Grow. There’s More.
Posted on August 9th, 2005 by catalyst into the Pastoral Staff, Sermons categoryWell, I’ve been feeling pretty unmotivated lately. But I flipped to the sermons this evening to see who had spoken recently. And what do you know, Marc "Barista" Estes was speaking. This was gonna be a gold mine I knew it. So allow me to briefly recap the sermon.
-He begins sermon by apologizing for bringing coffee into the sanctuary. Calls drinking coffee a habit. (No Marc, a habit, is when you read the Bible and Pray every morning. What you have is an addiction.) In the interest of full disclosure, I have a similar addiction.
-He then proceeds to tell five or six of the stupidest coffee jokes I have ever heard. Here’s one. "Most people wouldn’t like my coffee, they would think it was oil. And I proceed to tell them its the Holy Oil of Yashua." (I can’t believe I’m saying this, but someone get Frank back up on stage. This guy is bombing.) Of course, As I write this I realize that the one person who probably finds these jokes funny is my father. So maybe its a generational thing.
-Marc has dropped the name Starbucks in his sermon 6 times, and it hasn’t even been five minutes. I swear they’re sponsoring him. Someone check this out.
-He is know describing Frank’s Starbucks drink and his daughters drink. Its a freaking commercial. He’s advertising for Starbucks. Unbelievable!
-Now Marc is telling us we need to grow more in Christ. Its a good message. But still kind of sad. He really is a far cry from the guy who came up from Lake Tahoe and ran Operation Portland back in 1995. I would love for 1995 Marc Estes to meet 2005 Marc Estes.
-Your habits shape your character. (good point)
-He is now describing specific church members and how they dance and clap during worship. He’s trying to be funny, but no one is laughing. (It kills me, because Marc used to be edgy. But it appears he has been neutured. Neutured by a desire to be successful. Congratulations, Marc. You sold out.)
In closing, let me say his sermon was nice. Nice and boring.
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August 9th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
hi im renee and im 10 years old and i think you poeple who think that its fun makeing fun of city bible are crazy and I want to know why do you make fun of city bible
August 9th, 2005 at 8:54 pm
Renee,
Do you go to CBC? I’m guessing that you do. When I was 10, I’d never been anywhere else on a Sunday morning, and I would’ve thought that people making fun of the church were crazy, too. I definitely understand where you’re coming from.
People often make fun of things that hurt them, sometimes in healthy ways (ways that let them laugh about the thing that hurt them without just hurting it back) and sometimes in unhealthy ways (ways that are just trying to get back at the thing that hurt them). It’s hard to tell sometimes whether the making fun is heathy or unhealthy, and lots of times, it’s partly both. I think that’s what you’re seeing here.
A lot of the people who are saying things about City Bible here had a lot of bad things happen to them while they went to church there. Now that they don’t go to church there anymore, they’re trying to recover from the bad things that happened and find a way to move on from that. They’re also trying to make sure that the same bad things that happened to them don’t happen to other people. They’re not crazy….at least, I’m one of them, and I’m trying really hard not to be crazy.
People often do things that seem crazy when they’re in pain, but eventually they stop. But, it’s often important to live out the craziness on the outside so it doesn’t all stay inside. That’s why it’s important to talk about things that hurt with other people who care and will listen.
Hope that helps explain things.
August 10th, 2005 at 9:54 am
Some things have changed since the last time you were that Catalyst.
It’s now know as the “STARBUCKS” FORWARD TOGETHER CAMPAIGN, the West side campus has become “SEVENS FOR ALL MANKIND” CAMPUS, and Generation Church is now just called “Luis Vuitton” (I’m not sure if Luis is actually sponsoring them or why they dropped Church from their name, but that’s what’s going on.)
August 10th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
that is renee morton by the way. kind of ironic, I think she is just lashing out because of the last rmorton rankings
August 10th, 2005 at 8:22 pm
Jiminycricket,
Hi this is Renee. Thanks for the tips. I kidda meant the people who just do it for the fun of it are crazy. Now when it helps the CBC I get the point of them saying stuff like that. Yes, I did go to CBC and I loved it there. I would still be going there but my mom and dad started going to other churches. I dont know why. Did you ever have probblems at CBC?
Thank you for answering my question.
From,
Renee
August 11th, 2005 at 8:44 am
You were listening to the sermon from the West Campus. The East campus was laughing at all the jokes. And, sadly, you can pretty much count on the fact that everyone there “got” his sermon analogy and won’t look at their Starbucks cups without thinking about “what’s inside”.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:12 am
CBC: Changing the world one cup of coffee at a time.
Thank God they don’t waste their time with the Bible. I’d much rather hear about Starbucks.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:34 am
When I used to drink coffee I would think about the smell, the flavor, and the taste; now I think about changing the world.
Thank you Marc.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:34 am
Every time I drink a cup of coffee it now reminds me of how much Pastor Hank loves me.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:35 am
Coffee reminds me of other bad habits that I have, such as reading this stupid blog.
August 11th, 2005 at 9:36 am
Can we now assume that CBC uses Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts in place of grape juice and crackers for communion?
August 11th, 2005 at 9:38 am
Mark 9:41-50 (revised and edited)
41 And whoever gives you a cup of “Starbucks Fresh Brewed Coffee” to drink because of My name, since you belong to the Messiah– I assure you: He will never lose his reward.
August 11th, 2005 at 10:58 am
I wish i knew how to type when i was 10.
August 11th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
Anonymous,
He was “listening to the sermon from the West Campus. The East campus was laughing at all the jokes.”
So, coffee jokes are only funny on the East side?
Just a reminder here: It’s East and West side of Portland not the U.S.
August 11th, 2005 at 2:21 pm
First to Renee:
Yes, I had problems when I was at CBC, but I didn’t realize it (or wasn’t willing to admit it) until I was about 16. I never really blamed what was happening to me on the church….I always blamed it on the fact that there was something wrong with me, something that I needed to fix in order to fit in. My parents left the church before I was ready to go, too (when I was 15), but I had friends with cars and went to youth group and evening services even after they left, because I really believed that my parents had made a big mistake by leaving.
It took me a few more years of evaluating things before I decided CBC wasn’t good for me, either. I decided that it wasn’t really true that I had to change myself to be the same as everyone else in order to be what God wanted me to be. It wasn’t God who wanted me to act like them — it was just them, and they wouldn’t accept anything else.
If you want to talk more about this, feel free to email me: jiminycricket81@yahoo.com
>>>
To everyone else:
Perhaps the EastSiders are more likely to laugh at the jokes because of the nature of the population there….meaning that maybe they got it a little righter than they intended when they geared the West Campus toward a working-class, predominately Hispanic population. Affluent Whitey has money to burn on Starbucks, while people from working class backgrounds may not. Ergo, Whitey thinks Starbucks jokes are funny…..which is the part that’s *really* not funny.
I’m so glad that the people of God haven’t forgotten how to be exclusive and have truly embraced the more insipid aspects of privileged consumerist American culture. Truly, CBC is transforming the world…..or is that vice versa?
August 11th, 2005 at 7:49 pm
I would like to bring up a question, is there any possibility that blaming City Bible for all of the problems in your lives is just a way to take the focus and blame off of yourself, or maybe your own rebellion against the Word of God?
August 11th, 2005 at 10:35 pm
Jiminy, if you’ve moved on, why the need to weigh in on every ounce of minutiae? Why not move on and kick the dust off your feet?
August 12th, 2005 at 9:03 am
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August 12th, 2005 at 10:12 am
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August 12th, 2005 at 10:13 am
(Sorry for the deletes..)
Here’s a question for you Anonymous:
Is there any possibility you’re questioning blogger’s motives to deflect attention from your church’s rebellion against the Word of God?
Also I would like for you to point out where any blogger is rebelling against God or blaming CBC for all their problems. You’d also do well to drop the hyperbole. It doesn’t suit you any better than your buddy Cattle List.
November 14th, 2005 at 12:49 am
Interesting how the corporate supports the corporate. Starbucks can go to hell so far as I’m concerned. They are over-running all the decent coffee shops that are individually owned around here. Just like CBC over-runs the small local churches w/ their corporate mentality. It makes sense that they endorse Starbucks, Krispy Cream & the ipod. Doesn’t surprise me. As far as I’m concerned, they can stay up on the hill where they belong. Funny how in the 8 years since I have left that church, I’ve never heard high nor tail of them since. They aren’t even getting close to reaching their city or community. Unless you live on Rocky Butte, you probably don’t know of them. A bunch of corporate, fake, sell-outs. Life is SO good if you leave Rocky Butte. Try it, you’ll like it.