Jon Acuff's Blog, page 183

The Social Media Sermon Pause

I've noticed something recently.

It was subtle, so it took me a little longer to recognize than it did that the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, a professional dancer, won the show "Dancing with the Stars." If I didn't think we had already exhausted all possible, "That would be like putting the Duggars in a baby having contest" jokes I would make one right now. But I won't.

What I will do is tell you something about pastors and conference speakers that I have discovered recently.

They are...

Happy Memorial Day

If you're in America, happy Memorial Day.

If you're in another country, I hope you have a pleasant Monday.

If you're currently orbiting the planet in a spaceship please let me know. This summer, Los from ragamuffinsoul is marrying a couple who met on his blog, and that's pretty hard to top. A spaceship Stuff Christians Like reader would really boost my ego. (Whoa, NASA-flavored word play!)

Regular Stuff Christians Like returns tomorrow.

In the meantime, thank you veterans who made freedom and...

Shameless Saturday!

It's that time again …

What's your blog?

What's your cause? What's your band? What's your book?

What's the link you want people to see more than anything else?

I hereby declare this "Shameless Saturday."

Post a link to whatever it is you're all about with no shame or apologizing or feeling like you're making a comment on a post you really don't care about but are instead secretly trying to promote your own blog. (I've done that myself many times. The best way to do it is to say, "That's an...

One blog mistake we all make.

The mistake I'll share today is counterintuitive. In some ways it goes against the fiber of what some people think storytelling and blogging are really about. But I think this one mistake causes us all to lose more readers and tell weaker stories than just about anything. Here's the mistake:

"We don't leave any room in our stories for the readers."

Why is that a mistake?

What does that mean?

Simple, as a storyteller, you're job isn't to complete the story. Your job is to catalyze the story. You ...

The Lady Worship Leader.

(I don't know anything about ladies. Seriously, ask any girl who met me in high school. I've got nothing. But fortunately, Daniella Summers does. She is funny/talented and has a very cool husband and a great family. She also agreed to write a post focusing on the ever fantastic Lady Worship Leader. I thought it was great. Enjoy!)

One day I discovered this blog. I can't recall exactly, but I might have stumbled upon it by typing a mixture of the following words into Google: John Piper, Lady...

3 things Christians say about pop culture scandals.

Recently I had the chance to write an article for the Washington Post. If you've got a chance, check it out here.

Feeling embarrassed for VBS programs that don't have bouncy things.

If your church doesn't get a bouncy, jump jump castle or slide thing for your Vacation Bible School this summer, that's the equivalent of charging money for the tortilla chips at Chipotle.

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Seriously, the first time I ordered chips and they asked for money I thought it was some sort of ground corn based joke. I kind of laughed a little, reached for the chips and then noticed the awkwardness that was building like a tower of ill placed jenga blocks. I briefly thought about knocking over the...

Brad Pitt & Hott Wives.

Every time I go to Wal-mart I feel bad for Brad Pitt. Not horrible, I don't feel all that bad. Just like when John Mayer sings on his most recent song about his heartache I think about his $20 million watch collection and string of models and I don't feel all that miserable for his troubles. But Brad Pitt, jeez.

Apparently Angelina Jolie cheated on him. Or not. Tabloid magazines have to get things right like the weather man. There's no degree of accuracy required to write a headline like...

Consoling pastors now that the best sermon illustration generating television show of our generation is over.

Flowers? Cards? Perhaps a casserole of hope? It's a tough season for pastors right now with Lost finally ending and the greatest source of television flavored sermon illustrations fading into glory. Have a heart and remind them that the show didn't "leave," it just "moved on." (Plus, they may take our Lost, but they will never take our Braveheart!)

Pretending you're looking up Bible verses on your iPhone during church.

Oh stop, you're embarrassing both of us.

Let's be honest, we both know you're not using your iPhone strictly to look up Bible verses during the sermon. It might have started that way, but it never stays that way.

You started by taking a few quick notes during the "margin moments" of church. You know those, the few minutes while men and women in black are magically changing whatever is on stage or they're preparing for baptism or giving the ushers the offering plates.

Those are perfect little...