You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July, 2007.
FIRST things FIRST: Gary Lamb is one of the church planters I admire a ton and enjoy learning from. I got to know Gary over the past few years on a Rick Warren’s Pastors.com. The Journey North is about 6 months ahead of Ridge Stone (they are turning 3 this week) but this is a church we can learn a lot from and should be paying attention to.
All of that aside, part of my Sunday night routine has been to read the Sunday Night Mind Dump on Gary’s Blog (mad babble from a church planter).
So now that I have given more that adequate props, I feel better about stealing his idea. Today is my first of the NEW “Monday Morning Mind Dump”.
- Elizabeth and the kids have been gone for a week.
- I hate it when they are gone!!!
- I loved Sunday. I thought Marty Yde’s song Hear Me from Heaven (at the end of the message) was off the hook.
- I am going golfing today. I love golfing.
- Yesterday I did dishes for the second time this week.
- Communion Sunday – I can’t wait!
- I serve alongside such an awesome group of people.
- I am craving walleye.
- Brainerd, Minnesota is a great place to live.
- Our furnace is fixed and I fixed it (you’ll have to ask).
- I was wiped out last night.
- Hot sunny days are great – summer’s Awesome.
- I may go drifting later today - Dade Lake is such a relaxing lake.
- We have a huge bee hive hanging from a tree about 30 yards off our front porch – I have found my son’s BB gun and am having the time of my life.
- My new men’s group rocks. I loved hanging with these dudes this weekend.
- I’m starting to like facebook although the verdict is still out.
- Bernie Finch is my new wedding coordinator. I thank God for her.
- I have gotten rid of all paper management from my life. My box at church is now managed by Sheila. Hip Hip Hurray!
- I want to find and call an unusually gifted church planter for Central or Northern Minnesota this year.
- Our Ukraine Team should be back!
First of all, I thought being together at The Journey North today was AWESOME. Already, the feedback from the message and from Marty Yde’s song “Hear Me from Heaven” has been amazing. It seems as if the Holy Spirit may have lit us up. Many of us are “bending”.
I have been thinking a lot about how I am impacting the culture around me. Am I really making a difference in our community? Are we making the kind of difference that God would have us make? My constant prayer is that lost, hurting and broken people are finding grace and experiencing Christ because of The Journey North being here.
Three and a half years ago Christ called this little church plant into existence. There is a constant temptation to forget why we were birthed. We exist to be passionate worshipers, devoted to God and His mission, helping other become completely committed Christ followers.
I was somehow reminded of this after reading a blog post by Tim Stevens from LeadingSmart. He posted this video that was created by Ben Sanders for the launch of their Doors series at Granger this weekend.
I don’t want people to be transparent if they lack emotional intelligence. I would rather they fake it. 
The Emotional Intelligence Test will evaluate several aspects of your emotional intelligence and will suggest ways to improve it.
I took it.
I’ve played poker all my life. When I was in my late teens early 20’s I lost a little bit of money, but I saw guys that lost money they really couldn’t afford to lose and I soured to the game a little. Back then, I decided to only play with guys I knew for amounts that wouldn’t hurt.
In the past few years Texas Hold-em has come on strong. You can find it all over cable T.V. and games have popped up all around us. It has come out of the smoky back rooms into the mainstream of our contemporary culture.
I read a few interesting articles on it today:
your opinion
The Journey North has been in a unique position this past year. The building we meet in (Franklin School) is an awesome historic building. Two years ago ArtSpace began the process of purchasing the building. That process has been moving right along.
I met with Andrew Commers (project director) last week to talk about some of the implications for TJN. Andrew was reassuring and indicated a strong desire to work with our church. This would be the first church that is part of any of the projects they have up and running.
Later this fall construction will begin on a significant build out of the east wing of the building to provide “live/work space”. Part of that build out will include our current offices. We will need to relocate our offices and while I am not at all excited about that, I am however very hopeful that we may be able to envision a long term relationship with them. Only time will tell. I was very encouraged by the meeting I had.
To keep informed about the ArtSpace project, I encourage you to log on to their website and sign-up for their e-news letter.
I am so excited about the hard work that Brett Richmond has put forward in this endeavor.
Art is one of the aspects of life that is so incredible. I find it hard to believe that we (the Church) have somehow relegated the pursuit to a place of relative unimportance. Throughout history the Church has had a huge impact on the world of art. Being image barriers of the Creator, Christians should be the most creative people on the face of the earth.
I was incredibly encouraged to learn about the work that Dave Ferguson and Community Christian Church have done to engage and inspire young artists.
Being a church that is in the midst of an Artisan Community, I hope and pray that we see Art play an increasingly important place in our church.
My new golf cart came yesterday and I am just jazzed.
I started golfing a few months after I came to Brainerd to plant the church.
After nine months of 70+ hour work weeks I needed a break. I had run at an unsustainable pace and was killing myself. I couldn’t and didn’t know how to stop thinking about the church. It consumed me. Then I pick up some golf clubs and my whole world changed.
While I was on the course I stopped thinking about church stuff, stopped worrying about it and started having fun.
I have found the perfect hobby for me. It is so great to have something that I can spend a lifetime learning and enjoy in the process of learning. Living here in the Lakes Area with the famed Brainerd Golf Trail (300 holes of golf within 45 minutes of each other) provides the perfect backdrop for this game.
This spring I decided to lose some weight. One of the things I have added to my routine is walking for a little exercise. So, I’ve decided to walk the course whenever I can. And now that I have this new cart I can’t wait to get out again.
I woke up this morning thinking about a new men’s group I am in.
A number of years ago a handful of guys that I hung out with all decided it was time to begin living with intentionality. We were all kind of just floating.
Through a process of ruthless personal inventory, values identification, purposeful processing and visioning, I made some significant life changes. I developed a plan and decided to craft a life rather than just look back and find that I had lived one by accident.
From my time and hard work with these dudes came a personal mission, core values, and an understanding of God’s plan for that “season” of my life. I can hardly express the personal power that came from the things God had revealed to me during that time.
I am so excited for the Odyssey of the Arts and am so ridiculously proud of Brett Richmond and his innovation with our kids department. If you live in the Brainerd Lakes Area and either have kids or know kids — get them to this event it is going to be AWESOME.
If you are in ministry you have to watch the video clip below…
How can I better organize my life to reduce stress?
- Accept the size of your plate and fill it.
- Exercise.
- Do not allow technology to be your Lord.
- Have two cell phones.
- Have two email accounts.
- Have someone schedule appointments and screen all email.
- Consider getting rid of your voicemail.
- Delete emails quickly.
- Have an assistant send you a daily items email.
- Use an out-of-office autoreply as needed.
- Sabbath hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually.
- Schedule your vacations first and block them out on your calendar.
- Pick an acceptable release valve.
- Appoint someone other than your wife as your lightning rod.
- Spend most of your time training leaders.
- Pay attention to what God is saying through your body and emotions.
- Feel your emotions but do not allow them to drive you in a bad direction.
- Do not worry yourself into a frenzy.
- Work from conviction, not guilt.
- Get a coach or a counselor.
- Have a study and an office.
- Schedule meetings rarely.
- Say no, and keep saying no.
- Get a wedding coordinator.
- Carry a notebook at all times to jot thoughts and notes.
- See your days as buckets to fill.
- Consider regular medical massage.
I was just looking over the list of the top 50 voices for American Christianity this past year. There are a large number of these leaders that I respect and look to for their insight and to observe directional cues. But there are a large number of them that I would NOT be inclined to pay much attention to at all.
After looking over the list below from The Church Report , leave your “top five” lists in the comments. I would love to hear who you find influential. Read the rest of this entry »
- Saving money is easy
- Dieting is easy
- Working out is easy
- Studying is easy
- Making friends is easy
- Showing up on time is easy
- Motorcycling is easy
- Playing with my kids is easy
- Reading my Bible is easy
- Praying is easy
- Taking a day off is easy
- Walking my dog is easy
- Making the bed is easy
- Doing the dishes is easy
- Golfing is easy
- Vacationing is easy
- Mowing the lawn is easy
- Keeping a diary is easy
- Going on date night is easy
- Sending a thank you note is easy
Often the biggest challenge for me is found in this simple truth, “What ever is easy to do is also easy not to do”.
Over and over I am struck by how easy life can be and how hard I seem to be able to make it look.
Those who know me, this is no big news but I will be stoked when I find a church planter for Central or Northern Minnesota. We are a little over 3 years old and have learned a lot. I am excited to share a few of the things we have picked up along the way as a new faith community gets rolling.
From the first day, we have set aside 5% of our funds for the purpose of planting churches. In addition we are part of a network that has also decided to set funds aside to put a planter on the ground as soon as we identify the right person.
I really hope that PlantingPartners.org is a helpful tool to recruit the right future planters for our top ten list.
Joel Nelson (MBC Church Planting), just sent this email to some of us planters:
You might have heard somewhere along the line that the MBC/BGC participated in a big honking survey done by Ed Stetzer. (If you’ve been listening/reading some of the stuff that comes out of Arlington Heights you might have heard a statement saying that TeAMerica has the most effective and healthiest church planting ministry at this time…that came from this report.) Well, since you guys are all actively involved somewhere along the parenting line, I thought you might enjoy a copy of the report.
Here’s a summary from page 3…
Counseling in the AM – Wedding in the afternoon – Two Sermons Sunday Morning – Guest Presenter at a Sunday Night Service…I was feeling as if the plate was adequately filled. NOW THIS…
Tonight at 9:00pm I discovered that one of my young ones had left the tub running in our master bathroom. I was down stairs working on my wedding message when I suddenly heard the sound of water running across the ceiling. I was unsure at first what it was. I went upstairs to investigate and when I opened my bathroom door I was greeted with at least two inches of water.
Incredible!
Elizabeth and I have ripped the carpet up in our room and in my son’s room down stairs.
It was amazing to me that we would have this opportunity to deal with this little life lesson late on Friday and now into the Saturday before my Sunday message on STRESS.
Pressure can be created by events like this. A lot of times when we get under stress we blame our circumstances. They are not the cause of stress. It is easy to point to a bunch of external things. We allow these external things to steal our joy, our hope, our peace, and our confidence.
In a very serious way, God is using this opportunity to help me recognize that stress is the response. Stress is in your mind. It’s how you react to circumstances. Stress is a combination of a bunch of complex emotions; worry, tension, anxiety, guilt, fear, bitterness and anger - all these things put together based on your way of thinking. That’s why the Bible says if you want to deal with stress, you’ve got to change the way you think.
2 Timothy 4:5, says “You should keep a clear mind in every situation.”
I felt overwhelmed at first, but quickly Elizabeth and I decided to look to God for our strength. He is my Jehovah Jira, my Provider.
The other day my son learned a little about wealth. He had made a fruit puree and then put it into the freezer, making a very tasty treat. When he pulled it out at breakfast, Elizabeth told him if he wanted to have it in front of his sisters he had to be willing to share.
Caleb had made something that was held in very high regard with his sisters. That made him (in that moment) very popular with them. They were suddenly very kind to their brother. They were also very willing to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
Every Monday I take one of my four children out for breakfast. They all have their own local greasy spoon. In the summer I also like to go and chase little white balls around with them for a few hours.
This past Monday was Bethany’s opportunity to hang with the old man. It was also her first time out golfing with me this year. I was reminded again about the power of praise. As she would connect with the ball and I would shout out “that a girl” she would beam. With each cheer that came from me, her confidence grew and passion ignited.
Elizabeth loves crowds. Crowds cause me to feel anxious (I know it’s crazy). Ever since we’ve been married we have traded back and forth. Every other year we stay home and this is my year. So, I take my life into my own hands as I put on a private show for the kids after playing games in the yard and watching a movie (I hope I don’t blow myself up).
I’ve learned something about conversion in the past two days.
Three weeks ago I noticed that I had a few spots of poison ivy on my left leg. Ok, no big deal. I have tremendous self control and knew if I just didn’t itch those spots that they likely wouldn’t spread.
It spread, from left to right and then straight up. Every remedy you can think of has been employed. My legs actually look bruised it got so bad.
Sunday at a vow renewal party, I was sitting with a few friends and they got wide eyed as I described my latest desperate attempt to deal with this nightmare by pouring bleach on the sores (I had gotten desperate). Then one of them said, “Do you know what works”?
I don’t care if you’re in ministry as a profession or you are serving as a committed Christ follower and giving your time. Every person who resonated with Sunday’s message about sex will benefit from what Anne Jackson has to say. And if you are a ministry leader somewhere, you will love knowing of her. She is an accomplished writer (see article links below) and she gets sexual brokenness. She is also writing a new book and her new website went live today. I encourage you to take the survey and answer the question honestly. I did.
Blogs:
Some Articles by Anne Jackson:
Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts
(Relevant Magazine)
Forgiving the Unforgivable
(Relevant Magazine)
The Little Green Monster
(Relevant Magazine)
BFF: The Importance of Community
(Relevant Magazine)
Today was one of the best days I have ever had in ministry. There were three significant events that added up to one huge “Yea God”.
