Merry Christmas!

Two Christmas Eve services done, and presents to wrap, so I'm going to make this short.

May the peace and love of God the Father, the amazing grace and hope of Jesus Christ, and the power and passion of the Holy Spirit be with you as you celebrate the HOPE of Christ this Christmas.

From all of us at FBC Poky, and the McCready family, Merry Christmas!!!

Who Are You Going To Invite To HOPE?

Christmas Eve is tomorrow. The last day to shop, wrap and ready yourself before Christmas Day. It's also when we as a church family are going to celebrate the Person behind all the festivities, Jesus Christ. God's gift to us is hope, and as we've been looking at Thoughtful Gifts this Christmas season, we're going to finish with a bang.

So bring someone. Somebody in your life needs hope. The economy has people scared. The war has people nervous. The problems we face in our nation and community has people on edge. Give them the gift of hope this year. Bring someone with you to one of the Christmas Eve services, 6 pm and 8 pm. You'll be glad you did. They will be glad, too.

Merry Christmas!

What Do You Talk About At Christmas Time?

I was at the gym the other day, and a guy whom I see there a lot stopped me with a question:

"So what are you talking about Sunday?"

What you need to know is that this man is what we in the church call 'de-churched,' he used to go to church, but he quit going years ago, let go of his faith and never looked back. We have conversations from time to time about spiritual subjects, and I've invited him to church a few times. He threatens to show up. I'm still hopeful.

Back to our conversation at the gym: he asked if I was doing the old stand-by stuff this Christmas. That's the interesting dilemma that we have as speakers in church - the Christmas story is pretty well played out for some folks. There's all the players - angels, Mary, shepherds, Joseph, the inn keeper, the wise men, the manger, the star... who hasn't heard all of that? Maybe a few people, but there are few over the age of 10 who haven't heard at least a majority of all that. What do you say that's fresh? How do you tell the same old story in a new way?

I told him what we were doing, the Thoughtful Gifts series. I told him about having frankincense in church and how it came from trees. He asked me what myrrh was. I told him he needed to come hear for himself on Sunday. He smiled. Pray with me that he does.

It's always an interesting process to go through, figuring out what to say at Christmas time. It's interesting all the time, but especially at Christmas. So this year, my goal has been to do two things - share the same old Christmas story in the most creative and thought provoking way I can, and then not worry if people have heard any of it before. All of us need a reminder of the hope that Christmas brings, and if there is anyone who comes who doesn't know the real reason for celebrating Christmas, they'll hear it as clearly as I can say it.

I just finished the message for this Sunday. No, I don't have any myrrh, sorry. But it's going to be the most hopeful and most challenging message I've ever given at Christmas time. Don't miss it. I can't wait to see what God does with this one.

Which leads me to Christmas Eve next week. Make plans to be there, and bring someone with you who needs some hope this year. For some, it's been a hard year on many levels. Bring someone who needs to know Hope was born in a stable in Israel 2000 years ago. And if you've heard the story, don't let that get you so jaded that you forget there are thousands of people in our community that haven't. They may know the players and the plot, but they don't know how it really ends. Bring them for the Christmas surprise of their lives! Jesus came to set us free from sin! All our guilt can be gone! All our hope restored! All our hearts made new!

Remember that this is the easiest time to get someone to come to church with you. Remember that Jesus died for your friends and neighbors as much as He died for you. Remember that Christmas is a gift that you can give. Remember Jesus this Christmas.

Website Update is LIVE!!

If you haven't seen it, the new fbcpoky.com is live! Not 100% complete, it's still in process, and your feedback to Aaron Floyd would be appreciated, but it's a great start! Be sure to check it out!

Getting Hope For Christmas

Sunday was just an amazing day, I love Christmas when God is moving and stirring in His people! Some highlights:

• The four baptisms were great, but knowing the back story on each of those folks was even cooler. God has been at work in the lives of these four individuals in four unique and custom created ways. It was a privilege to be in the tank with them all and witness their public expression of putting their hope in Jesus.
  
• The look on the faces of people when I pulled out a lump of real frankincense was fun to watch! I had never seen it in my life before that morning, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Folks were genuinely curious about the stuff that wise men gave to Jesus.
  
• I love sharing the good news of God's grace at Christmas time, it seems so natural to talk about God giving His best to us, and all of us needing to receive His gift.
• I appreciate Karl and the team working so hard to make Christmas music into something worshipful. It's harder than you might think to take what we all have sung at Christmas all of our lives and make it into something that worships the Great Gift of Christ.
  
• The blessing of being in a church family was evident all around. I know several people stepped in to help Stacy and Eric Rude with their trip to California for Stacy's father's funeral. I'm always so encouraged to see people be generous when they see a need. I know Stacy and Eric will be touched, too.
• The Student Ministry worship team was getting some work done after church, and I can't wait to hear the teens in our church family start leading in worship.
  
• The Children's Ministry had a Christmas themed thank you potluck for all their volunteers, and I got to go as Mac's escort. It's a cool thing as a parent to see your children start to serve and be givers in ministry in their teen years, and I was proud to go with him to an event where he was being encouraged for serving, along with dozens of other volunteers.
  

Just another great Sunday of ministry and grace at FBC!!

Pictures From New Orleans

My friends from Indiana sent me a ton of great photos from the trip to New Orleans, and I got to share some of them on Sunday during the message. For those who didn't get to see them, or who just can't get enough of Gene on a ladder or Brett with gumbo...


Getting things started:

Gene making the windows look brand new:

Brett getting the railing on for the deck:

A FRIEND working on the fireplace mantle:
They made sure I had supervision when using power tools:

Brett makes a friend:

From left: Gene, Brett, and me with Steve on the last day.

Thanks again to everyone who went, prayed or gave so that this trip could be a life changer. And feel free to start praying about the possibility of a trip this spring, there's still lots left to do.

Thoughtful Gifts

I'm getting the feeling that Christmas is for real this year. I spent my lunch hour helping Beth shop for a gift for her office Christmas party tonight. So that's Christmas shopping, presents and a party today already.

The message series for Christmas this year is Thoughtful Gifts, looking at the gifts that the Magi brought to honor Jesus. The old song, We Three Kings, while not exactly accurate about the number of kings, gets the gifts right, gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each gift was expensive, important and carried a special meaning about the birth of this special baby.

Don't miss this message series, and be sure to bring someone with you who needs some encouragement and hope this Christmas season. The message of the manger is hope, and this year there are lots of people who could use some hope.

Still Thankful, Even On Tuesday

The drive home from my parent's house in Oregon seems to get longer every time we're on it, which is a mystery of physics and geography, rolled into the time/space continuum. If it weren't for the many Starbucks along the way, it would only be longer. Some things I'm still thankful for, even five days after the official day of giving thanks:

• My family back home. All are healthy, gainfully employed, growing in Christ and serving in His church. It was great to see everyone, share good news and prayer requests, and be all together for the first time in years. I'm grateful for the legacy of my parent's, and the way my siblings are turning their trials into ministry. It was a good trip.
• My Linfield Wildcats are 11-0! I got the rare privilege of being at a Linfield College playoff game on Saturday (BIG props to my main man, brother-from-another-mother, 'Diamond' Dave Dillon for getting us tickets!!)(okay it was really his mother-in-law Joanne that got us the tickets, but I love saying 'Diamond' Dave...), where my purple-clad 'Cats erased a 14-3 deficit and blew out some team from Texas 53-21. Super fun to be at the scene of so many of my college memories with my kids, my wife, my folks and my friends. Gratitude abounds!
• My wife has a job! I'm about to go pick up a paycheck from Beth at her work. She has a job that pays her real money, and she's doing a great job at it! It's cool to see prayers get answered: we prayed for a job, with benefits, with reasonable hours, with good money, that uses her gifts. BINGO!! God came through!
  
• My kids are growing. Report cards came home before we left, and I'm so glad to see my kids learning to work hard and get rewarded with good grades. Add to that Lego Robotics for Mac and Basketball for Rachel, and the minds, hearts and bodies are growing and being pushed to new heights. Thank God for my kids!
• I belong to a great church! I was glad to hear the reports of a great service while I was gone, to hear that the Project House is being finished, and that ministry continues to happen all over the place. Our Community Groups are growing, our Toddler/Crawler room is ready for it's grand re-opening, and the Christmas Series - Thoughtful Gifts is about to launch! After 118 years of ministry, there's still more to come!
• And did I mention BAPTISMS?!?! We'll be having baptisms on Sunday, Dec. 13, so make plans to be there for that service, and if you're one of those people who are waiting to get baptized, wait no more! Get this thing done before the end of 2009, you'll be glad you did! I'm glad we get to celebrate that important faith step with people!

I guess we don't have to stop being thankful just because we ran out of turkey...

Thankgiving Offerings

As I said on Sunday, there's a biblical call to give an offering as an act of gratitude to God. I challenged everyone to find something to be thankful for over the next 5 weeks and then give an offering over and above as a sign of a grateful heart to God. Here's the first batch of thanksgiving offerings:

Collette Christensen: "I thank Him for providing from what seems out of no where."

Charles and Katie Monroe: "We are so thankful that god has answered prayers with our finances. We're both students and very dependent on my G.I. Bill money for our living expenses, rent, gas, etc... Yesterday I received the first installment of G.I. Bill money that we've been waiting on since August. God Bless."

Isabella Stokes: "I am grateful for how much God has blessed me and my family."

Off to a great start! More gratitude and thanksgiving to come!!

Giving of the Thanks...

Yes, Sunday was a day of gratitude. I was glad to share some of the things I'm grateful for in the life of our church family, and grateful for the way the message landed on some folks. God is still up to something good in the life of FBC Poky, and I'm excited to see where this is all going.

Yes, Lord willing, I'm going to be eating at my mother's table on Thursday, watching football on my father's TV, and hanging out with my siblings that I haven't seen in over a year. Lots of nieces and nephews to hang out with, lots of fun for my kids, and the potential of a Linfield College playoff game on Saturday all loom large in my thoughts today.

And Yes, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for good health, for a great family, for a church family that I belong to that is doing good ministry in difficult times, and for friends who love me in spite of my obvious imperfections. My heart is full of things to be thankful about, and I hope that yours is, too.

I'll be back and get ramped up for Christmas, it will be a great message series on the Gifts of the Magi, Gold, Frankinsense and Myrrh, and what they mean for our relationship with the Christ of Christmas. I can't wait to get there, but I've got to go and come back first.

See you in December!

Help Against Temptation

As I promised on Sunday, here's a post of some Bible verses that can help you in the fight against some specific temptations. These are not magic bullets, but if you put them in your mind, as Psalm 119 say, hide them in your heart, they can be one way of resisting temptation. If you have more to add to the list, feel free to post (anonymously if you wish) so others can benefit. Here are a few:

Help with thought life:

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 1 Cor. 10:5

Help with bad influences:

Do no be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Cor. 15:33

Help with sexual temptations:

Run away from sexual sin! 1 Cor. 6:18

Help against looking at porn:

I will set before my eyes no vile thing. Psalm 101:3

Help against gossip:

Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. Proverbs 26:20

Help with too much alcohol:

Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the holy Spirit fill and control you. Ephesians 5:18

Help against temptation to cheat on your wife:

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:18

Help against causing arguments:

Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. Proverbs 20:3

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:19

Help dealing with anger:

"In your anger do not sin": do not let the sun go down while you are still angry Ephesians 4:26

Help with stealing:

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Ephesians 4:28

Help with cursing/lying/gossip:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Help with eating issues:

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

Here's a few, add some more, and let's help each other defeat temptation in our lives!

One Lesson From New Orleans

It's been a long week, and my emotions and thoughts have been all over the map and back. This is my first attempt to communicate them outside of my head, so bear with me.

I'm so grateful that when we asked for feedback from our Community Groups about the financial situation and the announcement about staffing cut backs that so many of the groups took the time and made the effort to share their thoughts and feelings. We have received a tremendous amount of feedback, and for all of you who shared, I want to say, "thank you!" As difficult as it was to read some of it, it had to have been difficult to share, so again, thank you very much for making the effort. I believe God is going to use this to benefit all of us.

One of the whispers I heard from God while in New Orleans last week seems to relate to what we've been experiencing here in our FBC family. When I started in on the project to clean up and prepare the fireplace mantle, someone walking by stopped and said, "Remember, you need to go with the grain of the wood." At first, I was startled by that, since there were so many layers of paint on the mantle one could hardly tell that it was even made of wood, much less see or think about the grain of the wood. However, there was much truth in what they said. Getting the cracked, mildew stained paint off was not the only thing that needed to happen to restore the mantle to it's former beauty. We could take off the paint, but if we tore up the wood underneath, we'd ruin the whole project.

As we slathered paint stripper compound on, then worked to pull off the paint layer by layer, I kept hearing that whisper in my head: "Work with the grain." After several hours, I began to realize that it wasn't just my new friend's good advice about the project, it was God's good advice about our church family. There is a grain in the wood of our church, and while it's not always visible, tangible or directly noticeable, nevertheless it is there. And no matter what the hoped for outcome of the work, when we go against the grain, we risk damaging the wood.

Despite my best intentions and my best efforts, I believe I have led in some areas that have gone against the grain of the wood here at FBC. For that I must apologize. There will need to be some repair work done in relationships, and there will need to be some more apologies given, but I want you all to know that I'm sorry for any damage I've caused, and I'm working on how we repair it. Your feedback, whether it was meant to blister or to bless, has been very helpful. Together, I believe we can continue to build what God wants built here in the Portneuf Valley.

See you on Sunday!

New Orleans - Home and Hopeful

For those outside the Portneuf Valley, the Mission Team made it home safe, even in time to catch the last half of the ISU game. There's a lot more to process, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and I think God is still whispering lessons in my ear about the whole deal, so while I'm trying hard to listen and learn, enjoy these photos:

Making myself useful -

Gene on a scaffolding, making the windows into the highlights of the trip -


Praying together with the Indiana team for Steve -


Bret working on the fireplace mantle -

The three of us with Steve -


I'll post more pics when I get them from the Indiana crew, they got a lot more. Again, thanks to everyone who prayed for us, and the support and encouragement we got was amazing. Thanks especially to Jean, Missy and Beth for being so supportive for us while we were away.

New Orleans - Day 5 - Last Day

We tried to get the mantle done, but the Indiana team needed to get on the road around noon, so there was a deadline. Since they had all the tools, and all the help, and were our ride back to the hotel, we had to shut it down whenever they told us to. Gene finished his last window and was helping inside while Bret and I raced against the clock. The mantle had a 60 year head start on us, and was very determined to hold all of it's paint.

Doug from the Indiana team helped us. He has three boys about Bret's age, so the conversation ranged all over the place. He's a Dave Ramsey fan as well, so we had much to talk about. We scraped, used stripper compound, poured sweat and gave it all we had. No break on Friday morning we discovered, we were working right through.

Finally, at about 12:15, they called us off the job. We had to get the site cleaned up and put away for Steve. We really did get a lot of projects done in and out of the house, and now, we had to put it away and get ready to leave. The mantle was about 85-90% done, but that's all we had time to do. There was a hint of disappointment in my heart, I must confess, but we knew coming in that we might have to leave things unfinished. Here it was. Last day, and unfinished business.

As we gathered to say goodbye to Steve, there was genuine gratitude in his eyes. There were tears in the eyes of some others in the group, too. Tom was asked to say the closing prayer, and as Steve held hands with two people who were strangers to him on Monday, he looked positively radiant. Tom's voice cracked under the emotions of the moment as he thanked God for allowing us to serve Him by allowing us to serve Steve. A holy moment. Then another: Steve said there were four words that were running through his head all morning, "God has blessed me." I know he meant it. That's a long way to go, from not wanting people to pray for him to acknowledging that he has been blessed by God.

There were hugs all around afterward, and a couple more pictures, then we rolled off to the hotel to go in different directions. The Indiana team had to get to their overnight accommodations somewhere between here and there, and we needed to get to the French Quarter for a last look around and dinner. Jambalaya, y'all. Couple times we were asked where we were from and what we were doing in town. There's a couple of football games in town over the weekend, so lots of tourists. When we told them about the mission trip, we got genuine gratitude from everyone. Some asked for details, others gave us handshakes and real eye contact when they said, "Thank you." That was cool.

Got an early flight tomorrow, then the drive home from Salt Lake. I've got a lot to process and a lot to pray about. Thanks again to all who prayed for us, we really felt lifted up while were were down here. To quote Steve, "God has blessed me." Thank you.

New Orleans - Day 4

The star of the show has been Gene. He's a guy who's good with his hands, and pretty fearless on a ladder, so he got the jobs that required those particular skills. He painted fascia the first couple days, and then scraped, sanded and prepped the windows. He got the rest of them nearly done today, and the talk around break time was that the biggest impact on the outside of the house was the change in the windows. People were so impressed with his work, and so excited that it made such a noticeable difference.

Bret and I spent the day stripping paint off of the old fireplace mantle. It's a part of the original house, and even though there's no fireplace anymore, Steve wants it ready to use as a decor item, maybe a TV stand or something. It's older than old, and has 349 coats of paint on it I think. We've been using chemicals and elbow grease to get down to the wood. I think we'll be able to finish that tomorrow before we call it quits for the week. At least we'll be close.

Talking to the boss man, Jerry, we're going to get to the end of what we can do at the house this week, meaning that there will need to be inspections and other considerations before any other work can be done for Steve. That is good news. We were told to expect to not 'finish' any projects we were on, so if we didn't get done with it, we would still have to walk away and be okay with that. The part that feels good is that we'll walk away knowing we took this project as far as the circumstances would allow.

I spent about an hour listening to Steve's stories of survival in his life: serious blood disease, amputations, struggles of many kinds, and that was all before the hurricane. After, it's been one hurdle after another. He's powered through bureaucratic red tape, been up and down the halls of power, called out the press to get issues spotlighted, and then been ripped off by contractors and held up by slow moving government. About the only bright spots in the whole story have been finding Spot, his dog (actually, Spot found him, but that's a different story...), and having the mission teams come in to help him. Literally, there would be no work done on the house if it weren't for the teams of Christians coming in to provide free labor. What kind of difference can we make when we reach out and help in Jesus' name? Lots and lots.

Spent some time shopping for souvenirs, didn't find what I really wanted, but there's one thing I want more than a magnet or a t-shirt -- to come back and help some more. This place needs what only Christ-followers can give: some grace, some love, some Jesus.

Please pray for us to finish all the projects we can before we finish up tomorrow, and that we can leave a lasting imprint on Steve for Jesus' sake. Also, pray for the Indiana folk to have a safe trip home, they're going part way tomorrow. Pray for the random lessons I've been learning to come together. I think I'm hearing good stuff today. And as always, thanks for praying!!

New Orleans - Day 3

This was the hardest day so far. Gene has been working on refinishing some windows on the house, up on scaffolding, scraping, sanding and priming them. They face the street, so they make a dramatic change in the look of the house - from old, nasty looking to clean and fresh. Watching him work with a power sander 12 feet in the air is amazing.

Brett spent the first half of the day digging and then filling in a hole. Turns out that the sewer line WAS connected already, no need to dig. Sometimes you have to dig a hole in order to find out that you didn't have to dig it. He worked on a couple projects, one was scraping and sanding the mantle of the fireplace. It's definitely older than any of us working on the project, and he's being very careful.

I got the job of the day - the one no one wanted. :)

There's an access ladder to the attic in the hallway, one of those folding staircases. The door and the molding around it are both very old, and were wet enough in the flood to have gotten a bad case of mildew. The mildew was dead, but it needed to be scraped and sanded, prepped for a fresh coat of paint (possibly the first new coat in decades?), which meant holding a power sander over my head for about 5 hours. We tried to use a rotary, smaller hand sander, but they wouldn't work, so the big boy went up the ladder with me a bunch of times. As everyone walked by, they would either comment, encourage or joke with me about either the good job I was doing, or how no one else wanted to do it. It made me determined to get it finished.

By 5 pm, the sun is going down, and the lighting isn't good enough in the house to keep working, so we're usually cleaning up and getting ready to leave by then. At 5:15, I was priming the trim work around the door with Kilz to prevent future mildew. Kind of a good feeling to have a project start and know you're going to finish. And I'll always know that this one part of the mission house was my own personal project.

I'm hearing more of Steve the home owner's story each day. He's a survivor in so many ways. He's had to fight government and local officials, and even got on the front cover of the local paper over one of the battles just to get his house back in livable shape. But he's gone from telling people not to pray for him to saying, "knock yourself out" when I asked if I could pray for him.

Please pray for Steve, his health and the ability to stay focused and work through all the details that face him on his journey to get back in his house. Also, pray that Jesus gets to be more and more real to him.

Pray for us, we are all dog tired, and completely wiped out at the end of today. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, and so will Bret and Gene. Pray for the strength to finish the week strong and get lots of projects accomplished so that Steve gets in soon. Also, pray for us to keep shining Jesus around the Big Easy. We keep getting opportunities to talk to people about why we're here, and they are always so touched to know people are coming to help. More on that later, but thanks for praying, all of you.

New Orleans - Day 2

Today, the work started in earnest.

All the projects that we lined out yesterday got a full day of work, including finishing hanging the door, digging a hole to hook up the sewer line, starting to put a hand rail on the access ramp (did I mention it was GINORMOUS!?!), a lot of sanding and finishing up drywall work, a couple more lights getting wired in, and the first coats of primer for painting. The 21 people working all at once looked at times like a hive of bees swarming the house.

Steve, the homeowner, was blown away by all the work getting done. He's had a few crews out, but none have gotten as much done in a week as we've been able to do in the first two days. He's touched by all the effort on his behalf, and he loves telling everyone he meets at the store about the crew he has at his house.

He told me twice that he had a "preacher question" for me. He was unchurched until crews started helping at his house a few months ago, but now he's in church every week. I started getting nervous, wondering what question he wanted to ask me but hadn't asked his pastor. I prayed for wisdom, that God would give me the right words, and that he'd be open to my answers... all the stuff you pray when you are scared of what someone might ask you.

We got a few minutes to talk, and he gave me his question: "When you look out on your congregation during the sermon, and you see someone nodding off, or completely asleep, does it make you mad?" I laughed, and told him my standard line: "I'd rather have you sleeping in church than awake at home!" Now Steve laughed.

He said he nods off in church, not because his pastor is boring, but because he feels so comfortable and safe there, he can relax. I looked at him, sitting on his scooter in the backyard of his house while 20 other people were cleaning up at the end of the work day, and said, "With all that you've been through and all the stress in your life, if you can find a safe place like that at church, that's a great thing." Tears started in my eyes, but Steve was just beaming. This guy has been through so much, fighting insurance companies, the government, thieves, the city, all to just have a place to live. He's glad we're here, but I'm amazed that he's here. God is doing a work.

Big props to Bret, who spent most of the day digging out the sewer line. He was 5 feet down a hole, digging in the blackest, wettest, stickiest mud you've ever seen. Everyone checked on him, and everyone was encouraging him every shovel full. Gene was the hero yesterday, high up on ladders, and Bret was today, down in a hole. Pocatello has it covered down here, whatever you need! :) I did get to use a table saw and a nail gun today with no serious injuries.

Pray for good sleep, for the weather to stay dry for the painting tomorrow, for the work on the handrail to go smoothly, and for us to get the sewer line done in a day so we can hook up and get the plumbing ready for Steve to move in.

New Orleans - Day 1

We got up at 6:30 and got breakfast, had devotions and loaded up to go to the house where we'll be working all week. We met Steve the owner, a double amputee who had his house flooded twice during the hurricane and aftermath. The house itself is now 8 feet up on concrete pilings, but he is still living in a FEMA trailer on the front lawn with his dog, Spot (seriously, that's the dog's name!), after three years of fighting to get his place livable again. It's been in the family for three generations, and he's hoping to live in the home his grandfather built.

There's plenty to do - drywall repair, mudding and taping, sanding, hanging a door, wiring some lights and switches, painting and prepping for hanging gutters outside, putting rails on the GINORMOUS ramp in the back yard... there's a ton of things needing done, all with the goal of getting Steve out of the trailer and into his house by the end of the week.

Gene took on the painting (a pro with ladders and scaffolding, he was up and down all day), Bret grabbed a gun (nail, of course) and finished off the railings on the ramp, and I framed in a door, helped wire in a light, and moved scaffolding all around the place. We all finished the day physically tired but spiritually charged. Talking to Steve, it's obvious that he's touched by all the help he's getting. He's just started attending church after a few mission teams started helping him with the house. God is at work in his life, right along with all of ours.

Getting to know the team from Indiana has been fun, they all have a wonderful sense of humor, and enjoy laughing their way through the work day. There are several seasoned home improvement veterans, and a couple of real-life contractors, so the work is going fast and well. I'm being asked to use power tools, and they are threatening to have me use a nail gun. Stay tuned and keep praying!!

There's a lot of work to do, and a lot of ministry along the way. I'm still keeping my eyes open for some God moments here on the front lines; that's where they always happen.

You can pray for a few things for us: a good night's sleep, safety and wisdom as we work, the ability to get everything done in a timely manner so we can get Steve in the house by the end of the week, and that we shine Jesus to Steve, the neighbors, the people we meet at lunch and around town, and to each other. Pray for us to see what God brought us here to see.

More tomorrow.

Feet On The Ground In New Orleans

We made it!! Gene, Bret and I are safe on the ground in New Orleans, and getting settled in. Met the folks from Calvary Baptist Church (they even gave us t-shirts!!), and had a great dinner, now just making friends and getting ready for tomorrow's work.

In driving around tonight, it seems like some things have not changed at all since Beth and I were here on our honeymoon 17 years ago, but then, you turn a corner and see devastation - boarded up businesses, homes still in ruin, streets in disrepair - and you remember that it's been three plus years since Hurricane Katrina almost wiped this place off the map.

I can't wait to see it all in the daylight, and to get to the house where we're going to be working. The early word is that we're going to be repairing a home for a double amputee, including a new porch, ramp, some gutters, paint, drywall, and probably more. Hoping for some demolition, since that's my strong suit, but I'm just happy we get to help.

You can help by praying for us, specifically for the three of us to connect well with the Indiana team, for the work to come together tomorrow, and for safety and effectiveness. I'll try to get a few extra posts in this week to keep all y'all up to date. Yep, been in the south for less than a day, already picking up the language... :)

Glad We Did That

Prayer Labs were last night, and despite cold temps and wind (what happened to fall?), we had nearly 40 people participate in the prayer times at locations around the city. It's a risk to ask people to pray in a public place, and I wasn't sure if anyone would show up, but thank you to all who did! Our prayer time at Highland High was good, even if we punctuated each request with a sniffle.

When we got back, I felt like we needed to share what, if anything, God might have said to us while we were praying. I was really glad I asked, because there were several important messages people received about prayer. Praying for the government more often, praying on location more regularly, just lots of encouraging messages about prayer.

Praying for the Church in the Portneuf Valley and for FBC in particular was also very good, a reminder that we are not alone in our mission here, and that we need to pray for the other churches and their effectiveness right along with ours.

Lastly, praying for the team going to New Orleans was a blessing. I know there is an adventure waiting for us down there, and I'm glad there are people praying, both now and during the trip, for our success in ministry and our safe return.

I'm glad we took the time to pray. It's important that we do it, and important that we do it together as a church family. Again, thanks to all who participated, and if you missed it, we'll do it again sometime.

See y'all when I get back from New Orleans!!

PRAYER LABS TONIGHT!!!

Don't forget that we're meeting around the city to pray at 6:00 tonight, then gathering back at FBC for prayer together at 6:45.

The meet sights are:

• Alameda Center
• Highland High School
• Irving Middle School
• ISU SUB - Canoe Room
• School District Offices
• Indian Hills Elementary School
• Pine Ridge Mall - Inside in front of Party Palace

Hope to see you there!!

Trying To Tie Up Loose Ends

So things have been a little complicated around here lately, and I'm feeling like I need to communicate a little harder, so here are a few issues I want to make sure everyone is up on:

• Prayer Labs are THIS THURSDAY NIGHT!! We are meeting at locations all over town for a time of prayer, then meeting back a the worship center to pray together for our valley, and to pray for our team going to New Orleans next week.
• The meeting locations for the Prayer Labs are - Highland High School, Irving Middle School, the Alameda Center, The School District Offices, Indian Hills Elementary School, The ISU SUB (meet at the Canoe Room), and the Pine Ridge Mall (meet inside in front of Party Palace). We'll gather at 6:00 pm for prayer, then head to the church at 6:45.
• Yes, the New Orleans trip is a go. Smaller crowd than we had planned, but still a gung ho group of Christ followers going down to help people in need. The word is we're going to be helping build a ramp for someone in a wheel chair and other such stuff. Sounds like fun!
• The 40 Days of Prayer series is going well. People are responding, and the questions and conversations are about deep stuff in people's lives. I can't wait to see what God does the rest of the way with this. Keep praying for God's will to be done, and for us as a church family to do it!
• Just got done planning the Christmas series, it should be amazing! "Thoughtful Gifts" will focus on the three gifts of the Magi and what they meant at the time, and what they mean today. You are going to want to bring friends to hear this series!!

Just trying to keep the lines of communication open!!

What A Pastor Learns From Coaching Football - Part 2

I started this idea last month, and the crazy has kept me from finishing, so here's the next installment. For those who don' t know, I finished my four year commitment to coaching youth football for my son's team. From Mac's fifth grade year until this his eighth grade year, I've coached the defense and special teams. It was quite an adventure, with some huge ups and downs. Along the way, as in everything in my life, I try to keep track of the lessons God tries to teach me. Let me share another:

• You can lead a linebacker to the running back, but you can't make him tackle.

Coaching defense is about two things - putting players in position to succeed, and teaching them what to do when they get there. I spent hours on the field running them through drills on how to tackle, how to defend a pass, how to rush the passer, how to defeat blocks, etc... all the concepts they needed to know to be successful when the play unfolded in the game. And I developed schemes and game plans that would allow for our players to play in positions and situations that would give them the greatest chance to succeed.

Those things I could do as a coach, I did. But in the heat of the moment in the game, I could do nothing to make a player use what he knew. I could encourage or instruct them to line up in the right place, but I couldn't make them do it. If they didn't want to tackle, they would not tackle.

More than once in the last four seasons, a player was in perfect position to make a game changing tackle, and pulled up rather than put the other man on the ground. It was painful for me as a coach to see them get in position to succeed, knowing they had the knowledge and the skill to succeed, and watch them chose not to succeed.

As a pastor, it's very similar. I can use all the gifts God has given me, I can teach and instruct, challenge and encourage, model and envision what God has said to do and how to do it. But at the end of the day, I cannot make anyone serve. I cannot make anyone pray. I cannot make anyone give, or stop gossiping, or give their heart to Jesus. I have no power to control people, no matter what anyone thinks. I've watched friends in pastoral ministry pull out their hair over people who have all the knowledge they need to be successful in their life and walk and service for Jesus, and then watch helplessly as they make choices to shipwreck their lives, their walk, and their church.

Sometimes pastors (and I'm guilty of this) and coaches (me again!) will take these moments personally. And yes, there are times when as a coach and as a pastor, I didn't prepare my people for the challenge they found themselves facing. At those moments, I have to own my part, and work my tail off to be better prepared to prepare those under my care. But sometimes, the information, the knowledge and experience are there, on board the person in position to 'make a play' in their life, and they pull up short instead of stepping up. At that moment, I can encourage, I can remind, I can recast the vision, but I can't make them do what they already know is right. It's not possible. I can't handcuff them to the chair to keep them from getting drunk, I can't tape their mouth shut to keep them from saying something damaging to their spouse. I can't hack into their bank account and preset their giving to God's work. None of that is possible.

As a pastor, that's painful to admit. I am powerless against the forces of choice in the lives of people in my care. If everyone decided to stay home this Sunday, I'd be in a worship service by myself.

But here's where I have a choice to make myself: as a coach, I don't get to play, so my choices for myself don't make it to the field. But as a pastor, I'm still able to make choices for my own life that end up on the 'field' of ministry. I can give. I can show up for worship. I can serve. I can bring my gifts to ministry. I can invite people to come experience Jesus. I can make my choices.

Pastors - YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE, EVEN IF YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE!! If no one else worships, you choose to worship. If no one else gives, you give. You don't have to make up for everyone else's giving, but you do have a choice to give. You can serve, so do it. If no one joins you, you will still be honoring your commitment to God and to His larger team, the Church, even if people in your church are choosing poorly. PASTOR - YOU CANNOT BLAME YOUR CHOICES ON YOUR PEOPLE!!

Those of you who are not pastors - YOU CANNOT BLAME YOUR PASTOR FOR YOUR CHOICES. Even if your pastor is not perfect, you cannot put your spiritual choices on hold because you don't like what they are saying/doing/thinking. If your pastor is in sin, point it out to him/her. If they are leading in a direction you don't like, talk to them about it, but remember that God puts leaders in our lives to challenge us as well as comfort and teach us. But your responsibility to the Body of Christ, His Bride, HIS CHURCH does not end because you have a problem with a pastor. You are charged to do your part, so do it. Serve, not because your pastor says, but because Jesus said. Give, not because your pastor needs you to, but because God commands it. Worship, not because you like the music or the message, but because worship is a choice you make in your heart and it honors God.

The Bible teaches personal responsibility. I need to fulfill my role and my part of the Body. Each of us does. And I have a choice whether I will or not. All of us does.

I'm trying to do my part with all my heart. What are you trying to do?

Listening To Andy

I have a number of pastor types that I respect and listen to, and one was speaking to me so loudly today, I have to share.

I'm trying to get myself back in the habit of working out after taking time off to get a bum knee back in line. So today, I was out for a walk with my IPod and Andy Stanley in my ears. Andy has a fantastically effective church in the North Atlanta suburbs, and he's a leadership and ministry guru. His podcast was about leading in uncertain times. Pretty easy to see why I was interested...

So Andy is talking, and he said a couple things I wanted to share with the staff, so I played it for them today in staff meeting. Times are uncertain at FBC, with the finances being down, the flu taking people out of weekend services and serving opportunities, and some general unrest and dis-ease. So the message was clearly for us, and the points got home: be clear about the vision, and be flexible with the plans.

Clarity will help people to make sure that we stay on track in spite of the changing atmosphere, circumstances, economy, culture, etc... Clarity of purpose, clarity of mission, clarity of values, and the clear communication of how those all connect to what's going on and what's next. Coming back to the places where God has been clear with us, and celebrating each and every memory of God's faithfulness and call helps us to stay focused on the right things, and to not panic when a plan fails, but stay true to the ultimate vision of God's preferred future.

The flexibility part was also very helpful. Plans will fail, and if we get ourselves tied to our plans, then we'll think the vision has failed just because the plans did. Plans fail for a number of reasons, and smart leaders have to pay attention to the changes in the atmosphere and surroundings that are not what was assumed when the plan was put together. We planned to be growing and adding staff by now, but the circumstances changed, so we need to get off the old plan and start a new one.

So there was a lot of excitement here today as we started to think about the core of the vision and how it has remained constant, but also how some of the pieces have moved in the last 10 years. The conversation began (and will continue over the next few weeks) about recasting and reconnecting the vision God has for this church with what is the current reality. Plans will change, they always do. We can't own the plans, they have to remain flexible, but we have to own the vision and be stubborn (Andy's word) about holding tightly to the ultimate outcome.

Good stuff to remember as God is busy shaping, forming, breaking, molding, pushing and teaching all of us in this season.

Any thoughts?

Quick Hits

Some things in the air:

• The Lions (3-3) finished their season on a sour note, losing their final game to Blackfoot 37-18. Mac played with a serious cold, having run a fever the two days before, and still had 12 tackles and two passes defended. He was a trooper. Proud dad moment.
• That said, football is over at the McCready house (except for some watching, of course), and just as the schedule starts to slow down, Rachel starts basketball practice TONIGHT!!
• Good feedback from the first message in the 40 Days Of Prayer series. People needed to know or be reminded that God is a loving Father and Friend, so we can be real and relational when we pray. Hope that it will change people's prayers to remember that.
• I stuck my head in on the Student Ministries Leader meeting - THERE WERE 12 PEOPLE THERE!!! God is up to something big in our church when there are a dozen people who want to be a part of changing the lives of teens. LOVE IT!!
  
• Stayed home with a sick girl Monday and Tuesday - Rae was running a fever, so no school for her. She's better today, and fired up for her first practice tonight.
• Had an amazing staff meeting today. I love this staff! They are dedicated to Jesus Christ, to this church family, to each other and to the work that God has called them to accomplish.
  
• Because giving is not keeping up with our expenses, there are going to be some hard things happen in the life of our church family. Please pray for people's hearts to be moved toward giving, and that the blockage about finances in this church would be removed.
• There will be a direct discussion of the finances this Sunday before the message. I hope it will be heard, and I hope it will not take away people's attention from the message on prayer.
  
• Sunday's message will be life changing for someone, perhaps you. My world is being rocked by the thought of praying to a holy, holy, holy God. GOD IS BIGGER THAN MY PROBLEMS, AND HE'S BIGGER THAN YOUR PROBLEMS, TOO!!
• Getting the final details nailed down for the New Orleans trip. Looks like 5 of us going, and I can't wait! Wish I was there now...
  

Stay tuned for more on any and all of the above, but I wanted to get you caught up.

Off To A Great Start!

Our opening event for the 40 Days Of Prayer last night was amazing! We had a nice turn out, and a lot of good energy toward this campaign from the jump. We've given out over 175 Journals so far, and we've had a bunch of new folks jump into Community Groups for the series, so we're getting set up to see God move in a big way.

Big thanks to Aaron for leading a great worship time, and for teaching us a cool new song.

I'm excited for the potential this campaign has to help us throw off the guilt that gets attached to the issue of prayer for most Christians, and at the same time, blow up some myths about prayer that some folks might have. It doesn't have to be complicated, it doesn't have to be 'perfect,' and it doesn't have to be 'right' to be prayer. God just wants to hear from you because He loves you!

I'm working to finish the message for Sunday, and it's going to be a great first step on the journey after Paul Austin showed us the way forward last week. Bring a friend and get a journal for this 40 Days Of Prayer, it's going to be a great ride!

Seasons Rolling Along

The weather has certainly made a statement the last few days, and the calendar at my house is saying the same thing: the seasons are changing. Mac has his last regular season football game this Saturday (still in it for the playoffs, GO LIONS!!), and I just signed Rachel up for basketball that starts in a week or two. I'm looking in my closet for sweaters, and the kids were both telling me that they need new snow boots. There is change in the air.

The season of focusing on prayer in the life of our FBC family has begun. Paul Austin did a great job of leading off our 40 Days Of Prayer campaign with his message on Sunday, and the Kick Off event will be Wednesday night at 7 in the Worship Center. I am looking forward to this campaign for lots of reasons, but mostly, because I have felt God calling us to reach to the next level as a church, and no matter what that looks like in the ministry we do, it will be dependent on God moving, and God moves when His people pray. So the logical place to start is prayer.

I will put this out for you to prayerfully test - God wants to do more than we can imagine, He loves us and the people of our valley more than we can imagine, and He wants to work in and through us more than we can imagine, so one place where we need to see God begin to shape the future in us is in our imagination. What do you imagine God doing in your life in the next 6 months? What do you imagine Him doing in your Community Group during that time? Between now and Easter, what do you imagine God doing in our church family? In the Portneuf Valley?

As we start into the 40 Days Of Prayer, I'm asking you to pray for God to expand your imagination and mine. If God can help us to imagine a better future for ourselves, our church and our community, then He can begin to work in and through us to make that future into our present. Pray for big imaginations, big dreams, big and powerful hope to take over and lead us to where a big God wants to take us. Pray big prayers, and lets see what a Big God can do.

See you Wednesday night!!

An Amazing Week

Just got done with two great events: the annual Pastor's Conference at Post Falls was tremendous, a great time of learning and hanging out with other pastors across the Northwest. Great time to hang with friends, and Gary McIntosh, author and professor, and Tom Lipsey, a pastor from a great church in Ohio made this another winner of an event. So glad that Aaron, Stacy, Karl and Sue got to go, and of course, there was the annual trip to Brody Mack's for some shopping.

Then, after all that good stuff, I got to hang out for two more days of Mentor Training, including three more hours with Gary McIntosh (amazing!!), and a time of prayer that was powerful, humbling, and really just great. God showed up, and that's really enough!

What a way to get ready for the 40 Days Of Prayer! I can't wait to see where God takes all of this. Hope you're planning to be a part of it. Don't miss the pre-campaign message this week by Paul Austin, it will set the tone for the rest of the adventure.

Focus In A Busy Season

Today is Saturday. I'm in the office early because we have a Community Group Leader training, and I'm going to be introducing our 40 Days Of Prayer material to the group leaders. I'm really fired up about it, and I think that the campaign will be a help to people who are looking for a deeper connection to Christ right now.

Later, Mac and I have a football game in Fort Hall. The Lions need a win, and today is a good day to go get one.

Later, I have to pack for a retreat in Post Falls with some of the staff. Gary McIntosh, an author and speaker is the main presenter, and I'm expecting to learn a lot.

Later, I have to finish my message for Sunday. It's the last one in the Beautiful series, and I think it's going to have a huge impact on both women and men in our congregation. It's about being ready for God to move in your life, and I think God is getting ready to do a big move in our church, so it's a timely message for all of us.

Later, I have a surprise Birthday party to go to. I can't tell you who, when or where, because it's a surprise. :)

Later, I have to sleep so I can get up and share God's message on Sunday, then get in a car and drive to Post Falls.

So, in order to keep focus on the right things with an agenda that is pushing the limits of full, RIGHT NOW I NEED TO PRAY! Right now is the time to get my head right, to listen to what He has to say to me, and to dedicate my day to His glory, not mine. My day may not include a 20 minute window for prayer, but it may include 20 windows of 3 minutes each, and I need to take every one of them. When I'm 'too busy' in my life, I have to make sure I'm not too busy to pray.

What about you? What do you do to maintain a connection to God during the busy seasons of your life?

Today Is A Day To Get Excited!!

I'm fired up today, which for a Tuesday, is a special feeling! Here's why:

• Sunday was an amazing worship day! Baptisms are always a great time at FBC, and our two candidates were excited, nervous, and blessed! Their friends and family that they invited were able to see them go public with their faith, and we as their church family got to welcome them with cheering into the family! Can't wait for the next one! (Thank you to everyone who serves, prays and gives to the ministry at FBC, we see the hand of God moving, and it's because of your faithfulness!)
• The message was a tough one for some folks, bringing up some of the struggles and brokenness in some people's lives, but pointing them toward God's grace and healing. Celebrating the forgiveness of Jesus in the elements of communion was a holy moment, especially for those who were connecting that their sexual past is something that God wants to forgive. It was tremendously powerful.
• Monday was an amazing ministry day. Aaron and Janaye Floyd welcomed their brand new son, Issac, into the world, and I got to go see them at the hospital and hold their blessing in my arms for a moment. Love that new baby smell! Big brother Micah has his work cut out for him. It was fun to see both sets of his grandparents in the room and think about the spiritual legacy that Issac will inherit. Generations of Christ followers loving, teaching, modeling and praying for him.
  
• I also had the privilege of standing with a family that Beth and I know as they said goodbye to their husband/brother/friend. A long battle with cancer finally took the life of a warrior. But Jesus was there, the Holy Spirit bringing comfort, and God the Father taking Shane by the hand.
• I'm fired up today with the opportunity to work on my message for Sunday. Finishing up the Beautiful series strong and setting up the next series - 40 Days of Prayer that starts October 4. God has been working through the messages and the conversations that they have sparked. Praise God for the women in the church, and for the women in my life.
  
• The bonus of today is that the staff is having lunch with our Senior Saints! Just a relaxed, no agenda, sit down and touch base conversation at a local restaurant. (Seniors: If you can make it, give the office a call and let us know you're coming before noon. If you can't make it, we'll do it again soon!)

God is working in our midst, and the fruit is getting ripe! Fall is the time of harvest, and we're starting to see some. Can't wait to see where this is all going!!

Why You Should Bring a Friend This Sunday

The deal with church is as simple as it gets: people are more willing to come with someone than they are to come alone, and survey after survey tells us that people would attend church if someone they ALREADY KNOW invited them to come. So if you're fired up about what God is doing in your life, or if you're fired up about what God is doing in our church family, or if you are fired up about the people in your life finding forgiveness and a fresh start from Jesus, here's three reasons why you should target this Sunday to invite a friend and bring them with you to FBC:

1. Baptisms - We have three people lined up to get baptized this Sunday!! Three people who have found Jesus and are going public with their faith, three people who have been nurtured and encouraged by our church family, and three people that are ready to celebrate the life change that God is bring in their lives right now! As a church, we do and AWESOME job of celebrating people stepping from death to life, and this Sunday will be no different. Bring a friend to come see the celebration of changed lives!!
2. Grace - the message will be about grace. God's grace in our lives, the amazing, wonderful, powerful, life changing grace of Jesus for all of us who have ever blown it in our lives. The message will be clearly about the forgiveness and restoration that Jesus wants to bring in the lives of people, and your friends who need to know that God loves them and wants to forgive them NEED TO HEAR THIS MESSAGE!! Especially the woman who has something in her past that is haunting her today. God wants to set some people free from the guilt of their past this week. Bring a friend to hear a message of freedom!
3. Jesus will be there!! The truth is, none of the 'events' of the day are more important than the presence of Jesus. The music, the message, even the baptisms are nothing without the living presence of God in the room. And He has promised to be there!! Your friend that needs hope, help or healing in their life needs a touch from Jesus, and the Bible promises that Jesus is there when we gather in His name.
   

I'm fired up about this Sunday! I'm fired up about the lives God is changing, the work He is doing in my life and the lives of others, and whatever surprises He has in store for us along the way. Bring a friend and let them see and hear the truth of God's grace this Sunday. You won't regret it, and maybe someday soon, you'll be the one lighting a candle for them (or even getting to do the dunking!) when Jesus changes their life forever!!

See you Sunday!!

What A Pastor Learns From Coaching Football

This is the fourth year of my football coaching career, and after a long, busy weekend of football and church, I have finally been able to put into words what I think I've learned about being a pastor by coaching youth football. Could be more later, but for now, lets go with these:

• I can't do it all. As a football coach, I'm on the sidelines, I'm at practice, I'm calling plays and sometimes time outs. I'm making substitutions, and putting players in position to succeed the best I can, BUT I NEVER MAKE A TACKLE! I don't do the work; I can't. Even if I could, I'm just one guy, and it would take 10 more to make the defense work. I have to do my work through others in football. It's the same in church! I can't do all the ministry, and I've tried very hard the last few years to learn how to minister through others to reach more and more people. I'm always trying to put people in position to succeed, and trying to get the 'plays' called so that we have the best chance to win.
  
• You can't win them all. I wish I could say that there was a formula to guarantee success in sports, but there's not. Sometimes, you work hard, you get the right people in the right places, and you still come up short. Bad bounce, bad breaks, or superior opponents, even illness or injury can change the outcome of a game. You try to do your best, give your all, but sometimes you come up short. I tell the players on the team to win with class and lose with dignity. Good advice in church, too. We don't always win. Ideas don't always pan out, but instead of getting upset, blowing up, pouting or other unhelpful responses, going forward with dignity and a posture of learning from defeat makes more sense.
• Winning feels good! Yeah, this is a 'duh' statement, but it's true. When we win a football game, all the work, all the effort, all the conditioning and practice feels worth it. It feels GOOD! When the church wins, we all can celebrate and NEED TO REJOICE! We can and should feel good about the wins we see in the church, whenever God's kingdom moves forward. We have a great opportunity to see some of that this weekend with baptisms, so don't miss it, and don't forget to clap and cheer!!
• There's more than one way to win. Seeing a player grow from an uncoordinated 5th grader into a young man with speed and agility in the 8th grade is an amazing experience. There are a handful of kids who've been with us for the full four years, and measuring their growth in their understanding of the game, their ability and skills, and most importantly, their character, has been the best part of this experience. I wouldn't trade that for anything. The same is true of some of the people in my church. Watching men decide to follow Jesus, then lead their families, or watching someone who was afraid to pray in front of a small group of their friends turn into a person of prayer and a leader in the church, those experiences are priceless. I love being a pastor for moments like that.

If I think of any more before the Lions finish the season this year, I'll pass them on. Meantime, we're 1-2 after this weekend, with a road game at Aberdeen on Saturday night. Feel free to pray for Coach Bill to do his best to coach the kids and represent Jesus.

Could NOT have said it better...

Mark Driscol, Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I love this guy, he challenges me, he pushes me, and...

he's funny.

Enjoy!

Silence...

The pressure of football practice and our first game last week (a two point loss for the Lions, revenge will come in the playoffs!!), and getting things in shape for the 40 Days of Prayer campaign coming in October have left me little time to blog, so sorry if you've been looking and not finding here. I'm hoping that after this weekend, I'll be able to get back to regular. Plus I'm still trying to 'debug' the book reviews from Study Leave, I'm having HTML problems of unknown origin. Soon!

Today I'm having the first relaxing day off in a couple months that doesn't involve a long drive or flight, so I'm chilling out and recharging the batteries. Don't underestimate the power of rest in our hurried world. I can't hear from God if I'm too tired to listen.

I will post some more on the Beautiful series (so far, lots of good stuff God is getting done in the lives of women AND men in this series!), and let you know what has me fired up about 40 Days of Prayer when the dust settles next week. Meantime, pray for me, we have a game Saturday night in Bear Lake (90 minutes south of here), and that's going to make for a long weekend. I think the Lions have a great chance to win, and Mac will get the start at both tight end and safety, so pray for him to stay healthy and have enough gas in the tank to go both ways for the full game.

Yes, I promised not too much of 8th grade football on this blog, but this one is important! :)

Book Review: CHASING DAYLIGHT

Due to circumstances beyond my control, this is later than I wanted it to be, but nonetheless - book #1 on the list I read this year on Study Leave:

CHASING DAYLIGHT

Author: Erwin Raphael McManus 259 pages Published by Nelson Books

Summary:

McManus is the pastor of one of the most impactful an influential churches in America today, Mosaic in Los Angeles, CA. I've heard him on CD and read another of his books, but this one is quite possibly the most impactful things I've read in the last four or five years. He uses the story of Jonathan, son of King Saul, taking his armor bearer and charging the Philistine army as the template for an exploration of seizing what he calls, 'the divine moment.' He walks through the idea in three parts: Foreshock, Epicenter and Aftershock, because the move of God through a divine moment is very much like an earthquake.

Seeing a divine moment and choosing to step into it are keys to initiating an impactful encounter with God. Taking the risk, even though there is no guarantee of success, is a deeper level of faith. Starting wit a belief in God's unchanging character, followed by acting on that belief is first level faith. As he puts it, "trust God and do what He said." Second level faith, according to McManus, is what happens sometimes when we are leaning into God's character in the first level, and He chooses to do something beyond our ability to comprehend. It's the miracle alongside the empowerment, the "way bigger than us" that runs along with the "bigger than what I've experienced before."

As Jonathan in the story acts while others sleep, he enters into the place where a divine moment begins. He inspires his armor bearer to come with him and then takes on the ridiculous odds of two men against an army. In that encounter, God shows up in many ways, others are inspired to join, and the battle is own by the Lord on behalf of the people. Jonathan simply is the catalyst for the greater move of God by listening and following the promptings of God. God joins Jonathan in battle after Jonathan joins God in starting something.

McManus uses many more biblical stories and some of my favorite Old Testament characters and New Testament quotes to wrap around the idea that we need to be on the lookout for God moments that we can step into with confidence - that that we will succeed, but that God has called us to engage - knowing that God is in charge and to follow him may not be the safest place to be, but it does make us more dangerous than ever. Faith is not having all the answers before you act; faith is hearing the promptings of God and acting in line with God's character so that, win, lose or draw, you have engaged with God in what Go has called up for your life. In the end, that's always a win.

I Wanted To Talk About My Study Leave...

I had the best of intentions to post my first book review from my Study Leave yesterday, and then again today, but the distance between my technical abilities and the demands of my technology have left me helpless. I can't figure out how to do this right now, and I don't have time to learn this weekend. There are bigger issues I'm chasing, so please be patient with me, and I'll get the book reviews and a summary of the Study Leave up here as soon as I can figure out how.

What has taken the focus of my attention? Three things:

• First, I started coaching my son, Mac, in football again. He's in 8th grade this fall, and we're back with the Lions. After matching the professional version of the Lions with an 0-for the season record last year, we hope to shock the world and make the playoffs this year.Mac has worked hard this summer to get ready, and after a week and a half of practice, the team seems to be coming together. I like our chances. I won't bore the non-football people with too many details, but I will give an occasional update here. I have enjoyed the connection this has made between me and my son as he's growing into the man of God he will someday be. Plus, a whistle is always a fun thing to have between your teeth!
• Second, there's an Elder Team meeting on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, and I honestly feel like the way our church is going is a direct result of the attempt at being biblical in our governance. The Elders represent that in a major way, and I'm always glad to meet with them, pray with them, dream with them, and work to see God's best unfold at FBC with them. Can't wait!
• Third, I've been working on the beginning of the Beautiful series. It's going to be really good, I believe. I've been praying extra over it, because when a man talks to women about God's plan for women, it can get... uncomfortable. I'm praying for God to give me the words to say that will speak truth and love to the women in our community, and inspire them and the men that love them to lean into God more and more for direction, grace and all that He wants to give them. Can't wait to see where this ends up!

There you have it. I promise you'll get to hear about my Study Leave, but first, these pressing priorities have me focused. And I invite you to pray for all of this in my life, if you have a second.

Monday Random

A thousand random thoughts in my head this Monday, just a few that you might be interested it:

• What a great Sunday! Our worship together was great, the responses and conversations I had afterward were great, and the energy and passion level was great! I miss you when I'm gone, and a Sunday like yesterday is a big reason why.
• Yes, I did say that I heard God tell me clearly during my Study Leave that I needed to let go of the 'comfortable Christianity' I've been taught all my life and grab on to Jesus. Being in the center of God's will isn't safe, it makes you dangerous, and I want to be dangerous!!
  
• I hear that the Children's Ministry was mobbed during the 11 am service! Tons of kids! How cool is it that when we hear God say we need to target Children and Students this year, we get a Sunday like this to remind us why? Yeah God!
• Vision Night was good, the best turn out for a meeting like that we've had in a while, and in attempting to over-communicate, I think we might have communicated. I'm glad we have people in our church family who are interested in the management of our ministry and want to show up to these things. No, they aren't always comfortable, but yes, they are important, so thanks to the 60 people who came!
• We will have to trust God for the ministry we will do, both the outcome and the funding of God's church are up to HIM, and that's a lesson we've been learning the last few years. Can't wait to see what He's going to do in HIS church this ministry year!
  
• And again, thanks to Terry Tharp for his year of faithful service on the Elder Team.
  
• Yes, we will open up nominations for elder this fall, so be praying!
• Glad we have a date for the New Orleans trip (Nov. 1- 7), and if you're wanting to go, get ready, it's going to be amazing! If you'd like to help someone else financially to be able to go, then let me know ASAP!
• I'm stoked about this next series, Beautiful, that starts Sunday. Can't wait to see what God wants to do in the lives of women in our church and in our valley. BRING A FRIEND!!
• God has been answering prayers all around us! I've heard about jobs, promotions, health issues and more where God has been showing up and making Himself known. Prayer works, so if you're praying about something and haven't seen the answer yet, KEEP PRAYING!! When you see God answering prayers around you, it's a signal that your answer is coming closer. Be alert!

I'm still in the process of connecting all the dots from my Study Leave, so I'll leave that for a later post, but thanks to all who were praying for me while I was working hard to hear from God. I'll start the book review posts on Wednesday.

Learning to Listen

I'm in the process of trying to look back over my recent Study Leave and work through the lessons God taught me during those weeks, and at the same time putting together a message on vision for the future for Sunday. We have Vision Night Sunday night at 6, which will be a bit of both: looking back over the past year and looking ahead to what God has for us in the future.

So I'm having an interesting time getting myself in the right frame of mind for today. I need to look back, look forward, and try not to miss what's in front of me today. And just when I got settled down with a cold beverage at Starbucks to figure out what I needed to focus on until football practice starts (yes, one more year with the Lions, I'll get to that later...), my phone rings.

An emergency! There's someone in need of a pastor. A spiritual 911 call, if you will. So finishing the sermon on God's future for FBC will need to wait. The reflection on all that I've heard and learned from God during this season of study will have to wait. The immediate need is to pick up the phone and do my best to offer the hope and peace of Christ in the midst of a serious struggle. At the end of the call, things are better, and now the ministry of help and healing can begin. It's at times like this I'm glad I'm a part of a church family that I can count on to help and serve, to bless and love other people.

I don't know about you, but one struggle that I face is choosing how to balance past, present and future in my life and my walk with God. I want to honor the past, to learn from it and reflect well upon it. I want to aim toward a better future, a closer walk, a more effective ministry in my life, too. But I live in this moment, this one minute in time, this short season that is so full of potential for good, for evil, for building up or for breaking down. What will I do in this minute that will make the best of the past and the future at the same time? Sometimes, that's a hard choice. Sometimes, that's an opportunity I miss. But sometimes, like today, God steps in and makes it totally clear: "It's not about you, Bill."

My past is past - I can hopefully learn from it, but I can't go back and change it, no matter how hard I worry.

My future is still in front of me - I can hopefully honor God with my decisions and continue to walk a path that brings a smile to His face, but I won't do that by worrying, either.

My moment is now - I can listen to the Spirit the best I can right now, and do the best I can with all that I have. That's all that God ever asks.

All along the way, I see that God is teaching me that if I'm listening to Him, trusting Him, leaning into Him, I'm going to be in the right place at the right time to be used by Him for His purpose and plan. That's what I'm learning, anyway.

So, I'll get back to the sermon, the Vision Night, and the Study Leave evaluation later. The need to serve Jesus by taking that phone call was now. And in God's great plan, the rest will work itself out, too, if I will just listen.

Back From Canada

Today is the first day back in the office after my Study Leave, and after the trip North to officiate Chris and Natalie's wedding. I'll give a better accounting of the Study Leave (short version: it was AWESOME!!), and my book reviews starting next week, but here's a quick look at the trip to Canada:

What an amazing weekend! I met some great people, reconnected with some folks I had not seen in a while, and was blessed over and over by the folks I got to hang out with up in Victoria, B.C. Here (in no particular order) are the highlights:

• The time spent with my daughter, Rachel, was great. We talked about all kinds of things, and had some great conversations about spiritual issues as well as all the 'kid' stuff that she enjoys. We walked around Victoria, and she was a total trooper almost the entire time. She was amazing in her perseverance for a 9 year old, spending the entire day on Saturday getting ready, being photographed, walking through the service (she was a flower girl), then standing for MORE photos, and then dealing with the reception. It ended up being a 13 hour day for her, and she handled it like a champ! We ended up taking a well deserved Pedi-cab back to the hotel after that.
  
• The wedding was wonderful! From the rehearsal to the reception, the events seemed to go off with nary a hitch. Natalie and Chris' friends and families were great about getting everything together, and there was enough fun for everyone. The service itself was only marred by the pastor forgetting to get the microphone figured out. (my bad...) Natalie looked radiant, Chris was devastatingly handsome, and the Spirit of God was very evident. It was a blessing to work with Pastor Gary and Paul Austin on the service, and all of it was holy and reverent, including the laughter.
  
• Signing the documents in the service was new, but we managed to get through that without any hiccups. I've never seen that done, nor even heard of it before, but apparently, in Canada, that's a part of the service. As the old saying goes, the job's never over until the paperwork is done, so I guess we had to get the job done!
• The food at the rehearsal dinner was incredible! Macaroni Grill is now on my list of places to look for in any city where I travel. They just kept bringing bowl after plate after dish... I was going to need help getting out of the chair!! So good, thank you Boblit family for hosting us!
• The food at the reception was UNBELIEVABLE!! Here's all you really need to know: after I EXCITEDLY put the big scoop of the FOURTH salad on my plate, I was thinking, "What else can they possibly have?" The answer: EVERYTHING!! The food was beyond words. I've never uttered this phrase before, but it seems appropriate: I can't wait for the next bowl of Mango/Pepper salad! (for those of you who don't know me, I'm not a 'salad' kind of guy, if that tell you anything about this spread!) Thanks to the families for that amazing experience!
  
• I was so proud of the FBC folks who were there, seemingly everywhere, helping, serving, blessing Chris and Nat in so many ways. Just making the trip up was a blessing to them, and they were humbled by having so many come from their church family. Way to go!
• My first ever live webcast. The folks who saw the wedding live online said it came across great, even if it was a little blurry. Looking forward to seeing more of technology and ministry connecting people like that. It was cool!
  
• Getting across the border with a child is easier if you take a letter from the spouse that's not going with you. Turns out that once again, listening to your wife pays off in the long run! Beth had a letter drawn up and notarized that got me through customs in a flash with Rachel. Others were not so lucky...

All in all, a wonderful trip. Can't wait to get back and take Beth to see Victoria, it was a beautiful city. Can't wait to get back in the saddle around here and catch up on all that God is doing at FBC, and can't wait to see what comes next! Keep praying for Chris and Nat as they make their way down the West Coast to a wedding, a California reception, then on the the honeymoon, then back here for the first chapter in their life together.

Short Week...

This week is going to be very short and very long at the same time. I've got today, tomorrow and part of Wednesday to get my life in order, then drive to Boise, get a hotel, wake up Thursday, get on a plane, fly to Victoria, BC for a wedding, all with my beautiful daughter Rachel by my side.

See, she's the flower girl (a job she's had some experience with, I might add), and it' s very important that she be there. I'm doing the wedding, but if there's no flower girl... well, let's just not go there.

I'm looking forward to spending some time, just the two of us, hanging out, goofing off, etc... before football season starts and her brother's schedule dominates my life. I'm coaching the defense for the Lions again this year, and Mac is fired up for his eighth grade year. We're going to have a better season than last year, and Mac has been working out all summer to get ready. Kid is ripped. It's scary.

But this is going to be a crazy week. I probably will not be able to post again until after the wedding, flight home, drive back from Boise. So feel free to pray for us, for Chris and Natalie's wedding, and for Rachel as she does her very important job.

Can't wait to go do this thing, and can't wait to get back and share some vision at Vision Night on Aug. 16. Don't miss it!!

(Not) Alone Time

I'm sitting in a Starbucks (naturally) in Sun Valley, finishing up four days of alone time with God. Cathedral Pines, our ABC church camp, is up the road from here, and they have a cabin they let pastor's use for just this sort of thing. I got here Monday and have had a great time with no distractions, no cell service, and no internet access unless I roll into town.

God used this time to speak some important things into my heart and give me some important perspective. I feel like I've been in a valley in my life, a struggle for clarity, a time of playing defense instead of offense spiritually. I've felt disappointed in myself over many things, and disappointed in the circumstances I found myself in, whether of my own doing or someone else's design. I've used the Billy Graham quote multiple times: "Mountain tops are for vistas, but the fruit is grown in the valley." So getting away to the mountains, I was hoping to catch a view of the fruit, if any, that has been growing in the valley.

God is faithful. There has been a lot, and it was surprising to see some of it. Some was not the kind of fruit I like, but totally what God wanted to grow in me. Some of it, while not overwhelming in it's size or abundance, was what I wanted, and it left me wanting more.

I'll sum it up with a verse that I didn't really look for in my quiet times, but was hoping to find. While reading other things, other books of the Bible, other books (reviews to follow over the next couple weeks here, stay tuned), it was a podcast of an Andy Stanley sermon that put it front and center for me this week: Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

I realized that I have spent a lot of time and energy trusting in what I've learned from God, the gifts He's given me, and the experiences He's allowed me to have (or walked me through), but somehow, I've forgotten to trust in Him. I'm leaning on all the gifts, not the Giver of the gifts. I'm trusting the wisdom He has given me, and I totally blew it when it comes to trusting Him.

So, after apologizing to God, I'm here to apologize to you. I'm sorry. I will do better. God is bigger than just the gifts He gives, and I need to trust Him more. Pray for me.

Exciting Developments!!

Last night Karl and I had a great meeting with Coop and Penny Cooper, our coordinators for the Financial Peace University classes. They were excited about a Dave Ramsey Simulcast coming up in September, and we spent an hour looking at the details to see if we could host the event at FBC. Looking at this event, it will require some faith, yet it's very doable, so we said we were going to say a 'prayerful yes.' It would be a live webcast of Dave doing his Total Money Makeover, and it gives us as a church the opportunity to introduce more people in our community to all things Dave Ramsey, including the FPU class. Pray with us, there's an upfront cost, and we would be required to sell tickets, but I'm jacked about the potential of this becoming reality. Could you imagine our Worship Center full of people being set free from financial bondage on a Saturday in September? Pray early, pray often, and let us know if you'd be interested in being a part of this opportunity!

After that exciting conversation, talk turned to New Orleans. Penny and Coop went in March and worked with some friends from Indiana on a mission project. The folks in Indiana have invited us to go along when they send a team this fall, probably the last week of October (maybe the first week of November?). I've been praying for the chance to go, and now, it's becoming a reality. If you're interested in going, we want to send a team. We'll get the details out as soon as we have them, but save some vacation time (a week), some money (about $900-1000), and pray a bunch. I'm going, and I'd love for you to come on this adventure with me, or maybe help someone else to go if you can't make it yourself. The need is still great after Hurricane Katrina, and we'd be helping share the light of Jesus, one act of service at a time.

I love hearing people bubble up vision and watching as it starts to take shape in God's hands!! These are two of the pieces of what God wants next in the life of FBC, and I'm glad for leaders like Penny and Coop who see what's not there yet, then pray and work until it starts to happen.