caffeine, please.

Free worship album

Already a fan of Phil Wickham.  This album brings it to a new level.  Free download of a great live worship album called Singalong.  Follow this link, give your email and name, download and enjoy worshiping Jesus.

Small things

Small things.  The critical body temperature of leadership in any spiritual leader can be found most tellingly in what he or she does with small things.  The leader who loves and cares for small things well is the leader who pleases the heart of Jesus. 

Big timers need not apply.

Loving and tending small things well grows a leader.  When he chooses to care for what could be overlooked or ignored, what won't be noticed by others, or what won't land on the ministry report, that leader is learning something of the leadership pattern of Jesus. 

Dirt on mens' feet is not important.  Jesus cleaned that dirt off.  Dead sons of aging widows are not a concern to the Important.  Jesus raised such a son and gave him back to his widowed mother.  Lame men laying by pools waiting for a miracle are not the way to the Top.  Jesus healed such a man.  Women getting water at the wrong time of day are not the way to be Spiritual.  Jesus brought her to the truly Spiritual--transformation.  Small things, tended well.

There is a temptation in the heart of every leader:  the temptation to be too important to have time for "that".  To be certain that "that" is someone else's job.  That "that" is something you've already done ("paid my dues") and don't have to do again--"its somebody else's turn".  "That" is often the most important job of every leader.  The small thing.  The thing that will go unnoticed.

I have two great challenges as a leader:  1) me, 2) my response to small things.  The leading, the planning, the organizing, the preaching, the new work, the multiple locations, the staff--none of that is what is most challenging thing about leading.  What's hard in my flesh is mastering myself by the Spirit and loving and tending small things with my whole heart realizing that small things are really Big Things in the sight of the spiritual man. 

If you are a leader, figure this out.  I know you have a calling.  I know you've got vision.  I know you see great things in your future and perhaps those things are even from God.  But you better love and tend to small things now and forever or Jesus will be far from the grand visions of your future.  You might achieve those visions and arrive at that calling but you'll be missing what matters most to the heart of God.

The world has no further need for leaders who ignore small things.

For your Friday, a laugh

Here's fellow Grand Rapidian Michael Jr. (referred to me by Al Garcia, one of our pastors) making me laugh out loud

Men's Fraternity

This morning was our first Men's Fraternity gathering.  6:15am start time (done at 7:50am).  A great group of men.  Challenging and uplifting teaching from Robert Lewis.  Great small group interaction.  It was a good start to this 24 week journey.

I love the 5 promises Robert Lewis gives as we enter this study.  Five things he is confident (after 13 years of Men's Fraternity) that the experience will deliver on:

1. You will have a clear definition of manhood.
2. You will develop new manhood language.
3. You will make significant personal discoveries about yourself.
4. You will make new friends who are pursuing a common goal.
5. You will have your own personalized manhood plan for achieving authentic manhood.

If you'd like to join us, come on out next week.  You can also email Nick, the group's co-leader.

Catching someone doing something good

Tonight I had to run up to the church building to grab a book.  When I arrived Juan L. was out front.  I said hello and asked if he was waiting for group to start.  "No.  I'm meeting someone who wants to get baptized."  Juan had set up a meeting with Mark to walk him through our First Steps material to help him understand and prepare for baptism.  (Mark's wife just got baptized this Sunday.)

I love running into people who are quietly doing things that please the heart of God.  Juan was only himself baptized in the last 6 months and here he is getting someone else ready for baptism already.  That's what Jesus commanded--learn to follow Him then go and teach others the same.  Great stuff!  Its the little things that matter most. 

Some Christians live for years without taking this step.  I love seeing people step up immediately to do what Jesus says.  Good work, Juan!

Justifiable (and hilarious) satire of something calling itself Christian

Weekend Reflections

I'll admit that my favorite Sundays are always baptism Sundays.  I don't think I'm alone.  Hearing the God stories as people head to the pool to take a swim for Jesus is very emotional.  This Sunday was no different. 

A couple people were baptized at Lincoln Park (which I had to miss because I was headed to Lakeview for the 10:15 worship gathering.)  Great to see people taking steps of faith at our newest location.

4 people were baptized at Lakeview as well.  The testimonies were authentic, honest and focused on Jesus.  Love that.  A gal who's been battling cancer also shared how God has been at work in her healing--another emotional moment.

And Pastor Mark stopped by Lakeview to give a little update on where we're headed as a church, particularly on the North side.  That ended up being a "holy moment" as I was able to publicly thank him for his leadership in my life.  Both of us were almost in tears.  (Ever seen two bald men cry at once?) 

I gotta say too that it was good to speak about the local church as a part of our Why? series.  I've felt like this short series on foundational truths about church life has been important.  Sometimes we need to just wrestle with the imporant foundations of doctrine that stand under us as a people who follow Jesus. 

I'm sensing that God has more in store for us in this next season and my great concern is to stay healthy, stay tuned to His Spirit and be bold in the opportunities God brings.  Glad to be part of a church that is hungry, teachable and focused on God's mission of transformation.

Addicted?

I'm not sure what to do with this but it feels like something worth sharing.  This morning as I was praying I felt God was placing his finger on an addiction in my life.  I think I'm addicted to "new".  Seriously.

I want the next piece of new mail, the next new email (that one's big), the next new person to connect with, the next new ministry opportunity, the next new church location, the next new cafe to sip coffee in, the next new movie, the next new book.  I feel cheated when something new is happening and I can't be a part of it.  It doesn't have to be actually new either--just new to me.  And sometimes I find that I'm not satisfied unless I can "get new", right now.  Classic addict behavior.  (I can't help but laugh to myself as I think of Steve Martin's old standup routine about "getting small".) 

At my best, I think enjoying new things is part of my wiring in a good way.  When it's in check, God can use my love for (and lack of fear of) what is new to do kingdom work.  And I don't ever want to love what is comfortable and familiar in a way that I turn away from the importance of mission and frontier.  But sometimes it feels like "new" is a raging need in my life in a way that feels like its got me rather than me having it.  That's where I feel like it spills over into sin.

In fact, sometimes it even can be a tool to keep me from staying engaged in what is "old" and important.  I can find myself giving short attention to what must be maintained because its harder for me to stay engaged with what is always there than it is to stay engaged with what is "new". 

I'm convinced that part of spiritual maturity is to cultivate increasing love and passion and attention upon people who are always present in my life while continuing to enjoy and live out on the edge of new things.  To hold onto the wonder of long term relationships and long term ministry responsibilities.  To stay fully engaged.  Maybe I'm not the only one addicted to "new"? 

Hope Meadows

I had a great conversation today with John K., a man who is moving to Philly to work with foster kids as a counselor and therapist.  John told me about a great program for foster and abused children called Hope Meadows.  The concept is creating a village where at-risk children can be raised with surrogate grandparents, a sense of community and family stability, all of which are very elusive to children in foster care.

Hope Meadows is located in former military officer housing that was purchased for next to nothing and left plenty of room for growth.  John reports that they've now replicated this work across the country in over 10 places.

I was intrigued and moved by the concept.  It was founded by non-Christian sociologists but many of the families who move there are Christian and it is that aspect that the founders point to as their key element of success.

Here's what struck me--why couldn't this concept be employed to revitalize a place like Lathrop Homes?  What if Lathrop Homes were a Hope Meadows village where foster families, surrogate grandparents and single people live together in an environment that brings urban stability to children at risk?  Wouldn't that be better than tearing down Lathrop homes and making more condos? 

I'm intrigued by the idea but also considering that it is a longshot at best.  The city wants big money for that property.  Something to pray for--who knows what God could do through a thing like this.

Multi Site Blog Roundup

Blogs are a great way to get feedback and info on people's experiences in a conference environment.  A number of people blogged about their time at MSE in Chicago. 

Here's a blog roundup what others said as they took part in MSE:

• From Crossroads in Mansfield, Ohio
• From Faith Church in Cedar Lake
• From Dave Ferguson of Community Christian in Naperville
• From Greg Ligon of Leadership Network
• From Kevin Taylor at Kenosha Assembly of God

Planning to hear from God

Currently in my daily "meeting before the meetings" time alone with Jesus, I'm reading the book of John.  When I spend this time I plan to hear from God.  With varying intensity and clarity (sometimes very clear and very intense, other times, not very clear and not very intense) I expect to hear from God when I meet with Him.

Hear's the thing--hearing from God is something a follower of Jesus must plan for and plan on.  If you don't plan for and plan to hear from God, then plan that you won't. 

I've shared this before in different settings but I think its good to reiterate.  What I do is I maintain a working list of books of the Bible that I plan to prayerfully read and digest.  I stay in a book as long as I sense the Spirit of God is saying, "stay."  When I sense Him saying, "move on", I check my list and move to the next book on my list.

(I don't use dates and schedules because I've found that they enslave me and keep me from enjoying and ruminating in what God is telling me. For some people, dates and schedules are really beneficial.  You have to figure out your rhythm.)

Here's my working "where I've been and where I'm headed" list dating back to approximately the last 6 months:

VIPM's

I am proposing a new measuring tool for messages and speakers.  Valuable insights per minute (VIPM's).  I propose we listen with a clock and make hash marks for each minute with the # of valuable insights given in each minute.  Take the average and you've got a way to rate a message's value.

I listen to speakers for the sake of gaining insight--into Jesus, into life, into leadership.  I want insight and that's what I will invest my time for and that is why you invest your time as well. 
 
(Frankly, I am quite nervous about having my messages evaluated for my VIPM #, but I digress.) 

One speaker who consistently has the highest VIPM in the known world is Andy Stanley.  I swear this guy must eat Insight Wheaties every morning.  In fact, if there is a photo on the box of Insight Wheaties, it is of Andy flexing his brain and heart inspirationally.

Suggestion?  Subscribe to Andy's leadership podcast. 

Takeaways from day 2

Yesterday was our 2nd and final day hosting the Midwest regional version of Multi-Site Exposed.  From my perspective as a part of the hosting team, it was a success.  One of my favorite aspects of the conference is the impromptu converse/consult/connect conversations during our transition times.  I had good conversation with a lot of folks from all over the U.S. and Canada--Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Alberta, Ontario, Illinois, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia and more--great to hear all the stories.

Spoke briefly with Darrin Patrick from the Journey Church before his session.  I told him that I had caught a message of his online a while back and as I started to describe it he laughed--"dude that wasn't me.  It was another guy on our team.  That is great!  I'm glad you thought it was me. Perfect!"  We had a good laugh.  He also shared that he had only just found out about New Life, felt a strong connection between our church DNA and was wanting to connect his staff with us soon.  He told me he felt like, "you guys are like 10 years ahead of where we're at."  Not sure about that one but it will be interesting to see what comes of some collaboration with a church just a few hours down the road in St. Louis.

Darrin gave an insightful talk.  Appreciated his push on the gospel, refusing to assume that just because people are at a conference that they are Jesus-centered and understand the gospel and nature of the church.  He dropped some  good other nuggets:

• Multi-site recaptures the parish mindset of ministry.  It better enables people to live an integrated life because they don't have big compartments between their church life, work life and neighborhood life.
• "I thought I told you."  A funny line about the problems of bad communication in the multi-site context.
• The RACI Matrix for decisions:  Who is Responsible? (owning the task)  Who is Accountable? (Holding the ball if it goes wrong)  Who is Consulted?  (advising and giving input)  Who is informed?  (needing to not be surprised.)
• Elders serve the church by leading, deacons lead the church by serving.  (Love that quote--very concise and clear distinction between the elder and deacon role.)

Takeaways from day 1

Two great main sessions today at Multi-Site Exposed.  Dave Ferguson from CCC really got the train on the tracks leading off the conference and Jim Downing of First UMC of Sedalia had a rich session to close the day.

Some takeaways from Dave:

• Fibonachi--changed numbers from Roman numerals to Base 10 and revolutionized math by changing how we count.  We need to change how churches count by figuring out what counts.
• Dream big, start small
• The two smallest units of reproduction are leaders and artists
• When you start small, start with yourself--what do you want reproduced?
• When you change how you count you'll seek the lost more than found, love the edge more than the center and will begin to prefer the going more than the staying.

Some takeaways from Jim:

• What would our church be to our community if it could only be pictured as a hand gesture?  Scolding?  Inviting? 
• There is no hope in the heart of a complainer.
• March off the map!  (This is an incredible quote when heard in context and I plan to explore more in future posts.
• An amazing quote from Napoleon that I'll type up later when I have time. 

Multi Site Exposed starts today

Almost 400 pastors and staff from churches all over the U.S. and Canada will be descending up our Midway campus for the Multi-Site Exposed Conference.  Today kicks off with Dave Ferguson from Community Christian Church.  Looking forward to hearing from Dave.

This afternoon I'll be working with Tim Sutherland at CCC to lead a breakout session call Multiple Teachers, One Message.  We'll be describing our church's unique processes for putting together shared teaching across multiple venues.  Should be a lot of fun.

Last night we had a group of early arrivers at our evening worship gathering Shift at our Lincoln Park campus.  It was great to talk with them and begin to get a feel for the folks that will be coming out today.  Stay tuned--updates to follow.

Breaking the spell of infatuation

I recently replied to an email from a woman who is counseling a Christian friend that is having an emotional affair with a male co-worker.  She shared that her friend's relationship has already included hand-holding and that her friend has had fantasies in her mind about this man but they have not gotten physically involved as of yet.  Her friend says this man is meeting her emotional needs.

I wanted to share my reply because I believe this is an unfortunately common occurrence in the work place and it is important to know how to be a good, Jesus following friend to someone in this circumstance:

But hey, that's America

I was helping Olivia pack her lunch this morning.  She was counting dried cherries as she put them in the bag.  "I've got 7 of them daddy!"  I stuffed a bunch more in. 

"Honey, we don't have a dried cherry quota.  Do you want some peanuts in here to?"

If this were a movie, cue the ominous music.  I have just awakened the number one villain in America's classrooms.

"Daddy, I don't want to go to the PEEEEAAAAANNNNNUUUTTTTT TAAAAABBBBBLLLLLEEEEEE."  (Elongated pronunciation added in post-production editing to match the music and the ominous nature of the moment.)

"Can I have a hard boiled egg, daddy?"

"You sure?  I don't want you to have to go to the egg table."

"Daddy--there's no egg table!"

Dechurchification looming in Harlem?

Referencing a New York Times article on Harlem and gentrification, the alert and funny social critic who writes "Stuff White People Like" had this to say about Dechurchification coming to Harlem:

White people are also hoping to close down things that they do not like, specifically churches.  With over 100 houses of worship in the area, white people are concerned.  Though the article does not mention why white people are upset at so many churches, it can be implied that they would feel more comfortable if they were to be replaced with condominiums, yoga studios, and white people churches (also known as Whole Foods).

Now Christian Lander, the blog's writer, is not as far as I know a Christian.  He has no personal agenda to see churches preserved anywhere.  He simply observes that white gentrification in urban communities often means "hey, let's get rid of these churches and make them into cool condos".  Churches seem to close most quickly in predominantly white and wealthier communities here in Chicago. 

So I'll be that white guy that likes churches and thinks they are a good thing in a community, particularly an urban community. 

Small is big

Had breakfast with my Tyce buddy this morning.  Gil and I just noticed over the last few days that he was out of sorts.  I realized I had not had enough one-on-one time with him lately so we hit the trail for school early and stopped at the Cozy Corner. 

One of my goals with my kids is to build a lot of simple, small memories that have big, long-term impact.  Having breakfast isn't revolutionary or splashy, but I am certain that he'll remember these types of moments over the long haul.  We had a great time talking about swimming, the new particle collider in Europe, his school and old stories from a great science class I had in high school.  By the time I kissed him goodbye at school, I could see his "tank" was full. 

One of the biggest battles Gil and I fight is staying up with each of our kids one-to-one.  We don't want our kids to be known to us only as a group but that each knows they're loved for who they uniquely are as well.  I think that is a pattern of the heart of the Father that the Spirit prompts from within.

Collaboration

We are one week away from Multi-Site Exposed.  Our team has put in time and work to prepare both for the hosting and for the teaching.  It has been a privilege to see everyone taking a piece of this and weave it together.  We'll be ready when it comes time to open the doors next Monday at noon.

Today all those teaching breakout sessions broke up into study groups to share our outlines and give each other critical feedback.  It was a refreshing exchange of ideas and I think each of us in our group came away with fresh content and ideas.  Somehow its appropriate that a conference on multi-site which is all about collaboration and interdependence would require collaboration and interdependence to prepare for it.

Weekend reflections

It was great to talk with people on Sunday and hear them talk about the God-activity in their lives. 

One young man was there for the third time in a row.  He told me that the first Sunday he had a radical encounter with God.  The second Sunday he came forward on an altar call and publicly prayed to receive Christ.  Then this past Sunday we taught about baptism and he felt like it was made for him. 

He's looking for housing right now and I was suggesting we'd help him with some options.  His response was priceless.  "Will it be a Jesus thing?"  He only wants to get housing and help that is a "Jesus thing".  He also told me that he's already hearing and discerning the voice of God in his daily life and obeying what God is telling Him.

Another gal and her husband also visited for the first time 3 Sundays ago.  She came weeping to the altar the second Sunday and surrendered to Jesus.  Shortly after this service she made a determination that she would be baptized and began working through our Path to Baptism lessons.  Her husband was adamant that he would not be getting baptized again since he was baptized as a baby in a Catholic church.  2 hours later he had been so convicted that he completely reversed course and decided that he too needed to obey Jesus in baptism.  A few minutes later he got a follow up call from Mike on our staff team asking him if he wanted to pursue baptism.  He was shocked and saw the hand of God in it! 

This couple is also very excited about the potential of a Humboldt Park location since they live in that area.  They view this next season of their life as a time to get grounded in the Bible.  In fact, she had a fistful of small group cards and is intending to go to a group a day.  Love the zeal and joy of her heart!

The Cleaner

The prime theme of every successful TV drama seems to be murder.  It gets tiring after a while.  But there is a new show out that nobody actually watches on A&E called The Cleaner.  The show is really incredible.  Its about a man who's life's work (the show refers to it as his Calling) is to give people second chances from addiction.

Benjamin "Bratt [who plays the lead character] admits that his show aims to bring the same optimism to viewers of The Cleaner, saying, “We’re trying to illuminate the theme of hope.  One thing I really love about the show is ultimately it is an exploration about the possibility of a second chance.”

The opening dialogue of one episode is an honest and pretty theologically sound prayer conversation overlayed on a high school girl's memorial service.  Its powerful.  There are a few episodes available on line for those like us who don't have cable.  I encourage you to give it a chance (and have some Kleenex close by.)

Rejuvenated

10 years ago, almost to the day, I competed in my first Triathlon.  It was the Mrs. T's Pierogies Chicago Triathlon on August 30, 1998.  At the time, Gil and I had a 9 month old (Jaley) and had spent about 6 months in pretty intense training.  I competed at the Olympic distance and Gil did the Sprint.  It was a rush--one of the most exhilirating physical activities I've ever done.

And then 10 years went by. 

Make no mistake, we've had plenty on our plates:  3 more kids, church planting, pastoring, buying a house.  Life seemed to make this kind of training and competition impossible to return to. 

A tribute to Edna Hammond

I had the privilege of helping to remember Edna Hammond at her funeral last Saturday morning.  She died a week ago Wednesday at the age of 98.  She was a member of Galilee Baptist/New Life Community Church for 60 years and was a remarkable follower of Jesus, mother and friend. 

Here are a couple of tidbits about Edna's life:

• She was born two years before the sinking of the Titanic.
• Her parents emigrated from Austria-Hungary 3 years before she was born.
• She and her husband and kids were one of the original families to live in the Julia C. Lathrop homes after they were opened in 1938
• She played for the Chicago Bloomer Girls!
• Was a devoted servant of Jesus at Galilee Baptist Church as church clerk, Sunday school teacher, visitation, and any other place that she could serve
• Took second in girls' high jump in a citywide park district track meet at Soldier Field
• Was widowed in 1952 and never remarried
• Was a constant encourager with a ready smile
• Worked until she was 85 years old by convincing her employer that she was only 70
• Wrote a book in 2002 that traced her ancestry back to the 12th century
• Was a big cheerleader for New Life when we began leading the church in 2000.

Praise God for a woman who lived her life to love and serve others and died leaving tremendous blessing in her wake.

from my friend Mike...

Every now and then I like to post a standout email that I believe has broader relevance.  A guest blogger, if you will.  Today I'd like to share an email that Mike Berry, New Life Midway's location pastor, sent out to our preaching team at New Life.  I think Mike has some great insight in this post:

I caught a little bit of both the Democratic and Republican conventions. The amazing thing to me is that after over 200 years of campaigns and conventions in our country, the high point is still simply a speech. Technology has added some window dressing such as a sound system, a teleprompter, and video images on a screen, but the main event is still simply a person standing in front of a crowd trying to persuade them to vote a certain way. Why do people get so excited and weepy over a speech? Anyone knows that even if their side wins that they probably won’t accomplish half of what they promise.
 
However, the Lord has made us so that we are moved by the human voice. There is something inside of us that dreams of a better life and hearing someone speak with conviction in line with our deepest desires connects with us. Politicians are offering hope.
 
I read that one political consultant says that voters sub-consciously ask 3 questions when choosing a candidate:
1) Is this person strong?
2) Can I trust them?
3) Do they care about people like me?
 
The implications for preaching are obvious. People long for hope and are willing to listen to, support, and follow someone who is convincing. Although these 3 questions aren’t directly from the Bible I think it’s a good challenge to ask if our leadership and preaching is Strong, Trustworthy/Full of Integrity, and Compassionate/Loving.
 
We are so blessed to communicate the Word of God. Unlike politicians, we don’t have to offer half-truths and hide evidence. We don’t need to be popular with 51% of the people and we are not pointing to a set of ideas or policies but to the living God. And our efforts, if we are truly walking with God, are empowered by the Holy Spirit. So if you are preaching this Sunday, take it more seriously than the major candidates, know that God is tuned in to hear what you have to say, and that your words can be used to change lives more significantly than all the human promises made at both conventions.