Anticipation

Before today is over, I will have been to numerous events around the area. Two of those will be Dawson and DJ's football games which are a blast. I love watching them play because they get to put to good use all the techniques they have learned during practice.

Yet all day today I will be anticipating tomorrow. Sunday. I know I have said it many times over the last 7 1/2 years, but I am really looking forward to Sunday. I get to see people I love and admire and we get to learn and grow and encourage each other.

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 we will have a staff meeting to go over the details of the day. It is a short (15-20 minutes) but fruitful meeting getting everyone on the "same page."

May I remind you what I share with them every so often: for some that will be with us for the first time, we may only have one chance to love and serve them so we need to give it our best effort.

It is going to be a great day - both today and tomorrow.

Sabbatical Reflections (part 2)

A lot of what I learned during my time away was not by way of impartation but rather observation. Here is the biggest determination I garnered from observation: As a pastor, I don't want to talk every Sunday to only those who already agree with me.

I believe that pastors need to resurrect the practice of having to convince others. Preaching to "the choir" is easy and everyone goes away happy. I don't want that.

I heard of someone who came to ECC while we were in our Sexual Revolution series and that person did not agree with what I said and they left a little agitated. The thing is, they returned. I love that. Everyone may not agree but because there is love and acceptance, it is an atmosphere where we can dialog and God's spirit can work in lives.

Whether in your neighborhood or at work, even in your home, don't give people a relational stiff-arm just because they don't see things like you do. We become the morons if we shut people down for not thinking like us. Anyone can do that. Jesus did not.

Engage, interact, dialog, love and discover and you may be surprised at the audience you have.

Sabbatical Reflections (Part 1)

Now that I feel a bit more settled after my being away most of the month of August on my learning sabbatical, I want to use this blog to let you know some of the big "take aways" I had.

Before I say any more, I have to convey how thankful I am to our Church board for allowing me the time away. They are forward thinking individuals that know the value of getting away to gain perspective. The other amazing fact is that I have not heard anyone say anything other than positive things about this opportunity (maybe some were not positive about it, but they were nice enough to keep it to themselves).

The biggest of truths I learned is that I must lead from principle not from objective. Sometimes we have judged our success on objectives being met rather than principles being followed. Think of it in terms of a football coach of a team of young players. If they lose a game (missed objective) and yet they have learned lessons for future life (principles), that is a win. If the team wins and yet does so by cheating or with unsportsmanlike attitudes, that is a loss. Missed objectives are not necessarily costly, violated principles always are.

In light of this, I have been thrilled to write down and solidify the principles that will guide us to our future.

More tomorrow.

Humidity

It has been a long time since I have experienced humidity like I have this week. Me and humidity are not good friends. I am looking forward to returning from Florida tomorrow where just a simple walk of a few feet here produces the need to change shirts. NO thanks.

The weather here has been wild. Along with the humidity has been thunderstorms at night. And then 4 am this morning the fire alarm went off in the hotel and so evacuation was required - out into the rainy, humid weather.

We can easily only think of the changes in weather we would like to see in the Northwest. I have a fresh appreciation for our moderate temperatures and low humidity that will welcome me home.

See you Sunday.

Jacksonville Trip

I find myself in Jacksonville, Florida for Thursday and Friday and will be back on Saturday. I am here with other Church leaders at an event hosted by Convoy of Hope. I will be getting an update from them on all that they are doing around the world with their relief efforts. They are a great ministry partner.

On Sunday we will continue our "Choose Wisely" series with a challenge regarding hypocrisy. I will be dealing with the complex relationship between faith and works. If you want to get a head start, read James 2:14-26.

Locker Room Reflections

One of the thoughts we took away from out time together today was that our gatherings on Sunday (or Wednesday, Small Groups, etc.) are the locker room meetings not the game itself. When we look at our gatherings as "the game" then when we leave the building we can leave our spirituality behind. The Biblical author James does not allow for that (see James 1:22-27).

All of the Lock Room meetings were wonderful today. Joni (my wife, for those who may not know) spoke in the Assembly. I snuck in for a little while between services to check on how she was doing. I am so proud of her.

Let's get in the game.

Finding Life

I talk to parents every week who say things like, “My son/daughter is really struggling. They need something, but I don’t quite know what it is.” I know what it is. They need community, accountability, and authenticity that they cannot find in the world. Last night we had our annual Small Group Kickoff Bash, where we launch our youth small groups that meet over the course of the school year. I preached a message out of 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul is trying to explain to the Corinthians what it means to be a Christian, and the best illustration that he can think of, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the analogy of a body. “Being a follower of God,” Paul explains, “is just like being a part of a body.” His basic point is that being alive means being connected.

We take this seriously at ECC, and that is why we have 24 adult small groups, and last night we launched 11 additional youth small groups as we head into this school year. Being alive means being connected. A body part can only live if it is connected to other body parts. Through connections to other body parts each individual part is ultimately connected to the head. Join me on a trip back to 2nd grade:

(sing with me...) “With the hip bone connected to the back bone,
and the back bone connected to the neck bone,
and the neck bone connected to the head bone,”

I’m not reminding you of this song simply to get it stuck in your head for the next 2 weeks. The theology of this anatomy identification jingle is thick. Paul was singing this almost two-thousand years ago. If any part of our body disconnects from the whole, it dies. Taken the other way, life is found in community. Being alive means being connected. My answer to these parents that call me for counsel on a weekly basis is simple. I say, “Connect your children to the body of Christ. Bring them to church, encourage them to get involved in a small group. They will find what everyone who gets connected finds—life.”

9-11

On this 6th anniversary of the terrorists attack on America we now simply refer to as "9-11," I heard some news sources focused again on the events of that day. It brought some truths to the forefront of my mind. Here are a few:

1) Worry about nothing. Pray about everything.
2) Don't talk about tomorrow with pride because today is not over. (see Proverbs 27:1)
3) Love people today. Don't wait to tell them you love them.
4) I trust the sovereignty of God.
5) A delay can serve to be a life saver.
6) Cellular service stinks during a crisis.

Until tomorrow, I hope.

The One Worth While

Being back on a Sunday was everything I thought it would be. There is no place like home (Church).

I had some requests for the poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox I read at the end of my message. Here it is in complete form:

It is easy enough to be pleasant, When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile, When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble, And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth Is the smile that shines through tears.
It is easy enough to be prudent, When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin Is luring your soul away;
But it's only a negative virtue Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor on earth Is the one that resists desire.
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen, Who had no strength for the strife,
The world's highway is cumbered today; They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion, And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth For we find them but once in a while.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)

A Huge Win

Larry T just blogged about being slimed last night. It was quite the event. It was a huge win. What a great job by John and Jula Miller and their children's ministry staff. John told me with a little bit of hesitation that he wanted to see 200 kids at Splat Night. He spoke out his vision and goal. Sometimes that is uncomfortable to do but HE GOT HIS GOAL AND THEN SOME (last I heard he blew by his goal by 40). Way to go!

Sometimes we just need to declare! We need to speak out and commit to our BHAG (big hairy audacious goal). By doing so we live bigger than we are.

What God-sized goal or vision do you need to speak out? Be bold, be real, be prayerful, be faithful. You may just get what you shoot for.

Cheering you on.

Slimed

Ugh! Tonight I was the closing finale of Pastor John's Back to School Splat Night. Two big buckets of slime were poured over me and the adults who helped the children made sure that the slime went down my back on the inside of my shirt and was packed, deeply packed, into my ears as well. It took quite a bit to get cleaned up. Oh well, another little bit of work for Jesus. The kids loved it and so did their parents ;-)!! Perhaps someone will stay close to God because I tried to be a good sport.

I wish the life within was as easy to clean up as the slime without. It's a lot stickier and doesn't seem to respond to soap, shampoo, and warm water. But what is impossible with man is very possible with God. For that, we can all thank Him.

T

Choose Wisely

This Sunday I will start a series of messages called "Choose Wisely." It is a study of the main themes of the book of James.

James is a loaded book. I read that it has 60 directives in the 100+ verses in 5 chapters. Think of it as a the Proverbs of the New Testament. This short book is not very subtle. James is straight forward and hard hitting. I think you will find it as practical and relevant as any study.

This Sunday we will talk about Rough Roads in life. Since ease has never produced strength we should allow the tough spots and trials to grow us.

There are going to be a lot of people there, but it will not be the same without you. I cannot wait.

See you Sunday.

Back in the Saddle

I am back in the saddle from being out for a month on a learning sabbatical.


1) I am so glad to be back.

2) I am really glad to be back.

3) I am excited to speak to a great group of people on Sunday called ECC.

4) It was so nice to reconnect with our staff yesterday. We had a wonderful reunion.

5) Did I say I was glad to be back?


I was on the road all 4 weekends that I was gone. The first weekend was in Salt Lake City, the second was in Chicago, the third was in Ft. Collins, Colorado and this past weekend in Washington D.C. It was for the purpose of learning and gaining insight for our future. I met with some incredible leaders and gleaned principles that will effect our future.

Everyone I know has been supportive of this endeavor and for that I am grateful. It makes me love and appreciate you that much more.

In the days and months ahead, let's live bigger than we are.

Full Speed Ahead.

Thougths on Legacy

I believe one of the most grievous verses in all of Scriptures is found in John 12:43. It’s talking about leaders in the Jewish society who saw the amazing things that Jesus was doing and were convinced that He was who He said He was, but they were afraid to confess Him as Lord because of what it would do to their social standing. The Pharisees had proven that they would cut anyone off from the synagogue who began to follow Christ (see John 9), and being “put out” of the synagogue was not a small ordeal. The synagogue was not only the religious center of the Jewish society, but also the economic and social center. Everything was tied up with the temple, the synagogues, and the ruling class of the Pharisees. To be cut off from this institution was more than an inconvenience; it meant persecution, and threat of losing not only your livelihood, but your connection to God and your community. This is the dilemma that these Jewish leaders find themselves in—take the risk and follow Jesus, or remain safe by sticking to the status quo. John 12:42-43:

42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

The underlying reason these leaders would not do what they knew was right was because they loved praise from men more than praise from God. In thinking about these verses, I preached a message in FOS Church (with our youth/young adults on Wednesday night) a few weeks ago talking about legacy. In preparation for this message I began to think about what a memorial, a “wall of fame,” would look like in heaven.

Imagine it: you get to heaven and as you’re walking around surveying the landscape you notice a memorial honoring those who lived and died for the cause of Christ. These are the heroes of the faith who advanced Christ’s legacy above their own. From a distance it has the look of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D. C., with the names of those being honored engraved in marble, one on top of the other. You can’t quite read the names as you approach, but the closer you get you imagine some of the great martyrs and saints whose names you will read shortly. You’ll look for some of your favorites: The Apostle Paul, Polycarp, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Mother Theresa. As you approach the imposing marble structure you are awed by the sheer volume and size of this memorial—there aren’t simply a few select names here, but millions upon millions. You’re thinking it may be difficult to find the names you are looking for, but when you finally get to where you can read the individual names you realize that it will be impossible. You cannot distinguish one name from another, because they are all the same. Each name simply reads, “Servant of Christ,” “Servant of Christ,” Servant of Christ.” The only name on the memorial is the name of Christ. HIS is the only legacy being honored.

The closing thought in this message was this: “Your heart only has room for ONE legacy. You can’t live in God’s image and worry about your own.”

You can listen to, download, or subscribe to our FOS Church sermon podcast (called "foscast") at http://fosyouth.com/