Mental Musings

No, I am not actually speaking about a state of mind...although that could help. This is more about the 20-80 rule. You know, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. However, I am convinced that the numbers need to be updated some because it seems that the correct number is closer to 15-100. On a typical Sunday, we have a need for about 7 people to help with our Multimedia Ministry (sound, lights, projection, video). That is less than 1% of our worship attendance. Now I understand that some of those who attend worship are also involved in other ministries: Bible Study leaders, ushers, greeters, counters, baptismal workers, instrumentalists, choir, praise team, nursery, etc. (I use the etc. to include all of those areas I left out because I am sure somebody will remind me of their ministry area). I am sure that there are some sound people out there just waiting to be used, but we have not been successful in finding them through the normal channels: announcements, begging, word of mouth, p...

In a speech given on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." As we are approaching the fiftieth anniversary of this famous speech I have been looking at what impact that speech had in America other than to serve as a detrimental political ad against Kennedy's own party in current times. In fifty short years, America has become the nation of entitlements. This was not accomplished over night, but has come about through decades of re-educating our children through the public school systems to believe that they have rights beyond what is promised in the original Constitution or the Amendments to the Constitution. No longer are we a nation of people who ask what we can do to help make our country better, but rather a nation of people who ask what our country is going to do for us. I have no idea if this photo is real or Photoshopped, but it is indicative of the beliefs of many current Ameri...

My dad used to tell us about going to the movies when he was a kid. It was an all Saturday morning event that cost only 25¢ for pre-show cartoons, Hollywood newsreel, the movie, a soda, a hot dog and popcorn. Twenty-five years later, during my childhood, movies cost $1.50 and that included your previews and movie. Movie theaters had already learned that they could make their money on the snacks by charging twice what you would pay at a grocery store. A few years later when I was dating and actually paying for myself and a date, movies cost $3.00. That is also about the time that the Dollar Movie theaters started to pop up for the frugal movie goer who didn't mind waiting 3-4 months to see that blockbuster movie. It is almost impossible to imagine a 25¢ movie when we were paying $5.00 for matinee movies just a few years ago. That is when we quit going to the movies. When a family of four can purchase a DVD for $15-20 at Walmart, then why would we spend $20 for tickets and another $2...