Jason Bedell Online

I'm Ready To Play!! Well, I've been out for a couple days with a bug that no one in their right mind would ever wish for. Imagine a 300 lbs. Cage Fighter punching you in the stomach for 48 hours... yeah. It was a beast. Got my G2 keeping me form passing out and checking blogs, replying to emails, stopping & checking in with the staff, and yes...

The Beard Is Coming Back. Awww Yeah!

So, the last time I had a bug like this was in grade school. It urges me to ponder the question... "What was the last big sickness you can remember that just dropped you like a ton of bricks?"

People have asked me quite a few times about technology, blogging, social media, etc. One of the big questions I get from people is "Why Twitter?" It's narcissistic and pointless, right? Well, I would tend to disagree. And after reading a post from Kem Myer and from Michael Hyatt's blog, I feel even more so that it's the way to go.

Here is his post and I think he sums it up pretty well on some key reasons on why someone should consider twitter...

I originally committed to using Twitter for 30 days. So far, I have enjoyed the service and intend to keep using it. My wife, Gail, and four of my five daughters are active. I have sure this is one of the reasons I am still using it.

Don’t know what Twittering is? Read my original post on this topic. If you want to know how to get started, read my Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.>

If you are wondering why in the world you should consider it, here are twelve reasons:

1. It will enable you to experience social networking first-hand. One of my pet peeves is people who pontificate on new technologies but have never actually used them. This is particularly annoying—but common—among CEOs. Real users can always tell the difference. There is no substitute for personal experience.
2. It will make you a better writer. Twitter only allows you to post 140 characters at a time. As a result, you are forced to be concise. In my opinion, this is one of the hallmarks of good writing. Short messages. Short paragraphs. Short sentences.
3. It will help you stay connected to people you care about. This is one of the few technologies I’ve found that actually contributes to community-building. In today’s busy world, it’s difficult to keep up with others. Twitter makes it easy—and fun.
4. It will help you see a new side of your friends. In an odd sort of way, Twitter “humanizes” people and provides a context for better understanding them. If you follow me on Twitter, for example, you’ll quickly see that I get excited, bored, frustrated, and confused—sometimes all in the same day. You’ll also learn what is important to me and what drives me crazy.
5. It will introduce you to new friends. I have now met several new people via Twitter. These have contributed to my life in small but significant ways. Gail and I have even had dinner with a couple that we met via Twitter.
6. It is faster than text-messaging. In a sense Twitter is a universal text messaging system. You can broadcast to all of your “followers” (i.e., people who subscribe to your Twitter feed) or send a direct message to just one. As a result, I have almost completely stopped text messaging. The only time I use it is to reply to someone who messages me outside of Twitter.
7. It will make you think about your life. As you answer the question, “What am I doing?” you start to see your life through the lens of the people following you. Interestingly, it has made me more intentional and thoughtful about my life.
8. It will help you keep up with what people are talking about. Via Twitter, I have learned about hot books, cool software, breaking news, and even great restaurants. Because the information is coming from real people who care enough to Twitter about it, I have found it more valuable and authentic.
9. It can create traffic for your blog or Website. I have noticed a 30% uptick in my blog traffic in the last 30 days. It may be related to the fact that I have been in the news more or have been writing on more controversial posts. However, I also think it is related to the fact that I am Twittering every time I post a new blog entry. This seems to have a viral effect.
10. It requires a very small investment. Twitter itself is a free service. In terms of my time, I probably invest less than 10 minutes a day. Since “tweets” (i.e., posts) are limited to 140 charters or less, you can scan them in a second or two. Writing them usually takes less than 30 seconds.
11. It can help build your personal “brand.” When people hear your name, what comes to mind? What is your reputation? What is the “brand promise”? Brands are built incrementally, one interaction at a time. Twitter gives you one more way to build your brand, one tweet at a time.
12. It is fun! Twitter is just plain entertaining. Following your family and friends is kind of like watching reality TV. The difference is that you know the people and actually care about them. In this sense, it is even more fun, because you know more about the people from other contexts. Don’t believe me? Give it a try.

I’m sure there are some downsides to Twitter that I am either ignoring or don’t recognize. But I would rather jump into the fray and shape the future of social networks rather than sit on the sidelines and throw stones.

One of the ways you can save a ton of money is to downgrade your cable or completely get rid of it and move viewing your favorite shows to the web. Many of the biggest networks and shows are available for free on their individual websites or places like Hulu.

Times are tough, and any way you and I can take steps to put away a little cash money... that's a good thing.

Much love,

Jason *over and out*

I ate Mexican yesterday with friends for lunch. Although I wasn't totally impressed with everything that went down with the meal, I was jonez'n for some guacamole. It was sooooo good.

I'm pretty sure I could eat Mexican food every day. Seriously.

I'm excited about this weekend's kick off of a new series. I sat down and re-wrote the message because I just wasn't feeling the original transcript I put together. Definitely amped about tomorrow. See you guys there.

Want more info, check out www.forefront.org

If I turn on my television, bring up my web browser, turn on the radio, and the list goes on... and hear that someone used more of my tax money to get a $1 million + bonus...

I'm gonna scream. Seriously.

There is an ongoing battle raging with the local government of Hartford, CT and the Catholic Church. The disagreement insued when their former priest had stolen $1.4 million from offerings & giving to the local parish.

The parishioners were outraged and wanted to see something done so that things like this could not happen again. The local government stepped in and now has the support of Sen. Andrew McDonald. The bill submits that the government would appoint an outside board of directors to monitor the spending and cash flow of the parish.

So, what does this mean for you, myself, and the local church if this goes through?

Well, it is a very scary road to travel down. It does go against the separation of church & state and would overturn some of the key fundamental principles that protect the church from such things. This could possibly open up Pandora's Box. The idea of Uncle Sam appointing an outside board to tell the church how they can spend God's money is completely out of the realm of my thinking... I would flip out. Possibly go postal. Who knows?!?

But, definitely be in prayer for for this situation. This and many other situations over the last few years show me how the church in America is definitely coming under some fire. Possibly a good thing??

What do you think????

Apple released the details about the iPhone 3.0 OS yesterday. A bunch of things that I am super excited about, but... still no video capability or the option to tweak the user interface for themes and adding your own personal style. I guess I'll be sticking with the "jailbreak" option for awhile.

iPhone 3.0 is in beta and will be released later this summer. *Sigh*

For all you geeks like me, watch the full presentation video here

Rainn Wilson, one of my favorite actors from "The Office," has launched his very own website. But, it's quite different than the normal, "Hey, look at me and the the pics & videos of myself" type of site.

It's called, "Soul Pancake" and it features a community driven, online discussion about faith & spirituality. Not exactly what I would have imagined from the quirky sitcom star, but I think it's a great idea. After speaking with my sister, who did an interview with him; I know he's a spiritual guy to a certain extent. I'm not too clear on his belief system/values... but it's worth taking a look into.

So, Forefront's first Vietnam Team of the year is on the ground and moving. Here is an update from Bruce Fraser (missions team online guru):

So today was our second day at the Ta Phin secondary school and it was just amazing. Jessica and Ann got to spend time teaching the kids more English lessons and they love the songs that help them remember things like "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes" and of course they still love to sing the "Hokey Pokey".

Patti spent the day showing what looked to me like a Ren and Stimpy video on brushing your teeth and hygiene. Afterward, she updated data cards from last year with height, weight and general health notes. One of the sad things is that many of the kids have either stayed the same or lost weight during a time when they would normally be growing. Not sure if this is typical or is the result of all of the crops lost during the flooding last year. Hopefully we'll know more next year.

Rhonda spent a good deal of time working on updating the Microsoft Access database that the teachers will use to keep additional information on the kids. She also helped out in the class room.

Billy was doing the back breaking work of moving large piles of sand, rocks, and bags of concrete from one location to another so that they could be mixed together to make the concrete to finish paving the lot. They were very nearly finished the lot by the end of the day today and tomorrow we will be paving the path to the new dorm building. We were commenting on the fact that it would have taken all of 5 minutes to move the piles with Billy's backhoe. But here the labor is cheaper than the machinery.

I spent the morning fixing the computer that we broke yesterday. Fortunately, a new power supply took care of everything. We also picked up a new case, power supply and motherboard to replace the dead computer. We moved the hard drive and CDROM from the old one to the new one to help cut the cost. We'll have to get the operating system reinstalled tomorrow and then they will be back to full strength on computers. I made a friend name "Hi" who I worked for the last two days on the computers with. Even though we didn't have a translator, we didn't have much trouble communicating. Afterward, I joined Billy for some of that back breaking work.

Toan, the headmaster continued to be quite friendly with us, joining us in a game of Frisbee with the kids. Most of them had never seen a Frisbee and weren't quite sure what to do with it. We ran into our old friend Tau, the assistant headmaster. I also made some new friends Pwa and Hi who helped me with the computers.

At the end of the day, we had another really awesome story to tell about some other things that happened, but that will be the subject of my next note.

So, Forefront's first Vietnam Team of the year is on the ground and moving. Here is an update from Bruce Fraser (missions team online guru):

It's been a long two days getting from Virginia Beach, VA back to the Ta Phin Village in the mountains of northern Vietnam where we worked last year. We are all a little travel weary, but doing well.

Yesterday, we had a little time in Hanoi for sightseeing and some of us went to see the place where John McCain was held after his plane was shot down. It's interesting getting a perspective on things that is different than what we are accustomed to. It's a good reminder that ours is not the only view of the world.

Last night, we boarded the night train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. After a brutal Uno tournament, we tried to get what sleep we could on the train in beds not made for the average sized American. Around 5:30 AM we arrived in Lao Cai, gathered up our luggage and then took the hour long ride up into the mountains to the town of Sapa. After gorging ourselves on a breakfast of omelettes, bread and Pho (a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup), we did a little sightseeing around Sapa. Some went shopping, while the more adventurous of us (including yours truly) climbed Dragonback mountain which involved about an hour's worth of hiking up hill to an amazing view point overlooking Sapa.

But the best part of the day had to be our trip after lunch up to the village of Ta Phin. We arrived to find a crew hard at work paving the remainder of the school courtyard. Work on the first part of this project began last year, but will soon be finished and the students will have a place to exercise and play without getting covered in mud during the rainy season. The school headmaster was there to greet us and what an amazing difference we saw this year. Where last year he had been very formal and aloof, this year he was all smiles and warm greetings when we pulled up. He was happy to show us around the paving project, the computer lab, the water tanks and we were able to hike up to see the source that provided water not only for the school, but for many in the surrounding village. What an amazing thing to think that a bunch of people on the far side of the planet were helping to transform a village and better the way of live of these people who live in sometimes harsh conditions.

I'll post more photos soon. Most of them are on the digital camera and can't be retrieved until we come home, but I got a few shots of the school on my iPhone that I'll put up.

If you want to see more of what it was like here, check out the photo album from last year at http://picasaweb.google.com/kithril/VietnamMarch2008#

More updates to come in the near future.

Bruce and the rest of the Forefront/Glocal Ventures team

If this guy was my flight attendant. Seriously. This should be mandatory on all flights.

[HT: Dave]

I am not one to note, comment on, or acknowledge letters, emails, or phone calls where people share their feelings on things I say & preach, but I received a letter yesterday that I believe can set a standard for you pastors who read this blog as well as the many of you who attend Forefront Church on a regular basis. This individual did not have a return address or signed name so I have no idea who they are. We'll call them "Mr. Church Goer."

Here is the letter I received...

**************************************
March 9, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I just wanted to let you know that I am never going to Forefront again. I have never been so hurt as I have by Pastor Jason. Yesterday, he said that we are "wasting space in our seats on Sunday" if we are not serving somewhere. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! A person's right to attend church on Sunday shouldn't have anything to do with whether we choose to serve! I mean all teh rock music and very inappropriate videos you show are one thing, but for the pastor to make such a horrible comment was just more than I could stand.

I have been going to Forefront since the first Sunday at the Strawbridge Theaters. The service was so wonderful back then with Vince, Joe, Roland, Chris and all the other great people who used to be there. You had to get there early to find a seat. What happened to this church? The attendance is really down and after last Sunday I can see why. I really miss the Forefront that I that I have called my church home for so many years. I am now looking for another church to attend... and support!! Las Vegas??? Maybe.

Love God. Love People. Forefront needs to work on the second one.

Thank you for your time,

Mr. Church Goer

*****************************

Dear Mr. Church Goer,

First off, I want to thank you for sending such a letter my way.
This is not me being sarcastic in any form, I do truly thank you. I am hoping this will be a call to you and all people who have a frustration to come and share it in a Biblical way, but I can't communicate it to you personally since I don't know who you are. I am disheartened that you wouldn't approach me one on one to discuss this and practice some Matthew 18 principles:

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Now I included the text for you, Mr. Church Goer, but I'm sure that you've heard this and read it before in the 11 years you've attended Forefront. I can see that the serving issue is not your only frustration ("...all the rock music and very inapproprate videos"), but we'll simply address the issue at hand. Serving.

Forefront since day one has been about three things: Loving God, Love People, and Turning the World Upside Down. Those get carried out by every person at Forefront doing three things: Participating in Forefront Sunday services, sharing community with others in a Gel Group (small group), and Serving the local church as well as abroad to reach all people to Turn The World Upside Down. These precepts are nothing new.

I've known them since the day I heard about the church and also attended the first service... and when I came on staff almost 2 years ago and listened to Vince's vision casting message. Let me assure you that being a follower of Christ and calling Him our Lord and Savior burdens us to serve. It's an outpouring of our being. It's the very thing God commands of us. In James 2:14-25, James shares this:

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Serving is something that works hand in hand with our faith and not doing so as someone who loves Jesus is just us "wasting space." It ends up being empty praise to God if we worship Sundays and do nothing more (if we have committed ourselves to Jesus). But, for someone who is searching and trying to figure this out... this is not the case. They are still on the journey. I noted that also in my message, but I'm disappointed you weren't ready to note that in your letter.

Jesus tells us that, ¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." If we are not serving & living out His call to reach others and be a part of His plan to "bear fruit," than He will, "cut off every branch in Him that doesn't bear fruit." If you are offended that people who claim Jesus and are not serving are "wasting space," let's but it another way, "you're gonna be pruned and cut off." -Jesus

I just want to make sure you are clear on a few things Mr. Church Goer:

1. You mentioned going to "Las Vegas??? Maybe." I wouldn't if I were you. I'm not speaking for Vince, but I am fairly certain he wouldn't want someone to come and help in Vegas who after 11 years still doesn't get that being a Christ-follower means we are commanded to serve.

2. You stated, "I am looking for another church to attend... and support!!" I am glad you will still be involved in church, but as you go, don't vote with your money at the church you land at. Giving to the church is to be done with a greatful and humble heart and Forefront doesn't want your money if it's done as a vote of approval for us. How about this: I would love to know your name and we will pull your giving records as far back as we can, and give back every dime you ever gave to Forefront. God is way bigger than your pocket book or wallet. But again, please don't give to your next church with an idea that your money validates what they are doing. Do it because God commands us to give to Him. It's all His anyway.

3. You mentioned, "I am never coming to Forefront again." I am disheartened that you have come to that place after 11 years, but since Vince left our attendance at our Beach Campus has been up every Sunday. That's no slight on Him (he and I have talked about it), but we see God doing a great thing here and we're at the gates of something amazing...

So thank you for freeing up a seat. Someone who doesn't know God will thank you next Sunday.

Loving and Serving Him,

Jason *over and out*

So we've been doing this series Guerilla Lovers for the past couple of weeks and just wanted to follow along some videos we've been doing. Paco, our mascot and fun-loving, disco dancing gorilla friend wanted to share some Guerilla Love. When Paco asks, we respond.

Check out two of the three videos we've been showing during the series. And, note to self, that is not a thong, just my boxers showing a little bit laying down all 1,000 plus cups. One more video on the way soon...

We wrapped up our "Broken People" series with an unusual message. I struggled to figure out if it was supposed to be drama, story tellers, straight forward message, or what. In the end it was a hybrid of the 3-4 different versions God had led me to write.

Normally we judge a message's strength by how many people seem to be engaged and impacted. We decided this series wasn't the case. We wanted to count it simply by the number of cards, decisions, and correspondence we had with people as God moved them through this series.

I was amazed at what God did! He moved people who had been coming from 2 weeks to 10 years. He prompted them to deal with some deep rooted brokenness. In a way I think this series changed my life just as much as it did theirs. I embedded the last message of the series for your viewing pleasure.

(Note: The video starts at 8 seconds. We have an area of black for our tech team at our second campus so they have time to cue it.)

I just wonder... why? Because it stinkin' cool that's why. Imagine the workout you'd have to endure just so you could have the power to press those buttons down. Somehow I'm sure our bailout package helped make this happen. Where's the benjamins in my pocket uncle sam?! Ha.

Cricket and Samsung Set to Unveil The World’s Largest Cellphone via kwout

I love the fact that our Chesapeake Campus is at a mall and in a movie theater. I wil be posting some photos of the campus so you guys can see it up close and personal... but here is the big mall advertisement and inside there is a similar size ad that the Cinema Cafe let's us leave up during all business hours.

Can't beat that price for advertising. Every movie-goer gets exposed to our ad when they visit. I love it. More coming soon.

So Chloe is 9 months old and she is going through quite a few changes. We're having a lot of "FIRSTS" at our place. It's a great time to be a dad.

- First time grabbing daddy's glasses to be a little rocker

- First time eating grown up food on Valentines Day (the bus boys hated watching this go down)

- First Big Girl bath, she loved it as you can tell

- First time she cried when the Dr. came in. She knows what's going to happen when the door opens and she's not a fan

- First play date away from the house with a boy (he better watch himself)

- First time falling alseep while feeding herself, it was hysterical

- First time eating grilled chicken (she got some stuck in her wrist fat roll)

- First time in a swing by herself

- First wagon ride in her wagon she got from her "papa" (Grandpa)

I was asked by a friend to pray at his Commissioning Ceremony at Nauticus today. I was completely humbled and honored to be a part of his special day. I am always in awe of the military and their continuous emphasis on tradition and honor. I am glad I was able to be a part of that today. It makes me wonder what things are sacred & honoring traditions in God's church? What about for his people?

So, what is sacred to you?

Hello people.
I'm refreshed.
Relaxed.
Got my Mojo back.
It's game time.

I had to take a week or so to spend some time with my family, unplug from this thing and gather my thoughts & who am before my maker. It's interesting when we get wrapped up in the "other side" of life. Computers, Media, TV, Phones, iPods, and the list goes on.

But, I'm feeling good and glad to be back. Thanks for all the emails, twitter responses, facebook comments, text messages and all that jazz.

You guys (and gals) are great!

Jason *over and out*

Just sharing some thoughts from my daily reading...

I don't understand the disciples. They watched Jesus die, mourned his death, and then wondered what to do. They had heard the murmurs of Jesus being seen, but they themselves had seen nothing as of yet. Now Jesus is in front of them, and they can't believe it.

He shows them his hands & feet, says things about prophesy and scripture being fulfilled, and they just can't comprehend it. It's always interesting to me how these guys miss stuff. But it reminds me how much I miss things when God is right in front of my face. Being in tune with his direction is huge. It was a comforting reminder that He has risen and He is our living God.

Side Note: I love that the first thing he wants from the disciples is a piece of broiled fish??? Why not a steak? Outback? You're about to head back to heaven. Eat a hearty meal Jesus. I can't imagine what that trip is like.