140 Words Or Less

What do u think? If u r on staff @ a church u should attend functions the church puts on, men @ the mens events, ladies @ the ladies events — Fraser Morse (@FraserMorse) February 25, 2014 My friend tweeted this yesterday and argued that “non-attendance” by pastors was poor leadership: To me, the issue isn’t leadership, it’s vision. As the torch-bearer of the church’s mission, any pastor who won’t give selflessly of their time and energy to make that vision a reality shouldn’t be in ministry. Likewise, a church with a clear vision of their God given identity and role wouldn’t want to waste precious resources on events that didn’t directly further their mission. What many pastors dread  is giving up their personal time to attend one more breakfast/prayer meeting/social gathering that’s nothing more then a “holy huddle” filling the social calendars of existing believers. If your pastors aren’t attending, they’re either unqualified or they understand what the church lacks t

***We're blowing past the 140 word limit in this post because some stories simply require more words.  When I was 14, there was this girl that I really liked.  The first time I really noticed her, she was sitting a couple rows in front of me at church and I was smitten by her straight, long brown hair and her luminous smile.  We caught each other sneaking glances during service and after church we played that game where you pretend to avoid the other person while also trying to accidentally run into them at the same time.   It turned out she was one of those high school girls with a college boyfriend but he lived in another city so I figured my chances were solid.  For the next few months I played the "friend" card, hanging out, chatting on the phone and pretending to be sympathetic when she told me about her relationship troubles.  I remember sitting on the floor of her apartment, watching TV with some friends and rubbing her sock covered feet, which, in retrospect,

  My favourite seat is at the back because it allows me to be present and distant at the same time. I prefer to participate without having to assimilate.  The benefit of being the outsider is that it gives me the perspective to see all sides of an issue because I am not beholden to those promoting a cause or those criticising it.   I'm becoming aware that the danger of the outsider role is that it promotes cynicism and allows me shirk responsibility.  By remaining on the margins, I can reap the benefits yet avoid the responsibility of real commitment.  If things aren't to my liking, I can wipe my hands and wag my finger.  The question is, by wanting to avoid being trapped on a sinking ship am I condemning myself to a life of never actually leaving the shore? Word Count: 140

I’m a part of a group of twenty-somethings who meet regularly to talk about life, faith and milking cows (don’t ask).  This week it came to light that between the ten of us present, we own approximately 1560 articles of clothing (not including things like underwear, scarves, socks).  If each item averages $20, that means our group has spent over $31,000 on clothes.   Which raises the question; would any of our lives be significantly worse off if we owned half of the clothes we do?   Because, if we cut our clothes spending in half, what amazing things could ten socially conscious, creative young adults do with $15,000 to make the world a better place? We can’t get a refund on what we’ve spent in the past but tomorrow doesn’t have to be like yesterday. Word Count: 139

I once attended a church with a pastor who was pulling a Jay Leno.  Over the years he’d developed a large and loyal following but as he approached retirement age, his act was growing stale.  He had overstayed his welcome but had no plans of moving on. The division in the church over what to do was predominantly split along age lines, with the older traditionalists wanting him to stay and the younger progressives hoping he'd be replaced.   As Steve Hyden points out , these sorts of “Generational wars aren’t won on the basis of better ideas...They are rigged contests that favor the young 100 percent of the time.” So the departure of Leno and that pastor shouldn’t be cause for celebration.  It just means my generation is one step closer to becoming that guy everyone wishes would leave already. Word Count: 140