Jonathan Herron

In One Word

Ok, final blog post for the year.

Emily said I needed to share this pearl of wisdom from the dinner table just now, so here goes...

If I had to sum up the Year of 2005 in one word, it would be: 

JELL-O - kind of wiggly, a little cold, but ultimately tastes good.

2006: Beyond Thinking Different to DOING Different

Brand Autopsy has a TREMENDOUS post today that is relevant for anyone heading into 2006 - particularly co-conspirators with Christ who are launching churches in the modern-day Ephesus known as Kent, Ohio!  It's their Incomplete Manifesto for Change - 43 ideas to get you beyond thinking differently but doing differently.  My fav's:

3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

9. Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.

23. Stand on someone’s shoulders. You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better.

28. Make new words.

40. Avoid fields. Jump fences.

2005Rewind<<<

2005 - what a year of up's & down's. 
Rather than type out highlights, I thought I'd share pix from this blog and it's predecessor, It's Time.  Albeit the pix are focused on bits from my life in 2005 - especially from Africa this past summer.  But it's worth a look.

Without further adieu, here are the Top 10 Pictures of 2005:

10.  How often in your life can you say that you've walked up to wild zebras in Africa?  For Amber & I, the answer is remarkably twice!  This past summer I served for ten months on a planning team, trained, and led a team of 12 high school students through the land of Zambia for 2 thrilling weeks.  What a summer of memories with students who were humble servants for Christ.  One day we will return...

9.  In April we spent a week with Amber's grandparents in Arizona.  They literally lived in the desert (not to be confused with dessert, which is yummy), so journeying through the rugged, sandy terain was special for us.  This pic was taken in front of a huge cactus we saw.  Yes, I know it looks like a have a massive cucumber growing out of the top of my head.

 

 

8.   Lovebirds at the edge of Victoria Falls, the world's longest waterfall located in Zambia.

 

 

7.   While I served as High School Pastor at Oak Pointe Church, we would hold an annual summer event call Crud War.  Think of it as a glorified food fight.  I got the idea from my buddy Brian Land.  This is the "after" pic take from up a tree, moments before we unleashed 25 pounds of flour onto their unsuspecting heads.

 

6.   A life-long dream was realized in September when Amber surprised me with a baby pug named Juliet Mocha Boudegaard.  If you click on the pic and look closely, it seems that Juliet is smoking a stogie (it's really a bone).

 

5.   While in Zambia, our team decided to jump from the world's tallest bungee jump.  Yup.  While awaiting our doom, we snapped this pic on the international border of Zambia & Zimbabwe.  It was really hot outside.

 

4.  A huge highlight and honor for me in 2005 was serving under Perry Noble on the Executive Staff at NewSpring, one of the 100 fastest growing churches in America.  I learned a TON from Perry about things like visionary leadership, creative communication, and being transparent with your staff team.  Here's a pic of Jason Moorehead (executive pastor), me, and Perry.  Thanks again, Perry!

3.    Amazing story here of how I ran into Tic Long (special events guy at Youth Specialties), Mark Oestreicher (president of YS), and Karla Yaconelli (owner of YS) in Zambia of all places!

 

2.   This picure illicted many comments when I first posted it on my birthday in November.  We forced Juliet the Wonder Pug to wear a party hat.  You can see the trembling fear in her face.  She wouldn't speak to me for 3 days after this pic was taken.  Hilarious comments from readers can be found here.

 

1.   Hands-down my favorite pic of 2005.  It was taken by a student right after I officiated at my first wedding ever in July. I love my wife.  She is what made this year so memorable.  Thanks to all of you for taking the time to share these picture memories with me - Happy New Year in 2006!

Book Quote of the Year - 2005

Here we go - I'm jumping on the "reminiscing about 2005 on my blog" bandwagon.
I read alot. Leaders are learners; when you stop learning, you stop leading.
I quote from what I'm reading alot on this blog - sometimes insightful, sometimes annoying.

Here is the #1 quote from the entire year that not only continues to strike me, but also pretty much sums up 2005 in my life:

The most dangerous place to be in the universe is the center of God’s will.
That is where we want to be.
I hope we never think we’ve nailed it.
I hope we never believe that we have arrived.
I hope it is always dangerous.
Always chaotic.
Always flying by the seat of our pants.
Never settled.
Messy.
I hope the struggles keep us begging God for guidance.
I often hear Christian leaders tell what God has been saying to them in their times of meditation and study and prayer and I’m often amazed.
He tells them the most profound, eloquent things.
All I seem to ever hear is: "Rob, get out of my way."

Quoted from Rob Bell, "The Younger Evangelicals"

Blog Quote of the Week

Rarely am I reading a blog post when something is so funny, I actually laugh out loud.  This week's Blog Quote is such a post.  From FIDE-O, it's his "15 Things I learned at Willow Creek December 25th, 2005" (when the mega-church was closed for Christmas):

- The church campus is very quiet.
- If you pull hard enough on the doors they will come open, but an alarm will sound.
- You can pick any seat you like.
- The police station is apparently less than 3 minutes away.
- Running through the parking lot like a kid playing freeze tag screaming “What did I do, what did I do.” while the police chase you is not a good idea.
- Police officers do not like to run
- In case you were wondering the new Taser X26 really does work.

Read the entire post here.

Odds & Ends

* Last night Amber & I caught up with our dear friends Jason & Becky from our old student ministry in Michigan.  They met Juliet the Wonder Pug and toured our new home in the Kent area.  Jason & Becky are both phenomenal volunteer staff who have earned the respect and trust of parents & teens alike.  They are also close confidants who have always been supportive of our endeavors (and they're mighty prayer warriors too!).

* 2006 we'll be giving birth to our new church.  We have filed our non-profit incorporation papers with the state of Ohio and set up a permanent snail mail address.  A website is coming very soon. Dream.party dates will be announced in this space in the next few days...

* I'm heading off now for our home inspection.  Tune in tomorrow for the Top 10 Pictures of 2005...

Melting Plastic

  Our new church.launch coming to Kent, Ohio is based on the idea that our generation is tired of plastic religion.  The Lost, Let-down, and Looking are looking for an authentic, creative, & relevant community of faith where love wins.  Is it cavalier to call out the melting of plastic?

  Erwin McManus writes, "Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He  started.  So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name.  If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt.

   "I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God.  My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere.  I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

Terry's Back

Terry Storch is blogging again.

I think Nostradamus predicted this as the signal of the end times or something...

Leap Second

The atomic clock is out of control...
You will get to enjoy an extra second of New Year's Eve at the stroke of midnight.
Link.

More Puggy Christmas

Amber has some creepy yet funny Christmas pix of dressing up Juliet the Wonder Pug over on her site today.  Is it just me or does Juliet look strangely familiar to E.T.?