(It’s guest post Friday! Here’s one from Stephen Pepper, who blogs about youth work and youth ministry at YouthWorkin’ It. You can also follow him on Twitter @youthworkinit. If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

WWJD – What Would Jesus Design

Over recent years, many new technology companies, websites and apps have sprung up. When these become successful, you start getting copycats piggybacking on the success of these other companies.

Seeing as Ecclesiastes says there’s nothing new under the sun, I’m taking that as a green light for us to sanctify them. I’ve therefore taken 20 websites, online services, games and apps and come up with RSS feed versions – Redeemed Secular Sites that feed the soul.

First are the originals and then the WWJD (What Would Jesus Design) versions:

Pinterest – Users (aka women) collect photos and link to products they like.
Hymnterest – Create collections of your favorite hymns, turning them into virtual hymnals to share with everyone else.

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one from Claire Stevens… If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Doing the Holy Shuffle

No, I’m not referring to Saturday Night Fever moves that have been subtly modified to be church-disco-appropriate.

As a Christian who doesn’t drive and who takes a lot of buses, I have plenty of opportunities for time with God, listening to worship on my iPod. I’m worshipping, just with my mostly-inside-my-head worship voice. Sometimes muted sounds escape from the back of my throat. It’s like Crash Test Dummies’ Mmm mmm mmm mmm vs. Michael W. (Some people call him “Smitty.” Not me.)

Sometimes though I don’t know which kind of Christian music I feel like listening to.  Will it be Hillsong United – the espresso-shot of worship I need first thing in the morning, even though I’m much too old and un-bouncy to be in the target demographic? Should it be something soothing and peaceful? If I’m wearing a hoodie, should I go for one of the three songs with rap sections?

And then I remember: I don’t need to decide. The iPod has a shuffle function. It goes something like this:

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one by Nate Whitson. You can check out his blog here and follow him on Twitter @natewhitson1.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Growing Up At Small Church

When I was a kid I went to a small, country church. Everyone should have a chance to grow up in a church like the one I did. Why? Because small church has so many things to offer that big church just can’t deliver. If that compelling reason wasn’t enough, then here are 5 more killer reasons you should leave your church with all the ministry coolness and opportunities you have there and find the smallest, most countriest church you can find. (that’s how we say “really country” in small churches) If not for you, do it for your kids so that they can have something to blog about when they get older. Jobs are going to be tough to come by in 2030 I hear.

4 killer reasons it’s better to grow up at a small church (do you say “killer” at big churches?):

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(It’s guest post Friday!)  Here’s a post from Courtney Ousley who blogs about life at TheCuriousCalico.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Too Loud for Jesus?

Here in the Live Music Capital of the World (Austin,TX), our church caters to young hipsters who like music. Very, very loud music. For the rest of us weenies, there’s a free stash of ear plugs.

But while you make shalom with your cochlea, ear plugs come with their own set of dilemmas:

1. Do you rip open the package and pop them in right away so you’re prepared for that first blast of joyful noise unto the Lord? Or do you wait until the lights go down and then subtly try to slip them in?

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one from Julie Rhodes, who blogs at Wet Behind The Ears. If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Believing the Elders are Bond. James Bond.

Unless your church is the renegade Clint Eastwood of churches, it probably has elders. If you don’t think you have elders, you probably do, but they have chosen to keep their existence a secret until the appointed time. If you are aware there are elders in your church, I dare you to name one of them. Go ahead. Try.

A few weeks ago, all the elders at my church were up on stage for a forum with ministry leaders and volunteers. It was the first time most of us had ever seen them together. This was like discovering the man behind the curtain, except they all had proportionate eyebrows.

One of them stood out: The Chairman.

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s a post from Cory Copeland who blogs at MadtoLove.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Cory_Copeland.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

How to Tell if You’re Dating a Preacher

There is but one mighty trophy that exists in the brutal competition known as the Christian dating world—that of the young preacher as husband/wife. Wishes have been made, secret séances have been conducted, and felonies have been committed, all in the name of landing a preacher as a spouse. Of this, I am certain.

But how can you tell when that fine young lad or lass you’re interested in has designs on entering the ministry, or is just a good ol’ Christian soul? The subtle nuances can be daunting. Kinda like when Dr. Quinn had to decide if Sully was right for her or just a good-looking white boy who thought he might be a Native American (actually…it’s not anything like that). With that in mind, I present to you, “Cory Copeland’s Guide on How to Tell if You’re Dating a Preacher”:

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one from Paul Angone.  Paul is the host of AllGroanUp.com – a collaborative community for those in between growing and grown.  You can also find Paul on Twitter @PaulAngone.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Claiming Musicians as One of Us

“I heard that the lead singer’s dad was a missionary….”

“I think the bass player has “Jesus” tattooed in Hebrew on his side.“

“I’m pretty sure they were a worship band for a church somewhere in Tennessee. Or maybe it was California?”

“Yeah, man. I’m positive. The band is Christian…. “

“Oh really,” you respond. Sitting a little taller in your coffee shop chair, excitedly playing with the idea along with the rims of your thick black-rimmed glasses. “This it it,” you think to yourself, we’ve got someone on the inside, someone successful, someone who can prove that someone can be Christian and talented.

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s one from Alicia Yost who blogs about being a mom at AmericasNextTopMommy.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Calling God By His First Name

I once went to a church where a woman, a self-confirmed prayer expert, called another woman out on the way she prayed.

“I say this in love, but you are praying incorrectly. You can’t just talk and not address your heavenly father by name.  You must say, ‘Lord’ and then follow it up with your request.  I wouldn’t want your prayers to go unanswered.”

The woman who’d been called out went red in the face because, you see, this had been pointed out during a prayer group and now everyone was staring at her.  She started to cry.

“I’m just trying to be helpful.  There is a right way and a wrong way to pray,” said the expert.

I didn’t see what the woman had done wrong.  I usually pray the exact same way she had, but apparently we’ve both been doing it all wrong.  Obviously, God is very picky when you dial his number.  You must include a prefix code of “thou” or “Lord”.  If you don’t, he will assume you are a crank call and hang up in your ear and then screen your calls.

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(It’s guest post Friday!  Here’s a great one from Joel Stepanek.  You can follow Joel on Twitter @lt_jstepanek.  If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

Spontaneous Meal Prayer: A How-To Guide

The day was beautiful, everyone was smiling, and my sister and her new husband were simply beaming. The wedding ceremony had been emotional and moving and now it was time to have the introduction of the wedding party and newly married couple. And then, we were going to stuff our faces full of food.

As I waited in line to be introduced, my mind turned to thoughts about the meal I was soon to eat. I was interrupted by a tugging at my sleeve.

“Um, Joel, I know I forgot to ask you this earlier, but could you lead meal prayer?”

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It’s guest post Friday! Here’s one from Aaron Chewning. You can follow him on Twitter or at his website. If you want to write a guest post for SCL, here’s how!)

CROSSRoads – by Aaron Chewning

On each episode of CMT’s Crossroads, a country artist and an artist from a different genre team up to play a show and swap stories. Some of the most notable episodes paired artists like John Mayer with Keith Urban, Lionel Richie with Kenny Rogers, and Ray Charles with Travis Tritt. It’s truly a fascinating experiment of forced friendship and musical genre-bending.

Being the CCM superfan that I am, I’ve developed a version of Crossroads that would pair a Christian artist with a secular artist. I think it’d be irresponsible to call it something other than CROSSroads. I’ve penned up a list of potential episodes for the first season of CROSSroads and here they are…

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