This is a guest post by Kevin Eagle. Are you interested in contributing to BeDeviant.com? Check out the details here.

I’ve tried in all my geeky wisdom to get my wife to use an RSS reader to aggregate all of the blogs that she is now following, but much to my chagrin, she still insists on reading each one individually.  Well, the fact of the matter is, I don’t really care, because she still shares good stuff with me from time to time.

Case in point, we were sitting in front of the TV on Saturday night and she speaks up to say that I needed to read the blog post of one of her favorite bloggers (http://www.mycharmingkids.net) from that day.

Well this morning, I finally got around to it, and one sentence struck me as profound. “God cares about my character, not my comfort.” (from http://tinyurl.com/yawoob)

I’ve written recently about my lack of focus and uncertainty about the potential for 2010.  What’s really going on is that there are so many things in my life that I’m uncertain about right now, I’m swimming in the “what ifs” and continually asking “what should I do?”

I’m very uncomfortable right now…with questions about my ministry, with questions about my career choice and direction, with questions about my finances, with questions about my family life.  But this one statement made me stop and think, God wants me to be uncomfortable, because that’s when I can trust him most, and that is when I have the opportunity to build on my character.  God cares more about my character than my comfort because comfort is a human attribute, a human longing, a human emotion.

Character is who I really am, and who I really am reflects who God created me to be and reveals the ways in which I am created in His image.

So my response?  Worship and praise!  Praise God for my discomfort!  I worship Him with my disconcerted life by obedience and my quest for His perfect will.  He is shaping me through these experiences, because I certainly can’t shape myself to perfect all aspects of my life.

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.  ~1 Peter 4:19~

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!  ~Psalm 104:33~

Originally posted here.

I just finished Divine Commodity [affiliate link] by Skye Jethani. A phenomenal read–a must-read, even. But I got to a section of the book and after I read it, my jaw dropped.

Here is that section:

Pastors Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan encourage church leaders to “embrace entertainment” in their book, Simply Strategic Growth: Attracting a Crowd to Your Church. And like many others, their motivation is life transformation. They write, “We are about entertainment to the extent that it allows us to captivate the minds and hearts of those who don’t yet know Jesus.” To that end, Stevens and Morgan insist that staging an upbeat worship service is key. To infuse the proper level of energy they recommend “pumping up the volume . . . louder music creates more energy.” Temp is also important. “Songs that are upbeat and more celebratory in nature will generate a positive response from the congregation.” They also advise people on the platform to “practice looking happy” and “make sure you’re strategically using humor.” As the title of their book reveals, the reason for micromanaging the staged worship experience is to attract a crowd.

These pastors, representative of so many contemporary Christians, believe that God changes lives through the commodification and consumption of experiences. If our worship gatherings are energetic, stimulating, and exciting enough then people will attend, receive what’s being communicated, and be spiritually transformed. The justification for this approach is simple–people won’t come to a church that’s boring. And what qualifies as boring is defined by our consumer/experience economy. But the moment we believe transformation occurs via external experiences, the emphasis of ministry must adjust accordingly. Manufacturing experiences and meticulously controlling staged environments become the means for advancing Christ’s mission. And the role of the pastor, once imagined as a shepherd tending a flock, now conjures images of a circus ringmaster shouting, “Come on, come all, to the greatest show on earth!” In Consumer Christianity, the shepherd becomes a showman. (p.75)

I was shocked by the way that Skye didn’t mince words. It was refreshing, especially in Christian circles. Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan are two well-known evangelical pastors. But Skye saw something that troubled him about their beliefs and he wrote about it.

Brilliant.

I was more refreshed by the way that Skye challenged those with differing ecclesiological beliefs than what he actually stated. He honored these two men while simultaneously disagreeing with their fundamental approach to the way church should be done. Awesome.

That’s me. What do you think?

In what can only be considered a monumental act of generosity and faith, the International House of Prayer has now made their 24/7 prayer room webcast free.

The service used to be subscription based with different levels of pricing based on the quality of stream you desired. Now it’s free. All of it. Huge.

What makes this even more staggering is that the webcast is really good. I mean, phenomenally good. I’d venture to say it’s one of the top church-related web ministries out there. The Prayer Room team explains the change on their website:

Beginning January 1, 2010, the 24/7 Prayer Room webstream will be available without charge to the world.

Though the stream will be freely available, the prayer room operating costs are $150,000 per month.

Starting January 1, 2010, you can make a monthly tax-deductible donation in the amount of your current subscription.

More than ever before, your donation will help keep the 24/7 prayer room webstream up and running for you and the rest of the world.

Additionally, we have plans over the next 12 months to increase the content and functionality of what will be called “IHOP TV.”

NO ACTION is required if you are happy with this transition.

Please be advised:  Should you choose to cancel before January 1, 2010, you will no longer have access to the Prayer Room webstream.  Please click here for cancellation instructions.

If you have any questions, please contact us by email at webstream@ihop.org or phone at 816.285.9370 or 816.763.0200 x. 8010.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support as we transition. You are greatly appreciated.

I appreciate the fact that the folks at IHOP are quite literally putting their money where their mouth is. They believe the message of Jesus is the most important in the world and want as many people as possible to hear it–even if that means shouldering a heavy financial burden. As you can see, the cost of offering this service is monumental, some $150,000 per month!

Do yourself a favor and check this ministry out–if not for the content than for the excellence in which they operate.

I’m a self-confessed translation junkie. If there’s an English translation available, I probably have it. NLT, NIV, TNIV, NJB, ESV, KJV, NKJV, NET, The Message, EKG, PPT–I love them all.

Imagine my delight when I learned about a new translation called The Voice, published by Thomas Nelson. I picked up a copy of the The Voice at STORY 2009 and couldn’t be more pleased with it. From the preface of The Voice:

The Voice is created for and by a church in great transition. Throughout the body of Christ, exten- sive discussions are ongoing about a variety of issues including style of wor- ship, how we separate culture from our theology, and what is essential truth. In fact, we are struggling with what is truth. At the center of this discussion is the role of Scripture. This discussion is heating up with strong words being ex- changed. Instead of furthering the division over culture and theology, it is time to bring the body of Christ together again around the Bible.

Right now it’s only available in the New Testament. But it’s a steal at $20. You can also download the entire book of John for free on the website. Check it out and let us know what you think!

What’s your favorite translation and why?

This is a guest post from Sam Mahlstadt. Interested in contributing to BeDeviant.com? Read more here.

My wife and I packed up our stuff last April, and moved to Winston-Salem, NC to help build One Church. When we arrived, we knew that the church’s September 13th launch date was quickly approaching, and we jumped right into strategic planning meetings. With another couple, the four of us made up the leadership team and bore the responsibility of birthing a new local church that would reach those who were overlooked and dismissed.

We were all transplants from Iowa, who had given up our comforts and safety nets to see this goal take place. A bit of pressure (read: fear) accompanied this responsibility.

The four of us met semiweekly to brainstorm, strategize and collaborate on ideas that would ultimately create the systems that facilitated the church. The meetings took on more weight as September 13th continued to stalk us. When we ran into a few consecutive dead-ends where we were expecting momentum builders and energy boosts, we had to answer some hard questions. We had to examine our efforts, and re-access what God was asking us to accomplish.

It caused us to think differently about our approach to creating the church. We were doing a lot of work for God, but we seemed to be distant from the work God was doing in us, and ultimately through us. With this realization, we stopped our meeting in its seemingly God-forsaken tracks, and began to pray as a group.

It was a time to refocus our minds and renew our hearts. That moment has served as a defining step in the direction and personality of the church we lead, as well as our approach to the church. I believe every company, organization, or ministry has these moments where a break is simply the only answer. Not more meetings or planning, but rest.

Courtesy of Oatmeal

Per the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Clear Blogging by Bob Walsh. I had a chance to dive-in a little bit over the weekend. While Walsh doesn’t say anything ground breaking (this is a good, practical “how-to” book on blogging for beginners), he starts out the book with a bang.

From the first chapter:

Blogging is about power, and shifting it from them to you.

The reason the number of people blogging keeps doubling every five months–and companies, organizations, media, churches, and, at last count, somewhere between 50 and 100 million people have started wildly blogging in less than a few years–is that blogging gives us a new way to communicate, to share, to influence, to connect, to outrage, to matter.

Seth Godin says the way information is transmitted has been forever changed by the Internet. Walsh agrees. I’m with them.

The “haves” and the “have-nots” will level off and become the “all-haves.” Why? Because everyone, more or less, has the same chance to be heard. This can be a very good thing (read: Iran election) or it can be a very bad thing (read: Perez Hilton).

This is part of the reason why I love blogging so much. The “authorities” no longer have exclusive claim to “the truth.” 2010 will continue to be a year of blogging because:

• Journalistic credibility will continue to shift from the “traditional” media and more towards bloggers.
• The “peer sphere” will continue to serve as the primary place where people get everything from product reviews to news to weather.
• More people will realize how easy it easy to start a good blog and find it tremendously rewarding.

Your voice matters. It’s waiting to be heard. Get going!

Here’s a recap of the top three posts from BeDeviant.com this past week. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by the site, check out these posts and get up-to-date. These got the most traffic on the site, were shared the most, and had the most comments.

1. What Blogs Are You Reading? This got a lot of traffic and a few stumbles. We want to know what you’re reading! Tell us in the comments. . .
2. Claim Your Facebook Fan Page Custom URL Today – An oldie, but a goodie. This post is among the most searched for posts here on the site. This article presents a simple, practical way to customize your Facebook fan page.
3. We Want to Hear From You – Contributors Needed! Do you like to write, challenge the cultural norm and enjoy this site? Consider joining the contributors team here at BeDeviant.com! 2010 contributors are being considered now.

So there they are, your top 5 posts of the week! Recap, refresh, re-read, re-tweet!

From Skye Jethani’s Divine Commodity (affiliate link):

If people began suppressing their desires and consuming only what they needed, our economy and society would collapse.

The only thing more insane than this statement is the fact that it’s true.

What if we only bought what we needed?

Would you be willing to let our current capitalistic society collapse (at least in its current form)?

2010 is the year of blogging.
It’s also the year of collaboration here at BeDeviant.com.
This call won’t be for everyone, but it will be for a few.

We’re asking for collaborators to guest post on a semi-regular basis here on the site. If you like to write and have a love for culture, faith, technology or all three, now’s your chance to join the community here at BeDeviant as a contributor.

You don’t need to have your own blog, although it would be great if you did (more link juice for you). The process to apply is simple:

1. Go to Gravatar.com and sign up. You’ll want a gravatar for the future anyway, but it’s what we use to show the world your mug at the bottom of your posts.
2. Register at BeDeviant.com as an author.
3. Once you register, your username and password will be sent to the email address you provide.
4. Use those credentials to login.
5. Fire away!

While we can’t guarantee every article written will get published, if you’re passionate about your topic it will shine through people will want to read your stuff. That’s publishable material.

What you will get if your article is published:

• Exposure to the BeDeviant community with a chance to build a community of your own.
• An opportunity to explore the intersections of culture, faith and technology.
• A chance to challenge others to “think differently” about the world around them.
• Some Deviant swag throughout the year. The more you’re published, the more stuff you get!

Take the next step in your blogging journey and join the team here at BeDeviant.com. Build your voice. You’ll get to be a part of a growing and influential community while having your articles read by the hundreds of people who stop by here daily.

Think about it. Act on it. Any questions? Shoot me an email.