David Whiting Live

F.A.Q. Survey - Have you taken the survey?

I am getting ready to preach a new series called F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions). If you haven't taken the survey of what questions you want to be part of the survey - could you take two minutes to do so? Click HERE for the survey or you can get there right from the church's website - which is HERE (www.NorthridgeRochester.com).

One other thought--- I wonder if you'd consider forwarding this email to people in your small group or someone who is new to Northridge who may not subscribe to my blog and encourage them to take the survey and subscribe to my blog. It is the best way I can share information and cast vision to the insiders of Northridge. Thanks for considering forwarding it. I know you get nervous to forward emails, so don't forward it to your entire address book or a large group of people, but maybe considering forwarding it a few people asking them to take the survey and considering subscribing to my blog.

(For those who may get this email as a forward - would you consider subscribing? You can receive updates every time I post something new. Click HERE to subscribe or go to www.davidwhiting.org. Thanks for considering it. It is the best way I can regularly connect with the core of our church. When you go to the blog site, on the right hand side you can subscribe by email or various readers.)

And for those who read from afar (you attend another church or live elsewhere) - of course I'm thrilled to have you keep up to date with what we are doing and to provide feedback through the comments.

Don't forget to take the survey. If you click on the F.A.Q. graphic above, you will be taken to the survey also.

Yesterday's Baptisms @ Northridge (videos)

Yesterday @ Northridge (1/29), we had two more baptisms. I love these stories. In case you missed one or both of them, here are the videos:

Sean Hinkley's baptism (9:15 service)

2012.01.29 - Sean Hinkley Baptism from Northridge Media on Vimeo.

Sean Scott's baptism (11:00 AM service)

 

2012.01.29 - Sean Scott Baptism from Northridge Media on Vimeo.

 

 

Generic Ketchup @ Pete's Diner - part 4

OK - this is my final post on "generic ketchup." You can catch all the previous posts here: (part 1, part 2, and part 3)

Here are four final applications:

• I think facilities are a big issue on the application of generic ketchup. At home, I don't notice dirty walls anymore unless we are painting a room - then every dirty wall needing paint stands out. I don't even notice that our 11year old carpet looks pretty bad in some places unless I intentionally look at it through the eyes of someone coming to buy our house. Churches need to look at their facilities through the eyes of those who are looking for a church to attend, serve in, give to, and have their children married in. Facilities matter.
• The leaders of a church need to be the ones who speak for the first-time guests because they likely won't give feedback - even if we ask for it. We need to look at our facilities through the eyes of visitors. We need to listen to our music - its excellence and how easy it is to learn through the perspective of those who are new. I want to make sure the preaching is challenging, understandable, and interesting - even if they disagree with what I say.
• There are some things that loyal customers are willing to overlook that a new customer may not be willing to overlook.  In church, this might be the lady with the really terrible vibrato in her voice that no one really enjoys listening to but she's been doing it for so long and it would hurt her feelings if we don't ask her to sing - so the regulars don't really mind it. Out of love, they let her keep singing, ten years beyond when she should have retired from solos. The impact of that on the new visitor who is not mature in Christ is not positive.
• Old and run down might work well for diners (my daughters prefer one in town), but I don't think it works well for churches. Diners have a nation-wide reputation for being old, run-down, but great prices and great food. Old, run-down yet effective diners are common. Ugly, smelly yet effective churches are not.

One final thought - just because something would make us more popular and make it more comfortable for new people doesn't mean we should do it. In no way am I espousing that theory. The Gospel will always offend. 75 minute services will be too long for most unbelievers. Me preaching for 45 minutes isn't affective with lost people unless God is drawing them. Speaking out about issues of biblical truth and morality will turn people away quickly. We are okay with all of those things. In no way am I applying generic ketchup to truth and the Gospel. But I think it should apply to almost everything else.

Finally, I appreciate those who have sent me notes pointing out some generic ketchups we still have at Northridge. All of them (three so far) have been great to think through! Thanks!

Generic Ketchup @ Pete's Diner - part 3

The last two days, I've talked about generic ketchup. You can read part one HERE and part two HERE.

Let me give some applications to church life:

• Here is the primarly application - excellence matters. We often say that excellence honors God and inspires people. I don't think that means you have to spend a lot of money to be excellent. It simply means that whatever we do - we need to do it well.
• We must look at our church facilities through the eyes of new people. At Northridge, we know that many who walk in our door for the first time are either non-believers, new believers, or immature believers. So the look of our facility matters. If they are turned off while checking out Northridge - let it be by the Gospel, not because the facility creeps them out a bit.
• We tell our new employees and new interns that they are very valuable to us in their first six months because they will see things that we don't notice anymore. They will ask, "Why do you do that?" And sadly, we never thought about how ineffective that was. And we try very hard to see everything through a new person's eyes, but once you are no longer new - it is really difficult to see it through new eyes.
• We need to try to get feedback from new people. They will help us see things we don't notice. We likely won't change some or many of them, but being aware of what is hard to swallow for a visitor is very important. For example, we choose to stand and sing for ten to twenty minutes straight every week. That is not visitor friendly, but at this point - for the sake of corporate worship, we do it. But we need to be aware of that tension.

A few more applications tomorrow...

Generic Ketchup @ Pete's Diner - part 2

Yesterday, I mentioned my thoughts on restaurants that serve generic ketchup. You can read that HERE.

Here are a few more thoughts I have on generic ketchup (while thinking of church applications):

• I noticed the regulars never notice generic ketchup. They are used to it. It doesn't bother them and they don't think it should bother new people either. 
• In fact, the management and owners are focused on pleasing the regulars rather than focusing on making the best impression on first-time customers. By doing so - they are all overlooking glaring problems.
• No one speaks for the first-time customer. If a regular doesn't like something, they will speak up. If a new customer to the restaurant doesn't like something, they won't say anything. They simply won't return. (This one happens in churches all the time!!)
• There are some things that loyal customers are willing to overlook that a new customer may not be willing to overlook.
• Even some positive, good changes will causes regular customers to complain, but the changes were helping new customers. Loyal customers may not like a new menu because they knew where everything was on the old one. Our family recently went to a restaurant to use a Groupon that was close to expiring. Apparently, a ton of other people were using it that night also - the restaurant was very busy! I'm sure regular customers were annoyed that on a week night there was a wait. But with 700 Groupons sold (what our server told us), I imagine that restaurant was introduced to many brand new customers. Regular customers don't want to be inconvenienced so that new customers can be attracted to the restaurant.
• Loyal customers tend to be blind to obvious faults that new people see immediately. That could be a smelly entryway (at our family's favorite diner), ripped cushions in the booths, plates and coffee cups that are so old, they look dirty even though they are perfectly clean, etc...
• Old and run down might work well for diners (my daughters prefer one in town), but I don't think it works well for churches. Diners have a nation-wide reputation for being old, run-down, but great prices and great food. Old, run-down yet effective diners are common. Ugly, smelly yet effective churches are not.

Tomorrow, I'll get specific as to what I think some primary applications are to generic ketchup.

In speaking of loyal customers. My friend, who took me to Pete's Diner, didn't want me to take a picture of it because he is so loyal.  I wanted to get the front of the restaurant - it displays the very point of some of my thoughts above, but he drove away too quickly. but I did manage to get the sign...

Generic Ketchup @ Pete's Diner - part 1

I went out of town Monday and met a great, old friend for breakfast on Tuesday. He took me to his favorite, local breakfast spot - Pete's Diner.

We drove up and it looked like a typical diner (not sure what that means to you, but to me it means old, not particularly "shiny" or clean, a bit run down). But that's ok... I wasn't turned off by the outside or inside look of the place - I've been to enough diners to know that doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of food. But I did get turned off when I sat down and saw the generic ketchup.

When I see generic ketchup at a restaurant, I image this: If they are willing to save a penny per customer (two pennies at the most) by using generic ketchup and this is one of the most visible foods, then how are they saving money in the kitchen? And all of a sudden, I don't want to eat there anymore.

The worst is a restaurant here in my town that I used to go to for breakfast. Not only was it generic ketchup, but the labels were falling off the plastic, generic ketchup bottle. And you'd open the cap to pour out the ketchup and it was obvious that the dried on ketchup around the cap wasn't just a few hours or even days ago... It might be MONTHS old. In other words, not only were they using generic ketchup, but they were REFILLING the generic ketchup bottles. I avoid that local diner whenever possible (unless the person I'm meeting picks it).

And I don't avoid it because I hate generic ketchup. I'm not sure I can tell the difference. But it tells me something about the restaurant's priorities. And for the first time, while sitting there with my friend on Tuesday morning, the application to church hit me.

What messages are we sending to new people when we do things with less than excellence? What are the "generic ketchups" in our building (cheap things that we don't even notice anymore)? What message is being received by new people that we aren't intending to send, but we are clearly sending when we save a few bucks and put "generic ketchup" on the table?

I'm not sure if that is as clear when I write it as when I think it. More tomorrow...

This Morning @ Northridge

Hey Northridge Church! Could you consider helping in one or more of the following ways today?  We had an all-time high two weeks in a row for a non-special Sunday, and this past Sunday we struggled with parking and seats. So would you consider the following:

• If you have no other serving responsibilities, could you consider coming to the first service?
• Could you park in the zoo lot or high qual? With snow on the ground, we struggled to park well last week. Until we have our final 45 parking spots, we may continue to struggle a bit with parking. Those spots should be added early in the spring.
• Could you sit close and/or sit in the middle of a row? Seating is a real problem at the second service.

Thanks for considering these ways of helping us out!

 

Two More Baptism Stories (videos)

Unless you attended both services, you missed a baptism on Sunday. So both baptism stories and baptisms are below.

1st Service Baptism (if you receive by email click HERE):

2012.01.15 - Stephanie Muscato Baptism from Northridge Media on Vimeo.

2nd Service Baptism (if you receive by email click HERE):

2012.01.15 - Jessy Nicastro Baptism from Northridge Media on Vimeo.

 

"Self-Esteem Is Losing Favor" - article from Washington Post

A recent article in the Washington Post begins this way:

For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.

You can read the entire article HERE.

Those in EQUIP know that the self-esteem movement is not only prevalent in our public education system; it is fully ingrained in most Christian homes and churches. So any breakdown of our culture's love of self-esteem is a good thing.

May we find our esteem only in Christ!

Avoid This John Eldredge Book...

In staff meeting this past week we talked about when you should name names and when you shouldn't. This is one of those times I'm choosing to name a name.

John Eldredge is a popular Christian author. His most popular book is probably "Wild at Heart." And I'm not interested in debating the worth of any or all of his books, but I do want to warn you about his latest book, Beautiful Outlaw. I read a couple of quotes from it and wanted to get the word out - that perhaps you've enjoyed other books of his, but you should avoid this one.

I will let him speak for himself:

QUOTE #1:

I have had similar encounters with Jesus in healing prayer. Last year, as a wise old sage was praying with me through some of the painful memories of my life, I was immediately reminded of the time in middle school when my first girlfriend broke my heart. These wounds can linger for a lifetime if you let them—the first cut is the deepest, and all that. We asked Jesus to take me back to the memory. I saw us, the girl and me; it was that fateful summer day. We were in the living room, just as it happened. Then I saw Jesus enter the room. He was quite stern with her, and it surprised me. That mattered to you? I wondered. Very much, he said.

Then Jesus turned to me. I felt his love. I realized I could let the whole thing go. It was so healing. To understand that Jesus is angry about what happened to you is very, very important in understanding his personality but also in your relationship with him and for your healing. What I love about these encounters is that every time—every time—Jesus is so true to his real personality. Sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, always generous, and often very playful.

My son was having a tough freshman year at college. So many students there are bound under the religious fog. It was a lonely fall, filled with misunderstanding. One afternoon, just after a classmate said something particularly hurtful to him, Blaine returned to his room and slumped onto his bed, about as low as a young man can get. He looked over to his desk, and “saw” Jesus sitting there, in his desk chair, a smile on his face. He was wearing a pirate hat. Then he disappeared. A whiff of the Emmaus road.

QUOTE #2:

I was going to call this book Jesus of a Thousand Hearts, because of the way he continually breaks into my life. He “speaks” to me through hearts. I’ll find stones in the shape of hearts in rivers where I’m fishing. I’ve seen them almost step-by-step up a mountainside when on a grueling climb. Praying in the morning I’ll look out the window and passing by will be a heart-shaped cloud. Dinner rolls, seashells, stains on my jeans. I’ve won the lottery when it comes to hearts from Jesus. But I am ashamed to admit that last summer, I grew a little impatient with them. I was going through a trying time and seeking God for the answer to many questions. Often, he would simply give me a heart in reply. I’d be walking down the sidewalk, and there in the cement see a heart-shaped hole, made by a bubble when they poured the sidewalk.

I actually grew a little dismissive of them. I didn’t want hearts—I wanted answers.

So, Jesus stopped giving these treasures of our friendship.

Last fall, while walking through an alpine meadow bow hunting, I was asking him, How come you don’t give me hearts anymore? I asked it in a pouting kind of way. At that moment something gray caught my eye. I looked down midstride, and there in the grass, about as big as a dinner plate, was a dried piece of cow manure—in the perfect shape of a heart.

If I didn’t know Jesus adores me, if I didn’t know he is playful, and if our relationship didn’t allow me to receive a playful tease, I might have misinterpreted the icon. But I loved it. It was both, Oh, so now you want a heart? and, I adore you still. A cow-pie heart. That is so Jesus. Wish I’d taken a photo of it—we could have put it on the cover of this book.

That probably says enough. I haven't read the book, I was just shown these quotes and in case you have had a good experience with Eldredge in the past, I'm encouraging you to pass on him.