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I’d like to nominate my 1999 Chevy Malibu for the biggest piece of junk on the planet. Other than having 170,000+ miles, here’s what else is wrong with it:

• Cracked windshield.
• The fan quit working on settings 1 and 2 about 7 years ago.
• While driving the car out of the dealer lot in 2002, the knob controlling my driver’s side mirror broke off and dropped inside the car.
• My gas gauge has been busted for 7 years. It constantly sits on empty.
• There’s a short in my AC and it comes on and off at it’s own choosing.
• During the winter, the car can’t heat up or defrost until it has been driven about 6 miles.
• My check engine light is on.
• After I turn, my turn signals are still on.
• The car has an AutoTheft system that is broken, causing the car to go into lockdown mode at various times, preventing me from driving it.
• The motor powering the fan is broken. If I’m lucky, I can hit a pothole and cause the fan to turn on for a few seconds. Otherwise, no fan or AC.
• I only get a few FM stations
• I get no AM stations
• My bumper should have been replaced 5 years ago after a lady rear-ended me. However, days before I took the car in to get fixed, the radiator went out and I had to use the insurance money to fix that.
• My CD player scratches CDs.
• Without my knowing, a full bottle of Yoohoo was placed under the driver’s seat. It later exploded, changing the color of some of my carpet. Thanks Jeremy Crittenden.
• Yesterday, my radio randomly decided to turn itself up to its loudest point and refused to turn down or turn off. Yep, that was me driving through 2 school zones with The Fray rattling my car.
• I put a St. Louis Cardinals magnet on my car a couple years ago. I left it on during the summer, and now the magnet is glued to my car. The logo has faded, but a giant black magnet now sits on my hood.

Yet somehow, my car still runs. Sure, I can’t use my AC, turn on my fan, use my radio or CD player, adjust my mirrors from inside the car, and there’s a chance my car will shutdown on its own…but it still drives.

Although it’s inevitable that my car is on borrowed time, I have a feeling that time will be very soon. Here’s my reasoning, and if you think I’m crazy, that’s totally fine with me:

I strongly believe that God provides for us, and He does that in ways we don’t always see or expect. Recently, my bosses approached me about the idea of putting in some overtime hours at work due to some changes within our company. While the overtime makes for longer days and tiring weeks, the added money is a nice bonus.

So while my car may be close to becoming a 2,000 lb paper weight, I believe that God has already seen the need that is ahead of me and is providing for me right now.

Maybe I’m wrong, but God works in mysterious ways, and maybe this is one of them.

Until that happens, I’m looking forward to seeing what else can go wrong with my car!

[Photo Source: http://bit.ly/lO1Vvj]

If you want to cause trouble in the church, don’t worry about complaining about the worship style, the pastor’s preaching, or the color of the carpet. All you have to do is sing someone else’s song. No, not a song that someone in your church wrote, recorded, or produced. I’m talking about a song that someone in your church sang as a “special” just a few weeks or months prior.

For those that don’t know, there’s an unwritten rule in the church that says once you sing any song by Avalon, Point of Grace, Steve Green, etc. from the platform, that song solely belongs to you as long as you are in the confines of that church.

However, these unwritten rules also state that buying the accompaniment track to a song does not make it yours. Until the song is sung from the platform, it is fair game.

Now, depending on your average attendance, Wednesday nights may be an exception to this rule.

If by some chance you sing someone else’s song, not only will you be shunned, but you will be talked about by members of the church, specifically the “rightsholder.”

Does this sound familiar? I’m willing to bet one or two pastors have dealt with this in their time.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Is it OK to (intentionally) sing someone else’s song? Should there be a waiting period? Do you need to seek permission first? Let the fun begin!

[Photo source http://bit.ly/k7W16c]

Dear LeBron,

I know you’re probably tired, upset, and quite frustrated right now. You didn’t win a championship, you didn’t win a ring, and you have an entire offseason to think about how you played on the second best team in the NBA. On top of that, you have to be haunted by the fact that you seemed to disappear in the 4^th quarter of games, and are becoming known as Dwayne Wade’s teammate rather than the star of your own team.

I really wish I could understand your frustration, but to be honest, I can’t. You see, I’m one of those “normal” people you offended with your post-game comments. I’m one of those people who rooted against you and your team but still had to wake up to my own “personal problems” this morning. I’m one of those people you called a “hater” who will never understand what it’s like to be rich and famous.

It hasn’t always been like this. In fact, just five years ago I was living near Miami and pulling for the Heat to beat the Mavericks in the finals. I was also one of your biggest fans when you came into the NBA. I watched your games, pulled for the Cavs, and admired the maturity you seemed to possess at such a young age.

But all that seemed to change with your self-promoting “Decision” on ESPN and your arrogant antics that took place before the season even started. Appearing with Bosh and Wade and declaring you’re going to win 8 championships is not something you do before you’ve played a single game in Miami. Actually, it’s not even something you do after you’ve won 1 championship. You’re only safe to pull that stunt after you’ve won seven championships. By my calculations, you’re still eight rings away from eight championships—a far cry from a dynasty.

While I’m confident that someday you’ll win a championship, the distinction it once would have held has been diminished. In less than one year, you’ve turned from hero to villain, and done it with such veracity than even professional wrestlers have to be jealous.

But it seems you have no qualms about embracing that role. After all, you did insult the “normal” people like me; people who had to spend their Mondays getting back to their own personal problems—like working a 9 to 5 job, paying bills, and worrying about high gas prices. Those are personal problems you’ll never quite understand like the rest of us. When your biggest concern is not winning an NBA Championship, it makes sense why you would elevate yourself above us as though you’re better than the rest of society.

But that’s okay, because I’ll go back to my personal problems like the rest of the world. In fact, I may even enjoy those personal problems. You see, LeBron, I have a problem that you’ve never experienced. Tomorrow morning, $162.00 will be taken out of my bank account because of student loans. A large chunk of my paycheck will disappear to pay for college courses that I finished four years ago. But that’s a problem I’m okay with, because that “problem” allowed me to get a college education and a diploma.

So while you can go live your life however you want, I’ll go back to what’s “normal” and deal with my personal problems. Feel free to continue to insult me in any way you want. The truth is I like my normal life and my personal problems…and some of those “problems” are priceless treasures your contract just can’t buy.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/iWsvIw]

I have a problem with being “politically correct.” It seems like being “politically correct” isn’t so much about being politically correct, but using opportunities to advance a certain agenda or lean a certain way.

Case and point:

During an NBA game in August, Kobe Bryant was upset at a referee and called him the “f” word. By “f” word I don’t mean the “f-bomb” (although he did use that word as an adjective), but rather “f**got.” Bryant was fined $100,000 for making an “anti-gay” slur. The story hit the front pages of every major newspaper and website and was a major story for days. Kobe and the Lakers even had to make a video that discouraged people from making similar comments.

Last month, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls became so outraged at a fan that he yelled that same word at a fan. Unfortunately for Noah, this was caught on tape. Noah was fined $50,000 for his “homophobic” slur. This story was also covered by most media outlets and talked about for days.

Last night, A.J Burnett, pitcher for the New York Yankees, grew frustrated during an interview with reporters. During the course of the interview, Burnett responded to a question by saying, “That’s just retarded.” If you hadn’t heard about that story yet, chances are you won’t. Although it was briefly discussed on Mike & Mike in the Morning, by 3:00 PM today the story wasn’t even a major headline on ESPN.com or even the MLB section on ESPN.com.

One could argue that when Burnett said, “That’s just retarded” he wasn’t implying the quetsion was “mentally challenged.” He may have just been saying, “That’s ridiculous.” However, one might also be able to argue that when someone makes a statement like, “That’s so gay” their intention is somewhere along the lines of, “That’s ridiculous” as well.

While I am firmly against slurs of any kind, it bothers me that we have a double standard when it comes to these things. When an inappropriate comment is made that has homosexual overtones, chaos ensues. Players are fined, national media runs the story, and activists are on TV and in print demanding a public apology. However, when someone throws around a term like “retard” or “retarded,” there’s a slight slap on the wrist if anything. There’s no doubt that comments like that upset organizations that work with the mentally handicapped, but chances are good that spokespeople for their organizations won’t get much airtime or publicity to voice their complaints.

If our culture is going to be so intent on being politically correct, maybe it’s time we stand up for those who truly can’t help themselves. Our culture will stand up for anything and everything if it offends us personally, but maybe we should put aside the double-standard and stand up for those who truly can’t defend themselves.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/lK0EbA]

The issue of pay for church workers has always been a sticky one. If you get paid a lot, people (who probably make more than you) may argue that people shouldn’t be getting “rich” from doing ministry. If you get paid too little, you may find it difficult for your family to survive.

I’ve never really known the appropriate time to discuss pay when dealing with a church ministry position. It’s very different from other job positions. With other job openings, the salary/hourly pay is usually listed on a web site, job description, or even a store window.

That’s usually not the case with ministry positions. In fact, in my experience, payment is usually not even discussed until at least the third conversation/interview with the pastor and other church leaders. In fact, I’ve heard of some who have been offered full time ministry positions without hearing a word about pay. They didn’t even know what they would be paid until they received their first paycheck.

What makes this such a sticky issue is the concept of money itself. As an interviewee, you don’t want to bring up money right away and appear as though you’re looking for the highest paying ministry job available. Churches also want to know you’re in it because you feel called into ministry, and you’re relying on God to take care of your needs.

However, some churches and pastors use that argument as justification to underpay their staff. Even though the church members and pastor may be making quite a bit of money, they will pay someone in a full time position no more than a handful of beans and tell that person and his/her family to be “humble and rely on God.”

So when someone is interviewing for a ministry position in the church, when should the issue of pay be brought to the table? Initial contact? First phone conversation? During a face to face interview? When meeting with the Board? Never?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts and experiences.

[Photo source: http://bit.ly/kJzuaB]

Not that I think anyone cares, but here is my reading list for the summer. I’m posting this in case someone may be reading the same book(s) and you’d be interested in discussing.

Just finished: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Currently reading: Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager by Buzz Bissinger

Up next:

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Updated) (Portions) by Josh McDowell

Death to the BCS: The Definitive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, and Jeff Passan

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I’ve also been reading Thank You Notes by Jimmy Fallon and the Writers of Late Night but I don’t think that really counts.

What’s on your list?

As church people, we like to tell others that God doesn’t weigh sin and all sin is the same in His eyes. If we could actually translate the intentions behind those statements, I wonder if it would be translated as, “Your sins are WAY worse than mine! But…God can still save you. But seriously…they’re way worse than mine! But I’m not judging you…actually I am.”

Unfortunately, I think our church culture has taken that judgment one step further. Not only do we weigh and cast judgment on the sins of others, but I think we also weigh and cast judgment on the temptations of others.

In fact, I think we view some temptations as worse than some sins.

Sound crazy? Just consider it for a moment.

There are certain sins we’re semi-comfortable admitting. If I’m dealing with sinful pride, I can admit it to others. If I’m bitter and jealous, I may be able to let others know about that too. If I have battles with anger and rage, I may have no problem telling people.

But there are some temptations that we just shouldn’t talk about. At least, that’s what we’ve been told. They could almost be labeled as the “Forbidden Temptations.” They’re very real, and they’re very prevalent, but we’ve been conditioned not talk about them. Since they make others uncomfortable, we’ve been told not to mention them, admit the struggle, or even seek out help.

We are all tempted by things. I firmly believe that temptation in itself is not a sin. It is when we give in to that temptation that we sin.

However, many of us still view some temptations as worse than sins.

Until we get past that, we’ll continue to struggle with authenticity and transparency, and we’ll have no problem weighing and judging anything we see.