LayGuy

The LayGuy Eye is a new thing I want to incorporate into my blog. Having been absent from my feeds for a week, I was bombarded by hundreds of posts I had to wade through. A lot of them, I simply skimped. A lot I read and enjoyed. But some really grabbed my attention.

As my avatar is a big fat blue eye and the fact that “eye” rhymes with LayGuy, it only seemed natural in my non-marketing mind to name this segment the LayGuy Eye - it’s my “eye on things” lol - I should stick to drinking wine. Hope you enjoy my selection of posts I found interesting. And for those of you I personally interact with, rest assured, you will get on this list eventually, I had to cull this list right down to the meds I’m on.

Church Relevance has a great article on the top 25 multiplying churches in the US. Make sure to check out the original article from the Outreach Magazine to get into the meat of this great story. Included is a link to a PDF file of this list one could email to his or her friends if they were so inclined in order to learn what these churches are doing.

Emerging Church guru and Elvis Presley wannabe, Dan Kimball has a great article on how there are heaps of “online bashers” who like to diss their fellow Christian bro’s and sis’. Yeah on ya Mr Kimball, you are one of the convicting voices I spoke about in my edit of my “pumped” post. Kimball refers to the story on New Ager Jon Gordon’s acceptance of Christ through his conversations with Erwin McManus of Mosiac. McManus is one of my favourite “inspirers” and cops a beating from heaps of conservative Christians out there. A very interesting story to follow through.

LOL - I haven’t read the article yet but my favourite science brother Hugh Ross has a post published at The Resurgence on “The Physics Of Sin.” Trust Ross to write about the scientific consequence of sin. I will read it in due course. Mr Ross, one thing I don’t understand about you is your assumption that eternity has multiple time dimensions running through it. My question to you is, “why does eternity even have a time dimension?” By definition, eternity is a reality void of time - no the abundance of it! Oh my head ache! Love ya brother!

On the lighter side, my [spiritual] brother Seth is a funny fella. He loves to see the funny side of things on his blog. A series of posts which made me laugh are his cartoon Calvinism posts. Calvinists have a point in their 5 pointed reality called “Unconditional Election” and it has everything to do with “pre destination.” Poor old Calvin would have greatly benefited from modern physics where the pre-destination question is easily solved. But because he isn’t around for this and because it’s funny, here are Seth’s posts on Calvinism 101, part 1, part 2 and part 3.

My favourite Youth Pastor in the world - which by the way I haven’t met cause he is on the other side of the world, is Stuart. This guy’s onion layers have been peeled away time and time again on his blog. What’s left is a funny blog about his views on the world and his experience as a missionary to the youth of his area. I salute you Stuey! One thing I have the EYE on are his posts on Rob Bell’s NOOMA series. Rob Bell is the Pastor of the “other” Mars Hill (sorry Stuey, my allegiance goes to Driscoll) - placed 13th in the top 20 Churches in the US. He has a bunch of short videos called Nooma. Stuart is a legend and has posts on the following episodes. Lump. Flame. Noise. Rain. Check them out. Bell has his critics but he is also critically acclaimed - go figure!

Talking about top churches, LifeChurch.TV is seen as the top church in the US. Craig Groeschel is the Pastor and like any relevant Pastor on this planet, he has a blog. He has a series of posts he titles, “oops” where he outlines the biggest stuff up’s in his journey at lifchurch.tv. I love it when Pastors are transparent. The absence of pride gives me great joy! Moving right along, be sure to check out his posts on his 4 biggests “ooops” - 1. Stinginess. 2 Building Small. 3 Let My People Go. 4 My Ministry.

Nothing earth shattering at all. But when the Pastor of the US’ top church speaks, I listen!

Finally off to Goodmanson - the dude they say you need a dictionary to decipher his blog with! Drew Goodmanson just came back from an Acts 29 Pastors retreat where a number of very interesting things occurred - in the EYE of the LayGuy! It seems as if Acts 29 is defining “missional” and distancing itself from the “other” missional group led by John Franke or Alan Roxburgh over at Allelon.org. Led by the input of brains the likes of Keller and Stetzer, Acts 29 is repositioning itself as a “movement instead of a network.” This may mean nothing to most of you. But to me this is exciting cause I love the work these guys are doing. Make sure to check out this little multimedia take by Goodmanson before you go - a sobering thought of the reality of church in the US.

Good thing I’m an Aussie! That is until you check out the latest Census data reading religion…..

Tags: layguy eye, missional, mark driscoll, erwin mcmanus, craig groeschel, dan kimball,

In continuation of Mark Driscoll’s series, “Death By Ministry,” this week the focus is the cause of stress. Driscoll lists 43 causes of stress for pastors and leaders. This list is extrapolated from the book, “Time Bomb and The Church.” This book was written by a guy who’s dad was a pastor and burnt out by the role.

I am not a pastor or a leader, but I take note of these things cause if I was in such a position one day, the last thing I want to do is burn out. Having said that, I am responsible for a number of ministries at church and at times, burnout is within my radar. I encourage any pastor, leader or ministry volunteer to plug into this series. Below then is the list of stress causers..

1. Marriage
2. Troubles with boss
3. Detention in jail or other institution
4. Death of spouse
5. Major change in sleeping habits
6. Death of a close family member
7. Major change in eating habits (amount of food or change in meal hours)
8. Foreclosure on a loan
9. Revision of personal habits (dress, manners, associations, etc.)
10. Death of a close friend
11. Minor violation of the law
12. Outstanding personal achievement
13. Pregnancy
14. Major change in the health of a family member
15. Sexual difficulties
16. In-law troubles
17. Major change in number of family get-togethers
18. Major change in financial status
19. Gaining a new family member
20. Change in residence
21. Child leaving home
22. Marital separation
23. Major change in church activities
24. Marital reconciliation
25. Being fired from work
26. Divorce
27. Changing to a different line of work
28. Major change in the number of arguments with spouse
29. Major change in responsibilities at work
30. Wife beginning or ceasing work outside the home
31. Major change in working hours or conditions
32. Major change in usual type or amount of recreation
33. Taking on a mortgage
34. Taking on other major loans
35. Major personal injury or illness
36. Major business readjustment
37. Major change in social activities
38. Major change in living conditions
39. Retirement from work
40. Vacation
41. Christmas
42. Changing to a new school
43. Beginning or ceasing formal schooling

My antidote against stress and burnout is the following scripture…

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

I have not perfected this at all and many times, I go ahead on my own strength - only rushing towards burnout. As I mature (lol - there’s a thought provoking idea) I aim to abide more in Jesus - I just want to figure what that really means without all the cliché and feelings of self righteousness. Abiding in Christ is more than reading a tacky devotional or praying a mantra. I’ll be sure to blog about it when I figure it out.

In the mean time, you can view Driscoll’s latest message below.

Tags: Mark Driscoll, Death By Ministry, The Resurgence, Ministry

My rant against Benny Hinn.

I want to go on record as a person pointing my finger at a nut case called Benny Hinn. I have previously posted on his wife here. But this post is dedicated to a dirty little Israelite.

Tofik Benedictus Hinn was born in Jaffa on December 2, 1952 to a Greek father and an Armenian mother. In 1968, his family migrated to Canada where he was raised in a Greek Orthodox Church in Toronto. He was said to have a stammer and I so wish the freak still stammered cause he then wouldn’t have deceived millions around the world into putting their faith in a fruit loop and pouring their money into a bogus ministry.

As an Aussie, I sometimes sit back and wonder how the rest of the world, and in particular the Americans, are so conned into giving their money to a lunatic. Let’s call a spade a spade. Hinn is filthy rich. The man drips money and is a massive advocate of the “prosperity gospel.” I feel like grabbing this idiot and screaming in his ear that the Jesus he talks about was a broke and homeless middle aged street kid who didn’t have a regular place to lay His weary head - a far cry to Hinn’s $8.5 Million house in Dana Point, California.

If the language in this post is a little strong, it’s because I cant stand people who rip off others in need and wanting to know God. It’s like when Jesus went nuts in the Temple when He witnessed the “den of thieves” ripping off the people in their attempt to be right with God. He went nuts and wrecked havoc in the Temple court yards. I sit here at a keyboard in Melbourne, Australia. I wish I could over throw tables and scream at people like Hinn right now.

To rub salt into the wounds, in December 2006, Hinn sent his mailing list a request to fund the purchase of a $36 Million Gulfstream G4SP aircraft. His so called “Crusades” meant Hinn and his cronies NEEDED to travel around in a personal $36 Million air craft. And his faithful, and totally gullible, followers were asked to foot the bill. Give me a break.

Time and time again, many people have tried to expose the false teachings and false healing of Hinn’s “Crusades.” YouTube had a number of video’s exposing Hinn’s heretical teaching and bogus claims to healing. But, being rich, Hinn got his lawyers involved and banned such video’s from screening - therefore negating the curious from seeking the truth.

But power to the people! There are still heaps of sites out there condemning this pathetic person. The CBC ran a damaging report on Hinn’s ministry below. Being CBC material, Hinn’s lawyers can’t do anything to take it off the net.

Hinn stresses the importance of a “revelation from God” to pump up his so called “crusades.” He likes to use a revelation to con people into believing that what he is doing is ordained by God. A litmus test for situations such as is the following scipture…

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. Deut 18:20-21

LOL - Hinn is stacking up for himself, bogus revelation after bogus revelation of so called prophecies. Below are just a few of them I have located in a simple Google search…

• March 3rd, 2003 will be a day of massive transformation around the world.
• That resurrected people would watch Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) - TBN is run by another looney tune called Mr Crouch.
• Jesus appearing physically to Muslims.
• Jesus will physically appear at a crusade in Nairobi, Kenya. (What a great promo for his crusade in Nairobi 19 days later)
• Castro will die in the 1990’s.
• America’s homosexuals will be destroyed by fire in 1995.
• Syria’s President, Hafez Al-Assad, will pioneer a peace plan with Israel. When Assad dies 3 months later without implementing a peace plan, Hinn claimed that it was, “God’s plan for it not to happen.”

I’m sure there are countless other “prophecies” made by Hinn which haven’t seen the light of day. How should we respond to such a man? The video below outlines this for us…

You know what really makes me laugh? What really gets under my skin? It’s that this vermin then has the audicity to “curse” people opposed to what he is doing.

Well Benny, I oppose you. I expose you for being a fraud and a false teacher and freakin idiot masquerading as a ‘pastor’ while ripping off millions. Why don’t you join your pathetic wife in your special place in hell. Maybe your personal jet can whisk you there and leave the rest of the hurting world free to seek what God has for them instead of what you claim.

I salute you Benny. Unlike Jesus, you are Israel’s most pathetic export.

Tags: Benny Hinn, Heretic, False Teaching]]>