Random Ramblings #8

Happy Saturday, everyone!  It's time for another edition of Random Ramblings!  Here are a few of things rattling around in my head- but beware!  My brain can be a very scary place to visit!  Here we go:

• The new season of TV shows is upon us, which is big news here at the Jones' house.  Our favorite shows include The Big Bang Theory (Sheldon Cooper may be the funniest character on TV these days), Fringe (it was a crime that John Nobles, who plays Walter Bishop, did not win an EMMY for last season); Glee (yes I freely admit it!); Modern Family (Phil Dunphy is my hero) and the How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Two and A Half Men comedy block on Monday nights.  Plus football anytime I can sneak it in.  And Marilyn still loves her Law & Order: SVU.  FYI- we may be the only family in USAmerica still using a VCR to record shows.  Donations are being accepted for a DVR...
• One of my favorite authors, Leonard Sweet, was quoted yesterday on Twitter as saying this:  "When the favorite story of the church is no longer Jesus, we are in trouble."  It's like it says at the top of this blog- "it's all about Jesus!"
• Will is a sophomore at Sickles High School here in Tampa, and plays bass drum in the marching band.  The band (and football team) are 2-1 after last night's win loss to Largo.  Their show this year has a Latino theme, and none of us can pronounce the names of any of the songs.  But they sound good...
• Thank you, Stephen Colbert, for speaking out for the "least of these" in front of the "Pharisees" in Washington yesterday.
• My old friend J. Brent Bill ( who once referred to a week at Quaker Lake Camp as "organized chaos") writes a blog that I love to read anytime, but it has been especially good this week.  He is making a "Modest Proposal" for ways Quakers can regain the unique focus of their traditional worship while at the same time recognizing it is no longer the 1700's.  His suggestions include changing the architecture of the rooms we worship in so that we are facing each other and focusing on worship, not on a pastor or choir.  Perhaps they should worship in a circle or scattered gathering- like many youth groups do.  Another (and much deeper) idea is ditching the order of worship found in so many church bulletins and and letting worship flow more freely.  In other words, "let Jesus lead worship."  Kind of like we often did at youth group.  I'm telling you, struggling churches have the model for more relational, interactive worship starring them in the face- and that model is classic youth ministry!
• I recently finished reading a manuscript for a book that will be published in January (I think) from my old friend Rick Bundschuh.  The book will be called Deep Like Me (Another Failed Attempt To Walk On Water).  If you have ever felt disqualified from serving God because you think that your sin is too great or your faith is too small, then this book is for you.  I will keep you posted on the release date.  Rumor has it a former youth minister (who knows a lot about sinking) wrote a recommendation for the cover...

• And finally, we go back to The Big Bang Theory.  Last season Sheldon proposed an improvement to the classic game Rock, Paper, Scissors- and it reminded me so much of all the times over the years I made up rules to make games more fun (or weird or complicated!).  Here is his description of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock:   "Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors."  It's as simple as that!  Makes me want to play 4 On A Couch or Wink (the "killer" card game with 1 million rules)...

I trust that was random enough for you!  Have a blessed weekend, and be sure to praise God tomorrow, whether from your own house of worship or from Bedside Baptist, where the hours are always flexible!  Either way, let Jesus lead worship in your life!

Because of Jesus,