Thursday Three For All
It’s Thursday, kiddies: the day when I roll out a few things I’ve been reading over the past week. Three of ‘em, to be exact. Enjoy. (Remember: click on the big bold print to read the entire article.)
The Best Ministry Ideas Are In The Congregation
(via @jdgreear) If you’re not plugged into Pastor J.D.’s Plumb Lines series, y’oughta. The own / catalyze / bless is a grid that I’ve always found particularly helpful, particularly when a church member says, “You know what we should do?”
One of the ways we talk about this at the Summit is through a grid of own, catalyze, bless. With any decent ministry idea, we can choose one of those three options. With a select few, we own the process, using a lot of the church’s resources to make the ministry a success. Our weekend worship services, for instance, are largely in that category. On the other end of the spectrum are ideas that, while sincere, probably aren’t worth our full attention. A member wants to print “John 3:16” on pencils and give them to every teacher in Durham. So we bless that effort, pray for the best, and release those members to do what God has put on their heart.
Half of People “Remember” Events That Never Happened
(via @cbsnews) I find this fascinating particularly be cause the 50% rule works in our house. Exactly half of my kids remember events that cause Merriem and I to look at each other and scratch our heads because we don’t think they ever happened. Freaky, y’all.
The study experimented with implanting fake (but relatively harmless) memories, such as taking a childhood hot-air balloon ride, pulling a prank on a teacher, or causing trouble at a family wedding, into the minds of study participants. Researchers told them about the imaginary events as if they were real, and about 30 percent of participants appeared to “remember” it happening, even elaborating on how it occurred and describing details of what it was like. Another 23 percent showed signs of accepting the story to some degree, the researchers said.
Puddles the Sad Clown Sings “O Holy Night”
(via @premiumfunny) Yep, we just covered O Holy Night last Friday, but this video is incredible because (a) this clown can sing, and (b) it offends two friends at once: Brad O’Brien (fear of clowns) and Chris Pappalardo (fear of good Christmas music).
photo credit: Jason Mathis
