something random. something inspiring.

White Christmas...

In New York wirh the family. Caleb got to see his first snow. I hate cold weather.

a beautiful mess...

For the past few months I have been taking my 2 1/2 year old son Caleb to and from school every day. It has been incredibly rewarding to spend an extra 25 minutes with him every day to and from work. The down side to this is that my car is completely trashed. I was looking around today and saw, half eaten waffles, sippy cups, used wipes, crumbs everywhere, all sorts of "guys" (otherwise known as action figures), books, markers, random trash, and other unidentified objects. As much as I like having a nice tidy clean car, I love the joy that this mess represents. I guess I could get unhinged by it or I can find beauty in it, this mess not only effects my vehicle but you can see traces of it at our home, restaurants we visit, friends houses we frequent, really anywhere we go a beautiful mess is created (and if we are at our friends we clean it up).

A beautiful mess not only describes my home with a little boy, but it is also a great depiction of what our church is in a lot of ways. When I began ministry and we started the North Campus we had and continue to have the conviction that this church is not for us but for those who are not here yet. We have been intentional about creating an environment where these babies can be born into the kingdom and grow. This creates a beautiful mess considering that most have baggage, hang ups about God, strongholds, bad assumptions, limited knowledge about what to do next. I am finding more and more that my job is not being fixated with the mess people create, but rather finding joy in the process they are going through. Learning to feed yourself is always a messy experience. I find unfortunately that many churches are more concerned about the stains on the carpet than the ones creating the stains.

Religion has always been more concerned with outside of the cup all the while neglecting what is on the inside. I am believing for more people to be raised up who will step into people's mess rather than just pointing it out, then the mess can become beautiful.

I can't imagine...

I had a conversation today with someone in our church who is mentoring/helping someone in their small group. This person made a comment that I have heard for a long time and have been hearing very frequently lately and it made me think. The conversation was basically how hard it was to help someone, through making bad decisions and walking with them through all of the drama. The comment in that respect was, "I can't imagine having your job". Again, I have heard this a lot and the sentiment is that you must live in a constant state of frustration or that people and there problems must be draining on you personally. Pastors certainly have different "jobs" than most people, and there are defiantly times of frustration and stress, the comment just strikes me a little bit odd, mainly because I feel the same-way about everyone who has ever said that to me. Not in a your job/role is less important or significant kind of way, in all honesty I get to do exactly what I was created to do and I LOVE IT! I couldn't imagine being a computer programmer, hair stylist, janitor, (FILL IN THE BLANK)I am wired uniquely to handle the challenges of being a pastor. I have an incredible wife who keeps me humble (this is a compliment) and moving forward. I have learned how important the word "NO is, I have son(s) (one in the oven) to set an example for and to leave a legacy for by following God no matter the cost. I know and experience the grace of God when I fall, and when I'm weak. I do not loathe the people God has sent me I absolutely love them, flaws and all.

The cost of being pastor (or just a plan ole' follower of Christ) at times is great! Persecution, Rejection, Sleepless Nights, Loneliness, Conviction, Discipline, Patience, Being Broke, Exhaustion, Rebuke, Pain, Disappointment, Fear, Failure, Resistance, Slander and any other thing you can think of. But the reward is sooooooo worth it, "WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT".

Don't feel sorry for me, I am living my dream and I hope you are as well.

renovate update...

So we are really coming down to the wire now. We have officially finished the inside construction, and are now moving everything in, setting up offices, running cable, getting equipment for classrooms and preparing to hang artwork, new signage, and information hubs. Our plan is to fully functioning inside by Jan. 1, utilizing the new space. The look of the interior has really exceeded my expectations, the extra space is amazing and the look just reflects our vision more adequately. We are finalizing plans for the new classes to be filled with folks growing together. Personally, I am also excited about having a legitimate office environment with our new staff and systems (WE HAVE A COPIER!). All so we can do a better job stewarding the vision God has given us. It is very exciting!The exterior is winding down as well. The electric is done, the concrete is done, the block work is done, all that is left is the stucco and the new sign (until we tear up the parking lot).

I appreciate your prayer and support of this project. I cannot wait for this chapter in the story to be done. God has been incredibly good to us. There are HUGE things in store for 2009, I almost cannot contain myself. All in all I am just a very blessed man. "JESUS IS MY FRIEND", wow I can't get that song out of my head...(see yesterday's post).

Having a good day...

That pretty much sums it up...

Have we missed something...

As hard as it is to believe, Christmas is right around the corner. There are signs of it everywhere; trees tied to mini-vans, radios stations playing Christmas carols, parties, the movie "Elf" on tv somewhere every night of the week, the smell of fireplaces, and toy catalogs, oh yeah then there is; traffic, endless trips to the mall, in-laws (I love mine), stress, full calendars, and credit card offers in the mail. All of these signs point to the crescendo of God's redemptive plan through the introduction of Jesus to the world, or do they?

Most of our activity has little to do with savior and more to do with self. Most families will spend ungodly amounts of money going further into debt for stuff that will be broken or out of style in months. Our gifts to the people we love often takes the place of a more costly gift, the gift of our time. Most people are hoping to get stuff the "need" and we forget that there are folks who really do have "needs".

I really do love Christmas, I love the traditions and there is nothing wrong with any of these things. I just find it interesting that all of these things causes most to miss the point, and in an effort to have a "BIG" Christmas, it just winds up being very small.

The distractions that surround Christmas are nothing new. We are not the first generation to miss the point. in fact the very first one was missed by almost everyone. The story of Christmas, or the birth of Jesus is clearly associated with some see it, but most do not. On the day Jesus was born, although he was anticipated for hundreds of years by many, only a few even knew that it had happened.

This year we are doing something different as a church and are joining a movement of churches to recapture Christmas making it more reflective of what God was doing by sending Jesus. Advent Conspiracy will be experienced by churches from around the world in an effort to [Worship Fully], [Spend Less], [Give More], [Love All]. The aim is simple, stem the tide of hyper-consumerism by saying no to overspending. Give your time not just gifts to the people you love, to reflect God's relational gift to us in Jesus. Then with the money saved redistributed to those who are in need, locally and globally, many churches (including ours) are partnering with Living Water Intl. to provide clean drinking water to those who are without. Finally, we will not do this all out of charity but as an act of worship, making the intentional step not to leave the worship of Jesus out of the holidays.

Honestly, I have never really been excited about preaching during Christmas, this effort has really captured my heart and I believe it better reflects the heart of God for this season. Check out week 2 this week with us...