Not a Camouflaged Soul

Author: Jon Wellman

  • Favorite iPhone Apps

    Alright, I went and did it. Every blogger does it.

    I’ve been on vacation for a week, so, to get back in the swing of
    writing, I thought I’d list some of my favorite iPhone apps.

    1. Tweetie/TweetDeck. I go back in forth between these two Twitter
    clients. I use Tweetie for day to day stuff, and I like TweetDeck for
    monitoring and searching.
    2. Vlingo. Tweet via voice recognition. Works pretty well (sometimes).
    3. Facebook. Hardly ever go to the web for Facebook anymore.
    4. YouVersion. Incredible Bible app. Any translation you can imagine.
    5. What’s On. TV listings. Simple and handy.
    6. White Pages. Great ministry tool!
    7. Around Me. Searches for various types of stores and restaurants
    based on GPS location.
    8. Birdhouse. Another Twitter client. Allows you to compose tweets
    ahead of time and save them to post later.
    9. Free RSS. I’m a blogger AND a blog reader. This organizes all the
    blogs I read so I can pull them up anytime. Very cool.
    10. Instapaper. My former pastor used to say that pastors should read two things every day: the Bible and the newspaper. This app helps with the latter. One click/tap saves the text from web pages like an RSS feed. I never have to print articles! How green of me! 😉
    11. QuickOffice. MS Office-esque. Saves docs to iDisk.
    12. RunKeeper. Keeps track of runs/jogs/walks, including GPS mapping. Thanks to Jeff Kapusta for the recommendation.
    13. iDisk. View your iDisk files. New app, new fav.
    14. Quick Signs. Just got this one. Lets you set up a mini slideshow
    that advances with a finger tap. DEFINITELY gonna come in handy
    flashing messages to instrumentalists and sound crew from the platform!

    I won’t give details on games, but here’s a partial list… Paper
    Toss World Tour, 20 Questions, Pocket Tanks, Backgammon, PingPong, FS5 Hockey, Lightsaber, Checkers, Manic Marble….

    New off the wall app: Terminate Me. It lets you take any close-up photo of a person and give it Terminator battle damage. VERY funny.

    So that’s it. Feel free to comment recommendations.

  • “Church Gig” part 2: Where’d They Go?

    Having spent my whole life in church, I have discovered that “church gigs” still exist.

    As I explained in my last post, musicians that signed on for what we called a “church gig” would likely not go back to the church in question, as they were really only there to get a paycheck.

    There is, however, a significant difference between a “church gig” from my college days and today: the modern “gigger” is a member of the church where the “gig” happens to be.

    They just don’t show up any other time.

    There are many reasons why believers don’t come to church. I have known people that have left church because a pastor pronounces their actions as sin. I have seen people fade in their passion for God and fade from the memories of faithful attenders. Some feel that they can worship at home with the TV churches out there (Of course, notice that there ARE PEOPLE IN THOSE SEATS IN THOSE CHURCHES ON TV, TOO!) (Sorry. Back on topic.).

    But the type I am addressing today are those who only show up at church just to do their job. They have been volunteering in a certain post in the church forever, but if there is a service where they are not needed, they find other things to do.

    Maybe it’s an elder who isn’t Elder On Call and decides to take in some SportsCenter. Or perhaps the cellist in the orchestra has the week off, so she stays home and gets some Sunday Spring Cleaning done. Or someone works in the parking lot ministry and goes home after all the cars are parked and the service starts.

    (Please note: this isn’t an attack on anyone in particular. My church has neither elders, cellists, or parking lot workers.)

    Bottom line: if church is unimportant unless we are doing our job, we have missed the point.

    As I see it, there are at least three things wrong with the mindset of these volunteers (I addressed vocational ministry in my last post):

    1. Their walk suffers. Hearing the Word of God preached, lifting our voices in worship, integrating ourselves in the midst of other saints… all are profitable. Not just serving.

    2. It fosters an unhealthy opinion of one’s role in the church. I learned long ago that the church doesn’t NEED me. God, for that matter, doesn’t NEED my service (but He WANTS it). When a person’s sole purpose for showing up at church is to do whatever it is they do and the rest of the time church is optional, that person has too high and opinion of what they do.

    3. Going to church may become like going to a job. These people have a tendency to show up out of duty or commitment and not out of reverence and love for our Savior.

    Confronted, many of these might say, “At least I’m serving. Many don’t.” And this is absolutely true. Many more are ALSO disobeying God in a different way by rebelling against God’s call to give of their time and talent in the local church. Absolutely.

    But I would say to those defending themselves: “Let God decide what He uses you to do. You stay faithful, regardless. God calls us to different tasks every day. He orders our steps. And He wants you in church. Shake a hand. Listen to the message. Worship. Pray. Be a part.”

  • “Church Gig” part 1: College Days

    When I was at the University of Louisville, a term was widely floated around the School of Music: “church gig.” This was the term used to describe a musician getting paid to play for a church service or function. These were highly prized, as they usually paid pretty well and weren’t too taxing on time or talent.

    I was never fond of the term. Once I was called into full-time vocational ministry, my recollections of my even using the term were embarrassing. The term infers a disconnected attitude towards church in general, just showing up to get paid, going through the motions to get the job done.

    How often am I guilty of treating my position in the church this way now?

    I have been doing a lot of thinking lately what it means to serve God sacrificially. What am I giving up to serve Him? And am I laying everything on the line and on the altar? Am I truly giving my best? I pray that is the case more often than not. I must CONSTANTLY keep myself in check. I cannot coast.

    I don’t want to be guilty of “doing church.”

    As a minister and pastor, if I’m not careful, I can get caught up with the JOB aspects of my ministry and miss out on the MINISTRY aspects of my ministry. It’s the difference between worshipping God and just “doing church.” The former is what we were created to do. The latter is how we make light of what God calls us to do.

    If you are reading this and currently serving in a church in ANY capacity, please do so with eyes fixed on the Savior. Otherwise, it’s very easy to go through the motions with minimal Kingdom impact. This weakens the church (local) and the Church (body of Christ).