Goodbye Gateway Computers, Acer Buys For Only $710 Million

Also reported in this month's Christian Computing magazine:

Gateway Computers are no more. For years they have been ailing. Started in 1985, they were famous for shipping their computers in boxes that looked like jersey cows. They marketed similar to Dell, avoiding sales in stores and going the direct market route. However, after the turn of the century, Dell sought to move into the business marketplace while Gateway continued to market to individual consumers. It has been a downward spiral ever since. In 1997, just 10 years ago, Gateway turned down a $7 billion takeover bid from Compaq.

Considering the final price just ten years later, you can see it has been a tough decade. In my opinion, the downfall of Gateway was due to the fact that many of their machines were proprietary when it came to add-on paraphernalia. For more information, visit: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070827/D8R9KRQ00.html

I was a huge Gateway fan for many years (back when it was Gateway 2000) and bought several computers from them for myself, friends, and church. I remember vividly when Dell began to overtake them (it was right around the same time that they dropped the 2000 from their name, but I doubt there's a connection). I don't think it was the proprietary issue so much as the fact that their customer service went downhill. That plus increasing prices (Dell began selling better computers cheaper with better service) led to their demise. You see what happens to companies that don't take care of the customer service component of their business. A cautionary tale for Dell, perhaps? I'm an avid Dell fan now, but any company that doesn't take care of the consumer...

Cell-Phone Only Homes Hits a New Mark

As reported in this month's Christian Computing magazine:

The number of homes that ONLY have cell-phones is now higher than the number of homes that ONLY have land line phones. Most homes have both. However, many people have decided they no longer needed both a cell-phone and a land line phone, and have discontinued their land-line phone. The number of homes with a land line has decreased since 2000, while the number of people obtaining a cell phone has increased sharply. And, due to great pricing plans, many have felt that keeping a land line phone, even for local calls, is just not worth the cost. For more information, visit www.nytimes.com

We did this for over a year while we lived in Northfield and it would have worked great if Sprint had better coverage! Then when we moved to Pine City we discovered Sprint still didn't work where we lived. So we changed to T-Mobile. Guess what. We live in a cell-phone dead zone area - neither Sprint nor T-Mobile work at our house. Maybe when we move someday we'll head back to cell only, but for now we're stuck with a land line.

Giant Mushroom of Doom

This enormous mushroom is one of the coolest/grossest things I have ever seen. I had no idea they grew this big - and it's in my back yard! I think I saw this once on Star Trek. Baby Horta, anyone?

(Now how do I get rid of this thing...?)

Checking E-mail at Church

I think this second stat is hysterical:

37% Mobile device users who check e-mail while driving.

12% Mobile device users who check e-mail during church.

Source: AOL as quoted in Christianity Today's Go Figure column today.

I can hardly get most students to check their e-mail at all, and there are people checking it at church? Must be the adults. (I have to confess that I have checked e-mail in the past during certain interminable committee meetings, but never during worship.)

"Like A Child" podcast recommendation

I’ve been listening to a fantastic podcast today of a recent sermon by Rob Bell titled “Like A Child.” One of his main points is that children have an amazing ability to forgive and forget and then behave like it never happened. Rob says,

“How many of you have noticed the unnerving ability of children to forgive and forget on the spot? Absolutely chilling. Perhaps this is central to life of the Kingdom - the ability to forgive…

“Central to the life of the Kingdom is forgiving people when they wrong us, and when they betray us, and when they spread rumors about us, and when they question our motives and when the hurt us and turn their backs on us and break trust with us. Central to the life of the Kingdom is forgiveness.”

Great stuff and very timely for many of us. It only gets better from there! Highly recommended.

See You at the Pole was Awesome

Had a great time at See You at the Pole this morning with about 7 students in Rush City and around 45 students at Pine City (photo above taken as students were beginning to gather)! It's so awesome to have students committed to praying for their peers, schools, cities and world!

Way to go, students! I pray that you will continue to stand for your faith graciously but fearlessly throughout the year.

(Thanks, adults, to all of you who donated food for the students following this prayer event! The students really enjoyed and appreciated it.)

E-mail, the Packers, and Brian Gotter

Many in Minnesota will remember Brian Gotter, the former meteorologist on the WCCO 4 morning news who moved back to his native Wisconsin last year where he now works for WTMJ. He is one of the most personable, enjoyable and consistently funny (often hysterical) people I have ever seen on the news. He often shared about his family both on screen and the WCCO blog. He now blogs from WTMJ and his blog, "Welcome Back, Gotter" is always amusing and fun to read.

Rosalie and I became big fans of Brian as he was a true Packer fan. WCCO always had Packer talk on Monday mornings as Brian bantered with Bill Hudson and Karen Leigh, and they often featured Packer video as well. Less so this year, although I have been informed by WCCO that they intend to do better. But I digress...

I wrote to Brian last year before he left, expressing my appreciation for his work and sadness that we were losing him from the local market. He responded quickly and warmly with kind words. I wrote again today in response to his blog post ("Packer Nation") and was greeted within minutes by another warm, personal response.

How cool is that? Certainly he has plenty to do without answering fan mail all the time. I feel bad because I have people I haven't written to in weeks or longer! I am inspired to try and return personal email as soon as possible, not waiting for later until I 'have more time' to write (like that is going to happen!)

Student Ministry Sponsors get ready for fall!

We had our youth group sponsors over to the house last night for a cookout. What a beautiful day. It was actually so hot on the first day of fall that we ended up inside with the air conditioning on!

We are so excited about what is coming up with Journey North student ministries this year. We talked about the upcoming Connect small groups on Sunday nights that will be starting in October as well as other special events, beginning with See You at the Pole this Wednesday at 7 am. We had a wonderful time with returning sponsors as well as a couple of (potential) new recruits!

It’s great to work with people you really enjoy and would be hanging out with even if you weren’t serving together!

Perceptions Are Influenced by Expectations

There's a fascinating article over at churchrelevance.com about the importance of design and first impressions when trying to reach people. A good reminder for church plants as well as any ministry that wants to reach the unreached. Here's a sample and a good reminder of how 'Christianity' is perceived by non-Christians:

...perceptions are influenced by expectations.

David Kinnaman of The Barna Group conducted a study asking non-Christians ages 16-29, “What is your current perception of Christianity?” (source)

• 91% said antihomosexual
• 87% said judgmental
• 85% said hypocritical
• 78% said old-fashioned
• 75% said too involved in politics
• 72% said out of touch with reality
• 70% said insensitive to others.

Before a church reaches someone with their website or a postcard or MySpace page, that church is already at a great disadvantage in how it is perceived by young non-Christians. For this reason, churches must do everything they can to make their first impressions great impressions.

I think this perception is more true than any Christ-follower would want to believe, and in ministry perception is reality. Sadly, these results are probably objective reality all too often as well.

Moving in

My new goal is to blog every day if possible and at least every other day. This helps keep people up-to-date both on what's going on in my life (for those friends both near and far who care) and at Journey North Church as I know many use both my and Pastor Tim's blogs as sources for both information and prayer requests. If you don't hear from me for more than one day either that means I'm just a slacker, or I've been swamped with stuff!

That explains a little of why I never got a chance to blog anything yesterday (the swamped excuse this time). We have been busy moving into our new offices this week at 1015 Hillside Ave. Suite 4, right next to the Northwoods Bank. What an awesome space for us! It will give us plenty of room to work, meet together, store stuff, etc.

Of course it's pretty empty right now. Our Facilities Task Force - or a least some of them - will be helping with decorating and general ambiance. We've had enough desks donated that we are good to go there. They came today to turn on our phone (320-629-6111) and we now have internet access, as well. We also signed the lease today for the copier (and got a wonderful deal!) We've still got a lot of stuff to get to be fully functional (chairs, general office furniture, book shelves, etc.) but we're well on our way. What a blessing! It is really going to help facilitate ministry and provide a good HQ until we have a permanent space. (I'd invite you to stop by for a cup of coffee, but we don't have a coffee maker yet. Maybe soon!)

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us. Keep it up! We are already seeing God work in amazing ways through our church!

Podcast Highlight: Pause

I really enjoy listening to several different speakers and teachers via iTunes' podcast. In addition to great content like The Dave Ramsey Show, or youth ministry podcasts like the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast or Who Are These Guys?, I also listen to a lot of different sermons and messages. Some of my favorite Christian pastors and speakers are John Ortberg, Rob Bell, Andy Stanley, Donald Miller and Bill Hybels. If you've never checked out their work I'd encourage you to give them a try. Plus they're all free! Just search under their names in the iTunes store.

Today I finished listening to part 2 of a series that Andy Stanley did called "Pause". This message was titled "Soul Provider" and it was a phenomenal challenge. His main point was that temptation is not just a test of your self-control but a test of your faith. Great stuff! I highly recommend it.

It's not available on the North Point Ministries podcast store as they only archive a couple of message series at a time, but you can download it directly here for free from another ministry podcast. Or you can listen online or order a CD from the North Point website.

Students Connect with God and each other

I've spent a good part of the day today getting ready for our first official gathering of students at the Pizza Pub this evening (Wednesdays are all-you-can-eat pizza and Pizza Pub has great pizza!) In addition to talking about upcoming events and brainstorming youth group name ideas, we'll be unveiling the new Journey North Student Ministries Connect small groups.

I am very excited about this for a number of reasons, foremost is the fact that I truly believe that people grow best in small groups. As we launch this new church ministry in Pine City I want small groups to be at the very core of what we do in student ministries – built into the very DNA of who we are. The life-on-life interactions are invaluable in helping students walk close to Jesus. I am thrilled that we are implementing this small group ministry right at the very start of our church.

Here are some of our dreams for what our small group ministry will look like*:

• We want students to be known and cared for by other students and adults.
• We want students to form deep, authentic relationships with peers and adults.
• We want students to grow in their walk with Jesus.
• We want students to learn what it means to follow Christ.
• We want students to explore God’s Word together.
• We want students to consider their small group experience as a highlight and one of the best time investments of their week.

The groups will meet in a home each week and begin with a large group teaching time before dividing into smaller groups of about 3-5 students, each with an adult leader who will facilitate discussion, sharing, and prayer. The small group leader will shepherd the group throughout the year, building relationships and investing in the lives of these students.

I have seen God work in awesome ways through student small groups and can’t wait to see what God is going to do through this ministry!

*thanks to Matt McGill and Doug Fields’ resources on small group ministry for helping articulate several of these ideas. More great youth resources from them and others are available at www.simplyyouthministry.com

Act and Think Small to Win Big With Killer Ideas

I just read a fascinating article over at Advertising Age magazine's web site which discussed how bit companies can 'win' by acting and thinking small. Here's a clip:

Sure, being "big" has its advantages, but it's more likely that if you are acting your size, you are holding yourself back from your true potential. Acting smaller enables you to be nimble and flexible. It allows you to get great ideas quicker, work more of them, move on them faster and develop them easier. It's what will allow you to find true innovation vs. incremental line extensions and me-too products.

I was thinking of the implications of this for the church. As a church plant, it's easy to bemoan lack of resources, facilities, capital, etc., but there are some real advantages to being small. A church plant is by its nature quick and agile. It also encourages innovation - nothing has 'always been done that way before', so why not experiment with something that is potentially better. The author encourages rewarding ideas that are 80-90% there, rather than waiting for a 100% perfect idea to come along, which is impossible anyway.

This article goes on to say that, "By fostering a culture of fearlessness, you allow more ideas to enter the process from every angle and every position. Shift your paradigm and reward your employees for taking risks instead of punishing them for failures." Certainly risk-taking and a sense of fearlessness are a part of church planting!

I have noticed that a lot of former youth pastors (our own lead pastor among them!) move into church planting. I believe there is definitely something about the fluidity of ministry to students that helps prepare a leader for the challenge of church planting. A healthy youth ministry will look a little different every year and dramatically different in a five to ten year period (or less) due to the rapidly changing youth culture and challenges of reaching teens for Christ. A student ministry pastor needs to be able to adapt and change as necessary.

The real trick for any church is to maintain that culture of fearlessness and God-honoring risk-taking once the church grows out of being a church plant and becomes a 'big' church. It's exciting to me that Pastor Tim's first message at Journey North, titled "Don't Get Comfortable", tackled some of these ideas. One of our core values is that of change and innovation in order to reach people for Jesus!

Packers Fell the Giants; Dragons lose 2

I was able to listen to the second half of the Packers game today where they slaughtered the Giants 35-13! Sweet! (I can't watch them most Sundays as we are in the Vikings market so we only get to see the Pack when the we or the Vikings play another time or one of us plays an AFC team that is broadcast on another network.)

Two of my other favorite teams lost, however; both the fifth grade and sixth grade Pine City Dragon teams! (the fourth grade Dragons were victorious, however! Way to go, guys!) Jordan's 6th grade team held strong until late in the game, but no doubt couldn't make up for his absence due to his season-ending injury. He was able to cheer his team on from the sidelines, though, and is being a great sport about it (no pun intended).

Jonah actually arrived a bit late for his game due to his parents spacing out and forgetting his helmet and pads until we were almost in Forest Lake - a forty-five minute drive away. Yes, we had to head back to Pine City (30 minutes) and then back to Forest Lake. He did make it by the middle of the second quarter and played the rest of the game. They ended up losing only by a couple of touchdowns, but a good time was had by all, nonetheless.

(Jonah is in the very center of the picture, just to the right of the kneeling player.)

A Chip off the Old Foot

We're bummed. We just got back from the doctor's office where we found out Jordan chipped (fractured) a bone in his foot at football practice last night. He's in a 'boot' and will have crutches as well for a couple of days. The boot stays on for 4-6 weeks, which means football season is over for him. He's happy he'll be able to use the elevator at school (his class is on the 3d floor) but is also realizing it's going to be a bummer trying to get around.

It would be one thing if he hadn't enjoyed football, but he was really liking it (especially the games - the practices not so much). At least he had one game. He played tight end and got to run the plays in to the huddle so he played every other offensive play.

We'll still be in Forest Lake every Saturday for the next month and a half watching Jonah play and cheering on Jordan's 6th grade team, but Jordan's season is done.

Star Wars at the MN Science Museum

A new exhibition is coming to the Minnesota Science Museum!

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is an exciting exhibition featuring more than 80 costumes, models and props from all six Star Wars films that invites visitors to defy gravity, manipulate robots, engineer droids, and journey into that galaxy far, far away that has captivated audiences for more than 30 years.

Though still nine months away, starting today avid fans can log onto the museum's special website (www.smm.org/starwars) and join the priority e-mail ticket club.

I'm on the e-mail list. My family is going to love this!!

11 Already

Wow! I can hardly believe Jonah's 11 already. We had a fun party yesterday with several of Jonah's friends coming over after school for a supper featuring tacos. As he doesn't care for cake that much, his birthday dessert of choice is a "cookie dough pie." A good time was had by all.

First Preview Service Done!

Whew! What a week! Sunday the 9th was our first Preview Service for Journey North Church at Pine Tech. It was awesome!

There were a few technical hiccups ("Don't plug too many coffee makers into the same... hey, that's the same circuit as the video projector for the children's ministry! By the way, does anyone know how to turn on the air conditioning?") but overall things went amazingly well! We had two services and both were comfortably full. ("Uh oh. We didn't even invite guests for this first one. Um, if we're 'previewing large' now, what does that mean for 'launching large' in November?") Good to know a lot of this now so we can plan for launching weekly services!

The most amazing thing about Sunday - as well as the rest of the times we have met together - is the enthusiastic, positive, gracious and relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is genuinely excited to be together and committed to reaching lost people and pointing them to Jesus. We're all on the same page and focused on the same goal.

Pastor Tim's message titled "Don't Get Comfortable" challenged us to this vision for the lost and how reaching people far from God is more important than our own comfort. He also encouraged us to pray for and bless everyone, especially those in the community who are not excited about our vision and mission and are opposed to what we are doing (from Luke 6:28 and other passages.) I know his own example of love, humility, and endurance in the midst of opposition is an inspiration to me! I feel privileged to minister alongside such a Godly man!

All in all Sunday was a great landmark in our journey together! I can't wait for next time!

Student Ministries at Journey North

Want a taste of what's planned for student ministries at Journey North? Here are some things I shared at our first pre-launch gathering:

Journey North Church is committed to developing a healthy student ministry that challenges students to take the next step in their walk with God. While the primary focus of our efforts as a church will be on the Sunday morning worship and children’s ministry programs during the launch phase of this ministry, there will be plenty of opportunities for students to engage in ministry, growth, community, and outreach.

Students will be using their gifts by serving alongside adults on Sunday mornings in the areas of worship, first impressions, facilities, or children’s ministries. Every student is invited to be a part of the Launch Team in one of these areas.

Additionally, we will be developing a small group ministry for students that will begin in October. These groups will focus on discipleship and community. We believe that life change happens best in small groups and encourage all students to be involved in this exciting ministry.

There will also be opportunities for students to attend special events such as concerts, MegaRallies, Fall Fling, and conferences like Planet Wisdom, SHIFT, and EFCA Districts, and Nationals. We will also be involved in various servant outreach projects in conjunction with the larger church body.

All ministry is relationships. Programs are great tools, but ultimately growth happens in the context of relationships. Nowhere is that more true than in the area of student ministries. We are blessed to have committed adult sponsors who will invest in the lives of students over time. Our student ministries staff so far includes Justin Bartz, Pam Steinle, Doug Schultz, and Rosalie Spahr, as well as myself. Other adults interested in being a part of our team are invited to talk me for more information.

Upcoming Events

September 19 - Pizza Planning Party at Pizza Pub

September 29 - See You at the Pole

October 17-19 - Fall Fling

October 28 - MegaRally

Nov 30 - Dec 1 - Planet Wisdom

February 24 - MegaRally

April 25-27 - North Central District Student Ministry Conference - Districts

June 29 - July 4 - Challenge 08 - EFCA National Student Conference

(For the very latest in Journey North Church and JN Student Ministries calendar information, go to Google Calendar and search for Journey North Church and add it to your list!)

Back to School

The boys headed to their first day of 6th and 5th grade today! Hard to believe they're growing up so fast!!

Fall Fling at Camp Shamineau

The Journey North junior and senior high youth group will be heading to Camp Shamineau in Motley, MN, October 17-19 (Wednesday-Friday over MEA break) for the annual Fall Fling Retreat. Although our initial registration has already been sent in, we still have space for a few more students! Let me know ASAP if you'd like to attend with us.

Fall Fling is a growth level youth retreat designed to give youth groups opportunities to grow and fellowship together. Camp Shamineau provides the programming, activities, meals and much more. There will be four chapel sessions combining fun and games, great worship times and challenging messages from the guest speakers. During free times campers may ride a horse on a trail ride, make a project at the leather shop, try the high ropes challenge course, scale the indoor climbing wall, make campfire donuts or s'mores, play sports including the flag football tournament, shop at the Pine Cone Gift Shoppe—and much more!

The cost for the weekend is $100. A $30 deposit is needed to hold a spot, with the remaining $70 due by October 14. Registration is first-come, first-served and space is limited. The $100 fee covers student registration, housing, transportation and meals.

The End of Summer, the Beginning of Accelerated Youth Ministry Opportunities

One last day to breathe and relax before school begins tomorrow. As busy as summer can be for a youth pastor with special events, mission trips, student contact work, summer small groups, etc., the school year gets even busier. My Outlook calendar is already full of school events to attend, each color coded depending on who is participating. Between youth group kids and my own two boys - and Journey North events, meetings, etc. - I now have every day scheduled with something except one (September 18 - my good friend Jacob Wielgus' birthday!)

This Thursday alone I have a home cross country meet, freshman football game, and girls' varsity volleyball game on the schedule as well as my son's football practice and a meeting with a friend/accountability partner - all after 4 p.m.! I'll probably make 2 out of the 3 student events -in addition to my son's football practice - skipping the volleyball game this time as there are plenty more coming up. I try to make at least one or two events/games each season (or more) for each student I have participating in an extra-curricular activity. With all but 2 students attending Pine City schools it makes it a bit easier than other ministries when I've had up to 6 schools represented in my youth group!

I love to attend games, not only to see and encourage our students, but also to hang out with parents and meet other students and parents in attendance. Another bonus of school starting is that I get to substitute teach. It's not only fun to do (and helps accelerate our debt snowball for becoming debt free) but most importantly it helps me get to know students, faculty, and staff at the school. It's been great to go to some games already this year and have more students who don't attend our church or youth group that I now know and can call by name! I find that subbing and attending extracurricular events are vital for me in building relationships which are vital to a healthy youth ministry! One of our core beliefs at Journey North is that the local church should be a blessing to the community. That means my ministry is not only to junior and senior high students who attend Journey North but also to the wider student body in the greater Pine City metropolitan area!

Oh, yeah. I'm also busy helping plant a new church and getting ready for our first preview service this Sunday!! Whew! What a ride!