Idiot Email Snafu

Ok, I'm an idiot.

I can't believe that I made such a goof up. Such a snafu.

Somehow in the setting up of the Compass contact email last November, I did something wrong. To make a long story short, last night I discovered 35 emails that had been sent to info[at]compasswired.com that we never received.

Some of those emails were from people who were very interested in our church...back in January.

Yeah.

I'm an idiot.

If you sent an email to us at that address and didn't hear back from us, that's the reason.

I've responded to those stray emails, but really - after 9 months, the prospects have a tendency to get a little cold.

"Oh, Technology...I love thee yet hate thee....But can't really blame thee, because in the end it was me." - Sir Johnny Da Idiot Snafu

Rats.

I'm going to bed.

Another Amazing Weekend

The "amazing weekend" from my last post was apparently so amazing that I was left blogless for over a week! Actually, if you’ve had trouble reaching me, I apologize. We’ve had a few technical (read financial) difficulties with a few services this week. :-D Hey, I'm just keeping it real, here, folks...

Another great weekend coming up for Compass and the Leckie Family, however.

Friday night:

We’ll be serving at the Harvest Ridge Neighborhood “Fall Festival.” My family will be wearing the Compass Church “colors” and handing out flyers about our Family Movie Night on the Green. Incidentally, another family in our church will be doing something similar at a festival in their new neighborhood.

Saturday:

AM - Leona and I will be administering the ACT test to High School students in the morning. (The SAT went fine, by the way.) Before long, we will have given all of the alphabet tests out there….

PM -
"Family Movie Night On The Green." (Thanks, Scott Whitaker, although unbeknownst to you, for the cool "on the green" part of the name!) This is shaping up to be a cool but simple event. We’ll be showing the movie, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” outside in the park across the street from the Roanoke Rec Center. We’re also showing a short promotional video trailer about our church before the movie:

“The following preview has been approved for all audiences by the people who are bringing you Family Movie Night on the Green…”

Another cool side note about this event is that we had 400 glow sticks and bracelets donated by a friend of Compass. Should be a fun surprise to our guests. But to you, it's just another reason to be there. :-)

Sunday:

AM –
“Ever After: Creating A Marriage That Thrives” Series continues. I'm taking a different angle on this topic than I have used in the past. I'm diggin' it.

PM –
Crash on the couch with Leona and watch disk 4 of Lost Season 2.

An Amazing Weekend Ahead

This is going to be an amazing weekend. Full to overflowing, schedule overlapping, non-stop excitement.

I hope I survive it. :)

Here are the highlights:

Friday:

* Hopefully, our new T-shirts arrive (Navy blue and simple with a cool compass on the sleeve).

* Because of Saturday afternoon & Sunday morning (see below), we will be frantically cleaning our house, doing laundry and polishing things up.

Saturday:

* Leona and I are administering the SAT test for high school students from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Every extra penny's currently very precious. :-)

* Compass is serving at a big community event called, "Celebrate Roanoke" and the team is supposed to arrive at 11:30 a.m. Overlapping of schedules kick in here...

* Leona and I will grab a quick lunch on the way from the SAT, pick up our kids and meet up with the team around 1:30 p.m. We'll remain at this event till after 8:00 p.m.!

* During the event, we'll also be distributing flyers about our upcoming "Family Movie Night on the Green."

* Leona's parents arrive sometime in the afternoon. Hence, reason one for the aforementioned cleanup.

Sunday:

* Team setup at the Rec Center at 7:00 a.m. New series kicks off today and Kim is back to lead worship. Yay to that!

* Volunteer/Team run-through/worship service at 9:00 a.m.

* Public Worship Service at 10:30 a.m. (Biggest highlight of the weekend)

* Somewhere during the middle of the service, Leona's parents are picking up her brother from the airport. Hence, reason number two for the aforementioned cleanup.

* After teardown, we finally arrive home around 1:10 p.m. or so, visit with company, and eat a late lunch together.

* Afternoon - Company heads to Oklahoma; Leona and I crash on the couch. (Second biggest highlight of the weekend)

Cooler weather has rolled in, there's much to do and enjoy, and it's great to just be alive. I'm looking forward to what God does as we blast through a weekend of service, worship and relationship building.

Maybe I'll have an amazing story or two to tell sometime after the Sunday nap. :-D

Updates ahead...

West-room

On a lighter note about my trip to Louisiana, there was a very kind church who provided a meal for my family following the Memorial Service. And it was a truly classic southern meal including fried chicken (of course), deviled eggs and potato salad. It was some seriously delicious and comforting food, and the hospitality was awesome.

But I have to tell you about the restroom. It was decorated in the most cowboy-western style imaginable. From the ropes, cowboy statues, and pictures on the wall to the wooden fence style stalls, it was a fun sight to see.

But the cattle skull by the urinal took it to a whole new level.

I had to get my brother, Kenny to snap a couple of pictures and send them to me on his cool new xpress mail camera phone pda thingy.

I would say, "Only in Texas," but this was Louisiana. :-D

I mean no disrespect; I just thought it was a hoot.

Check it out:

My Uncle Vince

I was out of town all day on Wednesday for a memorial service for my Uncle Vince, who passed away a week ago.

The service was held in Ida, Louisiana (pop. 258) in a little church near where my Granddad lived till his death in the late 80's and where my mom spent her childhood years. The church has a big iron bell on a pole that is still used on Sunday mornings.

My brother Bill did the officiating and did a great job under the circumstances. Vince's body had been cremated and the ashes placed in a box that he had crafted himself. Following the service in the church, we walked across the street to the cemetary where Vince was buried at the foot of my Grandpa's grave.

My uncle lived a pretty wild life, including a reported period of time in the Bandidos motorcycle gang, sleeping in caves on occasion, getting in barfights (involving a stray bullet or two), and generally pushing the limits of most of the boundaries in this life.

But he was always kind to my brothers, sister and me, and the few times we were able to see him in the last ten years or so, he always went out of his way to tell us that he was proud of us.

It seems like just yesterday we were wrestling and playing football with him in the front yard of my house as kids in Shreveport. Just thinking about that is a great reminder to me that this life is truly a blink of the eye (James 4:14) and that every day is precious. It's also a reminder that we will all stand before God one day. All of us, without exception.

We are told by my mom that her brother made a decision to follow Christ and was baptized as a boy, but honestly, only God knows the condition of his heart when he stepped into eternity.

I'm hoping for the best. May God's grace abound.

So long, Uncle Vince. I hope with all my heart to see you on the other side.

How about you? Are you ready for the ultimate appointment?

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. and is a daily (and I do mean daily) blogger@ www.evotional.com.

Mark is a sharp guy who often falls into the "bloggably linkable" category around here. Genuinely nice, he's a creative pastor who has been one of my prayer partners along the way and is a fellow coffee connoisseur.

He also chases lions.

Into pits.

Snow be danged.

And of course, this is one of the reasons I like him.

His new book, "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day," is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture (II Samuel 23:20-21):

Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.

Here's a "stand out" quote from chapter one:

"What sets lion chasers apart isn't the outcome. It's the courage to chase God-sized dreams. Lion chasers don't let their fears or doubts keep them from doing what God has called them to do."

Having been in a few pits myself a few times, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Mark's book!

It's available to all as of today - Order it from Amazon here.

Current Life Soundtrack - Mutemath

Earthsuit was a cool band a few years ago, and it was a bummer when they broke up. Fortunately, the leader of that group formed a new band called, "Mutemath."



Based out of New Orleans, this is a creative band that's not afraid of the "Keytar." But don't let that scare you or keep you away. The Keytar is completely tricked out and this is definitely no 80's band.

My musical tastes are wide and varied, and Mutemath is a like a jumbalaya mix of many of them, served up hot with just the right spices. (Now there's a sound byte...) With influences of Jazz, alt-rock, and electro-something or other - they're kind of hard to peg.

But pegged or not, Mutemath is my current life soundtrack.

Blogging - 2 years and counting

Time is a greasy bullet that left the barrel five minutes ago....

In other words, it really goes by quickly.

Yesterday marked 2 years for this blog, so to carry on the tradition from last year (and in case you missed them the first time around), here are my favorite posts/series from this past year...

1. Creative Podcasting (By far, the most read/linked post of the year)
2. Un-Wired-er Analog PDA Mindmap (The combination of words has resulted in a ton of hits from people searching for something other than this pic...)
3. Spiritual Maturity "Sound Byte" (Still true, and you still either get it or you don't.)
4. Being Missional in a Postmodern World While Trying To Emerge Past Modernity
5. "Surprised by Santa" Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part the 4th, and Epilogue
6. Fun on the Redneck Trampoline (with video - The title says it all)
7. "Where God Guides, He Provides" Series: A Slippery Excuse, WGGHP Part 2, and Part 3 (Part 3 is a close second for most read/linked post)
   
8. Church Sign Series: "Here's Your [Church] Sign" and "Suggestions for Better Church Signs" (Unfortunately, most of the people who landed on these posts after doing a search were most likely not happy with what they found...)
   
9. The Sincerest Form of Flattery
   
10. Church Planting Strategy (The Short List)
11. Usable
12. Thoughts on Spiritual Growth

Well, there you have it.

Such as it is, this blog has helped me to sort through things as I've faced challenges, allowed me to focus my thoughts, provided a way to connect with people from all over and has given me a creative outlet for my random thoughts and ideas. If it has helped, encouraged and/or made you laugh along the way, all the better.

Thanks for reading, listening and watching.

Comments are welcome. Feel free to stop by and say hello.

Wacky Religious Stuff For Christmas

The season before the season is now here. And I must say that it's just as weird as ever in the "wacky religious stuff" department.

On this year's slate of silly sacrilege:

First up -

It's "Religious Candy Cane Pacifier Rings!"

Individually wrapped with Bible verses celebrating Christ's birth! Peppermint flavor. 3" Fat-free.

Words fail me.

But there have to be at least a dozen jokes that could be inserted here... I guess we can at least be glad that they're fat-free.

Printed on the bag is Matthew 1:21-23. Baby Jesus. Baby toy. Candy. This makes sense to someone.

Next Up -

It's "A Stocking For Jesus" Stocking with Card!

Honestly, I'm not really sure which bothers me more, that Jesus needs a stocking for Christmas or that it's just so stinkin' small.

Here's the poem on the card:

"It is not great deeds we do in life that matter very much, but the Love with which we do them and the joy of those they touch! So lets hang this stocking for the Lord, to honor Him above. For Jesus did great deeds for us, and did them all with Love! Then maybe when we leave this life as every mortal must. We’ll find the Savior’s mantle hung with stockings just for us!"

Let's move on. There's a tear in my eye.

Next Up - It's "Plush Long Armed Religious Gorillas!"

Not really a Christmas item, but I didn't make up that title. That's really how they are listed.

Unfortunately, the furry little things all seem to be recovering from surgery.

Oh wait. That's a cross.

On a gorilla.

You know, now that I think about it, I think I've known a few "plush long armed religious gorillas" in a few churches along the way...


Last Up - (And also for all seasons, I might add)

It's "Religious Bouncing Balls!"

Yeah.

I think I'll just leave it at that.

...But if you purchase the balls, the web site recommends that you may also be interested in these: "Religious Paper Bags."

...Oh yeah. There's also an item in honor of anyone who buys this stuff:

"Religious Suckers"

Mercy Me, there's a guitar in the wall...

Click and you'll understand:

Phone is Alive Again...For Now...

Click to listen:

Pics of the new Well's Baby...

Fast pics of our worship leader, Kim's and Ricky's new baby, Sydney Kate Wells...

Kim didn't want to be in the pictures, so I honored her request and got Ricky, instead! :-D

Gotta post and run. Enjoy!

Hard to Get

But I'm not playing.

There are 2 basic reasons that I've been a little hard to reach, lately.

The first is just that my phone is dead. Not the service; just the phone. I tried to turn it on Sunday evening and it just flashed, tried really hard to power up, then went dead. It's not the battery. It's just time for a new phone. I'll get to it as soon as I can, but until then if you need to reach me, just leave a message and I'll eventually get it when I'm at a phone that I can use to check messages. I also check email througout the day.

The second is that my schedule has become a bit full, to say the least. To move the vision for Compass Church from dream to reality, I'm working other jobs. And yes, that was an "s" on the end of the word "job." And no, it is not a small irony that the dude in the Bible who had so many difficulties went by the same name. Even if it was pronounced differently. :-D

As always, thanks for supporting us with your prayers and resources! Many exciting things are in the works for Compass, and I can't wait to tell you about what's ahead.

But it'll have to wait, because I'm heading out the door.

Oh by the way, I now have a basic page on MySpace. I'll be in and out of there sporadically, also! Check it out here: myspace.com/johnnyleckie

New Little Compass Kiddo welcomed to the world

Our worship leader, Kim Wells and her husband Ricky are definitely doing all they can to grow our church...

Today a little after 4 p.m., they welcomed their new baby into the world!

The newest member of the Wells family is a bouncing baby girl, weighing in at 7lbs and 6 oz, and has been given the name, "Sydney Kate Wells."

Mom, Baby & Dad are all doing fine.

Congratulations, Ricky and Kim!

Cool Tool - CellTell for Backpack

Back in the days when my "Toshiba Pocket PC e310" actually worked, there was a feature that I used all the time. It was the "voice recorder."

I would be driving down the road, have an idea, and would immediately record it by talking into the Pocket PC. Later, I would sync it with my desktop PC and have a more permanant way of storing those "captured" thoughts, ideas and reminders.

Now I don't need it.

A cool little "web 2.0" tool called "CellTell" makes it possible for me to do the same thing with my Backpack account using my cell phone.

I put the phone number in my speed dial, call it, record whatever and it's immediately posted to a page in Backpack. I can then listen to it in Backpack and even download it to my computer if I want. I can also share it with others, but I'm using it to store my own personal reminders, ideas and stuff.

Here's a sample I copied from my Backpack account:

Simple. Functional. Helpful. Cool.

And of course, like my backpack account, it's also free.

The Return of My Chin

Lost the goatee.

Slightly scruffy, still, however.

Leona's cool with it or without it.

Heck, she's just cool.

Should it return?

What say you?

Information Stupid Highway

Go ahead.

Talk on your cell phone on your way down the road (I did!). Eat a hamburger. Shave with an electric razor if you must.

But please...do not do this:*

*For some reason, this audioblog is just making its way to my blog, even though it was recorded last week!

By the way, in the audio, I make a reference to Chris leading worship this Sunday, but that was actually last Sunday! Chris did a great job and it was a blast having him with us!

The Return of Chris

A long time ago in a church far, far away, my family stepped out in faith to plant a new church in a new developing area called the Alliance, Texas Corridor. Another brave soul with a heart for God and a willingness to serve, prayed with his wife, grabbed his guitar and came along for the ride.

And for the incredible journey that was "North Point Fellowship," Chris Roberson was our worship leader, a Trustee, and basically my "right hand man." As North Point's time was drawing to a close, Chris moved on to new adventures but has remained a faithful prayer partner and friend.

So I'm happy to report that this Sunday (8/27), Chris returns to fill in for Kim as she takes a maternity leave from leading worship at Compass.

Kim, by the way, will most likely be bringing baby number two into the world before this week is out. I know that she and her husband, Ricky would appreciate your prayers this week!

But in honor of the return of Chris, I thought it would be fitting to post this classic video from an old series in the archives. It stars me, my fam, Chris, and the off-camera voice of a hot chick I know...

Enjoy.

Watch the video, here: Johnny's Extreme Makeover

[Sorry for the ".wmv" file, to those of you who hate them, but I had trouble quickly shrinking the file size any other way and time was rocking on. Eh, it is what it is.]
Update: Ok, here's the video in a ".mov" format. It's a much bigger file, but it looks 10 times better.
Johnny's Extreme Makeover.mov

[And yes, the hot chick in question is my lovely wife, Leona.]

Fun With Planets

When I was in first grade, I made a lame painting of the "9" planets that orbit our sun. It was for a science fair. The project was 100% made by me (hence the lameness), but I was very capable of describing each of the planets in great detail to the judges as they stopped by.

Unfortunately, my display of the current knowledge of planets at the time was not enough to win the blue ribbon. Apparently my watercolor and marker painting on plywood didn't make the cut. But the judges were very impressed with my command of the facts. Thank you very much.

Of course even then, there was talk of a mysterious and possible "planet X" out there. We always thought that sounded cool, although it was highly debated among scientists. So when I discovered the news yesterday about the discussions about planets within the scientific community that are currently going on, I was very interested. First grade curiosity is hard to shake, sometimes.

It seems there is some disagreement right now about what constitutes a "planet" and it is very possible that the new accepted understanding will be that there are 12 planets instead of 9 making their way around that lucky old sun. If that happens, there will be a lot of textbooks and educational toys and my 1st grade science project that will need to be updated.

This little news item inspired me to scribble the following cartoon as I was about to head out the door tonight. Sorry for the lame drawing, but I was in a hurry. A quick scribble, a fast scan and there you go. ...How bout that hair? (Feel free to pass it along, by the way. ...The Cartoon, not the hair....)

Actually, generally speaking, when people say that they "believe" or "trust" in science, they really mean that they believe in the scientific method. I do too. It works pretty well for what it was designed to do.

Unfortunately, science and the scientific method cannot adequately answer the ultimate questions of life or really even the origin of life. The changing nature of the facts derived through the scientific method make it the wrong discipline for discovering answers of meaning and purpose.

Faith and science do not have to always be in conflict. By their very nature they will sometimes be at odds on ultimate issues, but do not have to cancel each other out.

Faith in scientific "facts" alone, however, is fairly shaky for maintaining certainty, because the "facts" could change at any moment. That makes the definition of "fact" itself a little shaky, also. Not to mention that it's a fairly cold and empty way to live life on the third rock from the sun.

Faith in Christ, however, provides a rock solid stability that is not shaken by the latest "changing of the facts" that results from the latest scientific discovery. He's trustworthy and constant.

Colossians 1:15-17
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.
16 Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see – kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him.
17 He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.
- NLT

Science, Faith and a Cartoon.

Welcome to my blog.

George Harrison 80's Video for Church Planters

If George Harrison of the Beatles was about to plant a Church in the late 80's...



I started laughing out loud when I made the lyrical connection!

:-D