Roof Crashers

Old Friends and New Ones

2012-02-13T17:02:00.004-07:00

This weekend was a special time at LifePoint Church and for me personally. I got to introduce three friends to my LifePoint family. My good friend and long time partner in ministry, Paul Austin spoke this weekend, and did a fantastic job of sharing God's plan for making Jesus famous in our valley - Sow, Sleep and Reap from Mark 4. I love this message (yes, I had heard it before, but that's why I love it!) because it's so clear and timely: we as Christ followers need to be sowing the seeds of the Gospel, the love we have from Jesus, into the world around us. Then, we need to trust God for the growth, not trying to force God onto our (normally impatient) timeline. Finally, we need to be sensitive to the whisper of God to join Him in the harvest when those moments arise.

That message resonates with my heart, because so many folks have been doing just that with our 12 Ways of Christmas and the ongoing opportunities to share generously the hope that we have in Jesus through the Diaper Drive for the Community Pregnancy Center (over 10,500 diapers collected!!!), and now the blood drive this February. We as a church are sowing seeds of the Good News with each act of generosity, and with each story of lives touched by our small groups, by individuals, and by our church family as a whole. It's amazing to watch what God is doing in us as He does this work with us and through us.

The other two friends I introduced are new, and I'm excited to be getting to know them and serve with them now and into the future. Josh Uht is our new Worship Pastor, and he and his wife, Johanna are joining our LifePoint family after a year long search. As I said this weekend, we had several very good candidates come through for the position, but Josh stood out as the right choice for many important reasons. We are blessed and excited to have him on our team and he is quickly assimilating to our culture and leading with grace and vision. Johanna is a delightful person and will be a great addition to our church family as well, so please pray for both of them as they land here and become a part of helping us all to be Loving God, Loving People and Leaving a Legacy.

It is a privilege to share my friends with my church family and my church family with my friends. I'm a happy, happy pastor today!!

Top 10 Lessons from 2011 - Part 3 (FINALLY!!)

2012-02-07T16:46:00.003-07:00

Just about scuttled this blog, still getting interference from sun spots or something on the Interweb, so I'm hoping this is the start of regular posts again. In the meantime, finishing what I started here and here, the top 3 are:

3. People take themselves too seriously and God not seriously enough - It's a hazard of the job that when you stand up and talk about God in front of people, there will be people who will take offense at something (read: just about anything) you do, and occasionally fire a verbal assault cannon at you. As a recovering people pleaser, I'm better at absorbing and deflecting those missile missives and sifting them for actual constructive criticism that can help me grow. But this past year I've been reminded that some folks take themselves so seriously that no one and nothing will make them happy unless either they thought of it or had some part to play in approving of it ahead of time. My teaching style includes as much humor as I can fit into a message on the weekend. It's on purpose, it's intentional, and it's strategic, but it's also a reflection of my personality. I like to laugh, and I like to make other people laugh, but beyond that, humor helps to get the point across, even a difficult point, in an agreeable way. And especially to men, who are largely absent in churches in America. Men like to laugh, and they listen better when they laugh, so I like to make men laugh so they will listen. So when others decide my "comedy routine" is not serious enough for worship, I'm really okay with that, because everyone is entitled to their opinion. When they blast me for it, or demand I change who I am and what I do to please them, I giggle and remind myself that I don't have to please everyone. And especially not the cranky people. God likes laughter, and God likes it when people use their gifts to serve in His church, so I'm pretty sure what He thinks trumps what cranky people think.

2. NEVER. STOP. LEARNING. - No one knows it all, and the person who thinks they do is in for a rude awakening. I'm convinced that as fast as the world around us is changing (the Arab spring, the elections, the economic roller coaster, etc...), if you're not actively learning what you can about what impacts your world, you are being left behind at light speed. The church is no different, and as a pastor and leader, I need to be reading, listening and asking questions of leaders from all types of backgrounds and all kinds of points of view. Reading business and leadership books as well as church ministry books is huge for me. The privilege of sitting with some great leaders in a small group setting or going to a conference to hear big name preachers are both vital to gaining fresh perspective on what I do and what we as a church can accomplish for God's Kingdom. Having a personal coach and a group of leaders to learn with in community are also a major piece of gaining not only knowledge but WISDOM in my life. I'm smart enough by myself to know that I'm not smart enough by myself. As Rick Warren says, "All leaders are learners. If you stop learning, you stop leading." Truth!!

1. The more I am myself, the more effective I am for Jesus - One of the struggles in my life has been the idea that I need to be someone else, that just being me is not enough. As a kid, being me wasn't cool enough for the crowd. As a younger adult, being me wasn't hip enough for the hipsters. As a younger pastor, being myself wasn't quite good enough to please people in the congregation: why can't you be more like ____________? The pressure to be someone other than myself was often overwhelming for me. However, here in the role I have, in the ministry I am privileged to lead, I get the opportunity to be myself with very little pressure to be anyone else but me. And what I've found is both astonishing and obvious: the more I am who God made me to be, the more effective I am. When I try to be someone else, I am far less effective or impactful, but when I am who and what God made me to be, without reservation and without apology, I see the impact of what I do not just grow but multiply. I am the best me there ever will be, and I will be a lousy Billy Graham, or Bill Hybels, or Rick Warren, or... you get the point. The closer I come to being the Bill McCready that God imagined when He knit me together, the more joy, more peace, more energy, and more effectiveness flows in my life. For the record, I WANT THAT!!!

Okay, what did you learn last year?

Top 10 Lessons from 2011 - Part 2

2012-01-09T13:54:00.002-07:00

Picking up where I left off here...

6. - Leadership is Personal: There is no "one right way" to lead for everyone, but everyone is a leader. I love to read leadership books, blogs, twitter feeds, and listen to leadership podcasts, and I learn a lot from gifted leaders who share their wisdom in those arenas. I believe there are leadership principles and leadership concepts that can be learned and applied in almost every leadership situation, but I've come to discover that leaders come in all shapes, sizes, configurations and situations. There is no one kind of leadership personality, no one cookie cutter look and feel of a leader. Leaders can be introverts and extroverts, they can be organized or flexible, they can be up front people or behind the scenes people. Leadership is influence, as John Maxwell says, and influence can come from anyone, anywhere. Therefore, don't count yourself out if you're not a leader like someone else. You don't have to be like me to be a leader, and I don't have to be like John Maxwell to be a leader. Different people lead (with good leadership principles) in different ways. There are introverts that I know who are amazing leaders, and some that look at extroverted leaders and say, "I can't lead, I'm not like that." Don't let that lie have one more second of your thinking - you can and should be influencing someone in your life for the betterment of your organization and your world. Don't let someone else's picture of leadership keep you from being a positive influence and leading where you are.

5. - Leaders talk. Good leaders discuss. Great leaders listen. One thing all leaders, whether by position or giftedness or necessity, have to do is talk. All leaders share vision, teach principles, set goal, talk about the past, present or future. All leaders talk. Good leaders talk and listen; they discuss and get input along the way. If you're going to be a good leader, you have to involve other people with other perspectives, and you have to give them time to engage you in conversation in order to rise above and become effective. But the greatest leaders I know are really listeners. They know how to listen, learn, understand and grow in any setting. The truly great ones (and there are only a few truly great leaders) can both hear and listen, gather both what is being said and what it meant by it in deeper context. I realize in my position of leadership, if I do all the talking, I can maybe get us somewhere, but it's limited. If I engage in discussion, give and take with others, we can go much further than I can lead by just talking. But if I truly lead by listening (to God, to leaders, to teammates, to the congregation and to the community around me), there's a chance to make a much larger impact. I'm at my best when I'm a listening leader.

4. - Fire bullets, then cannonballs. (Jim Collins font) - Collins wrote one of my favorite books, Good To Great, and I've been listening to him ever since. His newest book, Great By Choice is amazing! I finished it in December, and I've been blown away by the wisdom contained in his research. This tidbit is particularly awesome - if you have a limited amount of gunpowder, you want to fire bullets (which take only a little gunpowder) first to see where they land before you fire a cannon ball (which takes a lot of gunpowder). The bullets let you know if you've hit the target so you can line up the cannonball and know you're going to hit what you aim at. To miss with a cannonball is to use up lots of resources (time, talent and treasure) and not get any return, but to test with smaller amounts of resources (bullets), you can find what you need to spend larger amounts on (cannonballs) in a more controlled, effective way. We've been doing that at LifePoint Church with a number of ideas. Most of our outreach the past year has been done on a smaller scale using our small group ministry to see what ideas will stick. Those ideas can be refined and retooled into larger, full scale ministries when we know that we've hit something. It's a strategy that moves us forward while still allowing us to use good stewardship, and when something fails, we don't have to panic. But if something succeeds, we can put more powder behind it the next time. Even in a big church or organization, it's okay to start small.

More to come...

Top 10 Lessons from 2011 - Part 1

2012-01-04T12:46:00.004-07:00

It's the start of a New Year, so everyone will have their Top 10 Year-In-Review lists. This one just happens to be mine. 2011 was a year of learning some great lessons both personally and in ministry for me. Here's the first half of the list:

BILL'S TOP 10 LESSONS LEARNED IN 2011

10. - Learn from the Pony Express: If you have to choose, choose the ponies over the mail. No ponies, no mail. I heard this idea from Pastor Larry Osborn at North Coast Church over a year ago, but this past year, the more I worked to implement this principle, the better it worked. You don't get very far with exhausted people on your team, so working to take care of the folks who 'carry the mail' has to be a priority for a leader. It makes people feel loved to know you are as concerned for them personally as you are interested in their productivity. Take care of your horses, or you'll be delivering the mail by yourself.

9. - From the hymnal: Trust and Obey, for there's no other way... Trusting God and obeying His call and prompting is the only way to lead in His church. Listening to His word and doing what it says, conditioning yourself to hear His voice, and leaning into the courage it takes to follow when it's difficult or when it's new and 'we've never done it that way before' is pressing in, these are keys to leading into the future and not living in the rear view mirror.

8. - "There's no substitute for TIME." (Pastor Roy font). This quote is from Roy Conover, one of our pastors here at LifePoint Church, and it comes up so often I had to include it. Growth takes time. Change takes time. Learning takes time. Trust takes time. Health takes time. Culture shift takes time. You can take some steps to move them each along, but in the end, time will always be a factor. You don't get to microwave people into their next level of maturity, it will always take some time.

7. - People will rise to the challenge if you are honest about the challenge. All this past year, as we've been working to grow in our missional side of the ministry here at LifePoint, there have been moments when people were concerned that people weren't going to get on board with serving in the community, or giving beyond themselves to see others impacted. But each time, as we've clearly explained the reason why we were moving in that direction, the steps we were going to take, and the hoped for impact those steps would bring, we got great buy in and cooperation. Our Project 40/40 was a huge example. We hoped we could get our 40 small groups to each do one project to serve in the community during the 40 days leading up to Easter. Some folks were nervous that we wouldn't hit our goals (no harm in that, they were just sharing their honest feedback). We never said it would be easy, and we never promised success. And when it was all over, we didn't hit our goals... we EXCEEDED THEM!! People stepped up to the challenge, groups served like crazy all over the Carson Valley and beyond, and (total bonus) NEW GROUPS WERE FORMED!! Don't back down from a challenge, help people step up to it by being honest and clear about the challenge.

More learnings to come, including two learned the hard way...

Weekend Update

2011-12-18T23:20:00.003-07:00

Okay, after a weekend like this, I couldn't pass up a chance to share the great stuff God is doing at LifePoint Church right now. Too fired up to sleep, so blogging commences:

Loved the way the crowd responded to Matt Hein and company this weekend in worship! Lots of energetic singing to some juiced up Christmas carols. It can be a challenge to worship to some of the carols, but the arrangements and the spirit of the leaders and the crowd made it a spiritual moment each service!

Great to hear the response to the picture of Sunny and Jaxon (and Gracie, of course), and to share the joy of that family's new addition, as well and let folks know she's going to be back in February.

Yes, there was a Josh Uht sighting in our 10:45 service! He, his wife Johanna and his mom Mary were here for a quick visit. If you haven't heard, Josh is our new Worship Pastor, and he's going to be starting in January, so pray for them as they prep for their move here from California.

Heard great updates about the 12 Ways Of Christmas, SO pumped to hear that we had OVER 400 ORNAMENTS come off the Legacy Tree and turn into presents for people all over our valley. Lots of folks are going to get a gift of love this Christmas, thanks to generous people at LifePoint!

And the Great School Bakeoff was a hit! 17 schools worth of teachers received goodies and encouragment this week from generous Lifers. NICE!!

Can't wait to hear the total for the caroling parties this week!

Lining up for our 5 Christmas Eve services, we've got literally 100's of volunteers ready to share God's love at our services. Can't wait to see what happens there! (Who are YOU going to invite??)

Hearing a lot of folks taking up the challenges of the these past few weekends to allow God to mess up OUR plans in order to get in on HIS plan which is ALWAYS BETTER!!

Bonus! Hanging with my small group tonight, we were working on how we can jump in on some more of the 12 Ways Of Christmas and share some love. It's great to be in a group with committed Christ-followers who are willing to get involved!!

Okay, for a blog that wasn't going to fire up again until January - That Looks Fired UP!!!

A reset for the New Year

2011-12-17T14:04:00.002-07:00

If anyone is STILL looking at this sight, you have noticed my total lack of attention to this blog. Here's the deal: I've been locked out due to some frustrating interweb stuff (don't want to get all technical on you...), and hopefully I've gotten the bugs out of this now, so we're good to go.

My goal is to start regular blogification in the new year, but for now, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good blog!

Weekend Wrap

2011-08-15T00:10:00.003-06:00

A great weekend at LifePoint Church!! Some highlights:

A solid and lively crowd on Saturday night! That's the LOUDEST I've heard you sing in a while, folks! Glad to see so many there, and new faces, too!

Saw at least 20-25 people raise their hands during the invitation this weekend. Praise God for people crossing the line of faith!!

Walked through a small group leader training Pastor Mark was holding on Saturday night, that's so cool! New groups launching here soon, can't wait!

Speaking of groups, got together with mine after a vacation induced hiatus. Good to catch up and get connected again.

Hearing great buzz about Tahoe Baptisms! Don't miss it, it was a highlight of last summer, and it will be amazing again this year!

Our guest worship leader got a lot of positive buzz. More on that down the road.

Had a lot of folks tell me Pale Rider is a movie with a great portrayal of a tough, good hearted, man's man of a preacher. Yep. Love that movie. Wish there were more like it. With manly, tough, good preachers in them that don't die half way through. (If you missed the teaching this week on What Would Jesus Say About: Cowboys & Aliens, you didn't get this one) :)

Gotta go crash, it's been a long week. Looking forward to what God has next!!

A New Start

2011-08-08T18:19:00.003-06:00

This was the week I had intended to have a new "social media strategy" in place, linking up my twitter, Facebook and blog to help me to communicate what God has put on my heart and help me lead, serve and share better. It was all a part of the grand design, waiting until I got my vacation out of the way, and things had settled for a moment before we hit Fall.

When men plan, God laughs.

The past two weeks have been more than what I bargained for in the "get caught up after vacation" department. But now, I believe, we've seen a crest to the wave of 'stuff,' and I can start getting posts up, tweeting and (I can't believe I'm saying this...) regularly updating on Facebook.

I'm going to let you in on a couple of the thoughts that have been rolling in my head the last few months, and then move on forward with the part where my social media opportunities can be used to lead, serve and share better. I'm actually looking forward to it, as much as it has been a hit and miss thing for the last 6 months or so.

I'm taking the advice of CJ Alvarado and Margaret Feinberg, the two of whom spoke at a workshop at the Thrive conference last May. They gave all of us some pointers on the best way to leverage social media for the Kingdom of God and the ministries we've been called to serve. I'm going to try it out, and I'll let you know if it goes.

Meantime, check back here for more regular updates on life, LifePoint, leadership and most importantly, Loving God, Loving People and Leaving a Legacy.

Talk soon,

Bill

Friendship Friday

2011-04-01T18:27:00.004-06:00

There's always a lot going on at a dynamic church like LifePoint, but in the midst of it all this week, I had a few moments to savor the gift God has given me of friends. There were several conversations this week, some face to face, some on the phone, some via text or email, that reminded me that I am rich in one of the only measures that matter - I have great friends. I have friends both near and far that love me in spite of who they know I am, who aren't in relationship with me just to get what they can from me, and who are willing to both listen to my life and tell me what I NEED to hear, not simply what I WANT to hear. That is such a blessing. Proverbs 17:17 is a verse I memorized in college (thanks to a friend...), "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." Yes, family is supposed to have your back, and I know mine does. But I have lived far from my family for 20+ years, so I have had to rely on friends who are like brothers (and sisters) to me. In the struggles of leading churches, pastors tend to not make friends, or at least not many. I've tried my best not to become jaded by the experiences and stay open to the God-honoring friendships that have come my way. Yes, there have been false friends along the way, and people who pretended to be my friend for the benefit of being close to the pastor, or for the opportunity to try and influence the direction of the church by bending my ear. But after a few rounds of walking through adversity with people, you figure out motives and meanings eventually. I don't always get it right, but I've learned. So this week, when I needed some friends, they were there. This is my tribute to them, and to the ones who I didn't get to talk to, but I know are still there. And to the ones that I have yet to make, but in God's timing and with His grace, I know I will. And to all my friends, I love you, I honor you, and I will continue to try to be there for you, just the way you have been for me.

On the road to Easter

2011-03-27T22:13:00.002-06:00

This past week reminded me that Easter is on it's way. Not the Cadbury Egg commercials, not the previews for "HOP" on TV, but the fact that so much is happening at LifePoint Church. Just a few of the challenges/opportunities around here:

Jeremy and Amy Malekos announcing their departure from our church staff has been a mixed blessing. Of course we're excited for their next adventure, and we know God has something for them in California, but it hurts to see them go after all that they have invested in ministry here. They will be missed, and they do leave a whole that God will need to fill.

One of our facilities staff, Dave Henry, has also tendered his resignation. He's taking a position at a local coffee roasting plant (and he better get me a tour...). We wish Dave all God's best in his transition, too.

We're working to hire an administrative assistant in the church office about now, and that process is underway.

We're still looking for a Worship Pastor, and are hoping to have one this summer.

We're going to break ground this spring on a solar collection system that Nevada Energy is giving us for FREE that will power our campus almost entirely, giving us a huge cost savings each month.

We continue to see new people connect to our church, and people in our church connect in small groups, and our small groups connect to serving in the community. NICE!!

Included in that small group movement is our Senior Thursday group, just getting off the ground, but growing in enthusiasm and momentum.

We baptized 22 people this weekend, 18 in regular services, and 4 more as a part of Jeremy and Amy getting some 'last chance' opportunities.

That's not even the complete list! There's much more happening around LifePoint, but it all reminds me that while there are hard things, there are also good things that God is doing all around us. And Easter means that we will need to ramp up everything: serving, helping, loving, inviting, giving, and most especially PRAYING!!!

Pray for your church, for the leaders, for the folks who are working to make Easter a special, hope-filled event, and for the thousands of people who will come through our doors looking for hope. Now is the right time to pray, and I hope you'll join in as we follow the road to Easter.

It Will Feel Better (When It Quits Hurting...)

2011-03-25T14:55:00.003-06:00

The announcement this week that Pastor Jeremy Malekos will be leaving our staff and taking a position in the power industry in California was greeted with mixed emotions. For some, there is sadness over losing Jeremy and Amy from our staff, and their family from our LifePoint family. For others, the joy of knowing that God has laid out a plan for their lives that will put them in position to continue to serve God, learn and grow, and be better prepared for the next ministry calling God would put on their lives in the future. There are also some feeling confusion about what this means for LifePoint, for our Student Ministries, and for our own personal lives and relationships.

So before we make any other public announcements about this transition, let me say this: we will all need space to process this both mentally and emotionally, so let's give ourselves and each other permission to grieve and walk through this loss. We all will need time to process all that this will mean in our lives and our church, and no one is in a rush to 'just get over it.' We need to move intentionally to deal with all the feelings and aspects of this loss.

A friend of mine used to joke whenever someone stubbed a toe or hit their thumb with a hammer: "It'll feel better when it quits hurting!" That's actually true. It won't feel better before the hurting is done, so you can't rush it. Some things just take time, and as Pastor Roy Conover likes to say, "There's no substitute for time." But when it does quit hurting, when the grief and grieving are past, it will feel better. We will have a fresh perspective on our lives, our church and the steps God has ahead of us, and we will be able to appreciate where we've come and get excited about where we're going.

I just want everyone to know that the leadership at LifePoint is working on the details of moving forward in this transition time, so you don't need to worry about that just yet. Focus on loving the Malekos family through their transition, and then on healthy processing of this whole deal. If you need to grieve, then do so without feeling pressured or rushed. Just walk it through, and let God's wisdom and grace (along with His family, the church) help you through it.

And trust in the promise that God has our church right where HE wants us. It's going to feel better...

Why we own a house

2011-03-11T13:54:00.004-07:00

We held the first 'official' event at our home yesterday, and it reminds me of why we bought a house in the first place.

Yes, we've had a few friends over, and yes, we're not counting those as 'official' events, because we just called some folks and invited them to hang out. Yesterday was an Open House for our Senior Adults at LifePoint Church, and we had over 20 people fill up our living room with smiles, conversation and laughter. It was great!! We're launching a new Senior Adult ministry next week (we're looking for a cool name, don't have one yet...), and Beth and I wanted to take the opportunity to invite these precious folk over and let them see us in our 'natural habitat.'

It was great fun to talk to the folks, get to know some new people and enjoy some goodies, but the best part was hearing how they were so excited about where we are going as a church family and how they are looking forward to having their own ministry as Seniors, complete with small groups, Bible study and outreach projects to do. These folks have more experience and more time than working folks, and combined with a real desire to follow God, this is going to be the beginning of something great!!

The whole event reminded me why we own a house: it's a tool to do ministry. We live here, yes, and we raise our kids here, which is a ministry unto itself, but like everything God has given us, it's a tool for Him to use to serve His Kingdom. I love it when we get to enjoy the gifts God has given us with other people, and to use them to see His church grow. Our house is God's house, and His gift to us is a place to live and a base for ministry.

Here's to the good gifts God gives, and the opportunity to use them for Him!

Year One: Transition with a Captital T

2011-03-08T19:01:00.002-07:00

This month marks the one year anniversary of my family leaving Idaho, our home for 14 years, and moving to Minden, Nevada, to LifePoint Church and to a whole lot of...transitions. Change is another word, but people don't like it much. Transitions - the moving from one idea/reality/concept/place/way of thinking to another. That's all we've done for a year.

We've sold and bought a house, moved twice, engaged in negotiations about real estate both personally and on behalf of the church, and learned a lot about banking, loans and customer service. Learning is a huge part of transition, because what got you to where you are won't get you where you want to go next.

There's been staff transitions of all kinds, and changes in relationships all around. There's been much growth and learning all around, and I'm very proud of the folks who have engaged in the transition with open hearts and minds to what God is doing here. It's been hard on some folks, and some haven't managed the transitions as well as others. It's the same back in Idaho where we left: some have managed to transition gracefully and others without much grace. People are people, and we deal with the changes in life the best we can. I'm learning that.

I've transitioned my leadership style to fit the new adventure of LifePoint Church (and I'm still learning this one, too!), and I've spent the last year leading a cultural shift, because as I've come to learn recently, "Culture eats strategy for lunch!" (That might be a Peter Drucker quote, no one seems quite sure. I know it's true, whoever said it.) The culture was ready for a change, but had we started with strategy, we'd have been in trouble.

We have even now begun to transition into more strategic initiatives, like our Project 40/40, our attempt to do 40 missional projects in the community in the 40 days before Easter. The buzz is palpable! People are getting into small groups just to be a part of this opportunity to show God's love to our community with no strings attached. It's exciting to hear the projects that our groups are planning, and I can't wait to see where this ends up.

But God has orchestrated all this transition, and the ones that are coming. It has been a wild ride, with ups, downs, spirals and loop-the-loops, but God's hand has been in it all, making the transitions, however challenging, all work into HIS ultimate plan. Praise God in the transitions!

Gratitude Abounds

2011-02-20T18:31:00.004-07:00

A weekend to remember: first, after a week of snow and ice, we held our Volunteer Appreciation event, and our staff took the time to thank, encourage and entertain our amazing volunteers. It was so fun to see the smiles and hear the laughter of the folks who do the bulk of the work to move the ministry of LifePoint Church forward. If you missed it... all I can say is... You. Missed. It. If you're someone who likes to laugh until your sides hurt, then you will want to make plans to volunteer this year, and show up next year. And whether you were there or not, let me say it again: thank YOU for all you do to serve Jesus at LifePoint!!

Then, we celebrated our thirteenth birthday at LifePoint church. In 1998, a small group of people, full of God's vision for a church for people who didn't like church, launched Carson Valley Christian Center, now LifePoint. Dr. John Jackson and his wife, Pam, led the charge to launch the new church, and over the past 13 years, God has done AMAZING, life changing ministry. This weekend, Pastor John and Pam were here, and Pastor John taught about having the faith to keep going forward into the next chapter of the future of our church.

I am so excited about this crossroads between our past and our future. The celebration of the current ministry through our volunteers, then a look back and forward this weekend was a great opportunity to stop and reflect on where we are. I'm going to do a couple posts on this, but right now, it's a moment to celebrate and be thankful. Thankful for God's grace, thankful for God's vision, thankful for people like the Jacksons, Conovers and Negrettes listening to God's voice and thankful for God's hand of blessing on LifePoint. I am grateful to God for the people on who's shoulders we stand to see the future. And thank God for the future we have in front of us!

Getting Excited...

2011-02-03T18:55:00.002-07:00

Much to be excited about these days, I just need to share:

LifePoint Church got to celebrate 13 baptisms this past weekend, including three from one family that just started coming in the past few months. So honored to share these milestones with everyone! And Pastor Jeremy got to do three of them, so bonus!!
Week two of the Restructure series had more people in attendance than week one, which has me fired up! Folks didn't run away from hearing God's wisdom on finances, they came back and brought friends!!
Speaking of finances, more people buzzing about the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class, can't wait to see what happens when some of THAT wisdom drops on people.
Children's ministry is bursting at the seams! If you are a family with kids and you attend the 10:45 service, and you can AT ALL jump to 9 am or Saturday night, it would help a bunch if you would, we are getting too full in our kids ministry at that hour.
Read that last one again... WHAT A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE!!!!
Hearing buzz about fresh ministry for Senior Adults... stay tuned!!!
Pastor Mark is telling me we've got 46 small groups in our system, plus a few more that are not yet in the system - look at what God is doing there!!
Tuesday Nights started up again, and over 80 people were there for worship, groups, classes and recovery. Pastor Roy was fired up, and word is, more folks are coming!
Cool stuff getting planned for the run up to Easter this spring... you won't want to miss this, trust me!
Birthday weekend is coming February 19-20, celebrating the 13th birthday of LifePoint, and our founding pastor, Dr. John Jackson is coming back to teach that weekend!! Don't miss it!

And there's more yet to come, because God is stirring things up around here. So thanks again to all who are praying for LifePoint, serving as volunteers, and giving to see God's Kingdom move ahead in this area. It's WORKING!! Keep GOING!!!

Chocolate Vitamins

2011-01-28T17:59:00.003-07:00

I have a friend or two that don't like chocolate. I'm not sure how this is possible, but it's true. I can't imagine life without chocolate, and I don't want to. Even with lactose intolerance, I just switched from milk chocolate to dark chocolate and kept going. I love chocolate.

I have learned that taking a regular multivitamin is important for my health, especially my heart, so I'm in the habit of taking one each day. I want to be more healthy and fit in my life, so a vitamin makes sense, and every night before I go to bed is a good time to be sure to take one, so that's when I grab my vitamin.

Encouragement is chocolate vitamins: taste good and it's good for you. Humans work better if they have a regular supply of encouragement in their lives. Normally, they respond positively to it, but some folks will squirm or avoid being encouraged. It's weird, but it happens. Just like people who don't like chocolate: I don't get it, but it happens. Some folks don't want to be encouraged. I believe it's a false, insecurity-turning-to-pride thing some folks get going with, like if I say stop you'll keep telling me how great I am, so... Stop, stop, stop!! But I'm off subject.

People need encouragement. Leaders need encouragement. Pastors need encouragement. Learn how to be an encourager and you'll never run out of friends. I've had the privilege of having some encouragers in my life over the years, and they have helped me survive the pitfalls and pain of serving in church. There are lots of people who will throw a wet blanket on the fire of your passion to serve Jesus, so you need some folks who will stoke that fire instead. If you have discouraging people in your life, find some encouraging people NOW and hang out with them. We all will have folks who want to tell us we'll never make it, we'll never succeed, we're not good enough - everyone has those folks in their lives, so don't try to avoid them all, just avoid being around them all the time. Make sure you're being encouraged (not lied to, encouraged... big difference!), because that will keep you in it when the going gets tough.

If you're a pastor: encourage your people! Find any excuse to tell folks they are doing a good job. They may argue and fight you on it, but it's still the right thing to do. Don't let them think that the only time you talk to them is when something is wrong. Lift them up, charge them up, fill them up with encouragement! Make it a daily habit to encourage someone.

If you have a pastor: encourage your pastor! It's a lonely job, it's a difficult job, and it's one that follows you home most days, so any time you hear encouragement, when you hear someone thinks you're making a difference or doing something well, it's a lift to the spirit, so lift up your pastor! If you got something out of a message, let them know! If you heard something good in the community about your church, let them know! If you were blessed by something they said or did, let them know! You will have a better pastor for it! It's good for their heart.

And encouragement works well in other places, too. Husbands: encourage your wife! Catch her doing things that are good and tell her about it! Wives: encouragement works better than nagging for any man I know. Parents: when you encourage your kids, they remember if far longer than the lecture. Kids: when you encourage your parents, you help them see what you want and need from them, and it works better than the silent treatment.

Encourage someone today. Then, do it again tomorrow! Make your world, your church and your family a better place!

Fear, Feelings and Finances

2011-01-22T23:07:00.003-07:00

I started a series on finances at LifePoint Church tonight, and it caused a stir. It always does.

I've been a teaching pastor for over 15 years, and it never ceases to amaze me how it creates so much fear in people when we talk about money in church. I've gotten the gamut of responses over the years, which I'll talk about in a sec, but let's start with me.

I used to be so afraid to talk about money. I avoided it for the first few years of my teaching ministry, just out of self-preservation. I was so scared that I would offend someone, make someone angry and they would leave the church, or any number of awful outcomes. So I did what a lot of pastor's do: I stayed away from it all together.

Later, after some conviction from the Holy Spirit and some encouragement from some great church leaders, I started teaching on it, but I kept feeling like I was annoying people with it, like it was a biblical inconvenience, or a necessary evil. But here's where it changed for me: when someone who actually gives spoke up.

A couple friends in church heard me apologize for the upteenth time for teaching on money, and they each separately pulled me aside and told me to stop apologizing. When people get God's plan for money, they said, they will thank you. Don't let anyone rattle you, don't let anyone scare you, and if they don't like hearing about it, remember: it's not about you. God has smart things to say about money, so stand behind God's word and let 'er rip! That was good advice.

So Pastors, if you're worried about teaching on money and what people will think, remember this: smart people will thank you for the help and/or encourage you to keep teaching the truth (in love, that's important!!) no matter what anyone says or does. Listen to some good teachers teach on it, learn from them, and then share God's truth about this touchy subject. I've loved Rick Warren's messages, and Andy Stanley does a great job. Of course, Dave Ramsey is the MAN on this topic, so any of his stuff will help, too. Don't be afraid, get some help, then get after it. Your people are drowning in debt, feeling the pressure, crying when no one is looking, fighting and divorcing over finances. Don't let that continue!!!

For everyone else, hear me say this: ENCOURAGE YOUR PASTOR!!! If he or she is teaching on money, go out of your way to encourage them. It is scarier than it looks, and they need to be reminded that God is with them and you are, too! If you are a committed giver, let them know that they are helping others to get this important part of spiritual growth. If not, then listen, learn and grow, but don't rain on the already difficult work your pastor is doing. Encourage your pastor to take on difficult subjects that have the power to help lots and lots and lots of people, both inside and outside the church. Pour gas on that fire, not ice cubes!!!

God has a plan for money in our lives. Pastors need to talk about it, people need to hear it, and we all need to grow in this area of life and faith.

What a Week!

2011-01-09T21:01:00.002-07:00

So, as weeks go, this one was amazing!

I got to talk to a friend from Idaho, encourage him and get some encouragement. That was good.

My beloved Seattle Seahawks won not one, but two games, including a huge playoff win as serious underdogs. That was amazing.

My daughter's basketball team won their first game of the season. That was huge.

My church gave over 940 items, from coats and sweatshirts to gloves and blankets, to give away to folks in need in our valley and maybe even up at Lake Tahoe. I am SO EXCITED about that!!

We learned a lot in the process, and we got to see three dozen volunteers step up to sort, fix, count and bag the gifts. It was amazing to see the whole lot of them across the front of the platform last week, but I got to see the excitement of the folks sorting and fixing zippers. The enthusiasm of folks knowing that they were helping our church to be generous to others, and that we were going to help hundreds of people be warm through that generosity - I could see on their faces how much they were enjoying the experience.

As a pastor, I was blessed, blown away, and fired up for what this means for the future of LifePoint Church. God is moving, I'm so proud of our folks, and can't wait to see where this all goes next. Just a great week!!

Remembering 2010 - Part 2

2011-01-05T20:05:00.004-07:00

I've been having this ongoing nostalgia for where I was this time last year, both physically and emotionally, and it got me thinking. For those who are newer to Roof Crashers, this time last year I was in the beginning stages of interviewing for the job of Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church, and was wrestling with God about the call to leave a place I'd been for 14 years as Senior Pastor at FBC Pocatello. It's been a year of constant transition (we've had three home addresses, two moves, and bought one new couch), and like I said, it got me thinking.

Before you move, you should always decide on what goes with you and what you sell, give away, throw away or otherwise leave behind. We did that with furniture, mattresses, clothes, papers, etc... in each move this year. So I was thinking about what I would want to take with me and what I want to leave behind as we moved from 2010 into 2011. When I tweeted about it, I got some good responses. Here's what I've been thinking:

I want to leave behind 5 things:

My insecurity as a leader - I'm here because I've been called by God, and affirmed by prayerful people. I have nothing to prove and no one to impress. Thanks, Larry Osborne, for that great quote and lesson!
My fear of failure - I don't have to be right all the time, and I don't have to be perfect. I just need to try my best to hear from God and do what I hear Him say. Failure is a great teacher.
My 'people pleaser mode' - Moving to a larger church has taught me quickly that there is no room for being a people pleaser. I thought I could please everyone in my life before, but couldn't, and it befuddled me to no end that I couldn't do it. Now, I know I can't do it, so I do my very best, trust God for the results, and leave the people pleasing in the past.
My resume' - What got me here isn't what's going to get me there, so I need to put aside the 'gold stars' on my past resume' and focus on what I need to learn to move God's church ahead here and now.
My fantasy job - There is no church with too much money and not enough problems. Bigger isn't better, it's just bigger. It's not worse, it's just bigger. A church is people, and people have both problems and potential. There are more opportunities for both, so don't waste time dreaming of somewhere else, make the Big Dream happen here.

And 5 things I want to take with me into 2011:

A hunger to know God more - I am more aware of my need for God than ever before, and I want to know and hear and obey more and more the God who holds all things in His hands, who pours out Grace and Mercy from His heart to mine.
A closer bond with my family - this move has opened up more avenues for the four of us to connect, grow closer and listen to each other. I never want to lose that.
A deeper respect for the past - both mine and that of LifePoint Church. I see over and over again the amazing work that God did through Dr. John Jackson, his wife Pam and the founding families here at (CVC) LifePoint. This is a hard, hard area to do ministry, but God used them all to break through, and now, ministries across the valley are more effective, while this particular church continues to thrive and lead. This year has also taught me that God has been preparing me for this time, this calling, this place. All the difficult ministry of my past nearly 20 years as a pastor have been preparing and building me to face the challenges of "such a time as this." So humbling to follow a great leader, and to know that God has been preparing me to do just that.
A deeper appreciation for my friends - the move has helped me to reconnect with some friends, deepen bonds with others, make new friends, and see the value in friendship in a fresh way. Nothing like starting over to show you that you never really start over when you have real friends in your life.
Special memories - the last weekend in Pocatello, the send off party for the ages, the gift of a beautiful nativity set from my FBC staff, the drive to Minden, the first weekend at LifePoint Church (thanks again to Curt Harlow!!), the first staff meeting, the Easter blackout, the first Tahoe Baptism, the help of the church family to move (again), the amazing Christmas season... just a sampling of what I don't ever want to forget about 2010.

What are you taking/leaving from 2010?

Remembering 2010 - Part 1

2010-12-31T13:21:00.004-07:00

I can recall a few years in my life where I was so happy to see the end come that the New Year's Party was a celebration of survival, with a huge does of, "Thank You God for bringing an end to this, let's get on with what's next!!"

1989 - While happy I graduated from college, my world was crushed by a broken engagement. I was happy to see the new decade begin.

1993 - One year married, being asked to leave a ministry job where I was successful because of church politics, homeless on our first anniversary, three different churches on my resume' in six months, and a move to Riverside, CA. Couldn't wait to be done with that year.

2000 - Started the year with struggles at church and at home, Beth with a difficult prengancy (that produced a beautiful baby girl!), and ended with shingles and massive stress. Partied like it was 1999 (yep, Prince reference...)!

2004 - Went from needing hernia surgery in January to needing chemotherapy and radiation in February to needing IV antibiotics for menengitis in May, and finally getting the hernia surgery in October. Words fail to describe how much I wanted that year over.

But as I write this, I don't think 2010 qualifies for this list. There were hard things for sure, like candidating at a new church, leaving the people I loved for 14 years in Pocatello, seeing the pain that has ensued since I left there, leading my family to start a new life in a new place, selling our house in a crappy market, then trying to buy one is a different kind of crappy market, adjusting to a new job, dealing with layoffs and credit union policies - to be sure, the transitions of my life this year have been many, varied, at times difficult, and full of surprises.

But in reality, there were just as many good times: finding out that God still had a plan for my life, and seeing it unfold each day, knowing I am right where He wants me, receiving the loving send off from friends and church family that we will never forget, knowing that our time in Pocatello was not wasted but very effective, being received with love by a great church family here, seeing the grace of God grow in my kids, watching my wife blossom in this new environment, seeing my own gifts of leadership and teaching affirmed and blessed as leaders around me grow and prosper, making new friends and having new adventures, and growing as much as I've ever grown in my life. All of that more than balances the scales.

No, 2010 is not a year I want to run from. It is going to be one that I will cherish, hard parts included. God is good, the rest is details. I'm going to celebrate the close of this year with some looks back over the next week, then lay into the year to come. Feel free to comment...

Rolling Into The New Year

2010-12-28T15:19:00.002-07:00

Christmas Eve behind us, and a wonderful Thank You weekend, too (again, thanks to all of the LifePoint volunteers who make this place run each week, hope you enjoyed your weekend off!!), it's time to roll full tilt into the New Year!

I'm fired up about the series we're starting, called, "This Is YOUR Year!" Those habits and actions you've been putting off in your spiritual life, your relationships, even your health - This Is YOUR Year to get started on the healthy changes you want to see in your life. We're going to start the year off by team-teaching the message this weekend, so make plans to be here, it's going to be great!

What has me even MORE fired up is Warm-Up Weekend. Wear your favorite sweatshirt to services this weekend, and bring one (or more) to give away! We'd like to collect coats, sweatshirts, even sweat pants, either new or used in good condition, and we'll give them away to agencies in our valley that can give them away to people in need. Call it a generosity jump start to the year!

For the record, my family and I took the opportunity afforded us from Thank You weekend to go visit Pastor Jack Negrette and the gang out at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship, our daughter church in Dayton. Great message by Pastor Jack, and we received a warm, friendly welcome from the folks up there. They are doing an awesome job of reaching that community, keep them in your prayers!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T13:18:00.003-07:00

The lyric that keeps running through my head is from the Chris Tomlin version of Joy to the World: "Joy! Unspeakable JOY! An overflowing well, No tongue can tell! Joy! Unspeakable Joy! Rises in my soul, Never lets me go!"

Ever since we started working on our Christmas Eve services, that song has been in my head and heart. Unspeakable Joy! God loves us so much, He wouldn't let us alone. He gave the most expensive, beautiful, amazing, personal, thoughtful gift ever: Jesus! Angels sang because the joy is too much to just say, it had to be sung! The shepherds didn't just listen to the news, they had to see it for themselves. The Magi saw the star and didn't just imagine what it was about, they had to go see the newborn King.

So when people ask why we did six Christmas Eve services, it's simple: it's because we had to. We had to celebrate the gift of love that God gave us in Jesus. We had to share with our community the joy we feel for what God has done and is doing in us. We had to remind ourselves that it's not about us, but about the Best Gift Ever.

We had over 2600 people come to our services the last three days, including an overflow crowd of 800+ for the 4:30 service yesterday. Lots of new faces, lots of folks bringing their friends, neighbors and co-workers to come share the JOY. Such a great turn out has to be the work of tons of Lifers making the effort to invite people. Way to GO!

What I'm most proud of is the amazing group of volunteers who gave of themselves to build the sets, play the songs, usher the crowds, care for the kids, bake the cookies, serve the coffee and cocoa, play the nativity scene parts, dance their legs off, sing their hearts out and generally give of their gifts to celebrate the Gift of Jesus this year. I was so blessed and blown away by the hearts of those who came early, stayed late, sweated the details and gave their best to make the services a great experience for all who came.

To the volunteers: THANK YOU for all you gave to make it wonderful! (take the weekend off, you deserve it!!) To the staff: THANK YOU for your incredible servant-leadership. You blessed and blessed, gave and gave. I'm proud to be a part of your team! To all who came and brought friends and neighbors: THANK YOU for making the effort, taking the chance, and filling the house, just like Jesus said to!

Merry Christmas, everyone! May God's Best Gift be yours in fuller and fuller measure this year, and may your hearts be full of Unspeakable Joy!!

Just Got Back From Dress Rehersal

2010-12-20T23:46:00.002-07:00

So glad we get to rehearse first, because working the bugs out is important, but after our dress rehearsal tonight, I'm excited. We're going to offer six Christmas Eve services at LifePoint Church, and the music, dancing, drama, all of it will be an opportunity to celebrate the gift of God's love in Jesus. And from the shepherds to the singers, the wise men to the tech crew, we're fired up to share God's love with the people who come.

If you are coming to our services, please get there early, bring a friend, sit up close, and be ready to enjoy the celebration! If you can't make it (all my Idaho, Tennessee, Oregon and Washington peeps!), please pray for us! We have an opportunity to share God's love with thousands of people this year, and we want to do our best for God's glory.

It's going to be great, don't miss it! I'll try to blog after each night's services and let you know how it goes.

Merry Christmas, and All God's Best!!

Giving Myself a Gift This Christmas

2010-12-14T18:14:00.002-07:00

I figured out what I need for Christmas. I'm not sure what I want (I want a lot of things, but they are just that... wants. And not many are going to fit in the budget, but that's a post for a different day), but I know what I need.

I need permission.

I have some feelings. I'm a guy, so I have a harder time verbalizing them or even recognizing them, but I recognize the symptoms of having them. I'm feeling those symptoms today, so I know that there are some feelings rattling around in my life.

So I was talking to a friend today, and they said that I needed to give myself permission to feel those feelings. It was the most simple thought, but it was huge for me, an epiphany, "like lightning hit my brain!"

I am going to give myself permission this Christmas to feel my feelings. I'm going to be okay with having them, with acknowledging them, and with dealing with them. Period. It will be the best present I can give myself this year. Permission to feel? GRANTED! I can feel what it is like to be in a new place for Christmas, what it feels like to miss my friends, what it feels like to want to be with my family and know that I can't. I can feel anticipation for Christmas and the little nervousness of wanting to do well my first time at LifePoint Church on Christmas Eve. I can feel the awkwardness of new friendships and the distance of old ones. I give myself permission.

I was reminded that emotions and feelings are all over the Bible, even among leaders of God's people. So I'm in good company. Moses, David, Jeremiah, even Jesus had feelings. Mary was scared, so the angel said, "Don't be afraid." Peter got mad, Paul got frustrated, and on down the list. We all have feelings.

Do you need permission to feel this Christmas? It's okay, give yourself the gift of feeling your feelings. Then, each time you do, say a prayer and ask God to show you if there is bitterness, or fear, or unforgiveness or something else under those feelings that needs to be rooted out and dealt with. Because the greatest gift you could give yourself is the freedom that comes from allowing God's help into your life to deal with difficult emotions, feelings and situations.

This Christmas, enjoy the gift of feeling. Feel all of it: the wonder, the love, the grace, the amazement of the gift of Jesus Christ. Feel it all. Take it all in, and give great thanks to the giver of all good gifts.

It's the Waiting...

2010-12-10T23:10:00.002-07:00

I'm excited for this weekend. The second in our Thoughtful Gifts series is coming (aren't you at least a little curious what Frankincense is all about?), the announcement I get to make about the food pantry is so cool, and the song right before the teaching will be...

But it's Christmas, so we have to wait. No peaking! No hints, no pinching the presents, no shaking the packages.

That's one place where Easter and Christmas are so different. Easter is a weekend, perhaps a whole week. Christmas is a season. It is weeks long, even if you have the patience to wait for Thanksgiving to be over before you start. We have a whole season of Christmas, which means a lot of waiting until the big day.

In some churches, they celebrate the waiting with the tradition of Advent, the time right before Christmas, leading up to and waiting for the coming Savior. Can you imagine, celebrating waiting? But we wait at Christmas. We wait through the season to the celebration. We wait to unwrap the gifts under the tree. We wait.

Just like the world waited for a Savior. Just like Israel waited for Messiah. Just like we wait today for the return of our triumphant King of Glory. Waiting isn't my favorite part, but it is a big part of Christmas and following Jesus.

Merry waiting. May the time we spend be time not wasted, but time invested in the now and coming Kingdom of God.

Weekend Wrap

2010-12-05T23:22:00.003-07:00

Some thoughts at the end of a great weekend at LifePoint Church:

I love Christmas! (not news, but I just like saying it!!)
I love the Christmas platform set! The great volunteers, under the direction of Wanda and with great leadership by Sunny have transformed the platform into a warm and inviting, fun place to share Jesus.
I loved the worship this weekend! I don't normally look for more banjo in my life, but this weekend's set was both spectacular musically AND deeply worshipful. It can be hard to enter into worship with Christmas songs, but the team did a fantastic job of leading us to do just that.
I saw the ushers setting up more seats in the back. Just sayin...
I thought the Spirit was great this weekend, lots of people stepping up to volunteer to help with Christmas Eve services, lots of great conversations, and new faces all over the place.
Hearing great things about our Home Warmers delivering fire wood and inviting people to church.
LOVED sharing the Food Pantry stats: 39 families per month, 9 new families per month, and almost 2800 people fed this year. Going to break 3000 with YOUR HELP!!

Alright, I'm done. Heading for bed. God is working, Lives are changing, Jesus is coming!!

Christmas Time Is Here...

2010-12-02T12:44:00.004-07:00

All day, that song from the Peanut's Christmas special is in my head. I've always been a "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving" guy, but this year is different. First, all the prep work for Christmas had to be started on much earlier for me than I'm used to, and second, the constant unpacking of boxes in our house has meant that its felt a lot like Christmas for a while anyway.

One of the boxes we have unpacked is the gift my staff and elders in Pocatello gave us as a going away present. It's a wonderful nativity scene, with wise men and shepherds, cows and baby Jesus. Beth collects nativity scenes, but this one is obviously special to us. The staff each wrote a message on the back of bottom of the characters, and I purposely didn't read them until we pulled the set out this year. I wanted to save some of the joy for later, and now it was suddenly later. It was good to think about my friends back in Idaho, and to remember their generosity and grace to us.

All of Christmas is like that. We spend a lot of time being nostalgic, thinking back to Christmases past, remembering friends and loved ones, sharing thoughts of good times we had. And hopefully, we also spend a little time thinking about the greatest gift we've ever received, Jesus Christ coming to Earth to be our Savior. Maybe, in all the hustle and bustle, above the nostalgia and the memories, we can also take some time to think ahead to the day we get to unwrap the rest of the gift of Jesus, the day we see Him face to face. Maybe in the midst of it all, you and I can find some time to think about what waits for us in the future, too. All the generosity of God's grace isn't contained in the past, or even in the present. There's a future to grace, a future with Christ in Heaven, looking at Jesus the way the shepherds did, singing to Him like the angels did, and touching His had like Mary and Joseph must have in that stable.

Just a Christmas thought to start your month.

Out Of Context

2010-11-30T20:30:00.005-07:00

After a week of stay-cation (and a great celebration of Thanksgiving, coming from my heart full of gratitude for ALL God has done in my life), I got to go to another church last weekend. Pastor Roy Conover was teaching at LifePoint Church, I was on vacation, so I went down the road to another church in the valley to see what was going on there. Saw some cool stuff, heard a message on praising and giving thanks to God, and went home encouraged. God is doing good work in churches in the Carson Valley.

Now, as I write this, I'm in a hotel room in Minneapolis, MN, waiting to meet with Pastor Leith Anderson of Wooddale Church. I'm here with some other leaders from Growing Healthy Churches, a network of folks committed to seeing the message of Jesus spread across our region, our nation and our world. There were seven of us at dinner tonight from very different churches in very different situations and cultures, including one from Napa, CA, and one from Charlotte, NC.

What I love about these types of experiences is how great it is to get out of my own context and see what God is up to in other places. I learn boatloads from pastors in different places, doing different types and styles of ministry. I learn from seeing the place where it happens and, whenever I can, experiencing worship with a church family that is not mine, just to see how they bring their worship to God. Those kinds of "out of context" experiences teach me lots of lessons: I get to see what is going right in other churches, and what answers other wise folks have gotten to the questions of how to love like Jesus in their community. I also get a fresh perspective on my own church family, what we're doing really right and what needs work. If I never go anywhere or experience another church doing the ministry God gave them to do, then I miss out on all that God can teach me in another context.

So if you're out of town on a weekend, let me encourage you to stop in an experience another church family. When we at LifePoint Church do our Thank You Weekend on December 25 and 26, take advantage of that Sunday to go explore what other churches are doing. Don't miss the chance to learn something new, or get a fresh perspective on what God is doing back home in your church. It won't matter if the experience is great or awful, exciting or boring; in the experience, God will have an opportunity to show you something. Take Him up on the offer!

I'll tell you what I learned from this trip later this week. (yep, I'm getting back in the blog habit...)

Weekend Wrap

2010-11-21T18:45:00.002-07:00

Some thoughts at the end of a snowy weekend at LifePoint:

Weather or not...: We had a great turn out for the first snow weekend of the year. Saturday night was a lively bunch, and 10:45 was pretty full this morning. 9 AM is a little early for dealing with snow, but for all who made it, God showed up this weekend. Thanks to all who could make it for showing up and bringing your worship!
Group Sighting: Pastor Mark Marsella had more than two dozen small group leaders meet for training, encouragement, and some vision casting. I poked my head in, and there was great energy, passion and focus in the room. Hearing good things coming out of that meeting, looking forward to God unleashing in our small groups!
Sporting a 'Tude: Great feedback today from folks about the teaching - lots of folks catching on to the idea that a generous attitude is a part of God's work in us and through us. Can't wait to see how this impacts our church over the next few years. Yeah, I said it, we WILL become the MOST generous church in NEVADA!!
One More: Next week, Pastor Roy teaches on Gratitude. Lots of great pieces in place for that service, DO NOT MISS IT!!
Construction Starting: I've been getting updates from Sunny Cain that the Christmas set is starting to come together. There's a LOT of excitement building for our 6 (SIX) Christmas Eve services, and all the great stuff leading up to them. The theme: Thoughtful Gifts. Bring your friends and family to hear about the best gift ever!!
'Thank You Weekend': We announced that the weekend of Christmas (Saturday the 25th, Sunday the 26th) we will be honoring our hundreds of volunteers by giving them the weekend off (they will need it after the 6 (six!!) Christmas Eve services). No services that weekend, so our volunteers can spend time with their families. And from all of us to all the volunteers, "THANK YOU!!"

That's all my brain can do right now. have a great Thanksgiving Holiday if I don't see you, and All God's Best to you!

Catching Up

2010-11-17T10:35:00.004-07:00

Okay first, thanks for hanging in and being patient with me. Things have been intense lately, and I haven't had moments to read blogs, much less write one. So, here's the update, and the plan going forward:

After a process that tried my patience to the MAXIMUM, Beth and I were able to purchase a house last month. It's a very nice three bedroom home with a great kitchen, and a back yard full of... potential. It was bank owned, so the yard was abandoned months and months ago, leaving the grass and most of the trees dead. It will be a project for the spring, but some nice folks from church put in new grass in the front yard, so the neighbors like us right away. The house is closer to the church and in a nice neighborhood, close to Rachel's school and Mac's best friends. I just tried out the walking trail this morning, it is in great shape. I, however, am not.

We have spent the last month packing up, moving our stuff over, unpacking and setting up the new house, so workouts and just about anything else has been on the back burner. Other than cheering the SF Giants to the World Series win (while unpacking boxes), there's been little on the 'fun' side of the ledger. I'm so tired of cardboard right now...

Also while all the packing and moving and unpacking has gone on, we've been working on the budget for LifePoint Church. We're changing our fiscal year to start in July, so we're doing a 'mini-budget' for January through June. It's been a challenge to change how we think about budgeting and to try to forecast our congregation's giving going into the New Year. What's the economy going to do here? What's the excitement level going to be for what God is unveiling to us about the future?

The move of placing Pastor Mark Marsella over our small group ministry and take him out of Worship Arts has already paid dividends. We're seeing a huge influx of people wanting to be in groups, and we're praying and looking for leaders to rising to the surface to take on those groups. Mark and Gayle just went to a training event in Stockton this week, so progress and a plan for the future are both being made.

I'm excited about the current series, "Name That 'Tude," and Pastor Roy gets another opportunity to teach in this one. The Christmas series, set design, Christmas Eve services and all that are coming together very nicely right now, and the energy is building. I'm fired up to see what the end of this year and the start of 2011 have in store for us in God's plan.

Okay, that will get you (mostly) caught up. I'm going to try to blog two to three times a week, and we'll see what comes out of it. God is teaching me some great lessons, reminding me of some more great lessons I learned along my journey, and preparing me for more lessons to learn. It's an exciting time, and a time to learn to trust God more and more.

Life Update

2010-11-06T14:54:00.002-06:00

Hey!

Yeah, this hasn't been my hangout of late, but here's the deal: we've bought a house, we're moving into it, and my life is in boxes. On top of that, some of the heavy lifting work of setting up our future ministry and how it's going to look at LifePoint Church has coincided with this move, so my life is full up with transitions, planning, and unpacking in all directions!!

That said, I'm going to do my best to get back on the blog-waggon here around Thanksgiving, when all this has settled down and we're on the run to Christmas.

Thanks for your prayers and for checking back, and we'll have some great, roof crashing stuff here in a bit.

Blessings,

Bill

Thoughts From The Weekend

2010-09-19T20:59:00.005-06:00

I'm very excited by what God's doing at LifePoint Church, and before I fade into my bed tonight, here's a sampling:

I had dozens of people come find me after services this weekend and tell me they were done 'hiding in plain sight.' Folks were looking for places to serve, connect and show that their relationship with Jesus is real to them. There were expressions of generosity and folks making sure to tell me they were working through their issues to be ready to serve. God promises that His Word will accomplish what He intends. This weekend is proof!
There were a couple dozen people raise their hands to accept Christ as the Leader and Forgiver of their lives - that NEVER gets old!!
I am loving the response to the whole No Perfect People Allowed series. From the video (the 'confessional' landed on some folks, for sure!) to the responses afterward, people are hearing from God, and I am fired up to see what He does next!!
Despite some setbacks this week, our Worship Department created an experience for people to enter God's presence and give Him our full attention. Great job, team!
We had a group of youth and leaders go to the Thriving Musicians Summit in Roseville, learning and growing in their musical abilities and worship leading. Can't wait to hear how this shows up in our Student Ministries.

And as excited as I am about what's going on right now, I can't wait for the Assessment process to let us know what we're doing well and what needs work. Have you taken the survey yet? In my 'end-of-the-weekend-exhausted' state, I just finished it. It won't hurt a bit, and it will help your church to be more effective in the future, so take a few minutes and get this done.

Taking the day off tomorrow, then right back to another week of making Jesus famous in the Carson Valley!! Goodnight!

The Week That Was

2010-09-18T11:28:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year. Selfishly, it's partly because of my birthday being mid-September, but there are other reasons:

In Sports: Baseball becomes meaningful in late August and into September, with pennant races, playoffs on the line, and late season call ups to see how next years rookies are going to look. Basketball talk starts to warm up and preseason camps will start to open soon. But the most important, like changing event is the beginning of football season! (HALLELUJAH CHORUS!!) My heart beats faster at the thought of pads popping and all the sights and sounds of football. It brings me back to many great memories on the field and in the stands. I. LOVE. FOOTBALL.

In Family: The kids are back in the swing of school, they are connecting with friends, doing homework, getting smarter and finding themselves a bit more every day. I am in awe to see the growth and development of my son as he becomes a young man and finds his way around the world. He's making good friends and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. My daughter is showing off her brains again, accepted into a competitive math team (math? really?), and doing great in school.

In Church: All the ministries that lay dormant over the summer spring back to life: kids midweek stuff, Adult Bible study stuff, Women's ministry stuff... all of is comes back like the flowers in spring, only on the other end of the calendar. I love the energy, the excitement of seeing the life changing message of Christ shared in so many venues. It's invigorating, like the crisp air we are beginning to notice in the mornings.

I love this time of year! It is my absolute favorite. Do you love it, or do you prefer something else?

Has It REALLY Been Six Months?

2010-09-14T17:00:00.005-06:00

I was asked by the Accountability Team here at LifePoint Church to give a six month overview of our ministry at our last meeting this past Saturday. In all the preparation for it, I rushed past the most important part: I've been on the job here for SIX MONTHS!! In one of those "time/space continuum" issues, it feels both longer and shorter than that for me.

It feels a lot longer than six months because I've really come to love this church, the people here, the staff and the leaders. I am drawn more and more to the calling God has placed in my life to be here and lead this church family, and I keep finding new reasons to know in my heart I'm supposed to be here. The hard things as well as the good things connect me to this place, these people and this ministry. I want more than anything to see this church succeed, to prosper in God's plan, and to make Jesus famous in the Carson Valley.

It feels a lot shorter than six months because I still feel like we just landed. I still miss my friends in Idaho, I still feel like there is so much to see and do in this area, and I still feel like I'm learning at a ridiculous pace just to keep even. I constantly need to ask for a history lesson when ideas, suggestions, or issues come up, so that I don't pass over too quickly what I might need to know to make a good decision even better.

I know I'm not alone in this odd, long-and-short-time conundrum. I'm sure that for some, it feels like I've been here forever, and for others, like I just got here yesterday. I think God must laugh at us humans trying to wrap our minds around time and our perception of it. It must be a much better vantage point to be outside of time, look in, see the beginning and the end simultaneously, and know how it all plays out before it starts. I'm glad to know that God knows all, sees all, and is still willing to walk through the middle with us.

In the middle with you,

Bill

A Powerful, Peaceful Thought

2010-09-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

I am always looking for people who are doing better and smarter work than me so I can learn from them. I listen so I can maybe shave a few extra steps off my journey where possible, and overall grow as a person, leader and pastor. I know that if I am limited to using only my own ideas, not only am I in trouble, but so is my church.

So when I got the opportunity to visit with a prominent pastor (name withheld by request), I took it. A small number of other pastors got to hang with him for a day, pick his brain, watch his process, and basically soak in whatever wisdom, leadership and spiritual growth we could carry away. I learned a great deal in that day, and I'm already putting some of it into practice in my life and in my leadership, but one nugget for sure is worth sharing.

He said that one of the thoughts that he holds onto every day is this: "I have nothing to prove and no one to impress."

Seriously, read that again.

This is an impressive guy. He's got an impressive church. He's doing impressive ministry on a national stage, and making a HUGE difference in his community. But his ministry has been built on this idea. He's made choices to not grow his church as fast as it possibly could grow, in favor of sustainability, sanity and health for him and his staff, volunteers and the rest.

When I took the role of Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church 6 months ago, I realized that I could easily fall into the trap of pushing to 'earn' what I had been given me. Much like grace, sometimes we want to earn what God has freely given us by our own good works, even though the Bible teaches we cannot add anything to what Christ has done for us. As a pastor, it's easy to think to yourself, "I'm saved by grace, but I minister by works" as if God will not love me if I'm not killing myself, over-committing, and burning the candle at both end's and in the middle, too. There's always something to do, always someone to talk to, always one more box to check. But who am I trying to impress with my schedule? What am I trying to prove with my hectic, worried pace? Does it make me a better pastor? A better leader? A better Christ-follower? I don't think so.

Hearing this obviously successful leader admit that he's trying to continue to live by this axiom, and hearing how he succeeds at that most of the time, I was able to take a huge, deep breath of peace. I do not have to impress anyone, either. I don't have to earn what has been given to me. I didn't hear this as a call to be a slacker (Proverbs calls them "sluggards"). Certainly, I must do what I've been called to do, and do it to the best of my abilities. But no more than that. I have no one to impress (meaning if God is happy with me, who else matters?), and nothing to prove (I can't add to what God has done for me, so what else is there?)

I feel like I'm giving my best to God in this new adventure, and I feel like I'm honoring Him with my time. At the same time, I am feeling a peace with myself and my life that can only be explained as supernatural. God is giving me peace, because I'm able to say: I have nothing to prove, and no one to impress.

This thought has layered peace on my heart. I hope it does the same for you.

LifeNight at LifePoint

2010-09-07T23:30:00.005-06:00

I'm wired and wiped at the same time. We held a night of worship and praise at LifePoint Church tonight, and it was AWESOME! We called it LifeNight: A Divine Appointment, and I think it more than lived up to it's name.

I'm all for any extended time of singing praise and worship, but because I know it's not every one's cup of tea, we don't do it every single week. Personally, I've always enjoyed concerts of praise, sing-a-longs or whatever will allow for a long musical worship experience (I even sang in cantatas back in the day...), so I was pumped for this. But it was more than just the worship music that made it special:

There was much prayer - Before, all during the preparation, all during rehearsals, from people on the platform and off, there were lots of prayers going up for this event. Then during the event, people willing to pray with folks, folks coming to the steps of the stage to pray, and leaders praying from the platform all made it a prayer concert as much as a musical one.
One of the best testimony videos I've seen - six Lifers shared their stories of God's redeeming work in their lives. From drug addiction to gangs, from marriage issues to unemployment, the stories were real, raw and relatable. I watched the audience dial into the narratives and no one budged. The gasps as one woman shared that she was healed of a debilitating disease were audible. The joy of a soul set free was infectious. It was the shortest 8 minute video I've ever seen, and it was WORSHIP!! The rescued voices lifting their stories to the glory of God!!
The sweetest sound ever - The sign of a good meeting/service/event is always the same: how long do people stick around afterward and talk? If everyone bolts right away - fail. If people stay until the last possible moment, wanting to soak in as much of what they experienced as possible - epic win!! Tonight = epic win!! I finally left to take my kids home about an hour after the ending, and there were STILL people talking about what they experienced. The buzz of people talking and sharing, loving and fellowshipping is the sweetest sound at the end of the night.

I'm so proud of the LifePoint team for all the parts and pieces that went into this. This was a big win for the kingdom tonight!! Can't wait to see what comes next!

Something Fun To Try

2010-08-29T20:20:00.002-06:00

I like Twitter, I enjoy taking the 140 characters I've been allowed and make a message. I like reading the short, pithy comments and thoughts of people I want to hear from. It's a powerful discipline to be brief and clear in a world so full of words. I'm an extroverted, verbal processing teacher and speaker, and one of the hardest things for me to is work to keep things brief. So it's good to work hard to be concise.

Here at LifePoint Church, we've put together a team that is working to rethink, revise and reconnect to the vision God has for our church family. It's exciting work, important work, and just plain hard work. The first exercise: express a statement of belief for each of several concepts in 10 words or less.

So, reading scripture, praying, thinking, I sat down to work on this, and can I just tell you: THAT'S HARD TO DO!! Say what's really important about what you believe about prayer in 10 words or less. Go ahead. Or the Holy Spirit. Or church. It's not as easy as you think.

Now, imagine sitting in a room with a group of people who all come from different backgrounds, different church experiences, different educational experiences, and different life stages, and all of them have their 10 word statements, too. Now, you've got to combine, discuss, sift through and, most importantly agree on a single statement out of all you just did.

This is what I've been doing all weekend (around the great services at LifePoint), and it's been the most amazing experience. I'm learning a ton, sharing what I know, and growing along with the rest of the team. It's been hard, but it's been amazing. I can't tell you how great this experience has been. I'm so proud of the Lifers on this team, I'm so glad to have Dr. Bill Hoyt from Growing Healthy Churches come help, and I cannot wait to see where this whole process leads us as a church. More to come on all this, but I'm exhausted, exhilarated, and excited to see what comes next after all this work. So, in 10 words:

Preparing for God's powerful next chapter of ministry at LifePoint!

Tahoe Baptisms

2010-08-22T22:34:00.003-06:00

Trying to get back to the blogosphere...

Today, LifePoint Church held it's 10th annual Tahoe Baptism service. We went up to the lake after church, there was food, lots of folks hanging out and having fun, and laughter filled with joy. Then we gathered by the side of the water and began to sing some worship. It was amazing to watch people's faces as they sang to the God of Creation by the side of one of His most beautiful creations.

Then, after a quick talk, a quick game of 'dunk the pastor,' and some instructions, people started coming forward to be baptized and make a public profession of their faith in Jesus Christ. I was struck by the way the crowd celebrated and cheered for each one, but what really touched by how special it obviously was to each person being baptized. There were real tears, and shouts of real joy. God has changed these people's lives, and they were ready to celebrate it with their LifePoint family! There were 35 people who went public with their faith today, on a public beach in the most public way. And I am so humbled and blessed to be a witness to it, much less a part of it.

Hours later, people were still milling and talking and laughing and playing on the beach when I packed up my family and started for home. My first Tahoe Baptism, the church's 10th, and such an amazing preview of coming attractions. The fellowship was deep, and the joy was real. So good to be a part of this!!

After I got home, ate some pizza and reflected back on what we experienced today, I am again blown away by God's amazing love and grace. That I get to be a part of a ministry like LifePoint, where God's hand of favor is obviously on us is a blessing beyond words. In a season of transition, while we work to clarify the next steps in the life of this church family, to see and celebrate so much life change is a rare and beautiful thing. All praise to God for His abundant blessings!

I'm going to bed here soon, exhausted from a great day, full of joy for the ministry God is doing, and more excited than ever before about what He has in store for us next!!

Back from the Beach - Part 1

2010-07-27T16:17:00.005-06:00

Today is 'back-in-the-saddle' day. Vacation is over, and much work is left to be done. I came back to a church that has kept on moving forward while I was gone, and now I get to jump on and keep rolling! I am so excited about what's in front of us, and pretty clear that the next few months are going to set the tone for the next season of ministry here at LifePoint Church.

So as I look ahead to what God's bringing, I just have to share a few tidbits that God showed me on vacation. First one is this:

I've been trying to get Mac and Rachel to learn how to swim for a few years. We tried lessons a couple years ago, but it killed me how they were being taught, and WHAT they were being taught. In 30 minutes of lessons, they would each get about 5 minutes of individual work, then spend the rest of the time sitting on the edge not doing anything. I've tried to teach them, but that hasn't gone well, mostly because they were doing what they had been taught, which wasn't helping.

So we got to Maui and rented snorkel equipment. The kids were fired up! Then we went to this protected cove where the water was not more than about 4 feet deep ever, and the rock wall kept the surf from pounding too badly. The kids got in, got used to the fins, and then wanted to go all over the place. Rachel kept holding my hand, but pulling me all over the cove, wanting to see whatever was under the water.

Later, after they got good at this, we went to a place near a wildlife reserve to snorkel. The reserve meant no fishing, so there were literally thousands of fish in the water. All colors, sizes, shapes. There, in 20 feet of water, goes Rachel. The girl who couldn't swim three strokes without stopping (the part of her lessons I couldn't seem to break her from) is now swimming all over this inlet, diving down under the water, clearing her snorkel, and having the time of her life. The last day, she even found a wolf eel and showed it to me. So much growth in two weeks!!

It just reminded me once again of how we need to bring up Christians behind us, whether it's discipleship or training in ministry. We need to give them the right equipment, then take them places where it's not too deep so they can get the confidence they need, but then take them where it's deeper, scarier, and more beautiful so they can enjoy all that God has for them. I've been telling the staff that 2 Timothy 2:2 is how we need to do business: "And the things you've heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." We need to pass on what we know so that others get the full effect and see the beauty of what God has created them to experience. Rachel will never forget her snorkel experience, her wolf eel, and her new found swimming ability. And I will never forget the joy of seeing her enjoy herself in this new and amazing way, playing with the fish.

More later. Aloha!

Time Away

2010-07-11T23:41:00.005-06:00

Yep, it feels like we just got here, but it's time to get away. We have not been to visit Beth's parents since Rachel was about 2 years old, so today, on Rachel's 10th birthday, we're packing to go see Hal and Dee. It will be a fun two weeks, and I know that everything at LifePoint will run just ducky without me.

Taking time to unplug is vital to our mental and emotional health, and when you're job is ministry, it's also important to unplug for spiritual health. Being 'on' all the time as a pastor leads to burn out, and taking time away is powerful medicine against it. Burn out is an epidemic in church ministry, and I don't want myself or anyone on our staff falling victim to it. Pastor Mark took his family for a break a couple weeks ago, Pastor Jeremy before that, and Pastor Roy and Pastor Tracy just got back from theirs. The time is right for me to take a break after the last six months of candidating, leaving our great life in Pocatello, moving our stuff, getting kids in school, finding our way around church and a new community, and managing somehow to get some ministry done in the meantime. Before the run up to launching the Fall season and the slow climb to Christmas (yup, I said it... :) ), it would be good to take my family and get away.

I will expect to hear good things!! Pastor Roy and Pastor Mark will be teaching, and they're primed with their parables to let it rip! I will be heading to church a couple times with Beth's folks and can't wait.

Thanks to all who have already expressed their encouragement and prayer support for our trip, it's great to know that so many understand that a pastor can't be there every weekend. I really feel prayer making a difference in my life and ministry here, so please keep it up!

I promise I'll have a story or two when I get back. Maybe even a shirt. :)

Mahalo, Ohana!! (Thanks, Family!)

Keeping Your Balance, Part 2

2010-07-07T12:33:00.002-06:00

If you've ever tried to balance a spoon on your nose, or balance a glass on your forehead, you know that it takes a little bit of time, some patience, and very...smooth...small...slow...moves.

There is a life balance that needs the same combo of smooth/small/slow moves. I wrote last time about the balance that isn't really healthy or possible in life, but the kind of balance I'm talking about today is the balance of how you let yourself feel when people give you unsolicited advice and criticism/praise.

Full disclosure: I have a deep people pleasing flaw in my personality. I want people to like me, to like what I do or say, especially when I'm using my gifts to serve. I know I represent the church and even God in the eyes of people, and how well I do that for them often is a matter of personal preference. Their opinion of how I do what I do is colored by a million different issues, from past pastors in their lives to how they view authority in general, and everything in between. So when someone comes to give me their opinion of what they see me do, I have to strike a balance between listening and absorbing. Here's what I mean:

A few weeks ago, after the 9 am service, a man came, introduced himself and asked this question: "So, is the goofiness going to stop anytime soon?" If you know me at all, you know the answer is no. He proceeded to critique my preaching style, my humor, my choice of illustrations, and basically concluded that the whole message was a waste of time to anyone over 20. I thanked him for stopping by and let him know there are other great churches in the valley he should check out.

In the past, that comment would have crashed me for a week, but God has been teaching me balance. So I shook it off and went ahead and did the same message in the 10:45 service. After that service, another man came and told me it was the best message he'd heard me do. He was totally taken by it, and was effusive in his praise.

So which of those two guys should I focus on? Neither. The best story of the day was the woman who came up with tears in her eyes and told me that her family had just started coming to church. They had very little spiritual background, but the message had taught her how to take some important steps in the right direction. God was changing her life, and I got to be a small part of that.

So the balance between sweet praise and angry criticism is to stand on the work that God is doing in me, and in other people. The balance point is Jesus. Where is He at work in what you're doing? If there is fruit, then there will be both criticism and praise. Don't let either one knock you off the firm foundation of Christ at work in you.

Keeping Your Balance, Part 1

2010-07-02T17:03:00.004-06:00

There are two types of balance in life: the kind that isn't really possible, and the kind that you can't live without.

Some people talk about balance as if we as human beings need to be a little good at everything, as if a successful life includes at least moderate success in every possible endeavor. Being out of balance means being either too invested in one or just a few areas, or being totally out of touch in some area. I was told once by a person who was very successful in business that knowing too much about sports is a liability. His advice was to know just enough to be able to talk about it, but don't go overboard. I have managed to ignore that advice thoroughly.

I love sports. I don't love politics. You want to talk politics, I can, but I would rather talk sports. I can go at length and with depth on several sports, and glance over the surface of a few more. I am totally out of balance in this area, but it is one of my passions, one of my heartbeats, so instead of ignoring it, I lean into it and let my love for it flow through my life.

I don't believe the kind of balance where someone pretends to be interested in areas they don't care about and simultaneously tries to ignore areas of real passion and interest in the name of some false sense of 'balance.' That's not balance, that's wasting passion. Passion is so vital to success in life, in ministry, in anything; too vital to waste on 'balance.'

Truth is, you can't really live that kind of balance. There are too many issues, too many options, too many opportunities and ideas to try to 'balance' all of them in your life. Spread yourself across too many of those options and opportunities, and whatever passion you have will dwindle down from a flame to a flicker.

Instead, choose wisely the places where you invest your life. Choose God first and develop passion for Him, His Word and His Kingdom, then let Him move you to follow what you're passionate about. Don't buy the lie that says you have to 'balance' your life. Instead, be off balance, leaning heavily on God, completely tilted His direction. The rest will figure itself out.

I'll share the helpful kind of balance next time, but tell me what you think: 'Balanced' life or 'Leaning' life?

Seeing God In The Mess

2010-06-30T11:51:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was one of the top five hardest days in my ministry. No lie. I can only think of a couple that were much more difficult.

Our LifePoint family has been made aware of the difficult financial situation we are in as a church, and the potential of layoffs for staff. We got to that point over the weekend, and I had to deliver the bad news to both the individuals that were being laid off and to the staff team as a whole. As a pastor, called by God to love and care for the flock, being a part of that was not easy, not fun and not without real pain on my part. I love to share good news (and The Good News), but this was bad news. Hard news. News that was going to hurt when it landed.

But God did what He always does and what I too often forget that He will do: He showed up in the middle of the mess and made Himself known. All the folks who were laid off were amazingly upbeat about it, and each one was willing to offer whatever time they would have in the future to volunteer in ministry. Instead of hard feelings and running away from the pain of losing a job, they were understanding of the situation, and even encouraging in the midst of this. Honestly, I was touched deeply, humbled and blessed to have the privilege of working with such high character people.

Difficult times are what God uses to reveal our character, and the depth of maturity exhibited by these folks was very evident. I've been privileged for much of my career to work with high character, high capacity people, but this was a special moment of getting to see the bedrock of people's character revealed, and I'm just in awe of God's handiwork in their lives.

Once again, when I'm trying to look at what is happening and what might happen from it, God is already there in the middle of it all, bringing peace, pointing a way forward, and loving everyone through the mess. A friend told me recently not to run from pruning seasons in my life. While there is no escaping the pruning God is doing in this season, I also sense there are deep lessons to come in my life and in the life of our LifePoint family that come with this season. Right now, the main lesson is: God is with us in this. He doesn't abandon us when the going gets tough. He's walking through this with us, and all the work He's been doing in our lives has been preparation for these moments.

I'm clinging to that truth. I'm aiming for a better future, knowing that the mess we're feeling isn't the end of the story. God is the end of the story. Keep reading!

Pass The Sunshine

2010-06-25T12:35:00.004-06:00

This morning was not a good morning.

I ate something last night that didn't agree with me, my mind was swirling until way past midnight, and I just didn't have the good night that precedes a good morning. My family is up at Lake Tahoe for the day, having fun and goofing off, but for me, there is still much work to be done, and not all of it the fun kind of work. I like work when it's fun. But the work that feels like work, that's just... work.

I had scheduled a phone call for this morning with someone I hardly know, another church leader whom I had met at a training I attended in April. I really didn't have much in the way of expectations before the call, and as out of it as I was feeling this morning, I wasn't really seeing my expectation level moving anywhere. When the time came and I made the call, I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and the encouragement that I received. It was literally 35 minutes of non-stop ideas, encouraging words, planning for possible future ministry, news of God's kingdom moving in unlikely places, and by the time we ended in prayer, I was a different man.

Amazing what a little encouragement can do. I thanked God for my call with Patrick, big time.

Then, in my Priority Time, I read 3 John, a tiny little book with a personal and powerful message. Verse 11 said, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good." That's direct. There's so much that we emulate in our lives that isn't good, and John says to choose better. Choose to copy the good we see in the world. Imitate, emulate the positive, Godly things we see. So I'm going to imitate Patrick. He encouraged the daylight INTO me, and according to God's word to me today, I need to copy him. So I'm going to pass the sunshine today.

Join me? Who can you encourage today? Who do you know needs a lift? Don't be stingy, give all the encouragement you have to give. I promise, there will be more tomorrow.

One Foot In Front Of The Other

2010-06-22T19:04:00.002-06:00

Sometimes making progress looks like a freight train: all kinds of noise and momentum, steam and smoke and nothing can stop it.

Sometimes making progress looks like a traffic jam: stop and go, with frustration and hopefully music playing, but not getting there quite as fast as you had planned.

Sometimes making progress looks like putting one foot in front of the other. It's just taking the next step, and then the next one, and then... pretty soon there are a few steps run together and you are further than you thought.

Right now, I feel like I'm in that season, one step at a time. The great things that God is doing in our church are real, they are obvious and they are resounding with life change. Two more people this past weekend accepted Christ in the ESL class we do on Saturdays. Ten kids made a profession of faith at our kid's camp last week. The Chiapas Mexico mission team is getting their final funding together to be able to go and bless a growing network of churches down there. I'm hearing reports of lives and marriages put back together in our Biblical counseling ministry. So much good is happening, I can't help but give praise to God each day.

This past weekend, we had a family discussion in worship concerning the church's financial situation. Tough stuff. I'm not going to lie, it's never easy to stand up and talk about those things. In church, money is one of the most, if not THE most sensitive topic to discuss. But during the weekend, many folks were bold enough to take steps of faith toward what God wants to do here at LifePoint Church, and several were kind enough to encourage the other leaders and myself who had to deliver the news.

Sometimes progress is made $5 at a time. Sometimes progress is made $500 at a time. Sometimes it's made one step at a time. I'm glad that God doesn't run a stopwatch on our steps. He just celebrates each one that brings us closer to Him. May all of our steps move in His direction.

Please continue to pray for all those who are out of work and looking for jobs right now across the country and in our own valley. God has promised to provide, so let's ask Him to take care of His people this way.

Updating Along The Journey

2010-06-18T12:04:00.003-06:00

I had a great talk with a friend from Idaho last night, and was reminded how much work and time is involved in the transition, any transition, that we walk through in life. It's hard to remember that it takes time to settle things down, to figure out what the 'new normal' will be, whether that's in a friendship after someone moves, or in a new job, or in the twists and turns of ministry. Things don't always go according to our plans, and the unintended outcomes of our decisions along the way sneak up on us from time to time.

For instance, my friend was telling me that they get that my life here is full, it's just hard to remember when they are missing me and can't talk to me every day like we used to. It's a process, getting used to the changes that God takes us through. So we took time to reassure each other of our friendship and that in the midst of finding the 'new normal,' we still pray for each other and still care for each other. It's hard, but God is in it, so it will be good.

So one of the places where I want to be effective is on this blog, but in the midst of the transition, my time to post has suffered. I'm still finding my way, and despite my ever-changing schedule, it seems I can't figure out when to post, or how to carve the time to do it. I could use your prayers for effective ministry, and that the right priorities, including time to blog, get sifted through the God filter and show up where He wants them to be.

This week has been up and down, but all good. My 100th day on the job at LifePoint Church was Tuesday, and it was marked with some good stuff and some hard stuff. Other meetings and appointments were about important, God-focused opportunities and the challenges that always accompany them, but the hand of God is clearly moving us forward.

This weekend there will be a special message for the LifePoint family. If you can be there for one of the services, please do. There will be a special time of prayer offered afterward for anyone in need, so if you need prayer, come get some, and if you want to pray, come bring some.

As the pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson liked to say, "The future is as bright as the promises of God!" Keep looking to the promises, and we'll see the future continue to light up!

Getting REALLY Real

2010-06-04T21:08:00.002-06:00

I'm really supposed to be finishing my message for this weekend, but I had to stop and post this. This week was another amazing time of work, prayer and faith in God at LifePoint Church. As we continue to transition (it's a longer process than you might think or that I might want), it still goes well, but there were some moments of real awe and wonder.

We had our all staff monthly meeting, and sharing some expectations I have of the staff and they can have of me led to some amazing discussions and a few tears. God has put together a great staff here, and it is my privilege to lead them toward the Big Dream God has for us together. The conversation there opened up many positive, constructive and creative discussions during the week.

There was a lunch meeting with our Global Missions Director, John Cressaty, and Pastor Craig Fuller from LifePoint Incline Village that really had me thinking about the importance of all we do in the life of our church. There are about 150 children sponsored by families in the two LifePoint churches, and the report from these guys who had just been there a couple weeks ago was amazing. The lives of these kids have been radically changed by the generosity of the folks in Carson Valley and Incline Village. What hit me as I drove away from the meeting was the truth that no other mission organization was able to work with the church and school we are partnered with over there, so without us, literally a whole community would be in danger. The discussion we were having over lunch was about literal life and death issues. It was sobering, making me wonder what silly, foolish things could we let get in the way of important, life changing, life and death work for God's kingdom if we weren't careful. Like I said, sobering.

And the rest of the week has been meetings and preparation for our Accountability Team meeting and making sure we're heading in the right direction as a church. These are good times to be sure, since most of what we get to talk about is good stuff. We keep praying (and you can join us in this prayer) for wisdom and clarity as to the future and some of the big ticket items we have facing us, like building repairs, building the next much needed building, and the site improvement plan. Lots of stuff to think, pray and plan about.

And in the midst of it, my son turned 14, and the kids entered their last week of school for the year. Exciting times, interesting times, and the constant reminder that time is moving ahead, whether we want it to or not. Mac likes to remind me that he's going to be driving in a couple years, which I feel will go by like a couple weeks. Things are really real in my life right now, big things, and important things, but even the small things are good things. They are all very real to me right now.

Getting Back To The Blog Business

2010-05-30T23:53:00.003-06:00

Sorry to all you who like to follow the blog, I wanted to leave the post up about Priority Time so folks could see it, and then things got exciting all week, so I didn't get back. Oops. :)

I'm in the process of thinking what would work best here, what the best times/days to post, the right subjects, etc... So feel free to pray for me. In the meantime, I'm going to be adding some blogs I've been reading to the side, and throwing out a book or blog review from time to time, in case that would help anyone out there.

Things are going well for us here in Minden, church is moving forward well, with some really exciting things and some definite challenges, but God is really very present and moving, so all good stuff. Family is good, healthy and looking forward to the end of school this week. Beth is getting opportunities and offers to do some cool ministry, and I'm banging away at all I need to learn.

Meantime, thanks for praying, and please keep it up! Much left to learn, much left to hear from the Spirit.

Making Priority Time

2010-05-15T21:22:00.005-06:00

This weekend, I'm talking about building on the basics in order to get started on the Big Dream God has for your life. The basics of our faith journey, prayer, reading the Bible (and doing what it says), being in community and continuing to serve are all a part of being prepared to hear and live out God's dream for you life.

Spending time reading God's word and praying every day is a habit that all effective Christians work to include in their lives. So, if you are going to make reading reading the Bible part of your day, here's some tips and an outline of how to make the most of your time.

Tips for a Priority Time with God:

Schedule it. Put it in your calendar, set an alarm on your phone, make an appointment to sit down with God's word each day.
Make Priority Time your best time. If you are a morning person, set it in the morning. If you're best at night, set it for night time. Give your best time to connecting with God. (Personal note: I'm a night owl by nature, but I try to have my Priority Time in the morning because if I don't do it first, the rest of my day can crowd it out. Just saying.)
If you miss, don't beat yourself up. Like a meal, if you miss one, eat twice as much next time! Don't get down if you miss a day, just pick it up the next day and keep rolling.
Read straight through. Don't dip-and-skip through the Bible, and don't just read your favorite parts. read systematically, through a book front to back.
Some starting points: Start with the book of John, or Ephesians, or James in the New Testament. If you prefer, Genesis, Joshua, or Nehemiah in the Old Testament.
Get a partner. If you have someone to talk to it about and help encourage you, it makes it easier. Get someone from your Growth Group (hint hint) to read with you, and share what you're learning.
If prayer puts you to sleep, write it down. I suffer from the ADD, so in order to keep focused, I write down my prayers. It also lets me come back and read it later to see how God is answering my prayers.

How to structure a Priority Time: the 10 minute starter version

1 minute: Pray. Take a moment to slow down, focus and ask God to teach you something from His word today.

4 minutes: Read. Read until you come across something you feel God is saying to you. It's not about coverage, it's about hearing from God in your life.

2 minutes: Think. What is God saying in His word? Is there something to do, a truth to live by, a mistake to avoid, a promise to claim? Think about what God is saying and what you are supposed to learn from it.

2 minutes: Pray. Ask God to help you apply what you've just read, then pray for anything else that is important to you for the day. (Ask God to show you His dream for your life!)

1 minute: Thank. Thank God for His word to you, and for the lessons you are learning. Thank Him for anything else you are grateful for.

10 minutes is a great start, but as you get some momentum to this habit, you can spend more time, but remember: whatever you can do to spend time in the Bible is time well spent.

If you have tips or hints that make Priority Time work in your life, post a comment and share! If you're starting up the habit, let us know and we'll pray for you! Come get started on the basics for the dream.

Sunday Wrap Up

2010-05-09T23:52:00.005-06:00

What a great weekend!! It's really fun to see God at work in the life of our church family right now. Some examples from this weekend:

About 30 people raised their hands to say the prayed to receive Christ in our three services. That NEVER gets old!
What a pleasure to share in my first child dedications here at LifePoint. A wonderful time at each service of parents stepping up and declaring that they are going to raise the children that God has blessed them with in homes that honor and follow Christ. And hearing the response of the congregation as they affirmed that they were supporting and encouraging those families: priceless!!
BONUS!! Our newest, youngest Lifer was in the house on Saturday night. In one of those, "only God could do this" stories, a family in our church got a call on Monday that they could adopt a child that was born last Sunday. In a whirlwind of joy and panic, they picked her up on Wednesday and had her in church to be dedicated on Saturday. Anna is a double gift, and her pastor loves her!!
Great job by Pastor Tracy Conover in developing and leading the Child Dedication classes this weekend! Extra time and effort, but well worth it! Glad I could play a small part, but Pastor Tracy is the real deal!!
Got some great feedback on the message about God having a dream for each of us that He was dreaming before we were created in our mother's womb. Cool to see people opening their eyes to the possibilities of what God has for them.
Can't wait to see where the Dream Big series takes us! Get ready for God to do some great stuff, LifePoint!

Wrapped up my day with a trip to the theater to see Iron Man 2. Have to say, nice way to end a great day! More on that later.

And yes, I called my mom. I love that lady, and I know she loves me. I praise God for a Christian mother who dreamed big dreams for me, never gave up on me, and is proud of me to this day.

Off to bed, early morning tomorrow. God bless!

THRIVE - Wrapping Up

2010-05-04T23:24:00.003-06:00

Final Post on THRIVE 2010 -

What I will remember from this amazing time at Bayside Church:

Hearing Ray Johnston take one of my favorite passages (Acts 2:42ff) and using it to show the "Good Deeds produce Good Will which opens the door for Good News" in one passage. I'd never seen it like that, and I've been hearing that 'new proverb' for a few years now.
Hearing John Maxwell say that the price you pay for the dream will be greater and sooner than you think. But passion is still a big part of seeing a dream come true. His words are more true in me today.
The Luxury Box Upgrade. I won't lie, it was cool to be that close, get the extra snacks, and chill in the front row. Plus I got like a ton of free pastorcrack - books and Lincoln Brewster CD's. All that for bringing a group of people!
The breakout with Tony Morgan. I've been a fan of his for a few years, so to meet him, shake his hand and hear his wisdom on focus and clarity in our message and ministry was cool. BONUS: having one of my staffers there to hear the same stuff and confirm how badly we need to get after the principles Tony shared. Glad Tamy was there!
Lunch with the LifePoint Crew on Friday. We pulled everyone together, bought them lunch, and I got to share some pre-vision and a flavor of what I believe God is calling us to take on in the next chapter of LifePoint. It was a great time, with great energy and some great people!
So proud of Pastor Roy Conover for leading a breakout on his biblical counselling material. It's the best I've ever seen, and he got rave reviews for his presentation. Pray for him to get it put into book form sometime soon!! (no pressure, Roy...)
Dinner with the E-Team. What a great group of people I am privileged to work with here! No business, no agenda, just laughter, sharing hearts, and sharing P.F. Chang's.
Meeting Margaret Feinberg and her husband Leif. What neat people. Sometimes the 'platform folk' don't live up to the hype in real life. She's the real deal, and he's a funny dude. Hoping we get to cross paths again sometime soon.
Getting to hear from a number of great leaders, but seemingly all pointed at the same word we've been hearing in the Carson Valley - get out of the building and into the community, bring Jesus to people, and let God lead people toward their next steps in their faith journey.

Honestly, I can't wait until next year. I hope that there are more surprises, more breakouts, more learning and more growing, and that we can bring more Lifers to the event.

Pastors, if you can at all make it, and if you can at all bring some people from your church, you need to make plans to be there next year. Luis Palau, Margaret Feinberg, and a cast of thousands. Don't miss it.

THRIVE - Day Three

2010-05-02T21:53:00.003-06:00

Yep, this is a day late, but that's what happens when you end the conference in Sacramento and drive like a mad man back across the Sierras to Carson Valley for the 4:30 service back home. :)

So, final day at Thrive. I was totally looking forward to hearing Ephrem Smith, having heard so much about him over the past year. I was jacked up. But I had one thing to do first.

I ended up in the Green Room backstage, once again thanks to my friend John Jackson, Executive Director of TCI and main dude for the Thrive Conference. Beth and I were back there for prayer before the session, then I got to say 'hey' to Pastor Smith. Over in the corner, sitting on the sectional with her husband Leif was Margaret Feinberg. As you might have read, I owed her an apology.

So I walked over, introduced my wife and myself, and told her that I owed her an apology. Her husband leaned forward, grin on his face, and said, "Unsolicited, this ought to be good!" I like Leif. Margaret looked surprised, but she motioned for me to sit down, and I began my apology.

I told her that I was not looking forward to her talk, that I was trying to be a good leader and set the example and pay attention, but nothing about her bio, her book titles, or her introduction made me want to hear what she was going to say. Then, she started in on her topic, which was from her book, Scouting The Divine. It was all about farming images from the Bible, like shepherds and sheep. I told her that I was a city kid that grew up on a farm and couldn't wait to leave. She laughed and understood. Then I told her that her words just broke me. I was moved by the description of how God knows our voices as distinctly as a shepherd knows the bleating of each individual sheep. God hears me when I cry to Him.

Then, as she rolled around to the time she spent with a vintner, learning about growing grapes, I lost it. She talked about how grapes needed bad soil, and how in some places, they will look at the soil around their grape vines and add more rocks. More rocks. After all the pruning, there would be fruit to make wine, but from initial planting to the first glass of wine will be way over a decade. I told her that the rocky places in my life and the pruning over the years were just slammed into perspective for me. I didn't tell her the specifics of cancer, meningitis, angry parishioners, hard transitions, relational struggles or financial setbacks, but each one was clearly in my mind when I told her that she helped me once again see God's hand in my life.

I thanked Margaret for her amazing words that touched my heart, even when I was not expecting them to. She was amazingly gracious, and Leif got up, went out and brought back the last copy of her book for her to sign and give me. I thanked them both profusely. We talked for about an hour, and had the best time. She's looking at a writing project and we brainstormed some ideas to help her talk to some folks she'd like to meet. Leif had a college roommate from Pocatello, so we talked about Poky stuff. Beth and I both tried to give them an easy way out of the conversation, in case they needed some time away from people, but they were happy to talk, so we did.

Finally, Leif looked over at my watch and asked what time it was. I told him, and they both jumped up in a panic. They were late leaving for the airport. Like really late. So Margaret hugged Beth and I, we exchanged info, and they bolted out the door.

In a bit of a daze, we walked out to sit through the last part of Ephrem's talk, and as he was bringing it home, it was once again the voice of the Holy Spirit confirming, pushing and encouraging me to lead ahead with the missional focus here at LifePoint. I was nodding my head and feeling my heart beat faster as he talked about serving in the community and making a difference to the vulnerable and overlooked in society. One more time, God is saying it loud and clear.

I'll give a final wrap later, but it was an amazing time, an amazing experience, and real confirmation of the calling and the direction of God in my life and at LifePoint Church.

Big thanks to Ray Johnston, John Jackson, David Harris and the gang at Thrive, Bayside and TCI. This was a great event, and done well.

THRIVE - Day Two

2010-05-01T00:54:00.003-06:00

At the risk of being too honest, here's the day in light of expectations blown:

I expected to get a lot out of the preaching breakout this morning. Mission accomplished. Ray Johnston nailed it, totally encouraging, totally strategic, and yet, in case anyone was not clear on the subject, totally biblical. Yes, you can (and should) be all three.
I expected (not proud of this, actually) to not get a lot out of Margaret Feinberg's talk. She started in talking about all the agricultural research she had done, and I was reminded how fast I wanted off the farm when I was growing up. I was a city kid raised on the farm, no doubt. But when she got rolling, so did my tears. I'm man enough to say that, and this: she ruined me. I was totally dashed against the rocks and heard clearly from God. I will buy her book, and if I see her, apologize in person for my low expectations.
I expected to meet Tony Morgan. Mission accomplished. He's a cool dude, very humble and super smart. I got to talk to him a bit, and he's just a great leader and communicator. He took some time to sign a book for one of my staff. Just cool, plus great info on leadership and strategic thinking. Take away - simple and clear need to be values. Always.
I expected the talk by John Ortberg to be great. Mission WAY accomplished. I'm again in awe of how God keeps talking to us about how He's not going to be put in a box, no matter how hard we try, and spiritual formation is no different. God has a plan, trust the plan, and "burn grace like a 747 burns jet fuel." Love that.
I expected to laugh at the comics during the late session. My. Sides. Hurt. Great stuff from Bob and Bob.
I didn't expect to cry in front of the team from LifePoint at lunch today. But God is making it so clear what He wants to do, and I'm just in awe of His amazing plan as it unfolds. So much of what we're looking at is being echoed so loudly in everything we hear while we're here. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I know there's more to come, but this has been great. Great connections with the Lifers that are here, meeting lots of new folks from Bayside and other churches, and just enjoying the experience.

More tomorrow.

First THRIVE - Day 1

2010-04-30T00:39:00.003-06:00

I'm whipped, so I'm going to bed, but I've got to share this much about my first day at my first Thrive conference.

Musical Worship - Off. The. Chain. The Katinas, Lincoln Brewster, what a huge amount of talent pointed toward Heaven and turned loose. It was great stuff, from great guys with great hearts. Beth went to Lincoln Brewster's breakout session, and says he's got a great heart, and true priorities about family and ministry. Plus he played a Journey song, so he's that much more coolest. "When the lights... go down... in the city..."
Teaching - Ray Johnston, Miles McPhereson, and top it off with John Maxwell tonight, that's a powerhouse line up, and I'm totally jacked about what they were saying. Biggest take away: God is telling us we need to jump up and get into the community to share Jesus with people in a real way. Earning the right to share the love of Jesus. Great stuff, and right in line with what we've been hearing at LifePoint.
Breakout session - Heard a guy named David Chow, former pastor, now a coach and a great dude who did a great job talking on the subject of Strengths Based Leadership. Leading people with your strengths, and bringing out the strengths in others. Sounds like the job description of every pastor in America. Sure is mine.

Gotta sleep, but can't wait to see what God says tomorrow.

I Need A Do-Over

2010-04-28T23:36:00.003-06:00

Ever have one of those moments you wish you could get back? If you read my last post, I said I was worried about going all 'fan-boy' on John Maxwell, a hero of mine and the speaker at this dinner I was invited to before the Thrive Conference. So now, hours after the event, I can share the news:

Good News - I didn't fan-boy on him. I was cool, calm and collected. I did notice that he's amazing at working the room, totally saw him connecting before he communicated (yes, I'm buying his new book!), and when he did speak, he was powerful, poignant, pertinent and whatever p-word means "he encouraged the daylights out of me!!" It was great to be there, to see him do his thing, to hear him pump up a room full of leaders, and leave us all wanting more.
Bad News - I believe I now understand the phrase "Epic Fail" in a personal way. Let me explain:

My friend John Jackson is one of the key leaders of this event, and he had saved me a seat with him at one of the front tables. I walked over, and there were indeed three seats saved. I assumed (rightly) that one was for me, one for John Jackson, but I wasn't sure who the other one was for. So after introductions, they dismissed us to go through the line and get food. I did, and soon I'm eating with the other three guys at the table. John J. was still talking, so I was still sitting next to two empty but saved seats.

So when John Maxwell walked over to the table and looked at the empty seat... it happened so fast... I couldn't believe it was over before I could take it back... I'm such a rule follower... GGGHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

John Maxwell asked if he could sit at the table with us, and I said, "I'm sorry, but John Jackson was saving those seats, and I don't know who they are for, Mr. Maxwell."

Like I said. Epic Fail.

He was gracious and kind, walked to another table and proceeded to enrich the lives of everyone there while I sat and drank my iced tea and wallowed in my epic fail-ness. John Jackson came over and sat down, and yes, he had wanted to save that seat for someone else, but that person never sat down, and he would have been okay... I'm going to stop there.

So, like I said. I didn't fan-boy. Nope. Not me. I obeyed social etiquette to a fault. A huge, epic fail of a fault.

Sigh...

The talks were great, I got a lot out of them, then went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. More on THRIVE tomorrow.

Something A Little Dangerous...

2010-04-27T21:54:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow I'm going to do something a little...dangerous. I'm going to break one of the unwritten rules of life: Never Meet Your Heroes In Real Life.

The idea goes like this: when you have a hero, someone you look up to and admire from a distance, they most likely cannot live up to your idea of them in real life. So don't meet them, because they will let you down. Have you ever heard something like that?

In my life, I've had a couple opportunities to meet people I've admired. I have met Rick Warren a couple times, even got his autograph. I teared up a little when I told him thanks for all the help he's given me in ministry. I met Dan Southerland a couple times, once at a conference where I got to have lunch with him, and we talked a lot. I mean a lot. He talks almost as much as me. Almost.

I got to wave at Bill Hybels once. In a parking lot. Not the same. But he did wave back.

So Wednesday, I get to go to a dinner at Bayside Church in Sacramento. At the dinner will be my friend and the founding pastor of LifePoint Church, John Jackson. Also there will be the Senior Pastor of Bayside, Ray Johnston. I'm excited to be with those guys and experience their Thrive Conference, but I'm not nervous about them. It's the other guy.

John Maxwell is a leadership guru, author, speaker, force-of-nature, and he's going to be at dinner tomorrow. I'm a big fan. Big fan. Some of his books are some of the most important things I've ever read (non-Bible division). I've heard him on CD, I've read his blog, I've read a bunch of his books, and his latest is on my 'must have' list. And I get to have dinner with him.

Is he Jesus? No. Does it make me a better person because I'm having dinner with him? NO. Does it make me special, a better leader or taller to be in the same room as him? Sadly, no. But learning and gleaning from a great leader of leaders can't hurt me. I'm hoping I get some gems of wisdom to take home with me, but I'm just hoping that I can keep my expectations in check. He's a man. A man of God, a leader, a teacher, a great example of maximizing the gifts God gives a person, but a man nonetheless. I hope I can learn from him and not over expect of him. That would make for a great evening.

And I hope I don't do a full on 'fan-boy' on him. Pray for me. :)

Is It Okay To Feel Good?

2010-04-25T15:34:00.002-06:00

Just got done with an amazing weekend at LifePoint Church. Some pieces:

Over 170 women came together for the Beth Moore simulcast. I stopped in to see the crowd, and what an amazing sight. Heard nothing but great comments about the teaching - what would happen if all 300,000 women who were watching around the country started living without insecurities and taught their daughters and sisters how to do the same? I love the thought of that! I'm excited for what's going to happen when the women of the Carson Valley get it going on like that around here!
We got to celebrate 15 baptisms this weekend! That has to get your pulse pounding! I love seeing the faces of people when they come up out of the water and hear their church family cheer for them, there's nothing like seeing the joy on the faces of people going public with their faith. I LOVE MY JOB!
I'm hearing that the men's groups are filling up and getting ready to launch new groups. I'm so glad to hear the Spirit moving in the lives of guys, it's always good for the church family when men are getting lined up with God's plan.
There's a group of people getting ready for their trip to Africa next month. God is already teaching and growing the team as they are preparing to go, and we'll get to pray for them and send them out next week. What I'm really looking forward to is the stories of what God does in them and through them while they're there.
Invisible Children are going to be here on Wednesday night. I know the youth staff are fired up about having them come, and hearing from one of the child soldiers that was rescued out of that awful situation should be powerful.
Last but not least: THRIVE is next week! This is my first one, so I'm extra excited. I'll be blogging about that more later, but just know that I'm fired up to learn, grow and see what's working at other churches next week.

So, is it okay if I'm feeling good about what God's up to these days?

I know that there are ups and downs on the journey of following Jesus, but right now, let's ride the high! Let's enjoy the excitement and the energy of the momentum God is building. Let's build on the good that's happening and push out in faith toward what Christ is calling us to next. What do you say?

Looking For A Response

2010-04-18T23:22:00.002-06:00

So today at LifePoint Church, we were on the second message of the Make The Connection series, talking about small group life. Last week was well received, and this week, same thing. Pastor Mark Marsella and the Growth Group team put together a Connect Expo so that, right after the message, people wouldn't have to leave the worship center, but could walk right over to a row of tables, all manned by group leaders, to sign up and get into a group.

Here's what happened: There were a good number of folks who walked over on Saturday night, but today, in both services, there was a mob! Folks were hanging out and talking at the tables for a long time after each service (yes, I intentionally finished early, so there was extra time, but still...), and as I walked by the tables afterward, lots and lots of names were on the sign up sheets!

Reflecting on the experience today, here's what I think was going on:

First, the folks at LifePoint are excited to take God's Word seriously in their lives. Big thanks to Dr. John Jackson for leading them in that direction! It's fun to talk to a church full of people who are all ready to step up and follow the clear directions of the scripture.

Second, people are hungry for connection. People want to know and be known, love and be loved, serve and be served. At a time when technology has us wired, we're still longing for connection. I can't wait to see what happens at LifePoint as the relationships develop and people grow stronger together. The impact in the Carson Valley, and around the world, will be epic!

Way to go, Lifers!!

A Lesson on Waiting Rooms

2010-04-15T23:41:00.005-06:00

After big events like Easter weekend, I tend to have some kind of let down. I always attribute it to the adrenaline and excitement surrounding the big days that, when it subsides, leaves my body a little more vulnerable to the bugs in the air. I thought this year was going to be different, since for a whole week after Easter I was doing really well. My energy was up, my enthusiasm was high, the rush of all God did at LifePoint this Easter was fresh on my mind and heart, so I was going great! The first weekend of the new series, Make The Connection was really good, with a good turnout and tremendous feedback.

Then Monday hit.

I woke up to get Mac off to school, and I was sick. I went back to bed and slept most of the morning. When I did wake up, I was coughing and feeling miserable. I dragged myself down to the Urgent Care Center in Minden to get looked at, and found a waiting room full of people.

Turns out I wasn't the only one sick in the Carson Valley.

So I waited. They had been slammed all day, with many admissions to the local hospital, so they were very backed up. So I waited. And I waited. I Tweeted my Twitter and I waited. I watched Food Channel and I waited. I finally got back into an exam room, and then... I waited. Finally, the doctor showed up, looked in my ears, listened to my lungs, told me I had bronchitis, and sent me on my way. Three hours (not joking) of waiting for a five minute visit to tell me what I already knew.

When I got better this week, I realized that sometimes people have the same experience with church. They come, expecting something, but instead, they wait around for something to happen. They think it's going to be good, but sometimes, in the waiting, they lose sight of why they came. They know there's something good supposed to happen, but they end up being somewhat entertained, but not really. And they wait. And if they finally get where they thought they wanted to go, it seems somewhat anticlimactic. "I knew that already."

Instead of warehousing people, instead of creating a big waiting room for people to hang out in and be somewhat entertained, what if we offered real help and real connections for people when they arrived? What if, instead of waiting to see a pastor, we had lots of people who could offer assistance, care, compassion, a listening ear, and even training to be involved. Instead of passively waiting, folks could get actively involved in something, what would that be like?

That's why the shift in churches has been toward being more missional, more focused on getting folks connected and actively involved in their own faith journey, rather than passively sitting around waiting on someone else. It makes a difference in the lives of people much more quickly, and more effectively. Here's what I mean:

One of our leaders recruited unchurched people to come be a part of her ministry during our Easter weekend. Those people might have never set foot in church otherwise, but because of their connection this leader, they came. They attended a service to see what this was all about, despite having no intention of doing so at first, and they heard the gospel loud and clear. The impact was real: afterward, they wanted to know more.

Not sitting around watching a show, but connected relationally and actively participating as they had a chance to connect to Jesus. What if church was like that, and not so much like a waiting room? Would Jesus smile?

Easter At LifePoint, Part 2

2010-04-06T16:26:00.003-06:00

Tuesday, and stories are coming in about lives impacted by the weekend at LifePoint Church:

One person let me know that they led people to Christ at the dinner table over an Easter meal after the services on Sunday. You have to know how fired up that makes me! That's the definition of teamwork: The worship team opens the door, I tell the story, someone else walks people they know across the finish line, Jesus wins!!
Some folks told a staffer that they are moving here soon, were visiting again over the holiday weekend, stopped in and were touched by the service. Now they can't wait to get back and get involved.
Children's ministry folks heard that some of the first time volunteers were seriously looking to jump on board more regularly after Easter. Yahoo!!
One person who did kids ministry most of the services got to pray with six kids to receive Christ!! That NEVER gets old!
Hearing multiple stories of folks coming to multiple services in order to bring more friends to hear about Jesus.
Folks at Guest Central noticed that more and more of our regulars were bringing their friends to the Guest Central counter to introduce them and help them get connected. WAY TO GO LIFERS!!!
One college student ended up with eight invite tickets from all the Lifers they knew inviting them. Nice!!
One person noticed that we had plenty of volunteer help this year. Folks stepped up and offered their time and energy to help - very servant-hearted!!
Lots and lots of comments, notes, postings and phone calls about how folks were touched and even moved by the Friday night service and how God moved even after the lights went out. If you missed that, look here for part of the story.

And there's more where that came from! If you have a story from the Easter weekend at LifePoint, make a point to post it here. Let's share what God has done!

Easter At LifePoint, Part 1

2010-04-04T19:55:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited about what God did at LifePoint Church this weekend, I want to sing and jump up and down, but I'm my throat hurts and I'm wiped out, so my heart is dancing (or, as my friend Stacy likes to say, "my heart is pink and full of Spanish!")!!

So the first of six services was Friday night, and everything had come together. The message was done, and I got to see the dance number I in it's entirety that morning, and it looked great. A few tweaks to the order of service, and we felt like it was ready. All week we had been praying for the light board to work, and it was working great. So, 6 pm rolls around, and we start. The first song, then the dance number go off amazingly well, and the crowd was into the experience.

Then the lights flickered hard, like they wanted to go out, but came back up. All that did was take out the media and jack up the lights, but it all got put back in place pretty fast, so by the middle of the next song, it was all up and running like normal. All through it, the band played on, and the congregation sang, or tried to without the words on the screen. Pretty cool, and just a great bunch of work by the band and the team working sound and media.

So I got up to start the message, and it's rolling along well, the crowd was following right along, when suddenly, about 2/3 through, the lights flicker hard again... and stay out. Totally. Pitch. Black.

The emergency lights come on, and the crowd all laughs at the predicament. They start telling me to keep going, so I joke, "I can't see my notes!" Someone in the crowd comes up with a flashlight, and I kept going, pushing my voice a bit to get to the back row, but not too bad (years of football coaching comes in handy!).

The kids ministry folks do an amazing job keeping the kids calm and still focused, and word was that five kids received Christ in their service. Wow.

So after the service, I'm super proud of the team and all the work to get through what was obviously a difficult situation with more than just grace, but also with great presence of mind and real ministry hearts. But I'm feeling a little down that people will walk away and remember what a great job we did to finish out the service, but they won't remember Jesus.

Then, Saturday morning, I'm at the gym when a lady comes up and introduces herself to me. She tells me that she had three people she invited who had either never been to church or never been to LifePoint. She said they had a wonderful experience, and they were really excited about coming back.

I was stunned. Turns out God works, not only in the dark, but in my moment of doubt. I was worried that folks wouldn't see Jesus in all that chaos, but the truth is, He shined brighter than ever for those who needed Him the most.

That story did more to stoke my fire than anything else could have. Every service after that, I walked to the platform knowing that God was there, whether people were there to see the dance, hear the band, listen to me or for any other reason they might have listed. God was there, and He was making Himself known to people far from Him.

Such a blessing. Thank you to all the Lifers for praying, inviting, serving, giving and showing up to see Jesus be famous in our valley. And thanks to the guy who loaned me the flashlight. :)

More later...

Praying a 'Paul Prayer' for Easter

2010-04-02T00:12:00.002-06:00

I try to take time every day to spend reading the Bible and praying just for me. As much as I'm reading and studying for messages, teaching opportunities, etc... I want and need time for me and Jesus to talk, not just for what I can share with others. It helps me focus and stay grounded, and I have always struggled with keeping it regular in my life. I'm doing better these days, and calling it my Priority Time instead of my Quiet Time has helped, but that's a post for a different day.

I was reading in Colossians the other day, and Paul asks for the church folk there to pray for him. Pray that he would get opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with folks. Then, in chapter four, verse four he says, "Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should." That has really resonated with me this week.

I need to proclaim the message of the Resurrection as clearly as I should. Clear enough that folks understand that this is the hinge issue of the entire Christian faith. That this one event is the focal point of all of history. That this one piece of the puzzle is what makes the rest of the Bible and the rest of life itself make any sense. I need to get that point across as clearly as I should, so that there is no mistaking what we believe.

We as Christ followers don't believe in the philosophy and teaching of a man, or the crazy stuff he said. We believe that Jesus died a public death and was raised to life again in front of witnesses who, in turn, gave their lives for what they saw. It is powerful, life changing truth, and it needs to be spoken clearly.

So pray for me, that I might proclaim the truth of the Resurrection this weekend as clearly as I should. And pray for all the other preachers who are going to do the same thing. And pray for the musicians, the greeters, the servers, the parking attendants, the children's workers, and the singers to all do the same thing: to proclaim the powerful truth of the Resurrection as clearly as we should. This is too important to be unclear. It's too powerful to let it slip by. It's too vital to miss. Pray that I and my co-laborers in Christ will all proclaim it as clearly as we should!!

God bless, and may Easter bring effective ministry to us all in Jesus' most powerful name!

A Kinder, Gentler Easter

2010-03-30T23:18:00.003-06:00

We had an amazing prayer time at our Staff Worship today at LifePoint Church. A great time of zeroing in on what God was saying, what we're supposed to be hearing and doing, and especially praying for the folks who will come and hear the Good News this weekend. It was a privilege to hear people who spend so much of their time focusing on serving others still having the energy to lift up in prayer those they serve. I am privileged to lead a tremendously loving and focused team.

Later, a great discussion with the Worship staff about how they are relaxed and ready for Easter. That's such a good thing, not feeling pressured, rushed, buried, or crushed by the deadlines and the production. As much as I love big productions for the holidays, it's always better when folks don't feel and portray the stress of getting ready as they lead in worship. I want us to offer the best we have, and the best is not stress. It is a gift, and the gift comes from the Giver, who is also the Prince of Peace. Giving an Easter full of peace is a good gift.

I love big productions for the holidays, and they are definitely the right thing at the right time if done the right way with the right heart. I love the heart I've been hearing and seeing at LifePoint, and I think that we're going to portray that heart effectively to the folks who come.

Keep praying for the effectiveness of the message (Colossians 4:4) in all the ways it will be shared: music, dance, parking attendants, food servers, kid's ministry, the message, the media, the greeters and ushers, the grounds, the bathrooms and everywhere else. Everything we do for the people who come, we do for the Lord, and everything we do for the Lord has the opportunity to show the Love of God to the people who come.

I can't wait for EASTER!!!

Entertaining the Parents

2010-03-23T22:46:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the space in between the posts, but my Mom and Dad are here, taking their spring break to come check out our new digs. They have been having fun seeing the new neighborhood, checking out the new church, and helping us continue the unpacking process. Mom orgainized the pantry (turns out that's a big job) today while I was working on my messages for this week and Easter. It's good to have a mom around, for sure!!

Mac is on the East Coast doing the Heritage Tour, seeing the historical and cultural sights and buying a sword. Yep, he's 13. :)

So when the visit is over, I'll get back to a more regular (?) schedule of posts, but for now, just know that the transition continues. I'm pretty sure this is normal, but I'm learning about a gigabite per day of tightly compressed information. Trouble is, I'm not an I Pod. But it's going well, I'm getting the hang of the language, the history and the people here at LifePoint. I'm blessed to be here, and blessed to get to use my gifts to serve Jesus in this place.

More soon...

Learning The Rhythm

2010-03-16T18:31:00.003-06:00

My friends have asked how my 'first' weekend at LifePoint went. I thought it went great, and I've got a lot to learn. It wasn't my first time preaching, and it wasn't my first weekend as pastor here, but it was my first time preaching as pastor here, and it was great. I was glad to get off on the right foot, and extra glad for all the folks who were praying so hard for God to show up, because He did. I can't wait for this weekend and to keep rolling on what it means to Follow Jesus. I've heard some great stories already about folks taking seriously the call to Live Like Jesus and serve the way He served. That gets me fired up!!

Now a quick confession: There's a sense of rhythm that happens to almost anything, and especially when you do something regularly, like say a pastor preaching a message each week. I have a great feel for Sunday mornings with two services, because I've done that for a long time, but the Saturday night thing baffled me. When do I start getting ready? When do I get my 'game face' on? What should I eat? Should I eat? I had no idea about any of that stuff.

Pastors and other leaders: when you're doing something that's new, like adding a new service, or starting a new schedule, do yourself a favor and learn from my mistake: ask someone who's done it what the important issues are to consider before you jump into it. When I led a church to go from one service to two, I asked folks about the difference it makes having two services, and I got great advice (number 1 thing: don't skip breakfast!), but I forgot to ask about what to think about on Saturday nights.

Asking for advice is good. The Bible is clear: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Prov. 15:22 (NIV) How did I blow that one? Not every counselor is right, but if you don't ask any, you miss the chance to get the help that God's offering you.

So pray for me (some more...) that I keep asking God to show me who to listen to, and then that I hear from God through the advice of wise counsel. And that I figure out Saturday this week. :)

Message Delivered

2010-03-14T23:17:00.003-06:00

The first one is in the books, and I'm pretty tired, but really excited about this first weekend preaching at LifePoint as the Lead Pastor. Lots of great feedback, and I was really glad to hear that lots and lots of folks signed up to help with the Easter Services. I'm always pumped up to hear that folks heard God's word and stepped out to do what it says.

I'm excited for what's coming, and I'm pretty fired up for the weeks we have leading up to Easter. Keep praying, because it's going to take more that just what we have to bring to the table to see the big move of God that's going to come. God has big plans, and we need to step into them with prayer and faith, open hearts and open hands.

Remember: invite cards are for giving to people that you invite to Easter services! :) Come to one, serve at another. It's the best way to celebrate the Ressurection Day!!

Lifting the Darkness

2010-03-11T18:22:00.004-07:00

Okay, that title sounded more ominous that I meant it to. I'm just saying that I'm going to get back to blogging, so the blog won't be 'dark' anymore.

To all the folks out there who've been praying for my family and I as we make this transition to our new home in Minden, NV, a ginormous THANK YOU!!! We have felt lifted up and held close in all this. Our stuff got packed and transported in one piece, and now we are unpacking most of it in our temporary house. Still praying for the house in Idaho to sell, so feel free to pray with us.

In the same loving and gracious way that our First Baptist Family said goodbye to us, our LifePoint Family has welcomed us here to the Carson Valley. To give you a taste of the welcome: the youth staff found out that Mac is a fan of Mountain Dew, so when we get to our house, there were three cases of Mountain Dew cans hidden around the place or lined up in patterns. Mac was having a teenage boy version of an Easter egg hunt! Hilarious! This week my office was decorated with balloons and dark chocolate Reese's cups. Tasteful and tasty!!

After Curt Harlow shared the message this past weekend and the church prayed Beth and I into place, the work has begun in earnest. I'm learning the ropes, figuring out what I'm supposed to know, and finding all of the Starbucks in the valley. At times it feels like I'm getting further behind, but that's just a part of the transition. I've got great people helping me get up to speed, and we're going to make a dent in it before Easter, that's for sure.

I will get a rhythm going with the blog again soon, and I'm working at Twitter, so we'll see how this all pans out. Thanks for reading, and I hope to keep this informative, encouraging, and occasionally funny. As always, your comments are welcome!

Finishing at My Favorite Church

2010-03-01T23:41:00.003-07:00

Yes, once again I overestimated my ability to get done with a major event and still have something in the tank to try to post. I'm sorry if you've been hanging out by your computer waiting. My bad.

Sunday morning was both surreal and sublime. After another great worship set, the message was something I hope encouraged and challenged my favorite church to step together with confidence into the future that Jesus has planned for them. It has been tough to think about the future of FBC Poky without thinking of myself being a part of it, but I have seen what my announcement and pending departure has done in the lives of some people. If all the folks who have told me that they are planning to step up and find their place to serve and move the church forward all follow through (and I will pray for all of them to do so), there's nothing that can or will stop this church family from victory for the Kingdom.

Afterward, there were so many warm wishes and personal remembrances, I was overwhelmed more than once.

Then there was lunch with some staff and friends. Rachel got to pick, and in a huge upset, Wingers won over Red Lobster. As with everything else in this process, one word comes to mind: unpredictable. :) A tradition of the Rude family joining the McCreadys for lunch was joined by Pastor MO, Un Boblito and the Pettits, which made a special 'last meal' extra special. Thanks to all of you, I love you so much.

We had to load up the cars and walk away from our house for the last time. That brought a few more tears, especially from Mac as he said goodbye to his room for the last time.

Then it was back to church for the farewell event. Half roast, half comedy show, half worship service, half eulogy - yes, I see that the math adds up to two events, and it was. After four hours, there were laughs, tears, moments of real surprise and a sense of how amazing God has been to all of us over the past four years. No disrespect to anyone, the whole event was amazing, heartfelt, and truly appreciated by my entire family and me, but there were some moments that stood out above the rest:

Jessica Rude gave a fantastic recap of Beth's 9.5 years of leading the youth ministry with a tremendous mix of the serious and the funny. No, Beth does not really think she has all the spiritual gifts, nor is Santa just Satan spelled backwards, but the impact of Beth's ministry continues to be felt in the lives of the students she led, and in the church family as a whole. That was great work, Jessa.
The look of shock on my face was real when Gene Martin walked onto the platform to share about the missions work over the years, including the trip he and I got to be a part of to New Orleans. To say Gene is a little uncomfortable in front of groups is like saying Canada is a little proud of their hockey team. But he was up there letting the world know what God had led this church to do for people outside our local community. I am so proud of him. Again.
Auctioning off a tie in my honor was genius. And I'm buying a steak, just so you know.
Pastor Mike Harris from Arco stole the show in my opinion. A Top Ten list, a giant cookie, a statement that will live forever in... my heart (and no, I can't share it on the web, sorry), and fried pickles. I may never be able to wipe the smile off my face. Sign that boy up for a comedy night, someone!!
I thought I had cried all my tears for the week (or year...) until I heard the statistic that we had baptized over 175 people in 14 years. I didn't realize that it had been that many, and it shocked me to hear it. That's 100 more people than were in the church in 1996. All that tells me is that God was very busy changing lives over the last 14 years.
Kathy Nelson is not the public speaker on the staff, but her explanation of the reach-out history, from Concert In The Park to Recovery Fest left me in awe. If there's one thing I'm the most proud of is that we listened to what God said to us and went out to love others in Jesus name.

All the rest of the evening was equally amazing. I'm not going to recap all of it, but suffice it to say that I was blown away, blessed, completely honored and humbled by the whole thing. The gifts, the kind words, the memories, the whole enchilada was a perfect mix of remembering what God has done and blessing my family. I could not have been more pleased. To all who played a part, both up front and behind the scenes: THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!! I love you, too.

Let me end with this thought: I called FBC Pocatello my favorite church during the message Sunday morning. I meant it with all my heart. I mean that with no disrespect to the other churches I've served and been a part of in my life, and certainly none toward my new church. But the growth in my life, the experiences, and especially the privilege of being on the front row when God resurrected a dying church, are all unmatched in my life. While I look forward with excitement and a deep sense of call and purpose to the adventure of leading LifePoint Church, I will always have a special place in my heart for the friends and family I have in Pocatello. May God bless you all in every way as you stand as one man and fight to build the Kingdom of Jesus in that city. I carry you all in my heart.

I'm going to go dark here for a time, check back in a week or so. There are boxes to unpack, staffers to meet with, kids to register for school, a wife to love, and a new chapter to begin.

As always, thank you for your prayers. Talk soon!

Saturday At Starbucks

2010-02-27T12:01:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was hard. The truck came and loaded all our worldly possessions, leaving an empty (and somewhat dirty...) house where we used to live. The kids were off playing with friends for most of the day, so when they came home to their house and found it empty, there were tears. They are still excited about moving, excited for the new adventure, but it's hard to leave the only place you've ever lived, and for Rachel, the only house she's ever called home. I told her about her first day home, her first steps, and all the other firsts in that house. She laughed and cried and slept like a rock last night. Good for her.

Today, while Beth and friends are cleaning so we can sell our house (pray early, pray often!), I'm here at Starbucks trying to write my last message to the church here in Pocatello as their pastor. I know that I might get invited back someday for an anniversary, or a building dedication, or something else big and fun, but maybe not. Whatever the future holds, I have tomorrow to share my last word from God to the people of the FBC Family. It's a good word, and I think god's been prepping my heart for it for the entire month. But now when the thoughts and ideas are supposed to be coming into the keyboard, they collide with feelings and emotions, and it once again becomes more difficult than usual.

So on the last Saturday of my ministry here, the last message waits for the last mocha to stir the last thoughts to become the last sermon of my last Sunday. I love these people; always have, even during the tough times. I love what God has done here, both in them and in me through them. I think I gained as much or more than I gave, and I know I gave my all. God has a great plan for this church, and I know that the best days are in front of them.

Tomorrow I'll post one last time from here. After that, I'll go dark for a while, so that I can get my life together at the other end. Truck gets to Minden on Tuesday, kids start school and my first staff meeting on Wednesday, and I've got an Accountability Team meeting on Saturday. One week from today, I'll be drinking a mocha from a different Starbucks in a different state at a different office of a different church. I'm trusting in God to make this all work right, but for now, one last message remains.

Thanks again to all for the prayers on our behalf. I can't imagine how hard this would be without all of you praying for all of us. The Lord Bless you.

Lunch

2010-02-24T15:34:00.003-07:00

Today was an important day. Our staff has had a tradition of doing lunch out together for special occasions. Birthdays mainly, Administrative Professional's Day for sure, but some other stuff once in a while, too. After staff meeting on a Wednesday we go. Sometimes it's a surprise where we end up, sometimes it's a vote, sometimes it's the choice of the 'honoree.'

Today was my last staff lunch as the pastor of FBC Pocatello.

They let me pick, so we went to Red Lobster (which was everyone's guess ahead of time), and once again we sat around a large, round table and talked, ate and enjoyed each other. It has been my privilege to serve with some amazing people over the years, and to have lunches with them and celebrate. This one was no different. Lots of laughter, lots of shrimp, lots of fun with people I love.

I wish that we could have another lunch and have Beth, Becky, Troy, Tait, Nico, Bill, Brittney,Quentin, Patti, Megan, Linda, Brian, Kyle, Becky and Diana there, just to be the full history of the FBC Staff while I've been here, but that will have to wait until the 125 anniversary of the church (circle your calendar for November, 2016!).

I got to tell them once again how much I love them, how I am confident in their ministry and the future of FBC, and how I'm invested in them personally into the future, whatever future that is for them. These are great people, doing great work with great hearts, and I'm proud of them, proud to serve with them, and proud to call them friends. FBC Family, you are blessed to have such great people working with you and leading you.

I got asked what my favorite part of being on staff with these folks was, and the answer came easier than I expected. As much as I have loved doing ministry day to day with everyone, my favorite part has always been the road trips. The trips to Saddleback, the Nightmare at Deer Lodge, the Boise trip, Seattle, even the infamous Tri Cities trek are all special memories. Being out of our context, being real people together, talking, dreaming, eating good food, and having some unhurried time on the road has always been some of the best fun and most productive think/plan/dream time. Terms like, "Roma-rita," "Red Roof Inn," "Anger Management," and "We're together...not TOGETHER..." all invoke an insider's smile and warm memories for me.

I will miss coming to the office and seeing you, I will miss working and worshiping with you, and I will miss being molded and shaped by your lives and ministries. May God bless each of you - Karl, Stacy, Kathy, Aaron, Chris and Vern. I love you, and I can't wait to see what God does in and through each of you in the days and years to come.

The Week of Last

2010-02-22T16:16:00.003-07:00

My daughter Rachel woke up today and said, "Today is my last Monday at school." She is the one who's having the hardest time with our move, and the weight of her 'lasts' seems to be heaviest. I resisted the urge to tell her that there will be a lot more Mondays in her life, and a lot more Mondays of school for that matter. Instead I hugged her and told her it was going to be good, so she might as well get started.

It's getting down to the wire, and I am seeing the 'lasts' of my time in Pocatello piling up. I know that we will be back to visit - both kids were born here, we've made life-long friendships here, and Beth loves Buddy's salads, so of course we're coming back - but everyone knows that coming for a visit isn't the same.

So I'm trying to find the joy in my 'lasts' when I can. The last trip to the Bannock County Jail to visit prisoners. The last staff meeting. The last lunch at the country club (note: I was never a member, but did harbor aspirations...). All the last dinners with friends. The last LLC was today (much love to my group - I carry you in my heart!). And I went to the Cancer Center for the last time as a patient today. Six years after being diagnosed, they are sad to see me go, but glad I'm going under my own steam. And, my cholesterol was down!!!

I realized that some of my lasts were a while ago, but I didn't know it at the time: my last wedding here, my last funeral here, my last time to pray at the city council meeting, my last Cancer Survivor Picnic here, my last Relay for Life here. Without knowing it, I attended my last Bengal game and celebrated my last Christmas here. These things that I didn't know were ending for me here, but now I look back and remember.

This week will have a few more 'lasts': my last staff lunch. My last Pastor's Prayer gathering. My last day in the office. My last message to my church family. My last goodbye to these people whom I love so dearly. One last party as your pastor here.

I have tried to imagine what it would feel like to leave, and it's tougher than I thought. Each step carries with it a fresh load of emotions and tears. But at the same time, I am starting to get some excitement for what is in front of me, and what is in front of FBC Pocatello. I'm getting fired up about what God wants to do next, but that's for the next post. For now, I'm just living and learning from the 'lasts.'

Joy and Tears, Sadness and Laughter

2010-02-18T14:26:00.003-07:00

The whirlwind of winding up here at FBC is continuing, and there have been many lunches, dinners, meetings, appointments and conversations, with more left to come. I have been asked great questions about how I'm feeling, what's the new church going to be like, how are the kids doing with the move, etc... I answer as honestly as I can, and it's been good to talk about it with folks I love and who love me and wants what God wants for me.

I got asked if I was excited to go to LifePoint, and I gave an odd answer (even for me...). I said, I haven't had the chance to be excited yet. I've been so full of bittersweet feelings over leaving that I haven't had the opportunity to get excited about what God has next.

Yes, I know that God is calling me and my family to go, and yes, all the reasons why are still good reasons. I will become very excited to be there the closer we get, and I don't want anyone misreading what I'm saying. I am looking forward to what I've been called to do, and I want to get there and get started.

But I feel like God has given me a gift right now, and the gift is to be able to block out any excitement for going to LifePoint in order to finish being here in Pocatello. The joy I feel in talking to so many folks about what God has done over these last 14 years is mixed with tears of sadness over what I will miss when I go. And in my sadness over leaving, I have had deep moments of humor and laughter over the adventures we have had here. Every emotion is mixed with one or two more.

I love what God is doing in my life, and I love what God has been doing in my life. In saying "yes" to LifePoint, I don't believe I'm saying "no" to FBC Pocatello, it's just that I'm needing to follow God's guidance in my life, and leave an opening for the right person to come here and lift this church to a new level.

All that mixes up in a fizzy, bubbling, cacophony of feelings and emotions. Sometimes I laugh when I'm crying, and sometimes I cry when I'm laughing. Sometimes I feel deep joy and satisfaction while still feeling aches and sadness. But in all of it, God's hand continues to be clear, and the good news is that He's still in control, even when my emotions are all over the map.

Thanks to all who continue to pray for us and this transition. Please don't stop, and please for give me if you think my emotional state isn't where you might think it should be. It's hard for me to figure out how I'm supposed to feel.

Juggling Act

2010-02-15T11:10:00.002-07:00

I learned to juggle about 16 years ago as a part of my youth ministry days. I wanted to be able to do something unusual to get the kid's attention, and juggling seemed like an easy way to do it. I bought the Klutz book on juggling (it came with it's own practice beanbags), and practiced until I could do it reasonably well. I pulled out the juggling a few times over the years, and if I get an hour to practice, I could get my coordination back in shape.

But right now, I'm juggling more than I ever thought I could. :)

So in the midst of ending well at FBC Pocatello, and trying to get my stuff packed to move, and saying goodbye to longtime friends, and leading my staff here toward the interim and the future, and getting up to speed about ministry at LifePoint, and shepherding my family through the transition, and getting my change of address form in to the Post Office, and keeping my parents in the loop, and setting up appointments for baby dedications... I realized I'm juggling everything in my life right now. :)

Most times, we watch a juggler and wonder how he does it, will he drop something, or will he catch the wrong end of something sharp. I once watched a guy in San Francisco juggle a chain saw, a bowling ball, a machete, and an apple. It was like a car wreck - I couldn't turn away! He survived, and actually, it was amazing to watch.

But I need to ask you for prayer instead of observation. I know many of you are praying for me and my family as we make this transition. Here's some specifics I'd like to ask you to focus on in prayer:

Pray that my time at FBC is good, effective ministry. I don't want to coast to the end, and I don't want anyone to think I gave half an effort in finishing. I want to finish well.
Pray that my wife and kids are healthy and strong during this move, that they can and will get done all that they need to in order to finish well with friends, packing and changing schools.
Pray for my staff team here at FBC, the leaders and the elders. They are all feeling the tension of the transition in different ways, and they all need strength, wisdom and courage. I've been where they are once before, and I know that it's not easy duty to serve a church during an interim. Pray that they continue to do the terrific work they do for this church and for the Lord.
Pray for the staff team at LifePoint. They are getting a new boss, and that has to be at least a little unnerving. They have a current Senior Pastor to say goodbye to, and they want to honor him well and be ready to welcome us, too. Help them to have wisdom and grace to do both of those things at the same time while still trying to get Easter planned.
Pray for the interim pastor that is coming to FBC, and for the pastor that is out there being groomed and prepared by God to come serve the people of Pocatello. God's plan is good, and He's been at work getting someone ready to step into this amazing miracle of a church, so pray that God gets the right person ready for the right job.
Pray for two great messages to end on here, and a great series to start on there.
Pray for safe travel for my family. I'd like our stuff to get there in one piece, but I'd prefer my family over my stuff, so please focus there.
Pray for the details - the mind-numbing amount of details - that we have to slog through over the next two weeks to come together and not leave off until the last minute.
Pray for our house here to sell, the right price, the right buyer, the right timing. Then, when that's over, pray for the right house to buy there, the right price, the right seller.

Yeah, that's a long list. Thanks for helping me juggle.

Emotional Overload

2010-02-10T12:28:00.004-07:00

Name an emotion. Go ahead, pick one. Got it in your head?

Chances are I'm feeling it right now.

After the roller coaster my life has been the past few months, the announcement this past weekend at FBC that I am stepping down to accept a call from another church turned loose a tidal wave of emotions. As people came to congratulate me, chastise me, ask me why or tell me what for, I felt all of the weight of their emotions as well as my own.

I'm a mixed up mess of emotions - excitement and concern, joy and pain, heartache and anticipation, happy and sad. As much as pastors are looked at as a 'different breed of cat,' we're just human beings with human emotions. As much as I hate to feel all these competing ways, it's all I can do. That and pray. So I pray.

Turns out it's hard to leave a place that you love, and it's hard to disappoint so many people all at once, even if it's a right and obedient thing you're doing.

Much appreciation to all who have called, written or told me about how excited they are for us, and for all who have been and continue to pray for us:

Much appreciation for my FBC family and the ways you are supporting and encouraging us while dealing with your own uncertainty and fears. I know that God has a plan for FBC, and He's going to bring you to a new and glorious future.
Much appreciation for my LifePoint family and the way you have aggressively prayed for both my immediate family and for my FBC family. God will honor your faithfulness in prayer.

It's my hope that as we celebrate and grieve together that we can all find some grace to share with each other, and some of God's love to cover. Meantime, please continue to pray that I finish well what God has for me here, and that I take up what He has for me at LifePoint with integrity and grace.

Yes, It's Official

2010-02-09T08:48:00.002-07:00

The word is out, but for those who have not yet heard, I will be leaving FBC Poky at the end of this month. I have received and accepted a call to be the Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church in the Carson Valley of Nevada.

My friend John Jackson planted LifePoint 12 years ago, and it has thrived and grown from a handful to a vibrant congregation. He has accepted a position at Bayside Church in the Sacramento area, and a few months ago he called and asked if I would be interested in following him at LifePoint. After a long and interesting process, filled with prayer and airplanes, Beth and I felt the release of God on our ministry here and the call to a new adventure there.

I may get to post more of the story of how God made it clear to Beth and me that this was his plan, but for now, please hear me say a couple of things:

First, I was not looking for a new church. I had not pulled out my resume to look at it for 15 years, and was very content to stay in Pocatello my entire career. Some people have said there were other factors in my decision to leave, and those rumors are completely and utterly untrue. I was brokenhearted when it started to be clear that we were released here, and more so as the day came to share with my church family that I was leaving. I am only being obedient to the call of God on my life. It's all I can do.

Second, while I am excited about the future that God has unfolded in front of us, I am also excited about what God is going to do here in Pocatello. Again, I was content to stay and see God continue to build a great church here, but I am still convinced, as I said on Sunday, that the best days of this church are still in front of her. I will continue to pray and lift up the future of FBC Pocatello, knowing that the God who brought us this far will not fail us. I know that just as my friend John was prepared by God to move to Bayside to help that church move to the next level, and God has prepared me to help LifePoint move to the next level, God has been and will be preparing another pastor to come here and build on the effective and exciting ministry here.

I'll have more later, but I wanted to make sure this got out and that you heard it from me. I appreciate all the prayers, and ask that you continue to pray for LifePoint, FBC, my family and me as we all make these important transitions.

Major Announcement Coming...

2010-02-05T15:56:00.003-07:00

Yes, there will be a major announcement coming this Sunday at FBC Pocatello. To that end, I ask for a couple of favors:

If you can at all make it to a service, please show up. This is big stuff, and the family needs to be there. I know there's a game on, but the kickoff isn't until late afternoon, I think you can squeeze in a worship service before you start on your guacamole.
If you already know or think you know, could you please help by NOT sharing details or feeding rumors and allow the announcement to be made to the family as it should?Thanks.
There will be worship on Sunday, so please come prepared to give God the honor and worship that He deserves. It's not about us, it's about Jesus.
For those who can't make it, I'll post here Sunday afternoon, but if you can make it, MAKE IT A PRIORITY!!

Thanks, and I'll see you Sunday!

Breaking The Silence

2010-02-03T14:47:00.003-07:00

Okay, I'm back! After an out of town wedding and a couple other trips out of state, I am back to business here at Roof Crashers. There are big things brewing, but I'll get that to you in another post. In the meantime, let me update you on some wins:

January saw 6 baptisms at FBC!!! Three were in response to Karl's message on baptism, and then more a few weeks later. So good to see people obeying God's clear call to go public with their faith.
Two Sunday's ago, we talked about generosity, and I put the challenge out for folks to give an offering that very day so that we could send 10% to Haiti to help out after the earthquake. We ended up sending $1000.00!! Sure, we rounded up on the 10%, but I don't think that's going to get us in trouble with God. :)
Financially, the church is back in the black, and giving is coming up! Keep praying, we want to continue to follow God on the path to His vision for our church, and the generosity of His people is a big part of how we get there.
One of the baptisms this past month was of a student from the student ministry. The extra cool part: she was led to Christ by one of her friends from here at FBC. Yes, teens leading teens to Jesus. How great is that!?!

We're staying in the Signs of Life series until the end of February, so keep praying and keep inviting your friends to hear about what happens when God's life begins to flow out of our lives.

More later, just getting warmed up!

Going Dark For A While

2010-01-13T16:13:00.003-07:00

To my loyal blog followers (and anyone just joining us), I'm going to be pausing in my posting for a little while. It's been a crazy time in my life, and this weekend I have an out of town wedding I'm doing, and a few dozen other issues I'm juggling right now, so I'm going to set this aside for a short time.

No, I'm not sick, and no, there's nothing wrong with Beth or the kids, this is just a season of 'stuff' that has kept me busy and my focus on other issues, so I haven't had the time to blog, and I don't see that being fixed for a little while.

So I'll 'go dark' for a time, and then I will pick it up again in a couple weeks when things settle down; sooner if I have something important to say.

Thanks for understanding, and thank you for reading. I have a very diverse group of folks, at least geographically, who read Roof Crashers, and it's very cool to know we are sharing what God's doing as we journey together.

So, see you soon!

Couple of Quick Hits to Catch Up...

2010-01-06T14:27:00.002-07:00

Been a while since I could sit down and write, so let me catch you up on some stuff:

Great Christmas Eve services, the first one was really full, the second one comfortably so, and the responses were great. People seemed to like the combination of Christmas Carols, Worship songs, and fire.
A great Volunteer Appreciation Sunday. We enjoyed giving our volunteers the Sunday off after such a great effort Christmas Eve (and all year long, really). I took my son to Gate City Christian that morning and heard Pastor Josh give a great message. The ladies in our home were both sick, so they get an excused absence. Where did you go to church?
Had a great week off after Christmas to spend with my kids. Beth had to work, so the three of us goofed off, slept late, played with our Christmas presents, and generally had a good time.
Took Beth on a long weekend trip to Nevada. More on that trip later, including the horrible ride home. I'll sum it up: We got to bed at 4 am Monday, 12 hours after we got to the Reno airport.
I'm so proud of Karl. If you haven't heard, our Worship and Admin Pastor Karl Pettit lost his dad this past weekend, then preached two services, including inviting people to get baptized on the spot. Three people did. I'm so amazingly proud of his service, and saddened by his loss. We're all praying for him and his family, you are welcome to join.
God is up to something big! Keep your eyes, ears and heart open!!

A Post I Can't Ignore!

2010-01-05T11:53:00.002-07:00

I've got a ton of stuff to share, but first, I want you to read this post by Tony Morgan. Tony is a strategist and leader in churches, and his blog is one that I read regularly. I was catching up on my reading today and saw this. Take a look. I hope it makes you laugh, but more importantly, I hope it makes you think.

And a shout out to my favorite ex-Target employee: We're with you, Karl!

Talk soon.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T10:33:00.002-07:00

Welcome to the new decade! Whatever you called the '00-something' decade is over, and now, 2010 is here.

My hope and prayer for all of us is that God would continue to show us His path, His wisdom, and His Grace in greater and greater measure, and that all of us, myself included, would walk in faith and hope toward effective, life-changing, roof-crashing ministry.

May you and yours be blessed by our Great God in 2010!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T21:00:00.002-07:00

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?

2009-12-23T17:40:00.002-07:00

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?

2009-12-18T15:46:00.004-07:00

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!!

2009-12-15T14:59:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-14T12:24:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-08T11:16:00.005-07:00

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

2009-12-03T14:10:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-01T15:49:00.004-07:00

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

2009-11-24T14:48:00.003-07:00

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...

2009-11-24T11:16:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-17T10:05:00.004-07:00

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

2009-11-13T13:54:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-09T16:08:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-06T21:03:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-05T19:27:00.003-07:00

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

2009-11-04T20:46:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-03T22:12:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-02T19:23:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-01T20:55:00.003-07:00

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... :)