The Heath Mullikin Project

The Techology Show Notes for September 15, 2010

Hipster Faith
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/september/9.24.html?start=1

High Court Rules Against Campus Christian Group
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1645/christian-legal-society-v-martinez-supreme-court-decision-against-group-excluding-gays-lesbians

Download of the week

Android usage to surpass Blackberry, iOS by year end
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/09/android-to-challenge-symbian-for-1-market-share-spot-by-2014.ars

Did you see this story on Windows 7 phone being the iPhone killer at http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2010/03/16/7-reasons-windows-7-phone-iphone-killer/

Quotation Marks
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/august/2.13.html

Don’t Send Your Sheriff A Text When you’re looking to Buy Pot
http://consumerist.com/2010/09/dont-send-your-sheriff-a-text-when-youre-looking-to-buy-pot.html

Indianapolis Colts Reebok NFL Option 3-1 Combo Pack

Twitter Milestones

On September 11, 2009 I created @chaseurlion on Twitter in preparation of the opening of this blog. I purchased Tweetadder not long after that to help automate the account and grow my followers. It has been a learning experience figuring out how to manage multiple Twitter accounts. @chaseurlion was locked in February and since @ChaseYourLion had become available I created and started using it since I wasn’t sure if @chaseurlion would come back online or not. Luckily, Twitter was kind enough to reinstate it. Sometime today, I will cross 25,000 followers with @chaseurlion and I recently crossed 5,000 with @ChaseYourLion. My personal account, @HeathMullikin, will cross 5,000 next week.

I think at first that growing my followers was a stunt with no purpose. I knew I had a good message to spread and wanted everyone to hear it. Recently, I have felt a sense of responsibility and clarity as it comes to how I use Twitter. Most people are content to follow and be followed by their friends/acquaintances. Most people are annoyed when I use hootsuite to say the same thing on multiple accounts. There wasn’t a reason for anyone to follow all 3 before. So, here’s the deal:

@chaseurlion is going to share interesting posts and articles from people you know and some you’ve never heard of. It’s about sharing the love and giving shout outs. I hope this account keeps growing and God uses it to send followers to your blog/church/twitter account.

@chaseyourlion will be doing what this site is all about: introducing people to resources that will help them discover their purpose, passion, and possibilities. Books, music, and tools to enrich your life.

@HeathMullikin is where I will be interacting and doing personal updates.

Here’s my prayer: that God would use this technology to help us build connections that otherwise wouldn’t be made. That something you read or hear will impact your life and the Kingdom. That something I post will make you laugh or think or maybe even cry. That blogs, pastors, and ministries that sometimes get overlooked will have their time to shine.

God Bless. Thanks for reading and for following.

Are you a novice or an expert?

Seth Godin had a thought provoking post today on “The Myth of Preparation.” The main point I took from it is that becoming an expert at anything is hard work that most people skip over. They remain novices and never get around to really doing their absolute best. For a Pastor, speaking every weekend can be a HUGE challenge. Preaching/Teaching Pastors must spend time honing their craft. The Spirit enables and gives the Message, but it takes a lot of hard work to deliver a Message that is Transformative. Now, if that’s what you’re called and equipped to do and you love doing it then it’s a joy when you’re in the moment. My fear is that many pastors who are great and gifted speakers at some point are stunted in their growth and remain in the “novice” stage when God has called and equipped them to be experts. How many pastors tell the same stories and use the same examples all the time(I just raised my hand in case you were wondering)? I also know that my funniest lines the past two weeks were totally off the cuff. “Sun Trust ATM’s are soooo 2008. They expect me to fill out a deposit envelope. Are you kidding me? I don’t have time for that!” One of the lines in the Lion Chasers Manifesto says,”criticize by creating.” I will quit critiquing other pastors form and style and work on perfecting my own. The challenge for us, no matter what our field, is to get into the expert stage and do what only we can do. What are your thoughts? What has God created you to be an expert at?

Building a Church Website on WordPress

This week we will begin the task of creating a website for Oakway Wesleyan Church. Since I am most familiar with WordPress as a publishing platform we will be using it to build our site. Tony Morgan had a great post on this a few years back. My question is this: What’s the most important thing about a church website? I would say the number 1 priority will be keeping it updated. I will be training others to do the basic tasks to accomplish that. I don’t think it matters how flashy or fancy your church website is if the information is outdated. I have personally been guilty of this with youth websites and the like. Ease of use and up to date information are a must for our site. Above that, what should our focus be? I really like what FWC/ALIVE has done with their website to help people build connections. Should we podcast ASAP or should that be a later priority? What wordpress themes have you seen/used that look/work great for churches? I would love your thoughts on this. Is wordpress the wrong way to go? What are you using with your church?

September 8, 2010 Techology Show Notes

Since moving back to South Carolina, I have become a weekly co-host for The Techology Show. It’s the world’s only user-antagonistic podcast where topics covering theology to technology are discussed. It airs live every Wednesday at 9 am. You can check out past episodes or join the chat.

This week’s topics include:

Following Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny or God’s Word
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=6439
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/septemberweb-only/45-31.0.html
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1717/glenn-beck-christians-mormons

Craigslist Shuts Down Adult Services
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/04/craigslist-shuts-adult-services-section/

Money Can Buy Happiness, To A Point
http://www.wyff4.com/money/24899924/detail.html

iPad testing Face time
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/04/mr-extreme-closeup-suggests-next-gen-ipad-is-testing-facetime

Download of the week

Hipster Faith
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/september/9.24.html?start=1

Man blows himself up trying to kill spider
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7973024/Man-blows-himself-up-trying-to-kill-a-spider.html

Converting Converts into Disciples

Matthew 28: ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(NIV)

I saw some disturbing statistics this summer that crossed church district and denominational lines. The number of conversions, baptisms, and new church members did not match in any way shape or form. Many churches reported dozens of salvations to go along with less than 10 baptisms and new church members. Luckily, I wasn’t the only person who saw the disparity in these numbers and district and denominational leaders called churches for a renewed commitment on baptisms and making disciples.

I recently read the blog of a controversial pastor who keeps score of the number of people he leads to Christ. This number has grown to over 3000(according to his blog) while the church he pastors has about 60 attenders. I have often wondered what happens to these people after he knocks on their door and leads them to Christ. Still, another pastor(on the complete total opposite end of the spectrum of pastor #1) reports hundreds of salvations in weekly services and their church is known for their large baptisms of hundreds of people at a time and their commitment to evangelism.

I do agree with counting conversions. I’m not one of those “numbers don’t matter” people, but have we turned people into Convert #972 instead of Disciple of Christ John or Jane Doe. Will Jesus look out among us and ask,”Ok, who raised your hand to receive me? Did you repeat what the pastor prayed exactly? Were you brave enough to walk to the front?” Do we have churches full of people who are gung ho to serve yet don’t know how to disciple someone? Being on a parking team or helping take up the offering can be a step towards becoming a disciple of Christ, but it doesn’t mean you are a disciple simply by doing these types of things.

As a pastor, I feel my mission is to make Disciple-Making Disciples. My end goal isn’t to have people plugged into different ministries so that the church has something to “offer.” If we aren’t training our people to share their faith-not just their testimony for the purpose of salvations-but for the reproducing their faith in others then are we really accomplishing the Great Commission?

I am striving now to clearly define what a disciple is for our church. Our hope is that people will be Rooted in The Word, Relationships, and Service. We are asking these 3 questions:

1. Are you growing in knowledge and obedience to God’s Word?

2. Are your relationships honoring God and helping you become more like Him?

3. Are you actively serving the church and community?

Any church or pastor who is actively seeking to reach the lost should be commended, but we’ve got to start converting converts into disciples. What do you think? Am I completely off base here?