Tim Schmoyer had a great post yesterday on some blogs he reads that most people probably haven’t heard of. I thought I would do the same.

Smashing Magazine – A great site for all things graphic design. They also cover some coding and lots of WordPress tips.

Nettuts – Another design site that has lots of how to and inspiration.

Make Magazine – A magazine dedicated to to hacking, modifying and creating everything.

Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds uses this to give occasional tips on design especially in regards to presentations. He doesn’t post as often as he used to, but it is always good.

Seth Godin – Always a unique and insightful blog. Seth just has a different take on almost everything and it is usually better than others.

Ypulse – a site that tackles trends in the tween/teen market. I find out about a lot of secrets in young lives through this site.

So there is a list of some of the recommended sites I look at daily. I read 58 blogs every day and usually more than that. My former boss used to say that is a waste of time, but it has proven to be a great resource for me getting things done and for being creative.

Enjoy.

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Well, I just have to expel some steam about something that happened to me today. I just watched the new Harry Potter trailer and was blown away. I think this is going to be the movie that beats Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and every other movie I have seen.

Why am I mad?

At the end of the trailer, it says, “in 3D”.

Why does Hollywood not get that making you wear stupid glasses that blur all the images in the screen and give you a headache is a bad thing? I get that there are options out there to see it it flat, but they aren’t as plentiful and they rarely advertise which is which.

This is completely holding a population by the neck to force and agenda. And the result from everyone I have talked to has been the same. I can’t wait for this gimmick to be over with.

A forced agenda always has this effect. It’s a good thing that most churches don’t…

Nevermind.

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I just saw this on the Maker blog and had to post. Basically it is a guy using tesla coils to make music along with a band. I don’t think it is top 40, but it cool to watch.

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No words for this.

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Something about the WWJD bracelets always bothered me. It just seemed a little to quaint and contrived. In some situations I guess that being reminded of what Jesus would do would be a benefit, but mostly it just reminded me of what I wasn’t doing and how hopeless I felt in trying to do it.

Last night in our meeting, I came up with a bracelet that I would likely wear. WTFJ. That’s right, the phrase used by teens all over America for when they don’t get what is going on is what I feel like a lot in my faith. It was is a declaration for those Christians who keep trying to practice our faith and many times end up wondering. It is a modern day Psalm that sums up our lack of understanding.

It’s us declaring to God, “What are you doing here?”

Some people struggle with questioning God, especially when expecting answers. I think there is a necessary emotional part of faith that makes it necessary for our own sanity to express how we feel, especially to God.

So while WWJD is a nice bracelet, I would wear the WTFJ.

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So, I don’t even have cable anymore, but someone turned me onto this new resource for games called Minute To Win It. Basically it is a game show that makes you play a game and win it within the naturally correct time of a minute. I was a bit dubious and we don’t even play games at our regular meetings, but this looked pretty cool. Check here for the games.

ht: Mary Elizabeth

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I recently got an update from the people at Churchrater and decided to revisit their site and see how it was. This is the site from the book Jim and Casper Go To Church. I posted something about it a while back and m y general feeling was that it was a good idea that also tends to be somewhat consumeristic.

After three years the site is still up and running and there are some recent (9/18/2009) rates of churches there, but it seems that there isn’t much traction happening. I read a couple of the rates and was surprised that most that I read were very positive. I was expecting there to be a somewhat negative trend in the rating.

Guy Kawasaki had an interesting thought about it here. It really sums up what I love and hate about the site.

“In a sense, a church is a “business” that depends on word-of-mouth marketing like any other. Now consumers have a way to check out a church just like they check out restaurants.”

If the church is a business and it has consumers, I think Churchrater is a great idea. I don’t see the church as a business though and if it did have consumers, I wonder  what the product would be. Would it be religion? peace? the you that you have always wanted to be but always get in the way of being?

I just can’t get away from the idea that there is something about church that is just beyond our liking. The church I attend and work at is an example of one the churches that I would rate poorly in many ways. We really don’t try to set new standards visuals, liturgy, or many other things people go to find in a new church. It isn’t we don’t consider it important, it’s just that priorities get in the way.

Having said that, I think there could be some benefit and even need for Churchrater. I have certainly been in churches that could use a dose of new eyes on how they come across. I constantly here that from our visitors and it is always helpful in opening up a dialogue.

The thing that really bugs me though is that often we never hear from someone who visits about how their experience was. I think that is fairly typical of most churches. So, hopefully, Churchrater will open dialogue and help churches in seeing how they are seen by their visitors. Check if you church is rated here.

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So since my posting fast, I have noticed something about myself. I don’t really do ministry like I used to. I mean I REALLY don’t do it at all like I used to. To compare:

Used To

I used to spend hours and hours preparing how I was going to present something to youth. I would think about the words I used, clips I could use, illustrations, etc. It took most of my time, I loved doing it, and I wasn’t half bad at it.

Basically, I wasted a lot of energy.

Now I

I rarely work on context of a message beforehand. I didn’t intend to do this, but I had a very diverse group early on, and I never knew who might show up, so preparation became futile. Now, instead of research and polishing my presentation, I pray and think about what God would like to say to the group. Most of the group meetings are more like processing what God tells us about our lives and those around us.

I like this way much better now. Sure it saves me a lot of time, but the best thing is that I am more able to respond to the people in the room. It actually takes more time because of the change in focus. Instead of working on the presentation, I am working on getting to know the people, listening to God and making connections for everyone involved. It functions more like a process group than a small group or Bible study.

I realize this wouldn’t work for everyone or even for me in a different situation, but I have really loved this style of ministry.

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I haven’t blogged for a while and have enjoyed the break. Much has happened since then, but here are the highlights:

1. Reconciled with my parents – For a while I didn’t think this would ever happen, but through a miraculous turn of events, we have decided to be in each other’s lives again.

2. Started writing a book – I don’t really know what it will be called, but I realized recently that I have some things to say that might benefit others. Actually, I recently spoke at a conference and had Thad Barnum, author of Never Silent speaking two doors down from me on the same subject (discipleship). I told the group that I wouldn’t say anything better than him, yet they all stayed. Maybe that was the shot of confidence I needed.

3. I’m still in youth ministry – Though what I do has changed over the past 15 years, and especially the past 2, I still love youth ministry and hope to continue to do it for a while.

4. I have/am growing my hair out again

I plan on continuing with blogging again and hope to keep up a regular schedule now. Maybe someone out there remembers me.

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