Riddle Group church in the News

First Christian Church is located in Duncan, Oklahoma. The Riddle Group walked beside FCC, a church of 250 folks for a little over a year as they did the hard work of taking responsability for the spiritual nurture of their teens. After about 14 months they hired a youth pastor, Ryan. 3 months after Ryan started, Ryan and the youth leadership team decided to buy a local building to add youth space, and to add a contemporary worship service. Most of the folks on the youth leadership team (who are the people ultimately responsible for youth at FCC were looking for a new kind of experience in their church.)

This is a church where youth ministry is sustainable and it impacts the church as a whole.

They just made their local news with the opening of their new service. Pretty great stuff. The people have worked very hard and have great vision for youth ministry. Their youth ministry is not focused around a youth pastor, and Ryan is given permission to do what he's good at, while not needing to fake it in other areas.

Great Job my Friends!

Link

The Well, a ministry of First Christian Church, is the new name of what has, until now, been known as the church’s South Campus. The ministry is housed in what was once the J.C. Penney building at 913 W. Main. Shoppers who once frequented the store wouldn’t recognize the place now, though.

Since the church purchased the 20,000-square-foot building last summer, many yards of old carpeting have been ripped up, tile has been laboriously chipped from the floors, and walls and partitions have been knocked down. Once only a hollow shell was left, the restoration began, with many volunteers from the church and community working toward a common goal — that of turning the building into a large community outreach facility.

A stage and sound booth have been constructed, theater-type seats put into place, overhead video screens hung, bathrooms added, offices built ... the list of improvements is mind-boggling.

It goes on to say,

And change is important, especially for Duncan, the group agreed.

“So many parents have expressed joy that this facility will be available for all people, all denominations. We’re here as the family of Jesus — brothers and sisters in Christ. You can leave your baggage at the door. I’m inspired that our church had the vision, leadership and support to undertake this endeavor,” Hunt said.

“You could call The Well a sort of restoration or resurrection, and we’re hoping that God will resurrect some more,” Talley said.

Today: Draw or Paint a picture

Spend some time on it. ask a pre-school child if they are an artist and they will answer yes, without hesitation. the older kids get, the less they think they can draw. by 5th grade most kids have stopped drawing, or thinking it's worth their time.
This is not because they are bad, or have nothing to paint or draw, but that they don't want to be made fun of. Their understanding of themselves as creative and artist is drying up.

You most certainly are older than a 5th grader. When was the last time you sketched a picture. (I'm not talking about those doodles you make during staff meeting.)

Someone told you you couldn't draw, or you felt like they did.

Draw or paint a picture today and reclaim a part of who you are.

Today: dance

in private or public. With a loved one, a friend, a child, a spouse or by yourself. spend 5 or more minutes dancing.

Let yourself go.

See how it feels.

Two Videos

This Video reminded me:



of this... classic... the interview with the congressmen is awesome. The end is the best.


Link

Today: Hug

Today, give a hug to someone you've never hugged before. Pick someone who might not receive a hug very often or a person who might not even touch anyone outside of an occassional handshake.

Hug big.

Today: Compliment

Complement someone today.

Some one. A person. A man. A woman. A child.

"I love those shoes."
"Nice car."
"Dude, I dig that watch."
"That's a pretty outfit your wearing."
"I like your haircut."

These are not compliments for people. They are compliments for things. Things don't need compliments. Shoes, cars, watches and outfits don't particularly care if you like them.

People do care. These are half-ass compliments. Nice motive with limited effort and poor execution.

If you really like a child's outfit, compliment them while doing it. "You have great taste in clothes."

Compliments are transformative. They are one small way in which God uses community to help us understand ourselves. When you tell a girl that you like her hair, you are not complementing her, you are complimenting something she can't control and are re-enforcing an understanding of identity and beauty that she can't control. Tell her that you think she makes good decisions with her hair and how wise she is.

Stop half-ass compliments. Put some thought into it. Complement a person today.

Dan's Movie meme

My friend Dan's a pastor up in Iowa and invited me to a meme he created.

Here are the rules:
" a list of my top ten favorite films (in no particular order). The only rule, if you're tagged, you've got to post and tag 3-5 other people."

Mark's top 10 Movies of all time:
American Beauty
Tombstone
No Country for Old Men
Fight Club
Heat
Crash
Gladiator
Saving Private Ryan
Pulp Fiction
Good Will Hunting

Ok. I tag you.

Speaking at NPC

I've been invited to speak at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego next February.
Here's their blog post announcing it. Dang. Humbling company.

More NPC 2009 Speakers!

Bill Hybels
John Burke
Leighton Ford
David Kinnaman
Gabe Lyons
Mark Riddle
William Webb

Link
and here's the link the whole list of speakers so far.

Today: Question God out loud

Ask a tough question that you really struggle with out loud to someone today. No need to follow up with a deep conversation. Simply get it off your chest. See how it feels to say it out loud. Sometimes questioning God is the most faithful thing you can do for God.

Today:Do something that scares you.

Start a conversation with a total stranger.
Try a new food.
Attempt to balance your check book.

Don't let the day go by without taking a risk.
Risk is often where the new life happens.

Exception: Ballparks

Link

Homeless Running club

For some reason this story came to my mind driving home from my workout today so I thought I'd post a link and part of the piece here. Maybe one day when I'm in better shape , and can actually run more than around the block something like this will materialize.

Anne Mahlum is a 27-year-old marathoner. And on her predawn runs in Philadelphia, she kept passing a group of homeless men.

An ex-football player is walking cross-country to raise money for 9/11 heroes.

"They would say, 'Hi' or they would say 'Hi Anne' or 'There's the crazy runner.' 'How many miles are you doing?'" Mahlum recalled. "And they would smile and sort of applaud and cheer for me, while I would start my day."

But one day in May, Mahlum said, "I looked back, and I was like, 'I am cheating these guys. Why am I just running past them and leaving them there?'"

"Running is so simple you know. You really only need a pair of shoes. You don't need a lot of equipment. You need heart and dedication," Mahlum said.

Anne thought to herself, "Maybe running could make these guys feel as good as it makes me feel."

So she decided to start a running club for the homeless and started asking businesses for help.

"I sent out an e-mail to a bunch of people, and I just said, 'I'm starting Philadelphia's first homeless running club. I need your shoes. I need your clothes,'" Mahlum said. "And the support that I received back is so astonishing."

Nine homeless men signed up right away.

"The guys had so many questions. They were so curious," Mahlum said.

The men didn't know what to expect, and they asked questions about how to stretch and what to do. But they were willing to give it a shot.

Mahlum was not intimidated by the men.

"I wasn't scared. People are people. And I feel like if you treat them the way you want to be treated, that's the best you can do."

"If anything would happen," she joked, "I figure, you know, they can't catch me anyway."

Mahlum's group, called Back on My Feet, has grown since then. They were out on the Philadelphia streets this morning at 5 a.m.

"People started showing up in the morning," Mahlum said. "This circle that we had just kept growing and growing, and the smiles got bigger, the hugs got tighter, and we started to develop this team, this family."

This story makes sense to me on so many levels. My hope for Tulsa is that people will take their passions and make a difference in peoples lives like this. It doesn't need to be a running club. But religion that is institutional and controling in nature must be abandoned for more life giving experiences like this.