What's in my IPOD?

My IPOD has been stocked full of new music lately......here's a short rundown of what I am currently jamming to....

• Jesus Culture: Your Love Never Fails.
• Andy Kirk: Hearts on Fire
• David Crowder Band: Church Music
• Building 429: Self Titled
• Keith Urban: Defying Gravity
• Van Morrison: Still on Top-Greatest Hits

Such an eclectic collection of tunes but that's just how I roll :)

Random Christmas Eve Thoughts

• I've had a great time the last few weeks hanging out with family. Something I haven't done much of for the last few years.
• So thankful for the Christmas season. The fact that God became man, walked in my shoes, paid the price for my wrongs, and now I am reconciled with him. That's a great gift!!
• Just realized I haven't picked up a guitar in three weeks. That's the longest I have gone in like 6 years. No band practice until after the new year so It's going to be a few more weeks on that too. My fingers are so going to kill me.
• Thinking of two big things over the next few months: First I am considering getting PhD. With all the graduate level work I have now I only need like 17 classes to become Dr. Renner. My mom loves the idea (of course, right.) I am still thinking about it. I am fine with the course work. Not sure if I want to put myself through the dissertation process. We'll see how that turns out.
  
• Second, I am really seriously thinking about writing a book on how God uses teachable moments in our lives to redirect our paths. We seem to coast along fine, content to do what we've always done until he gets our attention and redirects us back to his will. More on this later if I decide to move in that direction.
• We are off to celebrate Christmas with April's family today.
  
• Praying the weather cooperates so we can get our flights tomorrow without issue.

Have a blessed Christmas. Be sure to thank God for the gift of his Son.

What if Church was like Target...

I copied this post from Tony Morgans blog.....great insight as to why we in the church are so disconnected with the rest of the world...read and enjoy..


‘Tis the season to shop for Christmas gifts, so I recently made a trip to Target. I love Target because I don’t have to spend a lot of money, and I avoid going to Wal-Mart.

After spending a little bit of time in the store, it struck me how different Target is from most churches I’ve visited in the past. That led me to wondering how Target would be different if it operated like the typical church. So, with that in mind, here’s my initial list:

What if Target Operated Like a Church?

• Instead of having men’s and women’s clothing departments, they would be called clever names like Impact and Embrace that are completely meaningless to new shoppers.
• Each department in the store would have its own logo to go with their clever name. And, of course, all those logos would be different than the logo on the front of the store.
• The workers in each department would all have their own t-shirts and flyers to promote what’s available in their departments. The youth clothing department would, of course, have the best flyers.
• The store manager and his wife would be pictured on the front page of the website.
• You wouldn’t actually be able to buy anything from the website, but each department would have its own page explaining why they are such a great department and the the information would be several months out-of-date.
• If you are in the shoe department and have a question about flashlights, the shoe department employee has no idea how to help you because it doesn’t have anything to do with shoes.
• Shoppers would be able to start their own departments so that they can buy the items that they want to buy. Don’t worry…that means there will certainly be a clothing department for singles.
• Shoppers would also be able to appoint their own store manager and then serve on committees and boards to tell the store manager what to do.
• The store would only be open one day a week between 9:00 a.m. and noon and on the first Wednesday evening of every month.

Hope this makes you laugh. (Emily and I did.) And, maybe it also challenges some preconceived notions. After all, churches are sort of notorious for worshiping methods and traditions whether or not they actually produce results.

What would you add to the list?

Burnout

Unless you were very close to me you wouldn't know that I was just plain burnt out from my time in ministry. It's one of the reasons April and I are taking a sabbatical from church and ministry. I needed some time away from it all to try and gain some perspective and clarity. Over the last year I had really developed a sense of apathy with respect to the work that God had called me to. You wouldn't have known it from my actions so much because I did and said the right things....It was an apathy in my heart.

My apathy was played out in my personal devotional life. It was played out in my personal prayer life. My apathy was played out in the relationships I choose to pursue. And Lastly, my apathy was played out in my motivation.

During my sabbatical I am reading a lot of books and spending extra time with God trying to regain my perspective and personal drive for God and people. One of the books I am currently reading is called Sunsets and Sushi. It's a book on the Psalms written by David Crowder. The other is a book called Mad Church Disease. It's a book on church burnout written by Anne Jackson....What a great read and it's hitting me hard on some stuff. One of the things that's hitting me hardest right now is the question of my motivation to serve God by serving others......Here is what Anne says about service and testing your motivation to serve.

How do these hit you?

• Self righteous service comes through human effort it delights in plans and orginization-True service comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. Energy is expended but it is not feverish.
• Self righteous service is impressed with the big deal, it is worried about the outcome-True service doesn't distinguish big projects from small projects.
• Self righteous service requires external rewards...It needs to be noticed (subject to Christian modesty of course) - True service is content in hiddeness. It doesn't seek attention but doesn't fear it either.
• Self righteous service is concerned with results - True service is satisfied with the service.
• Self righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve - True service is indiscriminate.
• Self righteous service is moved and swayed by moods and whims (moved by the spirit as we say) - True service ministers simply and fully because there is a need.
• Self righteous service is temporary and loves short term projects - True service is a lifestyle.
• Self righteous service is insensitive. It forces itself in demands in the opportunity to help - True service listens with patience and tenderness before it acts.
• Self righteous service fractures community. Once the religious trappings are removed it focuses mainly on self glorification - True service builds community. It is caring, quiet, and unpretentious.

Most of those apply to me over the last few years. How about you?

Sabbatical

Since Real Life ended I have been taking a ministry sabbatical. That sabbatical is going to continue into the new year. At some point April and I are going to start trying to figure out where God want's us to be and what God wants us to do next.

To be honest. It's a scary time for us. for the last 13 years I have served at only 2 different churches. Those places were very different from each other and I find myself wanting to spend some time in a church that I wouldn't normally think about attending so I can get a better perspective of what God is doing in different ministries. Not sure how that will look but it's exciting and scary at the same time.

At some point God's going to move me into doing something ministry related at a new church. I think I have a much better picture of what that is than I would have had even as little as a year or two ago and that is a God thing :)

Odds and Ends and thoughts Part II

How many times have you looked at your life or situation and thought "how in the world did I end up here?" I know there are plenty of times I have gotten myself into situations without the slightest inkling of how I got there.

I know on the surface this doesn't fit into the musing about humanity being fundamentally broken but bear with me I do have a point. 21 years ago I thought about a career as a pilot. Not many people know this anymore but I actually still have a pilot's license. For a number of reasons I decided that was not the career path for me. I do however still love airplanes :) Anyway, when you are flying any distance it's important to keep checking you instruments for accuracy. If they are off even a little you can find yourself very off course very quickly. Just look at the case of those pilots playing with their laptops just a month ago....before they new it they were hundred's of mile off course.

So, how does this come back to us as people. IF you accept the premise that we are fundamentally flawed, broken, and have a bent that wants to take us far from God it stands to reason that the second we take our eyes off him we change course. The moment we stop allowing him to lead us we loose our bearings. The longer we have our eyes off chasing him the farther off course we get. It happens so fast....

We go from being firmly in God's grip to in places where we have no idea how we got there. We end up in situations that we have no idea how we got ourselves into them. We have pain that God never intended for us to have. We pay a price that we shouldn't have paid.

Keep your eyes on him.

Odds and Ends and thoughts

I know that I have been posting to my blog less frequently since I left full-time ministry. You can pretty much expect that pattern will remain. I'll try to get things on here on a regular basis as God lays things on my heart :)

So, a couple of things:

• First: April and I led worship last weekend at a friends church in Defiance. It was really, really weird for both of us. It felt so strange to be in someone elses church! Don't worry, we are still keeping our sabatical alive. We'd been promising my friend we were going to come and visit them. We wanted to go before the weather started turning so we had planned to make the trip Sunday. Saturday evening my friend texted me and saying perhaps we should reschedule as most of their musicians and singers were out of town for the holiday. So, I offered to bring a guitar and help them out.
• Second: God has really been laying on my heart just how broken and backwards humanity is. Think about this for a second. Have you ever noticed you can develop bad habits without even trying? It literally takes zero effort and nothing will stand in your way when you're doing things that are destructive to your life. But if you want to make some positive changes, my word, it's like everything gets in your way!! If you think I am wrong about that pick a day...any day....and set that date as the one you are going to start an exercise program.....so how long it sticks :)
  

So why is that? I think it's because we are broken. Sin has changed us and we are not the creations God originally designed. We want what we shouldn't want. We do what we shouldn't do. We desire that which we know is bad for us. Again, if you think I am wrong try not to think about cookies. I just made you think about cookies didn't I? I bet you're still thinking about cookies. Cookies are good....

I have just been reflecting on the Apostle Paul talking about always seeming to do those things he doesn't want to do....and not being able to do what he really wants and knows he should do and it hits me clearer than ever that it's because we are fundamentally flawed.

I know for many that seems like Christianity 101 simple stuff. But is it really? Do any of us really understand just how off base we are? Do you have a grasp of how off base you can be?

More on this later :)

Looking Back

Been doing some reflecting on some of the things that I think we could have and perhaps should have done differently at Real Life. I can think of two decisions I would like to have back (There are way more than that but right now there are 2 things I am wrestling with.) Both decisions were my call and I wish I had approached them differently. I am not going to write what the specific decisions were (at risk of hurting people that I care about's feelings) rather I will explain why I regret them.

• Decision #1: A few years ago I felt lead to make a directional change at church. I floated the idea and was met with resistance. At the time, and to this day I felt that God was leading in that direction, Had we gone down that path over the long haul we'd have had the support we needed, and been in a much better position to weather the storm we'd been in over the last few months. I am not saying this single decision was ultimately our undoing as a church rather I am saying I believe (at least right now) we'd have been in a stronger place. Short term, it would have cost us, no doubt about that, but long term I believe we would have been much stronger.
  
• The lesson for me (and perhaps all of you) is that I needed to pay closer attention to what I believed God was saying to me than listen to the people in the church. Whether it's your family, your job, your ministry, in in this case even your church, no one has the stake in it you do. If you go for the fence and you strike out so be it....at least you went for it. On this one, I bunted and it cost us.
• Decision #2: I filled a position out of need and not out of inspiration. Early on in the life of our church I allowed someone to serve in leadership because I needed what they could offer. Looking at what they offered in a sense blinded me to the fact that they had so much baggage we would spend endless hours dealing with that baggage instead of ministering to hurting people. Now some might argue couldn't this person have been someone you were supposed to minister to? I would say yes, without a doubt. But, had I taken a step back and trusted God for this position I would have never placed them into a position of leadership. If I had listened to God I would have helped them find a place to be served instead of trying to serve on empty.
• The lesson here is that all of us need to trust God as our provider. Had I not moved so fast and gotten way ahead of God, I would have seen that God had someone else I already knew ready, willing, and able to do the needed work. In the end it would have been better, by far for everyone involved. There would have been less heartache and our energies early on in the life of the church would have been better focused at reaching those God called us to reach.
  

Just some things I have been thinking about as I prepared the lasagna dinner for tonight!

Praise God

To say that the last few months have been personally depressing for me would be an understatement at the least. They've been tough. On top of that, I have been dealing with some health problems over the last few years that have taken their toll on me. From Gall Bladder disease (Thankfully, surgery cleared up!) To Insomnia, to arthritis it's been tough.

The arthritis has probably been the toughest for me. It's in my spine and causes me to have aches and pains at a time when most people are getting refreshed. When they are sleeping. For the last few years I haven't been able to sleep at all without pain and anti inflamitory meds. Even with those I usually wake up after 5-6 hours because I can't physically lie down for any longer without enough pain to wake me up.

I have been praying for God to take this from me for years and honestly I'd given up on praying about it. I know that is sad coming from a pastor type, but I am human and frustration got the best of me!! Anyway, yesterday I slept for 7 hours and woke up without pain or stiffness for the first time in about 5 years. I spent yesterday praising God quietly for that. I woke up again today the same way....completely pain free. I am praising God again for this blessing.

Am I willing to say I have been healed completely from it? Not yet....maybe soon... But I am willing to praise God that he saw fit to give me hope and relief that I had begun to think I would never again see.

Thank you to the God that still heals.

Sunday Morning Reflections

The last couple of weeks have been bittersweet in many ways. I've been trying to process all of what went down over the last 4 years at RL. Some really good things, some not so good things, and a whole bunch of stuff in between! In all things, God has always provided. It's interesting that even at the choice for us to close the church down we were facing a lawsuit for breech of our lease and other bills that we were not able to pay.

Over the last few weeks we've seen God provide for us again which further cements in my mind that it was time for us to close. We've had people write checks to help cover the expenses, it's been two weeks and we've managed to sell everything RL owned, with 90% of the stuff going to other churches!! We've been offered a settlement on our lease that is very reasonable and really what we had agreed to in the first place. All that said, we now have enough cash to close out the last of the churches obligations and we can settle them without ever falling behind in a single account!

God always provides for his people. For the last six months we prayed for something different. But in the end God had a plan and he took care of his people. It's not always pretty, it's not always neat, it doesn't always take the shape that we dream up, but he's a good God!

Sunday Moring Movies: A Lesson From Nixon

So, this is the first Sunday morning I haven't had anything to do in like 12 years. I woke up this morning at 7 am which is actually sort of sleeping in for me. I was flipping through the channels and looking for something to watch. Anyway, I was trying to decide between watching some thing churchy (it is Sunday!) or watching news or a movie or something along those line. I ended up watching the movie Frost/Nixon.

Now, being a history guy I have always been fascinated by Nixon. I mean a guy with so much going for him and everything to loose. Why would he participate in a cover up and all the stuff that went along with Watergate? So, I am watching this movie and the whole premise of it centers around a series of interviews between British Journalist David Frost and Richard Nixon. Frost is trying to get Nixon to admit his wrong doing. For Frost, it's really all about the scoop that no one else had gotten. Nixon is being typically Nixonian in that he is controlling the interview and controlling how he is seen by people. After all if Nixon can control the story he has the ability to allow people to see him, not as he really is, but as who he desires to be seen as.

It's not until the very end of the interview, which historically, took several days to shoot does Nixon start to drop the image and just be a real person. There were so many spiritual truths that I saw in this movie I was jut blown away....So let me give you some:

• Nixon needed to come clean with himself: He was living a lonely life and spent all his energy trying to keep up the lies he had lived. Coming clean was important for several reasons. First, Nixon needed to come clean so he could stop living the lie....Biblical principle Number 1: We need to stop living lies and come clean with the truth about our own lives. We'll never be free if we are willing to live life without truth about ourselves.
  
• Nixon needed to come clean with America: People were hurting because someone they trusted let them down. Until Nixon came clean healing couldn't begin. Biblical Truth #2: Come clean with those you've wronged. They know what you've done and until you do they cannot trust you again. Not only that, many times your confession is really the starting point for their healing. America didn't really begin the healing process until the confession from Nixon. It still took years but when Nixon finally admitted his wrongs, that's when it started.
• Nixon didn't confess until Frost tossed his clipboard to the ground and spoke from his heart. By getting off the beaten path and just speaking his heart Nixon got off his game and started speaking as a person in pain and not as someone who was trying to keep up the front. Which leads to Biblical Principle #3: If you want to make progress with people you have to get off the beaten path and speak to them from your heart. If you're going to have a canned conversation with someone you can expect canned answers. If you're willing to get real and be a real person you might just get a real person back.
  

Who'd have thunk Nixon would have brought all that out? I could have listed the Biblical passages I was referring to in my principles but that would mean I am spoon feeding you. If this post struck up a nerve do a little research in the word and check it out for yourself!

Week one - Odds and ends

So this is our first weekend where we basically have nothing to do. It's really very strange. For years the weekend was a build up towards whatever was going on sunday morning....either the message, music, or whatever. This weekend I strangely feel none of that.

Tomorrow we are taking some of our flat screen TV's to another church so they can test run them and see if they'll work in their place. I hope they do, I really wanted our stuff to go to other churches who needed things rather than just sell it to the rest of the world. If this works out, about 90% of Real Life's stuff we were able to funnel into other ministries!

We also got a offer to settle up on our lease today. We don't quite have the cash for it yet but we are praying that we'll have it soon. For April and I that's the last big hurdle we feel like we need to address before we can put everything behind us and start moving forward with whatever it is that God is going to do next in our lives.

Had a nice conversation and dinner with Ralph Thompson tonight. We are looking at putting together a band to play some stuff out at clubs. We want to be able to take some Christian crossover music and some clean fun classic rock stuff and go entertain people with a good message. Hope to get going on that soon!

A whole new phase.

For the last 4 years I served as Pastor of a great church. I loved the relationships, the people, and honestly the job of pastoring. As of Saturday, that was all gone. I have been asked by a ton of different people how I am doing and how I feel about Real Life closing and honestly it's hard to give an honest answer that would make sense to them.

Allow me to explain:

• Real Life was something that God breathed into me years ago. Now that it's no longer here it almost feels like I have lost a child. So there is a real and tangible sense of loss.
• Real Life also took up most of my available energy (emotional and physical) so while, I have a sense of loss, there is also a part of me that feels that pressure has been lifted off my shoulders because I can take some time and catch my breath.
• Real Life was the primary source for my relationships. Which was great and bad at the same time. I loved the people but my love for the people in many ways took me away from other friends and family that I should have spent more time with. Now that RL isn't there I am excited about reconnecting with some people that have been on my heart for a long time and I just couldn't get with.
• I am taking some time to go over things we did right and things we did wrong so that I can learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of the church as a whole. That is a painful process to actually look at your actions and think I coulda, and shoulda done XYZ different.
  
• I am sometimes happy as I think back and celebrate the good things that happened. Thinking about the people that stepped into ministry for the first time. Watching them stumble...then catch their feet and start to succeed. That was awesome to see and brings me joy even in the midst of feeling a sense of loss.

I could go on and on but to say that I have mixed emotions would be the understatement of the world!

We'll I need to get back to my day job. Those Papers will not write themselves!

Real Life, Blogging, and Me

Real Life: It's been a surreal kind of week since we have decided to close down Real Life. I have spoken to our folks about the details that made up that decision and why we had to end so abruptly. So I will save those details for our people and not posting them on my blog. Quite frankly, it's just so heart wrenching to keep writing them down. I want everyone who played a part in Real Life from it's inception to the end that I thank them for their service and you should know that I and many other people have been changed for the better because you allowed God to work through you!

Blogging: A few days ago I thought that I would close my blog down and move on. As I woke up this morning and have thought more about it I think that I am going to keep it open and rather than blogging about my thoughts and experiences as a pastor, church planter, and cheerleader of one of the coolest churches ever. I will write about my continuing spiritual journey. Over the next week I will share some of the emotions and struggles I have faced personally as a pastor, leader, and husband.

Me: Where will I go and what will I be doing next? Right now I don't know. April and I are going to take a few months and not go anywhere or do anything church related. After the start of the New Year we'll pick ourselves up, end our sabbatical and start the process of trying to figure out where we fit in the kingdom of God.

Will I be working in ministry again? Probably, but right now I need to step away and spend some time allowing God to fill me up, hence the need for stepping away for a season.

Sunday Mind Dump

This weekend has been a weird one! Both April and I are in some kind of funk where we just feel like crap. There is nothing specific wrong...just not feeling like ourselves. So Let's dump:

• We have one more Sunday service...then we are switching to Saturday evenings...maybe for a month...maybe longer. We'll see how things go and what everyone thinks about it.
• Nice day at church today! Brett really stepped up and took over for his wife this morning. Nice job Brett!
• Had a really long weekend! Hung out and played some outdoor games with my buddy Stu yesterday. Then April and I took off for Cleveland and the Cheesecake factory! She's been wanting Pumpkin cheesecake for the last few years and we never seem to get it. I made sure it happened for her this year.
• Terrible day of football today. Not a good game on TV period :(
• On the plus side my fantasy teams have done pretty well today!
• See everyone out at the Funeral home for Deb's Dad tomorrow evening.

I am out!

Sunday Mind Dump

For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis you'll notice I took a couple of weeks off froem blogging. Last weekend we didn't have an official church service so there was really nothing to mind dump about. I have also just been running around in a crazy busy kinda way. Hopefully, that dies down soon! So, let's dump:

• Kinda liked that new song Sing to the Lord today. Has a nice swingy feel to it!
• Announced today that Shelley Myers was taking over the kitchen manager duties. She'll be in charge of all things food, kitchen, and greeter related. So, from now all direct all your questions in her direction.
• Looking forward to being able to help the hungry and needy in our area via Food For Thought. It's a cool ministry. You can check out their web site at www.freelunchtoledo.com
• If you could take one thing out of today's message I hope it's this. Each of us are called to be servant leaders. Look at the needs right in front of you and do what you can to meet those needs.
• Only two more weekends of Sunday services. Remember we are moving to Saturday evenings from 5:30 starting the first Saturday in Nov. Getting excited about the possibilities of that.
• This weekends gathering is at our house. Looking forward to having everyone over once again. Remember, when I go for my PJ's that's your clue it's time to go home :)
• Felt like crap all day today. Just one of those days where I am in a complete funk...not sure why other than hoping a good nights sleep will do the trick.
  

I am out.

Ever Noticed?

Ever noticed that some people just seem to cause problems every where they go? They blame it on others, they say things like "I just call things like I see them," and they just don't seem to fit in anywhere. I don't know why but this afternoon I was thinking about some people I know and have known that seem to fit this description.

Maybe it hit me as I was doing a little reading in the book of Proverbs today....here is what Proverbs 4:16 says: Evil people are restless unless they’re making trouble; They can’t get a good night’s sleep unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.

We need to understand that there are some people that sow seeds of destruction pretty much every place they go. The go from spouse to spouse because the "other person" isn't meeting their needs, they go from job to job because they see incompetent leaders, they have a hard time keeping friends because we've all let them down, and they go from church to church in search of a pastor or church that does what they like.

Sadly, in church circles, sometimes this group of people are very talented which makes them desirable people to have in church. They are often gifted musicians and teachers (notice I didn't say leaders.) This group of people often comes into a church seeking leadership position and place of influence. All the while they fail to grasp the basic concepts and precepts of the church. They use talent to try and work their way to the top. They fail to understand that in God's model of leadership a person doesn't ascend into leadership they serve their way into leadership.

If you've got people like this in your church get them out of any type of leadership position as quickly as you can. If you don't you're asking for bigger problems down the line. If you have people like this as friends or family pray for them :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Nice day today. So, let's dump:

• Felt great to be back teaching after a two week break. This might be the toughest series I have ever taught but it's stuff we all need to hear.
• Nice to have Big John back behind the drum kit today. Don't worry man, it'll all come back to you soon enough.
• Next week is our second open mic night. I am hoping for a great turnout with lot's of talented people. The last one was a blast and this one should be too! Paul Wise is doing a CD release party as part of the festivities that night.
  
• Next months open mic HallowVox is featured, so you know that'll be good :)
• No Sunday service or Friday Small Groups. We have too much going on with open mic night and the harvest party. Come out and enjoy that!
• Still looking for someone to take over our kitchen at church. If you're interested let me, April, or Tony know.
• Some great things coming up. Really good opportunities to bring people to church.
• I think we are going to change the mythbusters series around a little bit. I am taking some questions and for those that have already sent them my way I'll answer them. I think we are going to change the series and call it "Cow Tipping." I am going to take some shots are tipping some of the sacred cows in church today. Should be a hoot and I will only tick off a few people since most of our people don't have a long church history!

I am out. Looking forward to watching the San Diego Vs Pittsburgh game tonight!

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

On Thursday I made a trip to Indiana to have lunch with my daughter. On the way out I drove through Neapolis. I had a little time to kill so I drove into this cemetery where my Dad's parents are laid to rest. It was a surreal experience in a few ways. First, I hadn't been to that spot since I was a senior in high school as that's when my grandfather died. So, I was driving around looking for their headstones. I had a general idea which part of the cemetery they were in. After a few minutes I found it.

A I looked at the headstones a few thoughts came to mind. First off, it was amazing to me how quickly time seems to have gone by. It's been 23 years since I graduated from high school. Time goes by way too fast and in a blink of an eye our lives are over. We don't have forever to get things straightened out with God.

Which brings me to my second thought. My grandmother accepted Christ very late in her life. I have no doubts that she is in heaven today. My grandfather never did, at least to my knowledge. I wonder what it would be like to live with someone for all those years and all of a sudden they are eternally separated from you? Love my wife, and I love my children. What would eternity be like if I was there without them or they without me?

Sadly, the Bible talks about the notion that the way to heaven is narrow and there would be few that find it. Which leads me to believe that all of us who are believers will at some day be eternally separated from those that we love. That hurts my heart and I wish we'd all been ready to go. Don't wait to share God's love with those you love. Tomorrow may be too late.

Sunday Mind Dump

What a great day today. So let's dump:

• Really enjoyed having David and Billie with us. Hope they are able to come back and hang again soon.
• Bad football day. No good games anywhere.
• Enjoyed having me daughter in church again today even if she was dead tired.
• This economy is really kicking our butts this was our worst month by a mile. Not good.
• The Harvest party is coming in two weeks.
  
• You get me teaching again next week. We are back to our series "Disciple."
• Open mic in two weeks. Should be fun.
• I think I need some dessert. April is really wearing off on me.
• Loved David's reasons why we should support missions :)

I am out!

This weekend

This weekend we're hosting David and Billie Blessing. David is Jeanie Blessings son and a missionary on Guinea. They have a great story about their lives in Africa. I encourage everyone to invite friends and family that have a heart for the hurting and broken in the world to come and hear their stories.

We are going to be taking up an offering to support their ministry. Rather than pick a single day and making a plea to help them here's what I'd like to do: You pray about it and if God lays something on your heart put it in the offering box by October 18th. We'll write one check to cover whatever was given by that date.

Sunday Mind Dump

A nice day all around :)

So let's dump:

• I decided a few days ago that we were not going to do a message today. That we would have a time of worship then release everyone to head out to the Out of the Darkness Walk. What a great day for it.
• On that note, it was really great to see so many Real Lifers out there. Pretty much everyone showed up. How cool is that!
• Next weekend David Blessing is coming by to talk about his life in Africa as a missionary. It will be a good time and very eye opening for many of us.

I am out. It's been a long weekend!

Touch Football and Worship

Ever played two hand touch football? It's fun but it's not really the same thing as full contact football. In full contact football you really need to go all out all the time or you risk being hurt. If you try and play it safe and protect yourself you find that your doing things that will actually put you in the position to get hurt. In football, the safest way to play is full on.

Now some of you are wondering why the title touch football and worship right?

Ok, now I am getting to that. Most of us worship God like we're playing touch football. We worship quietly and safely. We purposely worship God so as to not expose ourselves to him. I believe God is calling us to be full contact worshipers.

What exactly does that mean? It's actually simple. Pursue him with reckless abandonment. Forget about the things that this world has to offer and instead offer yourself up to God no holds barred. If you feel like dancing then dance. If you feel like raising your hands do it. Sing, dance, and give it all to him. The Bible says we should never be lukewarm because God would spit that out of his mouth.

We need to be full contact worshipers. Let it fly. Don't worry about getting hurt....let it all go for him.

Sunday Mind Dump

What a great weekend!

So, let's dump:

• Open Mic night was a big success. It was so much fun having so many new faces come into church to play their music. I cannot wait for the next one in Oct.
• I finally felt comfortable playing guitar and leading worship again today. I've been out of it for a year and a half other than some fill in stuff and I was a little rusty :)
• Tough message today. Here is the cliff notes version. As followers of Jesus we are to do what he did. Here's what he didn't do...spend all his time in church hanging out with people who where already convinced. Here's what he did do...spent his time with people no one else wanted around. That's what we need to do....spend time with those people no one wants around.
• It's been my prayer since we started that as a church we'd see people come through our doors that no one else wants or can reach. Those are usually the outcasts. We are called to be a church of outcasts. I for one fit right in!
• Have I mentioned how much I enjoyed open mic nights?
• Split the kids classes up a little different today. Seems like it went well.
• Love our volunteers. You guys are the best.....we couldn't do this without you!
• Next week we are talking about something most people have some experience with....going fishing.
• Got a nap today. Granted it was only a half hour or so....but, it was still a nap.
• NFL back with a vengeance today. My fantasy teams are holding their own.
• Going to Trezzo's to watch the Bears and the Packers. Question for Tony "Does it hurt less when the Bears loose in HD?"

I am out....have a blessed one :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Great weekend. How nice has this weather been? So let's dump:

• Spares attendance today. Course we knew it woould be do to the holiday. Such is life! Enjoy your time away guys and gals.
• Probably one of the most needed messages today. If you were not in church make sure you give it a listen on the web site.
• Music felt good today.
  
• Went to visit my daughter at college yesterday. Not homesick at all!
  
• Open mic night coming up next weekend. Looking forward to that big time.
• The new kids ministry set up starts next weekend. Should really work better for the kids.

I am out....it's too nice to sit on the computer :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Nice day at church today. I felt much better playing guitar this week than I did last week :)

So let's dump:

• I enjoyed pulling the plug on the electric guitar and the drums for a week and just closing my eyes and worshiping. We don't do that very often but it's fun for me personally when we do.
  
• Might have been one of the best messages of the year. I can tell you one thing...It has nothing to do with me. I wasn't pleased with it at all over the last few weeks with the writing and all. Just goes to show you how much I know.
• Open mic night is coming up in two weeks. I am really excited. I think it's going to be really fun.
• Two weeks until we get the kids ministry changeover done. We'll need to paint and do some remodeling downstairs. If you're interested in helping let me know. We want to make that room really fun for our kids.
• I cannot tell you how big of a thrill it was to see Joe Suchomma come to church today. That is a rolling dead man. If you ever doubted the power of your prayers just think of that guy!
• I am ready to be done with summer and get back to the grind of the fall. Big things in store.

I am out!

Unplugged

Tomorrow we are doing an unplugged worship set. One guitar, one bass, and two voices. It's not something that we do often but I really enjoy it when we do. As much as I love rocking things out, I love taking a little extra time in quiet contemplative worship.

There is no one else for me....none but Jesus :)

Bittersweet Times

These next few days are bitter sweet for me as a Dad. We are packing up Chelsea and taking her off to college. Its an exciting time for her as she is moving on to new things, new experiences, new friends, and a new life. Truth be told, she needs it. We have really protected her and kept a lot of pain from coming her way. She needs to go off and do some things on her own. She needs to know what it's like to have no money and want to go shopping, to the mall, or to the movies. She needs to learn the consequences of staying up too late and then being too tired to take that test! She needs to learn that God will provide for her everything she needs and that her provision comes not from her parents as she has spent 18 years living out. Rather her provision comes from God.

It's tough for us to let her go. It would be really easy to get wrapped up in all the things that could potentially happen to her while she is out of our care. After all, there are some bad people out there! We could live a life of fear and try to talk her out of going. We could live a life of fear and do a lot of things but that just aint right. We'll miss her while she is away. We'll miss her smile and her sense of humor. We'll miss her clumsiness. We'll miss the way she calls Daddddddyyyy can you help me fix this thing. All that stuff we will surely miss. We'll miss her constant longing for Arizona Green Tea with Honey.

At the end of the day there are many things we could fear but the Bible says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear. But of power love and a sound mind." I didn't realize months ago when I started working on this weekends message that much of it was going to be for me. This weekend we are talking about living a life without fear!

God knows our struggles, he knows our insecurities, he knows our pain, and he knows our fears. It is so awesome that the creator of the universe set in motion a message that will help me overcome this weekend. I hope it does the same for you too!

Don't allow Satan to move you into living a life of fear. Life with freedom and victory in your life.

Sunday Mind Dump

Great to see everyone after our mini sabbatical! So, let's dump:

• Felt great to be back teaching again after a few weeks off. Playing music was a little tougher for me today and I never felt in the grove of it.
  
• Thanks to everyone who came out to help the Trezzo clan with their move yesterday. It went really smooth!
• God's been messing me up with some things lately. I am sure it'll make its way into messages eventually. It usually does.
• Myth Busters is coming. Get me your questions as quick as you can!
• Good talk today on temptation....if you only take one thing away from it I hope it's this: If you don't want to get stung....GET AWAY FROM WHERE THE BEES ARE!
• Temptation is subtle. Be aware of what's coming at you.
• Next week we are talking about the Lie that Satan would like us to live a life of fear. He'd like us to be afraid of the future, God, what people think, him.....and a host of other things. The good news is that the battle is won.....Don't listen to those lies..
• A couple of quick notes. We are doing a Harvest Party this year....dates will follow.
  
• Open mic night is in a few weeks.....for pete's sake....bring a friend :)
• Small group gatherings are coming in three weeks. I really look forward to that.
  

See Ya'll soon (my best southern!)

Tanned, Rested, and Ready.

It was great to get away for a week with the family but now I am tanned, rested, and ready! We have some really cool things on the agenda at Real Life over the next few months. Open mic nights, some great message series, some changes to the kids ministry, and a host of other things. I am really excited about where we are and some things that God is doing. We're going to have a short meeting after church on Sunday to talk about some things and talk about those changes....hope everyone can make it :)

Sunday Mind Dump

This Sunday mind dump is a little different than most since I only have a second had understanding of what happened today. So, let's dump:

• Long couple of days. It was nice to get to visit with some family I haven't seen in 9 years yesterday.
• Something I have been learning over the last week. Relationships trump vision every time. Which goes against the grain of everything I have ever read on ministry and planning. It's not that everyone is wrong it's just vision without a greater level of relationship is hollow because you don't have the support to back it up. I think of it like this. Soldiers will follow a great leader to their death without question. Those same soldiers will not follow a leader into battle they don't trust. Relationships trump Vision.....If you have vision and relationships your getting somewhere.
• Yesterday was a little surreal for me. We took the kids over to my Dad's grave. It seems like forever since he's been here. It also seems like it was just yesterday that he died. It's been 9 years. I have never really felt the need to go visit his grave. I know some people really experience healing and release by making treks to their loved ones grave site...for me that's never been the case (not saying if that's you your wrong.) I know that my Dad couldn't be farther from that spot on the earth and my visit to that spot holds no special meaning. It was however nice to take the kids there.
• At at Zaxby's tonight. It's a great little chicken place down south. I've been wanting to eat there for some time. It was good!
• At a nice little hotel tonight and I am going to watch a little pre-season football.
  
• Tomorrow we hit the boat and I will be off the grid for until next weekend. That is a first for me without a doubt!

Have a great and blessed night!!

Messing Me Up

I have heard so many deep thoughts from great Christian thinkers this week. It's really messing me up. One of them I am still trying to process full was from Brian Houston. Brian is the Pastor of Hillsong Church in Australia. He said "As Christians, we should be known by what we are for, not by what we are against." DANG! THATS GOOD!

Sadly, many of us in the church have let our passions get the best of us and to the world we are known mostly by what we are against rather than what we are for.

When you think about it. We follow Jesus not for what he was against but because of who he was and what he stood for. Jesus stood for the poor and hungry. Jesus stood for the abused and neglected. Jesus stood for the fatherless and the widowed.

Question: What do you stand for? Or as a Christian are you known by what you are against?

It's Ladies Night

Ladies....ever wonder why some things seem to be out of sorts in your relationship with your husband? Pastor Perry Noble wrote a great blog post about some things that perhaps you should consider looking at and some questions that you need to be asking about your relationship. I thought that they were spot on so here is his blog post:

Also, Fyi....I did not write the post about questions husbands should ask their wives cause it's linked into Perry's post. I would suggest men read those as well.

Four Questions Wives Should Ask Their Husbands

Posted: 05 Aug 2009 04:43 AM PDT

A few weeks ago I did this post about Five Questions Husbands Should Ask Their Wives that got a lot of attention…and I received a lot of communication from women and men asking, “what should wives ask their husbands?” So…I thought I would give it a shot! (Tried to think of five…but the truth is men just don’t need as much conversation as women do!) :-)

#1 - Do You Feel Admired?

Ladies, your huband wants to know that YOU think he looks good–period! AND…you should NEVER allow someone at work to tell him “that looks good on you,” or, “you look good in that shirt.” He’s YOUR husband…and YOU should do all that you can to make sure you admire him!

Trust me…there isn’t a man on this planet that doesn’t want to hear “I think you are hot/sexy/all that and a bag of chips” from the lady he most admires and desires! And ladies…you cannot take for granted–HE WANTS and NEEDS to hear this from you!

Trust me…NO ONE’S opinion matters to me more than Lucretia’s…and if she says I look good–then DANG IT…I do! What is SO dangerous is that often times men will have someone in their lives that makes them feel admired–satan will make sure of that!!! BUT…if he is getting the attention/admiration from his wife then it makes it SO much easier to lead with confidence and resist temptation that comes his way.

SO…ask him…does he feel admired by you? It DOES matter to him!

#2 - Do You Feel Respected?

EVERY man wants respect! AND…every man wants to be respected by his wife. (Ladies–STOP IT…I know some of you are saying right now, “well, when he begins to be respectable then I will…”) That isn’t the point here…the question is from YOU to HIM…and it do you feel respected?

Let me give you a few insights…

• His answer is going to be “no” if you are always telling your children what a loser their father is and that you wish he were a better dad to them.
• His answer is going to be “no” if you are always telling your girlfriends (usually in the form of a prayer request) what a low life he is and how he drives you crazy.
• His answer is going to be “no” if he has shared vulnerable thoughts and emotions with you…and you take that information and use it as a “conversation piece” with your lunch buddies!
• His answer is going to be “no” if you have never taught your children to thank him for the way he provides and such.
• His answer is going to be “no” if you are NEVER interested in what he is doing. (I am amazed at how many women don’t even know what their husband does at work…or what his favorite hobby is.)

One of his BIGGEST NEEDS is to feel respected…and the person he needs it from the most is his wife!

So…ask him.

#3 - Do You Feel Taken Care Of?

Every man, from time to time, wants to be able to come home and relax for a few minutes…to take off his shoes and just sit down. BUT…when a wife stands at the door and barks out orders before the garage door closes…a man feels pressured and pressed down…and honestly begins to think, “I should have stayed at work…at least there I get treated like I am somebody!”

This does not negate the fact he needs to show up and serve…but from time to time…give him a break when he hits the door and let him catch his breath. Trust me…this is HUGE!

#4 - Is Our Sex Life Fulfilling To You?

Anytime “men” are discussed in marriage you just KNOW that SEX is going to be a topic of discussion!

BTW…if you don’t want to ask this question…you probably already know the answer!

In every survey that I’ve ever read sex is ranked #1 by men in regards to what they need (I think breathing is #2!)

Men want to know that their wife wants them…sexually. Believe me…it DOES matter to him. And ladies…just the fact that you take the time to ask this question will mean more to him than you could ever imagine.

AND…the ONLY way this area of a marriage will get better is if couples are willing to talk about it. My gosh…YOU’RE MARRIED!

If their has been pain and disappointment in the past–that needs to be talked about. If their have been unmet expectations on your part…then that needs to be talked about. YES, I know it “takes two to tango…” BUT…

The purpose of this question is for you to ask does he feel taken care of in this area. I KNOW this can be SO uncomfortable for so many couples right now…but you can either deal with it now…OR you WILL deal with it later.

Uncomfortable conversations must take place at times in order for a marriage to achieve its maximum potential!

So…ladies…there you go.

Good Practice

We had a good practice tonight and have a pretty good line up of songs for Friday's Show. Looks like the weather is going to be great for the event and we are all looking forward to it. Grace Church has plugged the event pretty good in the community so hopefully they get a great turnout for it.

Remember if you're going and want to get in on a car pool get with me soon so we can get you connected to others going.

Sunday Mind Dump

Today was an awesome day for me personally and a great day for Real Life as well. To say that the last two months have been interesting would be an understatement. All that aside, God rocked my world more than you'll ever know today. Yet again in my feeble little man made mind I placed some limitations on him that he completely blew out of the water. I was thinking and hoping for one thing and he provided much much more that that. So, let's dump:

• As you can see life goes on. We'll miss Aaron on vocals and guitar no doubt, but we still have some really talented people at Real Life. For now, I am taking over the role of Worship Leader. I am planning the songs, working on their arraignments, and handling the worship and arts ministry. Do I want to do this forever? No. I am praying God sends us someone who has a passion for worship and who has all the skills to be an effective leader of people. Until that day I will lead the band.
  
• Some might ask "why isn't April the worship leader? After all, she did it before." Yes, that's true and she did a good job of it. The problem is this. It's really hard to replace someone who is still on the team so even when God does provide for the next leader April will still have a part of the band and we don't want the leader to feel like they are stepping on her toes or going to her to handle problems they should be handling. I on the other hand, have no problems walking away from the worship ministry and just being a fill in when needed. By me taking over the ministry we are hopefully setting the next person up for a smoother transition :)
• Finished the series I <3>
• Love that closing song. Have I mentioned that?
• Going to be on a blogging hiatus over the next few weeks as we'll be off the grid for our vacation. I might check in if I can we'll see. Also in that note, if you need anything give Trezzo a call. He'd love to listen :)
• If you're going to Grace Church for the HallowVox concert next Friday let me know so we can help you work out a car pool. We do have people that want to go but might need rides.
• Met some great people in church today.
• The kids are leading worship next week. They're practicing Tuesday night @ 7!
  
• Love that closing song.....
• I am spent I only got a few hours sleep last night. Worked out this evening and hopefully that will knock me out when the time comes!!

I am outta here....gonna chill with my gal :)

Lot's of Reflection

Been doing a lot of reflection of how far we've come over the last few years. Man God has done some incredible things at Real Life. Seeing and watching people live changed lives. Seeing God heal people. Seeing his provision. Seeing people develop in ministry. And some things, I can't even write about because they are private. Just incredible.

At times when it seems that there are more questions than answers it can be helpful if you are able to reflect on what God has done. Not for the sake of being nostalgic or thinking about how good things used to be. We occasionally reflect, because it helps to remind us of God's character. If God has done all of those things in the past and he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Why would we even consider the possibility that he might not continue his work in us?

Wise Words

Some very wise words from Perry Noble. Love the thought here.....sometimes the stuff going on in our lives is painful.....

Preparation H and Confession

Posted: 28 Jul 2009 04:49 AM PDT

OK…so from time to time I am accused of being a little too transparent when I communicate…the following post will give evidence of that…and many of you may scream “TMI,” nonetheless…here we go…

Buying Preparation H is embarassing.

How do I know? I did it the other day…and not because I wanted to play a joke on someone…but because I needed it!

I was intimated walking into the drug store…and didn’t know where to look for it. BUT…(ha ha…”but”) I wasn’t about to ask where the hemorrhoid medicine was located…I guess I could find it myself.

After I located it I had to walk it up front and pay for it. For a brief second I thought about shoplifting…seriously…because I knew that the person who was going to ring me up was going to know what I was dealing with!

BUT…I decided to go ahead and get it over with. SO…I walked up to the cash register and a lady was standing there (GREAT…if it would have been a dude I could have at least cracked off a joke or something!) I handed her the box of Preparation H and she looked at it, sort of smiled and then rang it up.

I wanted to tell her it wasn’t for me…that is was for a friend…that I was getting a gag gift for someone. BUT…reality is this–I was in pain and wanted relief…and thus had to face a pretty embarassing situation in order to get my problem solved. (Yes, things are MUCH better–thanks for asking!)

I just KNOW that after I left the store that people probably referred to me as “butt boy” or “pastor preparation h!” BUT (ha-ha)…pain and discomfort will either produce desperation or denial…and I simply could not accept things the way they were.

WHICH brings me to how we do life (yes…this does have a point!)

I know a lot of people who are miserable right now…not sad, not disheartened…but MISERABLE. The reason = there is something going on inside of them that is painful…their marriage is struggling, they can’t stop looking at porn, they are WAY overextended financially or maybe they are involved in an affair.

AND…they are being tormented on the inside…seriously, the level of discomfort that they are going through is, at times, overwhelming…and they want relief…however,

What they must go through to get relief is not worth the price of relief in their minds (confession and repentance)…and so they just keep pretending that things are fine…not realizing that to deny the voice of God is to venture down a path of destruction.

The Bible says in James 5:16 that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another…in other words…we NEED one another.

It is embarassing to confess sin? YES! It it tough to admit that sin is dominating your life? YES! Will people talk about you and quite possibly make fun or you? YES!!! It’s NOT EASY…but…

To remain in a situation that Jesus is calling you out of will lead to more embarrassment than we could even imagine. I once heard someone say, “The consequences of concealment are far more damaging than the consequences of confession!”

So…do you have people in your life to whom you can talk with…REALLY talk with…about what is going on in your life?

Is there anything about you that, if it became known, would destroy your marriage? You reputation? Your relationship with your children?

You CAN’T live in that discomfort…b/c like I said earlier…to remain in discomfort will lead to destruction.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit is NOT God judging you…but rather Him being merciful!!! Why would we resist God trying to refine us? Answer–it MAY be embarassing…

When in actuality to remain where some of us are will be FAR more embarassing…

SO…anything you need to say or do?

Sunday Mind Dump

This was a long and busy week. Hospital visits, birthdays, and a host of other things to keep a guy busy. Finally able to unwind a little tonight. So let's dump:

• Had fun watching people tell their stories of what Real Life has meant to them and done in their lives. That will never get old and always remind us why we do what we do.
• Today was Aaron and Tara's last day. It's always hard to see someone move on and even harder when those people are such a big part of your church. Here is what I know. God provides. He provided a worship leader before and he'll do it again. Course, we still love A & T and they are welcome back anytime :)
• Starting next week yours truly will be taking over the band. There will be some changes in the way we sound. We'll have a little more keyboards and use just one guitar for now. We're going to look for another worship leader and guitar player but until that time we'll adjust.
• Great time at Abbies graduation party. Although I still smell like smoke from the grill :)
  
• Looking forward to getting a week and a half off. I love getting away with April and the kids.

Well got a few more things to finish tonight!

Sunday Mind Dump

Great day at church today. The band played pretty solidly and it seemed like people where having a good time. Nice to See an old friend of Real Life back in church today. So, let's dump:

• Band sounded good. I think we could have been a little louder but we did sound pretty good.
• Great to see someone other than us use our church yesterday. We need to do a better job of promoting our place for parties and stuff. It's perfect for showers and parties.
• We are going to be making some big changes to how we run our kids ministry. We'll make those announcements next month.
• We are doing everything we can do deal with the financial issues the economy has brought our way. At the end of the day, we have to realize that God is in control and we are to do whatever he asks us to do. As of now, it's going to be close for the next few months.
• Looking forward to getting away with the family for a week. Hard to believe my baby girl is going to be 18 this week. I am way to young for that :P

I and out!

Sunday Mind Dump

I am not sure about everyone else but I actually had a great time at church today! The music was great and I really enjoyed giving today's message. Learning to hear God's voice is something every Christian struggles with from time to time....So, let's dump:

• IF you want to hear God speak into your life there are 4 basic things you need to do....first, have an open heart and mind. Second, set aside some daily quiet time and just listen. Third, Get along and eliminate the distractions of life. Lastly, be willing to do what he tells you in advance. Seems simple doesn't it?
• The band sounded great today. Lot's of positive comments about the music. People really loved the closing song. Great choice Aaron :)
• Tough meeting after church talking about some of the struggles we are having as a church. Many churches are struggling with the same things as us. It's a sign of the times. God is in control and we are merely along for the ride.
• Next week's message is even better than this weeks. I am stoked.
• We'll get to the I love my church series in a couple of weeks. It's taking longer than we'd like to edit the video's we shot. As soon as those are all completed we'll be ready to go. I know you're all eagerly waiting but patience is a virtue!
• Going to be making some big changes in the way we run our kids ministry. You'll hear about it more over the next few weeks.
  
• I am loving this song called "How He Loves." It's coming to Real Life soon. Really soon :)

I am outta here....my wife says that I need a shower.

Dinner

Been playing with a recipe for chicken enchiladas....we'll see if this one is the bomb or not. I can't seem to find one I really like. If you happen to have one send it my way and I will gladly award you with 1000 brownie points. Make sure you give it to me and not April as she will eat the brownie points and you'll be left with nothing :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Man, I had a blast this weekend. First off, thank you to everyone who has served our country and given a part of themselves for our freedom. The 4th of July always takes me back to my days serving as a paramedic in the Army. I know the costs that were paid and I am glad to call you my brothers and sisters :)

So, let's dump:

• Had a lot of fun playing guitar for Aaron the last few weeks however the party is over, now let's bring back the REAL worship leader :)
• Loved Perry Noble's message this morning on God is Here. Perry is very funny, but he can also preach like no ones business.
• Thanks John and Shelley for having everyone out to your boat Saturday for food and festivities.
• Still really loving the new set up at church. All those new tables really help deliver the coffee house feel.
• Got a new guitar toy I am going to be breaking out next weekend. I love it.
• Had a bunch of people over to the house for dinner and games this afternoon....Lot'sa fun.

That's it....I could say a few more things but it's midnight and I do need my beauty rest.

I Love Our People

One of the things I really love about Real Life is that I don't have to be everywhere and do everything. In some churches, the lead pastor is the guy on everything. He handles all the hospital visits, phone calls, moral boosters, teaching, etc.

Today when I went to the hospital I found out that I was the 4th or 5th visit from a Real Life member or staff person. How cool is that? Our people love each other so much that they'll make sure they get up to the hospital to visit those of us in need :)

I LOVE that you guys rock it like that!!!

Planning and thinking ahead

Over the last few days I have been doing some planning and thinking ahead.....here are a few things I am pondering.

Teaching: Next month we are doing the I Love My Church series. That should be a lot of fun! I totally changed my mind on what I was teaching and we are changing up the teaching series. We are going to do a series called Five Lies: Things Satan Wants You to Believe. The sad thing is many time in life we are not only believing Satan's lies but we are acting on them. This August we are going to start the process of confronting them.

Outreach: Now that we have the tables in place I am kicking around doing a once a month open mic night. We could have bands come and play a few songs, poets, artists, and maybe a band to close out the night. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear them....

Celebrate Recovery: We are moving in that direction. Not sure when we'll be ready for it but it will happen. Part of the purpose of our pastoral coaching and consulting network is meant to help us design that. When we feel like we have it down we'll move forward. The only thing worse than not doing something is doing something really poorly and leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth :)

Sunday Mind Dump

I wish I could say today was a great day at church but in reality it sucked. Not from a programming perspective but from a people perspective. Today I had to watch someone I care about deeply break down as I had to tell everyone how someone she was married to/in a relationship with for 12 years decided to leave her to pursue a sinful relationship with a woman who was a Sunday school teacher and for a time her best friend. Sin Sucks. Because they refuse to deal with the sin we are forced (Matthew 18) to cut off fellowship with both of these people. Relationships and trust have been shattered. Kids lives are about to be permanently damaged and the parties involved are smiling all the way to their destruction.

We say this all the time but our sin and our desires if left unchecked will always take us farther and cost us more than we are willing to pay. The sad thing is (much like buying on credit) we don't fully appreciate the cost until it's too late. I am afraid for this new "couple" the truest cost is going to be paid not by them but the kids and those around them. Right now they are leaving a path of destruction pretty much everywhere they go. Hopefully, the healing process began today at our church for the people who have been hurt.

So let's dump:

• We played a song I wrote last summer. It's nice to take a private prayer and hear it sung by the church in worship.
• Seems like people really enjoyed our new look. We are almost finished with the cafe'/coffee house design. It is cool and makes the place so neat!
• Nice to sit in for Aaron Hammitt for a few weeks on guitar. I don't get to play my acoustic very often so it's fun for me. Painful on the fingers, but still fun. I am not nearly as good as he is and it shows :)
• Almost finished shooting the I love my church video's. One left to shoot and we'll be finished. Some very cool things going into them!
• After church I took a 2 hour nap. I was spent after this week and the Real Life sale a thon yesterday!
• Just took April out for some Baskin Robbins. We're not really big drinkers so ice cream is our vice :)

Ready to call it a night....peace out everyone.

Fun Tomorrow!

Tomorrow will be our second annual church wide garage sale! It's going to be a blast and some really good deals to be had :) Hope to see everyone there anytime from 9-3.

Current Playlist

I am really digging some new and older music these days....right now here is what I am jamming on

Shaun Groves-Invitation to Eavesdrop
Hillsong-This is our God
Robbie Seay Band-Give Yourself Away
The Normals-Coming to Life
David Crowder Band-Remedy
Kari Jobe-Self Titled (Not normally my thing but she so reminds me of my wife's singing...I know those are suck up points...but hey....love my wife what can I say?)

There is more.....but that's what's in my current napster rotation :)

Three Years

Just sitting around the house and I began to realize that I have been in full-time ministry for three years now. Some big lessons learned. Lot's of mistakes made. Some fun. Some really tough times. God has been faithful through it all.

I don't even want to begin to think about what the next three years are going to be like. If I knew I probably wouldn't want to go there :)

Coffee House Style

So we have been doing a bit of a modified coffee house style setup for quite a while. The fact is we just couldn't find enough of the right kind of tables to finish out the room at a price we could afford. That was until yesterday (thanks to Shelley Myers!) She found us a bunch more of the round tables we needed and so as of this weekend we'll be all tables and no seating in a line. We are hoping that this helps to even more create a warm friendly and inviting place for people to come and connect with God and each other.

How cool is that?

Rough Day

Yesterday was a rough day for many of us, and I am no exception. We've been let down be people we loved and trusted. At the end of the day, it still comes down to this. We all have a sin nature. We all have a nature that says I want what I want. We each have a choice to make. The choice is a simple one and it's it must be made daily. We have to choose daily whether or not we are going to choose our way or if we are going to pay attention to the word of God and choose his way.

Many of us can see the path of destruction that follows people when they choose their way over God's way. Families can be torn apart. Children suffer. Friendships are torn apart and trust is broken.

So, what then do we do in times like this? We pray and we trust that God will work in the persons life. We hope and pray for repentance and ultimately that God will restore the person or persons to right standing in the family. We love on the innocent and encourage them. We are going to do just that. We are going to love on the innocent and pray for those who are choosing the wrong paths.

Sunday Mind Dump

A good day at church today. It was nice for me to not have to get in the building early :) I actually didn't show up until 9:30 today! So, let's dump:)

• Nice to see Big John back on the drums today! He did a great job!
• Loved the message by Francis Chan today. Man, do we ever need to be a church of power. So many of us are week and scared.
• So far we are 3 video shoots down for our I Love My Church series. I am really looking forward to it.
• Aaron is going to be gone for a few weeks so you'll get me and greenie back on guitar for the next few weeks.
• Got some really difficult things to deal with over the next week. Would appreciate your prayers for me, the parties involved, and our church.

I am out for the night. God Bless all!

Sleeping In Sunday

So, this might be the first Sunday since we have started that I actually did not show up when the doors opened. I was actually going to take the day off today but April and I decided against it because we are going to have to be gone 2 weekends in August.....So, this morning I am hanging around the house and am going to go into church a half an hour or so before it starts. It feels good and yet weird at the same time. I am liking the quiet on Sunday mornings thought.....doing some praying and the like before the worship experience.

See ya'll there :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Nice day at church. Ernie did a great job. Teaching a large group isn't easy and when you aren't used to it...it's even harder. Way to go!

So let's dump:

• The band was decent today. I for one just didn't feel in the grove of it.
  
• Seems like a lot of people really liked the new song we did this week.
• Sadly, the web cast didn't get saved right. Since I was on it we can blame me. I am not sure what happened to it :(
• As I write this my wife is trying clothes on for our vacation in August. Gotta love the mind of a woman....at least I would if I could understand it :)
• Great party at church yesterday, congrats to Brett Suchomma. Now comes the hard part....finding a job.
• Got the One Prayer DVD messages down to 3....I only need two and cannot seem to make my mind up on which two. I guess there are worse problems in the world....

I am out!

Week Two

We are in week two of our One Prayer series. Tomorrow will be a first for Real Life in that our Children's Pastor Ernie Sampson will be giving the message. Should be a good time :)

See ya'll there...(my best southern accent)

Tuesday Mind Dump

Ok Ok....I know I normally do the mind dump on Sunday's but I was spent on Sunday and I wanted to take yesterday to come to terms with something I need to say via this mind dump....so let's dump:

• Nice day at church. I loved the fact that everything seemed so calm and people just hung out and talked.....that is awesome.
• Love that new song "Revelation Song." I forced April to put it in...seemed like everyone enjoyed it....thank you :)
• Thanks to everyone who came out to Chelseas grad party! The tough thing about those party's for me is I always feel like I have to spend time with everyone thereby not spending quality time with anyone. If someone could tell me how to address that I would be forever in your debt.
• April knocked it out of the park with her message. Had several people tell me how much that ment to them and that they could really relate to what she said. It's goes to prove yet again that if you allow him....he'll never allow your pain to go to waste

On to a much harder subject. A guy I have respected in ministry for years just resigned from his church...and this is a big church with thousands of members....for having an affair with his personal assistant. I have to admit...my first instict was to be critical of him......How could someone that God has trusted so much with allow himself to be put in the position of allowing a moral failure? Pastors should never...ever put themselves into the position where that is even an option....Having said that...I, and we have to come to terms with something that is at it's core quite scary for any of us... and that's this....what if everthing we do was put in the public eye?

If that were the case would any of us be able to lead a church? I am not sure......We all sin and this guy was no exception his just happened to be the kind that we preach against...He removed himself from ministry and the church is picking up the pieces...they are dealing with hurt....broken trust....and a host of other things from the fallout.....anyway...all that said.....I believe what happened to him could very easily happen to any of us...that's why I have done everything possible to keep April as my partner in ministry.....Is she a pastor...no....does she have a pastors heart...no....but she is my partner anway......since we have started in ministry here are a few things that we have done to try and make sure what happened to that pastor never happens to me:

• April keeps my schedule and she knows where I am at all times.
• April has access to, and daily reads my email. I will not allow myself to keep secrets from her....I will say, if someone has a private conversation with me it will stay private but emails are another story.
• Unless it is a life or death situation I will not meet with a female who is not my wife alone. Period.....not for counselling...not for coffee....nothing (ok....except for my daughter and family members!)
  
• April keeps track of our finances....It's not that I can't or won't....but at the end of the day I cannot hide anything from her if she keeps the books.

This kind of thing can happen to anyone. I challange each of you to look at your lives honestly and examine area's where you may potentially be giving the Devil a foothold or a way into your life. We all need accountability....find someone you can share with for me it's April.

Saw This on Craigslist....cracked me up!

You think I'd fit in with this band???

Here is the word for word ad:


"Looking for Harmonica player, flute payer, tambourine player, and someone to play the church organ

Our Influences include: Janis Joplin, Rolling Stones, Doors, Canned Heat, Mott the Hoople, Procol Harem, Three Dog Night, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Blood Sweat and Tears, Jethro Tull, Cat Stevens, Dave Clark Five, Iron Butterfly, Zombies, Grateful Dead.

Don't care about your influences as long as your under the influence.

Bring the pot, bell bottoms, tiedye, and sandals. We'll have a hookah of a time.

Anyone left from woodstock please reply. Please no emails....only phonecalls.

Peace, Love, Dope"

My take.....they had to be high to write this....I love the fact you need to call not email and they didn't leave a phone number!!! Sweet!!

Sunday Mind Dump

To say that God is still messing me up (check last blog post) big time would be an understatement. I think he's even doing a number on my wife over that same thought. She has said things over the last few days that she's never said....I think God is in the process of doing something huge in our ministry. I wish I could find words to describe how that feels:) So let's dump:

• Unplugged service today was cool. We'll try it agian in a few months and see how it goes.
• Murphy set up shop in our church today. Seemed like everything was breaking or on the fritz!
• Hard message today on communion. Had to give it.....I know some people were thinking and holding back while they allowed God to work in them.
• April and I had a very healthy dinner tonight. We went to Baskin Robbins!
• Couple new songs coming over the next few weeks. I am really excited about them!
• Played tennis again today.....feeling really good and getting in better shape!

Outta here.....a couch is calling my name!

Messing Me Up-Big Time

April, Tony, and I are involved in a leadership coaching network. As part of that network we meet ever month or so with a group of other leaders that are helping us grow as pastors and church leaders. Everyone needs someone to push them if they are going to become all that God desires them to be.

Last week. Last weekend, one of the leaders (Don)in our network mentally smacked me upside the head and it has been really doing a work on me since. He asked me two very pointed questions that a week later I am still trying to make sense of and process. One of the questions he asked was "Jeff would you be OK with it if God never sent a new person into your ministry here at Real Life?" For me, clearly the answer was no...we need to grow.

But at it's most core level that's a much deeper question than it seems. Because at it's core it means how would you treat those people already in your care. Would you devote your life to them and lead them fearlessly? Would you turn your focus and energy toward developing them? That is the one of the questions I think we are dealing with as a church. Are we as a church and as leaders willing to sell out to the people that we already have? Don made a major point to emphasize his point....he pointed out that Jesus was quite content with a church of 12. Those 12 followed him for 3 years and then he released them into a ministry that would change the world.

If I am being honest I personally struggle with that. Churches need to grow or they will slowly die...that is a simple fact. The question is how you are going to grow the church. Conventional wisdom says you grow the church through marketing and getting your name out there. Jesus wasn't concerned with that. He put his time into 12 guys. We need to put our time into developing those we have. If we do that we won't have to be concerned with changing the world. They will do it for us.

Sunday/Monday morning mind dump

A nice day at Real Life. Yesterday's message was probably one of the most important we have done. The simple fact is, whatever kind of bailout you need...whether it's physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual it's going to come by prayer. We all need to be better prayers. Not better in terms of the way we sound when we pray I mean better in how we ask....Maybe a better thing to say is we need to be authentic prayers.....So let's dump:

• The band was killer today. Aaron is a great worship leader. I love his humble spirit.
• Summer season kicked off today. That means smaller crowds and that is ok...remember the church exists for you. You don't exist for the church. Don't feel bad about enjoying time away with your family!
• Played tennis again last night. I am really digging being on a tennis team. It's great exercise and a lot of fun!
• Getting ready to get the food prep started today....potatoe salad....steaks on the grill...and a day with the family.....gotta like that :)
  

Sunday Mind Dump

What a great day today!

Seriously, I had a blast. I am dog tired but I had a lot of fund. This morning I sat in for our worship leader (he's on vacation in MX with his wife) which was fun. But even better than that. I got to play guitar while my boy played drums. How cool is that for a Dad?

After church the band headed over to the lodge at Strawberry park and played a 2 hour set for Amy Jo's graduation party. That was a lot of fun as well. Thanks to Scott & Steve (From HallowVox) for coming and siting in with the band. We really needed him to sing with Aaron being out and Steven did a good job getting the sound dialed in. If you're not a musician you really have no idea how hard it is to take your gear and set up in some rooms and get a good sound!

So Let's Dump:

• Week 2 of the bailout series. Stu did a good job talking about learning to be content. Nice to see him, his family, and a few friends today :)
• Next week we are talking about how we can get our bailout from God. Hopefully we can bring the series full circle.
• In two weeks we are going to do church a little different. We are doing something called Vintage Faith Sunday. We are going to turn the lights down. Unplug the guitars and drums and go acoustic. We are going to do a few more songs than normal, partake in communion, and have a message that talks about what communion is and why it's so important.
• If you're wanting to head to Celebrate Recovery next weekend make sure you let us know soon. Right now it looks like we are going to have 2 car loads full of people. After CR Real Life will take eveyone out for pizza and we'll talk about what we saw.
  
• One Prayer...coming in June!

Renner out.....dang....I think that only works for Ryan Seacrest.

Dang It.

So last night I was in bed and not really sleeping. Sometimes my mind just races but sometimes (and this isn's something I am proud of) God uses that time to speak to me (probably because I am too busy telling him stuff during the day.)

Any way...Last night God kept telling me that "I am not my own that I have been bought with a price."

Guys for better or worse (usually for better) we are not our masters. Each of us have been bought with a price and we need to understand that there is a contract on our lives. Jesus Christ, in his mercy paid the price for our wrongs. When we accept that we inherit eternal live because the price had been paid for our wrongs. In a sense by accepting Jesus gift of eternal life, we enter into a contract with God in that our lives are no longer our own they belong to God.

Because our lives are no longer our own we need to seek God and discover our purpose and live with zeal and abandon toward that purpose. We can no longer chase after the desires of our hearts. God has invested too much in us to allow us to enter into a moral failure. It doesn't matter if people criticize (and they will), and it doesn't matter if we always understand it. We just need to be obedient.....Dang It!

That messes me up.

Sunday Mind Dump

Great day at Real Life Church. I had a blast playing guitar and singing with the band. It's rare that I get to do it. Kinda nice to actually play two weeks in a row, we'll miss you Aaron but have fun in MX. Ok...so let's dump:

• The first weekend of our Where's My Bailout series. Had a great time teaching today. Some of the stuff I said was a little hard to hear and I know that but it's still true. So let's have a few highlights.
• First off. I refuse to participate in fear.
• I refuse to focus on the negative.
• I refuse to worry about those things I cannot control.
• I cannot worry about that which God has removed from my life.....It's not that those things or people were not important to me. But the simple fact is, If God needed them in my life for his work in me they or it would still be there.
• We have to remember that our lives are full of times and seasons...recession is a season and it will pass.
• The band sounded killer today...we were very tight.
  
• Loved giving all the Bath and Body Works stuff out to the ladies for Mothers Day....we need all you Mothers and we appreciate every one of you :)
• I really dig the show Deadliest Catch....I am watching the marathon as I type this.
• Next week our old friend Stu is stopping by Real Life to give the message. Should be a really fun day!

I am out!

Link Love for Craig Groeschel Part 2

Here is the second part of the leadership post by Craig Groeschel.....enjoy :)

The Second “D”

To pursue your dream, at some point, you’ll likely have to take an aggressive step. Phase two is to make the decision to pursue your dream.

This sounds easier than it is.

A friend of mine who occasionally flies a small plane recreationally once described to me the point of no return on takeoffs. He explained that on the runway, there comes a point that the pilot must be absolutely committed to takeoff. If the pilot isn’t committed at full throttle, he’ll run out of runway and won’t get the plane off the ground.

The same is true of the dream. At some point, you’ll have to make a faith decision.

Your faith decision could be as bold as leaving a job or moving your family to another country. Or it could be as simple as going public with your dream, starting to raise money, or forming a 501c-3.

No matter what the decision, to step toward your destiny will often require a daring step away from your security. In other words, if you want to walk on water, you’re going to have to get out of the boat.

Remember, it is impossible to please God without faith.

When did you make a big faith decision toward your dream? Or… Do you have a decision to make?

Link Love for Craig Groeschel

Love this lesson in leadership taught by Craig Groeschel (www.lifechurch.tv) these are his words not mine.....enjoy!

The 4 D’s of Leadership

Years ago I did a study of Joseph. On his way to God’s ultimate plan, Joseph (as well as many other leaders) experienced four specific phases on the road to his destiny.

This week we’ll talk about the four phases (or D’s) most leaders experience.

The first phase is the dream.

Long before he had any credibility with others, God gave Joseph a dream.

It is noteworthy that those closest to him didn’t like or understand his dream. In fact, Joseph’s dream of future leadership incensed his brothers.

How do you uncover your dream, burden, or passion? It helps to wrestle with these statements and fill in the blanks.

I’ve always wanted to _________________________________.
I believe I was created to _______________________________.
My deepest passion is _________________________________.
I’ve never told anyone _________________________________.
I’ll regret this if I don’t try ______________________________.

Maybe God has planted a dream in your heart to start a different kind of church, or to fund water wells for those without clean drinking water, or to disciple 12 underprivileged kids, or to write intimate worship songs, or to create Christian movies for children, or to find a cure for AIDS, or something else.

When God gives you a dream, don’t be devastated if everyone around you doesn’t understand.

The Living Bible translates Eph. 3:20 like this, “God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of –infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.”

If God gives you a dream, remember, He is able to bring it about.

What are you dreaming about?

Sunday Mind Dump

Very cool day at church today. Loved hearing all the cool stuff Springfield High Schools Campus Life program is doing! I am so happy God has allowed us to play a small part in that. So let's dump:

• Band sounded better today. They are still struggling in working out playing with a metronome but it's getting better:)
• Can I just say right here that I love my wife. She's been really great this week doing everything for me while am recovering from surgery. She's really cheap or I'd buy her something to say thank you!
• Got some great messages coming up that God has hit me with.....that's part of being laid up and unable to do much of anything.
  
• My grass really needs cut. I need to get my boy on that.
• I cannot believe my daughters graduation is a month away. That is flipping scary...yes....invites will go out this week.
• Make sure you let me know you want to come and be a part of our trip up to Allen Park MI to check out their celebrate recovery program.....email's will follow :)

I am outta hear!

Sunday Mind Dump

Man is this weather awesome. It was really funny to see. You know when the weather has turned in Ohio because all at once everyone at church shows up with some sunburn :) So let's dump:

• The band sounded tight today. They are working on playing with a metronome and that isn't always easy to do. The struggled in a few spots today but overall it was good.
• Got lots of comments on the message today. I know some of what I said people were struggling with. Follow the action steps guys....I promise it works :)
• The preschoolers were the cutest thing ever today. I love seeing our kids do their thing!
• Next week is Campus Life. I am excited about it.
• Going to make some changes in the way people are scheduled for volunteering. Just a few things I have noticed and think we can do a better job of. Let's see how it works.

I am out...have a great night everyone!

Lessons Learned: Part 1

We are two years into church planting now. There have been some great times and some tougher times. Both of which with some big time lessons learned. We've done some things right and we've done some things wrong. I get emails from church planters all over that ask questions as they are trying to learn. I thought I would share some of the lessons I have learned as it relates to Real Life. This things may or may not be appropriate for you and your church but they were for us.

What we've done right:

• We've done everything for God. In doing so, we have devoted ourselves to reaching people that could not be reached by other ministries. We have never asked a person to leave a church to come join us. In fact, every person that has ever come here from another church has been a problem. They have had an agenda that did not match with our vision and have left.
  
• We choose to focus on people who need a relationship with God and with each other. We are overly social and almost always have food around. We made the choice to not offer a program for everything because we want people to connect in small groups and serve at church. Not having lots of programs has COST US some people who look for a program based church. It also means saying no to people way more than we say yes. Because we've done this we see more people than ever getting connected at social events and through small groups. Our small groups have not only become a discipleship program, they have become a steady tool for ministry and healing.
• We've kept it simple. We do 4 things...Good messages that everyone can understand, great worship that is culturally relevant, a great kids ministry, and we intentionally build up relationships. We do have one more thing coming in the fall but it's still a big part of our DNA.
  
• We accept everyone as they are no questions asked. We believe that if we can connect people with God that the Holy Spirit will draw and convict a person from the inside out to become more Christlike.
• We have shared leadership in the church. Church should never be a one man show. I will not do it all.
  
• We allow people to try out serving opportunities with no strings attached.
• We have never solicited funds from outside our church. If God doesn't provide we simply will do without or wait until he has provided. As a result, we have made budget every month but one (December of 2008.) We are actually ahead of budget for 2009!
• We got outside counsel. I cannot see how anyone could ever plant a church successfully without a coach. You cannot afford to not have one. Our coach saved our butts more times that I can could ever thank him for. Keith you were awesome dude...I seriously owe you man:)
• We waited on God. I got the vision for planting 2 years before I left my previous church and started the process. Wait for God to clear the way. Trust me, when it's really time you'll know it....
• We took no one from our old church with us. Unless your church sends you to plant. do not take their people. God isn't going to honor that. If he's calling you to plant and he's gifted you to do it he'll bring people your way and you don't need someone else's sheep.

Over the next few days I'll talk about some things I have done wrong.....cause it hasn't always been pretty :)

Sunday Mind Dump

Not sure about you but I was just not feeling it today. I was in some kinda funk and just couldn't seem to get it together. The band was never fully tight like we usually are and I just felt out of sorts. I am going to place the blame on the weather! So let's dump:

• Nice to play bass with the band today. I was testing a new foot pedal I borrowed from Brett Suchomma. Not too bad. I need to play with the settings a little and see how I like it.
• My daughter had a really rough day yesterday. She was throwing up all day and night and it was her Senior prom. Man that stinks for her! She was a trooper and went anyway. She even stayed for the after prom party. Course she (by she I mean us) had a ton of money into that night!
• Even though I was out of it today and never hit my stride people still told me how much they needed that message and how it hit home. Goes to show you how little we really have to do with it!
• I am going to bring it next week. We are talking about how to have answered prayer. In the words of Donald Trump "It"ll be huge!"
• May 3rd Campus life is coming. Get ready! I always love seeing the kids from Campus! Jim & Jeni are OK too :) Maybe we need a pizza party? Any takers?
• HallowVox practice tomorrow. Our first concert of this year is next weekend. We are doing 2 hours of worship at the Tecumseh Blessing of the Bikes for the Local Christan Motorcycle Association. Should be a good time. April has already looked it up...they have cookies:)

Have a great night!