Teammates or Opponents?

Last week I was on vacation with my family, doing the "Family Reunion" thing on LeAnn's side. We go every other summer, and always enjoy ourselves immensely.

Even though the weather was cold, we still got in some skiing and tubing. On the last day, I managed to allow my eldest daughter to convince me to go one more time, even though I really didn't want to go (the air temp was 71 degrees and the water temp was 75). One of the other cousins wanted to tube with me as well, so since I was already wet, I said "yes," and he and I hopped on our tubes for one more spin around the lake.

As we waited for the boat to make it's attempt at propelling us to temporary watery graves, I look at Cody and asked, "So are we doing this as teammates or opponents?" His nonchalant response made me think I was going to only have to battle the boat and waves, but with the rev of the engine, Cody's behavior revealed he was hoping to help dump me as well. (By the way, I stayed dry that round - Cody was the one drinking the lake!).

Company Teammates and Opponents

In the past two weeks, I've had to deal with customer service at two different companies. One behaved like they were my teammate, doing everything in their power to help me. The other company was more like Cody, immediately behaving like I was their opponent who they simply wanted to dump.

The first company was Apple. My original 4GB iPhone isn't working like it should, and since I purchased the extended warranty, I called for a repair or replacement before my warranty runs out next month. Since they no longer have original 4GB iPhones laying around, they are sending me a free iPhone 3G (should arrive today!) with a full year warranty on it. I worked with 3 different people on the phone, and each treated me like a valued client with whom they would do everything in their power to help. The treatment was amazing.

The second company was Zoom. This past week while on vacation, I helped my brother-in-law set-up a new iMac at their home. Because of where they live, his family is still on dial-up, which meant we needed to purchase a USB modem. Since the place we bought the iMac from was out of USB modem's, we headed to Best Buy. The only USB modem in stock was one from Zoom, and it said on the box that it worked with Macs, so we picked it up and headed home.

After properly setting up the modem and copying the settings from the old iMac that they were replacing (by the way, their old iMac was 9 years old and still going strong! Yeah Macs!), we ran into some issues. The phone call was not going through. Because we knew we had all of our settings correct, we feared it could be the modem. So I thought a quick call to Zoom would solve the problem.

In all fairness to Zoom, the call did solve our problem. We learned we did not need to include *70 before the phone number to turn off call-waiting. But to get that information was rather difficult. The gentleman I was talking with acted as if I was interrupting more important things, that I was stupid for even calling, and that I was opposed to him and Zoom's product, so therefore he needed to be opposed to me and my questions. It was rather frustrating. All I needed to know was why the call wouldn't go through and was there something that I needed to do to get their modem to work. But I was treated immediately like I was an opponent to Zoom when I was looking for a teammate to help me.

Applying these thoughts

As I am growing older, living life, and interacting with people, I am realizing that most people prefer to meet and work with "teammates" rather than "opponents". As I pastor people, I want to find ways I can work with them, even when I may have to be opposed to their ideologies or behavior. I look at the Scriptures and see many of the Jewish leaders of the first century acting as Jesus' opponents, which caused them to miss out on experiencing life as his teammate. Yet Jesus could look at people who were living life opposite of God's design, and yet he loved them like teammates, helping them change so they could experience the goodness of God's grace.

How about you? When you meet people, are you viewing them first as opponents? Or do you treat them as teammates? Are you looking to help them succeed? Or do you act like they are an imposition upon you and your time? I think this can be applied to that difficult co-worker, the neighbor next door, your kids (if you are a parent), the people in your small group, your parents, and even your spouse (if you are married).

So let me rephrase the question I asked Cody, "Are you doing life as other's teammate or as their opponent?"

------

Update: After typing all of this, but before I actually got it posted, I read the following article by James Emery White with some of the same sentiments I posted above. So follow the link if you want more food for thought on this topic of being an opponent who is quick to argue.

A Pixar Church

Pixar has released another masterpiece, at least according to reviews.  (My own favorite review site gave it 4 out 4 stars. They also had an interview with Up's director, Pete Docter, that might interest you.) A couple of days ago, in conjunction with the release of Up, Google News picked up this story about Pixar.  As I read it, I couldn't help but think that the Church needs to not just be more like Pixar, but set the trend in servant leadership, humility, and selfless giving:

"[D]espite the fact that [some of the famous previously named Pixar directors] won two Oscars apiece, ego or competitiveness never seem to get in the way of putting out a singular product.

"We kind of sit with them, and kind of hammer it out together, and we do the same with their films," says Rivera, of the scripting, film and fine-tuning processes.

"Everybody is very selfless about wanting to make the movies as best they can, even if they're not immediately involved with them," adds Docter.

It's a point that feels especially relevant in a time of collapsing industries and increasing free agency and layoffs. Pixar's success reminds us that we need to get back to a place where we've all got one another's backs."

I am very thankful I work at a "Pixar" church!  It's great being with staff who don't care who gets the credit, as long as the Kingdom is advancing in people's lives.  They work hard (probably too hard!), but they aren't trying to position themselves for accolades, awards, promotions, and more.  Oh, that it was this way everwhere!

And like a good neighbor...

Last Saturday night, we hosted our almost-annual neighborhood BBQ.  We had a GREAT turnout!  Everyone brought their own meat to grill, a side to share, and a chair to sit back, relax and enjoy the company of great neighbors.  When LeAnn and I moved into the neighborhood 6 and a half years ago, only 1 neighbor intentionally welcomed us to the neighborhood.  Since that time, almost every home around us has since sold and gotten new owners.  These new neighbors have all been eager to not only get to know one another, but also help each other.  It is common to see one neighbor snow blowing another neighbors driveway, to know one neighbor is taking care of another neighbors pets while they are gone on vacation, or to see different neighbors out on a walk together.  In our neighborhood the ages range from baby to grandparent; but what truly matters is people truly are friendly and we can trust one another.

LeAnn and I had our first neighborhood gathering 5 years ago, and the whole neighborhood looks forward to it every summer.  If your neighborhood or apartment complex doesn't do something like this, I'd encourage you to consider recruiting some neighbors to help you start one.  And it doesn't have to be an outdoor barbeque - you could host something around Christmas, or do something around a football game.  I know one person whose whole neighborhood gets together a couple of times a year to watch a movie - they hang a big sheet on the back of their house, set-up a projector, and enjoy treats everyone brings to share.

So get creative!  It will be worth it.  I know - I spent 6 hours in the yard Saturday just getting ready to host the event in our side yard, and don't regret a minute of it.  Because I can't let State Farm be the only good neighbor!

8 Days of Hope is coming to CR!

This is SUPER exciting news - hot off the press!

God has orchestrated plans for a group called 8 Days of Hope to come to Cedar Rapids!  8 Days of Hope was originally supposed to be a one-time event to help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Instead, several "8 Days" have occurred, and this non-profit organization has decided to make their 6th event the city of Cedar Rapids.  When I first hear about 8 Days of Hope and a potential event here in Cedar Rapids, I was rather cool to the idea.  But after hearing Stephen Tybor speak and his passion for Christ, I was really excited and prayed that God would work it out for them to come.  And He has answered those prayers!

This will be HUGE for our city, and an awesome way to open doors to conversations about Christ.  This will also be a great opportunity for you to help out, whether you have done anything yet to aid the recovery effort.  Rather than type out all of the details here about the event this fall, I'll post the email that 8 Days of Hope has sent out themselves:

Friends of 8 Days of Hope,

 

Wasn't this supposed to be a one time trip? Isn't our God awesome? Are you ready for 8 Days of Hope VI?

 

Today, it is with great excitement that we are able to share with you that tomorrow (Tuesday, August 12th) at 11:05 EDT/10:05 CST, we will be announcing our next trip on American Family Radio. Please tune in to listen on your local station or listen online atwww.afr.net. We will be announcing this trip on Today's Issues.

 

Cedar Rapids, Iowa here we come!!!

 

The flooding that hit this area back in mid June has caused over One BILLION dollars of damage. There are over 3,000 families that are not yet back in their homes! It is a very unique situation because this area is no longer in the news or national media with the Olympics, the election, the economy and with gas prices but this is where you and I come in!

 

Are you once again ready to make a difference for Jesus? Are you ready to serve these homeowners and show them the love of Christ? We pray the answer is YES!

 

There is great organization called "Serve the City".  This is a large group of churches in the Cedar Rapids area that is helping us as we prepare to go to America's Heartland. They are well organized and are preparing as we speak, for our visit in late October!

 

We desperately need people who know how to hook up furnaces, install water heaters and yes, we still need hundreds of volunteers to do the usual drywall, electrical, painting, carpentry and other jobs that we do at an 8 Days of Hope missions trip! We need skilled volunteers as well as the unskilled variety! This is an unique chance for the body of Christ to come and serve in HIS name!

 

We are modifying our minimum stay from three days to two days on this trip. To all of our past volunteers that live in the Midwest.....this is your chance to rally your church, your friends and your family to experience an 8 Days of Hope missions trip at a much closer venue!

 

Once again we will have a nightly devotional and worship time..... and YES, Mike Failla will once again be leading worship!

 

What can you do help us prepare for this trip?

 

1.) Pray that God will be exalted! Pray that when people see us they see Jesus!

2.) Pray that God will send His army of saints to 8 Days of Hope VI!

3.) Pray that God will show us favor in regards to travel mercies, safety and the logistics that will be different from what we are use to in past trips.

4.) Pray that lives will be changed. That not only the homeowners lives but us as volunteers, as we leave this area we are refreshed in HIM!

5.) Pray for our finances! We know that God will provide!

 

We are ready for you to sign up! Please go to www.eightdaysofhope.com and learn more about this trip! Click on the FAQ link for answers to your questions. Also, you can donate online if God leads you to do so! Also, please consider passing this email on to people you think might be interested.

 

We are so excited! This is going to be a unique trip like we have never seen before! I pray that you will be a part of 8 Days of Hope VI!

 

May God Bless your week!

 

Stephen Tybor III

1st Peter 4:10

Junky Car Club

I am part of a club that I haven't officially joined, but I've been unknowingly part of it the past few years. The club is called the Junky Car Club. To join, you simply have to have a car that is 10 years or older, and the money you would normally use for a car payment for something "nicer" goes toward some cause.

One of the causes mentioned is Compassion. LeAnn and I started sponsoring a Compassion child our first year of marriage, and now sponsor two sisters in Tanzania (looking to add a boy next year when my son, S, turns 5).

And I drive a 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon with 146,000 miles on it. Not exactly the kind of car I would normally pick, but it gets me from home to work everyday without too much complaining (the transmission slips a little, but nothing is screaming under the hood at me). So I guess without even trying, I qualify for the club.

I might join officially, but part of me doesn't really want to. I mean, the club is about giving up something to give something. I think that is awesome, but in all honestly I don't feel like I've really given up anything. I give to Lucia and Rosina through Compassion because they need it, not because I need to go without a nicer car. I give to my church because of our mission to share Christ with our community. I give to missionaries because they are sharing Christ with people I can't. I give to local charities because they are making a difference in people's lives. I guess I wouldn't think twice about it.

So I'm conflicted about joining. I want to join to inspire others to give up something in order to give something, but I don't want to make it look like I'm trumpeting my own greatness. I guess I prefer to fast in secret rather than let everyone know.

A lesson from the Dr.

Yesterday marked 3 weeks that I have now been sick.  When we got back from Michigan, I decided to go to the doctor.  My doctor's office was too busy, so I went to a walk-in clinic not too far from my house.  The on-call doctor there listened to my lungs, said they sounded pretty rough, diagnosed me with "acute bronchitis", and prescribed some insanely expensive drug that is obviously not working.

So I called my doctor's office again yesterday, hoping to get in today.  Out of 5 doctors, the earliest they could get me in was on Monday afternoon.  There was an outside chance one of the doctors would have an opening today, so I was told to call this morning to see if there was an opening.  Turns out that doctor took the day off.

Thankfully one of my doctor's nurses called me, asked me some questions, got a prescription suggestion from my doctor, and called it in to the pharmacy for me.  I plan to pick it up on my way home.  I was told that if I wasn't better by Monday, to call and they would squeeze me in.  They seem to agree with me that 3 weeks is too long to go with bronchitis.

As I got off the phone though early this morning (before the helpful nurse called me), I couldn't help but feeling like I should switch doctor's offices.  Mine was apparently too busy for me.  Maybe I should switch to someone I can actually see.

Then the thought hit me - it's the same way with churches.  Often times the leaders of a church are too busy for their flock.  And the people get frustrated, feel like no one has time for them, and so they start thinking of leaving.

But if pastors, teachers, and other leaders work at reproducing themselves, no one gets left out.  There will always be someone available to help out.  That's why I was so thankful that the nurse called me and helped me get what will hopefully be the solution to this bronchitis (or whatever it is).  I couldn't get to my doctor, but she could and she helped me out.  My doctor had "reproduced" himself and had others available to help his patients out.

This is a great reminder for me.  I've been so busy this 2007, and I feel like lots of people have fell through the cracks.  But if I was "reproduced" and others were available to minister, listen, and help those in need, no one would get left out.

So if you are ministering somewhere in your church, who are you developing?  How are you reproducing yourself?

And if you aren't serving in your church or some ministry or making a Kingdom difference in your community, get involved.  Learn from someone who's already doing it.  Because we need you - we don't want anyone feeling left out and that the Church has no time for the very people that Christ died for.

Razooing Blood:Water Mission

I got an email asking me to join Blood:Water Mission's group on a new action-oriented social networking site called Razoo. If Blood:Water Mission gets enough members, they could be selected as winner of the Change Your World Contest, which would award them $10,000.

Blood:Water Mission is doing great things helping Africans get clean fresh drinking water from wells right beneath their feet. I'd encourage you to join Razoo as well, and after you confirm your email address, click on http://beta.razoo.com/groups/bloodwatermission to join the group and help them out.

I have a new hero...

I have linked to Eric Goodell's blog before, but I can't help but do it again. He has a superb (but mammoth) post about some of the things he has learned and experienced recently in Central America. His journal entry from June 21 is so good, that I'm posting much of it here for those of you without the time to read the entire online novel.

Pastor Bernabé is my new hero-on-earth. Thank You to Eric for sharing this:

I have learned a lot on this trip so far, but I can honestly say that the times that my eyes have been opened more than any have been with my conversations I have had with Pastor Bernabé [Ramirez] (pictured). Though much of my time has been spent here on the island has been spent in conversation with Bernabé, I think that more than anything, I have learned by watching this man’s life.

I mean, just two years ago Bernabé was a Doctor of chemistry making $204,000 dollars a year, had 14 employees, 3 chemistry businesses, a personal chauffeur, nice house and great recognition in the Latin American chemistry world. And simply because he wholeheartedly believed God called him back to his ancestors to preach the gospel, he abandoned it all and came.

He converted to Christianity 10 years back, literally saw a vision of him preaching the gospel to the Kuna people on these San Blas islands, and then fought it for 8 years before actually coming. Think about it, 40 years old, well established in his life, and yet he knew that he had to go. He said that it was like a feeling of anxiousness, a tingling in his feet such that he simply couldn’t resist it any longer. He just had to go. He forsook it all, packed his backpack, and came to the island not knowing anyone, nor having any training as a Pastor. He didn’t have a place to live or much of an income since leaving his profession. He has been supported by a church in Panama City but very little comes from there. And so there he was, one day a rich leader in the chemistry field, the next day on an island with an indigenous primitive tribe where the average salary is less than $5 a day.

Little by little, he took over an assembly of God church that had already been established on the island and gave it the name “Casa de Oracion Cristeana de Playón Chico” With the little he had, he began to fix up the broken down building, building benches and painting where it was needed. To this day, he is working day in and out to see the church raised up and the gospel message spread to the people of Playón Chico.

If the 180 degree turn in lifestyle weren’t enough of a challenge, the tests he faces daily are enough to make one throw in the towel. During the services, few adults come and when they do, it’s very inconsistent, and the children are running around making a huge scene throughout the whole service. It’s almost impossible to maintain a topic of doctrine two services in a row because the inconsistency in the attendance is so terrible.

He’s all alone and basically does everything by himself and gives his whole life daily for these people. He has to work hard in the hot sun and humidity in the fields trying to raise a little money to live on, to help feed his relatives on the island, the church, or works out on a canoe fishing for not only income but also to be able to understand what the people in the community experience on a daily basis. Imagine a Doctor, a prestigious, well known, educated Doctor of Chemistry out in the field covered in mud and sweat, sleeping in a hammock under a roof of palm branches, all to serve a people who don’t even seem to care? And it’s not just for a weekend or even a month long mission trip, but rather he is committed to doing this for the rest of his life if that’s what it takes to reach these people. Working, sweating, sacrificing, for what seems to be futile, and a waste of time, Bernabé is truly giving his life daily to serve God and these people.

When he came here, he had 15 acres of land passed onto him by his grandparents and had the option to sell them. But instead, he decided to become just like the people and farm the land himself. He spent an entire year alone in the jungle clearing land with his machete every day for 4 hours a day. He did this for two reasons: First, he didn’t want to have to be supported by the church. He wanted to work for his living and have food for his relatives on the island. Second, he wanted to experience what the Kuna people experience on a daily basis. He wanted to be able to talk to them about the things that interest them. Bernabé had an extremely formal and sophisticated education and could easily engage in a conversation of profound depth and philosophical topics with the brightest and wisest, yet with these simple Kuna people, he knew that he needed to master the topics that engaged these people’s daily lives; farming and fishing. He arrived to an island of people who had little if any education, with little understanding of the outside world, and a primitive lifestyle of farming and fishing. He wanted to better understand them, being able to sympathize with them, and build relationships with them even to his own pain and discomfort. Working out there for one day was hard enough for me, but it’s hard to imagine doing it day after day after day in the hot sun for weeks, months, even years in order to relate better to the people. It’s hard to comprehend that kind of sacrifice. But the amazing thing is that he doesn’t do it with an ounce of unwillingness or a feeling of superiority or obligation.

But the reason that I go into such detail about the life he has given up and the life he now lives is to give reason for my amazement when I see that this incredible man does it all with pure joy, and willingness, more than grateful to serve the Lord in even worse circumstances were they to come. Despite the apparent failures that daily plague his work, he never gives up hope, and keeps incredible faith that God is going to bring about the change in the hearts of these people and that God will finish the work He started on this island. Never have I seen such humility, such perseverance, and such faith in all my life and I can say that my life has been changed by the honor of spending 6 days with a person of such priceless and rare character. To sit there on a log in the middle of the hot, humid jungle with such an admirable man and to look into the eyes of someone whose love for God and for people drove him to such sacrifice was a real honor and privilege for me that day.

Leaving Teeth Marks in the Czech Republic

Long time no blog...

I've been itching to put some of my thoughts into this form of communication to help myself process all that took place during my time in the Czech Republic, and as a way to share what happened at the English Camp with some of you I might not get to talk with otherwise. So to begin, let me start in an unconventional way by talking about the book I took with me.

I knew we had some long stretches of travel, both by plane and train, to reach Hotel Malenovice, the location of the English/Business Camp. Being a bookworm who doesn't get to read as much as he wants, I wanted to take along a good book as a travel companion. I perused the stacks of unread volumes in my office. I knew I needed to pack light, so one book would have to do, but I needed something with some girth to last me the whole trip. I also decided I didn't want something too mentally challenging for travel, not knowing what state I would be in towards the end of the trip (I planned to get very little to no sleep to adjust faster to a different time zone), so something on the lighter side seemed more appropriate for my backpack. Then I saw it - after sitting on my desk for over two years (or was it three?), it was finally time to crack open flashBang by Mark Steele.

I have read articles by Mark before, and I find him to be absolutely hilarious. So I truly looked forward to reading a whole entire tome penned by him. And I was not disappointed. The book had me laughing to the point of tears at places (my teammates had almost as much fun laughing at my laughing...), which opened me up to the deeper points Mark was making. The subtitle of the book is "how i got over myself" and I enjoyed reading Mark's journey from showman for God to child of God. I would find much pleasure in handing this book out to many of the young adults I get to work with because I know they would enjoy the book and learn through it as I did.

But one of the chapter titles did not sit well with me. Each chapter title was intentionally a bit of a paradox, much like the book title itself. Chapter titles such as "slapHAPPY" or "dumbSHOW" didn't make sense until you read the chapter. But even after reading Chapter 2, I didn't like the title "teethMARKS".

Mark talked about how many of us think that love kisses. But Mark argued that true love leaves teethmarks. A kiss only flatters, but doesn't last. Teethmarks, on the other hand, leave an impression that stays with the person. Having a teething 10 month old son, I would argue from personal experience that teethmarks just hurt. :o)

So we arrived in the Czech Republic, enjoyed a day in Prague taking in the amazing sites, travelled by train out east the next day, and made it to the hotel. After a day of preparing for the arrival of the students, camp got started on a Sunday with English testing and getting to know names. I was so amazed how on Sunday these people were just faces with a name, but by Friday these people were friends we hugged goodbye. Here are some of the highlights of the week for me:

• My English class (pictured at the right). We laughed SOOO hard all week long. Man, did we have fun! They were such a great group to work with. I wrote in my journal to LeAnn that this group could take the worst of lesson plans and make the teacher seem like a genius. They had such a desire to learn, they had the most amazing attitudes, and they loved every moment we had together. It was such an honor to me that God would place me with that group. So Lumir, Tadek, Monika, Simona, Basia, Petr, Adam, and Roman - if any of you are reading this: thank you for letting me be your teacher for the week. You helped dispel every fear I had of teaching such high level English students and made it the most fun I've had in a while. And a special thank you to Adam for letting me be his English apprentice (sorry, inside joke there...)
• The change in my English Reading/Conversation Group. While I had fairly fluent English speakers in my 9:00-11:30 am English Grammar class, I had a new-to-English conversation group. It was fun watching and hearing their English improve all week long. But the bigger highlight to me was watching a group of mostly athiests or agnostics have little interest in our reading time on Monday (we would read a section of the Gospels in English each Reading time and answer questions about it to work on reading skills, comprehension, and conversation in English) have tons of interest and honest questions on Thursday and Friday.

There are of course many other highlights, stories, and pictures to share. But let me skip to our debriefing on the Saturday after camp.

After a good breakfast and a few last goodbyes, our team gathered for a time of worship, prayer, reflection, and debriefing about the camp. As our team talked together and shared our experiences, I realized that through our love of our students, time with the campers, and just being ourselves, we had made an impact on the campers and they on us. It wasn't just a kiss that was nice in the moment and faded after the camp ended. We truly had left an impression on the campers - or to use Mark Steele's phrase, teethmarks. Guess I like Mark's chapter title after all...

Buy a shoe, give a shoe

My dad worked in the art department (correction - he WAS the art department) for a small chain of retail shoe stores in the midwest for over 30 years before moving on to something new 4 years ago (which they just successfully sold this year to move into semi-retirement. Congrats Mom and Dad!). Because of Dad's job, I used to get to "shop" in the warehouse, having my pick of hundreds of name brand shoes at employee pricing. Oh, how I miss those days.

So while I don't have a fetish, nor a closet stuffed with footwear, I do like shoes (but I have to admit I don't understand women who go shoe shopping when they already have like 50 pairs in their closet - two everyday wear and one dress pair is enough, right?).

Because of this appreciation for a good pair of shoes, I really liked this site. TOMS Shoes combined the idea of footwear (important) with helping others (very important). While I'm not a huge fan of the appearance of the shoe, I love the idea, so thought I would share it!

OneP3 - For hurting wives

I am not a female and I have a GREAT marriage. Yet I found myself inspired by the women behind OneP3. They are two women going through separation and divorce. But their response to their pain is amazing.

I love how they have clung to God in the midst of their pain. I'm inspired by how they have made a decision to still be women of the Word even when their husbands aren't being men of their word. I'm encouraged by their honesty. And I'm praying that God through his grace can make something beautiful out of their marriage messes by renewing not only their marriages, but of others who hear their story.

I think what encourages me personally so much by this is that for years I have been telling pre-married couples and struggling married partners that "marriage is not yours. It is God's. And because marriage belongs to God, you don't do things in this marriage ultimately for your spouse - you do them ultimately for God. So even if your husband is not leading or your wife is not submitting, you are still called by God to fulfill your role, no matter how tough things get."

That is so hard to hear, and even harder to live out, but I believe it to be true. And obviously the women of OneP3 believe it as well. And they are actually trying to live it out, no matter how tough things are right now. It's affirming to see someone living out something you've been preaching for years (even if they aren't doing it because of me!).

If you have a female friend going through a tough marital relationship, please show her this site. She might be encouraged by it, and be inspired to do the things that will draw her husband back to her. Now we need to find a guys' site that will tell guys to love and lead their wives by following Christ's example - death - even if their wife is like Gomer.

Merry Riskmas

Here's a great (and humorous) short article from Phil Callaway about his risk-taking son.

I wonder what risks God will ask us to take in 2007...

What's the title (of this blog or of your pastor...)?

Tye, one of the great pastors I work with at New Covenant, recently blogged about "titles". His post came immediately to mind when I saw this video parody-ing the NBC "The More You Know" commercials.

I must say, some of the commercials on the "The Church You Know" site are really funny, while others "ride the line" of offensiveness (for some, they are way OVER the line!). I guess some people feel you have to do that in order to engage people to think and discuss critical issues. I've seen it with the XXX Church guys as well several people involved with the emerging church.

Reminder of the Day...

Ministry is messy.

The Race

This was supposed to be a "lighter" week for me since my friend Nate started a 4 week teaching series on Jonah at Watershed's Worship Gathering. But my week has been anything BUT lighter. One of the many things taking up my time has been helping a family plan the funeral for a beloved mom/grandma who tragically died in a car accident last week. In fact, I was at their house until after 11:00 pm last night finishing up details so we could print up a program today for Sunday's funeral service (or as they are calling it "Service of Consolation").

This morning I saw the news headlines on my screen saver and one said something about race. The ABC news article said that in a recreated 1940s test, black kids overwhelmingly picked white dolls as their preferred doll and as the "good" doll. This surprised me especially because last night I was helping a black family plan a funeral and I had listened to a black man speak at last night's Worship Gathering. And I hadn't thought a thing about it until I saw the short film referenced in the ABC news article (which was created by a high school student).

Nate (who hails from Chad, the same as the grieving family) and I have had conversations about race before. I live my life without any thought of race - he tries to, but sometimes it is an issue for him as an African man. To me, culture is far more important than the color of your skin. But obviously there are still people to whom race is a big deal. And it deeply affects their thinking, their choices, and their self-image (which the film made very clear).

What can we do to help those who struggle with issues of race? How are you, as a follower of Christ, helping others see that skin color doesn't matter to God?

Final Thoughts (Starving Jesus and the fast)

Starving Jesus
What a GREAT night. Even though Craig Gross got stuck in Chicago and couldn't make it, the night still exceeded my expectations. JR was extremely transparent as he talked - and his passion for Christ betrayed the fact he's been talking about this stuff everyday for the past 27 days+ (I would probably be getting bored saying the same thing over and over). And to meet Dave and Clint was an additional treat.

But what has me just as excited was the number of Compassion kids that were sponsored. I don't have a total number, but I saw a LOT of people adopting kids. It was awesome to watch.

And then our House of Hope construction project set for Oct. 7th and 14th in one night was almost completely filled. I think we only have like 2 open slots left. That too blew me away.

I want to say a gigantic thanks to everyone who helped us with set-up: Matt, Steve, and Kern who showed up at 3:30 to get things started (you guys did a great job moving trailers by hand!). To Joe, Amber, Christina, Heather, Jonathan, Austin, Andy, John, Phil, and anyone else I might have missed - thank you for not only helping with set-up but sticking around to take it all down as well. We could not have gotten things done without you.

And a special thanks for Andrew Male who bailed us out last minute with the video stuff. We went from one projector that wouldn't work to two projectors and two TVs that worked beautifully!

And last, but definitely not least, thank you God for the gorgeous night and for showing up in JR, and the videos, and all that took place that I don't even know about.

Be sure to check out the Starving Jesus website with their thoughts on their time in CR. (And the photo above is of the praying mantis that joined in the night with us - biggest praying mantis I have EVER seen!) To see more photos from the Cedar Rapids stop, go to our basic Starving Jesus photo page on the Watershed website.

Break Fast
I was surprised last night that I could do all the work I did without much fatigue at all. I thought for sure after 8 days of no food and only water and juice (and Propel) I would be quite a bit weaker. It was by God's grace I felt so good. In fact I admitted to some people that I felt like I could keep going. But I didn't. :o)

I decided to start simple - I ate a yogurt when I got home at midnight. Well... and a piece of left over birthday cake I made for LeAnn last Saturday. :o) But I think my taste buds went to sleep on this fast - the yogurt tasted kind of weird and the cake really wasn't very good (but it was 6 days old...). My cereal this morning was fine, and my Chic-Fil-A sandwich was better, but I still feel like my taste buds are trying to figure out how to work again.

And as I admitted on the blog earlier this week, I did not step on our scale at home during the fast so that I wouldn't think about the weight loss - I wanted all this to be about God.

But now that the fast is over I stepped on the scale this morning. I haven't seen a number that low in quite some time. :o)

Between January (when we got our scale) and the start of my fast last week, I had lost approximately 13 lbs. Well, in one week, I lost 9 lbs. I had heard that you can lose about a pound a day during a food-free fast, but I didn't think I would lose quite that much. I guess I was wrong. And to be honest, it's kind of nice to be this thin again. :o)

Someone asked if I will fast again like this. Undoubtedly yes! It is hard to do with a family (mealtimes together are so precious) and those first few days are quite hard, but it felt kind of nice to be free of food, to be more intentionally focused on Christ and the Word, and to sense God giving me grace when I was so tempted to eat. I might even try to go longer - but it sure would help to have someone else doing it with me.

So that's the wrap up to the Starving Jesus event and of my personal fast. It was a great experience, and I hope the residual effects of all of this are seen and felt for quite some time.

-E

Starving Jesus and Starving Erin

Starving Jesus
Only one more day until the Starving Jesus tour joins up with Watershed for one night. I'm super excited, but for some odd reason a little nervous. I'm hoping that every thing comes together and that we aren't the worst stop on the tour. I am really praying that God draws the right people who need to hear Craig and J.R.'s message, and that in Kingdom-terms the night is a success, regardless of how many actually show up.

If you live in the Cedar Rapids area and don't have plans (or if you do - cancel them!), I encourage you to join us tomorrow night, Aug. 31 at 7:30 pm in the west parking lot outside New Covenant Bible Church.

Starving Erin
My fast has been really good, very interesting, and quite hard. Here are some thoughts (some even paradoxical thoughts) on my fast so far:

- I know this next sentence makes no sense: in some ways I expected the fast to be easier (I didn't expect hunger pains THAT strong) but also harder (I've had no headaches and almost no fatigue).

- It wasn't as hard sitting at the restaurants last Friday and Saturday watching everyone eat as I had expected (although I was very hungry). But it was much harder to make a cake and supper for LeAnn's birthday on Saturday afternoon. And the supper that the Pagels brought to us last night was almost unbearable to smell!

- I was told by various sources that I just needed to make it through Day 3. Well Day 4 was JUST as hard as Day 3. Day 5 was the turn around for me.

- I expected to need more sleep and to feel more tired. I've been very surprised at my energy level, especially with a newborn baby in the house (I woke up at 2:30 this morning with T and couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30 am - weird!).

- I have been very glad that I made the decision not to step on the scale during this fast (so that it wouldn't be an extreme diet), but I can tell in the mirror I've lost weight.

- I've had some great times with God during all of this, but haven't quite had the deep moments I expected and prayed for. But I've seen some cool things in Scripture lately! (Ask me about my new-to-me discovery of Elijah/Elisha paralleling John the Baptist/Jesus!).

- And I am glad that by the grace of God I haven't even slipped once (I even washed the cake icing off my finger instead of licking it off as I baked last Saturday), but I have been amazed at the power of temptation to eat. I didn't realize how easily I ate before, or how prevalent food is in our society (every where I go are advertisements or conversations about food!).

- I haven't regretted a bit doing this, and think I will probably do another fast in the future. But I also have to be honest - I am REALLY looking forward to Friday! :o)

Two weeks and counting...

Only two weeks until the Starving Jesus tour rolls into Cedar Rapids. If you haven't read about the tour yet, or even lately for that matter, head over to starvingjesus.com to find out the great God-things happening on the tour.

One surprise, though, that I just read on the Starving Jesus site. One church cancelled on Craig and J.R. (after planning a huge outreach around their arrival) because (and I quote) "we are visiting other denominations other than their own during the tour? "

I am so saddened to read that. I know Craig and J.R. and their ministry often rides the line of "offensive" (and they know it too) - so I could see a church cancelling because they are just simply uncomfortable with Craig and J.R. (and if that were the case, the church should never have booked them). But to cancel because they aren't part of your party lines? Unbelievable.

Starving Jesus

Watershed will be hosting the Starving Jesus "40 Days of Nothing" Tour on August 31st at our usual 7:30 pm time. To see the blog about the Cedar Rapids date, click here.

As I have started sharing this announcement with people, I have gotten a few questions. I think the Starving Jesus website can answer most of the questions I've gotten, but some have wondered how in the world Cedar Rapids, of all places, landed a stop on the tour.

First, it's probably because Craig Gross and J.R. Mahon, the guys who authored the book and will be speaking on the tour, are now living in Grand Rapids, MI, and "Grand Rapids" has two words and "Cedar Rapids" has two words and they both have the same second word, and the first word in both city names has 5 letters, 3 of which they hold in common, and this is one horribly long grammatically incorrect sentence, but I digress.

Naw, I doubt that the reason at all, but here's how it did happen.

I have known about the ministry of XXXChurch.com for some time now. I've referred guys struggling with porn-addictions or temptations to their free accountability software. When they put out a Mac version, I immediately downloaded it so I could tell these guys I'm counselling "yeah, my wife and best friend get my accountability emails" so that they would feel like someone else had led the way for them to place such a safety net in their lives. When I downloaded the Mac version, I selected to receive XXXChurch's free newsletter.

One month the newsletter talked about Craig Gross's new book (Craig is the co-founder of XXXChurch). The book was entitled "Starving Jesus". The title was slightly offensive, but I was used to that "line" being walked due to other things I've seen XXXChurch do to engage people in honest conversation about faith, Jesus, sexuality, masturbation, marriage, etc. To promote the book (or more importantly the message within the book), Craig and the co-author J.R. Mahon (a key staff member of XXXChurch) were going on a "40 Days of Nothing" Tour. One of the cities listed was Cedar Rapids.

I was curious, so I emailed to find out where in CR the event was going to be held. Craig emailed me back and said "could you host us?" After a couple of emails back and forth, we nailed down the August 31st date and made Craig and J.R. the official speakers for Watershed's Worship Gathering that night.

So that is the story of how "Starving Jesus" is coming to humble Cedar Rapids. I'm excited that the young adults from Watershed and other area ministries are going to be challenged in this way, and I'm praying for the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts in an amazing way. I think the other questions you might have (like "Why the title "Starving Jesus?" "Why 40 Days of Nothing?" "Why is Jesus holding a mailbox post?") will be answered by the main Starving Jesus website (well, they probably won't answer the last question, but someone did just ask me that Thursday night when they saw the announcement for the first time).

The Right Thing Is Not Always the Convenient Thing

Personal News
After being gone for two weeks at two different conferences, The Birdnest got a much needed "family vacation". All five Birds(make that six) trekked in the minivan to Grand Rapids, MI. The goal? Simply rest and hangout with our good friends we met years ago while serving in Venezuela together.

So Leo - if you are reading this - thank you for the wonderful time. My family THOROUGHLY enjoyed the time with your family. I thank God that he has blessed my life with yours.

Personal Thoughts
Yesterday, LeAnn and I and the kids worked on our yard. The goal? Lay a weed barrier with rock on top of it. We already had the weed barrier netting, but we needed to purchase the rock. After looking at several different places yesterday, we settled on a gray slate because we thought it would look good with the black shutters on our house and really make the plants stand out. Boy were we wrong! The gray slate was too drab. So after dumping out 5 bags, we loaded the bags back up. I hauled all 38 bags back to the mini-van, and we returned them to purchase something else (ended up with 60 bags of common river rock).

Immediately after we made the decision to not go with the gray slate stone, my oldest daughter asked why we had bought the slate in the first place. I told her we originally thought the slate would look good, but once we got it home, we realized it wasn't what we wanted. She complained a little bit about the burden of putting the rock back in the bags and hauling it back to Menards and how inconvenient this all was (I don't know what she was complaining for - I'm the one who carried all those bags!). Suddenly I found myself saying "the right thing is not always the convenient thing".

Convience is not a Right
My statement struck me because I had just given that same advice to two different people concerning two different situations in the past two weeks. Each of them wanted the convenient thing. They wanted what was going to be easiest. And this desire for the easier road was causing them to justify the decision they either had already made or were about to make.

To be honest, I couldn't blame them. I want the easy way, too. I did not want to haul 38 bags of rock yet again (and haul 60 bags of the new rock we bought). I do not want to confront people concerning sin in their life. I don't always want to discipline my kids. I find myself gravitating towards the lazier route, the easy way, the convenient road.

But God's Word doesn't tell us that Christ promises us convenience. All God promises us is his presence.

Are you facing an issue in your life and you so badly want to take the convenient route? Chances are it isn't the right route. Doing the right thing is not always the convenient thing. But I encourage you to listen to God's Spirit whispering what the wise thing is to do and not just go for what seems to be easier. Most of the counseling I do with people are because they took a short cut when it came to God's plan for their life.

So whether it be a relationship you are in, or a job you are pursuing, or a project you are involved with - I encourage to not take the convenient route. Instead - take the RIGHT route. I don't know what that route looks like for you, but I have a feeling you already know what that route looks like for you.

----
(DISCLAIMER: I am sorely behind on email and other stuff due to my conferences and family vacation, so please forgive my lack of Scripture references, links, photos, bad grammar, etc. in the above. I typed this as quickly as I could because I need to move on to other things. But I didn't want to forget this story because it seemed important to me to blog about. Ok, Disclaimer over. Back to your regular web reading...)