Sling and a Prayer

Well, I spent last night in the emergency room with my son. He had taken a nasty fall directly on his elbow, and from all appearances, it looked to be broken. We promptly drove to the emergency room for some x-rays, and after two and a half hours, headed home with a simple sling. The results? No break! He had broken the same arm (the wrist, actually) two years before, and experienced similar pain, but after all was said and done, he's in the clear.

At one point in my life I had thought about becoming a doctor. Each time I visit the emergency room the little urge from somewhere deep within me screams out. Why is it when you should experience some of the best care ever, your grand expectations are met with a whimper? Our nurse was very kind, but the doctor had less than average english skills, no "bed-side manners," and didn't return to read a simple x-ray for over an hour and a half! WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE in a hospital?

Maybe it's just our hospital. I had a similar experience in a nearby hospital as well. I've always had the mindset that first impressions and customer service were critical. At Meadow Heights Church, this is one of our core values - doing everything with a high level of excellence. We get comment cards all the time that talk about how friendly our folks are, and the level of excellence with which we approach things. The old addage "God deserves our very best" should not be taken lightly. Mark Batterson calls this "an eye for excellence." Small things really do make a BIG difference.

So for now, I'll squelch my long-lost dream of becoming a doctor and focus on how God continues to do the healing. And my advice? Stay out of the emergency room!

Had Enough?

It's no secret that people fight a lot over two things: religion and politics. While I'm not one to banter endlessly about politics, the latest "slogan" I've seen thrown about the television, internet and other venues is just about ridiculous. The Democrats have rallied around a common theme..."Had Enough?" What in the world is that supposed to mean? How about, here's what's gone wrong, and here's how we're going to fix it. Let's face it - anyone can exclaim they've had enough. It takes real leadership to identify the problem, have honest conversations and find solutions. Shouldn't they follow the mantra "Solutions are for winners - excuses are for losers?" "Had enough" certainly fits the latter.

Don't get the wrong idea, I'm quickly losing faith in the current leadership of our country. There have been some bad decisions (or sometimes lack of decisions) in the past few years, and there's nothing I dislike more than a "fence rider" who can't seem to find a true leadership direction. But I also understand that we are human and will never be perfect in our decisions. Every President of our great country has made a decision they have looked back on with some regret. Wouldn't you say the same is true of your own life? It's also important to remember that every decision does have consequences - good or bad.

As a young college student, I used to claim the "party line" when voting, but I have come to the distinct conclusion that while many people argue about politics and religion, they are not all that different. Let me explain. Religious people = Religion. The Pharisees claimed to have the ONLY true way to worship God. They created a false world full of rules and strict guidelines. If you didn't follow their way, then it couldn't be the "right way." Politicians = Politics. Policiticians claim to have the ONLY answers to political strife. They created a false world full of rules and guidelines to fit their agenda. Do you see the irony?

Let me suggest something quite daring - what if we viewed the world the way Jesus asked us? Instead of religion and politics, what if we looked at the person? Instead of "which crowd do I fit in with (which "rules" do I want to follow)," what if it became "who's the person with strong morals and an ethical compass (lives the truth)?" What a radical way to approach a candidacy! Would the world accept someone like that? They certainly didn't accept Jesus, but that didn't stop him from moving forward.

None of us are perfect, but I'm afraid we've put on our blinders and have narrowed our view of the world, the people around us, and even ourselves. Am I ready for "a change?" Most definitely. But not by blindly misleading others to abandon seeking truth for themselves. "Had Enough?" is a cover up, and quite frankly, it's one of the oldest tricks in the books.

I Called, You Answered

We had a great weekend at Meadow Heights Church - a great message we all needed to hear, a great crowd, a baptism and some great music. One of the songs we sang is quickly becoming a favorite. I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan at first, but when the lyrics finally take hold of your heart, they just won't let go.

I called
You answered
And You came to my rescue
And I want to be where You are

In my life
Be lifted high
In our world
Be lifted high
In our love
Be lifted high

I read a quote on Mark Batterson's blog tonight from C.T. Studd. I'd never heard of him before, but I found out he was a great missionary and had some some incredible thoughts about Jesus. When I read this quote, it was clear that God was putting the exclamation point on the day. I pray that this is only the beginning.

Some wish to live within the sound
Of Church or Chapel Bell.
I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of Hell.

Tears of the Saints

If you haven't checked out the Leeland cd, you've got to take a listen. This 17 year old songwriter and worship leader from Texas has some of the best lyrics I have heard in a long time. My personal favorite? Tears of the Saints. My favorite lyrics?

This is an emergency!
There are tears from the saints
For the lost and unsaved
We’re crying for them come back home

He goes on to say:

There are schools full of hatred
Even churches have forsaken
Love and mercy
May we see this generation
In it’s state of desperation
For Your glory

For the unrealized dreams that are in the minds of so many people, God has given us an opportunity to live out His dream: to see people reconnected with Him. It is an emergency. An emergency dictates immediate action, and we find ourselves in the right place, at the right time, with the best source of hope ever...the love of Jesus. It's time to come back home. Jesus lead the way. Our tears are falling for those who don't know you.

Best Friends

Tony Morgan posted recently about serving in the Middle School ministry and asking the kids the question, "Who is my best friend?" His response? Not his pastor, not one of his colleagues, not a long-time friend, but his wife. I love that response.

Ever since I have known my wife Melissa, we have always enjoyed spending time together. Over the course of our marriage (nearing 20 years!!), we have purposely found employment together - from the grocery business, to our own business, to school business, and now (at times) church business. We came to the realization a long time ago that we really enjoy working together.

I have heard many others talk about how they would not enjoy (is hate too strong of a word here?) working with their spouse. The common thoughts? "How would we handle conflict? Could he/she handle 'taking orders' from me? What if I get the sudden urge to plant a big fat wet one on my spouse and someone walks in on us?" So many questions!

You know what I have figured out? None of that really matters when you really love someone. The old addage "where there's a will there's a way" is put into practice. While there may be times when I am too demanding or my approach is a bit too brash, a gentle reminder and honest communication quickly puts things back into perspective. One thing is for certain - we will always walk away knowing how much we love one another. Sometimes our love grows even more.

So I close this post reminded about how much God loves me, how much I have been blessed with a great wife, a great family, great friends, a great church, a great job and a great life. Even when life gets a bit challenging, my glass will remain eternally "half full!"

Granger Film Festival

Granger Community Church hosted their first ever Film Festival as part of the Innovative Church Conference. As an avid videographer and film connoiseur, I am always interested in veiwing others' work.

Granger has posted their favorite entries from the festival. You can watch those here. Which ones are your favorites? Any "unusual" entries? As we continue to emphasize video at Meadow Heights and as I continue to quench my video desires, I pray that someday God will unleash my vision for a short film. I have felt for some time that I would like to write, direct, shoot and edit a short feature film, but I haven't had peace about what or how that would or should look like.

I would welcome any thoughts or ideas for plot lines, character identities, or the like. Feel free to email me any comments or suggestions.

I Need A Hero

Well, it's upon us again...the Fall television season. I've noticed that I am watching far less television this fall than ever before. Could it be the busyness of my life? Possibly. Could it be that I only have local channels? More likely.

Of course, I still won't miss my favorites: Prison Break, House, Survivor. I am having a bit of withdrawal syndrome as well after missing every episode of The Amazing Race so far. And then I happen to be at a friend's house catching a Monday Night Football game (which, by the way, I can't watch at home for the first time in my lifetime because I only get local channels!!), when he flips over to the "High Def" side of his massive 50 inch or so tv while pausing it at times on his high-def DVR. Man!! Am I ever technologically jealous!! I'm still watching regular ole' tv on my 27 incher that my family has watched for the past 10 years!

I have been pleasantly surprised by NBC's new show called "Heroes." I wasn't terribly impressed the first week, but week 2 held some creative story lines, very solid acting, and some crazy action scenes. It definitely held my attention! They are doing a great job weaving the plot between 5 or so story lines.

Still on the top of my list has to be Prison Break and House. If you haven't caught these two Fox shows...well never mind. There might not be hope for you. :)

Until the next time, I'm off to watch my incredibly lo-def, low tech 27" local channels only machinery!

Kingdom Revolution

I have been sensing God at work lately, especially at Meadow Heights, but NewSpring Church had a phenomenal weekend - they baptized 402 people!! Perry Noble is definitely a "no-bones-about-it" type of guy, but very creative, speaks his mind, and of course, God-driven.

I love how Perry describes what God is doing at NewSpring because I think it applies to Meadow Heights as well:

I told our church this tonight…and I will say it here…I believe this is only the beginning! If you study the Great Awakenings in church history–they started in unknown places among unknown people…they started at a place where only God could get the glory for what was going on…and that is exactly what is happening here.

We are poised for a Kingdom Revolution the likes of which we haven't seen in our lifetimes. The story is unfolding, the dreams are materializing, and Acts 2 IS BECOMING REALITY!

Falling Into Grace

“So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” 2 Cor. 4:16 (Msg)

Believe it or not, fall is officially here! I love this time of year, especially the beauty of nature as the colors of fall appear across the hillsides. Fall is definitely a time of change: the leaves, school beginning, our clothing. And change is an inevitable part of life.

There was another fall, the “Great Fall” in the Garden of Eden, and the results produced one of the greatest “changes” in history. No longer were we able to live in a perfect world designed the way God intended, but by our own choice, we determined a new path. A path not so easy. A path filled with many challenges.

Fortunately, God is merciful. Through Jesus we are able to live a new life. Even when life presents us with a new challenge, we can find comfort in Him. Even when everything screams “I’m falling apart” on the outside, inside we can have the peace that only God can bring. That’s when God unfolds His grace, scoops us up in His arms, and reminds us of His love.

As you sit behind the wheel of your car this week, look outside. You’ll probably notice the leaves beginning to fall, but find comfort in the fact that spring is just around the corner. God has promised He is making “new life” on the inside, and His grace is waiting to unfold.

Granger Media

Granger Community Church has recently updated their new "media player," and I must say I am very impressed. They have really made a user friendly environment with a great feel for their church. They have links for music, dramas, "extras," messages, and a whole lot more. Go to their home page and click on the media player link in the upper right hand corner. It's definitely worth a look!

Quotables

Some great quotes from Perry Noble, senior pastor of NewSpring Church, that everyone should read. These were captured during his session at Granger Church's "Innovative Church Conference." Quotes courtesy of Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church, via Mark's blog, evotional.

(note: this was a weak attempt at trying to link to a lot of places in one blog entry)

Fore!!

There's still hope for some of us! Check out this article on Japanese golfer Mitsuhiro Tateyama who shot a 19 on a par 3. I knew I wasn't the only one who struggled with this!

A Face Is Worth 1000 Words

I enjoy reading Tim Sanders blog, and if you haven't checked it out, his principles can apply to almost all walks of life. Tim definitely addresses issues from a business perspective, but I think the church and communicators in particular can benefit from his insights.

One of his latest entries talks about a book by Dr. Albert Mehrabian entitled, "Silent Messages." Dr. Mehrabian makes an important point:

...when people aren't sure of what they hear, they resolve their understanding based on what they see. Are you frowning? Do you have your arms folded? In fact, he concluded that 55% of our intentions are decoded by others visually (face, body language), 38% through auditory means (tone of voice) and only 7% verbally. That's why email is such a poor medium to convey emotions.

If accurate, this is an extremely important concept. If 93% of the time people "judge" you by your physical traits (visual) and your approachable status (tone of voice=welcoming environment) then first impressions are incredibly important. Once a person really gets to know you, recognition by posture, facial reactions, tonality, etc. is greatly enhanced.

I would argue that verbal communication is key to a long-term communication partnership. I admit that I am quick to judge someone based upon the first minute or two of conversation. I can usually tell a great deal by their word choice and language structure and, right or wrong, my overall impression of that person is often determined in short order. I think others would agree with me.

I do agree with Dr. Merhabian on the email point. I have often stated that while email communication (my preferred method) is great for short bursts of conversation, it is very poor for important words and especially dangerous when trying to convey an emotional response to a given situation. While you might be very clear on your verbage, many times your "email train" departs the station without clarity from the other party. Emotions are very difficult to communicate through email in an effective way and can often be detrimental and lead to unfortunate circumstances, even when unintended.

Sanders goes on to make an application to your next meeting and some other valuable tips. My challenge for all of us is to pay more attention to your next personal interaction with someone. What do you notice first? Does this leave an impression on you? Is this a fair representation of that person? How about their facial expression? I think we'll all be watching (pun intended!) for the results!

Maynard: Gonna Fly Now

I had the opportunity to attend the Maynard Ferguson tribute concert last night, and I must say..."WOW!" What a phenomenal event to honor the life of one of the greatest trumpet players. The night kicked off at 7:30pm with a slideshow of pictures on loan from his family (who was in attendance as well), and then went flying into the first set. Each tune featured a different trumpet player, and it just kept getting better and better.

Highlights of the evening included hearing Eric Miyashiro, Wayne Bergeron, and the ever-talented vocalist Diane Schuur. The band was hot and swingin' and the finale included the grand-daddy of all Maynard tunes, "Rocky" complete with 23 trumpets screaming their way to the last note. The concert was professionally recorded, and it is definitely a DVD you'll want to own (all 3 1/2 hours of it!!). A fitting tribute to the man simply known as "The Boss."

God IS in the iPod

Mark Batterson has an interesting post about Saddleback Church. He talks about how each new staff member at Saddleback is given an iPod. Saddleback also does a lot of staff training via iPod.

I realize that I've been on staff in some capacity for three years, but hey...you CAN teach an old dog new tricks right? Bryan, do I smell an iPod in my future? It is for educational purposes you know!

Song of Songs

We did a message series earlier this year called "God.Love.Sex" - it was a great series that brought a biblical perspective to relationships, and yes I'll say it here...sex. We still have many people asking for the cd's for this particular series, and there is no doubt it left a tremendous impact on our church.

I read this post this morning from Tony Morgan, and it brought back some memories. Tony always has a great sense of humor as well as some incredible insights. If you don't follow his blog, add it to your rss feed today!

Cheaters Never Win?

Andy Stanley has written a great little article for the Catalyst monthly e-zine. He talks about how it's so difficult for those of us in ministry to "balance" our time between work and family. He even goes so far to suggest that if we have to "cheat," that we cheat the church and not our families. While I hope to avoid making that type of decision, I do agree with his philosophy of family first.

I have not lived this philosophy for most of my life, but I am really trying to overcome my "work-a-holic" tendencies. One of the best ways I have found to combat this tendency is to go in early and leave at the same time every day. For me that means I try to get into the office by 7:30am and then leave no later than 4pm. Most of my colleagues and our support staff know when I will be leaving, and it's amazing how that has made a difference. Now I try to schedule everything I need to do in that amount of time. Even when things are not quite completed by the end of the day, I try my best to set it aside and value my family's time by leaving the office. As I have often quoted through the years, "All I can do is all I can do, and all I can do has to be enough."

While I still violate this newly found principle occasionally, my relationship with my wife and family has been strengthened, and they know that I am committed to them and not just my work. You can read all of Andy's article here.

Mallrats

Most everyone has been to the mall at least once this year. Chances are many of you have visited the mall more than you'd like to admit. One thing is for sure; we live in an era of branding and marketing. Companies spend billions of dollars on advertising every year, and some even mega-dollars marketing their marketing.

Take these trends noted in the book, "Affluenza: the All-Consuming Epidemic:"

• We have twice as many malls as high schools
• We spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches than on higher education
• Only 1/4 of shoppers have a particular purchase in mind when they go to the mall
• Parents spend six hours shopping each week, and forty minutes playing with their children
• 70% of Americans visit a mall each week; that's more than visit houses of worship

This reminds me of a story from Donald Miller (one of my favorite authors!). He talks about how in Canada, products are simply labeled for what they are. Take for instance, a bottle of dish-washing liquid. In Canada it is labeled exactly that, but in the U.S., it's not just dish-washing liquid, it's a sensual experience for your hands. As a matter of fact, the more you use it, the sexier you become. Donald then claims that he has purchased case after case of this liquid, but still nobody wants to have sex with him.

Sometimes we treat God like a product. We think that God should provide exactly what we want, when we want it, and how we want it delivered. If God fails to deliver, then we'll go somewhere else and shop for Him. Even churches start putting their faith in God as a product. "Let's assess everyone's felt needs and market to them in a savvy way so they'll come buy from us." Mark Driscoll, founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, puts it this way, "...scriptural teaching about the curse, death as the wages of sin, the flooding of the earth, the killing of Egyptian babies, the slaughter of perverts in Sodom and Gomorrah, and the fiery torments of hell is a tough sell even for the best of marketing firms."

When we treat God like a product we become "self-worshipers." We no longer have focus on God, but the focus becomes spotlighted on us. We are so wrapped up in TV, and the internet, and advertisements that cater to us - we has turned into me, me, and more me. It's an easy game to keep playing, and one so many "hoppers and shoppers" continue to drown in. It's no wonder we find less and less "optimists" and so many more "my glass is half empty and the world wants to drink the rest" type people. This might be the main reason so many churches are experiencing a decline in attendance - nobody wants to hang around negative people - nobody.

I love what Jesus has to say in Matthew 6. He's talking about prayer, but I think this applies to so many different areas on our lives:

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

As we countdown the final weeks of our series on Grace at Meadow Heights Church, I pray our focus (both as a Church and for one another) will be on God and not ourselves. It's easy to get distracted and for someone or something to "cut in on our race." But if we aim our focus upwards towards Him, we will finish the race strong:

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Hebrews 12:2 (MSG)

Deep Thoughts

A few of my favorite Jack Handey "Deep Thoughts" quotes:

When Gary told me he had found Jesus, I thought, Yahoo! We're rich! But it turned out to be something different.

If you work on a lobster boat, sneaking up behind people and pinching them is probably a joke that gets old real fast.

Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend.

For you Disney lovers:
One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said, "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.

And for all of us in "The Amazing Grace" series:
If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

You can read more here.

Dessert anyone?

We had a great Life Group tonight. We didn't meet most of the summer, and we've been challenged to really pray for the "open chair" for this week. Little did we know that God would add a total of 20 people to our group tonight!! (And if you included all the kids, a total of 34!!) Even though the room was packed, it felt very comfortable and we had some great discussion about the power of grace in each of our lives.

As always, the food was great. We asked folks to bring a side dish and/or a dessert, and little did I know that we would end up with over 10 different desserts!! What a paradise!! The highlight was a "chess pie" still warm from the oven with a scoop of coffee ice cream. Mmmm, mmmm. I LOVE DESSERTS!!

I am so thankful that God has given us an opportunity to share life together with so many people. While it's always a stretch to add new people to a group (change in dynamics), the end result is an opportunity for lives to be impacted. Our role is to be obedient to what He wants to do through us, and I feel like our group has such a healthy outlook in this regard.

We ended by talking about multiplying (we avoided the term reproduction to stay focused) in the next three weeks and again prayed for the open chair. If we get any larger we'll have to think about renting space somewhere!!