Random Thoughts and Associations...

I'm Outta Here

2007-02-13T16:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry to do this to y'all, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while, it just took a day of being snowed in at home to get me motivated...I'VE MOVED TO WORDPRESS!

http://charliedean.wordpress.com/

I'll talk about what motivated me and some of the minor changes over there...

So reset your aggregators (and links for those of you living in the blog world dark ages!)

Hermeneutics

2007-02-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

Upon graduation from seminary, where I was immersed in a world of acedemic texts and discussion, I have found that most of my reading has been more in the "real" world of pastoral ministry -- leadership, church structure, devotional, etc.

Today, I began reading a book that I've been intrigued with for quite some time, Slaves Women & Homosexual: Exoploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis, and I feel so invigorated, having just read the first 1/3 of the book.

(Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that deals with principles of interpreting Scripture, which is to say why we interpret the way we do.)

Anyway, there was a quotation in the forward by Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary that really fired me up (yes, I'm one of the bookish nerds that actually reads "forwards" and "acknowledgements"):

"[This book] is designed to make you consider why you apply Scipture the way you do -- no matter what position you take...this is serious fare for those willing to examine their beliefs, both theological and cultural, in these controversial areas."

[I love a good challenge!]

Exodus

2007-02-13T10:48:00.000-06:00

I'm snowed in today, so I'm thought I'd catch up on my "read the Bible in a year" schedule (I was only a couple days behind) and so this morning I was finishing Exodus, where there's all this description of the temple, priestly garments, temple artifacts & stuff. Anyway, here's some questions that came to mind as I read...

the degree to which the people were to strive for purity and the punishments for violating the standards God set were much higher than the emphasis we put on purity today...but at the same time the will of God was much clearer to them...when the cloud moved, they moved...God resided in the tabernacle...Moses talked to God like he talked to any other person in the tent of meeting. I wonder if there's a correlation
the "holy dice" thing has always intrigued me. I wonder if sometimes I put too much stock in my own reasoning when it comes to decision-making instead...In Acts, they chose Judas' replacement by "casting lots"... I've never heard of a contemporary church making a decision by throwing dice or casting lots, or anything even close!
after the golden calf, God wants wipe out everyone and basically start over with Moses, (whom God calls his "friend" by the way)...and then Moses begs on behalf of the people. What do the anti-openness people say to that? Was God being disingenuous? Did Moses' pleading on their behalf really change God's mind? Do my prayers for people really matter?

Just wondering...

Small Group Discussion

2007-02-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

If you really want to add some ZING to your small group discussion, you could always use these discussion starters!!

Uneventful

2007-02-12T16:26:00.000-06:00

Saturday (my birthday) was pretty uneventful...I think that as you get older, it's just less and less of a big deal. Anyway, since I was at Northwoods from about 1:00 to 10:30 on Saturday, we celebrated on Sunday.

It's become a tradition the last couple of years, that I make a meal for my birthday, and usually just invite my mom & dad over for dinner. So last night I revived the chocolate New York style cheesecake that we made for New Years except that I made a chocolate whipped cream topping. I made just a simple bruschetta (tomatoes, basil, salt & pepper) and then for the main course, I made penne alla vodka, a delicious red cream cream sauce with a little bit of spice. I'll make it again for sure!

For the second straight year, I got perhaps the best gift ever. Some good friends of ours, as a birthday gift for me (and for Jennifer also) give us one night out a month for a year, while they watch the kids! Okay...it's Chris and Bethany! (they deserve credit...especially w/ #4 coming this year!)

My 33 Things

2007-02-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

Note: this post was inspired by Brian's 33 things.

Anyway...on the occasion of my 33rd birthday, I offer 33 things that bring joy and feelings of being more blessed by God than I could ever deserve -- they're not necessarily in any particular order as I kept editing and condensing!

1. Jennifer

2. My boys!

3. mom & dad, Adam & Andrea, Shana & Josh (& of course nieces & nephews)

4. Working on my house/Cory's house/any building project w/ "the guys"

5. Chinese Food

6. all people I "do life" with on Tuesday nights and the children we keep having (#10 in August!)

7. Finding someone to play tennis with that we're well-matched

8. my gym membership

9. all the laughter in my life

10. my ipod

11. Jubilee State Park

12. that I'm healthy

13. good coffee on cold mornings

14. my church -- particularly the people I work with.

15. "guy day" 2006 -- Sept. 15 (DMB & the Cubs in one day)

16. cooking with Hite

17. planting stuff in the yard

18. New Year's Eve Party

19. Pool Volleyball

20. the smell and look of my yard, just after it's mowed!

21. mountain biking

22. golfing

23. hazelnut lattes

24. Catalyst 2006 -- couldn't have gone with a better group of guys!

25. A2 Conference -- best church conference I've ever been to!

26. swimming with the boys

27. late-night movies

28. Civilization IV

29. reading

30. my blog readers

31. dark chocolate

32. wrestling

33. driving to work watching the sunrise

Office Quote

2007-02-09T06:39:00.000-06:00

Jim: "What are you doing?" Dwight: "I don't know...my mouth tastes really bad all of the sudden ."

What I Won't Give Up

2007-02-07T15:56:00.000-06:00

I would say that the last two months have probably been some of the most challenging that I've faced in my 8 years of full-time ministry. It hasn't been that the situations are challenging, but the work-load is tremendous. I feel like some stuff is slipping. In fact, just a little while ago, I got an email from someone, and I'm afraid that I let them down...and I had no intention of doing so...I've just gotten drowned in the 'tyranny of the urgent.'

Anyway...one of the things that I've worked hard on the last couple of months, with varying degrees of success is to kind of plant my foot about some things -- that I just won't give up -- even if stuff at the church suffers for it.

I won't give up time with my family. I'll come in at 6:00am if I have to...but I'm striving to be home about 4:30. That gives my about two hours or so with my boys before they go to bed.
I won't give up time at the gym. I feel 100% better about myself for the hour I try to spend in the gym each day.
I won't give up reading -- I have to feed myself, if I'm going to have anything to give. That being said -- this is probably the area that's suffering a little bit right now.

Coffee Shop

2007-02-03T11:45:00.000-06:00

This is where I've been hiding away more and more recently, trying to get stuff done. It's a good place to hang out, get some joe and study, read, meet...whatever. This is not a paid endorsement, although if you want to forward this to them, I'd never turn down a free cup of coffee!

"Techmology -- What is it?"

2007-02-03T09:53:00.000-06:00

Okay...the title is a quote from Ali G -- before Sacha Baron Cohen got all famous and stuff.

Anyway, I want to start my post by saying clearly, that I love my church. However, it often lives in the backwaters of technology, and when I read a post like this, I struggle hard with jealousy.

So here's a leadership question -- how do you "lead up" when it comes to technology? Technology always comes with a price tag, and if the people who make the money decisions aren't "techy" -- it's a long hill to climb -- they never can quite understand why you need the tools you do.

If I had my way -- I would have one of these, and one of these. (I think that these are tools comparable to a desk, telephone, chair & business cards 20 years ago.)

edited: got the name of the guy right now!

Cannonball!

2007-02-02T16:02:00.000-06:00

There are two approaches to getting in a pool. One, is to go to the shallow end and slowly walk down the steps into the pool (a lot of moms with the swimsuit/skirt things on do it this way). The other can best be summarized in one word: CANNONBALL! Caution to the wind, come what may, jump right in, who cares if sunbathers get splashed (this is the method of 10 year old boys...and 33 years old men who act like they're 10). There are two kinds of leaders when it comes to change. There are those that go to the shallow end and start wading in, testing the water, waiting to acclimate before they go a little deeper. The other kind cannonballs and lets everything settle as it may. Sometimes the "wade in" approach seems to work best -- it allows people to acclimate slowly to change -- there's plenty of time to adjust, change the way you think, grow into the new reality. Other times, cannonballing is the way to go -- just mess things up, make the change swift and then get to the business of settling the water back down. Sometimes the "wade in" approach loses people -- they get anxious, impatient -- the want it to happen faster. Sometimes the cannonball approach destroys people because it doesn't give them time to process, time to change, time to acclimate before the new reality takes over...

Which are you -- wader or cannonballer?
How do you know when to do which?

The Office

2007-02-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

Michael: "Ben Franklin, you're kind of a sleazeball."

It's a bitter pill, I swallow here

2007-01-31T21:52:00.000-06:00

Dave asked a question that really hit a point of contention with me...something that I've wrestled with for the last several months, had great conversations, but have avoided blogging about because I feared the criticism (I know...I wallow in irony!) Instead of leaving a ridiculously long comment on his blog, I offer a bunch of questions here, for consideration regarding criticism, being critical and the like that I've wrestled with in my own mind.

If I criticize more than I praise, what does that say about me?
What does it say about the state of my soul?
Why is it, that often, not always, but often, the people who are the most critical are the least capable of facing criticism?
Here's another way of saying it, why are the most-opinionated, the least capable of dealing with criticism.
Is criticism just "low-hanging fruit"? What I mean is that often, what I see done in the name of criticism, is just an attempt to appear intellectual or superior, but the truth is, most well-reasoned criticism are from people who write books and published articles, where people pay $$ to hear what they think. Usually, they don't write blog posts.
If I just blast someone or something in a post, how is it beneficial? (I know I've been guilty of this in the past, but I'm wrestling with the idea.) What does it really accomplish?
Is there a difference between being critical and "constructive engagement," with an idea you may totally disagree with?
Does how I respond to people who disagree with me say something about the state of my soul? Or is it just a maturity thing? Or is it neither?
What if they're mean and unfair?
Rob Bell likes to talk about "binding and loosing." Isn't disagreeing with his book really the semi-ugly process of binding and loosing? I know that Rob is really offended by the ad hominem criticism, as he should be, but the real criticisms, are valid and good, even if you don't ultimately agree.
If I can't handle criticism -- if it bothers me to the core and I can't let it go -- then maybe I shouldn't post things or write things or speak publicly -- because honestly, once it's out there -- people will respond, like it or not, and frankly, you willingly put it out there.
I guess the real question I have had to ask myself in the past is, "where does my self-perception and awareness come from?" -- my critics, or my Creator?

I have some answers, at least ones I can live with for most of these...but it would be a much-too-long post (it's already a little too long)!

Yes...the title of this post is from a U2 song -- Van Diemen's Land -- off of Rattle and Hum

This Desert Life

2007-01-31T17:27:00.000-06:00

It's noon on Wednesday. I'm still wearing my pajama pants and the sweatshirt that I put on immediately after getting out of bed at 6:45am. I'm unshaven, my hair is disheveled, and I'm sure that my breath isn't great either after drinking almost an entire pot of coffee this morning by myself. Jennifer and the boys are gone, and it's just me in my house. And it's quiet.

We call it a desert day.

One of the perks of Northwoods is that we get one day a month to get out of the office, pray, read, think, slow down a little. (Other churches give Sabbaticals once every five-seven years...I think this way is better...just my opinion, although if there were Sabbaticals to take, I take one!)

Here's some of what I did today...I was a bit abbreviated because I had a meeting tonight at church that I needed to prep for and attend...but anyway.

I completed my January Bible readings in Genesis, Acts, Psalms & Matthew. So far, so good this year.

I started reading Chazown by Craig Groeschel. I'm really excited to take this book slowly -- doing the journalling excercises and sucking the marrow out of this book.
I listened to a Rob Bell message.
I prayed.

I read Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself. I read the whole book. It took just over four hours or so. We're basing our Nexus teaching and the house group discussions for February on this book so I wanted to get it into my head again. I read it in 2005, and it cracked me up, but at the same time challenged me...it was probably better the second time, because I've gotten older, more mature, and I think I have a greater awareness of my infatuation with myself.
I moved slowly...drank a lot of coffee...paused when I read something good...listened to Charlie Hall...then Counting Crows.

yes, this Desert Life was an album title for the Counting Crows...I'm apparently lacking in blog title originality these days.

Why I'll be at Taft Home on Tuesday Night

2007-01-26T08:22:00.000-06:00

At the risk of elevating one of God's charateristics over all the others, I believe that one of the neglected attributes of God in the white, evangelical tradition that I come from God's desire for justice. In fact the only time I heard people talk about God's justice it seemed, was when they talking about why people go to hell for eternity.

But over the last couple of years, as I try to understand more and more about the kingdom of God is and try to live out the Lord's prayer ("your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"), there's been a growing sense that as Christian I should be lending my voice to issues of justice.

Recently, as I've been pastoring at LifeBridge, I've grown more connected to Carl Cannon, a local community activist. Anyway, yesterday, in Peoria, the third apparent homicide of the year was committed (pjstar article here). Therefore, on Tuesday night at 6:00, Carl has organized another community prayer vigil to say "enough," to the criminals of Peoria. The vigil will be at Taft Homes -- very close to where 16-year old Domonique Alexander lived.

You may ask, why is rural boy that lives in Brimfield, and works at the large, white church at the north end of town going to be standing in the freezing cold at Taft Homes on a Tuesday night. The answer, is that I have a growing sense that wherever I feel led, I must lend my voice to issues of justice.

Anyone want to join me?

What I've Been Listening To

2007-01-25T15:47:00.000-06:00

Damien Rice

Pretty mellow, standard Damien Rice stuff...I wish I would have gotten the Wal-Mart version -- there's one song that I'm going to have to delete from my computer if I'm ever going to play it in the house when my kids are awake.

All American Rejects

Move Along

This is almost a perfect album for working out...I know that true punk fans probably consider this to "pop-y," but I like it...reminds me a little of Good Charlotte.

My Chemical Romance

The Black Parade

Another good album to work out to. Good rock album -- sometimes there's a 70's rock vibe that I dig.

Pacifism vs. non-violence

2007-01-25T08:44:00.000-06:00

Over the last couple of years, I've been on a spiritual journey of sorts. I read a book with a guy when I was living in Pekin that challenged me in regards to my stance about war and violence. So, in the past couple years, I've started to label myself an "almost pacifist." Really, I would have to say that I probably still believe in "just-war theory," but that's a discussion for another time. Here's the point of the post. Over the last couple of days I've been listening to the Mars Hill podcast, specifically the series, "Calling all Peacemakers," and something (I don't know if Rob Bell actually said it or not), became clear in my mind: the difference between pacifism & non-violence). "Pacifism" as a term hasn't really settled with me because, when I think of "pacifism," I think of non-involvement -- of disengagement. "Non-violence," however suggest that there are things I should "fight for" but always on the principle of non-violence. Sorry...I don't have time to say more here...but if you have questions, please leave them in the comments and I'll try to respond.

Myers-Briggs

2007-01-24T11:39:00.000-06:00

Following Dave's lead, I took the test...it's the same result as when I took the full Myers-Briggs when I was in college.

ENTJ - "Field Marshall". The basic driving force and need is to lead. Tend to seek a position of responsibility and enjoys being an executive. 1.8% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

A Political Pondering...

2007-01-24T08:09:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I tend to avoid politics, because it really riles people up in a hurry, but in the nature of honesty and full-disclosure I have to say... Do you remember this post? It was the most-commented-on post of my blogging career (22 comments). I have to admit that I'm there. I'm really struggling with a hatred of our president. I know, hatred is an ugly word and an ugly concept -- but everytime I see his face on TV or hear his voice, I have to mentally & spiritually go through the process of letting it go. I don't like feeling this way -- it's really a struggle.

The Elders

2007-01-24T07:46:00.000-06:00

Last night I met with the elder board here at NW, to talk about the future of LifeBridge. I have to say, that I have such high regard for our elders. It's good to be part of an organization where you trust and admire the leadership. In other contexts I've been in, this wasn't necessarily the case...and it's not fun.

What about you?

2007-01-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking more about my last post and thought I'd solicit a little advice. Let me know what comes to mind...

How did your dad form you?

-or-

How did your dad fail to form you, and you wish he had?

a walk to remember

2007-01-21T00:16:00.000-06:00

This afternoon (Saturday) I took my two oldest boys for a walk in the woods on a day when it was clear outside and about 25 degrees. We went to Jubilee State Park and spent about 45 minutes hiking, walking over fallen logs, looking at the trees covered in ice and scaring all the wildlife for a good two mile radius. Gavin took a header running down a hill and wailed at the top of his lungs, Caleb spotted a downy woodpecker and I was filled with wonder that I get the opportunity to shape these two boys (and of course, two others, as well, eventually).

There was a moment in the woods, where I thought of John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, and this idea, that one of my jobs is to teach my boys what it means to be men -- real men. I don't mean the macho man stereotype that is so prevalent today, but I don't mean the "sissified" version either. I was specifically thinking today of overcoming fears -- having the confidence to try, where you might be afraid of failing -- or falling in this case.

Today the lessons were to (1) overcome some fears (like walking across downed logs covered in ice and snow), (2) that dad loves to be with them in the woods and (3) Gavin learned that deer, as a rule, don't generally attack you (especially when you're as loud as the two of them are!)

How are babies made?

2007-01-19T18:24:00.000-06:00

Caleb: Mommy, how will the baby come out?

Jen: Do you really want to know, Caleb?

Caleb: Yeah, I really want to know.

Jen: Well, there's two ways...aunt Andrea had Elsa the way where they cut across her stomach and the doctor takes the baby out. Mommy did it the other way. Where I pushed the baby out through a hole called the vagina...kinda down by my pee-pee. It hurts and it's hard to push it out.

Caleb: Woah! I'm so glad I'm a boy!

Jen: Yeah...that's nice.

Caleb (looking at Gavin): Well, someday we're going to have to build houses, so I guess it's fair!

From a week ago...in the middle of a wrestling match...

Caleb: Daddy, you know what? (as he rubs his cheek) I think my beard is coming in.

Update on Yesterday

2007-01-19T06:54:00.000-06:00

The funeral went well -- as well as funerals could go. It was real cold at the cemetary though!

The prayer vigil was cool. I got to meet some great people. I didn't really know what to say, so I just quoted this line from Sir Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

The biting wind and cold of that event made the cemetary look like a tropical paradise!

Thanks to everyone who prayed!

On the way home, as I was turning into my cul-de-sac, I encounted a car in the ditch. Me and another guy had stopped and so were were talking to the guy who got in the wreck. He had clearly been drinking. So I called 911, and we delayed the guy that got in the wreck from calling someone to pick him up until the cops could get there and arrest his butt! (maybe this wasn't very kind/gracious, but it really ticks me off that in this day and age people would get behind the wheel of a car after drinking!!)

Scrubs: the Musical

2007-01-19T06:48:00.000-06:00

I just have to say, that I laughed so hard when I watched Scrubs: the Musical last night -- particularly "The Poo Song," and "Guy Love."

Scrubs is often "hit or miss" with me -- and last night I was skeptical that they would be able to do a musical and still keep it funny -- but, in my opinion, they succeeded. This will be going on my iPod this weekend as soon as they make it available on iTunes.

The Office

2007-01-19T06:45:00.000-06:00

There were some great lines last night, but this morning, my memory eludes me...so I'll go with this one, as best as I remember it!!

"It takes a big man to say he's sorry. I'm that big man."

-- Michael Scott, to Dwight Schrute

Is Anybody Listening?

2007-01-18T16:59:00.000-06:00

On Monday, I ran into a friend at the gym and we started having a discussion about evangelism & discipleship. He was responsible for a large youth gathering in Peoria, but is now -- to his credit -- asking things like -- "is this the most effective way to reach lost people today?"

I confess that I don't really know the answer. Obviously relationships are crucial, so I tend to downplay things like podcasts/vodcasts/websites/blogs, etc., as an evangelistic or discipleship tools, but how do you communicate to people beyond the scope of the Christian world?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

What would reach your lost friends? What would they listen to? What does being an 'evangelist' mean today (we all know how effective Billy Graham was, but does it still work today?)

I have a couple thoughts, but I want to let the conversation happen first. (by the way, my friend will be watching too...we really want to hear what you're thinking -- all of you, not just you "pastor-types.")

A Dilemma...

2007-01-18T16:55:00.000-06:00

A theoretical friend of mine is thinking about a potential job offer. He has been asked to talk to a few of the people that would be doing the hiring over "cocktails."

My friend is a Christian, concerned with his testimony, and therefore doesn't want to commit one of two errors:

1. He doesn't want to appear to be a lush (he's not).

at the same time...

2. He doesn't want to appear prudish and judgmental (he's not).

What do you think is the wise course of action?

Let's have ourselves a discussion...

Crazy Week

2007-01-18T08:57:00.000-06:00

I've got some posts in mind, but my week turned crazy.

You can pray for me if you have a second.

I'm the "pastor-on-call" this week, and as such, I am now doing a funeral this afternoon.

Also, I've been asked to speak at the community prayer vigil downtown tonight. (In the last several months, a group of community leaders has held a prayer vigil everytime there is a murder in Peoria.) Yes, I'm freaking out about this -- there's typically media present, the police chief, mayor of Peoria, etc...

Just another week in the life of a pastor

2007-01-16T07:07:00.000-06:00

At the gym I work out at there are signs everywhere promoting a new class called Body Attack. The signs are well-made. The title is catchy and makes me a little bit curious. I clearly need some kind of full-body assault against the extra weight I carry.

But there is no chance of me actually going to this class.

Why? Because I don't know anyone else going...and I'm not too sure about going to an "excercise class." It doesn't feel very manly.

Let me make the analogy clear. I'm motivated, I'm interested, I'm aware, but I'm not even willing to "check it out."

If you think that good advertising, great graphics, a slick website, a nice sign out front, etc., will cause people to come to your church, or your ministry, you're wrong -- even if they are "seekers," and they are motivated, interested and semi-aware of what goes on in your building.

In fact, I would probably argue that until they know someone that is being impacted by what you're doing. They probably won't come.

Martin Luther King's Birthday

2007-01-15T08:10:00.000-06:00

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

"And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! I'm free at last!"

Most Innovative Church

2007-01-13T14:20:00.000-06:00

Outreach magazine, in it's most recent issue named Lifechurch.TV as the most innovative church in America. Their criteria were the following: multi-site or video venue, formal civic partnerships, film/media production (for use outside of the church), availability of a podcast/vodcast, whether or not the church has a blog, attachment to church planting networks & whether they offer multilingual services/resources.

The cool thing about Lifechurch.TV is that by everything that I see, their goal is NOT to be innovative, but simply to reach as many people for Jesus as they can. If you'd like to see pastor Craig Groeschel's Vission 2007, click on the Lifechurch.TV button below. Here's his new blog, if you're interested.

Christian Pluralist

2007-01-12T07:06:00.000-06:00

This morning on the way to work I was listening to NPR, as is my normal custom. There was a piece on this morning in their series "Generation Next" titled Experiencing Other Faiths to Find One's Own, about a student at Davidson College in North Carolina. She calls herself a Christian Pluralist.

It was a reminder to me, that while many churches spend tons of energy talking about discipleship or church strategy or any manner of stuff -- for many (if not most) people the questions, "Is Christianity the only way," and "Is it right for me," haven't been answered.

I've been asking myself a lot of "what was I made to do" questions the past 6-8 months -- and I know that this is a piece of it -- to communicate to modern (postmodern?) people in a way that honors their journey, but unveils the light of truth in Christianity. (that's wordy, I can refine it later)

If you're interested, many PBS stations will be running this "Generation Next" documentary tonight (although not in the Peoria market).

The Office

2007-01-11T19:31:00.000-06:00

You know what they say...fool me once, strike one. Fool me twice...strike three.

-- Michael Scott

Great Fun!

2007-01-11T13:43:00.000-06:00

I found this on a seminary friend's blog and played it 3 or 4 times during my lunch! (cat lovers, spare yourself the heartache, and don't click!)

Integrity

2007-01-11T07:39:00.000-06:00

Continued thoughts on Integrity by Dr. Henry Cloud.

Cloud defines integrity much broader than just ethics, but defines it in terms of one's entire character. He then goes on to define dysfunction -- which I found enlightening...

Dysfunctional, as I use it means that no only is someone imperfect in some ability, but the actual exertion of effort in that area causes more problems, or a greater gap, than it solves. In other words, it would have been better if people had not tried, because the end result is worse than where they started.

Now, we are all dysfunctional at times, we've all had situations that we've tried to remedy, but only screwed up more, but according to Cloud -- people with little character are often dysfunctional -- because their character isn't strong enough for the problems they face.

Vision Night

2007-01-11T07:23:00.000-06:00

It's a long-standing tradition at Northwoods that on the second Wednesday night in January, Cal (our senior pastor) talks about the vision fofr the church for the upcoming year. We call it Vision Night. Here's a couple highlights from last night:

unlike most years, we didn't spend a ton of time looking back -- there was a short video, but usually Cal devotes a good portion of his talk to looking back and celebrating, but not so much this year (I kinda missed it...but that's okay.)
Cal then basically peeled by the cover on his life for the last 3 or 4 years as he has struggled with whether or not to stay at Northwoods or move on.
He then talked about his vision for church that he believes was given to him by God on July 13th of this year, and his journey of affirmation as he's consulted with the elders.
Which leads us to the E4 church which stands for the "empowered" church, based on Ephesians 4:11-13. There are four components to this "model" -- to help people encounter God, be established in their faith, and then to be equipped to minister in power in order to engage the world.
Probably the biggest news, and frankly the most controversial, is Cal's public statement, that at Northwoods we will welcome all the spiritual gifts. Call us charasmatic if you must, but Cal made a big point, that we're not becoming a "charasmatic church," but that we're becoming a church where different "streams" of Christian expression are converging.

One last note...with the beginning of 2007 my job changed from the full-time "young adult director," to half-time "young adults director" and half-time "E4 Development Team." So I'll be on the team that is writing, strategizing and developing discipleship tools for this new model.

If you're really interested in what's happening at Northwoods, come to New Community the next three weeks, as Cal we be talking about the four E's

New Year's Resolution

2007-01-10T11:51:00.000-06:00

For you "leadership types," here's a New Year's Resolution from a leader we all know and admire (okay, maybe "admire" is a little strong!)

Dwight Schrute’s New Years Resolution ‘07

I, Dwight Schrute, resolve, in the year 2007, to display more wisdom and benelovence to my inferiors.

It is said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Well I say, keep everyone as close as possible to you because you don’t know who is your friend or your enemy. Keep the people below you even closer if that’s possible. Even if they have to be inside you.

Remember: they work for you. They must respect you. If you can fool them into thinking that you really care, you can get them to do anything for you. Even kill if necessary.

Now I’m not saying I want Ryan or Kevin to kill a competitor or Andy or anything, but it would be nice to know that they would if I asked them to.

What are your new years resolutions. You can reply by clicking on something below.

That is all.

Dwight K. Schrute

Turth & Time

2007-01-09T08:48:00.000-06:00

I was talking to someone at LifeBridge Sunday about some circumstances and he gave me this little proverb -- Truth and time walk hand in hand. (He quoted James McDonald as the source.) I think that oftentimes, when we come up against difficult circumstances we want to see justice done -- we want the truth told -- we want to vindicate ourselves and shout from the mountaintops that we're "not guilty," (or at least not as guilty as other parties are making us seem). However, even if we were to make every effort to communicate "our side of the story," no one would believe us anyway, because the truth is often hard to decipher in the midst of chaos, rumor, innuendo, gossip, etc. But this proverb reminds me of two things...1. truth win always win out, but 2. it may take some time. In time, truth will win.

My Favorite Beatles Songs

2007-01-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

On my way back from Sullivan, I stopped at a Starbucks in Decatur and got a cinnamon dolce latte and I bought The Beatles CD Love. Its the music that was used in the Cirque de Soleil show...anyhow...here are my 5 favorite Beatles songs as they stand today (feel free to contribute your own):

Come Together (I love the music, love the words, love everything about it!)
Help (older, but I love the concept)
Hey Jude (no better sing-along song than this)
Revolution (again...great music, great lyrics)
Eleanor Rigby (love all the strings and such...not sure what it's really about)

If you're looking for a Beatles CD that hits the highlights, this one is great.

And one more meal

2007-01-06T22:57:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I drove to Sullivan, Illinois (don't ask...it's a long ways away...but I did get to drive through Bethany, Illinois -- I thought of Goodman)...anyway.... I helped Ryan cook dinner for 40 people for his brother's rehearsal dinner. According to my estimates in one week (Dec. 30 - Jan 5), we spent more than 20 hours cooking together!! It's been fun, but I'm tired of cooking for people for a little while!! I don't mean to brag -- but we do good work together!!

ps -- It was worth the drive just to see his family a little bit again -- they're good people!

And one more meal

2007-01-06T22:57:00.000-06:00

ps -- It was worth the drive just to see his family a little bit again -- they're good people!

Near Perfection

2007-01-06T22:55:00.000-06:00

Usually, I'm a Grande-extra hot-caramel macchiato guy...

But this is just about as close to latte perfection as you can get!

It's seasonal though...so it won't last forever!

Enough!

2007-01-05T10:37:00.000-06:00

Last night in Peoria a prayer vigil was held in honor of DeAndre Allen, an 18-year old who was killed on New Year's Day in Peoria. (Here's a link to a Peoria Journal Star article). The organizer was Carl Cannon -- a "LifeBridger." I'm so proud to say that Carl and I are becoming friends -- he's such a force in our community for justice and reconciliation!!

The Office

2007-01-05T09:46:00.000-06:00

I missed it last night. AGHHHHH!!

I figured new episodes wouldn't start until next week.

So I guess I'll wait and download it off iTunes.

In the meantime, enjoy this bobblehead battle between Dwight and "the Donald"

Invitation

2007-01-04T14:11:00.000-06:00

Want to read a good book together?

I'm looking for about 3 or 4 people locally who would be willing to read the book Slaves Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis with me and then spend an evening discussing, sometime in late February.

I think that there are already two of us.

Work or Play?

2007-01-04T14:05:00.000-06:00

The master in the ART of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion.

He hardly knows which is which.

He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.

To him he's always doing both.

-- James Michener (quoted in Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll)

What's Your Wake?

2007-01-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

I recently started Dr. Henry Cloud's book Integrity. So, after some reading this morning, I'm asking myself, "What's my wake?"

Cloud talks about the idea that you may be very skilled at what you do, and you may be great at networking and building alliances in your field, but at the end of the day, if you have no character, you'll shipwreck for sure.

So one of the things he talks about is our wake -- what we leave behind us. He puts it this way:

"Are a lot of people out there water-skiing on the wake, smiling, having a great time for our having 'moved through their lives'? Or are they out there bobbing for air, bleeding , and left wounded as shark bait? In other words, would they say that their experience with us has left them better off for our having 'moved through their lives,' or would they say that it has left them worse off? Did they consider it a blessing that they were associated with you, or a curses? What is the nature of the wake? Are they smiling or reeling?"

So here are my questions this morning about my own wake -- because, Cloud argues, our wake is the direct result of our character:

What was my wake in seminary like?
What about First Baptist? Were people glad for my having "moved through their lives," or did I leave people for shark bait?
What about Northwoods -- when I interact with people -- are they happy for the experience, or do they walk away feeling like we got stuff done, but it wasn't a good experience?

Are witches real?

2007-01-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

The thing about being a parent is that you always have to be on your toes. Here's an interchange that happened in our van yesterday:

Caleb: Hey mom (he started calling us 'mom' and 'dad' yesterday because that's what his friend calls his parents -- no more 'mommy' and 'daddy'). Are witches real?

Jen: uhhhh

Jen: (whispers to me) What do I say? How about witches worship another god...you think that's alright.

Charlie: Sure, go with that.

Jen: (to Caleb now): Yes, witches are real, but not like on TV, they are people who worship another god.

Caleb: Do they stir the green stuff?

Jen: No

Caleb: Do they wear black robes?

Jen: No. You probably wouldn't even recognize them -- they look just like you and me.

Caleb: Can they fly around?

Me: No, they don't really do magic like on they do on TV.

Caleb: Oh...

So the moral of the story is, always be ready when you're a parent, cuz you never know what's coming next!!

It's another boy!

2007-01-03T14:53:00.000-06:00

I'm just saying... It's funny watching people's response when I tell them that we're having another boy! People get all excited and ask, "what are you having this time?" And then I say, "another boy." And then they do their best to try to be excited, but it just isn't there. I don't blame them...we were a little crestfallen...I'm just saying

New Year's Feast

2007-01-01T09:49:00.000-06:00

So last night was our 2nd annual small group formal dinner celebration of the New Year. (2005) The picture above is how my beautiful wife set the beautiful table (oh yeah, we hosted this year).

Here was this year's menu:

When everyone arrived there was a table set with various cheeses & breads with various crackers, butters, oils, etc.

I. Barbequed Thai Shrimp on Skewers with Roasted Red Pepper & Thai Dipping Sauce

II.

Silky Butternut Squash Soup served with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons

III.

Tuscan-Style Garlic-Rosemary Pork Loin with Twice-Baked New Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

IV.

Roasted Pear Salad with Blue Cheese

Three Different Cheesecakes (White Chocolate Raspberry, Turtle, & Chocolate New York Style Cheesecake)

Happy New Year's!!

2006-12-31T00:58:00.000-06:00

Thanks for reading my blog in 2006! No resolutions here -- maybe I'll post some next week. This year, I'm celebrating with my small group again. We will be eating a 5-course meal in formal attire -- I'll post the menu next week!!

Renaissance Man?

2006-12-31T00:54:00.000-06:00

Today: 8 am make eggs for Jennifer and the boys.

10am creative meeting with LifeBridge team

12-2pm shop for groceries for New Year's Eve Meal

2-7pm cook with Ryan in preperation for New Year's Eve Meal

7pm - ???am (it's 1am now) work in my basement (I've been doing some finishing -- right now I'm literally waiting for paint to dry so I can recoat and go to bed)

Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-25T10:03:00.000-06:00

My best reads of 2006

2006-12-21T08:35:00.000-06:00

Well, since everyone else does a list, I thought I'd do mine, with something near and dear to my heart...books. (Similar format to my 2005 list.) Summary...it looks like I'll finish48 books this year, just 4 shy of my goal. The catagory breakdown is as follows: Fiction 17 Christian Living 14 Non-Ficiton 6 Leadership 6 Church 3 Theology 2 Okay, so here's my recommended books from 2006 in no particular order: (obviously, not all were published in '06, but I read them in '06).

favorite author writes a book on a topic that I was afraid would be boring -- but I was challenged, and it changed my prayer life -- post link i was introduced to Anne Lamott this year, and while her Plan B (released in 2006) was disappointing, this book is one I'll read again and again post link at the time of this writing, I'm 2/3 of the way through this book, but it's my favorite fiction book of 2006 (it was published in 1995 -- that's how behind the curve I am!) it says that it's a history book, but it's really great analysis of global trade, free markets, outsourcing, etc. -- I can't stress enough how important this book is post link what do you expect? another great book from David McCullough i had low expectations for this book, but it really challenged to think about the roles of jealousy, envy, anger and greed in my heart

excellent book that added new words to my leadership vocabulary like "hedgehog concept," "level five leader," and "the stockdale paradox." post link leadership always involves personal pain -- if you don't believe it, you need to read allendar not only to come to that realization, but then also learn how to deal with some of the pain of leadership. post link

I barely knew anything at all about the Mayflower before I read this book -- according to some news pieces that I saw about this book, I'm not the only one!

arghhh!

2006-12-20T14:58:00.000-06:00

So recently, I had saved up about $300 to buy a new iPod. Two years ago I bought a Dell Jukebox and it has served me fine, but it's starting to get quirky, so I'm assuming a new iPod is in the works. However a friend (JD, you know who you are!) talked me into waiting until Jan/Feb, when Apple should release the next generation of iPods. So, I thought, I'd just use the money from my birthday to buy an iPod and instead buy an air compressor that I've been thinking about, so I can do some work on my house over Christmas. Of course, since I bought the compressor a week ago, I dropped my Jukebox this morning, and now it won't work at all. Doesn't it always seem to work this way?? ARGHHHHHH!

Book Review: Three

2006-12-20T14:49:00.000-06:00

This weekend I tried to read some Christian fiction. Okay, I finished it, but I wasn't happy. I read Three by Ted Dekker. I'd heard a lot of good stuff about Mr. Dekker. I was disappointed. The plot was decent enough, but the writing was utilitarian, characters were fairly one-dimensional and there was no sense of pacing, expect to pause and theologize for a couple of pages. So I'm retreating back into the world of good fiction. Right now I'm reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire (yes, I've gotten caught up in the hype of the musical). Someone's going to have to do quite a bit of convincing to get me to try another book of Christian fiction.

Happy Blogiversary!

2006-12-20T14:26:00.000-06:00

Oops! I missed it! My 2-year blogiversary was on Friday. (Dec. 15) Anyway...here's a link to my first post.

I guess all I want to say is "thanks" for reading -- and commenting!
I'm a little humbled that anyone really cares what I think about anything.
I'm also a little "miffed" that everytime I post, Blogger loses my formatting and it ends up in one big, run-on paragraph, unless I bullet everything.

Connect Four

2006-12-19T21:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it's official... We're having another BOY! We just found out tonight! (maybe we aren't doing something right!!)

The Redemptive Trend

2006-12-18T19:48:00.000-06:00

For a couple months now I've been following Scot McKnight's blog. He is the professor of religious studies at North Park University. He posts a lot, I can't even begin to keep up with the volume (3-4 long posts per day), but ocassionally he posts something that I can't help but take 5 minutes and read. Anyway, if you look at my "shared" list in the sidebar, you'll find a link to his post called "Women in Ministry - The Redemptive Trend." Okay, for you RSS'ers, here's the link. I don't want to get bogged down in a discussion about women in ministry, but I've been really intrigued by "The Redemptive Trend" in theology. He mentions a book, that I haven't read yet, but hope to soon called Slaves, Women, & Homosexuals. In a nutshell, The Redemptive Trend is a hermatalogical (sp?) understanding of the Bible that follows this form X - Y - Z where X is the original culture, Y is how the Bible speaks to that culture and Z is the ultimate ethic. How this varies from my theological training is that we were basically taught that Y & Z are the same. (if this bores you, bail now, cuz I'm going a little deeper). Let me explain with a simple example. I've mostly been involved with churches that look at Acts 2 as a blueprint for how church should work today. So you would hear slogans like "We're an Acts 2 Church." With the Redemptive Trend, you wouldn't hear the same slogan because they would say that there was a cultural context (X) that the early church worked within (Y) and now we need to consider what they may or may not look like today (Z). This example is a little weak. Where it gets hairier is when it comes to an issue like women in ministry, where those that believe in the redemptive trend would argue that while Paul may sound prohibitive, he was actually living in an oppressive culture (X) and he was the voice of freedom (Y), which point to a trend toward increasing freedom for women (Z). I'm not sure, I've represented this well -- if you want a better idea, go to his post and follow some of the links. My point is, I'm intrigued.

What Think Ye?

2006-12-18T19:40:00.000-06:00

On friday night, Jennifer and I went to a restaurant significantly out of our price range, because someone had re-gifted us a gift certificate. So we found ourselves at Seven in Peoria Heights.

Anyway, I was settled on the Steak Diane when the waiter started in with the specials. One of the specials was grilled Buffalo. It wasn't cheap, but I've always wanted to try Buffalo. So I ordered it.

It was not good. It wasn't the preperation. Seven is a great restaurant. It was the Buffalo. I had it cooked medium rare and it was still just so tough and chewy, that I didn't finish it. (I can't remember the last time that I went into a restaurant for dinner and didn't finish the meal because I didn't like it.)

So anyway, Jennifer asked me if I regretted not getting the Steak Diane. I said 'no' because even though it wasn't good, I got to try something I've always wanted to try. But on the other hand...I wish I would have had a good meal at a restaurant that I may never be able to afford again!

What do you think...would you have played it safe and stuck with the beef, or would you have gone with the Buffalo?

That's what I'm thinking!!

2006-12-18T19:34:00.000-06:00

I read this on my friend Dave's blog... ...and it's exactly what I think/feel/struggle with often... Oftentimes, when I blog the least, it's because I'm in a period of thinking/wrestling with stuff that I can't talk about here... Hence, the last couple of months... -- a major change for Nexus, that I couldn't really blog about, but was consuming my thoughts -- a job change for me at Northwoods, that I really couldn't talk about, even though it's a pretty big deal -- LifeBridge. I'm much more likely to spill my guts for a cup of coffee (for you Seinfeldians, like me, Caramel Macchiato is the key to my vault, not peach schnapps) than I am for a blog post.

Amen & Amen

2006-12-16T08:53:00.001-06:00

I don't know this guy at all, but he hits it right on the head in his call for humility in the blogworld!

Beauty

2006-12-15T08:08:00.000-06:00

Dan linked to this video. It's a great reminder of the distorted sense of beauty that our culture has! "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -- Proverbs 31

SKIson's Greetings

2006-12-15T06:32:00.000-06:00

"It's a bold move -- to Photoshop yourself into a picture of your girlfriend, her kids and her ex-husband and send it as your Christmas card." But Michael's a bold guy... ...is bold the right word?" -- Jim

Cracking me up!

2006-12-14T12:58:00.000-06:00

I got a mailer promoting a new book by a new author today. Here's the writer's bio (it makes me laugh...contractor and reflexologist????) India Alar Moon has a holistic repertoire of professional experiences that encompass the spiritual, physical, psychological, and emotional realms. India is a general contractor, an ordained minister, a massage therapist, herbalist, personal trainer, and a certified reflexologist living between Wyoming and California. For more than twenty-five years, India has shared her gifts with the Native American, Black, and white communities, working on people free of charge to help them overcome challenges and deal with other pertinent issues. India engages in many extreme sports, including long-distance hiking and mountain biking, and has ridden her horses 750 miles from the New Mexico border to the Colorado border cross-country. She is married to her husband Jim of eleven years. This is her first published book. If you're interested in her book, you can go here.

Censorship, Opinions

2006-12-14T07:40:00.000-06:00

I admire Malcolm Gladwell. His books (The Tipping Point, Blink) are great and his articles in the New Yorker are generally pretty stimulating as well. So about a year ago I started reading his blog. Now of course Malcolm Gladwell has thousands of people reading his blog and therefore there are scores of comments to every post. Recently however, one blogger has been leaving a plethora of comments on his blog -- most of which are critical, ad hominem, mean-spirited and generally rude. So Gladwell, earlier this week, asked the readers of his blog if this person whould be banned from his blogs. Well, this set off a firestorm, and then this guy -- on his blog -- encouraged his readers to inundate Gladwell's site with "votes." So Gladwell then went to his blog to leave a comment and found out that this guy -- who was so offended that he might be "banned" from gladwell.com doesn't even allow comments on his blog. So, what's the point? Well, maybe there's a couple of lessons to learn:

I wish that people like Gladwell would choose to stay out of the mud once in a while. Whenever you try to defend yourself to people that are unfair and unspirited, you immediately lower yourself to their level. I think that people are smart enough to figure out who's right and who's wrong. You don't always have to defend yourself.
Why is it that the people with the strongest, loudest opinions are often the people that have the lowest tolerance for criticism, feedback, etc.?
Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling" and Proverbs 18:6 "Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;they are asking for a beating," seem appropriate here. There are some people that just aren't worth quarreling with.

Another Great Article

2006-12-14T07:39:00.000-06:00

This time from Donald Miller.

Pride vs. Confidence

2006-12-14T07:27:00.000-06:00

Last night I spoke at New Community. The topic I was given was Walking in Humility. So I did my talk, but as often happens, I continued to think about it as I was driving home. So here's where I'm stumped: What is the difference between pride & confidence? I have some ideas, but I'll leave it out there a little bit, if anyone wants to weigh in.

Life in Peoria

2006-12-14T07:11:00.000-06:00

For those of you that don't live here, this is what it's like to live in this barbarian wilderness that we know and love and call central Illinois...

A good 3 years after the rage...we got a Krispy Kreme. (They actually started building it 2 years ago, but then Mr. Atkins destroyed Krispy Kreme's stock price and things got held up -- so it finally opened at 6am this morning.)

Of course lines are out the door this morning and on principal I refuse to stand in line for a donut! I did promise Caleb that we would go sometime over Christmas break though!

Andy Stanley on Integrity

2006-12-13T17:43:00.000-06:00

If you have a minute...and you're a leader of any kind, read this article by Andy Stanley.

From the Dean House

2006-12-13T14:58:00.000-06:00

Caleb came home from school the other day and had gotten a "respect" award that included a certificate and a bracelet. He informed us that he was the 1st boy in his class to get this and only 1 other girl had gotten it. So, Jennifer and I were praising him, letting him know that we were proud of him...you know, standard positive reinforcement-type stuff. "We're so proud of you." "This is so good." etc. And then Gavin, who was sitting on one of the bar stools, wanting to join in with the praise, busted out with, "Caleb I love you soooooo much." My kids make me laugh!

What I've Been Listening To

2006-12-12T10:26:00.000-06:00

FYI: Here's what I've been listening to recently:

Israel & New Breed: Live from Another Level

gospel

Five for Fighting: Two Lights "piano/rock" -- reminds me a lot of Billy Joel

Sarah McLachlan: Wintersong Christmas music

Christmas Party

2006-12-12T10:14:00.000-06:00

Last night we had our Northwoods Leadership Christmas Party which consists of the Elders, Board of Directors, staff, spouses & significant others. (In all, there are about 150 of us). A couple thoughts:

I know people love to bash "mega-churches," but it is such a privelege to serve with these people who love God and want other people to know him to. You can criticize all you want, but at the core of it all, is these amazing people.
The entertainment wasn't so great. It usually isn't. What is fun, is sitting next to JD and laughing AT the entertainment. We usually have great fun. Last night was no exception.
The food -- AMAZING! They really go all out for this thing every year.
The longer I'm at Northwoods, the more I enjoy the recognition of staff that has been onboard for 5 & 10 years. When I was first at Northwoods, it didn't mean much, but now I recognize the quality of the people on our staff and it's just fun to applaud them and celebrate them. Last night we celebrated the 5-year mark for Penny Miller (children's ministry assistant), Karen Woo (care dept. assistant), Melanie Gray (facilities coordinator), Dawn Henderson (creative arts director), Steve Wilmert (amazing musical talent & music director) & Kerry Redshaw (my boss -- at least for a few more weeks).

I've said it before, but I feel so priveleged to work at Northwoods!

playing around

2006-12-09T16:44:00.000-06:00

FINALLY got the new blogger...I'll be playing around a little bit (when I have time), so don't freak out!

What do you think?

2006-12-09T16:39:00.000-06:00

Check out this blog post and then tell me what you think...I can take it!

Longing...

2006-12-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

In 2 Timothy, Paul is talking about his relationship with Timothy and he says this... 3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. (NLT) As much as we can be "connected" via email, cell phones, IM, blogging, etc., there are people in my life that I long to sit down with and have a cup o' joe and allow the conversation to wander. The two that come to mind both live in Denver. If only I could get away for a weekend to go to Denver and spend with my two friends named Dan. I'm so blessed to have relationships like theirs!

Multicultural Ministry

2006-12-06T18:43:00.000-06:00

For obvious reasons I'm reading this book -- Multicultural Ministry by David A. Anderson. It's inspiring and challenging. Here are a couple of quotations that have been rattling around my head the last couple of days: "I wonder how many of us feel this way when relating across racial lines. From the sidelines we admire the sight of racial unity, but we stumble when we can't get our groove to work. So we obsesrve, but we fail when we try to participate. Granted, race relations can be quite confusing at times. We're not sure whether to say black or African-American, Hispanic or Latino, Oriental or Asian, Anglo or white." "My prayer is that the church, whether Anglo, African, or Afghan, would refuse to be color-blind. Why would we ever want to dull a sense that we've been given by our creator? We don't need color-blind stages, staffs, and structures. We need churches who know how to see beauty and celebrate diversity."

Blogging thoughts?

2006-12-06T17:23:00.000-06:00

I'm coming up on my 2-year blogiversary in nine days, so as a pre-cursor, I thought I'd ask for some help... As a reader of this blog, what would you like to see more of? (please be kind and keep it positive -- this isn't an open invitation to tell me what I suck at!) Here are some ideas...

more family stuff
more biblical stuff
more ministry stuff
more broncos stuff
more book reviews
more movie reviews
more conference notes
more "this is what I struggle with" stuff
more links to other blog posts
more video posts
more pictures

just let me know!

Great Quote!

2006-12-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

A good friend sent me this quotation: “When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunken-ness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil; bad people do not know about either.” C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

I'm a Bookish Nerd

2006-12-03T20:43:00.000-06:00

Brian O had a link to the NY Times list of The 10 Best Books of 2006. And so, being a bookish nerd, I checked out the list. To my surprise, I found that one of the books on the list is a book that I've been reading, and actually spent about an hour or two this afternoon reading. First, it makes me feel smarter when I've read a book that the venerable NY Times recognizes as one of the best of the year. Second, Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, is a great read. It really peeled back a lot of the folklore surrounding the establishment of the Plymouth colony for me. I have more thoughts about racism, the introduction of genocide to the Native Americans and religous fanatcism -- maybe at a later time!

Snow Pics

2006-12-02T10:17:00.000-06:00

The Office...sorry!!

2006-12-02T09:44:00.000-06:00

I was all comfy & warm in my bed and was too lazy to get up and post...sorry. Here's the one that I remember (there were several "uncomfortable" ones!) "So you're saying that being in prison is better than working at Dundler-Mifflin." - Pam

On a cold night...

2006-12-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

...with freezing rain pelting our house, my wife decided to take pictures that the boys will hate when they're older. So, I present... BLACKMAIL!

Crazy Week Recap

2006-12-01T14:33:00.000-06:00

Monday -- day off, enjoyed my kids, didn't do much, didn't know what was coming Tuesday -- heavy hearts, lots of conversations around the office, lots of sadness Wednesday -- intense meetings (not just about LifeBridge), things get official, 1st meeting with LifeBridge leadership, work at 13+ hour day Thursday -- supposed to speak at SIU in Carbondale -- it's been on my calendar for months, get to Lincoln, encounter freezing rain, turn back (I feel so bad for leaving them high & dry, but after the way the evening went, it was the right decision Friday -- SNOW DAY! (Much more fun when I was in high school and I slep until 11, less fun when I spent 3+ hours shoveling half of the driveway! (cute outdoor pics coming soon!)

God is bigger than...

2006-11-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts...big stuff has been going on in my life that I haven't had a lot of freedom to talk about. However, as of tonight, one of the biggest pieces was announced publicly, so I'm going to touch on it briefly. In February (I think) Northwoods launched a multicultural church plant in Peoria called LifeBridge Community Church. I got a call on Thanksgiving morning from our senior pastor that the pastor leading the church plant had had a moral failure and he was calling to see if I could just fill the pulpit on Sunday morning. Things changed by Saturday however so I didn't. Anyway, it was announced to the church tonight that I will be leading the church in an interim capacity for the next six months. My primary responsibilities are twofold: 1. to teach, or to arrange for other speakers to come in and teach and 2. to develop, empower and lead a team of people that will begin to take ownership of LifeBridge and lead their church. Of course, there are a lot of questions in my head, and I'm sure for some of you, there are questions that you have. I'll talk a little about this Saturday night at Nexus. I still work at Northwoods. I still have responsibilities here. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving my WINDOW OFFICE!! Anyway...all this to say, that I covet your prayers. Seriously. It's a critical situation that I don't necessarily feel equipped to lead except to do the very best that I can. Keep LifeBridge in your prayers, keep that pastor in your prayers (if you know him), and keep everyone involved in your prayers. Okay...it's after ten and I'm still in my office, I got here at 7am...it's time to go home.

Satisfied

2006-11-26T10:52:00.000-06:00

Recently, I've had this feeling of satisfaction derived from the relationships in my life. There's just a deep feeling of gratitude that I have meeting with different people. This morning we had David & Megan over. I've known them since they were in my youth ministry, and now they're both working at a church. It's so satisfying to think that maybe in some small way I had something to do with them becoming the remarkable people that they are today.

sigh...here's a post

2006-11-25T07:44:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been a bit dilinquent with posts. Here's 5 excuses for not blogging 1. lazy -- not physically lazy (it's not that hard to type), but mentally lazy -- I haven't wanted to think about it. 2. other stuff -- at home I've been reading a good book, and being addicted to a computer game after the boys are in bed, and at work I've just been busy 3. stymied -- by the whole "blogging thing." So much of the communication that I do is persuasion-based, trying to convince/motivate/challenge people to change. Blogging isn't really that...it's just throwing another opinion into the mix...I'm a little tired of opinions...including my own. (I want to write a whole lot more about this, which leads to excuse number 4 4. length -- the stuff that I've wanted to post about would lead to long posts, which I don't read, unless the 1st paragraph is extremely compelling, so I hesitate to write them 5. ennui -- look it up bonus reason -- it's easy to substitute "blog relationships" with real relationships...I'd much rather chat over a cup of coffee (hint, hint!)

the face says it all

2006-11-21T12:51:00.000-06:00

This weekend I did a wedding and met a ton of new people. Later in the day, I was pointing out who the various people were (mother of the groom, grandparents, maternal aunt, etc.) and Jennifer remarked that the mother of the bride seemed like she was a nice lady. I asked her why she thought that and she said, "because she has a nice face." It got me to wondering -- what do people think when the judge my face for the first time? Maybe it doesn't matter...OR...maybe our face reflects what's on the inside. Maybe our faces betray what's really going on?

a night at the Deans

2006-11-20T07:27:00.000-06:00

not great quality -- I used Windows Movie Maker, which is no iTunes...but it's okay -- this was my first time to use it, so I was just playing around

Justice vs. Grace

2006-11-17T12:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I got word that a friend from seminary was arrested for having sex with a 16-year old student in his minsitry. There were two guys, that upon graduation I thought, "someday, I'll be able to say that I know X." He was one of the them. Today, my heart aches. It aches for the girl -- whose faith in her pastor, her faith in her church, her faith in God, her faith in herself have been undoubtedly rocked. It aches for my friend -- who loves God so much, and never in a 1,000 years, set out to do harm It aches for my friend's wife...and his kids -- who will suffer because of his choices It aches for the kids in the ministry and the people in the church It aches for the kingdom of God -- where, again, we've given people another reason to not trust the clergy. My prayers are conflicted -- I'm praying for justice, I'm praying for healing, and I'm praying that my friend will receive grace in the hour of his deepest need.

Quotable: The Office

2006-11-16T21:44:00.000-06:00

I'll be the number 2 guy here in Scranton in 6 weeks. How? Name repetition, personality mirroring,and never breaking off a handshake. I'm always thinking one step ahead...like a carpenter who makes stairs. -- Andy, from the Stamford branch

Ellen vs. Oprah

2006-11-15T18:18:00.000-06:00

Monday is my day off. So occasionally, no matter how embarrassed I am to admit it, I watch Dr. Phil. And even more difficult to admit, I sometimes watch Oprah. But recently, I've been more and more attracted to a different kind of show. So here's the question...please answer and tell us why... ELLEN or OPRAH?

Wasting Time

2006-11-15T18:12:00.000-06:00

I love wasting time. Now, I've sat through sermons before, where preachers chastise us for wasting time, but let me explain. My favorite thing to do with my boys: wasting time...wrestling...hiding under the covers...playing games...nothing planned. I think that this is what relationships are made of -- wasting time with each other (nobody wants to be friends with the "let's structure our hang out time" guy!) As I was reading Yancey's book on prayer the other day, I was challenged that I rarely waste time with God. I always have an agenda...a structure...a plan for how I will spend my 15 minutes, 43 seconds with God today. Maybe God doesn't want my stupid structure all the time, my endless lists of "I wants," my "ACTS" prayer plan, my "Jabez" formulaic prayers...maybe, sometimes, God wants me to just waste some time with him -- to let my mind wander and take him wherever it goes, to not hurry, to not beat myself up if I don't get through the list... Just maybe God wants me to waste some time with him today.

News that you can't use

2006-11-15T11:41:00.000-06:00

Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant have just finished the script for the Nov. 30 episode of the office called "Convict." This article reveals a standard of excellence that anybody can achieve!

Book Recommendation

2006-11-15T10:12:00.000-06:00

At first, when I saw that Philip Yancey's new book was to be about prayer, I was a little bummed. If I could sum up my past experience with books about prayer, I could do it with one word: YAWN. So I started reading, not expecting much, but proceeding out of my deep respect for Yancey (yes, our Jaxon's middle name -- Philip -- was in tribute to the man who has shaped my life in many ways!) Simply put, this book will go to the top of the "best reads of 2006" list. There are probably too many threads of thought to go into here, except to say that Yancey, in his signature style (lots of illustrations, prodigious research, etc.) goes after some of the tough issues that I have with prayer (Does it really make a difference? Does God change because of prayer? Do people really get healed? If so, what about everyone that doesn't?) Standard offer here -- if you want a more personal take on the book, breakfast, coffee or lunch will surely get the ideas flowing. Otherwise, take the time (it's fairly thick) to read this book.

Quotable: The Office

2006-11-09T22:36:00.000-06:00

Jan Levinson: The board voted last night to close your branch. Michael: On whom's authority? Jan: The board's.

Stunted Growth

2006-11-09T09:26:00.000-06:00

A couple years ago, I was a mess -- emotionally, spiritually -- I was immature, I was impatient, I was doubtful of God, doubtful of my calling -- a wreck. Today, when I look back at that period of my life, I'm embarrassed. I hope people forget what I was like then and instead think of me in my finer moments. I hope that people understand that I learned a lot and I matured, and I'm a better man now. I was challenged in my prayer time this morning, that sometimes I don't do that very thing. I sometimes keep people "stuck" in my head -- I define them by their worst moment, allowing little room for growth, and characterize all their actions by their worst moments. Frankly, it's just easier that way -- I can write people off, or say bad stuff about them, or mentally attack them based upon this ungracious, self-righteous labeling. I've been on both sides of this. I know there are people who define me by my worst moments. I think of this kid in my youth group that I really liked -- he was a great kid -- and yet, things didn't go right. I hurt his feelings with an ill-placed barb. And then, I think, I was always seen by him & his parents in light of my foibles, instead of my best intentions. (by the way, this is one of my arguments against doing ministry in one's "home" church -- you'll always be seen as you were in high school) So today I'm challenged -- to be more gracious, to root out one-dimensional, "straw man" pictures of people in my head, to recognize that people grow beyond their bad moments, to be willing to be wronged and to move past it. (By the way, for those of you that are "local," I'll be talking more about this idea on Saturday night @ Nexus -- we're finishing a series called "Spiritually Transmitted Diseases" and we'll be talking about Self Righteousness.)

Blogger

2006-11-08T10:34:00.000-06:00

My frustration level with Blogger mounts every day! I've been frustrated that there's a new version and I haven't gotten it yet...some of the features that will be unveiled are features that I've been wanting for some time, and the fact that I can't get them is frustrating! Recently, I've lost all formatting ability. I'm posting everything via HTML, which I'm not very good at. Hence, pictures are in awkward sizes (see previous post), and formatting is sketchy, making posts hard to read. When I have time, I'm going to start looking at other options, even if I have to pay something. Any suggestions?

Nooma 014: Breathe

2006-11-08T10:14:00.000-06:00

I just got the newest Nooma video in the mail, it's called "Breathe," and here are a couple of my thoughts: Rob really is a great communicator. In this video, the content isn't anything profound, and yet he has a keen ability to take what to some are abstract observations and make them relevant. This is the first "Nooma" video to actually use the word pneuma. That being said...I couldn't follow him to his conclusion. It seemed a little forced...I don't want to say too much here...(chill out Rob Bell groupies, I'm not disparging him)...it's just not in me anymore to tear someone else down just because I'm envious of their ability...and anyway, maybe this one connects to you at the deepest levels!