Disqus - Latest Comments for jbstansel

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:01:13 -0000

HA me too!

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:12:38 -0000

Thanks for the prayers...I ran into a few of my Counseling/Psych professors today on campus and they were looking around at options for office and classroom space on campus. Those guys lost a lot!

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:45:40 -0000

haha it was two when i googled it! its rediculous, isn't it? check out ricky spaulding's pictures man...they are INSANE

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:28:43 -0000

They think it was started in the kitchen, I think...but I don't know how. I'll add you...but I rarely ever use it!

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:27:41 -0000

I know! It was unbelievable. Thanks for your prayers!

Re: Gate Cottage Burns Down

jbstansel — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:36:27 -0000

Yeah...I'm sure the professors had a lot of personal things in their offices and you can tell the whole building was destroyed.

Re: Galatians 6

jbstansel — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:04:23 -0000

Hey man...been a while, eh?

I read your blog about "The Point" and have to say that yes, I feel like the church has its eyes fixed on the wrong things. Comfort, security, routine, and the ever-present "bigger and better" mindset seem to pervade the minds of most "suburbanite" Christians instead of service, love, and devotion. This is why I have such a difficult time going to a lot of churches around me.

My idea of the "perfect Church" looks more like a community of people serving, living, loving, learning, and sharpening than it does a place people go once a week to look pretty and smile a lot. I don't know...just my thoughts. What do you think?

Re: So Tired of School + New Phone + The Economy

jbstansel — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:50:40 -0000

new body? i'm confused.

Re: The Church Needs to Scrub Terds

jbstansel — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:40:23 -0000

you are awesome

Re: “You Just Joined The Group”

jbstansel — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:29:07 -0000

Of course it isn't wrong to want to put "Christ back into Christmas", but you're right...it's a little rediculous that people run around screaming "Christ into Christmas!" and treat the people around them like crap.

The problem is that not everyone who celebrates Christmas believes in the messiah, so I don't know why we would put a facebook group up like that and try to champion that cause with such bitterness and anger. Instead, we should just live as an example and celebrate the coming of the messiah in our own communities of believers.

Re: Welcome to First United Church Of 192.168.0.1

jbstansel — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:02:17 -0000

that's all good but it can't stop there. we need to be physically connected. like I said before, i can't help but think online church shouldn't be anything more than supplementary

Re: Welcome to First United Church Of 192.168.0.1

jbstansel — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:11:55 -0000

I haven't read through all the comments, so I may be repeating an idea someone else has already brought up :P

BUT...I agree with the both/and scenario in a sense. I really cannot imagine a church that exists solely online. What an awful community! To only be able to read what a person is going through? I'd much rather be there with them, and honestly I think common sense answers this question.

Real community happens in just that....reality. Online community is but a shadow of the real thing. I think we are meant to experience church with each other in a real, tangible way. I want to be able to laugh, cry, dance, sing, and live life with people in a way that isn't behind a computer screen. And I think anything other than that is cheating yourself out of some real fellowship.

On the other hand, I think online church could be an -ok- supplement to real church. Can you imagine only being able to have church online, and then being able to step into reality and experience church face to face with other believers? It would be overwhelming! Yes, there is no substitute for face-to-face church and community.

Also, just because the same problems exist in both the offline and online church doesn't logically mean that they are equal. I see the problem being that you can't really, definitively solve the problems with the offline church that are glaring you in the face.

Re: Repave the Road to Jericho

jbstansel — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:03:53 -0000

I apologize for making it seem as though you said those things. My only intention was to show that no matter what the term, handouts or gifts, whatever you call them, can be a beautiful way of pointing the brokenhearted heavenward and showing them by action that God's people care about the lowly.

Re: Repave the Road to Jericho

jbstansel — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:40:32 -0000

haha no more than i sounded to adam, i guess. all in the spirit of sharpening and learning and....shtuff. or something. anyway, you aren't an ass.

Re: Repave the Road to Jericho

jbstansel — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:25:55 -0000

I understood what Andy was saying. My comment was in response to Adam, I just didn't hit reply. Woops

Re: I’m Not the Best, and You aren’t Either

jbstansel — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:12:56 -0000

that's funny...I almost made "you take the weight from my shoulders" the title of the post. enter the worship circle is awesome.

Re: Repave the Road to Jericho

jbstansel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:34:35 -0000

personally, I think giving handouts is exactly what we are supposed to do. As disciples, it is our duty and privilege and to be able to serve the downtrodden and oppressed. I say give every handout you can muster! The last thing people in a hard spot need to hear is "get a damn job!" or "it's your fault you're in this mess in the first place!" No, we should instead reach out a hand of compassion and supply them whatever we are able to. And then we point them in the direction of the Ultimate provider.

Re: New Buckhead Stage Design

jbstansel — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:17:39 -0000

Yeah, I think it's just two ways of worshiping the same God :D

Blessings.

Re: New Buckhead Stage Design

jbstansel — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:49:15 -0000

I don't mean to put you on the defense. I was just trying to make you realize you didn't have to be offended so quickly. It's no big deal, just a question.

Why in the world would be push people away from the world's perception of excellence? Because it is the world's perception of excellence that causes people to feel like failures. And the verse you used backs my point up entirely! Work as though it is for the Lord, not for men! I am just coming from a different perspective. I think a lot of people in my generation are tired of the same old junk and we want something different. We want something a little more humble and focused, that's all. That isn't a cut to your church, BTW...I know nothing about buckhead church or how much money they spend and on what.

I am not fed up with being excellent. I am fed up with trying to be excellent in the wrong areas. I want to have an excellent relationship with the Lord, an excellent knowledge of who God is, an excellent conception of community and love, and an excellent understanding of how money should be spent by the church.

Re: New Buckhead Stage Design

jbstansel — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:43:44 -0000

I had the same question but was afraid to ask. I'm not judging or assuming, I'm just curious. I really am asking this in humility, I promise, just because I am trying to grow as a disciple of the Lord...shouldn't we be pushing people away from the world's perception of excellence? I feel like a lot of people, and me included, are fed up with the whole concept of being the best and being excellent. I want to see humble hearts of excellence, not amazing stage designs. Again, I'm not making and calls on Buckhead Church, but just raising a question. What does the Lord see as excellent? Do I make sense? By the way, it looks incredible :P

Re: Your First Job

jbstansel — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:07:54 -0000

my first job was as at abercrombie in the mall of ga. worst. experience. ever. i quit after 4 weeks because i realized i wasn't cool enough. i saw harry potter 4, went to work, exclaimed how amazing the movie was, got sour looks, and walked back out.

i haven't been back there since.

Re: I’m The #1 Tweet In The ATL

jbstansel — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:41:19 -0000

oh....only 25 :(

that puts me at like, the nerd table in twitter land

Re: I’m The #1 Tweet In The ATL

jbstansel — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:38:06 -0000

congrats...i guess :P

i'm happy with my 32 followers. haha

Re: Catalyst Article // Labor, Birth, And Your Unraveling Plan

jbstansel — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:36:37 -0000

What is success, though? I am weary of the idea that success means we have grown a huge church with a bunch of awesome sound equipment and talented musicians. There are lots of churches like that who are being taught a bunch of fluff.

No, I think success happens when the people are moved to be the hands and feet of God. It happens when people recognize the materialism that permeates our church walls today and actually do something about it.

Success is a people who humbly and sincerely follow after the heart of the Lord. I see so many megachurches today that have strayed so far away in their pursuit of success that they cannot see that, in God's eyes, it may look very different than what we have been taught. That isn't to say that megachurches are wrong; I'm saying that I don't see the value in obsessing over being successful. Say that three times fast.

Re: http://www.crucialencounter.com/2008/12/530/

jbstansel — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:46:45 -0000

dude..i love the imagery given in that verse. The principle of it is so awesome, and yet it is so hard to find people who live that.

I commend you for trying, man...it's rare.