(Not) Alone Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exciting Developments!!

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

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

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

Time Alone With Jesus

The best thing about Study Leave so far has been the daily, unhurried time I've been able to spend in reading my Bible and praying. It's been a wonderfully refreshing time each day. I've taken the approach that I need to slow down, not try to hurry through and check this off my 'TO DO' list each day, but take some real time to reflect on what I read, and then write out a prayer based on what I heard from God. It's been really good for my heart and my mind to connect to the heart and mind of God each day.

I'm doing an extended quiet time each day, and how much of that I can take with me past Study Leave remains to be seen, but I'm reading some Psalms each day, a chapter from the Book of Acts, and then three or four chapters from Paul's letters. Here's my thinking in this:

Psalms are prayers, written in song lyrics, like poetry and praise songs. Many times, when I am feeling the pressure of ministry, I like to go back to Psalms and see how King David and the others who wrote these amazing lyrics talked to God about their lives and struggles. I'm strengthened by their resolve to trust God for rescue and redemption, even as they confess sin and acknowledge their need of God's love and forgiveness. It's a good place to go for inspiration and the reminder that it's not always easy, but if it's for God, He's always watching, waiting to give whatever is needed, just in the nick of time.

Acts is the story of the first Christ followers as they took the words of Jesus seriously and went into the world to do what He told them to do. It's a complacency busting book. These unschooled, 'normal' people took what they had seen and heard from Jesus and simply told people, did what the Spirit led them to do, and watched as tens of thousands of people in the very city where Jesus was crucified become followers of this martyred rabbi. They didn't sit back and watch, they engaged and followed the Spirit's leading. While miracles and amazing growth followed them, so did persecution and attacks. It's a reminder to me that this isn't supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be hard, and it's supposed to grow. The two go together, because Jesus suffered to save everyone. That means everyone can and needs to be saved, and it will require suffering.

Paul's letters are clear lessons to the church about life in Christ. We all need to be reminded of what God has said to us, and Paul was dealing with all types of issues in his different churches. Frankly, nothing much has changed in 2000 years when it comes to human nature, so we have all the same issues today - gossip, disunity, people not listening to the clear teaching of God's word, folks chasing after personalities rather than chasing after Jesus, the list goes on.

As a Christ follower first (before husband, father, pastor, friend, etc...), I need to be reminded over and over about these issues, from God's love to His plan for the church to the specifics of obeying what His word has laid out for us. If you have a regular time with God each day (you don't have to spend as much time on it as I am right now), I pray it will continue to be a source of strength for you. If not, why not start today? Start with a single book, like Luke or John, and take a chapter a day (it's not about coverage). Ask God to show you something from what you read, then read and reflect on it for a minute. Let God speak to you, and He will.

Keep praying, God is showing me some great stuff during this time. I'm feeling my heart fill up and my batteries recharge.

Blog Milestone: 100 Posts

Not that it's any big achievement to start a blog and prattle off 99 opinions/ideas/musings, but here we are at post 100. I originally set out to try to increase communication and let folks have a glimpse into the heart and mind of one pastor in S.E. Idaho. To be honest, the results have been surprising on many levels:

Tracking software lets me know that this blog has been read in many of these United States (Idaho, Tennessee, Oregon are always the top three), and in several countries around the world. Imagine the surprise of seeing London, Brussels and Japan show up on the map. The latest surprise: Brazil!! Who knew people in Pelotas would be interested in Roof Crashing. :)

Sometimes, as I have been learning about this type of communication, I've apparently insulted, hurt or bothered some people. That was never my intent, so if that is you, I'm sorry. I'm learning. Turns out, as a human being, a sinner, saved by God's grace, I've got some work yet to do in my life. I may not get it right in the future, but I'd sure love it if you prayed for me. Turns out, God's still at work here.

For all the miscommunication and missed-communication, I've really enjoyed this medium. I've been able to share some lessons as God was teaching them to me. I've been able to share some of my journey as I've seen good things happen, like baptisms, and tough things, like doing funerals for close friends. I've been able to update folks on my study leaves and vacations (two DIFFERENT things), and talk about what's coming up in the life of my First Baptist family.

Folks have commented on my posts, which I always enjoy. Interaction is part of this medium, and I enjoy it. I do moderate comments, but it's rare that I reject a comment. As you can imagine, talking about sex in church drew the most comments!

Others have used my blog as a jumping off point for other reading. I like and even endorse the names you see linked here, but I can't be held responsible for everything they say. I link to people who inspire and challenge me, but I'm not in charge of what other people write. I'm not trying to be these people, nor am I trying to emulate or defend them. I try to make it a habit to learn and be stretched by different parts of the larger body of Christ. Read them at your own risk.

I don't have a good measure of how 'successful' this blog has been; I think it's too early to tell if this has been a help or a hindrance to God's kingdom. The number of people reading has steadily gone up, from barely 100 at first to over 600 per month now. The number of people who comment on posts varies from post to post, and the number of people who reference it when they are mad at me varies from month to month. If this has been a help to you, let me know. If not, let me know why not. In the meantime, I'm sure there will be more to say, and thank you to each of you who read it. May God bless you and make you a blessing, with or without this blog's help.

Blockbuster Series: UP

Number 2 in the series, number one at the box office - Pixar's UP is the next from the amazing folks (backed by Disney) that bought us The Incredibles, Cars, A Bug's Life, and many more great stories, well told.

What I Saw: at it's essence, UP is a buddy movie, the unlikely pairing of Carl Fredrickson, a 78 year old retired balloon salesman, and Russell, the 8 year old Wilderness Explorer Scout. They find themselves thrown together on a great adventure to South America, and in the process, find that they need each other more than either one could have guessed. 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that "the hand cannot say to the foot, 'I don't need you.'" As followers of Christ, we cannot say to each other, "I don't need you." We don't get to tell other people that they are not a part of what God's doing in and through our lives. We need each other, even the parts that seem less important are very necessary in the plan and purpose of God for each of us. Don't believe the lie that says, I don't need you.

Okay, that's what I saw in the film, what did you see? Post a comment and let us know!

Begining Study Leave 2009

Today is my last day in the office for a while, as I will be on Study Leave starting tomorrow (July 13). I will be out until Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Here's what Study Leave is about: when I came to Pocatello in 1996, my contract included a sabbatical after 6 or 7 years of service. A sabbatical is usually a three to four month break from the daily work of pastoring to get refreshed, refocused and maybe even do some retooling (a class, some seminars, etc...) to come back stronger and ready for the work of ministry. Not a lot of pastors get sabbaticals, because most don't last past the five or six year mark of their ministry in one church.

For a number of reasons (I won't go into all the details here, but feel free to ask me sometime), the church leadership and I were not able to work out a sabbatical after seven, eight, or nine years. Some folks were concerned that three or four months of me being gone would cause problems in our ministry, so a compromise was reached. Instead of one long sabbatical, a shorter break more often was proposed. A four week break to study, recharge, refocus and prepare for the upcoming ministry year was created.

We've been doing this for a few years now, and have learned a few things about this process:

• First, we have published the 'agenda' of the Study Leave so that folks can see what I'm going to be doing during my time away. (available outside the church office)
• Second, here on the blog, I'll update folks each week with what's going on, and later publish reviews of the books I'm reading.
  
• Third, we've come to understand that because not everyone receives this kind of a benefit in their job, we in church leadership need to do a better job explaining it to people.

The staff and Elders are available for any emergencies, and I will be in contact with them should an emergency arise that would require my attention. Last year, the study leave was very helpful, and I'm especially looking forward to this one. I am particularly in need of some space and time to pray and think about all that God has done, is doing, and wants to do next here at FBC Pocatello, and I am very grateful to the Elders, staff and other leaders who are able to let me take that time and keep my focus on Jesus.

We are about to turn a corner, both as a church family and as a pastor/church relationship. I'm going to finish my 14th year of being the pastor here, and it can now be said that we've been in a long term relationship. I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else in my life, and I believe God wants to do something great in and through this church family. There have been and no doubt will continue to be struggles. I'm learning, I'm trying to grow as a Christ follower and as a leader, and I see signs of growth in our life together. God wants to see us continue to be a part of His movement in this valley, and there are productive days of ministry yet ahead.

This is a time that should be celebrated!! For the sacrifice of giving me up for four weeks (and really, it's not about me around here, its about Jesus, so its going to keep going just fine), you're going to hopefully get back a rested, focused, and ready-to-lead pastor in return.

Why are these people smiling?

This is my family, and they are smiling because they were serving Jesus at the July 4th parade. I'm the guy in the glasses. I tried to stay out of the way... NO! I helped direct traffic at the park and handed out water to those folks that came to us.

Beth sang on the float with our praise team. She brings her gifts whenever she can in music, and loves to lead people into worship.

Mac handed out water bottles in the Old Town area at the beginning of the parade rout. He told me later that he saw 20 of the people he invited out to Caldwell Park actually show up for the free hot dogs and to hear the band play some more.

Rachel (she's the one with all the paint) sat and painted faces from 9 am until almost noon. She carefully put fireworks and smiles on the faces of children all morning. Look at her concentrate!




So, why were we there? Two reasons: first, we love Jesus, and we love Pocatello, so we wanted to serve Jesus by serving Pocatello. Second, we as a family hold serving God as a high value. We want to bring our gifts to the table whenever we can. We don't believe in watching as the move of God goes by, we believe in pitching in and being a part of what God is doing.

I am SO PROUD OF MY FAMILY!! But here's the best part: they were four of well over 100 people who showed up as a part of the First Baptist Family!!!! We gave out close to 3000 bottles of water, several hundred hot dogs, more Popsicles than I can count, and multiple thousands of smiles. One of those smiles, I'm pretty sure, was on the face of Jesus.

Blockbuster Series: STAR TREK

The first in this year's Blockbuster Message: Star Trek.

The restart of the venerable franchise resets the original characters with an edgier, deeper tone. But the key pieces are there: the multi enthic, multi national, multi planetary crew, led by James Kirk, the aggressive captain, Mr. Spock, the logical first officer, and Dr. "Bones" McCoy, the ship's doctor.

What I saw was: all the diversity of the crew, especially the bridge officers, all come together to make the mission work. It takes all of the different gifts, different perspetives and different talents to function together in order to see the mission be successful. It's the same in the Body of Christ. Romans 12 says we all belong to each other when we belong to Jesus, and we all need to bring our best gifts to the table to see the mission (the Great Commission mission) succeed in our valley.

Okay, that's me. What did you see? Post a comment and share the spiritual themes you saw in Star Trek.

The Big Idea

We finished The Man Series last Sunday (more on that later), and now we're getting ready for two of my favorite pieces of Summer: our July 4th Reach-Out event at Caldwell Park, and the Summer Blockbuster series.

July 4th means a parade, and thousands of people lining the streets to cheer, clap and get candy. Let's face it, parades are about candy. You could run dump trucks full of cow manure down the street, and if the drivers are throwing candy, there would be a crowd of people, holding their noses and running for Laffy Taffy. So because there's a ready made crowd, we're going to bring Jesus to the people there. Our band will be in the parade, playing the same kind of rocking worship music we do on Sundays, and we'll have dozens of volunteers giving away water, Popsicles, and smiles before and during the parade. Then, afterward, free hot dogs, face painting, and more smiles, with an appearance by the band, all at Caldwell Park. If you still want to volunteer, come to the training at Caldwell Park Friday at 6:30 pm and we'll get you hooked up.

The Blockbuster series is always fun for a couple reasons - one, I love Jesus and I love movies, but since they don't make a lot of movies about Jesus, the only way to combine the two loves is to talk about the spiritual themes in the big summer movies. We've done this for years now, and it always sparks great conversations. That's the other reason I love this: it gets people talking about and looking for Jesus in the culture. God is trying to reach the people of our time, and movies are the storytelling medium of our modern culture. No matter how jaded, cynical and secular the entertainment industry gets, the story of God's love for people, His plan for people, and His redemptive love creep into story after story on the big screen.

I love it when someone comes up to me and starts telling me what they saw in a movie, the spiritual themes, the Jesus moments, the love and grace undercurrents they felt while watching some big budget film. What you see in there that connects to God's story is just as important as what we talk about from the platform. And it's a great way to start a spiritual conversation with unchurched friends who see the movies. I get stories all the time about folks who say, "I was talking to my friend about this movie, and I told them about the sermon, and we talked for an hour..." If God can use a donkey, He can certainly use a movie to share His grace with people.

Here's my favorite website to use to start the conversation: Hollywood Jesus.com

So this year, feel free to let me know what you see in the movies you're watching. And share the stories of how God used the Blockbuster conversations to open doors for the Good News.

Sex and the Single

As promised, some book recommends for singles on the topic:

• Every Single Man's Battle - a book dealing honestly with the temptations of lust.
• Every Single Woman's Battle - same idea, only a specifically female version.

I'm looking for more books on this subject. If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

The Book List On Sex

As I promised in the message Sunday, here's a list of books that can help the conversation about your sex life, married couples (Singles, I love you, too, and I'll have a list for you later in the week, so check back). I will break them into two categories: Marriage books with good chapters on sex, and sexual relationship books. Here you go, enjoy!

Marriage Books:

• His Needs, Her Needs - one of the best marriage books around. Great for explaining to both partners the importance of taking care of each other's needs in marriage, including but not limited to, sexual needs. His are different from hers, and Dr. Harley does a great job of explaining both.
• Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti - a fun read for both men and women, with a lot of humor surrounding some great wisdom. Sex chapter is phenomenal.
• For Men Only/For Women Only - Two great books, one great idea: ask men/women what and how they really think, then write it down and share it with everyone. Great insights into how the opposite sex thinks. And you can read both the one for you and the one for your mate.

Books on THE SUBJECT:

• Sheet Music - A great begining book on sex for couples. Plenty to keep both parties interested, and answer some important questions you might be asking.
• Sex Begins In The Kitchen - Seriously, with a title like that, I need to comment?
• The Language of Sex - Relationship guru Gary Smalley gives couples much needed help to talk together about the subject of their sex life. Actually a very fun read!
• A Celebration Of Sex - A thorough treatment of the topic, starting with a biblical base of understanding and then proceeding into many helpful topics. A great resource for all things sexual for Christ followers.
• Intimate Issues - A question/answer format book for women. Everything from
  "what does God think about sex?" to "What's okay in bed?"

Here's why I can recommend these books: they all start with the three pillars I talked about on Sunday: God invented sex, God encourages sex, and God has a plan for great sex. Because all these books start with God, they are going to encourage you toward healthy, God-honoring sexual relationships. Enjoy the summer reading!!

Saturday in the Rain...

Some random thoughts as I try to shift gears on a rainy Saturday afternoon:

• This has been the weirdest month! I've been sick, Beth's parents were here, her dad wasn't feeling so well (he's better now, Maui will do that to a guy!), and the gloomy weather has made all of the rest of life seem darker and damper, somehow. Not only is this now officially the wettest month in recorded history in Pocatello, but we're only 2/3 through!!
  
• I got to do the coolest wedding in a long time on Thursday night (again, outside the 'norm'). I'll post about it later, but it was so amazing to see two people so well prepared and ready to face the unknown of their future together. And a nice turn out from the FBC family to share their special day. Good all around!!
• I've done more funerals this month than I've done in any three month period for a long time. There have been some moments of celebrating friends and family as they go home to Heaven, but funerals are still not easy, even after all these years of ministry.
• People are apparently talking about tomorrow's message. Some are inviting friends who have said they've never heard a message on sex in church before. This is where ministry gets to be fun - watching people hear from God on their favorite subject (or least favorite, depending).
• We have a baby dedication during 11:00 service. Yep, baby dedication on the sex message Sunday. Insert your own joke here... :)
  
• The food pantry is undergoing an overhaul. Check out the details here.
  
• Beth got a temp job in Blackfoot. Thanks for praying, and keep on, we'll see what else God has in mind for her/us/financial blessing.
• Mac leaves for DC/LA on Monday. Having a teenager in the house is taking some getting used to, and now he's going to be gone for a week. Praying for him to hear from God in a big way.
• Got to dance with my daughter at a wedding. Trying not to think about the day I dance at hers... They grow up so fast!!
• July 4 parade is coming faster and faster!! Be sure to sign up to help, and make it to the training dates. See the bulletin for details.
• Speaking of bulletin -- changes coming soon to the publications of a church near you. Keep your eyes open!
  

That's all for now. Gotta get after the message and get it finished. Keep praying, God is still doing some amazing things in our church despite the drizzle, the dampness and other less than fun issues. Turns out, He's still at work, even when we don't see it through the rain.

Progress Report: Man Series

I will honestly tell you, the feedback on The Man Series had been far better than I expected. I was hoping that we could help the men in our community see how to follow Jesus in an honestly masculine way, and that we could help the women see how to help the men in their lives to do that. I knew it would ruffle some feathers (honestly, God's Word will always ruffle someone's feathers), and it has, but for the most part, folks have heard what God was saying. I'm hearing from folks, both men and women, that they are seeing their relationship with God in a whole different light. Guys don't have to be wimps to follow Jesus. Turns out, that's part of the Good News, too!!

Ladies, I want to remind you that the day is coming when you get your own series, too. Don't feel left out!! We're going to talk specifically about the female way of following Christ starting on Aug. 23 (right after school starts up again), and I'm just as fired up about that series as I am about this one.

Okay, that being said, I am glad to hear from folks that they are learning a different way of thinking about being a man, and connecting to the idea of gaining a relationship with God without losing your manliness. It is a part of what we are doing as a church family, helping each other to follow Jesus. We all need help, and when we can look at what the Bible says and see the truth of it, not just what we've heard from others but the real truth, we all benefit. God loves men for being men, and He doesn't expect them to become eunuchs or effeminate in order to follow Him.

Now, it gets REALLY exciting!! I did say it: Sunday will be rated PG-13, parental discretion is advised. We will be talking about sex according to God's Word. For some folks, it will be the first time they've heard about sex from a Biblical point of view, and it's going to blow their minds. Some of you have heard it before, but we're going to talk about it again (and again, and again...) because the world talks about it ALL THE TIME!!! and they don't get it right very often. God created sex, and God's people need to have the freedom to talk about what God has created without feeling dirty, awkward or sinful. We need to learn how to talk about it from a healthy, godly perspective. That's the goal of Sunday, to start the conversation.

So, invite your friends, put the kids in the Children's Ministry, and get ready to laugh and learn about God's gift of sex!

I Don't Like Mondays...

It's an 80's song, but it's how I feel today. I don't like Mondays.

The week of vacation ended up being a week of being sick, so I missed the paintball war for Mac's 13th birthday, I missed out on doing anything remotely fun, unless you call coughing all through the night some kind of adventure!!

I managed to pull myself together long enough on Saturday to go the the Cancer Survivor's Lunch. I was asked to do some stand-up comedy for the folks there, and it went well, despite how crappy I was feeling. Good news: the people who were there were surprised by how funny I was. The Bad News: weather and other issues kept it from being the normal sized crowd we usually get at this event. Should be better next year, since we made the front page of the paper (no misquotes this time, because they didn't talk to me!!), and the buzz generated from a good time will get more folks to show up (more on this later).

I went to the Doctor afterward, and he put me on an antibiotic for a sinus infection (uber-fun!!), and I was still sick on Sunday. Heard worship was great! I slept. Hard.

There was more 'stuff' waiting for me at the office when I got here today, plus my Mentoring Group (props to the LLC!!), and various pieces of drama. I'm not sure why Mondays are what they are, but this was definitely one of them. So I was glad to see in my inbox an email from a friend who likes song lyrics. This one came at a good time, and I feel like it's a help to remember that God is working in the midst of the chaos:

Whatever You’re Doing

It’s time for healing

Time to move on

It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long

Time to make right

What has been wrong

It’s time to find my way to where I belong

There’s a wave that’s crashing over me

And all I can do is surrender

Whatever you’re doing inside of me

It feels like chaos

But somehow there’s peace

And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see

I’m giving in to something heavenly

Looking for the chaos to grow into peace. Looking for the mess I'm feeling around me to be something heavenly. Looking forward to tomorrow not being Monday.

Vacation Blogging

To blog on vacation or not? That is the question.

Don't know if I should do this, but I'm blogging from my vacation. I'm taking the week off, more of a stay-cation, than a vacation, 'cause I'm not going anywhere. Waiting for word on Beth's dad, but last we heard, they are finding some treatable issues, and he's hoping to get out today or tomorrow.

I have so much coming up the rest of this year, that I'm having to try to schedule the rest of my vacation around all the trips, conferences, football practices (starts Aug. 10), and study leave. It gets tough.

I've seen Aaron's outline for Sunday, if you're here, prepare to be rocked!

Okay, no more this week. Gotta go. Back on Monday.