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Today I'm participating in my first webinar. A Webinar is a seminar based online. So the speaker will give the presentation in Missouri, and I'll watch and listen from my computer. I can use VOIP technology to ask questions of the presenter or type questions into an instant message type of format. The Webinar is specifically related to preparing the church for new regulations related to 403 (b) retirment plans, similar to a 401(k) plan, so you know this will be a stacked bunch of interesting. --Ben
This morning I had the chance to visit the Arundel House Of Hope Day Center in Glen Burnie, MD. The trip was a chance to drop off a check from the collection we received last week, and while I was there I got to meet the director. The collection of just over $100 was received as part of our outreach to the Severna Park Festival. We hired a clown to distribute balloon animals and asked the community to make a $1 donation for the House of Hope. I was very pleased with the response that I saw by community members that embraced the project. When I arrived at the center I was welcomed into the directors office. He shared about the many avenues that this organization utilizes to serve the homeless of Anne Arundel County. They have several homes that serve as transition centers for those in drug recovery, a day center for people to receive mail and email, take showers, and interact socially, and even a new project called The Doughy Dog, a portable hot dog stand that employees people that were just last year in the winter relief program. The work they do is really great in helping those less fortunate receive the care they need and help put them on a track back to productive, fulfilling lives. I was certainly thankful to partner with this group. --Ben
I am on the computer quite a bit, and have a generational bent toward using technology in a beneficial way. I started emailing in the 90s, blogging, myspace, and facebook in the 2000s, and here on the doorstep of 010s I've signed up with Twitter. Now, in my defense, I do not spend nearly as much time on the social networking sites as many of my peers, but what I've found with Twitter is that I can fake it. Twitter is connected to Facebook, and now my blogger account so that with relatively little effort I can stay in touch with the virtual world. My fondness for twitter has really increased of late as we've started using it as a key form of communication at Severn River Church. Email is dead to my generation with the exception of business applications. It is very rare to send a personal email anymore. In the words of one 19 year old, "Email is for old people." The mode of communication today is the text message which is basically an email that doesn't require an email address only a phone number. Everyone carries their inbox in their pocket. Twitter allows us to send messages and then distribute them to all followers of that feed. For instance, this Thursday the set list will go out to band members following srcband of songs we're playing for Sunday. Could other people, random people, strange people choose to follow it? Sure, but I don't know why they would. The key is getting our people to follow it, and it has improved communication 80%. So now I've connected my blog posts to twitter as well. It's the new RSS as that goes. --Ben
One more thing that I picked up from Frank Potter. He said, "Keep the compass in your head, and a magnet in your heart." --Ben
 Earlier this spring I had a meeting with Frank Potter and he shared a thought that I thought was brilliant. This morning I spent some time thinking about it, and thought I'd share it with you. He said, "Live by your compass, not your clock." I fall prone to watching the clock, and it seems to always be stuck on "Now". I want to pastor a healthy, vibrant, and growing church -- now, have a larger bank account -- now, and live in my dream house --now. It seems that living by the clock keeps me frustrated, because it keeps my eyes on my plans. My plans are destined to fall short of my greatest potential. The compass is a tool to make sure you're going in the right direction, walking the right path. It focuses on the end goal, the destination. It's the good and faithful principle of doing the right thing for long enough. My life is dedicated to the goal that God has for my life, and when I achieve that, I will have achieved my potential. What do you live by? The compass or the clock? --Ben
 Did you know that SRC has prayer on Sundays at 9:00 a.m.? Do you want to join us? Just show up on Sunday mornings and gather in Studio 101. --Ben
This morning I arrived early to the office and began chronicling the journey that SRC has taken this year. One of the montras of the Church Life Cohort that I'm a part of is to discern the activity of God in one's church. That is measured against the 15 vital functions of the church. So this morning I made a list of the functions and looked back over the previous six months to discern what God has been doing among us. It is really interesting that progress moves at a rate in which we quickly become accustomed to changes and readjust a view of things that still need to change without considering where we've come. We tend to look at things in the moment as static, and ignore the dynamic nature of the past. God has been doing some great things among us; goals that we set and are acheiving with His help. There, of course, is much that lies ahead, but much progress too. --Ben
Well, served up on one of the nicest 4th of July weekends, weatherwise, was a great weekend for us at Severn River Church. Thought I'd take a moment and replay the events in my mind: - I went to a wedding rehearsal at a church in Linthicum. Turned out to be right up the street from Tina and Mike.
- Saturday morning I loaded up the stuff and headed up the road to set up for the Severna Park Festival outreach. I got everything setup, saw our volunteers arrive, met the clown, and then I had to bolt for the wedding. I returned at the end of the day in time to help tear
 down. It looked like it was a good day, an improvement over our first year, and a help in teaching us how to  improve even further. Kudos to Pastor Ariel for heading it up.
- Each week we have people that come out to help setup on Saturday night. I was so thankful for Rob, Alma, Terry Scott, and Corie that came out to help me this weekend. It was a blessing to have their help on a holiday like that.
- Sunday morning was a great service. It started at 9:00 am with prayer. I want to invite you to come and join us for prayer pre-service from 9:00-9:30 or so. I was so thankful to be joined by a couple others this week. I also got to start a weekly prayer meeting with the band.
- Our guest speakers arrived a little later than they had hoped, but not even close to the latest we've had. They were friends of my parents from college so it was nice not only to host the Watt's but also my parents at the service. I also got to meet Tommy's grandmother who was delightful.
- The service was fantastic. I only got to do the hosting part, and then sat back and enjoyed the band and Ariel's conversation with the missionaries. It was very refreshing spiritually for me.
It was a busy weekend overall, but a good one and worthwhile in light of all that we did for God's kingdom. Thanks to all that made it possible. --Ben
 Photos are now available from God In The Great Outdoors. CLICK HERE to visit them.
For several months we've been announcing, planning, and signing up volunteers for the 4th Of July Outreach this weekend. We are participating in the Severna Park Chamber of Commerce Festival. This year we'll be setting up a booth and conducting our CONTACT surveys. But we're also very excited to have Buttons the Clown who will be tying balloons for children. While children are waiting we'll be asking parents for their help with the Survey. We'll also be distributing literature about the church and Screen On The Green, an outdoor outreach in neighborhoods this summer. If you would like to volunteer, we can still use the help simply email Pastor Ariel (iamarainey at aol.com) or call me at 410.491.4314. Thanks, Ben
I learned today that Harms and Associates has closed and gone bankrupt. This closing affects a couple of people connected to SRC. It is very sad to hear and indicative of the state of our economy. I'll keep you posted with relevant information. --Ben
Today I was at WalMart, shopping for some supplies for the outreach this weekend, when a man shouted me down. You know those moments when you're not sure if someone is talking to you, and you kinda look around unsure. That's what I was going through when he said, "I saw a guy that looked just like you on Maury this morning." "Me?" I asked? "Yeah, he looked just like you; beard and everything. He had two kids one was his, and the other one wasn't by him." "Uh huh. Well, that's funny. Have a nice day." I concluded and walked away. As I walked away a couple things occurred to me. First, I'm not sure that being a look alike for a guest on Maury Povich's show is a flattering notion. Second, I guess there really are people that watch Maury. Whoda thunk? --Ben
This morning as I was reading my daily bible reading I finished the Bible. My plan called for Revelation 21-22. That's it. The end. Here I am in the middle of the year and I just read the end of the Bible. This reading plan is over a hundred years old, and it is my first year using it. I really love it, especially since it is on my iphone. Each day I just open the app and read the passages. My Bible reading is far from over. I've been reading the Bible this year in The Message, a modern language version. I've enjoyed it very much. As John, the revelator, is in the presence of the angel that is showing him the new heaven and new earth the angel says, "Don't put it back on the shelf"; the scroll of all that is happening. In the NIV it says, "do not seal up the words of this prophecy of this book, because the time is near." I've been moving over here into the new office, and that has required me to bring a bookshelf from home, but only some of the books that were on it. Now there are stacks of books on my patio that need to be stored, but I haven't done it yet. The difficulty comes in picking which books to bring and which to leave. I picked books that I intend to take off the shelf, but there are a couple books that I keep off the shelf. One is my Bible. I keep that on my desk or somewhere around my desk. The other is my journal. I have journals on the shelf, but the one that contains the present record of my life stays off my shelf. The third one is always the book that I'm reading. Right now I'm reading A.W.Tozer's The Pursuit Of God. These books stay off the shelf because they have such regular and imediate application to my life. The angel after showing John all around heaven and the eternal picture of the end of time says, "don't put this one back on the shelf." God's word is meant to be with us, in us, and even working on us. Don't keep in on the shelf. --Ben
With Sunday in our rear view, I thought I would mention that we would like to do that style of service again twice this summer. One per month. Tomorrow I'll be heading down to the campus to find out if we can plan our next one. There is some concern that we will be a distraction to a class that meets in the FLRS building. This Sunday, in fact, we sent a security guard up to ask if we were distracting and were asked to turn down the volume; which we did. So tomorrow I'll find out if there were any complaints and petition to host the next one on July 26. I hope it goes well. Some improvements we're looking at are providing coolers of bottled water for our guests and pop-up tents for shade. --Ben
Later today is the weekly meeting of the service planning team. I look forward to it as a highlight of my week. This week I get to offer a creative element for the July 12th service. I think the girls will like it. I think it's pretty funny, and will set the stage for Ariel's teaching that morning. --Ben
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