Jon Acuff's Blog, page 73
May 6, 2013
When you see a typo in the worship music lyrics.
This is what goes through my head when I notice a typo in the worship music lyrics at church:
“Oh no, oh no, oh no! Look away, look away. Finding a typo in a song at church is like staring at the sun.
Once you see it, it can’t be unseen. Don’t look. Pretend that Hosanna is spelled with two s’s. Hossanna. That makes perfect sense: two n’s and two s’s. They’re friends. They go on adventures in wardrobes.
But they don’t, do they? Deep down, I know they don’t. “Hossanna.” What is that? It sounds like the pet name for two redneck celebrities who are dating. “Hoss Roberts and Anna White, or as you might know them, ‘Hossanna.’”
That’s terrible.
Hoss. That’s a cowboy’s name. If your parents name you Hoss, then you don’t get to be an accountant when you grow up. At the hospital, they look at a birth certificate, see your name “Hoss,” and hand you a pair of Wranglers. No, not Wranglers: Those are for the gentleman cowboy. They give you Rustlers, Wranglers cousin who might be cooking meth.
Should I tell someone about that typo?
They’ve got two other services. I could spare a lot of people from having a Hoss Attack. That was so awful.
What would Jesus do?
Probably make a whip out of the little bracelets they give you with your kid’s Sunday School number on them. He’d storm the soundbooth and kick over the soundboard.
“How dare you mix the temple with powerpoint!”
That’s what Jesus would do, definitely. Do I have enough time to make a whip? You know what? I don’t. I really don’t.
“Let’s finish this song already Hoss.”
That’s what I think when I notice a typo in a worship song. Have you ever seen one?
May 2, 2013
You like Pinterest? Oh, I like God.
That’s a juke.
May 1, 2013
Does God need your platform?
Andy Warhol was right when he said, “In the future, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame.”
Social media offers all of us the opportunity to build platforms and gain influence. Now everyone can have followers and be famous to a group of people for 15 minutes, but there is a danger.
Sometimes, as Christians, we think the following:
“If I get a bigger platform, God will get bigger glory.”
This starts in an innocent place. We want our God to be well known. Perhaps if we were well known he would be well known too. If we had more followers or fans, there would be more people to tell about Jesus. If we’re supposed to be a light on a hill, shouldn’t we be the biggest light possible?
But over time, what often happens is “If I get a bigger platform, God will get bigger glory” gets mutated to, “If I get a bigger platform, I’ll get a bigger platform” and we lose sight of God.
At least that’s what has happened to me a few times.
Fame isn’t inherently bad. It’s a tool just like money. It can be used for good. Ask Bono about that. Or bad. Ask anyone on the cover of any tabloid about that. The problem is that fame is just so seductive, especially if you are at all insecure. It feels great having people you don’t even know tell you that you’re awesome. But ultimately, fame is incredibly empty. It doesn’t fill a hole, it just hollows you out even further.
The biggest lie in all of this is the idea that the size of your platform is somehow linked to the amount of glory God receives. That is insane.
As if God is in heaven saying, “Awww, I wanted big glory today but Jon’s blog traffic was down.”
Here is a simple truth I constantly remind myself about God:
“God will not be handcuffed by my failures or unleashed by my successes.”
He doesn’t need me to complete him. He’s God. He doesn’t need my platform to do his will. He’s God. He doesn’t need my success to fulfill his purpose. He’s God.
Does he use me and you?
Without a doubt.
Does he invite us into his story?
Yes.
Does he give us important things to do even?
Certainly.
But not because he has to. But rather because he wants to. His calling is not so that you will complete him. It’s so that you will know he loves you completely.
Build a platform. Be a light. Grow it so bright you can see it from space. Use any fame you get to change the world. We built two kindergartens in Vietnam because in a very small circle of people, this blog got “famous.” But don’t get lost in fame. Don’t ask it for your self worth. It’s not worth it.
A New Book From My Friend Frank Viola
My friend Frank Viola has just released a new book called God’s Favorite Place on Earth.
The premise of the book is simple: when Jesus was on the earth, He was rejected everywhere He went . . . from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to Jerusalem. The only exception was the little village of Bethany.
A lot of people write books, but Frank writes stories and in this one we once again see why he’s such a master.
If you get the book between May 1st to May 7th, you will also get 25 free gifts from 15 different authors including Leonard Sweet, Jeff Goins, Andrew Farley, Steve McVey, DeVern Fromke, Pete Briscoe, Frank Viola himself, and many others.
Go to GodsFavoritePlace.com to read an excerpt from the book, watch the trailer and get the bonus content!
April 30, 2013
Peter doing what Peter does.
I thought this was funny. (If you know who the artist is, please let me know so I can add it to the post.)
April 29, 2013
START Images for iPhone + Facebook + Twitter
The Dave Ramsey graphic design team has put together tons of cool START wallpapers you can use all over the place on your social networks or desktop. There’s even a lock screen image for your iPhone! Want to make your iPhone into an “awesome switch”? Okay, done!
See below for links to all of the various sizes and designs.
iPhone Lock Screen
Slide to Start: iPhone 4 | iPhone 5
Desktop Wallpaper
Punch Fear in the Face:
1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440
Do Work That Matters:
1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440
Average to Awesome Switch:
1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1920 x 1200 | 2560 x 1440
Facebook Cover Images
Escape Average
I Am Ready to Start
Punch Fear in the Face
It’s Time to Start
It’s Time to Start (with book cover)
Average to Awesome Switch
What Are You Starting?
Twitter/Facebook Profile Images
Escape Average
I’m Ready to Start
It’s Time to Start
What Are You Starting?
Wondering why God created allergies.
Ahh, spring is upon us. Bluebirds are singing jaunty tunes. Pastel flowers are poking their heads out after long winter naps. Woodland creatures are dancing about.
And I am sneezing.
And sniffling.
And constantly looking like I’m crying from watching a particularly heart-wrenching Lifetime Channel Movie.
I have allergies. And in Nashville, spring blooms like a big bowl of pollen-covered frosted mini wheats.
I’m taking Claritin D. I’ve scheduled an appointment with an allergist. I’m drinking throat coat before I speak on stage because my voice kind of sounds like a smoky lounge singer right now. But why?
Why did God create allergies? Have you ever stopped to think about that? Why do they exist? Here are five possible explanations I came up with:
Reasons God Created Allergies
1. Keep me humble.
One Sunday at church, I was snorting so much that the lady next to me just handed me a tissue. She didn’t ask if I needed one. I didn’t ask her for one. She just thrust it in my hand, which is church aisle language for “Shut up. Please shut up already with that nose of yours.” Maybe God created allergies to keep me humble. It’s my thorn in the flesh, or thorn in the sinus if you will. Seems a little extreme that he would create a planet impacting form of pollen just to keep me humble, but me even thinking that probably proves why he needed to do it.
2. Support pharmacies and pharmacists.
My sister-in-law Marci is studying to be a pharmacist. I have friends who are drug reps. I’m sure someone I know worked on one of the bajillion allergy commercials you see this time of year. There are tens of thousands of people with families and kids and lives supported by people who have allergies. Maybe that’s why God invented them.
3. Teach me patience.
Have you tried to buy allergy medicine lately? In order to prevent illegal purchases, you now have to fill out a form, show your driver’s license, buy one small box at a time, submit to a retinal scan, and write a 300-word essay on why you feel you deserve the Claritin D. Maybe this is all just a lesson in patience.
4. Bees need pollen.
In the current issue of National Geographic, there’s a story about pollen and bees. I didn’t read it because just looking at the photos made me sneeze, and there was an article on kung fu that I found very distracting/awesome. I like honey. Maybe that’s the tradeoff. God created allergies because honey is so fantastic. I think I can get down with that.
5. In all things God works for the good.
Is this a Romans 8:28 situation? “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Should I recite that verse every time I feel my itchy red eyes tearing up?
It has to be one of those reasons. Or maybe allergies are part of the fall? Was the Garden of Eden hypoallergenic, and then when Adam and Eve got kicked out they were expelled to a pollen-filled land of woe? Am I overthinking this? Probably.
Why do you think God created allergies?
Do you have any allergies?
(This post originally appeared on SCL in 2011)
April 26, 2013
Free Start 1st Chapter Download
What an amazing week it has been! We’ve been on the road on the Start Book Tour for going on a week now and having a blast!
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of my new book START yet, today I wanted to give you the first full chapter for FREE.
If you’re ready to escape average, do work that matters and punch fear in the face, I believe this book is for you!
START Free First Chapter Download
If you like what you read and want to purchase the full book, here’s where you can do that:
Buy it on Amazon
Buy it on DaveRamsey.com
Buy it on Barnes & Noble
Buy it on Books A Million
My 3 Excuses for not watching The Bible on the History Channel
(It’s guest post Friday! Here’s one from Scott Higa. You can check out his blog here and follow him on Twitter. If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)
My 3 Excuses for not watching The Bible on the History Channel
I have a confession to make.
I didn’t watch The Bible on the History Channel.
There, I feel better. My load is definitely easier, and my burden is much lighter.
I’m not opposed to Christian programming. I endured The Passion of the Christ and shared how it made me feel with my small group. I have watched numerous Veggie Tales movies and have even sung “The Hairbrush Song” at the top of my lungs. I even sat through Psalty, the singing praise book, which scarred me more than Mel Gibson ever could.
I’m not opposed to watching The Bible, but here are some reasons why I couldn’t:
No Cable
Dave Ramsey told me that I couldn’t have cable. As long as I have seminary loans and a fledgling emergency fund, I feel like cable is a luxury I should be ashamed to even want, much less have. Most of the time, it feels really good to tell people that my wife and I don’t have cable. I’ve noticed a lot of Christians wear their lack of cable like a badge.
“We spend too much time settling Catan and having family devotions to watch TV.”
“We use that $60 a month to fund clean water projects in Africa.”
“We don’t want to provide a smut-conduit directly into our living room. Would you want your toilet to empty next to your couch?”
But what do Christians do when not having cable comes in conflict with watching The Bible? I suppose we just have to hope it comes out on Hulu or Netflix because we all know those don’t count as watching TV.
Church
I also couldn’t watch The Bible because I was at church with our high school group. A lot of churches have Sunday night services or small groups. Are we supposed to ditch church to watch TV? I thought that was only acceptable during the football season. I know that I missed out on The Bible, but I was more than happy to spend that time with a small group of high school guys. It’d be really convenient to attend virtual church on a Sunday night: you could watch church on one screen and The Bible on another, all while eating Chicken and Waffle Lays potato chips.
I Like the Book Better
The book is always better than the movie. Even though they might be evil, I read all of the Harry Potter books and then watched the movies. The books were much better than the movies. As a book, the Bible has been a best-seller for years and years. No matter how amazing the movie is, I can’t imagine it will live up to the source material. Mark Burnett is a talented producer, but even he can’t hold a torch to the inspired word of the creator of the universe.
I hope to eventually see The Bible, even if I have to wait until it’s on Netflix. More importantly, though, I hope others will see it and draw closer to God because of it.
What did you think of The Bible? Or, what’s your excuse for not watching it?
For more great writing from Scott, check out his blog!
