Long Time No Post

Yes....it has been too long. No excuses, but it has been quite busy. Soon after my last post, a good friend offered to refashion my blog. So, watch out for news soon and a whole new look. I am VERY excited!

Then, for those who may not have heard, a tragic Metrolink Train Crash occurred on Friday, September 12 just outside our city. 10 of the 25 killed were residents of Simi Valley. The next week was very busy as I had the honor of being involved as a Police Chaplain in a couple of remembrance events. I'll write more on that later.

Topping it off is Colleen's new job. She's teaching the night class of the Certified Nurse's Assistant Course at the Simi Valley Adult School on Monday nights, Wednesday nights and all day on Saturdays. She loves it, but the prep work is enormous as this is her first semester to teach the class. Every spare minute is spent prepping for the next class, so I've been trying to be around extra for the boys as Colleen studies away.

Add to the mix the Fall season at Church (always extra busy) and a building program we're trying to get happening. You get the picture.

Enough for now. It's late Saturday night, and there's something about church in the morning.....

A Long Summer's Night

It's almost the end of Summer, and I feel kinda tense about it. Not in a bad kinda way, but in a perplexing kinda way.

On one hand, it's been a really long Summer. An intense one with lots of crises to walk through with people. While it's tiring, when it comes down to it, I wouldn't have it any other way. I really do love the grind of day-to-day pastoring.

Personally, we had Josh's surgery and recovery. He's doing great by the way! His next check-up is Monday morning. It will be the 5 week point. They'll x-ray it to see how the bone graft is taking. The first appt 2 weeks ago went really well. Josh is tired of the cast and wishes it could come off, but all in all, he's handling it pretty well.

Church-wise, we've had a number of situations to work through, including two people who died (one expected, another unexpected). I've officiated three funerals in the last 6 weeks.

Then, Pastor Glen Jackson (see posts below) died last Friday night. His memorial service is Saturday at 2:00 pm. That will be THREE funerals THREE Saturdays in a row, all at 2:00.

On the upside, I launched my new blog, Pastor For Life, earlier this Summer, and it's been a hoot to see that grow, and to connect with other Pastors and Leaders around the country.

I've also been involved in the launch of the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Church-wide Initiative Kit. As of today, we have 14 churches across the US and Canada who are piloting this new, groundbreaking material this Fall and Winter. Including total orders for the Kits, there is the potential of 36 churches beginning this journey toward Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, a lifestyle I very deeply believe in.

After Josh's appt on Monday, we plan to head to Buellton for about a week of camping. Looking forward to the down time and relaxation!

Pastor Glen Jackson Update, Etc.

Two update emails today have said that Pastor Glen Jackson's condition remains the same. There will be no tests done over the weekend unless something were to change considerably. Please continue to pray for a miracle in this situation!

It has been a long week! Knowing that Jackie Morris' Memorial Service would be today has been emotional for me. Not just in her sudden passing three weeks ago, but Colleen and I (especially Colleen) have a strong emotional tie to the Morris'. Jim & Jackie were childhood neighbors of Colleen's. Their daughter, Barbara, was one of Colleen's closest friends growing up.

Pastor Glen's circumstance has been wearing. I feel for what Nicki and their family are going through. Glen has been one of the true "elders" of our city as a Pastor here for more than 28 years. He has been a stalwart, faithful Pastor and a powerful unifier.

Then, yesterday morning, after the last few months of struggling with Congestive Heart Failure, Chuck Koher passed away in the early morning hours. Elaine called me about 7:00 am to let me know he passed away peacefully sometime between 2:00 and 4:00 am.

She said he was feverish about 2:00 am. She placed a cold washrag on his head and fell asleep beside him. She woke up about 4:00 am and discovered he had died. That is actually a very beautiful thing, as Elaine had labored so hard to make his last days so comfortable. For him to pass away so peacefully as she was sleeping beside him is just the way it ought to have happened.

Chuck has an amazing story of life and service. A World War 2 veteran, he served all over Europe. He fought in the infamous Battle of the Bulge and was the ONLY member of his unit to survive that fight.

So, next Saturday at 2:00 pm, we'll celebrate Chuck's life with his family, at NewHeart. If you know of anyone who knew Chuck and/or Elaine, please pass the word on!

In the morning, we have Mike Barker speaking. That will be a slew of fun! Mike is one of our former Youth Pastors, and is Pastor of CityLife Community Church in Austin, TX, a church he planted five years ago.

Time for bed. G'nite all!

Kind of a Long Day

Funerals are hard. Even when I don't know the person whose funeral I am officiating, like today, they're just hard. I think some of it for me is because I just want people to feel better, and death is something I just can't fix. I don't mean to sound weird. It's just true. I can't make it all better for the grieving family members.

After that, met with a Pastor going through some church crisis. I am praying for him as he walks through more of it tonight in a meeting.

Then, had lunch with Pastors from all over Simi Valley and Moorpark, sponsored by our local Community Pregnancy Clinic. They brought in Star Parker as a preview to their annual banquet on September 26. Powerful speaker and advocate for the unborn! I had never heard of her before today, but I am already looking forward to the Banquet!

Two other meetings, one this afternoon and another this evening, along with a phone call with someone on the East Coast (is there such a thing as phone lag?!) have this old night owl tired early.

Peace out!

Loose Ends

Tonight, I am working on my notes for a memorial service I will officiate in the morning for a man I have never had the pleasure to meet. If you are a Pastor, maybe you feel like I do about what we get to do: it is a deep and awesome privilege to be invited into some of life’s most sacred moments because of Who and what we represent.

I’ll talk about that more here someday …. but for now, ….

This is one of those families that I rarely come by, in terms of this man (again, I never knew him) and his legacy truly oozing out of his wife and daughter.

While I am putting my notes together, a friend (who is also a Pastor) calls me. He says, “I couldn’t sleep tonight until I called to say I’ve been thinking about you all day. I couldn’t live with myself until you knew that not only was I thinking about you, but that God’s heart smiles when He thinks of you, and you are a real asset to the Kingdom of God.”

I was blown away! The man whose memorial service I will lead …. he died on the 4th of July of a sudden heart attack, leaving too many things undone and unspoken. A good man with too many loose ends.

My friend didn’t want to leave any loose ends, and reminded me that neither do I. What are the loose ends for you?

Bad end to a difficult conversation with a loved one? Unfinished business between you and a friend? Unresolved conflict between you and a neighbor? Words you know ought to be spoken or written before it’s too late?

I got ‘em, you got ‘em, we all got ‘em. Dare to say what some of yours are?

Satan Interviewed

Craig Groeschel, Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, interviewed Satan for a recent message on unity in the church. He apparently has done several of these interviews. Enjoy some humor today .... or not ...

A Heart Deeply Moved

I haven't heard numbers and don't know if I will. The site I was at was Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch. Just at that site, there were probably about 150 of us.

Pastors and Church Leaders gathered today at somewhere around 100 different sites for a conference call. I know....you're wondering why we all got together just for a phone call.

The reason for the statewide gathering was to inform Pastors and Church Leaders about the Protect Marriage movement happening here in California right now. Back in 2000, our state voted over 61% to pass Proposition 22, which added a provision to the California Family Code that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

A few weeks ago, the California Supreme Court declared Proposition 22 unconstitutional by a vote of 4-3. Knowing the possibility existed, a statewide initiative was started to put on the November ballot a Constitutional Amendment, which is the only way that the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman will stay the law.

A request to stay the Supreme Court's decision until the November elections to see how the vote of the people would come out was denied by the same Supreme Court. So, last week, our state began to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples and officiating their wedding ceremonies.

"As goes California, so goes the country." If we are not able to move the Church in California to stand up and vote to pass this Constitutional amendment, the consequences will be much more dire than I imagined, or that any of us would probably think. Whatever happens here will eventually impact the entire country.

Pastors could be made to decide to either officiate same sex ceremonies or face discriminatory charges. Churches could lose their tax exempt status for not allowing same sex ceremonies in in their Sanctuaries.

My heart was moved deeply at this meeting. We really are talking about, and facing, the weakening of the institution of marriage and family as God designed it. I was strongly convicted to do whatever I can to encourage Californians to get to the polls this November. You'll hear me talk about this more and more as November 4 approaches.

There are SO MANY issues that demand our time and attention, and that are important. I realize that many people put quite a bit of stock in what I say and how and where I lead just because I am a Pastor. I do my best to honor that privilege and trust.

As I step forward into this season of speaking into this issue, of high importance in my heart is the truth that marriage is not an issue to be defined or ultimately legislated by man, or by political procedure, but by God.

When it comes down to it, while this amendment is a political issue, it is in my opinion more largely a spiritual and moral issue that supercedes any political realm or party.

For now, I encourage you to check out this website, and this one. They will help answer questions and provide more information. Stay tuned for more.

Thoughts About "Biblical"

I've been reading some stuff in the last week or so about what's "Biblical" and what's not. I'm getting kind of bugged by it.

Specifically, it's stuff on how churches do church. The train of thought is "we want to do church Biblically" or "more Biblically."

Haven't you been doing church Biblically before? I know some of the leaders this is coming from, and I know they HAVE been, and fabulously so.

Is it that other churches AREN'T doing church "Biblically", so we feel the need to differentiate ourselves as doing it "Biblically"? Every church wants to have a niche in its community. Something they do or are gifted to do (read honestly: something we don't think any other church is either doing (a) at all, or (b) very well, mmm, or "Biblically").

I know a lot of Pastors. We ALL want this ... to do church "Biblically". Nothing less. Just because I have a desire to do church "Biblically", and it grabs attention for one reason or another that I want that, doesn't mean others aren't doing it "Biblically", or even that I myself am not. But that's exactly what it sounds like.

What is getting the attention is any individual churches or Pastor's METHODS that usually have drawn a very large group of people. We tend to flock toward them to find out HOW they did that so we can figure out how to do it where we are (both Pastors AND non-Pastors do this, by the way). And we call it "Biblical". Or at least that's one moniker we put on it. Makes us feel better about it anyways.

I'm all for being "Biblical" and I sure hope we're doing church "Biblically". The question begs, what is "Biblical" church? How can we communicate our heart more accurately, so that it doesn't sound like we're saying others aren't doing it "Biblically" or can't be defined as "Biblical", or that the fruit (numbers) a church produces isn't big enough to say they are a "Biblical" church?

Catch-up Quick List

CANNOT believe it's been two weeks since my last post. CANNOT believe I've been back from Texas for almost two weeks. CANNOT believe the school year is over. Let me catch you up on what the last two weeks (and then some) have held.

• Just before I left for Texas, Colleen landed a new job as a Teacher for the Certified Nurse Assistant class at our local Adult School. She starts in September. She's happy. That makes me happy!
• Also just before I left for Texas, someone in our church called me and said they had a car they were getting rid of and they felt they were supposed to give it to me .... turns out it's a 2001 Ford Crown Vic that used to be a Detective Car with the Beverly Hills PD! It's even black! Sweet ride, and a lot of fun to watch people react when you're driving near them! Really fun car for a Chaplain!
  
• Went fishing with my boys for the first time ever two weeks ago! We all caught a lot of perch and I caught my first bass! It was only about 6" long (or was it 12"? I can't remember now!) but it was a blast of a time.
• The last of 3 homes we lived in during my 4 Jr. High years in Texas was torn down last year. Made me sad.
• Every trip to see my family in Texas is like a pilgrimage to me now. It's where I gave my life to Jesus and was baptized in 1979.
• My 12 year old son read 3 books in 3 days while we were in Texas. Amazing!
  
• My wife and kids had their first Boots Burgers this time! If you're ever ANYWHERE NEAR Rockwall, Texas, EVER, you've got to get yourself one (or more!!). Just trust me. Watch out though, they're closed on Sundays & Mondays. The rest of the days, they're only open a couple of hours.
• I almost missed my flight home from Texas. TWO different GPS systems failed me a total of FOUR times with one battery failure, one freeway onramp that had been closed for YEARS and TWO onramps that were closed for construction. And here I thought technology was my friend! Silly me!
• My 13 year old son is facing significant surgery this Summer for a nonossifying fibroma in his lower left tibia. We're headed for a 2nd opinion appointment with the probable surgeon this Friday. We're very glad it is caught and not causing him pain right now. We are told emphatically by the first doctor that it is NOT cancer.
  
• Last Sunday, June 8, our church celebrated a friend's healing from Lung Cancer. Last Thursday, another lady in church went in for a SECOND operation in TWO weeks for breast cancer. This Wednesday, a man in our church will have a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. WHAT is UP??
  
• For the first time in .... well, EVER in my ministry .... our church will gather for July & August in one service on Sundays at 9:30 am starting July 6 as we prepare to become a CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS for 6 months. Weird thought.
• I preached a message this morning on "What My Dad Taught Me".
• I spent the Father's Day afternoon with my family at the BodyWorlds exhibit in Los Angeles. It was fascinating and I highly recommend it! Topped it off with Panda Express.
  

That's all for now.

Breath of Fresh Air and Rest!

Arrived in Pismo Beach last night (Sunday) at about 8:00 pm. After checking in, I went straight to the meeting room, where our District Pastors were gathered for fellowship. The room felt electric as everyone was just chatting away, catching up with old friends and making new ones. It was an exciting scene to step into!

After a late dinner at Denny's with Bernie, we hit the hay and slept in a bit. The breakfast bar is a full one, complete with custom made omelets. It was wonderful!

Then, we had our morning session with worship, devotional and a time of praying for one another at the tables. This was the meeting I had been asked to share the devotional at.

Quite something to lead a devotional with Pastors! You get that intimidating sense of "what haven't they heard, or what don't they already know?" Because surely, these Pastors being mostly more veteran than me certainly have a lot more knowledge than I do.

Preparing for this, I found myself having to quiet those voices and trust the Lord to give me the right words at the right times. It turned into a pretty special time for us all, at least given the feedback I received.

I shared a little of my burnout story and how I learned we all have a different pace of life God has for us to live. Your pace isn't mine and min probably isn't yours. And that makes it unfair for any of us as Pastors to compare what God is doing in someone else's church with what He is (or ISN'T) doing in mine!

The point was that we all have to find our own pace.

After that, Bernie and I hit a movie, then were back in time for a little reading and a nap before dinner. My Bible College friend, Jerry Dirmann, brought a powerful word about putting our trust in what God has said, even when it seems crazy to us and everyone else. It was good to see Jerry and be with him.

Well, that's it for now. Looking forward to a good night's rest before heading home around noon. I'll stop at Bernie's church in Lompoc to see their recently expanded Sanctuary. Didn't make it in time to do that yesterday, so I'm looking forward to catching up on that. G'nite!

Home & Almost Gone Again!

Hard to believe it's been a week since I last posted and almost a week that I've been home! It's flown by!

There really is no place like home. Nothing like your own bed, your own pillow and your family and friends around you.

As quickly as returning home, I take off tomorrow afternoon. Our District Supervisor has set aside some time and funds at a hotel in Pismo Beach, about 3 hours north, for a Senior Pastor's Getaway. I always enjoy being together with those guys!

I'll leave as soon as I can Sunday afternoon, so I can stop in Lompoc to visit my friend, Bernie Federmann. He pastors the Lompoc Foursquare Church, and they've just completed a major Sanctuary expansion.

Last I saw it was back in November when the walls were barely covered and no flooring was in yet. Can't wait to see it completed and get more ideas as we head for our Breezeway Remodel project at NewHeart.

Way more fun than the Sanctuary expansion, though, is Bernie's new '70 Camaro that he picked up last Fall. He gave me a spin in it back in November. Who knows? Maybe he'll offer to drive us both up to Pismo in it!

Check out this beauty ....

We're staying at The Cliffs Resort in Pismo. I've been honored to be asked to bring Monday morning's devotional to the Pastors. Pray for me, and the Pastors, would you?

All afternoon is free time, then dinner and a session in the evening. A friend of mine from Bible College days, Jerry Dirmann, is coming to speak that night. We're done on Tuesday, when I'll head home.

New York, New York....Day 5

Today was the final day of the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Conference. It started too early for me. Not the conference, but the day. Woke up at 7:00 am (which is 4:00 am PDT) to get ready for a breakfast meeting at 8:30 with Chuck and Doug Slaybaugh.

The conference sessions were excellent. However, the most exciting part of the day for me was lunch, not in the "recess was my favorite part of my day" way. I had the privilege of being involved in an Orientation and Q&A session on a new resource being made available for churches by EHS.

They have put together a "Church-wide Initiative Kit" that will include resources for a church to lead their congregation through an 8-week long series on the EHS principles. The kit includes materials that small groups can use to follow along with what is being taught on the weekends. It's somewhat a similar concept as "40 Days of Purpose", though the EHS material is entirely different from the 40 DOP material.

Doug Slaybaugh and I led the information orientation and Q&A for Pastors and leaders at lunch time. Of the 170+ registrants, there were about 70 who came to hear about the kit and ask questions. It was awesome to get to interface with leaders about this groundbreaking EHS resource.

After the Conference was over today, I got to have dinner with Mark & Pam Taft. They are Marriage Ministry Leaders at New Life Fellowship. Colleen & I met them almost three years ago when we came to New Life for some further EHS Relationship Skills Training. The Taft's hosted us at their home, so we got to know them. It was great to re-connect with them. They also served as the Coordinators of the EHS Conference.

After dinner, they dropped me off at the hotel, where I crashed for about an hour. Now, I'm over at Pop Diner writing this and checking email. In the morning, we'll check out of the hotel, attend the worship celebration at New Life's 11:15 service and then spend the afternoon with Andrew & Laurel Favilla. They'll drop us off at the airport for our flight home, which leaves at 7:00 pm EDT. Looking forward to being with Colleen and the boys, though they'll be asleep when I get home.

New York, New York....Day 2 & 3

Last 2 days have been quite a whirlwind. Wednesday, we started the day at the Statue of Liberty. I’ve been once before, but this time, we got to go inside the pedestal. It houses a Statue of Liberty Museum.

You can also get a glimpse from just below the Statue of the inside structure. Since 9/11, nobody is allowed to go up to the crown, but you can see the staircase that was built for it. Another great feature is the pedestal observation deck, which gives an incredible view of Manhattan and Ellis Island.

The history of the Statue is quite impressive. But even more so is the security to get one the ferry and to go inside the pedestal. THAT process is more thorough than the security process at the airport! I’m not kidding!

After spending most of the afternoon at the Statue, we meandered toward Ground Zero. Last year, there was a barrier that had quite a bit of information on it as well as allowing for viewing into the area. Now, that barrier is gone, replaced with construction fencing. From street level, you can’t see into the site anymore. Probably the only view you can get is from above if you’re inside one of the surrounding buildings.

Leaving there, we hit the subway back into Queens. I fell asleep and was jarred awake by my own voice, talking out loud in a dream I don’t even remember. Chuck thought that was pretty funny. He went on and on about how a lady was sitting next to me and looking at me strangely over the “couple of times” I talked in my sleep. He tried to convince me he was telling her not to mind me, that he just sticks me in a corner because I do that all the time! It got us both rolling!

I don’t think I mentioned that when we had dessert at Georgia Diner (remember the Black Forest cake?), that Chuck told me that HIS favorite cake is Black Forest. I was floored!! I had no idea we both had the same favorite cake, and an exquisite one at that! What? Don’t look at me like that…..it IS exquisite!

He had a few bites of mine and said, “next time, I’m getting my own piece.” Well, that we did. Arriving back from Ground Zero, we went back to Georgia Diner for dinner and a piece of Black Forest cake.

I told the waiter that if his hand slipped when he was cutting the cake and ended up cutting a larger piece than normal, I’d be OK with it, really! I didn’t want him to be worried about that. Sure enough, he brought back 2 larger than normal pieces of cake! We tipped him well!

Today, the conference started at noon, so we both got to sleep in a bit. The sessions today were on Emotionally Healthy Skills, which were a refresher of some material Colleen and I were trained in here 3 years ago. I am excited to bring more of this home to integrate into our church family life and growth.

Had dinner with a Foursquare Pastor and his wife from Waynesboro, Virginia. It was great to get to know them and hear their story of how they have been exposed to the EHS material. This particular Pastor has been at the church he leads for seven years and just experienced a sabbatical last Summer.

Sabbaticals in our denomination have always been REACTIVE in nature. That means they’ve always been a reaction to a crisis or oncoming crisis. Unfortunately, that’s given sabbaticals a negative connotation.

Many denominations actually have sabbatical policies in place. Every seven years or so, a Pastor is actually expected to go on Sabbatical for a three month period for an extended time of rest, refreshing, and revitalization. Those are sabbaticals that are PROACTIVE in nature. In other words, they are meant to be part of an overall strategy to help prevent burnout from occurring for Pastors.

Our denomination has been more and more open to this kind of sabbatical. While we don’t have a denominational policy in place, Foursquare is encouraging Pastors and Church Councils to implement their own policies allowing for these kind of proactive sabbaticals.

This Pastor from Virgina is on the forefront of this movement. He offered to send me theirs for our Church Council to evaluate and consider. It’s interesting to get to converse with him because I have been considering bringing this concept to our Council and congregation for consideration.

This year (right now as a matter of fact) marks 7 years since my burnout experience. Looking back, I marvel at what God has done in my life, and the changes He has brought to the life of our church family through my recovery. I am very excited about the future God has before us, and know that He is wanting to use us more and more for the purpose of growing healthy families as well as impacting others for the cause of healthier Pastors and healthier churches.

Well, off to bed for now. When I travel for less than a week, I always try to stay on the same time schedule to reduce jet lag when I come home. However, I feel myself easing, maybe better said….oozing, into Eastern Daylight Time. Good night!

Where I've Been & Where I'm Going

Hey everyone! For those wondering where I've been ..... well, nowhere really. There was a short trip to Ventura to celebrate our 22nd anniversary, but other than that, life has just been hectic. Too hectic, in my opinion.

Preparations for Easter always take aLOT of time and energy. The aftermath takes some recovery time too. At church, this was the best Easter we've had in years! People REALLY invited people, and our attendance that day was DOUBLE our current average. Quite a number of people gave their heart to Christ and even more re-dedicated their lives to Jesus. It was a GREAT and very encouraging Easter!

Last weekend, we started a new teaching series called, "Shameless". Developing a new series always takes extra time as opposed to putting together each week's message. There is extra time involved in mapping out the series, developing graphics, and more.

Now, this week, I am making final plans to head to New York City on Monday. I am traveling with my Pastor, Chuck Shoemake, and his wife, Ruby. We'll tour NYC on Tuesday and Wednesday, then attend the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Pastors/Leaders Conference on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We'll fly home late Sunday night.

I currently volunteer as a Ministry Representative with EHS, speaking with Pastors and Leaders all over the US and Canada about implementing the EHS principles into the life of a congregation. It's a real privilege to serve this growing ministry. I am looking forward to connecting with some (becoming) old friends in NYC and meeting new ones toward the cause of helping people connect their emotional health with their spiritual maturity.

Chuck and I took this trip together last year. This will be Ruby's first time in NYC, so it will be an extra treat. We have plans to do the red bus double decker tour, Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, among other sites.

All that to say .... that's where I've been and that's where I'm going. If you want to come along, check back daily next week and I'll blog about our trip!

Long & Rich Couple Days

Wednesday & Thursday ... long days for me, but rich ones:

• Wed. started way too early for me at 6:30 am. Chaplain's Meeting at 7:00, which is always a treat, to be with those guys.
• Ran into a few other folks and spent the morning catching up on a some relationships at the PD.
• Pastor's Prayer yesterday was packed! That's always a good thing. My weekly lunch afterward with a fellow Pastor was deep, and a strong time.
• A nightly ritual, dressing Pete's wound, has become a profound thing.....the healing taking place in his leg is not just graphic, but a visual picture of how God knits us together physically. WOW!
• Today, had lunch with a guy who is becoming a friend. He works with Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, helping to build the organization. We talked about my continued involvement as a Ministry Representative as the ministry grows. Exciting stuff!
• Traffic was nasty on the 405 today, and it took way too long to get to my meeting. Someone's loss of a backyard apparently caused the problem.
• Gave me a chance to catch up with Cathy Haedt by phone today though. That was good!
• Tonight, I'll commend Michael Letinsky at a class he's teaching at NewHeart. He's a good man and a good brother!
• Tomorrow morning, I'll meet with my "Pastor" and his wife. We're traveling together to New York April 7-13 for a couple days of touring, and then the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Pastors & Leaders Conference.

More to say later!

Ministry Friendships, Part 2

This is the "Part 2" of the post I linked to Thursday.

I again say ...

• If you attend NewHeart and I am your Pastor, understand my heart wants the best for you, always!
• If you are a Pastor, take it to heart, don't throw out the baby with the bath water, don't give up hope, and get what you agree with in front of your congregation.
• If you attend another church, send this to your Pastor.
• If you don't attend church at all, keep this handy for when you do, and then send it to your Pastor ;^)

Read Part 2 here. To go back and read Part 1, go here.

Better Week & Good Friends

Well, this has been a better week. You can read my last post to catch what I mean. Pete & Cathy are both doing better this week. You can go here and click on either of their names to get an update on what they are dealing with.

I have been very involved in both of these circumstances, but especially with Pete. He and I go way back. We have what I consider THE most unique friendship story I've ever heard. I'm not bragging, really, it is just downright a God-thing.

We were good friends for many years. We met when I first started in ministry and then he and his wife eventually were our first real Youth Team Members. He eventually became our Junior High Director.

Four years ago, we had a painful falling out. Six MONTHS ago, after four years of painful separation, we got back together. (I don't mean to make it sound romantic, but it's the best way to say it.)

Now, he is on his back by doctor's orders, recuperating and healing from a SERIOUS complication from knee replacement surgery that has nothing to do with his knee. God divinely gave us our friendship back, stronger and deeper than it ever was.

I've been walking with him through multiple surgeries and, over the last week, intensely painful wound dressing changes. Not to sound morbid, but that's a powerfully bonding experience!

Now .... ministry does weird things to friendships. Sometimes, it doesn't even really allow for them between certain people. Painful, but honest, and true.

Today, I read a post by a fellow Pastor who I highly respect ... Craig Groeschel. Don't know him personally, but I love his thinking and writing.

He is writing a series of posts about Ministry Friendships, and today's is one I want you to read.

• If you attend NewHeart and I am your Pastor, understand my heart wants the best for you, always!
• If you are a Pastor, take it to heart, don't throw out the baby with the bath water, don't give up hope, and get what you agree with in front of your congregation.
• If you attend another church, send this to your Pastor.
• If you don't attend church at all, keep this handy for when you do, and then send it to your Pastor ;^)

Read it here.

Long Week

Haven't posted much lately, just because I haven't had time or energy. I'm doing OK, really. Just had a couple of friend hospital emergencies.

One is a good friend who had complications from a bilateral knee replacement surgery done right after Christmas. Something called "compartment syndrome" has left an open wound on his leg from his knee clear down to his ankle. This week, he lost his shin muscle and several tendons to the damage it has done. It's pretty gnarly and extremely painful for him. We've been on this hard journey together.

Then, another friend who attends our church, who is a 10+ year survivor of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, was diagnosed this week with Small Cell Lung Cancer. This is a shock to all around her. She's the picture of health in diet and exercise.

Doesn't get any more clear than this .... when the nurse walked in with a bag to hang on the IV pole of her 2nd chemotherapy drug, she brought it in wearing THICK latex gloves (not just the thin ones you see in every doctor's office and hospital) and a plastic apron! How's that for making a statements about what they're depositing into your body?

All that and more has made for a long week, and my blogging has taken a hit for it. I'll be back more regularly soon!

A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone ... ALOTTA Rain Is Another Story

I'm ready to call it a night, and looking forward to the restful sleep that comes with the sound of rain. Our deluge is happening right now. It has been raining HARD for almost three hours and is supposed to keep going all throughout tonight and tomorrow.

Some blogging friends in the Southeast had it hard for church last week because of snow. Well, this is Southern California, Valley-level snow! We'll see how church attendance is in the morning, but I'll be there, and our team will be there come the proverbial "h*** or high water!"

And You Thought "Starbucks Church" Was Just A Funny Skit!

Last October, during Pastor's Appreciation Month, the Church Council put together a skit. In case you missed it, it featured a parody of me and my love for Starbucks by depicting me going to the City for a building permit that would allow us to put a Starbucks in the church facility.

Well, here you go ... (bold and italics are mine for emphasis) ...

Gwinnett's 12Stone church features glitzy amenities, Starbucks

By REBECCA McCARTHY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/22/08

The new building for 12Stone Church on Buford Drive doesn't have a sanctuary. It has a worship experience center.

And what an experience it will be for the thousands of people expected to attend the Lawrenceville church, which will have its grand opening Sunday. A congregation of the Wesleyan church, 12Stone was formerly called Crossroads Community Church.

In addition to the 2,500-seat high-tech worship center, the 105,000-square-foot building features a full-service Starbucks cafe, facilities for children, from birth through college, and film and recording studios.

There's even a special room for prayer that looks out over the auditorium. The room will be open during this week.

"We wanted our building to have pace and peace," said Dave Ronne, 12Stone's director of redemptive arts, as the staff calls music and film. "We want to get people in and serve them well, and give them the peace of a slower pace, something they wouldn't find at the mall."

Ronne estimates that about 50 percent of those coming to 12Stone are likely "spiritually unresolved" people who never attended church as children or who stayed away for decades. The church building was designed to make attending enjoyable and memorable.

Besides the large auditorium, there are "living rooms" for small groups, the 12Stone Cafe and a 425-seat auditorium for latecomers or families with sick children — with a live feed from the worship service. The staff expects the cafe to provide a quiet place for people to connect in deeper conversation, Ronne said.

"We worked hard to make sure our different environments help make the Bible more relevant," said Norwood Davis, the church's chief financial officer. "And we want to lower the anxiety that comes from a new experience."

To that end, congregants are encouraged not to bring children into the worship experience center, where the message and the medium are specifically for adults. Instead, parents may drop off their children in a venue to receive an age-appropriate message and activity.

"A single mom can know her children will be cared for well," said Davis. "She can relax and connect meaningfully with God, without having to worry about her children. We don't want a 2-year-old to disrupt anyone's experience."

The semicircular auditorium has graduated staircases, said Ronne, so that no seat is too far from the stage or the primary communicator, as speakers are called.

It has a variable room acoustic system that allows the stage to accommodate an orchestra, a praise band or someone with a soft voice. The auditorium can go "dead" for dramas, can be "livened up" to sound like Spivey Hall or can amplify sound dramatically.

The system's price tag was about $250,000, Ronne said, "but we have to provide the best for the people who are here 52 weeks a year."

There are five huge high-definition screens around the room to show films. Ronne cites studies indicating that retention of a message increases when information is seen as well as heard.

Usually there's a short illustrative film to accompany whatever is being taught during worship on a particular Sunday. Made in house — film and music producers are on staff — sometimes in only seven days, film is an important part of 12Stone's ministry "since our membership is so video-oriented," Davis said.

Many of the church's films can be seen on YouTube. One, "Consumerism! The musical," has received 200,000 views, Ronne said.

Sunday services in the new facility will be filmed and sent to the church's Hamilton Mill campus, to be shown the next week. 12Stone plans to open a second satellite campus somewhere in north metro Atlanta, Davis said.

Instead of going to Sunday school, adults at 12Stone meet in small study groups in one another's homes during the week. But children receive a message on Sunday.

Parents also will encounter an electronic check-in system when they drop off their children on Sunday mornings. Both child and adult will receive a badge and a number, and no one will be allowed to leave without a match. It's a system used by hospitals and health clubs.

The staff included the best features from a number of venues in the $30 million facility.

The 12Stone name comes from a story in the Old Testament book of Joshua: the 12 tribes of Israel stack 12 stones into a monument along the River Jordan after crossing into the Promised Land.

"That was a bold crossing," said Davis. "God has given us the trust of a new building that will accommodate thousands. What we want to do is to inspire bold crossings."