Junk Drawer Spirituality

Secrets

Very interesting stuff, and well produced . . . 

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Frank Warren on Vimeo.

The Muppets Meet Bohemian Rhapsody

This is an instant classic.  I laughed my tail off at this!

Cool Christmas Lights

So, we've all seen the new trend in Christmas light decorations . . . computer controlled lights, choreographed to Christmas music like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  This house is by far the coolest light show I've seen.  Really well done.

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Shane Claiborne in "Esquire Magazine"

 "Esquire" is not a Christian publication.  It's a secular men's magazine on par with "GQ" or "Maxim."  But for some reason, "Esquire" asked Shane Claiborne (a young, progressive, evangelical and author of The Irresistible Revolution) to write an article for them to "address those who don't believe."  It's a great article for Christians trying to understand how best to engage a post-evangelical world.  It's hopefully a great article for non-Christians who are interested in getting to know the real Christ . . . not the one that's promoted by some if His other followers.  Here's the link to the article . . .

A Few Waterfront Videos

Here are a few videos I have put together and shown at Waterfront in recent weeks.  The first one is a video interview with Irene Flannigan, a woman we helped with our offerings a few months ago. 

The second video is a short clip to celebrate our one year anniversary.  That one I created through a website called Animoto.com.  It's a free website, and as you can see, they create really great slide shows.  Enjoy!

Irene's Story from David Herrick on Vimeo.

Waterfront Anniversary- Year 1 from David Herrick on Vimeo.

Movie Review: "The Blind Side"

I went to see the movie "The Blind Side" this weekend, the true story of Michael Oher, the offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  Oher was an African-American, homeless, son of a crack addict before being adopted by a wealthy, white family from Memphis, TN.  Michael started playing football at his new private school, and everyone discovered his undeniable knack for protecting the "blind side" of his quarterback.  Oher went from rags to being sought by every major University football coach in the SEC

It has the makings of a great movie.  It's a "Rudy"-type story . . . A sports movie wrapped into a feel good message about people overcoming insurmountable odds to reach big goals.  The problem with the Blind Side?  I didn't believe it.  Yes, it's based on a true story.  But the movie felt so contrived and campy that I left feeling like I had just sat through an extended after-school special.

Worshipping Saturday Instead of Sunday

 A few weeks ago, Waterfront went through a fairly significant change.  We have been meeting in Schaumburg High School at 10 AM Sunday mornings since we launched alittle over a year ago.  But after much prayer and consideration we decided to move to a new location and a new time . . . Saturday evening.

Here's what happened.  We loved meeting in the High School, but our rent rates were changing, and the venue was a little large for us . . . so we were looking at other options.  Another local church offered to let us rent their facility for a much better price, and the facility size made much more sense for out needs.  But that meant we had to move to Saturdays since the existing church needed it Sunday mornings.

I was actually a little nervous about making the move to Saturday nights.  I personally loved the idea (I'm more of an evening person than a morning person anyway), but Sunday morning church is such a cultural norm.  I wasn't sure how people would respond.

Well, we've been in our new facility and our new time for 3 weeks now, and let me just say, this was SUCH A GOOD DECISION!!!!  The facility is great.  Perfect size, feel, and atmosphere, for our needs.  But I love the new time, and our people love it too.  So for anyone considering church planting, let me give you five reasons why you might consider doing a Saturday evening service rather than a Sunday service.