by Marc Buxton | Feb 3, 2011 | General
Ecclesia (n): a congregation; church; an assembly
Mind (n): inclination or desire; attention; thoughts; purpose, intention, or will
Welcome to the NEW Ecclesia Mind. This blog exists to share thoughts and ideas about the local church. Book reviews, current events, church planting strategies, best practices, and church history will all be featured here.
I am a missionary, and my passion is the local church; specifically, starting new ones. My goal is to start conversations here that will get you thinking. Whether you are a pastor, Sunday School teacher, church leader, or church goer – I believe this blog will benefit you.
Subscribe now to the RSS feed (http://www.marcbuxton.com/feed/) and don’t miss a single post on Ecclesia Mind!
by Marc Buxton | Jan 26, 2011 | Time Management
Focus is a major theme for me in 2011. I am focusing my energies on accomplishing the chief goal for our ministry – starting new churches in Metro Manila. With every work related activity, I ask the question “does this help me plant churches?”. If it doesn’t, it is not focused enough.
Are you focused? What question should you be asking everyday?
by Marc Buxton | Dec 27, 2010 | General
Sharing Christ. Our ministry uses magic tricks to engage people, have fun with them, and share the Truth.
My Family. My wife Jessi and my son Reece are good and perfect gifts from God.
Making Disciples. That’s why I’m excited about being involved with Baptist Bible College Asia, where our team is training hundreds of champions for Christ (to borrow a phrase from my alma mater).
Local Churches. I’m excited about starting new ones. And I’m excited about our method of doing it in Asian MegaCities.
We are missionaries. We are responsible for raising all of our support on our own. Want to help? Get more information and consider making a tax deductible donation: www.join360.info
by Marc Buxton | Dec 18, 2010 | General
Most car makers put their logos on the front – either the grill or the hood. I just saw a car that didn’t have one. I broke my neck to see what kind of car it was. It was interesting.
What can you NOT do that will make your work more interesting?
by Marc Buxton | Dec 16, 2010 | Book Review, General, Prayer
I was not a fan of Free Book after the first chapter. I was after the last. At first, the author got on my nerves. He called me a “Bible thumper” (which I am). He shatters the idea of moral absolutes (pg. 14 – “it isn’t even right for everyone to drink”). And he says the Bible is unfairly viewed as a “book of restrictions” (pg. 15). Umm…..it is. It’s called God’s Word.
But later in the book, Brian Tome deals quite effectively with some deep topics. Forgiveness, confession, the spirit world, and strongholds in life are all discussed. I was reminded by this book of just how real Satan is and how much he hates Christians.
“Free Book” is written to help Christians find freedom in the Spirit. I think the book gives an excellent path to that.
I would recommend the book to more mature Christians who may be struggling with freedom in a certain area. It may lead to some real breakthroughs.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
by Marc Buxton | Dec 14, 2010 | Technology, Time Management
It has been said that 2 things determine who you are: the people you meet and the books you read. I’d like to expound on that list for the times we find ourselves in…
You are shaped as a person by…
1) The media you consume
This includes traditional media, social media, books, iPad, iPod, etc, etc. We have so much information available to us. It affects us.
2) The people you communicate with
In our world, it’s not just the people you meet. I meet a lot of people. Offline and on. I communicate with a select few. Why? Because in my world that includes thousands of online friends, followers, and commenters, I have to be selective of who I pay attention too. Maybe I have time to Tweet back at you. Maybe I don’t. Maybe I have time to read your facebook note that you tagged me in for no apparent reason. Maybe I won’t. So I only communicate with a certain number of people each day, some online and some off, and they likewise for the same reason.
What media do you consume? And who do you choose to communicate with? They both impact you!
Your comments below would be appreciated and helpful…
by Marc Buxton | Dec 9, 2010 | General
I was clued in yesterday by a friend that the song “Joy to the World” is not a Christmas song. Say what? And Frosted Flakes aren’t my Dad’s favorite cereal. Surely this was some sort of mistake.
So, I researched it (yes, I used Wikipedia….don’t go all “Library of Congress” on me)….and….he is right! Isaac Watts is credited with writing the words of Joy to the World, and he wrote them as “as a hymn glorifying Christ’s triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable.”
That’s crazy!
Does anyone know how this happened? Please share!
by Marc Buxton | Nov 11, 2010 | General, Technology
I take a long time to make decisions. Ask my wife. I compare. I think. I re-compare. I think more. Then I decide. Such was the case in selecting a case for my iPad.
First, I had to decide on the type of case.
Would I go with a slip-case, a notebook style, or….no case at all? I elected to go with a slip-case for the iPad for the same reason I have one for my iPhone. Both devices are beautiful. Whatever your opinion of Apple, they create beautiful products. So why would I want to cover up great design with a case that certainly had much less thought go into its design? So slip case it is…
Second, which slipcase?
I scoured the recesses of Google’s web crawler and found several viable options. My dilemma came down to two options:
Saddleback Leather
Waterfield Designs
In comparing the two, the Waterfield case just didn’t seem as durable. I ended up selecting the Saddleback case and I am very pleased with it. The craftsmanship on this thing is impeccable. You really do pay for what you get. From their website, I learned a lot about the different grains of leather. Theirs is top notch. You can just tell when you hold the case that it will last a lifetime….probably longer. It has that “leather smell” that sort of takes your mind to a dude ranch somewhere. The best thing about it? As it gets beat up, it gains character. The scratches and nicks tell stories. Can you say that about your computer case? The only negative? When my iPad is out of date, I’m not sure what I’ll do with the case….
If you are looking for a sweet iPad case, or other leather goods, I would save yourself some time and contact the folks at Saddleback Leather.
Do you have any recommendations on iPad/laptop cases?
by Marc Buxton | Oct 29, 2010 | General
1- Truett Cathy is the man
My pastor once invited Truett to speak at our church. He declined. Because he teaches a boy’s Sunday school class and that is his priority on Sundays. Any other time would be fine, according to him.
2 – They sponsor an SEC v. ACC bowl game
Football is awesome in the South. In fact, everything is awesome in the South. Chick-Fil-A recognizes this, and wants to be involved. Enter the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
3- They sold food at reasonable prices @ Catalyst East 2010
The Catalyst Conference in Atlanta was great this year. Even greater, because Chick-Fil-A set up a tent outside of Gwinnett Arena to combat the outrageous prices for frozen cheeseburgers inside.
4- They play Christian music inside
I don’t know if this is franchise-wide, but the last few Chick-Fil-A’s I’ve been in have been getting their K-Love on.
5- The workers say “my pleasure”
Instead of a grunt, or “uh-huh”, your “thank you” is greeted with “my pleasure”. Mickey-D’s take note.
6 – They come to your table to refill your drinks
At a fast-food place. What the what?
7 – The commercials, billboards, etc. are tasteful AND hilarious
Hard to do. Props to the cows.
Feel free to add your own reasons below, starting with # 8….
by Marc Buxton | Oct 26, 2010 | General
No matter what you do in life, you have philosophies and boundaries that direct you. It’s definitely the case in your business. I hear many people talk about “thinking outside of the box” as a positive thing. I think it is. In our ever-changing world, social media, euphemisms, and the “what’s hot” list are constantly in motion. You have to think outside the box to be successful. I think Seth Godin does this everyday, effectively.
But I would point out that to think outside the box, you have to have one. If you don’t have structure, you will have no platform to stand on. Nothing that makes your product what it is. Here’s the key: your structure should provide opportunity to change. “We’ve never done that before” is not a viable argument. You have a box. You know who you are (or what your company “ships”, to use Godin’s phrasing). You have to be able to get outside of the box, and then get back in.
For my “business”, as an independent missionary, our model of raising financial support is a bit outside the box in our “missionary world”. So is our gospel illusion ministry. We are oustide of our box. A lot.
Are you ever outside of yours?
