Where Have All the Christians Gone?

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I just read an article on Fox by Ben Feiler that was talking about the decline of Christianity in America. The article does not spend all of its time pointing out the downfall of Christianity in America, but also points out some of the solutions to the problem based on their study. Here are a few of the issues or wake-up calls that arose from the study:

First, catering to older believers is a recipe for failure; younger Americans are tuning out.

Second, Americans are interested in God, but they don’t think existing institutions are helping them draw closer to God.

Finally, Americans’ interest in religion has not always been stable. It dipped following the Revolution and again following Civil War. In both cases it rebounded because religious institutions adapted and found new ways of relating to everyday Americans.

Go read the entire article HERE and then come back and Join the Conversation.

What do you see as the biggest decline in the church? Where is the biggest disconnect between the church & everyday Americans?

What’s the solution?

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Off the Blogs: This Thursday Night

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This Thursday night, February 26th I have the opportunity to volunteer at the Off the Blogs event taking place after the One Day Catalyst Conference. Here’s the details:

When: Thursday, Feb 26th – 7:30 PM

OFF THE BLOGS is a night of conversation with three of the most influential bloggers in the ministry world, Jon Acuff, Anne Jackson and Carlos Whittaker, hosted by Pete Wilson with worship by Aaron Keyes. OFF THE BLOGS is a special evening of authenticity and truth. A night to take off what doesn’t matter and celebrate what does.

Cost:

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. Registration is free for Catalyst ONE DAY Atlanta attenders. Just pick up a wrist-band at the registration area.

Where:

3372 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30326

OFF THE BLOGS will be held at Christian Church Buckhead at 3372 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA (click here for directions)

I hope to see you there! For more information, visit the Off the Blogs website: http://www.offtheblogs.com


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Busy as a Bee

How busy is a bee…really?

My blogging may be very sporadic, even more than it has been over the next 2-3 weeks.

I may just blink and wake up and realize that it is April.

I have so much going on right now I can’t get sidetracked right now.

Who know’s as something happens I may just post it and keep it short and sweet. I’ll be back to normal soon.

Hang in there with me :)

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This May Hurt A Little…

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I am starting my blog move to WordPress.org – If you come to my blog by the address of http://www.nickcarnes.com and you can’t access the blog one day, go to http://www.nickcarnes.wordpress.com, as I will still be updating my blog here at .com until I get everything working. I am going to try and make a subdomain to build my site in, however I have never done that, and there is the potential for me to break something…so my hopes are not to break it, but it could happen!

When its all said and done, nickcarnes.com will be the domain forever going forward. Thank you for your patience with my move :)

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New Blog Coming Soon!

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I’ve spent the last week or so working with a couple of different blogs on the WordPress.org platform. I love it! Its complicated, but its fluid…meaning I have total control of my site. I love the challenge of playing with the code to customize the look and feel to the way I like it. I do not know a lot of code, so I’ve broken the other sites I’ve been playing with several times, but fortunately as I learn it (thanks to free info through Google) I am able to fix it back! Oh, I’ve got to give credit to the web designer tools through Firefox too!

To be honest, I hate my blog design here on WordPress.com, but it is the only 3 column layout that works for me, all of that will change when I switch to WordPress.org. Beyond the look of my blog, I am going to be able to add various different elements that .com does not allow.

I can’t wait…hopefully soon you will come to nickcarnes.com and see a whole new site! Its going to be a beautiful thing :)

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2009 Kingdom Day Update

I am blogging over at the PDYM Blog today, but my post is very relevant here as well. I started promoting Kingdom Day HERE and HERE a while back. Purpose Driven has picked up on it and has allowed me to promote the day within our Network and is helping put an engine to the locomotive. I was given the opportunity to promote the day to our state mentors at the Gathering and will have the opportunity to promote it at the PDYM Conference in March with a breakout session. We are calling it PDYM Kingdom Day, but this day is definitely not limited to student ministries who use the PDYM paradigm for their ministries, this day is for every student ministry that uses the Bible for a foundation of what they do. Kingdom Day is about living out the Gospel, I hope we all believe that to be important. Here is an excerpt to what I wrote on the PDYM Blog, I encourage you to go read it in its entirity there!

200.
Currently, that’s the approximate number of churches that will be participating in the 2009 PDYM Kingdom Day on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

Kingdom Day is set to be the single largest Service project in the history of the church, and you have the opportunity to be a part of that history. In a single day, student ministries will unite together despite denomination and regardless of group size to live out the Gospel of love to our communities by serving those who are in need. This is a great opportunity to emphasize the purpose of ministry within your student ministries, as well to promote our individual churches working together united as ONE body to be more effective in reaching our communities, to impact our nation, our country, and our world. READ ENTIRE POST

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California

This is where I am this week…Yes, California!

I am at Saddleback for the Gathering with Doug Fields and his team.

There are so many Youth Ministry geniuses here, I am wondering why I am here.

I may not be blogging a lot over the next couple of days because of this.

But that’s ok, I’m not complaining. :)

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Politics and Blogging

I am not blogging today. I just don’t have it in me. There is a lot on my mind, but its a friday off.

I am excited about Sarah Palin being selected as John McCain’s running mate. I think there is more excitement about her than there is for John McCain himself. Anyway, I am working on some political posts. I have remained silent for most of the political season here on my blog. I am not in a position where I cannot promote my political ideals, so I am going to, because I am tired of not saying what I believe. I would much rather blog about what actually makes a difference in people’s lives and that is Christ’s church, but its election season so I am going to make a few brief detours.

So, if you are looking for some blog fun today and want to express some of your political thoughts, go to the Waxy One’s Blog and share what your one platform would be if you were elected President. Click HERE to go there.

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Sunday Fun: My First Survey Ever

Here is a little survey for some Sunday fun! Truthfully, this is the only survey I have ever filled out on the internet, even with all of the temptation (not really) to do them on MySpace, I have never given in. However, I got called out by Dan…so this is only because I think Dan is a great guy. So if you have ever sent me a survey and I did not fill it out…get the hint, I did not think you were a great guy/girl…just kidding :)

1. Do you like blue cheese? No

2. Favorite T.V Series? 24, Lost, Office, Psych, Monk

3. Do you own a gun? Yes, a 9mm handgun

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? None

5. Do you get nervous before a doctors appointment?  Yes.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I love them. Turkey dogs are the best because they have less calories, but I love a beef hot dog when I am cheating. The best hot dog I have ever had was from Pink’s in L.A. Cali.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Christmas Story

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Unsweetened Tea, sugar free lemonade, or Pibb Zero

9. Can you do pushups? Yes, but not a lot, I have a permanently injured neck.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My Wedding Ring is the only jewelry I wear, unless you count the nipple piercings…just kidding :)

11. First boyfriends name? I plead the 5th I’m not out of the closet yet.

12. Favorite hobby? Sports, Blogging, Watching Sports, Fantasy Football, Traveling, hanging w/ my family

13. Any Birthmarks? Yes, on the inside of my right arm, its very small, looks like a med. freckle.

14. Do you have A.D.D.? I am told as a child I had symptoms of such, but I think my dad cured it with his belt and paddle.

15. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? I hate my ‘love-handles’ they won’t go away despite how much weight I lose, grrr!

16.. Middle name? Mark

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment – What can get rid of my ‘love-handles’, I wonder who won the Braves game?, How long is this survey?

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: Gas, Lunch, Dinner – That’s it!

19. Do you like your job? %&#!$ NO!!!! (Hopefully it will be changing soon)

20. If you had a night off, what would you do? Have a family night.

21. Current Dislikes? Cost of Gas and Dishonest People.

22. Favorite place to be? The Mountains or California.

23. How did you bring in the New Year? At home with my wife…she was sick from pregnancy and asleep.

24. Where would you like to go? Aspen Colorado, Ireland, Israel, Hong Kong

25. Name three people who will complete this? Billy, Shane, Trevor.

26. Do you own slippers? No!

27. What shirt are you wearing? T-Shirt from Abercrombie

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Yes.

29. Biggest Pet Peeve? People who do not wash their hands in the bathroom, dishonest people, loud/obnoxious people

30. Favorite color? Blue

31. Would you be a pirate? Heck No…A Ninja!

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Don’t sing in the shower!  However, some of my best thoughts come from there. – Ditto, I totally agree with Dan’s answer!

33. Kids? Two awesome boys and a beautiful but cranky newborn little girl.

34. Favorite boy’s name? Chance, Gavin, Tristan – I did not win with Chance, thus our boys are Gavin & Tristan

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Something I cannot say, but I laughed for about 10 minutes straight.

37. Favorite girl name? Jordan & Hailey – Lost on this one too, our girl is Hailey, but it was not my #1.

38. Worst Injury you have ever had? In H.S. I punched an old fire extinguisher box that had a glass door and the inside of my hand got sliced from one side to the other and small pieces of glass got lodged into my hand, I did not go to the ER to get stitches, I wrapped it up and went to play a soccer game, when I got home we had to steri-strip it as it was really bad.

39. Do you love where you live? Yes, born and raised here, but not against leaving either!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three.

41. Who is your loudest friend?  No comment, since I said that was one of my pet peeves, Ha!

42. How many dogs do you have? None, no more dogs for us since our German Shepherd got lost.

43. Does anyone have a crush on you? My wife, she can’t keep her hands off of me!

44. Favorite Candy? Peanut M&M’s, but I don’t eat candy…never really have, but if I did, it would be these.

45. What is your favorite book(s)? The Bible, Barbarian Way, Messy Spirituality, Chasing Daylight, Soul Cravings.

46. What is your favorite store? AE, Abercrombie & Fitch, Buckle, Wal-Mart, Target, Rue 21, Sports Authority

47. Favorite Sports Team? Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Duke Blue Devils (college basketball), Atlanta Braves

48. What song(s) do you want played at your funeral? I don’t want a funeral I want a party. ‘You Are My Joy’ – David Crowder Band…Anything Hillsong or Passion, upbeat, not dead.

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping, which is rare, I would usually be watching TV, blogging, or anything but sleeping.

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I don’t want to get up this early, mmm blueberry pancakes!

Ok, so I survived the 50 question drilling about all the personal details of my life. I called out Trevor, Shane, and Billy…so lets have it…post this survey on your site and lets hear about your every little secret!

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Guest Blogging @ Shanepadgett.com

Hello Daily readers and more…please join me today over at www.shanepadgett.com where I will be guest blogging. Shane just started blogging on his own personal blog, so do me a favor and show him some comment love over there! Thanks for supporting another blogger’s blog today! I am a link…I will take you there :)

Nick

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