I’ve lost my internet footprint

So, saying I’ve been busy kind of goes without saying.

Saying I’ve got stress…it’s always there.

Saying my wife has been staying current with blogs and reading them more than me is just embarrassing.

Saying I need a break is redundant because…well, I’ve been on one for quite some time now.

Ugh…I don’t know. I need to figure things out. Figure out how this can become a community again. Figure out what I have to contribute. Figure out next steps.

Until then, for those still reading, my online footprint will remain over at The Joint Review and twitter and I’ll try and get my act together quickly.

Thanks,

Conner

The Joint Goes Official!

BIG NEWS PEOPLE!

In March of this year 2 of some incredible blogging buddies of mine and I kicked off a fun project called the Joint, where we reviewed music in a ‘multi-personality’ format. We’ve had a ton of fun with it. I’ve been stoked to be a part of it and get to know these guys better and interact with ya’ll around the subject of music.

Well we’ve picked up another voice and now 4 of us are cranking out the music reviews. Up most recently has been the review of Fee’s Hope Rising. Before that we had Brenton Brown, Todd Agnew, David Crowder*Band just to name a few. It’s our hope and desire that through the voices of 4 different fellas putting in their thoughts into a review with a brief synopsis, a bottom line verdict, and our own personal favorite tracks and songs that we think could help your worship services that you’d enjoy an incredible introduction to some new and familiar artists!

Some of you have already picked up on it but I’m stoked to announce that the Joint Review has gone “official” and moved from this:

to this:

HAHA!

AND we’ve gone from reviews showing up on our individual blogs to our very own website that can be found at www.thejointreview.com. Check out the music. Show some love and spread the word.

Thanks ya’ll!

David Crowder’s CHURCH MUSIC Delivers! Review & Wine Metaphor

I am stunned and shocked by the intensity this worship project brings. It’s absolutely ruining the rest of my music collection right now!

As many of you know, today’s the day! New David Crowder*Band goodness for you to feast on. And let me tell you, it is yummy goodness! We’ve featured it in our multi-perspective review BLOGSITE The Joint Review.com (yup we went pro on you and made our own site!) and I highly recommend you check it out. Shucks just go buy the CD and then read the review while you dig in!

I do warn you! This worship project is not for the faint of heart! It has been masterfully thought out thematically, lyrically, and stylistically and shall be like your favorite red wine. One that with each sip gets better and better and truly gets better with time! But I encourage you to drink deep!

The Nines Last Update

Jud Wilhite brought it and I’m out to get home and back for practice tonight! Here’s the last bit I have:

Larry Osborne/North Coast Church = Future of the church

Good stuff! Get this!

Matt/Austin Stone =

Is there something wrong or missing from the American church culture that’s keeping us from actually seeing victory over sin

Christians struggle with sin: Romans 7

James 5:16

Scott Williams/Lifechurch/Big is the new Small = Church diversity sucks but it doesn’t have to

Jim/Flat Irons Community Church =

You have to allow people to belong before they can believe

Not my job to save, fix, or change people. I’m not your Holy Spirit

Neal Cole/Organic Church =

Phil 2: Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit….

God is looking for servants who will lead. Make a name for others

Stunning story of his father-in-law

Reggie Joiner/Orange = Neamiah

Rebuilding the wall for a generation he knew would need a faith in God

1/2 way through the attack with the threat of attack he leaned into the people and reminded them of what was at stake! Leaned into the families – fight for your family, songs, daughters!

60-80% of teenagers are dropping out of faith/church

1. Those on the outside would change their opinion of who God is

2. Those on the inside would begin to change their opinion of who God is and pay attention like never before

3. Celebration of God’s work from those seeing who God is

Bill Easum/ = Legacy

Legacy is who you leave behind not what

2 metaphors likes: Spiritual Midwife and Scout

What do I need to stop doing!

Develop your “to be” list – a list of ppl who could be leaders in the future!

JD Greer/Summit Church =

Center of our ministry out to be the proclamation of Jesus

Act 1 – primary task is to be a witness to me

Gospel is not even an exclusive religious word

Do NOT confuse the effects of the gospel with the actual gospel!

Love is the most powerful apologetic for the Gospel

Geoff Surrat/Seacost Church – Keep your faith strong

How do you go from being on staff to being a disconnected follower of Christ?

1. Take care of your family – Ministry free zones

2. Go to church – don’t work in church without stopping to worship in church. With your family, sitting down worshipping together

3. Be in a small group – not your title but yourself

4. Prioritize your personal worship –

5. Growing your faith – not preparation for your message/retreat/etc.

6. Give generously – generous giving defeats selfishness

7. Serve on a mission – something that helps another mission.

8. Volunteer – Outside of your ministry

9. Forgive – when we work with other people we’re going to get hurt and need to forgive. Every church has an imperfect staff

10. Believe the best – about your other staff personnel

Lady from Crosspoint Church =

Rich Nathan/Vineyard Church =

Marketing loves to play the either/or card but we find in the Bible the both/and principle.

Never has there been divorce like there is with evangelism and social justice

We had to address poverty and abortion in our community so joined with 300 women at risk for abortion

Sam from India =

Dan Kimball/Santa Cruz Vintage Church =

In the church tradition should never get in the way of mission or it is a sin.

Chip/Pinelake Church Mississippi = Take care of yourself

You’re the only one who can take care of you

Your well being is your responsibility

Jud Wilhite/Central Christian Church =

Managing the small details in life! Most ppl think an iceberg that sank the Titanic when in fact it was faulty rivets! Substandard details. The parallel for us on the surface things are well but underneath we must manage the details.

The Assassin Character Creep.

1. Plan for the assassin – be ready. Travel, money, counseling with the opposite sex.

Hands off the money, pants up, and stay out of the hot tub! Sometimes there is success by default – the last person standing.

A long obedience in the same direction

2. Operate by the media mode of operation – never do anything today that you’d be uncomfortable seeing on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow!

The Nines Update – 3rd 90 minutes

First off: MICROSOFT WORD I BITE MY THUMB AT THEE! Evernote and Pages are my new BFFs.
As you can tell, I had lunch and some breaks b/c my mind is numbing. That doesn’t mean some wicked awesome truth wasn’t dropped!

Teresa/Northstar –

Greg Surat/Seacoast Church –

Innovation grows out of desperation

Big ideas grow out of big failures

1. You hit the wall. Something is not working

2. You get discouraged. You see it as failure

3. Trust God. Never been a day when God said “I didn’t see that one coming.”

4. You start by asking the barrier breaking question. If nothing were impossible what could we accomplish here?

5. You collect innovative ideas. Pray- Brainstorm- then filter. Use matrix: easy/hard and big win/small win

6. You do it until it quits working. Make good repeatable.

Rick Rusaw –

Change in the landscape of the church in America

Shift in the question – from how can we be the best church in the community to FOR the community.

That guy –

Allowing your public persona to match your personal life

Bil/Bay Area Fellowship/ GO BIG – Mentoring

Exodus 33

1. Read books from people who have done what you want to do – diff in learning from someone who has experience not opinion!

2. Go to the right conferences – the popular one may not be the best one

3. Coaching

4. Take leaders to lunch. Go where they are. Do what they tell you to do before you go see them again.

5. Pray for your mentors. Look for ways to bless them

6.

Pete Wilson/Crosspoint =

Crisis of transformation – ppl are going to church but they aren’t becoming more Christlike

Looking at comparative studies b/w Christians and non-Christians there aren’t many differences in their areas of live

We’ve based it on attendance and knowledge instead of loving other people and…

VIM

Vision – help ppl understand what God has for them but we are pulled in 2 diff directions (use rubberband illustration)

Intention – help them learn to own their own spiritual life

Method – rhythm to Jesus’ life. Patterns of prayer, pulling away from ways of the world and community. John 15: Abide in me.

The Nines Update – 2nd 90 minutes

Noel just KILLED with a message on church leadership. Here’s what the 2nd 90 mins have brought:

Steve Robinson/Church of the King =

Worry is temporary atheism.

Stacy Spencer/New Directions Christian = Service

Not giving up on people when they fall.
Jeremiah 38:10
You ought not look down on somebody unless you’re looking down to help them up
1. Make pitstops. Help out leaders/friends who have fallen
2. Do for folks that you’d have them do for you
3.  Use your resources to help people stuck in unfavorable circumstances

Scott Wilson/Oaks Fellowship = Growing
You can either grow or you gotta go!

We must be moving from:
1. Workers
2. Equippers
3. Leaders

3 year model for leadership:

Yr. 1 – Model it! For our church the leadership. Grow your leadership capacity! 35 books this year you don’t grow you gotta go

Yr. 2 – Mentor it! Read 20 books and mentor your key volunteers with 12 books!
Yr. 3 – Multiply it! Help those begin mentoring

Amy Hanson/Amyhanson.net = The growing baby boomers involvement
Dino Rizzo/HPC =

Phil. 3:10

1. Know Christ
2. Know the people you serve

3. Know your partnerships in your community
4. Know the poor

Small acts of kindness go along way!

Keld/Denmark =

3 Principles from history of Finland

Determination

Know your content

Ingenuity

Jorge Acevedo/Recovery Conference 2010 =

Nancy Beach/Willow Creek =

Often gets conversations about leaders growing closer to their senior leader they see less of Jesus.

As ppl get closer to me do they discover more of Christ?

Proverbs 4:23

Isolation leads to denial.

1. Spiritual practices – what practices do I need to intentionally engage

2. Safe relationships – confession and counseling are good things!

3. Stretching experiences – expose yourself to an experience that will stretch you

“Above all else!” Guard your heart!

Steven Furtik/Elevation Church – Hard times

Dreams vs. Reality – a message about an audacious life

1 Kings 17

Isn’t such a thing as part time ministry – it’s all full time ministry

Specifically vs. 7. God’s sent Elijah and cares for him via a brook and the birds but then the brook dries up!

WHY? Punishment? No.

Elijah prophesied about the drought b/c of Ahab and there’s a drought! He’s living in what he prophesied about! Exactly what God said would happen.

After the brook dried up God sent him on. To Zeraphat the on to Mt. Carmel

When God allows a brook to dry up it’s b/c there’s another dimension of his glory, honor, and power he’s preparing you for

Noel/Riverview Church– Elders

Well informed and well intentioned churches are taking away the health of the church

That tiny hole is a team of qualified elders leading the church together

Pastors are one of the things elders do but not the whole thing

Only place there was a single leader was with Israel’s kings that was because of their hardness of heart where they have rejected the Lord.

YEARS searching for a Sr. Pastor and then spend WEEKS picking elders to lead that man.

Craig Groeschel/Lifechurch = Innovative church design

1. Had to create deeper climate and culture of innovation. Value driven and allow culture evolve! Be spiritual innovators!

2. Weakness in utilizing giftedness of volunteers

Delegating tasks creates followers. Delegating authority and create leaders! Don’t recruit volunteers but release and empower leaders

3. Doing ministry out of the overflow of Holy Spirit – comes down to Spiritual Disciplines!

Again mentioning journaling!

Len/Leonardsweet.com =

Greatest sculpture Michaelangelo’s David released Sept. 8, 1504

1. David before war

2. Big head b/c ppl’s perspective was below this 17′ statue!

So how do you deal with a big head in ministry?

Psalm 51:10

Jesus always comes in surround sound. If you’re not getting surround sound then you’re not getting Jesus. Confidence AND humility!

Coupling OMG with But God

I can do ALL THINGS but through the power of God

The Nines Update – 1st 90 minutes

So far we’ve heard some intense leaders and incredible words! Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Troy Grambling/Flamingo Rd Church = pride

1. Forgetting the gift is bigger than the person

2. When you grow impatient with people

3. When we are unwilling to hear the truth

4. Symbols of Power became important

Mark/Granger Community = Why people join or leave your ministry

1. YOU

2. Your mission or your vision

3. Your teammates

Brian/Concord Church = Church leadership

Dave Ferguson/Community Christian Church = Apprenticeship

5 Steps for Apprenticeship:

1. I do you watch

2. I do you help

3. You do I help

4. You do I watch

5. You do & someone else watches

Do not underestimate that something simple but profound can revolutionize your ministry.

2 Tim. 2:2

Something small that allows something big to happen

Anne Jackson/Flowerdust = Christ’s community

Apart from me you can do nothing.

Is working at a church interfering with your community with Christ?

Scott Hodge = God’s priority

Pray that I hear God’s voice every day and pray that I have the courage to obey.

1. Rescheduling your day to provide time to hear him

2. Begin in the small things

Am I hearing from God? Am I giving? My best parts of the day to God?

Am I willing to obey God whatever it takes or more about what ppl think of me?

Perry Noble = Movement

A movement of God cannot be planned but must be prepared for

Leadership is as easy as listening to God

Acts 1:6-8

Listen to the voice of God: it’s Your church what would you have me do?

Skye/Leadership Journal = Identity

Things keeping us from hearing God

Maybe outcomes are not accurate portrayal of my legitimacy in ministry.

Jesus said his bread that sustained his life was to do the will of the Father.  Jesus identity was rooted that he was the beloved of the Father.

The outcomes of ministry do not belong to us! They belong to the Father. We are are to dwell with him.

1. Legitimacy does not come from the outcome of your ministry

2. Stop judging (for me and others) legitimacy on outcomes!

3.  ID in Jesus we’ll find the power and strength to defy a culture around us.

Read the New Testament with Us

Hey so September means alot of things but this year it means we’re going to read through the New Testament. I accepted the call from everyone’s favorite Mudpuppy and shared it with my wife who got totally stoked about the idea! SO, starting today, Sept. 1st 2009 we’re going to read through the New Testament and somehow someway discuss.

I’d ask that you to join us for the month, for a week, for a day. The outline is simple. Russell and his wife are reading the Message, Rae and I are reading the Voice so none of us are legitimate Christians but we’re trying 🙂

Here’s our schedule:

1. Matthew 1-9
2. Matthew 10-15
3. Matthew 16-22
4. Matthew 23-28
5. Mark 1-8
6. Mark 9-16
7. Luke 1-6
8. Luke 7-11
9. Luke 12-18
10. Luke 19-24
11. John 1-7
12. John 8-13
13. John 14-21
14. Acts 1-7
15. Acts 8-14
16. Acts 15-21
17. Acts 22-28
18. Romans 1-8
19. Romans 9-16
20. 1 Corinthians 1-9
21. 1 Corinthians 10-16
22. 2 Corinthians 1-13
23. Galatians – Ephesians
24. Philippians – 2 Thessalonians
25. 1 Timothy – Philemon
26. Hebrews
27. James – 2 Peter
28. 1 John – 3 John
29. Revelation 1-11
30. Revelation 12-22

Would you join us?

Thanks again Mud. I think Rae might even be more excited about this than she was before the last Twilight book came out 🙂

It’s all about rhythm!

Call it what you like, I’m  musician so I’ll call it rhythm possibly even “groove!” I’ve noticed my life taking a different rhythm lately. Tonight was a huge example of that! For years the rhythm of my Thursdays were something like 10-12 hour days sticking around church all day because it was too much of a hassle to leave and go home and come back again for worship practice. Feeling spunky I might get a Smoothie around 5:15. Getting home around 9:30 or so I’d grab some left over dinner and eat on the sofa catching up with Project Runway and The Ultimate Fighter with Rae. It’s not something I thought about…it’s just what I did.

Well, tonight was the first time I did that in quite some time. I felt like I was dying on the way home! I was tired, cranky, hungry (I even had my Smoothie!), even disoriented (see crazy tweets!)

SO WHAT IS RHYTHM?!? You know it, even if you can’t describe it. It’s when you find yourself tapping your foot, bobbing your head, or jumping up and down. It’s a particular pattern of a beat or accent that recurs over time.

As with a song, our lives find a certain rhythm. Tonight’s irregular pulse in the rhythm I’ve found my evenings has had me notice a few things that have become rhythmic in my life that I am certainly grateful for:

• My new mornings: I’m trying to save some $$$ and am really using my own coffee maker instead of trucking to St. Arbucks so much! It’s given me some pep in the morning b/c I am certainly NOT a morning person!
• My new soundtrack: there is a sudden influx of some great music in my life but none more entertaining than my good friend David Loti’s new solo project Amalgam. Chloe asks for it every morning on the way to day care and has become special to the both of us singing along to his crazy songs!
• My Wednesday Men’s Small Group: It feels new only because I missed so much in the Summer because of camps. This group is the source of my sanity and an audible voice of God’s wisdom speaking into my life each week by some great men!
• My new attitude: Rae says I must be man-strating because I’m in this crazy cleaning craze! Cleaning the house, my desk, and my office at church! It’s nuts! Sounds silly but I’ve even been cleaning up around here! (Notice the “Under Construction” sign above?) My Google Reader is streamlined and working insanely well!

I’m sure there are others. This has been a great exercise to take note of what’s going on around me. I’m looking forward to a new one that Rae and I will be tackling with Mud next month in reading through the New Testament in September!

What about you?

Purge Update

I must say: this new system of using Google Reader is far superior than my previous one! Tada:

I’ve been able to keep my Locals and Red folders under 20 unread posts a day! That’s awesome. And some of those 12 are posts I’ve starred and kept unread so I’m actually even further ahead than that. This has been SO much better than keeping them in folders by their styles or categories. Using order of importance, the blogs that I’m most interested in and people I’m in the most community with get read nearly every day (so far this week! Ha.)

NOW the downside of this system is that gaping 183 in the Green folder. Those I’m not the most in community with are getting left behind. I want to take an evening and truly purge that folder by either adding them to another folder or deleting them all together.

Do you have a system? Am I anal?