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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on March 11, 2010

I received a copy of The Voice New Testament from Thomas Nelson Publishers to review.  I’m always open to new translations and was excited to get a copy of this devotional Bible.  The Voice is a compilation translation with many modern scholars coming together to provide the Bible text translation and than many major voices for Christianity contributing to the devotional and commentary writing that is inserted in boxes among the text.

As soon as the paper back NT arrived I reviewed the preface and introduction.  I think doing this was crucial as it tells the heart and story behind Chris Seay’s motivation for finally making this project happen.  Those who are critical of new Bible versions and look for traditional, exact translation should read those opening sections to understand what The Voice claims to be and what it does not claim to be.  These sections discuss how previous translators have “flattened out” the personalities of the 40 original Bible authors and how in not doing that they brought together a group of diverse scholars so some of the controversial passages would not be bent toward a single doctrinal view.

I then chose to read through the book of Romans.  I found this translation to be thought provoking and easy to read though, to me, it did not have the power or richness of my favorite Bible translation, The Message. If you are looking for a new take on things and are fans of Brian McLaren and Chris Seay (both contributing writers) I think The Voice would be worth checking out.

Category: Bible Study, Book Reviews | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on March 7, 2010

So life is pretty busy right now.  Less than two months on the wedding countdown and there is all the normal pre-planning (and pre-panic) involved with that.  We are doing church planting prep work and gathering people to come along with us as planters and prayers.  Still working a lot.  The book will be released in May.  Helping with the Thursday night church service.  And I’m still unpacking from having recently moved to downtown.

Some people may get stressed out just reading all of that, but for me, I love being busy!  I love when things are happening and there is lots to do.  After all, time flies when you’re busy.  If life is dragging or you’re bored, it’s because you don’t have enough going on in your life.

I have always thrived under pressure.  My attitude is that I just don’t see the point in doing something unless it has to be done.  I’m not a procrastinator, I just don’t see the purpose in doing something unless it needs to be done.  So I love having a lot that needs to be done.  I work well in that setting.  At the same time I do understand the need for balance and rest.  I allow myself lazy times to sit and watch tv or do nothing and be ok with that.  But when recently evaluating if perhaps I am doing too much right now, I recalled a quote from a friend in college.  When he was running for student government president, one questioner pointed out all the responsibilities he already had in his life.  My friend responded by saying that when you want a job to get done, you should give it to someone who is already busy.  Chances are a busy person is more productive by nature and has already established a good work ethic as opposed to someone with a lot of time on their hands.

Remembering that quote assured me that it’s ok to be busy.  Being busy is good when you are accomplishing goals and making a difference.  Some claim to be busy simply because they feel they have a lot of demands or events in their lives.  They like to complain and tell you how they never have enough time.  To those people, I would say that you have as much time as you utilize.  For time is like money; it’s only good when you use it!

Category: My Life / Personal | No Comments »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on March 5, 2010

A few weeks ago Katy and I (at her request) went to a NHL hockey game.  I had not been to a hockey game since middle school and I’m not sure if she had ever been, but we thought it would be fun.  And it was.  I went all out and got us the ‘all you can eat seats’ and after about four hotdogs and three jumbo pretzels too many, began to regret that decision.

The game itself was exciting.  There was a lot of action.  The pace of hockey games is really fast with a lot of quick substitutions.  The crowd was really into the game.  And of course, there were several fights.  As a matter of fact though, I was surprised at just how into the game the entire crowd seemed to be.  In my mind, hockey is not a major American sport, but an impressive amount of people were in the arena, all glued to the ice, cheering and reacting to almost every move.  I did get into the game and even jumped to my feet when the home team scored, but at times I still felt lost.  A lot of whistles were blown for rules I did not understand.  Players were penalized for slashing and dashing and flashing and all kinds of things I didn’t know about.

We tried to pick up on the rules from the discussion of some grade school kids behind us but I still could not help but feel like an outsider who had energetically intruded into the hockey nerd’s bubble.

Because I think about church all the time, I could not help but draw the comparison.  I have to wonder how many people every week have feelings about church like I did at the hockey game.  How many ‘outsiders’ give church another (or a first) try and end up feeling like they don’t get it or confused because they don’t understand or know the rules.  I grew up in church but was still exposed to how a non-church person may view our services every time I brought a visitor.  When we have a new person we care about accompany us to work, school or church for the first time, we over-analyze everything, trying to view it in their eyes.  I did this, and it was not until I did that I realized how so many of the things that occur in most church services only appeal to or can be understood by “church people.”

When reading the Bible, I cannot help but see that the church is designed to reach people with the gospel message.  Therefore, everything that we do should be to appeal to them.  If church is boring, out of touch, or fake, those who visit will immediately be turned off and non-receptive when the message of Christ is presented.

All I know is going to that hockey game was fun.  I enjoyed it.  There was a lot of cheering and yelling and I was impressed with the player’s skills, but I still could not play the game by the rules, much less explain it to anyone else.  Could the same be said about our churches?

Category: Church Life / Denominations, Churches, Ministry, Sports | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on March 2, 2010

In my last post I mentioned that the I like watching the Atlanta Hawks but they are not my favorite basketball team.  That honor goes to my childhood hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Last week the “cavs” made a major trade.  As the NBA trade deadline got closer, there was a lot of rumors about a cavs trade and on the last possible day, they made a very large move to bring in a big name player in hopes of strengthening their chances of winning a championship this year. They didn’t have to give up much and the trade certainly made the cavs a better team.  All the fans liked the trade.  It was a smart business move.

An interesting fact though, is that at the moment of the trade, the cavs already had the best record in the NBA this year.  Pretty much all the sports experts on ESPN were already choosing them to make it to the finals….before the trade.  So why did they make this move?

They did it because they still felt the could (and needed to) get better.  They needed a big man who could shoot.  They are always on the lookout for team players.  If you a the general manager of a sports team, you are ALWAYS looking to make your team better.  So even though they had the best record, and even though some already saw them as the favorites to win it all, they chose to validate those who believe in them rather than just coast on expectations and past performance.

Sadly, I don’t see this aggressive and strategic movements in all industries.  Many companies I have seen have very low expectations or a mission statement that employees have no pressure to live up to.  I have personally experienced having coworkers tell me, “if it aint broken, don’t fix it.”  In my opinion, that statement is nothing but an excuse for mediocrity.  What is “broke”?  The company loosing money?  A practice that causes injuries on the job?  A ridiculously high amount of customer complaints?  Is it not possible that most companies and their systems could prevent becoming “broke” by always looking to adjust and make improvements along the way?

In our businesses, our churches, and our personal lives, we should always be looking for opportunities to become better rather than waiting for “broke” to admit we need some fixing.  Good job Cleveland Cavaliers for seizing the chance to become great, even though you were already good!

Category: Leadership, Sports | No Comments »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on March 1, 2010

I’m not a professional writer.  I mean, my book is coming out this summer, I have a few magazine articles in my files, and I post on this blog as often as I can, but I don’t make my living off of writing.  Perhaps because my roof and food don’t depend on it, I find myself getting distracted when I sit down in front of the laptop.

I’m sure you can relate.  Maybe not with writing, but with some other task or work.  Donald Miller just wrote a great piece, sharing his method of getting his writing done.  I think the same tool could be used in accomplishing most tasks without distraction.  You can click here to read Don’s post.

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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 28, 2010

The Atlanta Hawks are the closest professional basketball team to where I live.  I love the NBA!  I would go to as many games as I could for any team.  I went to a lot of hawks games even when they were bad and though they are not my favorite basketball club, I have grown to cheer for them.

Knowing how much joy basketball gives me and that going to games is a great way to unwind, I bought a mini game plan at the beginning of the season.  I have tickets to fourteen of the biggest games of the hawks season.  One of those games was last Friday.  The Hawks were playing the Dallas Mavericks at 8pm (according to my tickets).  On Friday I got off work, picked up some dinner, met Katy, and we made the hundred mile drive to the ATL.  As we approached downtown I mentioned the noticeably low traffic for a Friday night.  We were able to park without any delay.  Even more skeptical was the lack of ticket scalpers we passed on our way to the arena.  I pulled out the tickets to recheck tip off time.  We walked into Philips Arena at 7:55pm to an unusual amount of noise and an equally unusual amount of traffic.  As we rode up the escalator I caught a glimpse of a jumbo-tron only to realize the buzzer had just sounded for halftime.  The game had been moved up to 7:00pm and nobody told me!

After finding a team attendant to file my complaint to, I huffed off to find my seat and plop down in disgust.    I felt cheated.  I felt robbed.  Everyone else around me was getting the full game experience and I was getting half a show.  I found it hard to get into things or fake excitement even when the second half started.  It was only when the game ended up going into overtime that I somehow felt better about driving all that way and missing the first 24 minutes of play.

As I sat, watching the game with little emotion, my mind drifted to all the times I have sat in church, checking my watch, feeling the service had gone too long.  Every week I see people stumble into church late, showing up as though it’s more of a good deed than an act of worship.  So many times even I have publicly noted that preachers should have more respect for other’s time and make sure that the service ends promptly one hour after it begins.  At the basketball game I felt cheated when I missed out yet sometimes in church I felt confined for having to stay till the end.

Realizing this showed me some things – that I’m glad I no longer go to boring churches.  If you are one who have said such things about church or have the attitude of duty when attending, perhaps you should find a place of worship you can get excited about.  You go to church because you want to.  Because you realize it is a great place to worship, serve, or build community.  No one moaned when the basketball game went into overtime because such was going to ruin their lunch plans.  Yet that is the attitude when church runs five minutes over at many places of worship on Sunday mornings.

I have actually told others lately that when something comes up and I have to miss a week of church, I feel as though I have really missed out.  I’m disappointed.  I get the pod cast so I’m not left out.  How do you view going to church?  What would your reaction be if next Sunday you showed up and realized they were already taking up the offering (which I think is the church equivalent to an NBA halftime).

Category: Church Life / Denominations, Entertainment, My Life / Personal, Sports | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 12, 2010

Continuing with the theme where every chapter asks a question, Put Your Dream To The Test ends with chapters seven through ten asking how much you are willing to sacrifice to see your dream come to pass, if you are moving closer toward your dream, and what benefit to others does your dream contain.  If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK and highly recommend it to anyone with a dream or vision, no matter what size.

The book serves as an unbiased motivation and evaluation with which to learn how to clarify, communicate, and build towards your dream.  The most important thing you can do with a dream is to continually put both yourself and it up for evaluation.  Make a list of your habits and strengths to make sure you are moving in the right direction.  According to what it is and how big it is, let other people in on your dream so they can help you, point out flaws, or perhaps serve as resources for your dream.

Dreams can be scary if you actually think about following them and they will always lead to hard work.  Dreams change you though.  They give you meaning and a better story.  Rather than admire others or claim “they” always get the breaks, dreams compel us to step out and accomplish something that will either inspire others or cause them to envy us.

Think about how much better your life could be if you chose to quit your job and pursue the career of your dreams.  Or speak up and take a stand for a relationship that is important to you.  Or finally take that mission trip because you think it’s what God wants you to do.  How much more peace would you have?  How much more meaning would your life have?  Would you still lay down at night feeling insignificant or would you know you are pursuing something great.

It’s life change folks, and it’s great!!

Category: Book Reviews, Vision | No Comments »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 11, 2010

I cannot think of a dream a person could possibly have that would not effect or involve others.  Opening a store, improving business, moving to another country, attaining a certain job, even simply wanting to have a family all require others to be on board.  Chapter six of Put Your Dream To The Test discusses just that and begins with a great quote from Andrew Carnegie which says, “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you can do alone.”

For me, my dream is to plant a new, exciting, dynamic church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  I can sit and dream about that all day (and I do) or even read, pray, and prepare for it as much as I want, but if I don’t ever transfer that dream to others who can work with me, it’s not going to happen.  Teams always accomplish more and great leaders will assemble great teams that will cause things to run smoother and each person to get better.  The word leadership scares some people but this could mean an executive hiring good managers or a man seeking to marry the right girl.  Bringing other valuable people into the picture always makes the team stronger and increases the chance for success.

Leaders, bosses, and owners who are insecure may fear criticism or opposition if other people get heavily involved.  That’s why I love what Maxwell says in this chapter when he states, “A dream that cannot survive honest criticism is a dream that’s likely never to be attained.”  A consultant may be needed.  Perhaps going to a counselor is a good idea……if you are serious about seeing your dream come to fruition.

As I seek to do this with my own dream, I made a lot of notes on the pages where Maxwell laid out a guide for recruiting others.  He said to transfer the dream to others so that they become interested and invested.  To do this, transfer (or communicate) the dream logically, emotionally, and visually.  Appeal to them.  Show them the need as well as how they will benefit.  Realize too that others will buy into the dreamer before the dream.  They will be looking to see if you’re real or not.

Category: Book Reviews, Church Planting, Leadership | No Comments »
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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 4, 2010

Another barrier I am having to overcome in allowing myself to have a dream and pursue it is to realize it’s ok to do what I like to do.  I grew up with a background and personality of self-denial and somehow in church world we give the idea that such makes one spiritual.  Ever notice though how the people you admire enjoy their lives?  You admire them because they are successful and they are successful because they are doing something they enjoy.

In chapter three of Put Your Dream To The Test, John Maxwell says, “People who achieve success love what they do and do it well.”  It was a breakthrough for me in high school when I realized that the way God was leading me was through the desires He was putting in my heart.  Doesn’t it make sense that we are going to try to become good at what we like?  And we are going to want to do the things we like?  So won’t we be most content and efficient to do that which we enjoy?  In making that happen we become deeply connected with our dream so that it is not just what we do from nine to five, but it’s who we are.

We then build and work toward that dream in continuous small steps.  We should examine our habits.  Whatever our dream is, it’s not going to just happen one day.  We have to use the talents, materials, and time that are within our possession and control to work toward our goal.

When that begins to happen our dream creates momentum to where we begin to see progress but may still be nervous about our future or the security we may loose if we fully commit to whatever it is we are pursuing.  Chapter four addresses this by asking if our dream is so real to us that it compels us to follow it.  Maxwell says, “to succeed in life we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone.”  This is where things get hard.  For me, I feel in some ways I am in that place now and it can be quite scary at times.  But this is where our passion must come in.  The vision of our dream making us a better person or causing change in our work, family, or world must cause there to be enough passion to get us out of our comfort zones.  Because if passion doesn’t pull us out into the unknown, nothing will.

That thought leads into chapter five which was great for me because it talked about setting goals and making plans for your dream.  I love making plans!!!  And having them is important in pursuing something.  A dream may be one big idea or vision but goals are necessary in getting there.  The dream is the “what” and the goals are the “how”.  If you’re ever going to get others to buy in to your goal, you are going to have to be able to explain what your goals and plans are for achieving it.  And getting others to jump on board is exactly what was discussed next in the book and is also where I struggle the most.

Check back tomorrow!

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Posted By Aaron Marcelli on February 3, 2010

What is it you really want to do?  Or better yet, if you knew you could not fail, what would you do?  I heard someone ask that question and then follow it up by saying, “you’re foolish to do anything other than what you just answered.”  My initial reaction to those statements a few years ago may have been to call it some “pie in the sky” dreaming that ignored reality but I now realize it is dreams that cause us to strive for more.  And to some extent, dreams must ignore reality because they are a vision for what is not yet real.

While reading the first few chapters of Put Your Dream To The Test, author John Maxwell’s words had me focusing in on not only my dream, but my thoughts toward my dream.  And did I even have a dream.  Rejecting the notion of dreaming and accusing others of living in fantasy land is exactly what causes most people to live lives of quiet desperation.  On the inside the average man wants more but thinks it is either beyond his right or his ability to get, have, and do more than the average.  In dreaming though it is not about the quantity of what we get, but the quality of what we want.

What do we want out of life?
How do we want to make a difference?

First we must recognize whether or not we have a dream.  Then lay out what it is.  Then evaluate it.  Is it my dream?  When did I begin wanting this?  Did I inherit it from someone else?  Am I getting paid to have this as my dream?  If you say yes to the last two questions it’s probably not really YOUR dream.  So figure that out.  And if you determine it is yours, invest in it.  Put some pressure on yourself.  Throw some chips in on your dream so that you are invested in it and forced to be committed to it.  This could mean buying an item to get yourself started or making your dream public so others will watch your progress.

With my dream, I found myself waiting for “the ok” to go.  I’m not sure where I expected that permission to come from but was hit hard when I read that such permission can only come from myself.  Here I was being the biggest hindrance to what I wanted.

Once we realize it is ok to go, we immediately begin changing.  It’s not just reaching our goal, but the entire journey towards it that molds who we are and what we want.  The journey turns us into better people.  It’s not that only great people can follow their dreams, but ordinary people who follow their dreams often times do great things.

So what is your dream?  Could you describe it to me?  Is it what you really want?  Are you laying it out clearly so others can understand it?

Category: Book Reviews, Communication, Leadership, Vision | No Comments »
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