect for beginning March.

Pretty cool.