O Christmas Tree

Sarah, Ethan, Emma and I drove to Home Depot to buy our Christmas tree a couple weeks ago. The day after Thanksgiving, to be exact. We waited until late afternoon because it had rained all day, and we were hoping it would stop before we went. But when we climbed into the caravan, a lazy drizzle was still falling, and it was cold (in the mid-40s). But it was the day after Thanksgiving. And ever since we’ve been married, we always get our tree on that day.

I didn’t grab a jacket (I was wearing a long sleeved shirt) because Home Depot is only a few minutes from our house, and I figured we’d only be outside for five or ten minutes while we picked the tree. Emma didn’t want to bring a jacket, either, and she was adamant about wearing flip flops. We figured we would let her since it was a minor thing and, after all, good parents “major in the majors” and “minor in the minors.”

When we arrived at Home Depot we walked to the outdoor section where the trees were being sold. Douglas Firs, Balsam Firs, Fraser Firs, Scotch Pines, White Pines, White Spruces, Norway Spruces and Blue Spruces—there are lots of varieties to choose from. We always get Fraser Firs, so that decision was easy. And we figured the selection process would be quick since we were the only customers outside and would have unhindered access to the Fraser Fir section. Easy and Quick. Quick and Easy.

We often vacillate between purchasing the 7-8 feet-tall firs or the 8-9 feet-tall firs. So we checked the prices and decided that the first option was the best for us. And about that time Emma said, “Daddy, I’m cold.”

The problem was there were only five or six Fraser Firs left (a new shipment would be arriving in the next day or two), and they had clearly been picked over by a stream of previous customers earlier in the day. Nevertheless, I stood each one up, shook it out and held it straight as Sarah stood several yards away to see how it looked. Height, girth, even distribution of branches, needle-color and overall shape are all things that must be considered.

The first tree was too short (more like 6’ 11” than 7-8 ft.). The second was too thin. The third had a gaping hole absent of branches about two thirds of the way up. The fourth had a definite yellow tint to the needles. The last one looked like the leaning tower of Pisa even when I held the trunk straight. And I promise I held the trunk as straight as I could. Emma, meanwhile, needed the shared body heat of being held. And I didn’t blame her. Fifteen minutes in the cold drizzle had me wishing I had brought a jacket.

Sarah held Emma most of the time since my shirt was getting soaked from “shaking out” the trees. But I did pick her up when Sarah walked to the entrance to ask a Home Depot employee when the next shipment of trees would be arriving. As we admired the 9-10 ft. firs, we talked about how much we wished we’d brought jackets and about the sticky sap that was all over my hands.

A few minutes later we were back in the caravan, windshield wipers wiping as we headed….to Lowe’s.

Lowe’s is only a couple miles from the Home Depot, and we turned the heat on full-blast as we sang Christmas carols at the top of our lungs with 104.7 The Fish, a local radio station that plays all Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Unfortunately it takes a couple miles before the engine heats up enough to allow the car vents to actually blow hot air. So the hot air of our singing voices was about the only thing helping us get warm.

When we pulled into Lowe’s we parked in front of the outdoor Christmas tree section and walked through the cold drizzle towards the 7-8 ft. Fraser Firs. One other couple was already there. They were older than Sarah and I, and apparently wiser. They were both bundled up in warm coats. The woman was wearing ear muffs and the man was wearing warm gloves, no doubt sap-resistant.

Sarah and I looked at each other and our kids who were patiently huddled near us, and I said, “This is Christmas. This is not about stress, but about joy and creating memories with the family.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t forget this,” Sarah said.

A full twenty minutes later, Ethan patiently helping us pick a tree and Emma patiently snuggled in Sarah’s arms, her cold feet tucked under the bottom of Sarah’s shirt, we finally found the perfect tree. It was in the 7-8 ft. section, but measured more like 8’ 11’’. It stood straight. Its needles were green. Its branches were evenly dispersed. And its girth was not too thin and not too wide.

Now all that was left was tying it to the top of the van, driving it home, carrying it into the house, and securing it in one of those Christmas tree stands.

Memories…

I Can Love the Tarheels and Still Like "Coach K"

I’m a big University of North Carolina Tarheels basketball fan.

I grew up in North Carolina, and I’ve rooted for the ‘Heels since I can remember.
I remember Michael Jordan’s championship-winning baseline jumper in 1982, and I follow who they are recruiting for the 2010-2011 incoming class.
I believe Dean Smith is the greatest college basketball coach of all time, followed, in order, by Roy Williams, John Wooden and Bobby Knight.
I’ve partied on Franklin St. in Chapel Hill after a victory.
I believe that the reason God created the sky blue is because he loves the Tarheels.
I intensely dislike (hate is such a harsh word) our arch-rival, the Duke Blue Devils.

I say all that, because several weeks ago, a friend of mine recommended that I read a book by Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K). The book is titled, Leading With the Heart.

Now there was a day that I would have never picked up a book by Coach K, simply because he was affiliated with Duke. But I’ve discovered over the years the dangers of a life-approach that says, “I will only be taught by those whom I like and those whom already share my same basic beliefs.” It’s a narrow-minded approach that leads to intellectual stagnation, limited perspective, untested ideas, and ultimately fear.

So, as I write this, I am in the concluding chapters of Coach K’s book. And it’s good.
It’s filled with lessons, stories and counsel about ways to successfully lead yourself, your family, and any team of people who are part of your sphere of influence.

There are dozens of life tips (or as my high school friend was fond of saying, “pithy maxims”) that are worth thinking about and figuring out how to better implement—lessons on leadership, personal development, people development, administrative techniques, how to handle a crisis and much more. In fact, at the end of this, I’ll list a few of these “pithy maxims.” But there are three things I want to mention in a little more detail here, because I think they are particularly relevant these days.

(the all-caps wording of these three ideas is mine, but the concepts are straight from the book)

IDEA 1: LEARN FROM EVERYONE AND IN EVERY SITUATION.

Coach K says tells a great story about learning from the janitor who cleans out the locker room. He writes: “I’ll ask D.C., the person who cleans our locker room.”

“Are they [the players] sloppier than usual, D.C.?”
“No, Coach, they’re pretty good.”
“Do you think any of the kids are having any personal problems?”
“Not that I can tell.”
“Will you keep an eye on them for me, D.C.?”
“Sure will, Coach.”

Well, there have been times when I’ve been working in the locker room on something and D.C., who’s been cleaning in the background, will pipe up with a comment.
“Hey Coach, I think Nate might have gotten a bad grade on a test. Doesn’t seem to be himself right now..”
“Thanks, D.C. I’ll keep an eye on him in practice tomorrow.”

Coach K goes on to talk about how he listens and learns from everyone. “Good ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere,” he writes.

I love his spirit. Contrast that with this. I know Republicans who “tune out” when Hillary or Bill or Obama speak, and therefore they refuse to learn. I know Democrats who “tune out” when George W. Bush or Rush Limbaugh speak, and therefore they refuse to learn. I know of Christians who have never read a book by an atheist (or even someone outside their own religious denomination) and I know of atheists who refuse to have an open mind towards matters of God. And much of the time it leads to judgmentalism, dislike and fear toward those things and people they aren’t open to listening to or learning from. It builds walls and destroys the possibility of an honest, meaningful relationship or dialogue. Nobody wins.


IDEA 2: I MUST EMBRACE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Coach K writes:

"[While in school at West Point], I was walking across an open area with my roommate. We were in our uniforms and we were required to walk in a straight, erect manner.

"Well, my roommate stepped in a puddle of water and splashed up a little bit of mud on my shoes. We kept on walking and suddenly I heard the worst word in the world that a plebe can hear.

“Halt!” commanded one of two upperclassmen coming toward us….
“These two guys take a look at my roommate and say, “You’re Okay.”
“Then they look at me and see my name tag. “What the **** is your name?,” one of them asked.”
“Krzyzewski, sir.”
“What kind of name is that?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Well, Mr. Alphabet, or whoever the **** you are, your shoes are cruddy. You’re a crudball. How did that happen?”

"Now, in real life, 99 percent of the people would want to explain what happened. “Look, we were walking across the area,” I wanted to say, “and my knucklehead roommate stepped in a puddle and he got the mud on my shoes. It’s not my fault.”

"But at West Point, that story’s not acceptable. So my answer was, “No excuse, sir.”
“That’s right! You have no excuses! You’re a crudball!”

"They told my roommate to get going and for the next few minutes one of these upperclassmen just reamed me out. Then he wrote me up and, of course, I received demerits for having mud on my shoes.

"So when I finally got back to the dorm, I was angry at my roommate…..

"Later I began to look at that entire incident from a different perspective.
When my roommate stepped in that puddle and splashed mud on my shoes, I had a choice to make. They were my shoes and I was responsible for them. I kept walking and took the chance that I wouldn’t be caught. I could have gone back but I didn’t. That was my choice. The truth is that I had no right to be mad at my roommate. I should have been mad at myself. And later, when I understood the reality of the situation, I was angry with myself."


I love that story because when life throws crud on your shoes, or on your face or on your home or family (and it will happen), we can choose how we will respond. Coach K says we can either
look for excuses or “reasons.” We can blame. Or we can look at our own role and “embrace the hell out of personal responsibility.” He’s right.

In my life I’ve learned that it’s fine, often wise, to evaluate the crud and learn from the crud, but it rarely leads to joy, peace or renewed purpose and confidence without a sense of personal responsibility and a game-plan for future action.


IDEA 3: IF I THINK I’VE WON, BUT THE TEAM LOSES, THEN I’VE REALLY LOST, TOO.

There is a direct connection between personal success and team success, whether that team be my family, my church, my co-workers or my community.

There are two sides to this. The first side is that I am responsible for what I contribute to the team. When I get better, we all get better.

But second, since I am part of something larger than myself, I also have to help the team succeed if I want to win.

Again Coach K tells a great story to get at this:
In our platoon, there were about thirty plebes and we were assigned three to a room. We’d all be outside the barracks dressed in our fatigues when the order would come: “Okay, you’ve got two minutes to get back here in full dress uniform.” Well, there was no way we could get from fatigues to full dress uniforms in two minutes. It was just impossible.

But when the squad leader would yell, “Dismissed!” we’d all run to our rooms and frantically start changing. One guy would be ready first and he’d head out. Then I’d be next and bolt out the door while my other buddy was still changing. We filtered out one by on, we were all late, and we had to get in the late line.

“Why are you late, mister?”
“No excuse, sir.”
“That’s right, there’s no excuse.”
But then we were asked other questions.
“Why aren’t you out here with your roommates? Why aren’t you out here together?”
“No excuse, sir.”
“Listen up, mister, if one of you is late, all of you are late. Do you understand that? It’s not about you getting out here on time, it’s about you and your roommates getting out here on time.”

And then this application from coaching his basketball team:

“I recall when freshmen Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alarie were late for a team bus. We didn’t know where they were, they had not called, and every other member of the team was on time. So we left them behind. Eventually, the two caught up to us and I remember being ready to hammer them. But after hearing that they had overslept, I began to wonder why other members of our team had not checked up on them. So I talked to the entire team about setting up buddy system where everyone looked out for one another. “If one of us is late,” I told them, “all of us are late.”

The only way I can win is if my team wins. I like this idea a lot.


I'll stop here. Being a Tarheels fan, I don’t really want to write or quote “Coach K” more than I have to! But as promised I end with a few other pithy maxims from the author.

• “Everything we do has our own personal signature on it.”
• “Whatever a leader does now sets up what he does later. And there’s always a later.”
• “Believe you CAN win it all, but don’t assume that you WILL win it all.”
• “Luck favors teams who trust one another.”
• “You hear, You forget. You See, You Remember. You Do, You Understand.”
(I want to teach a whole series on this one someday)

Vision Day at My Church

Last Sunday was “Vision Day” at New Community Church. This simply means that it was the day we reflected on how God has been leading us and how he would like to continue to lead us during the next twelve months and beyond.

Below is a gently modified version of my talk. “Modified” because what you read below isn’t a word-for-word transcript of what I said, but instead large portions of my notes (as such, there will be typos, grammar and punctuation inaccuracies). It also doesn’t include the live interviews I did with Julie Paz from Esther Jackson Elementary School and Ken Dowdy from World Vision.

But I think you’ll get the gist of it…

VISION DAY 2008

If you’ve listened to radio, or watched TV or surfed the web or read a newspaper or magazine this week, I suspect you have heard the name “Barack Obama” or “John McCain” or “Joe Biden” or “Sarah Palin.”

After all, we are in a hotly contested election season.

And so I’d like to start with a question.

Imagine that we elected all the right people to all the right offices—President, Congress, state government, local government, school boards, city councils, etc.

And imagine they instituted all the right policies and legislation—zoning laws, tax structures, immigration policy, health care policy, energy policy, education policy—everything just exactly right. Imagine stocks on Wall Street never had violent fluctuations. And imagine the Georgia DOT only had to fix roads 1 time. And lanes were never shut down on weekends.

Here’s the question: If we got all that right, would that lead to perfection in our society? Would all parents now demonstrate great patience and wisdom toward their children? Would every marriage now be an example of faithfulness and love? Would corporate greed and personal pride be legislated out of existence? Would workplaces become pictures of unity and joy? Would fitness centers and grocery store lines and rush hour on GA 400 now become a place of kindness and generosity? Would human beings at last be able to control their impulses around sexuality and anger and appetite? Would you finally be the man or woman that God created you to be?

Now, to be clear, as we talked during the last two weeks, we should be involved in the political process. And we ought to do it in a way that is respectful and graceful.

But, here’s the point. No human system, no human structure, no human kingdom has the ability to change the human heart—so that pride becomes humility, judgementalism becomes grace, hate turns to love, anger to forgiveness, selfishness turns to selflessness.

No human kingdom has the ability to do that.

We need another kind of administration, one that deals with the transformation of my heart and yours.

Well…

Once there was a carpenter, a young rabbi named Jesus, and He had a single, central message. No one in history to that point had ever had a message like it. And when people heard it they left everything for it…and then they found it—a life filled with love, joy, purpose, passion and an inner peace that would allow them to willingly give up their lives for the sake of it.

It’s summarized in Mark chapter one:

Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” Jesus said, “the Kingdom of God is now available. Repent and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:14-15)

Jesus offers a new administration—not earthly power structures, but the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, now this has become available on earth through me.

And people wanted to know, “what’s the kingdom of God like?”

WHAT IS THIS KINGDOM LIKE? (congregation opens bags with mustard seeds in them.)

People wanted to know. So Jesus talked a lot about it.

“What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?...It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown in the ground, grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants, and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its branches.” (Luke 13:18-19)

A mustard seed. It’s pretty small. But it grows up to maturity and becomes a source of nutrients, life and joy to others.

I did a little research on the mustard plant and discovered that it’s also pervasive…like kudzu….great resilience, great power, great ability to spread and grow and thrive. It was actually known, in the Roman Empire, for its vivid color and strong flavor and was viewed as a sign of power.

It’s small and yet has great effect.

Eugene Peterson wrote, “The metaphors Jesus used for life with God are frequently images of the single, the small and the quiet, which have effects far in excess of their appearance: salt, leaven and seed.” (Contemplative Pastor: p 25)

Jesus said once….The Kingdom of God is within you. We all have this seed…we all have access to power and presence and grace of God….QUESTION IS…..what are you gonna do with it? You have access to life with God….what are you gonna do with it??

Well, Jesus’ disciples had this seed, too. And they said, “We know what we are gonna do with it!”

We’re gonna come together and plant it in the kingdom of God…. ….and so they did….a politically right wing disciple, and a politically left wing disciple, a disciple who wanted to overthrow government structures and a disciple who wanted to rise within it. Richer disciples and some poor ones. A tax collectors, fisherman, and a carpenter.

They all came together, planted their seed in the Kingdom of God…and in the process they experienced a kind of love and belonging and inner joy beyond their wildest imaginations.

Later, Paul, a divorced man with a handicap, said “here’s my seed” and people from Jerusalem to Rome to Corinth and all in between begin to learn about God’s grace.

And throughout history ordinary people have said, “it’s small, but here’s my seed, here’s my seed.”

In this room, if you look around, we have republicans and democrats, those financially well-off and financially in debt, those who love the church and those who aren’t sure, people in great pain and people experiencing great joy.

And 2,000 years ago Jesus took a group like us and galvanized them behind a single vision—to spread the good news that the kingdom of God, that life under the power and presence and love and grace of God is now available to ordinary human beings.

And he says to you and me what he said to those disciples years ago…. “If you give your mustard seed to me, I will grow you and bless you and your life will be an incredible blessing.”

And now I want to talk about the vision I believe God has for our collective seeds. How he is already using them and how he would like to use them in the next 12 months and beyond in our church community.

And there are THREE VERY UNIQUE WAYS God has been moving and wants to continue moving in us in the next season of our lives….

GIVE

God has given us a vision here at New Community—a vision to give of our time and resources to those outside our immediate church community…into our greater Roswell community and world.

And God has uniquely blessed us with the ability and passion to make a significant difference in two spheres that matter deeply to God.

1^st sphere is Esther Jackson…

Almost three years ago, now, I had the privilege of going with to Esther Jackson Elementary as well as three or four other schools in our immediate area to see if and how we might be able to serve them. We went in response to promptings we felt to engage, love and serve our community. And we went with no agendas. No strings-attached. And for whatever reasons, of the several schools we approached, only one, Esther Jackson, responded.

They said, well, we have a gardens/gazebo area that needs weeds pulled, old bushes removed and new mulch laid down. And so we served.

Later that year we volunteered at a school-wide field day. Later we learned that teachers would love a greater sense that the community is loving and supporting them. So we made and delivered teacher packets (food, gum, school supplies, Starbucks gift cards). Later we learned that some families were barely able to put food on their tables, so we gave Kroger gift cards to twenty-five families. Later we learned that kids needed tutoring. So we tutored over thirty kids last year.

These were all needs that came to our attention and that we simply responded to. YOU responded with amazing hearts and generosity. And as you know we never had an agenda to “preach” or talk about Jesus to them. We never had secret hopes that we could get more people in our seats on Sunday morning. We simply wanted to be neighbors that loved and served our community….no strings attached.

And as last year ended it was clear that God had and was using us in unexpected and in significant ways to bless Esther Jackson.

And it's in this context that I want to invite Julie Paz forward. Julie is our primary contact and—from a human standpoint— the primary reason that we are able to bless all the students and teachers there.

Julie—thank you!

Tell us how things are going this year at Esther Jackson? What are your greatest excitements and greatest needs this year? Talk about how our tutoring last year impacted the school? What are your tutoring needs this year?

The second thing God is uniquely doing in and through us under this category of “GIVE” is our TRIVIA FOR WATER. This October we fund our 4^th well!!

And now I’d like to invite Ken Dowdy forward. Ken works with World Vision and is partnering with us for our Trivia for Water event.

Take us from a check we write to the well being dug

Take us from the well being dug to the impact of the well on a village…

As we look into the next year of life and beyond, these two God-visions (Esther Jackson and digging wells in Africa) are central to the day-to-day life of our church.

This doesn’t mean I don’t help you wash your car or load up your Uhaul or serve a neighbor or volunteer with Make-a-Wish or Breast Cancer walks or MS bike rides, or Project Open Hand or Roswell Firehouse or Holcomb woods parkway clean-up.

NO…..God has called some of us to do these things, too.

It means we have a unique calling to Esther Jackson and to digging wells, and together we can make a difference…one mustard seed at a time.

So I’m asking, the elders are asking, I believe God is asking everyone to do something—faithfully and consistently—to bless Esther Jackson and to dig wells.

PRAY

The second piece of vision for the coming 12-months and beyond centers on this word…PRAY.

In the next 12 months and beyond we’re gonna raise the value and vision for prayer.

So we’re gonna ask each of you to make prayer a more significant part of your life.

Cindy Gambon, an amazing member of the elder board, is going to lead us in this….

But our goal isn’t to get good at praying. It isn’t to set new records in amounts of time in prayer. It is to learn to consistently bring the real us before the real God.

So we’re gonna pray the real us…

Jesus, in fact, said, when you pray, don’t pray like hypocrites….pray the real you…

The quickest way to kill a prayer life is to pretend to care about what you don’t really care about.

So we’re gonna pray real. And that means we’re gonna pray everywhere.

Pray doesn’t need to happen only in one specific chair in your house, in front of a window that over-looks a bird feeder….although that might be a good place for daily devotions and reflection.

We’re gonna pray real and pray everywhere—every room of the house, car, work, at play, etc…— and we’re gonna pray with…real us before real God.

And I believe some of us will connect with God in the next 12 months in ways we’ve never connected with him before.

Praying is also going to allow us to connecting with each other.

It’s great that we eat together and we’re gonna keep doing that.

It’s great that we play together and we’re gonna keep doing that….

It’s very good to watch football together…and we’re gonna keep doing that!

But we can go deeper and find deeper and truer and more satisfying and lasting relationships when we begin to pray for each other.

Examples of how praying for another connects us with them….

So I’m asking, the elders are asking, I believe God is asking everyone to do something—faithfully and consistently—to make prayer—connecting with God and each other—a priority during the next 12 months and beyond.

SHARE

Finally…the word…SHARE.

This is a short point, but straight from the Bible…

You read the NT and there no sense that I keep kingdom life—love, joy, peace, purpose—to myself….there is always a sense of invitations, conversations and sharing and joining.

So in the next 12 months and beyond we are gonna commit to increasingly share our lives with others…engaging in conversations and invitations for others to join us on this journey.

This doesn’t only happen, this doesn’t primarily happen, through invitations to a Sunday morning service….this means that when I serve the poor I invite another to join me. When I go camping or hiking, I invite another to join me. When I watch a football game or go to a movie, I invite another to join me.

This means when I read a book that stretches my thinking and grows my faith, I ask another read it and then we get together over coffee or dinner to talk about it together.

This means that instead of making the focus of my conversations all about politics, sports, technology, I begin to share with people the story of my walk with God.

So I’m asking, the elders are asking, I believe God is asking everyone to do something—faithfully and consistently—to extend your life with God to others.

This is the vision we’ve seen God leading us in and the vision he wants to increasingly lead us in during the next 12 months and beyond.

WHO IS RESPONSILBE FOR SEEING TO IT THAT WE MEET OUR OBJECTIVES? GOD

WHAT DO I DO? GIVE WHAT I HAVE….Some time, some money, some priorities…. It may involve rearranging your schedule, rearranging your finances, rearranging your priorities…. We can do that!!

What do I have? My mustard seed

When you give it to God an amazing thing happens.

I GIVE, but I find myself RECEIVING

I PRAY, but I find myself experience less worry and more PEACE.

I SHARE, but discover true JOY.

There is something about a seed. It’s pretty much dead here, isn’t it? But you plant it in the soil of God....and the seed that died comes to life…

One day Jesus came to this earth and was born as a baby…he was a seed from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Mary, his mother. But he was no ordinary seed. He launched this Kingdom of God.

And people joined and for a while there’s excitement and hope for this little community of Jesus followers. But then the seed is crucified. He’s dead. And they all thought that the kingdom was gone.

But they were all wrong. The seed was laid (planted) in a grave and the grave couldn’t keep him down.

And on the third day Jesus was raised again. And it turns out that it was actually your sin and mine, death and pain and despair, that was defeated on the cross, not Jesus.

Jesus is still alive and well. And what He said then He says to you and me now.

“Come to Me. The kingdom of God is now available.”

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed and the revolution of the mustard seed is still going. It is taking place “live.”

• It will take place over conversations at Starbucks, Sweet Tomatoes, Taco Mac and in our homes.
• It will take place on mountain tops in British Columbia and around campfires in North Georgia and at beaches in Hilton Head, SC.
• The revolution will be in classrooms at Esther Jackson, helping a kid read simple words and multiply 3x3.
• The revolution will not be talking about poverty in chairs on Sunday morning. It will be in helping to eradicate pockets of poverty in our world. It will take place around Trivia tables and around newly dug wells in African villages.
• The revolution will take place in Kids Community.
• The revolution will be downsizing my life so I can bring my finances to bear in the greater causes of life.
• The revolution will take place on our knees.

So get ready friends, God is preparing us for something really, really—small. About the size of a mustard seed.

Cause after all the kingdom of God is about small, everyday moments of radical commitment to what God wants to do in and through you and us.

And if you want to be a part of that kind of Kingdom, you can do that today. It’s available to all of us.

So let’s pray now….then we’ll eat….

the mustard seed revolution

During the next twelve months, and beyond, we believe God would love to move through us

in the following three “mustard seed” ways:

GIVE

1. Be a tutor at Esther Jackson Elementary School for the 2008-2009 school year.

2. Pray regularly for Esther Jackson Elementary School.

3. Donate money (beyond my regular giving to the church), when asked, to causes at Esther Jackson.

4. Volunteer for periodic events at Esther Jackson (clean-up days; field days, landscaping projects)

5. Attend our trivia nights for water (October 18, 2008 and January 31, 2009)

6. Donate money (beyond my regular giving to the church) for the digging of wells in Africa.

7. Donate money towards the sending of church leadership on a mission trip to Africa.

8. Alongside others in the church, read a book or attend a conference or concert that will stir my heart and mind toward issues of injustice and poverty in the world.

The revolution: Everyone doing something

____________________________

PRAY

1. Pray regularly and specifically for my church community, my neighborhood and those I work with.

2. Pray regularly with another member of our community (over the phone or in person).

3. Pray for and with my child(ren) on a daily basis.

4. Pray for and with my spouse on a daily basis.

5. Participate in a special weekend of fasting and prayer.

6. Participate in our once-a-month “People at Prayer” from 5-6am on Thursdays.

7. Alongside others in the church, read a book or attend a conference or concert that will engage my heart and life more deeply into a life of prayer.

The revolution: Everyone doing something

____________________________

SHARE

1. Invite a friend to participate in at least two social gatherings of our church (for example our 4^th of July party; a Braves baseball game; the Super Bowl party, ice cream nights, game nights, our Sweet Tomatoes gatherings).
2. Invite someone to serve with you as you serve our community and world.
3. Invite at least one friend to our Easter service, our Christmas service, and our trivia night for water.
4. Attend one Atlanta area conference/concert/event this year chosen by the church elders.
5. Share aspects of my spiritual journey at the weekend service.
6. With a friend, read a book about some aspect of the life the Jesus and talk about it together over coffee.
7. Join a community group and/or invite someone to join a community group.
8. Invite a friend to join me in a life-renewing activity like camping or hiking or a mission trip or a weekend of renewal at the beach.

The revolution: Everyone doing something.

Things Worth Staying Up 'til Midnight For

Last night I stayed up ‘til midnight watching the Olympics from Beijing.

The U.S. men's 4x100m freestyle relay team won gold in what many are calling “the most exciting, most record-breaking, most amazing, thrilling, unbelievable relay anyone could ever imagine.”

And, in my judgment, these words might be understatements.

It happened around 11:45pm, while my wife and children were all asleep. Nevertheless I shouted and pumped my fists when the race was over. I was so excited that it took me another hour before I could get to sleep.

The U.S. men -- Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak -- set a world record, finishing in 3:08.24. (France took second, Australia third.) And they came from behind in unbelievable fashion to win by a fingertip.

I love what team captain Jason Lezak, who swam the anchor leg, had to say when it was all over: "People always step up and do things out of the ordinary at the Olympics."

Three things strike me as particularly important lessons from this story.

First, these athletes work incredibly hard preparing for these events. In many cases it’s a lifetime of training for one or two events. They deeply devote themselves to what they are doing. And as a result there are great rewards for them. I can’t help but think of Paul’s words in Colossians. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

Second, they celebrate well. This is huge. So many of us can barely celebrate our own “wins” and “blessings” because we are constantly looking ahead or worrying about what’s to come. Watch the video footage of their celebration, and it might bring tears to your eyes. Such unashamed, unhindered, unencumbered, unselfconscious celebration is rarely seen and intoxicatingly refreshing.

Third, they work hard together. And there is something special about sharing hard work and rewards with others. There is something deeply satisfying about celebrating with a team that has come together to do a great thing. Contrast that with tennis. I love tennis. But when a tennis player wins a match, he or she usually falls to the ground in isolated celebration. Sure others are cheering, but the celebration is uniquely singular. No high fives to a teammate. No hugs from another who “fought the battle” alongside him.

These three things – working with all your might, celebrating well, and doing something great together with others – are three of the most amazing and important disciplines in life. I wonder how you and I would answer these three questions:

What are you working like crazy—heart, soul, mind, strength—for these days?

What are you celebrating deeply and without holding back?

Who are you doing these things with?

If we all had clear, God-led answers to the above questions I believe we would experience increased and amazing amounts of love, joy, peace, purpose and passion in our lives.

Shifting gears now…..one other thought about staying up late to watch the Olympics…

My wife has asked me why I’m coming to bed so late this week. I told her that the Olympics are one of those things worth staying up ‘til midnight or later for. They only happen every four years, and they offer events and stories that I will remember for a lifetime.

It made me think. There are not many things worth staying up ‘til midnight for. (Sleep is usually the wiser and more preferable choice to most midnight activities.) But, from time to time, there are some things worth staying up ‘til midnight for. So I end with a short list.

A good New Year's Eve party

A great sporting event

A meaningful conversation with a friend

Watching the stars around a campfire

Reading a great book

Talking to God

Working at a needed job

Helping a friend pack boxes before a move

A date-night with your spouse

What would you add?

Matilda

Our neighbors lent us one of their DVD movies a few weeks ago. It’s a children’s movie called “Matilda,” and, although the movie was made twelve years ago, our neighbors assured us that our daughter Emma would love it.

We returned the movie yesterday.

During the few weeks we had it, Emma watched “Matilda” no less than a dozen times. It stars Danny DeVito as “Harry Wormwood” and Mara Wilson as his daughter “Matilda.” Harry and his wife are the worst parents ever. At one point Harry says to Matilda, “I'm smart; you're dumb. I'm big; you're small. I'm right, you're wrong. And there's nothing you can do about it.”

Later, when Matilda is reading a book (something’s she learned to do on her own since her parents refuse to let her attend school), Harry grabs the book from her, rips it up and asks, “What do you want a book for?”

Matilda answers, “To read.”

Harry yells back, “To read? Why would you want to read when you got the television set sitting right in front of you? There's nothing you can get from a book that you can't get from a television faster.”

Needless to say, life for Matilda isn’t very joyful. And it doesn’t get any better, at least at first, when she is finally allowed to attend school under the watch of the worst principal imaginable, Ms. Trunchbull. Ms. Trunchbull’s motto is: “Use the rod, beat the child.”

Harry likes it so much that he tells Ms. Trunchbull that it is a “terrific motto!” And when she inquires about his children, he says, “I got a boy, Mikey, and one mistake, Matilda.”

“They’re all mistakes, children!” Ms. Trunchbull responds. “Filthy, nasty things. Glad I never was one.”

Now, at this point, you are probably wondering why I would let my daughter watch this.

So I’ll tell you.

The reason I let Emma watch the movie, and watched it with her, is because it has two overarching themes that are two of the greatest bits of wisdom and truth in the world.

The first bit of wisdom is this: Reading great books is a wonderful and life-changing activity. Reading can soften your heart and strengthen your mind. It can enlighten you to new possibilities where none existed before and help you understand fundamental truths about life. It can help explain things that seem too complex and demonstrate the beautiful complexity of things that seem too simple. It can introduce you to people and ideas that inspire you to action. It can lift your thoughts to higher places.

Matilda taps into all of this, and it transforms her.

The second bit of wisdom from the movie is this: There is nothing more powerful than love. Matilda’s teacher, Miss Honey, is the first person Matilda has ever met that truly loves her. You can see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice and watch it in her actions.

Miss Honey loves Matilda. In return, Matilda loves Miss Honey. And it transforms them both. Sadness turns into joy. Loneliness is replaced by fellowship. Confusion is traded for clarity. Timidity gives way to boldness. Tears turn to laughter. Despair becomes hope.

All because of love.

“Matilda” reminds me of the great gifts of reading and love. And these are two gifts I want to remind you about today.

What are you reading that is softening your heart and strengthening your mind?

And who are you loving and being loved by in a way that results in a life of fellowship and joy?

One of the great hopes for my church community is that we increasingly become the kind of place that fosters conversations surrounding the reading of great books, books that stir our thinking, melt our hearts, move us to action and draw us closer to the One whose story is told in that greatest of books, the Bible.

And more than that, I hope that our church increasingly becomes the kind of place that is characterized by great love, love for God and love for each other. 1 Corinthians 13 talks about this love. Jesus lived it.

I believe we can too.

Summer Time

Summer time.

For students or parents of students it’s a big change in responsibilities and time management. For others it means the beginning of less morning traffic, or the scheduling of a vacation or two, or shifting levels of busyness at work. For still others it’s simply a perspective shift, moving to a time of longer days, outdoor BBQs, camping, baseball games, increased relaxation and fun.

But I want you to think for a moment about your life two and a half months from now. Summer will be over, school will be back in session and more normal routines will have returned. Two and a half months from now, you will come out the other side of summer and you will have changed some, potentially a lot. But however you are different or the same, it will be the product of choices you have made.

This could be the summer that your prayer life takes off like never before. Or it could be a summer where your prayer life wanes or dries up altogether.

This could be the summer you get into better physical shape—lose weight, gain muscle, strengthen your heart. Or it could be the summer of poor eating and poor exercise choices.

This could be the summer that you reduce your financial stress and debt or it could be the summer of increased financial stress and debt.

This could be the summer that you experience the joy of generous living and unleash your time and money into causes in your community and world that stir your soul. Or this could be the summer that your heart gets colder to the things of God, and you don’t grow in generosity, but instead either flat-line or see yourself intensify the pursuit of other wants and desires.

This could be the summer you read one or two great books that stretch your mind and grow your soul. Or it could be the summer of increased movie and television viewing.

This summer you can invest time in your kids that they will remember and talk for the rest of their life. Or you can watch the days pass by consumed with other tasks.

This summer you can develop deeper friendships and deeper trust.

This summer to can learn more about God and experience more of his grace.

This summer can be the best summer of your life!

But one thing is certain. Two and a half months from now, on the other side of summer, you will have changed some, potentially a lot. But however you are different or the same, it will be the product of choices you have made.

And I think God would say to you and me today: “Seize the Summer!”

In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul writes: “Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity.”

“Seize the summer!” Paul says.

Now if you want to seize the summer, there is something you’ll want to build that will help you seize what God is calling you to seize.

That thing is an adult’s best friend, a child’s best friend, an athlete’s best friend, an employee’s best friend, a boss’s best friend, a student’s best friend. And it can be your best friend.

It’s momentum.

Momentum is sometimes the only difference between losing and winning.

It’s why in basketball games, when the opposing team scores a lot of unanswered points and starts to develop too much momentum, a good coach will call a time-out. The coach knows that if the other team’s momentum gets too strong, his team is likely to lose the game.

The value of momentum works in the world of dating, too. In dating, the first three dates can give you great momentum. If your first date is bad, you probably won’t have a second. And if your second date is bad, that might be the end, too. Same for the third date. But if your first three dates are great, and your fourth date is bad, you’ve probably got enough momentum to secure a fifth date.

Momentum can help you speak with confidence and take bold risks. It can give you energy to stick to an exercise program or finish reading a book you’ve started. It can help you get a job or get a promotion. It can enable you to more easily keep a promise to your spouse, children or friends.

Momentum can help you do things you never thought you could do on your own.

The life of David (recorded mostly in 1 and 2 Samuel) in the Bible is a great example of how to build momentum and how it can bless your life.

His entire life story is a story that can be viewed through the lens of momentum. But one series of episodes is particularly instructive to me.

One night David is tending sheep and a bear tries to attack and eat his sheep. In fact the bear grabs one and starts to carry it off. But David, despite feeling some degree of obvious fear, chases the bear down, kills it and rescues the sheep “from the bear’s mouth.”

My guess is that that event built some confidence in David, confidence in what God was able to do through him (because in the text David acknowledges that it was God’s power working through him that delivered him from the bear).

Later a lion attacks and tries to eat one of his sheep. This time David “seizes” the lion “by its hair” and kills it, rescuing the sheep. Again David credits God’s power for this rescue. And, no doubt, he’s feeling even more confident about what God can do in and through him.

Fast forward, now, to a story that we probably all know: David vs. Goliath. Goliath, a

Philistine warrior and giant, challenges any Israelite who dares to a one-on-one fight to the death. “Choose a man and have him come down to me,” Goliath yells. “If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

But instead of rising to the challenge, “all the Israelites are dismayed and terrified.” That is, all but David. See David has momentum. He knows the power of God and has taken down a few giants (a bear and a lion) in recent days.

So David fights Goliath and defeats him, too.

And now David’s momentum is nearly unstoppable. Later, the text says that whatever King Saul sent David to do, he “did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army.”

And it’s not very long after that that David becomes King of Israel.

These events are instructive because they teach us some principles about seizing the summer!

First, David trusted God and relied on His strength. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “I pray that you may know how unbelievably great is His power to help those who believe in Him…the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 1:19-20)” David knew this power (and we can, too).

Second, David acted. He seized the moment. He didn’t shrink back from what he wanted to accomplish, he took bold steps towards fulfilling what he was called to do.

Often in life, the first step is the hardest. If you’ve ever water skied, you know that it’s harder to get up on the water than it is to steer once you’re up there. Before you get up, the boat drags you along, and you think your arms are going to give out as the water floods against your chest and into your face. For a moment, you may even believe you can’t hold on to the tow rope any longer. But then the force of the water drives your skis up onto the surface, and off you go. At that point, you are able to make a turn with only a subtle shift of weight from one foot to another.

Getting started is often hard, but once you’re moving forward, it’s easier. That’s the way the momentum works. Seize this moment and with every step you take, no matter how small, you will build greater momentum.

That's why it's so important to lose the first pound or exercise that first day. That's why it's so important to make the first deposit into that dormant savings account. That's why it's so important to take the first step towards setting aside time to build into your kids or volunteer in the community.

Third, David, despite some major hiccups along the way, never lost sight of his ultimate goal. He remained intensely focused on his overall goal. David’s words in Psalm 27:4 reflect that goal:

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

If your desire is to do great things with your summer, never overlook the power of momentum. It truly is your best friend. If you develop it, you can do almost anything.

So what area of your life might God be calling you to take action in this summer?

Trust him, take action, keep your eye on your ultimate goal.

Seize the summer!