I ran across an article about the 2012 movie coming up. That is the movie where the world is coming to an end and you have the great visuals of world landmarks being torn asunder. Man, who doesn’t want to see some good old world-wide destruction I mean…wait a minute, I’m letting my movie going side out. Back to the point: it is interesting to me the way things are even in popular media when it comes to religious things.

     Hit this link and read Patrick Lee’s article on SciFi Wire.com about sitting down with the film maker, Roland Emmerich. The article reveals some of went on about what to and what not to destroy on the big screen.

     I am a movie nut. I love the anticipation of a good movie opening. The ad campaigns and viral websites that accompany some movies are fascinating. I remember driving by the movie theater in Austin, TX and shaking my head seeing tents that had been up for days for people who had been camping out for a new Star Wars movie.

     I don’t get that excited about most movie remakes though. I have a movie blog I follow regularly and this year it seems we have more than a few remakes in the works. Some end up being really good. Not that the originals were bad. In fact they were great for the movie making for their day. New special effects and improving CGI can allow moviemakers to be more creative. But, don’t play with the story. “Retell” it, “reimagine” it, or change it. Just don’t play with it. Make it original. 

     The past three to four years seem to have been seasons of remakes for me. Losing two pastors and gaining two pastors has been a challenge. Each time we lost a pastor I took on certain responsibilities and led as needed. And each time we gained a new pastor I have adjusted to being the Ed guy again and what that means under the new leadership. I hope the remakes have been better than each previous one.

     We are changing each day. We are products of our daily choices. We are products of our ever changing environments. Sometimes we are called to remake ourselves. Sometimes we just need to clean things up and refocus. Just don’t play with it.

     I look forward to straightening my office this week and refocusing. What a ride. Amos is a great pastor. We are well into being settled in as a staff. The Fall Festival is behind us as well administrative things like committees for the new year and the 2010 budget. It is going to be different and we’ll make it good.

     I’m running to the last minute again. The Pastors’ Conference for November is next week and the deadline to sign-up is tomorrow. Same place and time: Truett’s Great Hall at Noon. It is still $5 a meal.  Contact Carol to register.

     The speaker this month will be Richard Jackson who is the former pastor at North Pheonix Baptist Church. This event is open to ministerial staff of local churches of the WRBA, leadership of the Baptist insitutions in the area, and area ministries.

     Regardless of which generation you belong too chances are you hold the Bible as a sacred book. The Barna Group reported yesterday how generations view and use the Bible. They found that in general views of the Bible unite people from different generations.

     They hold that most Americans, regardless of age, think of the Bible as sacred scripture and that a good number of those actually read their Bibles outside of church. Their data also shows similar ratios across the generations of views held of the Bible. The youngest of Americans, however, start a new direction of the trend to viewing the Bible with more skepticism and seeing the Bible as more equal with other sacred texts such as the Koran and the Book of Mormon.

     Americans 18-25 years of age as a whole question the relevance of the Bible to their lives and are open to seeking other sacred texts. Barna gives no indication as to whether other sacred texts fall under the same scrutiny, but they do report this youngest generation to believe less in the uniqueness and accuracy of the Bible and even to question its origins more than previous generations. Interestingly, though, is the youngest generation showed the most interest in gaining more knowledge of the Bible and what it teaches.

     We just started Bible Drill on Wednesday nights for children. Talk about your basics. These first two weeks we have been focusing on the books of the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy).  How foundational to know not just the order they come in, but what the “Books of the Law” means and how they fit into the text of the Bible. I hope that each child will come away with a knowledge of the construction of the Bible and how to study and apply it to their lives. For our Adult 1 singles I am challenged to engage them in digging into the Bible and not just teach it to them on Sunday mornings.

Read the Barna article here.

     Each year for the past few years my brother has bought me a ticket for the Legacy Outfitters Fishers of Men National Banquet. Last night was the banquet. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  THANK YOU, TRENT!

     Legacy Outfitters is a group that started here in Waco. I first went to one of their monthly meetings a few years ago when it started. Since then it has grown to have several chapters in Texas as well as other states. From their material:

Legacy Outfitters brings together men who share a passion for the outdoors, and gives them the perfect place to share life-shaping experiences in a positive, encouraging environment.

     This is their main fundraiser for the organization. In addition to raffles throughout the pavilion there was a live auction which included things like a guided father/child deer hunt, an Alaskan fishing trip, and tickets to the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.

Trent from last year's Banquet

     My dad was there too. Trent was on the banquet team and was working the raffles so my dad and I walked around. We knew they would serve the meal around 7 PM so we found ourselves where the beginning of the line would form and decided that was a good place to talk. We figured it would be okay as long as we didn’t pick up plates until the food was out.

     The cook team did a good job. They cooked around 1,100 rib-eye steaks. The food was good. We did get to eat with Trent when he finished his duties.

     September means the start of schools and the start of Pastors’ Conference. And we are the lucky ones today. The deadline for registrations for the conference has been extended to 5:00 PM today. 

     September’s speaker will be Dr. Jim Martin, pastor of Crestview Church of Christ here in Waco. As always there will be food for $5 a person. This year the conference is scheduled to move back and forth between Truett & the new Hillcrest Hospital building. September will be at the Piper Great Hall in Truett. Email or call Carol at the WRBA (254-753-2408) by 5:00 PM.

     I will be introducing my new pastor to everyone so feel free to look for us.

Amos & Mariah Humphries

    This past Sunday the Pastor Search Committee asked Amos Humphries to come in view of a call as our pastor. That is the Southern Baptist way of voting/affirming a person to a ministry or staff position. The church voted to extend a call to Amos and he accepted.

      Amos and his wife, Mariah, are coming with their three children from Detroit, MI. Amos served as Associate Pastor at Gilead Baptist Church in Taylor, MI. The church is looking forward to Amos’ leadership and would invite people to help us welcome him and his family on August 16th.

     I am excited about the Sunday School conference we have been putting together coming up the end of this August. This is a training event put together by churches for Sunday School leaders in churches of every size. We will soon be getting promotional materials ready to be mailed. If you would like to get a copy of the materials (brochures & posters) let me know and we will make sure you get them. 

Vitality for Sunday School: Adding Life to Small Groups

Saturday, August 29, 2009
8:30 am to Noon

Columbus Avenue Baptist Church
1300 Columbus Avenue
Waco, TX  76701
254-752-1655

Conferences and Speakers:

 Preschool:

Gayle Lintz
Preschool Curriculum Writer for Lifeway Christian Resources
Session Title:  Preschool Sunday School: From Good Morning to Good-Bye

Delanee Williams
Preschool Minister, FBC Allen, TX
Session Title:  Connecting Church and Home

Children:
Bronwyn Stanley
Children’s Minister, FBC College Station, TX
Session Title:  Igniting a Child’s Desire to Know God

Lisa Law
Children’s Minister, FBC Norman, OK
Session Title:  Spiritual Training Meets SUV

Youth:
Nathan Dunman
Youth Speaker, Waco, TX
Session Title:  Sex and Technology

Matt Smith
Director, Living in Freedom Ministry, Temple, TX
Session Title:  Broken Hearted Teens

Braun Brown
Director of Student Ministries, Watermark Community Church, Dallas, TX
Session Title:  Youth Ministry in the iPhone 3Gs Age (This title may change)

College:
Trey Bledsoe
Student Minister, Canyon Creek Baptist Church, Temple, TX
Session Titles: 
     Lots of Pieces and No Box Tops – Student Culture in the 21^st Century
     How do the Pieces Fit Together – How do College Students Fit into Your Church                           
     Puzzled: Helps for Putting It Together

Adults:
Kim Grice
Director of Community Connections, FBC Arlington, TX
Session Title:  Making Your Sunday School/Small Group Missional – Moving Beyond the Church’s Walls

Dr. Rick Yount
Professor of Foundations of Education, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX
Session Title:  Biblical Teaching that Truly Changes Lives

Dr. Bob Utley
Professor of Hermeneutics, Retired, East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, TX
Session Title:  Preparing for Bible Teaching That Brings About Life Change

Frank Wallace
Minister of Education and Discipleship, Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Session Title:  Building Community in Your Sunday School/Small Group

Pastors:
Dr. Dennis Wiles
Senior Pastor, FBC Arlington, TX 

Sponsoring Churches and Organizations:
Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Meadowbrook Baptist Church, Robinson, TX
Park Lake Drive Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Western Heights Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Waco Regional Baptist Association

     I found an interesting blog about the effect of technology on social structures. Dan Edelen reflects on how one of his neighbor’s sons was dropped from the social radar and implications of a disturbing trend. Read it here.

     Thank you to Jimmy Davis for his post.

     I was looking at my stats today and found a link had been added to my blog by the “Possibly Related Posts” feature of WordPress that was completly inappropriate and does not reflect a Christlike lifestyle or my interests. I have turned off the feature and appologize for allowing the feature to be active. I hope if you are the one who followed the link you understand this link was not my doing.