Old Friends and New Ones

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!!

Gratitude Abounds

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!

What a Week!

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

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

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...

Time Away

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!)

Seeing God In The Mess

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!

One Foot In Front Of The Other

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.

Easter At LifePoint, Part 2

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!

Finishing at My Favorite Church

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!

Lunch

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.

Getting Hope For Christmas

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

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

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

Still Thankful, Even On Tuesday

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

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

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

Thankgiving Offerings

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

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

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

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

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

What A Pastor Learns From Coaching Football

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

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

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

Back From Canada

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

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

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

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

Thank You...

Some deep appreciation I need to pass on:

• Thank you to the people who made a point of saying, "We're with you" on Sunday. Some on their communication cards, some in person. It was humbling and encouraging. God is doing great things in our midst, and it's because people are committed to going where He's taking us.
• Thank you to the people who gave. We had an offering that reflects the commitments people are making to the vision of our church family. Thank you for investing in God's Kingdom as it is lived out at FBC.
• Thank you to people who have received the apologies. I heard from a number of folks that they appreciated my apology for some of the language slips lately. They were glad for the passion, and glad for the apology. That was helpful to me. Thanks.
• Thank you to the people who stepped up to ministry. I didn't think I gave a real call to jump up and serve, but people heard it that way, and I'm really jacked about it! People are feeling the call of God to serve. That's what following Jesus is about - living like Jesus by being a servant. Yeah God!
• Thank you to the people who are sacrificing to see God's Kingdom go forward. I talked about sacrifice on Sunday, and so many names and stories came to mind. But if you are making a sacrifice, giving up what you want to see God's ministry here move forward, you need to know that I am honored and humbled and blessed by that as a man chasing after God. Thank you ever so much.
• Thank you to the people who keep praying for God to lead us. We are not there yet, and I for one have a long way to go. I keep saying I'm not perfect, and I probably show it more than I say it. But God is at work here, and it's because people are praying and begging Him to work here. Keep it up!
• And Thank you to the people who have come to share concerns. Thanks for talking, I know that's not always easy. Thanks for listening, I know that is sometimes even harder. And thanks for walking through the process and not giving up. Nothing good ever comes from giving up on each other, so thanks. God will reward your efforts toward unity.

Thank you, FBC family, I love you. And thank you, Jesus for what you're doing in this place!!

I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly Ephesians 1:16 (NLT)