Inner Sanctum

SO YOU WANT TO PLANT A CHURCH

2009-06-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that one of the unintended opportunities of this economic challenging time is the rise in teen entrepreneurship. Many of the typically summer jobs that have been fertile soil for youth employment are not as plentiful as in the past. The result is that many young men and women are beginning their own businesses.

Laura Petrecca (USA Today, “Teen entrepreneurs offer tips to aspiring peers,” 5.19.09) interviewed some of these young people and garnered tips for their peers. What she discovered can be helpful to aspiring church planters. Church planting is a start up. So if you are considering such an endeavor here are some helpful insights. I will share the tip and offer applications to church planting.

Don’t let shortcomings thwart you: When it comes to church planting don’t look at what you cannot do, but see what you can do. A primary method of uncovering strengths is through an assessment process. Go to www.uought2.org as a beginning point.

Expand upon your interests: What do you enjoy? What people do you like to be with? Where do you like to live? This is how, to whom and where you ought to consider planting a church.

Create a formal business plan: Church plants just don’t happen. Get trained in the development of an action plan. Find a coach who will help you implement the plan.

Scour for savings: Dollars are limited in the beginning of a church. Look for places you can get quality items for fair prices. Don’t be afraid to ask for contributions. “If you don’t ask the answer is always no” (Jim Bogear, Church Planter).

Price wisely: This refers to the cost asked for the service or product sold. In church planting this can be applied to what “price” you are asking your launch team to pay with their time, gifts and finances. Be careful you don’t ask the impossible. At the same time don’t sell them, or youself short…people tend to respond to big expectations.

Make taxes less taxing: Bottom line keep excellent financial records. Churches are tax exempt, but planters are not. Keep receipts, develop a sound paper trail. Be above reproach in all financial matters.

Create a sound financial plan: This is an Achilles Heel for many planters. Don’t confuse faith with foolishness. God does provide, but He also instructs us to count the cost.

Don’t overinvest in supplies/equipment: Everything you may think you need before your launch may not be accurate. Begin with good equipment, but resist thinking it has to be the very best. It lots of cases store brand is as good as product brand and at less cost. Allow your church to grow, and then grow your equipment into your church.

Promote your business and yourself: Church planting is a great deal about initiative. Seek out people don’t just expect them to come to you. Be innovative in your promotion. Do not shy from attracting people to you.

Know the rules: What are the expectations of the movement you are connected (denomination, network, association, etc…)? What zoning laws are there in the community you are planting? Are you incorporated correctly as a non-profit?

Carve out personal time: Church planting can be completely consuming. No one will care for you personally, physically, emotionally, relationally or spiritually like you will.

Stick with your dream: If you know that you know that you know that God has called you to planting pursue it relentlessly, hold it firmly, cherish it regularly, care for it lovingly and don’t let it fade!

THE LITTLE THINGS

2009-06-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today it was the little things I have taken joy. Joni and I went grocery shopping. We used the self-check out scanners. I love those things. We took the groceries home and then we worked on separate projects together.

Simply sharing the same space. Doing our stuff, but together. Didn't need to talk to each other much. We have learned that being in close proximity, doing our things is relationship building. We are accessible to one another if necessary, but we don't have to be holding hands, or sitting next to each other.

I took her to work. Being together talking about our days ahead. I then went to my "office." A neat coffee shop called "It's a Grind." Free Internet. Wonderful work spaces.

I will pick up Joni after work and we will be seeing Brody, our first grandson. Later we will simply end our day together. It is this together that is so very important to us. Currently we spend chunks of time apart due to work. So the together times are that much more appreciated.

LEADERSHIP MUSINGS

2009-06-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Leaders and how they do things have always mesmerized me. I am fascinated by those who have waded into the deep waters, gotten in over their heads and emerged wet, a bit rattled, but better for the experience. I have been intrigued by those whose visions were much bigger than them. I have been drawn to the stories of bold faith, unrelenting passion, the willingness to forge ahead when others have simply fainted from the challenge.

I have noted that leaders cannot be neatly categorized. We want to do this. We want to somehow shoehorn them into a box. We want our leader's somewhat predictable. We tend to want them Teflon. But this is seldom the case. They come in variety of sizes and shapes. They emerge in all kinds of situations. They evolve in different environments. Often their commonality is that they are not very common.

I think, I think this: I think that what they do share is a sense of destiny. They deeply believe they have a mission that must be fulfilled. It is not self-generated, but it has been given to them from beyond. It drives them to continue in the face of most adversity.

It is not so much they can do whatever, it is they cannot not do whatever. They somehow have a sense of something beyond the now. They see, not so much with their eyes, but with their spirit. It is sense more than sight. And because it is something they sense, it compels them. The compulsion is not to see it more clearly, but to fulfill it completely. They are drawn more than directed. They are pulled more than pushed.

INNOVATION

2009-06-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were watching TV. A commercial for Post Shredded Wheat came on. I am not an avid commercial watcher, but every now and then an advertisement, or its tag line, gets my attention. This was the case with this product. The tagline: “We at Post put the no InNOvation!”

I laughed out loud. What a great line! They were attempting to communicate they were a company of tradition, wholesomeness and they could be counted on in these unstable times. At least I think that was it. I really got pretty intrigued by the line.

I commented to my wife how many churches actually have that as their mission statement. Not written out, but in their actions such is the case. The question is why? Why do many churches and church leaders pride themselves in InNOvation? Here are a few thoughts:

We confuse innovation with creativity: Innovation and creativity is not the same thing, although many use them interchangeably. Truth is God is the only genuinely creative being. It was God and God alone who spoke, “Let there be…” and there was. He created something out of nothing. We resist inNOvation simply because we believe we are not creative people. We may not be creative, but this does not mean we can’t be innovative.
Innovation is seen as compromise: For some innovation is connected with change and change is viewed as compromise. How change and compromise got put in the same basket I am not real sure, but for many it has. Is changing the oil in our vehicles compromising the vehicles integrity? Or is it extending its effectiveness?
Innovation is costly: What does it cost? Time? Energy? Frustration? Relationships? Possibly. But as in most things the cost of InNOvation must be weighed against innovation.

I believe churches and people can learn to be innovative. Wikipedia states, “A distinction is typically made between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully.” Understanding this will hopefully motivate us to be innovative people and churches. Meaning, we can take existing ideas and apply them to our context. Doing this can move us from inNOvation to INnovation. That is, move us from saying “no” to ideas to working “in” ideas we uncover.

I offer the following to develop an INnovation mindset:

Increase your “IA” (idea awareness) quotient: Look in a variety of places for ideas. Do not limit yourselves to what other churches do, but see what businesses are finding effective. An example would be Craig’s list. Many churches are finding this to be an effective tool.
Know your context: It is difficult to apply ideas to your situation if you don’t understand it. Not every idea is for you, nor is it adaptable to your situation.
Sit in a different chair: When I sit in a different chair I gain a different perspective of the room in which it is placed. View ideas from a variety of perspectives. Look at them from various angles. An idea that doesn’t look good from the top may look completely different from the side.
Try stuff: We get too tentative when it comes to trying an idea. An idea that doesn’t work is not an indication of our failure, just that the idea was not the best, or didn’t fit our situation. Melinda Gates when asked about ideas her and husband Bill’s Foundation comes up with said, “We will get out there and try something. If it doesn’t work, we will try something else. And we will keep trying until we find something that works” (Fast Company, June 09, p62).

What is it for you? InNOvation or INnovation? The choice is yours.

COMMANDER'S INTENT

2009-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

The military goes to great lengths to develop effective strategies for battlefield engagement. They research, study, evaluate and re-evaluate all plans. They do not go into battle unprepared. They do all they can to insure the enemy will be effectively engaged, quickly dispatched and the troops carrying out the plan will be as safe as possible. Yet, with all this, I understand that their underlying motto is: When the first shot is fired all strategies change.

I met a gentleman not too long ago who had an extensive military background. I asked him if it was true that war strategist believed that when the first shot was fired all things changed. He affirmed this was absolutely true. And then he said, “That is why all those going into battle has an understanding of the Commander’s Intent.”

This phrase fascinated me, so I asked him to elaborate. He went on to explain that even though everything changes in battle the Commander’s Intent does not. Bullets may be flying, soldiers may be adjusting to the circumstances but everything accommodates the Commander’s Intent. If there is a hill to be taken, regardless of the strategy they went into battle using, they never forget the hill. Everything on the battlefield flows toward the fulfillment of the Commander’s Intent. The goal is not to implement a preconceived strategy; the purpose is to achieve the Commander’s Intent!

We must embrace this concept. It can be applied wonderfully to our mission as movements, local churches and Christ-followers. We tend to neglect the Commander’s Intent. We get caught up in strategy, protectionism of methods, honoring of our created structures and how we want things to be. We forget that we are in a battle! We downplay changing climate. We strive to keep things as they have been. We want the church of yesterday in the world of today.

The shots have been fired, all things have changed and we make feeble attempts of re-implementing the strategies we have developed. What we need is to understand our Commander’s Intent and let that dictate actions, strategies, structure and methodology. Our purpose is to relentlessly pursue our Commander’s Intent, not save our way of doing and being the Church.

What is our Commander’s Intent? It is to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES! This is the hill he wants us to take. Things have changed, but his intent has not. How do we, as leaders, keep the Commander’s Intent in our ministry field?

Keep the intent front and center: When the chaos of battle happens, when crisis begins to nibble at our focus remind those you lead of the intent. Why you exist? What is the ultimate purpose?

The intent must be the filter: All information that flows in, the changing climate of a community, the updating of strategy, all things and everything must be run through the filter of achieving the Commander’s Intent.

Flexibility in implementation: The Commander’s Intent is the guiding principle for carrying out the purpose. There needs to be tremendous latitude in implementation. If a means of fulfilling the Commander’s Intent is discovered and it does not fit neatly into an existing structure than the structure must be discarded or rearranged.

Front line freedom: Once the Commander’s Intent is understood decision making must be given to those closes to the front lines. Those in the trenches (local churches) are the most leveraged to understand the battle and they must be empowered to make choices in implementation.

We live in challenging, yet opportune times. Let’s hold firmly to our Commander’s Intent and allow that to dictate the parameters of the battle.

HERMENEUTIC

2009-06-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Spent one and a half days listening to presenters share on a Wesleyan Hermeneutic, or lack thereof. I am never completely clear what is meant when we use hermeneutic? I know of Herman Munster. But it has to be understood that I took German as my High School language elective so I could find out what the Germans were saying on the TV show Combat. I tend to filter way too much through the lens of TV. Can you have a television hermeneutic?

Basically hermeneutics is the study of interpretation theory. For those in pulpits it deals with our handling of the biblical texts. How do we understand them? What do we use to inform our understanding of the bible? How might we effectively communicate our understanding to those who enter our church doors and wish to hear?

It seems to me there is one context in which the texts were written, but there can be a variety of applications of that text. The application often emerges out of the preachers historical, cultural and personal context.

We, I believe, can never completely separate our perspective from the interpretation, application and implementation of the biblical text. To void our cultural, historical and experiential perspective from our exegesis and hermeneutic is to hollow out the power of the applied gospel.

I didn't really have much to say, but did want to say that!

WITH OR IN

2009-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

I was aboard a plane waiting to depart to the West Coast. All passengers were on, but the boarding door had yet to be closed. The flight attendant came over the inter-plane sound system and said, “Would the lady with the wheelchair please come to the front?”

My first thought was, `can the lady really make it to the front of the plane?’ After all walking to the front of the plane and being with a wheelchair would not appear to be doable. And if it was, it would get my full attention. Shortly after the request a very able bodied woman made her way up the aisle.

It was then the distinction flashed into my recognition sphere (fancy way of saying I got it). Being WITH a wheelchair and being IN a wheelchair is, necessarily, not the same thing. This lady was with the wheelchair, but not in it herself. She was, obviously, accompanying a person who was in the wheelchair. She was alongside the person, connecting with her and being of what help she could be.

This got me thinking (and I trust I am not making too big a leap), there is a difference of a person being with Christ as opposed to being a person in Christ? Often we think of them simultaneously. The assumption is that if a person is with Christ they are also in Christ. But I think, I think, this is not the correct assumption.

In the Bible we see many people who were with Christ. They hung with him. They enjoyed his presence. They benefited from his miracles. They were able to catch a bit of the overflow from his early popularity. The crowd was with him, but I am not sure they were all in him.

The challenge of being with and not in is the ease in which one might disassociate from who you are with. Lots of those who were with him, were not so “with” when he was arrested. Many of those who were with him, were not so “with” when he was crucified. Quite a few who were with him, were not so “with” when he was taken off the cross. With can support us for a season, but seldom sustain us in the stress times.

It is Paul who tells us that those who are IN Christ are new creations. “In” does make a difference. “In” is fully immersed. “In” is engulfed by. “In” is full throttle. “In” seldom looks back, rarely regrets, minimally wishes to go back and wades through doubt.

“In” is the variable between giving up and going on. “In” is the constant in commitment. “In” is the handle to grasp when afraid, the reminder our choice was correct and the wall to steady ourselves in shaky times.

So what is it for us? When we plant our churches, lead our people, attempt to transform our churches, motivate our movements, connect to our communities, challenge our complacency, repurpose our ministries, fuel our passions and pursue our calls? Are we doing these things with Christ or in Christ? It really does make all the difference.

MOVEMENTS THAT HURT

2009-05-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dan Webster, way former youth Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, was a speaker at the youth camp we conducted for Skyline Youth Ministries. He shared an insightful comment I have yet to forget. He told us, “The natural flow of life is down.”

This is so true. Muscles left to themselves atrophy. Gardens do not naturally stay tended. Lawns do not remain cut, trimmed, lush green and dandelion free. Car oil gets grimier not cleaner. People do not stay fit. Churches do not easily keep externally focused, evangelistically passionate, nor spiritual fit. Why? The natural flow of life is down!

We resist this reality. We want to get ourselves, our homes, our churches to a point and trust they will remain there. Seldom does this happen. Each may maintain for a time, but the end result will be down. We compensate for this by defining effectiveness as a `slower downward spiral.’ Or as Zig Ziglar wrote, “Even a dead fish can swim downstream.” We can get so discouraged in our ministry that we will take any kind of movement, even if it’s down. But not all movements are helpful, many are hurtful.

Earthquakes are often the result of a shift (movement) of land plates. This is movement, but not the most beneficial. What are some movements that might hurt?

Moving from being consumed by Christ to a consumer of Chris: We help lead a person into a consuming relationship with Christ. They grow in their understanding of Christ and the life changing faith needed to mature…then it happens, what our community of faith provides is not enough. They are not being fed. They need something for their kids, or parents. So they make the trek to a more “full-service” body. They have moved from being consumed by Christ to being a consumer of Christ.

Moving from insight to insecurity: We begin desiring to learn all we can about effective ministry. We ask questions. We connect with key leaders. We read all we can. We listen. We apply. But often as our effectiveness increases we get insecure. We are concerned that what we have gained may be lost. We get proprietary. We lose the edge for fear of falling off it.

Moving from Team to Me: It was John Maxwell I heard say, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.” We tend to believe this; at least we want to believe it. This is one of those beliefs that doesn’t often find an expression in our behavior. We talk team, but act me. We try to build team, but tend to bask in me.

Moving from Kingdom to kingdom: Ministry can get competitive. We get about building our local ministry (kingdom) at the expense of what God may want to do more expansively (Kingdom). Existing churches easily get territorial when a new church arrives in their community. They see this as an affront on their kingdom, not an assault for the Kingdom. We are all for Kingdom ministry just as long as it does not emerge in our kingdom.

Moving from striving to arriving: Many leaders view life as an array of achievements, so we strive to accomplish. We complete our education. We complete our building. We plant our church. We disciple our leadership. We connect to our community. And once any of these, or others, are achieved we stop. We stop looking for what God has for us next. We stop adjusting what we do. We stop acting in faith. We arrive!

We must go beyond being content with movement and make sure the direction we are headed is correct. Where are you moving? What are you moving toward?

DEEP END OF THE POOL

2009-05-22T17:45:00.002-07:00

Timing is critical. Never has this been more clear to me than now. There is a decison that needs to be made, well really it has been made...the question now is simply when do I act? Timing will be crucial in this. The action impacts many. It impacts me! I want to act, but not too soon, nor too late. What will determine the time? I guess if I knew this I would know exactly when to act.

Could it be that acting not genuinely confident of the timing is when faith is needed? Faith journeys are always interesting. Often you know when they begin, but seldom where they will end, or how.

Good news! My faith does not have to be in my wisdom, nor my choice of timing, but in God who has ultimate say.

Something tells me the deep end of the pool awaits. Now where are those floaties? What? No floaties! And the deep end still awaits? How about a nose plug? No nose plug! What about? Okay, I am going.

Is alright if I go slow? I think I might be too old for a quick plunge. The plunge may be it you say. Will you be standing close to the side in case I need a little help? Whats that? Oh, you are going in with me. Gotta love a God like that.

LIFT OFF

2009-05-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid the launching of a capsule into space was a huge deal. Being on the West Coast the television coverage began very early. I vividly remember being wakened by my dad about thirty minutes prior to liftoff. I would sit along with the rest of the family excited by the countdown. It was thrilling seeing that small capsule encasing human beings being thrust into outer space. We would watch as it became nothing more than a dot in the sky and then gone.

The liftoff was exciting, but it was not the end. The launch was the beginning of the mission. The same is true for church planting. There is much enthusiasm and excitement that surrounds the launch day of a new church. People come to support. Much work is put into it being effective. There is a tendency to sense that once the launch has happened the mission is complete.

This got me thinking: What can be done after launch to insure an effective mission (church)?

Monitoring systems. Everything is monitored. This extends from the external and internal integrity of the shuttle to the health of the astronauts. What monitoring systems need to be in place for church plants? What is being done to insure that the organizational structure is sound? Is there a way to monitor the spiritual and physical health of the planter?

Constant communication. The ground is constantly in communication with those on the mission. They want to know what is happening and they are desirous of making sure the people are doing well. Sadly this is often not the case once a plant launches. We forget about the plant, neglect the planter and her or his leaders. We need to do a better job staying connected. Text, e-mails, phone calls and even the ancient method of face to face interaction can all help keep communication lines open.

Available to resource. The ground team is there to provide all they can, as they can, from where they can what the mission needs. They provide encouragement. They give instruction. They make suggestions as to how emergencies are to be handled. Those on the mission know they have a team of people who want them to succeed as badly as they desire to succeed. But resourcing goes two ways. Those on the mission must recognize those not with them have something to offer. Those who say they are available to resource must be ready when called upon.

Future planning. The mission has been thought through to its end. Every scenario of ineffectiveness has been considered. Solutions to potential problems have been developed. Little is left to chance. Planters can easily get caught up in “We will figure it out when we need to.” This may appear cutting edge and faith filled, but it often is the cover given for, “I just don’t want to plan.” A friend who works with Neo360 (an organization committed to starting all kinds of churches) said, “One of the most difficult challenges we have is convincing planters they need to figure out how to assimilate new people.” This is post-launch stuff and not very ‘wow,” but without it the mission of reaching and connecting people will be ineffective.

Adjust as needed. They do all they can to plan for everything, but everything cannot be planned for; so adjustments will be made. The adjustments are not to the mission, but to the method. Church planters can get just as enamored with their method as others. Just because a method is different does not mean it is effective.

Move beyond the launch to effective mission. Don’t merely blast off, but build off your beginning to achieve mission fulfillment.

SHREDDED WHEAT

2009-05-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

I saw a Post Shredded Wheat TV ad where the tag line was: We put the "no" in InNOvation. I loved it! I thought of how many churches could say something like that? Taking pride in staying the same and not innovating. What might you be putting the "NO" in?

ELI EMERGES

2009-05-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Eli is my second grandson. He is still biding his time getting into the world, but should be here later today. I am very much looking forward to meeting him. I am excited to see how he and Brody (our three month old grandson) will connect and get along. I have visions of them hanging out. Getting into all kinds of "interesting" situations.

As they get older, I want to have Pappy days with them. The is where just me and the two little men hang out. We can do all kinds of stuff. After all, they can plead they were too young to know better and I can say I am too old to remember. Either way we ought to have lots of wonderful adventures.

I plan to enjoy them at every stage of their growth. I won't change diapers, however; did this for their parents, so no need to revisit that aspect of child rearing (literally). I want to spend enough time with them now so when they are teenage boys they will still want to hang with Pappy.

I have had a blessed life (and I trust it will continue). Great kids, wonderful grand kids and an incredible amount of opportunities in my ministry. As much energy as I have, as much as I still want to achieve in ministry, as much as I have a tremendous amount of things I want to write about, as much as I would like to invest in future ministry leaders through teaching; I am realizing there can be no finer investment of my time than in the lives of my adult kids and grand kids. I look forward to this.

When the day comes and I am called to Heaven (which I am anticipating being many years away) I do hope for tears due to my passing. But more than that I trust my remembrance will bring smiles to my families faces and they will often find themselves asking, "what would dad/pappy do?" Now that would be a life of significance.

BUTTON PUSHING LEADERSHIP

2009-05-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I was on a regional jet from Minneapolis to Indianapolis. I did plane side check in. This meant that I would need to pick my bag at a designated location after departing the plane. In Indianapolis’ new airport they have luggage elevators to accommodate this. These small elevators are often located at the top of the jet way. The luggage handlers load the bags at ground level. The bags are then lifted to our level where an airline worker opens the door allowing passengers access to their bags. The airline employee left informing us he would be back to open the door once the bags had been loaded and lifted.

There was a crowd of us waiting for our bags. We sensed, by the commotion behind the metal door, the bags had been brought to our level. There was a panel of lights that confirmed the sound, but no airline employee. One button was clearly marked “open door.” It was even green to give it that air of permission giving. I thought to myself, `I ought to press that button so we could get on with this;’ instead I waited. We all waited. I would guess about three minutes went by. I kept eyeing that “open” button contemplating the easy push it would take to release us all to whatever it was we all needed to go next. Another minute passed.

A young man standing behind me stepped forward toward the inviting panel. “Do you think we’d get in trouble if we push this button?” He asked rhetorically as he connected his finger with the correct button. The doors opened exposing our long awaited bags.

This young man led. He pushed the button! I thought about pushing the button, but he pushed the button. It made me think: What is the difference between a button pushing leader and one who thinks about pushing the button?

Button pushing leaders take action, while one who thinks of pushing the button might be aware, but hesitates to act. I was aware of the button that would give us access to our bags. The young man, obviously, noted the same thing. Yet he acted on his awareness. Awareness separated from action often results in missed opportunities.

Button pushing leaders ask why not, while one who thinks of pushing the button tends to think what if? I caught myself pulling back as I asked: What if the bags really are not there? What if pushing the button causes a disruption of the process and we have to wait longer? What if the pushed button results in the baggage handler losing a limb with an unexpected mechanical movement (I didn’t say it was logical)? The young man’s comment as he pushed the button seemed to indicate he had the why not attitude. Why not give it a go? Why not risk a reprimand? There is significant difference between a why and a what.

Button pushing leaders are willing to, while one who thinks of pushing the button idles at want to. I wanted to push the button, but the young man was willing to push the button. Wanting to do is conceptual, inactive and philosophical. Willing to do is concrete, enacting and powerful. Moving from wanting, to willing is the difference maker.
In reality, if the young man had not pushed the button we would have eventually gotten our bags. The end result would have been the same. However, his willingness to act moved the future eventuality into present reality. And is this not something leaders do? Help create a present future!

This unassuming young man with his low key willingness to act taught me a great lesson. I want to be more of a button pushing leader…how about you? What buttons do we need to push?

THE OTHER 163 HOURS

2009-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

In a January 2009 lecture given at Talbot Seminary, Charles Van Engen observed that of the 168 hours (24x7) in any given week active church members will give five of those hours to the church. That low number shocked me. In the 1980’s I had heard that active members would invest up to twenty hours a week. Prior to Van Engen’s remark I had understood it had slipped to ten. Regardless of the number it appears that the time those most committed are willing to invest in the local church is eroding.

My question: What are we encouraging them to do with the other 163? I understand a segment of those hours will be for food and sleep, but there is a huge chunk of hours we need to leverage. How these hours are leveraged would appear to be built on two potential philosophical foundations:

Retrieval: This is getting those hours back for the church. We pull, prod and plead to have them show up for, serve at and support church ministry.

Retrain: This is giving them tools to serve Christ and the community of faith within the realty of their everyday life. It is helping them see their daily living IS ministry.

When a church places their emphasis on retrieval they may get an additional five plus hours, but that still leaves the larger segment of congregational participants with more time outside, then inside, the church. And this is as it should be for Christ has SENT us.

We need to retrain our people for more missional effectiveness. We need to provide tools that will equip them as ambassadors. We must take a sledgehammer to the wall that divides the sacred from the secular, church from society and personal faith from public values. Our people are indigenous in their environment. We must give them missionary eyes. Here are few suggestions:

Put an emphasis on members as missionaries. Believers will never be effectively mobilized apart from a deep sense of service. Salvation is both personal (we have been saved from our sin), but it is also communal (we have been saved to engage in purposeful service in society). The church is to equip its people for this saving purpose.

Teach on missional living. Missionaries are not sent ill-equipped. A new approach must be taken to teaching those in our communities of faith. Believers must be encouraged and taught to look at their neighborhoods, workplaces and communities with the eyes of a missionary.

Release people to engage their culture. When we release our people with limited time resources to choose community involvement over church only participation we are moving toward a missional mindset.

Downplay involvement in “church only” activities. A church that keeps their people so busy with “church activities” will effectively remove them from the culture they are to engage. If you have so many church activities that it leaves your people little time or energy to be with their neighbors, you may have too many activities.

Place a high value on church planting. New churches are in desperate need of launch team members to help establish a base for effective ministry. Existing churches are populated with potential launch members. “Without regard to locations, missional churches are actively releasing members to new ministries and new churches. Their passion is to see the churches grasp the principles of multiplication” (Rick Rusaw).

Determine to be a transformational community. Transformation can only happen up close and personal. Yeast transforms dough when it is intermingled with it, not simply set beside it. A church will only be able to transform communities when they intermingle themselves in those communities.

What are you encouraging your people to do with the other 163 hours? Do you need to change or adjust your approach?

STARTING IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

2009-05-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last night over pizza with my family the conversation regarding Kirstie Alley's appearance on Oprah came up. It seems Ms Alley has backslidden in her weight loss. After losing seventy-five pounds and being a spokesperson for Jenny Craig she is now back to her pre-Jenny weight.

If I understood the story correctly she entered the National confessional (Oprah Show) and gave public penance for her lapse. She confessed she had returned to her old eating patterns and stopped exercising. She even turned her exercise room into a dinning room and began hosting dinner parties. It seems these dinner parties did not include Jenny meals. She went on to declare that she is going to re-commit herself to lose the weight once again.

Her inspiration for this re-commitment is Valerie Bartinelli. Kirstie saw Val's bikini-clad picture on the cover of Shape Magazine. This visual has motivated her to reintroduce herself to Jenny and, I assume, move the dinning table over and make room for exercise equipment.

I applaud Kirstie for getting back at it, but this does remind me it is always easier to start something than continue it. Inspiration can motivate us to begin, but it will never sustain us for the long haul. If we never move beyond inspiration into internal motivation we will soon lapse in our willingness to continue.

People start stuff all the time. We start marriages, exercise routines, diets, relationships with God, families and well the list is long. The challenge is to continue them for the long haul. To do this we will have to move beyond external motivation into internal momentum. We have to be willing to continue with our commitments even when those around us do not.

I trust Kirstie will not rely too much on Valerie, or Jenny. She needs to rely on herself. Make this her commitment. Valerie can inspire her, but that is only the beginning.

LOST IN TEXAS

2009-04-29T06:49:00.001-07:00

I was in McKinney, Texas earlier this week. I was able to combine a teaching stop and a visit with my son, Scott, and his lovely wife Ashley. Tuesday morning I went out on a morning run. I had run the previous two days, but on this morning I took a different route. Not sure this was the best idea.

My plan was to run about 4 miles. But half way through I realized I was not real sure how to get back to Scott & Ashley's house. Now their house sits right next to two large antenna towers. On these towers are flashing lights. Scott had told me to always look for those towers, head toward them and I could easily find their house. And I am sure he is correct; unfortunately on this day it was foggy. I could see no towers. I was on my own at ground level.

The good news I have had experience in being lost on a run in somewhat unfamiliar territory. I have found it best to keep running until you see something, anything, that has some semblance of familiarity. For me it was a street. I found a street that Scott and I had been on the day before. This was the good news. The bad news was if I went the wrong way on the street I would be going away from, not toward their house. And since I am prone toward being directionally challenged there would be no guarantee I would move in the correct direction.

I was able to find my way back, which is why I am able to write this blog. A residual benefit was I actually put in an extra mile plus of running. I also learned when it doubt...keep moving! Sooner or later you will find the way home.

FUNCTIONAL FACILITIES

2009-04-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

This baseball season both the New York Yankees and Mets unveiled their new stadiums. Both stadiums are architectural marvels and multi-million dollar venues. Actually the Yankees spent $1.3 billion, but what’s a decimal point and a few zeros among sports franchises? In constructing these facilities they reflect centered change. They changed to mirror the sports climate of today, while holding onto the integrity of the past. “Both [stadiums] hark back architecturally to the glory years of New York baseball, but both hint at how the design-and the role—of the stadium is evolving” (Fast Company, “If They Build It,” April 2009, p39).

Historically as the church strove to connect culture with the Christ they have looked for venues to help house communities of faith. These faith venues have evolved over time. Today churches utilize all forms of buildings, a variety of venues and structures to house centers of ministry. Innovation is only limited by our flexibility, our situations and our responsiveness to the flow of the Holy Spirit. In the building of facilities, or the adaptation of existing spaces, there are things we can learn from stadium construction.

Merge tradition with technology. New Yankee stadium “…echoes their original 1923 one…,” yet it is one of the most technologically advanced. The designers did not compromise with maintaining a traditional feel with a technological flavor. A church does not have to be either traditional, or technologically with it; it can be both/and. Tradition provides a connection with the past. It gives a sense of comfort. Technology supplies an inroad into the future.

Create intimacy. I had a minister friend who said, “The only place I like a crowd is at church.” Most pastors would echo this. We like lots of people in our facilities, so we enlarge. The new stadium constructed for the Mets will have over 15, 000 fewer seats. They want to sell intimacy. If baseball executives recognize an innate need for intimacy we ought to catch on. Larry Osborne Pastor of North Coast Community church said, “A person needs to be able to stand in one place in your building and be able to look around and find a person they may want to locate. If they are unable to do this, your sanctuary is too big.” Don’t compromise intimacy.

Multi faceted, not mono focused. In the past stadiums were used on the days of their particular sporting event. “Fans came, they saw, they left. But the stadium of the future must be—and do—much more.” Steve Burrows a venue designer states, “These very expensive facilities just cannot sit empty for days and days.” Churches need to move beyond Sunday only to seven days a week. They must be sending stations and ministry hubs. Worship ‘only’ venues are limited and limiting. In many cases a churches worship space is the largest square footage under one roof. If these are designed for week-end only worship experiences you may want to rethink their use. If the set-up of your sanctuary space doesn’t allow you to rearrange (pews or immoveable chairs) for other uses, you may want to redesign. We can be bad stewards of our space much like we are of our finances.

Be of the community, not merely in the community. A church can easily be in the community, but they need to be of the community. Earl Santee, stadium designer, believes there needs to be more interaction between the community and the ballpark. “Stadiums,” he says, “will become a point of reference—maybe even the identity—of the community.” OF is interactive, available, connected and involved. IN is stagnant, stationary and staid.

I understand that churches are not entertainment venues, like many ballparks. But this does not mean we cannot gain insights and ideas to be more effective. After all, they paid a great deal of money to determine what works, why not glean from their investment.

DEVELOPMENT OF A CALL

2009-04-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Do you know that you know that you know that you are exactly where you need to be in God’s history? Are you convinced of your call? And if you are convinced of your call, does this mean you are enamored with every aspect of your particular ministry assignment? And if the enamor is absent, are you questioning your ministry?

Answering these questions become critical as a movement is being built. You want those involved to have a sense of call. You want them to have a pull of destiny on their lives. A movement supersedes motion. Something can be in motion, but have no movement. A running car’s engine is in motion, but if the gears are not engaged there will be no movement. A movement necessitates engaged leaders; engaged leaders share both call and destiny. Here are some things to consider as you weigh your call and sense of destiny.

Call is forged in changing circumstances. Change happens. It is in this change dynamic we form our calling. We may be pursing our call in an area when something changes. An opportunity rises. An unexpected dismissal occurs. A life-situation shifts. Does this mean the call has ceased? No! It means we have the potential to forge our call in the new circumstance. Never let the circumstance define the call. Instead allow the call to flesh itself out in your circumstance.

Call may be prompted by passion, but it must not preside there. Passion alone a call does not make. I am very passionate about football, but this is not where my call presides. To think that passion alone dictates ones call is irresponsible. Passion is often short-lived. A genuine call has staying power. Passion can deplete, a call draws us to something beyond ourselves. Passion can be counterfeited, but a call resides in the deep waters of confidence.

Call is motivated by overall purpose not any one particular. There will be things about the call a person will not like. The ministry responsibility that is the current vehicle to transport the call may have particulars you would rather not do. But if the overall purpose fulfills you, the frustrating particulars can be handled. Now, if the overall purpose is de-motivating, you may want to evaluate.

I heard it said, “People who have a sense destinies die old and unhappy or young and unfinished.” This seems a bit pessimistic, but striving to fulfill ones sense of destiny can be frustrating. Consider these observations as you pursue your destiny.

Destiny is beyond any one daily activity. Many have heard the parable of the Bricklayers who were asked, “Why are you doing this job?” The first worker: “I am doing this for the wages.” The second worker, “I’m doing it for my family.” The third worker, “I’m helping build a cathedral.” But a fourth response is lacking, “I’m doing this because I love laying bricks.” It is not the daily stuff that we do that brings a sense of destiny, but it is the reality beyond the daily stuff.

Destiny is not the one thing. Destiny is not the pursuit of that ONE thing we can do; instead it is building off all we experience to discover the best thing we can do. Destiny is much more about being who God has created us to be, than doing something God has called us to do.

Destiny is something we actually know deep down. Most of us really do know our destiny. We typically are too frightened to share it, or face it. Most leaders have a level of “destiny drive” that motivates them. It seems we all hear, in our own version, the words of Mordecai to Esther, “…who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?” (Esther 5:14, NLT).

Movements don’t simply happen. Movements are lead, inspired, encouraged and motivated by persons of call and destiny. Who is to say that person is not you?

RUNNER UP

2009-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Miss California was the runner up in this week-end's Miss USA Pageant. It seems she caused quite a stir with her response to the question provided her by one of the judges. This judge wanted to know her stance on gay marriage. She clearly stated that she felt marriage was between a man and a woman.

Many felt this cost her the crown. It was felt if she had made a more palatable (which is code for saying absolutely nothing so your opinion is that you have no opinion) response she might have won. It seems we want our Miss USA to be middle of the road and wishy-washy. After all, what would America do with a beautiful woman who also had substance? We like our "Barbie's" plastic not plausible.

The judge felt she should have kept her beliefs (Christian) out of her response. Miss USA needs to represent all America not just "Christian" America, according to this judge. This would include Jewish-Americans, Gay-Americans and Atheist-Americans as examples. And who is to say that her statement didn't represent those outside the Christian arena? Truth be told, her statement didn't represent all who share her foundational belief in Jesus and his salvation.

This judge even went so far as to say that if she had won (I guess we know which way he voted) he would have went up on the platform and taken her crown. Now that is what I would call a tolerate inclusive action! So what part of America would he have represented if it had come to that?

Here is what this judge and many others do not understand: When you make a statement, when you have an opinion there will be somebodies out there who you do not represent! This is why it is an opinion. It would have been impossible to make a statement that would have pleased everyone. It seems to me the judge was saying, by his actions, I want a Miss USA who represents me. And if that is what was desired then those rules ought to be made clear upfront.

The question was framed with what she thought. This being the case how can she be criticized for giving a personal response to the question? Few, if any, have to agree with her. The judgement should not have been on the agreeableness of the response, but how well it was articulated and thoughtfully given.

Next time just instruct the Miss' to provide an answer that people want to hear...then, again, would that not offend deaf people?

STILL NEED TO CHAT

2009-04-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

E-mail is wonderful. Twittering is fun. Facebook is...well I really have no idea I have never been in that world. But regardless of the written medium we use and pictures we share there is still much to be said for chatting face to face.

This past week I had some e-mail back and fourths with a friend. I was told that an e-mailed comment I had made was "catty." I did not see it that way. And after a few back and fourths via the "e" I felt the conversation needed to be done. I am not sure it needed to be over, but it did need to be done. It was clear any further conversation via that media stream would do nothing for our relationship except deepen a potential rift.

It reminded me again how volatile these symbols on a page can be. Words communicate much, but nothing can take the place of sitting across from someone sharing thoughts, expressing feelings and showing emotion. This is where real communication takes place. This is where relationships are strengthened. This is where the stuff of life and friendships are forged. And all of this is built on trust. No trust no honesty!

TWITTER

2009-04-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

I am an official twit! That's right I am twittering. I love it. Short comments. They can be meaningful, radom, insightful or...well they can be whatever you want. It is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. I like it.

I check it periodically each day. Fun to see my boys version of life. My daughter does a nice job of keeping info flowing concerning Brody my first grandson. In fact Brody is twittering. He is only two months old. Goes to show you anyone can indeed do the twit. Daughter-in-laws also twit.

I can't seem to get Joni to be a twitter bird. She prefers old fashion conversation. What is up with that? I think I will give that a twit.

HITTING THE RIGHT TARGET

2009-04-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

Tony Dungy in his most recent book, Uncommon, shares the following story:

Matt Emmons is a world-champion marksman. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, he had a significant lead when he entered the final round of the 50-meter, three position rifle competition. He hit the bull’s-eye on his three shots, then looked on, puzzled, as the automatic scoring system did not credit his shots. He called the judge over, and the target was pulled in to ascertain just what had occurred. It was untouched. No holes.

The target in the next lane, however, had three extra holes—holes made by Matt’s shots. His mistake cost him in the standings, and he finished eighth (p125).

This illustrates a mistake many leaders make: We are making bull’s-eyes, but are hitting the wrong target. What leaders neglect to see is that hitting the bull’s-eye on the wrong target is still a miss. A bull’s-eye is only part of the effectiveness equation, right targets are the other part. What might leaders do to ensure their bull’s-eye is on the correct target?

Clarify the target you want to hit: It is easy to assume the target you are taking aim is correct. Often this is a result of it being the target others have taken aim. Someone else’s target may not be yours. Simply because another organization or church is aiming at a target does not mean you should. Try to avoid getting so focused on hitting the center that you neglect to notice if it is the right center. Could it have been that if Matt had taken an extra moment he might have noticed the target he was aiming already had holes? I don’t know, but I do know that if we take time to consider the targets we are aiming, will help us in determining if it is right for us.

Consider the ramifications of hitting the wrong target: The wrong target cost Matt first pace. Those of us who are engaged in ministry it could cost much more. Hitting the wrong target could result in people not being engaged for the gospel. Hitting the wrong target could mean ineffectiveness in helping people experience life change. We can get so focused on the target of appeasing members and developing internalized programs that we neglect the target of community engagement and contextualizing the gospel.

Confirm the target once you have hit it: I understand in military planning that once the first bullet flies all things change. This can happen in ministry. We focus on the correct target and then shoot. Could be that once the first shot is fired, things change. We need to step back and confirm what we are doing. It is easy to experience missional drift. We can quickly get off task. If the ministry being implementing is not achieving its intended purpose, stop!

Change aim when necessary: Why is it when the church makes necessary changes we view it as failure? This viewpoint often keeps us from making the changes. When we change our aim, or how we are doing ministry, this is not a failure. It could be just the opposite. It could be the first step toward greater effectiveness.

Celebrate the wins: When the right target is hit…CELEBRATE! A few days ago the NCAA Champion celebrated at center court. They did it unabashedly and full throttle. Why not do the same when we are hitting the bull’s-eye on the right target.

Are you making bull’s-eyes? Is the bull’s-eye on the correct target? If so…keeping practicing your aim. If not…adjust!

IDIOT RUNNERS

2009-04-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

It is not uncommon to see people running in the rain. I never quite understood this. Why do this? Why run in the rain? So you skip one day, or you simply run on a treadmill. Yes, I know from experience that treadmill running is not much fun, and boring, but better that than getting soaked, or sick. Then where would their running schedules be? I have often commented to my wife, when seeing a person running in the rain, "Those people are idiots!"

My wonderful wife is a optimist and very practical. She would say to me, "Maybe when they started running it wasn't raining and they just decided to keep running after the rain began." Logically, this makes perfect sense. But I never brought it...until today!

Today changed everything. I went out on my run this morning. I started later in the morning as it was raining. And since I am no idiot I felt it best to wait a bit and probably take the day off. But the rain stopped and the forecast was for partially cloudy skies, with rain decreasing. I discovered "decreasing," not ceasing, being the optimum word.

I started my run under cloudy skies. Roughly a mile or so in it began to drizzle. I kept running because drizzle really isn't rain, and only idiots run in the rain. Another half-mile or so, the drizzle turned to a spring-like rain. And I continued to run as spring-like is not a genuine rain, and only idiots run in the rain. Heading into my third mile the spring-like became RAIN.

Now I kept running because I was into this now, and there was no way I was going to stop. Not to mention I would have to get home and running would get me there faster than walking. I thought to myself, "I should have suggested to Joni she come look for me if it started to rain."

I arrived close to home soaking wet. Fortunately I wear a hat when running so the hat's brim provided some protection. But shirt, shoes, socks, hat, shorts...all very wet. Joni drove up. She had seen the rain begin and decided to come and try to find me. I loved her thoughtfulness. I told her how much I appreciated her thinking of it. She said, "I know you say only idiots run in the rain, so I thought I should come get you."

I think it was her nice way of letting me know she doesn't think I'm an idiot, even though I ran in the rain. My attitude has changed. Now I feel sorry for all those runners who get caught in unexpected rain.

SMALL STEPS

2009-04-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I had a friend who use to say, “Don’t just stand there, do something…even if it’s wrong!” I am not in agreement with the latter part of this statement, but I would agree that doing something is better than doing nothing.

Most leaders want to involve their churches in doing something. They want to move their people from where they are to where they need to be. They have a deep hunger to motivate their congregations in an “outside the building walls” mentality. In most cases leaders do not desire to do ministry as usual. They don’t want to just stand there!

This passion for effectiveness burning within leaders often results in moving too quickly. The thought is that the needed change must be done all at once. The congregation is challenged and expected to go into territory that is so foreign to them they collectively pull back. They view this BIG change as averse to their congregational well being. All too often adversity causes retrenching into old patterns. So what might be done to move a congregation from standing there to doing something?

1. Scale down the goal. Robert Maurer of UCLA’s School of Medicine in his book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life, delineates between stretch goals and whisker goals. Stretch goals are ambition teasers. They are the BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) Collins refers to in Good to Great. A whisker goal is an achievement that is a tiny step from the existing reality. An example would be the person who has seldom, if ever, exercised choosing to walk five minutes a day. Whisker goals help congregations get over the initial fear that can keep them from moving. It is better to achieve something small than nothing at all.

2. Improve what you do with the resources you have. During WWII the government needed to increase industrial production as some of the most talented industrial minds were being called away to fight. People were trained to “Look for improvements on existing jobs with your present equipment” (Fast Company, March 2009, Time to Aim Lower, p46). What resources do you have at your disposal? What are you currently doing? Present productivity can be leveraged for future potential.

3. Focus on your strengths. Change is not always doing something different. Change can be simply recommitting to what is done well. Change can be finding different ways of delivering what is done well. “Southwest [airline] officials admit they’ll never win over business travels who value first-class seating and other high-end services many large airlines offer” (USA Today, Southwest amps up its strategy, 12.26.08, 2B). This being the case they simply continue to offer what they do better and better. What does the congregation do well? How can this be improved? Do what you do very well and build off of it.

4. Start now. When you set a timer you have to begin the work. Set your congregational timer. Have some whisker goals. Begin to implement the small steps. Use the resources available. Improve on your strengths.

A snowball is simply an accumulation of tiny snowflakes. When small steps are implemented a large amount of progress is made. Gather the snowflakes. In the end you will have a snowball.

Bro-Frog

2009-04-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Brody, or Bro-frog, as we like to refer to him is my eldest grandson. He is only two months old, but his cousin, Eli, is not due until May so this makes him the old guy. We celebrated his two month B-day at Lucille's BBQ. They have the best beef ribs since my mother-in-laws. And this is high praise. Brody actually slept the whole time, but me, grandma, mom, dad, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Des all enjoyed the food. He was simply the excuse we used to gather for the excellent feast.

Last night Joni (grandma) and I (Pappy) got to babysit. Brody's parents went out to eat with friends. I had my knees bent and was helping him stand on them. He was up very high. He was looking down on the world has he knew it. He looked down at me and flashed me the biggest smile. It was if he was saying, "Pappy I am king of the world!" And he was.

He has a great smile. He is learning to communicate through coos and and grunts. He is awesome! If you want to follow little Bro-frog he is currently starring on twitter.

HAMMER

2009-03-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

My dad was a roofing contractor. Growing up he use to say, "A hammer fixes everything." And in his profession he was more often right than wrong. In the environment of laptops, blackberries, iPods and other such tools...a hammer is not as useful, that is if you think of hammer in the traditional sense.

What I have come to realize is that every generation has its hammer. With computers it is "ctrl-alt-delete." Or if it gets really frustrating you pull out the sledgehammer of our age...unplug, yank the battery and reboot. This almost always "fixes everything."

The same 'hammer' concept seems to work in the making of movies. I viewed Knowing this week-end. It was an excellent movie. Kept me on the edge of my seat. But then came the ending. It was a movie that had one of the weakest endings I have ever seen. It seemed that they weren't sure what to do, so they pulled out the "hammer." I don' want to give the movie away, but suffice it to say when you don't know how to end a movie it seems you throw in a UFO or catastrophic event...or both! If I would have had a hammer I would have thrown it at the screen.

B-VILLE

2009-03-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

The past two days I have been in Bartlesville, Oklahoma at Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OWU). I was asked to participate on a Presidential Advisory Board. It was a privilege. We all learned a great deal about the campus, student body and key educational and philosophical initiatives. But more than any of this we caught the heart of the President...Everett Piper.

Everett is passionate about Christ. He is passionate about academia. And he is highly desirous of producing committed Christ followers who have a biblical worldview. I was reminded once again how leadership at the top makes all the difference throughout an organization.

Larry Orr participated in this as well. Larry is Lead Pastor of a Wesleyan congregation in Moreno Valley, CA. This is located in Riverside County. He spoke in chapel. He concluded his sermon with these three declarations:

Jesus is the Christ...He is my God
Jesus is the Light...I will walk in his Truth
Jesus is Lord...I do life his way

These three simple declarative statements are valuable. They affirm our faith. They confirm our belief. The encourage our commitment.

POPULAR LEADERSHIP

2009-03-20T16:01:00.001-07:00

The panel discussion was on Meet the Press. They were offering opinions on the economic plan being lead by President Obama. A key element of their conversation revolved around many who seem to distrust the plan’s reliability and long term effectiveness. The underlying question was, “How can a President be so popular, yet have such a challenging time getting larger buy-in on his economic plan?”

One of the panelists, Mort Zuckerman the current Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News and World Report, made the following statement: “He [President Obama] has popularity without credibility” (NBC Meet the Press, 4.8.09). I was intrigued by this statement. The interest was not in how it may or may not apply to the President, but how it might apply to leadership in general.

It seems that pursuing popularity is a common temptation of all leaders. Leaders want to be liked. And there is an element of popularity demanded by all leadership situations. After all, those who are followed must be liked on some level by those who choose to follow. Yet, when the rubber meets the road, popularity can carry a leader only so far. Sooner or later they have to show themselves credible.

Credibility is a result of both trustworthiness and expertise. A leader who earns trust through their reliability and develops a level of expertise through effectiveness will see their credibility increase. It would seem that a credible leader can overcome a run of unpopularity, but a popular leader may not weather a storm of non-credibility.

The challenge is that many leaders tend to defer to popularity. They prefer the applause of people at the expense of making difficult leadership choices. They refuse to pursue credibility in order to appease those who could make their lives miserable. They want calm instead of confrontation, they want appreciation at the expense of ability and they want that pat on the back instead of providing hard solutions.

The two are not mutually exclusive. But if one must be chosen, choose credibility! A credible leader will gain popularity over time, but a popular leader who does not display credibility will soon lose any popularity gained. When both are in play the result is greater effectiveness.

It must also be noted that credibility is not a popularity contest. Credibility is earned through proven effectiveness not polling. A credible leader has shown their mettle in difficult situations. They have made more correct decisions than wrong. They have shown insight, intuition and innovation. They have credibility due to their competencies. And competency is not always greeted by thunderous applause.

Popularity – Credibility = Shallow leadership
Credibility – Popularity = Slowed progress
Credibility + Popularity = Increased effectiveness

What leadership pursuit do you choose: Popularity or credibility? The choice you make will determine the character you reveal.

SUPER BOWL REVISITED

2009-03-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

About one month ago the Pittsburg Steelers won one of the best played Super Bowls in its forty-three year history. Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the winning Steelers, is an outstanding leader. And, at thirty-six, he is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. Coach Tomlin, with his approach to the game and the players he leads, has much to teach us as we lead our churches and organizations. The following observations are garnered from the article: Tomlin stresses renewal rather than repeat (USA Today 2.3.09).

Focus on renewal not repeating. One of the first post-game questions a winning Super Bowl Coach typically will hear concerns repeating the feat. Tomlin refuses to go there. “…we are not attempting to repeat…nothing stays the same in this game.” Repeating is simply doing the same thing, again. In the changing climate of the NFL if a team focuses on just `doing it again’ they will not evaluate or adjust. A franchise targeting a repeat will place their emphasis on holding what they have, while other teams change. Churches tend to slip into this. They spend too much time repeating what they have done and what once worked. What we need to do is focus on renewing ourselves. Renewal brings life, refreshment and revitalization. We must resist holding onto what we have gained and move toward what we can do.

Function in the new reality. In the past NFL teams were able to build continuity. But free agency and salary caps have changed all of this. In reviewing Steelers’ history Tomlin observes, “…look at the championship teams of the `70s, it’s the same pictures and the same positions….That’s not the reality of today’s NFL.” The Steelers Coach may prefer those days, but this is not his reality. A key role of leadership is to define reality. The reality of church ministry has changed. People are not naturally drawn to church. North America is diverse religiously, secular in perspective and multi-cultural. Church leaders who refuse to function in this new reality will miss the tremendous opportunities available to them.

Allow for taking corporate breathes. Leaders like to push. They want to get things moving. We tend to forget that people need recovery time. “Players need recuperative time,” Tomlin says. NFL Coaches understand the fruitlessness of getting back at it right after the Super Bowl game. When I was in local church ministry I misunderstood the importance of pacing. I always wanted our church body to go to the next thing. When we daughtered a church I was ready to move on to the next daughtering opportunity. It wasn’t until my District Superintendent, Steve Babby, said “Phil, your people are tired. Let them rest.” It was then I learned the significance of allowing time for the body to take a ‘corporate breathe.’ Physically we know how good it feels to fully inhale. Corporately we need to allow for the same. Leaders that understand this, and incorporate it will be better leveraged to have long lasting effectiveness.

Be optimistic. “I’m an unrealistic dreamer sometimes,” Tomlin observes about himself. We need to be the same. There is enough pessimism, enough negative input, enough doom-saying; we need to swim upstream with optimism and encouragement. When we dream big and dare to believe we model opportunistic faith. This is in needed to restore hope, strength and perseverance into our people.

Tap into your journey. “Mike appreciates his heritage. “I’ve been around some great people—coaches, players, owners—and I’m a product of that.” We, too, are products of our experiences, mentors, and environments. We should take stock of such and leverage them in our present. The journey we have traveled has brought us to this point for a reason. Appreciate it! Apply it!

Invest in people. Leadership is foremost about people. “I probably get more enjoyment out of watching people grow than I do preparing and winning football games.” It is interesting to note that the more people grow, the more games are won. However, we need to help people grow regardless of the outcome of games. Who are we really investing? And to what end?

BRODY BUDDY

2009-03-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Just returned from spending four days with my grandson Brody (oh, yeah, his parents were there too). He is going on five weeks old and I am discovering he is very mature for his age. He smiles a little bit, moves his head with great strength and agility. His fingers are long. They are perfect for palming a basketball or swatting down opposing quarterback pass attempts. Training on these two skills will begin in the next month or two.

We, along with his mom (Megan, my daughter) and grandma (Joni, my wife), visited Old Sacramento. This is primarily a tourist place, but nice to stroll around. I got to push him in the stroller and carrying him in a contraption that hangs off my chest. Kind of like a reverse back pack. There is a neat name for it, I just have forgotten. He sits in it facing forward so he can view all the sites. He loves being outside! I know he will thoroughly enjoy it when I push him in his first 5K. I have found one that we can do when I am on vacation out his way in August.
It will be close to three weeks before I see him again, in person. I will get lots of pictures, but nothing compares to personal eye to eye contact. I actually will arrive on his two month birthday. He will get to pick where we go to celebrate. I hope I like his taste.

He has gained two lbs since his arrival. He is beefing up. At this rate he will be growing a beard when I return.

His cousin, Eli, is due on the scene the first of May. They will be fun to watch together. I got to see a 3-D color picture of Eli on this trip. Incredible! He is good looking. His leg was up on his shoulder. So he will either be a gymnast, contortionist, or very sore from all those weird positions. I can hardly wait to meet him.

SPANNING THE GLOBE

2009-03-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of the TV show Lost. I am not sure those of us who follow Lost are as rabid about our show as those who religious view “24” (those show watchers are nuts), but we do love our twists and turns.

In a somewhat recent episode two of the primary characters (Ben & Jack) are in a church. They are looking at a painting of “doubting” Thomas reaching to touch the spear wound of the risen Christ. The two had a conversation that went something like this:

Ben: “Thomas was the one who said to his fellow-disciples, let us go with him (Jesus)
they we might die with him. But he was not known for that. Instead he was
known for doubting the resurrection of Christ unless he could see his wounds.”

Jack: “Was he convinced?”

Ben: “Yes, Jack. Sooner or later we are all convinced.”

It was a great scene! And I was taken by that phrase, “sooner or later we are all convinced.” I thought of it in terms of all kinds of situations, but the one I wish to apply it for the purpose of churches starting new churches. I choose to think that sooner or later every local church leader will be convinced of helping start new churches.

I was meeting with some Pastors regarding church planting. One of them asked, “What if I don’t have a passion to plant churches? Do I help plant a church just to be a team player?” (Great question by the way).

I responded, “It is not about having a passion for church planting, but a passion for seeing people come to Christ. Church planting is one of the most effective methods of evangelism. This being the case, and we are an evangelistic folk, why would we not add planting to our toolbox for connecting people to Christ?”

The number one reason to plant a new church is for evangelism. An existing church with an evangelistic fervor ought to consider the starting of a new church. Is your interested peaked?

So what does a church planting (multiplying) church value? Ed Stetzer in his article, Church Squared (Outreach Magazine, Jan. 2007), discovered six:

Reaching un-churched people: They view themselves as missionaries to their community, state and world.

Staff and membership involvement: Everyone buys in via actions and attitude.

Kingdom-growth focus: The dream of becoming a larger church is less important that the dream to multiply Gospel influence to a larger and more diverse audience.

Ongoing relationships: The churches started are connected through the relationships of those in leadership.

Selfless giving: Sacrifice and money does not intimidate a multiplying church. They do this with open-eyes and an open-heart.

No stalling: Lack of size or staff, or poor timing are not acceptable excuses for delay. They get it done.

Are you convinced? Maybe not, but sooner or later you will be. There will come a time when God will use someone or something to convince you that the Kingdom is best expanded through the multiplication of more missional outposts. Until then, keep working to engage the culture for Christ.

BARBIE IS FIFTY

2009-03-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

I heard that Barbie...the doll...is turning fifty years of age. On a CNN broadcast I caught that some group is up in arms about Barbie and her maker (Mattel, not God). It seems that they see her as putting beauty over brains. They think Mattel should stop marketing her as she says all the wrong things to young girls. Barbie communicates that young women have to pursue beauty. And it is only the beautiful girls that get noticed.

First, let me say, she is a DOLL!! Now that I have this off my mind I have a few more comments.

It seems to me the Barbie critics have it all wrong. Can't a woman be both attractive and smart? I know lots of women who have both outer beauty and a highly developed intellect. They are not mutually exclusive. Would they not be the ones belittling women?

How do you make an intelligent looking doll? Do you have them wearing glasses? Then might you be stating that only smart people wear glasses (which I personally agree with, as I wear glasses). Or do you dress them conservatively? So people with a developed intellect are not suppose to be casual in dress or demeanor? Or would an unattractive doll be a better indicator of insightful people? I don't even want to go there.

I did not catch what group this was who is dismayed a Barbie. Whoever they are I am sure they will find another doll to criticize. I suggest Betsy Wetsy...can't believe we would tolerate a doll that lacks bladder control. What is that commuicating to the youth of America on discipline.

Why don't we just assume Barbie is both attractive and smart. After all she has survived fifty years. Got to know something to do that and look as good as she does.

WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR FOREHEAD?

2009-03-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me last week, “Did you give up anything for lent?” I told them I had not. In fact I have only done this once in my life. I didn’t even know when lent was. It began last week, the day my friend asked the question.

When it comes to this kind of thing I always feel a bit irreligious…kind of like I am a secular believer. I was not raised with this kind of spiritual emphasis. The churches I attended as a kid did not place a priority on this…okay they might have and I just didn’t pay attention. Then, again, in those days anything that smacked of High Church or Catholicism was dismissed. The churches I Pastored I did not provide this kind of thing. I seldom provide for Ash Wednesday, Mandy-Thursday, Good Friday Services, or…well it just didn’t happen often.

There was one year at Arcade Wesleyan Church where a staff member asked to conduct an Ash Wednesday service. I let him. It was then I learned that typically the ashes used for this were the burnt remains of the palm branches from the preceding year’s Palm Sunday Service. I think we had used plastic and even if we had used the real thing, I am pretty sure they ended up in the dumpster located at the back of the property.

We did have ashes. Not sure where they came from; possibly Jim Slutzi’s pipe? We did the cross on the forehead and everything. I didn’t like it. I had no desire to have an ash cross on my forehead. Fortunately, the ashes did not adhere well. It was mostly gone by the time I arrived home that night. I am sure hanging my head out the car window driving home had little to do with it.

I have never been one for public displays of religiosity. Religious bummer stickers, Christian fish, WWJD wrist bands, Christian-oriented jewelry (actually any jewelry beyond a wedding ring), and cross ash embossed foreheads hold little appeal for me. I always thought it was my rebellion against outward displays of surface spirituality. But could it be I am not bold in my faith? I like to think it is the former, but there might be an argument made for the latter.

In any case, in this Lenten season, I am deeply grateful to Jesus. He loved me enough to go to the cross for my sins. He loved me enough to accept me where I was. He loved me enough not to leave me where he found me. He loved me enough to wrap his life intimately around mine. He loves me enough to accept me with all of my warts…and there are plenty.

I like to believe that how I conduct my life and relate to others is a visible display of this. I like to believe the things I value, what I think on, and my “try my best” responsiveness to his Spirit reflects this. I like to believe THAT I believe indicates my loyalty pledge.

Frankly, I am not sure that an ash cross, washing feet or a contrite spirit is a valid display of anything. I guess that is where grace enters in. Whatever we may do, however we may choose to display our faith we are desperately dependent on God’s grace. Therein lays the message of the cross and the validation of the resurrection. Even broken people can live in wholeness. And as, one broken person to another, I am deeply grateful for this reality of Easter.

SPIRITUAL SHELF PLACEMENT

2009-02-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

The church I attend is sixteen months old. We continue to meet in a school gym, so set-up and tear down is a part of our current reality. A few weeks ago I was helping disassemble the church facility. I reached down to pick up a plastic container. This was a container I had often lifted, carried and moved. It is not all too heavy. Reaching down I mentally told myself, `lift with your legs.’ Evidently my body chose to ignore the mental prompting. Straightening up my back pulled! I knew it immediately. This was a bad one.

I managed to walk across the room and place the container on a speaker box. I attempted to “work out” the tightness. It was a slow walk to my car. I painfully and gingerly got myself behind the wheel. I decided the next best stop for me would be the local CVS Drug store. I would get myself some physical aid: Doan’s pills and one of those little heat packs.

Getting out of the car was extraordinarily painful. Any twist, slight turn, any hint of bending, movement of my legs resulted in a vivid reminder my back hurt. I literally shuffled into the store. Locating the correct aisle I slowly moved down the row scanning the shelves for the desired product.

I found the location for the back medication and I could hardly believe it. It was housed on the second shelf from the floor! I stood there both amused and amazed. What idiot would put those products there? Did it not occur to somebody, anybody, this might be a bit difficult for those in need?

I know there is a whole science of product placement. Evidently those “people” felt these did not warrant a higher shelf. Instead of thinking of the end users and their needs to dictate location they placed them either unthinkingly or with incorrect thinking. I guess they assumed if someone REALLY wanted it, they would figure a way to get it. IF it was easy, might not be worth it.

Sadly, this is how many churches approach those interested in spiritual things. They place stuff in places where those who need it might have difficulty reaching it. What shelf is your spiritual helped placed? Can those in pain get at it? Here are some considerations.

Do you translate, or do you expect them to interrupt? Is the gospel contextualized in such a way that today’s spiritually curious are given handles to grasp? Or do we expect them to figure it out? It is true the gospel carries a sense of mystery and not all things can be explained adequately, but most churches can do better.

Do you clarify, or do you cloud? This has to do with the activities of the church. It is an epidemic in churches that when you read their worship folder and/or bulletin you have no idea what they are communicating. Initials of programs are used, locations of events are given with no directions and people to be contacted are expected to be known. Over clarify, don’t overly cloud.

What are your expectations? Do you expect new people to show up? Too many churches approach all they do as if no one new will be present. Our expectations will dictate our approach. Expecting people in need will help us address those needs.

Whose eyes do you view the church? Walk your property, watch your worship service, and view your facility as a first time guest. Ask yourself what you see if you were new? This is difficult, but not impossible. What might have happened if someone had walked the aisle of CVS and noted that it might be a challenge for people in back pain to reach the lower shelf?

What are the voices you hear? Do you listen to long time attendees alone? Or do you factor in those newer? We all listen to others? The question is who are the others? How much weight do we lend to whose comments?

People are interested in spiritual stuff. People enter our churches in search of help. When they come to find what we have, will they be able to get to it?

ITS A GRIND

2009-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

I am currently sitting in the coffee shop, "It's a Grind." Many who know me are right now picking themselves up off the ground (or a coffee pun...grounds) mumbling, "Phil is not at Starbucks? Duck and cover the world as we know it is coming to an end!" Relax...I am still a Starbucks person, but I am also practical. This is close to where I live and it offers free Internet, not to mention a better working environment than the Starbucks (and I have tried them all) in this area. The world is NOT ending (as far as I know), but if you think it is and you would like to gift me any of your worldly items...I am thinking my friend Bob's MGM Sports car...please do not hesitate to contact me.

Prior to coming to "The Grind" I completed teaching a two and one-half day class on Evangelism and Church Health. It was a wonderful class. Great interaction. And I got a great one liner. A new friend, Jaime Perez (if I misplaced his first name and he reads this I know I will hear from him) said, "I don't want to reinvent the wheel I just want you to tell me how to roll it." I loved the line. He said he is looking forward to seeing it in print and getting credit. Well here it is, but after this it is mine. Unless when I use it it does not go over well, then it is all his!

I also brought my yearly Girl Scout cookies. The young ladies have a table outside, so I stopped and purchased one box of Thin Mints and one of Caramel Delights (aka Samoa's). Don't know the whys of the name change, they appear to be the same. Could be part of something Obama promised in his campaign to bring clarity and openess to stuff. I am only going to share the cookies with my Grandson Brody. And since he has no teeth and, at a bit over two weeks old, does not eat solid food, I will have them all to myself. But I did want to share.

Will be leaving in a bit to pick up Joni from work than off to Brody's house. I need to get as much Brody time as possible as leave tomorrow and won't see him for ten days. By that time he probably will have teeth, which means I will have to take my Girl Scout cookies with me.

THE RUBBER STAMP EFFECT

2009-02-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the rubber stamp? Those wooden-handled utensils with a rubber pad affixed to its underside. Etched on the rubber, backwards, were words or symbols. This stamp was then thumped onto an ink pad and the inked stamp was then pressed onto a document or package. I remember using these. I also remember when they introduced the pre-inked stamp. This was big time. No ink pad…the ink was magically pre-fixed on the stamp. No back and forth from item to be stamped and ink pad...it was self-contained. Talk about modern marvels!

When the PC was introduced many thought the rubber stamp, pre-inked or not, would be doomed. If the production of such archaic items was your livelihood you would need to find something else to do. It was over. Or was it?

It seems the concern over the death of the rubber stamp was pre-mature. The manufacturing and use of the rubber stamp continues strong. There are “…about 1700 stamp shops nationwide” (USA Today, 1.26.09, 8A). Who would have thought it? In an age of hyper-technology how in the world can the simplistic, basic rubber stamp continue to find a place? I think the church can gain some interesting insights from this dynamic. The church that many believe is archaic, church that many believe no longer has a place and church that many believe will not survive the shift in culture…could it be its demise might be pre-mature.

A USA Today article, Rubber Stamps Continue to Leave Mark in Computer Age
(1.26.09, by Barry M. Horstman), provides potential insights to how the church can continue to thrive. I refer to this as the “Rubber Stamp Effect.” It is the ability to keep the core of tradition while embracing the continuation of transition.

Connect old tradition with new technology. Rubber stamps are still produced, but not in the same way. “Virtually all of our members (International Marking and Identification Association) operate with lasers and computer software.” They actual enhance what they do with the use of new techniques. The church often views new technology as SATAN! This is why we are late adopters. The problem is not in the technology, but for what and how it is used. Any technology that can enhance the mission should be used. “Where the old things are good, we should keep them going. And, alongside the old, let’s develop something new. In this way, tradition can lead us into the future” (Jonny Baker, Leadership Journal, Something Old, Something New, winter 2009).

Clarify how what we have meets needs. The paperless society may be nearer, but it is here not yet. “People and businesses need confirmation of things and hard copies on file.” The rubber stamp helps with this confirmation. Clarifying this keeps the rubber stamp as a needed resource. What we have does indeed meet the needs of people. It is our job to clarify this, not expect others to figure it out.

Core needs. People are drawn to stability. “Some people just like the feel of that old-time stamp.” It is not, necessarily, they want to return to what once was, but there is a sense to live out what once was in a new way. Spirituality is desired. It is critical that the church help folks apply the foundations of the scripture to their deep-seeded sense of spirituality.

Change will happen. What works today, may not work tomorrow. This is reality. The idea is to change intelligently. “Long-term, there may be a high-tech solution…, but for the foreseeable future, the stamps do exactly what we need.” Current ministry and programs may be what is needed, but this will change. Change with it. Adjust to keep the gospel as the essential.

The rubber stamp is an old reliable tool for present effectiveness. The church does not have to be outdated. We have a message that transcends cultures, philosophies and change. Let’s boldly adjust it to the needs of today to better communicate it.

SIX QUESTIONS

2009-02-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Reggie McNeal in his book The Present Future contrasts the questions we tend to ask with the questions we should be asking.

1. Wrong question: How do we do church better?
Right question: How do we deconvert from churchianity to Christianity?

2. Wrong question: How do we grow this church?
Right question: How do we transform this community?

3. Wrong question: How do we turn members into ministers?
Right question: How do we turn members into missionaries?

4. Wrong question: How do we develop church members?
Right question: How do we develop followers of Jesus?

5. Wrong question: How do we plan for the future?
Right question: How do we prepare for the future?

6. Wrong question: How do we develop leaders for church work?
Right question: How do we develop leaders for the Christian movement?

What questions are you asking?

BUSTING CHURCH PARENTING MYTHS

2009-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

I lived in Rocklin, CA for several years. This is a bedroom community of 70,000 northeast of Sacramento. Roughly half-way between my community and an adjacent city an Indian Casino was built. During the construction phase I commented to a friend, “I didn’t know that was Native American Land.” In response to my rhetorical inquiry, my friend said, “It wasn’t…until the tribe purchased it.”

Non-Native land became Native land because the tribe made the decision to purchase it. The tribe made it theirs by establishing a presence on the property. What a great analogy for church planting!

We may see a community, or an ethnic group and think, “God does not possess that place or those people. It is not His.” But it could be! If we were willing to establish His presence; if we were willing to possess a community, or people, in His name…through the starting of new missional outposts such soil could be claimed for God. This being the case, why don’t more existing churches consider the starting of new congregations? Often it has to do with existing churches and leader’s perception of the impact church planting might have on them.

Tom Rainer in his book, Effective Evangelistic Churches, identified “Ten “Missions Myths.’” Of the ten, five have to do with the starting of new churches. Let’s take a look at these “five myths.” A willingness to address them may contribute to our willingness to take new ground.

Starting New Churches Hurts the Mother Church: It does take sacrifice for an existing church to mother or parent a new church. It demands an investment of people, finances, time and energy. Viewing this from a purely human perspective, it might be seen as only an outflow of resources. However, seeing it from God’s viewpoint it is an expression of generosity. And generosity is rewarded.

Now is Not a Good Time: Is it ever a good time to do anything in ministry? It is true there are better times than others, but no time is the optimum time. Plan the best you can, but make your decision to parent on the Spirit’s prompting, not human timing.

We Are Not Large Enough to Start a New Church: One attitude I have noted in working with church leaders is that regardless of the size of their attendance they are one size too small to help start a new church. A church of 100 feels it needs to be, at least, a 150; a church of 200 believes it ought to be 225 or larger and so the argument goes. Truth be told, churches of any size can parent, if they so choose. Rainer discovered that more churches were started by those averaging less than 500 than any other sized church (Effective Evangelistic Churches, p162, Exhibit 9-5).

A New Church Will Hurt Other Churches in the Area: This rarely happens. “Usually the new church will reach people whom the existing church has not and will not be able to reach” (Rainer, p165). Church planting is about taking new ground geographically or demographically. It is not about attracting existing members of established churches. If the latter happens it is church pretending, not planting.

The Community is Fully Churched: This may be a dilemma somewhere, but not in North America. Instead we are a relatively un-churched society. “We need tens of thousands of new churches to reach people who have not responded to existing churches” (Rainer, p66).

What ground needs to be taken for Christ? Where does a new missional community need to be established? Be a myth-buster and pursue the birthing of a new congregation out of your church.

EIGHT DAYS

2009-02-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

Brody, my new grandson, is 8 days old today. He has matured a great deal these first 8 days. He is doing all the things a young man of his years should: He sleeps, eats, wets, poops and fusses a bit...wait this is what young men of any years do...I digress. He gets cuter everyday. He has my looks. Why? Because as the joke goes, Joni still has hers. Now you may ask, " Does he not look like his parents?" NO! Why? Because I am writing this blog. If they write a blog he can look like them.

One thing I have noticed about grandkids...they become homeowners very quickly. Until last week we would visit Drew and Megan at their house. Now we go to Brody's house. It is all things Brody. It is now Brody's dad, Brody's mom, and Brody's dogs. It is Brody's world....and we are welcome to it.

I am currently at his home using his Internet to type his blog (see it all becomes his). He is asleep. I am wanting him to wake up. I have already gone to look at him sleeping. He is bundled up like, as Megan would say, a glow worm. I tried to look loudly, but he still sleeps.

There are many more years to enjoy this little guy. In a few months (MAY) he will be joined by his cousin Eli. Just think all the things he will be able to teach his cousin with his three months of worldly experience.

YOU MAY BE THERE

2009-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

In a recent class I attend at Talbot Seminary one of the lecturers, Dennis Baker, shared this parable. I share it with you.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the fisherman.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Mexican fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go to the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have a MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the fisherman.

“With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long will that take?” asked the fisherman.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the Harvard MBA.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered Harvard grad laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

The moral of this story: KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING IN LIFE…YOU MAY ALREADY BE THERE.

This is a great little parable. I would add: Minister where you are, as you are. The people God may want you to reach are in your community.

BORN ON DATE

2009-02-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 3 @ 11:50PM
I arrived in Sacramento. I arrived a day early as I received a text from Megan telling me she was beginning to progress. Cindy, my administrative assistant made the change. It was her prompting. It was an excellent idea.

Wednesday, February 4 @ 12:30-6:30AM
Joni picked me at the airport. She tells me Drew, our son-in-law, has called and Megan is hitting her labor strides. We drive to their house. We are with Megan and Drew the rest of the night. I am running on fumes…close to twenty-four hours with no sleep. Joni is a wonderful coach for Megan. I am in charge of tracking segments between contractions and length of contractions. Joni has to speak me awake several times for me to do my job. We put on a pot of strong coffee. It taste good, but does little to curb sleep…for me!

February 4, 6:30AM-Noon
We make the decision to head to the hospital. The first stop is an entry room. A heart monitor is attached for her and Brody. She goes through several contractions. She is only dilated to a two. Typically they would have sent her home, but there was a very small irregularity in the heart beat when she lays on her back.

They move all of us to the labor and recovery room. And I mean ALL. Megan is open to all comers. There is me, Joni, Drew (dad), Janet (mother-in-law), Scott (brother-in-law), Brad (family friend) and Ryan (brother) will be stopping in sometime soon.

It is a wonderful room. Spacious, fake wooden floor, TV, nice restroom and all the medical stuff you could need. There is a white board where they list the husband’s name, baby’s name and so I add Pappy’s name…this is me J

Drew and I make a bagel and Starbucks run. We get stuff for us and the others. It is excellent, but Megan throws her three bites of bagel up later. I was not here to see it…PTL! I don’t do vomit.

Megan dilates from a 2 to a 6 in a short time. The contractions are excruciating. She wants the nirvana of an epidural. She gets it. She is a whole different person. It was easier watching Joni go through this in the day, then my little girl. She moves from a 6 to a 7 in thirty minutes.

February 4, Noon-4PM
We are ordering lunch and Joni is ordering Megan to sleep. A mom is always a mom. We are awaiting Megan achieving the BIG 10…then it is time to push!

The last check had Meg at 8-9. She is experiencing pain in right hip. It could be a result of Brody’s head pushing down on her pelvis. She is feeling very warm (also another potential sign of the impending birth). Drew and his mom take turns fanning her like the queen she is!

We are hoping for another check on the dilation. There has been a shift change so should happen soon.

There is a bit of lull in the action. It is like being on a studio set. There is a couch and two chairs all facing the bed Megan resides. We simply sit, chat and watch. It is much like viewing a medical show, but we get to interact. Really weird! But fun and the building of social networks.
We have put Sports Center on. It is the thought of the guys if Brody could not be born on Super Bowl, or during a big time basketball game, or UFC then he ought to be drawn out during Sports
Center. This, we are convinced, will draw him out.

The nurse asked a great question just a moment ago. She asked Megan, “Do you wonder why woman do this more than once?” Meg, of course, answered in the affirmative. The nurse followed up with, “You’ll know in a few hours.”

It is true when that new life enters this world it will have all have been worth it. Brody will be the game changer. He will overcome all the pain, agony and price paid. He will be the grand prize.

The nurse is teaching Megan breathing techniques. “He, He, who; he, he, who; he, he, who.” Okay, I think its breathing techniques, it might be a question. The answer of course is “he, he, who?” It is Brody.

Nine has been achieved! One more centimeter to go and then the PUSH.

February 4, 4:00-5:42PM
Two nurses entered the room, but then pulled the curtain around them. They may think they are hiding, but we know they are there. Optimistically we think they are getting ready for Megan to Push, or, as is my theory, they are preparing a puppet show for us all to enjoy and help
Meg forget the pain. It had better be a great puppet show!

She has butt pressure…this is a good thing! It is the baby’s head.

5:42 pm PST Brody Scott Simpson arrived Feb 4 (this was the exact due date…never heard of this before). 21 inches 6lbs (exactly). He looked right at his mom as if to say, I knew we could pull this thing off! He was right!

TWLEVE MIGHTY ORPHANS

2009-01-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a book entitled Twelve Mighty Orphans. It is the true and inspiring story of a High School football team. A team that was comprised of young men who had lost one, or both, of their parents. They played for the Masonic Home located in Fort Worth, Texas. They dominated their sport in the 1930s and 40s. They were the human version of Seabiscuit.

They engaged a nation in the midst of the Great Depression. They represented the underdog that overcame great odds to defeat those bigger, faster and stronger. It was their grit and determination that overcame their appearance as a rag tag collection of misfits to combine into a force to be reckoned with. To see them as twelve (that is all they ever suited up for games...just enough to have a team) individuals elicited chuckles and catcalls, but as an unit of twelve they were formidable. And the opponents who took them lightly one time, would seldom do so again.

Rusty Russell was the coach of this team. He was considered an up and coming coaching talent in Texas football. He could have had much more prestigious positions. But he chose to take on the challenge of the Mighty Mites of the Masonic Home.

When he arrived they didn't even have a football. The players often had to share shoes and leather helmets. But he came nonetheless. Why? He had vision. He never saw what he had, he envisioned what he could have. It was said his gut told him "...there was magic inside this godforsaken place."

His gut was correct! Well his gut, a willingness to believe in a group of kids no one else would and a football mind that was way ahead of his time. In fact, many credit Coach Russell with laying the groundwork for what today is know as the spread offensive. He didn't have a name for it, he simply implemented an array of plays, formations and shifts that had the mindset of 30s and 40s football "experts" scratching their heads.

Russell is a great example of a culture changing leader: Vision, belief in those he leads and a willingness to design outside the box strategies. I want to be more of a "Russell" leader. How about you?

CHANGE HAPPENS

2009-01-30T04:41:00.000-08:00

Emily Post wrote “Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home” in 1922. This has been the Bible of Manners for generations of people. But, as many have discovered, some of the politeness policies no longer apply. For example it used to be considered impolite to congratulate a woman who had just gotten engaged. Instead, good etiquette recommended, “Best Wishes.” This, according to Anna Post, Emily’s great-great-granddaughter and full time worker at the Emily Post Institute is a “…rule [that] doesn’t really apply anymore” (SWA Spirit Magazine, Dec. 2008, p20).

This doesn’t mean politeness is no longer in vogue it’s the simple reality that times change.

“True etiquette is not really about rules. It’s about courtesy….(Ibid, p20). It’s about adaptation to any environment” (Ibid, p102).

The same could be said of churches. They need to learn to adapt to the environmental culture in which they choose to minister. The more fit a church the more agile she is in adapting.

Dissatisfaction often results in motivation. Once there is motivation than choices and change can occur. And change must happen as yesterday’s rules don’t, necessarily, continue to apply.

Following are some observations on choices and change.

Fitness is a daily choice not a one-time decision. A church decides to be fit then the leadership takes daily choices to ensure it continues on the correct path.

Fitness begins where you are. Tailor the fitness program to your current fitness level and unique life-situation. Often people who begin to exercise quit simply because they do too much too fast. The same with churches. They tend to want to be a 10K runner before they ever jog down the driveway. Quit looking at the other church, begin where you are!

Exercise is not always enjoyable; but results are. A person was asked. “What percentage of the time did they look forward to exercise?” Their response, “10% of the time, but I am glad I did it 100% of the time.” Know moving toward church fitness will be work. Focus on the results not the exercise.

Results will come in cycles, or seasons. A friend lost 60lbs over a three year span. When he began tracking his weight he actually gained a pound at the beginning, but he refused to quit. You are not looking for instant results, but consistent results. Be patient in the cycles when things don’t change as quickly as you would prefer.

Choose the key measurements of effectiveness. Know what you want to measure. In fitness it is not necessarily weight loss. It can be body toning or adding muscle. What you are after will determine the program you choose. Where do you want to see change? Evangelism? Discipleship? Maturity? Train accordingly.

Invest time in culture change. It is one thing to go on a diet and another to change eating habits. A diet may get results in the short haul, but eating habits will change everything. A program may help a church quickly, but changing the habits of the church is what you are after. Don’t short change the process.

Find what you can do when you are injure. There may be a preferred method of exercise, but what do you do when something (e.g. injury) precludes your participating? Well if you are determined to stay fit you find something else to help. A runner may swim, or a swimmer may use the elliptical. The idea is to get a workout. Churches too often forget the end result and focus on some program that has worked in the past. When that is no longer effective instead of finding another delivery system they stop doing anything.

This can be the year your church gets fit. Make right choices and see what changes God will bring.

SNOW DAY

2009-01-28T06:27:00.001-08:00

It began yesterday afternoon...snow! It fell through the night and has continued this morning and is still falling. I think it is around ten inches and still accumulating. The office has been closed for the day. This was an excellent call as the roads are snowy, icy and dangerous. And, I get to work from home, which I really like. I have Internet, a cell phone, coffee pot (and Starbucks coffee) and privacy. What more could a person ask for?

I really don't mind the snow. It is beautiful! I just don't like to travel in it. I was out of town until Monday night of this week. I got in just before all this mess hit. And I am not scheduled to travel again until this coming Monday and it should all be gone by then...perfect :)

Probably the biggest benefit of all this snow is that I get to use my snow blower! I love using my snow blower. It is exhilarating to sprew snow. It is exciting to see a snow covered driveway and sidewalk clean and neat looking. It is just fun to start a project and finish it in a timely fashion. Later today I will take on this project. I will enjoy every minute of it. Snow that falls is snow that is meant to be removed.

Today will be a good day! Inside, warm, productive and, later, the opportunity to throw snow. Now this is the high life. And I don't even need a Miller to savor it!

FINALLY

2009-01-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

This week I officially completed the residency portion of my DMin. Thinking back to January 2007, when I began this residency process, I thought it would never be here. But here it is! Now, the real work begins...the Thesis-Project.

A Thesis-Project is much like a dissertation, except practical. It is to go beyond mere theory into something that is applied and tested for results. Not that dissertations aren't practical, but for sure this must be something I can use in my ministry. I both look forward to and dread it at the same time. It will be a great deal of work. It will be time intensive. I trust I am up for the task. My goal is to walk in graduation May 2011. This is the goal of each of my cohort buddies. It would be a kick to walk with them.

If all goes well, in just a few short months, I will be able to claim the Dr. Phil title. Some have assumed I have had this. Therefore, in some introductions or program listings they have bestowed this on me. If it were only that easy! Soon my work will catch up with the assumptions of others.

FIT FOR LIFE

2009-01-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

This time of year is typically a boom for gym membership. Thousands of people pumped full of good intentions and extra pounds from the holidays join a gym with visions of weight loss and body tone dancing in their heads. With gusto they shout “On treadmill, on elliptical, on stair stepper, on ab crunch, on cycle class, on aerobics, on diet…melt away, melt away, melt away pounds!” In the majority of cases New Year’s good intentions (resolutions) quickly are overcome by lack of results, time demands, and rationalizations (even the doctors don’t agree on the best weight). Needless to say, as the year goes on, gyms become less full.

Why does this annual cycle happen? In many cases it is a simple matter of a “binge” mentality. People “binge” on exercise, Spartan diets and behavior so diverse than what they are familiar. This “binge” response to a long-held lifestyle is not sustainable. Often, one of two things can happen: 1) Results are not immediate. This lack of real time reinforcement de-motivates the individual so they revert back to the previous lifestyle; 2) Results are immediate. The individual quickly reaches their pre-determine goal. Mission accomplished! They revert back to the previous lifestyle and are soon back where they were prior to the “binge.”

What is needed is “behavior” adjustment, not “binge” activity. The people who determine to make adjustments to their behavior that can be sustained over the course of their life will be the people who see real results. People who make the choice to be “fit for life” will be the people who have a lifestyle that reflects their choice.

Churches can get involved in “binge” activity. They are spiritually stuffed, evangelistically exhausted and discipleship depleted. This has resulted in them having an unhealthy church with a low corporate self-esteem. They seldom venture out into their community as they are ashamed of their appearance. They know this. They need to do something. So what do they do? They “binge!” It is typically on a program (diet & exercise) that did miracles for another church. They get all excited. They buy in fully (get the gym membership). They have visions of church growth and health dancing in their head. But…as with an individual who is unwilling to make the necessary behavior adjustments, the church soon reverts back to their previous corporate lifestyle.

Churches need to make the choice to be “fit for life.” This will demand behavior adjustment, not binge activity. There is a four-fold cycle that churches must engage in to transition into fitness: 1) Dissatisfaction results in 2) Motivation; motivation results in 3) Choices; and the choices manifest themselves in 4) Changes. At any point of the cycle the transition can be derailed.

Dissatisfaction is a one word definition for motivation. If a church is satisfied with itself, if the leadership is content with how it is impacting the community, if the church is complacent with business as usual than nothing will change. Satisfaction is the enemy of change. I had a friend say to me one time, “I am fat. I have always been fat and will always be fat, so I might as well enjoy it.” If this is the attitude of the church nothing will be altered. However, if there is a genuine dissatisfaction transition can happen.

Dissatisfied churches have motivation. They have gotten to a point where they realize something has to give. Change needs to occur. What they have been doing is no longer providing the Kingdom results they desire. Motivation moves a church from sensing change may be good to a desperate realization change must happen. This deep seeded motivation will result in the church making the necessary choices that will manifest themselves in desired change.

What might drive dissatisfaction in a church? Gene Wood in his book, “Leading Turnaround Churches” suggests three factors: 1) Extreme and continued member dissatisfaction; 2) Low corporate morale; 3) Declining or negative bottom lines (e.g. salvations, baptisms, worship attendance).

What is your dissatisfaction factor? New week in the Wave we will explore the choices and changes of the transition cycle.

YES WE CAN!

2009-01-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

Three words that inspired a nation. Three words that rallied people to care. Three words that called people to action. Three words that framed a campaign. Three words that motivated a man to an improbable election.

Yes we can! Was the clear, consice message of, now, President Barack Obama. He kept it simple. He kept it clear. He kept it believable. He got people to buy in because they could understand his message. Leaders need to learn from this.

Inspiration comes before implementation. Uninspired people will not implement a plan. Uninspired people will not pay the price change demands. Uninspired people will not believe, act, trust, innovate, persist or hope.

The things needed for us, as a country, to overcome our present challenges needs inspiration. Our new President understands this. He has given us a sense of hope! He has given us the feeling we can win! We can overcome! We can achieve! We can make a difference!

The critics say it is hype. The critics say he lacks substance. The critics say he will never deliver! I am going to choose to believe the critics are wrong.

I like his inspiration. I like his clarity of vision. I like that he stays on message. I like that he refuses to believe that it can't be done. I like his optimism. I like he has seemed to rally the world. I like he knows WE have to do this together.

Might we fulfill the "Yes we can" message? I don't know. But lets give it a go! Why not? Something special has happened today at this inaugation. We best not miss it. Change is coming. We might as well particiapte.

WE ALL HAVE A PLATFORM

2009-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

Tim Tebow is the quarterback of the National Champion Florida Gators. This, however, is not who he is. Who he is is a Christ-follower. And as a Christ-follower he uses opportunities God provides to be his representative. He just happens to have a larger public platform than many.

He, as many players, wears a black strip under his eyes. He, as many players, uses them as a mini billboard. I have seen players use these strips to give props to their home town through the writing of their area code. Some greet their moms with the ever present "Hi Mom."

Tebow chooses to use his a bit differently. During the regular season he emblazoned Phil 4:13 on those black strips. But for the largest of college platforms he wrote John 3:16. According to USA Today (1.15.09) "...for a time that evening, it was the most popularly searched item on Google." Imagine, thousands were discovering how much God loved them as they watched college football.

This is an example of living missionally. Living missionally is our willingness, as Christ-followers, to simply represent Jesus where we are. It is true, most of us won't have the platform of a BCS Championship Game (well, I have many times in my mind), but each of us has places we do have the opportunity to represent him.

II Cor. 5:17ff tells us we are his ambassadors. We have a ministry of reconciliation. We have the wonderful opportunity to be Jesus in our worlds...whatever and wherever those worlds might be. So what will you write on your black eye strip?

LEADER'S ROLE IN MISSION

2009-01-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

David is giving over the task of building the temple to his son Solomon…the next generation of leader. The temple was David’s dream, but it would not be for him to fulfill. The important thing is that the temple be built (dream fulfilled). What is not important is the one who builds it. It is about the dream not the dreamer.

We need to keep this in mind as we strive to fulfill our God given dream of fulfilling the Great Commission contextualized for our generation. It is the dream of missional churches invading their communities as incarnational representatives of Christ. It is the dream of churches committed to the multiplication of disciples, raising up of leaders and starting missional churches. It is a dream of denominations that that are not centered on corporate survival, but the radical engagement of the culture God has given them responsibility.

How is such a movement driven? How is the core of a movement released to emerging leaders? David’s words to his son Solomon may give some insight to this (I Chronicles 28:9-10, 20).

Leader must get to know God (v9). David challenges Solomon, “…get to know the God of your ancestors…” The movement begins with God. Regardless of generational differences, cultures shifts and leadership paradigms utilized an emphasis on the leader’s relationship with the God of eternity will drive and sustain a movement.

Out of a relationship with God flows worship (v9). David combines both worship and service. “…Worship and serve him….” Worship is not sanitized, it can be very dirty. By this I mean, when we serve in God’s name we worship more fully. Mission is serving in and for the community. We often worship best when we get our hands dirty. Mission is having dirty hands (service), but clean hearts (sanctified).

Leaders must know that God has chosen them (v10). David reminds Solomon, “…The Lord has chosen you….” A movement must be lead by those who know that they know, that they know, that they know God has called them. It is out of a deep sense of “chosen-ness” a leader can be strong in difficult times and do the work regardless of the cost.

A leader’s strength and courage is deep awareness that God is with them (v20). “…the Lord God, my God, is with you…” This is essential to know as often we can be fearful and discouraged by the “…size of the task….”

David spoke into Solomon’s life out of relationship. This is how the leaders of today will best past the missional baton to emerging leaders…in relationship.

Let us re-engage the mission and vision God has given us. Let us continue to give the clarion call of that mission. We must keep things simple. We must challenge ourselves and others to ask how does what they do relate to fulfilling the Great Commission.

I leave you with a Franciscan Blessing shared by Craig Groeschel at the 2008 Leadership Summit:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

TONY

2009-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Tony Dungy retired as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. This guy was quality. What made him that way? Was it his relationship with his players? His ability to connect with the young men he lead into to football combat? His uncanny skill in bringing out the best in his teams without profanity, screaming and over the top emotion? Was it the many current head football coaches (Herm Edwards, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomilson) he mentored? Or was it his commitment to his family?

NO! These were observable evidence of that which made him quality. It was his relationship with Jesus. Not just a verbalized religion, but a genuine deep abiding connection with God through Jesus. He shared this. But more than that he lived it. Bob Kravitz, sports writer for the Indianapolis Star, said it best: "There are people you meet in life who profess great religious faith and then live a hypocritical lie of an existence. And then there is Tony Dungy...."

Yes, then there is Tony Dungy. His quiet strength. His deep reservoir of confidence. His simple trust in God. A trust that carried him through the loss of his son. A trust that kept him steady in the typically ups and downs of a NFL season.

The NFL will go on. The Colts had pre-planned for this day having Associate Head Coach, Jim Caldwell, ready to go. But it will have lost an inspiration in Tony Dungy.

He, too, will go on. He could walk away even though he still could have coached effectively for many more years. But football never defined him, his faith did. And whatever he chooses to do this same faith will define him in that as well.

EIGHTY DEGREES

2009-01-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today I began my third residency for my DMin. Unfortunately this demands that I spend two weeks in Southern California. So here I am in 80 degree weather, while back home in Indianapolis...it is, well it is not 80 degrees.

This weather does take some getting use to. When I ran this AM I came across some water on the sidewalk. Seeing it, my initial response was, "I hope this is not slippery. Could be icy." Then I remembered I was in So Cal; and water on sidewalks, in January, does not get icy. WOW! What a thrill to run through standing water with confidence.

I get to wear short sleeves and flip-flops. I would wear shorts too, but my legs...I don't think so! People in Indiana think I have white legs. Those in Southern Cal would have to add another shade to their sunglasses to keep from being completely blinded.

You gotta love it!

GETTING THE CHURCH IN SPACE

2009-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to begin the play-offs…fa, la, la, la, la, la, la…football! This may not be the best known Holiday song…okay, it is not a holiday song at all, but I really like it. I am a football fan. I have my favorite teams. But I am pretty much about all things football. For me, the Holiday Season does not officially end until the last tick of the Super Bowl clock. To borrow a phrase from George Costanza’s (Seinfeld Show) father, this is my “festivus for the rest of us.”

Football has its own terminology. Commentators and coaches employ phrases that communicate key ideas. One such phrase is “catching the ball in space.” This refers to the receiver getting the ball with room to run and maneuver. The quarterback’s ability to do this allows the receiver to increase their YAC (yards after catch). The offensive team will design plays that will result in this hoped for space.

How do we get the church into space? Is there a way for a church to carve out room to maneuver in culture? Can the church find room to advance the ball (gospel)? In the twenty-first century there are many dynamics crushing in on the church much like defenders crash in our a receiver once the catch is made. What might we do to create space for the church?

Know the primary purpose. The primary purpose of passing the ball is to advance it closer to the goal line. The catch contributes to this but it does not end it. This drives the offensive coordinator to devise plans that will not only get the receiver in position to catch the ball, but also to advance it. The primary purpose for the church is not to have received the gospel message passed through generations, but to advance the cause of the gospel. The mandate is to “go and make” (Matt. 28:19). We receive power not for ourselves, but to tell people everywhere the good news (Acts 1:8).

Understand the environment in which the game is played. The environment of the defensive will dictate the plays that are run. An offensive coordinator may not like the defensive that is being run, but he will do all that is necessary to exploit what is there. The culture in which the church currently resides is not all that church friendly. It is, however, open to spirituality. Church leaders can invest their time complaining how much things have changed. We can bemoan that people don’t seem to be all that interested in Christianity. We can rail against the tolerance so many have for a diversity of religions. Or we can do a better job of understanding the current climate and leverage the heightened interest in spirituality for the Kingdom.

Prepare correctly. It has been said that the will to prepare is more important than the will to win. Preparation is difficult. We need to put in the time to prepare ourselves, our people and our hearts for effective ministry.

Take advantage of unexpected changes. Things change in the course of a game. A defensive back slips; a linebacker gets pitted against a speedier receiver, the weather conditions change. Offensive coordinators are willing to adjust plans to maximize the changes. Churches quickly settle in. They continue to try something that worked previously, but don’t notice the unexpected changes. A church organizational structure becomes more important than the mission. Concentrating on not losing ground takes precedent over gaining ground. Church leaders must pay attention to changes. They must be willing to adjust. They need to overcome the mentality that perceives an adjustment in methods is a compromise of the message.

The church can create space for itself in culture. It will take effort, energy, enthusiasm and engagement. But as we create space the advancement of the ball (gospel) will be increased. We can then track our own stat of TIC (transformation in Christ).

GRANDSONS

2009-01-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

I am going to have two grandsons in the next five months. Brody is first to arrive in early February with Eli emerging on the scene in early May. I am very excited. I am excited for several reasons: 1) They will be cousins close in age and proximity; 2) Being the same gender they may share a great deal in common; 3) Since they are close in age they will be able to enjoy many of their new experiences together; 4) I get to hang out with them.

I plan to do pretty much whatever I choose as their Pappy. I will, indeed, spoil them. I will give them mostly what they want and give them a bit of wink when they are a bit mischievous. These are all part of the "Pappy Bill of Rights."

Here are few other things I plan on doing:

Make them Notre Dame fans. I have already given their parents, for them, Notre Dame baseball hats that match mine. I have had our names stitched on the back of our hats. I also have given then ND booties. My plan is to get them to be committed to ND and trusting that when they are old enough to care...the Fighting Irish will be good at football again.
I will take them on a 5k run. First in one of those running strollers. Then, when they are about 5 or 6, have them actually run with me. Way down the road they can push me.
I will take them on "Pappy Days" (kind of like Happy Days) at least once per month. These will be days where we will do really fun stuff that their parents may not be real thrilled about (like ice cream for lunch) and I would have never done with their parents...but, again, "Pappy Bill of Rights."
We will take slow walks. Exam bugs. Collect stuff. Be silly. Tickle. Roll down hills. Watch clouds. Enjoy cartoons. Do the simple things at a slow pace.
I will introduce them to Starbucks, Drive-thrus, movie theaters and shopping malls.
We will attend church, see God in everyday things, pray and help them know God loves them even more than Pappy.
I will do all I can to teach them tolerance, calmness in crisis, humor in most things, honesty and integrity.

This is not everything we will do, but it is a beginning. And we all have to begin somewhere. Being a Pappy makes sense at this time in my life. Which is good...as it is happening ready or not. But I AM READY!

Oh, yeah, and I like their parents too.

WOUNDS

2009-01-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Here it is 2009 and I have not blogged in many a day. But with the New Year comes a new set of “try-solutions.” These are things I am going to, at least, try to do in 2009. One of those is to blog more consistently. So here is my first installment.

I recently read the book Tangible Kingdom. It is written by two guys Hugh and Matt. One of them makes this statement: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a trainer and consultant, no one trusts you unless you share your wounds….”

This brought to mind the times I teach, train and consult. In these times I seldom share…my ministry history. Not sure all of them would qualify as wounds, but I did learn some stuff.
When I look back on my ministry assignments I realized how much I learned and how what I learned has impacted how I do what I do, why I do what I do and attitudes I carry.
Here are some quick hits on things I learned. Doesn’t cover everything, but who has the time?

· My ministry journey took me to churches outside my Wesleyan tradition. Lutheran, Presbyterian and others. I discovered that there are genuine Kingdom followers who are not Wesleyan. Many could not become Covenant members in my tradition, but we will see them in Heaven and they genuinely love God.
· I interned @ large church called Skyline. I discovered that most real learning happens informally. Pastor Orville Butcher was the Senior Pastor. He was an icon in his denomination. One evening I was standing chatting with one of the Associate Pastors. Pastor Butcher came up and said, “You two looked like you could use some coffee and a donut. We walked across the street to “Yum, Yum” donut shop. In that informal conversation I received some great ministry insight.
· I ministered in a holiness church in the South in the early eighties. I was the youth pastor. In those days, in the South, we could not go to movie theaters. Many of the kids I worked with kept that “guideline,” but rented all kinds of inappropriate videos (this was way before the DVD). I tried to communicate they were missing the point. It seems Holiness in appearance tends to trump holiness in actuality.
· In my first Solo Pastorate I found enthusiasm helps overcome a lack of experience. Good thing! I had an ample amount of both.
· My first Lead Pastor role was at a church I had been an Associate three years prior. Many people say you can’t go home again. I found you can go home again if everyone knows things have changed.
· In my movement we have District Superintendents. These leaders are key players in all that happens. They oversee anywhere between 25 to 100 churches. I served in this role for a very short time. I found out that the denomination expects way too much from one person and those who function in the role are studs.
· I currently work in a denominational setting. I am finding one of the greatest challenges we have is mistaking the structure for the mission. This can be overcome and we are working to make sure we don’t make this mistake, but it is good for me to remind myself of this battle.

What have you learned? At the beginning of something new is an excellent time to review.

AM I A CHRIST FOLLOWER

2008-08-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

What is a Christ-follower, believer, disciple or whatever label you place on those who call themselves Christians? I consider myself a Christ-follower, but I am not sure I line up well to others who may attach the same to themselves, especially those of the evangelic ilk.

I have actually voted for a democrat...am I a Christ-follower?
I tend to prefer jazz to contemporary Christian music...am I a Christ-follower?
I prefer radio sports talk to radio preaching...am I a Christ-follower?
I don't know many hymns...am I a Christ-follower?
When I am in a crisis my first response is not always to pray...am I a Christ-follower?
I tend to think that many evangelics are a bit reactionary...am I a Christ-follower?
Too often the significance of communion does not grab me like I would like...am I a Christ-follower?
I don't like to argue with Mormons, or Jehovah Witnesses when they come to my door...am I a Christ-follower?
I don't like to put Christian bumper stickers on my car...am I a Christ-follower?
I shy away from Christian sloganed t-shirts...am I a Christ-follower?
If I miss a Sunday in church I don't feel guilty...am I a Christ-follower?
I enjoy the secular side of Christmas...am I a Christ-follower?
I love the Easter story, but also appreciate a chocolate bunny...am I a Christ-follower?

I sense the presence of God in my life every day. God's reality consumes me, but not like others tend to express it in their life. I am very appreciative that God's working in and through me is not dependent on someone else's definition.

Am I a Christ-follower? I know so, because God's word tells me my standing is in the cross. And the cross alone.

HARVEST

2008-08-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

My wife and I attend a church plant called Harvest. We "opened" our doors October of 2007, so we are a not yet one-year-old community of believers. We started with about 35 or so folks. Today we had over 100! It was exciting to see the number of faces that I did not recognize. We are slowly growing. We are reaching people in the communities that surround us. It is a very young congregation. Most of those we are reaching are in there 20's and 30's. It is fun for us as those in their 20's are our kids age. It is like attending church with them, which is nice as our kids are many miles away.

We are a very community minded church. We have fully invested ourselves in serving in the community for the community. As a result of this community involvement the leader of our Chamber of Commerce as begun to attend. We have been birthed as a church that wants to be in the community for the community. We will do all we can to keep this as mission-critical. We are reminded that people do not want to hear what we believe, they want to see what we believe.

What was really cool is that today we commissioned a family to go out to another church. This family was not part of the launch team, but joined us shortly into the adventure. They were active in our children's ministry. It turns out one of the churchs that helped get us going was in need of help in with children. They accepted the call to go out! We believe this will only be the beginning of the investment of people we will make.

I attribute this DNA in our church to the excellent leadership of our Lead Pastor and wife. Brad and Heidi have a tremendous vision for Harvest and the area we are called to serve. It is their vision that keeps us motivated. It is their heart for people that keeps us engaged. It is their passion that reminds us we made the correct choice to participate in what God is doing in this corner of His Kingdom at this time of His history.

MONON TRAIL

2008-08-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Monon Trail is a wonderful bike/skate/run/walk path in Indy. It stretches roughly 15 miles beginning in Carmel and ending in downtown. I believe it use to be a portion of a rail line. It runs through portions of quaint areas of Carmel, Fishers, and Broadripple. There also are parks and beautiful wooded areas.

Today I went on a bike ride. I did a turn around. Went about 45 minutes down and turned around and ended where I parked my vehicle. I estimate I traveled about 19 miles. I like to think it was not an evangelistic estimate.

There are many interesting people on this trail. One thing I noted was the number of very "stout" people riding bikes. Their physical stature did not represent bike riding as an effective weight loss method. Well, maybe today was their first day actually fulfilling a New Year's resolution. At least they started.

In line skaters are scary. They weave and move their arms so erratically it seems they are going to swoop from their side of the path right into you. When I saw them heading at me I was a bit nervous.

Slow walkers are the biggest hazard. I was not sure why they even were allowed on the trail. Talking and meandering down the asphalt path. Do they not know leisure walks need to be reserved for nature trails and not BIKE paths!

My favorite sight was the lady running with a dauschaund (you know, a wiener dog). She was keeping a fairly brisk pace, but this little dog with its long torso was doing pretty well. Well good for her and the dog. I can imagine that little pooch will sleep very well tonight.

It was a glorious day. Good exercise and a great deal of interesting folks.

MISSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

2008-08-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of the Leadership by Design Class. We discussed missional organizations. How they might be defined? How they might be composed.

We defined a missional organization as tool for achieving the incarnational presence of Jesus through helping people live transformed lives in order to transform lives.

We listed the following components as those that may be a part of the make up of such an organization.

Missional leadership (those who understand the missional culture)
Ebb & Flow Leadership (shared leadership dictated by ability)
Empowering systems (people can decide at the nearest point of impact)
Flat organization (few, if any layers)
Flexible organization (speed boat)
Team trust (transparent authenticity)
Clarity of purpose (no misunderstanding)
Accommodate disagreement (safe places for people to speak)
Ease of communication (blogs, social networks, texting)
Agenda harmony (agreement on end results not necessarily path)
Mission intolerance (rudeness regarding the mission)
Ministry tolerance (variety in living out the mission)

These were our thougths. What say you?

RESPECT

2008-08-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today in the Leadership Class we had a conversation about the relationship with being friends with those we lead, and being a leader. Out of this discussion came this observation: All leaders come to a time when they have to choose between being liked, or being respected. A leader can be respected, but not liked; and a leader can be liked, but not respected.

This is a tension point for most leaders. We all prefer to be liked, but there are times when we have to make "unlikeable" decisions. Decisions made rightly will result in respect for us, but we may have to trade off likability.

It is not easy, but leaders should choose respect over likability. Respect is a result of making the tough calls. It is choosing the difficult over the easy. It is the courage to confront clearly. It is telling the truth in love. It is the willingness to risk friendship in order to say what needs to be said. It is leading forward in the face of people who want us to ease off and pull back. It is defining reality. It is being honest with oneself and others.

It is true, leaders may not always be liked, but they can be respected. They are not the same. They cannot be pursued at the same time. They can co-exist, but if one does need to go...choose respect!

PREACHING & TEACHING

2008-08-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach at my home church. I enjoyed it greatly. I spoke on being a church of significance. People responded well.

Today I traveled to Frankfort, Indiana. I am teaching a class on leadership, "Leadership by Design." Six are in the class. Each of them are active in full time ministry. This allows for conversation on real ministry stuff. Each is living in the cauldron of experience. No philosophical discussion. No conversation on inexperienced musings. It is built around talking about applying principles and insights into authentic experience of daily ministry encounters. It makes for fun dialogue.

JESUS THE LORD

2008-08-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

There continues to be the assumption that we North Americans all think the same. This impacts our gospel presentation and what we are asking people to accept in our twenty-first century culture. We want people to accept our Lord, instead of THE Lord. In my movement we want people to become excellent Wesleyans, as if that is the hallmark of a Christ-follower.

It is our perspective that a genuine follower of Christ will exhibit the characteristics of a Wesleyan. Any conduct outside those parameters is questionable. I believe other movements encounter the same holy delusion. We do need to honor our chosen denominational heritages, but not at the expense of sequestering Jesus in our limited understanding of Christ followership.

Charles Van Engen in his book, Mission on the Way, states: “…to confess with one’s mouth and believe in one’s heart Jesus is Lord---that is all there is. Nothing else really matters. All else is to be held lightly. Everything else is negotiable. Thus when we call people of other cultures and faith to confess ‘Jesus is Lord,’ it is not our Jesus (exclusivist), nor is it a Jesus (pluralist), nor is it amorphous idea of Jesus Christ (inclusivist). Rather, it is Jesus the Lord, who calls for conversion and transformation of all who confess his name.”

He brings to the fore that the gospel story calls for biblical conversion and transformation apart from any “other” perspective imposed additions, or traditions. The call is to radical Jesus Lordship, not denominational Lordship. A particular movement may help us refine our commitment to Christ, but it must never define it. And therein lies the challenge.

STRESS FRACTURE

2008-08-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have been getting in a running groove the last few weeks. Consistently running 5-8 miles averaging under an eight minute pace. It doesn't get me in the Olympics, but it was excellent for me.

About a month ago I started having some soreness in my left foot. It began as a minor inconvenience. Typically after a mile or so it limbered up and it had no effect on my running distance or time. That was until about ten days ago. I went for a "prior to church" Sunday run. The foot was a little sore, but I continued on with my previous "in about a mile it will loosen up" mantra The problem was it didn't. I, however, continued to run. I got in five miles, but toward the end I had slowed to barely a ten minute pace. It was sore!

I decided to take a week off from running. Instead I focused on elliptical and bicycle. This past Sunday (August 3) I decided to give it another try. I got one-quarter mile down the road. It was evident it would not be happening. I turned and limped home. At the prompting of my wife I called the doctor and set an appointment. In the mean time I set about my own therapy.

I returned to the elliptical to allow my foot to rest. This past Tuesday it was feeling much better. Could be I didn't need that doctor appointment after all. I put in four miles on the treadmill, but when I was done it was evident that it was a baaaadddd idea. Back to elliptical.

Today I visited the doctor. After pushing on my foot, asking questions and taking x-rays the diagnosis was in: I have a stress fracture.

I have to admit I felt a bit honored by this. After all, lots of athletes get these. It is from working out hard and regular. I imagined myself an elite athlete.

Once beyond my world of elite status, I inquired of the treatment. And when he told me I was both happy and sad. Sad, as I am unable to run for the next 4-6 weeks. But I can do other forms of fitness. I will learn to love the elliptical. Happy as he told me that it would be best to wear Birkenstocks as often as possible. Awesome!

I get, I mean have, to wear comfortable sandals. Even to work! I can hardly wait. When my co-workers see this their initial reaction will be, "There is Stevenson trying to push the casual envelop again." And I get to tell them, "Doctor's orders!" I might even wear a suit and tie (which I seldom do), but to offset them with Birkenstocks...now that would be worth it.

This is a reminder to me that all of life has upsides and downsides. Frankly, I would rather be healthy enough to run...but the Birkenstock trade off will be lots of fun.

TOASTY

2008-07-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today I traveled to Bartlesville, Oklahoma. This is a community of about 35,000 folks situated roughly 40 miles NE of Tulsa. It is HOT here! Low nineties. I am here for the Tri-State District Conference.

I am staying at the Phillips Hotel. This is an old hotel with a great history and a lot of class. I enjoy staying here. It is not your typical chain accommodations. It is warm and welcoming.

I do have a dilemma I am attempting to figure out. I connected on a flight through Minneapolis. I had a two hour lay over. While there I got some crackers individually wrapped in cellophane...do you know what I am talking about? Anyway, when I ripped them open, the little piece that came off stuck to my hand. Has this ever happened to you? I mean it clings. I tried to remove it off one finger and it simply attached itself to another finger. I don't know if it is static electricity, or some sick joke being played by those who package those crackers; but it can almost be designated a sport. Who can open their crackers and get the cellophane off their fingers the fastest.

I did finally get to eat my crackers. It really wasn't that difficult after I learned to hold them with little cellophane pieces stuck to my fingers. Actually, it made holding the cracker a bit more sterile. Kind of like little individual latex gloves, only cellophane. What?

ALASKA

2008-07-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Spent a wonderful week with all of our kids and spouses on an Alaskan cruise. Ryan & Desyrae Stevenson (Natomas, CA), Drew & Megan Simpson (Roseville, CA), Scott & Ashley Stevenson (McKinney, TX) and us Phil & Joni Stevenson (Fishers, IN). Friday, we departed from Seattle, WA and cruised full speed to Juneau, Alaska. A leisurely over night trip to Skagway. A day at a glacier. A day in Prince Rupert, Canada and then back to Seattle.

There was glorious scenery. We saw bald eagles, baby bald eagles, humpback whales, Orcas, playful porpoises, seals and many very interesting people. Here is a quick overview of my memories.

SEATTLE:

Being with family and laughing alot
Walking the interesting streets of Downtown
Watching them throw fish at Pike's Market
Drinking coffee at the original Starbucks
Eating Pizza for my wife's B-day
Running through the squirting fountain
Eating repulsive jelly belly's (e.g. vomit flavor...can that be a flavor)

CRUISE DAYS

Being with family and laughing alot
Ping pong (Ryan & Drew won the doubles tourney, Scott and I lost to Joni and Megan in round one...we will never get over that)
Drinking lemonade in the jacuzzi on a cold day
Running with Scott & Ryan from the jacuzzi to the pool...not a bright idea
Dressing up for dinner
Eating breakfast with the family and watching the glacier from a few hundred yards
Watching the shows
Playing canasta
Sitting and talking
Dinner around a nice round table with the whole family
Telling our server, AJ, excellent while extending two thumbs up
Getting lost on the ship the first day out...they are really big and I didn't have my glasses on.
Drinking Seattle's Best Coffee early in the morning
Seeing Orcas
Watching a large group of porpoises run with the ship

JUNEAU

Being with family and laughing alot
Bus trip to the glacier
Going in shops
Purchasing an jade grizzle bear with a Salmon in its mouth

SKAGWAY

Being with family and laughing alot
15 mile bike ride...mostly downhill, but the uphill into the wind made up for the downhill
Espresso after the bike ride
Walking with family around town

PRINCE RUPERT

Being with family and laughing alot
Eating fish & chips
Playing darts with Ryan where we ate fish & chips
Playing pool with Ryan where we ate fish & chips
Tim Horton's (my Canadian friends know what I am talking about)
Visiting the Sunken Garden

This was just the tip of the iceberg regarding my recollections. But enough said for now.

BROPHEE

2008-07-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today I got pictures of Brophee at eleven weeks in the womb. This is my designation for my grandchild. If he is a boy his name will be Brodee, and a girl Sophee. Thus I have dubbed he/she Brophee.

The little person has long legs. His dad has long legs, so the child comes by it naturally. In one picture the baby has his/her arm resting on the forehead. He/she is very much lounging. This is where the resemblance to me (Pappy) comes in. I am very good a lounging.

September we find out the rightful name as that is when the sex will be noted. Whether Brodee or Sophee I believe he/she will be very cute and adorable. I have great plans for this child. Lots of fun. I can hardly wait.

SOMEWHERE IN IOWA

2008-07-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

I flew into Mason City, IA this morning. This is THE smallest airport I have ever flew into, and I have been in some small airports. The terminal has two gates and one airline. When I fly out tomorrow I will probably get an incredible amount of scrutiny. It seems the smaller the airport, the less they have to do, so the more they observe those coming through. I'd be leery of folks who might fly out of such a non-descript place myself.

I drove forty-five minutes to Charles City, IA. I am here to participate in the Iowa-Minnesota District Conference. I arrived around noon. Too early to check into my hotel. The conference did not begin until 7pm. I went into downtown Charles City. The traffic was a bit congested, but I managed to find a neat little coffee shop. It had excellent coffee (by excellent I mean very strong) and free wifi. I spent close to three hours working in the peace of this environment. If I lived here, and I hope I don't, I would enjoy hanging out at this place.

I had dinner with my good friend Al, his wife Pam, and several of the leaders from his church. He even treated! I had steak :)

I attended their district family celebration. Lots of awards. Tons of clapping. Ron McClung, the District Superintendent, is a wonderful leader. He is has instilled much vision into his pastors. He knows how to honor folks. I am glad I got to be with them.

GRILLING

2008-07-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today we had the small group we participate in over for a grill out. We have always called this a bar-b-Que, but here in the Midwest it is called a grill out. It makes sense. We didn't bbq anything, but we grilled everything. We grilled hot dogs, brats with little cheese balls build right into them and hamburgers.

Other folks brought great extras. We had an outrageous homemade onion dip. It was hot and cheesey. The only other onion dip I have had was onion soup mix blended with sour cream. I like that too, but this stuff was, well...just let me say I could have buried my face in the middle of the dish and eaten my way out! We also had some homemade bbq (not grilled) beans. These too were excellent. We then finished the whole meal off with some lemon meringue pie and coconut cake. I liked the cake, not a real lemon meringue kind of guy. See no use for meringue. Nothing but sugared air.

All and all a great afternoon. We sat on the back patio under the umbrella. Ate, talked movies and other stuff. Nothing really of eternal value except relationship building...which is really the most eternal work we can do.

THE LATEX GLOVE

2008-07-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

It's July and for me that means my annual physical. Today was the day. This year I broke two of my physical rules: I had an afternoon appointment and I didn't strip nearly naked when they did the weigh in. Let me explain.

I typically prefer a morning physical, first thing if possible. My reasoning is that the Doctor should be reasonably alert first thing, thus no mis-diagnosis. The doctor has not seen other patience recently, so no mixing me up with someone else. I have eaten little if anything, had only a small amount of coffee and I can dress in shorts, flip flops and a light cotton shirt. This leads into my second rule broken.

I typically hate to get weighed. It makes no sense to have to step on the scale. And they have you do this ALL the time. I went in once just to pick up a item and the nurse had me step on the scale. I am sure they do this not for health reasons, but for personal enjoyment. One time, as the nurse wrote my weight in my chart and she verbalized it (supposedly so I knew what it was) I heard a voice from the reception station say, "who had over 200?"

This is why I like to go to my physical as scantily and discreetly dressed as I can. Having an afternoon appointment waylayed that strategy. Fortunately it was casual Friday, so I could be a bit less dressed up. But I did have bluejeans on (denim is very heavy), shoes that weigh quite a bit, my watch (1lb) and money in my pocket which I am sure was 3-5 lbs in money clip wieght alone. I thought it was a doctor's office so seeing people in their underwear could not be all that odd, but I resisted the urge to shed any un-necessary weight.

I boldly stepped on the scale. And to my delight the lower slider never had to get close to the "200" number. I was ecstatic. I asked, "How does it compare to last year?" The nurse informed me she would have to check. Another indication they do this primarily for fun rather than fitness. But I pushed the envelop and would not rest until she gave me the comparison. 16lbs less than last year!

The physical went great! The stuff that was suppose to be lower was. The stuff that was suppose to be higher (e.g. good cholesterol) was. The doctor used adjectives such as: Fantastic. Great. Wonderful. He was very delighted at the results. I still had to endure the "latex glove," but all things have their challenges.

I have felt I am in the best shape of my life. This physical was a tangible evidence of this. So what did I do? First, I called Joni and bragged. Second, I had a brownie with ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Come on, nobody likes to be good all the time. Not to mention it is twelve months until my next trip to the doctor.

PSW DISTRICT CONFERENCE

2008-07-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today was the district conference for Pacific Southwest. This is my home district. I always enjoy being here. Great people! Great enthusiasm! Huge vision. Two years ago this district spun off a Hispanic District. Now they are cultivating the growing Korean population in their district. I would not be surprised if they spin off a Korean District in the not too distant future. It goes to show you that believers multiply believers, churches multiply churches and districts can multiply districts.

Two HUGE highlights for me: First, Vicki, the church administrator at the church the conference is held, brought me a apple fritter. Never mind I have been begging her for weeks to bring this the morning of conference, that she did it was greatly appreciated. I have no idea where she gets these, but they are the best fritter I have ever had. Second, and really THE highlight, was getting to hang out with my oldest son. We sat next to one another. Shared some laughs. Just simply got to be together. I don't get to do this enough so it was awesome.

I head back to Indy later today. Ready to be home for three whole days before heading to Iowa.

PEOPLE AND PLACES

2008-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Began today very early. I am on the west coast, but on east coast time. I woke up every hour on the hour from 1:30am on. At 5:15am I decided to get up and get my run in. I ran a bit over five miles. I had forgotten the number of hills in San Diego. I am a flat lander, so got a bit more work out. Still I finished my run mostly intact.

I had coffee with Jim Bogear. He is the Lead Pastor of The River Church in Sacramento. He has a great heart for those in his community, especially those disconnected from Christ. They had not seen the number of folks come to Christ as they have in past years...and this bothered him. Nice to come across a leader who is concerned they are not reaching people for Christ as opposed to some other fringe concern. Winning people to Christ is our main thing. Jim wants to keep it that way for his congregation. May his tribe increase.

Drove to Oceanside. This is a community about 45 miles north of San Diego. I had lunch with Mark Williams. He is the Vice-President of Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI). They have trained thousands of church planters all over the world. God has really enlarged the "I" of dcpi. His heart is to see churches plant churches, so we get along marvelously.

Tonight, however, will be the highlight of my trip. I get the privilege to pray for my friend Jeff Jennings. He is getting ordained tonight. He has asked that I pray over him during this service. It is a high honor. Jeff is an incredible leader who develops leaders. He has a deep passion to see people come to Christ. He wants to see the church he has just been called to Pastor to multiply many congregations. He is called, gifted and been granted a God-sized vision. I am thrilled to play this small role in his journey.

Different people, doing different things, in different places...but this they have in common: They are uncommon leaders relentless pursing their God-given visions!

SAN DIEGO

2008-07-07T21:07:00.001-07:00

Today I have made my way to San Diego. I am here for the Pacific Southwest District Conference. This is my home district and my home town. I always enjoy visiting. I arrived on a beautiful day, as if there are any other kind here.

I got to spend some time with my mom and oldest, older sister. You see I am the youngest of three and the older two are sisters. So I have an oldest older sister and a youngest older sister. And regardless of how I refer to either of them, and no matter how we all age, I am still the baby.

We had a nice dinner at Chili's. Wonderful conversation and lots of laughter. Our family likes to laugh. It is a gift from my dad. He had a great sense of humor. He passed it onto us and, fortunately, it has passed on to my kids.

All three of my kids are hilarious. They enjoy laughing, and kidding each other. They all view life a bit oddly and see the humor in most anything. Joni and I are blessed.

THE TASTE

2008-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

This week-end we, with friends, traveled to Chicago to attend the "Taste of Chicago." This is an annual event held downtown. It features many eateries making their secret blends of herbs and spices..., wait that is KFC. Anyway, there is a great deal to indulge in.

I don't typically like to travel anywhere on three day week-ends. Too much traffic, too many people. I would prefer to stay at home, go to a movie and simply watch all the traffic and crowds on TV. However, our good friend Scott is the CEO of International Teams (ITeams). This is a inter-denominational missions organization. So he and his wife invited us, along with another couple (The Haymonds), to make the trek to join them on this adventure. So we did.

In preparation for The Taste (this is how the locals refer to it) I ran eight miles prior to embarking on the journey. We took the train from Elgin right into Union Station in the heart of Chicago. This is only the second time I had been on a train outside of Disneyland. It was my first train trip with a ticket. My first time on a real train I did not have a ticket, but this is for another time.

Disembarking from the train we made the 10-12 block walk to The Taste. The tender inside the Taste are tickets that you purchase...twelve tickets for eight dollars. You then exchange these tickets for full portions, or "tastes" of offerings at a variety of booths. And I do mean a variety. There is much to choose from. All kinds of ethnic food are on display. My personal favorite was something with a very fancy name. What it turned out to be was a lump of dough deep fried and sprinkled with powder sugar. Now that is what I call healthy and tasty. I determine long ago I will pretty much try anything deep fried.

Once making our way through the various taste venues, we ventured down Michigan Avenue, part of which is called the "magnificent mile." This mile is littered with many stores all providing you the opportunity to spend money. Fortunately we resisted. The one store that really caught my attention was called a Basement. Here is the interesting thing: We took an escalator to gain entrance into a store known as a basement. Does this stike anyone else as a bit odd? Once there, I spent my time looking for the way down to the attic. Made perfect sense to me.

Other week-end highlights: Riding in a water taxi, eating at Cheesecake Factory, walking with friends, Starbucks stops (twice), sitting in the shade looking out over Lake Michigan, laughing, almost getting separated from the others and me the only one without my cell phone, deep dish pizza, Burnt Toast (a restraunt, not a bread's condition), making fun of Scott for how he backs up a 15 passenger van, Fair Oaks Farms, memories that will last most of my life, if I don't forget.

DOOR BELL

2008-07-02T18:16:00.001-07:00

Tonight I replaced our doorbell. To many this would not be a big deal. But I am not a "fix it" guy. I have limited tools: Basic ratchet set, hammer, pair of pliers and one Phillips and Flathead screwdriver. I know how to use the hammer best. Unfortunately this job demanded the Phillips and Flathead.

Replacing a doorbell demands a multitude of skill sets. I had to remove one bell and replace it with another. I needed to disconnect and reconnect two wires...this is huge! And I did it. I was so excited that it worked I intentionally locked my wife out of the house so she would have to ring the bell to get in.

I am so stoked I am considering removing the ceiling fans I purchased last fall. I am not saying I will attempt to install them, but taking them out of their yet unsealed box would be a show of extreme confidence. I may be a "fix it" guy after all!

THE WORD MAY BE DEAD

2008-06-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ken Blanchard is known as a management guru. One of his most well know books is the "One Minute Manager." He is also a fully devoted follower of Christ. In an interview he did for REV magazine he made a very challenging statement: “Right now we’ve killed the word ‘Christianity.’ It’s associated with judgment, evaluation, sorting people out, and all that.”

This is indicting! It is true we believers tend to be known more for what we are against than what we are for. Recently a group of "Christians" were up in arms at Starbucks for their logo. It seems the depiction of, I believe, their mermaid with long hair hanging loosely over her breasts were deemed as pornographic. They were demanding that this depiction be removed

WOW! Who were they protecting? I frequent Starbucks. And their accusation caused me to look a bit more critically at the cup my delicious coffee was served. I have to say, I got nothing. What I perceive pornography to be, and what this cup revealed, did not really seem to be the same thing. I said to my wife, "No wonder the world things Christians are whacked."

Do followers of Christ need to make a stand against the evils in this world? Absolutely! But with the myriad of stark and rank evil that exists in this world it seems that a long haired full figured mermaid should not really get much of the attention.

Lets regain our genuine voice in our culture. Lets attack the real domains of darkness. Lets invade ungodly space with deep authentic godliness. Lets be the light that reveals the tough stuff. Lets do this with the genuine love for those we interact. A love that drove Jesus to the cross with an unwillingness to condemn those who placed him there. When we rail against the darkness in love people tend to listen much more intently.

EYES TIGHTLY SHUT

2008-06-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was returning from Wisconsin this past Friday. I was in a small 34 passenger jet propelled plane. These are your basic yellow buses in the sky. I was very happy to be on board. It was a standby flight out of Central Wisconsin Airport. I was the last one on. I got the back row of seats to myself. There were four seats side by side...much like the back row of a Gray Hound bus.

I sat in the seat right at the end of the aisle. This allowed me to stretch my legs out right down the row. Being in the back, in that seat, was much like being in first class in a larger plane. I may have been the last on, but I felt I had the best seat. Then again, I was so happy to be on the plane I would have felt sitting on the drop down seat outside the cockpit would have been the best seat.

There was a great deal of thunder activity around us. This did not have much impact on us until we got into the vicinity of Detroit. Here there was weather around the airport, so we were placed in a holding pattern for about ten minutes. I am not a big holding pattern kind of guy, and this is amplified when there are thunderheads to be navigated around.

We were released to make our decent into the Detroit. It was a bit of a bumpy ride. I am not a fan of bumpy rides. It was not the worse I have been on, but it was not the smoothest either.

I find that when I get in bumpy air I like to close my eyes. Not real sure why, but for some reason it gives me a bit of comfort. I am reminded of a child who places their hands over their eyes and feel they have rendered themselves invisible. I guess when I close my eyes I somehow feel I am not really hundreds, if not thousands of feet in the air being tossed around like a plastic cup in the open ocean. It doesn't really change anything, but I believe it must. That is until I open my eyes and discovered I was still on the same small cylinder hurling through inconvenient air.

It is easy to fall into the "eyes tightly shut" syndrome in leadership. There may be kinds of stuff happening around us, but instead of clarifying the situation and dealing with it we shut our eyes. We believe that by doing so the challenges, obstacles and problems will somehow take care of themselves. It rarely happens. When we open our eyes we discover not only are the circumstances we were trying to avoid still very much there, often they have increased in their severity.

Seldom does ignoring our leadership challenges fix them. Going on with business as usual when it is anything but usual does no good. Things fester and become an epidemic that could have been avoided if only dealt with earlier. So what are we do to? Close our eyes tighter! Sooner or later things have to go back to usual.

FREEDOM FUN RUN

2008-06-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the annual Fishers Freedom Run. Fishers is the Indianapolis suburb in which I live. Each year, typically the week-end prior to July 4th, they have their Freedom Festival. This is kicked off with their 5k run/walk and family 2 mile walk. Since I ran both last year and now this year, I guess you might say this is an annual event for me.

Last year I ventured out on my own, but this year several friends and family joined in on the festivities. Bob & Lisa, and Heidi and her dad Steve. My lovely wife Joni walked in her first ever "official" run/walk event. Which I was very proud of her for doing. She is just AWESOME!

It was a great day. My goal was to run the course in 24 minutes or less. I finished in 22:54. This was very exciting for me. The others finished in a more extended time, but they did finish. We then all went to breakfast at The Original Pancake House. The truth of it is, I am motivated to run in these events for two primary rewards: 1. The tee-shirts; 2. food. They had bagels for the runners and walkers, but I deferred to the pancakes...yummy!

I had three little pigs in a blanket. This is a cute name for a pork sausage wrapped in a pancake. Each little pig got its own blanket. They sprinkle a bit of powder sugar on them. I add plenty of butter and syrup and you end up with a health food. Come on, how fattening can three little pigs be? Granted, if they were whole pigs we would have a bit of a dietary challenge, but this was just a very small portion. Yes, it is a spin, but what can you do?

Great run! Great friends! Great food! A marvelous way to begin a week-end.

LYON HEARTED

2008-06-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was at the Wisconsin District Conference today. Joanne Lyon was there. It was her first Conference since being elected General Superintendent. She did two things I really liked. First, when she gave her State of the Church Address, she did not run through a litany of stats. She simply mentioned they were in the notebook and available for their review. She then launched into a visionary challenge.

She had five points: 1) 1000 Kingdom lights (churches that will invade secular space); 2) 1000 churches to experience ministry of deliverance for people; 3) Global Wesleyan Education Systems; 4) 90% of our churches become involved in global issues (e.g. human trafficking, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc...) 5) Living under the resurrection power of Christ.

Can we achieve all of this in twelve months? I don't know. This is not the point. The point is it is a compelling vision. Details can be worked out as we go.

Second, she allowed the DS to chair the conference. She was there as a resource person. The DS did an excellent job.

I liked this because I feel this is how it should be. Nice change.

LEADERSHIP BY DESIGN

2008-06-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a project called Leadership by Design. This will be an elective for a program called Rekindle. This is continuing education for those in ministry.

The goal of the class is to deal with leadership from several angles: Personal Leadership, Developing Leaders and Organizational Leadership. Each has its own unique set of opportunities and challenges. My hope is that we will have lots of interaction as many of those attending will be in ministry and have applications and war stories.

War stories are good. Nothing like a group of leaders with Purple Hearts and leadership scars. It keeps us all invigorated. Often in dealing with students who have yet to be in the trenches of leadership there is too much idealism. The problem with philosophical leadership is that it does not factor in people. People tend to clog up leadership idealism arteries. People are what leadership is all about, but they also make it difficult.

What I am most excited about is that those attending will begin to develop a personalized leadership fitness plan. Something they can take with them and implement.

PAPPY

2008-06-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

I have known this for several weeks, but my daughter had me on a gag order. She wanted to be sure. She wanted to be able to tell some key folks in her own time and in her own way. This has all been achieved, so she informed me I can be more aggressive in my telling. What am I talking about? My one and only daughter is pregnant! That is absolutely correct. I am going to be a granddad! Yipppeee!!!

I have been told that this is the greatest thing for parents. When your kids have kids things really change. I was once told by an experienced grandparent that if they would have known how much fun grandkids were they would have been nicer to their parents. This tells me grand parenting must REALLY be fun, because I was pretty darn nice to this grandchild’s parents.

I am finding there are some interesting tidbits guiding forthcoming grandparents. One, and I had no idea about this, we get to pick what we are called. I just figured we would be grandpa and grandma. But you don’t have to leave this to chance. If you get your name in early you are able to be “branded” with your special moniker.

It actually makes perfect sense. After all, this new little person will only know what something, or someone, is labeled when the adults in their life point and say…. Well you fill in the blank. This being the case my lovely wife has declared herself “Gram” and my daughter has determine that I will be “pappy.” Evidently only the ladies get to pick who is called what. I was actually going to push for the “Grand sage.”

Second, we get to purchase all kinds of stuff for the new baby. The stuff doesn’t have to be practical, nor quiet. It just has to be fun. I like that. When we bought for their parents it was regulated by price and practicality. With grandkids it is regulated by, “We are Gram and Pappy and we believe the little guy or girl will like it.”

Third, we get minimal input into names. It seems the parents prefer total and complete control over this. And they have no problem whatsoever expressing their distain for “Pappy” suggestions. What is wrong with Phil for a boy and Phyllis for a girl?

Still much to learn! And I plan to learn it all each step of the way. I AM GOING TO BE A PAPPY!

THIRTY-THREE YEARS

2008-06-21T10:30:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrate thirty-three years of marriage. I guess if you are a stickler for details we actually won't be celebrating until around 4:30pm Eastern Daylight Time. It was thirty-three years ago @ 1pm on the West Coast we began the ceremony. I don't remember how long it lasted, but I figure the final "I dos" had to be between 1:30-1:45. Currently we live in Indiana on EDT, so that places it at the four thirty time frame mentioned earlier.

Regardless of the time, we actually began to celebrate yesterday. We went to a movie. Saw Get Smart. Those who recall the TV version will thoroughly enjoy. But even if you are like my older son who said, "It was on TV?" will also enjoy. It is fun, funny and corny. Exactly what you expect from such a movie. We then went to dinner a Qdoba (is this advertising) for dinner. We chose this since the movie coupon got us free chips and salsa.

We continue our celebration today. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at Paradise Bakery. Did some chores around the house. Now we are sitting on our back patio in the Indiana sun. Joni reading, me blogging. Later today we have friends over. Life is much about the friendships you make during the journey, so having them over makes perfect sense as part of an anniversary.

We each got one another funny cards. I have to mention I included a Starbucks card in the one I gave. It had thirty-three dollars on it, representing...well thirty-three years. The card I received had the inside of a card. Not to complain. It would be one of the few times I thought ahead.

Our anniversary celebration may not seem romantic or that significant to you. But we have discovered that our marriage is not about impressing others, nor over celebrating. We enjoy our relationship. We don't even have to impress one another any more. We have a deeper love than we did on our honeymoon night and even better...well that is for us to know. The reality is, after thirty-three years we can pretty much celebrate anyway we choose. And we have. And we will.

TAKE-A-WAY CUP

2008-06-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

I went to lunch today at Mo's Irish Pub. They have wonderful food and this really great drink. Now before you jump to any conclusions regarding my drinking habits at a pub, it may not be what you think. I had a mango, non-caloric, high energy iced tea. I had it before when eating here, and knew it was mango. But our server today added the non-caloric, high energy, I assume as a "selling" point. What she didn't know was I would have ordered it even if it infused fat into directly into my veins and caused me to fall into a deep sleep. Did I mention the tea tastes really good?

Preparing to head back to my office I asked the server, "May I have a cup of tea to go? I would like a large cup."

"All we have is 8oz cups. Except that child's and they are even smaller." She sounded apologetic. She probably sensed I may have been mentally reducing the tip by percentage points. "Are you sure?" I was almost pleading. But I resigned myself to the inevitable.

She returned with the "tiny" cup. It was like a shot glass of tea (what do you expect at a Pub?). My longed for afternoon of sipping my mango, non-caloric, energy iced tea was gone. I tried to nurse the cup as long as I could, but it was gone by the time I returned to my office. All of two miles from Mo's.

I will go back. And I believe I will take my own "to go" cup. Possibly a 32 ouncer. Did I mention the tea tastes really good.

EARLY MORNING

2008-06-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up and had a nice run. Out the door a bit before six AM. I got in a decent paced five miles. I always enjoy my day more when I run. It is as if I get something achieved right off the bat. This sets the temp for the rest of my day.

How do you begin your day? Do you have something that gets you ready? An activity that gets the blood going? A bit of fitness? If not, I encourage you find that something that helps you begin your day fresh.

HONESTY GETS YOU FUNNY LOOKS

2008-06-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is what happened today. I went to Paradise Bakery (a great eating establishment) to get lunch for myself and a variety of treats for my team members. I ordered a fruit bowl, two salads, a blueberry muffin, double chocolate brownie and a large iced tea. Once I got back to the office and handed out the orders I reviewed the receipt. I noted that I did not get charged for the brownie.

I could not let this pass. Call it conscience, my upbringing, or a desire to live out my relationship with God in an authentic manner; regardless I needed to go back and pay them their money.

On my way home I stopped in at Paradise. I still had the receipt. I walked in and said to the young lady behind the counter, "I was in here earlier today and order one of those brownies." For emphasis I pointed at the stack of brownies displayed in their case. "I need to pay for it."

She, along with two other co-workers, looked at me as if I had just told them, "I had to hurry as my space ship was doubled parked."

Sensing their seemingly inability to translate my words into an understandable language, I reinerated my intent to pay for the now devoured brownie. Breaking from their 'deer in the headlights stare' they informed me they would not take my money.

"It was our error, so you don't have to pay."

"You don't want my money?"

"No, but thank you for your honesty."

That was it! They didn't take my money, but they were amazed at my honesty. I turned and walked out with a smile on my face and a bit of mixed emotion in my spirit.

My mixed emotion was a feeling I should have given a bit more credit to Jesus for my honesty. I was not just being a good person, although I feel I am. But my goodness, at least for me, I think, is a result of my relationship with God. I did not know how to communicate this to them. I mean what do you say? "I did this because Jesus lives in my life."

Frankly that would seem a bit contrived and inauthentic. But what do you think? What would you have done?

FLYING

2008-06-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today is a fly day. I am traveling west (Sacramento, CA) to east (Indianapolis, IN) via Minneapolis, MN. I am quickly adding three hours to my day.

Fortunately, prior to my West Coast departure, I was able to get in a five mile run. This helps to add a sense of achievement to a mostly “sit on your butt and exert little effort” day.

While waiting for my connecting flight in Minneapolis, I am getting to watch the 18th hole of the US Open Playoff. Tiger just birdie, as he did yesterday, to force a sudden death playoff. What a great competition! In this match there will be no loser. A winner yes, but no loser. Sadly I will not get to watch the conclusion, the call of a flight connection.

A lesson in this competition is to do what you can. Play your game. And when those two things are done you can walk away with a sense of accomplishment.

LAKE TAHOE AND MORE

2008-06-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am relaxing at the home of my oldest son and his wonderful wife. They live in Natomas. This is a small community just north of downtown Sacramento. He is on staff at The River Church. An eight-year-old church that is doing an outstanding job of reaching its community. This church was daughtered by Arcade Wesleyan, the church I was privileged to lead for six years.

It has been a very busy, but productive week-end. I spoke to 100 men at a retreat located at a beautiful retreat center on the shore of Lake Tahoe. I spoke Friday night. Three times on Saturday. Then wrapped up early on Sunday AM with a communion service. We then made our way down the hill from the lake to make the first service at The River Church. I spoke for their two morning services. Needless to say it was a bit draining.

The real highlight of the week-end was getting to spend Father's Day with my oldest son, his wife, my daughter and her husband and my son's in-laws. We grilled, laughed and watched Tiger Woods make the tourney tying putt on the last hole of the US Open. It was GREAT!

I write this as the Celtics are make every effort to complete their bid for the NBA Championship against the Lakers. And being a Sacramento Kings fan, who has had their share of run-ins with the Lakers, we are pulling for the Celtics.

It has been a wonderful three days of ministry and family. I head back to Indy early tomorrow. I miss Sacramento, but know I am where I need to be at this time.

TIME TO MOVE OUT

2008-06-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

General Conference is over. Some interesting things happened. Not sure what they all mean, but I do believe it is time to move out!

We elected our first woman General Superintendent. The response to her election said it all. People are ready to move out. She has vision, credibility and an extreme amount of ability. She is not the best woman for this job, she is the best person for this job. She, too, is ready to move out!

There was a push from the general conference floor not to simply accept business as usual. They want a voice, input, an opportunity to participate in something bigger than anyone person. There is a rumble from the crowd. Folks no longer want to settle. They want to move out.

I was thrilled to have been re-elected. It was a wonderfully positive vote. I believe it was an affirmation of where we need to go. I have attempted to be clear as to what we need to be about. I have attempted to keep the vision firmly in front. People genuinely seem to want to move out.

It is a new day! There is an opportunity to lead in pro activity. Four years from this time, what might we want to celebrate? Let's decide. Let's be clear. Let's move out!

THE FUTURE

2008-06-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my wife and I leave for Orlando. We will be attending the General Conference for The Wesleyan Church. This happens every four years. It is our version of the Republican or Democratic (you choose your party) Convention. Business is conducted on issues related to our movement. Some issues are of vital importance, but as in life the majority of the time is pretty mundane.

I have attended these before. The past two I was a delegate representing my district from the West Coast. This was an enjoyable experience, but for the majority of the time I was somewhat disengaged. Don't get me wrong there were some exciting and unexpected things that happened, but mostly it was a yawner.

This one is much different for me personally. I serve in a position that will be voted on. Could be that this time next week my future will change. If I don't get re-elected then I am looking for something else, somewhere else.

I have been voted on before. This is the nature of the movement I am in, but it was in a local setting not one as wide spread as this. Most of the folks (delegates) voting really don't know me. Most are not that well versed in what I have done, am doing, or will do. I guess that is why even with the human element of voting in play, there is a expectancy of God's participation.

Truth be told, I am confident regardless of the outcome. I did not solicit to get this position so it is really not mine to hold onto any longer than God chooses. My desire has always been to do what I thought was best for the multiplication movement and let the chips fall where they may...even though in my denomination the only chips that are allowed to fall must be in a bag with the word "potato" in front of them.

I will not be doing any blogging until after this is over, so enjoy your days ahead and I will blog at you later.

UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATION

2008-06-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today I needed to have conversations with two different people. Both centered around something they had written. One was a statement about me. The other was a communication regarding an ministry I work with.

Both were misleading, in my opinion. Both could have caused a spirit of spite, or a kernel of bitterness to lodge itself in my being. Both could have been fuel for an inner fire that many of us have looking for an excuse to stoke and allow to manifest itself in anger. Both written statements were a bit biting.

What did I do? I talked to the person. I know...we typically don't do this. I was able to chat with one face to face, the other I had to call due to distance. Either way, the conversation was needed and the results were positive.

I was reminded once again that the best way to deal with potential misunderstanding is to talk with the person who can help clear it up. The person who also has a stake in the outcome. How often do people talk to others about someone, instead of talking to the right one? I am reminded of a principle I learned many years ago, and do try to implement: If you are unwilling to talk to the person, don't talk about the person.

Do you have someone you need to converse? Why not take the time to do just that?

STARBUCKS

2008-06-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

I spent my morning in Starbucks writing. I don't know what it is about this place, but I am always productive when I am there. The smell of coffee. Activity around me. It is wonderful. They have cornered the market on places to be. I am glad they have.

OUTSDE THE CAR

2008-05-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since Henry Ford rolled out the first Model T cars have evolved in safety. Seat belts, first then air bags. Did you know that car fronts of been re-engineered to help pedestrians bounce up instead of getting knocked down when hit? I didn't know this. And I am glad I have never had the experience to test the engineering from either side of the car-pedestrian equation.

Now there is a call for car makers to install air bags on hoods to protect cyclists. You got it! A cyclists hits the hood and a airbag deploys cushioning the impact. I wonder if they will take into account the deployment velocity. It may reduce the injuries from car impacts, but it may increase injuries of cyclists launched, who knows where, when the bag deploys. Or, it may result in the first cyclists to orbit the earth.

Here is my real point. Cars have stayed basically the same since the Model T. They have wheels (usually four), a chaise, a body, seats, steering wheel, etc..., but they have dramatically changed. Automakers are always looking of ways to adapt the basic car to the newness of the environment in which the car must function. Functionally it remains the same, but it's form changes. It still, basically, moves a person from point A to B, but the way and speed it makes that journey has transitioned.

I wonder if this might apply to churches? They need to maintain the integrity of their foundations, but adapt to the new environment. I think, I think, that if some church leaders where in the car business they would still be manufacturing Model T's and declaring it sound doctrine.

WISCONSIN

2008-05-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday with eight leaders from the Wisconsin District. Dan Bickel is giving excellent leadership in church multiplication. He is steadily, but surely leading toward this team becoming a m3 (Missional Multiplication Movement) District.

They have planted eight churches in the last seven years. Their vision is to plant, at least, twelve more by 2020. Ten percent of their district budget is directed toward church planting. Dan challenges all of his Pastors and local leadership teams to participate in the parenting of new churches. His passion and heart is catching on.

One church in a very rural area has committed ten percent of their budget to invest in new churches. Two other churches are beginning plans to daughtering a church. The passion to infiltrate this district with the life changing message of Jesus through planting new missional outposts is expanding.

This team of leaders could have identified all kinds of reasons why they could not move toward missional multiplication. They could identify the large number of small communities with populations under 5000 as not open to new churches. They could have bemoaned the fact that their larger churches (the ones most leveraged to daughter) were not close to their major metropolitan areas. They could have used a lack of financial resources as leaving them short of funding as they would like. They could have used a variety of reasons as excuses; instead they simply decided to do!

Many can find excuses not to participate in missional multiplication movements. Why not simply make the call to get involved? Do what you can!

MEMORIAL DAY

2008-05-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

The unofficial beginning of summer. Gotta love it! We had a summer like day. We slept in. Had coffee in bed while watching the Today Show. We then pulled ourselves out from under the covers and made our way to the new Paradise Bakery about three miles from the house. We enjoyed our favorite muffins as we sat outside on the patio. It was a warm morning.

We then made a stop at Lowe's for items we needed around the house. We met friends and enjoyed the fourth Indiana Jones movie. I grew up with this guy! And I have to tell you ole Indy made the new Senior adult crowd proud. He moved a bit slower, but he still took care of business. It was great fun.

We had a late lunch, then home to do chores around the house. I actually did a tune up on my lawn mower. Anyone who knows me is right now picking their jaw up off the ground. I did it! I changed oil, replaced an air filter and...well I was unable to get the spark plug out, but two out of three steps is not bad.

Overall great day! It is a wonderful beginning of summer.

MARS

2008-05-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am not really a big fan of mountain or central time zones. The TV programs I like come on way too early, so I miss them. One positive, however, is I do get to watch the beginning of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In my city this comes on at 11:30pm. This translates into seldom viewing the humor of Jay. But in the mountain or central zones this moves to the 10:30pm hour. Much more viewer friendly for people like me. What kind of people? Those who are a bit older and don't mind falling asleep earlier than later.

Last night Jay quipped: "They are looking for water and ice on Mars. Hey! We have water and ice here, why not look for oil. We need oil." I thought this was hilarious.

Why do we look for more of what we have, instead of looking for that which we are limited, or are in need? I don't look for patience, although I need it. I tend to go after that which I already possess...like things to laugh about. I laugh fairly easy, and I enjoy it. Nothing wrong with this, but there are things I should pursue that might balance this out. Like being still, or quiet, or not getting in the last word.

Will I make the choice to attempt to be still, quiet or resisting the last word? I like to think I will, but hopefully as I do I will find reasons to laugh as well.

RAPID CITY

2008-05-20T21:26:00.001-07:00

I arrived in Rapid City, SD late last night. Once I got to my hotel and settled in it was way past my bed time.

I did get up in enough time to get in my run. I got in about five miles. It was clear and cool, but not cold. A few hills, but not too bad. But I really don't like hills.

We had a very productive Wesleyan Native American Board meeting. Lots of material to cover. And we got through the key items. Afterward we made our trek to a small community called Hill City.

This town rests at the feet of the Black Hills. It is beautiful. In this tourist village resides a eatery known as The Alpine Inn. After hours of conversation and decision making it is the perfect place to eat. Each dinner includes a lettuce wedge with house dressing, baked potato, Texas toast and a steak. The only decision you have to make is 6oz or 9oz portion of meat. It is perfect! I also had some bread pudding. This is one of my two favorite post dinner entrees. It was covered in Carmel sauce. And YES! I will run tomorrow.

We then took a trip to view the "Big Heads." This is popularly referred to as Mount Rushmore, but I prefer "Big Heads." Why? Easier to say and I think it is funny. I my be in my thoughts of humor regarding this self-imposed moniker, but so what! Nothing wrong with a self-induced smile.

NORTH CAROLINA

2008-05-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

I arrived in High Point, NC this morning. I had the opportunity to make some great connections. Had lunch with the Gaspersons. A super couple who planted a church and now are pursuing some other ministry endeavors.

Spent time with Jerry Lunston. He is the Assistant DS for the NC West District. He has a great heart for strengthening churches and moving them toward multiplication.

I then was able to have dinner with the Leroys and Mullins. They are the DS and Assistant DS for NC East. Great time of conversation!

I picked up Jim Dunn at the airport tonight. It took me longer than anticipated to get there. I had rented a GPS. Unbelievably I got lost using it. I have better luck with mapquest hard copies strewn all over the passenger seat than I did with the GPS voice "talking" me through.

Jim and I are here to conduct our Intentional Missional Church seminar. This has been received well by leaders. It is a great opportunity to emphasize that evangelism and discipleship are two sides of the same coin. A mature disciple will evangelize and genuine evangelism always results in a person becoming a maturing disciple. This is Great Commission stuff. It is the stuff we need to be about doing.

Tomorrow when we wrap up I head for Rapid City. I get in there late tomorrow night. So I don't' anticipate blogging much prior to Tuesday.

THE INNER GRIN

2008-05-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

I walked the grounds of the retreat center I was using for my personal day away. It was a beautiful spring day with clear skies, mid-sixties, plenty of sun. There is a path that has been nicely laid out. It meanders through a wooded area. It is canopied with tree branches displaying a variety of the color green. Sunlight eeks its way through exposed slots in the canopy. It is quiet. A gentle breeze made its way slowly along the path as well. Birds chatted. I could hear my footsteps fall as I navigated the terrain.

At sporadic times benches had been built for path walkers to rest, reflect, and relax. As is typically with the Catholic retreat centers I have frequented, the “stations of the cross” are displayed. These stations are comprised of thirteen images of the arrest, trial, rode to the cross, crucifixion and removal of the body from the cross. The resurrection is blatantly absent from these scenes. This has always caused me pause. I know the Catholic Church believes in, and highly regards the resurrection of Jesus, but in these placements they have chosen to not honor it. I need to ask why? Not in an indicting kind of way, but a genuine interest in the thinking behind it.

On my walk I simply basked in the quiet. I did not hear from God. I did not receive a revelation. Truth told, I thought mostly about nothing. This for me seems to be the norm. I have developed quite the ability to dwell on absolutely nothing. When I run I think on nothing. When I carve out quiet nooks I think on nothing. When I rest in solitude I think of nothing. This could be my mind needs the respite from busy contemplation, or I have not yet developed the ability to hear from God in the quiet moments.

In my spiritual heritage it is the quiet moments I have been told God best speaks. Not hearing from God regularly in the quiet I get a tingle of guilt. I wonder what might be wrong with me. This results in little insight.

But I will say there is a weird kind of rejuvenation that comes from these quiet moments. There is refreshment discovered. It is different from the sense of accomplishment I have when finishing a run. In the discipline of the quiet I feel no accomplishment, but I do get an inner “grin” that in a mischievous way I have stole something my busy life wants to deter me from.

It is this sense of mystery that keeps me returning. It is this ability to sneak in the “quiet” in the noise of life that motivates me to set the discipline to participate in these times. Even though my “task orientation” wants to douse the results of these times with a nagging sense it is a waste of precious time, I rearrange my thinking to accommodate the quiet anyway.

UNDER TWO HOURS

2008-05-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday I ran my first ever mini-marathon. Here in Indianapolis this is the official beginning of the build up to the Indianapolis 500. A mini is actually a half-marathon. It is 13.1 miles! I still find it difficult to believe that I ran that far. It was barely over two years ago I found it life sucking to walk a mile.

But since that time I have lost sixty pounds, reduced my waist size from 42 inches to 34. I am running consistently 20-25 miles per week. Even with all of that I never felt I could run thirteen point one miles without stopping. The furthest I have ever run previously was 8 miles. Yet some friends encouraged me to enter. So reluctantly, I did.

I trained on a special program for twelve weeks. This was developed by a guy name Hal Higgdon. He is a running guy who helps those of us wanting to do this kind of thing figure it out. I followed his training religiously. I have found that when I am moving into areas I have never been before I tend to get very anal. What I mean is I march after the instructions given EXACLTY as they are laid out. I waver very little, if at all.

Building up to this time I set two goals: 1) Finish; 2) Finish under two hours. I DID IT!!!. My time was one hour fifty-eight minutes and forty-one seconds (1:58:41). On my watch this is under two hours.

A contributing factor to attaining this goal was my friend Chris. Chris is a marathoner. He could have easily run this mini in much less time than he did. The reason he did not was he had committed himself to helping me achieve my goal. He stayed with me. He let me know my progress. When we got to the last mile he said to me, “Phil, if we pick up the pace just a bit, we can get this in under two hours, but it is up to you.”

He knew what I needed to do to achieve my goal. I was out of gas, but having someone let me know the goal was achievable and what I needed to do to achieve it, I found the energy. I picked up the pace a bit and even sprinted (whatever that looks like after running almost two hours) the last quarter mile.

It felt great! There are few things in life more awesome that setting a goal; working toward that goal; and achieving the goal. What might it be for you?

OLIVER STONE

2008-05-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

I have never been much of an Oliver Stone fan. Most of his films are too long. They make Kevin Costner movies look like shorts. I also feel he is a bit caustic on the issues he addresses. He appears overly critical on the country. He looks for conspiracies in every nook and cranny. Basically he has struck me as a bit of a curmudgeon. You know Andy Rooney without the big bushy eyebrows.

But I made a recent discovery. Oliver served in Viet Nam. He was part of Bravo Company. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. This is a difference maker. He went to battle in a time many refused. He fought for the freedom he now exercises. Good for him!

I understand we all have the privilege to disagree, rail against our view of injustice and complain about whatever we pretty much choose. Yet when it comes from someone that has invested something as personal as the potential loss of life, the commentary they offer is much more significant.

I have no idea what Stone’s personal opinion of our military action in Viet Nam might have been. I don’t know if he was drafted, or joined of his own volition. What I do know is he went.

What his motivation might have been has no bearing on the fact he went. Whether he went by choice, obligation or resignation makes no difference, he went. And, from my perspective, his commentary on American society, regardless of my agreement, carries more authority. He has helped shape this world with his actions. He ought to share his version of its present reality.

REPRODUCING CHURCH

2008-04-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Last week I was at the Exponential Conference. I heard a bunch of stuff from a myriad of speakers. But the thing that I liked the most. The comment that struck me as vividly profound was a simple statement made during introductory comments by each member of a panel.

There were four leaders who were currently leading reproducing churches. Three of them had planted their church and established multiplication as an aspect of their DNA. One, Derek Duncan, had only been at his church since 2004. The church he pastors is East 91st Christian Church in Indianapolis. This one church recently planted its fiftieth (50) church!

Here is what he said that I have mused on since it slipped from his lips. He said, "I came to a reproducing church."

Do you realize what a HUGE statement that is? It is pregnant with rich reality. When he came to the church its mission would not change. They reproduce! It was not the vision of the previous pastor. It was not something only a few connected with and it faded over time. It was not a seasonal venture. It did not have the character of a summer romance. The need to reproduce had been so deeply etched in the ethos of this community that a new pastor would not be called who might want to change it.

The pastor was called to add to the venture, but there would be no new vision, no retracing steps, no having to catch the heart of God for what is next. They were a reproducing lot and Derek was simply called to take that heart to a new level.

I loved it! I can speak from experience of times my personality and passion has driven the agenda for an organization. But once I was gone they reverted back to what they were before my arrival. Not E91st! They know what they are and call leaders to move them forward in their ministry.

I am more convinced that I will never be sure the movement of missional multiplication that I currently have a role in leading is genuinely a movement until I am gone. When that time comes and it continues on, then satisfaction can be taken in having been a part of something truly Kingdom worthy!

THE MISSIONAL GOD

2008-04-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Missional is being sent. God modeled this for us in his sending nature. I John provides us a glimpse of the sending/missional nature of God.

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world..." (4:9)
"This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son..."(4:10)
"...we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son..." (4:14)

There it is in its simplicity. God sent his Son. He revealed his missionary spirit by engaging us. He beckoned us to himself, by coming to us himself. Love is best expressed by sending, going, intentionally connecting.

God sent his Son, his Son sends us. Believers are the sent expression of God today. The church is the missional agent of God in the world. The church is foremost a mission agency. We must recapture this spirit. Do less holding on, and more handing out.