Billy's Five

Bill says, "This Five is not so much concerned with what kind of movies you like, but how you watch them!"

1) When you’re at the theater, how do you want your atmosphere? Do you prefer old theaters or megaplexes? Full houses or intimate seatings? Lots of kids, or none at all?

I just love the old style theaters - the ones with lots of drapery and sconces on the wall for light. I guess I'm thinking of a particular one that was near our home in Florida. I also like them large and somewhat crowded. But I must confess, I don't like sharing the arm rest with someone who refuses to give me half.

2) What’s your “home theater” like? High tech? VCR and TV? What?

We are still getting our home set up and don't yet have a "home theater". But at some point it will be a warm and cozy place to totally relax. For equipment we only have a TV and standard DVD player. The only "high tech" part would be that we recently got the latest satellite receiver (leased) from Direct TV which has recording capability. I DO run the audio through a home stereo ... WOO-HOO!

3) We’ve probably all got DVD and VCR players, but how about alternative movie watching gadgets? Have you got an Apple TV? Ever watch a movie over the Internet?

The folks we stayed with in Virginia last week watch all TV programs and movies over the Internet. They don't even have standard cable TV of satellite service. However, I tried it at home and it didn't work so well. I've been told the processor in our computer is not quite fast enough to handle streaming video. Someday ...

4) Do you belong to a subscription movie rental service, like NetFlix? If so, how many movies are you renting a month? Are you happy with the service?

We have no membership and we are not renting these days. We used to be 'regulars' at the local movie rental store, but that has changed. I don't miss it all that much, but my wife sure does. Its OK though, we find enough re-runs on TV to be entertained.

5) Share with us your ratio of buying movies to renting them. Do you rent more, or just outright buy your movies? Do you get DVDs, tapes, or movie downloads for your computer most frequently?

If we were renting or buying, the delivery system would definitely be digital. I finally 'chucked' the old VCR because I can no longer tolerate the picture quality of an image lifted from tape. I may OWN low tech equipment, but I really appreciate quality and changing technology. Would you say I'm spoiled? (:

Just finished this little book I picked up in an airport from Harvard Business Press about "execution". That's not referring to capital punishment ... its about carrying out plans within an organization. And some of the 'gems' in this book are most certainly transferable to church administration.

I don't exactly know why, but many - if not most churches have great difficulty seeing their mission come to pass. I am optimistic enough (maybe naive) to believe that church leaders have great ideas and honorable intentions. But for many their vision seems to fall short and the church can't seem to execute a plan.

I dare say, this may be the difference between great or effective churches and those that are little more than a community hall with a religious name. Certainly things like communication and power struggles within the organization cannot be overlooked. And other group dynamics are almost always a factor. But issues mentioned in this book have more to do with personal leadership skills - something I have been fascinated with for quite some time.

Maybe the most insightful information here comes from former Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft, Robert Herbold. His contribution to the book is in the area of "standardizing practices across business functions". He says when you create a plan, "Delegate clearly and use very specific criteria for defining what you want to happen." To me this is simple - but profound! And this guy has proven the power of his insight. In the six years (1994-2000) he worked directly under Bill Gates things definitely "happened" for Microsoft. They experienced a fourfold increase in revenue and a sevenfold increase in profits. YOW-W-W ... THATS EXECUTION!

Home Again

Finally arrived home in Maine last night. It was a whirl-wind trip to Virginia. What a month this has been! Josey and I traveled thousands of miles in the last several weeks. I feel like I haven't slept in my bed much. Honestly, I don't know how touring musicians and such do it. I don't know if I could travel long distances on a regular basis.

On the other hand, I had a RICH experience officiating the wedding of a former church member last Saturday. Yes, she is now a "Mrs." ... and I am SO happy for her! After congratulating her with a big hug, I told her I felt proud - like she is my own daughter. Not possible - since we are different race, but the emotional connection was definitely there. Ah ... the life of a pastor. Its AWESOME!

We also enjoyed staying with our friends, the Womacks. We have been blessed to know them for about 7 years now. But it seems like we are life-long friends. They also attended a church where I was pastor, and are part of our extended church family. Its interesting how we 'connect' with some and not always others. Guess that's part of what "makes the world go around".