(*really more of what I took away with me.  Your results can vary).

Robin Hood tells a classic tale that has been shared, retold, and romanticized in the movies and literature for 700 years.  In short, it boils down to an epic GOOD vs. EVIL battle.    Everyone loves the good guys winning, of course.  This is a big reason for the staying power of the tale of Robin Hood.

In most places in the Bible, you can just about open your Bible and finger point to some sort of a store that is telling the same kind of tale.  Arguably the biggest story of Good triumphing over evil (lower case... evil does not deserve a capital E...) is found in 1 Samuel 17, with the story of David triumphing over Goliath.

In that battle,  "David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him".

So.. what battle line are YOU running towards?

Picking and choosing ones battles in life is never easy.  Often we lose sights of the real injustices in this world, and take up fighting battles that don't have the same level of importance in a bigger context:  arguing with the spouse on what to make for dinner, when others in our cities may be eating once a week.   Honking at the jerk who cuts you off in traffic, and exchanging words as you drive down the street, just to ignore the woman who ran out of gas and is stranded needing a push out of the way, or a use of your cell phone to call for help.

Admittedly, its far easier to get caught up fighting smaller battles than taking up the bigger fight causes.

As Rob said, "until you understand that war is the context of our times, you will misunderstand life".   Ouch.

As a result, the two most important days of your life are the day you are born, and the day that you finally understand why.

So I ask you, what is our purpose?   What is worth fighting for?    Homeless vets?  Hungry Children?  Disease?

On a smaller and personal scale, is it the friend who is self destructing while you ignore their calls?  The hurting marriage of your best friends who need to know that someone still loves both of them because they dont feel love for each other anymore?  The child you see coming in that you suspect something isn't right at home, but they don't have their own voice?

We need to identify our own Giants.  We need to know what our Sling is.

How can we position our jobs, our life seasons and experiences, our skills into using them as something to fight these Giants?  How can we use OUR good to fight the evil that is around us?

Let us have vision to see, the strength to fight, and the wisdom to recognize the fights around us that we are called upon to battle.

So.... what's your fight?

  Got Twitter?  You've got 140 characters to tell your followers and the Twitter community whatever you want whenever you want.  Tweeple fill this stream with links loads of mundane information about their day, pushing products, showing pics of celebrity sightings, commenting about Lebron James, and scooping the latest news about to hit People magazine.

It's also a phenominal way we can "be" the church 24/7.  In 140 characters we can:

• Encourage a friend who just got bad news
• Help someone with a nugget of financial advice we've learned over the years
• Answer questions people are asking about scores of subjects
• Connect people to others that may be able to help them
• Share a blog post relevant to someone's life
• Meet someone new and care and comment about their posts
• Repost a favorite one liner from a speaker you found to be helpful
• Post an open job position for the scores of people out of work
• Help spread the word of a local charity having a cool event
• Engage and comment with scores of people to simply let them know you're listening
• Give and help spread the word to a crisis like the Haiti earthquake disasters
• Let someone know they're funny

And... any other creative way you can think of to encourage people without being preachy and shoving unsolicited advice on people...   We all have a purpose and sometimes it's only 140 characters away!  This too is online church...

Here was a simple blog post I found to be cool by Elaine  discovering a purpose in her daily life.

I'd love to hear your tweets, you can find me here on Twitter.

Longer term means "where will people be doing church" in a year from now? 5 years? in 2020?

Technology is evolving so fast that our communication styles are shifting and evolving even faster. More teens text each other than making cell phone calls. In just a couple of years (like ...two..) the mobile phone browser will surpass desktop PC use as the main method of internet browsing.

As a result, church attendees will also modify their "brick and mortar" attendance to shifting busy families attending and rounding up the kids to head out to sharing worship and letting God meet us where we are at in more casual settings.. like in front of your laptop.

The question then becomes, where will the church reach these people that want to seek God but for various reasons, can't or won't seek Him in the 'traditional' church setting?

Where will people connect with other church goers outside of Saturdays or Sundays? By being Facebook fans? By following on Twitter? By gathering in traditional small groups that at one time were small Bible study and discussion groups in someone's living room, to what may now be a group at Starbucks sitting around their laptops following a message?

The answer is likely all of the above. And our mission at the GCC Online team is to figure that out and to bring others together.

We hope you'll join us as we shape what the online church community will becoming!

In the meantime, if we haven't me, feel free to join me on Twitter, or read up on the blogtastic writing that will be following here soon!

• Experience what it's like to do service online with others using chat functionality from all over the world
• Listen to six more great messages from the One Prayer series from speakers across America and the world
• Missing Journey classes in the summer?  This is a great alternative to be inspired by some new voices!
• Be part of supporting unity in the Church across the world as we're ultimately all on mission together for Christ

Here's the line-up (all at 6:30 EST):

• June 9th:    Scott Hodge (The Orchard, Aurora IL)/Ray Hardee (Forest Pointe Church -Belmont, NC)
• June 16th:   Matt Fry (C3 Church- Clayton NC) /Rick Bezet (New Life Church- Conway, AR)
• June 23rd:   Herbert Cooper (People’s Church- Oklahoma City, OK) /Brian Houston (Hillsong Church- Sydney, Australia)

Hope to see you online!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let's face it, faith can be a tough thing for many people.  Where is God?  Why do bad things happen?  Did we simply evolve, ended up here, and somehow are a fluke of science?

I've got opinions about a lot of things, if you ask me about the health care debate, I'll have an opinion.  Based on what?  Some opinions of CNN/Fox News, a little talk radio, and a few sound bites from others or stories.  The truth is, I haven't read the 1000 pages of actual information that would give me the details.

In our lives, far too often we can approach God the same way.  We have a "filter" we view God through based on the opinions of others, how we grew up, or what we think He should be or should be doing.  Too often, what we think about anything is based on second- hand information or in this case, we have second-hand faith.

We are a culture of short cuts.  Net it out for me, tell me what I need to know, and I'll move on...  We want God to swoop in and fix our problems but don't really have a personal pursuit of God.  Are we pursuing God and our Faith or are we relying on the information or faith of others?

Matthew 7:7  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

In the Bible, Jesus says, "seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you..."  How do we move from second-hand knowledge of God to first-hand knowledge?  Do you have such a strong notion of what God should be doing that we can't see what God is actually doing in our lives?  Could our eyes be restrained?

If I want to lose weight and look like a chiseled, strong machine, it won't happen by simply standing and hearing stories from a personal trainer... I actually have to get on the treadmill, change my eating plan, and push some weight.  This will give me a first-hand experience of what it takes to get into shape.

Faith is similar, what are the activities that can help us get a first-hand experience of God? 

• Read the Bible regularly, check out youversion.com and start with Proverbs and John... read a chapter or two a day as part of your routine...
• Start praying.  Keep it simple but a great start is to pray, "God, I'm pursuing you and give my life to you.  Please send people in my life and help guide me in understanding You and my purpose here in life..  Give me the eyes to see what You see and what my next step is..." 
• Connect with others.  Be a friend and have a friend.  Who we surround ourselves with has a big impact on who we will become.  Are the people around you helping you in your steps and pursuit of God or are they pointing you a different direction?  Learning from others will help us in steps we can take in our personal journey.
• Practice generosity.  Start taking steps of giving your time and money.  Start looking for ways you can volunteer in areas you have a passion or have experience...  Give to help others, if not here at Granger, find a place that is helping you takes steps in your faith and give there.  Make a difference in the lives of others and in your community.
• Connect to a church.  We all need reminders and continue to learn- find a local church or hang with a church online to help understand Who God is and how He works.  Going to church to check a box isn't the issue, it's about building your knowledge of Jesus and what His purpose is for your life.

The second-hand, normal response might be, "uh, that sounds like a lot of work... I think I'll pass..." 

Where are you taking steps?  Toward Christ and pursuing your Faith or is life keeping you busy enough not to really think or focus on it?   What helps you experience God first-hand?

Check out a great message related to this post at gccwired.com by Rob Wegner, "4 Words" on 4/24 and 4/25.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Whether talking about Online Church or a Megachurch, give me 5 friends I can do life with and share a mission with and we can take on the world.... literally.  My "church" starts with the 5 people closest to me (not in a pew) but in my 24/7 life.  Here's what I believe:

• Intentionality matters in what we believe and in our relationships.  When my wife and I meet with our closest friends, they are "the church" to me.... They challenge me, hold me accountable, want what's best for me, and push me in my faith.
• Online church can be the glue that keeps these 5 friends focused, on mission, encouraged, able to collaborate with others, share teaching, and more.
• A physical church can be the glue that keeps these 5 friends focused, on mission, encouraged, able to collaborate with others, share teaching, and more.
• Yep, I just repeated myself.
• A big physical church becomes small with these 5 friends.
• I love the connection to a larger 'church' but experience the richest parts of life and faith in my 'small church' of close friends.
• The church needs a revolution.   Scores of people believe in God but don't see the need for church.  We can and must do better.  Love God but don't care for "the church"?  Start by 'being' what you think the 'church' should be and invite some friends along the way...

Wherever you are in the globe, you can start changing your community with a few friends.  Our vision is to help resource you, bring teaching, services, strategies for local missions, and anything that can help you take your next step toward Christ.... online.  Let's connect, learn from each other, and share as we make it happen!

• Rather than attending a physical church building to "do" church, we offer an online experience (currently with 3 service times on Sunday's 12, 6:30, and 8:30 PM EST) where you can attend with others from all over the world, chat with them, take notes, give, send prayer requests and more.  It also allows you connect with others attending through Twitter or Facebook or simply remain annonymous.  For many, they think Online Church ends there... in reality, it is so much more...
• Any opportunity we have to "be" the Church, grow in our faith, learn, connect with others, and continue to take steps online IS Online Church
• Reading the Bible using youversion.com (or other online Bible offerings) is Online Church
• Connecting with others in Facebook and Twitter looking for opportunities to encourage, pray for, find ways to help, and more is Online Church
• Creating a personalized spiritual growth plan through a tool like Monvee.com is Online Church
• Having an online meeting or small group through a tool like tokbox.com is Online Church
• Nearly every morning while we're getting ready in our bathroom my wife is playing various podcasts she downloaded from the web with some of the greatest teachers in the world....is Online Church
• Having a discussion in an online forum is Online Church
• Collaborating with a mission and giving to a Haiti Earthquake relief effort with others online is Online Church
• Training future leaders in the Church via Online Web players/viewers is Online Church
• Connecting people from all over the globe to central online sites of training and teaching so they can in turn be a force in their local communities is Online Church
• Creating a central point of a local missional strategy online where multiple "physical" churches can unite and bring real change to their community is Online Church
• To connect and learn with other countries, races, and cultures across the globe online to breakdown the divides that so often creates mistrust is.... Online Church

It's yes, and yes, and yes.  Online Church is more than a quick substitute to check some box that says "I went to church this week".  Online Church is about "being" the Church 24/7,  leveraging the technology available to us today to maximize personal growth, global collaboration and communication, and meeting people where they already are (1.5 billion and growing online).

Can you do Church Online?  What do you think?

Or others:

• FishNet_Peter: @TaxAdviceMatthew  Dude, yeah you can throw a party but I walked on water... just sayin'.
• Judas_Benadict:  What's the going price for silver these days?
• TaxAdviceMatthew:   FYI, your brother from another mother does not qualify as an exemption.
• Philipandcup:  @Bartho12 @Jamezebedee   Still wondering how we're going to feed everyone?  LOL.
• Jamezebedee:  Demon possessed pigs running over cliff:   http://twitpic.com/6eg3lm
• FishNet_Peter:  @MaryMag  The rock was rolled away?  Hold tight, be there in a few...
• NoWayThomas:  OMW  Jesus is alive & back in da' house!  http://twitpic.com/3dz2bk

How cool would it be to see actual pics of the events in the Bible?  Wouldn't faith be so much easier?  Would it still be faith then?  As when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the crowds had huge expectations that He was going to take over as King, clear the injustice, and bring a new world order... many still have expectations that some "God" should get rid of the bad people, stop abuse, and make things all better here on Earth.

To some, God is so obvious in the creation He has made.  Others struggle with why God seems so elusive and disengaged from our world and the disasters it brings.  Even others have no faith in a God or religion and have shifted their faith to science.  Many aren't even giving it much/any thought.  I think Jesus came in a time when there was no technology for a reason.

While I often wish I could simply have an angel appear to me every night and tell me what I should do tomorrow, it's clear to me that God operates with a different plan.  If He wanted to be obvious and drop down scores of lightning bolts, He could... but He doesn't.  Regularly in the Bible, Jesus calls us to faith and belief in Him.  There's something special about faith...

In my opinion, the question of God is the paramount question for us to pursue in this life... all other issues and quests become a distant second.  What say you?  What builds faith in your life about anything?