BLeach

God's Gift to Women

Alright, I found my costume for Halloween next year.  I was inspired by Brandon, our waiter at lunch today.  He's dressed as a present, but check out his tag. 

Nice creativity Brandon!

Saturation vs. Nostalgia

I flew out of Michigan this morning for a 3 day golf trip in San Diego with my dad.  We've checked into our hotel at the Torrey Pines Golf Course where the weather and scenery is out of this world!  I'll start posting pictures tonight and tomorrow. 

On the plane I had some time to get back into a book I've been reading called The Tipping Point.  Malcom Gladwell is the author and the book is the result of his research about what causes a product, a message, or an idea to tip (becoming like an epidemic).  The ideas are interesting from a ministry perspective.  As the church we have a message (Jesus), and aren't we trying to start a holy epidemic. 

I read an observation that stuck out to me.  When I watched Sesame Street as a kid, I had no idea how much work the producers put into making sure it would appeal to my preschool mind! As the creators of Sesame Street developed the format for their show they were very intentional in researching it's effects on preschoolers who viewed it.

In one experiment in 1969 they were testing the affects of repetition in the program.  There was a one-minute bit called Wanda the Witch that used the "W" sound over and over: Wanda the Witch wore a wig in the windy winter in Washington, etc.  They weren't sure how much they could repeat an element, but they put this segment in three on the Monday show, three times on the Tuesday show, three on the Wednesday show, left it out on Thursday and then put it in one more time at the end of the show on Friday.

Some of the kids toward the end of the show on Wednesday were saying "Not Wanda the Witch again!"  But when Wanda came back on at the end of the show on Friday, they jumped and cheered. 

The conclusion was that in regard to repetition, kids reach a saturation point, but then nostalgia sets in. 

The old saying, You never know what you have until it's gone is so true.  My mom cooked for me everyday in high school.  I took it for granted.  Then when I went to College, nostalgia set in! 

I think it is good for us to be intentional about treasuring the common things in life.  Is there anything that you think about less only because it happens often?  We would do well to appreciate what we have while we have it, rather than waiting until it's gone. 

Too Excited for the Day

I pulled through Tim Horton's this morning for my ritual coffee and bagel, placed my order, payed the $2.98, and drove away...without my coffee and bagel.  I didn't realize it until I got out of my car at the church and reached for my coffee only to find it wasn't there.  When I got back to Tim Horton's I went inside and said, "I'm the guy who just pulled through without waiting for his coffee and bagel."  The man who took my money said that he yelled after me put couldn't get my attention.  I told him, "I guess was just too excited for my day." 

Make it a great one!

My Night Job

Tonight I accepted an invitation from Sarah Morris, my friend of 15 years, to share the salvation message for her youth group outreach.  It was alot of fun for me because the place was filled with unchurched kids. 

I felt God's help and we had an incredible response for salvation, with over half of the students standing to say "I'm Sorry" to God.  So many stood that I felt the need to identify those who were making a decision to follow Jesus for the first time ever in their life to raise their hands.  About four or five did. 

One of the guys who did was quite a bit taller than me, and he held his hand as high as he could, so it caught my attention.  I found him a few minutes after the service was dismissed.  When I reached out to give him five, the first thing he said was, "You're the guy who was on the stage, right?"  I nodded my head yes.  Then he asked me a question.  "How long have you been a stand up comedian?"  He must have noticed my surprised expression, because he tried to rephrase his question.  "I mean, how long have you been doing stand up comedy?" 

I wanted to take him home with me! 

I told him I'd been at it for 10 years (which is how long I've been preaching).  I love that he had no other way to express what I had done than to call it stand up comedy.  "Preaching" was not a word that was even in his vocabulary.  He had felt the Holy Spirit moving on his heart, and had responded to that, but could only relate what I had done to something else he knew. 

I wonder if that's what happened with the crowd in Acts 2?  They saw 120 Christ-followers fresh off the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and the only thing they could compare them with were people they had seen drunk.  They didn't know the infilling of the Spirit.  What they did know was what it looked like to be joy-filled and care-free. 

So, this is a great lesson on many levels.  It is a lesson to me to not take myself too seriously.  For all my reading and studying and theological discussing, it was a few jokes that the Holy Spirit used to capture this kid's heart. 

It is a lesson to the church at large that the only way to really enjoy church is to fill it with unchurched people. 

And it is a lesson to Church of the King that your pastor is funnier than you think!  So, I guess if preaching doesn't work out, I can always fall back on my night job! 

If Only Grandpa Palmer Blogged

Since I'm new to the blogosphere, some friends have been wondering why I'm blogging.  Blogging caught my eye when I began to follow the blogs of two super-creative pastors; Chilly Chilton and Mark Batterson.  I read them for awhile and decided to give it a try. 

What I've found out is that any external benefits like communicating with family and friends, or dreaming out loud with my church, have been exceeded by the personal benefits.  Rod Pearcy captured my thoughts exactly in the last blogging church podcast.  It's great for me to slow down for 15 minutes to process something God has been teaching me that would be worth telling someone else about.  For me blogging is digital journaling. 

Blogging is also autobiography.  It is an opportunity to "share my life on the fly."  Think about it for a minute.  Who can you think of in your life that you would love to see with a blog? 

Here's my top 3:

Grandpa Palmer: My grandfather was a pioneer and a trailblazer.  He spent almost the entirety of his ministry planting and pastoring churches in Pennsylvania and Ohio.  I would give anything to have 10 or 15 years of his life shared through a blog.  It would be priceless. 

Bill Leach: My dad is a lifelong learner.  He already makes it a priority to share his life with leaders, but in 20 years I would love to be able to point my kids to their grandfather's posts.  By the way, I'm actively working on this one! 

AW Tozer: He is climbing the list of devotional writers who have impacted my thinking.  Could you imagine having the raw thoughts of this spiritual thinker only a click away? 

I think that everyone of us has a unique story to share.  We all have our own priceless perspective on life.  I don't think that blogging is for everyone, but I do think the world would be a richer place if we looked for more opportunities to deposit our lives into others. 

In the words of an Old Testament poet:

Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord (Psalm 102.18).

Pastor Appreciation

On Sunday the Church of the King Advisory Committee led our church in a time of appreciation for our team of pastors.  They took time in both services to speak encouragement to us, and pray over us.  It was very meaningful. 

One of the highlights has been the stack of cards that were collected from several different people in the church.  There's nothing quite like a handwritten note filled with specific encouragement.  One of the things that stuck out to me was that the things people thanked me for the most were the things I like to do the most.  I think that's true for all of us.  We each have individual gift sets and unique passion blends.  Finding our sweet spot in ministry is about discovering a role where we can use our God-given shape to benefit others. 

I wouldn't trade my job for any in the world.  For one thing, I know I'm where God wants me to be.  It's no wonder I feel like it's a job that was made just for me. 

To all of you who took the time to write me a note of encouragement this month, your words have refreshed me.  Gracias!  Your appreciation feels undeserved, but is eagerly embraced. 

Most of all, to all of you in our church who wake up each morning with thoughts of serving Jesus, that's the best appreciation you could ever give your pastor! 

Job Appreciation

Sometimes you don't appreciate your job until you see what someone else does.  (Click on the picture for a larger view). 

Enjoy your work this week!

Dad Delivers

Tonight my dad came to my ministerial rescue, making it number 356 in a long list of times he has bailed me out.  Starting Church of the King right out of Bible College meant I was destined to face alot of firsts; and I have.  But one thing that makes facing firsts doable is a dad who has already faced most of them. 

The first time I had to perform a wedding, my dad helped me out.  The first time I had to perform a funeral, my dad helped me out.  The first time I got stuck at an airport trying to make it back in time for church, he stepped in and preached for me.  He preached the first mission's convention at our church. 

Tomorrow morning I have another first.  It's my first graveside service.  So I asked my dad today for some advice, and he ran to his office and got me all his graveside service notes. 

My dad was elected to pastor of one of the largest Assembly of God churches in Michigan when as their youth pastor for less than a year, his senior pastor, Art Clay, passed away.  He was brand new in the ministry, and in his mid-twenties, when he was called on to perform his first funeral service.  He likes to tell the story now that when he went to consult his notes from Bible College about how to perform a funeral, the only thing he had written down was "Don't stand too close to the hole." 

My dad has worked hard to give me what he didn't have the privilege of enjoying; a great example.   

He's got more than 30 years of full time ministry under his belt.  That means that in an advantageous father-son kind of way, so do I.  I guess that makes me a 26 year-old pastor with more than 30 years of full time ministry experience. 

Thanks dad!

Wake Up Calls

I'm traveling back home today, so last night I called the hotel front desk for a wake up call so I wouldn't miss my flight.  I hate wake up calls!  Some specific words come to mind. 

Shrill.  At least that's the feeling this particular ring resembled.  It was high-pitched, and even though I scheduled it because I knew I needed it, the call was unwanted when it came. 

Unexpected.  I was sleeping good!  The only times I've expected the wake up call is when I woke up on my own before the phone rang, but stubbornly refused to get out of bed. 

As disciples of Jesus, it seems to me that we are in the business of giving wake up calls.  Isn't that a good description of personal evangelism?  We're waking people up who have settled into life-sleep.  We're sounding an alarm. 

It is our responsibility to communicate faith in a way that is pleasant, simple, and palatable.  But as long as we're truthful it will always sound a bit shrill if you're sleeping when it comes.

It will probably also be unexpected, unless we're loving people who have been waiting for the wake-up call but just didn't have the strength to get out of the bed that life without Christ had made for them. 

But here's the funny thing about wake up calls.  After I get a shower and clean up, I'm always glad that I scheduled it. 

Tomorrow morning I'll share the week 4 message of our end time series called Revelations.  My title is The Return of the King.  Writing these messages has inspired me again to give wake up calls.  Jesus is coming back...soon.

I know what it's like to miss a flight (I'll save that story for another time)!  I don't want anyone in Metro Detroit to miss our upcoming flight with Jesus. 

Are you ready to make some calls?

Memory Lane

A few years ago I was elected to the Alumni Board for my alma-mater, Central Bible College.  I represent the decade of the 2000's.  In other words, I represent the incomplete decade! 

We gather as an alumni group at the school twice a year to dream about the future of the College and brainstorm opportunities to connect alumni and raise money.  I flew into Springfield this morning for our fall meeting. 

One side benefit is that I get to experience some of my roots at the same time.  I spent four fantastic, formative years at CBC pursuing God's call on my life.  Being back in town is a trip down memory lane. 

This morning I flew into the Springfield Airport.  During my senior year I got to know that airport well.  I had been approved to start Church of the King the month before the school year began, and then given the challenge of raising the budget.  I spent most of my weekends that year traveling in and out of Springfield to preach in churches and raise pledges.  On Friday after classes I'd head to the airport, and on Monday morning before chapel I'd come back in.  Meanwhile, somehow, the money came in!  The Springfield airport represents the revelation that when God gives a dream, He provides for its fulfillment. 

Phil Gocke, our former intern and Senior Class President, picked me up at the airport.  We drove back to campus together and headed to the Dining Commons for our meeting.  I've got alot of great memories from the Dining Commons.  They are relationship memories.  All you can eat + Cereal Bar + Waffles 3 Times a Day + Great Friends = Good Times! 

Tomorrow morning I'll get to be back in chapel.  According to my rough calculations, I experienced over 700 hours worth of worship, teaching and prayer in that chapel.  I responded to God's voice in those services to repent of sin, surrender my future and begin dreams that are in the making right now.  That chapel is one of my burning bushes.  In other words, it is one of the places I go back to as a place where I met with God. 

Why do we keep photo albums?  Photo albums help us remember.  They help us remember more than fun facts like having long hair or crazy clothes.  They help us remember experiences and people that have shaped our lives.  Some things are tragic to forget.  Some things may even be irresponsible to forget.

I think that doubting is closely related to forgetting.  In Psalm 77, Asaph moved from doubt to faith through a simple, underrated discipline called remembrance. 

Forgetfullnes and Doubt (verses 7-9)

Has God forgotten his manners? Has he angrily stalked off and left us? “Just my luck,” I said. “The High God goes out of business just the moment I need him.

Remembrance and Faith (verses 10-12)

Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished,and give a long, loving look at your acts.

Where is your memory lane?  Can you get there?  If not, can you let your thoughts go there? 

The faith that comes by spiritual remembrance is worth the trip.