We arrived home last night from a week of vacation! We spent the first four days visiting my family in Canada, the next three visiting Bethany's family in Michigan, and the last day seeing some good friends and then returning to Loudonville!
Before leaving, other than the requisite "visiting", I had four things on my todo list...
1. Rest/Relax
2. Spend Time With Bethany & Christopher
3. Catch Up On Writing Notes
4. Catch Up On Some Emails
Brought on by the amount of energy and activity of Christmas Eve, we were exhausted, and got a much later start than we had intended! I remember about half way up to Canada when it dawned on me that I had forgotten to pack the note cards that I always use (and that honestly bothered quite a bit).
As I wrestled with my emotions surrounding this lapse in memory I was confronted with the conflicting nature of my priorities for this "week away". Half of them where focussed on taking a break, recharging, and spending time with my family! The other half were about not taking a break, and continuing to work, think, and engage on the first week in six months that I had planned to disengage!
Not only did I choose not to write any notes, I only opened my computer once the entire week! In the end I chose not to cheat my family or myself, so that I would be healthier and have better energy to give to all the priorities of 2012!
Monday, January 02, 2012
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Some things won't happen...
This section of Matthew 17, that culminates in the sometime questioned verse 21, is telling us that when tough things come our way, sometime our faith and prayers need to be supercharged in both how we are able to focus on God and the importance we communicate with our action to God that we are relying on Him alone.
While I had done it a few times earlier in my Christian experience, fasting became a more regular and meaningful part of my personal practice about three years ago. The first longer fast I did was over a two week stretch and since then I have fasted for up to forty days.
For my experience the two things I would say more than anything else are...
1. Fasting is much easier than most people think! After you get past those first few days when your body is detoxing from it's addiction to food, you start to realize how little food you actually need (on longer fasts I do drink juice for energy so that I am able to function normally...I have done up to a one week 'nothing but water' fast and that is significantly harder).
2. Every Christian ought to fast for at least two weeks once in their life! After getting through the first week the one thing I noticed is how God began to sustain me in ways that even food could not. I had a strong sense of focus, clarity and spiritual power that only came from taking something I ultimately need, and setting it aside to focus and rely on God!
Today we have called a day of prayer and fasting as a church to focus on our future and some of our critical needs going forward. I am deeply thankful for the ways that God has shown up and is working through people and anticipate the unbelievable ways we are going to discover Him and unleash what He wants to accomplish because of our obedience to fast and pray!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
An Amish Bike Shop?!
Our travels yesterday brought us to Millersburg, Ohio, and on the way into town I saw the type of billboard that is almost always sure to capture my attention: A BIKE SHOP!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).
For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
An Amish Bike Shop?!
Our travels yesterday brought us to Millersburg, Ohio, and on the way into town I saw the type of billboard that is almost always sure to capture my attention: A BIKE SHOP!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).
For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).
For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
An Amish Bike Shop?!
Our travels yesterday brought us to Millersburg, Ohio, and on the way into town I saw the type of billboard that is almost always sure to capture my attention: A BIKE SHOP!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).
For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
After running our errands, we looked up the location for Raber's Bike Shop and began heading in that direction. This first thing that really struck me was we were heading deep into the country. The second thing that jumped out was how big this building in the middle of nowhere! As I looked in the door that had a "We're Open" sign on it, I could see nothing and it looked like all the lights were out. Things came into focus as my son and I pulled open the door, saw the one employee who was there that day, and instantly knew... this was an Amish bicycle store!
It is probably just some of my mistaken perceptions, but it struck me that this huge Amish bicycle store (which had no electricity) was packed full of very expensive, high-end bicycles. It also struck me when the young man, seeing that I was into nice bikes, showed me his personal road bike that he just purchased and built, (which probably cost more than $6,000).For me, this experience made me think of church. When people walk in and everything is just as they expect, nothing strikes them... and for me, this is problematic! One of the things that I love about the church that God has allowed me to help lead is that we are always trying to do things that get people thinking and help them to consider and experience God in brand new ways!
Whether it is something as simple as 'you can truly come as you are', or 'these people really are friendly', or 'Christians do like to have fun and rock out', it is so much fun to shake things up. While New Hope is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum from an Amish bike shop, both of us seem to be having fun as we help people to see important things in a whole new way!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Energized, Spent, Energized!
For the past two weeks we have been operating at 100% fullness of schedule as a family! This has not been due to insane requirements that we have been subjected to and are trying to get to the other side of (thankfully). While there has been a learning curve being in a new environment, starting a new season of ministry, and trying to locate a place of our own to live, the pace has come more from meeting people, getting together with people, caring for people, and simply being present.
This pace, in almost every respect, has actually given us life and energy (we are social like that) and it has been very good to get to know so many amazing people is such a small window of time. Christopher is having fun on this new adventure, has made a bunch of friends, started learning to wakeboard last week, and actually begins every prayer with "God, thanks for letting us move here...".
Last night after another in a long line of very full days, I laid back snuggling with my son...and that is the last thing I remember! After two weeks of going I had a very long and deeply restful sleep...and now, once again, I am energized.
The thought that inspired this post was not a desire to brag about stamina or to give an update, but rather a wondering of how many of us love what we get to do so much that even while pushing ourselves to exhaustion doing it we are filled and fed and our souls are nourished instead of depleted?!
My prayer for us all is that we would live more and more as God created us to...and come to know in even greater ways what the abundant life is all about!
This pace, in almost every respect, has actually given us life and energy (we are social like that) and it has been very good to get to know so many amazing people is such a small window of time. Christopher is having fun on this new adventure, has made a bunch of friends, started learning to wakeboard last week, and actually begins every prayer with "God, thanks for letting us move here...".
Last night after another in a long line of very full days, I laid back snuggling with my son...and that is the last thing I remember! After two weeks of going I had a very long and deeply restful sleep...and now, once again, I am energized.
The thought that inspired this post was not a desire to brag about stamina or to give an update, but rather a wondering of how many of us love what we get to do so much that even while pushing ourselves to exhaustion doing it we are filled and fed and our souls are nourished instead of depleted?!
My prayer for us all is that we would live more and more as God created us to...and come to know in even greater ways what the abundant life is all about!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Funeral Protocol...
Bethany and I travelled extensively Sunday evening and Monday, in order to participate in the funeral of our dear friend Larry Taylor. When I arrived, looked over the elements of the service, and even during the funeral itself, a couple things struck me (in a very positive way).
Some of the typical protocol or elements of a funeral were not present and some were present in unique ways (that were customized to Larry's life and preferences). Pastor Wally and I received a number of compliments, which included things like, "I've never been to a funeral like that", "I've never been to a funeral where it was truly a celebration of that person's life", and "that was the most meaningful funeral I have ever been too".
While we certainly take little credit for the experience, it did get me thinking about what truly was unique and the relationship of this funeral and funeral protocol.
I have officiated a number of funerals where the only stories or knowledge I had of the person where things that I learned from friends and family over the few days leading up to the service. In cases like this I am so thankful for protocol...that helps me know what to say and when to say it...and which elements are somewhat essential.
Larry's funeral, however, was different! Wally and I both knew this man for the span of years. We laughed with him, we were sad together, and we joined hands, hearts, and lives in order to make a difference in our community for our God. When you know someone like we knew Larry whether or not to drive ten hours for the funeral does not even factor into the equation! When you know someone like we knew Larry, reading this scripture and singing that song is not always necessary, as you have plenty of personal stories and shared life to celebrate with!
In the coming years I know that I'll have funerals where protocol is followed and funerals where it isn't. I want to be the kind of pastor and leader who cares about and shares life with people! I pray that God would grant me the opportunity to lead more of this type of funeral than the other!
Some of the typical protocol or elements of a funeral were not present and some were present in unique ways (that were customized to Larry's life and preferences). Pastor Wally and I received a number of compliments, which included things like, "I've never been to a funeral like that", "I've never been to a funeral where it was truly a celebration of that person's life", and "that was the most meaningful funeral I have ever been too".
While we certainly take little credit for the experience, it did get me thinking about what truly was unique and the relationship of this funeral and funeral protocol.
I have officiated a number of funerals where the only stories or knowledge I had of the person where things that I learned from friends and family over the few days leading up to the service. In cases like this I am so thankful for protocol...that helps me know what to say and when to say it...and which elements are somewhat essential.
Larry's funeral, however, was different! Wally and I both knew this man for the span of years. We laughed with him, we were sad together, and we joined hands, hearts, and lives in order to make a difference in our community for our God. When you know someone like we knew Larry whether or not to drive ten hours for the funeral does not even factor into the equation! When you know someone like we knew Larry, reading this scripture and singing that song is not always necessary, as you have plenty of personal stories and shared life to celebrate with!
In the coming years I know that I'll have funerals where protocol is followed and funerals where it isn't. I want to be the kind of pastor and leader who cares about and shares life with people! I pray that God would grant me the opportunity to lead more of this type of funeral than the other!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Missional as Sexy!
For those who may stumble on this post with some concern, noting that my return to blogging after a year is marked by a consecutive entry involving "SEX", have no fear! In this post sexy is used in the broader sense to simply mean appealing ;-).
I have witnessed the following phenomenon with such consistency and regularity that I simply had to punch a few keys and record my observation. In our day and age it seems that churches love to talk missional talk, and that most Christians love to speak of how their church is missional. This is also a top characteristic that thoughtful people seem to want when looking for a new church.
The reason for all the hype, buzz, appeal, attraction, is simple! This is what the church is suppose to be and it should compel us when what we say we believe takes root in the real world and actually makes a difference for others in our community. People rightly want to be part of something beyond their own Sunday/Wednesday Bible social club! Regardless of the zeal we have in our singing and learning together, people are increasing seeing through that as the be all and end all of faith and feel very good about being part of God's mission in the world!
The rub is found in the struggle of not simply talking missionally, or being part of an organization that is missional, but when we ourselves start to live in a missional manner. It doesn't take long to realize it is hard work. So hard in fact that living in this place with any consistency quickly removes the sexy sheen and replaces it with a overwhelming need that requires the presence of God.
At ecclesia people sometimes ask us if we are "having fun". Doing what is good and true and right and pure to the calling of God for us is almost always more difficult than fun! It is seldom easy to do the right thing or the best thing, and while the difficulty often scares people off, it usually indicates that what is being attempted is more important not less.
When you see people jump in with passion and then run away with even greater passion, you learn that being missional is not sexy! When you don't get paid again, which we are living through now, NOT SEXY! Pretty much the only time missional is sexy is when we are playing with it in our minds apart from any practice or when I am talking at another church that is stirred and moved by the results of being missional while clueless about the cost of it every single day.
At this end of the spectrum my conclusion is simple... Sexy is overrated in every possible application! Being missional is not and more of us need to lean into it and into God than ever before!
I have witnessed the following phenomenon with such consistency and regularity that I simply had to punch a few keys and record my observation. In our day and age it seems that churches love to talk missional talk, and that most Christians love to speak of how their church is missional. This is also a top characteristic that thoughtful people seem to want when looking for a new church.
The reason for all the hype, buzz, appeal, attraction, is simple! This is what the church is suppose to be and it should compel us when what we say we believe takes root in the real world and actually makes a difference for others in our community. People rightly want to be part of something beyond their own Sunday/Wednesday Bible social club! Regardless of the zeal we have in our singing and learning together, people are increasing seeing through that as the be all and end all of faith and feel very good about being part of God's mission in the world!
The rub is found in the struggle of not simply talking missionally, or being part of an organization that is missional, but when we ourselves start to live in a missional manner. It doesn't take long to realize it is hard work. So hard in fact that living in this place with any consistency quickly removes the sexy sheen and replaces it with a overwhelming need that requires the presence of God.
At ecclesia people sometimes ask us if we are "having fun". Doing what is good and true and right and pure to the calling of God for us is almost always more difficult than fun! It is seldom easy to do the right thing or the best thing, and while the difficulty often scares people off, it usually indicates that what is being attempted is more important not less.
When you see people jump in with passion and then run away with even greater passion, you learn that being missional is not sexy! When you don't get paid again, which we are living through now, NOT SEXY! Pretty much the only time missional is sexy is when we are playing with it in our minds apart from any practice or when I am talking at another church that is stirred and moved by the results of being missional while clueless about the cost of it every single day.
At this end of the spectrum my conclusion is simple... Sexy is overrated in every possible application! Being missional is not and more of us need to lean into it and into God than ever before!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Why Men Are Fat?
I have lost 52 pounds to date and have all kinds of thoughts rolling around in my mind like 'why didn't I do this sooner' and 'it is not as hard as I thought'. One idea has been begging me to become a blog post and since I have never heard anyone speculate about this it seemed like an interesting notion to roll out.
I have spoken with literally hundreds of men over the years who talk with heartbroken bitterness about how their spouses are seemingly never interested in any type of sexual intimacy. The story typically goes, we met, there were sparks, we did the "till death do us part" thing and is now seems like any physical interest in me was little more than a ploy to secure a mate (I could go on and on about how much of this I have heard and thoughts about it but must press on to my thought).
One of the side effects I have noticed in a pronounced way since losing a bunch of weight (and have heard many others talk about), is that desire/drive/libido skyrocket with increased fitness (enough about that...this is a PG blog ;-).
HERE IS MY THOUGHT: I wonder, on a subconscious level, if many men live at an unhealthy state, simply to numb their level of sexual desire and keep from feeling the intense pain of rejection with greater frequency.
Here's to leaning into health and seeing positive relational results come even if it is through pain.
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