Johnny Brower

Last night, I finally took in Bill Maher’s scathing documentary Religulous. I had been excited about this movie for sometime, but like all other movies I get excited about, it took me months to get to it.

This film was exactly what I expected. It’s Bill Maher interrupting every interviewee, but getting really upset when they interrupt him. It’s picking only the most outrageous zealots to speak on behalf of their religion. It’s quick edits on the few credible interviewees so they sound like idiots.

And…
It’s Bill Maher asking some really great questions! Religulous is a movie that all Christians (over 18) should see. Not because he uncovers any new truths or says anything thought-provoking, but because it will give you a glimpse of what Christianity looks like to an outsider.

This movie sparked some great conversations about our “foundations of faith”, and what it is that makes us Christian. What are the thing(s) that make you a Follower of Christ? What if those things you hold to be foundations in your faith were to be proven untrue? Would you know longer believe?

I’m a huge fan of Christopher Guest and the multitude of mocumentary magic he’s had his hands on.  So, I’m always a bit skeptical when a musical mocumentary emerges without him.

I saw this preview for a new movie called “Jesus People” today. It’s written by two christian guys about a fake Christian band and their journeys through recording, interviews and concerts.

I think it’s a funny concept, but the preview seems to me like they’re trying to hard.

jesuspeoplefilm.com

It seems a lot of people have a problem with this.

I do, too.

My problem stems more from the Gay and Lesbian community.  This seems like a huge step backward for you.  In an age where we fight for equal rights, this seems a whole lot like self-inflicted segregation.  The school is not the one who decided this should happen, it was a student!  How can we continue to fight for equality (whether gender, race, or sexual orientation) when we keep asking to be segregated?

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It seems like my entire career (yes…it’s a career) in youth ministry has been in transition.  I’ve had the privilage of working under some great leaders from whom I have learned many things about communication, delegation, spiritual health and working as a team for the glory of God.  I’ve also worked under some [not so] great leaders from whom I’ve learned almost as much.

Truth be told, we are all in roles of leadership in our lives — in our jobs, with our friends, small groups, parenting, etc.  Being a young, single male, I’ve not had too many opportunities to take a leadership role in the workplace.  But in the wake of recent events, I find myself there.

I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t been dreaming of this moment.  I feel like I was made for this. Sounds corny, I know.  But no matter how ready you think you are, there are things you could never forsee when it comes to leadership.  EVERYTHING MATTERS — every word, every gesture, your timeliness, your priorities, your attitude, YOUR LIFE!

As I transition (yet again) into this new adventure, I go with the utmost confidence in my ability and, even more so, my willingness to learn.  I want to be the very best leader that I can be!  Not for my own selfish gain, but for the Kingdom.

To my staff…
You are solid!  I couldn’t ask for a more qualified and willing group of people to work alongside.  As we continue this journey called youth ministry, I will work hard for you.  I want to provide an efficient, yet comfortable/fun-loving, work environment.  I want to work in conjunction with you and your talents to bless our students, their families, our church, our community and our world!

To my church…
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to serve one of the greatest churches I’ve ever been a part of!  I’m so proud of our organization and our commitment to serving God by serving others.  I feel honored to be on this unbelievable team.  I will work hard to continue a tradition of excellence.  I know our potential, and I’m ready.

To my volunteers…
Without you, this ministry would not go!  I am only one person with limited life experience.  Your passion for our students and love for God show through on a daily basis!  I am in total awe of your willingness to serve this church and our ministry.  The eternal impact that you make on our students is priceless.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

To my students…
You are why I’m here.  Your passion for the knowledge of God never ceases to amaze me.  I’m warmed every week as I see your love for God and His people grow.  Thank you for your life.  I’m honored to be given the chance to share it with you.  I will continue to grow in knowledge and strength on a daily basis, so I can be best I can be for you.

To myself…
You are ready for this.  I’m proud of you.

I know that a large part of being a great leader is seeking the wisdom of other great leaders.  I’m beginning by reading a book by Bill Hybels entitled Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs.  I hope to posts some personal notes on my findings.

What are you reading?  Who are the great leaders that feed you?

If you are at all like me, your business card information has changed several times over the past 5 years.  It seems like I’m constantly changing titles, numbers, etc. and wasting over half of my order.

Enter Contxts.com.

I’m not sure if this is an actual solution to my problem, but it’s definitely cool!  This FREE service allows you to create your own txtCard.  The interested party can just text your username to 50500 and receive your personalized information in seconds.

It would be great to post on any web outlet (twitter, blog, facebook).

My only concern is the possibility of spam.  I could totally see some bots that pick up this info and instantly have any information that you decide to make available.

But on another note….

I could also see some creative ways to incorporate this into your ministry.
- instant ministry info
- txt coupons
- event info
- etc.

Any other ideas?  Issues?

*txt ‘johnnybrower’ to 50500

I love Google.

I use Google to email,
calendar,
host/edit documents,
read blogs (collect rss feeds),
find phone numbers and businesses,
get directions,

and search for Tears for Fears lyrics.

So I guess you could imagine my shock when I buy an iPhone and only Gmail syncs (pushes) to my phone.
I have to use all backdoors to get my calendars on my phone.  I don’t want to pay for a MobileMe account, so what’s a boy to do?

Well…
Google finally shaped up and has released Google Sync for the iPhone!  Yippee!

But wait.
What’s this?
I can only sync up to 5 calendars?
That’s stupid.
GOOGLE!  Help a brother out!
What’s the deal?

This week, three teenage girls who allegedly sent nude or semi-nude cell phone pictures of themselves, and three male classmates in a western Pennsylvania high school who received them, are charged with child pornography.

“This is a serious felony. They could be facing many years in prison,” CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom said of the six teens in Pennsylvania.

I’m not one to normally jump all over issues of sexuality among teens.  I feel it’s an important subject, but also a personal one.  We do our best to inform them of the facts and implications, but ultimately, it’s a personal decision.

But, when it comes to this new issue, “sexting”, it affects more than just the one person.

Sexting is defined as sending nude or semi-nude pictures via text message.  This makes for a very scary predicament because the recipient may not be a consenting individual.  Even if they were, our country has VERY STRICT child pornography laws, and you could be charged severely regardless of whether or not the child is the one who willingly took pictures of themselves.

How does something like sexting effect youth ministry?
How do you protect yourself if you find yourself the unwilling recipient of a “sext” message?

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This is my resolution: to wake up and spend a solid 45-60 minutes with my coffee, breakfast and a book. Day 4, and I’m feeling great. This is a wonderful way to start my day.

hilarious.

[ht:zach]