in tha hizzy

just found out that all the finance stuff is going to work on the house!! thanx God. also- just a reminder...comments on all postings are encouraged and welcome. however- the use of profanity and/or vulgar language will not be tolerated. other than that sour note- feelin' really good!

lame duck

ever thought about what it means to be a lame duck? the congress that just exited was for a couple of months a lame duck congress. they still had the titles, they still had their position, but what they lacked was the confidence of the people that were supposed to be their followers. as i think about this concept i wonder how many leaders in today's churches feel like lame duck leaders?

"sure i'm a pastor, but nobody seems to want to follow where i want to go."

"why won't anyone listen to my ideas anymore?"

the answer to the lame duck dilemma comes in a couple of ways; one of two things can change and one can take a cue from congress on this one.

1.) the leader in question can change. this seems to be the most popular option. when people are not satisfied with the performance, they will inevitably chooses someone who will satisfy them.

2.) the leader can work to learn, engage, and slowly change the minds of the people whom he leads. a prime example of this is....anyone?....Jesus. In scripture it is made apparent time and time again that Jesus was not the kind of messiah that everyone had been waiting for. he was in fact quite the opposite. but it was not his goal to make everyone happy, but to allow everyone to understand.

*lame duck n.
An elected officeholder or group continuing in office during the period between failure to win an election and the inauguration of a successor.
An officeholder who has chosen not to run for reelection or is ineligible for reelection.
An ineffective person; a weakling.

core values

saw these core values on national community church's website. pastored by mark batterson, my hero. thought these were great. really life changing to be honest.


Expect the unexpected
Irrelevance is irreverence
Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it
Playing it safe is risky
Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you (this is my fav.)
Everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable
Everything is an experiment
You cannot out give God
Maturity does not equal conformity
Go the extra mile
It's never too late to be who you might have been
Do it right and do it big

back in business

took a week off to take care of some things in my life that deserved my attention. had conversations with people to let them know that i was leaving to go to lawrenceville to be the student pastor to middle school students at crossroads community church. let me share a little thought about leaving: each time you get to tell people the story about why you are leaving, it does not get easier. thanks for the patience. moving march 10. yikes!

apologies

been out of the blogosphere all day, sorry about that. today brought with it some interesting events and challenges that took priority over my philosophical waxings on life. one of those things was that i had to tell the church staff that i was leaving. what a weird feeling. the feeling that i got while i was telling them made my stomach churn and my voice go up. this is weird because lane and i have been praying for months now that God would deliver us. that He would show us where it was that we were supposed to serve. the odd thing is that now that the time has come to flesh out those things, it is becoming pretty nerve wracking. not complaining here, just being honest.
one of the things that you don't realize is how, in leaving well, you can do things right for the people who are being left. you can be honest with leadership while still maintaining loyalty and integrity. you can make sure people know that really, it's not their fault. (if its not)

all of this on a day where i was waiting to see if we were going to be able to move into a house in l-ville or if it looked like 12 more months of rent. went well. thanks for praying. thanks God. you've been in this from the beginning, why should i be surprised now?? until then...

statement or connection...

There's a difference between making a statement and making a connection. Statements don't usually accomplish much. Statements promote a defensive posture as opposed to a receptive posture. Which reaction do you think is more beneficial to sharing the good news?
- churchmarketingsucks.com

i'm really alright...

just got done with a class. a seminary class. we're talking graduate level stuff here. today we talked about how to communicate with one another. seriously. the whole sender, message, receiver stuff that i have heard since i was a freshman in college. sure, my judgment could be a little jaded because i was a communication major in college but really...give me a break. here i am, giving up a day of my work week, a day away from my wife, a day so that i can learn how to be a better minister of the gospel. this isn't high school people. this is the real deal. and what do we learn today?? we learn about how to talk to one another. if you're still reading, thanks for weathering my rant. all of that is to say that: the business of working vocationally for God is taken much less seriously than ever before. the men that the seminaries of today are producing are not ready to charge hell...why? because they have a feel good diary in one hand, and a weak, cliche theology in the other. i honestly feel like i could learn more from a public library than i have this semester of GRADUATE school. how seriously do we take the lost, dying souls of the world? seriously enough to spend all day talking about how, "ministry is hard, but don't worry, people will love you if you don't hurt their feelings. let's get one thing straight here...as ministers we only have to worry about one thing. "On the other hand i am filled with power- with the spirit of the Lord-and with justice and courage to make known to Jacob his rebellious acts, even to Israel his sin." -Micah 3:8 This ain't for the weak of spirit men...this is hard, and it's the hard that makes it great. if we need classes to reassure us that it's all going to be fine and that being sensitive and womanly is alright then we are in the wrong business.

it's not you, it's me

thinking about all that goes into leaving somewhere. on the one hand there is a reason to go. if there wasn't then we'd all have the job tenure resume of nick saban. we have found something that fits better, that brings us more joy, that we want more. on the other hand, there are people involved. people with whom connections have been made, relationships forged, and trust & emotion exchanged. in this process i think it is very important to be honest throughout the situation. many times, especially in the business that i'm in, it can be assumed that once the connection is severed, there will no longer be any interaction at all. bridges are burnt, things are said in the moment, and words are used that may not seem as healthy after the fact. this however could not be further from the truth. we are all connected. we all know someone who knows someone. and especially in the ministerial world- everybody knows everybody else. that being said- leaving well is one thing that is not addressed that much by any leadership mag., online blog, or seminar. we all can help each other dream bigger dreams to go further, but we can also teach each other that in leaving, we must leave well.

men are from waffle house, women are from the olive garden

thinking today about the differences between men and women ever since john told me about this book he was reading. its called, "men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti." i don't know if women just want to think they are like noodles because they are thin or if there is some real weight (get it??) to the idea...all of this thinking about differences made me want to think of some other ways men and women are different. to be honest, i can't take credit for all of these...

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he wants. A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't want.

The average man has four items in his bathroom--a toothbrush, an electric razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn. The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 437. The average man is able to identify four of those items!

A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

If Emma, Suzanne, Debra and Michelle go out for lunch, they will call each other Emma, Suzanne, Debra and Michelle. But if Mike, Phil, Rob, and Jack go out for lunch, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut Head and Useless.

Women love cats. Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

And just to make sure that I offend both genders...Guys, do you know the difference between women and terrorists? Terrorists negotiate.
Ladies, do you know the difference between men and government bonds? Bonds mature.

how true....

the crib

going to talk to the bank tomorrow about a home mortgage loan. wow, i think i just sounded old. pray that the house is the one from God and that all would flow like butta! i just want lane to be happy. here's hoping.

awanita

went to greeneville, sc today with the student ministry leadership from crossroads to check out our site for summer camp 07. what a great time to connect with new people. it is great to meet people from different walks of ministry and see just how huge God is and that His reach in this world is ever-widening.
one of the cool parts about the day was connecting with the new (to me) interns from the m.s. ministry. how impressive. people who aren't even full time have been keeping a dynamic ministry alive for the past four months. props to john and laura. also cool to see people in different stretches in their lives. laura is 22 and gets married in four months. john is 28 and is about to launch out and do some great ministry on his own. so privileged and humbled to join that group.
one of the things i learned today, besides the affects of an open bed hummer ride in 20 degree weather was the importance of when not to talk. sometimes people need to teach you, to let you know just what the ropes are, and how to tread in the new world of ministry at their church. how invaluable that piece of advice is to guys my age. with all of the info. elements that we receive on a daily basis, (internet, books, newspapers, t.v.) sometimes we tend to forget that the human element and a simple conversation can do some of the most powerful teaching we seek.
p.s.- i think i have frostbite on my left hand. thanks john.

end the dunk contest

usually i find nothing interesting about sports talk radio, especially the nba. this however is one of the more brilliant ideas i heard tossed around espn radio on the way home from looking at houses. what if we ended the slam dunk contest and replaced it with a one on one competition between players that were chosen from fan voting? how cool would it be to not waste your time watching players do things that haven't been cool since 1989? let's face it...after micheal jordan took off from the foul line and bettered dr. j's famous dunk, there has been nothing new under the sun. i would much rather see kevin garnett and tracey mcgrady square off and did someone say kobe vs. lebron??? i'm talking real must see t.v. (besides "the office" of course) anyway, just an idea.

ways to maintain levels of insanity

Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity
Got an email today, Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity, that produced high levels of LOL. Thought I'd pass a few of my favorites:
1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point A Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.
3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.
4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."
5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.
6. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."
7. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.
8. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
9. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."
10. Sing Along At The Opera.
11. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.
12. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.
13. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

thoughts on the law

thinking this morning about speeding. over the next couple of weeks i will be driving back and forth from macon, ga to atlanta, ga numerous times and i can't help but to hope i don't get a ticket. why is this? it is because on a daily basis i break the law. i speed. every time i get in the car i am guaranteed to go at least ten miles over the limit. the reason that the law scares me is because i am a law breaker. this occurred to me while i was reading in 1 tim. chapter 1 this morning. the law of God exists not to correct the righteous, but for those who are not. as christians this is really good news for us! not that we are righteous on our own, but because of Christ. we no longer have to fear the law. what this also means is a shift in the way we think and approach our lives, prayer, and interaction with God. i mean that we are allowed now to focus on what we are able to do, not what we are not allowed to do. what a refreshing idea. that the christian life is more about the things you do, not what you don't.

great day

for most of the modern world today, february 14th is a great day for one reason- valentine's day. today is a day when roses will be bought for more than they are worth. i just saw that k-mart was selling roses for $25 a dozen!! today is also a day when men who haven't paid attention to their better halves for a calender year decide that they will just buy themselves out of trouble, which is why you will see more men in bath and body works today than any other day of the year. today is when people will find any excuse not to be alone, because it's valentine's day. others will curse the day, calling it a commercial ploy. chances are these people are alone. all of that to say that today might be one of my favorite days of the year. today- pitchers and catchers report to spring training. this is always an important day for any self respecting baseball fan but it is especially important for me this year. why? the ace of the east, daisuke matsuzaka, reports to Boston's training camp in florida. as an avid fan of the sox- please let this $103 million not have been spent in vain! here's hoping...

salt lake city mall shootings

while i'm at it, i think that something must be said for persons whose calling in life is to minister to students. (myself being one of those people) the latest tragedy in salt lake city, utah is only more evidence to the lack of life support that is given to students in this country. not that i have a real opinion other than just a troubled spirit..

welcome and first thought

welcome everyone to this blog. i'm not promising anything special but you can expect honesty, candid thoughts, and my true feelings on what is going on in the world today. that being said, let me take a moment to wax poetic on what it means to conflict well. especially in the christian ministry world. where is this class in college or seminary? how are we taught to deliver bad news, or an opinion that is fundamentally different from those around us? is there a class or book that i and my father were supposed to attend and i was unable to go that day? in other words- why do we have so many christian men who are afraid to hurt other people's feelings? i don't say this with judgement, but with empathy. i myself am a recovering people pleaser. i think at some point we, as a society, but more importantly as christian men in leadership must decide that telling others only the good news in not only harmful to them, but to ourselves as well...