A Season of Post-lessness

For whatever reason...I'm going through a season of 'post-lessness.' I'm sure it has a lot to do with the time it takes to maintain so many different social spaces online.

There's also my new effort to leave a more formal and thoughtful set of writings about my life and journey the old-fashioned pen & paper.

Facebook is becoming the predominant place of posting...along with my microblogging attempts through Twitter.

So maybe I'll see you over there.

Keeping 9/11 in Perspective

It was one of those moments where you'll never forget where you were at...what you were doing...how you first heard the news.

I was in Houston at a leadership gathering for Nazarene youth workers.

We dismissed the session with a time of prayer and went to our rooms to watch the footage...over and over...and wait for the fate of the second tower.

As horrible as that tragedy was, it's interesting to compare it to others across the globe which have claimed the same number of lives many times over. Natural disasters such as the Tsunami...the earthquake in China...the disaster of Myanmar. Not to mention the more criminal and morally inane acts of war and terrorism which claim dozens of lives on a daily basis in some parts of the world. The genocidal violence which has wiped out hundreds of thousands in Africa over the past two decades.

But for those who continue to suffer from the loss of husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, or friend...we remember in prayer today especially.

Celebration of Discipline

I've read this book at least three times I think...and when a friend recently mentioned that he was digging into the chapter on meditation...I was prompted to open it up once again.

So I took Foster out on the kayak at Stonelick Lake yesterday along with a bottle of water and paddled out to the middle and propped myself on a tree that was reaching up out of the water.

As I re-read the chapter out loud, I was challenged by the basic assumption that Christian meditation leads to repentance...obedience...faithfulness. It is not an academic exercise or simply an effort to relieve stress. The many times that "mediatation" is used in the Scriptures...it is connected with transformation and obedience.

One reference that stands out is the admonition in Psalm 1 ...

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Another idea that jumps out at me from this passage is that this individual yields fruit in season...and does not wither.

I am presently struggling a bit with my calling and my ministry context. My perception is that fruit is somewhat sparse at the moment. But do I understand the concept of "seasons?" Or do I really live according to 'chairos' (God's timing) rather than 'chronos' (our segmented version of time)? Am I just feeling a bit withered? Spiritual malnourishment?

Not sure...but I need to be more intentional with some time for meditation and prayer...not from a dutiful or obligatory sense...but because I'm passionately loving and being loved by God.

Book 11: Jack of Spades

Talk about a quick and engaging little book! I recently became aware of Francis Chan's ministry, writing, and online presence. I remember someone telling me about his Just Stop and Think video (which you can view here). At the time, I failed to track it down online or follow up on the recommendation at all. Then as I was reading this title yesterday, Chan encourages you early in the book to go to the website and view a few different things.

I thought it was really a great reading experience with the combined media resources online.

As he sums up the book, it's a call to a high view of God which results in a high-octane response to God...a Crazy Love. Any response less than that might be something we should classify as sub-Christian instead of settling for some anemic form of just-get-by Christianity.

His discussion of "Lukewarm Christians" (which he determines is oxymoronic) is especially challenging but necessary.

I read the book quite easily yesterday so it's not a difficult or long reading commitment. But it will certainly challenge you to evaluate your level of spiritual commitment. If you have the option, I would encourage you to use the online chapter introductions and other media resources along the way...quite excellent.

Loving the Beans

I just enjoy everything about coffee. The flavor. The aroma. The ambience. The story behind the bean.


And I think that story is one of the things that makes coffee such great tool for thinking missionally...globally...sustainably...responsibly.




Recently, I've been researching some of the non-profit cafes around the country who are providing a combined experience of coffee, community, music, art, culture, and in some cases...Christ.

This is a great one I'd love to visit in Seattle...the Qcafe...affiliated with Quest Church in Seattle.

Eugene Cho is the pastor of Quest Church there and has a great blog I've been reading lately too. You can check that out here. We've been playing phone tag like crazy too as I've been trying to talk to him about the cafe and how the dream/space developed.

One of the challenges I'm facing in life & ministry right now is determining what the greatest passion of my life is? What is the "sweet spot" of God's call on my life and what kind of adjustments would it take to get there? Sacrifice? Comfort? Risk?

Ten of Spades: The Insider

This book was given to me by a friend and neighbor (literal) as one of those “Read this and let me know what you think” deals.

Well, it took me a little while to get to it, but this is one of those books that really resonates with where the journey has been taking me lately. The basic premise is pretty simple…that the Kingdom of God and the Gospel has its most profound impact when it is lived within the context of everyday life and the existing relationships we have within our world.

Unfortunately, Christians are often encouraged directly or indirectly to pull away from their social context and become “outsiders” to those who need Christ the most. In an attempt to connect believers with a new set of relationships (supposedly for some discipleship which rarely happens) we sacrifice our identity as “insiders.”

Quoting from a chapter entitled “The Insider’s Role in Missions”…

“Insiders are at the heart of God’s pursuit of the nations. They are essential to what he wants to do. Yet, in many churches and missions efforts they face resistance and disapproval rather than support. They are made to feel they are somehow disloyal because of the time and space they give their unbelieving friends. What they need instead is affirmation, equipping, and resourcing—and lots of it.”

For those who may want to better understand how live ‘Kingdomly’ in your everyday world along with those who want to influence others to become ‘insiders’ Petersen and Shamy have some great practical chapters on how to do that…especially the idea of simply inviting someone to journey through Scripture with you.

Vacationing Well

This is one of those vacations that may actually result in the desired amount of rest and relaxation. Personally, I've found that most vacations can be exhausting because there's this compulsion to pack so much into the experience. That is yet another indication that our consumeristic lifestyles are so ingrained that we fail to even grasp the concepts of simplicity and rest.

Last night I was fishing off of this little point (where Jessica is journaling) as darkness settled over the lake. Then the clouds parted and the moon began to beam from my left. Since I wasn't catching ANY fish, I just laid back on the grass and stared up at the stars. It was one of those moments where you feel like you have God's attention and He might just say something out loud. Then I remembered something I heard Erwin McManus say recently in a podcast...something to this effect... "Asking God for a sign is a sign of spiritual immaturity."

Don't you love it when people, without any hesitation, step directly on your spiritual toes?! Yeah...Gideon was certainly showing spiritual immaturity when he kept throwing down the fleece trick. Erwin's point was that God wants to develop us into the kind of people He can trust to make the right decisions. He's not interested in just blurting out directions every time we approach some sort of crossroads in life. Obviously, that would be easier in the moment but when will I learn that God is more interested in my character than my contentment or comfort!

Interesting Images

I came across these two images as I was surfing one of my Treehugger RSS feeds.

This little guy has collected so much pollen he's packing onto every little millimeter.

The next image is curious because of the cohesive properties of the water. Something is keeping the tiny droplets (surface tension maybe) from consolidating.

The caption over the image to the right was "I Think I've Got Something In My Eye!"

Yeah, looking through water can often distort vision. Many times I've been diving for objects with my girls at the pool and often depend on colors and shapes to guide my eyes to the object because the water and chemicals blur the vision and burn the eyes.

This brings me to my ever-popular blog topic of clarity. I find myself transitioning from a fairly happy-go-lucky "life is good" phase to a more contemplative and confusing "life is vague" phase.

I just shared with a Facebook friend last night that I seem to be in a state of static...a time of life that exists between dreams...it's not so bad that you try to wake yourself...but it's not so good that you WILL the dream forward either.

The 9 of Spades

So here it is...July 29th...and I've read 9 books. This is the end of the 30th week of 2008 which means only 22 weeks to go. If I want to reach my goal of 52 books this year...I'll need to read about 2 books per week from here on out. That is obviously NOT going to happen.

I like to pace myself when it comes to reaching lofty goals. Who wants to be an over achiever, right (besides my good friend Rob Horton. The poor guy had to buy a whole new deck of cards to keep up with his reading list! :-)

Just a few comments on my most recent read though, Organic Discipleship. It's written by a father-daughter team at Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, OH very near where Debbie and I spent about 8 years pastoring students. Getting a little more insight into their history, ministry development, and passions was very interesting considering the superficial knowledge we had from ministering nearby.

What I liked most about the book was the emphasis on intentional discipling relationships and the need to support that process with a great deal of prayer. Here at Lifespring, our current context for life, ministry, and family...we are convinced that it is going to take a very intentional process of modeling discipleship and inviting people to follow our example in order to really raise up a different kind of church, one that is more incarnation-relational-missional than attractional-program driven-doctrinal. We want to emphasize both belonging and believing...but we definitely agree with those who think that providing someone with a relationship in which to belong is more important and urgent than demanding the right beliefs.

Back to the book though...what I didn't like about the book was a sort of textbook approach towards the middle of the book. There was just a little too much "First you need to do this, this, and this...next you have to do this...etc" Now, I am becoming more and more aware that many people want and need this kind of detail and instruction. I just tend to enjoy the big picture more...the vision...the dream. Let's work out some details and execute the strategy...but there might be several approaches to that stage.

Overall, I think it was a helpful book for me and anyone else who is trying to be more intentional about discipling and coaching others to disciple.


As my Lifegroup discovered this past week in our discussion of John 15, to remain in Christ and bear fruit means that we will lay down our lives for others. For most of us, that will not mean physical death, it will more than likely mean...laying down our selfish plans for the evening and/or weekend and spending some intentional time discipling a friend, neighbor, family member, or whoever God sends across the street for conversation.

So look around...and see who's headed your way.

Resistance, Gravity, & Balance

The apostle Paul said it like this,

"For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
--Romans 7:18-20

I understand this concept very well from a sin perspective. The analogy I'm seeing in my life right now though is not so much a sin problem as a productivity problem. There are good things I want to accomplish and productive things with which I'd like to be engaged. (fitness, landscaping, study, reading, family time, etc) But I sense some type of force acting against me. Perhaps it's gravity. I like John Mayer's perspective on this force...

"Gravity...is working against me. Gravity...wants to keep me down."

When I saw him in concert here in Cincinnati with my good friend Jason Mossman, the song built up to a philosophical and aesthetic climax at the line... "Keep me where the light is." Everything in the auditorium darkened except for the most powerful and immense white light I've ever seen. It shone from behind John and penetrated the darkness from one side of US Bank arena to the other. It was one of those 'secular' moments which had profound spiritual effects.

But I feel as though there's a force of some sort which wants to keep me down. In physical, spiritual, emotional and even intellectual ways...there's a battle going on that isn't totally moral or spiritual but definitely has implications in those areas as well.

On the other hand, I do not mean to imply that productivity is or should be the goal. There's a healthy sense of balance and rhythm to our lives right now that has resulted from less effort to do and more effort to be. Although my past conditioning to produce and tendency to live a more driven lifestyle often disrupts this contentedness, I have no desire to return to such an approach.

Barnabas & Timothy

Good conversation is a gift.

As I sat down with a friend yesterday and discussed various things about discipleship, he reminded me of a model we have in the Apostle Paul. You could argue (quite easily I think) that Paul was spiritually mentored by Barnabas. And later in Paul's ministry, Timothy becomes one of Paul's main mentees as he invests himself in the spiritual development of another pastor-leader-planter.

Naming the "Timothy's" in my life has always been a simple recognition of various students, neighbors, co-workers, family members, and even peers into whom I have poured energy, time, conversation, and shared life (though not nearly enough prayer). Looking back on all those relationship however, I realize that the process was not nearly intentional enough.

The "Barnabas" factor has been much more elusive for me. Although I can point to many people along the way who have influenced, guided, and mentored me...I find that those relationships have been far to seasonal and sporadic. I have often prayed for someone like a spiritual guide or mentor and find myself currently without such a person.

As a certified personal trainer, there's no way I would expect (on average) someone to achieve the same fitness results and goals on their own as they would with some consistent and intense coaching in the gym. Why do we think spiritual fitness would be terribly different from that? So like the occasional exerciser who works out a few times a week but changes nothing else about their lifestlye or diet...we continue for years in the same pattern of activity with very little transformation or growth. And most Christians are satisfied with this approach.

A Plea for the Tithe

I was reading this article http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11578198/#discuss

and felt inclined to respond with this...

I appreciate the spirit in which this article is written...and the biblical principles of financial stewardship which would motivate someone to get out of debt and handle money in a biblical way. BUT, I'm exploring this concept of the tithe and wondering why we adhere so closely to a potentially obsolete old testament directive when the actual tithe is not mentioned by Jesus, Paul, or any other New Testament authors as a directive for followers of Christ.

In fact, the New Testament standard may at times be more rigorous than 10 percent (e.g. the rich young ruler).

One of my main concerns however is that our soap box sermons on tithing are quite self-serving when they come from an institution which spend 80 to 90% of monies raised (tithe etc) on staff salaries, facilities, and maintenance. A paltry amount of that hard-earned tithe ever makes its way past the grubby needy hands of the institution.

Maybe that's just the dozen or so churches I've attended or served as a pastor at?!

Where's everyone else at on this subject?

Little Miami Adventure

Had a fun little water adventure with Jess and one of her friends yesterday. The water is still a little high but we were able to avoid any spills in the rapids. There were about 4 sets of rough waves and girls loved it!

I used my kayak paddle from the back of the boat which worked out very well for steering.

As we came through Milford though, some kids were hiding in the trees throwing rocks at boats. One of their bombarding efforts struck my paddle blade just as I was pulling it out of the water. If the girls had not been with me, I probably would've scrambled up the tree-lined slope and offered a little thrashing.

The Tyranny of Time

Our clocks and calendars are an ever-present source of pressure in our lives. Often, that pressure can be a good thing...providing boundaries for those periods of time we don't enjoy or keeping us respectful of an appointment with someone. Many times I find that a sense of time exerts mostly negative pressure on me. Dictating deadlines, cutting short moments of rest, pushing us towards the next item on my outlook calendar.

We bumped into an old friend at Starbucks the other day and the whole tone of our conversation was a lament of time. Time has flown by and we've missed many significant moments in the lives of others. The kids are at vacation bible school, or dance class, or riding lessons, etc and ad infinitum! Then came the statement that haunts me... "That's life, isn't it?!"

Is it?

Really?

Is life about appointments, deadlines, hurrying and scurrying, missing moments because we're late for the next moment?

I have a feeling that we have CHOSEN 'chronos' over 'kairos.' We have chosen to be mastered by those falling granules of sand...those incessant ticks of the clock. A sense of God's time...resting in the moments...detecting the seasons of life...we've surrendered it for something more manageable and objective and predictable.

I think we've lost a great deal in that exchange.

Creation Museum Response

My response to this experience is still in process. Here's a photo of the place right before I was accosted by a security guard for standing on a wall to take the photo.

My first critique is a financial one. I feel pretty guilty, actually, about dropping over $100 for a few hours of conservative christian entertainment.

My second critique is in regard to the obvious mission of the museum to move people towards belief and decision based on information rather than on relationship. As you walk in, the slogan "Prepare to Believe" jumps out from strategically placed banners. I just think it perpetuates an attituden about Christianity that getting people to a place and to believe the right things are more important than connecting with people relationally and providing a sense of belonging.

I do have to say there were some things I was impressed with and hope that God does indeed use the facility to cultivate a greater hunger for the Word of God. That's probably the 'take-away' which was most positive for me.

But back to the financial issue, a few people are getting EXTREMELY wealthy from this vendor of christian entertainment through toys of biblical proportions and the plethora of resources which the doctrinally coached consumer can take home with them.

It wasn't a total waste or an outright adventure in heresy...but we certainly didn't buy a membership or leave with any plans to return. For any of our friends in the area who walked away with a totally different experience, I'd love to dialogue over our differences but certainly do not condemn or disapprove of anyone else's choice to visit the museum or sing its praises.

Cycling Saga

Odds are good that I'll never be involved in a crash quite like this one. But a hot shot on a motorcycle thought he would have a little fun with me last night and nearly ran me into a ditch.
The guy came up behind and hit his brakes causing his back tire to skid towards me. Just about the time I was going to bail out in the ditch, he released the brake and straightened out the bike...kicking his foot towards me as he passed by.
Once my heart stopped pounding, the aggression began to flow. I was so steamed for the last 5-6 miles back into old Milford, I couldn't think of anything except wacking that guy across the face with the frame of my bike. It's actually light enough to weild as a weapon perhaps.

After the emotions began to simmer and the heart rate dropped to normal cycling rhythms, I decided that our area of Clermont County just isn't a safe place to ride. I've been accosted several times like this since we've lived in Cincinnati. Although the bike trails are hardly ideal for a road cyclist like myself, I suppose I will have to dodge roller bladers, puppies, and tri-cycles to extend my riding career (and life) as long as possible.

Home In the Rain

Ah...after being away from my girls for the entire week, it was great to have some time this afternoon to enjoy a little game of "Trouble" with my girls. Nothing like spending a few minutes trying to 'pop' a 6 so I can get my little green man around the game board!

Then the rain hit quite intensely and scrubbed the air clean, cooled things off, and provided an anesthetizing soundtrack of white noise for our listening pleasure.


Well, it's Saturday night...and that requires my typical routine of finalizing details for our worship gathering on Sunday morning. I like to make sure I have all the music copied and ready along with the 'service script' which just gives a very basic idea of the overall flow and order of songs, scripture, prayer, teaching, etc.

And it's always interesting to anticipate a cancellation or some other type of snafu which occurs just about every Sunday. Is there a way to experience corporate worship without being so dependent on individual 'players?' Could we plan a worship gathering which wouldn't collapse if one, two, or even three key people didn't show on Sunday morning? One of these days, I'll be part of a worship gathering which is completely spontaneous, guided by the Holy Spirit, and effective whether it's attended by 3 or 3 hundred!

Shack Reaction

If bloggers, theologians, bible-mongers, and other self-appointed spiritual police put as much effort into living like Jesus as they did in protecting their 'right view' of Jesus and the Scriptures...we might actually have a version of Christianity which would bring hope to the world.

I'm responding to a recent comment which was added to one of my previous posts concerning William P. Young's book, The Shack. I certainly don't mind reading a variety of perspectives on that topic and wish to be cautious in my own support of such things. But there's still just something that bristles in me when I hear raw religious rhetoric of this sort.

Although the picture of God in Young's book is more reminiscent of the 'oracle' from the Matrix than the Father Jesus often refers to in Scripture...I don't see the need to place this work in the same category as a new age catechism or some other 'anti-Christian' publication.

Java In Roundtown

This little town in south central Ohio is known mostly for its festive celebration of the pumpkin every October. I found a quaint little cafe with wifi on main street and am enjoying their wares.

This week I have the privilege of being with some students at a youth camp being hosted by Ohio Christian University just outside of town (formerly Circleville Bible College).

I am reminded, as I step back into a somewhat conventional world of youth ministry, how oriented youth ministry is to activity, personalities, and hype. I don't know that these things are wrong in and of themselves. I just wonder how much long-term impact once can make on a middle or high school student in this setting. Obviously, with the help of the Spirit, I'm confident that significant transformation can occur.

Part of the benefit I receive from this experience is connecting with some old friends in youth ministry and also having some extended time to hear stories from students and youth workers.
It's also nice to hang out in a small town and just experience that for a bit.

Room With a View

I feel really blessed to have such a beautiful 'remote' office to work from.

Here's the view I typically have as I catch up on emails, plan worship services, connect with people by phone, update blogs, etc, etc...

Sure beats the view at Panera and the wi-fi connection is MUCH better! Plus I can slip out to the putting green for a few minutes between tasks.