My Visit to a Mega-Church

I'm not often in a position to visit other churches on a Sunday morning, being a pastor and all. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the actual definition of a mega-church is, but, I'd assume that what we attended this morning was in the vein of a bona fide mega-church.

We've been "on vacation" for the better part of this week. We all needed a little time away.

We arrived for the early service, and was "greeted" by a man in an orange vest who, I assume, was supposed to  show us where to park. He waved enthusiastically to us.

We parked close to the door and walked in with several regulars, some wearing casual clothes, some looking like they just came in from the lake.  I'm not judging; just reporting.

I snapped this pic during one of the songs I didn't know.

The man who held the door open for us wished us a "good morning."  The man who handed us the printed announcement sheet also said, "hello", but the woman who handed Sally hers, was talking to someone else and didn't greet her.

We walked into the cavernous foyer, past the coffee shop and bookstore into the auditorium. I would call it a sanctuary, except that it looked and felt more like a concert theater than a sanctuary.  Looking around, I regret not stopping at the coffee shop for a grande latte, you know, to blend in with everyone else.

We watched their video presentation and waited for the countdown clock to signal the beginning of service.

I've been in church my entire life. I listen to Christian radio almost exclusively.  I did not know, nor did I recognize any music presented during their worship service.

They had, what I would call, a full concert setup.  Lights, fog, the whole shebang.  One thing I certainly DID NOT like was the rotating stage lights that shone from the stage into the eyes of the people in the audience.  Again, I couldn't tell if I was at church or at a concert.

My kids said they LOVED the worship, even though THEY didn't even know any of the songs that were sung. They loved how it made them feel like they were at a concert....

The regular pastor wasn't there, but the fill-in guy was excellent. Very clear presentation of the Gospel.  The invitation was for people to fill out a card if they made a decision and put it in the offering plate. A man behind us and a man in front of us raised their hands to indicate they had received Jesus' salvation. Neither filled out a card.

We left without ever having anyone introduce themselves, give us a personal welcome, or even have my hand shook.

We debriefed ourselves at IHOP after the service.  The kids said they liked the worship but didn't really care for how they didn't "connect" with the service, as a whole. They wished our church had a better praise and worship time and wasn't so "fancy" and looked more like a theater. 

I certainly am not opposed to what people wear to attend church, well, for the most part...  I didn't see anything objectionable this morning.  I don't like not being welcomed in a personal way; this is Oklahoma after all.

* * *

This is the first time I've attended a mega-church in a couple of years. I'm really not trying to be overly-critical of my visit. I think that leaving without having shook anyone hand was the tipping point for me. I understand the differing of opinion about music/worship/praise. I understand that not everyone does it like us. I understand that some people feel a need to be coaxed into worship. I understand that some people only want to be entertained.

I understand that a mega-church reaches a lot of people that my "more traditional church" will never reach; of course a lot of that has to do with the fact we are a small town church.  I understand that many of the people attending this church are the typical "un-churched" people and that this church is doing a fantastic job of actually connecting with these people.

This entire post is based on an hour and a half visit to a church while on vacation. I haven't named the church on purpose.  I know that many, many people love this church and it has a huge ministry in its community. I know that God is using this church for His kingdom, and when all is said and done, that is all that really matters.

Sally fixing her coffee

Yea!

Coffee May Cut Stroke Risk (yeah)

This is for my brother, Pat, with whom I discussed the virtues of drinking coffee just yesterday:

[CBS News]

Coffee may lower your risk of suffering a stroke, recent research indicates. The National Institutes of Health study was done at the UCLA Stroke Center, The Early Show Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said Monday.

It “looked at 20,000 people, coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers,” Ashton told co-anchor Julie Chen, “and found that those who drink coffee have fewer strokes and that stroke risk actually decreased the more coffee they drank.”

The largest benefit was found among people consuming six or more cups of Java a day, Ashton pointed out, “a considerable amount,” she noted.

Still, Ashton said in putting the findings in perspective, “This is one of those things we have to take … in conjunction with everything else. This is one potential benefit and again, we know that there can be risks seen with the more caffeine that we consume. People are variably more sensitive or less sensitive to higher amounts of caffeine. So, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.”

Read more here.

[HT Kevin Bussey]

Farewell Muskogee Starbucks

Muskogee Starbucks

That's right. The only Starbucks in Muskogee will close it's doors for the last time on Friday. I don't make it to Muskogee but once or twice a week, and Monday mornings usually included a stop by for a vente "coffee of the day".

But, since Starbucks has decided to close more than 600 stores, Muskogee's store got caught in the trap.

I spoke with the folks yesterday. They didn't seem terribly upset, but did mention that there would NOT be a sale of the merchandise. It would simply be packed up and shipped off. That doesn't sound nice to me.

I think the biggest problem with this store was its location. There is a huge customer base willing to purchase coffee, but they put it in a stand alone building off of a by-pass, not convenient to most commuters. Granted, it is across the highway from Wal-Mart, but it still isn't the best place for a coffee house.

The next closest Starbucks is in Broken Arrow INSIDE the Bass Pro Shop. Oh darn.

Wow, Expensive!

We are currently traveling to Midland, TX, and decided to stay at a Best Western here in Abilene. We are used to staying at very nice (4 star) hotels in Thailand for about $20-35 per night. Hotels in Thailand are incredible. They have full bell service, full breakfast buffets, incredible decor, etc, etc....

We paid $98 for this room. It is nice, but it ain't all that. It's a Best Western, for crying out loud!

At least it has a coffee pot and coffee in the room. That's something.

Home Again

After 10 days in Thailand, we are back safely at home in Hong Kong. We had a delightfully uneventful trip, despite our bus being 30 minutes late to pick us up. But we made it in plenty of time to the empty warehouse that is the new Bangkok airport.

Something fun that happened while we were there was I got measured for a new suit. I haven't had a new suit since Sally and I got married, so we figured it was about time. I got a new black suit, a blue sports coat, 3 new shirts and 3 new silk ties. Pretty snazzy. I'll take a picture when I have it on later.

This is also the first year that I have been in Pattaya without a vehicle. I didn't like it at all. Thankfully, my colleagues who had a vehicle were generous and we were able to borrow a car every now and again, mostly because I still have a Thai driver's license. There were many times, however, when we had to use local transportation called a song taew. I'm not real sure of how to spell it, but I think that is close. In any case, the kids like it because basically, it is a pick up truck with a camper shell on the back, open on the sides with two benches to sit on. They used to ride one to school each day when we lived in Thailand, but I hate to bargain with the driver as a tourist.

At the very least, I brought my new coffee press cup with me and had Starbuck's House Blend to carry me through.

I'm glad to be home, but that means we have to start packing again tomorrow.

Ferry to Shekou

I take a ferry to Shekou every week for language lessons. This is one of the ferries that I take.



Inside the ferry.

The trip takes about 50 minutes, but I leave the flat at 6:45 am and arrive at 8:45 am. I take a taxi to the ferry terminal, buy the ticket, go through customs, board the ferry at 7:30, disembark at 8:40 and am usually sitting at Starbucks by 9:00 am.

It never fails (especially in China)

I am (was) having a glorious morning. The temperature has cooled off to a wonderful 66 degrees and I am sitting on the "front porch" of Starbuck's in Shekou, China, sipping my grande Christmas blend, enjoying the people, the weather, and the coffee. (oh, and a blueberry muffin). Anyway, I am the only one out here until a business man comes along and lights up a cigarette just upwind from me. Smoking has got to be the most rude, most ego-centric, most selfish habit on the face of the earth.

There. I'm finished with my rant and will get back to enjoying the morning.

Coffee Faux Pas

I about caused a riot today at the Starbuck's at China-Hong Kong City Ferry Terminal. Yep, I grabbed. Well, it wasn't really my fault...after all, they called out "grande Americano" and no one else went for it. So, I figured it was "mine, mine, mine; all mine!" But it wasn't.

Had the guy who actually ordered it stepped up and took it when it was first called, then the whole "coffee criminal" nomer wouldn't have happened.

Look, I'm sorry I grabbed, but it was time to catch my boat and it was just sitting there, all alone getting cold. I reasoned I could remedy that.

Next time, I'll hesitate just a tad bit longer!

Coffee Snobs

You know who you are. Come on, now, admit it!

I have decided that I am surrounded, at times, by coffee snobs. You know, people who will only drink Starbuck's or some fancy (expensive) gourmet coffee. Well, as coffee white trash, I think I am happier because I can enjoy a cup of coffee anywhere I go, not just someplace where I have to pay 4 bucks for a cuppa joe.

I can honestly say that I enjoy a cup of Folgers, or Maxwell House, or even, God forbid, 3 in 1! There are those who travel with their makings for pressed coffee or fresh fancy something from Starbucks. Don't get me wrong, I'll enjoy those too, but I'm not limiting myself to only those fancy kinds. And, I'll willingly drink from the bounty of any coffee offered to me and ENJOY it.

I guess that is my point. I enjoy coffee. I like the smell, er aroma. I like the taste. I like it with breakfast and then all morning long. I like it with cake and especially with donuts, but I really like it in the company of friends.

Please don't hate me because you have identified yourself as a coffee snob. Remember, I didn't name names.

Now, let's head down to Pacific Coffee for a nice "pick me up!"

Great Time in Shenzhen

Well, Shekou, actually.

It got off to a rough start when I took the "wrong" ferry to Shenzhen. How was I to know that there were three different ferry ports. The one I took, at least wasn't the farthest one away. I took the one to the airport which turned out to be about 50 km from where I needed to go. I had a hard time getting a taxi to where I needed to go because I thought it was only a mile or two and the taxi driver knew it was a long way. I offered a 10th of what the fare should have been and he refused to take me. I finally got someone on the phone who bargained with another taxi driver to get me there at a correct price. When we arrived, after nearly an hour drive, I remembered I hadn't changed any money yet. Thank goodness he too my HK money!

I must say I was impressed with the school and with the area around the school. It looks like I will be going there once per week for to study language. I think it is going to be a great experience.

I am very happy to see that the school and the hotel I will stay at are in a very modern, built-up area. In fact, here is a picture of where I had lunch:

Within the same area are Starbuck's, KFC, Subway, McD's, Pizza Hut, a Mexican restaurant, two Italian restaurants, and several Brazilian BBQ's! The Hungry Traveler should get a good work out in the months to come.

Coffee may reduce diabetes risk, study finds

Good news for women coffee drinkers! Hava cuppa Joe and reduce the risk! Read about it at this link: KRT Wire 06/26/2006 Coffee may reduce diabetes risk, study finds

Misc Shanghai Pics

Hong Kong

Well, here I sit in the International House YMCA. Whoop-it-do. I have spent the day, and I mean the entire day, in a meeting. Tomorrow will be much of the same. It is, however, a very good meeting.

I have had the opportunity to see the apartment where we will be living. It is very, very nice. The location is absolutely horrid, but, the niceness of the apartment makes up for that.

There is a ship load of American Navy-men in town. One of them sat next to me at Starbuck's this evening. 20 years old. First time to be out of the US. He appeared to be lonely and really opened up. I had the scene all set to share some good news with him, but his buddies came in just at the wrong moment and said they all needed to leave. I didn't get his name. He has had a really, really hard life. I know my conversation was 'salty', but it wasn't 'beefy'. Maybe someone else will come along and plant. Maybe, just maybe, the salt was enough to get his mind and heart "in the mood".

I had dinner tonight with some friends who used to be in Chiang Mai, but are now in HK. It was really good to see them again. They will be our neighbors, well, sort of. Only a few hundred yards away as the crow flies, but, crows don't fly in HK. It is a long way to go to actually get to their flat.

I can't believe the prices of stuff here. All the restaurants charge $4-5 US dollars for a coke. Some of them don't give refills! I will learn to drink tap water, I think! Sticker shock is going to be the hardest part of living here.

China has Changed!

OH MY GOODNESS! I can't believe how much China has changed in the past 15 years! I first visitied China in Feb 1988. The things that strike me the most are:
many, many fewer bicycles
many, many more personal cars
huge, beautiful buildings
cell phones everywhere
western items galore
western stores (Wal-Mart, Carrefour)
internet availability
new roads
western restaurants (Pizza Hut, McDonalds, KFC)
not being stared at as much because they have never seen foreigner before
coffee houses everywhere (even in the little cities) Starbucks is only the mega citiesEven though China is changing, it is still CHINA! Today, I had lunch at Pizza Hut in Kunming. It was really good. They were advertising some new things. One of them was e-coupons on their website. The other was an ad for Oolong Chicken Comsume. (Tea Chicken Soup) Ugh!

Phuket Summary

Phuket was a good experience for my family. We got away from normal life and spent a huge amount of good quality family time together. My observations of Phuket:

• It is more expensive than Chiang Mai, but a bargain compared to Singapore;
• It is full of tourists;
• It is a huge island;
• The tsunami damage is still evident, especially in the Patong Beach area;
• In another 10 years, it will have out-grown itself;
• It is a great place to visit, and I wouldn't mind living there.

We were amazed that Patong Beach has come so far in rebuilding, but it still has a LONG WAY to go to get back to normal. You could see rock or concrete block walls still laying on their sides, having been knocked down by the wave. The McDonald's on Patong Beach is still in ruins. I didn't have my camera with me, but I took a picture with my friend's camera. As soon as he downloads it to me, I will post it here. There are many businesses still boarded up. We were surprised that the McDonald's sign hasn't been removed. (Bad for corporate image, we thought) The Starbuck's on Patong Beach was completely destroyed, but had been rebuilt and restored. They had pictures on the wall of the damage it had sustained. I showed my 9 year old daughter and she thought they were too distressing to look at. Pictures from Dec 26 here.

I spoke with some of the locals there and asked them about the tsunami. Several had seen the wave; several had been "caught" in the wave. The waitress at our hotel restaurant said that it completely destroyed the hotel where she was working that day. She said she was at work when it hit, but you could tell she didn't want to talk about it, so I let it drop. There was a T-shirt for sale in the street market that listed the different tragedies like SARS, Bird Flu, Tsunami, etc, since 1999. The last line begged the question, "What's next?"

It was a strange experience "enjoying" a place that has had such devastation. Everyone there, however, kept saying "thank you" for coming and helping to support their economy. Still, as we played in the ocean, we couldn't help but to think of the untold numbers who lost their lives on that dreadful day. I hope they never have to experience that again.

Another Singapore Pic

Boyne and Kluver families at one of the Coffee Bean shops near Border's Bookstore on Orchard Road in Singapore.

Rick & Randy in Singapore

We had a DELIGHTFUL (but quick) trip to Singapore. We got to spend some time with two sets of friends; one we haven't seen since 1998 and the other set good friends from college. Randy was a gracious host (as always). We had a fun time with his family, then he and I hit the town. We didn't paint it very red, however, because it was raining to beat the band. But, we managed to kill a couple of hours at one of the many Starbuck's on Orchard Road.

All in all, my impressions of Singapore are:
1) very clean,
2) very expensive,
3) the definition of what happens when lots of paranoid, anal-retentive Asians take control of their own destinies,
4) very beautiful,
5) very expensive.

I am ready to go back when I have more time. In fact, I can't wait to get back to Singapore.