This was something Pastor Norm and I did on Valentine's Day 2010 at the church's Sweetheart Dinner and Talent (or lack thereof) show. We worked on it for... 30 minutes and then said, "Let's just wing it."
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Words from Reggie McNeal
I just got back from the Purposeful and Missional Presbyterians conference in Satellite Beach, FL. On Wednesday, Reggie McNeal spoke. He was not only insightful about the church's need to move from inward to outward, church to kingdom and program to people focus, but he was also entertaining to hear.
Here is a summary of my tweets from Reggie.
Here is a summary of my tweets from Reggie.
- One of the keys to the leadership of a movement is you go first. Your church will never go missional until you do.
- Its better to eat Twinkies with a friend than broccoli by yourself. It's all about relationships.
- The third shift needed to be missional is the move from church-centric to kingdom focus.
- Our people who go on mission trips ought to be coached on how to turn life into a mission trip.
- Reggie McNeal is hilarious. If you get a chance to hear him speak, go! Insightful, faithful and hilarious.
- One person created a Friday night "Wine study and Bible tasting." They are not coming to your church! Get them into your home.
- The goal of program churches is participation, not spiritual formation. Being busy in the church works against formation.
- The second shift churches must make to be missional - move from program-driven to people development culture.
- God loves to show up and show off. God is a glory hog. If you don't know that you don't know God
- Reggie McNeal's prayer before our meal: "Dear Lord, thank you for the cows and chickens who gave it up for us. Amen."
- If you put it up for a vote, your church will never vote to be missional. They will vote to go back to Egypt.
- Key question to ask: "How can I be a blessing to you?" Our job is to bless others.
- The local church is not the hope of the world, Jesus is. Offer people Jesus, not church.
- Three movements to get toward missional church. First, make the move from being internally focused to externally focused.
- The Spirit has jumped out of the Church and is running wild in the world again.
- Church in New Testament is not a destination; it is the people of God. We have got to get that right.
- "Missional Church" is "the people of God partnering with Him in His redemptive mission in the world."
- My hope is to see Pentecost in the Church in America in my lifetime
- With all of the benefits we have as American churches, we are losing. We are losing.
- One out of five goes to church today. That's 22% per week of American population.
- There's a Pentecost going on every hour somewhere in the world.
- China is double India's growth in conversions.
- 80 million new believers in India. Christianity is fastest growing religion.
Friday, April 9, 2010
A Time to Write
A note sent to the congregation recently. It's time to write...
Grace and peace to you.
You may know that I have been working on my doctor of ministry degree for years. Four of those years were coursework and two were working on my dissertation, the final project. You may recall that I spent some time working on the dissertation last spring. That effort helped get my dissertation moving. However, I officially reached the end of my time allotted to get the degree in December 2009. If you know anything at all about last year for me personally and as your pastor, you know that I was working on many projects that demanded my attention. Attention to my dissertation suffered and I did not complete it by December.
I filed for a deadline extension and got the classic good news and bad news as a result. The good news was that I got the extension for one year. The other good news was I finally got an official response on the work already submitted—preface, introduction and first two chapters of the seven in the project. The exact response was, Your content reader, Dr. Kurt Fredrickson, has approved your [preface,] introduction and first chapter. He thought it was well written, and only requires one minor change… He didn’t read the second chapter, but it was all I needed to be inspired. It is game on!
However, the extension was not one year from the date of extension approval. It was one year from my original December 2009 deadline. The reason it is bad news is that when you back out the one month needed to bind the final dissertation, four months needed for revisions, it means that my first full draft is due this July 15. Factor in one retreat, one conference at which I am scheduled to speak, a condo booked months ago for vacation in June and a trip to General Assembly as a commissioner from this Presbytery and it leaves about 10 weeks to finish my work. I have half of chapter three, almost all of chapter four written and chapter five looks straightforward. But still, it is a pressure cooker.
Here’s the thing: it’s now or never. If I don’t do it now, I must start over. If I hunker down and get it done now, I’m done.
I tell you all of that to tell you this: I want to get it done now. But in order to do this, I have to make some serious changes for the next few months.
• Ministry leadership. I have asked the directors to include me only on essential conversations or decisions and carry the rest of the load themselves in these weeks ahead. If I know about it, I’m committed to it and want to be a part. If I’m ignorant of it, I will let it go. If I am to finish my dissertation, I have to let it go.
• Pastoral care. I will be working with others to help here. I will, of course, be there in crisis circumstances. This dissertation will never be above my loved ones, including my spiritual family. This is more of a challenge with Pastor Norm’s retirement. Even Pastor Laurent can’t help. He has returned to Madagascar until July (pray for him and help take care of Diamondra).
• Family life. I will be making dissertation writing base camp at my home. I have taken over Christina’s bedroom as a writing space. She is away at college. Lauren is away in Ohio. Madison and Cile have promised to help in this big push. In fact, I’ve challenged Madison that I’ll finish this if she’ll finish her German. I think we’ll make it a competition somehow.
• Limiting other activities. This is the hard part. I’m going to try to clear as many things I’m involved in away for these weeks ahead.
The bottom line is that I am going to be around, I’m going to be in the pulpit, I’m going to be there in crisis care, but as for everything else I will be scarce. I understand how one PhD candidate once told me in his final push, “My dissertation is all I’m thinking about. I’ve thrown out all unnecessary information. I don’t even know my own name right now. It’s not essential.”
Here’s what I will ask of you.
• Pray for me. Pray that I have clarity of thought and my mind focuses and the words flow well. Pray that what I write helps further Christ’s causes for the Church. Pray specifically that I get done. Pray for my family and for this church.
• Protect my time. If you want me to be part of an event, please ask me later. Let me have these weeks. It’s going to be close.
• Understand my immersion into this project. If I look dazed or out of it, I’m probably thinking of the next chapter. If I look lost, just point me in the right direction.
• Read my stuff. Attached is my preface and introduction. I’ll attach sections as I go. I hope you will journey with me that way.
Here’s what I will do for you.
• Keep my covenantal promises. I will pray for you, stay close to Jesus, not forget my purpose in life, stay in the Word, conduct myself beyond reproach, take care of my family and self.
• Keep you informed. I spoke with Ron Marston this morning about this. He suggested I sent out missives like I do on mission trips. I don’t know if that will be the format. But it would do me well to have you join me like that on this journey ahead. Keeping you informed helps motivate, inspire and hold me accountable in a way. Good stuff!
• Remind you God has me here. I was surprised to hear the chatter that I was leaving after my project work last summer. I, of course, wanted to know if this made the persons happy or sad! I still feel that God is asking me to serve here in these prime years of my ministry. If God says for me to leave right now, I would do it. But I am not feeling that. “Build my church” God has said to me about St. Andrews.
• Love well. I love being your pastor because I flat out love you. I don’t think I say that enough to you. And I love loving Jesus with you. Nothing better than that.
God willing, sometime this year I will be saying to you, “I’m done.” We’ll celebrate then. But for now, it’s time to hunker down.
In Christ,
Pastor John
Grace and peace to you.
You may know that I have been working on my doctor of ministry degree for years. Four of those years were coursework and two were working on my dissertation, the final project. You may recall that I spent some time working on the dissertation last spring. That effort helped get my dissertation moving. However, I officially reached the end of my time allotted to get the degree in December 2009. If you know anything at all about last year for me personally and as your pastor, you know that I was working on many projects that demanded my attention. Attention to my dissertation suffered and I did not complete it by December.
I filed for a deadline extension and got the classic good news and bad news as a result. The good news was that I got the extension for one year. The other good news was I finally got an official response on the work already submitted—preface, introduction and first two chapters of the seven in the project. The exact response was, Your content reader, Dr. Kurt Fredrickson, has approved your [preface,] introduction and first chapter. He thought it was well written, and only requires one minor change… He didn’t read the second chapter, but it was all I needed to be inspired. It is game on!
However, the extension was not one year from the date of extension approval. It was one year from my original December 2009 deadline. The reason it is bad news is that when you back out the one month needed to bind the final dissertation, four months needed for revisions, it means that my first full draft is due this July 15. Factor in one retreat, one conference at which I am scheduled to speak, a condo booked months ago for vacation in June and a trip to General Assembly as a commissioner from this Presbytery and it leaves about 10 weeks to finish my work. I have half of chapter three, almost all of chapter four written and chapter five looks straightforward. But still, it is a pressure cooker.
Here’s the thing: it’s now or never. If I don’t do it now, I must start over. If I hunker down and get it done now, I’m done.
I tell you all of that to tell you this: I want to get it done now. But in order to do this, I have to make some serious changes for the next few months.
• Ministry leadership. I have asked the directors to include me only on essential conversations or decisions and carry the rest of the load themselves in these weeks ahead. If I know about it, I’m committed to it and want to be a part. If I’m ignorant of it, I will let it go. If I am to finish my dissertation, I have to let it go.
• Pastoral care. I will be working with others to help here. I will, of course, be there in crisis circumstances. This dissertation will never be above my loved ones, including my spiritual family. This is more of a challenge with Pastor Norm’s retirement. Even Pastor Laurent can’t help. He has returned to Madagascar until July (pray for him and help take care of Diamondra).
• Family life. I will be making dissertation writing base camp at my home. I have taken over Christina’s bedroom as a writing space. She is away at college. Lauren is away in Ohio. Madison and Cile have promised to help in this big push. In fact, I’ve challenged Madison that I’ll finish this if she’ll finish her German. I think we’ll make it a competition somehow.
• Limiting other activities. This is the hard part. I’m going to try to clear as many things I’m involved in away for these weeks ahead.
The bottom line is that I am going to be around, I’m going to be in the pulpit, I’m going to be there in crisis care, but as for everything else I will be scarce. I understand how one PhD candidate once told me in his final push, “My dissertation is all I’m thinking about. I’ve thrown out all unnecessary information. I don’t even know my own name right now. It’s not essential.”
Here’s what I will ask of you.
• Pray for me. Pray that I have clarity of thought and my mind focuses and the words flow well. Pray that what I write helps further Christ’s causes for the Church. Pray specifically that I get done. Pray for my family and for this church.
• Protect my time. If you want me to be part of an event, please ask me later. Let me have these weeks. It’s going to be close.
• Understand my immersion into this project. If I look dazed or out of it, I’m probably thinking of the next chapter. If I look lost, just point me in the right direction.
• Read my stuff. Attached is my preface and introduction. I’ll attach sections as I go. I hope you will journey with me that way.
Here’s what I will do for you.
• Keep my covenantal promises. I will pray for you, stay close to Jesus, not forget my purpose in life, stay in the Word, conduct myself beyond reproach, take care of my family and self.
• Keep you informed. I spoke with Ron Marston this morning about this. He suggested I sent out missives like I do on mission trips. I don’t know if that will be the format. But it would do me well to have you join me like that on this journey ahead. Keeping you informed helps motivate, inspire and hold me accountable in a way. Good stuff!
• Remind you God has me here. I was surprised to hear the chatter that I was leaving after my project work last summer. I, of course, wanted to know if this made the persons happy or sad! I still feel that God is asking me to serve here in these prime years of my ministry. If God says for me to leave right now, I would do it. But I am not feeling that. “Build my church” God has said to me about St. Andrews.
• Love well. I love being your pastor because I flat out love you. I don’t think I say that enough to you. And I love loving Jesus with you. Nothing better than that.
God willing, sometime this year I will be saying to you, “I’m done.” We’ll celebrate then. But for now, it’s time to hunker down.
In Christ,
Pastor John
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Technology and God
It's only 4:30 am and it's already been a strange morning. First, I had a disturbing dream, then I got a text message at 3:52 am and finally the printer in our bedroom did a self-diagnosis that caused it to hum and rattle at 4:09 am. At a minimum, I got the message that I'm supposed to be awake now.
I dreamed that all of our technical team at church was on vacation and someone else was preaching at the church. I was not preaching but was in attendance. The microphones went silent. The technology failed. Yesterday, I sent an email to our worship team about being smooth with transitions in worship and the need to remove awkward moments in worship services. In my dream, worship was anything but smooth. I tried to adjust the microphone receiver and made it worse. Not only could you not hear the speaker, but now we had radio interference coming over the house speakers as well. At one point we were even picking up television signals. Hey, it was a dream. Plausibility is not necessary. After a very awkward attempt to walk to the room behind the platform for batteries that involved the back entrance to the platform being blocked and the need to walk back in front of the pulpit and out the side door, I finally found some batteries. Apparently, this was the problem. Someone else made the same trip in front of the congregation to help find them. Meanwhile, the preacher and congregation sat in awkward silence. No one was pattering, no one suggested singing, and no one left. All in all, it was a disturbing moment for someone like me who cares deeply about people in the church encountering God in worship. They encountered technical failures and human foibles, not God.
It was my iPhone that woke me up. I get a text message when my daughters change their Facebook status. It is one way I can feel connected to them in their busy young lives. My daughter posted a status update at 3:52 am. Something about her Facebook language being changed to French and how Pirate was a language option. This morning was starting off weird.
About the time I settled back to an uneasy doze, my printer did something I've never heard or seen it do. With no computer hooked to it, with no capabilities for network printing, at 4:09 am, it randomly did a system check. The last time it was used was about 6:00 pm the evening before. In my foggy state of mind, the first thing I thought of was horror movies. Maybe the printer was going to print out a message of doom, a prediction of some traumatic event, or an apocalyptic premonition of the end of the world. I think I've read too many books and seen too many movies with those themes. Now, I was imagining it happening to me.
I am sitting here wide awake a half hour after the weirdness began wondering what to make of it all. What does my trust in God have to say about such dreams of worship technology train wrecks, being awakened by technology and a rogue printer with apocalyptic premonitions? In the best of the ancient Hebrew mind, I now wonder what all of this means.
I have been thinking a lot about the act of corporate worship, so it's no surprise I'm dreaming about it. However, I think it is something more than dreaming about doomsday scenarios in worship. I've also been thinking a lot about life and death (witness two posts ago which had to do with both as well as another dream). My friend Martha Brown passed away last week. Tomorrow we bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ and her resurrection to new life with Christ after physical death. We will celebrate her life tomorrow. Somehow these thoughts of technology meltdown have to do with issues like life and death.
I am a big fan and user of technology. I Facebook, Twitter, Skype, blog, podcast, subscribe to multiple RSS feeds, surf the Internet, use graphics, slides and videos for presentations including during worship/preaching and read books and other printed materials constantly (printing was a revolution in technology back in the day). I max out my iPhone in applications as well as usage. My phone even has automatic updates to my computer on which I now type. If I change one piece of information in either one, the other device is automatically updated. Suffice it to say I am a fan and user of technology.
I am a fan, but I did not accept technology into my heart as my Lord and Savior. I am not in a personal relationship with my iPhone or computer or Sennheiser body pack with a Countryman over-the-ear microphone. Those are all tools to help with the primary concern of mine. Maybe the dream, text message and rogue printer were all there to remind me of my priorities this morning. My primary concern is God and people. God is the greatest priority, not technology. My calling is to please God by helping others have a strong and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Everything else is in a support role, including technology. I guess I just needed a little less sleep this morning to ponder that very thought.
Maybe you need that reminder too today.
I dreamed that all of our technical team at church was on vacation and someone else was preaching at the church. I was not preaching but was in attendance. The microphones went silent. The technology failed. Yesterday, I sent an email to our worship team about being smooth with transitions in worship and the need to remove awkward moments in worship services. In my dream, worship was anything but smooth. I tried to adjust the microphone receiver and made it worse. Not only could you not hear the speaker, but now we had radio interference coming over the house speakers as well. At one point we were even picking up television signals. Hey, it was a dream. Plausibility is not necessary. After a very awkward attempt to walk to the room behind the platform for batteries that involved the back entrance to the platform being blocked and the need to walk back in front of the pulpit and out the side door, I finally found some batteries. Apparently, this was the problem. Someone else made the same trip in front of the congregation to help find them. Meanwhile, the preacher and congregation sat in awkward silence. No one was pattering, no one suggested singing, and no one left. All in all, it was a disturbing moment for someone like me who cares deeply about people in the church encountering God in worship. They encountered technical failures and human foibles, not God.
It was my iPhone that woke me up. I get a text message when my daughters change their Facebook status. It is one way I can feel connected to them in their busy young lives. My daughter posted a status update at 3:52 am. Something about her Facebook language being changed to French and how Pirate was a language option. This morning was starting off weird.
About the time I settled back to an uneasy doze, my printer did something I've never heard or seen it do. With no computer hooked to it, with no capabilities for network printing, at 4:09 am, it randomly did a system check. The last time it was used was about 6:00 pm the evening before. In my foggy state of mind, the first thing I thought of was horror movies. Maybe the printer was going to print out a message of doom, a prediction of some traumatic event, or an apocalyptic premonition of the end of the world. I think I've read too many books and seen too many movies with those themes. Now, I was imagining it happening to me.
I am sitting here wide awake a half hour after the weirdness began wondering what to make of it all. What does my trust in God have to say about such dreams of worship technology train wrecks, being awakened by technology and a rogue printer with apocalyptic premonitions? In the best of the ancient Hebrew mind, I now wonder what all of this means.
I have been thinking a lot about the act of corporate worship, so it's no surprise I'm dreaming about it. However, I think it is something more than dreaming about doomsday scenarios in worship. I've also been thinking a lot about life and death (witness two posts ago which had to do with both as well as another dream). My friend Martha Brown passed away last week. Tomorrow we bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ and her resurrection to new life with Christ after physical death. We will celebrate her life tomorrow. Somehow these thoughts of technology meltdown have to do with issues like life and death.
I am a big fan and user of technology. I Facebook, Twitter, Skype, blog, podcast, subscribe to multiple RSS feeds, surf the Internet, use graphics, slides and videos for presentations including during worship/preaching and read books and other printed materials constantly (printing was a revolution in technology back in the day). I max out my iPhone in applications as well as usage. My phone even has automatic updates to my computer on which I now type. If I change one piece of information in either one, the other device is automatically updated. Suffice it to say I am a fan and user of technology.
I am a fan, but I did not accept technology into my heart as my Lord and Savior. I am not in a personal relationship with my iPhone or computer or Sennheiser body pack with a Countryman over-the-ear microphone. Those are all tools to help with the primary concern of mine. Maybe the dream, text message and rogue printer were all there to remind me of my priorities this morning. My primary concern is God and people. God is the greatest priority, not technology. My calling is to please God by helping others have a strong and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Everything else is in a support role, including technology. I guess I just needed a little less sleep this morning to ponder that very thought.
Maybe you need that reminder too today.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
God is Green
Yesterday, a group of us cleaned up our local beach. It was a picture perfect day and we each had about a half mile stretch to clean.I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The place was packed. It was a Saturday in Florida at beach. There was plenty of trash to gather. I filled up two garbage bags with candy wrappers, cans and discarded bottles. It felt good. In a very small way, it felt like I was able to help move the earth back toward the garden God planted at the beginning of all things. Back when God provided all that was needed. Back when God spoke with man and woman in the cool of the evening. Back when all enjoyed the original beauty of the earth.
I think God cares about the earth. That's why I love the name of the project which was totally stolen from someone else. God is green. I don't see where, in spite of all the abuse we heap upon this planet, God has withdrawn from it or us. When I see the beauty of a sunset or heavy morning dew hanging on a spider's web, I see the fingerprints of God. God still cares, but we've gotten careless.
I've never been much of an environmentalist. I've always found tree huggers admirable in their zeal, but their politics and made-for-media tactics don't inspire me to the cause. God, however, does inspire me. Taking care of what God asks me to steward inspires me. Imagine what it would be like if all of the Christians rallied the churches, civic organizations and businesses with a simple message: seriously pay attention to the impact your life or business has on the planet.
As for me, I will enjoy the afterglow of being a Saturday morning environmentalist on a warm Florida beach and I will ponder what more I can do to continue to care for this planet God loves.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Going Home
I dreamed I was dying last night. Cancer. I was at the last stages. I know it well. I have often been with others dying from cancer as a pastor. I was still able to talk, but my motions were limited and thoughts were in and out of reality.I rarely dream about death and I'm sure I dreamed this because my wife and I are going to a funeral tomorrow in our hometown. It is the first funeral I have been to in the last 12 years that I have not had some official duties to perform. As I told my wife, "It's strange."
What made this dream memorable was the fact that I had those final conversations with my children. It was present day, so I was my age and they were their teenage selves. I talked with them about their boyfriends, interests, and school. It was a fully transparent conversation where I knew it was then or never to tell them what mattered most and what was on my mind. At one point, I slipped out of consciousness (so I was in the subconscious dream state dreaming about being subconscious...weird) and awoke in my dream to see three heads right over my bed staring down at me. "I'm ok." They smiled.
"I want you to know one thing," I said to them. "I want you to know that I still believe what you have heard me speak about all of your lives. I believe there is a God and God came into the world in the flesh in Jesus and I believe that when I die, I will go to him." My eyes were closed at that point, but I had more to say to them. "I know you have committed to live for Jesus in your lives. Never back down from that commitment. Live for him." And then, as they have heard repeatedly over the years, "Nothing matters more."
I could feel the weight of their bodies laying against mine and hugging me at that point. It was a bittersweet moment. I didn't want to leave them. They didn't want me to go. But we all knew I was a sick man and this was no way to live. So we hugged and loved each other in the moment.
It was then time to talk to my wife, but before I got to the final conversation with Cile, I woke up, grateful to be very much alive and well, but feeling exhausted. I am writing this not long after waking up and still feeling the heaviness of that dream.
This blog is about living the way of Jesus. It is about what it means to live as a Christian in this world. Part of what it means is being clear about our future. Theologians will categorize this as the doctrine of hope. We are hopeful about our future destiny. Contrary to many beliefs in our world, something happens after our death. Physical death is not the end of the journey. We continue to exist after our physical deaths.
This puts a unique spin on experiencing death in this world. The apostle Paul says we never grieve as others do who have no hope. I have friends who are funeral directors and they tell me they notice a difference all the time between those with faith and those without. The difference is hope.
I don't want to experience death for many years. However, by faith I know what will happen when that time comes. I believe Jesus meant it when he said he was going ahead to prepare a place and would come back to get his disciples and take them to their true home in heaven. He was talking to his first century disciples, but I believe he was talking to all of his people.
For that reason, I think of death as a homegoing full of hope.
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