Book Review: CHASING DAYLIGHT

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

CHASING DAYLIGHT

Author: Erwin Raphael McManus 259 pages Published by Nelson Books

Summary:

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

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

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

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

I Wanted To Talk About My Study Leave...

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

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

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

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

Monday Random

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

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

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

Back From Canada

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

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

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

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

Short Week...

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

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

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

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

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

(Not) Alone Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.