You Don't Know The Half Of Me

I MUST memorize this!

2011-10-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

"But may all who search for You
be filled with joy and gladness in You.
May those who love Your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!” As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in His thoughts.
You are my Helper and my Savior.
O my God, do not delay."
Psalm 40:16-17

Do It Again, Lord...

2011-09-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

A few of you have asked about the prayer I read on 9/11. It was written by Max Lucado, and read on National TV on September 14th, 2001.

We’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, “What a horrible dream.”

But we won’t, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn’t.
And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead, “Do it again, Lord. Do it again.”

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.

Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king’s counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven’s sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.
But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.

And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you’ve used her to heal a hurting world.

Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
Through Christ, Amen.

Do It Again, Lord...

2011-09-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

A few of you have asked about the prayer I read on 9/11. It was written by Max Lucado, and read on National TV on September 14th, 2001.

We’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, “What a horrible dream.”

But we won’t, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn’t.
And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead, “Do it again, Lord. Do it again.”

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.

Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king’s counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here last Tuesday, you saw there that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the smoke eclipsed our morning, so the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven’s sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.
But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Christians are praying with Jews. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.

And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you’ve used her to heal a hurting world.

Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
Through Christ, Amen.

Surviving Heartbreak Warfare

2011-08-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

Riverview is starting a new series on September 11, called:

Surviving Heartbreak Warfare - Five Things That Kill Every Relationship, And What You Can Do To Stop Them

We'll continue in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, working through the topics of: Anger, Adultery, Divorce, Keeping Your Word & Revenge.

This is definitely a series that you want to invite someone you know who is hurting, and needs more of God's hope in their life!

A Friend Sent This To Me Last Night...

2011-07-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

...and I thought it was worth posting here:

"We can never make too much of Christ. Our thoughts about the Church, the ministry, and the sacraments, may easily become too high and extravagant. We can never have too high thoughts about Christ, can never love Him too much, trust Him too implicitly, lay too much weight upon Him, and speak too highly in His praise. He is worthy of all the honor that we can give Him. He will be all in heaven. Let us see to it, that He is all in our hearts on earth." - JC Rhyle

(ht: Nas)

Finding Peace In Troubled Times - pt. 3 Devotional

2011-05-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

"He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name's sake." Psalm 23:3

The tenor of the Psalm changes, as the Shepherd analogy takes on a decidedly spiritual note. Not only does the Good Shepher take care of our physical needs, but in doing so He makes possible the restoration of our soul.

When our hunger is satisfied, our thirst quenched and our body refreshed we are fully equipped to hear and follow the Shepherd. This doesn't mean there is no turmoil in our circumstances-despite the chaos of life, we hear and follow. Whether there be rain or sunshine, passion or pain, mourning or joy, the Good Shepherd restores us, fortifying our faith, giving us more and more grace.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Is there some turmoil in your life that limits your ability to hear God's call? Pray now for God to stop the chatter and open your ears to His voice and then follow Him!
How has your faith been fortified this week?
Share a time when the Lord gave you more and more grace.
From Sunday's sermon, what did you learn about God's character?
Describe a time that you followed the Good Shepherd - despite the turmoil around you.

He clears our muddled thinking so we can give our ear to His will and follow Him along the path of righteousness. Even when the cacophony of world's chatter seems to be deafening, we have peace in our soul.

Finding Peace In Troubled Times - pt. 2 Devotional

2011-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Want to take Sunday's message with you further into the week? Want to discuss Sunday's message with your small group? The following weekly devotional is written Debi Edwards, who attends Riverview Community Church.

PASTURE OF PEACE

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters." Ps. 23:2

A good shepherd must make certain his flock is adequately hydrated, well fed and rested, despite their stubbornness. Thirsty sheep may be easily led to water, but a sheep in the midst of a luscious, tasty, aromatic, green pasture isn’t going to be too keen on taking time out to rest. I would imagine getting a sheep to sleep in these circumstances is akin to getting a 4-year old to bed on Halloween night - so much candy, so little time!

So it is with the Good Shepherd. In the hustle and bustle of 21st century life, humanity has little time for a Savior taking a personal interest in their rest and diet- or anything else for that matter! The lure of media, technology and recreation can easily overpower the spiritual needs of our hearts.
But if we listen to Him who calls our name and allow Him to lead us, well, we’ll be pleasantly surprised at the Good Shepherd’s lack of obtrusiveness and pushiness. Of course, if our feistiness gets out of hand, like a 4-year old, it’s “time out!” He’s not averse to MAKING us lie down.
And those times of forced rest - whether by illness, unemployment, vacation, incarceration or becoming a caregiver, are used by God to reveal so much of his character to us. In turn, we become more trusting, more faithful, more like the Good Shepherd Himself. Resting slows the busy down and sharpens our “spiritual senses.” Shouldn’t we be willing to rest in His pasture of peace and drink his living water*? *John 4:10

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1. How does this world “distract” you from needed rest?
2. What is the spiritual need of your heart? How does media, technology or recreation satisfy or overpower that need?
3. Describe how your obedience to God’s call has brought you closer to Him?
4. If you have experienced a “forced rest”, what did you learn about God’s character? How did your faith grow?

PRAYER
Father God, thank you for being my Good Shepherd. Thank you for taking an interest in my spiritual, emotional and physical needs. I admit I have not put aside the things of this world, that draw me away from you. Forgive me for not following you with my whole heart. Teach me Lord, how to live in your pasture of peace, to slow down, to feed on your Word and drink of your Living Water.

Finding Peace In Troubled Times - Pt. 1 Devotional

2011-04-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Want to take Sunday's message with you further into the week? Want to discuss Sunday's message with your small group? The following weekly devotional is written Debi Edwards, who attends Riverview Community Church.

THE OPPOSITE OF WANT

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Ps. 23:1

David, the writer of this Psalm, was a shepherd before he became King of Israel. He knew first-hand the all- consuming demands of shepherding.

The shepherd was on duty 24/7, constantly working to assure the well-being of his flock. He was responsible for leading his flock to green pastures and quiet streams, keeping his charges well-fed and hydrated. The shepherd was always alert to the danger of predators.* He was ever-present, through sunny days and stormy nights, level pastures and rocky terrain, birthing ewes and calming nervous lambs. A good shepherd would name each sheep and expect them to willingly follow when he called.
The Good Shepherd, Jesus, has chosen you to be a part of His flock. The Lord has called you by name, out of the lost and lonely, to experience His constant presence. We do not choose our Shepherd. He will lead you through the sunny and rainy days, the smooth and rocky roads of life’s journey. The Good Shepherd protects you from harm, keeping constant watch over you. Nothing gets by Him, as he sits at the gate of the sheep pen.** The good Shepherd laid down His life for you. He provides for all your needs and grants the desire of your heart - peace. And Peace is the opposite of want.
* 1 SAMUEL 17:33-35 **JOHN 10:1-18

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1. How does peace change your outlook or attitude?
2. What or who are you following? Has that relationship resulted in Peace?
3. Have you heard the Good Shepherd call your name? How did you respond?
4. From what circumstances/lifestyle/relationships, etc. did the Good Shepherd call you out?
5. What has changed in your life, since you heard the Shepherd call you?
6. Write about a time the Good Shepherd provided, protected or led you.

PRAYER
My Shepherd God, thank you for making me one of your sheep. I praise you for being my Good Shepherd, I admit there are times when I don’t appreciate all you as my Shepherd. Forgive me for being selfish and rebellious. I am so grateful for your for your Grace and Mercy, for allowing me to continue in your ways. Thank you for giving me peace, for watching over me and leading me through difficult circumstances. Today, give me a willing heart to follow you, My Good Shepherd, wherever you lead.

Riverview's Grand Opening - Easter Sunday, April 24th

2011-03-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Come to Riverview's "Grand Opening" on Easter, April 24th! Fun Kids' Program, Special Music Guest - Trevor Davis & new teaching series, "Finding Peace In Troubled Times" Services will be at Cajon Park Elementary School at 9am & 11am.

Prayed this for my children tonight

2011-02-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

...from Bishop Jeremy Taylor (17th Century)...

"Almighty God, bless Thou our children with healthful bodies, with good understandings, with the graces and gifts of Your Spirit, with sweet dispositions and holy habits, and sanctify them throughout in their bodies and souls and spirits, and keep them unblameable to the coming of the Lord Jesus."

Family Fun Day!

2011-02-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

Riverview Community Church is starting of the month of February with a HUGE family celebration! Sunday, February 13th is RVCC's first FAMILY FUN DAY. Bring the whole family to Riverview at 3pm for dinner. We'll provide the Hamburgers & Hotdogs, you provide the side dish to share.

We'll also have two big BOUNCE HOUSES, FACE PAINTING & BALLOON ANIMALS for the kids. Afterwards we have a great Church Worship experience planned, from 5pm - 6pm.

This is a weekend you DO NOT WANT TO MISS!!! It's also the PERFECT weekend to bring a family who might want to check Riverview out! See you there!

Also, for those of you who have been asking, until our website is up and running (our web designer just had a baby), we have a temporary link below for online giving. It'll be a HUGE help, since we did our Super Bowl parties in lieu of Church service on February 6th. If you have any questions, email me at todd@riverviewsandiego.org

Winning At The Game Of Life

2010-12-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Riverview Community Church launches into Phase 1 on January 2nd, 2011 (6 days from the time of this writing). Our first series is a verse-by-verse study out of the Book of James, in the New Testament, we're calling "Winning At The Game Of Life". Here are the dates and topics for each weekend:

01/02 - A New Game For A New Year
01/09 - How To Deal With Your Problems
01/16 - How To Make Good Decisions
01/23 - How To Get Past Temptation
01/30 - How To Read The Bible For All It’s Worth
02/06 - SUPER BOWL PARTY (no service)
02/13 - How To Have Real Faith
02/20 - Winning The War On Your Words
02/27 - How To Get Over Yourself
03/06 - Planning For Your Future
03/13 - How To Handle Your Money
03/20 - How To Have More Patience
03/27 - How Prayer Changes The Game

We'd love to see you at our first service this Sunday! Riverview meets from 5pm-6pm Sunday nights at 9320 Willow Grove (find the map here). We have a fun & interactive children's ministry from Birth - 5th grade (Middle School/High School Students are encouraged to sit in Church with their family, or help in Children's Ministry).

If you have any questions, call Todd at 619.219.0630

Why I’m starting a Church (…and how you can help!)

2010-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

It was about a year ago, after my family and I moved back to Santee, when it all started to happen. Conversations with my neighbor’s… after-practice talks I’d have with Parents from the football team I helped coach… personal relationships that I developed with Small-Business Owners, all began to pave the way to this moment I’m in right now.

I read some recent demographics about the town I live in, and discovered that out of the 60,000 people that call Santee home, 95% of them believe that there is a God. That didn’t surprise me. Much of the Country songs we sing out this way have something to do with Him! What did take me by surprise, however, was that 1 out of 2 (46%) have ZERO spiritual or Church affiliation of any kind! In other words, the people of Santee don’t have a problem with God. They have a problem with Church.

That’s when I went to the Lead Pastor at Journey, the Church I spent a total of 6 years on staff with, and told him I was thinking about taking the biggest risk of my life: giving up comfort, security and predictability, and starting a new Church in Santee.

And here we are. Our first “Pre-Launch” service (think of it as a Pre-Grand Opening) is in less than 2 weeks. I’m a weird mix of excited and scared out of my gourd! So I need your help. In fact, there are three ways you can help.

1. Please, PLEASE pray for Riverview Community Church, me, my family, as well as Bob Surber, Jon Williams (RVCC Elders) and their families. My biggest concern is that we stay prayed up!!! Our battle (as Ephesians 6 says) isn’t against the stuff or people we can see. It’s against the evil forces we can’t see. Prayer is our weapon against it all! So PLEASE pray!

2. Please consider coming out to one of our first 5 Pre-Launch January services (beginning January 2nd). Riverview has a good size core group. We’re going to invite our butts off for sure! But I want to make sure we have a full room, full of energy! When there is a full room, our guests have a higher likelihood of coming back! I want to make sure we have enough chairs setup. If you can come, please RSVP to todd@riverviewsandiego.org. We’ll be meeting at 9320 Willowgrove Avenue, Santee 92071. Service will be from 5pm-6pm, and there will be Children’s Ministry from Nursery through 5^th grade. Middle School & High School Students are encouraged to sit in Main Service with their family. ***DISCLAIMER*** If you already have a Sunday morning Church routine, I am NOT asking you to change that routine, nor am I asking you to leave your Church. :)

3. It’s typical for Missionaries or Church Planters to ask for financial support. It’s typical, because in new Church startups, it usually takes 15-18 months before new members begin to tithe. However, Sarah and I are NOT asking for financial support. Instead, we are asking that if you need computer repairs done, or family photos taken in the next year, please consider supporting our Small Businesses to do so. You can find us at http://www.thewiredcommunity.com or http://www.sarahtolsonphotography.com. It would mean a lot to us if you would spread the word too!

Thank you in advance for your support! Your friendship means the world to Sarah and I!

Can't Wait Until Morning

2010-11-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

The following story is told about the late Dr. Criswell. The very first Bible I ever bought for myself, was edited by him. Thanks to Captain Tony B. for posting this.

Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk....
The man told Dr. Criswell about how he had recently lost his little boy through death. Dr. Criswell listened as he told his story: He said he had come home from school with a fever and we thought it was just one of those childhood things, but it was a very virulent form of meningitis. The doctor said we cannot save your little boy. He'll die.
And so this seminary professor, loving his son as he did, sat by the bedside to watch this death vigil. It was the middle of the day, and the little boy whose strength was going from him and whose vision and brain was getting clouded said, "Daddy, it's getting dark isn't it?" The professor said to his son, "Yes son it is getting dark, very dark." Of course it was very dark for him. He said, "Daddy, I guess it's time for me to go to sleep isn't it?"He said, "Yes, son, it's time for you to go to sleep."
The professor said the little fellow had a way of fixing his pillow just so,and putting his head on his hands when he slept and he fixed his pillow like that and laid his head on his hands and said, "Good night Daddy. I will see you in the morning." He then closed his eyes in death and stepped over into
heaven.
Dr. Criswell said the professor didn't say anymore after that. He just looked out the window of that airplane for a long time. Then he turned back and he looked at Dr. Criswell with the scalding tears coming down his cheeks and he said, "Dr. Criswell, I can hardly wait till the morning."

A prayer for Father's & Son's

2010-09-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

A prayer that author, Darren Patrick prays with his son every night. More Fathers (starting with me) ought to pray this with their son(s):

"God, make me a man with thick skin and a soft heart. Make me a man who is tough and tender. Make me tough so I can handle life. Make me tender so I can love people. God, make me a man."

Flow

2010-09-02T14:37:00.001-07:00

Flow "is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity."

Untamed

2010-09-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

I bought the book "Untamed" (written by Alan & Debra Hirsch) on my Nook yesterday. Here's a few quotes I want to keep handy:

"Surveys and polls reveal that in many countries, the lifestyles of believers are not very different from those of nonbelievers. Too many Christ followers have settled for living a nice, comfortable, moral, and decent life instead of following the radical and wild adventure of trusting God's promises and obeying His commands." - The Forward, written by Rick Warren

"I have come to believe we are never going to be the movement Jesus wants unless we first get the issues of discipleship right. This is because the health and growth of transformative Jesus movements are directly related to their capacity to make disciples. No disciples, no movement - it's that simple."

"To be a truly radical disciple does require a relentless evaluation of life's priorities and concerns, together with an ongoing, rigorous critique of our culture, to ensure we are not adoption values that subvert the very life and message we are called to live out."

...More to come...

Week Of Prayer

2010-08-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

...really feeling compelled to take mucho advantage of the upcoming week of prayer at JCC. Am I the only one???

From the prayer, "Resting On God"

2010-08-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

"...Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill; unbelief mars my confidence, sin makes me forget Thee. Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots; grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to Thee, that all else is trifling. Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy. Abide in me, gracious God."

O Great God - Sovereign Grace Worship

2010-08-17T22:13:00.001-07:00

From the song, "O Great God" off the Sovereign Grace Album, "Valley Of Vision".

"You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me"

Jeremiah 17:7-10 (NLT)

2010-08-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Note: the following isn't a "post" per se, but I'm reading this late at night, with nothing close by to write it down. So I'm recording it here for later follow-up.

7 "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

9 "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord , search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve."

Why I think the "Laptop Section" in Church is a good idea

2010-08-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Thirty-some years ago, a few forward-thinking people had the idea to take the lyrics of some of their church’s favorite hymns and choruses, and place them over a photograph of beautiful scenery. That photograph, along with the lyrics was made into a slide, placed in a slide projector and projected onto a screen during the singing part of the Church service. The idea was to combine the power of the lyrical theology with the visual beauty of God’s creation in order to help the Church have a fuller worship experience.

How did the Church receive it? They didn’t. Not well anyways.

There was a huge uproar in many Churches. To one extreme, those behind the slide idea were accused of heresy. Those who didn’t have an axe to grind simply wanted to know why others wanted to mess with their hymnal reading traditions. It made the argument over the blue vs. red hymnal debate pale in comparison.

Cutting edge technology has never been a welcome friend in the Church. Usually the phrase “being in the world, and not of it” is referenced. And I get that. But the slide is just a slide. It has no feelings and opinions about anything. Neither does a lighting canister or a flat-screen TV. It’s the people who use the technology…and how they use it that truly matters.

So last week, at the annual Leadership Summit, there was a group of rows sectioned off for the use of laptops. And Ed Noble, Journey's Teaching Pastor, posted a question on Facebook: “Should we have a laptop section during the weekend services?” Naturally, there were many comments. Some were for such a section. Many were against it. And when I say “against it”, I mean they were “decidedly against it”! There were some good points made on both sides:

“You mean a place where people can journey deeper into the word and be able to take that new perspective home with them? Umm yes!”

“Need some thought into this. For a day long conference, that presents interactive content and the ability to share with users across the globe (e.g. The Leadership Summit) a resounding YES. For 75 minutes, of which only 40 - 45 minutes is set aside for hearing God's word I would give a resounding NO.”

“if you did, you could make the outline available on line that way they'd have to be filling in the blanks as they listen - hopefully. :)”

“People are in general more connected to their electronics than the people around them. It's good to have a break when we are all collectively with each other and God. People sometimes fast from electronics and social networking sites, why do we want to encourage idols an addiction in our church services?”

“social media also broadens the experience; sermons right now are between me, the preacher and god; if i can interact with others live that will foster collaboration and interaction; in a megachurch this can be a needed tool.”

I think these are all good points. By the way, the above comments are a random sample of all the comments made. I didn’t scratch the surface on the total number of comments made! I was encouraged by all the dialogue: for or against.

But here are a few thoughts from me:

I’m all for anything (short of anything sinful, of course) that enables people to more fully engage with the worship experience, particularly the message portion. I type faster than I write for sure! And since I’m actively involved in social media, I’ve been known to quote whoever is speaking on Twitter and Facebook often. There are two upsides to this: 1. I tweet out what impacts me, which actually helps me to remember more of what I hear. 2. Quoting the soundbytes from the message helps me to stay engaged in spiritual conversations with other who don’t have a faith-bias, or those who simply haven’t been to Church in a long time.

That said, there are certainly dangers in multi-tasking. Sometimes you can miss something that was said. And I wouldn’t want the laptop section to be a playground for “Farmville” during the message. However, I also think that we should believe the best about people in general. If someone is coming to Church, they know that they’re coming to experience Jesus-y type stuff. Just because you or I might not be able to simultaneously use technology and focus of God, I don’t want to assume that just because a person is typing away on a laptop, that they’re automatically tuned-out from God either.

So I’m for trying it, anyways. Those who can use technology to deepen their experience with God and Church should be able to do so. Those who don’t feel like they can shouldn’t be pressured to try.

What do you think?

Quick Thoughts From The Leadership Summit 2009

2010-08-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

Real quick: I'm working on a couple of computers in my office (one of them mine). While I'm waiting for a couple of processes to finish, I pulled out my moleskine, which I started writing in at last year's (2009) Leadership Summit. After reading through a few notes, which I'll post below, I'm thinking, I oughta read through my notes more often. How quickly I forget significant insights, due to the busyness of life! Since The Global Leadership Summit 2010 begins tomorrow, I need a better strategy to stay on top of this year's notes.

Here's a few notes I jotted down from Bill's last session, last year.

Some simple things for Leaders to do:

Establish a regular time & place to meet with God.
Read some good books 30 minutes a day.
Review my replenishment strategy (fill up my bucket regularly).
Decide to say YES to God every time He prompts me.

Leaders need something FRESH from God every day!

My life matters. It's the only one I've got.

Why I Don't Blog

2010-07-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

I started this blog a couple of years ago with noble intentions. Partly I wanted to share my worldview; partly I wanted to help other Christians to consider the deep truths of Scripture. Partly I’d hoped to carry on a dialogue about the mysteries of the life we find ourselves in, and some posts I’ve dedicated to just giving my friend’s a hard time.

For me, blogging comes and goes in spurts. I may post 5-7 times in a week, and then not post for 3 months! That really bothers me. So, why don’t I blog more often? Well, here are a few reasons:

1. I’m too busy to blog.

I don’t blog, not because I don’t have stuff to talk about. A lot happens to me each week that could make for a few good posts. It’s just that I can’t always find a spare hour to write. I get jealous of prolific bloggers like Adam Mclane, or Marko, because they post several times a week! I wonder, “Where do they get all this free time to write out their thoughts”? Of course, I get the same 168 hours a week that they do. I just don’t know how they do it.

2. There’s stuff I can’t talk about.

Being a part of the team that leads a great Church like Journey makes for good blogging fodder! There are things that happen daily that make me think, “This would make for a great blog”! But of course, much of what would make for a great blog is also considered sensitive information, and therefore, unbloggable.

3. It’s not beneficial.

I have lots of opinions. I learned a long time ago, though, that just because you have an opinion, that doesn’t mean you should share it. Sometimes my opinions might hurt others, or make others angry. Now, I don’t think that that automatically means I shouldn’t publish a particular post. However, I have to ask myself whether or not a post is for the greater good? If not, wisdom usually sides with not posting. I wish some of my other blogging friends were of the same opinion.

4. I’m too upset to blog.

Honestly, this is the reason I’ve not posted recently. There are just too many things that I’m frustrated about, combined with one of the first three reasons given above that I don’t write. But here’s a short list of things I’m stewing about these days (in no particular order):

My personal dream for a real and authentic community is not coming along the way I’d hoped it would.
The first half of my ministry year in 2010 got tied up in two friends’ marriages that crashed and burned, which significantly spilled over into my own personal life.
I’m really struggling with Parents who can’t consistently keep their children within appropriate boundaries. For example, if you say “I’m gonna count to three, and if you don’t _____, I’m gonna _____”, and when you get to three you don’t ____, but instead count to 4…5…6… You lose. Your kid wins. You’ve stopped Parenting. I don’t know what you call what you’re doing…it’s just not Parenting.
The finances at the Church I work at aren’t where they need to be…and our priorities are weird sometimes. Case in point: Last week our Church raised $20,000 to help an island in the Carribean get their basic needs met. That’s good. In the same week, our Church denied a $338 request by a single-mom (who works & goes to school) in East County to get her basic needs met (rent). The reason: Our Church doesn’t have the resources to meet those kinds of needs right now. That’s not good, and it doesn’t make sense. (btw...I found three generous families who personally made sure this young woman was taken care of!)
The Church’s recent move away from publicly recognizing the men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our country’s freedom. The Church (on the West Coast anyways) seems to have an allergy to verbalizing our gratefulness for living where we do. What a shame!
There’s more, but it’s already taken me more than an hour to write this much.

So, I do want to blog more. I really do. I love dialoguing with all of you, and hearing your opinions…it’s just not always prudent to say what’s on my mind.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for being patient.

Todd

Taking Some Time Off

2010-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today, Monday, marks the beginning of a two-week period of no church-work for me. Last year was the first year in several that I had taken any significant time off, and actually took three weeks off. At the end, I felt like that had been a little long, and promised myself that I'd space my vacations out better, so that I didn't feel like I needed three weeks off to begin with!

I didn't do a very good job in keeping that promise.

Anyways, I'm aiming to process through some of my thinking on here over the next couple of weeks. I hope you'll be a part of the dialogue.

Help Send A Foster Kid To Summer Camp!

2010-06-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

For 14 years, I’ve worked with teenagers in one way or another. And in that time, I’ve met my share of social workers. Many of them have shared sad stories about their experiences of working with kids in the “system”. I’ve often heard about social workers who give a soon-to-be foster kid a black garbage bag, and tell them that they have 5 minutes to put whatever they can fit in that bag, before they’re taken from their home. It’s a devastating reality that every year, more than 3 million children are reported as abused, and most of them by someone they’ve known and trusted.

Fortunately, I know someone who is doing something about it. Mark Long, a friend of mine, is the director for one of Southern California’s “Royal Family Kids’ Camp’s”, a week-long camp experience for foster kids. This is one week a year where these kids get a lot of healthy, positive attention…where each kid is celebrated for who they are. In fact, every child who attends RFKC has their birthday celebrated that week! This one week goes a long way to creating good and lasting memories in the lives of children who desperately need some positive momentum in their life!

I talked to Mark the other day and learned that is costs more than a few hundred dollars to send 1 kid to camp this Summer. So, I think that we, as The Wired Community (that’s YOU/US) should put our resources together to send these deserving kids to camp! So here’s the deal we’ll:

For every 7 clients that pay for a virus scan in the month of June, The Wired Community will send 1 foster kid to camp this Summer! And to help sweeten the deal for you, we’re going to offer 10% off the cost of virus scans. For the month of June, a virus scan will only cost $112.50 (plus tax)!

So give The Wired Community a call at (619) 312-1774 today and help send foster kids to camp!

For more information on the Royal Family Kids Camp, you can visit www.rfkc.org

Serving The Church

2010-03-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Found this on ASBO JESUS this morning while surfing around some "favorite" links I hadn't been to in a while.

Thoughts?

How To Make Decisions

2010-03-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

A young lady friend of mine sent me a question today about how to make a decision when you have multiple options to choose from. I happen to like making decisions...in fact, I think it's fun! You get to gather facts, analyze them & problem solve. It's one of the highlights of what I get to do at Journey!

Anyways, here is the answer I sent her. It's not an exhaustive list by far, but I do think it's a good discussion starter. Why don't you read it over and let me know what you think? What would you add to it? Would you take anything out of it?

Hey sis,

So here's a quick couple of thoughts on decision making.

First, good on you for praying for God's provision...He's good about answering those kinds of prayers, regardless what the provision is for :)

Decisions aren't all that tough to make. Yes, that's a bit simplistic, but here's what I mean: Deciding between Option A & Option B, when you know Option A is a "bad" option, and Option B is a "good" option...isn't a difficult decision. You opt for B. It's when Option A & Option B are both quality, "good" opportunities is what makes it more complicated.

When deciding between two (or more) "good" options:

1. Does the Bible have something to say about it? For example: I'm married and have two kids. If another woman asks me out on a date, accepting that date would be "bad", because the Bible has something to say about that in the Ten Commandments. Or, lets say that I (me alone) have an opportunity to hike through Europe, all expenses paid for 6 months. Even though that act in and of itself is NOT "bad", I actually have a Biblical responsibility to provide for and support & nurture my wife and two kids...so to accept that opportunity would NOT be ''good" either. :)

2. Once #1 is taken care of, then I need to ask myself, "What do I want?" That question is actually not selfish by itself. It can certainly go there if I let it though. What do I want is a good question because it honors how God made me. For example, let's say I had two job offers, one to be a caddy on a golf course, and the other to be a surf instructor. Let's also say that that the caddy position paid waaay more than the instructor position. But let's also pretend that I grew up surfing and LOVE it, because it's a passion of mine. Taking the job that I would be more passionate about, even though it pays less, might be a better decision, simply because it honors how God wired me up. :)

3. Ask people "smarter" than you. If you needed a critical, surgical procedure done, you find the BEST doctor to do it. You don't necessarily pick just any doctor...regardless of their faith & belief system...or even if you're friends with them. You pick the best one! Same with decision making. If you have two choices in a given field, you go to the smartest person/people you know in that field and get their advice. Your best friend/boy friend may be special to you, but they may not have the best advice for you all the time :) Sometimes, people that are the most removed from a situation can give us the best advice.

4. Ask the LORD. He promises us wisdom when we ask for it. It's a great discipline to get consistent times alone with God, and ask Him what He thinks. He won't let you down!

Hope this un-exhaustive list helps...

Todd

My Thoughts On The Driscoll Video

2010-03-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

I’ve reserved my thoughts on Mark’s video ‘til now, partly because so many other people had spoken up, I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to share their opinion before I shared mine.

I think that the short video clip of Mark is a gift to us. When posting comments on anyone’s blog or Facebook page, we need to remember (Me especially) that many people are going to read what we say, and will form opinions about our own character, even when the original post has nothing to do with us. This is especially important if you are a Christ-follower. It’s important to re-read what we write before we post. Ask yourself questions like:

• How will the “tone” of my words be interpreted?
• Is it really necessary to use general, sweeping statements in reference to this person?
• If I were in a different (read: better) mood than I am now, would I characterize this person with such harsh language?
• If I were face-to-face with said person, would I say the same thing?
• Even if I would, would it be “right” for me to do so? And if not, should I put it in print online to be stored in cyberspace forever?

I think the comments for and against Mark’s thoughts on men and the church came to about 50/50. Both sides seemed to be strong in their opinions as well. That’s why I think Mark’s video clip is a gift to us. What a great opportunity to learn how to disagree with out being demeaning or rude!

That said, I happen to agree with the sentiment of Mark’s comments completely. Our society stands behind studies that show how the majority of men in prison did not have a strong Father in the home while growing up. Similar studies have been done with prostitutes. The majority of them did not have a Father in the home while growing up either. So why would/should the Church be any different? Why would we think for a second that the Church would be exempt from suffering ill-effects by not having strong Men leading their families at home, and leading the family of God at Church?

Now, can we find some common ground on the word “Strong”? Can we agree that “masculine” does not equal “macho”? For the sake of everyone have the same definition (at least while reading this blog), allow me to define my understanding of Masculine vs. Macho.

Masculine: Strong Character

Macho: What he says & does rarely lines up
Masculine: Strong Work Ethic

Macho: Can’t hold down a job

Masculine: Knows what he believes and why

Macho: Has lots of opinions that shift with the times/fads/what’s popular now
Masculine: Leans into God for his strength

Macho: Leans into God only when he’s in trouble
Masculine: Knows who he is…and who he isn’t

Macho: Tries to “look/talk/act” manly
Masculine: Takes responsibility for himself & his family

Macho:Won’t take full responsibility – blames others when things go wrong.

Admittedly, this very brief list is simple…simplistic even. However, what I thought too many people got caught up on was Mark’s comments about David, Elijah & John the Baptist being willing to “punch you in the nose”, and how Jesus would never do that. Does nobody remember the Jesus who turned tables over in the Temple and cracked the whip on people who were turning the Temple into a money-making scam?

We might put that in the category of “Macho” today, but Mark’s point was that God’s man, whoever that man may be will stand up for what’s right and what’s true, regardless of who they are in front of. Too many men today will shrink back from telling the truth because they’re afraid of how they will be perceived or thought of by others.

I would urge us to be careful to not wholly dismiss someone simply because they said something we didn’t like, or because they said it in a way we didn’t like. Israel (generally speaking) did not like their prophets because of what they said and how they said it. Unfortunately, many of their prophets were put to death, most notably Jesus. We as a Church must get better at hearing a message, filtering through the rhetoric, and getting to the core of what God is trying to tell us, without becoming offended at the messenger or his style.

We must return to God’s Word, the Bible, and learn to take Him at His Word, and take His Word at face value again, not searching for hidden meanings or loopholes, simply because we do not like what it is saying (I will address this more in a future post).

The following statements apply to men, young and old, married or single:

Men, your family needs you. The Church needs you. And we need you to lead.

The Church Needs Dudes

2010-03-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle is a guy that has been known over the years to say some controversial things...things that Pastor's of other churches think he should have been fired for. I like most of what he says, partly because I can cut through the brashness to get to his point, but also because I respect people who stand up for what they believe in.

Well, here is a video clip I stumbled upon some time ago, where Mark gives his opinions on men in the church today. The clip is below. Feel free to fast forward to 1:30 in the clip. This is where it starts to get interesting.

"60% of the Christians are chicks, and the other 40% that are dudes are still sort of chicks."

Do you agree? Disagree? What do you think? Let's talk about this.

Forgiveness Is Expensive

2010-03-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Everything comes at a cost. If I want something…anything, I have to pay for it, even if payment doesn’t come from actual money. Payment may come in the form of time, attention or emotion. But everything costs something.

Last weekend, I was filling in for my friend, Brian in Journey’s High School Ministry, Encounter. We were talking about what it means to give God our very best, because He has only ever given us His very best, and how that truth goes all the way back to creation and the Fall.

God gives Adam and Eve the world as their playground to share and experience together freely. The only prohibition was a tree in the center of the Garden, “The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil”. If they were to eat from that tree, God said, “they would surely die”.

Of course, you know how the story goes. They do eat from that tree. But they don’t die. Why not?

I’ve heard many-a-sermon about how the death God promised was not a literal death; that the death He referred to was really a death of innocence or a death of relationship between God and them. And sure, you could say those two things happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. However, I want to point out that the death spoke of was most assuredly a real and physical death.

So why didn’t Adam and Eve die? Was it because God changed His mind?

No.

They sinned, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God didn’t change His mind about their garden arrangement. He simply made another way. Of course they were evicted from the Garden of Eden, and He pronounced certain curses on their new way of living. But there is this little noticed verse in Genesis 3:21, “And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”

Where did God get these animal skins?

Some historian-types (people waaay smarter than me) will tell you that this is where the first animal sacrifice was done. This is one reason why the author of Hebrews, in the New Testament of the Bible says, “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22)

Allow me to paraphrase what might-have-been-said in the garden:

“O.k. you two…you made a choice. You made the one choice I asked you not to make. I asked you NOT to eat from that tree! And because you disobeyed, you caused a loss that that can only be paid for with your life. However, I love you. I loved you before I even breathed life into you. I loved you before I laid the foundation for this little planet called earth. So I’m going to spare your life. But you still have a debt that can only be paid for with your life. So I’ve selected someone else to die in your place, and nullifying your debt. Do you see those two goats over there? Go get them and bring them to me…”

This is a pretty good arrangement for Adam and Eve, and a pretty bad one for the goats. In fact, it’s downright unfair to the goats. They didn’t do anything wrong. Forgiveness of Adam and Eve’s sins had a high price tag associated with it.

Forgiveness is expensive.

Grace is amazing. Grace is unfair. For grace to be amazing, it has to be unfair to someone. And it’s always unfair, because the person being offered grace never deserves it.

Forgiving Adam and Eve cost two goats their lives.
Forgiving us cost God the life of His Son (which is why we don’t sacrifice animals anymore).

Forgiveness means that God no longer demands His right to be repaid for the losses we’ve caused, because Jesus Christ already paid for the debt we owed Him while on the cross.

So it should be no wonder that God demands us, those who claim to follow Him, to forgive one-another, because of the great cost God paid to forgive us.

But forgiveness is expensive.

Forgiveness means that we no longer demand the right to be repaid for the losses we’ve been caused. We do this because our debt, which in the eyes of God may be equally great…or greater, has been already been paid at a greater cost.

So…

What does it look like to forgive a stranger who is overtly mean-spirited to you in public?
What does it mean to forgive your teenager who seems intent on ruining every family activity with their general apathy towards life, and their gift of saying hurtful things to you at the drop of a hat?
What does it take to forgive a parent who was unmercifully unbearable to you during your growing up years?
What does it mean to give grace to a deeply loved one who seems distant and unengaged?
What does it look like to give forgiveness to a spouse who has gone outside of your marriage for sexual fulfillment?
What does it mean to show grace to a sick, depraved person (read: monster) who prey’s on young women?

Grace is amazing. Grace is unfair. For grace to be amazing, it has to be unfair to someone. And it’s always unfair, because the person being offered grace never deserves it.

Like us.

Forgiveness is expensive. But to withhold forgiveness comes at its own high cost. I was recently reading in Mark 11, where the disciples were marveling at Jesus’ ability to speak something in and out of existence. They marveled even more when Jesus said that they were able to do that too. He remarked about lifting mountains from their roots, and throwing them into the sea, if they really believed and had no doubts. But it was what He said next that made me stop and write this post:

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and that if you believe you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:24-25)

My willingness to bear the cost of forgiveness in my relationship to others directly impacts my own relationship to God. My un-willingness to forgive others directly impacts the effectiveness of my prayers, because God chooses to withhold from me when I choose to withhold from others.

So, what’s the greater cost? Because everything comes at a cost.

What do you think? I’d love to talk to you about this…

Looking back on 2009 - pt. 1

2009-12-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

I look at the title and laugh...part 1? I'm not sure there is going to be more parts than this. I just don't blog as often as I should. Anyways, as 2009 draws to close, and 2010 draws closer, I want to spend a couple of days reflecting on this year, the good and the not-so-good.

To start out, I need to go back to the end of 2008, when I preached on the last Sunday of the year at my church. Below is the outline. Looking at it again, it seems a little more than prophetic in my life...maybe yours too? Let's chat about it.

“God, We Need A New Year”
December 28th, 2008

• December 27th is the last Sunday in 2009.
• It’s your last chance to decide that next year will be different than this year.
• If next year is going to be different than this year, it is because I will be different next year.

God’s goal for my life in 2009 is to make me more like Jesus.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Romans 8:29 (NIV)

The Golden Triangle of Spiritual Transformation

1. Faithful acceptance of every-day problems
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
James 1:2-3 (NLT)

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

This means:
• Problems are painful.
• Problems are how God teaches me to be like Jesus.
• Problems are necessary.
• Problems are my friend.

2. Interaction with God’s Spirit in and around us.
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
John 14:15-17 (NLT)

3. Practicing Spiritual Disciplines.

A Day In The Life of Jesus: Mark 1:9-39
• Jesus is Baptized – 1:9-11
• Holy Spirit comes on Jesus & drives him into the desert to fast for 40 days – 1:10, 12
• Jesus Preaches – 1:15
• Selects Disciples – 1:16-20
• Casts out an Evil Spirit – 1:21-28
• Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law – 1:29-31
• Heals many people in the town after sunset – 1:32-34
• Jesus goes away to pray – 1:35
• Jesus leaves town to preach elsewhere – 1:36-39

“But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.”
Luke 5:16 (CEV)

Thoughts and Quotes on Grace

2009-12-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

Dietrich Boenhoeffer (more can be learned about him here) has been a captivating influence in my life for the last decade or so. And in a time when the Church has fallen under the influence of a misunderstanding of grace, it's to our benefit from time to time to revisit an elementary thinking about what grace really is, who it's for, and how it really works.

Dietrich's book, The Cost of Discipleship, has been a great standard bearer in this conversation for decades now. It's the kind of book you return to year after year. At least it's the kind of book that should be returned to year after year. Here are a few quotes from the book on the topic of grace and discipleship:

Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing.... pg. 45

Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian 'conception' of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins.... In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God. pg. 45-46

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. 'All for sin could not atone.' Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin....

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. pg. 47

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man’ will gladly go and self all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

On two separate occasions Peter received the call, “Follow me.” It was the first and last word Jesus spoke to his disciple (Mark 1.17; John 21.22). A whole life lies between these two calls. The first occasion was by the lake of Gennesareth, when Peter left his nets and his craft and followed Jesus at his word. The second occasion is when the Risen Lord finds him back again at his old trade. Once again it is by the lake of Gennesareth, and once again the call is: “Follow me.” Between the two calls lay a whole life of discipleship in the following of Christ. Half-way between them comes Peter's confession, when he acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God.... pg. 48

This grace was certainly not self-bestowed. It was the grace of Christ himself, now prevailing upon the disciple to leave all and follow him, now working in him that confession which to the world must sound like the ultimate blasphemy, now inviting Peter to the supreme fellowship of martyrdom for the Lord he had denied, and thereby forgiving him all his sins. In the life of Peter grace and discipleship are inseparable. He had received the grace which costs. pg. 49

As Christianity spread, and the Church became more secularized, this realization of the costliness of grace gradually faded. The world was Christianized, and grace became its common property. It was to be had at low cost....

Come Say "Hi" To Me This Christmas Eve!

2009-12-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

3 years ago, my family and I flew from Gig Harbor, Washington to San Diego, California to be with family for Christmas. I was on staff at a great church up in the Pacific North West, and since I didn't have a role in the Christmas services there, they were gracious enough to let us make the flight south.

Part of our trip was to visit Journey's Christmas Eve Services, where I had previously been (and am now again) on staff. Sarah and I were speechless throughout the event that seemed to so easily capture what that first Christmas was all about. Many times through out that night we were both moved to tears. I remember thinking to myself that there was no way any other Christmas Eve service could ever compare to that one.

I was wrong.

The creative minds at Journey, of which I'm not a part of :), have put together a Christmas experience you won't soon forget.

Yes, there's an amazing program for kids.

No, you don't have to dress up in a suit & tie.

Yes, there's great coffee and FREE Krispy Kreme donuts.

But more than that, there's hope...and it's on tap this year! Many of us have had a tough 2009. Many of us are more than ready for 2010 to get underway. The Christmas Eve services at Journey will remind you that your story intersects with God's story, and God's story isn't done yet.

Better yet, He's not done with you yet!

Oh, I hope you'll come! I'm at all the services, walking around, saying "hi" to folks. Please come up and say "hi" to me too! Christmas Eve services are 12/24 at 2, 4 or 6p.m. Directions can be found HERE.

Got any questions? Call/Text me at 619.219.0630

PS - "O Come Emmanuel" is simply my favorite part of the Christmas Eve experience. You don't want to miss it!

A Prayer I've Been Diggin' On

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

...by Richard Foster, out of his book, "Prayer".

In the strong name of Jesus Christ I stand against the world, the flesh & the devil. I resist every force that would seek to distract me from my center in God. I reject the distorted concepts & ideas that make sin plausible & desirable. I oppose every attempt to keep me from knowing full fellowship with God.

By the power of the Holy Spirit I speak directly to the thoughts, emotions & desires of my heart & command you to find your satisfaction in the infinite variety of God’s love rather than the bland diet of sin. I call upon the good, the true & the beautiful to rise up within me and the evil to subside. I ask for an increase of righteousness, peace, & joy in the Holy Spirit.

By the authority of almighty God I tear down Satan’s strongholds in my life, in the lives of those I love, & in the society in which I live. I take into myself the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, the word of God, & prayer.

I command every evil influence to leave; you have no right here & I allow you no point of entry. I ask for an increase of faith, hope, & love so that, by the power of God, I can be a light set on a hill, causing truth & justice to flourish.

These things I pray for the sake of him who loved me & gave himself for me. – Amen

Got Personality Issues?

2009-12-09T09:15:00.003-08:00

This specific post is for a friend who is trying to figure out a particular part of their Keirsey temperament. The rest of you may feel free to read a long if you wish.

Ok, S_ _ _ _, I'm going to ask you a few questions...you HAVE to choose one option. You can't choose neither, or worse, both. It's hard work to get to know yourself, huh?

1. Do you tend to choose:

a. rather carefully

b. somewhat impulsively

2. Does it bother you more having things:

a. incomplete

b. completed

3. Would you say you are more:

a. serious and determined

b. easy-going

4. Do you feel better about:

a. having purchased

b. having the option to buy

5. Do you put more value on the:

a. definite

b. open-ended

6. Do you tend to look for

a. the orderly

b. whatever turns up

7. Are you more comfortable

a. after a decision

b. before a decision

8. In relationships, should most things be

a. re-negotiable

b. random & circumstantial

9. Are you a person that is more

a. routinized than whimsical

b. whimsical than routinized

10. Do you tend to be more

a. deliberate than spontaneous

b. spontaneous than deliberate

An Overdue Series of Posts - Pt. 1

2009-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago I had the honor of closing out Journey's teaching series on the life of Elijah. Actually, my message had more to do with Elisha, Elijah's protege and successor, than with Elijah himself.

Because there was so much to the story (in just 15 verses), I promised to come back the following week and fill in some blanks in subsequent blog posts. And because I'm a goober, these posts are coming late...say...6 weeks late.

Yeah. I know.

Anyways, here is the message podcast.

Here is the message outline.

Standby (don't hold your breath for too long) for a few additional thoughts on Elijah & Elisha.

My Weekend At Life Spring Community Church

2009-11-17T16:58:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at Life Spring Community Church, a church I used to be on staff at several years ago. In fact, this was my second time preaching at Life Spring this year! It's always fun to go back and see old friends; see how kids grow up, and what God is doing in their lives.

Back in March I had the arduous task of speaking on God's view on the roles of men & women in marriage. This task was no less difficult. Life Spring is currently in a series called, "Q&A". Once a year the church asks those who attend to write in "the one question they would ask God", and then Pastor Tony and his teaching team do their best to answer those questions. Since Tony and his wife were out of town, my friend, and long time elder, Hank Laird and I got to take a crack at questions like:

Is the world going to end in 2012?
How do you share God's truth with those who passionately believe another religion?
Why doesn't God show up and speak directly to us like He did in the Old Testament?
Were there Dinosaurs on the Ark?
What can we do to encourage our kids who feel that Church has no purpose?

You can listen to the podcast of my message here.

A Place I Call "Failure"

2009-11-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to preach at Life Spring Community Church, in Moorpark, Ca. This is a church I used to be on staff at, and this was the second time I got to speak there in 2009. It's always more of an honor to be invited to a place where people already know you...and to be invited back.

I was on staff at Life Spring for a short time, because it was an intentional transition between the church I came from and the church I started. But it was more than that. Moving to Moorpark was the beginning of a 5 year downward spiral, where everything in my life was up for redefinition. I learned about success. I learned a lot about failure, even when I was "succeeding" in more visible areas of my life. I learned a lot about pain.

Pain would be so much more bearable for me if so much of it weren't self-induced.

Being a Type "A", driven, goal-setting and achieving person, I started a church not only because "God called me to it" (so I thought/said), but because I thought I could lead a church better than some of the church leaders I'd worked for. There's all kinds of problems with that kind of thinking that I won't go into here. But in retrospect, I had three even bigger problems:

What others saw as major "red flags" in our church plant process, I saw as mere obstacles placed in my path to prove my commitment to the mission. I was a fatal optimist, and my optimism proved fatal.
I believed I was right. I viewed all constructive criticism as nay-sayers who wanted to see me fail.
I thought of myself as the exception to every rule. It didn't matter to me what other people who had gone before me in this endeavor had experienced...I was different, special.

Most of this could be summed up as pride. And pride comes with a price: Pain...and not just my own.

I wasn't ready or prepared to start a church. Because I had experienced success in other ministry contexts, I (wrongly) assumed that I would experience the same "overnight" success in this new start up. I had built up a sizable debt load, and had no savings. And because I had done a poor job in delegating even the simplest of ministry tasks, church-work took all of my time. I didn't have any means of income coming in. And because I rushed...because I wanted to do this "my way", we had no money.

We could barely, and never consistently pay rent.

We rarely had money for food.

No medical insurance for a family where my wife had recently experienced a life-threatening condition, as well as having two children under 5.

This season of my life is why I've not enjoyed a Christmas since December 2003.

Please know that things are MUCH better than they've ever been in the (almost) 12 years that Sarah and I've been married. We smile. We laugh a lot. I no longer worry if my debit card is going to be rejected at the grocery store, when I go to buy milk. But why she stayed married to me in those 5 years is nothing short of a divine cause.

So, before I headed back to San Diego, I stopped by 50 Majestic Court, Apartment #710, where we lived when this drama all started. I got out of my Bronco II, looked at the stairs I would trudge up daily, often in frustration and defeat, and immediately felt a deluge of emotion. I was overcome with the weight of anxiety and fear, as if the property manager was going to come around the corner and hand me another note, saying that I was late with the rent again. I felt the sting of failure, thinking about our financial insecurity and how that affected my wife and two young children. I sensed the cold and invisible hand of depression begin to wrap its fingers around me.

And then my phone rang.

It was my wife.

(I should insert some line about the grace and irony of God's timing, but this post is already too long).

I won't lie. I don't think God's done dealing with me on what happened over the 5 years between Moorpark and Gig Harbor, Wa. (and back to San Diego). I will say that I'm glad I took the prompting seriously to go back and spend a few minutes feeling some feelings that I was too busy to fully engage in back then. I'm also glad to have had spent a few minutes reflecting on God's creative and enduring provision to my family during those years when we had very little.

I won't lie. I don't want to go back to that shack anytime soon.

22 of some of the toughest questions you could answer

2009-11-13T00:09:00.000-08:00

This is a repost from over two years ago. Tonight at my college guys small group, I resurrected these questions. John Wesley is said to be their author, from his days at Oxford. They're honest questions that deserve honest answers. So, here they are:

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?

Can I be trusted?

Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?

Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

Did the Bible live in me today?

Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

Am I enjoying prayer?

When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?

Do I pray about the money I spend?

Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

Do I disobey God in anything?

Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

Am I defeated in any part of my life?

Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?

How do I spend my spare time?

Am I proud?

Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

Do I grumble or complain constantly?

Is Christ real to me?

Back From The Desert

2009-11-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

I hesitated to write this, because my friend Ed already posted something similar. However, I wanted to give a couple of quick thoughts about my time out in the desert this month.
I never know what to expect when I go out there. For almost a year now I’ve been going on the second Monday/Tuesday of the month. Being a natural introvert, you’d think I’d just love to get away and be by myself for a day-and-a-half. And I do….

For about 30 minutes

Seriously. It’s quiet. It’s so quiet I can hear the conversation of the homeowner 300 yards away…when he’s IN HIS HOUSE! It’s so quiet, I can hear it when the birds come to perch, or when squirrels eat seeds out of the little trough that’s been made for them.

It’s almost too quiet.

I walk into the house and sit down and discover that my ears are ringing. The ringing dissipates after about 4 hours of silence. My ears are ringing because they’re overstuffed with incessant sound. Texts, Tweets, Email, Phone Calls, Music…people’s voices, even the sound of my own voice. The sound never ends. It’s difficult to hear the “still small voice” when my world is as loud as it is. And simply put, that’s why I go every month: to retune my ears to hear the voice of God.

But I get bored. Part of why I go is to exercise certain disciplines that require me doing nothing for large swaths of time. Other than that, I’ll spend some of my morning in an extended quiet time involving a passage of scripture that I camp on, some journaling re: the passage I’ve just read, and of course praying through it. I might walk around the house, walk outside, or sit on the back deck watching the local wild life.

This trip was special; fun even. In fact, I sensed that maybe I need to carve out some more of my life for the explicit purpose of having fun. I split up my Bible reading and prayer time with a new iPhone app I’m enjoying this week.

But this was also about dealing with some past sin stuff that has been haunting me (in my mind anyways) recently. The passage I’ve been visiting and revisiting for the last couple of weeks is James 1. The first part of verse 21 says,

“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness”.

I don’t know why, but that just hit me hard today. Sin promises what it can’t deliver. And I don’t know why I believe the lie as often as I do. I journaled,

“…my sin leaves me feeling empty…filthy”.

And just as I sensed myself going into a downward spiral of guilt, shame and despair, I felt a whisper, “1st John 1:9”.

I hadn’t read that verse for (what feels like) years.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The word “cleanse” jumped out at me like never before.

I don’t have to feel filthy…because I’m not.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has brought me near to God,

doing away with the broken rules that got me into the mess I was in, and made me a son to the Father that God wanted to be for me all along.

I don’t have to feel filthy…because I’m not.

Anyways, I’m glad to be home. I wonder what God will want to talk about next time I’m 90 miles East of here.

You Must Absolutely Read This Blog Post!

2009-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I watched a Dateline special about a man named Gary Haugen, who goes into other countries around the globe and rescues little boys and girls from forced prostitution. My wife and I were astounded at how prevalent human trafficking is, and that it is getting younger and younger.

Two years ago, Gary spoke at the Leadership Summit, a conference I haven’t missed since 1998. I found him courageous and inspiring. But for my friend Rachelle, it went deeper than that. Being educated on human trafficking, and then educating others so that it can be put to a stop became a calling for her. And just a few weeks ago, our first “Journey for Justice” class (led by Rachelle) came to an end.

What I’ve learned from her recently is how widespread forced prostitution is here in San Diego! A young lady (just like any other) wants to love and be loved. A young guy takes notice of her, buys her clothes, iPod’s, Cell Phones…gains her trust, and their relationship becomes sexual. That progression is fairly normal.

Here’s the twist: Soon after the two become sexual, he’ll say something to the effect of, “I have this friend that I need you to do a favor for…” and “if you love me…you will”. In a moment, he goes from being her boyfriend to her pimp.

These young teens need help. And fortunately there are organizations like the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC) that partners with Law Enforcement to help rescue young ladies (and guys) who are trapped in a life of prostitution. Based on tips from phone calls (anonymous or otherwise), San Diego Police will knock down the door, arrest the alleged pimp, and in another car will go the girl. She is then driven to one of two undisclosed locations in San Diego, known as a “safe house”. If she’s lucky, a social worker will give her a black garbage bag, and she’ll have 2 minutes to fit as much of her stuff as she can in this bag to take with her before they leave.

This isn’t always the case though.

One thing that the BSCC does as a first step to introduce these young teens back into a life or normality, is they give them a pair of pajamas and socks, so that they can sleep as comfortably as possible during their first night at the safe house. There's a problem though.

They’ve run out of Pajamas.
They’ve run out of Socks.

So we’re going to give them some.

You have from Monday, November 16th to Friday, November 20th, to fill my office at Journey from floor to ceiling…from wall to wall with (Teen) Guys & Girls Pajamas and socks. It’d be pretty cool if on the 21st, as we take a truckload (or 2) down to the BSCC in National City, that they say, “That’s too many…we don’t need all of that!”.

That’s our goal.

So go to Wal-Mart, buy a set of Pajamas, and a pack of socks and bring it to:

8363 Center Dr.
La Mesa, Ca. 91942
c/o Todd’s Office

Thanks!

An Open Letter To All Of My Lady Friends

2009-09-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

This string of thoughts is dedicated to my friends who just happen to be single ladies. I have other thoughts for my friends who are married women, but I'll save those for another post.

To my single, lady friends (No, I'm not talking about Beyonce!):

You are loved...well loved.

There was a day long ago in eternity past when God had an idea. And as usual, when God had an idea, it was a good one.

This idea was to make you.

I can only imagine what must have crossed God's mind when he thought you up for the first time. Only on rare occasions have I ever had a good idea...a really good idea. On these few moments of self-perceived brilliance, I have a physical reaction to my really good idea. It starts with an unstoppable smile. I mean, I really can't stop smiling. Then I have to hold my breath. I'm so afraid of the explosion of excitement that's about to ensue. But this kind of excitement refuses to be contained. So I let out a brief chuckle. And then another...and another. Soon I break out into a full on laugh, and my body just shakes with this irrepressible joy. I just can't hold it in!

So, I can only imagine how God must have reacted to His own brilliance at His first thought of you. Did He chuckle, laugh, or even shake? Maybe? Maybe He did more than that?

I start out this way because many of you already know that God is consumed with love for you. And for some of you that's enough. You don't need anything else...and that's good. However, some of you have been given a soul-deep desire by God to experience love in every meaning of the word through marriage. And that's good too.

I want God's very best for you. I want you to pursue God's very best for you. The challenge for many women who have much love to give (but no one to give it to) is to both be able to wait for the right man that God has for them, and then to also be able to know him when she sees him. So naturally (as the cliche goes) "Mr. Right turns into Mr. Right Now", and most of the time this ends very badly. The good news is that God's grace can even fill in the cracks of our relational choices, for better or for worse. :)

So, the purpose of this post is to encourage you not to lose hope. If you've been diligent in looking for the right man, and haven't compromised your core standards in what you're looking for, I believe that God will honor that and you will find what you're looking for...even if it takes longer than you'd like.

The other half of why I'm writing this is to remind you of what you're looking for. Now, I think we can all agree that there's no such thing as a perfect man (No, this isn't hard for me to admit!) So I won't be posting about attributes in men that don't exist. I also won't address things that may be specific to your taste (i.e. - ht./lbs/build/styles like country, punk or emo). What I am writing about are just the attributes that every woman should be able to expect from a man who seeks to live the kind of life Jesus calls him to live, and the one that God designed him to live. So here it goes:

The man you're looking for is honest. He doesn't have to choose his words too carefully because integrity doesn't need to be "spun". He says what he means and he means what he says. Of course he has to learn that truth should be "spoken in love", and therefore he may have to learn to tell the truth in a spirit of gentleness. But most importantly, he'll be honest with you.

The man you're looking for works hard. He gets up and puts in a full day's work. Now, for some guys this means he's working hard in school. Mostly though this means he has a job. And if he's been laid off, he understands that looking for a job is also a full time job. In other words, he doesn't sleep in until noon (or 11, or 10, or 9, or 8, etc...), stays at home and plays Xbox all day and stays up until 2a.m. If he's had the unfortunate experience of being "downsized", he knows that his #1 goal is to rejoin the world of employment. So he works his network. He takes side jobs. He does all the possible, and expects God to do the impossible. He "works as if it all depends on him, and prays as if it all depends on God". The man you're looking for works hard.

The man you're looking for knows who he is, and knows who he isn't, and isn't willing to apologize for either. I'm certainly not talking about not apologizing for your mistakes. The man you're looking for ought to be the first one to own up to his mistakes and be the first one to initiate reconciliation. What I am talking about is a man knowing his strengths and weaknesses, building on his strengths and shoring up the areas he could be stronger in. Being confident in who God made you to be as a man is incredibly underrated in our world today, and when a man understands his God-given purpose both as a husband and a father...it should be celebrated. So the man you're looking for intentionally spends time with men who are older and/or have more life experience than he does. He does this so he can learn how to be better man...a better husband & father. This might take place in a small group or a one-on-one kind of arrangement. This might happen in an accountability group with some other guys. Either way, the man you're looking for wants to be every bit the man God made him to be, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

The man you're looking for knows how to say "No". He knows how to say no to himself. He delays short-lived, immediate gratification, because he has a vision for his life; for his family's life. He refuses to spend his children's future in college, or your future as a couple in your retirement years by eating at Taco Bell every day. He's ok with saying "No" now, so that you two can say "Yes" later. This doesn't mean he doesn't know how to relax and have fun. As a matter of fact, he plans for that too. He tucks away a few dollars here, and a few dollars there, so that he can celebrate your birthday or anniversary in style. The man you're looking leads himself well. He doesn't mindlessly give into his own desires, or selfishly asks you to cross lines so that you can give into yours as well.

The man you're looking for is generous. He is generous with God, to show his gratefulness. He is generous with those are struggling and are going without. He is generous with his time. He's willing to use the few gifts and talents that God has given him to make a difference in the life of someone else and the life of his church.

Here are a few other quick thoughts:

He is willing to lead when necessary, but willing to follow when asked.
He is teachable.
He will not look to you to fill the void in his life that only God can.
He will not make excuses.
Be careful of men who are really good with words, but have "good reasons" (excuses) for why they are the exception to the rule. (They're not!)
If you want to know how a man will treat you, watch how he interacts with his mother or sister.
If he talks to you about other people, you can be sure he's talking about you to those other people.
Be careful of guys who are overly touchy with other female friends. (if you need clarification on this feel free to email me) :)

Now, I know that many of my lady friends who will read this are married. God has His best for you too, although it may look different than the list above, even if there is a lot of distance between these ideals and your reality. I may post on this dilemma later (and what you should do about it). That said, however, the truth hasn't changed for you. You are well loved. You may have to lean more heavily into God's all-consuming love for you because for whatever reason the man you're married is isn't showing you the love you so desperately need. But you are well loved. Don't lose hope. Don't give in to despair.

However, I started this post to my single lady friends, and I will end it with them too: You deserve a man who will love you the way that Jesus loves His Church. I'd hate to see you settle for anything less than God's best for you.

This is worth waiting for.

It Doesn't Matter What You Think

2009-09-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

It doesn't matter what you think. Ok - I don't really believe that all the time, but sometimes that statement is true. For example, tell what me what you think of this:

Start SMARTDrive if it is not already started. To do this, change to the folder that contains the Smartdrv.exe file, type smartdrv, and then press ENTER. If you do not use SMARTDrive, the Windows XP Setup program may copy files to the hard disk slowly. At the command prompt, type drive:, and then press ENTER (where drive is the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM). Type cd i386, and then press ENTER. Type winnt, and then press ENTER. The Windows XP Setup program starts. Type the path of the Windows XP installation files, and then press ENTER. For example, type d:\i386.

Chances are (if you even bothered to read through the above paragraph) you wouldn’t have known that you were just given a portion of instructions on how to re-install Windows XP from a command prompt, unless you work in the IT industry. And that’s ok. Why? Because IT professionals invest a lot of their own time and money into getting the necessary education to do this kind of work. In this case, it doesn’t matter what you think about the inner workings of the operating system. In fact, you probably wouldn’t engage an IT professional in a conversation at this level, because you know you would sound ridiculous. You’re only going to ask two questions:
1. How much is this going to cost me?
2. How long before I can have my computer back?

Or...try this one on for size:

Before disconnecting the reservoir tank hose, remove the clutch/brake fluid from the reservoir tank.
Remove the locking clip.
Remove the push rod fixing pin and push rod.
Disconnect the hose clamp on the master cylinder.
Disconnect the master cylinder hose.
Remove the master cylinder pipe.
Remove the clutch master cylinder nuts.
Remove the clutch master cylinder.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that you wouldn’t have known that you were just given a list of instructions on how to remove a Master Cylinder on a 2004 Suzuki Forenza. And that’s ok. Why? Because Mechanics invest a lot of their own time and money into getting the necessary education to do this kind of work. In this case, it doesn’t matter what you think about the inner workings of a Suzuki. In fact, you probably wouldn’t engage a mechanic (unless you are one, or are studying to be one) in a conversation at this level, because you know you would sound ridiculous. You’re only going to ask two questions:
1. How much is this going to cost me?
2. How long before I can have my car back?

So why is that a friend of mine puts up a post on his blog about some idiosyncrasies of the Hebrew language about the THE name of God, and everyone’s all of a sudden got an opinion? Never mind the fact that it took 9 years of grueling (not to mention expensive) undergraduate/graduate education, and decades of ministry to reflect on that education to write that post.

One of the problems with Social Media/Networking is that people somehow get the idea that just because they have the opportunity to comment on someone’s blog... that they should. When the fact is that unless you ARE a Hebrew scholar, or have been studying to become one, engaging in a conversation with a Hebrew scholar at that level looks silly.

So, here's what I do when I read a blog post that I find interesting, but have little or no experience with the subject (obviously, feel free to do whatever YOU want):

Ask good questions, and take the opportunity to learn. Leave nice comments like, “I really appreciate your experience with this…it’s helped me to see this from a new perspective”. I believe that if I do or say anything else, it doesn’t add any value to the original post.

Just Todd's thoughts for the day. Do you agree or disagree?

It Just Got Personal

2009-09-18T15:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my friends T.C. Porter and "Bub" posted on their blogs about an experience they had with an older homeless gentlemen whose name is Ron. He actually goes by the name "Crutches". I won't go into why...I really want you to read T.C.'s & Bub's posts. They explain it.

Anyways, if you read their blogs you'll see that I posted a few remarks. You see, T.C. & Bub (as well as other friends of mine) are a part of a "missional" church effort in the Normal Heights area called Adams Avenue Crossing. They emphasize the actions, kindness, grace & love of Jesus towards the marginalized and oppressed among us. We're talking about the poor, the homeless, the teens who've been kicked out of their homes and have no where else to go (Bub has a REALLY good post about this on his blog).

For a few months now, I've been engaging in some conversation with my friends from Adams Ave. about some differences between the missional church vs. the evangelical church...differences I won't go into in this post. But if you sum it up it's about showing the love of Jesus vs. sharing Jesus with our words, and whether or not that has to be an either/or philosophy. Frankly, while much of our conversations have been light-hearted and recreational, some of it has been just downright frustrating.

Last night though, it got personal. I was rushing around. I took my son, T3 to football practice, and got home late. Thursday nights are busy at JCC, the church I'm a Pastor at. I'm responsible for all the church's spiritual growth classes, and I have several through out the week and weekends. Thursday though, I had one class in its 2nd week, and another brand new one kicking off, plus I'm a small group leader for New Format, our College-Aged ministry at Journey.

Busy night.

So, I'm already late, racing down Jackson Dr. when out of the corner of my eye I see an older man (I assumed he was homeless) walking around on his crutches next to the local 7-11. I knew it was Ron! And my immediate thought was, "You ought to make sure he has dinner". No kidding, my very NEXT thought was, "There's no way you can stop, you're late, and have a very busy schedule tonight. Ron will be here tomorrow."

But of course I couldn't be sure that Ron WOULD be here tomorrow. The story of the Good Samaritan flashed through my mind. Was I really going to be one of "those" religious professionals that was too busy to help someone else? I'm convinced it was the LORD who was asking me that question. So I turned into the 7-11 parking lot (right in front of Ron) and turned off the car.

I got out, and the first thing Ron said was, "Could you spare some change? I'm trying to get something to eat". I responded, "Aren't you Ron?" Of course this startled him a bit, and he looked a bit concerned. So I quickly said, "You got to meet my friends T.C. & Bub today over at LeStat's!" He immediately loosened up, flashed a toothless smile and said "Yeah, they bought me some chili!"

I bought him a burrito and a bottle of water (sorry Bub :p ), and apologized for having to leave so quickly (but I really DID have to go!) He then said that I could find him outside of 7-11 everyday if I ever wanted to have dinner with him sometime.

This whole experience is really fresh in my mind, and T.C. encouraged me to post my experience and some thoughts...because I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and get some feedback on my experience from you all. There is a much needed dialogue that needs to happen with in the "C"hurch about meeting the needs of the "least of these".

Here are some raw thoughts:

1. Even though I help several hurting, hungry, desperate people as a part of my job every week, the experience I had meeting Ron (on the very same day that T.C. & Bub did) feels so much more "in my face". I don't know why that is.

- Is it because I wasn't being a Pastor, but just Todd?

- Is it because it was "my" $5.00 that bought his burrito?

2. Ron was very quick to let me know that he is a "good person". I wonder why he felt the need to qualify that to me?

3. While Ron looked concerned at first that I already knew his name, he also talked to me as if I had been his friend for a long time. I know the burrito was important, but have I been underestimating how important fellowship is for folks like Ron?

So that's it for now. What do you think?

My Dream Community

2009-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have a dream.

I know that MLK should have a copyright on that phrase, and I'm not trying to violate it, but I too have a dream.

It's been a dream in the making for several years now, and now that I feel like it's getting closer to becoming a reality, I'm ready to talk about it.

I have a dream of a small community where families are committed to growing together. Their children grow up together, and they all attend each others sporting events, go to each other's graduations, weddings, and then wait in the waiting rooms to find out if it's a boy or a girl.

These families camp together, vacation together. They're the kind of people you don't hesitate to call late at night when you have a problem, and they are the kind of people that don't hesitate to pick up the phone when you call.

I have a dream that these families might risk together, try to move into neighborhoods close to each other and share God's goodness with their extended community. And while these families believe in having a lot of people they're friendly with, they commit to deep and mutually life-giving friendships with this small community. They don't float from one group to another, skimming the surface, never going deep or living authentically. They know that Christ followers who crave accountability to living a with-God life could never settle for that.

They understand that real friends plan, schedule and arrange for community, and that real friends...real community is not an after thought. It's not a "I don't have anything better to do", or "my original plans fell through, so I called you" kind of a relationship.

This small community will grow old together, sit on rocking chairs on the front porch together, after having served together during the "best years" of their life together, they're committed to spend the rest of their life together. They will reminisce about the "good 'ole days", about what God did through us, and will encourage and mentor the next generation to continue to reinvent the Church.

...I'm taking applications.

A Prayer For Our Children

2009-08-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

...with this being my kids' third day back to school, this prayer by Bishop Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) has been on my mind a lot recently:

Almighty God, bless Thou our children with healthful bodies, with good understandings, with the graces and gifts of Your Spirit, with sweet dispositions and holy habits, and sanctify them throughout in their bodies and souls and spirits, and keep them unblameable to the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Sleep

2009-08-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

"Sleep", a prayer from the book, "The Valley of Vision":

Blessed Creator,

Thou hast promised thy beloved sleep; Give me restoring rest needful for tomorrow’s toil;

If dreams be mine,
let them not be tinged with evil.
Let thy Spirit make my time of repose
a blessed temple of his holy presence.

May my frequent lying down make me familiar with death,
the bed I approach remind me of the grave,
the eyes I now close picture to me their final closing.

Keep me always ready, waiting for admittance to thy presence.
Weaken my attachment to earthly things.
May I hold life loosely in my hand,
knowing that I receive it on condition of its surrender;
As pain and suffering betoken transitory health,
may I not shrink from a death that introduces me
to the freshness of eternal youth.

I retire this night in full assurance of one day awaking with thee.
All glory for this precious hope,
for the gospel of grace,
for thine unspeakable gift of Jesus,
for the fellowship of the Trinity.

Withhold not thy mercies in the night season;
thy hand never wearies,
thy power needs no repose,
thine eye never sleeps.

Help me when I helpless lie,
when my conscience accuses me of sin,
when my mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts,
when my eyes are held awake by personal anxieties.

Show thyself to me as the God of all grace,
love and power;
thou hast a balm for every wound,
a solace for all anguish,
a remedy for every pain,
a peace for all disquietude.

Permit me to commit myself to thee awake or asleep.

Good night, friends...

Good News From Bears Camp

2009-08-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

TRAINING CAMP
The buzz from Bears practice
Posted: August 11th, 2009 | NFL.com Staff |

When the Bears’ night practice started in Bourbonnais, Ill., fans stood two-deep behind fences surrounding the field. Not an inch of seating was left in a small bleacher section, and there was a buzz among the crowd:

The Bears opened practice by working on onside kicks, and coach Lovie Smith was in the middle of it. This is always a great way to emphasize the importance of special teams — give it a special time slot.
Next were field-goal attempts. Robbie Gould nailed one from 45-plus yards. Huge applause.
The offensive 11 worked on one end of the field, without helmets, at half speed. The defense did the same at the opposite end of field.
Matt Forte took a pitch and threw a halfback pass to third-year WR Devin Aromashodu for a touchdown. Look for that from the Bears this season. With so much attention on Jay Cutler’s big passing arm, that play could give defenses a migraine.
The Bears ran sprints, then sideways running drills. Interesting time for that 25 minutes into practice.
Something evident about Cutler: He’s a really big quarterback. When he stands next to the linebackers, he nearly looks like one of them.
The Bears completed lengthy stretching drills, then met in the center of the field in one mass and broke. Time for real work.
Make that fans five-deep behind the fences. I saw fans sitting on rooftops of nearby homes.
DT Tommie Harris revealed Monday that he had his knee scoped in March. He has missed recent practices but was in in a pass-rush drill that involved using blue dummies. He looked good to me.
WR Earl Bennett caught a Cutler bullet on a deep out. Their prior relationship as Vanderbilt teammates has been highlighted and is evident.
Cutler to TE Greg Olsen on a crossing pattern. Seeing how far Olsen ascends with this new passer will be one of the chief stories not only of the Bears’ season but the entire NFL.
Saw second-year TE Kellen Davis leap high for a pass. That’s saying something: He’s 6-foot-7. He and OT Orlando Pace (also 6-7) are the tallest Bears.
Third-year WR Brandon Rideau impressed in camp last year but saw limited regular-season work. Not this time. He looks like a keeper — big target, good hands, practicing with confidence.
Safety Danieal Manning busted a kickoff return up the middle. He made a mark in the job late last season, and now it’s his full-time, with Devin Hester playing more wide receiver. Manning loks ready.
Hester dropped a pass in 7-on-7 drills, but Bennett caught an over-the shoulder, deep-sideline beauty.
The Bears look like they had better produce a supreme pass rush. This secondary looks ordinary.
Maybe Manning got a whiff of that. He picked off a pass from Cutler.

– Thomas George

Should I say this?

2009-08-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I read on Mark Beeson's blog, that before you say anything...you should T.H.I.N.K.

T.H.I.N.K. stands for:

True. Is what I'm about to say True?

Helpful. Is what I'm about to say Helpful?

Important. Is what I'm about to say Important?

Necessary. Is what I'm about to say Necessary?

Kind. Is what I'm about to say Kind?

I need to do a better job T.H.I.N.K-ing...chances are you might need to too. We should T.H.I.N.K. before we speak, we should T.H.I.N.K. before we talk about someone else. We should T.H.I.N.K. whether we're talking to our spouse, children or co-workers. We should T.H.I.N.K. before giving a lecture or preaching a sermon.

How many less people would misunderstand us, be hurt or discouraged by us (intentionally or not) if we would take a little time to T.H.I.N.K.?

In Defense of Goals

2009-08-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my friend Mark Oestriecher (Marko) preached at Journey, the church I’m on staff at. And as usual, I thought Marko’s delivery was great! He’s obviously comfortable on stage, I love his intonation; I love the way he makes me think when I listen to him. I’ve learned so much from him over the years, and still do!

The underpinnings of his message were based on some experiences he’s gone through for the last 6 months or so, and the conclusions he’s come to about his own personal values as a result of his recent experience…hence the name, “The Value Journey”.

I really liked his message, especially when he said,

“Our behaviors reveal our priorities, which reveals our true values”

I thought this was spot on for most everyone! I’m not sure it’s 100% true, 100% of the time though. For instance, my Father spent close to 25 years in the Navy. And as many of you know, part of being in the military probably means you’re going to spend some time overseas…away from your family. And if you’re in the Navy that means you could be gone for 6-9 months at a time. In this case, being gone from your family does NOT mean you don’t value them. In fact, you could argue that it’s evidence that you DO value them. My Dad joined the Navy for several reasons, one being that it was a way to provide for his family. Also, when our armed forces are overseas, protecting our country’s freedom, that too is evidence that they value their family. I bring the example up, not because I disagree with Marko’s statement, because I don’t, but to show it’s not always true. He was right to say that a person must wrestle with and “work out with fear and trembling” their true values.

If I had one complaint about his message it would be that I thought he was too harsh on goal setting. Marko made it clear with his words that goal setting itself was “not evil”, but that he wanted it to “have its proper place”. O.k. – I’m good with that. However, through all three services, this is what I heard:

Mechanistic = Bad
Organic = Good
Goals (Mechanistic) = Bad
Values (Organic) = Good

My problem with that is I don’t see it as an either/or situation. I think you need both. Now, I totally agree with Marko that a person’s values will determine their behaviors more than their goals. I’ll say it this way:

"It’s not that your values should determine your behavior. They already do."

I also think we need a better definition of goals. Marko’s (or Merriam Webster Dictionary’s) definition of a goal is, “the end toward which effort is directed”. I’d like to offer an alternative definition:

“the desire, coupled with a plan to close the gap between your current reality and a better one”

This is honestly how I look at setting goals. It requires an honest assessment of where I am currently, where I want to be, and then creating a plan (with a deadline) that details how I will get there. Certainly this has to be part of what Marko had in mind when he described “Aspirational Values”, values we don’t currently hold, but want to. We must be honest about what values we truly hold, and as Marko said, “Check them against the Bible, and the example of Christ”.

Friends, growth is not accidental. Growth is 100% intentional. The kind of goal setting I’m referring to is what happens when the “assembly line” and “garden” hold hands (listen to the podcast to understand that reference). Growth is 100% your responsibility. Your growth is also 100% God’s responsibility. That’s why we partner with Him. Organic and structure…organic and discipline…organic and planning are not antonyms, they’re friends.

Nobody I know who sets goals, achieves one and says they're finished. Achieving a goal is not an end, it's merely a milestone on the journey we call "life". Maybe it's just me, but I'm convinced I won't be done "closing the gap" between my current reality and a better one, the ultimate one (forming into the image of Christ-Rom. 8:29) until God takes me home.

That said, I think we would all benefit immensely (not to mention what it could do for Journey), if we did what Marko suggested by doing the hard work of discerning what (or who) it is we really value, and then seek a life of alignment between what we say we value, and our behaviors.

Marko's encouraging and very thought-provoking message can be found here.

Song I'm Listening To Right Now

2009-08-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

"O Great God" by Sovereign Grace Ministries

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

I've been gone for awhile...

2009-07-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

...but I'm back!

At the end of June, my wife and I joined another 125+ couples in Palm Desert for Journey's Married Couple's Retreat. That was also the beginning of my first ever 3-week vacation! 3 weeks. That's right.

I took an extended vacation for awhile for a couple of reasons: First, it had been several years since I'd taken any time off. Even while I was unemployed back in 2007, it wasn't time off. Looking for a full time job...well...is a full time job. My philosophy is that you can't afford to take any time off when you're out of work. Besides that, the longest I've ever taken off is 5 days consecutively. Honestly, my family needed to be intentional about building some "family memories". My son, T3, turned 10 on July 1st. This parent-thing is going by pretty darn fast, and I'm afraid if I blink, I'm going to be dropping him off at college somewhere. So I wanted to slow down, and take some time away with my wife and kids.

Another reason I took 3 weeks off at once was for Spiritual reasons. I love my job. I love to work. I get a major charge out of being in the office. And even though I take 24 hours a month to take a sabbath out in the desert and be with God, I sensed that I needed an extra dose of solitude from "work". That meant turning off my phone for periods of time and decreasing my internet time. It meant hanging some shelves at home or cleaning the grill. It meant doing a couple extra loads of dishes or vacuuming the living room. It also meant taking a look at my life, sensing where God was leading me...not just for the here and now, but getting clarity on His vision for my life, and then moving that direction. Sarah and I talked about our future, our family's future, and what the future might look like for us in ministry. After that, I spent hours...HOURS reading books, listening to audiobooks, listening to podcasts and watching videos on how to set and achieve goals. And if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know I've been posting some action-oriented quotes on goals recently!

The good news about taking 3 weeks off is that is wasn't soooo long that my family didn't drive me crazy (no promises on it going the other way around). But it was long enough that I missed my job and my Church. The even better news is I'm so rested up, I'm ready to take over the world! Who's with me? :)

Random but Recent Thoughts...

2009-06-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

...I downloaded an album (why do we still call it that btw?) off of iTunes of some renovated hymns. There were a couple of beautiful songs I didn't recognize, and couldn't immediately find the lyrics for them on the regular lyrics sites I frequent. A Google search provided me the answer I was looking for: The hymn was a Mormon hymn. Lo and behold, after some more searching, I found out that the entire album was a done by some very talented Latter-Day Saints. I found myself immediately cringing, and even feeling guilty for enjoying the music as much as I had been. Where did that come from? Would I have had a different reaction if I found out that it had been produced by Episcopalians? Jehovah's Witnesses? What about if it had been done by Buddhists? I'm not done processing through this yet...but I'll confess that I'm listening to it while typing this blog post. :)

...Great weekend at Journey for Dad's Day. You read more about it here. I will give you a quick insider's scoop: The Gran Torino had been sitting in the garage of its owner, Gene (a former member of the Special Forces & used to work out with Arnold Schwarzenegger). It was black, and had cob webs all throughout. With in a week Gene (who doesn't have a lot of connections with JCC, but did it for us anyways) had it cleaned up and painted to look like the Gran Torino from Clint Eastwood's movie. It got a flat tire on the way to church that Sunday morning. Once he got to Journey, he left it there and went home during the services until he found out that he had been mentioned in the services, and that Journey folks should say "thank you" for his hard work for having it restored for our Father's Day weekend. It was really cool that he came back! Btw...there were a few other really cool, old cars & trucks at JCC last weekend, thanks to Butch Whitely!

...I'm really, REALLY liking the History channel these days. It's re-awakening the thirst I have for learning about our country's first leaders, and how their decisions (for better or worse) have had an impact on the world we live in today. Also, thanks to suggestion from my brother, I'm getting into the show, "Ice Road Truckers"!

...I'm mulling over a MAJOR decision in my mind. It's one that will cause an upheaval in how I do life. It's one that I think it necessary for my future, and once I get some more clarity on next steps, I'll let you all know about it! :)

...I watched two shows last night that caused me great discomfort. The first one was "The Bachelorette", and the other was "Jon & Kate + 8". I relinquished control of the remote control over to my wife and she flipped back and forth between the two. On the "B", (I don't know names), the girl, while sitting on a chair made of ice (burrrr) asked the guy what he wanted out of a relationship. One of his answers: "I want it to feel like I'm waking up to Christmas Morning". What a great answer! I'm sure many women across America let out a collective "ahhhhh" in their living rooms when he said that. What a great answer...but what an unrealistic one! I can certainly relate to that very feeling. I remember feeling that way after Sarah and I got married. That feeling lasted until the second morning of the honeymoon. I think Sarah felt that way one day less than I did. Then Sarah changed the channel to J&K to find out that they're separating. Apparently they lost their Christmas feeling for each other too. You know what's weird? I've found myself praying for their marriage for a few weeks now. And I'm not the only one. I've read blog posts about other people praying for their marriage. I've heard about people all across the country aggressively interceding for that whole family. That's not weird in itself. What's weird to me was that I think I've prayed more for their marriage than I had been praying for my own. And I don't think I'm only one on that either. And that's not just weird. That's gross.

...Another great post on this can be found here.

...I'm surprised at the push back I'm getting these days from "leaders" when I quote John Maxwell as saying "Everything Rises And Falls On Leadership". I'm bringing it back people.

...I think that's enough for now.

What A Weekend!

2009-06-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of the busiest June of my life! I'd blog more about it...but I'm simply too busy (I'm only half-kidding)! This weekend, though, is too important to not to blog about. It started on Friday night with Journey's Friday Night Service. I sometimes share hosting duties with my friend, Rod, and with our Creative Programming team gone in Chicago for a conference, not only did I have the pleasure of hosting, but I also got to produce the Friday service.

It was a bit un-nerving to say the least.

There were some technical challenges, as we are in a series called, "God At The Movies". There was also a dance that required some extra technical prowess. Our sound guy would be at the service, but was on his way from the airport. The other sound guy (1 of my 3 heroes that night) was able to get things set up for the night, but had to leave for his daughter's play at school. There was lots of touch & go! But let me declare right here and now that Journey's Technical Arts Team is the most professional Tech team I've ever dealt with in 13 years of church work! They are professional both in skill set and (more importantly) attitude! They showed up early, never complained about any unforeseen challenges, smiled and did a great job!

After service I got to spend a few minutes with a friend at her 30th birthday party! I wanted to stay longer, but on Saturday I got my family up early to have breakfast with another family at the Omelette Factory. I decided that I do not like Tabasco sauce on my eggs. I do not like Tabasco sauce on anything...at all. Sarah and I drove separately because I had to duck out of breakfast so I could see my good friend, and Journey's Worship Pastor, Jason Denison graduate with his Master's in Theology from Bethel Seminary. I couldn't even stay for the whole ceremony because I had to pick up my wife and drive to Glendora for my oldest nephew's wedding!

Ian & Ari's wedding was beautiful. I LOVED that the soundtrack for walking of the wedding party & the entrance of the bride was both to Sigur Ros. Jim Vanderburg, my brother-in-law, and Ian's Father did the ceremony. I was REALLY impressed with how sentimental and articulate he was. I'm not sure I could do the wedding ceremony for either of my kids. I think I'd be too emotional. Anyways...he did a fantastic job. It was also nice to see everyone from my wife's side of the family. Sarah and I had to leave early, which kind of was a theme for me that day, because I had to get up early on Sunday and resume my hosting duties for Journey's other two services.

Sunday was a Super Bowl kind of day. It was another great message from Ed on the Dark Knight. But showing up to the baptism and seeing so many of the friends that have been dear to Sarah and I over the last year really made the day so special! I also have the distinct privilege of being out in the water, and baptizing those who are ready to publicly

declare their faith. I was especially honored that a friend I originally made on Twitter (and then met at church) got into my line to be baptized. What was even cooler was that Rod had a banner made for "Bub" that was held up for him as he came out of the water. We all got to sign it afterwards...so cool!

I got to cap off the day by going to Shadow Mountain and hearing John Ortberg LIVE. It was kinda funny going to the Sunday Night service at SMCC. Most churches that are "dressed up" during Sunday mornings, tend to be "dressed down" in the evening. I wore a button-up shirt with a collar and still felt under-dressed when I walked in and saw how many guys were still in suit & tie. At the very least it was coat & slacks. Yikes!

John has been my favorite author for years, it's always a special treat to hear him speak. A couple of thoughts that I need to spend some time unpacking:

"Spiritual growth is handcrafted, NOT mass produced"

"You must find the unique conditions best suited for your growth. The goal is the Fruit of the Spirit"

"As you grow, you will always be you. Acorns can't grow up to be rose bushes. It will always grow up to be an oak tree. It can be a sick oak or a healthy oak. That's its choice. Your DNA will not change as you grow...it'll just get redirected."

Crazy, CRAZY weekend...but a memorable one for sure!

How was YOUR weekend?

Just A Quick Thank You

2009-06-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

Just a quick Thank You...to those of you who take the time to read my blog. I'd also like to say a quick thanks to my readers from other countries. Yes, to you, the one Canadian, and to my other foreign friend from Belgium. No, I know we'll never meet, but you're both friends anyways.

I'd also like to say thank you to the one person who browses my blog from a Linux box. You're a true geek, and for those of you who are Linux users, you know that's a compliment!

Also, the eight of you who read my blog from a Windows 2000 operating system... way to be CLASSIC! Now, if I could just get someone from a '98S/E, that'd be really impressive!

And to the 4 of you who are viewing this in 800x600, I'll pitch in so you don't have to use that Trinitron CRT monitor anymore...because that's how much I care!

I'm sincerely grateful,

Todd

I’m Done With “Anonymous” Cowards

2009-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Coward
-noun
|a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.|

For all the years that I’ve been in church work, every Sr. Pastor I’ve ever worked for in one way or another has told me that they don’t pay very close attention to unsigned, anonymous communication cards from the weekend services. That’s because the anonymous cards are basically “hate mail” for the church staff. They usually say something like:

“The Music is WAY TOO LOUD!”
“When are we going to start preaching the Bible around here?”
“When will the people on stage start taking themselves less seriously, and start taking God more seriously?”

I’ve generalized, and in a sense, neutralized the above statements. The anonymous comments that come in can be extremely heinous at times.

The fact is we want to hear from the people in our church. I’ve never met a church leader who wasn’t interested in what his or her people had to say. Every church leader I know wants dialogue. They want to know what’s on the minds and hearts of their parishioners. They want to have a conversation. But these “Anonymous Cowards” don’t want to have a dialogue. They’re just interested in their monologue. These mental terrorists want to drop insults and discouragement and run off undetected and unnoticed.

I’ve recently had some experience with this on my blog. I love blog banter. I love to post my thoughts and then have those thoughts challenged. I want to learn and grow. I’ve always thought that a blog should be somewhat of a relationship. Not between writer and readers, but between writer and writers.

Normally I don’t mind when people select the “Anonymous” option when leaving a comment. After some recent blog banter, one anonymous person claimed that I was being condescending after I challenged their philosophy on life. They thought it wise to be anonymous; saying that being anonymous didn’t equal being cowardly. But then they seemed to change their mind when they named themselves. I was so pleased. I couldn’t wait to talk to my friend “Bret” about our recent blog conversation. That is, until I found out that it wasn’t really “Bret”. It was someone simply claiming to be him.

It’s one thing to not reveal your identity. It’s quite another thing to steal someone else’s. Therefore, Mr./Ms. Anonymous, you no longer have permission to play in my sandbox. I had a lot of respect for what you had to say…now I have none. Your commenting rights have been suspended. And until you have the courage to come forward and be a real person, you’re done here.

Signed,

Todd Tolson (not anonymous)

The Things My Daughter Says Before Bedtime

2009-06-08T19:53:00.001-07:00

Every night when I put my daughter to bed, we have a short conversation about her day...or just whatever is on her mind. Tonight's conversation went like this:

Hannah: "Daddy, will you be in my band?"

Me: "Sure I will. What do you think we need to have a band?"

Hannah: "um...we need 9 back up singers, 10 record-y things to record with, 2 guitars, drums and some snacks. We definitely need snacks."

Me: "Ok - sign me up. Do you wanna pray tonight?"

Hannah: "Ok. Dear Jesus, thank you for making all this stuff, and create-ing me...and...for being a wonderful Savior ... and ... a bee-u-tiful Creator...and yeah, I like it that way...Amen.

I'm not sure it gets any better than that.

The Little Train & The Train Tracks

2009-06-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, when both my children were much smaller than they are now, I used to read them a book about a little train. Well, I actually used to read them a lot of stories about little trains, though few of them were about the same train. There is one story that has come to mind recently, that though I can't remember the title of the story, or which little train it was about, I'll do my best to paraphrase. You can certainly count on my embellisment. But if you recognize the story, and remember the title, please let me know.

The story (as I think I remember it) goes like this:

Once upon a time, there was a Little Train. This Little Train loved the outdoors, and loved going fast down the tracks. It loved the sun and the clouds, but it really loved flowers. It saw a lot of the grown up trains pull heavy loads from one station to another. Other trains would take people from here to there. But the Little Train didn't like any of that at all. It really wanted to roll in the grass, and play with the bunnies, and most of all, look at the flowers.

So one nice sunny day, the Little Train was asked to run some little errands (after all, it was a Little Train). And while on the tracks, it noticed the clear blue sky, it felt the bright warm sun. The Little Train giggled to itself as it watched the bunnies hop from one bunny hole to the next. And while it was going especially fast on the tracks, which was one of the Little Trains' favorite things to do, it noticed a new bloom of flowers on a hillside to its right. The train screeched to a halt. It stared and stared at the flowers. Right there on the tracks, in the middle of the beautiful countryside, the little train noticed the blue sky, the warm sun, the cute bunnies, and these beautful flowers.

And the Little Train became so sad.

The Little Train no longer wanted to be a train. It wanted to roll in the grass and hop with the bunnies. It wanted to lay on its back and enjoy the sun. Most of all it just wanted to look at the flowers.

Then the Little Train became so mad.

The Little Train thought to itself, "Life as a train is so unfair! All we do is go up and down these tracks. We never get to have any fun. Life as a train is boring." Looking at the train tracks was like looking at a prison sentence. And then the little train had an idea.

"What if I jump off these tracks?", the train said out loud. "Then I could be free to do what I want! I could roll in the grass, and lay back and feel the sun. I could hop with the bunnies, and best of all I could look at the flowers!" The Little Train could barely contain its excitement! And with all the power that Little Train could muster (after all, it was a Little Train ), it heaved itself right off those silly tracks.

And the Little Train became stuck.

The Little Train had landed right on the grass. But try as it may, it couldn't move an inch! Worse yet, the sun had gone behind the clouds. And those poor bunnies were so scared of the train, they'd hopped right back into their bunny holes. And because it couldn't move, that Little Train didn't get any closer to the flowers after jumping off the tracks, then when it was on them. The clouds started to rain, and the little train started to cry. "Oh, why did this happen to me?", the Little Train cried. "If only I'd stayed on the tracks, then I could already be home, safe and warm, with all the other grown up trains. And now I'm out here all alone, and this rain is going to make rust."

Just then the Little Train could hear the whistle of a locomotive afar off, from behind. It kept getting closer and closer until it stopped right next to it. Then the Little Train heard a very familiar voice. It was the voice of the Train Engineer. And very softly, the Little Train could hear the Engineer chuckle, "It happens this time every year." Then the Engineer said to the Little Train, "Those flowers are pretty, huh?" "Yes sir", the Little Train replied. "Yeah, every Springtime I come out here and find one of you young trains stuck in the mud. And that's o.k. I know why you're here", the Train Engineer said. "It's just that, well, sometimes it's no fun being a train", the Little Train complained. Sometimes I wish I was a bunny that could hop around in the grass, and play with my other bunny friends. Sometimes I wish I could hop around in the flowers."

The Train Engineer replied, "I like the flowers too. It makes the long train rides feel shorter as I go by them." He said, "But I made you to be a train. And you're a good train. And I'm glad that you're a train". "But why?", the Little Train asked. "I don't like being a train at all." "Young Train", the Engineer said, looking at it with compassion, "You have a very important purpose. There's a lot of people out there who need our help. When there's sick people, we bring them medicine. When there's hungry people, we bring them food. And when there's lonely people, we bring them to their families. Nobody else gets to do what you do. And if you don't do it, no one else will".

The Little Train staightened up a little bit. "But does that mean I can't look at the flowers anymore?" "Of course not", the Train Engineer laughed. "That's why they're there... For us to look at and enjoy! And if you'll stay on track, I promise you, you can do both. You get to be a train that helps people and enjoys the flowers too!"

After that, the Engineer hooked that Little Train to the back of the caboose and towed him home. And from then on, the Little Train did all the things that trains are supposed to do. And it also had fun going really fast on the tracks, and it enjoyed the blue sky, the warm sun, the cute bunnies...and most of all, the beautiful flowers.

Stay on track, friends...

If Everything Is Important...Nothing Is.

2009-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Some activists alarm me.

I want to be careful with that sentence. Not all activists, just some.

I'm an activist. There is a chance that you might be one too. We all have things that are incredibly important to us...important enough to interupt others' time, thoughts, pysche - to let them know how imporant said action is.

Activists aren't truly activists unless they are un-nervingly passionate about a cause. When they wake up in the middle of the night, it's what they're thinking about. When they wake up in the morning, it's still on their mind. In fact, I think you can tell a lot about a person if you can just know what's on their mind most of the time. Coaches are always scheming up new plays on a napkin. Entrepeneurs are always talking about some new start up they want to try. You can always tell what a person loves simply by listening to what they talk about. Vets talk about the animals in their care. Young Moms are always talking about their baby's.

The reason I don't have a problem with any of that is because it's their ONE thing. It's their one cause. I'll listen...genuinely listen to someone talk about their passion, even if I'm not equally interested, simply because THEY ARE. I want to know about the ONE thing that's on your mind all the time. And the truth is, that ONE thing is probably (probably but not always) a God-thing. It's something that God may want you to do. It could be something He wants to do in you. It's something that God may want you to be aware of, or pray for, or support somehow. And I honestly want to hear about it.

The activists that alarm me, however, are the ones who have 15 passions. These bleeding heart philanthropists are passionate about everything! They're always wound up, tirelessly reminding me and everyone who will tolerate their rants, about every perceived injustice known to man. But what really gets to me isn't just the person who's passionate about everything, but whose passion changes weekly! One week it's the rainforest. The next, it's the endangered South Dakotan coyote. Oil is bad. Choice is good (as long as it agrees with theirs). Guns are bad. So are borders. Equality is good, and so is peace, as long as nobody has to sacrifice for it.

What my activistic friends don't realize is that "If everything is important...nothing is". And unfortunately for them their "sky is falling", or "crying wolf" rants lose their urgency in the ears of their audience after awhile, and then no one takes them seriously anymore. People just stop listening.

So, what's imporant to you? I really want to know. What's the ONE (or two) things that just have a grip on your mind, and you can't shake loose from? What are some of the issues you feel deeply about, and want to take action on and change for the better?

Tell me...I'm listening.

The End Of An Era

2009-06-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

It’s 5 o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon, and I’m mostly done with an office re-org. I rearranged furniture and equipment. I took down my shrine to the Chicago Bears. I’m considering re-painting. My guitars are still hung on the wall though!

But what changed the most was why I re-org’d in the first place. I was drowning in books. My shelves were filled to over flowing, and I also had books in piles on the floor. So I went through each shelf and wrestled with what books I would keep, and what books had to find a new home. There are some books I will never get rid of. Even after giving them away (multiple times), I’ve always bought another copy for myself. Books likes:

A Tale of Three Kings – Gene Edwards
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Jim Cymbala
Anything by Malcolm Gladwell
Purple Cow – Seth Godin
…anything by Seth Godin
Benjamin Franklin – Walter Issacson
Anything by Patrick Lencioni
Developing the Leader Within You – John Maxwell
The Life You’ve Always Wanted – John Ortberg
Decision Making By The Book – Haddon Robinson
Love Is A Decision – Gary Smalley
Purpose Driven Church – Rick Warren (Don’t stone me for that one!)

I’m sure there are more…but you get the idea. There are some books that I just couldn’t part with. However, there were some books I thought I’d never part with, but finally did yesterday. Believe it or not, this was a tough decision for me:

Student Ministry for the 21st Century – Bo Boshers (this shaped how I did much of my youthwork for almost 10 years)
The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry – Doug Fields (Sorry, Doug)

There were more…but today I gave away my last book Youth Ministry resource book. Other than Marko’s book, Youth Ministry 3.0, I’m bookless when it comes to Student Ministries.

I’m kinda grieving this transition. When I finally turned 30, and started getting grey hairs, I finally felt like parents were taking me seriously as an adult. But after 13 years in ministry, I think it’s time that I and my surroundings look a little more grown up.

The above picture was my first summer as an intern at Magnolia Wesleyan Church (now known as New Heights). I will forever be grateful to a guy named Mark Chrysler for giving me my first shot in ministry. I'm still learning from him.

Help Make A Dream Come True!

2009-05-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

My friends, Iian & Christina (who I work with) have entered into a contest with LOWES, to win some much needed lawn equipment for their new house! You can help make their dreams come true by going here and giving them a THUMBS UP (look for iianr's video)! I believe you need a YouTube account (it's free so sign up) to vote. So take a couple of minutes, watch the video and vote!

This should be the next American Idol!

2009-05-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks

2009-05-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

To the person who left the sticky note on my computer that says:

HEY TODD

YOU ROCK.

THAT'S ALL.

HAVE A NICE DAY

-JUST A FRIENDLY PERSON

Thanks. I needed that.

I Want To Be Good

2009-04-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

At the recent prodding from a friend, I read Tim Keller’s book, “The Prodigal God”, based on Jesus’ parables in Luke 15. The stories in Luke 15 are normally known as, “The Lost Sheep”, “The Lost Coin” & “The Prodigal Son”. Tim Keller quickly makes the assertion that the third story really should be named “The Prodigal God”, because the word Prodigal means

“spending one’s resources freely and recklessly; wastefully and extravagant”

And since the father in the third story spent his resources on his younger son so freely and recklessly, symbolizing how free and extravagant God is in His grace towards us, the story really should be renamed.

If you haven’t read the story, I think it’d be a good idea to click here first. What I’m about to say will make a lot more sense.

Those who tell the story tend to focus on the waywardness of the younger son, and those who do miss the real message because (as Tim Keller says)

there are two brothers, each who represent a different way to be alienated from God, and a different way to seek acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The younger son, the one known for doing it all wrong (from our perspective), didn’t want to have anything to do with his Father; only the Father’s “stuff”. He disgraces his Father by demanding his share of the inheritance while the Father was still living, in effect saying, “I’d be better off if you were dead, so let’s just cut to the chase and give me what’s mine.”

The elder son, the one known for doing it all right (from his perspective), didn’t want anything to do with the Father either; only what the Father could do for him. When he heard that his younger brother had returned home, and was not only not turned away, but in fact was celebrated, he disgraces the Father by refusing to go into the party, in effect casting his vote of no-confidence in the Father’s actions.

What I haven’t gotten used to yet, and am really only discovering now, is the amazing tenderness that the Father shows both sons. The Father runs (a major no-no in a 1st century, Patriarchal, Jewish family) to the younger son as he’s returning home, disgracing himself publicly. Then the Father goes out to the elder son, something the party host would never do, again disgracing himself in front of all who were attending the party. Both times he does this, he does so to be with his sons. He puts himself on the line socially, defies the familial etiquette of the day to communicate to his boys how much he loves them. I loved how Jason Denison, one of the Pastors I work with at Journey, explained this last Sunday night at New Format, our ministry to college-aged people:

The Father was willing to be wrong, in order to make things right.

What really impacted me while going through this fantastic read, was how much I related to the elder brother in the story. The elder brother was so focused on how right he was, that he couldn’t see how wrong he was in his attitudes and actions, not just to the Father, but also to his brother. He was so convinced of his moral superiority, that he couldn’t receive the gifts, grace, and most of all, the genuine, loving relationship that his Father was so desperately offering.

By searching the ground for the line that separates right from wrong…or the line that separates right from right-er (that is, more-right), I realize that I miss out on the relationships that God offers me in the form of brothers and sisters that are all on the same journey trying to follow Jesus. By looking up, I have the chance of averting the alternative that every elder brother faces: being right…and alone.

God is right. Can I really compete with that? Can anybody?

My biggest take away from the book was that I want to "care more about being good (oozing the goodness of God), than I care about being right." Honestly, I'm not there yet. But I'm serious about moving that direction. Can you help me?

I LOVE my Wife, Sarah Tolson!

2009-04-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

I thought that today would be a good day to tell you all about my wife, Sarah, and why I love her so much!

I met Sarah in September of 1996 while we were both attending Christian Heritage College. I was immediately attracted to her sense of humor, her carefree attitude, and her friendliness, not to mention how freakin' hot she is (see above pic)! She was the complete opposite of me: serious, driven, and frustrated at life. I wasn’t new to the dating world, especially since I was a football player in high school. I knew how to charm, had a broad vocabulary, and since my goal was to become a Pastor, that gave me my pick of a lot of the ladies who attended CHC. However, for some reason, I was intimidated at the thought of asking Sarah out on a date.

I finally devised a plan to ask her out in early 1997. I convinced my New Testament Survey Professor, Dr. Emert, to let Sarah and I work together on a project. And even though we had the same class at different times, he agreed. That was all I needed! And I was elated when Sarah agreed to work on it with me. This led to other “study meetings”, and within weeks, I knew that Sarah was the “one for me”. In fact, June 5th, 1997, after only three months of dating, I asked Sarah to be my wife, and I couldn’t believe my ears when she actually said “Yes”!

In March of this year, Sarah and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. And though I have enough stories to fill a whole blog devoted to my marriage, let me just say right here and now that I shudder to think about the kind of man I would have actually turned out to be if Sarah didn’t say yes.

My wife has influenced and shaped me in innumerable ways. Her heart for others has helped me to be more gracious and generous with those who are less privileged than we are. Even when we were church planters with no salary, and barely enough food to feed ourselves, it was not uncommon for Sarah to make complete meals for others in our neighborhood worse off than us.

Her sixth sense about others has saved me from getting into precarious situations. Sarah has helped me understand the nature of feelings, and how my natural intensity (especially when it’s unchecked) has the ability to scare others. She has helped me to learn how to be gentle. This has done wonders in how I parent my daughter differently than my son, as opposed to using a “one size fits all” parenting approach.

Sarah has an unlimited capacity for fun. This is especially true when we’re in a crowd of 4 or more. She has helped me to not take myself so seriously, and lighten up (a little). I have a long way to go on this…however, I know that because of my wife, I’m more open to this.

11 years ago, I thought I loved my wife. And I did…based on how little I understood love. 11 years later, I see how little I actually loved her. I’m embarrassed and ashamed at all of the self-serving antics that I’ve put her through and hurt her with. Until recently, I’d not been the kind of husband that God created me to be. And the fact that Sarah continues to show up, day after day, has shown me what true grace really is all about. So far, I haven’t run out of chances in learning how to truly love her. And for that I’m grateful.

She’s my girl. You can’t have her! As the great Theologian Stevie Ray Vaughn sings,

“You mess with her....you’ll see a man get mean! She’s my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy”

I love you, Sarah.

My Thoughts On The Hillsong United Concert

2009-04-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

When I heard that Hillsong United was coming to San Diego, and that my good friend, Becky Phillipson had purchased a block of tickets for Journey, I just knew that I had to surprise my wife with tickets to the concert! So, before I talk a bit about my experience there, I want to say thank you to Becky…I’m so glad that we went!!!

So, here’s a few quick-hit thoughts and perspectives on the Hillsong United Concert at the Rock Church in San Diego:

The Band: The Band was FABULOUS! Every single musician on stage oozed talent. Maybe it’s just because I’m a fellow musician that it was easily visible to me that they brought a certain professionalism to their craft? Maybe I’m not the only one? I just know it was there. I also appreciated their simplicity. None of the guitars were over-effected or over-delayed. The overall sound (which has as much to do with the sound team at the Rock as it does with the worship team) was simple too. I could hear each instrument clearly. That is a hard task to accomplish, both as an engineer & as a musician. I really enjoyed the fact that the team took the time to create different intro’s and transitions between songs for the live event, as opposed to what we normally hear on the CD.

The Vocalists: I was literally humbled at the giftedness & the accompanying humility of Brooke & Joel. Their vocals were flawless; pure. They too have spent time and effort honing their craft. Sometimes it was hard to worship simply because of the amazing production quality coming off the stage! Other than Brooke’s scripture reading, and the introduction to the new song, “Hold Me Now”, they probably talked a little too much between songs for my taste. But then again, I think that “Preachers shouldn’t sing, and singers shouldn’t preach!” Ha! That’s just me though.

The Venue: I’m glad the Rock hosts these kinds of events. The venue seems created for that kind of purpose. What I loved about the inside of the Rock, was their love of art, with out being too artsy. Their Worship Center (IMHO) wasn’t over the top, but pushed the edge. I’m confident we didn’t see half of what that room is capable of.

The Speaker: This part of my blog post took 35 minutes and 4 paragraphs to write. Then after reading it, realized it would be a sin to post. Simply put, I didn’t have a lot of appreciation for this segment of the event.

The Crowd: This had its ups & downs for me. Even though this was my first time seeing Hillsong United, I had seen Hillsong (with Darlene Z.) two times before. The audience types were clearly different, and probably with different expectations. My own personal expectation was to have a corporate worship experience with my church family, with the church-at-large, and a personal time of worship before the LORD. I think you could put a check mark next to all of those objectives. I think, though, that what I saw, and even partly experienced, was what a youth group/college group of 3000 might look like at a church. First, I LOVED hearing all those voices sing! It was sincerely the best choir I’ve ever been a part of. And there’s nothing quite like seeing hands raised in surrender to Jesus.

There’s another side of it though that wasn’t as lovely:

Sometimes I felt as if we were at the Christian “Jonas Brothers” or “Miley Cyrus” concert. I seriously thought we had been transported to the “chapel scene” in Mandy Moore’s movie, “Saved”. I overheard one girl talk to another about this being the “perfect place to find a boyfriend”, and another girl confess, “she could never come to this church without full make-up on. Now, I think that’s all perfectly normal for the median age of the audience, and it’s what I’d expect from the kids I’ve had in youth groups over the years. But for some reason it just felt odd to me.

There was a lot of over-emotionalism in the room. Again, I know that’s my opinion. And we all know how much that’s worth (read with heavy sarcasm)! But I think a lot of people wanted entertainment through participation. In other words, if a person got to go to a concert, sing songs they like, to music they like, and get their whole body into it…I think they’d think that was a good night. If they felt good, than it was a good night. But of course, we all know that worship has nothing to do how we feel. Worship isn’t about us, it’s about God. It’s about telling God how great He is. And we can do that whether we “feel good” or not. I had one guy in front of me, about two rows down…spittin’ image of Bruce Lee, raising his hands in the air with such force, pointing his fingers in the air with such might, jumping up and down so high and so hard, I thought he was going to come out of his skin! He jumped up so high (dudes’ feet was clearing the seat-back in front of him) he almost toppled over the poor girl in the row in front of him several times!

There’s more, but that’s enough for now.

The bottom line is that I really am glad that Sarah and I could go to the Hillsong United concert! It was an honor to sit with friends from Journey, and see old friends from other churches. I’d go again tomorrow, and I can’t wait to buy their new album on May 26^th!

Looks like the Disney Vault has a purpose after all...

2009-04-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

...to keep us from realizing how similar our favorite classic Disney movies truly are. According to this video, Disney only ever made one movie, and they've been tracing it ever since.

My Reaction to the signing of Jay Cutler by the Chicago Bears

2009-04-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

I can’t adequately explain the giddiness of us Bear’s fans here in San Diego, California! The excitement is so tangible. The disgust/jealousy and smack talk of other NFC North fans here has increased exponentially...just the way it should be. And the Chargers fans...well...let’s just say they’re relieved to have Cutler out of the division!

Once again, GM Jerry Angelo has proven his commitment to winning, and doing so smartly! By offloading (what would be) the payment millstone around our necks of two 1st Round Picks, He’s actually saving money for the incredible signings of Jay Cutler & Orlando Pace. Matt Forte must be thrilled that Defenses will no longer automatically stack 9-in-the-box, giving him room to run, because they have to now account for the rocket arm, a.k.a. Jay Cutler.

Even after last season, I contended that the Bear’s have the best overall Defense in the league. Because they were on the field so much last year, which was the cause of so many injuries, let alone sheer exhaustion, they were not able to show it. So, along with the recent bolstering in our Defenses’ secondary as well as our Offensive Line, the Chicago Bear’s are easily 2009 Super Bowl Contenders.

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 6

2009-04-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is the final post in a series of posts about my growth and discovery on how to appropriately understand and apply the Bible today.

Principle #3 for Understanding and Applying the Bible:

Since Scripture is God-breathed, it is absolute in its authority for doctrine and life.

Here are the guidelines for Principle #3:

Every teaching of Scripture is to be received universally, unless the Bible itself limits the audience, either in the context of the passage itself or in other biblical teaching.

- Scripture itself must determine whom God would have believe and obey a given teaching. If the context itself does not make that clear, appeal may be made to other passages. But in the end, external criteria may not be imposed on Scripture to disallow its applicability to contemporary life. The Bible is God's revelation of His will for all mankind; therefore, any teaching of Scripture should be taken as normative for contemporary faith and living unless Scripture itself indicates otherwise.

God desires the response of faith and obedience to both the direct teachings and the principles of Scripture.

- How does one make functional the authority of the Bible in his or her own life and in the life of the church? By allowing the Bible itself to control answers to the following questions:

What did the author mean?
For whom is this teaching intended?
What response does God desire?

If the Bible is to actually function as the true authority in our lives, we must give ourselves to determining precisely what Scripture means, what in Scripture is intended for faith and obedience today, what the generic principles are, and how God intends us to apply His revealed will. When we begin to do that in earnest, and with Sprit-given wisdom and faithfulness, the purpose of divine revelation in our obedience and faith will be more adequately fulfilled and God will be more fully satisfied.

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 5

2009-04-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a series of posts about my growth and discovery on how to appropriately understand and apply the Bible today.

Principle #2 for Understanding and Applying the Bible:

Since Scripture is God-breathed and true in all its parts, the unity of its teaching must be sought, and its supernatural elements recognized and understood.

Here are the guidelines for Principle #2:

Compare Scripture with Scripture for light on each passage, and discover the unity of its teaching.

- The student should compare Scripture with Scripture, allowing the Bible to illuminate itself. We should search for passages dealing with the same event or giving the same teaching, for passages with similar teaching, and for passages with contrasting teaching. We do that to gain insight into the meaning of the passage under study and to be sure that our interpretation is in harmony with the rest of Scripture. This approach is also called "Systematic Theology".

Establish the coherence of revealed truth.

- We may, with confidence, gather together all that Scripture teaches on a subject or all that Scripture reveals of divine truth, and organize it into a coherent whole. We do that by basing our doctrine on:

sound exegesis of each passage
the entire Bible
the Bible alone

Since we hold that the Bible is God-breathed and true in all its parts, when a statement appears to be in error, we are committed to seek an explanation.

- The Bible is from God and thus without error. Therefore, we approach the problems of Scripture in the confidence that there is some solution, and refuse to interpret any passage as if it were in error. Although we do not feel obligated to solved every problem, we do need to seek diligently for solution to problems of alleged discrepancies involving historical records, scientific data, and our understanding of human nature. In seeking those solutions, we use approaches appropriate to each kind of problem. When a possible solution is not forthcoming, we should withhold judgment, awaiting further light on the problem rather than treating the passage as if it were in error. The acceptance of error in the Bible is too high a price to pay for the satisfaction of resolving a problem the easy way by declaring the passage to be mistaken. If error is admitted, authority shifts at the point to the person who decides what is true.

To understand predictive prophecy in Scripture, faithfully observe biblical guidelines.

- The great body of predictive prophecy in Scripture can be understood when reasonable guidelines are followed: begin with the assumption that the prediction is intended as literal; use guidelines for identifying and interpreting the figurative; and be alert to the special time features of possible multiple or split references. Having considered in some detail guidelines that would help in interpreting the large body of prophecy found in Scripture, it is well to return to the original statement of purpose. The primary purpose of unfulfilled prophecy is to condition the way we think and behave today. For that reason, in our interpretations, let us concentrate on discerning what the Holy Spirit originally intended as the response to a particular prophecy. If Christ said that the gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness, and then the end shall come, what profit is there in wrangling over the future sequence of events? Is it not far more profitable to look at the great body of New Testament teaching concerning the proclamation of the gospel, and get on with the job assigned us? The fact that both the living and the dead will participate in the glory of Christ's coming (1st Thess. 4:16-17) is intended to give us great comfort, not to divide us over precise delineation of the sequence of events.

The next post will outline the guidelines for the third and final Principle for Understanding and Applying the Bible.

How a Pastor makes "ends meet" in a tough economy

2009-04-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's no surprise that with the economy in shambles the way it is, that people are getting "creative" in how they make "ends meet" these days.

It's no different for a Pastor. Now, some Pastors I know will speak at a weekend retreat to make some extra money. Others will write a book. However, some of the guys I work with at Journey had another idea. Unfortunately, it's not something I like to talk about. Even more unfortunate, we got caught. My friend "Bub" shot this video of some of the Journey Pastors at the club we work at. I figured I'd post it here in the spirit of full confession, before it gets posted to You Tube.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

...come to think of it...what was Bub doing at the club?

p.s. - no body doubles were used in the making of this video!

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 4

2009-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a series of posts about my growth and discovery on how to appropriately understand and apply the Bible today.

Principle #1 for Understanding and Applying the Bible:

Since the Bible was written by human beings, it must be treated as any other human communication in determining the meaning intended by the writer.

Here are the guidelines for Principle #1:

Base the study on the historical, physical, and cultural setting.

- The student must examine carefully the setting of any Bible passage. They must ask themselves how the passage fits into the flow of historical events, and how geography or other physical features condition the meaning. It must be determined what cultural factors need attention to make sure of the author's intended meaning.

Research each unclear and important word.

- Using the appropriate tools, one must research each unclear and important word by understanding the immediate context a word is used in, finding other occurrences of the word within the book it's found in, other occurrences of the word used by the same author in other books, usage of the word by other authors, understanding the Old Testament root concept of New Testaments words, and how the word was used in non-biblical writings.

Analyze the structure of the basic unit of thought, the sentence.

- To trace the flow of thought in a passage by an author, we must ask basic questions (who, what, when, where, why, how, etc...) and understand the mechanical layout of the sentences in that passage.

Examine the immediate context: the passage as a whole; the book as a whole

- Since context is KING, we should begin with the purpose the author had in mind when he wrote the book. We must allow his purpose, rather than our own, to control the interpretation. Then, to see where the passage fits into the thought flow, we should outline, the book, giving greater attention to the more subtle changes in thought immediately before and after the passage under study. Finally, we must zero in on the immediate context, allowing it to control the interpretation. We do that by refusing to force a meaning on a word, phrase, or unit of thought that violates any plain implication of context.

Identify figurative language, and determine its literal meaning.

- The Bible is full of nonliteral language. Figurative language is very important and valuable for many reasons. But for Scripture to prove valuable in application to our lives, the intent of the author must be determined. We must apply the necessary steps: identify the language as figurative (how to do this will be explained in a later post), identify what the figure is, and then use general guidelines (not listed here) and special guidelines (not listed here) to determine the meaning intended by the author when he chose to speak in "picture language".

Interpret parables strictly according to the special principles required by this type of literature.

(how to do this will be explained in a later post)

Use the parallelism of Hebrew poetry to gain insight into meaning.

- The three basic kinds of parallelism - similar thoughts, additional thoughts, or contrasting thoughts - may be found sided by sided in a single passage. The student of the Bible will benefit by becoming sensitive to the Hebrew idea of poetry: correspondence in thought. We should cultivate a sensitivity to the Hebrew way of thinking, for doing so we will find a helpful source for understanding the Word of God.

The next post will outline the guidelines for Principle #2 for Understanding and Applying the Bible.

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 3

2009-03-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a series of posts about my growth and discovery on how to appropriately understand and apply the Bible today.

So far, we've talked about some basic thoughts regarding how to understand and apply the Bible, events/narratives that were written about between 2000-4000 years ago, in the here and now. We've learned that the Bible is God's Word(s), that it's Authoritative, Trustworthy, and that's it's a supernatural book, written in natural, common language.

We've also talked about four faulty approaches to Understanding & Applying Scripture.

Today I'm going to give some very basic principles to be used when interpreting the Bible in the here and now. Again, this series of posts is heavily influenced by Dr. Robertson McQuilkin's book, "Understanding And Applying The Bible". It's a must have for any serious Bible student.

According to Dr. McQuilkin's book, there are 3 principles for Understanding and Applying the Bible.

Principle #1 - Since the Bible was written by human beings, it must be treated as any other communication in determining the meaning intended by the writer.

Principle #2 - Since Scripture is God-breathed and true in all its parts, the unity of its teachings must be sought, and its supernatural elements recognized and understood.

Principle #3 - Since Scripture is God-breathed, it is absolute in its authority for doctrine and life.

The next post in the series will give step-by-step guidelines (with brief explanations) for Principle #1.

Song I can't get enough of today

2009-03-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Scott's rendition of "What A Friend We Have In Jesus". Go buy it now.

A question I've been wrestling with for a couple of months

2009-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Why do I fight so hard for something I'm not even sure God wants for me?"

On a Saturday night in Newbury Park

2009-03-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

Had a nice time with my friends (and former boss), Dan & Shirley Miller, up here in Newbury Park.

I really should be trying to sleep, but I've got things on my mind. Tomorrow (Sunday) I preach at Life Spring Community Church, where I used to be on staff several years ago. I feel over-prepared and under-qualified to preach on Ephesians 5:22-6:3. It's a controversial passage, not because it's hard to understand, but because it's hard to do. Basically, the message is, "Don't do what I've done for most of my marriage, and you'll be fine". :)

Anyways, I'm in a moment where I'm all too aware of how much God needs to show up on my behalf...if this message is to go over well at all. I'd love it if you took a moment to pray for me, if you think of it on Sunday morning.

Thanks!

My Best Church Experience This Weekend..."A Twist"

2009-03-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Pastor's at JCC got away for a day and a night to share with each other the ideas and plans we have for our ministries at Journey this year. I had the pleasure of rooming with Brian Berry, JCC's' Student Ministries Pastor. Fortunately, he didn't snore too much. Unfortunately for him, I did.

Anyhow, I was sharing with him the story about my visit with the Philippino man who was was simultaneously visited by three of the deacons at his church. You can read about that here. Come to find out (after doing a little digging), the church that this man attends might be what we consider a "cult".

Does that change your opinion about my experience with him that day?

My Best Church Experience This Weekend...

2009-03-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

...wasn't even in a church.

I've been working in the "church world" for 13 years. I'm fortunate enough to be full-time staff, and that allows for me to provide for my wife of 11 years, and our two children. However, I also "moonlight" for my Dad, who owns/operates a computer build & repair business in East County San Diego. Most of my Dad's clients are retired, disabled Veterans, who are going back to school, so the Government provides them a computer to that with.

Today, I delivered three computers. One of them was to a Middle Aged Philippino man in Spring Valley. I wrapped up my first appointment quicker than I thought I would, and I ended up at his house about 10 minutes early. As I drove up to his house, I noticed that three very nicely dressed people (2 men/1 woman) were walking up to his porch. My first thought was, "great the JW's got here before I could. Now I'm gonna have to wait". When I walked up to his porch, the front door was open, and he greeted me at his door, and invited me in. He told me that I could begin setting up, but the four of them were about to pray. Now, not knowing to whom or what they were praying to, I offered to come back later, and the lady inside said they'd only need three minutes.

So, I went back to my truck to get the computer parts I needed. The three folks who had beaten me to the punch, got in their car and left. As I began to set up the computer, I said to him, "...friends of yours?" "Yes", he replied. "They are deacons at my church, and they just came over to pray for me".

Thinking maybe something was wrong, and that's why they'd come over, I asked, "Do they come over often?"

I was BLOWN AWAY by his response:

"...no, not really. Only once a week."

ONCE A WEEK!

Then I thought that maybe he went to a church of 25-40 people, which is why the deacons could visit the 8-10 families in their church that often. So I said, "...alot of people go to your church?" "Yes! No matter how early I get to church, I can rarely get a seat. Most of the time we have to stand, because there is no room - which is funny, because the seating capacity is 400, and we have 4 services on the weekend, and 2 services during the week!"

Then I added, "Those deacons must really like you, to visit you as much as they do."

Again, his response was pretty interesting: "Yeah, maybe. I know that there are a lot of deacons in our church, and everyone in my church gets a visit every week. But it's the same three that visit me. They've been coming to my house for a long time."

So...how does that strike you? What does that mean for "the Church" today? Should it mean anything? Would you want three deacons at your house for 3-5 minutes once a week...every week? Let's talk about this.

Join Me In Making Moving History!

2009-03-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 11th at 6p.m. The Tolson Family is moving from Rancho San Diego, to La Mesa. It is my intention to make the Guiness Book of World Records for the fastest move in history!

So, join my team and be a history maker! The only prerequisites you need to be able to fulfill is:
1. Must be able to walk and chew gum...well, just be able to walk up and down a flight of stairs.
2. Can lift a few pounds.
3. Do what you're told.

For you, there will be:
1. No Packing.
2. No Waiting/Standing Around

This will be a quick in-n-out. Depending on how many people accept this challenge, I will be creating teams to move specific rooms in the house. For example, there would be a Living Room Team, a Hannah's Bedroom Team, a Master Bedroom Team. I may even create a Todd's Underwear Drawer Team! J/K!

Therefore, Hannah's Bedroom Team would ONLY be responsible for moving Hannah's Bedroom stuff from our Apt. in RSD, down to the Uhaul, and from the Uhaul into Hannah's Bedroom in La Mesa. Then you'd be done.

So, join with me and make moving history!!!

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 2

2009-03-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

This is a part of a series of posts about my growth and discovery on how to appropriately understand and apply the Bible today.

Here's the premise for today, regarding the Bible:

"The Bible, though inspired by God, is to be accepted as straightforward, human communication to be taken in its natural sense."

So, before I give some basic principles for "How To Understand & Apply The Bible" (my next post in this series), here are four faulty approaches people take that often distort or misapply the truth of Scripture (paraphrased from this book):

The Naturalistic Approach - limits the meaning and significance of Scripture to those elements that conform to natural processes and human insight. The possibility of divine authorship and supernatural events are ruled out from the start.

The Supernaturalistic Approach - interprets all Scripture from a supernatural point of view. The interpreter's task, consequently, is to seek several meanings or hidden meanings, which are to be uncovered through intuition and spiritual experience. The "natural" meaning of the text is downgraded or totally ignored.

The Existential Approach - attempts to combine the first two. It accepts the naturalistic approach, yet goes beyond it by locating the truth of Scripture in the encounter between the interpreter's response and the witness of the biblical author to a similar religious experience.

The Dogmatic Approach - All specific interpretation is made to conform to a predetermined system of doctrine or external authority. This approach often is used by those who advocate one of the first three approaches. In addition, some believers, with otherwise sound approaches, may err in dogmatically setting aside the plain meaning of the text to make it conform to a system of doctrine, some human authority, or even a personal experience.

Obviously, these approaches to understanding Scripture differ so basically that the meaning one finds in Scripture will be radically different. And because the Bible, though inspired by God, is to be accepted as straightforward, human communication in its most natural sense, my next post in this series will give some basic guidelines for how to understand and apply Biblical truth...appropriately.

My New Favorite Place

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

In his most recent book, Rob Bell implies that in the book of Genesis, the further East people went geographically from the Garden of Eden, the further away they got from God's ideal for their life.

I don't know if that's really true or not. However, I do know that on the second Monday/Tuesday of the month, when I jump on Interstate 8, the further East I go, the closer I feel to God. Especially when I see this:

15+ miles from Ocotillo is this little marker sign that says I'll be at my own personal "shack" (haha - how lame of me) where I will meet with God for two days. A very generous family at Journey has made their desert home available to me, so that I can practice some spiritual disciplines like Solitude, Silence, Worship & others. I've only been twice now, but I already know this time with God is something I NEED. I was just there on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and received a few strong promptings on actions I needed to take, two of which I've already had the opportunity to do. That's the deal with God: He'll talk to you, but you've got to do what He says!

My next time at the desert house will be the day after Easter. I'm already looking forward to it!

Here are a few sites I get to see while I'm heading EAST.

A Promise Kept

2009-03-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I was encouraged to read a book by my two friends, Adrian Despres and Jeremy Kingsley, called, "A Promise Kept". It's the true story of J. Robertson McQuilkin, and his wife of 53 years, Muriel.

Robertson, the man who wrote the book I referred to in a recent post, "Understanding and Applying the Bible", is a world renowned New Testament Scholar, and is President Emeritus of Columbia International University. He was on staff as the President from 1968-1990. He suddenly resigned when his wife, Muriel, was diagnosed with an advancing case of Alzheimer's Disease. This move brought the surprise and even scorn from other Christian leaders. "How could you even think of resigning from the Presidency of CIU to stay at home with your wife?", they would say. Here was his response to the CIU student body on the day of his resignation:

I remember hearing stories about how Dr. McQuilkin, while in his eighties, would do arm curls with dumbells, and would walk nightly, just so he could stay healthy enough to outlive his wife...which he did. Muriel went home to be with the Lord 6 years ago.

Dr. McQuilkin is a man worth looking up to...not only for his hermeneutical genius, but because he lived out what he learned and taught. I personally have a lot to learn from him.

How To Understand & Apply The Bible - Pt. 1

2009-03-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

So...recently I remarked on my blog that I'm struggling with the Bible. It's not that I don't believe what it says...I do. I do struggle, though, with how two people can read a simple passage from the Bible, and come away with two different understandings of what was just read. Of course, that's just a simple passage. What about the more difficult ones?

I've been asked to preach a message (at a church I used to work at) that I'm not excited about preaching. Why? Because it's one of those passages in Scripture that is not popular, seemingly difficult to interpret, and even more difficult to follow. It would definitely fall into the two people reading it and walking away with two different understandings. Now, I've decided to "man-up", not complain about it, and just "do it". I'm not going to complain about my assignment. And, I'm going to either post my notes or the .mp3 of the message I preach. But before I do any of that, I'm going to post the process I go through when trying to "Understand & Apply The Bible" (a.k.a. - hermeneutics). I've received a lot of help from Robertson McQuilkin's book, "Understanding And Applying The Bible". Dr. McQuilkin is the former President of Columbia International University, in Columbia, South Carolina. I'll write more on him, and his special story in subsequent posts. Much of what follows is either directly quoted, or loosely paraphrased from his book. So, while the following ideas/concepts are not my own, they are ones that I've taken complete ownership of.

This is where we start: The oft-quoted 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Here's a couple of quick-hit thoughts on those two verses:

The Bible is God's Word(s). The basic belief (re: the Bible) that differentiates believers from unbelievers is that the Bible is God's revealing of Himself and of His will for humans. And although Christians agree with this basic statement, its implication is viewed in very different ways. Hence, the reading the same passage, and getting two different meanings. But, if the Bible is to be accepted in any sense as communication from God, maybe we should see if the Bible itself tells us what approach we should take in trying to understand its meaning?

The Bible is Authoritative. Since God is the Author, the Bible is authoritative. It is absolute in its authority for human thought and behavior. This is why "As the Scripture has said" is a recurring theme through out the New Testament. This is why the New Testament contains more than two hundred direct quotes from the Old Testament. For Jesus and the Apostles, to quote the Bible was to settle an issue.

The Bible is Trustworthy. Since God is the Author, ALL of the Bible is completely trustworthy. Because of its Divine Authorship, nowhere does Jesus Christ or any of the New Testament writers leave room for error. New Testament authors quoted from every section of the Old Testament, and from almost every OT book.

The Bible is both supernatural & natural. While the NT treats the OT as a supernatural book, it does not do so exclusively. It also treats it as a human communication, using language in its common sense. The Apostle Peter clearly states,

"Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" - 2nd Peter 1:21

That's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll post on some faulty approaches people use to try and understand Scripture.

My Review of YS ONE DAY 2009

2009-03-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

In a recent post, I referenced that I had something brewing inside of me...something I'm struggling to work through. I said that I would eventually post on it, but that I had to work up to it. Believe it or not, my review of YS ONEDAY 2009 is one of those intermediate posts.

Actually this is a great start that will lead up to "THE POST" (I've titled it as such, because I'm lame and don't have anything better to call it yet). What I'm struggling with actually centers around the 2009 theme for YS ONEDAY, The Bible.

YS ONDAY, is a one-day seminar for men & women involved in Youth Ministry. I've been to a few of these over the years (it used to be known as The Core), and in the past they've dealt with issues like leading a small group, trends in youth ministry, etc... Every time I've attended any YS event, I've always left encouraged, and inspired to "stay in it for the long haul".

This year's (very relevant) theme is "The Bible: Bring It On!"

Let me just say, I'm so glad I went! I'll admit, I had a few pre-conceived notions about what it would be like, but as usual, my pre-conceptions were way out in left field, compared to what it was really like. I thought YS did a great job with honoring some of the old but rich traditions of Scripture reading, like standing while Scripture was being read, breathing new life into old phrases like "This is the Word of the LORD...(and the audience responds) Thanks be to God". We even had some good "read & response".

Megan Hutchinson was our site speaker this year. She was a riot! I've known her for a couple of years (though that days was the first time we'd met face-to-face), because at my last church we started teaching through a curriculum she helped write called, "Life Hurts, God Heals". YS contracts several speakers across the country to speak in a few cities each, all presenting the same one-day seminar across the country. Journey's own Brian Berry is one of the presenters this year!

Our Presenter was funny, witty, sincere, and did a great job leading all of us through the day. The multi-media (as usual for YS) was cool and edgy, the videos were hilarious, and the print material was good too. That last point is particularly funny to me because 2/3 of the event text book were paid advertisements for other events/resources. I guess it just costs that much to put on these types of gatherings.

Megan (Megan was teaching through a YS written script - I can't assume what she would/wouldn't agree with herself) led us through various teachings and experiences that reminded us that God's Word, the Bible, is more than just words on pages.

One thing I found very interesting about my time at YS ONE DAY was the teaching method YS seemed to promote. Now to be fair, this method, known as the Chronological Bible Storying Method, wasn't promoted as the "best teaching method", or promoted as the "teaching method above all the rest". In fact, it wasn't even promoted as a "teaching" method at all. It's simply a way to expose students (or anyone else for that matter) to chronological portions of Scripture so that they can understand the "Story" (not stories) of the Bible. It was originally created to share the Gospel to pre-literate cultures. And here in the 21st century...a post-literate culture, a biblically illiterate culture, CBS seems to be a good way to introduce students to the Bible in a meditative, reflective fashion. That said, it doesn't do anything to help them understand how to view or read Scripture critically, or understand and apply its truth (in fact, we were told we "apply" too much!). Then again, I honestly don't know how important that is to my friends at YS, or if that was at all a goal for the day long conference. That's not a crack as much as it is a question.

One other quick note regarding CBS: Brian Berry, remarked to the crowd that the guy who was responsible for writing this method into the YS ONEDAY curriculum, was recently fired from his church after refusing to use a more conventional teaching method with his students, and that we who were in attendance ought to use caution when introducing it to our students.

Well, all in all, it was a great experience. I am grateful to be at a church that cares about the men and women who serve students. I am also grateful for YS, who has been serving these men and women for the better part of 40 years.

I think it's funny...

2009-03-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

...no comments on my last post.

From One Of My Favorite Pastors...

2009-02-27T22:55:00.000-08:00

...just cause I'm in the mood...

How Sharp the Edge?: Christ, Controversy and Cutting Words by Mark Driscoll. from Jared Duba on Vimeo.

Breathing Some Life Into My Blog

2009-02-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

First, I know I’ve been super lame.com when it comes to keeping up with my blog recently. I could give you excuses about being tired, or sick with the flu, or even busy…but I’ll spare you the gag-fest. Simply, I haven’t had anything worth saying.

And even that’s a lie.

I actually have something brewing on the inside of me. It’s been brewing for a while. However, I also have a natural, but serious lack of impulse control. Believe me, there’s a bunch of stuff that’s happened recently that I think is stupid…and while that might make for an entertaining (OMG – I can’t believe he just said that!) blog, it doesn’t make for a nice one. Even the novel shock-jock stuff gets boring after awhile.

Anyways, I do have something to share. But I’m not ready to share it. It’s not fully thought out. Normally that wouldn’t stop me from sharing. In fact, I think that’s one of the fun things about blogging. I get to throw some half-formed thoughts onto the wall of cyber-space, and you all help me figure it out. This time, however, I’ve got to work on this a little more under-the-radar first.

So what this means is, I’m going to build up to it. I actually have some dead lines I’m up against, so I imagine this particular blog post I’m referencing will come up soon. But there’s probably 4-6 posts that will act as a buffer in-between, so that it won’t be a complete and total shocker when I present “THE POST”.

It’ll start tomorrow…so stay tuned.

I HATE the Flu! (WARNING - Gross Material)

2009-02-09T14:01:00.000-08:00

It's been going around...

...first it was my son, T3. Sarah happened to be out, leading her college girls' small group when he got sick. I felt very proud as I went into the bathroom, mop in hand, proverbially patting myself on the back for going above and beyond the normal daddy duty, while sanitizing the room he just finished soiling.

Later that night, Sarah came home, sick too. I did the best I could taking care of her, taking care of Todd. This all on Thursday night.

Hannah seemed to be doing o.k. - a little more tired than normal. But she (as far as I know) hasn't thrown up yet.

I thought I had it beat. Sarah and Todd were feeling better, getting their energy back. I sailed through unscathed!

And then Sunday came. I was supposed to close out the services this weekend. I successfully did so on Friday and Sunday morning first service. But then all of a sudden my tummy wasn't feelin' so hot. I barely made it back to the staff bathroom before I lost it! I, and the rest of the programming team thought it best for me to just go home, and not worry about closing out the third service!

I hate the Flu!
Because of the FLU (mine or others):

I missed out on congratulating a friend for a major triumph on Saturday night.
I fell short of completing my weekend responsibilities.
I didn't get to help man the booths for our new discipleship classes
A young man sent me a message (someone I've been wanting to connect with for months) saying he wanted to get together at New Format (which I had to miss too), and I had to say no.
I'm missing my monthly time out in the desert.

I hate the Flu!
BONUS MATERIAL: (if you don't like gross stuff that would make your average Middle School students laugh his brains out, feel free to consider this post over.)

FACT: I'm the most violent vomiter I know. Seriously, I'm an angry, aggressive vomiter. I don't know when this began in my life. I don't remember this being an issue for me as a kid. But my whole body gets into it! And of course, when it's over, my whole body feels like it's been run over. Also, in the past when I've had the flu, throwing up once or twice would be the max for me. Not so this time. It was several more this time. So, now my body doesn't just FEEL like I've been run over...it LOOKS it too!

I took the following picture this morning (If you're eating something, now would be a good time to stop).

I've broken what looks to be a couple hundred capillaries in my face, and a blood vessel in my left eye. If you look carefully enough, you can see I gave myself a black eye too. No, I didn't hit myself with anything.

So, I'm gonna have to end this post here. It took what little energy I had to type it, with several breather's in between. You can't say community hasn't cost me anything! :)

On Blogging...

2009-02-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

…I hate it when I get into a blogging “slump”. It’s not that I don’t anything to say…I’m just not sure that I have anything worthwhile to say right now. So, I’m not intentionally neglecting my blogging, I just don’t want to be the guy that blogs for blogging’s sake.

I do have some thoughts I’d like to share, maybe a list of random thoughts. This list isn’t exactly like the viral “25 Random Things About Me” that’s running all over Facebook. Maybe it’s more of a list of things I think I think?

We’ll see if I can come up with anything worth posting soon… thanks for your patience.

Todd

Highlights From A Great Weekend

2009-01-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

Some Highlights From A Great Weekend:

I love our Church. So I’m always blessed when I have the opportunity to host our weekend services. Before each service, I try to intentionally shake hands with people who are in their seats, waiting for the service to start. I thank them for spending some time with us on their weekend. Then, when the first few songs of worship are done, I get to lead our church through a series of announcements. It really is important to me that our guests visit the “Guest Services Counter” to get their gift. It really is important to me that our Church take a few moments to “read their program”. It’s just a cool experience all together, and I appreciate every chance I have to lead our Church in some way.
Jason did a fantastic job leading our Church in worship. It’s just so nice to have the Denison family home again. I also enjoyed seeing Emily Benitez lead on some of the songs too.
After the announcements…I had to run over to Encounter, Journey’s ministry to High School students to teach. Brian Berry and Shannon, his wife, have been in Uganda (along with Jim & Heather Hammond), to adopt their new additions to the Berry Tribe, Becky & Billy. So I had the pleasure of talking to High School students about “We” kind of friendships, as opposed to “Me” kind of friendships…that we need to cross a relational bridge from immaturity to maturity in how we see each of our relationships. It was a cool time.
Speaking of the Berry’s…Brian and I talked before he left about how fun it would be if we could surprise his youth group with a little “Video Chat” via Skype. So, unbeknownst to anybody, right before I got up to speak, my laptop (plugged into the sound system & projector) started ringing like a phone. And with only a couple of mouse clicks, there were Brian, Shannon, Billy & Becky up on the big screens in living color…9,000 miles away!!! It was a holy, touching moment for all that were in the room!
After I finished teaching, I had to SPRINT from the High School room (on one side of the JCC campus) into the Worship Center (on the other side), so that I could close out the service and dismiss our Church. I thought for sure I was late coming back during First Service, but shock of all shocks, Ed, who’s never at a loss for words, was still preaching (Whew!)! I thought my Dad (also named Todd) had a cool take on one part of Ed’s message. You can read it here.
Finally, no Sunday is complete with out my weekly visit to New Format, JCC’s ministry to College-Aged, young adults. Sarah Merk, our College Director did an awesome job teaching on “Love Completely”, wrapping up a 4-week series on “One Month To Live”. I especially loved her point on seeing people the way that God does, but we can only do that through “Love-Healed Eyes”.

Weekends like this remind me how much I love my Church!

The New, New Years

2009-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

So, here it is, January 15th. We're a little more than two weeks into the New Year, and I have great optimism for what this year is going to bring. There's just one thing:

My New Year isn't for another 17 days.

That's right, New Year's Day for me will happen on February 1st, 2009. No, I'm not trying to change everyone's calendar. I'm not openly rebelling our very wise Roman Senate forefathers who originally made January 1st the New, New Year (previously the New Year began on March 15th). The fact is, I simply wasn't ready for the New Year to begin when it did. So instead of succumbing to the pressure of setting goals for the New Year in a matter of days, I decided to cut myself some slack and push New Year's Day up one month!

So far, it's been a good decision. I wanted to spend a chunk of time, alone with God. I wanted to hear from Him what He wanted me to focus on in the coming year. In fact, I just got back from my first desert retreat (more on that in an upcoming post). And I'm happy with what I came back with.

So don't be surprise if you see me with balloons, whistles & Martinelli's on January 31st. I'm going to ring the New, New Year in style!

50 Kids Happy To Get A Wii

2009-01-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

From Seth Godin's Blog today:
Scarcity plus Christmas plus social pressure plus greed plus kids = critical mass.

50 kids happy to get a Nintendo Wii for Christmas - watch more gamer videos

The most poignant moment comes just after 3:00 when a young boy totally loses it.

This is totally disgusting.

God, We Need A New Year - pt. 4 "Not Everybody Likes Me!"

2009-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

I love every opportunity I get to teach! And most of the time I think I’m pretty good at it. I lay an egg every now and then, but again, most of the time it’s a good thing.

Whether I’m hanging out with High Schooler’s, folks from New Format (JCC’s College-aged Ministry), or in the Main Service, I’m regularly complimented on things like style, or content or delivery. The compliments always feel good (as does the constructive feedback), and the genuine comments remind me that I’m truly doing what God has wired me up to do!

Here are a few of the comments from 12/28 (I’ll explain why I’m posting these in a minute):

“I had to leave right after the service on Sunday; otherwise I would have stopped by to personally tell you the sermon on Sunday was wonderful. You did a great job … Thank you for helping me close out the year.”

“Just wanted you to know that it was a privilege to attend the
National Speaking Day for Associate Pastors. You shared some
important thoughts about the New Year and I thank you for that.”

“Very nice job yesterday. I think the element that will stick with me on my journey is the part about failed resolutions and instead practicing His intentions, instead of my (oft silly) resolutions.”

“Great job!!! Love the football analogies!!” (this from a girl!)

Now, comments like these whether they are from emails, texts, or messages on Facebook or Twitter are pretty common for me. And I’m grateful for them all. I’m sure there’s a lot of folks who could take me or leave me, and that’s fine. But not once in 13 years have I ever been told that I did a bad job.

Except for last Sunday.

These comments were anonymously left on communication cards on 12/28:

“Is there any way we could have a service without a football reference? It’s really boring.”

“Can we please have one Sunday with out a sports reference? Todd skipped the whole last part on the outline to explain a pointless football reference. What’s more important, football or God’s Word?”

“The Preacher was doing fine until he started to wrap up his message with the illustration of the football play – and then he lost me (Yes, I got up and walked out).

…and my favorite…

“Today’s message was at a 5th or 6th grade level. You lose credibility when there is such a significant drop-off from Ed. You might have to spend some money to get a more seasoned speaker when Ed is gone…I’m embarrassed for us. Worship was great.”

Ouch!

So here’s a couple of quick-hit thoughts on these comments.

First, I think that the people who left these “negative” comments are just as genuine as their “positive” counter-parts. Therefore, they deserve a hearing. I think it would be a waste to discard their (un-signed) notes, simply because I do not like what they have to say. That doesn’t mean I will ultimately agree with what they have to say. But they should get a hearing.

Second, I must practice what I preach. Seriously, folks, this hurt. It took me a whole day to work through my feelings, just so I could look at this a little rationally. I read these comments and my first response was fear. Fear that others would agree with their assessment of me, of my teaching. Fear that I would never have this kind of opportunity again. But I got over that (mostly) and started to work through it. I have to take myself through "The Golden Triangle".

First, what's my problem? After spending a significant period of time on this, I realized that my problem really wasn't that I thought people didn't like my teaching (Honestly, I don't expect people to like everything I have to say). My problem was that I thought that people didn't like ME. And that's a problem for me. I like to be liked. I work hard to get people to like me. I want to be thought of as good looking, funny, charming, spiritually mature, a good communicator, and very likable. These notes threatened that.

Second, I needed to "interact with God's Spirit, in and around me". I asked, "o.k. God, what are you doing here? What do you want me to get from this? I was reminded that God likes me just fine. Ultimately, that's what should matter most to me. I need to spend more time basking in that fact, so that I won't work so hard for the approval of others. I even remember laughing out loud in the car when I realized (again) how self-absorbed I am! That's o.k. - God has another wave for me (see post previous to this for that comment to make sense).

Finally, what "Spiritual Practices" can I employ that will help realign my wants, desires, hopes, etc...with God's wants, desires, hopes for me? Fortunately, some good friends have made their desert home available to me in the middle of January. And while solitude is a good practice itself, I'm hoping that God and I can dialogue some about some specific habits that will battle against my fleshly desires for my own likability.

I'd like to post some more on this, but this is already a mile long. Please use caution in your comments. Posting on this is risky for two reasons: 1. Can look like a pity plea - it's not. 2. Can make me look more Spiritual/Humble than I really am - I'm not.

God, We Need A New Year - pt. 3 "Interacting With God's Spirit"

2009-01-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

John 7:37-39 (NIV)

In continuing our conversation on what it means in "Interact With God's Spirit In And Around Me", the following is from a message by John Ortberg:

"I want to use another aquatic analogy. This is written by Rick Warren in one of his books. It involves surfing. “Last year I surfed for the first time in my life. I’m 44 years old, and I went surfing for the first time last year. I took a class with my son. They do surfing classes and they teach you all the basics, like how to choose the right equipment. Good surfers use a very small, light board. They gave me one the size of a barge just in the hopes that it would help me stand up.

“They teach you how to jump to your feet on the board. They teach you how to recognize a rideable wave. Most importantly, they teach you how not to die when you’re doing this. One thing they never covered in this class, they never teach you how to make a wave. Because whose job is it to make a wave? It’s God’s job.

“It’s God’s job to make a wave. It’s my job to just ride it, not make it. I don’t have that kind of power. If you’ve ever watched somebody surf whose really good, it looks pretty easy. It’s not. It takes discernment. It takes practice. It takes balance. You’re not passive when you’re surfing, not by a long shot. But you don’t have to make the wave. When you botch it up, when you fall off, when you misread it, when you wipe out, which you do a lot of especially when you’re learning.

“If you botch it, the good news is that when you miss one wave, when you fall off, when you wipe out, there’s another one coming right behind it. They just keep coming. The waves just keep coming. God just keeps sending them. He’s like a wave machine and the word for that is ‘grace.’ When you mess one up there’s another one coming right behind it and then another one right after that, and you just get back on the board.”

I was thinking this week there is a single command that the Apostle Paul gives. I was thinking if you could learn to keep this one command, just this one, if you could just learn to master this one command, you could pretty much live Jesus’ life, this life he lived that he describes. It’s from 1 Thessalonians 5:19, “Don’t quench the Spirit.” Remember that one. You see, the Spirit is already at work in you. Jesus says if you’ve come to him, if you’re a follower of his, the Spirit is there. A lot of times we don’t recognize it. A lot of times we think, “No, maybe he’s there with somebody who’s famous or somebody who really counts like Billy Graham or something like that.” No, no, no Jesus says the Spirit is already there and he’s bigger than you, and he’s stronger than you, and he’s more patient with your failures and your gaps and your inadequacies and your pretending. He’s more patient about that stuff than you are, and he’s committed to helping you 24/7.

So Paul says, in a sense, your only job is just don’t get in his way. Just don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t grieve the Spirit. A lot of Paul’s teachings use this kind of language. It’s like this: We’re either doing things that are opening ourselves up to the Spirit’s influence in our lives, and Paul talks about this in terms of “walk in the Spirit” or “keep in step with the Spirit” or “sow to the Spirit.” Or we do things that close ourselves off to the Spirit. Paul talks about this in terms like, “don’t quench the Spirit,” “don’t grieve the Spirit

What are the things that I tend to do that close me off to the Spirit that quench the Spirit, grieve the Spirit? What are the things that I do that open me up to the Spirit, help me walk in the Spirit, sow to the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit? What can I really expect if I’m in the flow? What can I really expect in my job, in my neighborhood, when I’m in the car, when I’m with my family or roommates, people that I live with, when I’m at school, when I’m taking classes? When I’ve got problems? What can I expect?"

What Was She Thinking???

2008-12-31T09:51:00.001-08:00

...when she agreed to marry me almost 11 years ago?

Last Sunday of 2008 & the Weekend That Was

2008-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Jason was in Norway.

Rod was in Hawaii.

Ed preached 6 times in 4 days for Christmas.

So I had the honor of preaching in our Main Services at Journey last weekend. The podcast is here.

Christina Robertson, JCC's Middle School Director (and my friend) hosted our two Sunday services (we skipped out on Friday, the day after Christmas), and Paige Carlson and her friend, A.J. led worship. It was a great blend of the 1980's, 1990's & the 19th Century (I never thought I'd hear a Twila Paris song in Church again!)

God, We Need A New Year - pt. 2 "Interacting With God's Spirit"

2008-12-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

So here’s the sitch (short for situation – from Kim Possible):

You’ve got issues.

Yeah baby, and not just one! You’ve got more issues than the N.Y. Times! Worse, you don’t even know them all. And you know what? So do I. These issues collectively can be referred to as “The Human Condition”.

Somehow, when Adam and Eve bit into that forbidden fruit, their physical & spiritual DNA changed. God had created them to live forever, but because of their disobedience, they were doomed to die. From then on every human being lives in a body that doesn’t quite work the way it’s supposed to. Because of original sin (and our own personal sin) people often mean well, but end up doing the wrong thing. Or, people want to do right, or do right more often, but find themselves incapable of doing so. Because of sin, people feel pain, experience emotional trauma, are overwhelmed with sickness, and eventually die (Romans 7:14-25).

More than that, the close relationship that God created Adam and Eve for was no longer readily available to the rest us. Sin became the great divide, the separator between God and humankind. The Good News, or, the Gospel is that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to earth, lived a sinless life, died a merciless death so that our relationship with God could be restored, and that we could experience life (real life) by the continual power & presence of God!

There’s just one problem. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has justified us from the inside. Not the outside. This earthsuit we live in, our flesh has a will of its own. It’s desires are insatiable. As Ed says, “Our want-er is broken”. Our bodies don’t know how to say “enough”. And this looks different for everyone. Some people’s bodies (I'm including the mind with the body for now) have an insatiable desire for alcohol, some for food, some for sex. Some people’s bodies/minds have an overwhelming desire for approval or to feel needed or loved. Just as a toddler has no rational means for communicating its hunger, our flesh SCREAMS at us for its demands to be met. By ourselves, without the redemption of Christ in our life, can cause a person to seek unhealthy (let alone unholy) means for meeting those demands.

This sets up the Apostle Paul’s words to the Church at Galatia:

“I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.”
Galatians 5:16-17 (NLT)

"...your choices are NEVER free from this conflict."

As Paul explains in Galatians 5, as well as Romans 7, Sin is the Master, and we are its Slave. But when we surrender the leadership of our life over to Jesus, we are no longer obligated to meet its demands.

So what exactly does this mean for us? What does this have to do with “Interacting with God’s Spirit in and around us?

What’s your natural response when some one cuts in front of you on the freeway? What about when you’re in a hurry and you go to the express lane to check out, and you get behind a person who clearly has more than the allowed 15 items in their cart? What’s your natural thought response to that person? Or what about when you believe someone doesn’t like you at work, or when you hear that someone has spoken unkindly of you behind your back?

I believe that before we can interact with God’s Spirit in these situations, we must be really self-aware of our own natural responses to these kinds of every-day problems, and our natural responses to them. Only then can we submit them to God’s Spirit, and be open to His response to us.

More on this tomorrow.

God, We Need A New Year - an explanation

2008-12-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Putting a message for a weekend service is such a strange process. There are all kinds of things you must take into consideration:

What message does God want conveyed to His Church?
Who is likely to be in the room (based on the weekend – out of town guests? Mostly regulars? How will sporting or other types of events affect who shows up?)?
What is the Spiritual maturity level of the people in the room?
How should I say what needs to be said (content vs. anecdote, funny vs. serious, sad w/o manipulating people’s feelings)?

There’s more, but that’s not why you came to my blog today.

I had been working on this particular message for a couple of weeks. Based on many conversations I had with folks from JCC, I thought that a reminder that God’s purpose for our lives (to be like Jesus) was appropriate, and timely with the New Year at hand. I’ve also been reading “The Great Omission”, by Dallas Willard. This is where I got the Golden Triangle from.

To be most efficient, I’d like to only have spent 5 minutes teaching on all three sides of the triangle. My message would have been much shorter! : ) However, (again based on previous conversations w/JCC folks) I thought it important to spend some time discussing the Theology of problems/struggles/pain. I won’t go into that here and now, because I spent so much time on it last weekend. I will save it for a last post.

I’ll spend the next couple of days (starting today) discussing what it means to “Interact with God’s Spirit in and around us”, and “Spiritual Disciplines”.

Thanks for stopping by.

God, We Need A New Year - pt. 1

2008-12-29T23:39:00.000-08:00

…as promised…here’s the first part in a series based on my message from the “last Sunday of 2008”, “God, We Need A New Year”.

I’m going to use this first post as a recap from Sunday’s message. The gist of it is this:

We’ve crammed a lot of life’s events into 12 short months. We need a New Year! And it’s important for us to decide right now what kind of year we want 2009 to be, because in just a few days it will be 2009!

But before we go make some (read: another) silly New Year’s Resolution about some surface-y thing we’d like to see change in our life, we must remember that God has a resolution for us that trumps ALL OTHER resolutions, “To Become Just Like Jesus”.

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” – Romans 8:29

From before time began as we understand it, God chose you to be a part of His family. He didn’t have to do this, but He want(s)(ed) to. Romans 8:12-17 explains that we are lost in our sins until God saves us by adopting us into His family. From that point on, He points to Jesus, His Son, as the perfect example we are to follow in how to live a God-centered, Kingdom-minded life.

This kind of transformation (lost in sin -to- living like Jesus) doesn’t come naturally. God uses every moment of our life as an opportunity for real and lasting change. This is why a voluntary apprenticeship to Jesus is the single greatest opportunity to humankind. Jesus uses every moment as well as every life situation we find ourselves in to teach us how to live in such a way that the Kingdom of God explodes into existence all around us, simultaneously fulfilling the world’s deepest longings.

God uses many tools to shape us and our change over time. Dallas Willard calls this the “Golden Triangle of Spiritual Transformation”.

On one side is our “faithful acceptance of every-day problems”. This is where we see our problems as an opportunity for faith to grow in endurance, which leads to a stronger character, which leads to a deeper hope because of God’s faithfulness to us (Romans 5:3-5)

The next side of the triangle is “interaction with God’s Spirit, in AND around us”. Instead of blindly reacting out of fear or anger when a problem arises, we must learn to stop. We stop and ask God questions like, “What are You doing in this situation? What are you doing in the person who I’m dealing with? What are you trying to do in my heart right now? How would Jesus have me respond in this moment, if He’d have me respond at all?”

Finally, the third side of the triangle is “Spiritual Disciplines”. After identifying what the real problem is, and interacting with God, listening to His voice, there are corresponding disciplines, or fundamental “practices” necessary to help us grow in our areas of weakness. Dallas Willard has defined these practices as “Disciplines of Engagement or Abstinence”. More on this later.

That’s it for now. Check back tomorrow when we take a deeper look at “Interaction with God’s Spirit”.