Sunday in Palm Springs

It was something like 112 degrees here. Too hot for my tastes. Some really like the heat, but it just zaps my energy level. Yet we all had enough energy to go to Church today.

I always encourage people to go to Church while on vacation. One of the many benefits is getting a wider perspective of the community of Christ. I love to go to other Churches because it helps me to get a view from the pew - a view I need to see every once in a while.

I was talking to a friend on the way down to Palm Springs and he said he knew a guy who had a Church there and that I would really like to get to know him. So he and I connected on Friday morning and today we went to the Church he founded 3 years ago. His name is Eddie Windsor and he pastors Champion Life Church. Eddie grew up in Yelm, Washington and a number of his staff is from the Olympia area.

I was enriched and we all enjoyed the gathering. I am really excited about getting back home this week.

Trash Duty

I am back with ease of online access. I hope your week has been wonderful.

Had an interesting thing happen yesterday on our family trip. We were traveling through Los Angeles in our vehicle and needed some gas. As I got out to fill up, there was a bunch of trash on the ground in front of the trash can next to the gas pump. I did what I thought was a pretty natural thing to do - I picked up the four bags and a couple of cups and put them in the trash and proceeded to pump gas.

As I was finishing up and we were getting ready to go, the manager emerged from the convenience store attached to the station. He came up to me and said, "When I saw you picking up the trash, I knew you were not from here. People throw their trash everywhere. Thank you very much. If you would like a free drink, it's on me." I wasn't really thirsty so I just got a water.

I had a few thoughts as we left.

- That manager did not have to do that. Great observation and good follow-through.

- What is the world coming to that picking up trash is so out of the ordinary that we want to reward it.

- I feel bad for people who are lazy and inconsiderate because they have to live in their own mess.

- Simple rewards can be powerful motivators.

Most Sunday mornings with my son Dawson and his friend Kade, we arrive in the parking lot of the church early and scope it out for any trash that may have made its way onto the campus over the weekend. If for some reason I forget, they remind me - it is part of our routine. I am looking forward to getting back into the routine when we get home.

Randomly, pick up that little piece of trash when you see it, it may make someone's day.

The Weekend

We had a nice weekend around ECC. All went well on both campuses. A few things that could have been better - but overall, great.

My neighbor surprised me today by coming to the 10:30 Bridge service. That was really special to me. We had just talked on Saturday and he said he might show up. I was honored to introduce him to some of you.

I had a lot of good feedback from our thoughts on Jonah. Hopefully it will encourage us to LOVE OUR CITY.

Our family heads down to northern California today (Monday). Joni's side of the family is having a reunion. It will be interesting to connect with some more of the Wilkerson side. There are a number of ministers on her side of the family so I am sure we will have plenty of subjects to talk about.

I am not sure of my connectivity to my blog once we hit the road. I will do my best to stay in touch.

Make it a great week.

Church Trends

I think trends are fascinating to observe. Maybe you will find this interesting.

In 1970 there were about 10 known mega-churches
(defined as a weekly attendance of over 2,000) in America.

In 1984 there were about 100 known mega-churches in America.

In 2000 there were 100 churches with attendance over 5,000.

In 2006 there were 1,400 mega-churches.

In 2007 there were over 200 churches with attendance over 5,000 and
to be in the top 100 you would need to run 7,100.

In 2008 a new mega-church emerges every one to three days.

(From REV! magazine July/August 2008 page 69)

Whether we like it or not, the large church is not going away any time soon. The other factor I find enlightening is that the other trend we see emerging is the boom of house churches.

At first glance people think that the larger church is not a place to fit into. The opposite is true. Studies have shown us that larger churches provide more opportunities for connection and close relationships than many smaller churches. The reason some have cited is small churches, that have been small for a period of time, have settled into their relationships (sometimes called cliques) to the point where it is difficult for outsiders to assimilate.

Have you settled in to your relationships to the place where there is no more room for new friends? Don't become a relational cul-de-sac.

A New Tradition

My boys and I started a new tradition today. This being the last day of the school year, we went and had a huge breakfast together to start the day. IHOP was the choice.

We are going to do that for every last day of school. It was an awesome start to a great tradition.

Class of 2008

I am a proud father. The oldest child in our household graduated from high school tonight. The great part of the evening was that Lauren was the only student chosen to speak for the whole class. The way River Ridge High School handles this responsibility is that students submit their speeches to a committee and the committee selects one to present during the graduation ceremony. Lauren was "off the charts" good. I am very biased, of course.

Like all other graduation ceremonies, the event was called commencement. Many people miss the significance of that event title - it comes from the word commence. Which means, "to begin, to start." Graduation is not the culmination, it is the starting point for the future. It does not indicate an arrival, it initiates a launch. Commencement.

It was a wonderful reminder for me not to fall back into the comfort of the familiar but to reach higher and live bigger than ever before. Every day, commencement!

Long-lasting Advise

To conclude this big week, I conducted the wedding of Mitch Netzer and Jacque Parshall today. What a great time. Mitch is the son of Pastor Dick and Joan Netzer who directs our short-term missions and ECC facilities. Jacque is the daughter of Steve and Valya Parshall who have been an integral part of ECC for a long time and Steve is on our Board of Deacons.

A question that I asked myself as I was preparing my ceremony message to them was: what advise would I give them if I knew they would never forget it? During the ceremony I gave them two bits of advice. Be humble. And don't approach your marriage as just a responsibility, but as an adventure.

Afterwards I asked a few people what advice they would give (if they knew they would never forget it). Here are some of the responses:

Remember that you married your best friend.

Never pass up a good opportunity to shut up.

You are a team.

Your spouse is not the enemy.

Always put the lid down.

How about you? Do you have some good advice for Mitch and Jacque? I told them I was going to do this so I know they will read your responses.

Congratulations Mitch and Jacque Netzer!

Friends as Family

It is wonderful to have people in your life that, although they live a long distance away and you don't talk to them every day, you can just pick up where you left off. Aaron and Scarlett Wagner and their girls Ivey and Anna Grace, are those type of people. We had a nice time together on Tuesday night during our time in D.C.. Great meal (thanks so much Scarlett), great conversation, great evening.

Aaron and Scarlett were Olympians up until about 2 years ago and then were transferred to Virginia, then D.C.. Scarlett was my assistant and Aaron even spoke on the July 4th Sunday before they moved east. They were deeply integrated into ECC and we still miss them.

Take time to tell a friend what a valuable role they play in your life.

Justice Thomas

Here is the picture I was talking about with Justice Clarence Thomas. All of the Justices were very approachable and friendly. I am so glad I got bold enough to ask for this. A great memory.

Thanks for allowing us to represent you.

Rare Air

Joni and I were in some rare air last night. Wow is a word that starts to describe the evening. Interaction with the Supreme Court is truly rare. They are like no other branch of government in that they are not political nor politicians. They are beholden to no one and don't need to kiss anyone's baby to stay in power. We cannot vote them out of office so they don't need to meet with anyone, especially in a social setting.

Antonin Scalia was the first Justice that came up to me to shake my hand. We were told not to pursue pictures or even bring a camera. Joni just happened to have ours with and Justice Thomas was so amicable that we snuck a picture with him. I don't have the ability to download it to my computer yet, but will post it when I do.

We also met Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Alito, Justice Thomas as well as some other very influential folk. Justice Kennedy was nearby but did not get a chance to meet me with everyone else around (ha, ha). I saw Justice Ginsburg for only a moment as it seemed she was there for only a short time. We did not see Justice Breyer but I heard he was there. Justices Souter and Stevens were not present.

As part of the banquet the Army Corps choir sang. They ended with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. As they sang one of the last verses, the name and work of Jesus was proclaimed. It was a wonderful moment:

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His Truth is marching on.

Appropriately, the approximately 250 guests responded with a standing ovation. The setting of the Great Hall of the Court and the song echoing through it was unforgettable.

D.C.

We arrived last night in Washington D.C. after traveling, what felt like, all day. We got all our luggage and took a taxi to our hotel, which is not far from the White House. When we got near our hotel, we saw police lights everywhere. When the driver tried to stop in front of the hotel a police officer was very forceful (putting it nicely) in his insistence that we keep going. So it was going to be about a block we would have to walk to get to our hotel. No problem.

We get out of the car and onto the sidewalk and soon realized we were restricted in even walking to the hotel by another officer. We soon found out why. The President was in the area. Awesome.

So before we even checked into the hotel we were able to see the Presidential motorcade. They say that when the President even moves a few blocks from his house it costs the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. After seeing the security, I can believe it.

Now, Joni and I are about to leave for this huge day at the Supreme Court. More later.