BLeach

Determined

This morning I came across a page from John Wesley's diary while reading this book for class.  Anyone can make excuses.  And anyone can give up.  But there's something to be said for a little persistence:) And if you've ever read through Paul's missionary journeys (Acts 13-21), this might sound familiar.

Sunday Morning, May 5. Preached in St. Ann's.  Was asked not to come back anymore.

Sunday p.m., May 5. Preached at St. John's.  Deacons said "Get out and stay out."

Sunday a.m., May 12. Preached at St. Jude's.  Can't go back there either.

Sunday p.m., May 12. Preached at St. George's.  Kicked out again.

Sunday a.m., May 19. Preached at St. somebody else's.  Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.

Sunday p.m., May 19. Preached on the street. Kicked off the street.

Sunday a.m., May 26. Preached in meadow, chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during the service.

Sunday a.m., June 2. Preached out at the edge of town, kicked off the highway.

Sunday p.m., June 2, afternoon service. Preached in a pasture, 10,000 people came to hear me.

Intervarsity Ministry

Each fall the past few years I've had the opportunity to speak at a few of the Intervarsity chapters in our city.  A few weeks ago I was with the students at Oakland University, and last night at U of M Dearborn.  I remember college being such a formational time in my life.  I can still name speakers that God used to shape His dreams in me.  Pretty cool to give some of that back.

Andrea Huang is my hero of the week.  This is her second year working full time at the Dearborn campus and she's making a difference.  I was able to talk with one student in particular who's life has been changed through Andrea's ministry.  So rewarding to see people in our church on mission in our city.

Signaling Jesus

I think prayer might be to the church what the nervous system is to the body.  If I get stung in the arm by a bee, nerves in my arm send a message to my brain.  That signal lets me know that my arm is hurting.

Leprosy is devastating to the body because it attacks the nerves.  I've heard horrifying stories of lepers waking up next to a campfire with a badly burned leg because they couldn't feel it shift into the fire. 

I wonder if spiritual leprosy attacks the Body of Christ when we fail to pray?  Jesus is the head.  When a member of our body is hurting, intercession signals Him.  When someone in our city is suffering, prayer communicates to Him.

There's nothing more irrelevant to a city than an unresponsive church.  Prayer keeps our nerves sharp.

Just For You

For the past few weeks I've been praying over each person in my fall Life Group.  This afternoon I thought I'd extend that prayer to you.

I pray that you will know yourself.  Most of us decide what to do before we really know who we are.  Digging deep inside yourself may seem scary.  If it does, remember this.  Jesus knows you better than you'll ever know yourself.  And He doesn't push you away.

I pray that you will like yourself.  Instead of evaluating your worth through the lens of your depravity, see yourself in terms of your dignity.  You were God's idea, created in His own image.  That's worth something.

I pray that you will challenge yourself.  Refuse complacency.  Shake free from apathy.  Dig deeper than you ever have before.  Dream bigger than you ever thought you could.  Set some specific goals for growth this fall and go for it!

I pray that you will be yourself.  Comparison tricks us into spending too much energy trying to become someone God never intended us to be.  Imagine being free to walk comfortably and confidently in your own skin.  You'll inspire Jesus to smile on your courageous authenticity.

And I pray that you'll reproduce yourself.  Because now you've got something real to give away.

Quotes of the Week

They say come as you are, but they're only talking about the first time. (Joi, my friend and fellow dreamer, on unspoken dress codes in some churches).

I don't know if I have the emotional fortitude to be a Lion's fan.  (Leah, world's best fiance, as we watched our first Lion's game together).

For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one striking at the root.  (Henry David Thoreau, author and philosopher, on why I do what I do).

Look In

After David killed Goliath, Saul began growing increasingly jealous of God's touch on David's life.  The green eyed monster eventually led Saul to try and pin David to the wall with a spear.  David had to run.

That's when he found Jonathan.  Jonathan was Saul's son.  He was also David's friend.  Jonathan knew the feeling of being stuck in the middle:)

What kind of questions do you suppose David would have asked his friend?  What's up with your father?  He has no right to attack me!  Doesn't he know I'm innocent?  Who's side are you on anyway?

Typically, when unfairly attacked, we respond by looking out.  We blame someone else.  We defend ourselves.  We fire back some accusations of our own.

But David's response to Jonathan was refreshing.  He didn't look out.  He looked in.  He asked Jonathan about his own heart, just checking to make sure that it was pure.

Leadership will always invite criticism and attack.  When it comes we have a choice.  We can either grow defensive and cold.  Or we can let it be an opportunity for self-examination.

Jesus, open my heart.  You can have the insecurity and fear.  Just make me whole.

Registry Reflections

Leah and I registered for gifts yesterday afternoon.  Bed, Bath and Beyond blew me away.  I thought that store just sold a bunch of different kinds of pillows.  Nope!

Paulette (our sales associate) was kind enough to fill me in on the concept of gift registry.  Leah asked boring intelligent questions.  How many items should we select?  What kind of price range do guests prefer?  I asked exciting questions.  What's the fastest time any couple has ever taken to scan all their items?

Then Paulette encouraged us to start by selecting our China.  Apparently this is important because fine China is an heirloom piece.  I'll admit that made me hesitant to register for it.  My concern is that if every couple gets China and passes it on to their kids, eventually one generation is going to have way too much China.  Leah didn't understand my logic.

By the way, I've actually bought China before.  It was in Moscow during a mission's trip.  There's a great little tourist place where you can barter them down to about twenty dollars.  I explained this to Leah as well, but she didn't feel like the plane ticket would be worth it.

Next I thought we'd simply pick out one set of silverware.  Wrong again!  Bed, Bath and Beyond has more "ware" than I have "hair."  Tableware.  Stoneware.  Silverware.  Flatware.  I'm still trying to figure out the difference.

I realized I was in over my head when we were picking out our "everyday" glasses and Leah asked me which ones matched our "everyday" dishes.  I thought she was joking since all the glasses were clear and our dishes were black.  She wasn't:)

There is one item that I really hope we get.  It's a tray that Leah will be able to use to bring me breakfast in bed.  I've gotta admit that I smiled when I scanned that one:)

Next stop in the registry process: 7-Eleven.

Not my Maize and Blue

#@*&*@##*&#@@!!!

What else can I say?

I grew up on Michigan football.  I remember being in the car as a boy during the Bo Schembechler era, listening to Michigan/Notre Dame games on the radio.  Now Bo's turning over in his grave.

After the worst start in school history, I'm actually counting on the Lions to meet my football needs.

I know, I'm sick:(

Am I Crazy?

Today in class we took an emotional competence assessment.  I'm not sure yet if I passed.  But I did discover that one of the characteristics the inventory is designed to assess is a person's ability to manage their emotions.  That led us into a fascinating discussion about the role of emotional vulnerability in ministry.

The common thought seems to be that leadership calls us to keep a tight reign on our emotions.  I understand the premise.  If we lose it emotionally, we might also lose the ability to influence people on our teams.  In other words, if a leader loses his temper he might also lose respect.

I think the fear of alienating people because of an unguarded moment is real.  But I've also seen unguarded moments become magnetic moments that actually increased my influence with our leaders.  Authentic and unscripted emotional responses can leave lasting lessons.  My guess is that there were at least twelve men who never forgot the day that Jesus stormed into the temple and created chaos.

This tension has me wondering what factors separate healthy emotional responses from destructive breakdowns .  A few that come to mind:

• Relationship: Isn't it easier to leak a little anger with people who know you well?
• Cause: Doesn't it seem more appropriate for David to get ticked off at Goliath then for Eliab to get ticked off about the sheep?
• Motive: I'd rather use emotion to motivate than manipulate.

What did I miss?

First Day of School

I'm in Springfield, Missouri this week for my first day of school.  This is my first week of class in a fourteen month journey to earn my Master's Degree in Church Leadership.  Read this for the backstory.

There are about 35 of us in the cohort that I'm a part of.  The highlight of the day so far has been getting to know my new classmates.  Most of us are lead pastors.  All of us are involved with local church ministry.  There are even a few other church planters in the group, including a couple of friends I haven't seen in a few years.  It's great to catch up and meet so many new friends.  I'm looking forward to building some great helping relationships during this journey.

So glad for wireless in the classroom:)  Where was this during my College days?  No need anymore to pass a note when you can blog from your desk for all the world to see!

Right now we're going over the rules of engagement.  It's not as violent as it sounds.  We're actually making some collective commitments to keep class discussion positive, honest and encouraging. 

Gotta go.  Just found out I'm breaking one of the rules:)