Book Excerpt #14

Here's another quick excerpt from my upcoming book, Outsourcing God. In this excerpt we can see the all-to-familiar problem of what outsourcing responsibility and roles within the context of the Church can do the body.

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...It is far too easy for us to parcel out our ministry responsibilities, tasks, and voices to staffed, paid, professionals. We make no distinction between faith and consumerism. And if we’re not careful, we wind up treating our leadership positions as if they were telemarketing firms or IT consultants.

But this doesn’t happen over night. It’s a culmination of culture, movement, laziness, vision, and pace, all working in tandem over time to affect every single aspect of how people see and follow God. Because God is inextricably linked to the way the Church behaves, it ineffectually becomes the same.

This is a conundrum of the Church.



Peace,
Ross

Sick

I hate being sick. I'm stubborn about it. Ask Kate. And I've been sick since last Thursday...

I woke up Thursday achy and running a temp. I tried to go into work, but Kate finally changed my mind. I went back to bed and didn't get out until about 10PM that night. I managed to watch The Office and The League before being exhausted (because I had done so much).

Around midnight, I started shivering so much the entire bed shook (Linda Blair style). I was running a 102, but was frigid. Kate fought me to get a stocking hat, long-sleeved shirt, and thick wool socks on. I did, and I continued to shake violently for a while. Friday I woke up feeling much better, but still sore and achy.

Sunday I led at AWAKEN and still just fought through it.

Alas, it's Monday and I'm still not 100%...

Hope you have a better Monday than mine's shaping up to be,
Ross

'Hell' of a Debate

Here's part 2 of 7, of a great debate regarding Hell.
Is Hell a physical and literal place?
It's divisive, its rough, it angers folks, and I think this is a great talk.

I know it's long, but if you have some time, check it out...

Hell Debate Part 2 of 7 from Doug Pagitt on Vimeo.

Hope you had a great weekend!
-Ross

Kate's Fair Trade Update

Today was the big day for Kate's FAIR TRADE CRAFT SALE, and it rocked! There was a solid flow of people from 8AM - 5PM and everyone left with full bags and smiles. And if you've read my blog before, you'll know I'm not one for promoting gluttonous consumerism, but today was an opportunity for folks to complete their Christmas lists and provide much needed support to women artisans in the developing world.

Thanks so much for all of the help and support!

Peace,
Ross

how can that possibly be right?...

Have a yummy weekend,
Ross

This Weekend = Holiday Fair Trade Event!

Hey ya'll, this weekend my wife and a bunch of her friend are hosting an AWESOME event for an even AWESOME-ER cause! You should most definitely swing by and get all of your Christmas shopping done in 1 stop. Here's a link to where it's being held: CLICK HERE

Hope to see you there!
-Ross

IT'S OFFICIAL...YOU CAN PRE-ORDER ONLINE!!!

You can now PRE-ORDER the new album, Boxes & Human Fog, ONLINE! It's cheap, secure, and by pre-ordering it, you'll get it before everyone else!

I truly appreciate everyone's help and support throughout the years. I'm extremely excited about these tunes and I hope you all are too! Please pass this along to your friends and family...you guys never seem to disappoint!

Peace & humbled-thanks,
Ross