Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
An "Out of this World" Birthday Party
My "S-man" turned 7-years-old today. And to celebrate, we had a fun "friend" party with a space theme. The boys got to wear "uniforms", eat "moon cake", and visit another planet (the basement redone in blacklight!) while undergoing "space cadet training." It was a wonderful day celebrating our son. We are so thankful God has put him in our lives. He has such a positive attitude, he's extremely bright, he is incredibly kind, and he is a wonderful part of our family! Happy Birthday, S!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Why I love the Mac community
But the Mac community takes Apple's former slogan and "thinks different" to finds ways to overcome Apple's "closed" system, allowing me to have the experience I want.
So instead of:
- Being stuck with gray, color-less icons in iTunes 10, I was able to restore the color thanks to Shaun R.
- Being stuck with Mail's "top/bottom" look, I get the 3-column "widescreen" look I prefer with Letterbox.
And as part of the Mac community, I hope that by posting these links, one of these two improvements will improve your Mac experience as well.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
This is not my story, yet it is...
The video above is not my story. It is not about the church I hope the Lord allows me to start in Iowa.
Yet so much of it feels like my story.
I had the chance to meet the Plant Ventura team at a conference in June. What a great team! I can just tell the Lord is going to write a great story through them.
And I pray He also writes a great story through me, my family, and a yet-to-be-seen team as we also seek to start a new church.
Inheritance
Today I read chapters 43-46 in Ezekiel. Verse 28 in chapter 44 really stuck out to me:
"This will be [the priests'] inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property." (Ezekiel 44:28 (NET), emphasis mine)
At first thought, it seems like the priests get the short end. All the other tribes of Israel get land and possessions for themselves, but the priests get nothing. Yeah, the verses following verse 28 indicate that God will provide everything the priests need (grain, meat, breads, clothing, etc.), but verse 28 makes it clear that their inheritance, their portion, their possession, wasn't things of this earth - it was the Lord Himself.
But that's just it. When you have God, you have everything. But when you don't have God, you have nothing.
As I pondered this thought, it struck me:
"[Y]ou are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9 (NET), emphasis mine)
I've heard some people share the gospel with additives:
- "Come to Jesus, and He'll fix your financial problems!"
- "If you have Jesus, He'll repair your broken relationships!"
- "When you have enough faith in Christ, all your health problems will be gone!"
- "Give your life totally to Jesus, and He'll give you a new job!"
But if the combination of Ezekiel 44:28 and 1 Peter 2:9 is true, then if you are a follower of Christ, you are part of a priesthood of believers, which means that when you come to Jesus, you get Jesus! He is your inheritance. And He is more than enough.
Is there anything in your life that needs to change to reflect this truth?
- Are you living for an earthly inheritance, trying to gain more earthly wealth, possessions, and position through your job, relationships, and pursuits?
- Or is Christ enough for you, and you are simply trusting Him, just as the priests had to trust, that He will provide everything you need on this earth?
As my family prepares to move into life without an "earned income" and relying solely upon the generosity and contributions of others, I needed this reminder that if I have Christ, I have everything I need.
I'm a priest - and He is my inheritance.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Church Planter by Darrin Patrick (Book Review) (tag: Book Review, Church Planting))
I just finished Darrin Patrick's first book Church Planter moments ago. And the one-word that comes to my mind after reading it is "affirmed." Which is exactly what I needed after internal lingering doubts have plagued me from time to time in recent weeks.
But I'm not here to review me... Let me review Darrin's book:
Just as the subtitle indicates, Church Planter is broken up into three sections: The Man, the Message, and the Mission. The chapters are more brief than I would have expected (which is a good thing), and Darrin handles deep concepts quickly, yet thoroughly. I wish I had his gift of brevity while not feeling like I skimped on something. So let me attempt to be brief about each section...
The Man
Section 1 is about the church planter. Darrin explains in his introduction that he holds to a complementation view of the role of men and women in church (egalitarians hold that women can be pastors, complementarians hold that only men can serve as elders/shepherds/overseers/pastors). But even if you are egalitarian, this book is worth reading. "The Man" is about the character qualifications that are needed to lead a church.
In all honesty, I think this book should just be entitled "Pastor." While I, as a future church planter, needed to read Darrin's exhortations, many times I found myself thinking that all pastors need to read this book. Darrin works through the Scriptures of what it means to shepherd God's people, and whether you pastor a 1-year-old church or a 100-year-old church, all pastors need to understand their role and calling.
The Message
The middle section of Church Planter is all about the gospel message. I found this wonderfully refreshing and invigorating theologically and intellectually. Something I've been learning over the past several years is that the good news of the gospel isn't just for our salvation, but for our sanctification as well. This idea has changed the way I counsel people, the way I preach, and the way I pray. So it was encouraging to see Darrin encouraging church planters and pastors to apply the gospel to all areas of life. But before you can apply it, you have to understand it, which is what Darrin aims to help his readers do.
The Mission
The final section is about the mission of the church. It was so refreshing to read from someone so committed to the teaching of the Word, yet wanting to see the church tack from the Word and live it out in their communities with compassion. Having tired of seeing churches that get caught up in social justice that they lose sight of Jesus, as well as seeing churches get so wrapped up in their knowledge of Scripture they lose sight of a lost and dying world around them, I was thrilled to see someone striking a Christ-like balance of pursuing God wholeheartedly while seeking the benefit of the city.
The Conclusion
If you are a church planter, whether in the pre-launch stages or years 1-5, you will definitely want to pick up or borrow a copy of Darrin's first book. It will encourage you, challenge you, and remind you of your calling.
If you are a pastor, I recommend you also find a way to grab a chance to read Church Planter. Darrin's style is easy enough to read it won't take you too terribly long to work through the book, and you'll be glad you gave it a few hours.
I made a New Year's resolution to not buy any books in 2010 (I had decided I should read more of the books I already had than keep collecting books I may never read). I have managed to hold to that resolution all year long (except once when the Marion Library was selling off some books really, really cheap!), which means passing on some books I am eager to read. I figured Church Planter would end up on the "some day" list. I am grateful my friend, Jason Poling, purchased me a copy as a gift to encourage me as my family embarks on this church planting adventure.
I foresee myself being like Jason and giving this book to church planters and pastors I interact with. And as someone who rarely ever re-reads a book, I expect I'll be opening the cover (which by the way, I absolutely hate! Looks like the poster for a movie about a serial killer...) once again to be reminded of what God has called me to.
Rating: 4.5 sickles out of 5
Sunday, November 07, 2010
I Want To Be a Spiritual Photographer (A Church-Planting Desire)
Talented photographers capture a moment that draws the viewer into the picture. The image burns into the memory of the admirer, while the thought of the photographer fades. While the photographer might temporarily get in the way to get the perfect photo, the photo remains, outlasting the photographer.
Through this yet-to-be-started new church, I hope to capture images and stories of God's work in the lives of people. I want to photograph moments of Christ's work that get burned into memories. In our culture, I know some people's attention will be on me as the pastor, but what I truly want is for all people to see the image of God, knowing I will fade with time. I want my life to be like the New Testament prophet John the Baptizer, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30 (ESV)
In other words, I want to be a spiritual photographer.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
3 Degrees of Iowa Separation (Tapping into Relational Networks)
Today's journey took me to Ottumwa to meet Marty Schmidt, lead/planting pastor of thebridge. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his church planting story over some delicious barbecue. Then he showed me the homeless shelter thebridge helped build/renovate, the offices their church staff uses, and even the incredible Bridge View Center they get to use each Sunday.
While in their offices, I met their Community Pastor, Cy McMahon. In typical American-fashion, Cy asked me where I was from. I gave my standard reply to this standard question: "Southwest Iowa." When he said, "Really?!?" his tone revealed he was from the same area. Turns out, he was from Farragut, Iowa, which is only about a 15-minute country drive from my hometown of Shenandoah. My mom taught in the Farragut district for almost 20 years alongside Cy's mother. In addition, a few years ago Cy lived in Pella, where my parents now live, and he ran into "Mrs. Bird" there and remembered her from her Farragut days.
In each of my church-planting appointments, I have had similar "Iowa" moments like I had with Cy. But that's not the only time; I also have these Iowa connections at weddings, at social gatherings, and at random times. If Kevin Bacon believes there are six degrees of separation in the world, I would estimate there are about 3˚ in Iowa. (To make non-Iowans reading this feel more at ease - Iowans aren't all related, just relationally connected. There's no in-breeding here, so let's just keeping moving along...)
What this means to me is that when one person in Iowa has their life changed by Christ, they have a built in network of family and friends that probably spreads all across this state. And if those people were to see the change of Christ in that individual's life, it might draw them to a relationship with Jesus as well. This means that when one person believes upon the cross of Christ, the ripples of that belief don't just change their one life, but could potentially affect lives all across a state.
While Iowa is made fun of by the rest of the nation as "flyover country", I instead see wonderfully connected people in need of the beautiful news of Jesus. That's why I want to start a church that will help start other churches all around this state to help Iowans find the one connection that really matters.
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