Don Miller

I was fortunate tonight to have checked my Twitter account right at the time Don Miller was doing a little interactive web event. I so appreciate Don's genuine personality and how he answers questions in a way that convinces the listener that he is saying what he believes rather that what he thinks you might want to hear.

Don is like a breath of fresh air - if you haven't had a chance to read one of Don's wonderful books, go to Amazon and have a look at his offerings, they are all very good.

Tullian Tchividjian: Allow Your Critics to Teach You | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Tullian Tchividjian: Allow Your Critics to Teach You | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

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Worlds Worst Blogger

Without a doubt I am one of the world's worst bloggers - not necessarily from a content point of view but from a consistency standpoint. I love to write, but as much as I love to write I love to have first-person human interest stories to write about.

One exciting piece of news that came my way this week was that I found out "for sure" that our ministry, Pastors Retreat Network, was confirmed as an exhibitor at the upcoming Catalyst conference in Atlanta this October. If you are unfamiliar with Catalyst and all that they have going on here is a link to their site.

From now on I will do my best to keep up with my responsibility as a blogger. I will try to post something meaningful everyday - let's see how I do! Peace and Blessings to All

Headlines

Do you ever read USA Today, the online version specifically? I have USA Today set as my homepage in my Safari browser. I like to get my day started by taking a quick look at the headlines as they relate to news, both national and international, what's going on in the world of finance, sports and all the other major areas covered within USA Today online.

One of my favorite stops is the news subsection covering religion. I this section because it deals with a broad range of issues that are important to the church, or should be important to the church.

Today one of the articles dealt with the "hot" topic of homosexuality. In the work that I do I have the great privilege of talking with people who might be considered "professional" Christians. In other words they get paid to work for the church or para-church ministries.

Within these groups of professional Christians, there are as many opinions as there are people when it comes to topics like homosexuality. Because the church has made homosexuality one of their "acid test" issues, I thought there might be interest in reading what some psychologists are saying about how best to deal with the issue of homosexuality within the confines of the counseling area.

Here is the link to that article

Funding Secured

Yesterday I learned that the grant request proposal I submitted to a Wisconsin-based Foundation was approved. I have never given birth so I have no idea how painful that experience is for new moms, but I can tell you for sure that writing a detailed grant request is like having your hand slammed in the door repeatedly.

It is funny how all the pain seems to fade away once you have the grant approval letter in your hot little hand.

I am really thankful that this approval came when it did, this has ben a tough year fundraising-wise; the economy has not been helpful, but we still believe we will raise everything we need to keep the ministry fully funded.

Needless to say, the grant that we've received will be very helpful. Now on to the next funding project! We have to keep the retreat space available for all the pastors and spouses that have been requesting this much needed time away.

So Many Words . . . So Little Communication

Being a writer and communicator, I spend a lot of time reading and listening to other people. I especially enjoy learning from others as I read their work and listen to their oration.

One thing I've noticed that runs contrary to the desires of most people who find themselves in a conversational exchange is that the majority of people would rather talk than listen. It's such a simple rule of great conversation, yet it's so often disregarded . . . listen more than you talk.

I have made a living by being willing to listen far more than I speak. The dividends of being patient enough to be an interested listener are huge. Not only do you learn far more than you ever dreamed possible, but you also win the goodwill of the people to whom you were willing to listen.

If you ever take time to read through the Book of Proverbs (Bible) - you will be amazed at how often, and how pointed, the references to speech, to conversation and to attitude within conversational exhanges are.

Reading Proverbs would be a very good starting point for anyone who is seriously interested in becoming a great interpersonal communicator - take a few hours and have a look - I guarantee you won't be disappointed

The Art Fair

This afternoon my wife and I went a few miles to the west to join in the festivities at the Lake Country Art Festival in Delafield, WI. I have to say the one thing that stood out to me the most was the collection of people that make up the artist community. It was somewhat humorous for someone like me who sees things through a cartoon imagination most of the time.

It was probably just me, but I could have sworn that the artists and the art that they were displaying started to look like one another. Sort of like the old notion that people and their pets begin looking like one another after a time.

As I turned my attention from the artist community, I began noticing the other people around the festival grounds - the people who were there just like me, simply to see the show. I couldn't help but notice how the faces of the people passing by so clearly reflected the affect of their body language and the conversation or lack thereof with the people in their company.

The entire exercise in observation was entirely unscientific and purely subjective, but even an untrained eye can tell the difference between overt joy and barley able to hang-on to the day.

The sad summation of this whole experience is that even within a festive event, there are so many people that look like the last thing they really want to do is to cope with another day of what it is that life keeps bringing their way.

So herein is my question to the church. How many people walk through our churches with the same look of desperation that I saw today at the art fair? What do we do to speak life and hope into their lives? Or, do we let them walk through the church just like the fair goers walked through the festival grounds - they came and they left with same feeling of discouragement and despondency that they have been carrying around for . . . who knows how long.

I just know that there is something wrong with me when I see someone that needs a friend and I make no attempt whatsoever to become that friend. I guess I have a long way to go in the quest to be like Jesus.

Organic Church

If you haven't stopped by the Organic Church website, you really owe it to yourself to have a look. I mention this site because of its great content but also because of the increasing number of people that I am talking with that have an interest in learning more about non-traditional expressions of church.

Dictionary of Emerging Terms and Phrases

First off let me set the record straight - I love what is happening in certain sectors of the church world. I am a true fan of what is happening through Catalyst even though I don't fit the age demographic that makes up the majority of Catalyst devotees. I love what is happening in certain segments of what is commonly called the emergent church; and I can't help but love what is coming out of the missional church movement.

I have the unique advantage of working on behalf of the church here in the US by working with a ministry that provides week-long, self-directed retreats for pastors and their spouses. Having this position allows me to meet with pastors from all across the country either in-person or via email.

Regardless of how I become acquainted with pastors or parachurch ministries that support the church, the one thing that I have found bordering on the edge of hilarity is the buzz words that we have adopted and use in much of our communication with one another.

Interestingly, because I work with all flavors of pastors and denominations, I have to be very careful when communicating with these various individuals and groups. For instance, when meeting with a pastor from the GARBC (General Association of Regular Baptist Churhes) I probably would not talk about Body Prayer.

Conversely when meeting with pastors from newly planted urban churches that are committed to community life and missional living, I probably wouldn't ask about who they were planning to choose as their choir robe vendor.

So . . . all that to say, I've learned a lot by listening to these wonderful and highly diverse friends, so much so that I feel compelled to create a Dictionary of Christian Terms and Phrases. I see this dictionary being of great help to newly minted Christian who venture out beyond the borders of one or two church expressions. I can also see a dictionary of this sort being invaluable for parachurch fundraisers who are charged with the responsibility of calling on as many churches as possible to present their ministry offerings. Talk about walking through a mine field.

Let me know what you think about such an idea - either leave a comment here or email me directly at jhwatters@gmail.com

Why Pastors Quit

HB London, a pastor who ministers to pastors recently gave his take on the top 5 reasons why pastors leave the ministry. Here they are:

1. "I can't see any progress being made."
2. "I'm not able to use my gifts." (I can't do what I do best most often.)
3. "I'm facing some difficult members."
4. "I need affirmation that I'm not getting."
5. "I need rest and refreshment."

If you have thoughts or comments, please feel free to post!

How Religious is Your State?

Interesting survey was posted on Gallup's site today. The survey speaks to the level of importance that "religion" holds in a persons life within and by state. You can find the complete article here.
Enjoy!

Mad Church Disease

If you are someone that is deeply involved ministry on a day-to-day basis, you need to know about a new book written by Anne Jackson titled, Mad Church Disease. Anne's book is a refreshing treatise on the subject of burnout, breakdown and madness of schedule within the ministry context.

Many texts treat the subject of ministry burnout academically and somewhat formulaic. Anne on the other hand, approaches the subject with a first hand, personal experience credibility. Not only is Anne's book credible from an experiential point of view, but it's credible as a product that dispenses spot-on recommendations. Here is a link to one of Anne's websites. That should help you on your way. Enjoy

Fresh Start

I have had two other blogs that I've chosen to abandon. I wanted a fresh start on a more focused venue. There is so much to cover when considering the church and all those who consider themselves part of the church, I just couldn't resist creating this new blog.

I work with the church and its' pastors for a living. I love what I do and hope through this blog to provide information to those who stop by that will be helpful to them in their journey as a Christ Follower.