Buy this t-shirt!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Mountain-Three-Wolf-T-Shirt/dp/B000NZW3KC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8
Or at least read the reviews.

Twouble with Twitters.

Handshake.

How well do we know God?
John Watson’s book, Psychological Care of Infant and Child, published in 1928, has this advice for parents: Treat children “as though they were young adults… Never hug and kiss them, never let them sit in your lap. If you must, kiss them once on the forehead when they say good night. Shake hands with them in the morning…”

I haven’t read Mr. Watson’s book, but I’m full of questions. What did his kids look like? (Maybe he just had super ugly kids.) How did he keep from kissing them? (Obviously, he’s never seen my kids. Complete strangers find themselves compelled to pucker up and beg for a kiss.) I want to know what a parent was to do when a child skinned her knee, or had a bad dream, or had a pet die or was bullied at school.

I’m pretty sure these are things a firm handshake wouldn’t cure. Seems like these situations require a child to run into arms of love.

Scripture tries to show us the relationship God desires to have with us in many ways. Behold the metaphors: We’re his children. He’s our Master. It’s like a marriage. It’s like being different parts of a body. Jesus is our brother.

The book of James talks about Abraham’s relationship God and calls them friends. In the book of John, Jesus says we can be His friends.

John 15:13-15a
13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends…

Friend of God. Is that a title we could bear? Friendship requires an investment of thought, time and intention.

Our gathering here is more than an item on a checklist. It should involve more than a handshake. It’s a precious moment spent with a friend who knows us deeply. It’s time spent with a friend who cares about our most agonizing wounds and our toughest battles. But this isn’t just a shoulder to cry on or someone to commiserate with. It’s time spent with some who has the answers and can fix the problems. He’s the author of life. His presence transforms us.

[This is a post in a series. For more Calls to Worship see http://calebnei.com/calebnei/come-and-worship/.]

The future of the church.

It's certainly true that I've thought often about the future of the way many Americans view church and God. I don't have the time to do the thought the justice it deserves. Michael Spencer has thought about it.

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/my-prediction-the-coming-evangelical-collapse-1

It's sad in a way, because the American evangelical church is all I know. Still, I've observed many of the weaknesses Michael points out. Also, I'm excited because I know God will take us exactly where we need to go. Still...bittersweet...

Come and Worship.

A Call to Worship
If you're a leader of people (or just need something to think about) I offer this as a collection of preparations for worship. We need to remember who God is, what he has done, and what that means to us. As we gather on Sunday morning (or whenever) it is good for us to focus our hearts and our minds. To that end:

http://calebnei.com/documents/ComeandWorship.pdf

Gotta Serve Somebody.

Today we begin with the words of Bob Dylan:

Gotta Serve Somebody

You may be an ambassador to England or France,

You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,

You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,

You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody,

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,

You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,

You may be a business man or some high degree thief,

They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,

You may be the head of some big TV network,

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,

You may be living in another country under another name

Being a Dylan song, there are four more verses. You get the point. It's the same one Jesus makes in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 26:24
24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

I’m told Jesus’ point is less about money and more about the focus of our heart. That brings us to our point: as we begin, let’s pray that God would give us a focused, consistent, authentic hearts.

[This is a post in a series. For more Calls to Worship see http://calebnei.com/calebnei/come-and-worship/.]

A Year in Burritos.

So I know about Project 365 and all the other "I'm-taking-a-picture-of-myself-each-day" concepts. Forget that stuff. Here's the start of a year's-worth of pictures that really matter:

http://calebnei.com/2009/chipotle/

(Don't bother with all of the comments that I should have a similar page in which I take periodic pictures of my belly...you're really funny.)