Great Northwest Sunday

I am just about to call it a day and what a great day it has been. Our gatherings were dynamic from my vantage point. I found out that our McCleary campus had a stellar crowd and healthy participation at their own event.

On both campuses, after the morning services, we had meals and activities. I met so many new people, saw so many smiling faces and even had a little note on my car as I left that simply said, "Great day." I even endured my time in the dunk tank. Everyone seemed to enjoy that a bit more than me. It was all for missions.

I have a smile on my face just thinking about getting to spend my day with a faith family I love - even though D.J. and I did not win the bean bag toss tournament.

Happy Labor Day.

Take A Hike

I had a chance to take a hike yesterday with ECS teacher, Bruce Newman. We trekked over 13 miles into the Olympics climbing and descending around a mile - 5600 ft. I am not sure that sounds like a lot to you, but my calves are telling me today that it was quite the climb. There were countless scenes of breathtaking proportions. God is an incredible landscaper.

Other than the shear beauty, my take away from the day was the truth that, "the path is always easier to see when you are following someone." When I was given the chance to lead, I had times when I found it hard to discern the path we were to take. I regularly was checking with Bruce to make sure I was not leading us astray. Yet, when Bruce was leading, I could recognize the path easily. Duh. Yet there are so many applications of life and following Jesus that fit that truth.

Character and Giftedness

As expected, Michael Phelps graced the cover of Sports Illustrated after his epic Olympic run. "King of the Pool" is the headline followed with, "The Amazing Michael Phelps." I made the observation in our all-staff chapel yesterday that the word "amazing" on the cover is referring to his giftedness, his talent of swimming really fast.

Our culture idolizes giftedness. In schools students who are labeled as "gifted" are the stand-outs.

Yet there is something so much more critical than giftedness - character. Character is the foundation of our reputation. It represents the core of who we are and the tendencies attached to our lives.

Giftedness may be idolized, but it is character that inspires. While watching the Olympics, NBC did a story on a 24 year old athlete from South Africa named Natalie du Toit. She did not win the 6.2 mile open water swim (16th of 25) but she wowed me. You see, in 2001 she was on a motorbike returning to school after a training session when see collided with a car and the injuries to her leg resulted in amputation at the knee. She was back swimming 6 months later.

When others would quit, she persevered. When asked, she admitted to a struggle, yet never gave up. WOW. That is character.

You can have all the giftedness anyone could ask for (think of Samson in Judges 13-16) but if you don't have character, it is wasted. Samson is the epitome of this truth: giftedness without character is devastating. There are many examples of character that cannot bear the weight of giftedness.

I talked with a gentleman in our faith family on Sunday that has been told that he has one year to live. Gifts and talents do not sustain you at those times - it is character and faith - and he has both. WOW. Inspiring.

Ephesians 5:1 admonishes us as Jesus followers to be "imitators of God." It is not speaking of His giftedness, it is speaking of His kind of character being formed in us.

I don't want to be idolized, I want to inspire.

Revenge

Tomorrow I am concluding the Benchwarmers series with the life of Samson (Judges 13-16). The most well-known Judge is an interesting character study.

“It is a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma.” Warren Wiersbe pointed out Sir Winston Churchill's description of the Russians in his day. But what he said about Russian actions could be applied to Samson.

You could always depend on Samson to be undependable. You could also depend on Samson to exact revenge on any offense he took personally.

Revenge.

In research done at University College in London, revenge was measured. The study was done by hooking up mechanical devices to individuals that allowed them to exert pressure on another volunteer. The exercise was, there will be pressure exerted on you and you are to exert the same amount of pressure on your volunteer partner. They will then exert back on you the exact same pressure.

The results were amazing. Although the volunteers tried to respond to each other's touches with equal force, they typically responded with about 40% more force than they had just experienced. And they more they did it, the more the pressure was escalated.

Now imagine it is fueled by emotion. The tendency of thought is; the pain we receive is more painful than the pain we produce. That leads to the falacy that the second punch is more justifiable (maybe even moral) than the first punch. We are so quick to justify our own actions and condemn anothers of equal significance.

It is the story of Samson. I wish it was an exclusive story.

See you tomorrow.

Keeping Grounded

I appreciate those who are faithful to reading my blog and want to apologize for the gap this week in posting.

I read an article this week that reported the stat that 1500 pastors leave vocational ministry each month. The cause was narrowed down to three reasons: moral and spiritual failure and contention with their church. Some even confessed that the pressure of church growth only added to their decision.

Most reading this may not be able to understand, not only the pressures involved with pastoring, but those unique to being a lead pastor. When I read that statistic, there is a part of me that totally understands, and another part of me that is confused.

Since accepting a position that allows me to lead fellow pastors in my own geographic area (called a presbyter), I have had up close experiences with the struggles that my cohorts are encountering. Some are enduring through difficulty that would cause me to question a divine calling.

That being said, I also know that we pastors can get into a mode where we think we are the only ones that have incredible stress - forgetting that the people we shepherd are working their tails off to provide for their families and can rival us in the number of work hours in a week - and then they volunteer at church to boot!

I have established a number of habits and mindsets that have kept me grounded. I am not sure they will work for anyone else, and maybe some of you will add to my list.

1) Don't use position/title as a club. Too many yield to the temptation to use the title pastor (or boss, or supervisor, or manager, etc.) as a spiritual club that only damages and ruins others.

2) Take regular times during the week/month to just meditate, think and dream. I would not want to live life without those moments where I imagine how things could possibly be.

3) Accept things just as they are. The adage that comes to mind is the idea of playing with the cards you were dealt. An old baseball saying is, "Yesterday ended last night." Whatever was yesterday was yesterday, today is today. Make decisions based on today.

4) Know what is important (values), and make decisions based on that, no matter what.

5) Take time to get away. Every year I take a week by myself to get centered and refocused - to make sure I am connected with God and with His plan for me.

6) Have a prayer place. Older versions of scripture called it a "closet." It is that secluded place that is free from distraction where it is just you and God and no pretenses. It is a place where honesty takes over so you can focus on who really is center of the universe. A place to go everyday (Matthew 6:6).

What are some ways you stay grounded?

Independence Day - India

Along with 3 others, I am headed to India the first part of September. It will be my first time to the Asian nation. I am really anticipating the adventure.

Sixty-one years ago today (August 15, 1947) India received its freedom from British rule. I heard from a person who now lives there that the first moment of freedom was delayed by a day from the original date proposed by the British government because Indian astrologers advised that it was an unlucky day for a nation to become free. The observation is - after years of struggle for independence, the day was postponed for fear of the alignment of the stars.

Sixty-one years later it is a nation of over a billion people with social and economic oppression, struggles of disease as well as religious and spiritual restrictions.

"There is no inauspicious day for freedom" is how the person who lives there summarized the challenge.

Pray for India.

Wild Goose Chase

A friend of mine, Mark Batterson, is about to release another book, Wild Goose Chase. When Joni and I were in D.C. in June he gave us a pre-release copy of the book. Mark pastors National Community Church in Washington, D.C.. They have 4 campuses which all meet in movie theaters.

I thought you would enjoy an excerpt from his book that is about to be released on August 19th. This is an excerpt he posted on his blog:

I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do the animals. We try to tame them in the name of Christ. We remove the risk. We remove the danger. We remove the struggle. And what we end up with is a caged Christian. Jesus didn't die on the cross to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. I would like to think that when I pronounce the benediction at the end of our church services, I am sending dangerous people back into their natural habitat to wreak havoc on the Enemy.

excerpt from Wild Goose Chase

Slacker Parents

I was reading an article about the Alcon Blue Butterfly that is found in the meadows of Denmark. Researchers there found a fascinating maternal manipulation in this large blue butterfly. It manages to produce larvae with a chemical coating similar to that of a local red ant (the Myrmica rubra to be specific).

The butterflies place their larvae on plants where the foraging ants can find them, identify the coating, and take the butterfly larvae back to the ant colony and raise them as their own, even at the expense of their own offspring. The chemical coating on the larvae is so similar to the ants that it produces a parenting impulse.

Can you believe that? And even though we know we as humans it is the nature of an entirely different species, we have to acknowledge that we too have the capacity to go against our God-given nature and act selfishly, even at the expense of our offspring.

If you ever have the chance to be a blessing to a child who has fallen victim to this, do so.

Brett a Jet

That was the headline I woke up to. It was hard to see Brett Favre in a Jet's hat later in the day. Still hard to believe he will not be in a Packer uniform. I find it interesting that the Packer's do not want to play against him. I say that because in trading Favre to the Jets, one of the stipulations was that the Jets would have to give up 3 first-round draft picks if they dealt him to the Minnesota Vikings.

My thought has always been, if you don't want to play against him, you should do everything you can to have him play for you. That wasn't how they saw it, I guess. Having been in Wisconsin all last week, I did not talk to anyone who did not want him back.

Bye, bye Brett. Still a Packer fan.

Rick Warren

I caught an interview with Rick Warren on Headline News yesterday. Rick is known mostly for his book, Purpose Driven Life that has sold millions of copies. He is also the founder and pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California.

Rick always has practical insights on current and relevant issues. Here are a few take aways from the interview:

- The issues we have to address that are systemic in America are restoring responsibility to the individual, civility to society, and credibility to the Church.

- Any organization has to decide what they want, growth or control. They cannot be concurrent.

- Decentralization always trumps centralization.

- Self-centeredness is a dead-end street.

Blasts From My Past

Here are a few blasts from my past. The house I grew up in - I think we moved in when I was one. And the Church building I grew up going to.

Wisconsin Trip

Here are some of the first pictures from the beginning of our week together.

We went to church this morning in Waupaca, Wisconsin at my parents church. It was a nice gathering but it just made me miss ECC. Can't wait to be back next Sunday.

Male Bonding

My boys and I are having the best of times. Though we had to ENDURE two Brewers losses (it was painful) we have not lost focus on the real agenda of the trip. Have a great time, eat a lot, and don't worry if it is healthy! We are right on track.

I have some pictures to show you all. I forgot to bring my USB cord for my camera and am trying to get one. If nothing else, I will post them upon my arrival home.

Last night we were in downtown Chicago and stayed in a condo 35 stories up right on Lake Michigan. Incredible views! Then we had an unbelievable lunch at Pappadeaux's with my good friends Joe S. and Dave W. where we had alligator and crawfish and squid. The other bonus to the lunch was that we were joined by the guy who was best man in our wedding - Chip Block. Ironically, that was 22 years ago TODAY. I married up! Joni and I will celebrate when we get back. Happy Anniversary Joni (I have already talked with her today, don't worry that this is the only Anniversary greeting).

On to see my parents tomorrow in central Wisconsin.