Expecting Easter

I am expecting Easter unlike any year before. This is largely due to the fact that I am participating, as best as I know how, in this season of Lent (see previous post). I didn't go to an Ash Wednesday service but I listened to this one (go to Ash Wed. service) by Troy Hatfield. It did the trick for me. I've never done this before, so I don't know if I am following all the rules, but here is how it looks for me.

I have left some things behind. They are simple foods that I generally eat or drink without needing, but I really like them. I give them up for this season, so that when the urge arises I am reminded of what Christ gave up for me. It is a physical reminder that I am in a special season of the year and it turns my thoughts expectantly towards what God through Christ accomplished in the Easter event.

I have picked up some new things. I have rearranged my prayer and Bible reading time especially for this season. The daily Scriptures readings I am following speaks specifically to the deliverance that God offers to his people as they return from exile. The culmination of this deliverance is the total deliverance that is offered in Christ. It fills my heart and mind with God's Words in a fresh and targeted way for this season. Here is a taste of todays reading:

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT)

4 people you should say NO to

Can you say NO? Maybe I should ask, do you say NO? I used to say yes to a whole lot of people who asked for a whole lot of me. It was fine until I got married and my wife helped me to understand that when I was saying yes to all these requests for me, I was simultaneously saying no to her.

Believe it or not it was quite a painful process, and one that is still going on. I guess in that sense you could say I'm a recovering Yes-aholic. So over time I've learned that there are at least 4 types of people that you have to learn to say no to.

1. Say NO to Sin. Okay this isn't really a person, but what if we personified sin. What if when some temptation of thought or action or non-action comes along we considered it a person inviting us to spend some time with them? Saying yes to sin is saying no to purity or love or truth. We must daily say NO when since asks us to come out and play.

2. Say NO TO church. This is not the smartest move for a guy who makes a living serving in a local church. But I have observed and even lived the experience of someone being at church all the time, to the detriment of a balanced life. These people sign-up for every ministry... come to every service... come early to set-up and stay late to break down. These are not bad things, and while they may keep you out of trouble, they don't earn you any brownie points with God. I guess what I'm saying is it is OK to say NO to church. God won't get mad at you.

3. Say NO to self. By nature I can be an undisciplined and lazy person. I regularly have this inner discussion with myself about putting off constructive work or exercise until later while overindulging in TV and food. I've got to learn to say no to my naturally lazy desires or desires that will destroy me. Part of discipline is denying the self of excessive things (food, entertainment) and encouraging self to productive things (service, leisure, study).

4. Say NO to others. If you say YES to every request for your time or your help or your input, then you are in trouble. If you are like me then you even feed off of these invitations and it actually grows your self-esteem. But what you don't realize is that at the same time you are saying NO to something else. Saying YES to staying late at work might be saying NO to more family time. Saying yes to playing softball with the guys might be saying NO to coaching your sons little league team. It is a bit twisted, but it is true.

It is OK you can say it.

O-H-I-O

My friend (Todd) and I went to the Ohio State vs. Penn State basketball game last night. We had a blast. The Bucks looked uninspired, tired and just plain flat. They did surge in the second half and held on down the stretch to preserve a 68-60 win.

Todd and I were very disappointed at how quiet the arena was for most of the game. We took it upon ourselves... all the way up in section 303 to be the 6th man and stir up the crowd. We had a blast in the second half screaming and yelling and cheering. And... if you ask me... I think we were the difference in the game.

It was a great break in the week for me. Although exhausted from all the cheering I really enjoyed the interruption. My brain and body needed the break from the week, from church and from home. Thanks Todd... I had a blast.

Lent

I have never observed Lent. I did not grow up in church tradition which suggested it. I have often considered it a weird ritual at best and a dead ritual at worst. But this was all due to my own ignorance.

As I understand it, it is a 40 day preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday (TODAY). It includes some sort of fast for the purpose of "leaving something behind" like the Israelites on the eve of the Exodus. In addition extra time is spent in prayer and bible reading.

I see this as a valuable asset in my own relationship with Jesus Christ. I think it will add to the expectancy of Easter and will allow for a time of self-reflection and purging.

The observation of Lent is a growing trend in young evangelical churches.

Mark Batterson (from National Community Church) observes it and suggests that it helps to practice I Corinthians 6:12-13: "Everything is permissible for me--but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me--but I will not be mastered by anything."

Mars Hill Bible Church has some great resources including reflective questions and a Lenten reading schedule. They suggest that the church has an opportunity to respond to God's invitaton in Joel 2:12 to "Come back to me, with all your heart."

The journey begins today.

Happy Birthday!!!

Dr. Seuss is turning 50. Wish him Happy Birthday by clicking here. For every card sent Random House Publishing will donate 1 book to First Child (an organization that puts books into the hands of low-income children.

Church Leadership 100

I didn’t make it to church leadership 101, this is only from the remedial 100 class. You see in college I was a Civil Engineer and in seminary I was a Greek major, so my thoughts on leadership are not the result of formal training. They are most likely from the mistakes I have made in attempting to lead in my church. Now with that disclaimer... on to some thoughts on church leadership.

I recently received an e-mail from one of the leaders of a ministry in our church. He has successfully led this ministry for a number of years but due to some recent life changes he doesn’t have the bandwidth to continue to lead this ministry any more. I think he is making a wise choice is moving on… it would stretch him way thin to keep it going.

His point in the e-mail was that I, as a full-time pastor and church leader, should take sole leadership of this ministry (in addition to my current responsibilities) until a replacement is found. While I appreciated his voice of confidence in my ability to lead something within me cried “NOOOO… that is not the way this is supposed to work. I don’t have the time. I don’t have the desire. And I’m not sure this particular ministry is helping our church stay on mission.”

So what did I do? I thought about it for a weekend. Then on Monday morning I “replied to all” with what I thought was a sarcastic yet funny response about how “I would pray about it” to see “if I felt called” and “had a peace” about taking on this role (now you see why this is remedial leadership).

I think this leader-less hministry might die and that is not particularly a bad thing. Here is why:

The church is an organism made of relationships not an organization made of programs: If all the church does is keep programs running, I think we are missing the point. Sometimes the programs work, but sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we as a pastoral staff spend so much of our time supporting programs that we lose a grip on pastoring. Pastor’s should not always be hands on leaders in ministries, we should function in our area of giftedness and support and encourage hands-on leaders.

Every ministry has a birth, a life and a death: Each ministry within a church should help to fulfill the overall mission of the church. A church’s mission will be related to inviting people into relationship with Jesus and then encouraging them to grow in relationship with Him. Sometimes a ministry that does that in a church of 100 people will not work in a church of 1000. Sometimes a ministry in a church of 1 service will not do that in a church of 3 services. So we should be okay with allowing some ministries to die and then allowing new ones to be born.

Every healthy ministry grows leaders: If a ministry is not growing leaders it is probably not attracting leaders. If it is not attracting leaders it is probably not related to the mission of the church. This is one way to see that a ministry is not healthy. So when I received this e-mail from this ministry leader asking for me to take over leadership, I saw a problem. I figured that if this ministry were a part of our mission and were healthy a new leader would be clearly visible.

So the jury is still out. I have not accepted leadership of this ministry. It might die. A new leader might rise up. And I have approached this leader in person to clarify that my response was an attempt at humor in the situation.

Family Fridays

One of the biggest sacrifices I feel that I face in full time ministry is that the church experience on Sunday is not a family thing. I get up early and leave my family behind to head off to church where I spend about 5 hours every Sunday. My lovely wife is left to get herself and 2 kids fed, dressed, to church and then home again... every Sunday of the year.
















So in minor compensation Friday is Family Day for the Burkles. I am becoming quite religious about this. You can't meet with me. I don't do breakfasts or counseling or staff meetings. And I rarely do things for me. It is a day we pack up the kids and do stuff together. Sometimes its the zoo, or the park, or even pajama day at home. The rules for Family Day are quite simple... the only rule is that we do it as a family.
















This past Friday it was dropping the car off for some repairs, then a trip to Polaris for some fun in the animal playland, a walk through the Disney store and lunch at Max & Erma's. We were all there, but I am highlighting our often overlooked second child, Griffin... in my photo review.

It is a simple thing, really. And one that is pure fun. Who wouldn't kill for one day a week with no agenda other than having fun with family. And I've got that something that others would kill for. I often would rather trade a few of those days for some Family Sundays. But for now, I am extremely happy for this simple Burkle tradition.

First Trip to the Dentist

Remember when going to the dentist was exciting? Well at 3 1/2 it is a pretty cool thing. Caden was a champ and made sure that he opened his mouth extra wide. It was all I could do to keep Griffin from climbing up in the chair and joining in on the fun. Being a dad and taking your son to his first dentist appointment.... priceless.

Questions for Dummies

I had breakfast with guy in our church today. I knew a little about him but that was it. I guess the reason for us to get together was to get to know each other better. To me that is a challenge... to try to figure someone out. Not in the sense that I have some power over the person by putting them in a certain category... but I just like to figure out people's story.

Sometimes I'm not very patient and just blurt out... so Jim-bob what is your story. Let me tell that is a great way to start a conversation. Almost as good as... I'm a pastor, what do you do? Ok back to my point. I enjoy finding out where people have come from, who has influenced them and how they see the world. And my favorite way to do that is to pepper people with questions at the local Panera or Starbucks.

So this morning Tom and I sat at the local Panera for an hour and a half picking at our bagels and refilling our bottomless coffees. As we talked I worked in a couple of my favorite questions, that in my mind tell me alot about where someone is right now. Here they are:

What are you reading?
Who are you podcasting?
What (music) is on your iPod?
What do you do in your free time?

I'll invite you to the table and share my answers.

What are you reading?
The 360 Degree Leader by John Maxwell
Desiring God by John Piper
Since Nobody's Perfect... How Good is Good Enough by Andy Stanley
Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie

Who are you podcasting?
Catalyst
Passion07
John Piper

What (music) is on your iPod?
Chris Daughtry, Daughtry
Robbie Seay Band, Better Days
Damien Rice, 9
Matt Redman, Facedown

What do you do in your free time?
run once every 3 months
watch too much TV

A dose of common sense

My wife and I have a new category on our TiVo... Judge Judy. As pathetic as that sounds, just about every night after we put the kids down we settle in for 2 quick episodes of Judge Judy. She is a witty, no nonsense judge who tries these pathetic, yet real, cases in front of a national audience on TV. It leaves me wondering, where has all the common sense gone.

On every show Judge Judy is able to sniff out the lies and get to the truth. It seems that both plaintiff and defendant have twisted the truth a bit to help their side, and Judge Judy has nothing to do with it. In an uncanny manner, bolstered by 30 plus years in the criminal justice system, she is able to look right past the lies, feelings and motives and get to the objective story. You've got to see it sometime!

Check out the titles of two of her books... "Don't Pee on my Leg and Tell Me It's Raining" and "Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever". Her web-site boasts that her message from the bench is... take responsibility for yourself, your actions and the children you've brought into the world. Her straightforward approach to life reminds me of the principles of Proverbs. I can only imagine Solomon smiling down on the witty truths with which Judge Judy goes about dispensing justice.

So last night, during our two episodes... I jotted down a few Judge Judy proverbs:

1. If it doesn't make sense, it isn't true.
2. Don't lend money to losers and expect to get it back.
3. If you take money from someone in a time of need, IT IS NOT A GIFT, so pay them back.

Sometimes we all need a dose of common sense.

Move over MacGyver

Here is why I love being a Dad. Because you quickly realize that toys are just a distraction to the things that really catch a kids attention. Check out the "toys" Caden, now 3 1/2, went to bed with tonight:


*a large, red rubber band
*a hanger
*a belt
*a drumstick
*a Cowboy Woody plastic lasso
*a Lightning McQueen car
*ohhh...."and a flashlight Dad in case a bear comes into my room

Eat your heart out MacGyver! If you are too young to understand the MacGyver reference, let me catch you up on some 1980's pop culture. MacGyver was the main character in a TV show of the same name. In every episode this ex-secret agent he found himself in a life-or-death situation. He would use common household items like bubble gum, duct tape & dish soap to escape and make bombs that would blow up the bad guys. Any MacGyver fans out there?

Sick Fat Tight

This is a post about none other than our beloved worship leader, Ted Williams. He is galavanting around Franklin, TN this week at a little event called re:create. And thanks to the bloggers present at the event I think I can verify that Ted is actually attending a few of the sessions. If my 20/20 vision is still working, that might be him in the red circle.





Check out the fun he is having, on these blogs:
Ragamuffin Soul: scroll down to the sweet video RECAP
My Worship Revolution: good run down of events.

Also, check out this list of things that all attendees were requested to bring:

• Your 10 best practices from the last year. (It can be your arts team, your church emphasis, any best practices that are not theory, but that you actually did, and it was awesome.) This can be a simple word document.
• Any DVD/CD, etc. that you or your church produced.
• A DVD of original videos, etc. that your church has produced.
• A list of your favorite 10 blogs.
• A list of your favorite ten websites.
• A list of the most influential books you have read this year.
• Your top 20 Christian themed and your top 20 secular playlist.
• A list of the most pivotal new technology items that have impacted your career or person.
• A list of the top 10 dealers/vendors that you utilize in your ministry.
• A list of the five things that keep you up at night.
• Your top 5 magazines/periodicals.
• A list of your ten favorite artists of any genre.
• The single best leadership idea from this past year. (It can be original or borrowed)
• Photos of your favorite set designs from the past year.

Ted, if you are out there... check in and let us know some of your thoughts!

A Prayer for Today

Today is a really important day for a friend of our family. He is having brain surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Jordan is a husband, a father of two and recently was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp. Shortly after his commissioning it was discovered that he has a brain tumor and needs immediate surgery to remove the mass and biopsy. Today is the day. Jordan and his wife love the Lord and are steadfastly holding onto him during the process. Would you pray for them today.

I have often wondered how I should pray in these situations. I think it is important to pray scripture and so here is how I have prayed for Jordan and Tammy.

1. That they would give their anxieties to God. "...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)."

These situations are stressful and can be taxing physically, emotionally, relationally and socially. God invites us not to internalize or hold onto our fears but to dump them on him.

2. That God would give them peace. "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7)."

God's response when we turn our burdens over to him is to give us peace, comfort and a sense that he is in control.

3. That God would do good in this situation. "Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! (Psalm 125:4)

In Psalm 125 we see that God surrounds his people like the mountains that surround Jerusalem with protection. And we learn from Israel that is right to ask God for his goodness to spill over onto his people. I don't exactly know what that goodness looks like, but it should result in a joy in the Lord (see yesterday's post). I pray that Jordan will be able to live a healthy and long life with his family and to share for a long time of the goodness of God that he experienced today.

Lord, We believe in you. We trust you. We ask for you to let your goodness be seen today so that more might find their joy in you! Amen

The Pursuit of Happyness

I am a pretty big Will Smith fan. He has certainly succeeded in transitioning from kid-rapper to family TV show star to the silver screen. So when I saw the previews for his latest project with son Jaden I was excited. And the movie based-on the true rags-to-riches story of Chris Gardner was no disappointment.

It was an inspiring story of perseverance, hope and hard work in the face of seemingly never-ending obstacles. The moral I picked up was…if you work hard enough long enough you can make your way out of the pit. It is a story that embodies the American Dream.

But don’t mistake the American Dream for the Christian story. For if you think that message of the bible is …if you work hard enough long enough you can make your way out of the pit… then you are mistaken. That is certainly a religious mindset but it is not the way of Jesus.

and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 50:15

The Christian message is that man is spiritually paralyzed and is completely incapable to climb out of the pit that we are in. Our only course of action is to cry out for mercy, for help, for God to throw us a rope and to lift us out of our despair. We need resue. But we can’t only He can. And when we have been delivered we overflow in joy and give him ALL the credit for our deliverance.

When delivered we find happyness and joy that we were incapable of even considering while in the pit. Our joy is rooted in the One who has delivered us and done something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He makes us happy.

God’s greatest interest is to glorify the wealth of His grace by making sinners happy in Him. –John Piper

Together is better

I'm still decompressing from an event (called groupLink) which ended a fews hours ago. The whole purpose of the event was to connect the disconnected and to launch small groups. The event was quite successful, if you ask me, especially since it was the first time we ran the event. The success of the event was largely due to the fact that many people worked together to make it happen. Here's just a quick run-down.

Jon & Brendan have been working like dogs to improve our web-site (to be published within days) to improve its ability to communicate our new vision.

Brendan & Jordan have worked tirelessly on videos and digital imagery to create professional environment and consistent brand.

Cory, Kelly, Chris, Lani, Bob, Todd, Erin, Tara & Christine stepped forward to be leaders of brand new small groups.

Jon, Andrea & Matt have stepped forward to design an entirely new environment to allow outsiders to connect and get involved.

Ted, Erin, Josh, Greg, Mike & Aaron banded together to put together and unforgettable worship experience (which is still ringing in my ears).

Eric, Jordan & Brendan teamed up to make the lights, sound, videos and slides run smoothly and to capture some memories from the night.

Kim & Tom kept us fed and hydrated for the night.

Cory & Bob got the crowd warmed up and involved with fun icebreakers.

And as the event wound down and the last people were connected and began to filter home a group of about 15 stuck around to break the event down. I am exhausted and yet invigorated. One of the reasons is the amazing feeling of community that happened tonight. I never felt alone in the planning, or executing or even the beaking down. It was a "we" thing. It was a community thing. Together is definitely better.

Porn Pastors on Primetime

I got home from a ministry event at church tonight and flicked on ABC Primetime just in time to catch Martin Bashir's piece The Porn Pastors: XXXChurch.com. Have you heard of these guys? I have followed the xxxchurch ministry for a couple of years and they have not yet gone away.

They are not only championing the need for Christian men to avoid the pitfalls of pornography but they have taken the uncoventional step of attempting to be a Christian voice within the porn industry. And for that they are catching lots of flack. They show up at porn shows and hand out bibles (inside the show). They debate porn legend, Ron Jeremy, on public campuses about the ills of pornography.

Their message is traditional, but their methods are anything but. Porn is destroying individuals, families and marriages. Maybe God will use the unusual tactics of these Porn Pastors to shed his light on a dark industry.

Death by teasing

I compulsively teased my little sister when I was a kid. Whatever she did, wherever she went, whoever she hung out with... it was a reason for me to tease her. It was a terrible thing. A few years ago I had the chance to confess my sin and to ask her for forgiveness. it was an emotional experience because of the pain that all my teasing had caused.

So when I came across a chapter about teasing in the book Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie it really hit home. So I thought I would share with you a passage from his book...

*****************************************************
"I was once an alcoholic. My rehabilitation process included attending various support groups where, over time, I began to find out about some of the many lurking intricacies of addictive behavior. One especially valuable revelation for me was to learn about the powerful role shaming plays in the dynamic of any family cursed by an addiction-poisoned environment.

Addictive behavior does not damage just he addict, but the addict's family as well. In an effort to survive the insane behavior of the addicted one, other family members develop reciprocating insanities. And pretty soon, the whole tribe is participating in a jumbled web of addiction induced craziness. The craziness seduces every family member into compulsively controlling every other family member so that nobody gets any big ideas about breaking the web of madness in some rebellious effort to move toward healthier behavior.

This compulsion to control, engendered by the addiction, becomes a protector off the addiction. The controlling takes many forms, one of which is shaming.

We were discussing all this at group one evening when the guy sitting next to me observed, ‘Teasing is a disguised form of shaming.’

For as far back as I could remember, I had always been a frenzied teaser but had never looked at why. Now I knew. I teased to control. Why would I want to control? Because I am afraid. For whatever reason, I have had a long-standing fear of others. One way o dealing with this fear was to learn the skill of teasing. I learned it well, eventually walling myself of with a bristling armor of barbed banter designed to blunt the power of those countless people I felt threatened by. My teasing became a weapon intended to push others off balance and thus reduce, the sense of menace in my life.

I have a sinking felling that the teasing you bombarded your colleague with just now reflects a similar strategy [a reference to a previous story in the book]. I suspect that, when you teased this woman, it was an unconscious effort to control her by throwing her off balance – to stop her from risking, which she was most clearly beginning to do. Why would you want to do that? Well, when one of us finds the courage to risk to grow – to leave the status quo of the Hairball – that can be pretty threatening for the rest of us to witness. The threat is that we, too, might be expected to grow. And sometimes growing can be a frightening and painful experience. If we feel we have already suffered too much pain or are already frozen by a sense of menace, we are liable to do anything we can to avoid the pan or threat that often comes with the experience of growth. So we contrive to stop others in our loop who display a desire and willing to grow. One way to stop them is to shame them. But because we don’t want to admit to others or ourselves that we are trying to stop growth, we disguise our shaming as teasing – ‘all in the spirit of good fun.’ (Whatsa matter, can’tcha take a little joke?)

*************************************************
Powerful. I don’t think Jesus was a teaser.

Is Church Enough

I love church... you know going "to church" that happens for me on Sunday. And for me the bigger the better. I love big churches. I like crowds. I like big bands or choirs. I like polished preaching. I like the feel of a crowd. And I like meeting new people (every week).

There is something in the presence of a large church that I just plain like. This past Sunday at our "big" Church I was on-stage at an event that broke a big group of 200 plus people into small groups. And I got to wondering... is church enough? When I think of "Church" I think of lots of pews and row after row of people who are strangers. I think of thousands of people who move, en masse, into a large room and experience a big event, then go back home to individualize what just happened... and I wonder... is that enough? Not is it wrong or is it necessary, but is it enough? If that is all that someone experiences as church, have they experienced what Christ died for?

And I read in the bible where "church" is described like this: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. All the believers were together and had everything in common and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2:42, 44-46)

I don't get that in "church". It's not so much that church is deficient... but I think "big" churches can be deficient. The big service lacks accountability... it lacks eating together... it lacks praying together... it lacks sharing things in common... it lacks sharpening one another.

So I don't think "church is enough"... we need something smaller, more intimate where we are exposed and encouraged and challenged and where we are eating together.... regularly.

Sometimes Friends are Like Dentists

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Proverbs 27:6

Sometimes friends are like dentists...they shouldn't always tell you everything is OK, because that can be detrimental to your health. Last Wednesday was one of those days for me. There was something in my life that I needed to deal with before it got out of hand. And thanks to my friend, Dave, we were sitting there face-to-face dealing with it.

It all started about 3 months ago when he kindly confronted me on the subject. He said he saw something in my life that I had not noticed. He did it because he cared. He knew the truth might hurt, but he was willing to risk our relationship over the matter. I thought everything was OK, but Dave could see that it wasn't.

So last Wednesday he sat me down and we went through the painful process of working it out. He wouldn't let me just cover it up and demanded that we get to the root of the issue, so that it would not resurface again. Sin can be like that, right? If caught, we want to minimize and apologize... but often we aren't honest with ourselves and others and we don't deal with the real heart issue involved.

God says a good friend doesn't let a friend just keep on sinning; rather "if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness (ESV - Gal 6:1)". And he continues with a warning to the restorer... "pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too (NET)."

It was painful, but later that night as I was healing, I was actually glad that the problem was discovered and healing was in process.

So what was it.....well in the spirit of full disclosure.... it was... a trip to my dentist. Yes Dave is in fact Dr. Conrad. And 3 months ago he noticed a cavity and scheduled for me to have it cleaned and capped. If it wasn't for Dr. Conrad decay would still be eating away at my teeth. And I couldn't help but see the parallel between how God says a good friend should be at the loving discovery by my dentist. Sometimes a friend needs to be like a dentist and sometimes your friend is your dentist.

May your friends courage to "wound" you and confront you on sin in yor life for, bring a smile to your pearly whites.

Just Stop And Think

Sometimes life is such a rollercoaster that we never have time to just stop and think. Have you slowed down to consider the track that you are running? Is your life filled with meaning and passion? Maybe you need to just stop and think abit.

What if 15 minutes could change your life forever? That is what drove to Francis Chan, Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA, to come up with a cool video project. In it he boils down the message of the Bible to a 15 minute video. Listen to this pastor share it with you while he casually strolls down to the beach for a surf. You can viewit here and on www.juststopandthink.com.

Have you missed the core message of the Bible? Are you put off by Christians but not by Jesus? Does church add confusion to your life instead of clarity? If you wonder what the central message of the Bible is, then just stop and think... these 15 minutes could change your life forever.

Got Group?

GroupLink is about connecting the disconnected. Jordan put together this nice trailer to promote the event. GroupLink is an event where people come in anonymously and leave with new relationships.

3 things to keep in mind:
1. It is for everyone! All ages & stages of life.
2. It is not about small groups...it is really about family.
3. GroupLink is fun!

Brendan put up this splashpage to promote the singles groupLink

Breakdown

Why is it that it never seems like a good time for your car to breakdown? It always happens to be when you are late... or running behind... or have to be somewhere. Well, I think I know why they tell you never to say "never" or "always". Because, I actually brokedown the other day at the most convenient time, and for that I thank God.

I was meeting a friend at a Starbucks over on Lane in UA (which I rarely go to). On the way I heard a snap under my hood and immediately I lost my power steering and the car started blowing cold air. (Yea I know I snapped my flux-capacitor belt). I had only 2 turns to make to arrive at my coffee appointment.

I enjoyed the coffee and called my wife to my rescue. She was planning on leaving the house and didn't mind helping out. After my coffee she followed me only 2 more turns to my families mechanic (who I've never used before) who said he couldn't look at it until the next day.

I went about my day. I had a 4 o'clock and my friend, Jon who has a flexible schedule picked me up. On the way I found out that not only had the mechanic looked at it, he had a spare flux-capacitor belt on hand and my car was ready. After my 4 o'clock Jon drove me to the mechanic. And $330 later I was driving myself home.

When I arrived home I thought, how convenient was that. I broke down across town in the morning and drove my fixed care home that night. It was a conveneint day to breakdown. And for that I thank God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

5 things you don't know about me

I have been tagged by my friend, Aaron Conrad, to share with the world 5 unique things about me. Check out Aaron's Five. Since I'm one of those guys that tends to color inside the lines I've had to put in a lot of thought to come up with more than where I went to school, where I've lived and famous people that I've shared a private beach with (a story for another time). I hope you enjoy.

1. I have spent the night in jail. Sounds a bit scary and maybe glamorous, but it is really quite boring. I had a season of life where I was racking up speeding tickets like it was job. In order to stick it to the man, I chose to rip them up instead of paying them. Not smart. Because after not paying a few, a warrant went out for my arrest and upon my next infraction I had to pay the piper. I made my call, was baled out, starting paying my tickets and eventually chose to slow down.

2. I once lost the tip of my left pinkie finger. At about 2, my family moved from Chicago, IL and during the move the tip of my little finger got cut off by a closing door. They picked up the piece of finger and me and took us both to hospital, where we were reunited. My little finger and I have made up and stuck together ever since the incident.

3. I have a fake tooth. I'm sounding pretty pathetic and clumsy at this point (I bet you didn't know that about me). But one day during a little league game I wandered into the on deck circle where our best player was practicing his swing. I timed it just right and his bat made contact with my mouth at full swing. All I remember is bending over and spitting out my teeth. I was quite fortunate that he hit my mouth and not my nose. So my left front tooth is a fake, covering up the hole in my smile left by Alex Steinman's bat.

4. I am not a midget. Although an impressive 5' 2 1/4" I am just short. So when people refer to me as midget, shorty, little man or dwarf it is not so much a technical term as it is a derogatory statement. Just to clarify. But I have always taken comfort in the community of small-statured but impressive men like Michael J. Fox, Chris Tomlin, Joshua Harris and the apostle Paul.

5. I once broke my brothers arm. Of course it was an accident... I'm not that vicious. At about 12 years old my little brother and I were playing in Kenny Bucks' tree house. We were hanging off the edge and swinging from a tree limb and jumping. My brother wasn't moving as fast as I thought he should, so I gave him a nudge, he lost his balance and SNAP. The fun part was my parents were out of town and my grandma was watching us for the weekend.

2007 is starting FAST for some

I got an e-letter today from Ed Young, Jr. pastor of Fellowship Church outside Dallas, TX. It appears he recently kicked off the churches new year by inviting the entire church to a 21 day fast, in accompaniment with his "Larger Than Life" series. In a church-meets-MTV element he is even posting a confessional Video Journal which gives a great behind the scenes look at this large church figure... including family scenes in his swayzee kitchen.

The fast, as explained in the weekend service, is a spiritual discipline designed to better connect us with God. As a church, we are fasting in order to deepen our relationship with God and walk in step with His plan and purpose. The best way to do this is to redirect our food source. This is accomplished through substituting our regular food intake with Bible reading, praying and journaling. The overall goal is to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God."

I can't argue with that...in fact it seems like the discipline of fasting is way out of style these days. For some good biblical "meat" on the topic I recommend John Piper's sermon Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone. Happy Feasting!

Mad about the Buckeyes

After the BCS Championship game I was mad. Mad about the Buckeyes… because when it comes to the Bucks I’m a Superfan. Da Buuuuuucks!. Mad at Florida, mad at the SEC, mad at Urban Meyer, mad at the Buckeyes. My blood was boiling…my pulse was high… I couldn’t sleep until 2am. Sometimes I get mad about the buckeyes. And I’m not alone… we often get mad about the strangest things, don’t we. For some its sports, for others its traffic, and for others it’s waiting 5 minutes in line at the grocery store.

The things that move us to place of deep emotions are quite powerful things if you think about it. Think about the things that make you mad… or sad… or guilty… or happy. Are they silly little things like sports or do they have some social value like racism. The things that move us to the place of strong emotion are powerful things… whether they are silly or weighty.

And if you think about it we are probably defined by the things that move us. We are defined as shallow people or deep people… as selfish people or generous people… as thoughtful or flaky… by the things that move us to emotion. They define us.

Consider what moved Jesus…
Jesus became angry when merchants desecrated the temple of God
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. Matthew 21:12

Jesus was moved to compassion by the physical and spiritual needs of a neglected people
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

I hate some of silly things that feed my anger or joy, because they are small or petty or simple things. In the end they reveal how shallow I can be, for in the end they are meaningless pursuits. It’s ok to be a Superfan… as long as it does not define us. Life is too precious to be defined by such simple things.

New Attitude......the conference

New Attitude
Louisville, KY
Memorial Day Weekend 2007
*for singles of all ages & young married couples

This great event happens right in our own "backyard". I have great respect for the men they are putting on the platform and the creative, worshipful, challenging nature of what they are doing. I'm going this year and would love to take a crowd of singles and young marrieds with me. The cost is reasonable &and I've already saved a block of hotel rooms. Their web-site is full of downloads, book recommendations and constantly update with sweet blogs. I can wait!

Loving Your Enemies

Every year there is a day on the calendar comemorating the influence that Martin Luther King, Jr. had upon our country. But with each passing year, we remember less and less about this man. Our national ignorance about this great figure in our nations history is growing. We know him positively or negatively based largely upon the caricatures of him that others have painted for us.

His influence and legacy is worth our attention and admiration and a bit of study. So may I suggest that you read one of his sermons, pick up a biography or listen to a speech. Today I read his sermon "Loving your Enemies" delivered on November 17, 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, made available by Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.

I leave you with a section of that sermon...

Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.

She's 30 !!!!!

On January 11, 1977 my girl took her first breath in this world. On July 22, 2000 she took my name. On April 18, 2003 she bore my first son. And today she is stepping out of her raging 20's and is embracing her 30's.

A wise man once said, he who finds a wife finds a good thing. And I found a good thing when Christine walked into my life.

She is too much of certain things for some and not enough of other things for others, but in our 6 years of marriage we have grown to love and like each other more all the time.

Some relationships are likened to polite conversations over tea... ours is more like a wrestling match during happy hour. And I love her for who she is and what she has brought into my life. Here are a few unique things that I love about Christine.

Her soft heart... She connects with people who have suffered hardship on a heart level and feels for them. She has little compassion for fools, but for people who undeservedly suffer she sheds tears.

Her openness... I used to love it, then it bothered me, then I hated it and now I love with more understanding. She doesn't leave me wondering "what she really feels", she talks and tells me whats on her heart and mind.

Her work ethic... I am a self-confessing procrastinator and she is a workhorse. I have become more efficient (but am still a work in progress) because of her example.

Her support... She is my number one fan and makes me feel very secure as a husband, father and a man. She doesn't butter me up all the time as an act, but she is really my best fan and teamate.

Her energy... She is fun to play with and laugh with and debate with and entertain with. How boring my life would be without her.

Thanks for entertaining my gushing on my wife.
I love you Christine!

The Bible Experience

Have you heard about this project? It looks like the African-American community has pulled its star talent to produce a new generation of Audio Bible. I read about it in an interview that Catalyst did with one of the Executive Producers Lou "Buster" Brown. I know nothing of the personal relationship that each character has with the One whose story they are telling, but I am all about getting God's Word out to the masses.

The preview looks moving! To God be the glory!

Letting Go

After wearing holes in the back right pocket of two pairs of nice pants and tiring of the heckles of some who saw the size of my wallet I am turning over one new leaf this year. I am taking the advice of family (wife) and friends (Matt) who think my wallet is too big and cumbersome and I am down-sizing to a cute money clip.

You can see for yourself that over the years I have become quite capable of filling my back right pocket with lots of "necessary" items. But as I worked my way through the wallet, I noticed that the items were parts of my identity that I had compiled over the years. They were not simply pieces of plastic but layers of my identity. So shedding them not only will save my pants and maybe my back, but in a sense is stripping my ego of certain status symbols.

Here are a few of the items that were in the wallet, but didn't make it to the clip:

• social security card: never needed it, I've got it memorized
• Student ID card from Dallas Seminary: that thing cost me 4 years of my life
• frequent flyer cards: from my previous life as traveling salesman
• Avis Member Card: not only salesman, but National Account Manager
• local Library Card: have used it once in 3 years
• ATM card: I have sworn off cash and am all plastic

I must say, sitting is a lot more comfortable these days!

The Good Life

My life is often out of order. Maybe that is why we have New Year Resolutions... because we all feel that the ship is a bit off course and it is our attempt to right the ship. I think the human condition is a disorderly life.

We are cracked and broken to the core by self-destructive things that we do and by the destructivethings that others do to us. We sin and we are sinned against. The result is chaotic... at times their is joy and peace and even fulfillment...but that all happens in the context of a disordered life.

The gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached is that God has a good life for us... an ordered life... a redeemed life. It is quite a foreign thing to us... so foreign that it takes murder. The old life has to be killed a new life has to be birthed, then nourished and pruned.

This new life is like a beautiful fruit tree that in times creates luscious fruit. My spiritual life is often unfruitful and stale and dry. That is why when I came across the following verses, I was reminded to resolve anew this year to pursue the good life which I have freely received from its author.

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement….
your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8

Mistaken Identity

This January I decided to take a look at our financial investments and savings accounts and retirement funds to make sure that everything was accounted for. In the process I found a retirement fund of about $125 that Christine got when she did some substitute teaching in Dallas during our first year of marriage. She was an awesome sub...the kids hated her and the teachers loved her, because she followed their instructions to the "T".

Since the dollar amount was so low, I decided to just cash it in and have them cut us a check. But as I looked more closely at the account it looks like it could almost belong to an entirely different person. I requested that the check be cut to Mrs. Christine Burkle. But the account is registered for Mr. Lelia Griffin. That's right Mr. They have her god-give first name (Lelia) and her maiden name (Griffin) and somehow have her as a male. And even though we might never see that $125, it makes me realize how important our identity is.

It is important to know who we are...and who we aren't. Many people struggle their whole life with a variety of identity issues. Some people long for others identity or want to switch their own. We each have an innate desire to center ourselves comfortably around an identity. Maybe that is why in the Bible God regularly encourages his children to know who they are and whose they are. To remember who remembers them and whose eye is watching over them. Redemption is a new identity, rooted "in Him"... in Jesus. Jesus' offer of freedom from sin and guilt and death is a promise of new life which he lives through us (Gal 2:20), if we will open our heart to it.

Don't let the world tell you who you are (especially the Highland Park ISD), tell the world who you are through Christ.

Blue day for the Scarlet & Gray

Along with the rest of Buckeye Nation I am mourning the trouncing of my beloved Buckeyes by the gators. The Bucks were pushed, pummeled and pounced. They were out-coached, out-huscled, out-schemed and out-played. They lost miserably to a team that on game day was far superior.

If there is any saving grace, I don't think they were out-classed. I see class is how your speak about the event and your opponent. From the gators I heard only disrespect and adrenaline fueled back-handed comments about the Bucks, the Big Ten and Tressel. From the Bucks I heard nothing but positive comments about their opponent while taking full responsibility for the loss.

They don't hand out trophies in football for class... that is not how life works. But at the end of life people don't line up to walk by your coffin because it is surrounded by trophies. So how do I end my mourning and take something positive from this embarassing loss...by philosophizing of course. For you see, sport is not life, it simply prepares you for life. We Buckeyes know how tragic life can turn for a rising champion when he believes too many of the headlines (Mr. Clarrett). So win with grace.... lose with grace.... and good guys don't always end up first.

It's a Heart Issue

I came across a chapter for a book on discipleship entitled "How I Learned to Disciple a Transexual." I think the author, Robert Thune, has done such a good job of putting into words something that really resonates with my soul. It a gospel-centeredness that blurs the lines between evangelism and discipleship. It is a more wholistic view of what the gospel is, what it does and even who it is for. And Robert wraps it up into a compelling story that is still not finished.

I love his nutshell of the gospel... Cheer up: you're worse than you think. But cheer up: God's grace is greater than you ever dreamed. He challenges our tendency towards "behavior-modification" evangelism by clarifying that the real issue is the heart. The gospel works from the inside out right. So spiritual maturity is better reflected not in visible effects (tithes, bible studies, good works) but in the affections of the heart (our longings and treasures).

He mentions, We forget that the gospel doesn't just change eternal destinies; it changes everything. I guess the longer I am Christian I realize that I am much worse than I think. So whether you are discipling a Transexual or trying to really understand what the gospel is I commend his 7 page chapter to you. Thanks to a29 for making it available!

Subalicious

I get to work with some really creative guys and gals in our young adults group at Church. A couple of guys, Brendan and Jordan, put together a cool song to promote a connection lunch we had yesterday. Their song "subalicious" is a takeoff of a current pop-song that I have never heard. Talk about creative. Listen for yourself.

Mooo-ving into the New Year

I road-tripped to a Dairy in Springfield, OH yesterday with a new friend Jon. When he confessed his addiction to milk and all things dairy I felt like I had just lit-up infront of a nicotene addict. Fortunately I was able to peel Jon away from the dairy with little more than a scratch, but only after I let him pose with Rosie and Rocky the mascots.

Milk is quite good for you, it provides great nutrition for the body. I've never heard of any doctor saying, you look pretty healthy...but you should back off the milk a little. In 2007 I need to drink more milk and take better care of my body. But that is not all that I need to do...because whether I like it or not my body at the ripe young age of 35 is beginning to decay. I need also to feed my soul.

In 2007 as I increase my daily intake of milk, to feed my bones, I also need to increase my daily intake of spiritual milk, the Word of God. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation- 1 Peter 2:2. What feeds my soul is connecting with God... listening to what he has to say to me... sharing my fears and desires... letting him point out where I need correction... humbly submitting to his direction.

Don't get stuck with brittle bones due to a lack of milk and don't get stuck with a shriveled soul due a disconnect with God and his Word.

Life is a Gift

Happy New Year!

I am back after about a month off. I had nothing to say in December. I was busy thinking about Christmas... rethinking my ministry at church... and trying to teach my kids that the true meaning of Christmas is not "getting toys." I lost that last battle... oh well there is always next year.

Then around Christmas I received an e-mail from a friend from Dallas, his name is John. He is living on borrowed time... meaning he should have died years ago. I really think he is a medical miracle. He has Cystic Fibrosis and has done many things that doctors told him he would not do, such as live into his 30's. I used to sit next to John at a call center that we both worked at. We talked about life and work and dreams and family. John married a sweet girl, Jen, who knew that her time with John was numbered from the start.

But she took the plunge and committed herself to him. They got married and now they have a kid. Then in his Christmas e-mail he said he is now on the top of the lung transplant list in Dallas, TX and knowing the risks involved he just wanted to say he loved his family and friends.

His story was covered by the local CBS affiliate. You can see the five minute clip here. He just wants to live a little longer.

John knows that life is a gift! What a perspective...

The seven27 Christmas Special

Jordan makes another hit, promoting our last BIG NITE gathering of '06!

For the Bible tells me so...

How much of what we do in the church is biblical and how much is cultural? I am personally convinced that much of what we do in church is cultural. Not that it is bad. It is just cultural. It is our expression of what we think would be most honoring to God (at least when its not "the way we've always done it"). Other cultures long ago or far away don't do life the way we do, so in some way they won't do church the way we do.

You come to conclusions about these things by asking a series of why questions? Why do we sing the way we do? Why dress this way? Why have this person speak this time and that person speak that time? You get the gist.

I used to quip (defensively)... for the Bible tells me so. But then I looked into the Bible and I didn't find much about how to do church, just a few descriptions (not prescriptions) of a few early churches....who even differed a bit on how they did things.

If this talk scares you, my next advice won't...look in the Bible for yourself. See how little the Bible prescribes for the church. The Bible tells us many important things about man and God and Jesus...life and death things, but it tells us little about how to do church. To further push on the issue of our cultural expressions of the church I sugges Dan Kimball's recent blog post Pews, Pulpits, Pastors, Preaching and other things that can get in the way of the church "being" the church.

I'm flattered

Kevin Carroll is my hero.

This has absolutely nothing to do with fact that he highlighted my blog on his blog, today. See the evidence here.

I am flattered, excited and giddy that Kevin saw my post on him and found it worth sharing with others.

I am planning on getting his book, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, and reading it myself this Christmas (seriously). I'd suggest you do the same and get one for someone else you know, whom you want to encourage to live playfully.

Vintage21 Jesus Video #3

Is Jesus for girls?That is what a majority of people think. He was a whiny, meek, compassionate man who was...well weak. And people get this notion from Church. I came across this hilarious video designed to get us to think about the Jesus we portray.

In the Spring of 2003, Vintage21 had a four week series on Jesus Christ, taking a deep look at what He said and did. It was difficult at times to get past our preconceived notions that had been developed by staunch, starched Sunday School classes of old. This is a satirical look at what some people think Jesus is like. Thank goodness He's not.

See video

Web Worship

As I lay on my couch last night watching Sunday night football , I also tuned into the Passion Live Link over at 268generation.com , curious about what would ensue. I've been involved in a bunch of conference calls over the years but never a Live Web Worship event. And what unfolded was refreshingly simple. It was an hour of singing led by Steve Fee broken up by times of prayer... that simple.

Apparently Louie Giglio gathered his staff and friends at the Passion House in Atlanta to broadcast the event. He regularly updated listeners as to who was listening and listeners "showed their support" by commenting on the blog. I noted that at 10:14 there were 133 comments and at 10:45 there were 200 comments. I even commented to let the staff know that a Buckeye was listening in. It appears that families were huddled around the family computer and college groups were broadcasting the link to entire rooms full of people.

The event was simply an hour of praise and prayer. We prayed for the upcoming Passion 07 Event, for college campuses and for the nations. I personally felt the tension in my life. The big screen in my living room was broadcasting another Sunday Night NFL game. Fans were cheering, commentators were analyzing and players were hustling. But the small screen in front of me was broadcasting this live worship event. My attention bounced between two realities, each voice vying for my attention. I sort of liked it. The tension that is...of allowing the Christ I worship to invade my personal space and play space, but not necessarily being the center of my attention. The tension of the here-and-now fighting with the still-coming. The tension of the already and the not-yet. Prayer and football were my comfort. I appreciate Louie Giglio's creativity, leadership and God-centeredness. It was a memorable Sunday night for me.

Passion Live Webcast

I just got an e-mail from Louie Giglio. Well...that is stretching the truth abit...it was more like the generic Passion '07 e-blast. So now we are both on the same page. It announced a LIVE WEBCAST, this Sunday at 10pm. I went to Passion '06 in Nashville (and blogged it here) and quite enjoyed the teaching (John Piper, Beth Moore, Louie) and the worship (Crowder, Redman, Tomlin, Hall, etc.). If you are interested in taking a peek at where college ministry is these days, then show up to the WEBCAST. Here was the e-mail......

Live Link Unites Students for Worship/PrayerPassion
Hosts Live Web Event Sunday Night, December 3

Though college students are notorious for making plans at the last minute, we hope you know where you're going to be Sunday night, December 3. Where, you ask? Huddled close to your computer with a few friends at 10:00 PM EST as we worship and pray together leading up to Passion07.

The Live Link is going to be an audio-only stream giving students across the nation (and around the globe) the chance to link together--some connecting from Kansas, others from a dorm in Boston and somebody in Australia where it's already Monday! The Live Link will be interactive, so you won't just be listening, you'll be singing at the top of your lungs (OK, maybe not so loud for some of you!) and praying with us. We'll be streaming the audio live right from our website at 268Generation.com. All you have to do is turn your computer on, get to 268Generation.com and click on the Live Link Banner.

It would be amazing if everyone on the journey to Passion07 gets connected on December 3, so tell everyone you know who's coming, and even those who aren't, and join with us Sunday night for the Live Link.

The Passion07 Live Link
Sunday, December 3
10:00 PM EST

Visit http://www.268generation.com/ for more info
Click on "Live Link" to test your connection

Leaders and Character

I came across some great thoughts on Leadership from Andy Stanley. An excerpt from his book Next Generation Leader was in the Catalyst Groupzine I am reading. Enjoy.

Character is not essential to leadership...But character is what makes
you a leader worth following. Integrity is not necessary if your
aspirations as a leader end with simply persuading people to follow
you. But if at the end of the day your intent is for those who follow
to respect you, integrity is a must. Your accomplishments as a leader
will amke your name known. Your character will determine what people
associate with your name.

Having character does not make you (or me) a good leader. Being a good leader does not require you to have good character. We've all had teachers, bosses, mentors who could gather a following, but people did not respect because of serious character flaws. And we've all had teachers, coaches and bosses who might not have been the best leaders but we would go to wall for them because of their integrity and honesty. So what type of leader are you?

I came across a blog that had an update on the Ted Haggard story. He is the Christian leader whose sexual indescretions were made public and he was publicly removed from his leadership role. It relates because his character cracked while his leadership skills did not. The church has done the right thing and it has also facilitated his communication with the church. Read this entry on the Haggards. In the entry you read a letter Ted Haggard wrote to the congregation and one that his wife wrote as well. Here are my reactions to his letter.

1. He betrayed his wife, his family, his church and God. Not that I don't. His sin was simply an act of betrayal.
2. He said what he did. I like that. He calls his actions for what they are and nothing less. How freeing (in a sense) that must feel, to have no secrets.
3. He owned his sin. He did not blame anyone or deny its degree. He took all responsibility for its cause and effect.
4. He took the consequences. He did not say he COULD not longer lead (he's a born leader), he said he WOULD no longer lead, he is not a leader worth following. There are consequences to actions and he in a sense leads the way (in a way worth following) of stepping down from formal leadership. How ironic.

Sunday morning "i"Tunes

I came across an interesting article about the common themes of "I" and "me" in contemporary worship music. The article is from blog.worship.com and refers to a book by Matthew Ward, former Christian rocker and member of the band 2nd Chapter of Acts. Ward comments in his book...

I took note of what types of worship songs we sang. Several groups from different parts of Europe led worship, singing their songs in their native tongues, with English translations projected on a screen. The vast majority of the songs European Christians had written were "we" and "us" songs. But the groups also threw in some songs from the United States—and I was surprised to discover that the majority contained lyrics centered on "I" or "me."

You can read the rest of the article here. Pretty interesting observation, huh. I think that this is an easy trap for us to fall into. Me & God. I and He. Not Us and Thee. Next time you are at church check out the theory that American Christians are into singing lots of "I"Tunes. It's not that these are bad, because each individual is accountable to God for their own life. But that it's incomplete in that God is primarily into gathering a people. In our small group last night we saw the same idea come out in Paul's writing.

Do you not know that you (plural) are God's temple (singular) and that God's Spirit dwells in you? I Corinthians 3:16

What if Christianity were more about WE than ME? What if Christian discipleship meant repenting of my individualistic tendencies? What if confession of sin was more than a me&God private thing, but was God's tool for creating intimacy within his people? What if conversion to Christianity also meant conversion to Christian community?

Sing about it on Sunday, then weigh-in with your thoughts.

seven27 Christmas Party

Jordan came up with a pretty witty add for our 2006 Christmas Party. I hope the party lives up to the hype! Thanks Jordan.

Saturday, Dec. 9
6:00pm - Caroling here
7:30pm - Games, Food, $5 White Elephant Exchange here

High School....Again

I came across a really creative youth pastor from Indiana. Scott Greene from Warsaw Community Church decided that to better reconnect with the students that he was serving he needed a fresh perspective. So at the age of 33, with a wife and a kid, he decided to go back to high school for two weeks. Find out more about his experience on his web-site "Two Weeks Back". How creative is that. Not only was he able to reconnect with students, he also created such a huge buzz that national media picked up on the story. Check it out.



What dream is God laying on your heart?
What out-of-the box idea have you shelved?
Are you afraid of trying something risky and creative?

Viva Scott Greene

The Dome of Heaven

I have never been to the Sistene Chapel (pictured) but I bet it would be breathtaking. This weekend I did go a catholic wedding with full catholic mass in Chicago. I paid close to attention to the prayers and homily by the priest and was encouraged by the truth about God and marriage that I heard. I can be quite critical of other pastors efforts, I guess that makes me feel better about myself. The worst wedding I ever attended was at this small baptist church in the country.

But this church in Chicago was ornately decorated, I mean beautiful. I did find myself following the different story lines that were portrayed in the artwork. At one point the priest noted that we were gathering in God's presence under the dome of heaven. I looked up and saw a dome at the top of the church. In the center was Christ, around him were angels and under them were pictures of the saints. The priest said something like, "we are gathered under the dome of heaven just as this architecture reminds us that we are joined today by God his angels and a cloud of witnesses."

I rather liked that thought, and since I am quite a visual guy I appreciated that the architecture of the building did paint a picture of the reality that God, his angels and his saints are witnesses to our living out the Christian story until the consummation of time. It made me think of Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.