(CNN) -- A federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday awarded $10.9 million to a father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by members of a fundamentalist church carrying signs blaming soldiers' deaths on America's tolerance of homosexuals.

I wish there was a mechanism that could shut down "churches" like this permanently. Such bigotry and hatred.

It's no wonder that people have become so cynical and jaded when the term "Christian" is used. Consider this quote from the newly-released book UnChristian:

“Christianity has become bloated with blind followers who would rather repeat slogans than actually feel true compassion and care. Christianity has become marketed and streamlined into a juggernaut of fearmongering that has lost its own heart.”

The only bright side is that it should be obvious that these meglomaniacs do not represent Jesus in any way, shape or form.

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We've had a lot of calls lately from churches (and a few businesses) interested in renovating their web spaces. They do tend to get stale if you don't keep them updated, and styles do change over the years. It's amazing how many churches have websites built the old-fashioned way with Frontpage, that are still sticking with them. And Bob the volunteer (no offence, Bob) just doesn't have the time to keep the website up, let alone making it attractive and functional.

When I looked back at our own website, I realized it was time for a change. We do things differently than we did even three years ago, and we are going for a much simpler, almost minimal look, with less dependance on moving razmatazz. "Oooo.... aaaah" special effects might get people to look at your site, but only good content will compel them to stay.

So check out the new and improved www.mullinsmedia.com, and if you know of a church or business that would like to try something new, pass our name along!

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A few weeks ago I did some filming in Washington, DC for the Fellowship of Christian Lumbermen. I didn't sell a lot of DVDs, but one of the guys who bought one lives in Waterloo, so I decided to deliver his personally tonight. I dropped off Maddy at the church and punched his address into "Judy" - my GPS unit ;-). Anyway, as "Judy" led me along the 401, and then Hwy 8 and the Conestoga Parkway, things began to look familiar. I turned onto Albert Street, and then left on Longwood and right onto Moccasin Dr. Turns out my friend lives just around the corner from one of the houses I grew up in, from '76 to '81.

I remember my Dad planting a willow tree in the front yard. It's now bigger than the house. I was telling my friend that my Dad built a bench into the fence for people to sit on while they waited for the bus. His daughter remembered what a great idea that was.

I drove along the streets I used to walk to school, and eventually found it. The school seems much smaller now.

The remarkable thing was, I really didn't need "Judy". As I slowly drove through the old neighborhood, the street names and rights and lefts all came right back to me after 30 years. What is that? How do our brains lock that kind of information away, only to bring it back when we need it.

Makes me wonder what Maddy and Shaniah will remember when they are 38 and 41.

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The last few years have taught us the value and importance of cultivating the inner life in solitude, but there is something inspiring about 11,000 other believers worshipping in the same place. Makes one dream about heaven, and the power of millions around the throne of God.

For me, Catalyst is about being stretched and challenged spiritually. How do we reach a culture which for the most part has written the church and Christianity off? In a recent survey, over 80% of the American public associated Christianity first with anti-homosexuality. So when I introduce myself as a Christian, 8 out of 10 immediately assume I am one of the "haters". The current belief also seems to be that Christians are anti-environmental too. Nice place to start, eh? We are known far more for what we are against then what we are for, and that is sad.

I didn't agree with everything every speaker had to say, but I've been challenged to reconsider some of my own positions and think of ways to connect with a society which believes that Christianity is at best irrelevant and at worst, dangerous.

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Catalyst is one of those conferences that probably couldn't happen anywhere but in America. Over 11,000 people paid on average $200 each to attend. This isn't all that bad for a two-day conference, but when you add the merchandise for sale (books, DVDs, music, t-shirts), cost of transportation, hotels and food, it becomes a pretty pricey proposition. If you've been there before, you'll know their use of technology (sounds, lights and video) is off the hook - to use the vernacular - and that's a good thing. It only enhances the overall experience. When I get home I'll post some video I shot of one of the worship sets.

As in other years, I have struggled with the materialism of the whole affair. Dave Ramsey (Financial Peace University and syndicated Radio personality) is a huge presence this year, but so are several other vendors selling thousands of dollars of resources - credit cards gladly accepted. Every one is giving away lots of free stuff, along with chances to win iPods or an iMacs. People were almost tackling each other to catch t-shirts fired by cannon into the crowd. Ramsey even had a small radio-controlled blimp flying around the arena, dropping coupons that could be turned in for the chance to win more Apple stuff. Only in America.

On the plus side, the teaching and worship have been awesome. Andy Stanley preached from John 13, asking the question, "What do you do when it dawns on you that you are the most powerful person in the room?" Most pastors and leaders tend to abuse the power, twisting it for their own aggrandisement. Jesus humbles himself and washes his disciples feet, commanding us to do the same. Francis Chan spoke simply, eloquently and honestly on his struggles with pastoring a "successful" church when he frankly didn't love Jesus or his people as he should. Rick Warren was a little less inspiring, choosing to pretty much "wing it" with sound bytes from his Purpose Driven material. I noticed a real difference from the first time I heard him speak several years ago, and it was kind of sad.

Tomorrow we're looking forward to Erwin McManus, Tim Sanders and Andy Stanley before we hit the road around 4 for the long drive back to Lewisburg, PA to see our girls and my folks.

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I've been to Catalyst twice before - once with my friend Darryl, and once with my brother Steve. This year, I really wanted to take my wife, as I've always said she would love it. So we're actually going this year! We left the girls with my folks near Harrisburg, PA, and took a few days for the leisurely drive to Atlanta (my and Lynn's definition of "leisurely" differs greatly, but that's another post).

I hope to blog through the two days we are there, hopefully from my seat in the arena. Will see how that goes, but keep your eye's posted.

Oh, yes. There is a third person in the car with us. Her name is Judy and she is from the UK. She is riding in a little small box stuck to our windshield, a Tom Tom Go 300. Charming, Judy is. And she never ceases to amaze us with her ability to track us (using 6-8 satellites) and guide us to where we need to be, even quickly recalculating when we deviate from her plan. She even suggested a hotel for us tonight!

When I first installed "Judy", the girls were amazed. From the time their young lips could form words, they have insisted on asking "are we there yet?" or, "when will be there?" Now they can just look at the display and see for themselves exactly where they are. Shaniah, knowing that Lynn would rather read than talk on long trips, said, "that's great Dad. Now you have someone to talk too."

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