Will Mancini

I had a moment that transcended the turkey, pilgrims and pumpkin pie this thanksgiving.  It was a moment of looking my children eyeball to eyeball and sensing a mutual gratitude for gift of each other.  In the interchange, Joel, my twelve year old, shared something he had learned- that this Thanksgiving should be about "Thanks-Living." We all laughed and leaned into this clever letter switching!  The new word carries with it the idea of tranforming an event into a way of life, a moment's celebration into a daily continuation. 

Toby Mac’s lyrics for Boomin have been bouncing through my mind; this is the most played song on the family playlist last week:

I’ve been around the way
I’ve been around the block
I got the keys to the city if the gates are locked
And a freak like me ain’t ‘bout to stop
I’ve got a handful of dreams and a heart full of God!

Have you ever noticed how certain phrases become part of a culture’s conversation style? Some are memorable and become “buzz-worthy” (heard that before?) or create culture by sharing ideas and ideals. Others just create verbal fatigue with overuse and misuse of language and detract from your message. Wired Magazine’s blog, Underwire, recently cited the list of The Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases from Oxford University researchers. The list includes:

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn’t of
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science

Absolutely. I personally would like to add that at the end of the day it’s a nightmare that we distill our communication with verbal noise in an effort to be fairly unique. It’s not rocket science but, with all due respect, we are all truly unique 24/7 and shouldn’t of thought to mess up what we say by cluttering things with superfluous sayings.

What phrases do you catch yourself using that may add to verbal fatigue? What additional “noise” does your church or organization regularly use that may detract from the clear message you want to send? “That being said,” are there any you would like to share?

Have you ever heard of Puritan theology blended with the seeker church movement? Many folks ask me about my home church these days. When I am not consulting I attend Clear Creek Community Church in League City, TX, a seeker church with a reformed Baptist twist. Our teaching pastor Yancey Arrington, just finished a series called “Tapout,” the term used for one opponent giving up in a MMA fight. His work was heavily influenced by John Owen, a puritan thinker who focused his life work and writing on sanctification. The combination of these two themes explodes with energy and defines what I love about my home church. Here are a few nuggets about our uniqueness:

• A Seeker church does not have to mean a “watered down” church. This straw man has been kept alive for years. Upon closer examination, there are many theologically robust teams that have chosen to target unchurched populations. Clear Creek speaks to people far from God with a high view of sin.

• Focus expands. Clear creek has always targeted 35- year old males. Does this exclude people? Absolutely not! Rather it includes everybody within the influence of a 35-year old male who begins a transformational journey of full devotion with Jesus. Clear Creek is filled with more 60 year-old men and more 20-something women than most churches, because their focus expands. This clearly defined target totally flavors their communication- before the “Tapout” series (obviously a male targeted metaphor) they did a series called “Man-up: Overcoming Male Passivity.” Do you think women liked that series?

• It isn’t for everyone. Being focused and pursuing a specific God-given vision frees people to leave who do not resonate with the vision. Recently a good friend and staff member of the church announced that he was leaving. In talking with him it’s abundantly clear that God has birthed a new idea in his heart. Being clear about your Church Unique brings freedom for everyone.

I always encourage churches to discover their Kingdom Concept by answering, “What can our church do better than 10,000 others?” For Clear Creek it’s simple: They glorify God and make disciples through a culturally engaging, weekly-patterned, gospel presentation designed to capture the attention of 30-something unchurched men.