BLeach

Aloha!

I Promise

This morning I finally finished writing my vows!  I'm sure I'll be tweaking them right up until the ceremony tomorrow morning.  Personalizing my commitment to Leah and putting it into words is one of the best things I've done during our engagement.

Honestly, I felt a little nervous writing these vows down, not because I doubt this decision, but because I so deeply want to keep these promises to Leah.  I feel like I'm 24 hours away from embarking on the most challenging adventure of my life.  And I can't wait to get started!

After more than fifteen million minutes of living, I'm down to about 1,620 more before I say "I do!" 

1,620 more minutes to memorize these vows. 

And a lifetime to live them.

The Best Man

The best man is...my dad.  Hand's down:)

I'm honored that he is going to stand by my side this Saturday and bless my commitment to Leah.

My dad has bailed me out.  He has mentored me.  He has created memories for me, at every stage of life.  Not to mention he is the inspiration for my golf game!

When Leah and I start having babies (no need to start predicting:) I won't have to jump into fatherhood blind.  I've seen a great example.

My dad made up his mind to give me something he never had, a father figure.  He fought for me without ever having had a father fight for him.  I honor him for that.

Thanks dad, for breaking a vicious cycle.  Thanks for always believing in me.  And thanks for standing at the altar with me and speaking your blessing over my future.

In a room full of great men you'll be the best.

Last Words of a Bachelor

I had a great time yesterday celebrating my last Sunday as a single dude!  I finished up our series Last Words of a Bachelor with a message I called Worth the Wait.  Feel free to check it out on the podcast.

During this round of reflections, I've come back to this thought several times.  I feel so much gratitude for the opportunity I've had to plant and serve Church of the King.

At the end of my message yesterday I took a moment to thank our church for their love, support, partnership and prayers the past six years.  When Leah and I shared our engagement story in August, several people in the church told her after the service that she was an answer to their prayers.  I really feel honored by the way so many in our church have journeyed with me as a single pastor, loving me and praying over my future.  The upcoming wedding has definitely been a cause to celebrate for all of us.

I feel more energized than ever about the vision of our church.  We're headed into a missions emphasis during the next few weeks.  Our leadership teams are also beginning to dream about some outreach opportunities this Easter.  I can't wait to see how God will stretch us and use us this year to connect our city to Christ!

Last night Eddie surprised me and showed up at my house with several guys from the church for an impromptu bachelor party.  So thankful for a day to celebrate life and marriage with my church family!

Prayer and Fasting in 2008

Last year our church began setting aside the last week of every month to pray and fast on behalf of our families, our church, and our city.  We call it Week of War (WOW).  These were memorable weeks in the life of our church this past year.

I expect that we will experience an increase in participation, dependence, and effectiveness in our practice of these spiritual disciplines in 2008.  Our first Week of War this  year is January 20-26. 

For those of you planning to practice prayer and fasting this year, check out Jeff Leake's thoughts on making the most of a fast.  Both part one and part two are really practical.  Additionally, Jeff has alot of personal experience with fasting.

Reflections::2

Today I asked a friend of mine what he bought his groomsmen when he got married.  I'm collecting some final gift ideas so I can properly honor my guys.  He said, "I don't remember, but I'm sure it was something practical, not like a pocket knife or anything."  About ten minutes later I asked another friend what the best gift was that he'd received as a groomsmen in a wedding.  His response: A pocket knife:)

That led to a lengthy discussion about whether or not real men carry knives, but it didn't provide me with much help for my quest.

Great friends worth honoring have been filling my thoughts this week.  So here's a second thought as I continue to reflect out loud. 

God has blessed me with incredible mentors and friends. 

The list of men who have impacted my life continues to grow.  It includes two youth pastors who believed in me as an acne-faced teenager.  It includes three church planters who passed their passion on to me.  It includes childhood friends from Adrian, high school basketball teammates, Bible College friends, roommates, and all of my Church of the King entourage!  The list even includes some new relationships such as my two classmates who gave me their best marriage advice tonight over dinner.  On Monday night I got a call from a life-long friend who now serves as a youth pastor in Kansas City.  He blessed me for about the one-thousandth time in the course of our friendship.

Life and ministry have moved some of my closest friends all over the world.  Even though I won't see all of them next week, I'm thinking of them, and thankful for them. 

My journey through singleness has included some lonely moments.  But I've never been alone.  Not even close. 

I've had the honor of walking with more than a few good men.

Reflections

Well, my bachelor days are down to eleven and counting!  The days are flying by right now as I'm wrapping up projects in preparation for the wedding and honeymoon. 

Actually, just typing that makes me want to time travel to January 19!

I'm in Florida this week attending my last four days of class before the wedding.  I'm also sharing a house with eight other senior pastors who are a part of my church leadership cohort.  Without getting into all the details, I'll just tell you that they're having way too much fun with the kid who's about to get married in eleven days:)

I always feel reflective after the New Year; this year even more.  So my hope between now and the wedding is to use my blog to record some of my reflections.

At the start of 2007 I'd never even met Leah Edwards.  Eleven months later we're walking down the aisle.  So here's one of the thoughts I've been reflecting on the most this past week.

God can accomplish quite a bit in one year.

I'm not sure what your personal goals, dreams and prayers are as you start 2008.  But I am sure of this.  God can do each of those things and so much more.

Be encouraged as you evaluate your expectations for 2008.  Anything can happen before 2009!

Singing the Off-Season Blues

In my twenty plus years as a Lion's fan I've come to recognize that the week after the final regular season game is filled with some predictable themes.

• City-Wide Mourning: On Monday morning football fans throughout Detroit call in to Sport's Talk Radio to vent.  It might be the most depressing morning of radio all year long; unless your my fiance Leah.  We listened to a bit of it while driving and she laughed.  No compassion.
• House Cleaning: Because blame has to go somewhere, someone gets fired every year, usually one of the coaches.  This year it looks like it will be offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who in a twist of Lion's logic might just be the only employee in the organization with a successful resume. 
• Cornbread Eating: In Detroit, cornbread is code for naive fans who see one or two good games and immediately begin making playoff predictions for the following year.
• Draft Forecasting: The NFL Draft is to Lion's fans what the NFL regular season is to everyone else.  It's what we have to get excited for.  Everyone starts speculating about who we will pick.  But as of late this is the real burning question.  Will whoever we pick still be on the team in three years?
• Deeeeeeeee-troit Basketballllllllll: Now the Pistons get our undivided attention:)

Meanwhile, Michigan shocked the nation and took care of business against Florida yesterday.  Tim Tebow who?  We finally got to see a healthy Chad Henne, and he tore it up.  After a disappointing season, the game was a perfect farewell for Lloyd Carr.  I'm definitely going to miss his half-time interviews!

New Years in Hospice

Early this morning I joined some friends at the hospital to say goodbye to Mary Haynes.  She brought in the New Year by waking up to new life.

Mary was introduced to our church by her grandson Dan.  It's been rewarding to watch the spiritual growth that's taken place in the last few years of her life.  I'm really proud of the way she committed to discipleship, including a commitment to ministry and a small group. 

Most people I meet assume that our church is made up of all young people.  While the largest percentage of our people are in their thirties and below, we've actually been blessed with a healthy generational blend.  I'm glad we can be building people at every stage of life.