Interactive Sermon

A Time To Blog & A Time To Stop

As I type this post I'm thinking of Ecclesiastes 3--if I'm honest, it's actually the Birds singing the song patterned after the text: To everything, turn, turn, turn; There is a season, turn, turn, turn; And a time to every purpose under heaven.

I'm also thinking of Forrest Gump. Do you remember the scene where he was running--for three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours--and all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks and said, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now." And then he narrated, "And just like that, my runnin' days were over."

Six and a half years ago, I went out for a jog. My jog was actually a blog--I had something to say and blogging was the new medium. A couple thousand posts and more than a quarter-of-a-million site visitors later, and without warning really, I recognize it's time to stop.

I still have a lot to say, but I think, for now, there are more fitting outlets for me.

As of March 16, 2012, Interactive Sermon will go silent.

In time I'll map the URL and other internal links over to my writing website, www.darinmichaelshaw.com. I'll host the archives there for occasional strolls down memory lane. 

My dear friend Germaine used to tease me, "Your blog is huge!" Germaine knows, too. She has done a lot of work behind the scenes for me over the years, archiving, linking and mapping. As I'm hearing that Yard Birds tune in my head, I'm reminded how thankful I am for friends like Germaine, and Mike, and my nephew Jimmy, who all took numerous calls from me, sometimes at ridiculous hours, about how to code this or fix that.

Interactive Sermon has been huge in more than content or size. It's been huge in that we've shared a lot of laughs and tears over the years. It's been huge in that it germinated and generated some great conversation in the real world. It's been huge in that you have shared this part of the journey with me. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart--THANK YOU!

It's a new season... and a time to every purpose under heaven. Blessings and warm regards!

 

Who's Your Jesus?

Who is Jesus Christ?

Was he a historical figure who lived and died, or is he still alive today? Was he a prophet, a rabbi, a moral example? Or was he who he claimed to be? And while we’re at it, just exactly who did he claim to be? Is he, because of his claims, as C.S. Lewis famously articulated on his BBC radio program and in his book Mere Christianity, necessarily either a Liar, a Lunatic, or the Lord?

Is he the Jesus we see in old movies: A blue-eyed, white guy with a well-trimmed beard, who sort of glows, and speaks with a British accent? Or more hip, like a scene from Talladega Nights, perhaps we can picture him however we’d like, “I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt because it says, ‘I want to be formal, but I’m here to party.’”

Is he the Jesus we hear about in song? The Jesus of hymns and praise choruses: What A Friend We Have? Name Above All Names? Is that how we’ll respond to him? Or is it more like I Can Only Imagine? Surrounded by his glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? 

Or, perhaps, for those less misty, it’s enough that we tap our foot along with the Doobie Brothers: Jesus Is Just Alright With Me! 

Is he the Jesus pop-culture consigns? Jesus as defined by Oprah? Lady Gaga? Sure, John Lennon apologized for his infamous ‘The Beatles are more popular than Jesus’ boast, but among Justin Bieber Beliebers, the Biebs definitely has the upper hand. 

Is he the Jesus we’ve seen in literature? Is he Mary Stevenson’s Lord—you know, the one who assured her that when she only saw one set of footprints in the sand it was because he was carrying her? Or is he the Jesus from William Paul Young’s The Shack—a middle-eastern carpenter who hangs out with a portly African American woman (God) and an Asian looking mirage (the Holy Spirit)?

Is he the Jesus we see represented on CNN? The Lord of demonstrators holding signs that read: ‘God Hates Fags’ and ‘God Is Judging America’? Is he the Lord of the famous ministers caught in sex scandals and televangelists making ridiculously false claims about the end of the world?

Is he the Jesus of Christianity? The Jesus of Mormonism? The Jesus of the Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are they all one and the same, or are they very different?

Is he the Son of God or God in flesh? Yes? To which one? Both? 

The Bible records a conversation Jesus has with his disciples. He asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

It’s one thing to consider what others think—John Lennon had an opinion and so did Ricky Bobby. But your answer to the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ is key. It will determine how you live in response. 

 

Come On, Man!

I did it again. I found myself with a half-hour to kill while waiting to pick up my daughter and I decided to peruse the websites of local churches and ministries. I was reminded of a segment on ESPN where all the analysts share a real head-scratching moment from the sports weekend past and chide, 'Come on, Man!'

It's true, local churches and ministries are miserable at updating their websites, abandoning blogs, and paying attention to content.

Case 1: One site has 'current' material on the front page. Dated May 2011. Uh...

Case 2: A pastor's blog. Latest post was in March 2011. Uh, anyone? Bueller?

Case 3: Pastor Chris, I know. Pastor Chirs? Who's that? Spell check? Edit? Please?

Come on, Man!

Here's a few sites of some of our local folks who are getting it right. Congrats! (And thanks!)

Amherst First Baptist Church

Bedford Road Baptist Church

Household of Faith

Souhegan Christian Church

 

 

Reaching Beyond The Pew

We don't actually have any pews, but you know what I mean. 

Big_Buts Twitter Feed ~ New followers are rolling in. Real ones--the kinds of folks who are interested in my content, not bots, trolls and follow-back twits. What have I done? First, I'm posting good content, in my niche, regularly. Second, I only follow people with a genuine interest in my content niche, and I only want those kinds of followers. I delete the bots, trolls and twits as fast as I can when they follow. Third, I'm picking up followers from genuine folks retweeting, mentioning, favoriting and or recommending me to others. How awesome is that? By the way: You following? 

Christ's Church Website www.ccnh.org ~ I recently retooled the church website, adding more interactive features and attempting to make the site more appealing, navigable and useful. We see hundreds of visitors per week--and a great many of them are not folks who attend Christ's Church. That's awesome! Our sermon and lesson podcasts are getting hundreds of listens--and again, the majority are not folks who attend. The days of internet yellow-page ad looking church sites is long past. Church websites with months old information lingering... inexcusable.

Interactive Sermon blog www.interactivesermon.com & Big Buts of the Bible www.bigbutsofthebible.com ~Tracking stats demonstrate that the bible study posts on my sites get the most traffic. Again, the majority are people I don't know personally. And then there are those who I do know, who engage in conversation with me about those posts. Tremendous to consider that this venue--a blog--can serve as a catalyst for connection over God's word. My blogs see more than a thousand views a week between visitors and feed subscribers. Again, having a plan and developing a rhythm is key. Pastors and ministry leaders who have a blog that is woefully neglected, months between posts, poor grammar and spelling... you're missing out.

(Many thanks to YOU if you're one of those who have been helping grow this reach. Please keep up the great word of mouth. It's my great pleasure to share this journey with you.)

Pastors, ministers, communicators of the gospel--where are you seeing God reach beyond the pews? Have you embraced technology as a means of communicating Christ?

Pat Robertson Speaking Nonsense... Again

I have no (kind) words regarding this clip that's circulating the internet. Stunned. Sad. 

Westboro Baptist Church Visits Mars Hill

This blog post from Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll made me smile. It also provides much thought provocation for how to view and respond to the Westboro folks--I think Mark has hit the ball out of the park. I wish I was as quick, clever and witty. Enjoy.

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Drop By The Office

I'm a couple of months into my Online Office Hours experiment. I think I've made the determination that the concept is a keeper. I might adjust the hours, though. Friday doesn't seem to be the most opportune time for many folks who say that they like the idea in general. 

I'm running into my first conflict decision, too. Next week I will be officiating a wedding a couple hours from home on Friday afternoon. Do I (a) shift my online office hours for next week and give a new time slot a feel? Or (b) do I simply take a week off? Or perhaps (c) I actually try to take it on the road--find an internet location in the area where the wedding is and keep it on schedule? 

The bulk of the people who do 'drop by' for meaningful conversation do so using Facebook and Google Chat. The video feed and chat box on the site itself seem of little use. I may re-conceptualize the look of the site, removing the chat box. One of the difficulties I've had with the chat box, no matter what platform I've tried, is the manner in which people need to 'sign in' to chat. I wish I could find a dialogue box where people could simply type, without having to register. Another adjustment I think I'll need to make.

I hope you'll plan on dropping in this afternoon (or some session soon). I'd love your feedback on the experience as a whole. Pioneering is cool. But it is a process, for sure. 

An aside: At our weekly pastor's meeting... two other local pastors are considering beginning online office hours. Pretty cool, eh? We're trendsetters!

See you between 1:00 and 2:30pm.

Online Office Hours Friday

Don't forget to stop by the Online Office tomorrow afternoon. You can drop by the site www.interactivepastor.com or you can catch me via Skype, Facebook or Google Chat.

Fridays 1 to 2:30PM EST.

I look forward to the conversation! See you then.

Update: Online Office Hours

After a month of maintaining Online Office Hours (and with an hour to go before I open my office door for week number five), I thought an update might be good to share.

Technology ~ I'm still experiencing some hiccups. I should say, you are still experiencing some hiccups. But each week has seemed to work a little bit more smoothly. The video is delayed by a couple of seconds. Which is really creepy because every so often I'll catch a glimpse of myself in delay (sort of like in the old days when you heard your voice recorded and thought 'that doesn't sound like me!').

I've switched services a couple of times. Most recently I'm using Justin.tv to broadcast video and provide the chat-room experience. 

I've also utilized a tool called 'Many Camera' to allow my webcam to serve two services (Justin.tv and Skype) at the same time. Not sure that's working seamlessly... but we're after it.

Irritants ~ No matter which service I've tried to utilize, the chat-room feature calls for pretty labor-intensive registration/sign-in for people wanting to drop in and say hi. I wish this wasn't so. I'm on the look-out for a more entry-friendly tool. You shouldn't have to give your blood-type and a urine sample (exaggerating, of course) to walk into your pastor's office.

Numbers ~ The question everyone is asking is 'how many people are stopping by?' Here's the numbers: Week one - six. Week two - seven. Week three - six. Week four - two. Of all the drop-ins, about half have been people simply wanting to see what this experiment looks like or stopping in to encourage me. The other half, perhaps, developed into more meaningful conversation. So, in other words, this has opened up about ten or eleven meaningful conversations that I might not otherwise have had. That's pretty cool.

What I'm doing ~ The second most popular question is 'what do you do during that 90 minutes?' Here's a look behind the scenes! No, I do not sit and stare at my computer the whole time. It may look like that--because I'm usually oriented in that direction. But I've worked on sermon studies, updates to websites, read through mail and emails, and made telephone calls while being available for folks to stop by. On a couple of occasions I've set work aside and picked up a good book to pass time. I've eaten my lunch a couple of times... a little self-conscious about people watching me chew... and tried very, very hard not to do something totally embarrassing like pick my nose on camera.

One month in the books, and I'm feeling like this is off to a productive start. I suppose I'll check back in on how I'm feeling after another month. Fridays... 1pm to 2:30pm... stop by www.interactivepastor.com.

The Death of Osama bin Laden

Since the news broke last Sunday night...

"Facebook blew up," my daughter observed. She noted, as did I, that social media went wild with comments and conversations about the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by American forces in Pakistan.

People took to the streets in celebration. At the White House, at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, at West Point, at Major League Baseball games, on college campuses across our country--euphoric celebration, and chants of "U-S-A!"

The topic has dominated the airwaves, television and radio, blogs and websites, and even conversation on the street. Everywhere I've gone this week across our community I've heard people talking about this. Last night Shari and I celebrated our anniversary in a local restaurant, and were subjected to a rather outspoken fellow diner's postulating about the "@$$ whooping our boys put on Al Qaeda."

Then there is the Christian debate. Folks posting on social networks or peppering conversation with quotes--"Do not gloat when your enemy falls..." (Prov. 24:17) and "I will take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live" (Ezek. 33:11) among the most often shared. Why, I even posted a verse myself--"When justice is done it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evil doers." (Proverbs 21:15) 

Honestly, it's been hard for me to know how to respond to this news. I learned when my daughter texted me from college. I turned on the television, heard the initial reports. The first word I audibly spoke (and shortly thereafter posted) was "Gotcha!"  

Perhaps Mark Twain said it well when he said, "I've never wished a man dead, but I've read a few obituaries with great pleasure."

I'm sort of torn between not wanting to gloat and celebrate the death of an enemy but wanting to rejoice that justice has been served and be relieved at his demise. Not sure how to punctuate this matter.

But let me tell you what I am sure of:

1) I'm proud of our President. Let me be clear--I didn't vote for him and I'm most determined to vote against him in the next election. That said, I want to give credit where credit is due. It took guts to give the order. There were so many lesser aggressive options he could have chosen, with lesser risks. I think he made the right choice, and the choice that took the most courage and fortitude. I'm proud of him. And I thought his speech to the world last Sunday was well spoken. I agreed with him, and am proud to stand with him on those words. I also thought it good of him to invite former President Bush to join him this week in New York. It was classy of President Obama to offer the invite. Politics aside, I think President Bush took the right steps in a post-911 world. I think President Obama's action here was a huge step in that direction, as well.

2) I'm very proud of the brave men who carried out this mission. I can't imagine the courage this would take. I'm in awe of the precision with which they acted. I'd love to buy them all a beer and hear the story first hand (let me add I'm completely disgusted with the reporters and talking heads trying to tell the story, and having it change with every iteration). But I also know it can't be easy to take a life--any life--and that these men served their country at great risk and sacrifice. I'm thankful.

3) I want to be clear not to equate terrorism with the Muslim faith. So much of the dialogue I've heard in the last week has revealed sheer ignorance (like the aforementioned Japanese Steakhouse loud mouth). Here's something I read in a recent issue of Christianity Today: "Osama bin Laden was to Islam what the Ku Klux Klan is to Christianity."  Thought provoking, isn't it? I could actually take that a step further: ...what Adolf Hitler was to Christianity--realizing that Hitler viewed his ethnic cleansing as his doing God's work. I want to love my fellow man, no matter his faith or ethnicity. I want to protect and further his freedoms as I do my own.

So we move forward. May the world heal. And may you and I reflect, more clearly and compassionately, the light and the love of our Lord.