What has notofworks inspired you to do today?

[Sam]

Originally Posted by CC1

I was just thinking about all of the wonderful things notofworks has shown us about how to be revelent, cool, and hip in the world today and I thought it might be good to start a thread where we can each testify as to how notofworks example has inspired us in our own lives or ministries.

I just thought notofworks was one of those "thinking outside of the box" kind of guys when he shared how he no longer spends time during the week preparing for sermons but rather more wisely spends that time with folks then prepares his Sunday sermon on Sunday morning.

I was still thinking he was just thinking "outside the box" when he started a thread stating he would appoint an avowed agnostic to his church board and be proud to do it.

All of the other things here and there like preaching in jeans rather than a suit, being a social and political liberal, etc all still just spoke to me "outside the box"

However one of his latest posts moved him from "outside the box" to possibly outside the planet. This was his post about his church having a weeks long (maybe months long, I forget) series featuring the music of The Beatles.

Now I admit my first reaction was that knee jerk reaction of an old fuddy duddy who for some stupid reason thinks you might want to feature gospel / christian music at church. BUT after reflection I believe this is just a super cool hip thing to do that will show the world how "with it" the church can be.

So with that as inspiration I am preparing to approach my pastor and propose we feature several weeks of the music of Lady GaGa. I have not quite worked out which songs yet but obviously Poker Face will have to be one of them. We can even show her music video on the big screen!!! I am so excited I can hardly wait. I now my pastor will be exicted to because apparently he is also one of those "out of the box" thinkers since he preaches most Sunday's with blue jeans on.

Maybe I went to a Vineyard Church too long (1992 - 2006). They had a sign outside that said "Come as you are, you will be loved." A couple of the men pastors had an earring. We did outreaches with non-Vineyard churches and tried to get folks to go to those non-Vineyard churches instead of our Vineyard. Some of their weekend sermons would probably resemble some of the stuff NOW has presented in his messages.

Maybe I've been at the Hamilton Dream Center too long (2006 - present). Our pastor as a teenager had a drug problem. He was in a band who opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd. He can point to a spot at the altar in the building where we now are and say that right there he gave his heart to the Lord. He recently went into a bar to talk to a man and pray for him because someone asked him to. He does wear long pants when he preaches on Sunday morning but I often see him in shorts and a tee shirt. He is a Rhema graduate but reads at a third grade level. He loves kids and has a great rapport.

Those 2 abovementioned examples are the kinds of churches and kinds of pastors I really appreciate. I couldn't feel comfortable in a suit, tie, etc every time I stepped into a church or behind the pulpit.

I know a little bit about NOW's background, his parents, his training, etc. He's come a long way from that. I can't help but believe he sincerely loves the Lord and has a shepherd's heart. He ministers/serves/pastors the way he believes God made him and the way God wants him to.

One thing I've learned from him is to be yourself and not mindlessly go along with the herd mentality. Another thing I've learned from him is to stand for truth even if it costs you disapproval of family. Another thing I've learned from him is to speak out for your values even though it brings a firestorm of criticism and mockery from your peers (by peers I mean AFF members). Now, by saying I've learned from him does not mean that I am a young man looking and learning from an older person by their example. But I mean that he has demonstrated these things to me by his personal example. To use a good emerging church term, he has "modeled" these things.