Gene Jennings

Book Review: Primal by Mark Batterson

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:51:00 +0000

What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest, faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation - in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson is an invitation to become part of a reformation movement. It is an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down 2000 years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again.

Mark Batterson is the author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. He is the Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC.

Book Review: 40 Loaves

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:07:00 +0000

40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day serves a three-fold purpose as a daily devotional, primer for a new believer, or help for those who have a lot of questions for God. Each chapter title is a question - questions everyone asks at one time or another. C.D. Baker does a good job of giving succinct answers to the hard challenges of life.

For example:

Why can't I overcome sin in my life?
Why don't I have more faith?
Why do I so easily lose self-control?
Why am I so afraid of death?
Why am I so confused about finding God's will?
Why does God seem silent in my life?

40 Loaves would make a great gift for those who are new to the faith or anyone with a lot of unanswered questions.

I have one copy to give away. Email me at genepjennings@aol.com and I'll randomly choose a winner on Christmas Eve.

"We Ain't Wastin' Nothing!"

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Yesterday morning, our church family faced a difficult day when one of our staff members lost their beautiful baby girl after a healthy, full-term pregnancy. It is heart-breaking and gut-wrenching. Please pray for them.

As I was talking to Tommy, our Student Minister, about it yesterday, he said he felt funny preparing for the Element Student Ministries Christmas party. "It feels weird teaching on celebration with all that's going on," he said.

I told him to have fun and celebrate the moment.

It reminded me of another time about 20 years ago when we served a church in the Atlanta area. A pastor friend of mine suffered a similar loss in their immediate family. When he came home later that day his wife was obviously upset about the loss of the baby. He looked in the dining room and the table was set with the fine china that usually collected dust in the china cabinet. There were candles on the table and the entire meal was elegantly spread and waiting on the family to gather around.

"What's going on?" my friend asked. His wife replied, "After today, I've decided that we are going to celebrate every day. Every day is worth celebrating. We let the china waste away in the cabinet waiting for a special occasion. Well, this is special. From now on, we ain't wastin' nothing! We are going to live fully and rejoice. This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad."

She preached a great and memorable sermon to her family that night. And one that I remembered too.

Celebrate every day. Don't let petty things get in the way of your relationships. Don't let busyness keep you from rejoicing. Don't let a day slip away without realizing how special life is and letting those around you know how special they are to you.

The Tiger Woods Saga: What Should We Expect?

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Since my previous post about Tiger more dirt has been published about his affairs and sordid behavior. The last count that I've seen is 9 women. My wife and I were discussing this last night. We asked each other the question, "What does the world expect?"

The media is wearing Tiger out. Some are even crucifying him and saying he is no longer worthy to promote razor blades or golf shoes.

This is the same media that:

televises the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
gave us a decade of Jerry Seinfeld sleeping with a different woman in almost every episode
publishes the annual swimsuit issue in the most popular sports magazine
furnishes porn with just a couple of clicks with a mouse
profiles "The Girls Next Door" each week
glorifies music featuring lyrics of sexual escapades
featured Adam Lambert's gross display on the American Music Awards

You can easily add to this list, but you get the point.

The media slams it in our faces day after day for years and, when someone does what they promote, they slam him for doing it. It's hypocritical, isn't it?

What Would Jesus Say to Tiger Woods?

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:24:00 +0000

Like millions of people, I'm disappointed in Tiger Woods. He's obviously put his marriage at risk by being unfaithful. While the story still isn't 100% solid, it seems there's something fishy going on. I'm sure the tabloids have misreported or misrepresented some things, but it appears evident that Tiger has crossed the line.

It also disappoints me that he has communicated only through his blog. I wish he'd call a press conference and let all the cameras and mics record him saying, "I've sinned. I messed up. I'm going to try and make things right." To be honest, I think he's being a little cowardly by not stepping up and facing this thing. He's a public figure and it must be confessed in public (in my humble opinion).

Do you wonder what Jesus might say to Tiger? Here's a thought:

Jesus went to Florida and at dawn he appeared in a wealthy subdivision where all the people and media trucks gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The media brought in a man caught in adultery. They made him stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this man was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such men. Now what do you say?"

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at him." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the man still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked him, "Tiger, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," Tiger said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

(An adaptation of John 8:1-11)

Am I Living Up to the Expectations of the Pastor?

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:52:00 +0000

A church member asked me that question yesterday. He is three years into his journey with Jesus Christ. He had a dramatic conversion experience. He struggles with a lot of issues from his past. He fights physical and mental challenges. His language is salty. He has a hard time socially. He has some addiction issues. He's, I guess I could say, rough around the edges. But he knows the Bible well. He quotes Scripture in almost every conversation. He wants to please God.

I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question before.

My answer? I said, "Absolutely. If you're seeking to follow Christ and being transformed by his Holy Spirit, you are doing all that should be expected."

Years ago, when I was a little more legalistic, I probably would have told him that he needed to attend Sunday School regularly, and Sunday night services, and Wednesday night prayer meetings, tithe, read the Bible and pray daily, go on church-wide visitations, listen to Christian music all the time, stop smoking, stop cussing, stop everything that wasn't "Christian," dress up for church, clean under your fingernails, etc. etc.

I'm exaggerating - a little. I'm glad that I could affirm him and encourage him with my simple answer.

Information Overload

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:06:00 +0000

I recently upgraded my cellphone plan to include internet access. Not sure if that was a good move. Now I feel like the poor donkey in this picture. I get phone calls, texts, tweets, and email on my phone. Not to mention that every time I log on to my computer I have emails waiting from another account, Facebook updates, blog updates, etc.

I know, I know - I put myself in this situation and I can back out if I want. The bad thing is that I can't let anything go without my attention. When I log on to TweetDeck, I feel obligated to go through all of the previous tweets that were posted since my last visit there. When I go to my bloglines.com account, I regularly look at every post before I clear them out. When I check email, I feel compelled to open every one that isn't obviously spam.

I'm getting information overload.

Then I read 1 Corinthians 8:1 this morning. "While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church (NLT).

I love knowledge and information. I like to read books, blogs, newspapers, magazines, tweets, websites, etc. I love to learn. In fact, a mantra that I truly believe is leaders are learners. As a leader of my church, I feel that it is part of my job to learn, stretch, and challenge myself to mold my brain in the shape of modern day apostle.

But sometimes I just want to simplify. I can't put my head in the sand and ignore it. The internet is not a fad. It's here to stay. This generation must learn how to handle the kazillion bits of information that enter our brains every day. It's no wonder so many people are ADD. It's become a part of our nature to bounce around from one topic to the other in a matter of seconds.

I heard a grandmother yelling at her young adult grandson yesterday because he was looking at his phone while she was talking to him. "Put the phone down and look at me when I'm talking to you! That's rude! You'll never get a job by doing that!" she lectured.

I laughed. What grandma calls inattention is now called multitasking. She's just lucky he wasn't driving and singing along to his ipod too.

So with all of this knowledge the Bible says we are to love more than anything else. I understand that I don't have to follow and subscribe to all of the different sources of information out there. I have to constantly monitor my information intake. But there is one thing that I MUST do, regardless of the barrage of info. I must love.

Let's give it a try.

You Never Know Who's Reading This

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:42:00 +0000

I thought this was pretty cool. I was messing around with my account on StatCounter.com and looked at the recent visitor map for the past week (pictured below). Seems people from all over have stumbled across this place. Granted, a lot of them truly stumbled here. I don't have many friends in India or Japan. But it does show you the power of the internet and the influence one can have even at a simple blog. I understand that most visitors don't stay here long, but what if? What if a seeker in Brazil, Nigeria, San Diego, or the Philippines stumbled on to this simple site and their faith was stretched, their minds engaged, or their hearts convicted?

It's a sobering thought and it makes me think twice about what I say here. For now, all I can say is, "Wow."

Microwaving Pop-Tarts

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:52:00 +0000

If you're microwaving your pop-tarts, you need more margin in your life...

All Christians are Not Hypocrites

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Over the past couple of weeks, I've heard it publicly declared that, "All Christians are hypocrites."

It's not true.

This statement is a pet peeve of mine. Somehow this belief has entered the minds of many believers, but to believe it as truth is a misunderstanding of the term. I suppose some Christ-followers use this statement to recognize that no Christian is perfect - but we are not all hypocrites. Those unaffiliated with Christianity like to use the convenient excuse that "the church is full of hypocrites." Yes, there are a bunch of them. Full? I hope not. But all Christians are not hypocrites. The truth is the Church is full of sinners!

You can't be a Christian without acknowledging your sin. Jesus is all about rescuing us from our sin. When those outside the Church see a Christian sin, they think he/she is a hypocrite because they have the false belief that Christians are supposed to be perfect. Like the bumper sticker says, Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven.

To be clear: All Christians are sinners and all hypocrites are sinners, but all sinners are not hypocrites nor are all Christians.

Hypocrisy is a type of sin just like lying, cheating, stealing, etc. (See 1 Peter 2:1). We get the word "hypocrite" from the Greek word, "hupocritos" which means to act or play a part. More specifically, to wear a mask. In the Greek theater, actors wore masks to display their mood. A smiling mask was worn to characterize an actor in a good mood and a sad mask was worn to indicate an actor's misery. You've seen the comedy/tragedy masks before, I'm sure. An actor in the Greek theater was called a hypocrite. This is why a hypocrite is sometimes called "two-faced."

The Bible defines a hypocrite many times in many ways. Isaiah said they are people who honor God with their lips but don't really mean it (29:13). The apostle Paul defined hypocrites as people who "claim to know God but by their actions deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good" (Titus 1:16). Jesus defined a hypocrite as someone who tries to impress others with their righteous living. They like to be seen by men doing good works, praying, and fasting. They like to appear religious but their religion doesn't come from the heart (Matthew 6).

No matter the definition, the major ingredients of hypocrisy are dishonesty and deception. Someone once said, "A hypocrite never intends to be what he pretends to be."

How do you know if you are a hypocrite? Ask yourself: Do I change who I am depending on the company I keep? Am I genuine, honest, and authentic with everyone? Do I willfully and intentionally put on an act for others?

There is a difference between an authentic Christ-follower struggling with sin and a hypocrite. If you're struggling with sin, you come to God saying, "God, this is a weakness in my life and I really need your help to deal with it." God welcomes that prayer and he promises to help. The authentic Christian knows he is not perfect and is remorseful when he sins.

But the hypocrite doesn't struggle to overcome his sin. He just tries to hide it (sometimes).

There's more I can say on this topic but I hope I've made my point. One word of warning: The apostle Paul wrote that we should keep our distance from hypocrites. They cause division and put obstacles in our way. They are not concerned with serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people (Romans 16:17-18).

It all goes back to honesty. Be honest with God and be honest with others. When you practice honesty, you should have no fear of being a hypocrite.

Gotta See It to Believe It

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:19:00 +0000

If you've noticed that I haven't been writing as much on the blog lately, it's because I've been spending a lot of time at peopleofwalmart.com.

People are strange indeed.

Is Your Ministry Sexy? by Matthew Paul Turner

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:29:00 +0000

Thank God for pastors like "Ben."

Read Matthew Paul Turner's post "Is Your Ministry Sexy?" here.

A One Man Band

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Reaching the Next Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:50:00 +0000

I beg of you, don’t go after the next generation with mere moralism, either on the right (don’t have sex, go to church, share your faith, stay off drugs) or on the left (recycle, dig a well, feed the homeless, buy a wristband). The gospel is not a message about what we need to do for God, but about what God has done for us. So get them with the good news about who God is and what he has done for us. Some of us, it seems, are almost scared to tell people about God. Perhaps because we don’t truly know him. Maybe because we prefer living in triviality. Or maybe because we don’t consider knowing God to be very helpful in real life. I have to fight against this unbelief in my own life.

Read the rest of this great blogpost by Kevin DeYoung here.

A Day at the Office

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Silent Monks Sing

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +0000

I Know a Secret

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:21:00 +0000

I have a few secret places that I would rather keep to myself. If too many people find out about these secret places then the sacredness and benefit of these spots will disappear. But, the truth is, these secret spots are prominently displayed on road signs and storefronts. It's just that they don't seem to have been discovered by many people yet. As more people take advantage of these places, the more busy and crowded they will become - and that may ruin them.

But I feel it is my duty to tell you about a few places that will rejuvenate you and make your life better.

One of my secrets is Goin' Postal on Marion Avenue in North Augusta. I haven't been back to the long lines of the Post Office since discovering this store. Goin' Postal is one of the best kept secrets in town. You can do pretty much anything there that you can do at the Post Office in a matter of seconds. Give them a try.

Other secret places are really no secret at all - but they are a nice getaway from the routine of the office - the New Moon Cafe and Metro Coffeehouse on Broad Street in Augusta. They both offer a variety of coffees, comfortable couches, and free wireless internet. I love eating lunch at New Moon. I've never had anything that I didn't like.

One of the best kept secrets that I know of in town is the Savannah River Bluffs Heritage Preserve. Beth and I discovered this place a couple of years ago. It is a 1.5 mile hiking trail to the Savannah River. The picture above was taken with my cellphone camera. I'm no Mike Adams, but maybe this shot will give you an idea of what you can experience there. It's amazing how therapeutic the rushing waters of the river can be. If you ever need to getaway without really getting out of town or spending a lot of time driving to a getaway destination, you should experience this spot. You'll think you're miles from home.

What are some of your secret places?

Cool Stuff to do with your Cellphone

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:02:00 +0000

I recently added internet service to my smartphone just to see if it would be worthwhile. I'm still trying to decide. But now that I've discovered some cool features out there that can be done with any ordinary cellphone, I may cancel the internet service.

Check out this short, but very informative, article. Really cool stuff!!

http://www.the20life.com/2009/10/05/turn-your-cell-phone-into-a-tool-of-awesome/

The Most Relational Man in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:33:00 +0000

My friend, Steve Saccone, recently released Relational Intelligence. Steve is a native of Evans, GA and a Lakeside High School grad. I first met Steve at Stevens Creek Church where he served as a youth intern in his college days. He serves at Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, CA today. Mosaic and its pastor, Erwin McManus, are very instrumental in leading the 21st century church. Steve's a great guy. Here's a funny book promo for his book.

The Numbers Shock Me

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:34:00 +0000

Back in the early 90's, I discovered the World Prayer Map published annually by Every Home for Christ (Get free maps at www.ehc.org). Since then I've tried to keep a current copy nearby to use as a prayer guide and resource. It is a neat tool that shows each country's population, the name of its leader, and the percentage of Christians in that country. It also serves as a prayer guide by assigning specific countries to pray for each day of the month and giving you specific things to pray for in that country. I highly recommend it.

I've been crunching some numbers lately and some of the results that I'm getting haunt me. For example, out of 227 countries in the world, 152 have a Christian population of 10% or less. 116 of those have a Christian population of less than 5%. (EHC gathers these statistics from Operation World - an organization that has been tracking and studying world evangelism for decades.)

What countries have the most Christians? The top 5 are:

1. Uganda 46%
2. Kenya 36%
3. Central African Republic 35%
4. USA 33%
5. Swaziland 29%

(Note: This list includes only countries with populations of 1 million or more. Some small islands in the South Pacific have a high number of Christians such as the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.)

If you were to look at the listing of every country on the planet, you would be shocked at the number of countries with virtually no or very little Christian influence. Here are some examples:

Spain 0.4%
Greece 0.4%
Germany 2.9%
France 0.8%
United Kingdom 8.5%
Russia 0.7%
Iran and Afghanistan 0.0%
Vietnam 1.4%
Indonesia 4%
China 6%
Japan 0.4%
Costa Rica 12%
Colombia 4.7%

So it bothers me when we, the Church in America, spend so much time and money on ourselves and very little on world evangelism. We are oblivious to the fact that most of the world has NO KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ. We are like the band members on the Titanic. We continue to play our songs while the world around us is dying.

Jesus gave us a Great Commission to "go into all the world," yet very few believers take it seriously. We must be obedient to this calling. I fear that the Church in America, ONE-THIRD of the American population, is failing at this - miserably.

More later. Gotta go for now.

The USS Roomba

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:26:00 +0000

My friend, Andy, got a new toy - and was apparently really bored one night. Enjoy this...

Fishing My Way Out of a Funk

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:18:00 +0000

A member of TNC dropped by the office and left Fish! for me and other staff members to read. I was familiar with the book and Seattle's Pike Place Fish Company but never actually read the book. Several years ago at a leadership conference, I saw a video about Pike Place and it made quite an impression. The video below is a different one, but it will give you a good idea about why Pike Place has become a classroom for business leaders, employers, and employees. They incorporate four key principles that lead to their success.

The book spells them out in detail in a fictional account of a corporate executive (Mary Jane) who is given the responsibility to reinvigorate the operations center of one of Seattle's largest financial institutions. Mary Jane happens by the fish market one day during her lunch break and begins watching and learning the key principles of the market.

The four principles are:

1. Choose your attitude (Determine to make each day a great day.)
2. Play (Be serious about work without being serious about yourself.)
3. Be present (Stay focused when coworkers or customers need you.)
4. Make their day (Give a helping hand, a word of support, or a listening ear.)

Here's a short video of Pike Place. I laughed out loud when the guy chased customers around the market with an octupus.

This book came to me at an interesting time. I've been in a funk lately. We all go through them - at least, I know I do! I can't point my finger at any particular reason why I've been in a funk. I could blame it on busyness, stage of life, the beginnings of empty nesting, daily challenges and frustrations, even the devil. There are a number of possible reasons. Whatever they are, I picked up Fish! last weekend and read through it quickly. (It's only 110 pages, large print, easy to read.)

Last Monday morning, after my daily Bible reading and prayer time, I decided that I would not go into the office in a funk. So I got a piece of paper and put a plus sign on one side and a minus sign on the other. I listed all of the positive things in my life. It was long! I am SO BLESSED IT IS RIDICULOUS. I know God has blessed me immensely but it helps to put them on paper and meditate on them.

On the right side of the paper, I wrote down a few things that were dragging me down. I think I listed 3 things. They were so trivial and so STUPID that when I looked at my completed list I laughed out loud, shook my head and said, "Lord, I am such an idiot for letting a few things drag me down."

The negatives were no comparison to the positives in my life. Almost immediately, the FUNK was gone. I prayed a prayer of confession, forgiveness, and moved on.

I can't give Fish! all of the credit for getting me out of my foul attitude, but it is interesting that it came my way when it did.

PS - I started writing for ehow.com a month ago. My funky experience led to an article. You can see it here.

Francis Chan - Balance Beam

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:40:00 +0000

What if we were honest?

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:17:00 +0000

As a pastor, part of my job is to listen. Lately, I've listened to a lot of people whose issues would be less stressful if they could be honest in their relationships. Honesty is one of the core character traits of peaceful living. Being honest with God and others is one of the foundational principles of the Christian life. If we could all practice honesty, I think the quality of our lives would dramatically improve.

Look at the guy in the picture. Would you be more likely to drop a dollar in his can if his sign said, "Will Work For Food" knowing in the back of your mind that the guy just wanted beer money? When I saw this picture, my first impression was that I would probably respond in two ways.

1. I would give him some money. (If I had any in my wallet. I rarely carry cash these days. I wonder when homeless people will be able to receive credit or debit cards?)

2. I would give him more money than usual. Just for being honest, I would probably drop a $5 or $10 in his can instead of a dollar or loose change. I don't advocate Budweiser or any alcoholic beverages and I know I shouldn't enable an alcoholic but something about his honesty causes me to want to reward him.

I remember hearing Rob Bell teach on honesty a few years ago. It truly is one of the fundamental traits that will make our relationships more enjoyable. When we pussyfoot around issues and other people's feelings, we create more complexity in our relationships, more secrets whispered about others when they aren't around, more barriers between our friends and coworkers, and more relationship "triangles" that often end up in hurt feelings and lost confidence.

What if we were honest? How would that change things? How would it change you?

YouTube's Greatest Hits in 4 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Gene) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:36:00 +0000