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Seth Godin talks about newspapers cutting back on printing stock tables. Wonder when churches are going to stop printing weekly bulletins? Do you really think people are reading them? I probably shouldn’t admit this, but it’s been months since I’ve read the bulletin at Granger. I use the insert to take notes during the message. That’s it. Everything else that’s included in the bulletin is available in the weekly enewsletter or on the web whenever I need it. My hope is that RSS will eventually eliminate the need for the weekly enewsletter.

Know any churches that have stopped printing weekly bulletins? I’d love to hear what impact, if any, it’s had on their ministry.

I’m a big fan of Google. It’s my primary search tool. I love Google Desktop which I use to search my files and Outlook messages. (Trying to find an email message using the "find" function in Outlook is stinky.) Gmail, the Google solution for email is the bomb. Google Maps is my new favorite tool for figuring out how to get from here to there.

I’ve been thinking about a few new Google applications, though, that I’d like to see. Here are some examples:

• Google Refrigerator — I don’t know what the problem is, but I have trouble finding what I’m looking for in the refrigerator. Our refrigerator is very clean and organized, but I have trouble spotting items that I’m trying to find. I’ll open the door and stare for long periods of time. Emily will just mock me and ridicule me for not being able to find what I’m looking for. She, of course, can instantly put her hands on whatever I was searching for in the refrigerator. I think it’s one of those special gifts that’s innate in women. Whatever the case, it would be a lot easier for me if I could Google my refrigerator to find the food item I’m searching for.
• Google Shower — I come up with great ideas when I take showers. Some people sing in the shower. I do my best thinking in the shower. The only problem is that I have lousy short-term memory. So, whatever brilliant ideas I generated while trying to get clean are lost about as soon as I towel off. I’d like to be able to Google all my shower ideas. I think that would also make me a better blogger–a cleaner, better blogger.
• Google Mall — It’s unfortunate, but there are actually items that I can’t buy online. Either because of time constraints or the need to actually go and see the item I need to purchase, sometimes a trip to the mall is required. I don’t enjoy the mall though. Too many people…especially this time of year. And, similar to the refrigerator, the item I need to purchase is never in the store that I think it should be in. If I have to go to the mall, I’d like to be able to compare prices prior to hitting the parking lot, go straight to the store I need, make the purchase and get out.

OK, those are my ideas. What do you wish you could Google?

Since it’s the day before a long weekend, consider this my "Fun Friday" post. Have a great Thanksgiving. I’m unplugged until Monday.

Here’s another article on megachurches from Reuters via Yahoo! Looks like this one was originally posted yesterday, and it primarily talks about Willow Creek.

Tim sent me a link to an incredible article from CIO Insight that talks about the use of technology in megachurches. Here are some of the organizations and people featured in the article:

• Willow Creek Community Church
• Lakewood Church
• Leadership Network
• Hartford Institute for Religion Research
• Fellowship Church
• Fellowship Technologies
• Jeff Hook, CEO and President of Fellowship Technologies
• Westover Church
• Saddleback Church
• Brian Bailey, Web Director at Fellowship Church
• Terry Storch, Campus Pastor at Fellowship Church Uptown
• Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn
• Seacoast Church
• Shawn Wood, Creative Communications Pastor for Seacoast Church
• CreativePastors.com
• Willow Creek Association
• Leadership Summit

By the way, we’re about ready to make another big technology leap at Granger. I can’t wait to tell you more about that in the coming weeks.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been studying the words of Jesus. In some translations of the Bible, his words are actually printed using red ink. So, focusing on just the red words, I’ve been considering what is it that Jesus has really asked me to do? I’ve started listing out the action words Jesus spoke. Here are some examples of the red-letter words that are shaping who I have become and where I’m going:

• believe — "I assure you, anyone who believes in me already has eternal life." (John 6:47 NLT)
• turn — "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17 NLT)
• follow — "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23 NLT)
• thirst — "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." (Matthew 5:6 NIV)
• give — "Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." (Luke 6:30 NIV)
• forgive — "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15 NLT)
• ask — "Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." (John 16:24 NLT)
• agree — "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." (Matthew 18:19 NLT)
• serve — "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45 NLT)
• love — ^"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 NLT)
• pray — "This is how you should pray: ‘Father, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us our food day by day. And forgive us our sins–just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.’" (Luke 11:2-4 NLT)
• worship — "But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way." (John 4:23 NLT)
• obey — "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." (Luke 11:28 NIV)
• seek — "But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." (Luke 12:31 NIV)
• trust — "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God." (John 14:1 NIV)
• go — "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT)

Pretty simple. I’m trying to better understand those 16 red letter words and apply them to my life. That’s God’s will. He wants that for me. That’s where I find his purpose for my life. That’s where I experience joy. Now you know what’s really on my mind these days.

Here’s the "box score" for this past weekend at Granger Community Church.

Music: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana (prelude); "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed

Message: "The Challenge of the Child-Centered Family" — Rob Wegner, Pastor of Life Development, taking a look primarily at Ephesians 5 and 6, talked about the need for families to tune into the "God Channel." He encouraged parents to weave spiritual development into their everyday life. He recommended they take advantage of the children and student ministries at Granger. But, he reminded parents that the student ministries are just a supplement, not a substitute, to their spiritual leadership for their kids.

Service Highlights: Rob’s message included lots of video clips from the television show The Simpsons. The service concluded with a video which shows a number of volunteers caring for kids in our children’s center and in other ministry roles. You can sample the "Serving 2005" video using the "media player" on GCCwired.com. It’s also available to purchase on WiredChurches.com.

Stats: 5,596 total attendance (4,295 adults + 1,301 kids); 27.8% increase from the same weekend last year

Percentage of weekend attendance by service:

1. Sun 10:15 am = 29%
2. Sun 11:45 am = 22%
3. Sat 7:30 pm = 18%
4. Sat 5:30 pm = 16%
5. Sun 8:45 am = 15%

Final Notes: Next weekend is the conclusion of The Family Channel series which is shaping up to be the biggest series we’ve had at Granger.

Yesterday Jim Collins released a 42-page booklet to supplement his book Good to Great. He’s calling it a monograph, and it is intended to compare good organizations with great organizations in the social sector. You can read more about the project on his website. He has audio excerpts available on the “lecture hall” portion of his site. The booklet is only available online. Here’s the Amazon.com listing. (Thanks Dawn, at AspireOne, for the heads up.)

Jason has the details on our all-staff trip up to Grand Rapids to visit Mars Hill and Rob Bell.

I’ve updated the links on the left sidebar of my site. In the process, I’ve added a handful of my favorite blogs that I follow. They include:

• Seth Godin
• Creating Passionate Users
• Brand Autopsy
• Church Marketing Sucks
• Blogging Church

If I just happen to saying something that makes you think I’m smart, it’s probably because I learned it from one of these sites.

And, Terry, when you start blogging again, I’ll add you back to the list. This little sabbatical you’re on is killing me. I’m always left wondering… WWTB?

"The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless. The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart."

Proverbs 10:19-21 (The Message)