Eric, exercise, wisdom, etc.

*This weekend we had the chance to see Eric in concert here in FL. Allison and I got to go backstage and visit with him for a few minutes. It was great to catch up with Eric for a little bit. It's always great to see someone realize their dreams. If you like your Country music "rockin" then Eric is your man. Check out his link below to see when he's in concert near you.

*My month of September started out as the "month of exercise". It was quickly derailed by an ear infection and various other ailments. So, I'm going to try to exercise every day for the month of October. Hopefully I will stay well.

*Today was a good day at church. Our Sunday School class is attempting to answer the question "what does God say about wisdom?". Today was a really good discussion that will actually be continued next week. Good stuff. Who knows how long this train of thought will go?

*Since Florida lost yesterday there were a lot of sad people in church today but that's ok. Since FSU won there were also several very happy people as well. It all balances out.

*Tomorrow I'm going to see Ed Young Jr. at the C3 conference here in Jax. It should be awesome.

*Everyone pray for Natalie. She had an allergic reaction to her antibiotics this week. See Allison's blog for pics.

Monday Morning

As I continue through ministry I am more and more convinced that a lot of our frustrations come from poor communication or simply a lack of clarification. People spend a lot of time making wrong assumptions about issues or things said when a simple question could go a long way towards clearing up the confusion. Of course in order to ask clarifying questions one must admit that they did not understand in the first place. No one wants to come across as ignorant. We all what to look smarter than we probably are. Therefore, we do not ask questions...we make assumptions...and continue to live in the ignorance that leads to frustration. Does any of this make sense to you or should I try to clarify further? :-)

realness and unpredictability

So last night I asked some friends a question that I've heard others address several times already. "If you were in charge how would church be different?" The answers were all good, honest responses. As I thought back over the answers later on I realized that 2 major themes came out. 1-a desire for realness in relationships 2-a desire for unpredictability. If God is so unpredictable why should our worship be? Also the need for intentional involvement.
The trick seems to be that even if we say we want these things we don't always recognize how to bring them about...or more to the point...observe God bringing them about. So if we know the "who" of church and worship is the next question...how? Maybe...maybe not. Anyone have further thoughts on this rambling?

Gator Tasor

So many of you have heard the story of the student at the University of Florida who while questioning John Kerry on election procedures was led by police away from the microphone. He was then arrested for disturbing the peace and in the midst of the whole incident was tasored by campus police. Today students are still protesting the actions of the campus police calling the tasoring "unnecessary". This story has brought up many questions this week about free speech, police actions, and other issues. Here is my one question.

Why was John Kerry in Florida in the first place? Just asking. It seems like trouble follows him everywhere.

Worship

Sorry I haven't written in a little while. Last week was an adventure of illness. To get Allison's view point click over to her blog. I am better now and almost up to full strength.

Yesterday we celebrated "Youth Sunday" and the kids did a great job with the service. There was drama, new songs, a great message, and variety in the service. This coming Sunday frightens me. Here is why. I know once some people see the big, monster-sized pulpit back in the middle of the stage they will be relieved. I also know that when we sing more than one hymn in the service some will feel comforted. I also know that when some see the drums off the stage there will be a sense of thankfulness and curiosity as to how long they will be gone.

What frightens me about all of these things is you could change pulpit for drums, hymns for chorus', and again drums for pulpit respectfully and get similar reactions from a whole different group of people.

It really doesn't matter what the object is. The focus is not worship. Some may try to explain that it is about worship but it's not. Worship is more than something tangible. Worship is more than songs. Worship is more than actions. Worship is more than Sunday morning service.

Your worship looks different than mine because your relationship with God is different than mine. Our worship is not dependant on things. Our worship is dependant on our relationship. That is why this Sunday I am going to preach using the monster-sized pulpit that is difficult to use and hard to get around. Even though it's not ideal for me it will not keep me from the whole reason I will be in the church building with the church family on Sunday morning.

WORSHIP.

Treadmills and listening

I did want to check in with everyone about the exercise quest. I have managed to stay with it so far. (By the Grace of God) Last night I got home late from a meeting but still found the motivation to get on the treadmill. I did sleep better last night but it was a short night as I had to calm my system down after the treadmill workout. Tonight we have a softball game so that will definitely count as exercise for the day.

Last night Allison shared an interesting story with me that came from a person she met yesterday. This person was well known for being a good listener. The reason being is this. If you and someone else both have something to say and you listen to that other person then you benefit. You get to walk away knowing what you knew before and what the other person knew. So you get to know twice as much. The other person loses out because they only walk away knowing what they knew before. Fascinating stuff, don't you think?

Night of Joy, Day of Water, Weekend of Praise

We are still recovering from a full experience this past weekend. "Big Splash" was a full retreat which included 3 services, Night of Joy at Disney World, and we wrapped up the weekend with a trip to Wet and Wild water park on Sunday. Today we are back in the office and it's business as usual (whatever that means)...actually what that means is that I get to drink my coffee from my own mug. As I think back over the weekend I am pondering the whole Night of Joy experience. If I were a member of a "christian" band and I was trying to reach the lost with the gospel would I perform at an event that was marketed towards christians? I really don't know the answer to that question but it does make me curious as to the motivation of some artists to play at such an event. I don't mean that in a condescending way. After all, I have no idea what it's like to be a professional musician. My point is simply that I'm curious and should God ever set it up I would love to have a conversation with one of these artists about that topic.

Never the less, the praise team at the conference sounded awesome! Go CSWT! When you shoot for excellence and lead with heart cool things happen.

Another Blogger...exercise..."Golden Corral" churches

We have another blogger in our midst. Sam Warren has started his own blog. You can find the link in my "links" column. I look forward to reading Sam's thoughts on leadership and other issues.

On the exercise front...yesterday was tough. I had to get some push-ups, crunches, and roll outs in before bedtime. It wasn't much but I'm still on track for my 30 days of exercise. This weekend will be the big challenge during "Big Splash" but I'm still going for it.

I read an article yesterday about churches that are either Starbucks or Waffle House churches. The author was mostly comparing the different styles of services they have. My thought is as long as they are not "Golden Corral" churches then we're alright. "Golden Corral" churches are ones who in their efforts to please everyone with a vast variety of options allow the quality to go down to the point that only a few hard core patrons are the only satisfied ones. Of course that's because they may not know any different.

Tuesday morning thoughts

This was a good holiday weekend. Yesterday Allison and I took Natalie to the park and then to the pool. Natalie is growing so fast it blows my mind sometimes.

The big news this weekend...APPALACHIAN STATE 34-michigan 32!!!!!!! Just in case anyone would like to know michigan WAS ranked #5 in the nation until Saturday. Just wanted to mention that.

This weekend is "Big Splash". Everyone pray for the weekend as we minister to and with over 200 teenagers. The praise team from Suwannee will be there to lead music. Logan is bringing the Word of God. It should be a great weekend.

Don't forget to check out the new poll question.

Day #3

Ok. Yesterday I did some treadmill work and today I got some pool time in with my girls. I know some of you would not consider family time in the pool as exercise but since today is a holiday and we were pretty active I'm counting it. So that makes 3 straight days of exercise so far. Starting is always the easiest part.

Question

"What do you dream of when you dream about the church?" I found this question on a friend's blog recently and it bothers me...mostly because it is a great question. This question challenges me to step out of the comfort of laziness. As much as I try to encourage others to dream and imagine I hate it when I realize there are things that I should be dreaming of more often. Before I can answer this question I first have to ask if I'm dreaming at all.
Do I even challenge my imagination to grow and think big?
Then, am I dreaming about the church or is the church merely my job?
Do I have dreams about the church or am I too caught up in "fixing" things that I view as wrong?
Do I envision positive realities for the church or am I busy critiquing those who critique me?
Before I can begin to answer this question I have to relearn the ability to dream.
Let me try.

What do I dream about when I dream about the church?
I dream of a coffee cart rolling through the sanctuary during the service.
I dream of every person made to feel like we've been waiting for them to get there whether it's their first time or 378th time.
I dream of every child feeling special and loved.
I dream of every adult feeling special and loved.
I dream of toe tapping music that gets stuck in your head.
I dream of friends not just friendly people.
I dream of unity in the midst of diversity.
I dream of a group of people who are not afraid to say "I don't know."
I dream of a group of people who are not afraid to be wrong.
I dream of a group of people who just want to know Jesus and each other better.
I dream of worship that is from and through the heart.
I dream of realness.
I dream of forgiveness.
I dream of second chances.
I dream of vulnerability that leads to courage.
I dream of noise.
I dream of silence.
I dream of expressive praise.
I dream of muffins.
I dream of smiles.
I dream of laughter.
I dream of tears.
I dream of board meetings that are filled with testimony of what God is doing in, around, and through lives.
I dream of love.
I dream of hard core love.
I dream of "no matter what" love.
I dream of God's love.
Maybe I am learning to dream again.
thanks Megan

Day #1

Today I worked in 20 minutes on the treadmill at an incline. So starts the month of exercise.

September-the month of danger!!!!

I have a goal this month. I am going to attempt 30 straight days of exercise. I'm not limiting myself to a specific exercise. The goal is to basically be in motion. It starts today. Of course I am currently on the computer and not the treadmill but I will get there. I will be updating my progress on the blog as a means of accountability. This is dangerous because no one wants to be held accountable for something that may be tough to do.

The second dangerous thing this month...Big Splash. That's right Allison, Natalie, and I are going with our church to the Big Splash retreat in Orlando. That includes night of joy at Disney. Teenagers in an amusement park always means danger for me. They might ask me to do something wild and strange like...I don't know...ride a ride or something.

I'm sure there are other ways this month will be the month of danger. Natalie's diapers are becoming more and more impressive everyday. She can now reach things she couldn't before and she is already counting to three. What will she do by October?