Last night my family and I had the privilege of seeing The Incredibles in Disney on Ice. I had never been to an"...On Ice" show before, and I must say it was very entertaining. The best part was when the characters asked all the kids in the audience to push the orange button on their Incredibles wristbands that they had been given as they entered the arena. This allowed the kids to help defeat the evil Syndrome. The kids loved it. And it got me thinking of all kinds of fun you could have at church if you past out wristbands at the door. You could have even more fun if all the congress wore wristbands to the State of the Union address. Then they wouldn't have to keep standing up and sitting down when the president said something they agreed or disagreed with, they could just push their orange or yellow buttons on their wristbands. This would save a lot of time.

We were given the tickets to the show by some very nice people at KLTY radio station. We had a great family time last night. Big "Thanks" to KLTY.

I am now officially in my mid-thirties. Today I celebrated my thirty-fifth birthday by sharing some outstanding bar-b-que with my outstanding family. The best thing I can hope for as I begin another year is that I can be a better husband, father, friend, brother, son, student, teacher, leader, follower, giver, lover, poet and disciple than I was last year.

For those of you interested in our culture, church, the arts and how the three intersect....you may enjoy this article from Read Mercer Schuchardt, publisher of Metapilm. I think it's fascinating.

Cinema—The New Cathedral of Hollyworld
How films are replacing religion in our cinematic age.

Tommorrow may the saddest day of my life up until now. It will also be a day of celebration. Tommorrow I will say goodbye and help bury my hero--my granfather, Gilbert Voss. He truly lived life to the fullest and got the very most out of the last 92 years, 8 months and 13 days. Now he is home where he can rest in the arms of his Father. He was the most amazing man I have ever or will ever know. He was honest, kind and always did the right thing. He preached the best sermons and taught thousands of people about the love of Jesus, yet he never stood in the pulpit. He was the real definition of "living in the world, but not of it." He is forever my hero, and words could never express how much I will miss him.

Lately, my wife and I having been discussing the purpose of church. We've noticed that in the last 20 years there have been traditional churches, progressive churches, seeker churches, small group churches, megachurches, house churches, emergent churches---and the list goes on and on. There are some that say the purpose of the church is "making disciples." Others say the purpose of the church is "to save the lost and mature the saved." Still others attest that the purpose of church is five-fold, including fellowship, teaching, outreach, service and worship. I think all of these are fine, and it's obvious that there are many different options regarding why the church exists.

The most interesting questions for us lately relate to whether the church exists for church people or for unchurched people. The obvious, post-modern answer is both. That's a neat answer, but it's also an easy way around having to answer the tough question.

Just the other day, my wife offered a rather simple but very thoughtful explaination to this dilema. She said, "I think church is for church people, and church people are for the world." I think she may be on to something. I wonder what this definition would look like on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night. I wonder what it would look like during a week of school or work. What does it mean to do church for church people? How do church people exist for the world? These things need to be explored.

I had dinner last night at my favorite "burger joint" in North Tarrant County. I shared a cheeseburger, some chili-cheese fries, and a vanilla shake with my daughter and some great conversations with some high school friends. If you're in Southlake, be sure to treat yourself to Johnny B's.

So, where do you find your favorite burger?

My friend Mark Riddle always has some intersting stuff to say about Youth Ministry. Here are some of his current thoughts regarding the relationship between youth ministry and the emerging church.

Youth Ministry in the Emerging Church

I think I agree with Mark that there is no one way to church or to do youth ministry. I also agree with Mark that in the coming years there will be fewer paid youth pastors at emerging churches. With one exception......I think the best emerging youth pastors in the future will not be paid by churches....they'll be paid by public schools....and book stores....and gyms.....and ??????????. As teenagers stop going to church, youth pastors will be forced to take up residence in their world. Sounds kinda "incarnational", doesn't it?
Think about it.