How I Got Here - Teams

Here's another article from Cutting Edge, this one from the Spring 2001 issue. (Back in the day, there weren't near the resources for church planting that there are now, or at least I wasn't aware of them). The article was called "Teams that Thrive and Not Just Survive", by Grace McLaren, and the subject was Teams. We moved to California from Nashville so that I could go to seminary, and the reason was so that we would be prepared for church planting. Prior to that time, I had been a worship leader. I felt pretty confident in this, but church planting was something new.

There was one major problem with me being a church planter. I had never been a pastor, and at that point had preached a total of five sermons. I felt that if I were going to start a church, I needed a team. This article helped me to understand why a team is needed to accomplish any project. I was introduced to the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory through this article, and was able to better understand how God had wired me and what I would bring to a team. More importantly, I understood who I was not.

From the time I started seminary, I was on the lookout for team members. Later, I began understanding that my desire to be a part of a team wasn't simply about logistics. It was about being a part of something greater than myself, and it was about doing whatever that was with my friends.

Three years ago our dreams were finally realized when Jason and Barb Elder moved to Memphis with us to start Neighborhood Church. Though they are no longer with the church, I am so glad that they came along us on this journey. They helped us to build a foundation of team, and the team we have now is amazing. I am so thankful to be able to live out the mission of God with my closest friends!

Public School Closer to a Reality

I first wrote a post on our thoughts regarding public education in Memphis around a year and a half ago. Since that time we've continued the conversation with so many others about what it would look like for more people from our neighborhood to send our kids to our neighborhood elementary school (Peabody Elementary School).

It's hard to believe that Adam will be starting Pre-K next year. A few months ago we decided that we would like for Adam to go to Peabody's Pre-K program. We realized that we met the income requirements, so we began pursuing it. Last week we found out that 29 students tested lower than him, which means that he is 9th on the waiting list. We were a little disappointed, but knew that if God had other plans for Adam, that was what we wanted. So we began looking for Plan B. Mandy called several private pre-k programs. A few still had available slots.

We then found out that the principal at Peabody was referring familes who didn't get into the their Pre-K to Red Robin Academy, which is located in First Congregational Church here in Cooper-Young. So this morning Mandy and I met with Robin Mayweather, the founder and director of the academy. Right before pulling up, Mandy made the comment that we were going to have to figure out how much we could spend for Adam's education this year (part of the draw to public education is that it's free).

We went on a tour, then talked with Mrs. Mayweather in her office. We asked several questions, and then Mandy asked her for a tuition schedule. She looked at us a little strange, then said that the Pre-K program is the same as the one at Peabody. Both are a part of Memphis City Schools. That is, they're both free! We just kind of looked at each other.

It looked a door had been closed; one that, at the time seemed like a real "God thing." And now a new door opens, one which has all of the same goals and values behind it. There are still some things that we are a little concerned about, but for the most part, it seems like God is in this. I love the idea of walking Adam to school and of being involved with the families of the school. It just seems to fit so much of what we are trying to do here in Cooper-Young.

Micah got $10 from the Aldi's lady

Yes, you read that right. Mandy called to tell me that she and Micah went to Aldi's this morning. As they were in line Micah was his usual charming self. The check-out lady asked how old he was, and she told her that he turned 1 yesterday. After checking out, the lady left the register, even though there were quite a few people in line. When she returned, she handed Mandy a ten dollar bill and told her to get him something for his birthday. Mandy tried to persuade her not to do this, but she insisted.

What a humbling act of kindness! On the way to the lake this weekend Mandy and I were brainstorming about servant evangelism, and how we as a church can begin blessing people in the same way that Mandy was blessed this morning. This act gives even more momentum to it!

How I Got Here - Missional Community

A year or so after reading the Cutting Edge article about Vineyard Central, I picked up the magazine again and noticed an article about a church that had been started in Washington D.C. in 1947. That church was called The Church of the Saviour, and the planters were Gordon and Mary Cosby. I guess I had skipped this article because I was so excited after reading about Vineyard Central. But I also think it was a timing issue.

Probably the biggest takeaway from this was the idea of Inward/Outward Journey. It's definitely influenced the vision of our church today. It was the idea that the church exists for God's mission. It's much bigger than simply coming together once a week. And it's not meant to be done alone. It was also around this time that I first heard the term "missional community". I don't remember where I first heard it, but I was impacted by it, and primarily so because of what I read from this church.

Here's the quote that I couldn't get out of my mind for a long time:

...the greatest impact on the world comes about by small, highly committed and disciplined communities of people focused on outward mission, inward transformation, and loving, accountable community.

This became a mission statement for me, and something that I desired to be a part of more than anything else.

Another NBA Draft with my boys

Last night the boys and I watched the NBA draft together. This marked Adam's first draft (here's his first) and it was Micah's first. As a side note, I thought the Griz did ok. I'm actually pretty happy with Thabeet, and I was really glad to see Tyreke go #4 to the Kings and Dozier with the last pick of the draft. But enough of that. Here are a few more pics.

How I Got Here - Community

The first article I want to mention comes from Vineyard's church planting magazine, Cutting Edge. It was the Fall 2001 issue, and the article that got my attention was on a church called Vineyard Central (located just outside Cincinnati). I unfortunately couldn't find a link to this article, so I'll just share why it impacted me.

Vineyard Central was a pretty typical church plant, when one day, a year or so in to the plant, they received word that the building they were meeting in for their worship gatherings was being condemned, and they had 48 hours to get out. Plan B was meeting in homes. It was something that God had begun laying on their hearts previously, but they didn't think it would happen like that.

I was impacted by the community I saw in the pages I read. It was true "life together", and it was something that I had never experienced before. Yet God, through this article, began placing within me a deep desire to "be church" rather than to "go to church." That fire has never died, and almost eight years later, I feel that some of this dream is being realized.

How I Got Here - Introduction

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to begin posting a series of articles that have helped to shape who I am today. Why articles? I've definitely been influenced by a number of books over my life, but over the last ten years, it's been a few key articles that have proven most important to me. I'm doing this as much for me as for anyone else. I find it's good to make a regular practice of reflection of the things that God used to bring me to where I am now.

Wicked

Tonight Mandy and I are going to see Wicked at the Orpheum. We've been looking forward to this for awhile. Actually, it's been six years. Six years ago we had tickets to go see Wicked in San Francisco. It was right after I had graduated from Golden Gate Seminary and we had moved to San Leandro. We were going with our friends Amy and Josh. Earlier that day I started feeling bad. I wasn't sure what it was, but though I was in a bit of pain, I wasn't going to skip going to see Wicked.

That evening Amy and Josh picked us up and we started heading towards San Francisco. On the bay bridge, in normal heavy traffic, the pain in my stomach got worse. I still didn't it was a big deal, though, so we pressed on.

We got our seats (nosebleed I might add), and pretty soon the performance began. The first song wasn't even over, and I had to get up. At this point I thought it was my appendix. After I was gone for 15 or so minutes, Mandy came to find me. We got a cab, and headed to the emergency room. After a catscan, it was determined that I had a kidney stone. A shot of morphine later and I was feeling good. So good, in fact, that I told Mandy that I wanted to name the dog "Morphine." (We got a bichon puppy the next day, and named him Jack, not Morphine).

So here's hoping that this evening is not a repeat of six years ago!

The Role of Parenting in Spiritual Formation

This morning I began reading the book of Judges. Immediately a verse grabbed my attention: After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10, NIV).

What a tragedy! The obvious question here is, "Why did this generation not know the Lord or what He had done for Israel?" The best answer is that they were not told this by their parents. I've heard Mark Driscoll talk about this when he says that one generation believes the gospel, the next generation assumes the gospel, and the next generation denies (or forgets) the gospel.

I live in a post-Christian culture, and I consider this a good thing. In a Christian culture, much of the gospel is assumed. In a post-Christian culture the gospel is usually either believed or denied. Assumption is less likely, which, again, is a good thing.

Though every person has a choice of how they are going to respond to the gospel, much of the responsbility is placed on parents. Let me go back to my answer above. I said that parents must tell their children about the Lord. That word "tells" is not adequate, though. To "believe" means that you speak of it often (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9 for God's Words on this). It also means that you live in a certain way. A person who believes the gospel lives differently than a person who assumes the gospel. Either way, this living is contagious.

One of my greatest hopes for Neighborhood Church is that we would raise up children who know and love our God. I pray that God would impress His heart upon our children, and I pray that we as parents would not hinder what He wants to accomplish in their lives.

Hebrews 12 & 13

Scripture

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV).

Observation

The word "therefore" is pointing back to chapter 11 (the faithful servants of God), but I think it can also point us back to the message of the entire letter. The author of Hebrews has given reason after reason for us to be grateful to Jesus for the work he did on the cross, and to surrender our lives to him. Now he is telling his readers that we have a job to do. The job is to live in light of this knowledge, in light of this gift.

Application

God has "marked out" a race for us. In order to complete this race (or "task", as Paul puts it in 2 Timothy 4), we first have to fix our eyes on Jesus. He has run the race before us. He has been a faithful Son. Second, we have to recognize that sin, as well as other "weights" (ESV), serve to hinder our running. These need to be thrown off or else we will not finish well. We will be "weighed down" by the hinderances (anything that distracts us from our purpose of running) and tripped up by our sin. Finally, we need to remember the work of Jesus so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.

Prayer

Father, I thank you for this letter, which, though written almost 2000 years ago, applies in so many ways to my life today. I thank you for the reminders of what my Lord, Savior, and King did for me on the Cross. May I live my life in a way that brings honor and glory to you, and may I be faithful in accomplishing all that you would have me to do.

Weekly Links

The 100 Most Read Bible Verses at BibleGateway.com

Before we can be something, we have to first dream something. Seth Godin says it well here.

Great read about churches in Austin partnering with schools in Austin

Ben Witherington on a theology of work (or lack thereof in our culture)

The TED Commandments (rules every speaker needs to know) - see here for more

Tony Morgan on the difference between Leading and Managing

Tim Chester's review of Sticky Church, by Larry Osborne

Hebrews 10 & 11

Scripture

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Hebrews 10:1

For by a single offering he (Jesus) has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14.

Observation

As I read chapter 10, the word that jumped out to me was "perfect." It's mentioned twice in this chapter. In verse 1 we learn that the law could not make us perfect. In verse 14 we learn that Christ's sacrifice could do what the law could not do - make us perfect. So what does this mean? I did a little word study on it. The Greek word here is τελειόω, which can be translated as follows: "to make perfect, complete, accomplish, finish one's work." This word is also used in Hebrews 2:10, in referring to the fact that Jesus was made perfect by the Father through his suffering, as well as in Acts 20:24, where Paul speaks of finishing the work that God called him to.

Application

Some might be concerned that a word like this might cause us to think too highly of ourselves. However, I think we need to be more concerned about the opposite. We of course have not reached a state of perfection at this point. We still live in a fallen world, and we have the capacity to become slaves to sin rather than slaves to righteousness (Romans 6, Galatians 5). What we need to digest is the fact that Jesus has taken care of it all. I love the phrase that's used "once for all." Because of this "once for all" sacrifice, we are clean before God. When God looks upon us, He does so in light of His Son's perfect sacrifice for us. And what does He see? He sees a people who are holy, sanctified, clean, perfect.

On Sunday I spoke at Church Without Doors, a ministry to the homeless in downtown Memphis. I made the statement that what we think about God is critical, and what we think God thinks about us is also critical. In light of this passage, I'll say it this way: How we think God sees us is critical. And here's another phrase that I try to challenge myself with everyday: The image of God that we carry around in our heart and mind affects the way that we live.

Prayer

Father, help me to see myself the way You see me. I've done nothing to warrant the way You see me. It's all because of Jesus' work on the Cross. For that I am eternally grateful. But I know that You desire for me to accept that work, and one of the ways that I accept it is to see myself in light of that work. I ask for the grace to do this today, knowing that it will affect the way that I live today.

Hebrews 9

Scripture

Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die, once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:25-28

Observation

This is a great chapter on understanding the old covenant (the way the Jews were forgiven by God and cleansed of sin). The writer of Hebrews is making the connection between the old covenant and the new covenant, brought in by the sacrifice of Christ. There are similarities, but there are also major differences. The primary similarity is that, according to the law, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). The primary difference is that Jesus, unlike the high priest during the days of the old covenant, only had to shed blood once. His sacrifice brought forgiveness and cleansing once for all.

Application

This is an amazing thing to ponder. No one could have predicted God's plan, but it is truly amazing. I marvel at the fact that God was giving a picture of sacrificial cleansing so long ago, which would one day be fulfilled with Jesus' death. A few months ago I preached a series on the Cross. One of my sermons was on the Day of Atonement. Hebrews 9 serves as a reminder of God's plan, but also connects the dots all the way to Christ.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for offering your life as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. My only response is to offer my life up to you as an act of surrender and worship. May it be an acceptable response.

You're a Hard Habit to Break

Yes, I'm speaking of thumb sucking. For quite awhile, Adam has been saying that when he turns 4 he will no longer be sucking his thumb. In place of this, he will be allowed to chew gum. We've been going along with this. So yesterday he turned 4, and set out, with much vision and determination, to break his four-year habit.

By the end of the day he was beginning to realize that this was going to be very difficult. He didn't think he could do it. The confidence he had earlier in the morning was beginning to wane. It's difficult to see your child begin to doubt himself. I was glad, however, that he was thinking about it, and he wanted to quit (he also wants to chew gum really bad).

Before he went to bed he was sharing that it's too hard, so I told him that breaking habits is always hard. He asked what I meant by that. I brought up smoking, and he didn't really know what I meant, so I pretended that I was smoking a cigarette, thinking that he'd say, "oh yeah, I know what that is." Instead, he just started pretending he was smoking a cigarette. I saw in Mandy's expression that I probably should have used a different analogy.

Then my brilliant wife suggested something I should have done from the beginning. She suggested that we pray about it. Adam is still learning how to pray, but this is probably the best way to show him what prayer truly is. It's simply saying, "help." We encouraged him to pray, "God, help me to quit sucking my thumb." He prayed, then went to bed.

My prayer is that God would teach Adam through this experience. I pray that Adam would learn that God is strong and that God is loving (Psalm 62:11-12). And I pray that Adam would learn at a young age that God brings victory, and that his confidence would be rooted in this fact.

Hebrews 7 & 8

Scripture

...and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more Hebrews 8:10-12

Observation/Application

What a beautiful passage. It's taken from Jeremiah 31, another beautiful section of Scripture. This is the new covenant. The culmination of this covenant is that we shall all know the Lord. Two words here should be discussed. Who is "we." Jeremiah (and therefore the author of Hebrews) says that "we" includes all of us - from the least to the greatest. It's not reserved simply for those who have their acts together. It's available to all. Second, what does it mean to "know" the Lord. I think back to Genesis 3:8, where Adam and Even "heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." It's as if God took a walk with these two every day. There was intimacy. Sin caused that intimate relationship to be broken, but one day there will be a new covenant, and all that was broken will be restored. We will once again know God.

Prayer

Father, because of the work of Christ on the cross, I now live in the new covenant. What an amazing work that was. I thank you that the curse of sin is broken and that I can be free. More than that, because of that work it is possible for me to know You. Never let me take that for granted. Let it be my consuming passion to know You.

It's been 10 years!

Today Mandy and I celebrate ten years of marriage. Here are a few pics from that blessed day ten years ago.

Do Hard Things

What a great title for the article I just read in ESPN The Magazine. It's on Zac Sunderland, a 17-year old who is just about to complete a solo sailing trip around the world. Such a great article. Here's an excerpt:

He had found that whenever he stopped -- in Grenada, in St. Helena, in Cape Town and Mauritius and Hawaii -- people hardly ever asked him about the places he'd been; they were more interested in where he was going. And the funny thing was, most people, most strangers, assumed he would fall back into an ordinary life. They assumed that, despite doing this one incredible thing, he would follow it by going to college and getting a job. Then he would retire, and then he would die; that was the accepted order of the universe. Except the strangers had no idea, not the way Zac did, just how big that universe was.

"When you talk about sailing 25,000 nautical miles at six knots, it's almost impossible to contemplate," he says. After all that he's been through, it is just as impossible for him to contemplate staying in one spot for more than a breath. Zac's worst nightmare has become standing still. "I'd rather be caught in a storm than caught in the Doldrums," he would tell them.

There's no doubt that this experience will change this kid's life. As I read it I thought a lot about his parents. Crazy parents...awesome parents. I hope that I always encourage my boys to dream, risk, live lives of adventure, and, do hard things.

For more on Zac, check out his blog.

Ordinary People/Gospel Intentionality

One of my favorite phrases from Total Church is "Ordinary people living ordinary lives with Gospel intentionality." It's a phrase I'm going to be using most weeks during our Acts study at NC. Anyway, here is a great series of Twitter posts from Steve Timmis (co-author of the book) on what this tangibly looks like.

• Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … buying from local shops.
• Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … frequenting a local coffee shop or pub.
• Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … playing for a local sports team.
• Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … always tipping generously in local restaurants.
• Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … being the kind of neighbour everyone wants to have as a neighbour.

More.

Total Church

Beginning next Tuesday I'm going to be commenting on the book Total Church with my friend Nathan Cook and others. For more info, as well as to join the conversation, go here.

Will Ferrell as Harry Caray

Hebrews 5 & 6

Scripture

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10

Observation

The author of Hebrews wants his audience to grasp the humanity of Christ. For someone unsure of this, the passage can be very uncomfortable. The following words convey humanity: "loud cries and tears", "learned obedience through what he suffered." Jesus cried out to God to be saved. We see this in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew that God could save him, which is what he wanted. But more than that, he wanted to obey his father, even if it meant humiliation, separation from his Father, and a painful death.

Application

What does it mean when the author says that Jesus "learned obedience through what he suffered?" Every high priest had to understand what the people were going through before he could be any help to them. Jesus was the ultimate high priest, but that would not have been the case if he had not truly understood us, and the only way that he could truly understand us was to experience suffering. And experience suffering he did.

In the creation, the Lord made man like himself; but in the redemption he made himself like man. John Brys

Prayer

As the Son of God, and as the only one who never did anything wrong, you were the one person who did not deserve to suffer. I thank you for choosing to lay down your life for me, a pitiful sinner. I am truly thankful that you know me, understand me, and despite all that is in me, you love me.

Hebrews 3 & 4

Scripture

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.          Hebrews 4:14-16

Observation

Fully divine AND fully human!  Jesus faced every temptation that we will ever face, so He understands our condition.  This is His humanity.  Yet Jesus never sinned.  He was victorious (I think back to yesterday's passage that speaks of Jesus destroying the devil).  This is His divinity. It is because of both His humanity and divinity that we are able to, in confidence, approach God's throne, to receive mercy, grace and help in time of need.

Application

Not understanding what Jesus did for me often prevents me from both persevering (v.14) and asking for help (v.16).  I start to believe lies, lies that Satan feeds me.  On the flip side, I begin to understand what Jesus did for me when I read the Bible (Heb. 4:12-13).  

Prayer

Jesus, may the work that You accomplished in Your life, death and resurrection consume my life.  May it reach from my head to my heart, and may it transform my daily living.  I'm thankful that You understand what I go through as a human, yet I am also very thankful that You are God.  If You were only human, You might understand, but You couldn't really do much to help my pitiful predicament.  However, because You are God, You beckon me to the throne of grace, where I find the true rest, grace, mercy and help that I so need.   

Some Pics from our Anniversary Party

Weekly Links

Ben Arment on "Three Kinds of Jobs"

More from Andy Stanley on Communication:  Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

The messages from Advance09 are available for download from Desiring God

New iPhone and software getting ready to come out

Good explanation of bi-weekly payments on a mortgage - I've been doing something similar since we bought our first home, albeit without the fees.  I just divided the monthly payment by 12, then added that to the principal each month.  It will end up knocking around seven years off my mortgage, which will save me approximately $36,000 in interest!

Internetmonk's review of Love is an Orientation, by Andrew Marin.  Here's Andrew on the Neue podcast as well.

Saving the best for last..."Why couldn't Jesus shapeshift?" and other Awkward Questions from Children - from Scot McKnight  

Hebrews 1 & 2

This week I'm going to be reading Hebrews, and thought I would blog my journal entries instead of writing them.  I'll once again be using Cordeiro's SOAP method.

Scripture

...he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."   Hebrews 2:14-15

Observation

What a powerful statement!  Hebrews is filled with so many theologically-rich statements such as this one.  Christ's death did two things for us:  He destroyed the devil and He set us free.

Application

The first step to worship is understanding the pitiful circumstances that I was in (thanks to Dallas Willard for helping me think through this word "pitiful").  I was a slave.  Notice that the author of Hebrews emphasizes this by saying "lifelong" slave.  What's even more pitiful is that I didn't even realize that I was a slave (think back to the movie, The Matrix).  In suffering and dying on the Cross, Christ set me free.  I am no longer a slave.  Thanks be to God.  But not only did He set me free...He also destroyed the devil.  "Destroy" is a powerful word.  It's because of this work that I never have to be a slave again.  Once again, thanks be to God!

Prayer

King Jesus, thank you for dying for me.  Me, a pitiful slave and sinner.  This wasn't forced upon You.  After all, You are the King.  You created the world, and everything in that entire world is subject to You.  No, You willingly laid down Your life, suffering in the most brutal way, but more than that, You took on the sins of the world.  Your Father turned His back on You.  That is true love.  I thank You for that love.  You have won me.  May I be Your servant forever. 

Acts Summer Series

Last night we began our series through the book of Acts.  I've been looking forward to this for awhile.  We're also starting our first community group this Wednesday night.  We had home groups before we started meeting at the Skinner Center, but then went to men's and women's groups because it was easier for one parent to stay home with kids.  

I've felt for awhile that we were really missing something.  That "something" is community.  We were discovering that the women of the church don't really know the men of the church that well, and vice-versa.  And I really felt that our children ought to be in settings where they can observe the lives of godly men and women.  

So this summer, in conjunction with our study of the early church, we're going to practice "being" church.  I'm sure it will be a little messy, but community always is.  And, as we saw last night, the early church was definitely messy!

The Community Group Discussion Questions can be downloaded from our website.

Anniversary Party

This Friday Mandy and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage!  It's hard to believe that it's been ten years.  We've had our highs and we've had our lows, but thankfully, there have been more highs than lows.  God has blessed us with two wonderful sons, and has placed us in a great neighborhood with great friends.

Earlier this year Mandy had suggested that we celebrate our anniversary by having a concert for our friends.  So every so often we would get out the guitar and play through some of our favorite songs.  As we got closer to the date, we began planning the party.  

We couldn't have picked a better evening for our party.  The weather was wonderful, we had good food and drink, and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves.  I know that for Mandy and I, it was a very special time.

I'll post pictures as soon as I get them from Josh (you reading this?).

Batching

One of the greatest takeaways I've gotten from The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss, is the idea of batching.  Batching asks the question, "What activities can I allot to a specific day, week, month, quarter, or year so that I don't squander time repeating them more often than is absolutely necessary? (108).

Before beginning this book, Mandy and I had decided to do this with our grocery shopping.  We had read this book, and decided that we would attempt to go to the grocery store three times during the month of May.  The goal was to free up time and to not spend as much money.  These two goals go hand in hand.  By planning our meals and shopping, we have avoided the ever-so-often last minute trip to Schnucks to pick up croutons.  And we all know what happens when we run to the store to pick up croutons (especially when it's right before dinner).  We end up picking up several other items as well.  This cuts into the monthly budget.  I'm happy to report that we have done really well, and our goal is to cut it to two trips this month.

As I wrote in my first post on this book, my next step was to go from checking emails every time one arrived in my Outlook mailbox to only opening Outlook to read and respond to emails five times per day.  Ferriss suggests only doing this twice a day, and I may get there soon, but as I said, baby steps are needed here.

Yesterday I was waiting on a tow truck to pick up our Saturn (it's been in the parking lot at Union Ave. Baptist Church since Sunday night).  I had some time so I read more from the book. A lightbulb came on as I read his section on batching.  On a notecard I listed all of my monthly, weekly and daily tasks, and put the numbers of hours I spend on each.  This includes admin tasks, meetings and study time for church, property management and real estate work, as well as household chores such as laundry, cooking and paying bills. 

This part wasn't new to me.  I've done it before and it's been helpful.  What I had never done, however, was this:  I opened up Outlook (though I didn't check email yet because it wasn't time), and proceeded to put all of these tasks in my calendar.  I always put meetings, events, and deadlines in my calendar, but I haven't always put tasks such as these on it:

• Prep for sermon
• Upload sermon to website
• Pay bills
• Update rental spreadsheet 

I never forget to do tasks such as these, so I figure there's no need to write them down.  However, by having them in my calendar, I see how my day fills up.  I see the things that have to get done.  There's plenty of flexibility to move things around, but on Sunday night I know that I can get a quick overview of my upcoming week in about a minute.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but as one who has complete control over my schedule (not always a good thing for some), this helps me gauge my productivity.

The Laws of Pareto & Parkinson

Here's part 2 of my review on Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek.  Pareto's Law, named for an economist named Vilfredo Pareto and often referred to as the "80/20" Principle, states that 80% of the wealth is possessed by 20% of the population.  You've also no doubt heard this principle when dealing with volunteers (it's used in the church world quite often).  Here we say that 80% of the work is performed by 20% of the volunteers.  

Ferriss applies this principle to our outputs and inputs.  In other words, he says that 80% of our results (outputs) come from 20% of our effort and time (inputs).  If this is the case, then we need to figure out how to not only guard that 20%, but to purge as much of the wasted time so that we can do more that truly produces results, as well as do more of the things that bring joy and fulfillment to our lives.  This speaks into the myth that business = productivity. 

 

The second law he mentions is Parkinson's Law.  This law speaks to the need to shorten deadlines so that focus and quality are the result.  If you have two days to finish a project because you are going on vacation, you finish the project in two days, even when the project normally takes a week to accomplish.  If we have 8 hours to fill, we will fill it, but it doesn't guarantee that we will accomplish anything.  He refers to this as the "9-5 Illusion."    

In bringing these two laws together, Ferriss states:

If you haven't identified the mission-critical tasks and set aggressive start and end times for their completion, the unimportant becomes the important. Even if you know what's critical, without deadlines that create focus, the minor tasks forced upon you (or invented, in the case of the entrepreneur) will swell to consume time until another bit of minutiae jumps in to replace it, leaving you at the end of the day with nothing accomplished.

No More Firefox?

For the past few months I've been having lots of issues with Firefox.  I decided this weekend to download Google Chrome, and liked it so much that I uninstalled Firefox.  It has a few issues, but nothing too frustrating, and it seems to be a lot faster than either Firefox or IE.  I may give Firefox another chance at some point, but for now, I'll stick with Google.

Book of Acts Study

I'm right in the middle of teaching a six week course on the book of Acts at Union Avene Baptist Church.  I love the story of the early church, and feel in some ways as if I've been preparing for this course for the past ten years. Right after I finish up with the course at UABC, we begin the same study at Neighborhood Church.  We're also beginning Community Groups this summer.  On Sunday nights I'll be teaching through the story, and on Wednesday nights we'll discuss what we're learning.  

The 4-Hour Workweek

This weekend I started reading The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss.  I remember looking at this book when I came out, but was decided not to pick it up after reading some negative reviews on Amazon.  However, a few weeks ago I read a great review of it, and decided to check it out at the library.  I'm glad I did.  Though I can understand where the negative reviews come from, it has already been extremely helpful to me.  Over the next few weeks I'm going to try to make some small changes in the way I work that I believe will make big differences.

Here are a few thoughts from the first few chapters that have been meaningful to me:

He shares in the Introduction how he hates being asked the "cocktail" questions, "So, what do you do?"  He says that it "reflects an epidemic I was long part of:  job descriptions as self-descriptions (6)."  He goes on to say, "How can I possibly explain that what I do with my time and what I do for money are compltely different things?"  As I said in a previous post, I've just started a real estate investing business, and although I really like this work, it's not what defines me.  And even though I am doing this so that it will allow me to do the work that God has called me to (pastoring a church), that's not entirely what defines me either.

Doing less meaningful work, so that you can focus on things of greater personal importance, is NOT laziness.  This is hard for most to accept, because our culture tends to reward personal sacrifice instead of personal productivity.  Few people choose to (or are able to) measure the results of their actions and thus measure their contribution in time.  More time equals more self-worth and more reinforcement from those above and around them (32-33).

Boy, do I struggle with this!  I think it has something to do with the fact that most of my work life has been entrepreneurial in nature, and most of it has been without punching a clock. Though this is great for me, it's often been difficult to know when I've done enough.  There are two reasons for this:  (1) I love my work, and (2) the work is never complete.  I despise laziness, so I work hard.  However, is my work always productive?  That's the big question.  

In chapter 5 he talks about the difference between being effective and being efficient.  He states, "Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals.  Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible.  Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe" (67).  He goes on to give the example of the person who checks email 30 times per day.  I have a habit of keeping Outlook open, and, if I receive an email, I often "tackle" it immediately.  So my first plan of action is to open up Outlook and respond to email only five times per day during this week.  He recommends doing this only twice a day.  I'll hopefully get there, but we've got to start with baby steps!  I'm also thinking the same way with tasks such as paying bills.  

Ferriss next gives two truisms that I felt were worth giving thought to:

1. Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.
   
2. Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.

I'll try to write more tomorrow on Pareto's Law and Parkinson's Law. 

Introducing Portfolio Investment Group

Last week my friend Joe and I started a real estate investing business.  We're calling it Portfolio Investment Group (LLC).  Joe has been buying, rehabbing, and selling properties for the last four or five years, and I've learned a lot from him.  We purchased our first property together six months ago, and are closing on a second one in a few weeks.  Our plan is to rent some of them, and to sell some of them, with the proceeds going to buying more.

Coldplay Album for Free

Coldplay is giving away their new live album for free!  Download it here.

Lost - Finally Some Answers?

Last night's season finale of Lost finally gave us more answers than it did questions...though it did give us more questions! We finally discovered the identity of Jacob (answer), but also learned that he has a nemesis (question). Here's my theory: one of the primary themes of this show is the issue of free will. Do humans have it, or are we nothing more than "pawns" in a chess game? In this case, the chess game is being played between Jacob (white shirt), representing good/light, and the mystery man (black shirt), representing evil/darkness (though I think we'll see that neither is completely good or bad. It's less a God/Satan thing and more a Greek mythology thing.

At the beginning of the show, they're both watching a boat coming to the island. This boat, most likely the Black Rock we've heard about, was called there by Jacob. The man in black obviously does not like Jacob's "experiments", which leads me to believe that the "losties" were not the first ones "summoned" to the island. This little game has been going on for a long time.

I don't think these two guys are all-powerful. I think they have limitations, and I predict that those limitations will be exposed once the losties realize that they've been a part of a game this whole time.

Can't wait for next season!

Weekly Links

Tim Chester's summary of the one-another passages in the New Testament

I started teaching a six-week series on the book of Acts at Union Ave. Baptist Church two weeks ago, and these posts by Perry Noble and Tim Chester have been helpful.

In another post from Perry Noble (who I've just started reading), he makes the statement: "I believe that God is getting ready to do something unlike He has ever done before." I think I'm starting to believe this as well. Jesus, I believe; help my unbelief.

Here's a great story from Scot McKnight's blog on the power of the Scriptures.

Jonathan Dodson on Simplified Missional Living - practical yet powerful.

One of the phrases that stuck out to me in Newsweek's article "The End of Christian America" was "religion is 'losing influence' in American society." Read the article for the context of this quote, but I for one am excited by the possibilities.

TED Conferences cost thousands of dollars to attend, but you can watch the videos online for free.

You'll be happy to know that Micah has been doing a little modeling.

A Little TV

I thought last night's American Idol was the best episode ever, as far as the competition. My number 1 & 2 for the night were Matt and Danny, but I thought all five were amazing. I think this is by far the most talented group ever.

And how about the NBA playoffs! The Boston/Chicago series is the best first round playoffs series I've ever seen. I'm a big Celtics fan, but I find myself pulling for the baby Bulls. I think D. Rose is going to be a top 3 point guard in another year or so. He's just got to cut those turnovers down. And I think they're one trade away from being an elite team (how about L. Deng and Tyrus Thomas for a big man, perhaps Bosh or Stoudamire?).

The Goal of Parenting

The following is from Tim Kimmel's great book, Grace Based Parenting.

The real test of a parenting model is how well equipped the children are to move into adulthood as vital members of the human race. Notice I didn't say "as vital members of the Christian community." We need to have kids that can be sent off to the most hostile universities, toil in the greediest work environments, and raise their families in the most hedonistic communities and yet not be the lease bit intimidated by their surroundings. Furthermore, they need to be engaged in the lives of people in their culture, gracefully representing Christ's love inside these desperate surroundings (9).

There are times when we need to shelter and protect our children, but if that is our primary to the world, then we are doing a disservice to our children. Instead, we need to teach and live out a biblical worldview. We teach them what it means to follow God and be a missionary in their world.

Favorite Iphone Apps

I've had my iPhone now for close to three months, and I love it just as much as when I first got it. The 1 billionth application should be downloaded sometime today (winner gets a $10,000 iTunes gift card), so I thought I would share some of my favorite apps.

• Google app - I probably use this most of all because I'm now using Google Reader for my rss feeds
• reQall - replaced Jott when Jott ceased to be free; not quite as good but it's very useful
• Amazon Kindle - I haven't bought a Kindle book yet, but I've sampled the first chapter of many
• Evernote - I use this primarily on my laptop, but it's nice to have an app for the iPhone
• Files lite - free version; allows me to take documents on the iPhone; I can read them, but no editing
  
• Pandora
• Simplify - allows me to listen to my entire iTunes collection on my desktop at home; not the best quality, but still a great feature
• Yelp - pinpoints my location, shows restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc. nearby, and even gives reviews; I used them a lot while we were on vacation
• Maps - right up there with Google as to most used; I drive around and look at houses a lot; this helps out quite a bit
  

American Idol

I think the talent in this year's American Idol competition is the strongest ever. I love Matt's soul, Danny's power, and Adam's charisma, but of all of them, the one I would spend money to hear is Kris Allen. His performance a few weeks ago of "Ain't No Sunshine" was amazing.

Books I'm Reading

I just updated my Shelfari page, so I thought I would give an update on some of the good books I've been reading. On Easter we finished up our series on the Cross, so for the last couple of months I've been reading a lot on that subject. Two of the key books I read were Death by Love, by Mark Driscoll, and The Atonement, by Leon Morris. I grew and learned a lot during this series.

Next Sunday I am preaching on parenting, so I've been reading a few books on this topic, namely, Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel, Revolutionary Parenting, by George Barna, and Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, by Mary DeMuth. I haven't read much of Barna's yet, but I highly recommend the other two.

I've also just started reading Total Church, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. This is one of those books where it seems like I'm underlining every other sentence. The chapter on community is amazing, as is the one on evangelism. Speaking of that chapter, you can read it on Tim Chester's blog.

Finally, our men's discussion group has one more week on Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. It's been encouraging yet very challenging. I guess that's typical Piper, though.

Cal Who?

Great article on Memphis' new head basketball coach!

The Importance of the Resurrection

I am getting ready to preach my first Easter sermon, and I feel a little overwhelmed. For the past few weeks we've been seeking to answer the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" We've looked at the following bad news/good news facets of the cross:

Week 1
Bad news: We are in bondage to sin and cannot escape on our own
Good news: Jesus died to redeem us from the bondage of sin

Week 2
Bad news: God's response to sin is wrath and judgement
Good news: Jesus died as a once-for-all atonement for our sin, appeasing God's wrath, forgiving all of our sins (past, present and future), and cleansing us from all unrighteousness

Week 3
Bad news: We have sinned, and the penalty for sin is death
Good news: Jesus died in our place for our sin. Therefore we do not have to pay the penalty.


As I have been working my way through this, a new question has emerged that I'm going to try to address this Sunday. The Cross has humbled me. It is truly beautiful and amazing. In some ways it would be enough to say that Jesus is my Savior, that He did all of these things for me. My life would be changed. I would no longer be the same.

So what's the purpose of Easter?

My text will be 1 Corinthians 15, and the key words for me have been "of first importance." Paul shows us why the resurrection of Jesus is vital to Christianity. In verses 12-20 he gives shows what things would be like if Christ hadn't been raised from the dead. He shows that this can't just stop with the Cross.

The Resurrection also sets up the New Creation (which harkens back to the Creation Mandate found in Genesis 1). With the Resurrection, Jesus is not only Savior of the world but also King of the World. And He has called us to be ministers of reconciliation in His Kingdom!

Vacation

We are in Orange Beach, AL this week with Paw Howard, Boogala (not sure how to spell that, but it's Adam's grandmother), and Megan. The boys did great on the long drive yesterday, and our first night was good. Micah slept in the bathroom last night, but we moved him into the closet this morning (is that wrong?). Adam is most excited about making smores and watching Star Wars: Episode I. I'm looking forward to eating a lot of seafood, enjoying the serenity of the waves crashing outside our door, and enjoying my family!

Does Satan Exist?

Last week ABC News Nightline featured a four-person "Face-Off" debate on the topic of Satan. The guests were Bishop Carlton Pearson, Deepak Chopra, Annie Lobert, and Mark Driscoll. You can watch it in its entirety here. I was very impressed with Driscoll's responses. I also think Pearson hit the nail on the head when he began talking about Scripture. It all boils down to what you believe about Scripture. If you don't believe that Scripture is authoritative, then nothing that Driscoll and Lobert makes sense.

Coach Cal Leaving?

Apparently Coach Calipari is announcing this afternoon whether or not he is leaving Memphis for Kentucky. It is going to be troubling for so many in Memphis if he leaves. Not only will we be losing a great coach (and a great Memphian), but we also stand to lose several prized recruits. It's also troubling for another reason, though: How concerned should we be that something like this puts us in such a state of depression? In the grand scheme of things, how big a deal is this?

Weekly Links

• Innovation3 was one of those conferences that I would have loved to have gone to. The next best thing is having free resources from it.
  
  
• Great nugget of parenting truth from Mark Batterson
  
  
• Ben Witherington reminds us of God's promises during our woeful economic times
  
  
• Tim Keller's Q & A Sessions free for download at Redeemer's store
  
  
• Ed Stetzer's 5-Part Interview on Communication with Andy Stanley

Financial Advice for 20 & 30-Somethings

I just discovered Ramit Sethi's new book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich on Lifehacker. I don't like the title that much (he chose it because it gets people's attention), but I really like his practical advice and his focus on systems and using technology. Check out his blog for more info.

Memphis Desperate for Money

Shelby County tax appraisals have started coming in, and residents are not happy. In a climate of decreasing values, it would seem logical that tax appraisals would also follow downward. However, that's not the case with most parts of the county. Here are a couple of articles (link, link) from The Commercial Appeal. Midtown & Downtown residents will find out at the end of this month, but I'm sure the bad news will continue.

A second example centers around my neighborhood. Over the last week or so we've had a code enforcement officer going around ticketing residents for very minor infractions (for example, having mardi gras beads on the porch). Now the first problem with this is that I'm on the safety committee of the CYCA, and it's going to appear to some that this is our doing. However, the primary problem is the motivation. Is it all about Memphis' need for money?

Everyone is struggling, and this includes the government, but the government shouldn't make their problems go away by adding to the problems of their residents. That's my 2 cents.

Another Great Resource

Leadership Learnings from Bloggers

This is a 250-plus page e-book features the best of the best leadership lessons from 20 different bloggers. I printed it out and have been reading it over the last few days. A lot of great reminders!

Facebook Bible Study

Just finished week 1 of an online Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. My friend Joe is leading this interactive study of Matthew 5-7. He's an excellent teacher, and I look forward to learning with he and the other participants during these next few weeks.

A Good Day

Today was a really good day. It was a family day. It was truly Sabbath. This morning I decided to take Mandy and the boys to Victorian Village. I had driven all around this historic part of Memphis but had never driven down Adams Ave. We're going to go again sometime soon and go on a tour.




When we got back I used an emusic coupon to get some new music - 50 new songs to be exact. I love music. Some of my finds: Bon Iver's Blood Bank, Great Big Sea's newest album, some Over the Rhine, a few songs by Adele, some Sufjan Stevens, and some Andy McKee.

After that Dad, Evan and Kelsey came over. Dad and I watched the Tigers beat UTEP. Great game. And it was great to see UNC lose to Maryland in overtime. We also enjoyed a little BBQ from Paynes after the game.

Finally, as if the day couldn't get any better, I introduced Adam to Star Wars tonight. We watched the first hour of Episode IV: A New Hope. Before you get too worried, I fast forwarded several scenes. Right before putting him to bed, I asked him if he liked it. His response: "I love Star Wars." That's my boy! My mom wants me to come by sometime soon and go through my toys, comics and baseball cards in their house. I'm looking forward to showing off my collection of Star Wars toys to Adam.

Oh, one last thing...in addition to being able to say Momma and Dada, Micah can now say Night night.

A Great Church Resource

Mars Hill in Seattle has released a free resource in conjunction with their 28-week series on 1 & 2 Peter. It seems that there are a couple of reasons behind this document. The first is that they want to saturate the message of 1 & 2 Peter into everything their church does. They have outlined the two letters, giving the big ideas for each message. They've also written a study guide to be used in their weekly community groups. This also includes a daily devotional guide for families to use. I love this because it's centered around the dinner table and is to be used with the kids. Brilliant!

Their second reason for doing this is to help pastors like myself plan and "brand" sermons. I need all the help I can get, and I'm very appreciative to Mars Hill for this.

You can download this 207-page document from the Resurgence site.

Most Miserable Cities

God loves Memphis. Too bad others don't. Forbes just named Memphis the #2 Most Miserable City to live in. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Sandwiched between Stockton and Chicago is Memphis, Tenn. The home of FedEx has an incredibly high rate of violent crimes, with only Detroit faring worse. The 1,218 violent crimes per 100,000 residents is more than twice the rate in the New York City metro area. The city's sales tax and rate of government employees committing crimes also fall within the 10 highest in the U.S. Pro sports has been a mess in Memphis in recent years as well. The city's lone major franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, has lost 74% of its games during the past three years, the worst in the NBA.

Weekly Links

Man, it's been awhile since I posted my "Weekly Links." Definitely more than a week. I've been very busy, but I've missed doing this. I actually post these for myself. I learn so much from reading different websites and blogs, and I always run across ideas that I want to internalize. I use my blog to do this. So hopefully, this will once again become a regular occurrence.

 

Scott Thomas interviews Steve Timmis on the Acts 29 site – This is one of those books that has unfortunately had to be moved towards the back of my bookshelf. I've had it for a couple of months and look forward to reading it. The interview is very good.

Bob Hyatt at Out of Ur says that our need for productivity often stems from pride. Here's a great quote (and when I say "great", I mean that it punched me in the stomach): "Conceived of this way, busyness isn't an issue of time management and productivity, it's an issue of desire. When is enough, enough? When am I doing enough good things through which that God-given desire to feel productive and useful in this world can be fulfilled? When do I cross the line between finding satisfaction in the good day's work I put in and trying to find my identity through an ever-increasing load of ego-enhancing commitments?"

Mark Batterson on God Ideas – I totally agree, but he says it in a much better way than I can!

Slumdog Millionaire – Mandy and I went to see this on Saturday night. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Very uplifting story, and one that I can recommend to everyone.

Ed Stetzer on The Dangerous Church of the Future (from Innovation 3)

Next Wave Ezine on the History of the Emerging Church

Jonathan Dodson posted the following quote by Tim Keller: "young preachers won't find their voice until they have preached 200 sermons, so don't be so hard on yourself!" I think I feel better after reading that.

 

 

The Empty Chair

On Sunday night I told a story that I had read the night before in Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning. Here is the story:

Brennan Manning tells the following story of an old man who was dying of cancer. The man's daughter had asked the local priest to come and pray with her father. When the priest arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

Priest- "I guess you were expecting me, " I see the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."
Man- "Oh yeah, the chair ... Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the priest shut the door.

Man - "I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter .... But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the priest talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.. I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, Father, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.

The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and left him in God's care. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon.

Priest - "Did he seem to die in peace?"

Daughter- "Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that"

God Loves Memphis

I believe that God loves my city, and I believe that the gospel is the only true and lasting hope for the problems of my city. Saying that, I also believe that if I am going to be a Christian in my city, then I must understand my city. The needs of the city must become my needs. It's because of this that I, along with many of my friends, seek to be involved in the city in many ways.

Today is a day devoted to not simply learning about the needs and problems of my city, but also discussing viable solutions. This morning I attended a city-wide town hall meeting on the topic of safety. I serve on the safety committee in my neighborhood, and as a result of this meeting, I have helpful information to pass along to my community.

This afternoon we're having our first CYPN Education Discussion. CYPN stands for Cooper-Young Parent's Network. It's an organization that Mandy created six months ago. Everyone attending has young children, and all of us are having to make decisions about the type of education that we want for our children. It seems that for many of us, there are multiple bottom lines. For example, although academics is very important, it's not the only issue that we're considering. Other factors include diversity, location, cost, etc.

Mandy and I feel that God has called us to this neighborhood, and we desire to live as holistic a lifestyle as possible. Our hope is to send our kids to the local public school and to be involved in making that school an even better school. I may be overly optimistic, perhaps even naive at times, but I believe that if enough people do this, that we could see major change come to our city.

Depending on God Pt. 2

I mentioned in my last post that I've been up reading tonight. The book I've been reading (actually, re-reading), is Brennan Manning's, Ruthless Trust. Below are some quotes from the book.

Childlike surrender in trust is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship (4).

Against insurmountable obstacles and without a clue as to the outcome, the trusting heart says, "Abba, I surrender my will and my life to you without any reservation and with boundless confidence, for you are my loving Father (7).

The decisive (or what I call the second) conversion from mistrust to trust – a conversion that must be renewed daily – is the moment of sovereign deliverance from the warehouse of worry (7).

The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future (12).

The reality of naked trust is the life of a pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise (12-13).

Depending on God Pt. 1

I haven't been able to sleep tonight. This is a rarity for me, and I'm not sure why I'm so wide awake. I finally got out of bed around 12:30 and have been reading and writing ever since. This Sunday is our first Sunday in our new location, and more important, it's our first Sunday without Jason and Barb. I realize that I haven't done much blogging lately, and this is the chief reason. It was in some ways the elephant in the room, and I just haven't had the words to write about it.

Right before Thanksgiving Jason told me that he had been feeling for awhile that his time at Neighborhood Church was nearing an end. Though he wasn't sure what the next steps were, he felt that God was calling them away. My initial reaction was surprise, but over the next few days it became more and more clear that this was right. I then had to deal with the sudden realization that I was about to become a pastor. Now I realize that I have been a pastor for awhile, but since moving to Memphis to start NC, I've been referring to myself as a "co-pastor." There were several reasons why I did this, all of which I won't get into, but the unhealthy on is this: as much as I value "Team", it has been a crutch for me for awhile. Wow, I actually said it.

God has been doing a major work in me over the past couple of months, and it has started with a renewed sense of dependence. I do not feel adequate for this task. I know what my limitations are. But I also know how big God is. I know that He is strong and that He loves me (Psalm 62:11-12). God is calling our church to trust Him, and through that He will not only reveal His love for us, grant peace to our troubled hearts, and give us abundant life, but He will begin to do what only He can do in our city.

A Real Smartphone

I started using my first PDA ten years ago. It was the Palm III. After that I moved on to the Zire 71. My first smartphone was the Palm Treo 600, and I followed that with the Treo 650. Each was a step up from the previous. Earlier this year I moved to Windows Mobile and purchased the Sprint Mogul. Compared to the Palm platform this thing moved. But it still didn't do everything I thought it should do.

Last night all my dreams that I didn't even know I had came true when I bought the iPhone 3G. This is the most impressive gadget I've ever had. It is truly "smart." I know I've said it before, but it makes me wonder if I need to go Mac all the way. I love the fact that I only have to carry one thing. It's a phone, a PDA, and an ipod. Actually, today that wasn't necessarily a good thing. I was listening to it in the car, and I put it under the seat before leaving the car to go into the grocery store (this has been my habit with my ipod). I got in the store and realized I needed to call Mandy. Oops.

The best thing so far is the Apps Store. Since last night I've downloaded 26 apps. All but two were free. Here are some of my favorites thus far.

Mint
Facebook
Pandora
Simplify – For $4, this allows me to access my entire iTunes library via wi-fi or 3g
Sportstap

One of the other nice features is that I'm able to sync my Outlook data from my laptop and all of my media from my desktop. I hadn't thought about that until last night after I started playing with it. I haven't messed with the GPS feature, but I've heard it's impressive as well.

More to come soon…

Bon Iver

A few days after compiling my top 10 music list, I purchased Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago during Amazon.com's $5 sale on their top albums of the year. Had it been a few days earlier it would have been at the top of the list. This album is SO good. If you listen to it, I encourage shutting yourself in a room, turning off all the lights, and using a good pair of headphones. Oh yeah!

If you're not familiar with Bon Iver, check this out.

Crazy Times at the Memphis Library

I apparently have an evil twin.

This afternoon Adam and I were at the library looking for a book for Mandy. Out of nowhere a guy ran up to me, grabbed me by the collar, and start yelling at me for assaulting his girlfriend. Two security guards were right there and grabbed him, but not before books were off the shelf and Adam was crying.

The security guards started escorting him to the escalator, and once I made sure that Adam was ok, we followed them. I went to the guards and they asked if I wanted to press charges. I said, "heck yeah I want to press charges." He said to wait a minute, so I told him that I was going to check out my books.

As soon as I got to the desk, I felt the Holy Spirit say that I needed to go and talk to the guy. If nothing else, I didn't want Adam to be afraid. So we walked into a small office. In the office were the guy, his girlfriend, the two security guards, and a police officer. I told them that I didn't want to press charges, but I wanted to talk to him. The girlfriend came out and studied me. She said, "Were you not on the bus this morning?" I said, "No." The guy explained that someone who resembled me had assaulted her. I told him that I was sorry that had happened to her, but doing what he did in front of my son was not cool. With a tear in his eye, he apologized and said that he had overreacted. I told him that I forgave him.

After we walked out of the library I knelt down and talked to Adam. I got to talk to him about God's love and forgiveness for us. I wanted to bring some redemption into a scary moment for Adam.

I guess it could be a problem if I do have an evil twin who goes around assaulting ladies on the bus. But no matter what, I love my city. And here's what I know: God wants to reveal His love to every person that was in that situation. I pray He does that.

Do you backup?

I've been using Syncback for awhile. It's free, and it's very easy. Lifehacker has a great tutorial on how to set up daily, weekly and monthly automatic backups. Check it out.

2008 Top Ten Lists: Podcasts

1. Catalyst
2. Fermi Project
3. Rick McKinley
4. Rob Bell
5. Mark Driscoll
6. Paste Culture Club
   
7. Dave Ramsey
8. Acts 29
9. Vineyard Cincinnati
10. The Resurgence
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Blogs

These are the blogs that I read weekly. Once again, in no particular order.

1. Scot McKnight - He recently moved over to Belief.net. I always enjoy his content.
   
2. Ben Witherington - NT scholar who also writes some really good movie reviews
   
3. Mark Batterson - whenever I read his blog I'm inspired to be creative and work with excellence
   
4. Jonathan Dodson - I've been reading his blog for a few months. He's a church planter in Austin.
   
5. Ed Stetzer - missiologist, researcher, author
   
6. John Carroll - fellow missionary here in Memphis; I always enjoy reading his blog.
   
7. Joe Boyd - Joe is on staff at Vineyard Cincinnatti. A great storyteller, he is currently working on his first book.
   
8. Seth Godin - everyone knows Seth Godin, right?
   
9. Steve McCoy - I'm always anxious to read his blog just for his music recommendations and links to other sites.
   
10. Dan Kimball - I appreciate his balanced approach to so many controversial issues facing the church today
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Music

1. Dave Barnes, Me + You + the World
   
2. Fellowship Church, Closer to the Start
   
3. Anthony Skinner, Crush
   
4. Sondre Lerche, Dan in Real Life soundtrack
   
5. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
   
6. Jon Foreman, Fall & Winter
   
7. Daniel Doss Band, Greater than Us All
   
8. Hillsong United, All of the Above