Removal of a Sabbatical Beard

I must start off with an apology that I haven't had posts of a more meaningful nature lately. I will try in 2012 to have more significant posts. That being said, the post regarding my sabbatical beard has been my 3rd most viewed blog post so maybe you all just want me to do posts that make me look goofy. Well, here's another in that category...the removal of the sabbatical beard.

This is the final full beard picture before removal

Here is the beard combed out

1st partial removal picture

Pretty sweet sideburns

The goatee

Bit of a Fu-Man

Long Stache with some soul

Just the dirty stache

Not sure how much of an improvement this is but here I am with it all gone after about 10 weeks of having the "Sabbatical Beard"

Judging from the many comments that I have received, it seems the majority of people are quite glad that Aaron is back from his sabbatical and therefore my beard is gone. My face is quite a bit more cold now. Perhaps I should start a new beard....

Sabbatical Beard

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably know that Crosswater's Lead Pastor, Aaron Day, is currently out on sabbatical. What you may not know is that I was encouraged to grow out my facial hair until he returns. This challenge came a couple of weeks into his sabbatical but I already had some stubble going so I am currently at about 10 weeks of growth (Aaron has been gone for just over 11 weeks). The plan is to shave once he gets back but I am currently debating just when shave day will be. Here is a pictorial timeline of beard growth for your enjoyment/disgust.



That's it, no other point for this blog than this update on my sabbatical beard. Since the beard is most likely coming off soon, keep your eyes open for a post on the removal of said sabbatical beard. Don't fall off the edge of your seat waiting though.

Running on Empty

I think it is pretty safe to say that you are like me. No, I'm not saying that you are bald and growing a beard. What I am assuming is that you are like me because you are busy. Life gets pretty crazy with all of the stuff that we are doing, especially this time of the year as we celebrate the holidays by doing even more than we usually do. We don't have to work very hard at filling up our calendar, often times it fills itself up with all sorts of activities, games, meetings, events, gatherings, projects, etc. On the rare day/night that we don't have anything going on, we tend to either fill it up with things we have been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to or perhaps we plop down and veg out. At least that's what I do, between all of the things filling up my schedule, I tend to do a lot of nothing.

With all of that, I have come to realize that lately I have had to make time for God. I am doing it backwards! I shouldn't be making time for God, I should be taking time with God. It sounds pretty similar but really is quite different.

Remember when you were a teenager and the last thing you wanted to spend money on was gas for your car or you simply just didn't have very much money for gas? So what happened? If you were like me, you would put $5 - $10 in the tank (back when that would get you close to 5-10 gallons) and that would last you a few days. The problem was, you would be back at the gas station every couple of days getting gas again. As a teenager you didn't really think about or even care that you would also get less mileage out of the gas you were buying. A car gets better mileage when the gas tank is full.

We often have the same mentality with our spiritual life. We get just enough of God to get us through the next thing. But, I don't want to get just little bits of God that get me through the next thing, instead I want to be filled up. Like my gas mileage, my heart improves when I am filled up. Going through life with the needle constantly hovering around "E" is not what God wants or offers. He offers so much more. If you had the opportunity to have a gas card that had never ending money on it, wouldn't you fill up every time you went to the gas station? You also probably wouldn't wait until you were empty to get more. We have that opportunity with God but we have to stop making time for God and instead, take time with God.

We're #107

Can't you just hear the chants now? "We're number one hundred and seven, we're number one hundred and seven". Ok, so it doesn't really flow all that well and isn't what we typically strive for but that is where we find ourselves. No, I'm not talking about my favorite college football team's defensive ranking, I'm talking about where my wife and I find ourselves on the adoption waiting list with our agency.

Last week we officially finished the paperwork phase of the process when our Dossier was reviewed and deemed to be complete. That act placed us on the waiting list for a boy between 0 and 12 months from Ethiopia. Even though the process of getting to this point wasn't exactly easy (or cheap) it was easy compared to what lies ahead....waiting. We now are faced with the long process of watching our number decrease over the next months and potentially years.

Neither my wife nor I are very patient with waiting, once we know we want or need something, we tend to go for it. So we know that God will use this as a teaching moment for us and we will look to grow through this process. We also know that God already knows the little boy that he has for us and He will bring Him to us in His time. Please join us in praying for this little boy (we are naming him Malachi) as well as for his parents and for us. Even though he probably hasn't been born yet, we love him and are excited to add him to our family.

Help a Brother Out

Have you ever held your arms up for an extended period of time? What if you had to hold your arms up as long as you could, how long would that be? The first few minutes are pretty easy but what about five minutes or ten minutes? Maybe if it was really important you could muster enough strength and determination to do fifteen minutes. Most of us couldn't do more than that without some help.

A few thousand years ago, Moses (you know, the guy who as a baby was placed in a basket and found by the Pharaoh's daughter) was given just such a challenge. Joshua was leading the Israelites to war against the Amalekites and as long as Moses kept his arms up, the Israelites were winning. When he dropped his arms, the Amalekites would start to take control. Fortunately for Moses and the Israelites, he had his brother and another guy there to help keep his arms up and the Israelites ended up winning the war.

Moses needed help if the Israelites were going to be victorious and we need help too. My tendency is do things on my own, depend on myself, not ask for help even when I need it. That mindset leads to fatigue, isolation, and mistakes. It is also poor leadership and a poor example. I don't think I am alone in this tendency however.

What about you, do you allow people to help you? Let me put it this way, who knows when you are struggling? Or how about this, are you someone that other people seek help from? God did not design us to be alone. First and foremost He wants us to have relationship with Him and next he wants us to be in relationship with others. If nobody knows when you are struggling and/or you don't know when others are struggling, there is a problem.

Stop holding your arms up by yourself, get support from others and be a support to others, we can only hold our arms up for a few minutes without help.

I'm Pretty Much a Communication Expert

If you are married, you will probably relate to what happened with my wife and me today. We had to drive about 45 miles (one way) during rush hour traffic to an appointment to get our fingerprints taken for our adoption. Without traffic, this drive would have taken approximately 50 minutes but since we were supposed to be there at 8:00am, we anticipated the drive to be about 1 hour and 20 minutes, which it was but as we were sitting in traffic, we were certain that we were going to be late. We ended up getting to the facility about 8 minutes early only to discover that we needed $7 cash to park. Unfortunately neither of us had any cash, nor was there anywhere else obvious to park. My thought was that we should look for somewhere to get cash, her thought was that we should look for somewhere else to park. The problem was that neither of us really communicated what we were thinking yet we were each trying to solve the problem. As you can imagine, this led to some frustration and bickering (as well as a half mile jog/walk once we finally parked).

I don't really have any profound point to make other than the obvious comment that communication is important in pretty much anything we do. So with that amazing nugget, I encourage you to follow the advice of Jesus' brother James who said in James 1:19 "...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..." Being quick to offer grace and forgiveness is probably a good idea in these situations as well.

My wife and I quickly got over the situation but it is quite safe to say that we won't be competing on "The Amazing Race" together, though we probably would be entertaining to watch.

Life Lessons From a Sandwich Shop II: When is More Enough?

Awhile ago I did a blog post on a sign that I saw at Jimmy Johns (Jimmy Johns is a really good sandwich shop) and when I was there again recently, I saw the sign above and thought that it warranted a post. So, it looks like we have a series now; Lessons From a Sandwich Shop. Here is part 2.

It is human nature to want more than we have or at least different than we have. In America, that mindset really fuels the economy. Madison Avenue works diligently to convince us that what we have is not enough, that we must have the next, the bigger, the better. I am no different than most people. I have an iPod Touch and an iPhone, yet, I would really like an iPad2. I have a 42" HDTV but a bigger TV would be really cool. The possibilities for how this plays out are pretty much endless and unfortunately for many people includes spouses/families, don't like the one you've got, just get a new one.

That's where the wisdom of a sign at a sandwich shop comes in. When do we stop wanting more? When is the more that we already have enough? As the sign in the picture says; "the gap...never closes." If our focus is on stuff or money, we will never be satisfied because we can always have more than what we currently have.

Matthew 6:19-21 says this "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Store up things that matter, "treasures in heaven", and stop buying in to the lies that Madison Avenue tells us. Let God be enough and instead of striving for latest and greatest maybe you can help the millions for people around the world who don't even have food or water.

Isn't it amazing what you can get with a sandwich?

Steppin' Up

Well in just a few more days I will officially be the T.H.M.I.C. (Temporary Head Man In Charge) at Crosswater (under Jesus of course) as our lead pastor Aaron Day goes on a three month sabbatical.  As the day gets closer, I feel the potential burden more and more.  While I am a little freaked out about all this 3-month period will bring, I am also excited to see what God will do in Aaron, in me and in His church, Crosswater.

One of my many issues, is the tendency to rely on my own abilities to get the job done.  Fortunately, I am being made more aware of that tendency heading in to this period where that tendency could be even more detrimental than usual.  Please be praying for me to rely on God first and foremost and to put aside my efforts because it will take God to come out of this having grown and led well.

Please also be praying for Aaron as he spends time with God and his family.  Pray for wisdom and discernment as he seeks God's will for himself, his family and for Crosswater.

Finally, please pray that this would be a time of spiritual growth for the people of Crosswater.

In Awe of God

Have you ever just sat and marveled at the power and majesty of God?  Last week I was able to have a few days with my wife's family on the Oregon Coast.  The house we stayed in was a block or two away from the beach, yet, we were able to hear the waves from the house.  Of course as we got closer to the beach and then on the beach, the sound of the waves was even louder.  One morning I just sat on the beach and listened to the waves and looked out at the Pacific Ocean and was in awe of God.  There is such power in those waves and the Pacific Ocean is so huge, that you can't help but notice how big God is.

All around us, we can see the hand of God in His creation.  Sure, many people have come up with other thoughts and theories on how we all got here but make no mistake, God is revealed by His creation.  Far too often, I just do my thing, live my life and I don't recognize or acknowledge the hand of God all around me.  If you haven't taken time to marvel at the power and majesty of God lately (or ever), I encourage you to take time this week to find a place where you can just sit and see God's creation around you.  We are fortunate in Washington to have beautiful mountains, lakes, waterfalls, beaches, forests, rivers, etc. that all point to God.  Wherever you are, take a look around you at what God has done and know that the God who created all of these amazing and beautiful things, loves you and sent His son to die for you!  For that, I am truly in awe of God.

If a Tree Falls In the Woods...

You've probably all heard the question "If a tree falls in the woods when nobody is around, does it still make a sound?". I think the same question or attitude exists regarding the world's problems. Because we can so easily change the channel and choose which news stories to read, we have the ability to essentially ignore the issues in our world. Now, I will admit that I am not one to typically watch the news (unless you call SportsCenter news) nor do I read the newspaper (except the sports section) so I suppose I am one of those who ignores what is going on. So the question is; if we don't know that billions of people are starving, don't have clean water or are dying from treatable diseases, does that mean it isn't really happening? Of course not!

The truth is, this really is happening all across the world. We could debate forever on the reasons why people are starving and why they don't have clean water as well as how to keep them from starving or the best way to provide clean water, but that's not the point of this post. The point is that it is happening whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

There was recently a tragedy in the Seattle area where a little 9-year-old girl died as a result of a traffic accident. What has been amazing about this tragedy is that since the accident happened, nearly $1,000,000 has been raised towards clean water projects around the world (here is a good article from the NY Times about her story and here is a link to her page at charity:water if you would like to donate) because of this little girl's selfless attitude and desire to help. There have been a little over 25,000 donations made on her page making the average donation roughly $38. That doesn't even cover 1/2 of a monthly Starbucks tab for many people in the Seattle area. I am ecstatic about the response of people to this tragedy and about the countless people who will benefit, but I can't help wondering why it took the death of this little girl for this to happen.

If you are reading this blog, it means that you have Internet access which probably makes you more wealthy than at least 90% of the world. "With great power comes great responsibility". I encourage you to ask yourself what you can do to help the other 90%. Then I encourage you to do it. Pretending that problems don't exist doesn't mean that they don't, it actually ensures that they will continue to.

What Can You Not Live Without?

I was on my way in to work this morning and on the radio they were having a discussion about a statistic they had reported. This statistic claimed that 53% of people said they would not be able to last one whole day without the Internet. Really? People are so reliant on the Internet that they couldn't go 24 hours without it? Doesn't anyone go camping or go on vacation where you don't have Internet access? With smart phones nowadays, the answer to that question is probably more and more that people do go camping or do go on vacation but if there isn't a computer with Internet, they just use their phone.

Besides thinking that it is totally ridiculous for someone to think they can't go 24 hours without the Internet, I also started to think about what thing or things are in my life that I can't do without. Upon evaluation, I thought of several things that take up far more of my time than they should but I'm not sure there is anything that I couldn't put aside for 24 hours. But what about 48 hours, or a week, or a month? Now the list starts to get pretty convicting and full of the necessities of life such as; ESPN, Football, TV and my DVD player.

What about you? Are there things in your life that are consuming your time? Things that you can't live without? Would you consider giving any of those up for a day, maybe two, maybe even a week or more or possibly even completely?

I know that I need to make some changes in how I spend my time. Will you join me?

$1,000,000

Lots of people dream of winning $1,000,000 (or more). These people also have lots of ideas for what to do with the money should they get it. Some people would pay off debt, buy a new house, share with family and friends, go on a dream vacation, help those in need or countless other ideas. 1 million dollars is a lot of money but what would it actually get you assuming you could spend the entire million and not have to worry about taxes? How about:

• A Patek Philippe watch for a mere $716,288



• A 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast Series 1 - $935,000



• A 3 bedroom, 5 bathroom house on Lake Stevens (WA) - $999,950



• 184,162 $5 foot long sandwiches at Subway (including tax)

At this point you may be wondering why I am talking about 1 million dollars. Well, it's because yesterday I discovered that Crosswater (the church where I am one of the pastors) passed the $1,000,000 mark of giving received sometime in the middle of October last year. While many churches have annual budgets far exceeding this amount, this "milestone" struck me as significant. Crosswater is in the small town of Sultan, WA and will be 4 years old in September, yet we have been entrusted with now over $1.2 million. This realization caused me to pause and think about what we have done with that money which is not always easy to quantify.

As a church we have seen people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We have been able to offer free events such as movie nights, parent's night out, VBS and others to our Community. We have been able to help support the local schools. We have taught the word of God on over 200 Sundays. We have provided counseling. We have given over $175,000 towards missions/outreach locally and globally. Most of all we have seen the power and the grace of God as he has used the people of Crosswater to reach a community.

$1.2 million isn't significant because it is money and that's what makes the world go round. It is significant because of the lives it represents and the reminder that it brings of God's amazing power, grace and faithfulness. Thank you to all who have given faithfully from what God has provided.

Our vision is to transform our community and the world with the love and life of Jesus Christ. We are only getting started, come join us for the ride!

A Good Soldier

This morning I read a verse in 2 Timothy that I have probably read at least a dozen times before but had never really noticed in the past. Verse 3 says to "endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus". Before I go any further, I want to admit that my knowledge of soldiers comes primarily from stories and movies which means that I am not the best source on what makes a good soldier. That being said, as I read that verse this morning, I took a few minutes to think about what makes a good soldier. Here is the list that I came up with (certainly not exhaustive)

• Courageous


• Loyal/Committed


• Hard-working


• Dependable


• Risk Taker


• Calm under pressure


• Leader


• Self-Sacrificing


• Discipline

After thinking through this list, I looked at Paul's analogy of being a soldier of Christ Jesus and asked myself if I am these things when it comes to following Jesus. The answer was sometimes. Unfortunately, if I was a soldier in the U.S. military and acted the way that I do as a soldier of Jesus, I would be in a lot of trouble, maybe even dead.

As I continued to think through this analogy, I thought that it should be even easier to be a soldier for Jesus because He is the only "General" that is 100% trustworthy. No matter how good an officer in the military is, he/she will make mistakes, they will do things that they shouldn't do. Jesus isn't like that, so, shouldn't it be even easier to follow Him? Shouldn't I be able to live out the qualities listed above without fear and without restraint?

For some people the idea of being a soldier for Jesus is why they don't want to follow Him. They don't want to be told what to do, they want to do things their way and be in control. But, when you are in a battle, like we are, doing things on your own gets you killed. I'm not so sure that I would make a good soldier in the U.S. military, but I am going to strive to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. After all, He has already won the war.

I Love My Wife

Today is my wife's 36th birthday (I know, I'm probably not supposed to say how old she is) so I want to take a minute to express just how blessed I am. My wife is an amazing woman who loves God, loves me and loves our kids. She is a perfect balance to my uptight, linear, black and white personality. She supports me but also challenges me. She encourages me and gives me grace. She works hard but knows how to have fun. She sees things that I don't see and feels things that I don't feel.

Kristina, I love you very much and am fortunate to have you as my wife. Thank you for all that you do (most of which goes unnoticed and unappreciated, at least verbally) and for who you are.

Happy Birthday

Life Lessons

It's interesting where you can gain insight for life. The above pictures are signs at "Jimmy John's" (an incredibly yummy sandwich place) that actually have some really good advice. Take this one for example "Offer your seat to senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with firearms", I mean that is pretty darn good advice. There are lots of other good lessons on these signs (if you can't read them, I highly recommend that you go to Jimmy John's. I order the Gargantuan in case you need help deciding what to order).

It just so happens that today, I read some additional lessons that are even better than the ones above. These lessons come from 1 Thessalonians 5 and were the "Final Instructions" from Paul to the church in Thessalonica in his first letter to them.

• "...respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you."


• "Live in peace with each other."


• "Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."


• "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else."


• "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..."

Imagine for a minute what your life would look like if you followed these instructions. While the two signs from Jimmy John's are somewhat humorous and provide some good tips, in a world where we can get life lessons from just about anywhere, I encourage you to look to God's word. The bible is not just a good guide for moral living. The bible reveals to us true life because it points us to Jesus. Let Him be your source of not only life lessons but of life itself.

How do you love?

Our society uses the word love a lot. We love pizza, cheeseburgers, the Huskies, our wife, our kids, baseball, football, etc. (OK, so this is my list, but not exactly in order). The point is, we throw the word love around for just about anything. Unfortunately, by doing that, we water down the significance of the word. We lose the meaning as we quickly and easily fall in and out of love with things.

Even though our society uses the word so frequently, we actually have a hard time showing real love. What is even more unfortunate for me as a pastor and a Christian, is that the lack of love is just as prevalent among Christians (sometimes even more so) than among non-Christians. That shouldn't be the case, after all, the word says that the world will know us by our love for one another, yet, far too often, people within the church can't seem to get along. If that is the case, why would anyone outside the church ever want to be like those inside the church?

I have recently been convicted about my lack of love for others. Simply put, I need to do a better job of loving people. While it can be easy to say we love certain things or people, it is a whole lot different to actually show it. This is why 1 John 3:18 stood out to me this week - "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." In other words, don't just say you love someone, show them!

Adoption Moves Forward

It has been 3 months since I wrote about my family's decision to adopt so I thought I would give a little update on where things stand.

After a little bit of a delay trying to get the proper paperwork from my wife's doctor to the adoption agency, we were finally approved to adopt through All Gods Children. Since then, the pace has picked up a little and we have completed our orientation call (where they go through the paperwork, timeline, what to expect, etc.), turned in our paperwork and sent the first chunk of money (about 1/3 of what the total cost will be).

This week we are having a garage sale to help defray some of the costs and soon we will have shirts to help with costs as well.

It is kind of strange to be in this situation as we are doing lots of things to prepare for our future while also living in the present. I am getting less and less freaked out by this idea as it becomes more and more a reality (I'm sure as it gets closer I will revert back to being freaked out). We are excited to meet the little boy that God has for us.

Through all that has happened so far we have felt very loved and cared for by God, our family and our friends. As we continue forward, please continue to pray for us. Some specific things include; the process itself (that it would go smoothly), finances, the adjustment of adding another child to our family, for our kids as they walk through this process with us, our little boy in Ethiopia as well as his family.

This is all only possible because of God and we desire more than anything to be faithful and obedient to Him and His will for our lives.

How Much is Enough?

I was reading in 2 Corinthians 8 last week and couldn't help but wonder how much is enough? In other words, when do I have enough so that I can then start helping others who don't have as much. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be some magic formula where you enter how much you make, where you live, the number of kids you have, and out pops a score or an amount that gives me the answer. So, I am left to figure all of that out on my own. On my good days, I realize that the truth is, I have already passed "enough" and am in the too much category. Problem is that I am usually so focused on my needs, wants, and must haves that I tend not to see the abundance in what I already have. It is easy in America to miss the blessings that we have because we are constantly bombarded with messages about what we don't have. Our mentality is to strive for the latest and the greatest and contentment is usually a good idea for the people who have more than us. The problem is that there is always someone who has more and that becomes our focus instead of all of the people who have less (particularly the rest of the world). I am in no way saying that I have this all dialed in. Every month, I spend money on things that I don't need. Don't we all! Look at our country and the amount of money that we spend on fancy flavored coffee and movies and video games, and potato chips and TVs, etc. We now live in a society where cell phones are a necessity (even for 4th grade kids who are at school). People managed to live for thousands of years without cell phones and now if an adult (or even kids 12 and older) don't have one, it seems crazy. Families are spending $100/month on cell phone plans or cable TV plans without thinking twice, yet much of the world lives on less than one of those bills. Something is out of whack which leads me to wonder, how much is enough?

Personal Responsibility

Is it just me or does it seem like there is a lack of personal responsibility in society these days? Perhaps this has always been the case and I have just been oblivious to it. Either way, I seem to be seeing it all around as I have conversations with people or hear people's comments about things anywhere from facebook or twitter to the news media. It seems like nothing is ever any one's fault, it's always somebody else's fault. Get caught rolling a joint and it is the fault of the police for targeting certain people. Aren't being fed enough in your spiritual life, it is because the pastor doesn't go deep enough. Having marriage problems, it's because your spouse doesn't treat you properly. Get a bad grade on your test, well the teacher didn't properly prepare you. You get the idea. Now, I'm not saying that there aren't factors outside of ourselves that play a role in what happens in our lives. What I am saying is that we need to own our actions and behavior. It can't ALWAYS be someone else's fault. Can it? I certainly have done this myself (I seldom hesitated to throw my brother or sister under the bus growing up) so I get the idea of self-preservation. However, my desire now is to be who God wants me to be and to follow Him the best that I can. That means I need to own my actions to have personal responsibility.

Consumerism

Do you keep up with all the news and information on the economy? For some people, the economy is the most pressing issue that we are facing today in the U.S. (pretty sure that I don't agree with that assessment, but some are very concerned/interested) and it certainly has an impact on all of our lives. While I am not an expert in economics or finance, it is not too hard to see that part of the problem in the U.S. is that we are mostly a consumer society. Take a look at the products that you buy and you will see; "Made in China", "Made in Vietnam", "Made in India", etc, etc. We don't make anything any more!

Unfortunately, that same mentality is prevalent in our churches. Many church-goers are consumers, they come to a church because they like what they receive whether it is concert quality worship, dynamic preaching, great children's ministry, etc. While I do believe that churches should be attractional and that whatever a church decides to do, they should do well, the hard part is when people hop from church to church because they don't like what they are receiving. Far too often, churches grow in the U.S. not due to new people giving their lives to Jesus (what we in the church call conversion growth) but instead by people coming from another church because they like what a new or different church offers that their current church doesn't.

That being said, part of my motivation for writing this post, is to make you aware of a cool web-based animation software that allows anyone to make animated movies. The site is called Xtranormal and to show off what can be done, I made a video that kind of mocks the consumer mentality of some church-goers (hoping that you would really like it and think that Crosswater is really cool and that you would want to come to Crosswater).

Thanks to whoever made the video "My Coach Sucks" as that was my inspiration for this movie.

I do understand that some (probably more like all) churches can be frustrating and certainly won't be able to meet every need. However, I encourage you to get involved, have discussions with the staff/leadership and if necessary help come up with solutions rather than just go somewhere else.

As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts. Oh, and if you have ideas for videos, let me know those too.

Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

This may shock some of you who know me, but, I can be somewhat pessimistic. In case you need an example, here you go. A couple of weeks ago I felt that the 5th/6th grade boys basketball team that I help coach could have played better. As a result, after the game I was a little frustrated and down and was thinking of some of the things we need to work on in practice the upcoming week. Did I mention yet that we won the game by roughly 20 points?

For me it is easy to see the things that need fixing or that are done incorrectly. I don't necessarily set out to look for those things, I am just really good at noticing them (not one of the traits that my wife is excited about). That's why when participating in our weekly staff devotional, I was convicted by a pretty uplifting passage. The passage was Zephaniah 3:14-17 and the line that convicted me was "Be glad and rejoice with all your heart".

For me, even when things are going pretty well, this is hard for me to do. But, no matter how bad things are, we all have good things around us and we can choose in good times or bad times to see the glass half full or to see the glass half empty, to Be glad and rejoice or not to. From now on I am going to try to see the good things. and if I'm not please help me (gently)!

Transformers

While I was a big fan of Transformers the cartoon, the toys and aspects of the recent movies, this post is not about alien mechanical creatures that can change from one thing to another. Instead the transforming that I want to talk about is the one found in Romans 12:2 which says; "Do not be conformed any longer to the the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."

At times there can be a fine line between conforming to the world and being relevant in an unbelieving world. I think the hard part is that fine line doesn't stay put, it can move around depending on the circumstance. Far too often, Christians tend to error on one side or the other. If you go too far to the side of the world, you risk compromising your faith and looking just like the world. If you go too far the other way, you risk not being able to reach the lost.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is any magic formula or answer for how you stay at just the right spot. What I encourage you to ask yourself though is, "am I conforming to the world around me, or am I helping to transform the world around me?" Let's remember the two greatest commandments, to love God with everything and to love our neighbor as ourself. If we do that, we should have no problem staying on that fine line.

Helpful Tool vs. Produced Show

There is a tough balance between trying to help a congregation enter into worship and get the most out of a sermon and a production that potentially helps feed the idea of consumerism and entertainment. I think this is a struggle for many churches with some erring on one side and some on the other. We at Crosswater are currently trying to figure out what we should do. Do we keep the current PowerPoint system which has several inherent issues, or do we upgrade to something else.

We are currently evaluating some different options and I was recently made aware of one called Proclaim that we will hopefully be able to evaluate soon.

Please let me know what you think. Do things like motion backgrounds, seamlessly integrated videos and just a nicer overall look and feel help you enter in to worship and get more out of the sermon or are all of those things unnecessary?

Stretching

I am not the most flexible man in the world (flexible as in limber although I am not super flexible in convictions/stubbornness either) and I am certainly not an expert on the subject, however, one thing I do know is that the more time I spend stretching the more flexible I become. If I were to never exercise or stretch, i would become much more stiff and inflexible and I wouldn't be able to do the same things that I could when I am consistently stretching and improving my flexibility. In fact, I would probably hurt myself if I tried to do something to suddenly without gradually working up to it.

Have you noticed that our spiritual lives work the same way. I have found the God works us up to many of the more challenging things that he wants us to do. This has played out over and over again in my life. One such time was the time leading up to and including being laid off from a job. When I look back at that time now, I see how God was gradually preparing me for that difficult time. The path God took me to my current job as a pastor was one of gradual stretching which ultimately led to me being able to get to the point of becoming a pastor at a church plant.

I bring all of this up because I now find myself in yet another time of stretching. Over the last several months, I have been arguing and fighting God on my openness to adoption. My wife has wanted to adopt since before I even met her and once we started having kids, I never really considered it or wanted it. But God has been telling me, for at least the last few months, that he wants me to pursue adoption. THIS IDEA FREAKS ME OUT. I have no idea how it's going to work in many different respects. What I do know is that I have seen God come through time and time again and every single time it has involved me being stretched and even if somewhat reluctantly, I am going to be obedient to Him and do what He asks.

God is gracious with me and never asks me to do something unless he has already prepared me or is preparing me for whatever it is. Muscles grow better when they are properly stretched. So do Christ followers. Are you allowing Him to stretch you?

15 Years

What sparks moments of reflection and/or recognition of blessings for you? For me, it usually takes some sort of a break in my daily routine; something like a significant holiday or event. Last week I had just such a thing happen, my 15th wedding anniversary. Now a wedding anniversary should spark a few things in a husband's head every year, things like; telling your wife "Happy Anniversary", getting some sort of gift, you know, recognising the fact that she has put up with you for 1 more year.

But, whenever there is a 5 or a 0 at the end of the number of years, the significance of the anniversary increases. That was the case for me this year, not only in the gifts/recognition but also in the reflection. Like all couples, we have had some rough times and we have had good times. In fact, I would say that right now, our marriage is as strong or even stronger as it has ever been. The thing I realized most during my time of reflection and celebration, however, is just how amazing my wife is, how much I love her and how important she is to me.

Thank you Kristina for saying "I do" 15 years ago, for putting up with my faults and for loving me so well. I love you!

The Entire Bible in 90 Days

Just like the end of every year brings top-10 lists and reviews of the year coming to a close, a new year brings resolutions and/or goals for the year to come. I don't really get too much into resolutions, but, like everyone else, I have made many of them, some of which lasted for a week or two, some of which lasted longer. What I am more a fan of and have had to do in some form or another for most of my work life is goals. I am not really sure what the technical difference is between resolutions and goals, but I think that goals are more concrete and therefore more likely to be accomplished.

This year, one of the things that I am trying to do is to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Fortunately, I am not doing this on my own, we are doing together as a church body which will likely help me stick with it. While I have read the entire Bible in a year a couple of different times, it wasn't that long ago where reading my bible 90 days in an entire year was a stretch for me. It wasn't that I didn't love Jesus and didn't believe that His word was important, I believed it was, I just didn't let it direct my life like I should have.

One of the dangers of reading through the Bible at this pace is that it can become just a task to check off of a list so I have to be diligent about taking in God's Word and letting Him speak to me through it. So far, I am on schedule and 13.6% of the way through the Bible. I have had new things stick out to me and familiar stories have become fresh again.

God's Word is amazing and I am falling more and more in love with it every day. Even if you don't try to read the entire Bible in 90 days, I encourage you to get into God's Word every day. Spend time with Him, apply what you learn, and go back for more. While many books can be enjoyable and helpful, this is the only one that is living and active and the only one written by the God who created us. What an amazing gift!