Last Post of the Year...Changes are coming!

Well this will be it for the year...and what a year its been! Like everyone else, there have been lots of ups and lots of downs, but its been exciting to see God working through it all! I've been blessed in so many ways: My Savior loves me and pursues a relationship with me daily, My wonderful wife and I have enjoyed 16+ years of marriage and are looking forward to many more, My kids are growing up and learning to love Jesus on their own, My extended family know and love the Lord and dedicate themselves to pursuing His Kingdom. What more could a guy ask for?

Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2008...
1. Growing closer to Jesus by dedicating myself to seriously studying His Word in depth as often as I can. I also want to learn how to fast and pray!
2. Modeling Christ's love for my family by serving them with Jesus' love.
3. Going on a mission trip with my entire family to Nicaragua to serve the poor (But probably more so for what God wants to do in each of us!)
4. My fist book comes out on January 4 and I'm excited to see what God will do with it to change lives.
5. I want to learn to live in community with a few other men who will love me and encourage me and get in my face on stuff and who will allow me to do the same for them.
6. I'm excited about a web project a friend and I are working on in 2008. I believe it has tremendous potential to help people by using cutting edge technology and the Word of God. Stay tuned for more information...

Of course I can't do any of this on my own. I need your help Lord. So I pray for your will to be done on earth - right here where I'm at...just like it is already being done there in Heaven where You're at!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog this year. I look forward to what God will do through this little tool in 2008.

Happy New Year!

Letting Go

A friend shared the following words with me today from the Henri Nouwen Society. They reminded her of my last post and I loked them so much I had to pass them along...

Giving Permission to Die

One of the greatest gifts we can offer our family and friends is helping them to die well. Sometimes they are ready to go to God but we have a hard time letting them go. But there is a moment in which we need to give those we love the permission to return to God, from whom they came. We have to sit quietly with them and say: "Do not be afraid ... I love you, God loves you ... it's time for you to go in peace. ... I won't cling to you any longer ... I set you free to go home ... go gently, go with my love." Saying this from our heart is a true gift. It is the greatest gift love can give.

When Jesus died he said: "Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit" (Luke 23:46). It is good to repeat these words often with our dying friends. With these words on their lips or in their hearts, they can make the passage as Jesus did.

Henri Nouwen continues to influence my spiritual journey well after his own death. Thank you Lord for the gift of spiritual mentors who breathe into my life.

A Time to Die

There's a time for everything in life...including death. As part of my "offical" duties as a Pastor, I spend time visiting people in the hospitals, nursing homes, officiating at funerals, etc. Well this morning I had the opportunity to visit a man from my congregation who is 80 years old and was sitiing in a nursing home waiting to die. I've got to admit - that's tough stuff! It's hard to find anything to talk about. It's hard for him to even have the energy to carry on a conversation I imagine. But one thing I said brought a twinkle to his eye. I said, You're ready to go home and be with Jesus aren't you?" And he responded by saying, "I sure am."

When my friend arrives in heaven, he will receive a new body for the rest of eternity. His pain will be gone. He will have a new source of energy that will allow him to live the way he was really designed to live form the very beginning. I could see it in his eyes: He couldn't wait for that day! And neither can I! Why do we avoid talking about death and dying? Why does it scare us so much? Why don't we look forwrad to it like we look forward to being with an old friend we haven't seen in such a long time? Maybe it's teh fear of the unknown...Maybe it's something else...But I pray that God gives me the faith to see what He has in store for me in the afterlife! How about you?

A Lot to Be Thankful For...

Little things...

Like a warm day...

Or a Deep Blue Sky...

My Health. My Family. My Freedom. My God.

Thank-you!

Friends?

What does a good friend look like? What commitments are made between two people to cause them to call their relationship a "friendship"? And what happens when someone breaks one of those commitments?

I recently had a friend who made a major life decision without including me in the decision-making process at all. We got together and my friend told me about the decision which had already been made. I have no idea why this casued me so much hurt and disappointment, but it did. It caused me to re-think our friendship - not just ours, but al lof my "friendships". What does a true friendship really look like anyway? Is it just time spent together? Or are there certain commitments two people make to each other that you don't go back on no matter what?

When I get hurt like this, my initial reaction is to pull everything in and not open up so much to anyone. I don't want to take the risk of getting hurt again I suppose. But I know that's not the right instinct. I have to keep opening up and pursuing friends. I need people who will be there for me. People need me to be there fo rthem. This life is meant to be lived in community with other people who stay committed to one another through thick and thin. But those relationships are just really hard to find. And even when you think you've found one, I'm discovering that you can't be too sure.

I'm glad the Scripture promises me that I have a "friend who sticks closer than a brother" in Jesus Christ. He has never left me. He has never gone back on His commitments to me. He will never let me down. I pray that I can be as good of a friend to the people who call me their friend! Help me Jesus. Help me...

What Do You Really Want?

Recently someone asked me how I was doing and I told them I felt "bored" with life. Things seemed so predictable and so mundane. This person told me, "Maybe you should go out there and do what you want to do for awhile. Maybe you need to be turned loose to your desires." That was an interesting thought to me. What are my desires? What do I relaly want? If I got down the road in my mind or in my ideal fantasy world, would I really want to live there? Or if I lived there for awhile, would I gain a greater appreciation for who I am and what I have in this world today? Let's just say that I've walked down that road in my mind...that road that always seems like it's better than the road I'm on right now...and it's a dead-end. It always leads me back to reality and all of the ways I've been blessed in my real world...right here, right now...today. God, thank-you for helping me learn the "secret" of contentment. Help me to be present in my world today! One day at a time depending upon you and living gratefully for everything you are and everything you do for me this day.

Disappointment

I spent a lot of time following my beloved Cleveland Indians this baseball season only to be disappointed once again. Up three games to one and losing to the Red Sox...it was almost too much for me to handle! I should probably just get used to disappointment. After all, only one team out of about 30 end up on top each year. Only one fan base is NOT disappointed. It's just so hard being a Cleveland fan. You're used to disappointment...almost jaded. Is there anything in this life that doesn't disappoint? Is there anything I can invest my time into that won't leave me feeling empty? It's certainly not sports! What about Jesus? Has He ever disappointed me? Has He ever let me down? Churches have. Pastors have. Christians have. But not Jesus. Lord, can we hang out awhile? I need some help learning how to handle my disappointments...

Focus

There's always alot going on in my life. There are many opportunities to get involved in a lot of really cool things. But which things are the best? Which things does God really want me to be involved with? What does it mean for me to focus? Do I have to let go of some of the good things to get to the best? Is good really the enemy of great? What should you be focusing in on right now in your life? What would it look like for you to create a "stop doing list"? Sometimes this is much easier said than done...

A Week Of Silence

Last week I had the privilege of spending 4 days at Gethsemene Abbey in Trappist, KY. It was my third trip to the Abbey for a week of silence and as usual, it was an incredible time with God. Gethsemene has been a silent monastery since 1848. Thomas Merton spent many years there developing his discipline of silence and solitude while writing his books and serving God. At Gethsemene the monks hold three things very dear: Prayer, Work and Spiritual Reading (Lexio Divina). I had the privilege of entering into all of these along with the monks and I'm always amazed at how they change me more into the image of Jesus. When I'm tired and burned-out like I was this year, It's critical for me to get away and be alone. To allow God's Spirit to refresh me and speak to my spirit. Only God can quell the busy-ness and driven-ness in my soul. I return more in love with Christ and more in tune with who He created me to be than I've ever been. Thank-you Lord for some time to pull away and rest. You are an awesome God and I can only pray that my brothers and sisters reading this will afford themselves the same opportunity to meet with you in the quietness of their daily lives.

Man on the Run

It seems like I've been on the run since the beginning of summer. And today is already the first official day of fall! From events and camps to retreats and messages, my life has been in constant motion lately. I can feel my body telling me how tired it is. I can feel my soul yearning for some rest. Do you ever feel as though you'll never cath up? Do you always feel like there's something more to do? If so, I have just the prescription for you: Stop and rest! When God created the world, he worked for 6 days and then rested on the seventh - not becasue He was tired, but becasue He was showing us the importance of developing a Sacred Rythmn. I'm learning to understand the importance of regular rest. I'm trying to make it a natural part of my life. Next week I plan on getting away for my annual week of silence and solitude at Gethsemane Monastary in Kentucky. It's the one place in my life where I feel I can truly allow myself to rest and pull away for awhile just to listen to God...just to bask in His love and remind myself about what it means to be His child. I hope to journal...I hope to read the Scriptures...I hope to worship...but most of all, I simply hope to rest. You may not be able to join me at the monastary, but would you consider resting with me and enjoying the presence of God together?

A Bicycle Built for Two

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were having a really tough day. I was out in the garage working on stuff while she was upstairs crying her eyes out. She was upset becasue she felt as though she was losing control of our oldest child who is about to turn 13 years old. She wanted to be able to keep him locked away some were so nothing could hurt him or influence him in a negative way that could rob him of any innocence e has left. I, on the other hand wanted to allow him to experience life on his own and go through some hard times that would help him learn a few things. Needless to say we were definitely not seeing eye to eye on the whole parenting thing that day. We were both upset and not listening to each other and it felt like everything was spiraling out of control.

Just then a friend of mine showed up and surprised me in my garage. He told me to come outside becasue he had something he wanted to give me. As I walked outside, I saw his entire family in their minivan and what looked like a bike attached to the back of the van. My friend said, "Remember the other day when we were talking about our futures and what they might look like and you told me that someday you wanted to save up enough money to buy a tandem bike for you and your wife?" To be honest, I couldn't really remember talking about it, but I said, "Sure." And then my friend proceeded to tell me that he and his wife had bought a tandem bike when they were first married. They had only used it about 10 times, and now that they were in the middle of raising young kids, they had spoke and they wanted us to have it.

I was shocked. Really. I tried to talk him out of it. I told him to just let us borrow it for awhile. But he refused and insisted that we take it. Now you have to understand something. This was not some old junky bike that they wanted to get out of their garage. This was a beautiful, almost new tandem bike that my friend had cleaned up and had kept in mint condition! I was super excited! I couldn't wait to show my wife! And I was blown away by my friends kindess and thoughtfulness.

I went upstairs to tell my wife what had happened and fatre talking a few things through some more I asked her, "WOuld you mind coming down and sharing in my joy for a few minutes?" She sais, "What are you talking about?" And then she followed me down the stairs and out into the garage. When she saw the bike and heard the story she was completely overwhelemed with emotion and started crying again. (I still can't figure women out all the time and I've been married for 16 years.)

I jumped on the front of the bike and she jumped on the back and we went for our first ride. It was awesome. She felt really weird becasue being on the back made her feel totally out of control. She was scared and asked me to be careful and not to crash. I promised her that I had her best interest at heart and if then asked her if she trusted me. She said yes. And then it hit us both at the same time: We have to trust each other in everything we do. There are going to be times when we're totally out of control in life, parenting, etc. But as long as we have each others' best interests at heart we can learn to trust one another. And we can also trust that as we area each pursuing God's plan for our lives, He will have our best interests at heart as well. We won't always get it right. We will definietly make mistakes along the way, but together we will be able to accomplish much more than when we're apart.

Funny what you can learn from a simple tandem bike huh?

F.E.A.R.

False Evidence Accepted as Real. A friend of mine shared this acronym with me this week and it reallt hit home. Why do I fear so many things? Why do I worry about so much that's obviously out of my control anyway? Why is it so hard for me to give up control and simply trust my Heavenly Father during those difficult times when I'm tempted to fear and worry and go sit in a fetal position in the corner of my room? If I really believe that my Heavenly Daddy wants what's best for me, then I can be certain that whatever comes my way will be part of an incredible plan for my life. Help me live that way today Father. Help me reject all of the "false evidence" that bombards my mind and attempts to get it off of You!

Can't Keep Up

So its been 12 days since my last post and I'm sitting here wondering why it has taken me so long. I enjoy blogging, but trying to find the time in the last two weeks has been unbelievable. Between my kids' school starting and a few major events at work it has been completely overwhelming. So much for trying to slow down and simplify my life huh?

I desperately want to slow down, but wonder if it's really possible at this stage of my life. How did Jesus do it? How did He meet so many needs and still make time to pull away alone and refresh Himself? I'm not even "feeling the need" to be involved in all of this stuff, but it seems like the "stuff" always has a way of forcing itself upon me. I guess I'm still learning...and probably always will be.

So today I want to make it my goal to pull away for a few minutes to rest - to do absolutely nothing - not even blogging! And with that I say goodbye...

Priorities

Summer's coming to a close. Kids are going back to school soon. Sports, academics, dance, karate and a million other things will all start to kick in again very soon. Where will my commitment to following Christ and serving Him end up in all of this? Will I continue to pursue Him like I know I should? Will I do it out of desire or out of obligation? Do I really believe that this relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life? Will other people see that by looking at me and how I live my life? I certainly hope so...but I also realize that so much of that is up to me learning to depnd on God's grace every step of the way...

Better to Keep Your Mouth Shut?

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Even as you heard yourself saying it, you were thinking, "This is probably not going to turn out well." But you said it anyway. And of course it didn't turn out well at all. So you say to yourself, "I'm just going to keep my mouth shut from now on." But you are never able to do that either. So what's the right thing to do? Speak up and push into issues that you know will be uncomfortable and cause pain but probably also bring tremendous growth? Or just sit there and keep your mouth shut...watching it all waste away into apathy and nothingness? (Well ok, maybe it's not that bad, but that's certainly how it can feel at times!) I need wisdom when it comes to controlling what I say and don't say every single moment of every single day. My mouth can be one of my greatest assest, but it can also lead to some of my worst nightmares. I suppose one thing I can do is to ask God for wisdom. To pray before I speak and ask God if what I'm going to say needs to be said in the way I'm planning on saying it at the time I'm planning on saying it. And then I need to stop talking long enough to listen for His voice to lead me on...

Endurance

My wife and I took our boys up to the local YMCA today and I learned a valuable lesson about endurance. My 12 year old son decided to swim 50 laps in the lap pool. That's right - 50! And he's not even a teenager yet. I tried to swim a coupel with him and was completely obliterated! He's amazing. I have no idea how he does it. I told him he needs to be on a swim team somewhere. He doesn't even take any lessons, he's just really started to get into swimming lately. And just watching him reminded me that I need to stick with a few things in my own life as well. I need to push through the pain and endure. Good things come to those who keep going. What do you need to "keep going" with in your life right now? Maybe it's something at work or a certain relationship. Maybe it's your spiritual journey. Keep going. Finish the course. Complete the task at hand. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Thanks for the encouragement son.

Family

I'm spending a few days at home in Cleveland, Ohio with my parents and my sister and her family and I'm reminded about how important family and tradition really is. I'm surrounded by people who love me - no matter what. I'm surrounded by people who have been with me for the long-haul. I'm surrounded by people who have seen me at my best...and at my worst - and they're still around. I feel safe in this community. I feel loved. And because I feel this way, I feel more ready than ever to reach out to others who don't have this type of community. I want to include them. I want to help them. I want to see if what has worked so well for me will work the same way for them...

More Thoughts on Community

So I've been involved with full-time Christian Ministry for 16 years now...but I just put something together this past Sunday as I stood in the lobby of my church observing people and listening to their stories. It seems to me as though the people who are not involved in any form of Active Biblical Community are the ones who are struggling through trying to figure out where to turn when life starts closing in on them. They come to one of the pastors asking for prayer. They come and ask for help with certain situations they're going through...sometimes they just need someone who will listen to them or encourage them. And don;t get me wrong - as a pastor, I love the opportunity to minister to people and try to meet some of their needs. But I wonder how much I'm genuinely helping them and how much I'm actually enabling them to continue living life as an individual...a lone ranger...all on their own? Wouldn't it be better if...when they needed someone to pray with them and for them - they went and sought out someone who knew them well and met with them on a regular basis? When they needed an encouraging word, wouldn't it be better coming from someone who was intimately involved in their life and could speak those words out of a depth of knowledge of their particular situation? When someone neede to kick their butt and challenge them to push in deeper, I think it would be best coming from a close friend who was "doing life" with them.

So what's my responsibility in all of this? Here's what I came up with this past Sunday: Of course I need to be available for people as thei pastor. But I also need to be pushing them to dig in deeper into a genuine Biblical Community that they're regularly and actively involved with first! We all need a place where those 5 Aspects of Genuine Biblical Community I mentioned in an earlier blog are being pursued and practiced. Where are you experiencing it right now in your life?

Rhythm and Rest

Just got back from some time away on vacation with the family. Here's what God taught me: I need to make rest a regular part of my yearly rhythm of life. I come home re-energized with a fresh outlook on life. Sometimes you can get so caught up in the "daily-ness" of life that you begin to miss things. You begin to miss all that God is doing around you. One o fthe things I discovered on this vacation was that I need to take shorter stints away more often! Not to work or plan or brainstorm or anything else like that...but simply to do what I just got back from doing: sitting on a beach and watching the waves come in, playing in the sand, walking along the shore with some people you love, watching a magnificent sunset that you felt God may have painted just for you!

God Himself took one out of seven days to simply rest. Not becasue He was tired, but becasue it was important. I need to do that same. Thanks for the example God!

Freedom

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate The 4th of July today. Many brave men and women before me fought to give me this freedom and I never want to take it for granted. I'm proud to live in this great country. I know there's lots of room for improvement, but today I'm choosing to be thankful and celebrate!

Five Aspects of Real Community

We recently had Mindy Caliguire (www.soulcare.com) in to speak to our group and she identified five elements of real community that I found extremely helpful to think thorugh. They are:
1. Prayer
2. Self-Disclosure
3. Giving and Receiving Grace
4. Mirroring
5. Celebration

We were created to live in community with other people. The problem is: We live in a society that values individualism...which inevitably results in loneliness and isolationism. If we're really going to live the way we were designed to live, we have to engage with other people. And admittedly, finding the right people can be a very intimidating process. So how do you go about it? I start by praying and asking God to lead me to the right people. I ask Him to MAKE ME THE RIGHT KIND OF PERSON! Sooner or later that means I'm going to have to take a risk and open up my heart. I'm going to have to practice vulnerability - self-disclosure. When I do that, I'm going to need lots of grace...becasue I'm pretty messed up. The good news is: I'm ready and willing to give as much or more grace back at you. That's what mirroring is all about: Having someone else whom I've given permission to call me a butt-head when I deserve it. In fact, I insist on having these people in my life. People who will care enough to tell me the truth...in love. Becasue when that's done in a Godly way, it gives me plenty of reason to celebrate all that God's doing in my life!

We (Christ-followers in general) need to get better at celebrating! It's about time to loosen up and learn to really celebrate! No one shoudl be better at this than Christians in whom God is actively working and molding and shaping to be more like Himself! God, please make me into the kind of person who can live in real community!

Its Been Awhile

Okay, so I'm not the most active blogger. No excuses - just life. I keep thinking things slow down in the summer, but in reality everything just seems to speed up. The kids are home and I want to spend time with them. The days seem longer - the sun doesn't go down around here until almost 10PM these days, so no one's in bed until much later. There are summer camps and community events and trips to the ice cream store that quickly fill up my day. So the challenge for me these days is finding space in my life to simply do nothing. I have this burning desire to be alone and just listen, but our society fights me on it at every turn. I must pursue it. I must make it my passion. That's the only way I will ever find it. But I also realize that's the only way I'll ever survive!

The Power of Community

Loneliness plagues our society. We are busier and loneier than ever. There are more people around us, but fewer who really know us. We have access to all the best technology and yet seldom do we give anyone access to our souls. How did this happen to us? What can we do to regain genuine community? Don't we need real community to survive? Isn't our faith best practiced in community with others who are sharing the journey with us? Why do you think so many of us are resistant to true community? Why are we afraid to open up and let someone into our heart? Who do you have in your life that really knows you?

What Do I Need to Know?

What do I really need to know about Jesus to become one of His followers? Do I need to know about the Incarnation? The Cross? Forgiveness? The Resurrection? Do I need to know He's a Great Teacher, Healer, Prophet, God in the flesh? At what point am I ready to call myself a "Christian"? Is there anything else I need to know or do to begin following this Divine man who has captured me?

April 27, 2007 - Following Jesus?

This past Sunday I gave the message at my church and it proved very controversial and offensive for some people. First of all, if you're one of those people, I'd like to apologize and ask for your forgiveness. While it was certainly not my intention to offend anyone, I obviously did and I'd love to figure out why...

So I'd like to invite you to interact with some questions...

1. What does it really mean to be a follower of Christ? Is it important for everyone to "mark" the moment in time that they decide to start following Jesus? Why?

2. What is the gospel really? Isn't it more than just the "forgiveness of sins"? What does someone need to know before they can be "converted"? What place does the cross have in the gospel?

3. Did the Apostles follow Jesus differently than we do today? When did they begin their journey? What did they use to mark that place in time when they decided to begin a relationship with Him?

4. Is it important for us to question our beliefs and stretch ourselves a bit when it comes to our understanding of the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus?

Scott McKnight, Brian McLaren, Richard Peace have all had influence on my Christian journey in the past several years. While I certainly never believe everything someone teaches (other than Jesus), I have found what these men have to say very challenging to the way I've always thought about my faith. Are you willing to question some of your long-held beliefs? Join me on this journey...

4. Wh

April 8, 2007

Today as I celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I looked over at my family and thanked God for everything He means to me. I'm so grateful to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, I can have unexplainable peace in my soul. Because He lives, I have something much BIGGER to live for - today and eternally! Because Jesus Christ is alive today, I know He will help me walk through whatever challenges and difficulties come my way. And because He lives, I know that through faith and trust in Him, I will live forever too - starting today and continuing on for all eternity. Where is your God today? Mine is alive and walking with me through this life...

Life can be a real trip at times! There are some days when I wonder if I'm going to make it through it all. I used to think I could make it through on my own. I've smartened up. Now I realize that there is no way I could ever make it through without a community of people to rely on. Where do you find real community? Who do you go to when times get tough? What are the downsides for living in community? Let's dialogue...