Purusing my web site stats and found that someone from the UK stumbled across my old blog and found this new one.
Whomever you are, I hope you enjoyed!
Archive - May, 2006
Weekend thoughts…
What a great weekend! Had some great service opportunities come about and really enjoyed them all. Yesterday we had our monthly food packing in partnership with TEAM Rochester. That is a good time, every time. I am conflicted on the promotion of it at church because there really isn’t enough for that many people to do in a small space. If we had a larger venue we could have 20 more people come and help and get done in about an hour. That would be the sweet thing.
Went to set up this morning at church. Several of our core group were gone today, so that left some voids to fill. I have helped with tear down exactly once, so I kind of knew what was going on, but felt in the dark in a lot of ways. But really, I just did what I was asked and really enjoyed doing it. I also had the opportunity to pick up a couple that found our church on the web. They are from Michigan and are in town for medical treatment. It was a pleasure to meet them and hear where they are coming from. It sounds like they have some kickin stuff going on back at their church. It is a great opportunity to welcome people in our doors from around the world. Even though we had a bunch of regulars gone today, we had about 10 visitors. That is a lot in a church of our size. That rocked. Sounds like many of them will be coming back next week for FLIP IT Sunday! Lots of big things coming down the pipe this next week as we change a whole bunch of things around.
This was a good day for me mostly because I got to do a lot of things that I love. I can honestly say that I love church. I love the logistics of it all. I look forward to the day when I can do it full time. I can already tell that working full time (or even part time) and doing church would not work for me. I need to have that focus and availability. Right now I am torn between the job that pays my bills and the community that needs me to step up and serve. I feel bad that I cannot be there every week, especially with the ribbing that I get from Rich. There is honestly no way that I can survive working a 36 hour weekend, overnight and be functional on Sunday morning. Next week I am going to try to take hours off so that I can get a few winks of sleep…we shall see. I know that I need to be there for FLIP IT Sunday, but I have got to say that it is going to be a huge struggle for me. It isn’t even that I don’t want to be there every Sunday…I do. But physically I cannot do it. 36 hours of night work and 36 miles of walking really take a toll on you.
On another note, I finished up writing a survey for church. Taking a page from NCC’s playbook, I made up a survey to poll the audience, so to speak. We have a tough time getting people involved in service and outreach. The thought never dawned on me to just ask them what they want to do. So, a simple, short survey with some killer cover art is coming down the pipe…maybe that would be good for FLIP IT Sunday.
As much as it pains me to say it (because I dislike the phrase, but it works here)…It is a great day in the Kingdom.
Blessings….
DaVinci
I am not one to fall prey to trends, but I think that the DaVinci trend is worth speaking of. There are a lot of churches and pastors speaking on the Code, which I honestly must commend. I finished reading the novel this past weekend and found myself very suprised. I went in with the intent of picking the book apart and criticszing. I found myself being unable and almost unwilling to put the book down. The charges that Jesus may have been just a man, married with children…those are offensive to me and blasphemous to Him. In all honesty, it may sound funny but I felt the need to repent…not that I sinned, but that I read the charges put forth by Dan Brown. I guess it was just for good measure that I felt this need. I didn’t and don’t believe the conspiracy theories and stripping of diety that are contained in the book. In all honesty, while many report a shaking of their faith, this did nothing but strengthen mine. Maybe it is because I know the truth or maybe it was because I read the Bible almost immediately following each time I read the Code. I don’t know. It makes for good conversation in Christian community….was your faith challenged??? GOOD! I hope it was. Even the people that were with Jesus up close and personal doubted who he was. The bottom line is that they stuck in there and searched for who he really is. If you found yourself struggling after reading/watching the Code, please don’t give up. That is what Satan wants.
I liken this whole thing to the debate between Creationists and Evolutionary Theorists. Each side is certain that their way is the way. The evidence for evolution is heavily based on “what if’s” by Charles Darwin. The evidence supporting the DaVinci Code is based on documents with large gaping holes in them, the gaps being filled in as they go. I contend that like Evolutionary Theory, it takes more faith to believe the “evidence” for the DaVinci Code than it does to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
All that to really say…enjoyed the book. Don’t really care if I see the movie. Jesus is still God Incarnate to me. Larry’s Beans roasts some fine beans.
Blessings….
Cross-pollination
One of the things that I have long been convinced of is that the Church ought to be informed of what is going on in the world. Too many churches are self contained organisms with pastors and parishoners who read only the Bible and Christian fiction. Why? Maybe they are scared of what they will read. Maybe they regard as anything secular as evil. Or possibly it is simply out of the bubble factor. The bubble factor exists when a group surrounds itself with like minded thinkers, authors and speakers. This phenomenon often happens in churches and other Christian communities such as Colleges. One of the things that Mark Batterson mentioned at the Buzz Conference was the idea of Cross-pollination.
The idea that the church in general and church leaders specifically need to be informed about other areas of life shouldn’t be a novel one. But it is. Leader specifically should not be afraid to read and learn from the other “ologies” out there. Mark related that every ology is a branch of theology. Sounds about right to me. I recently finished reading a book by Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of Apple and other start-ups, called “The Art of the Start”. Very good read overall for the entreprenuers, church planters and ministry leaders. The battle tested guide to starting anything, even endorsed by Rick Warren. The business world is buzzing these days about evangelists, but not in the same sense that the church looks at them. Kawasaki recommends a book by Robert Coleman called,“The Master Plan of Evangelism”. This is a book about the evangelism that the church is supposed to be about. If the business world can learn from us , why can’t we learn from them?
I encourage you today to pick up a book that you wouldn’t normally read. Pick up a magazine that doesn’t pertain to your field. Watch a news program that you would never think of watching. Listen to a different radio station, just not NPR. (just kidding, my love)
Cross-pollinate.
Sending a boy to do a man’s job…
Probably one of the most famous Bible stories of all time comes from 1 Samuel 17. This is the story of David and Goliath, a classic case of sending a boy to do a man’s job. If you haven’t read this story, I encourage you to read it by clicking here. Just before David is getting ready to go out and fight Goliath, Saul suits him up in his own tunic and a suit of armor. David says, “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So David proceeds in his own clothing with a slingshot and five stones to face the giant. As I was reading this passage earlier I thought of what David must have been feeling at this point. He is going out to meet a 9ft tall giant who also has an armor bearer, whom if I had to guess was most likely similar in size to Goliath. In the face of two giants with only a sling and some rocks. Sounds like a great place to be. David’s response to Goliath’s ribbing was, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Pretty bold statement in the face of the giants, but when the LORD has got your back who do you have to be afraid of?
Sometimes I feel as though I am a boy sent to do a man’s job, facing giants with a few pebbles. The beginning of chapter 18 finds David making fast friends with the King’s son, Jonathan. The scripture says that Jonathan became one in spirit with David…soul mates if you will. The Message translates this as: “He became totally committed to David. From that point on he would be David’s number-one advocate and friend.” When you are facing a couple of giants it is good to have a dude that has your back. I appreciate those in my life that are like Jonathan…the people who got my back. As I venture out into the new life ahead of me, not only in ministry, but in life change, I need a number-one advocate and friend.
Blessings….
Ebenezer
What does a sidewalk have to do with Ebenezer? In 1 Samuel 7, Sameul starts out by calling the Israelites to turn from their old gods and return to the Lord, they go through a cleansing ceremony and commit themselves to the Lord once again. The Philistines get wind of whats going down and they rush out to beat down the Israelites. The Israelites get the 411 about the Philistines and ask Samuel to cry out to the Lord on their behalf. The Philistines sneak up on the Israelites while Samuel is sacrificing a lamb, but the Lord sent a storm to divert them. The Israelites ended up beating the Philistines down, old school style. Samuel sets up an altar and named it Ebenezer saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.” Mark Batterson translates this sentence as “So Far So God”.
This sidewalk is one of my Ebenzers. This sidewalk is in the backyard of my friends’ house that I stayed at while at the Buzz Conference. Every morning while I was there I woke up extra early. One could attribute that to several things, but in my soul I know that it was a God thing that I woke up so early. This time allowed me to reflect and to pray and to just generally be in the Spirit. Last Friday I woke up around 4am and spent some time reading and praying and went into the kitchen mainly because I was restless and needed to pace. I paused for a few minutes in front of the door that looks out onto this sidewalk and just gazed. Those moments were some defining moments in my life. It was in those moments of quiet and openess that I felt the Lord calling me to ministry. I can honestly say that the emotion that filled me in those moments were something I have not experienced before. It is funny to me that I have gone to Bible College for as long/many times as I have and not felt God’s calling. So Far So God.
Another of the big ideas that I came away from the conference with was that people are looking for something greater than themselves to be a part of. I began to think about that in my own life and where I have been and wanted to do. The companies that have drawn my attention to work for: The Walt Disney Company, The Mayo Clinic, Harley Davidson. Think of those companies in the context of what they do and it is easy to see why someone could be easily drawn to them. There is truly an air of greatness about them. I have wanted to be a part of something that is bigger than myself and have searched for that very thing. The funny part is that I have been a part of something bigger than myself and found everything else wanting. My thought goes like this: At Disney I had the opportunity literally everyday to make the vacation of a lifetime for families from all around the world. There is a great deal of satisfaction and pride in doing that. How much more then should the satisfaction (not a great choice of words, but all I got right now!) be for helping someone secure what happens after this lifetime?? I firmly believe that this is one of the reasons why I have not gone into ministry full time…I was looking for something greater than God. Many people spend their entire lives trying to find something greater than God and that is a life wasted.
So all that to say, I am in the market for a new job…one with eternal benefits.
What’s this life for?
I am up at the crack of dawn again…been up since about 4am again. I could attribute it to working nights or I could attribute it to God. I think I would rather attribute it to the latter. I decided to redeem this time and finish up some homework, all the while listening to a little music. The song that just came on was Creed’s “What’s This Life For?” I have been literally on the verge of tears for about the past 24 hours and this just about broke the dam. I can’t really say that anything that was said at the conference was earth shattering, but I can say that God has been working on my heart and mind through the stuff that was said.
Big Idea: Be who you are. This applies not only to the church, but also to me. The mix of dudes and chicks that were here was simply amazing. From goofy Mark Batterson jumping in the dirtiest river in America to chase after a goose to Harley riding Dean Johnson to Ed Young d/b/a Bishop T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen. Be who you are. Be you. I wrote to my lady and said that I finally feel free. Honestly, I have struggled with ministry because I felt that I am too unconventional for ministry. I am off the wall, I have a lot of fun, I don’t say things like normal church people say them ( I don’t normally say nads though like some dudes I know. hah!) I think the huge takeaway for me is freedom to be who I am, unappologetically. I am pumped about what the coming days hold…it will truly be AWESOME!
I will post some stuff about Buzz day two when I get a chance. It was a good day as well…Lots of info about Branding, which was cool. We do that at Journey, but the next level is calling. Pastor Rich on a goose hunt at Silver Lake? I am pretty sure that if anyone dived into that lake they would die. (For those that have never been to Rochester, MN..we have one of the largest populations of Canadian Geese at this lake that is heated with waste water from the power plant. All year round we literally have thousands and thousands of geese around. Thousands of geese in one spot = lots of goose poop. I will do pretty much anything for the gospel, but I don’t think that I would jump into that lake. Props to Mark!)
Blessings…..
