Part1, part 2, or part 3

Hey, guess what I’m doing right now. Come on, guess, just this once…

I’m creating content, the number 4 way that is changing the world and my world right in front of our eyes.  The freedom and ability of all of us to do what we can do when we like to do it at a low cost (if any).  So I blog because I like to write.  WordPress or blogspot or typepad give us the “freedom” and the platform to blog and to start a conversation about life or religion or politics or any number of topics that we may associate ourselves with.  Facebook and Myspace give us the freedom to start a web site about ourselves that can interact with other web sites that talk about our friends.  And with google, I can have the weather, a map, all the blogs I read, my to-do list, my news, my calendar, my podcasts from Fellowship Church, and any free itunes downloads I can have access too all on the same page.  And it’s all “created by me.”  (Everything but the codes)

And this is just the social aspects of it.  New academics can join the Wikipedia community and write (or rewrite) essays for the encyclopedia version of things that we want to know about like William Wallace and The War of 1812.  New reporters can make a name for themselves without having to interview inside of any newspaper establishment.  Computer programmers who want to go beyond the scope of their jobs can do so on their own time solving problems in “open source” software communities.  Bible teachers can now wax eloquent with their own studies in places like You Version.  Retired?  Thats a thing of the past if you want to keep going.  I read a story recently about a retired scientist who had retired from a company and then got involved with solving “open source” problems offered on the web by the scientific community.  He solved problems to the tune of $25,000 a pop.

And this is in our hands.  We now have more tools to do what we love and to create content.  Sure we might have to still stay up late and write or solve or search or draw, but the point is this – we can create content and be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and do it with things we love to do.  Now the only question is…

What do you love to do?

Special thanks to those of you who have helped “create” this discussion on where our world is going. 

I’m writing today because tomorrow Carie and I will be away for a day celebrating our anniversary.  So please try to write comments on all my other blogs I’ve written over the last 8 months.  I’m skipping lunch for this post.

Yesterday I was going to meet my beautiful wife for dinner because she had to stay at school for a late meeting.  The penalty of this is that I have to meet her half way at Barbers Crossing in Sterling, MA.  Yummy! 

So on the way there, I received a call from Clay, who told me about this amazing opportunity he was doing to put up a new web site and blog – one that I think might become famous over the next few months.  He was pumped about it, and quite frankly I don’t blame him. He then made me pumped when he told me that his family would be visiting the Holmans in Massachusetts in late July.  So when the site officially goes up, I will share it here at martyholman.com, even though Jeff is not going to like it very much.

Next Brandon called me from texas.  Brandon was also in my wedding (Clay was the best man) and served with me here at the FC for a number of years.  It has always been Brandon’s dream to work at a church full time, and leave it up to him to fulfill that dream in a big way!  He was on cloud 9 when we talked and I am so happy for him.  he really has worked hard to be a good leader in the church.  A shout out to the Whittalls please!

Next I called up Lonnie, my former lead pastor, who was also jumping from the rafters” (is that a quote?).  He told me about a message he preached at his church, and the fruit of the message was that several people commited themselves to following Christ and be baptized. Since this is one of the main things the church should be doing, I celebrated with him.  He also told me my uncle (his pastor now) told him it was “the best evangelistic message I have ever heard preached.”  I’m guessing that after 30 years of ministry that’s saying a little something.

I am proud to call each of these guys my close friends, and think that as a community we should celebrate with them, so on the count of 3:  1…..2….

3!

I have been searching for New England pastors who blog that I could connect with/learn from and after a bit of a frustrating search, I have almost come up empty.  Besides our lead team (you can view them on my blogroll on the right), I was not very successful in finding pastors who just try to be real and share on their blogs.  I found a few who enjoy sharing how no one exogetes the Scriptures as well as them (by the way, as sarcastic as that sounds, I did read a real implication like that), and a few others who tell me how great president Bush is, and how our country will go into moral depravity if a woman or that other guy gets into office.

But this is not what I’m looking for, and after an hour long search yesterday from 4 pm – 5 pm, and a few minutes from 7am – 7:30 this morning, I am still frustrated.  So I need your help.  Please connect me with pastors in New England who share  not only their opinions, but also their hearts via this medium called blogging.

I did find this guy, who looks promising and who I’m going to contact soon, but there are pockets of pastoral groups that I’ve attended and even participated with, and as far as I know, none of them are sharing what’s going on in their ministries and lives in blog form.

Come on, you have to know someone.  It’s time to share.

I’ve found a few interesting posts in the last hour that you should read if you get a chance.
First of all, this post with a big picture online that says “Sorry Pats”.
It’s by the Boston Herald, apologizing for the false walkthrough report.  Another words, Mat Walsh, the guy who all Pats fans everywhere victimized for being an idiot liar, never said that he filmed a super bowl walkthrough.
But in the end, let’s be serious here, they don’t need to be apologizing to the Patriots, the Pats need to be thanking them.  Why?  You might ask.  Well, as this guy says here, it’s a matter of perspective.  Because of this story, nobody actually cares about the physical evidence that they actually have, they only care about this supposed super bowl walk through, so when there is no “super bowl” tapes, this mess can all go away.  It’s a bit like telling the parents that you wrecked their car, and then saying, “Just kidding, I just drove it after you told me not to.”  It’s still wrong, but now they look at it from a different perspective.

Also, this blog, and the latest post associated with it, is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. 

This blog is an unofficial poll about what kind of worship music churches are using.  He has a lot of good things to say, and here’s a good place to start.  Plus, he’s met Andy Stanley, and that makes him an indirect hero in my book.

Lastly, it’s Wednesday, so join Randy Elrod and me around the Watercooler today for all things culture related.  You’ll be glad you did.

Please let me know about a blog you enjoy reading.

One of the things Im really thankful for is my team here at Fellowship Church.  When Lonnie left to go to here last October, I knew we needed a game plan that brought more people into the leadership mix if we were going to succeed as a church.  So I talked to a group of people (who all happened to be guys) to direct some of the major areas at Fellowship Church.  For those of you who are wondering, I did talk to two ladies, both of who turned the opportunity for one of these leadership roles down.

Through the process we’ve been growing as leaders and as a church for the last 6 months, but there’s still plenty more growth, and I’d like to take this post to say thanks to my team of leaders who have begun the process of taking Fellowship Church to another level, and “thank you “to those of who you leaders at FC, who might not have a title, but who have sacrificed and taken steps to help us be the church God wants us to be.

An important piece of this puzzle is that everyone on our team has a blog.

(in alphabetical order)
Al – Sunday Morning Programming Director
Billy – First Impressions Director
Jason – Director of Operations
Jeff – Life Group Director
Steve - Family Ministry Director

Tomorrow I’m going to share some of the blogs of people who make Fellowship happen at FC.

What do you like to see happen?

This week:

My wife’s on vacation from school.
I drove to Albany with Carie, Jess, and Darren.
I attended this church in Malta, NY and wrote this blog about it.
I’m eating healthy.  (no really, I am)
The Celtics will sweep the Hawks.
The Penguins will continue their sweeping ways.
I will be doing premarital counseling, attending a wedding, posting comments about relationships on blogs,and talking about marriage on Sunday Morning @ Fellowship.
I hate Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
I love humor.
It will be 80 on Wednesday here in Mass.
Fellowship Church begins a new series called “Family Matters”
God is already teaching me things

Will be an amazing one!

Here is a great post from Brody (who’s not on my blogroll by the way) that you’ll want to check out.  Really good stuff.