Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Desktop Earth - A Great Reminder

This morning I installed a new desktop wallpaper for my computer.  It's called Desktop Earth.  Desktop Earth is a wallpaper generator for Windows. It runs whenever you're logged on and updates your wallpaper with an accurate representation of the Earth as it would be seen from space at that precise moment. Images are created from high-resolution textures (2560x1280) so it's perfect for that QSXGA display - but they work on anything, even on SVGA.  There is an image for every month to accurately depict snow and foliage changes, and the night view is simply stunning. The imagery is based on NASA's Blue Marble Next and Earth's City Lights.

I installed this on my computer for two reasons.  First, and most honestly, I change my desktop wallpaper fairly regularly.  Looking at the same image every time I turn on my computer becomes boring.  Second, and most importantly, I intend to be reminded about the global impact my ministry life can now have.  With the internet tools available today, my reach is no longer limited by geography.  What I am writing here could have an impact on someone's life on the other side of Planet Earth.  With the free Planet Earth desktop generator, every time I turn on my computer I'll tune into God's mission to reach the world for Christ.

Thanksgiving in Tough Times Sermon

This past Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of preaching at Crossroads' Thanksgiving Eve service. Readers of Church Requel will have seen the home video edition of this sermon already, which I posted Tuesday evening.  My outline for the message was simple and is available to you here: Download Thanksgiving Outline.

You can also listen in to this November 26, 2008 teaching by downloading the audio file or by subscribing to the podcast.  (Want to understand more about podcasts?  Check out this Podcast FAQ!)

Sitting on a Stump Blindfolded

This Thanksgiving, when I count my blessings, my friendships are right at the top of the list.  I am a man blessed with good friends.  One of those friends is Nancy Roop, who worked for me for 23 years at Pierce Financial Planning.  Somewhere along the way, she and Larry became our (Mary Kay's and mine) very good friends.  I don't know how to do it differently.  The people I work with and those who work for me are more than associates, more than co-workers... they are my friends.  And I value that so much.

What got me thinking about Nancy and her friendship is this email she sent me today.  Even though Nancy and I no longer work together (she decided to stay at Pierce Financial Planning, though I've often tried to talk her into coming to work for me at church), she has a sixth sense about what I need to hear and when I need to hear it.

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he does this, he must not talk about it. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.  It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

I have no idea whether or not this story is true.  What I do know is that right now I feel like the boy sitting on a stump blindfolded.  Unlike the boy in the story, I don't have the choice of removing the blindfold.  I can't see what is coming.  Also unlike the boy in the story, I know my heavenly Father is sitting on the stump beside me.  Of this I have no doubt.  Still, at this moment, the sun is not shining and I'm listening to all kinds of noises. 

There are times when I am tempted to be frozen by the fear I am experiencing.  Then there are other moments of exhilaration when I am excited about what my future may hold.  But at all times, I'm comforted by my Father in heaven and by my friends here on earth.  I want you to know, if you happen to be one of those friends, I appreciate you.

In Search of a Movement

I've been reading Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin today.  Right away this book grabbed my attention.  On page 5, Godin writes a short section he titled, "In Search of a Movement."

Some tribes are stuck.  They embrace the status quo and drown out any tribe member who dares to question authority and the accepted order.  Big charities, tiny clubs, struggling corporations - they're tribes and they're stuck.  I'm not so interested in those tribes.  They create little of value and they're sort of boring.  Every one of those tribes, though, is a movement waiting to happen, a group of people just waiting to be energized and transformed.

A movement is thrilling.  It's the work of many people, all connected, all seeking something better.  The new highly leveraged tools of the Net make it easier than ever to create a movement, to make things happen, to get things done.

All that's missing is leadership.

There's something deep inside me that resonates with these words by Godin.  Christianity, when it is working as it's founder intended, is always a movement.  Only when Christianity becomes about the "accepted order" does it get stuck.  I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to get stuck.  Actually I take that back.  I do know about others - just about everyone I know also doesn't want to get stuck.

We are living in one of the most exciting and changing times in the history of mankind.  There are more people alive today than at any other time.  And more of these people are connected with other people, sometimes across the nation, sometimes across the globe.  What would the Apostle Paul have done with the Internet tools that we so nonchalantly take for granted?  I believe that the man who risked shipwreck and imprisonment to reach others with the good news of Christ, who wrote most of the New Testament with only a scribe and papyrus as his tools, would have made the most of the Internet.  He would have had websites, blogs, laptops and Blackberries.

Coming back to Godin's point though: it's not the websites, blogs, laptops and Blackberries that make the movement thrilling.  What Paul brought to the tools of his day is what we need to bring to the tools of ours: leadership.  All that's missing to make this a movement is leadership.

I want to be such a leader.  What about you?

Daughters: "Dad's Problem with Facebook"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Let me share this short video with you from my daughters, Jillian and Jessica.  Funny stuff!

You can also see the video on my You Tube channel.

Thanksgiving in Tough Times

This Thanksgiving will probably be a different holiday for most people because of the tough times in which we're living.  This evening I will have the opportunity to speak to Crossroads on the topic, "Thanksgiving in Tough Times."  I thought that this topic might also benefit Church Requel subscribers, so I recorded this short 8 minute video.  Enjoy!

The Phone Call I'll Never Receive

I have a great deal of respect for the teaching of right doctrine.  I'm reminded regularly of my charge as a pastor and as a preacher (2 Timothy 4:3).  Having said that, I doubt that I will ever receive a phone call like this:

Thanks to Out of Ur for the link.

Thankful to be Back to Work

My vacation ends today; I'm back to work.  Last week I had the opportunity to visit all of my family on different days.  I also had the privilege of hearing my brother preach at his church in Mason, Ohio.  But today, I'm back in the office.  I'm sure that other people also have apprehension when it comes to returning to work after time off.  What will be sitting on the desk?  What voice mails and emails will have to be returned?  What did I forget to take care of before I left?

I've only been back an hour, but I must share that God has been very gracious to me.  Already I've heard nothing but really good news about the services this past weekend.  A co-worker came in and talked to me about the special way God has worked in his life this past week.  We prayed together and I also felt God's Spirit blessing both of us.  Waiting on my desk was a letter from a parishioner telling me how much my sermon two weekends ago meant to her.  That letter was such an encouragement to me.  Also, a friend of mine from  Colorado sent me a book as a gift, and it was sitting on my desk waiting for me.

I know there's much work to do over the next two days.  In a few minutes I have to meet with the health care insurance provider and make a decision for the benefit of all our employees.  Later today I'm scheduled to meet with our web designer.  And while I wrote the basic outline for the Thanksgiving Eve service before vacation, I still have a lot of work to pull it together before tomorrow night.  And somehow, in the midst of all this, my senior pastor and I have to get together so we're on the same page.

However, I want to write this quick post to acknowledge just how good God is and how fortunate I feel being able to work here.  This is Thanksgiving week.  We are not only to remember all the great things God has done in the past, we are also to acknowledge him as our only God, the one who will deliver both now and in the future.  (Check out 1 Chronicles 16.)

Heavenly Father, thank You for the way you have welcomed me back to work today.  May my work bring your pleasure this week.

Cold Frustration

For northern Ohioans accustomed to tough winters, this short video is chilling to watch.  That said, it is funny.  Enjoy!

The One Who Works Won't Go Hungry

Have you ever had a tough job?  I've had a lot of jobs in my life.  Even before I officially began my first "career," I learned the value of work.  By the age of 21, I had mowed yards, bailed hay, picked corn, delivered newspapers, sold Christmas cards in July, painted mailboxes (thousands of them!), and for four years in college was a projectionist.  (What's a projectionist?  Someone who threads the movie film through a projector.  Why not just insert the disc?  Please don't ask.  I feel old enough as it is!) My dear old grandmother would often tell me that the man who worked would never go hungry.  I've never forgotten that advice.  Nor have I ever forgotten this episode from I Love Lucy.  Enjoy!

What's in a Name?

Have you ever said someone else's name at a most inopportune time?  One of my biggest struggles is remembering people's names. Perhaps the only thing worse than not recalling someone's name is recalling the wrong name.  Because of this episode of "Cheers," I always remember how important the right name at the right time really is.  Enjoy!

Ever Feel Like Raymond?

I have always loved watching Everybody Loves Raymond.  My daughter, Jessica, and my son, Jonathan know this and they buy me Raymond videos every year.  I know why I love watching this sitcom - because I so identify with Raymond.  He is so interested in pleasing everyone and trying to make everyone else happy that he often finds himself in a no win situation... hence the comedy.  My favorite scene from all the years is this Christmas photo episode.  Man, can I identify with this scene.  Enjoy!

I've Got the Best Dad!

When God was passing out dads, I got to go to the front of the line.  Really.  I mean it.  I have the best dad.  I've known Walsine Pierce for over 51 years now, and our relationship just keeps getting better and better.  Now it's one thing to have the best dad, but it's another thing entirely to have the best dad and know it at the same time.  That makes it really special.  I'm off on vacation this week, but we don't really have the money to go anywhere.  So I'm staying close to home, trying to make the most of my time off.  Today, I drove an hour up to Dad's house and spent the day with him.

Last year, we got to spend an entire week on vacation together, just him and me, taking a road trip through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.  This year, Dad and Julie went to the Outer Banks with Mary Kay and me.  This week, I wanted to make sure that at least one of my vacation days was spent with Dad. (The picture above was taken today at breakfast.)

One of the things I love about my dad is the fact that he dreams big and works hard to live out his dreams.  Since he turned 65, he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, backpacked across Ireland. and sailed down the Ohio River in a sailboat he rebuilt.  Next year, at 77 years young, he is planning to bike across America, starting in San Diego, California.  To make this trip he has purchased a Terra Trike, which advertises itself as the world's most comfortable recumbent tricycle.  All three of us kids want to support Dad in his efforts.  My brother, Todd, invested a week with Dad not long ago, putting all the accessories that Dad needs on his trike.  My sister, Kimberly, is planning on flying with him to California next February and getting him off in good fashion.

My job has been to help Dad with some of the technology issues of his trip.  He would like to be able to blog daily about his journey. (He's planning on investing into a Blackberry Curve so he can blog on the road.)  So job one for me was to get Dad started on his blog.  We did that during our trip to the Outer Banks two months ago.  Since then Dad has done a GREAT job of writing at www.walsinepierce.com regularly.  Through his blog, he has met people from all over the country.  And he is so excited about it.  When he talks about making a new friend, his eyes glisten with enthusiasm.  But he has struggled because he didn't understand how files and folders worked within Windows.  I'm betting there are tons of 77-year-olds who don't have a clue about Windows.  The difference is that my dad really wants to learn.  Now the truth is that Dad actually could have cared less about file management.  However, he desperately wanted to be able to upload pictures to his blog.  To do that he had to learn about files and folders.  Today, was file and folder class at his house!  As you can see from Dad's blog, he has mastered pictures!

The other thing Dad really needs to do is to get his riding legs in shape.  That's difficult when it's already snowing up a storm in North Central Ohio.  Outside riding isn't much of an option for him.  So I packed up my indoor trainer and delivered it to him today.  I just happened to own one of the nicest trainers on the market (thanks to Mary Kay's generosity one Christmas), but right now Dad needs it more than me.  On the left you can see Dad sitting with the trainer.  I'm sure he will soon be watching Bill O'Reilly on Fox News every night while he pedals away.

Today was a GREAT vacation day for me.  I got the chance to share some personal struggles with him.  As always, he listened to me and then told me some stories that reminded me that he has been there before.  His confidence and his verve for life just melt my own issues away.  I figure if Dad can have this much fun, what in the world is my excuse? 

I know everyone who is reading this will want my dad to be their dad.  Well, sorry.  Unless you're my brother or sister, you can't have him.  He's all mine... or at least one-third mine!

Worldly Lies - Performance and Possessions

This past weekend I had the privilege of preaching at all three weekend services.  I was charged with continuing the "Lies We Believe" series.  This weekend we examined Worldly Lies - Lies about our performance and possessions.  Here are my sermon notes from yesterday. I've made four of my Word document files available for download:

• my teaching notes
  
• my written manuscript
• the program without answers
• the program with answers

You can also listen in to this November 16, 2008 teaching by downloading the audio file or by subscribing to the podcast.  (Want to understand more about podcasts?  Check out this Podcast FAQ!)

The Sticks Video Recap

This is cool.  Watch this video recap from last week's The Sticks Conference.  Somebody put some hours in to create this.  To whomever:  Thank you!

the sticks | recap from thesticks.tv on Vimeo.

Night and Day - A Little Fun and Laughter!

Ok.  I'm officially on vacation until November 25th.  So, to keep you entertained here at Church Requel, plan on some fun memories.  This is one of my favorites from the Cosby Show.  Enjoy!

Is Your Church "Purple"?

Is your church "purple"?  I don't mean the color.  I mean does it stand out?  Mark Batterson, author of Wild Goose Chase and pastor of an amazing church in Washington, D.C. spoke to a group of pastors this past Tuesday at The Sticks Conference.  The title of his talk was, "Trojan Horses, Purple Cows, and Broken Windows."  Mark didn't have the time to fully develop his Purple Cow theme, so he wrote it out on his blog.

Mark got the idea from Seth Godin's book, Purple Cow.  Once you've seen one brown cow, you've seen all brown cows.  But if you happened to see a purple cow, that would really grab your attention!  Applied to the church the question is, "As church leaders, what are we doing to be unique... to stand out among other churches?"  Mark writes that he has three convictions:

1) the good news ought to make the news. Brown churches sit on the sideline and invite the community to come to them. Purple churches are always going and compelling. They are making such a big difference that they become a highly visible part of their community. And people drive by the brown churches--the churches that are invisible--to go to the purple church.

2) The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I know that marketing is a dirty word in some church circles, but does it get anybody else riled up that Madison Avenue is far better at pedaling its worthless wares than the church is at preaching the good news? I have a problem with that. We need sanctified competitive streaks.

3) The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. Too many churches look too much alike. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. Every church has a unique churchprint and ought to be a unique expression of the gospel in their kingdom niche.

You can read the rest here.

Rick Muchow Coming To Crossroads!

The news is now VERY PUBLIC.  Rick Muchow, worship leader for Saddleback Community Church in sunny Orange County, California will be coming to Crossroads in cold and snowy Mansfield.  This morning's Mansfield News Journal carried a large article with a huge picture of our Magnification Team at Crossroads. 

I've had the privilege of watching Lori Biddle work behind the scenes to bring this event to fruition.  You might want to know how this could have happened.  Big lesson learned:  the power of the ask!  Lori asked and Rick said, "Yes!"

The News Journal reported the following this morning:

Muchow, one of the best known worship leaders in the country, will be at Crossroads Community Church, 1188 Park Avenue West, Nov. 22-23 to lead worship training and services.

Muchow's pastor is Rick Warren, who wrote the best seller book "The Purpose Drive Life and The Purpose Driven Church." Warren is the head pastor at Saddleback Church.

In addition to singing and playing his guitar, Muchow will give a training workshop for the Crossroads worship team, known as the Magnification team. The Magnification team is made up of 120 volunteers who help with the church band, vocalists, actors and the technical aspect of the service.

Lori also was interviewed by the local TV station this past Friday.  Check out the pictures over on Lori's blog.  Lori... we are all really proud of you!  Keep up the GREAT work!

Small Church Pastors: "Not for lack of trying!"

The vast majority of churches in the United States are small with fewer than 100 in attendance every weekend.  But their pastors say they are working hard to grow their churches.

Lifeway Research (the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention) just released the results of a survey of small church pastors in America. Ed Stetzer, the director of Lifeway Research since June 2007, writes in his blog that for the most part, churches are small in spite of the best efforts of their pastors.  Ed summarizes:

The study, which surveyed 350 pastors of congregations that average fewer than 100 in primary worship attendance, was conducted in March 2008. It found, among other things, that 67 percent of small church pastors are frustrated with how slowly progress is made at their church.

The inertia, however, isn't for lack of trying. According to the study:

Rainy CLASS Saturday Morning

Meet Rachael Henry and her husband, John.  Rachael is our ministry leader for CLASS.  She is the one who takes registrations, reminds people when and where their CLASS meets, and greets students when they come in the door.  She also works with all the CLASS teachers, coordinating rooms and audio visual needs.  She does a great job and I'm so glad to have her as part of our team. 

I love rainy CLASS Saturday mornings.  If the weather is too nice, people might be tempted not to come to CLASS.  If the weather brings a major snow storm, people might be smart not to come to CLASS.  But rainy?  Might as well go to CLASS!

You might be wondering: 'What is CLASS?"  CLASS stands for Christian Life and Service Seminars.  We offer five CLASSes and encourage our members to take all of them.  Each CLASS is four hours in length and focuses on one area of the Christian life:  Membership, Maturity, Ministry, Missions, or Magnification.  I believe CLASS is one of the reasons why Crossroads experiences such unity in its congregation.  By attending CLASS, each member knows what our church believes, why our church exists, and how they - as members - can be a vital part of this ministry. 

Rain rain go away, come again some CLASSy day!  Today is that day!