When your student gets it...

I never get tired of seeing s student "get" what they've been learning. It's that "a ha" moment where they actually do what they've been taught. I am writing about this instance, though, because I have been teaching this for 3 years now, and not many have taken it and put it into practice. However, for one of my students it has happened.

A young lady that I really met about a year ago has had that moment. In her workplace, she felt led to be a praying/studying presence for the other employees. So she took the initiative (after some DIVINE prompting) and asked another lady if she would like to meet once a week over lunch and just read the Scriptures and pray together there in the office. It turns out that the lady she asked had had a dream the night before about this very thing. So, she said yes. A couple other ladies heard about what was going on, and asked if they could join. It has been a HUGE success! I'm measuring the success not by the numbers of people coming, but by WHAT has happened.

One thing the ladies do is they right on the office white board various prayer requests. Now, others in the office stop by through out the week and place their requests there, too.

At first, there was resistance from some people in the office, even animosity towards people wanting to have a spiritual event in the work place. Now, those people are connecting and being loved on and prayed for. They are even considering being a part of the group.

And, as I suspected would happen, one young lady even called the group her church home. That's tangible kingdom right there.

Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs

I watched a GREAT video this morning. Mike Rowe, of Discovery's "Dirty Jobs," does a 20 minute talk for some innovators in Silicon Valley. There's some great stories in it, but you also get a glimpse into a growing problem we have here in USAmerica. The devaluing of manual labor careers. Here's the link, and I have to say I agree with him on this. The question now is, what will I do about it?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mike_rowe_celebrates_dirty_jobs.html

Be sure to watch the WHOLE THING! His point comes in the last few minutes of the talk.

Day 5: Encouragement

Today was the kind of day that everyone needs once in a while. We spent the day mostly with people who are like-minded. Our day started with the opportunity to gather with other Americans here in the city who live here for business purposes. This was my third time to gather with them to lift up the name of our Dad in a Sunday gathering. All three times they have asked me to share from The Book for their gathering. It’s a truly humbling experience. It’s like Michael Jordan asking me for basketball advice! I am honored to even know these people, let alone call them my friends. They are the people that The Book would be writing about if it were still being written today. And to possibly think I have anything to offer them is laughable. I am honored and humbled to just be able to sit with them and share a part of our lives. It turns out that I am the one who comes away encouraged. When they gather each week, they share family business success and failures. To listen to them and hear their hearts shames me. As I’ve said before, and will every time I get to meet with them, these are the real heroes of our business. Especially Marcus and Katlyn. They are the youngest on this team, and yet they have such a vibrant and far-reaching impact on their friends and acquaintances. That’s not to say that every team member here isn’t just stinkin’ amazing! But I’m very proud to call Marcus and Katlyn “ours.”

From the gathering we went to lunch at The Sizzling Skillet. I LOVE THAT PLACE! It’s various fried meats and potatoes served on a fajita-style skillet. Mmmm! We shared the noon meal with some Americans here on business, and were encouraged by their work. When I first came to this country, they had only been here a few days, and had no language skills and no connections to the people they need to reach. Now, almost 2 years later, they are carrying on conversations in the native language and have a huge work going on with college students. They are the couple that we will return to encourage and support in October.

After lunch we did just a bit of shopping, then it was off for Karaoke! Here, Karaoke is called KTV (Karaoke Tele-Vision). And it’s different than karaoke in the USA. Here, you rent a private room that is fully equipped for your singing (lights, sound equipment, etc.) and it’s just and your friends that embarrass each other. We sang songs in English and Chinese with our local believing friends, having a GREAT time. I’ll have that video up before long. I left KTV encouraged by the playful nature of the first family members of Marcus and Kat’s business here.

We wrapped up Karaoke JUST in time to meet some friends and attend a tea ceremony. A tea ceremony consists of brewing and tasting various kinds of teas. In our case, it was gua tea and oolong tea. The lady brewing the tea gave us all kinds of fascinating information about tea and it’s brewing during our time together. Apparently there are 21 steps to the perfect cup of tea. And I watched all 21 steps with great fascination. The group we were with was ½ family and ½ almost family. I was able to speak to them as a group and encourage them each to take the necessary steps for their relationships.

The night ended with us doing a broadcast back to the states with a trip update. We connected through Marcus and Kat’s internet and shared some of what we’ve seen here. In listening to the stories, I am encouraged about the business here. As Lindsey and Lissa shared, the people who became like-minded with us last trip have been sharing with their non-like minded friends, which is AWESOME

I’m sure by this point that I am rambling…I am falling asleep as I type, so I’m off! Keep lifting us up. We have some hard conversations tomorrow, and I nearly just smashed my face into the keyboard falling asleep! I’ll send more later!

Day 4: Surprises

Today was not nearly as full of different activities as the other days, and yet I am more exhausted than any other day so far.

When we awoke this morning, the weather was too foul to go out, so we hung out at the hotel and journaled for half an hour. Then we headed out to meet a few of our friends. We had invited 3 or 4 people to go with us to Bi Jia Shan, The Natural Land Bridge. It’s a beautiful place on the coast (JZ is a coastal city) where you can walk to this mountain/island when the tide goes out. You have about 2 hours to get there or you’ll need to rent a boat to get back.

Surprise #1: The size of the group. When we got to the bus station to meet our group, the 3 or 4 had turned into 7, making 11 of us in total. When we got to Bi Jia Shan, and saw that it was 40 RMB ($6.50) per person to get in. Then it’s another 10 RMB ($1.60) per person to get a boat and another 10 RMB ($1.60) per person to climb the mountain. When it’s all said and done, to take this large group to the mountain would have cost $150! So, we decided to go exploring instead. We hiked through someone’s yard and actually made it down to the beach for some breath-taking scenery and fun pictures. As we hiked, we actually made it into the park, but were told by some attendants that we would need to go back out and buy tickets! We opted to head home instead and share a meal.

Surprise #2: The Conversations. During our exploring and our lunch, we had the opportunity to share much with all of the students that came with us. One thing we taught them is how to add “Your Mom” to the end of anything anyone says and make it into a joke! That was a hit! We also got to share things of lasting importance with them. Some of them are people who have already become family to us. Some are considering it. Two of them were friends who became family to us on our last trip here, but had not yet gone swimming in our family’s tradition. We are encouraging them to do that, as well. It seems like times like this always wind down with no one wanting to actually leave. We all just sit, knowing it’s time to go and no one actually leaving. As we left the restaurant we told our friends we would see them again before we leave.

Surprise #3: The Change In Topic. Now, on a trip like this, it feels like we eat, eat, and eat some more. We left lunch to go back to our rooms and get cleaned up so we could meet some other friends for dinner! We ate light and then headed to the home of some friends where we were going to talk about marriage and dating relationships with a group of young adults.. It was supposed to be an hour long meeting, but it went 4 hours! By the time it was done (which was when I began this update) I was exhausted. Instead of talking about relationships, it became a detailed conversation about how to become family and why everyone needs Dad. The topics ranged from the here-after to present help in trouble to how could Dad love everyone and have plans for all of us. It was GREAT conversation. But it took a LOT of active listening. When the evening came to a close, our friends were teetering on the verge of becoming family, making it a very productive night. It would be great if you would spend some time talking to Dad on behalf of these new friends.

Surprise #4: We Are Almost Done. As for us, we are exhausted, but elated. I think our body’s clocks are finally on local time. We hit a groove with what to order at local restaurants, and we have an idea of what we are working towards with our friends. The next part of the trip is the “sweet spot,” so to speak. Unfortunately, tomorrow is our last full day! It seems like it always happens that way. We will make the most of it, though. We have a lot to do in the next 48 – 60 hours! yarP for us!

Day 3: Playing

Our theme for today was “play.” Our great teacher said that unless we become like children, we will not see His kingdom. I think a great part of that is the art of playing.

Our day started at 5:30 a.m. when we began to prepare for our trip to what Lindsey has started calling “Our Park.” It is actually the North Park and part of the zoo, or Dong Wu Yuan. It is the park we adopted last year to speak to Father about every day. During our time here last year, we made friends with many Senior Adults who go to the park to exercise for a couple hours every morning. Their exercise routine consists of Tai Chi, sword forms, and ti jienza (kick feather). We usually walk and talk to Dad during the Tai Chi and sword forms. Then, when our friends are done and start to play ti jienza, we join in. Ti Jienza is like hacky-sack, but with an oversized badminton birdie-like toy. And man can these Senior Adults get after it! They are kicking it behind their head, aiming for their next victim, er, I mean target, and leaping through the air like some graceful dancer choreographing an elaborate and improvised performance. Then we jump in and throw off their groove! They truly are amazing to watch. Last year, not only did I fall in love with this sport, but the outfits that they wear, as well. In fact, the lady that makes their outfits for them actually came to the park, fitted me, and hand made me an outfit. She did have to charge me extra because I am much bigger than the people she usually sews for! Well, this morning was our first time back to the park since our last trip, and the first time for any of them to see my new outfit. When we came into the park, they stopped what they were doing and came over to feel my outfit, say hello, and feel my outfit some more. After that, we walked the park talking to Yesu about our friends and asking Him to reach out to them. Our requests were followed by 2 hours of Ti Jienza, and much coaching from our friends on proper form. It is so nice to be able to lay aside language barriers (none of them speak English) and just be able to play together. For hours we can have this one thing in common; and just play. Our time this morning was cut short when a disagreement happened between the local care taker and one of our friends. We saw that as our sign to bail.

From there we headed to lunch with some friends. One of them is a friend we met last time, and one is a new friend who is learning English for his college degree. We shared a great lunch as we helped our new friend try to grasp the concepts of humor, sarcasm, and English idioms. He was much more confused afterwards than he started out!

After lunch, we caught up with two of our friends from our last trip, Wally and Oscar. These friends met Dad on our last trip, and decided they wanted to be in the family. So our afternoon with them was a sweet time of catching up and encouraging each other in the way of the Master. These two guys speak great English, and have a heart for seeking truth. We spent an hour having instant coffee and sharing life.

They accompanied us to visit with a new member of the family. “Van Gogh” united with our family over the Easter weekend as a result of being involved in a family project on Easter Sunday. Van Gogh had some questions about The Book, and about growing in our family’s traditions. He had some really good questions that we spent a couple of hours answering. Wally and Oscar even jumped in to help us explain some of the answers in Chinese. That was cool! And Van Gogh brought his roommate, Brad, with him. Brad is not yet family, but is considering the truth of The Book, and of Father. All four of them will be traveling with us tomorrow as we go site seeing! We are hoping to help Wally and Oscar grasp more of the family business, and to better understand their roles in the work of the family. We are hoping to connect Brad with Wally and Oscar so that they can mentor him in The Book and in the work of the family. AND, we are hoping Brad will become family. So our big request for Saturday is that Dad will expand the business greatly in this city and in these people.
On my last trip to this country, I had the opportunity to lead a parenting forum where parents got together to compare and contrast parenting in our countries. One of the things that parents here mentioned was that they wished their children knew how to play. With so many people and so few jobs, the best jobs only go to the best students. So, students are pushed from grade school through college to make studying their priority. These parents said they could remember being kids and playing outside until the streetlights came on. This generation of students has never known a life like that. When it comes to a night like tonight, then, students get to experience something rare: a night of playing. We brought Jenga, Ker-Plunk, Uno, Phase 10, Trouble, Sorry, and a couple other games for “Western Game Night.” The students come for the English conversations (all of them can speak English, but need to be better). But they experienced something different. One of our local friends reserves a room on the University campus, and we play and have conversations. And tonight was a great night. The room was PACKED full of students who rotate from game to game, giving them a chance to play many games, but also a chance to meet each of us. I shared pictures of my family, friends, motorcycle, and life in Lubbock. They had many questions! One of them finally said to me, “I think your family is a happy family. Is that true? And why?” And I was able to explain that my family is, indeed, a happy family because of the presence and guidance of my Father, who teaches us to live by loving and serving. It opened a door for me to share with 10 or so students. All in all, it was a GREAT night with many doors opened.

We wrapped up the night with a 1.5 hour massage. In this country, a massage like that costs around $12.50! And it’s different than in America. First, they put all of us in the same room with big screen TV’s, bottles of water, and comfy couches. You remain fully clothed for the massage, which starts with a foot washing. In a barrel of 200 degree water Then, in a systematic manner, the massage giver beats the fool out of you for an hour and a half! It’s like an episode of “I Love Lucy” where they bend you, punch you, pull you, and contort you in ways that make you appreciate the ability to walk afterwards. I’d never had my kidneys massaged before! At one point, the girl working on my back in kneeling on my back, digging her knees into my kidneys while trying to make a wish by ripping my shoulder blades apart. I guess I am getting used to it, though. Tonight’s massage was not as rough as the last one, which did leave me unable to walk!

From there, we headed back to the hotel for 6 hours of sleep before Day 4 begins. Thank you for your tending to our requests and making them your petitions to Dad. You are making a difference in the Far East. Lives are being changed and Father is expanding His business globally. The cool thing is that you get to be a part of it!

Day 2: High Places

Today is the day that is usually spent getting acclimated to the time change and getting familiar with the culture. So, to off set jet lag and to experience the culture, we went for a hike. We went to a local mountain park called Bei PuTuo. It is a beautiful location that seems to have grown around a Buddhist monastery and several shrines. I shot some cool video. While we were there, we hiked up to some of the shrines, which are built on the peaks of mountains. The belief is that these places are closer to the heavens, so you are closer to the spiritual world. In the old part of The Book, Father tells His children to go into the land that He has promised them. But He tells them to "tear down the high places" as they go. At first, it's just something you read. But once you get here, you see the high places and see people using these high places to try to appease the spirits of their ancestors. They offer fruit, incense, and even burn money at times trying to ensure that their dead ancestors are happy. I'll post some video of the high places when I get home. But it sure puts The Book into a different light to stand in those very places we are called to tear down. And I had a thought while I was standing there. "What if I did tear it down? What would happen?" I realized that if I physically destroyed this spot, the locals who use it would only rebuild it, and probably rally around the incursion upon their faith. So, instead, I spent time talking to Father about it, and spiritually tearing it down, so to speak. My heart was moved today by the amount of effort and futility that is spent in the pursuit of gods who are sub-par and cannot help you. So, will you join me in talking to Dad about helping wandering brothers and sisters to find Him and His light? I don't doubt for a minute that the enemy answers the prayers of these seekers in ways that keeps them mired in their false beliefs. Our calling is to tear down the high places, and I think that begins with speaking to Dad about them and the people drawn to them. But it also begs the question, "what are your high places?" What are the things you rely on to get a better life? Before we can tear down the high places in the lives of others, we must first tear down the high places in our own lives. Do you rely on your charm, wit, personality, money, influence, appearance, etc. to build a better life for you? To those that now follow The Way, The Truth, and The Life, our only source of strength and help should be Him. In relying on other things, we are building high places in our lives! Tear them down.

One of the cool things about today was that instead of hiking down, we discovered a zip line that went across the valley and to the parking lot where we parked. SO, I decided I would do the zip line. It was a blast! I was smoking across the top of this valley attached to two cables! But the even more surprising thing is that LINDSEY said she wanted to do it too! AND SHE DID! It was amazing. I'll post that video at some point, too!

From there, we had 2 amazing meals, some near death experiences in the taxis and bus, and a pretty usual day in this country of over 1 billion people. It's just a little bit past 10 p.m. here, and I have to be p-walking at our park around 6 a.m. so I'll end the update here with a request: talk to Dad about the many people we will get to visit with over the next 24 hours. College students all the way up to senior adults, we have many chances to show them all about the family business. So be sure to yarP for us!

Asia Trip, Spring 2009

I realized that I hadn't posted any of my entries for the Asia trip here. I got them onto my Facebook. So, here is Day 1's update.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Well, we've arrived in the city! We are checked into our hotel, and I am about to bed down for the night. It's weird having left US soil Tuesday morning (as it feels it's still Tuesday), but bedding down on Wednesday night. All total, in travel time, we were on the move for 23 hours. Trying to stay awake on the train ride from the capital city to our city was brutal. But we are alive and well. Tomorrow starts early for us. We will join American friends for breakfast, and to video conference back home with family so they can see we are well. If you are family, and would like to visit with us, be at THF at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night! I will be speaking with my students, and afterward, families can say hello. AND, since that is early morning here, I am now off to bed. I'll update more tomorrow!

An Observation From East Asia

Having just returned from my 3rd trip to Asia, the greatest observation that stands out to me is that The Word is spreading there. One my first trip, I got to be involved in a new convert's observance of ba9tism, or what we call a swim party. On my next trip, I got to participate in an outreach that was sponsored by that student where we met 35 - 45 students, and out of whom 3 or 4 came to faith. During my 3rd trip, while we were sharing with new students, the ones who came to faith on our last trip helped us share, and had been sharing their faith on their own while we've been gone. It was very encouraging to me to see that the kingdom is not just being paid lip service. These new friends take it seriously, and understand that this Good News isn't just for them. Thanks to students like my friend pictured here (whose face I blurred on purpose!), the Good News is being taught to many.

My Recent Travels

Just a few hours ago, I returned from NE Asia where I hung out with some friends, shared the Good News, and rediscovered some things about home that I often take for granted. I missed the scent of my wife's hair. I love getting hugs from my kids. But when I showed up at Cayla and Jeremiah's school today, she just grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go! Never take for granted the hugs of your daughter. Jeremiah wanted to see pictures and here stories while he leaned against me. Never take for granted the lives that are impacted by the telling of your story.

Just a few minutes ago I realized how much I missed MILK, of all things!

I'm in full recovery mode, but am looking forward to narrating the trip here over the next few days.

In the mean time, my right ankle is swollen to the size of my calf, and is very painful. I think it's from the airplane, but I'm not sure. And I am trying to stay awake to force my body back into Texas time. Thanks for all of you who prayed for us, encouraged us, and financially supported us for this trip. Check back over the next few days for pictures, insights, and stories from the trip.

Blind Spots?

The Holy Week is upon us. I’ve been reading through John’s telling of Jesus’ life during this week. Usually, It’s John 13 that draws me in. But today, a passage in John 16 really caught my eye. It’s the interaction between Jesus and the Disciples in 16: 25-33. All of the events leading up to this moment, the miracles, the wisdom, the transformation of lives, and NOW they believe. I laughed out loud when I read Jesus’ words in v. 31, “You believe at last!” I imagine Him laughing as He says it! Like He’s saying, “FINALLY!” But what is it about this most recent discourse of Jesus that brings the Disciples to the place of finally believing? What exactly is it that turns the lights on for them? So I started really digging into this verse, and discovered that the Greek frames it as a question, “Do you now believe?” The Greek could actually go either way, but most see it as a question. I’m not sure why the NIV departs from the NASB at this point, but anyway…It seems that Jesus has shifted into “Yoda Mode,” and is asking them a question that will soon show them that they answered wrong, to some extent.

Although they do believe, and probably more so than before, Jesus begins to tell them that the events of the coming days will show them their lack of belief. Isn’t that how it seems to go for us? At the moment we think we have it all figured out, God awakens us to something that reminds us we don’t! Which brought me to a moment of reflection: What are the areas of my life that I think I have it all figured out? Where are the places that I neglect out of arrogance? And what will it take for God to turn my head enough to see something more clearly than before? Rather than assume that the Holy Week consists of this or that, seek out the Christ who was crucified and ask Him to enlighten you further into the sacrifice He made for you. Ask Him to do for you what He did for the Disciples by pointing out an area of your faith where you are going to falter. Just as the Disciples thought they had it figured out, Jesus say, “Oh yeah? Well, you’re all going to desert me in the coming days.” What are the areas in our lives we are in danger of deserting Jesus?

Pace Bene - Jason

Changing the parameters

Tonight I will be doing an experiment with my students. We are changing the parameters of a meeting we've been doing for a year. We're changing locations, changing format, and changing their role in the meeting. It's an attempt to get them to do more than think outside the box. It's an attempt to get them out of the box. Hopefully, by 7:30 tonight, I'll have a handful of adventurers and not a handful of whiners. Although, after 20 years of pastoral ministry, I anticipate the latter.

My goal is to shift the parameters of how they see their spiritual formation. As we continue to read "The Tangible Kingdom," we are moving into a section on doing. We've laid the foundation for why, now we come to the how. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it.

For those of you reading this, though, let me challenge you to change your parameters. Take something you would normally do in your office, home, or an otherwise alone spot (reading, prayer, study, meeting, etc.) and take that activity to a local hang out. It can be the Mall, a coffee shop, or town square. See if it changes how you do what you are doing. And, if at all possible, take someone with you!

Belonging ENABLES Believing

I've been a pastor for a long time. I started as an intern at Colonial Hills, where my youth pastors, Robert and Bart, and my youth sponsors (The Smiths, The Routens, and The Cochrans) invested in me greatly. I owe them all so much.

And over the years, I've served in all kinds of churches in various positions. I've been a youth intern, part-time Youth Minister in country churches, Youth/Music Minister in a country church and a couple small town First Baptist churches. I served as a Youth Pastor at a big First Baptist where the staff bailed and left me and a friend trying to keep the wheels from falling off! That was fun. I've been the Youth Pastor at a couple of big (1,000 members) churches, and am currently serving two churches that are very opposite. One averages around 800 in attendance on Sunday morning. I am the Associate Pastor there, working along side one of my closest friends and a great Pastor, Mike, whom I've known for almost the entirety of my ministry. The other church I currently serve in as Lead Pastor averages 20 people, meets on Sunday night in a coffee shop, and is composed mostly of friends gathered along the way. All that to say, "I've seen a lot of churches and a LOT of philosophies of being church." 

And one thing that keeps coming up is the shift in paradigm, or lack there of. In my generation, our culture had a basic understanding of church and to some extent Christianity. The general way most of us back in the day came to Christ was by coming to some sort of church activity. Even though I came to Christ through a friend sharing with me, I heard and experienced the Gospel at the Youth Events I was attending. In that day, you could say, "If you believe, you belong." And it was true. The moment I took a step towards Christ, the youth group embraced me and made a HUGE difference in my life. So many of those people I listed above were instrumental in that.

But the shift has come in this: most people aren't going to go to church to have their spiritual needs met. There is no longer a basic understanding between our culture and our churches. If anything, there is an institutional distrust of the church that permeates our culture. And yet, even here in Lubbock, TX., I watch church building after church building pop up in hopes that someone will be drawn there. Don't get me wrong! I am not anti building. I am anti "let's build a building so we don't have to go out there and be the church." Just this week I have gotten information from 3 new churches that are putting on a show, opening a building, and hoping to attract those who need Jesus. 

For those of you who don't know Lubbock, here's some statistics. Lubbock county is home to 255,000 people. Of those 255,000 people churches report around 120,000 are on their "role" as members. However, statistics show that the average church actually has about 37% of their membership in actual attendance, meaning that (and this is a high estimate) about 50,000 of the people of Lubbock County actually are involved with a church, leaving 205,000 people unchurched, dechurched, or poorly churched. Lubbock county has somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 evangelical churches last time I checked. Those 300 churches actually share the 50,000 attenders in one of the most prolific "church-hopping" communities I've ever been in. Bottom line: every new church that pops up with a building and hopes of drawing people to their "show" will only manage to segment the church hoppers and bight off their "market share" for a while.

Lubbock needs followers of Christ building relationships with the other 205,000 AND living Jesus-styled relationships with those they befriend. The paradigm is now (and Barry says has been for a long LONG time) Belonging ENABLES Believing. Think it through with me. Jesus was greatly criticized for being the friend of gluttons and sinners. He saw the value of reaching people by influence and relationship rather than the hopes that the local religious elite would homilize eloquently enough to draw them in. Where ever it is you are, whether it's Lubbock or China, Christ is calling you today to GO out to your spheres of influence and be Jesus for people. Build relationships. Be generous. Be sincere. Love deeply. Live passionately. And don't place your hope in a building or a program. Build a life that tells people they belong and includes them. In the words of St. Francis Assisi, "Preach the Gospel always and, when necessary use words."

Quiet

Today I am keenly aware of how noisy my life is.  I spent the weekend with some friends at a secluded cabin in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.  No TV.  No phones.  No Radio.  Of course, we went snow boarding, shopping in Santa Fe, and ate out quite a bit.  But when I walked in the door to my house yesterday, the TV was on and the kids were being kids.  The dog was barking and jumping.  My phone was dinging at me about text messages.  And as I sat on the couch after six hours in the car, I could feel myself becoming agitated.  That's when it hit me that the amount of sound around me was the source of my agitation.  I'm not faulting the kids for being kids, nor am I saying I couldn't have turned the TV off.  It was just an eye opening moment.  The fact of the matter is that I LOVE to hear my children playing, being kids.  There are many TV shows I enjoy.  And I even moderately enjoy our dog (some times).  But I need to have more of the quiet.  I need more of those moments in the recliner in front of a crackling fire reading a good book.  I need to turn off the phone/TV/computer/iPod more often.  It was good for my soul.  

And then I need to learn how to smoothly transition from stillness to necessary noise without losing my mind!

This Is The Heights

If you'd like to see what we do at The Heights Fellowship click this link:
http://www.theheightsfellowship.org/connect/page.php?id=45
There's 2 videos there to check out. I'm particularly proud of the THF Power Team. YIKES!

Great Timing!

I love Google Maps and their "man on the street" photos of actual locations. If you look my address up, and do the street view, you can see my truck, my father-in-law's old truck, and our house still has 3 trees instead of 2 in the front. But this one is classic. Be sure to move up the street until you are right beside the empty field. Then look at the two guys in the field:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=8+sampsonia+way,+pittsburgh,+pa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.444078,68.730469&ie=UTF8&ll=40.457658,-80.007548&spn=0,359.977727&z=16&iwloc=addr&layer=c&cbll=40.457682,-80.007441&panoid=5i_6kRv5DOq4JvJJ12sn9w&cbp=12,289.8533061684086,,0,5

GREAT TIMING!

Morning Bell

My friend, Ian Adams, is an Abbott in Oxford, England. He has a daily e-mail he's been doing called "Morning Bell." During the season of Epiphany, he's collected the thoughts and ideas of various theologians and shared his insight with me as a call to deeper spirituality. Today's really impacted me and I want to share it with you.

Metropolitan Anthony says: "we are a great deal more absent than God is."

See your prayer today as simply being present to God; who is closer than we can imagine.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh [1914-2003] was the Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchal Church in Great Britain and Ireland. To read more on Metropolitan Anthony, you can go here: http://www.metropolit-anthony.orc.ru/eng/

More about Ian: http://ianadams.info/Site/Welcome.html
Ian's Faith Community: http://www.maybe.org.uk

The Only Necessary Resolution

     Has it really been that long since I posted?  WOW!  The flu really kicked my butt for the last half of December into the first week of January.  I didn't really get over it until about 4 days ago.  Everything during that time is kinda a blur.

     Anywho, I'm excited about the new year.  I'm usually not a resolution person, so the New Year just brings a sense of anticipation for me.  But this new year was a little different.  I started contemplating what I could do differently.  I even thought it would be a good idea to see what the Scriptures suggest I do differently.  Boy, there's a lot!  But the more I began to dig, the more I realized that the changes I'd make are ones that God has to make...  It seemed pointless to me to make a resolution to do God's job for Him!  So, I really began to dig in for my part.  What can I really do?  I came across a Scripture I'd read before, but it jumped at me this time.  The Scripture is John 6: 28-29.  Some folks have come to Jesus and basically asked about making a resolution that would please God.  28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"   29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."  When you couple that with Galatians 5: 22-23, Philippians 1:6, 2 Cor. 5:17, Galatians 6:15 it becomes clear that every area of my life that could be better would be better if I'd just let God be God to me in that area.  If I would simply allow my belief in the one God has sent to consume my need to be my own deity, then those areas that need "resolution" would be resolved!  So, I made one resolution this year.  I will believe.  I will believe more, more passionately, more consumingly, more deeply.  I am resolved to believe!

Like Father Like Son

I found myself in the midst of a cool moment yesterday at Daybreak Coffee.

You just never know.

It's become a tradition for us to host our Asian friends at our home for Thanksgiving.  Last year, it was Ken & Miho, Richard, and Jack & his family.  I know those names don't look Asian, but everyone except Miho has taken a Western name to spare us the embarrassment of trying to pronounce them.  Anyway, this year, Jack's family couldn't make it, so we invited the new Yamagata chef, Lewis.  Lewis is a native of China.  He actually lived near Marcus and Kat.  Lewis and I were talking and it turns out his mom is from the city where Kat and Marcus live.  He was excited to meet someone who has experienced the Night Market!

Anyway, as they were leaving around 3 on Thursday afternoon, Miho stayed behind while the guys all piled into the car.  She stayed behind to tell us that Lewis' dad had passed away on Monday, and getting to share a family meal had meant the world to him.  She thanked us profusely, and then made her exit.

We never would have known of Lewis' loss if she hadn't told us.  It reminded me that every moment is an opportunity to impact someone's life.  We never really know what's going on with them.  By simply being hospitable, polite, or even generous, God can do things that we remain unaware of.  The author of Hebrews (I lean towards it being Luke, btw), wrote, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Heb. 13:2)  To do that means making the most of every encounter.  And to do that means laying aside yourself and your agenda for a higher purpose.  Our daily mantra needs to sound similar to what Jesus told His disciples in John 4:  "My food is to do the will of my father."  Especially in this holiday season, learn to breathe that simple phrase of obedience.  In doing so, the least you may accomplish is passing a test to see how you would treat a stranger.  The best you may do is to be Jesus in the life of someone who is hurting and desperate for hope.  Either way, you express the great love for Jesus that we say we have for Him.

Peace

When Good Choirs Go Bad

Holy Cow!  You've gotta check this out!  http://michaelkelleyministries.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/the-future-of-church-choir/.  If you thought "The Renewed Mind" was rough, you'll love this!  Try to catch these blue hairs ridin dirty.