If only it were true of me.

Hezekiah put his whole trust in the God of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after. He held fast to God—never loosened his grip—and obeyed to the letter everything God had commanded Moses. And God, for his part, held fast to him through all his adventures. 2 Kings 18:5-6 (The Message)

Man, I hope someday this could be written about me. Not the king part (though dominion over a small Caribbean island nation wouldn't be the worst life imaginable), but at least the "put his whole trust in God" part. The truth is that even as I encourage people around me to just trust God, I sometimes have a hard time letting go of things. This is especially true in our church right now. I want to think that people will be giving and trusting with their money and support the church, but I worry about it. I want to believe that God already knows who our next pastor will be, but I worry about it. In my heart, I really believe God has these things under control, but my mind allows me to worry about them. I pray about them, and say I'm "giving them to God," but then my claws come out and I grab them right back.

But, reading about the life of Hezekiah is encouraging to me. He put his whole trust in the God of Israel. Not just the parts with which he was comfortable. Not just the parts he didn't worry about so much, but his whole trust. In God. The God of Israel. He put it there. And left it. And didn't worry about it. Ever. Wow.

The cool part of the story for me was the last line in verse 6. And God, for his part, held fast to him through all his adventures. Because of his placing his trust in God, he was blessed. God held fast to him, stayed by his side, walked with him. Through his adventures. He still had adventures, yet God was with him. Good encouragement for those of us who are prone to worry.

So, the thing about Mackinaw is...

...that it hasn't really changed. We hadn't been in 14 years, and I guess I expected different. Truthfully, though, I was glad with how little change there had been. The island (spelled Mackinac, but pronounced Mackinaw) is designed not to change. There are only 3 ways to get around on the island- horse-drawn carriage, bicycle, or your own two feet (not to be discriminatory to one-footed persons or three-footed persons). The bicycle part appeals to me a lot, and in honor of one of my favorite blogs I took a few pictures of the beautifully useful bicycles on Mackinac Island. Enjoy them!

Back from vacation

Well, if you wondered why it's been a few days since my last post, it's because we went away on vacation for a few days to Mackinaw City, Michigan. Since you couldn't go with me (unless you're Benetta or the kids reading this), here are a few pictures.





Lots more to show and tell. My head is swimming right now with what I've read from Psalm, 2 Kings, and Desire of the Everlasting Hills. Will post more pics and thoughts later this weekend!

Peace,
Steve

About "Pop Goes the Church"

So, here's the bad news... the book is not ground-breaking, earth-shattering, or any other planet-destroying descriptive. The fact is, if your church is even thinking about how to reach this generation, there isn't a whole lot of "new" here. Tim Stevens, if you're reading this, I'm sorry to have to say that.

Now, here's the rest. I'm ate up with the ideas in here. The book is both inspired and inspiring. It is a great defense of why churches need to use pop culture (are we really still having THAT conversation? Yes, I'm afraid we are). It is also a heroic compilation of what churches are doing- not just to be "relevant"- but to go to where the people are. Why use pop culture? That's where the people are! Jesus didn't teach inside a fortress. His messages weren't given to invitation-only audiences. Instead, he met people right where they were (as Stevens deftly points out). As a church, we need to do the same, and it is INCREDIBLY helpful to see other churches that are either on the bleeding edge (to motivate us) or other churches that are pretty traditional taking the first steps (to encourage us).

Stevens manages to take the best of what churches are doing to meet people where they are and stuff it into a single, 200-page volume that pastors, lay leaders, and seekers alike will appreciate. Progressive pastors can use this book to help bring along their more timid elders or ministry leaders. Did I mention that I'm ate up with it?

I recommend that elders and pastors read this book together, and use it to imagine the possibilities if they reach out into their community. After all, that's where the people are.

Enjoy!

No, really. Who would?

If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings,
who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,
and that's why you're worshiped. - Psalm 130:3-4 (The Message)

I wouldn't. Would you?

When I was in grade school, the teacher always threatened that if I got in trouble, it would go on my "permanent record." I'm not sure what this was, but I assume it's still around, maybe in the National Archives, since it's permanent. I can't imagine what's in there, but I'm sure the 94-year-old librarian in the musty book stacks where it's kept could help me find out.

I for one am so very thankful that they're aren't report cards in the kingdom of God. Don't get me wrong - I know that someday I'll stand before my maker and have to answer to what I did or didn't do to build his kingdom. But I have great assurance that all the stuff I do is removed from my "permanent record." How about you?

Armloads of blessing

And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.- Psalm 126:4-6 (The Message)

So, I'm really into this book Pop Goes the Church. In it, author Tim Stevens talks about being a missionary in your own neighborhood. He says, and I'm going to blow the exact words, but people can't see God's love if their basic needs aren't being met. In other words, to be relevant in a community, you have to gain permission by meeting their needs.

Which got me thinking... what are the needs that need met in our community? Is it basic necessities (food, shelter, utilities, clothing)? If so, how can we as a church meet those? Is it the general emptiness people feel in their lives? If so, how can we meet them. It got me thinking about this Psalm: "And now, God, do it again- bring rain to our doubt stricken lives."

So, until we figure out where people need their needs met, this will be my prayer.

God, the whisperer

Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by."
A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. - 1 Kings 19:11-12 (The Message)

I don't know if a verse has ever been such an encouragement and a discouragement to me at the same time. I want to know- I think we all do- why isn't God in the earthquake? Why isn't he in the wind? When big things happen in my life, or in the world, I want to clearly hear God's voice.

But, the bible tells us, God sometimes speaks in whispers. This is a problem. See, satan screams at us. He yells at us. He gets all up in our grill and says we're not good enough, we're not important, we can't make an impact for the kingdom, so we might as well give up.

But, if we're quiet, if we're still, if we listen, we can hear the small voice of God saying, "you're important to me. You can make a difference. You have what it takes. YOU ARE MY CHILD."

If only it were louder sometimes...

Sure don't build 'em like they used to...

So Solomon finished building the Temple. The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with wood. He paneled the walls and ceilings with cedar, and he used planks of cypress for the floors. He partitioned off an inner sanctuary—the Most Holy Place—at the far end of the Temple. It was 30 feet deep and was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. The main room of the Temple, outside the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet[h] long. Cedar paneling completely covered the stone walls throughout the Temple, and the paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers.
He prepared the inner sanctuary at the far end of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant would be placed. This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar. Then Solomon overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with solid gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place. So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place.- 1 Kings 6:14-22

Solomon built the temple as a place to go and worship God. It was also a shrine. Made of the finest cedar, olive wood, gold, and other valuable materials, it served as much as a sign of Solomon's great wealth as it did to the glory of God. It was not designed, however, with an eye to how many people could fit inside, how they'd be able to see and interact with the teacher, and how it could be done cost effectively.

Yesterday, I had the chance to tour the new sanctuary at Grace Community Church in Noblesville. The sanctuary won't officially open until August, but the inside is done and now the work to be done includes installing lights, speakers, projectors, and all the 21st century acoutrements that seem to define our worship experience in the modern (temple) church. The thing that impressed me most about the new place- Grace really seemed to do it right. The room itself is very nice, and holds about 1500 people, but the furthest seat from the stage is no further than where it is now, in the 100-seat auditorium. Natural light filters through moveable panels that cover the large windows. And, while great attention was given to design as it relates to the worship experience, there seems to be no extravagance to the materials used- concrete floors, open beam ceiling. And, no debt. I think Grace has done it right, and I'm excited for them.

Francis Chan is another one that has this right. As his church was going through the process of building a new worship space, they thought, "how much money could we use to do ministry if we saved money on a building?" This led to a really innovative, and altogether Christlike new sanctuary design.



(By the way, Christlike in this context doesn't mean the building is "like Christ," rather, this more closely approximates how Christ taught. Less concern about the building and environment, outdoors, with just Him and us.)

Oh well, something to think about as we in ministry struggle with budgets, buildings, and Sunday morning "performances."

Peace be with you.

Other than a "for rent" sign...

Question for the day. In his latest book, Pop Goes the Church, Pastor/Author Tim Stevens asks the question, "If your church were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone even notice?" Other than the people who would now meet at Bob Evans on Sunday, other than the 10:45 traffic jam, would the community notice? In other words, is your church making an impact in the community? Is my church?

As I met with a group of teenagers last night, we were talking about what God cares about. They came up with several things - racism, hatred, starvation. I asked them what they were going to do about it. They also complained that adults don't take teens seriously, that many of them think teens are just troublemakers. I asked them what they were going to do about THAT. So, they now have a challenge for the summer.

Here's yours: many people think Christians are hypocrites, as we would rather blame people for the world's ills than fix them. At the same time, people are hurting and broken all around us. What is your church going to do about that? What is ours going to do about that? A challenge for this summer.

For whom to root in Eugene?

Maybe you don't follow track and field except for every 4th August. If that's the case, you may not know that the US Womens 10,000 meters field will be loaded with talent at the USATF Olymic Trials in Eugene, Oregon June 27-July 6. Among the women competing in that event are Shalane Flanagan, the current US record holder in the 10,000, Kara Goucher, Jen Rhines, Katie MacGregor, and Blake Russel, who has already qualified for the marathon in Bejing. But, with all of these talented women, it will be hard for me not to root hard for Alicia Shay when the gunshot echoes throughout historic Hayward field on June 27.

If you don't know, Shay's husband Ryan died during the Olympic men's marathon trials in New York City last fall. After that totally unexpected and tragic event, Alicia's training obviously suffered. But, she has remained steadfast in her faith and has been a stellar example of how to deal with adversity. In the article linked above, she says, "When something like this happens, you're stripped down to the core. What remains is what you believe, what's at your foundation. At a time where I should be angry at God and angry that this happened . . . I'm in awe with the love of God and how he has carried me. I'll get to the point where I feel like I can't breathe, and every time God picks me up. He just keeps meeting me right at the point of my need. That's something you can't learn in Sunday school."

In the meantime, she helped Saucony establish the Ryan Shay Fund, to honor her late husband's passion to help disadvantaged individuals, groups, and communities, as well as to fund American distance runners in need. Here is some video of the event.



Sooooo, if you don't already have your favorites to go to Bejing, please think about spending 32 minutes of your life rooting for Alicia Shay on June 27.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.- Jeremiah 29:11

Why the funny name?

Someone suggested recently that maybe my work life and my church life were tied to closely together. He clearly didn't mean any harm by it, but it got me to thinking...

Are they too closely tied?
If so, what problems does that present?
Do I even have a "work life" that is seperate from my "church life" and my "home life" and my "running life" and my "eating life" and my "blogging life?"

When I first decided to blog, it came out of a desire to really understand and remember what I was reading as our small group goes through the bible in a year. I couldn't remember from day to day what I thought about or what I had read, and so this was more like a journal to me. I was deciding what to call it and thinking about things like, would I talk about work stuff? Would I talk about church stuff? Should I set up multiple blogs for different purposes?

Then I realized, this is who I am. God made me this way- to work for a company to make money so I can help grow His kingdom. He made me to desire to read and seek His word and gave me the gift to teach His word and all of it is stuff I do as part of my everyday, ordinary life- my sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life. It's all part of what I do, and who I am. I do it All in a life's work. Thus, the appropriate and highly uncreative name. In case you were wondering.

A friend going to Africa

You may remember a while back a story about IUPUI Coach Ron Hunter coaching barefoot during a game. He did this to raise awareness for an organization called Samaritan's Feet, a not-for-profit group whose goal is to provide 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million improverished kids around the world in 10 years. They don't just hand out shoes, though. Watch how they do this:



Coach Hunter's feat (pun intended) helped Samaritan's Feet collect over 100,000 pairs of shoes.

My friend, Todd Melloh, is the Director of Marketing for Samaritan's Feet. He is now preparing to go on a trip to Nigeria with Coach Hunter and, by God's Grace, the entire IUPUI basketball team. The purpose of this trip is to distribute some of the shoes they acquired as a result of Coach Hunter's promotion. Todd needs to raise some money so he can go along with his oldest son, who is 11.

If you'd like to make a donation, please go here.

Thanks!
Steve

Thanks for the feedback!

I've gotten lots of great feedback from the message this weekend at Genesis Church. Thank you so much. It was great fun wrapping up the "Supernatural" series.

Peace!
Steve

One thing

The theme for this years Big Stuf Camp in Daytona Beach, Florida has been announced. The theme is One Thing. Here is the concept... they asked every speaker to think about, "if you just had one more chance to talk to students, what is the one thing you would say to them?"

The speakers in Daytona this year are Jared Herd, Andy Stanley, and, Francis Chan. Francis Chan really ticks me off- every time he speaks, it's like he's looking deep into my soul. Absolutely brilliant- I hate it.

Oh, and of course, music by the band Fee



Excited yet?

Some blogs I enjoy

I've been catching up with some of my blogging friends lately (and also some I don't know). Here are some of my favorites:

Rob Wegner
My buddy Mike Rasmussen
The Leadership Blog
Tim Stevens

Enjoy!
Steve

When push comes to shove

Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. -John 12:42-43

The Parisees loved human praise more than the praise of God. Some events in my life lately have left me to question which is more important to me. My friend Steve (who may be reading this) took a test one time that said he has an abnormally high need for recognition. I'm glad he took it before me, because now I can dodge it and no one will ever know.

I love the praise of man. I crave it. I try to deny it, but I'm a prideful man. In the version of the bible called The Message, verse 43 above says this, "When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God's glory."

I know God. I trust God (mostly). I want Him to be glorified. But, when push comes to shove, which do I want more? Something to work on....

Lazarus, come out!

When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house....

Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone."

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"

Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone."

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."

Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose." - John 11:17-20, 38-39, 41-44 (The Message)

The tension was palpable. People were upset. Even those who believed everything Jesus said, everything he claimed to be, didn't understand why he would let Lazarus die. (1)Lazarus was a popular man. The story tells us that "many of the Jews" had come from Jerusalem to console Lazarus's sisters, Mary and Martha. (2)Lazarus was a friend of Jesus. The scripture tells us this, and we see it in the way Jesus weeps when he sees Lazarus's tomb. (3) Some would say, Jesus "owed" it to Mary, who in a moment of extravagant love, had washed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume and dried them with her hair. Of all the miracles, this is the one he should surely have performed- saving Lazarus. Yet, he chose not to. Instead, he chose to let His glory be displayed later, to the distress and dismay of everyone around. Why?

Jesus answers this question in verse 15: "You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Let's go there."

We as human beings are so stubborn about believing only what we see. If I could just trust that, since everything the bible says about God, I've found to be true, then all he must really have it all under control, my life would be much less complicated. Instead, I fuss about things and worry a lot and I doubt sometimes that God is who He says he is.

As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.- Psalm 18:30 (NIV)