Jeff Noble's Blog, page 37

Video: Make It So

Many thanks to college bud and prankster extraordinaire, Andy Dean, for surfacing this and posting it to my Facebook wall. It’s most definitely blogworthy. I can’t think of a single video better designed to put everyone in the holiday mood.

Enjoy.

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Another thankful year

Each year on the blog it’s a tradition to offer up a post of thanksgiving. It’s never been a chore. The joy of looking back with the intention of being thankful is pretty overwhelming, actually. When you view life through a lens of gratitude, you see that everything, everything is a seed for thanks. Even some of my life’s hardest, tear-soaked moments are, in reflection, holy times that today produce profound praise.

Here’s what I’m thankful for in 2015:

Generosity. In January, we watched in awe as a GiveFoward campaign initiated by one of Carolyn’s high school friends wiped out over $30,000 of medical debt that we had incurred over 20+ years of cancer treatments and doctor’s appointments. The fund page linked above only shows $19k, but that doesn’t count the money that was given outside of the GiveForward site to us directly. Two posts recount the process: Receiving grace and kindness.. and Immeasurably more.

As I was looking up those posts to link to this post, I got a chill down my spine – one of those warm-fuzzy-holy-cow-moment chills. The title of “Immeasurably More” became the theme of our church’s building campaign series. It was picked out of other themes in April and was unrelated to the post above.

That’s the second generosity experience I’ve rejoiced over this year. Rather than preaching about giving during our building campaign, I preached six messages in our Immeasurably More series that were designed to ground our church in the abundant love of Jesus. It was rooted in Ephesians 3:20-21 in order to remind us that ultimately it is God who enables us and inspires and provides:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”

We saw more than $1.5 million given and pledged for our three year campaign on our Celebration Sunday on November 8. [You can check out the campaign website here]

Support. This has been a crazy year of extreme busyness. I can’t remember a period of life and ministry in which so much has been going on around me – and in me. I’ve had amazing support – from my family, church, friends and though it’s tempting to say “random” encounters, I know that other encouragement was provided directly by the Father to get me through a day or week.

We began the year thinking that Carolyn may have cancer again (and rejoicing when tests came back negative) to seeing Sam graduate high school and leave for Charlotte this fall to church growth, administration, staffing searches, building campaigns, and well, you get the picture. Throughout it all, I’ve experienced support and help. Thank you.

Grace. The apostle Paul discovered an outpouring of God’s provision:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12.9)

This year, I’ve experienced afresh the mighty identity-grounding power and beauty of God’s grace. His mercy is deep, beyond description and empowering. I’ve cast myself at the feet of Jesus in desperation at times, and He’s lifted my head and whispered, “No need for desperation with me. Be confident in My love.” It’s an echo of Hebrews 4:16 where we’re told to approach His throne with confidence to “receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”

There’s nothing like reading posts from the past to fuel your current thanksgiving. When you see what you have been grateful for, it’s a joyous reminder of thanksgivings past and the abundance of blessings for which you can be thankful today.

Posts from the past:

2005: Juanita’s, hot tea, and thee… aaaaah
2006: Better late than never… thanksgiving
2008: Giving thanks
2009: What a difference a year makes
2010: The Thanksgiving Chair
2011: Very Thankful
2013: Thanksgiving 2013
2014: Thanksgiving past (This is a great post for summarizing all the above posts!)

Finally, let me offer a few more silver-lining posts. The following could be labeled as #FromWhiningToWinning:

My fantasy football teams this year. They stink. Bad. In the words of Arnold, “I will be back.” I will not go gentle into that good night. However, fantasy football continues to provide me with relationship opportunities and conversation fodder.
Wrecks, cars and such. Boo. Having teens who drive, boo. I’m looking at you, Sam.

Feedback on the Apple Watch from my kids

Both of our kids have Apple Watches. Sam is a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Adelyn is a junior at Blacksburg High. Sam got his for his birthday (it arrived in June), and Adelyn received hers in September for her birthday. While we were having a Thanksgiving Eve meal, I asked them both what their top three “likes” about the Apple Watch is:

Adelyn said:

Directions. “I like how it taps you on the wrist when you’re supposed to turn.” Sam agreed it was his #1.
Skimming texts. “I like looking at my texts quickly to see what I can ignore.” The watch allows you to glance at an incoming text without pulling out your phone. Sam agreed that this was his #2 as well.
Locating your iPhone. “I like pinging my phone when I can’t find it from my watch.” (Adelyn)

Controlling your iPhone.  “I like being able to put my phone on silent and control its volume from my watch and put it in airplane mode when I need to.” (Sam)

Sam also said that screening phone calls and making quick phone calls on his watch were a close fourth.

Both kids are glad they have an Apple Watch but could easily do without it. It would take adjustment, Sam said, but he could do it since he’s gotten used to the convenience. Adelyn thinks it’s a peripheral and a “spoiled perk.”

After listening to the entire conversation, Carolyn’s grandmother Rosell said, “After all that, does it tell you what time it is?”

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Quote: Your Kids Need Spiritual Heroes

The gospel is impressed on children by what they see in parents and leaders: thus, those who lovingly live a godly life in front of children are heroes. If children see husbands who love their wives and treat them with respect, they learn that Christ, the Bridegroom, pursues and loves His bride unconditionally. If they see leaders and parents hungrily devouring the Scripture, they learn that adults need Jesus for strength each day. If they see leaders forgive someone else, they will learn that their heavenly Father is eager to forgive. If they see service from a thankful heart, they will see that God the perfect Father humbly bowed and served us. (Matt Chandler, Creature of the Word, p145-146)

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Am I a runner now?

It all started in May 2014. I began jogging then in preparation for an overseas trip that would stretch me physically. When I returned, I just kept running. In October, I wrote What Am I Running From?, not realizing that I’d still be running over a year later.

So after 18 months, I’m thinking that I’m probably a “runner.” It’s become a welcome relief when days are long and pressures are great. It helps me clear my heart and my head. I’m 47, and I’ve got many, many more years of not running behind than I have of running, but at this point, the discipline and benefits of exercise and regular solitude make me think I’m going to stick with it.

I’m not a social runner. I’ve had people ask about running together. For starters, I can’t run and talk. Second, I just enjoy thinking too much. My ministry profession has me with people I lot, and running is an activity that my introverted heart can soak up and get refueled. It’s like a trip to the coffee shop – only without coffee, and with lots of sweat, and gnats.

Here’s a few things I’ve learned in the past 18 months from running:

I like music. I never really listened to music much. When I’m in the car, my radio is normally off. Other than that, I listen to praise music in the background while I’m reading in the mornings. Running has given me time to explore and discover music again.

There’s a lot of smells out there. Yeah. I know. Crazy, right? You get to smell stuff while you’re running – trees, flowers, your own BO, and occasionally cow manure when I run by Virginia Tech/CRC.

You lose weight when you run regularly. I don’t know how much I’ve lost, but Adelyn enjoys sending me pictures from a year or so ago with the label of “Fat Jeff.” Yes, she’s an encouraging one.

You get to explore places you wouldn’t otherwise. One of my most enjoyable runs this past year was around the Lincoln Memorial and Mall in DC. When I’ve been out of town for a few weddings this year, it’s been fun to simply find a trail and enjoy new scenery.

Running shoes aren’t supposed to last a year. A friend at church asked me what shoes I run in. It was this past April. When I told him I’d ordered Asics in May 2014 and was still running in them, he was horrified. Apparently, you’re not supposed to keep running shoes until they fall apart like I’ve always done with other tennis shoes.

You can run in really cold weather. It was bone-chilling in Blacksburg this past winter, but I kept on my every other day schedule, and ran right through it. I bought some tighties/leggings and warm up pants. (And I promise I will never wear leggings without my warmup pants over them! That’s just gross, dudes!)

A new hobby/activity opens up new conversations and relationships. That was an unexpected benefit. Not only have I met people, but I’ve got a new connection point with people who I didn’t have things in common with before.

Hills stink. Yep. I don’t like them. Make me wheeze.

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Merry Christmas from Starbucks… or not?

I had no idea Christians could get so stupid. Well, I did, but I just hated to see the latest “outrage.” Starbucks released their new holiday cups recently, and they’re all… (wait for it) … red. Solid red. There’s not a snowflake or even a “Happy Holiday” on them. So apparently, people are blowing up the internet with how Starbucks hates Christians or something.

Sigh.

At any rate, Ed Stetzer has a great blog entry and even a USA Today editorial that is a must-read. His CTA (call to action) is important for anyone caught up in this foolishness, and it goes like this:

If you’ve posted an outraged Facebook update, take it down.

However, chances are, if you’ve posted something to Facebook, it’s already been seen. So post an apology underneath the original comment and leave it up as a testimony of your knee-jerk lack of wisdom. Why? Again, Ed nails it:

We have a better story to tell than one of faux outrage. So let’s tell it. It’s not the job of your barista to share the gospel. It’s your job to share the gospel. Don’t get mad about stuff that doesn’t matter. It wastes time and energy and hardens people to what you have to say about the stuff that does matter.

For more:

Starbucks Red Holiday Cup Controversy Brews by ABC News
Starbucks’ plain red holiday cups stir up controversy by CNN

 

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Pictures: July, August, September on Insta

For Instagram nerds like myself, you can do so much with apps like Inkly (which emails me a collection of my Instas each month). Also, you can embed your own Instagram posts (see below) with a website like Websta.

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Nuff Said: Why Churches Should Stay Home on Halloween, Photoshop Alternatives, Dumb Ideas About Jesus, The Power of Next, Discipleship DNA, What Ben Carson would do first if elected President

“Nuff said” is a collection of saved entries from across the interwebs. Here are some interesting, provocative and fun things for your reading and viewing:

1.  Why your church should not do an event on Halloween:

It’s not because it’s an “evil” holiday. It’s because you’ll miss out on meeting your neighbors. I love Chad Grigsby’s perspective on this.

2. “I have my own ideas about Jesus”

Once again Adam Ford has a great comic about how silly it is to attempt to like Jesus without liking His teachings. Click on the link or the first panel to read the entire strip:

3. Is your church ready for “next?”

It’s a question we ask at our church often. There are certain times of year that unchurched folks and the spiritually curious will visit our services – Easter, Christmas, and in our collegiate community, the beginnings of each semester. One of the principles we’ve begun practicing through asking that question is provide a next.

This thought is summed up well in the article Is Your Church Ready for the Sunday After Easter? The reality is that most churches gear up for these special times, but little thought is put into offering guests a “next” encounter.

Don’t plan another worship service as your next. Plan a social event, a party or an informal gathering. It should be something that allows your guests to actually meet and interact with your members. An opportunity for them to discover that they like you. That you’re normal. After Easter this past spring, our next was a local bowling alley and invited our members and guests to come and have fun. We paid for all the lanes and pizza. It was a huge hit, and we made some great connections as we laughed and played together. This fall, our next was renting out a local farm for a Harvest Hoedown. August-September are busy times for us as a church, so in October, we drew aside and provided a next – an evening of corn mazes, hayrides, s’mores and line dancing.

Having an intentional next demonstrates that you don’t just want guests attending your stuff. You actually want to get to know them, love them and enjoy their company. As you do so, they’ll also discover that your life is different because of Jesus. That begins the process of them trusting a Christian enough to listen to your story of faith. It also launches their own. Embrace next.

4. 10 software options instead of Photoshop

Photoshop is a beast. It can do everything from images to video. It’s also expensive. I’ve been mad at Adobe ever since Macromedia went under. I used to use Freehand for all my design, still believing it was superior in every way to Adobe’s Illustrator. I was even madder when Adobe bought Macromedia and killed Freehand without adopting any of its ease of use.

When Adobe went to a pricing structure requiring monthly payments, that was it. I was fed up. I finally found solutions elsewhere. These days, I use Affinity Designer for vector design (and Illustrator CS3 when I absolutely have to).

I still use Photoshop on occasion (CS 5), but for the past two years, I’ve been using Pixelmator. It’s a wonderful piece of software that’s only $30!

Here are 10 other options you might want to consider if you are also ready to move away from Adobe Photoshop.

What are other options for you? 

5. Discipleship DNA

I love Riverside Community Church’s Discipleship DNA. I encourage you to read the details here. Anytime a church thinks through how it is going to make disciples, I get excited. Here’s their 10 DNA values:

Gospel Saturated
Stories
Obedience Based – Not Information Based
Relationship Based – Not Classroom Or Book Based
Reproducing And Accountable
Progressive And Self Feeding
Everyone Is A Potential Leader
New Groups Rather Than Big Groups
Intentional
Assessment / Evaluation

6. Dr. Ben Carson on what he’d do first if elected President … back in April 2014

Frankly, I’m excited that two outsiders are the frontrunners for the GOP nomination. I love politics, as I’ve mentioned before. Here’s Dr. Carson’s take on what he’d do first:

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Honor those who fear the Lord

I was prompted to stop and reflect on one simple description of a person who is blessed by God in Psalm 15 this morning. The question is asked in verse 1:

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

After listing several qualities of the person who will enjoy proximity and intimacy with God, verse 4 has mentions this:

“..he who honors those who fear the Lord.”

I began to think about the people in my life that I know “fear the Lord” – people who because of their love for Him have deeply impacted me. The list began to grow long in my head. How do I honor them? How can I show them appreciation and affection? I can pray for them certainly. But I wanted to go beyond that.

Therefore, here’s an attempt to honor a few of those who fear the Lord in my life, people who have made a great impact on my own faith. The list includes some of my former pastors and mentors. It also includes peers, some of whom may be surprised to see themselves on a list like this. And that pleasant surprise, I hope, will in some way be used as an encouragement to them today… to keep on keeping on.

My parents. They have imperfectly but with great consistency and love been a source of spiritual uplifting, strength and undergirding
Scott Duvall . A professor at my alma mater. I never took a class from him, but was privileged and blessed to be pastored by him at Caddo Valley Baptist Church.
Kevin Wieser. I met him through Carolyn. He was her youth minister in New Mexico. I have him to thank for how his ministry impacted her to have a deep, abiding faith. It was a joy to serve with him at First Baptist Church Garland, Texas, and he leaks joy. He also modelled perseverance in suffering for us.
Ben Phillips . We met our first year at seminary, and the amount of conversations we had about life, church, faith and books is astonishing.
Joe Silva and Blake McKinney . They were younger than I at college, but both guys knew they wanted to pursue a vocation of ministry while in school.
Dennis Tucker . I dated his wife for a few short months in college. Yep. But I’m grateful for him for other reasons.

A used Jeep as an expression of God’s love

This is a repost from the Northstar site.

Last Sunday, I preached about the Immeasurably More Love of God for the first message in our church’s building campaign series last Sunday. As I closed the message, I assigned homework, which involved:

Pray for your spouse, family and friends – that they would be completely confident in God’s love for them.
Find practical ways that you can remind yourself you are loved by God this week.
Find practical ways you can show others they are loved by God this week.

Little did I know that I’d be the recipient of a practical expression of God’s love on Monday – the day after I preached.

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