Hearing God

I'm not ashamed to admit that I sometimes struggle in my personal prayer life. I'm usually pretty good about telling God the things I need to say or ask for, but there are times when I forget that honest communication with God is a two-way street- talking, but also listening.

But God still finds ways to get my attention. 

Lately, God has spoken to me on my morning run...through the iPod feature on my phone. I noticed this a few weeks ago when I started a run and used the "shuffle" feature. It seemed like each song in the session built on the next in order to help me get clarity on a problem I was facing. 

It was sort of random the first time. Now, I intentionally pray to God with a specific question and asked him to speak to me while I run. The songs don't always fit together, but today I felt like God gave me a very clear answer. (I'm not going to get into the details. Even though this blog is public, my prayers are still private!)

Please don't misunderstand. There's much more to a faithful spiritual life than the blips, bytes, dots, and dashes of our electronics. Faith requires more than just hearing a few songs and thinking we have our answer. 

At the same time, I believe that God can and does reveal himself in wonderful, surprising, mysterious, and sometimes very common ways. As long as the foundation of our faith is Scripture, then our experience of God's presence, the traditions of our faith, and our own reason can work together to help us gain a deeper understanding of God's leading in our lives.

When we ask God for guidance, it's important that we set ourselves in a position to actually listen and receive that guidance whenever and however it comes to us. Then we confirm what we've heard by getting back into God's Word and having conversations with people we trust. 

I'm grateful for a God who loves us and meets us where we are, a God who truly does want to be in relationship with us each and every day.  

Can you think of a time when you asked for God to speak to you and actually heard something?

The Hero Who Finished Last

Yesterday, South African runner Oscar Pistorius finished his semifinal heat in the 400m race in the London Olympic Games in eighth place. Dead last. 

Most other athletes who finish at the back of the pack disappear into obscurity. But Oscar is not your ordinary, everyday also-ran. He just happens to be the world's first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics. (He was kept out of the Games in 2008 because some thought his prosthetic limbs game him a competitive advantage. Read more about that here.)

He said that his goal was to make the semifinals, which he did on Friday by finishing 2nd in his preliminary heat- completing one lap around the track in 45.44 seconds. After the semifinal race, one athlete (the man favored to win the gold medal) asked Oscar to trade name bibs- a gesture of respect from within the tight-knit competitive racing community. 

Oscar may have come into the Olympic Games known mostly as "that runner with no legs," but he's leaving with millions of new fans- myself included- who appreciate talent, determination, and genuine hard work and respect people who refuse to be held back by their circumstances.

Balance

Our family's 16-year-old puppy was involved in a bad accident last Friday afternoon- the result was a traumatic brain injury. We have worked hard over the past several days to help his recovery. I'm especially proud of my children, who have stepped up in big ways.

I'm happy to report that he can now get himself to his food bowl and water dish to eat and drink as he pleases. When we take him outside, he can empty his bladder and move his bowels as necessary without assistance. He's walking, sometimes even running.

But when he stands still, or walks slowly, he stumbles around like a drunken sailor on his first shore leave. I believe that part of the problem is neurological- that he's still trying to get his brain and his legs back on the same page. The other part of the problem is his hearing. His hearing was limited before- now it seems to be completely gone. I don't know if we can expect it to return- somehow I doubt it. In any case, I'm certain that part of his balance issues have to do with the fact that he can no longer hear. In humans, the inner ear helps to detect the position of the body with respect to gravity as well as the motion of the body. I'm not a vet, but I'm guessing it's similar in dogs.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul used various parts of the human body to illustrate the importance of the variety of gifts necessary in the Church, the body of Christ. The complexity of the human body (and other animals for that matter) never ceases to amaze me. For example, how the ears can impact one's sense of balance, which is mostly carried by the lower body. It's miraculous.

It's only been six days since the dog's accident, and I expect his recovery to continue over several more weeks, but I'll be interested to see how he learns to adjust and compensate for the losses he has suffered in order to keep living a productive life.

Sometimes life throws something at us that knocks us off balance. We may not possess the necessary resources to get us back on our feet. But thanks be to God, we have confidence that someone else does. And their commitment to the body often compels them to offer what they have in order to offset what we do not. We are connected to one another. We share each others' joy and sorrow. And by standing together, we find the solid footing that our body needs to keep going.

An Expensive Wild Pitch

My two oldest children were playing catch in the backyard last Friday afternoon. Actually, our oldest was practicing his pitching. Both of them came running into the house in a panic after a pitch got away and struck our 16-year-old rat terrier directly in the head.

My wife and I ran out to see our "first born" (we got Zeke before we started having children) and knew that it was very bad. It looked like he was dying. We wrapped him up and took him to our vet. She was able to stabilize him and then send us to the animal ER.

The kids were beside themselves. They couldn't believe that this might be the end for our family dog and that their actions were the cause. We did our best to reassure them that this was nothing more than a bad accident and how they cannot go through life always looking in the rear-view mirror about what could have/would have/should have happened if only...

Zeke spent 24 hours in the ER before coming home. Once home, he started eating and is now making a slow recovery. We know he has a long way to go and we know that there may be some permanent damage because of his traumatic brain injury, but we are grateful that he seems to have escaped the worst of it.

The vet bill and the ER bill were not cheap. But I must also say how proud I am of how our family handled this experience together and how the kids have stepped up to care for Zeke during his recovery. I believe that we have been responsible stewards of the animal entrusted to our care. And I believe that deep down, our puppy can sense the deep love that he is receiving.  

All in all, it was an expensive wild pitch. But having the opportunity to see the best of us under the worst kind of circumstance has been priceless.

For My Friend Rodney Lyons

I'm doing a funeral for a friend this afternoon. I first met Rodney when his youngest son and my oldest son were assigned to the U4 soccer team that I was coaching. I remember him telling me how glad he was that I was coaching. Not because I was a good coach (this was my first experience with kids' soccer,) but because it meant that he wouldn't have to do it.

I took offense to that at first, but I quickly discovered the gift that Rodney would give me. He had coached his older kids, and this time around, he could enjoy watching his son just as a dad on the sideline. But because he had coached before, he knew the challenges and demands associated with being a volunteer coach in a community youth sports organization. Rodney gave me the gift of being the most supportive parent I could ever imagine.

Over the next several years, I came to seek Rodney's advice on issues that would come up and he would always answer with wisdom. He would also respect the decisions I made about the team, even when he might have made different choices. 

In a society where parents sometimes lose perspective and become blinded by their own kid, Rodney was a beacon of how a person can love and support their child, respect the child's coach, and appreciate the joy of getting to see youngsters develop their skill and confidence over the course of a season.

Rodney was diagnosed with cancer nearly four years ago and given three months to live. He fought hard every day since then and lived with a determination to soak up every remaining breath of life. It was not unusual for me to see Rodney watching games from his car in the parking lot on the days when it was just too much to walk across the complex.

He entered the Church Triumphant on Wednesday morning and takes his place among the saints who have lived and died in the faith. I hope that as Rodney finds his room in God's great mansion, he will discover that his room comes with a window that provides a magnificent view of the ball fields. 

Signs of Aging

I was sitting at a red light yesterday, waiting for the light to turn green so I could make a left-hand turn. A pick-up truck was on my right, in the right-turn-only lane. The truck suddenly turned left- in front of me, into the oncoming traffic- and attempted to make a u-turn. 

I watched in disbelief as the teenage driver of the truck negotiated a three-point turn in order to complete his illegal maneuver, causing traffic on the intersecting road to stop and wait. 

As he passed by my driver's side window- which I had rolled down- I shook my head sternly and said, "Don't do that again." My young friend made some kind of face back at me and went on his way. I was infuriated.

I thought about that scene from the movie,"Fried Green Tomatoes" when the older lady crashes her car into a younger lady's car after the younger one had stolen a parking space. The older lady justified her actions by saying, "I'm older and I have more insurance." I admit an unkind thought might have entered my mind for just a second until the light turned green and I could go on my way.

I'm not so far removed from adolescence to remember how teenagers sometimes operate in a bubble of impulsive, indifferent immaturity- never stopping to consider how their actions and behaviors may impact other people. And I'm really not one of those people who believe that all of the world's problems are the fault of "these kids today." I like to think that I'm fairly open-minded about the unique challenges of the teenage years and pretty forgiving as well.

But I did find myself ranting in the car- "I'm an adult and a taxpayer! I work for a living and my taxes pay for road like this for punks like you to drive on!!" Might as well have called him a "whippersnapper."  Dang- I am getting old.

In the end, the kid in the truck got away with his action...this time. But I was able to use the experience as a teachable moment for my own teenaged son, who was with me in the car. The lesson went something like this- "I may not be able to bust that kid's butt, but I can bust yours if you ever do anything stupid like that!"

Then I asked him to fetch me my Geritol.

Educators Have a Special Calling

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my kids. Does anyone else notice how quickly the school year flies by?

I attended my first-grader's End of the Year Party this afternoon and after spending 45 minutes in the classroom with sugared-up seven-year-olds armed with beach balls, I was reminded once again what a special calling one must have in order to be an educator.

It takes a tremendous amount of patience, creativity, and skill to be a teacher today. Teachers must balance the demands of their students, the expectations of parents, the requirements of administration, and the constantly-changing standards of the lawmakers. 

I could go off for a while on exactly how hard most teachers work, how much most personally sacrifice, how most teachers' compensation is nowhere near their worth, but I'll save all of that for another time. 

For today, I'll just say thank you. Thank you for caring about my kids. Thank you for doing a difficult job that many might have the knowledge to do, but only a few truly have the skill and the calling that you have. You are a treasured resource for our community. 

Enjoy your summer break- you've most-certainly earned it!

The Challenges of Staying Alert

I was driving the family truckster with the camper in tow last Friday, heading for a long weekend of camping, when I received a text message from my cell phone service provider telling me that some changes to my account had been made. I thought that was a strange text, since I hadn't made any changes recently, but it didn't strike me as urgent and I decided to deal with it at a time when I wasn't driving. 

When we arrived at our camping place, which was in a very remote area, I noticed that I no longer had cell phone service. I didn't link this event with my earlier text- although I should have. I just figured that we were out of a service area and I was actually a little happy at the thought of being out of range for a few days.

We got suspicious that something was wrong when we re-entered civilization, but the phone remained without service. I contacted my provider when I got home and they confirmed that someone in New York had hacked our account, upgraded our service plan, and then transferred the plan to new numbers. It took only a few minutes with fraud services, plus a quick trip to the closest store to reactivate our phones to get reconnected to the world, but it was still very unnerving to see again how quickly and easily our personal information can get into the wrong hands.

The lady from fraud services asked me why I didn't call immediately when I received the warning text. I answered her honestly- there were two reasons:

1- I get texts from my service provider on a regular basis (though I admit they are usually offers and not warnings.) But because of the volume, every text just seems like noise and I did not have the time or the inclination to give them any of my attention at that particular moment. The hackers who got into my account didn't know it, but they hit me at a time when I was willingly not paying attention.

2- By the time I did have time to process the meaning of the warning text, my cell phone service was gone and I, as I stated earlier, was kind of glad to think that I was cut off from the world for a little while. Not only was I willingly not paying attention, I willingly didn't care that my phone was disabled.

The Scriptures remind us to be alert and we should be. But it's not always easy. Staying alert is especially challenging when our lives are filled with distractions, false alarms, and non-critical "emergencies" that clamor for our attention. And when you add fatigue and our inherent need for real rest, there may be times when the warnings are real but we lack the energy or desire to respond. This is where the potential for trouble is the greatest.

I'm fortunate today that the damage wasn't much worse. But it was certainly a good reminder to me of the dangers that exist all around us and our need to ready and able to to defend against their attack.

We received some very good news this week from a friend in Joplin, MO. 

When our team was there two months ago, we worked on a home that was on the city inspector's list of potential homes to condemn. In fact, the day we arrived to work at that home was the same day that the inspector was scheduled to make a recommendation as to whether or not the house should be leveled. It just so happened that the inspector showed up while we were working and expressed encouragement that something might be done to save the place. What we didn't know then was that the owner of the home had just about given up.

To make a long story short, the handful of hours that our team spent on that house, along with a very productive conversation with the team from Americorps, was enough to buy this home some time and save it from condemnation.

In the weeks since our visit, other volunteer groups have taken up the work. And today, that home has a new roof, new windows, new interior walls, and new exterior siding. The garage that had been destroyed by the tornado is being rebuilt into a first-floor bedroom. 

Still the owners of that house remember our little team of hard hats. And they have said that had it not been for the work our group did that day, they would have told the city inspector to tear the house down. I guess our presence brought just enough light into their world to give those folks a glimmer of hope. It just doesn't get much better than that!

The Challenge of Preaching

I received an email today with the subject, "Hear a Big Tip from Rick Warren." (Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in California and author of the "Forty Days of Purpose" books.) Rick knows a few things about growing churches, so I was interested in what this "big tip" might be.

So I opened the email and Rick's article was the first one listed among several. It was titled, "Ask People, 'What Can We Do For You,'" and the first few lines of the article followed. There was also an article underneath Rick's by Mark Brooks titled, "The Secrets of Successful Pastors."  

I see articles like the second all the time. We preacher-types are always on the lookout for the next great thing that will make us successful.  (Most of the time, these articles are fluff.) But something in the teaser lines of the second article got my attention, especially in light of what Rick had written just above.

One of Rick's sentences said, "Jesus let people set the agenda for the needs He met."  However, in the article below, Mark wrote, "we cannot change our message to tickle the ears of those that do not see what we see."

And that's the challenge of preaching right there. On the one hand, we want to give the people what they need. We want the message to be relevant to their daily lives. (It's also admittedly self-serving- if we scratch the right itch, they'll keep showing up and keep giving and maybe even invite their friends.)

On the other hand, we want to be faithful to the truth of the text. We want to be able to confront the hypocrisies of modern-day Christianity and speak a prophetic word. But in doing so, we risk running people out of the church.

We want it both ways. 

So I'm asking the question today. Which is more important? If you had to choose, would you rather hear a message that was tailored to your needs or a message that challenged you to examine your life under the light of Scripture?

Post your thoughts. I really want to know.  

Some Days Are Better Than Others

It's been two months since I quit the gym and started getting my exercise by running. I'm pleased with myself for sticking with it so far, and I think I've found a routine that works well with my schedule. I ran 4 days this week for a total of 18 miles.  

What I've discovered about running for exercise is also true about life in general. Simply stated- some days are better than others.

There are days when the temperature is perfect and my legs just seem to glide across the pavement.

There are other days when the wind seems to be in my face for the entire run, when different parts of my body take turns screaming at me to stop, and when my shoes feel like they weigh 100 pounds...each.

In either case, I keep running. I keep running because I know I need the physical exercise. I keep running because I am stubborn and I don't like breaking commitments I make to myself. And I keep running because as much as I sometimes hate to run, I do like the feeling of finishing a run. 

So maybe you had days this week that you felt like you were on top of the world. And maybe you had some days where everything that could go wrong did. We were never promised a perfect life on this side of heaven. What we are promised is that no matter how things are going, when our hope is in our Lord, our strength is renewed.

We pray, "give us this day our daily bread," which is another way of asking simply for the strength and nourishment that will be necessary and sufficient for today. We don't have to pray for extra to store up for tomorrow- God will provide what we need for today and God will be ready again to provide for us tomorrow, no matter how much or how little is required.

When a Plan Comes Together

I came home from last night's softball game and my wife was still awake. She was watching an old episode of the 80's action series, "The A-Team." I could hardly believe my eyes.

A flood of memories came over me as I saw Hannibal and Murdock wearing disguises, B.A. looking menacing, and Face conning his way through another scheme. And the first words out of my mouth were from the show's enduring catchphrase, "I love it when a plan comes together."

That is so right. 

There's really nothing better than seeing a plan come together- seeing the efforts of preparation pay off in success. 

My church experienced this last Sunday evening when we hosted an outdoor concert and cookout- our first major all-church event since we opened our new building. A crowd as large as our worship attendance showed up and a good time was had by all. Good fun, great food, real fellowship, perfect weather, and outstanding entertainment capped off an awesome event.

I spent most of the evening just walking around and taking it all in. It was just plain cool to see the way everything was running. Kids were playing, adults were meeting each other and having conversations, the band was rocking on the stage- it was, as far as I am concerned, a little glimpse of heaven.

The best part for me was how little I had to do with it! Each staff person and their various teams took pieces of the event and when it came time to put it all together, everything fit perfectly- leaving me to think to myself, as I was walking around last Sunday, "I love it when a plan comes together."

In real life, unlike "The A-Team," not every plan comes together like we expect. That's why we celebrate the ones that do and learn from the ones that don't. 

Choices and Labels

I paid a visit to an old friend yesterday. He's in federal prison, with over 11 years left to serve. It's his own fault he's there, and he knows that. 

He asked me if I thought God now sees him as a felon. From a legal standpoint, he is. And he will carry certain labels with him- in and out of prison- for the rest of his life. But is that what God sees?

I don't think so.

I believe that God sees us for the very best we can be. I believe that God looks at us- much like we look at our own kids- and sees potential, the best version of ourselves possible. Of course, our actions and our behaviors distort that. And we fall short of what God wants for our lives, but I still believe that God chooses not to label us in the same way we are labeled in the world.

Psalm 103:12 reminds us, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." That means that when we confess and repent, God takes our sin away and does not hold them against us. There may still be debts to society to be paid, but because of Jesus Christ, our debt to God has been forgiven.

So here's the question for today- are you choosing to live the very best version of your life, or are you choosing to settle for something less than what God had intended for you? 

Coaching

I was talking with a friend yesterday about running. He's run in several long-distance races, including some marathons, and we were talking about how I've recently started running in the mornings and the lingering soreness that seems to have accompanied this new regimen.

My friend listened and then made two suggestions about my running technique- one having to do with the length of my stride and the other with the placement of my foot when it hits the pavement. 

I was amazed. Up until now, I had thought running was running. You lace up a pair of shoes, you put one foot in front of the other, and you go. But he was right. I tried his suggestions this morning and I really did notice a difference.

That's good coaching. And we all need good coaching in our lives. A good coach can help us reach farther and develop more fully. Whether it's in sports, academics, the arts, relationships, life skills, spirituality, professional development, or whatever, good coaching can help make us better than we could be on our own.


Where could you use good coaching in your life right now?
What gifts and wisdom has God given you that might bless someone else?

Thoughts About Turning 40

A dear friend sent me a birthday card in which she said, "Birthdays are really about the mothers, you know." She and my mother were good friends and she knows that I've now had 15 birthdays since my mother passed away. 

I had been managing this approach to 40 fairly well until I read that. 

So I'm thinking about my mother today. Thinking that she would have enjoyed seeing me turn 40. Remembering how I foiled her attempt at throwing me a surprise party when I turned 16 and how if it weren't for the saving grace of Jesus Christ, I'd probably have to rot in hell for ruining that for her! 

I think I will long to hear her voice for as long as I live. And I'm grateful for the hope and promise that I will one day. 

Still there are no regrets. No need to wonder if she'd be proud. And I'm going to enjoy today (and this entire year) because I know that's what she would want me to do. 

But my friend was right. Today is about her. My story begins with a husband and wife who conceived a child. Then at 12:28am, March 28, 1972, in a hospital room in McKinney, Texas, Phil and Donna became dad and mom.

Reflections from Joplin

I'm still here. I thought that I would be making daily reports from the front lines of our church's mission trip to Joplin, MO each day, but due to hit and miss internet access and other factors, that proved to be more difficult than I had planned.

Many of our folks have been posting updates and photos on Facebook via smartphone, so I know that some of the story has been told. We are packing up to come home today. And while there is much I could write about, there is one significant highlight for me. 

Yesterday, we took our sack lunches into a fast-food restaurant to eat. (The houses we worked on have no electricity or water, so we always had to break strategically.) We were dirty from a hard-morning's work, and in need of a break. As we sat down and started eating, I was aware of the looks and glances we were getting from other patrons. No doubt our little group stood out in this crowd, but it wasn't a sight the people of Joplin hadn't seen before. They knew exactly who we were and what we were doing.

They didn't know our names and they didn't know where we were from, but they knew we were volunteers who had come to their town to help. Some even approached members of our team to say thanks. The people of Joplin endured the most destructive and deadliest tornado in American history, and there is still much work to be done. They are capable of helping themselves, but the work is just too much for one community. They know that and they are grateful to have the help and support of fellow Americans who show up and lend a hand.

I don't often feel heroic, but I think I got to experience a little of that this week. The good people of Joplin gave that gift to us. 

I wonder what might happen if followers of Christ were known in our own communities simply by the evidence of kindness, mercy, grace, and love we showed to other people. I wonder how it might change our world if total strangers recognized the presence of Christ in the things we say and do. Jesus said something about us being the light of the world...what if that's really true?

Thoughts? 

Yesterday was a great day. 

Faith's new building was opened for Sunday school and worship for the first time. We were calling it a "soft opening," saving the "grand opening" for another day, but it was pretty grand to me! 

The Sunday school rooms were filled with children, youth, and adults. The connection center was buzzing with conversation, and the worship space was packed with people singing praises to God. 

Things ran very smoothly thanks to lots of time and preparation from our teams. And we found a few areas where we can make the experience a little better. Overall, I'd say it was a smashing success.

But in true Faith style, we didn't sit around the rest of the day and pat ourselves on the back. No, instead we sent a team of adults on a spring break mission trip to Joplin, MO. My wife and I are with them. 

For the past few months, I've been asking for prayer and writing reports for Faith's building project. For the next few days, I'll be reporting work of another kind- and still asking for prayers.

Prayers today for Faith's staff who will be "holding down the fort" back home, and prayers for our team in Joplin who are helping total strangers rebuild their lives following last year's devastating storms. 

Personally speaking, thank you for making yesterday such a special day. And thanks for making Faith UMC such an incredible church. I'm really looking forward to seeing the next things that God will do through us.

Customer Service in the Church

I enjoy being challenged by people who are always looking ahead. Seth Godin is one of those people. I especially enjoyed his blog post today and I wanted to share it. You can read it here. Below are my thoughts about how his understanding of "delightful customer service" might apply to the ways we receive guests in our church.

Basically, if "customer service" is merely a place where people who are frustrated just become more frustrated, how does that help? Our church is experiencing this with a certain service provider right now and it's maddening. On the other hand, if we think of customer service as an opportunity to impress or delight, we can turn something negative into something positive.


Delightful customer service, as Seth describes, is simply letting people who care handle the customer. (It's true that in the corporate world, they may receive certain incentives to care, but if the customer hangs up the phone and is satisfied, even happy, isn't that the goal?) If an hourly-wage employee in a call center somewhere doesn't care whether or not a customer actually gets their issue resolved...well, we all know what that feels like.

So, let me ask the church...


Do you care if a guest's first impressions of the church are positive? 
Do you care if they find it easy to park; if they are warmly welcomed and treated as honored guests; if they discover that some of the best seats in the worship space are still open; if they have the chance to meet new people and get connected; if their children receive excellent care?  


If the answer is yes-- and I hope it is-- then here's my challenge. Every member is a minister. Every member is an ambassador for Christ and the church. Every member is called to care. No one in the church gets to say, "it's someone else's job to care." 


We'll have teams of people who are specifically trained in "guest services," but we're also counting on each individual to care enough about the one who is not yet part of the church family to take the initiative to delight our guests with memorable hospitality and Christ-like care.

Where to Start?

Our church staff all "went to the office" for the first time yesterday. We traded our 10-second commutes for 10-minute ones. And we had to put on "respectable" clothes. I don't know that I'm ready for this new reality!

Things are still quite messy at our new church building and we found that it was hard to know where to start. Talk about having "a case of the Mondays." It's like when you move into a new house, and you're surrounded by boxes and random furniture, and you don't know where everything is supposed to go yet. You feel a little stuck. 

It's also frustrating because we all have our regular weekly responsibilities to deal with as well. We'll get there and everything will be great, but there were times yesterday when I thought I'd rather be at Starbucks!

I think the key through times like this is in small accomplishments. Instead of looking at the big pile of things that need to be put away or looking at the long list of things that still need to be done, focus on doing one thing. Then when it's done, give yourself a minute to enjoy an accomplishment then use that momentum to take on the next thing.

Dave Ramsey talks about this technique with his "debt snowball." I think the same thing happens when we start to face the big tasks that challenge us.

I'm betting we will make enormous progress today. And we'll make even more progress tomorrow. And by the end of the week, we'll be ready for our first Sunday in our new building. And it will be awesome! 

New Perspective, New Identity

December 18, 2003.
June 25, 1994.
March 12, 1998.

What are the significance of these dates?

I graduated from college.
I married Jennifer.
Noah was born.

What do those dates have in common?

They don't seem to be related, except for being significant dates in my life, but they are. On each of those dates, I ceased to be one thing and became something else.

I was no longer a student. I became a college graduate.
I was no longer single. I became a husband.
I was no longer sane(!). I became a dad.


Yesterday afternoon marked another transition for me. At 11:30am, I was no longer the pastor of a church that met in a school cafeteria. That may not seem like a big deal, but that's been a big part of my identity for the past 451 weeks. And it's really the only kind of church my kids know- our oldest was 5, our middle child was 3, and our youngest hadn't even been born when Faith Church started worshiping in the school. 

This is new territory for us, but the change didn't happen overnight.

Just like with college, where it took several years of classwork and credits to earn the right to receive a degree; or with my wedding day, which arrived after more than a year of dating; or with the birth of our first child, which came after nine months of planning and preparing, this transition for the church from the high school to a building of our own has been over months of construction and years of development. 

I think our faith journey works the same way. While there are dates and milestones along the way, we are constantly being shaped and molded into the person that God created us to be. The transitions that happen are necessary to move us from one perspective to the next. Each new perspective opens our eyes and our minds to exciting new possibilities and challenges. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what God will do next. 

Furniture

Much of the furniture for the new church building arrived yesterday, including 400 chairs to be used in the worship space.

For the past few weeks, we have watched the building take shape and transform from a construction project into a useful (and beautiful!) facility. But until late Tuesday afternoon, it had still be empty. With the addition of furnishings, those empty rooms will actually become functional- capable of serving the purpose for which they were intended.

Sometimes furniture gets a bad rap. We sometimes say of people who blend in and don't really do much that they "are just part of the furniture." But without furniture, where would people sit? Would we really expect guests to our building to sit on the floor and be content? It's true that some religious centers in other settings are able to do this, but in suburban Dallas we know that furnishings are a necessary aspect of transforming our building from a structure with walls and flooring to an operational ministry center. 

I think we are going to enjoy having chairs, couches, tables, and such in our new building. We sometimes take these simple amenities for granted, but these are the things that our guests will find comforting and inviting about their new church home.

God bless the chairs on which we will sit. May they provide us with a comfortable place to be while we bask in your presence, giving us necessary Sabbath rest so that we can do the work that you are calling us to do. Amen.

A Fun Phone-Call

Yesterday I had the pleasure of making a call that I've been wanting to make for a long time. I called Barbara Fischer, the principal at Guyer High School to let her know that this Sunday would be our church's last Sunday to rent the high school. I thanked her for her hospitality and cooperation and I assured her that just because our church was moving out of her school, we would not be moving away from our commitment to serve the community around us. 

On Sunday, we will have a card for our congregation to sign- thanking the staff at Guyer for the past five years. Please consider signing more than just your name. Tell Mrs. Fischer how our little church at the school has made a difference in your life. She will appreciate knowing how she played a part in building God's kingdom through the ministry of our faith community.


God, we give thanks for the ways you opened doors and worked through your servants like Mrs. Fischer and others on her team to allow our church to meet at Guyer for the past five years (and Crownover Middle School for over three years.) We thank you for the teachers whose rooms we borrowed and the custodial staff who unlocked the doors for us. We pray that you will continue to open doors of partnership for us that we might reach our community with the love of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Important Building Information

Our building team leader just called. The city inspector had just left after what was supposed to be our final walk-through. John said to me, "There is one issue."  I waited nervously for John to continue. "We need furniture."

Translation: We have the Certificate of Occupancy and will start bringing in tables and chairs as early as Tuesday afternoon. (Be looking information on opportunities to help out.)

We will gather on Sunday, March 11 at 10:30am for a special "My Faith is Moving OUT!!!" celebration at Guyer High School- our last Sunday in the high school. We will then have "soft launch" services in our new building on March 18 and March 25 before our Grand Opening on Sunday, April 1.

Get the word out. Share this link. Text and tell your friends. Post a comment. This is a day to celebrate and praise God!

Keep Going

I was pretty sore when I woke up this morning. Yesterday's run had lingered a little bit. It would have been easy to take a day off. I'm proud to say that I put on my running shoes again.

I was rewarded for my persistence by a stiff headwind that greeted me right out of the blocks. My legs weren't very happy with me, but that's what we do when things get harder, we keep going.

Perseverance is an honorable characteristic. Perseverance doesn't automatically mean that we always get exactly what we want, but I've learned that when we press on, we often reach the place that God wants us to be and discover the blessings that God intended to give us.

I was slower today on my run by one minute, but I finished. There's honor in that.

God, thank you for providing that inner strength within each of us that allows us to persevere, to press on until the race is over. Guide us today and help us to fight through our challenges, trusting that you are with us every step of the way. Amen.

A Change of Pace

When I broke my hand last fall, I fell behind on my exercise regimen. I tried to keep going- to at least keep doing cardio exercises, but it was not my best effort. Finally, around Christmas, I quit going to the gym altogether. I wasn't proud of that decision, but I promised myself I would get my exercise in other ways.  But honestly, there was always an excuse not to.

That changed this morning.

I didn't go back to the gym, but I did put on my running shoes and completed a 3-mile loop from my house to Crownover Middle School and back in 31 minutes. (Not too shabby for a guy about to turn 40 later this month.)

So what changed?

The truth is that I was inspired. I've been inspired by the commitment and joy I've seen from our church's "Faith in Action" running team. I've been inspired by the hard work and dedication of those in our church who have been putting our building together. And I was inspired after yesterday's worship experience by the spirit of love and excitement demonstrated by our congregation.

I went to bed last night with the feeling that I wanted to hit the ground running...literally! I woke up with a spring in my step. Then the good Lord blessed me with PERFECT weather and a groovin' setlist on Pandora's Mark Knopffler channel!!

It was a good run and I'm glad I did it, though I confess that I somehow missed out on that "runner's high" that people like to talk about. Still, I'm ready to renew my commitment to my physical health, but I could use your help. Keep me accountable. Offer words of encouragement. Kick me in the pants if need be. But above all else, keep inspiring me to offer my very best for God each day.

Lord, thank you for the blessing of health and the opportunity to stretch my physical limits. I pray that you will keep us all fit for the work that you have put in front of us- using our unique gifts, strengths, and talents to help build your kingdom here on earth. Amen.