Practice

I just finished my pre-preach with our music & worship pastor Mike Brandow (twitter.com/mikebrandow).  Mike has definitely brought up the level of excellence in our Sunday morning gatherings, and part of that is pre-preaching.  It’s exactly what it sounds like.  I preach my message, and he listens, takes notes, and looks for ways to increase clarity and and how we can communicate our message with more creativity.  It’s a great exercise and it’s helped me for several reasons.

1) It forces me to finish my sermon early.  I don’t live well with anxiety over uncompleted tasks.  We are currently 2 weeks ahead on our sermon prep.  So I didn’t go over this Sunday’s sermon, I went over next Sunday’s sermon.  Now I can tweak it and improve it, but I can also cut things that are unclear.  I don’t want to be writing my sermon on Saturday night because that’s not how my brain works.  Knowing that I have the bulk of this message done is a huge relief.

2) It forces me to think bigger picture.  I need to see how my sermon relates to last weeks sermon and the week after.  Doing a pre-preach helps me ensure that I’m not preaching a sermon that doesn’t have continuity with the arch of our teaching series.

3) Practice is good, and early practice is better.  If I didn’t do this pre-preach I would not be naturally inclined to read my sermons out loud to anyone.  Sermons are not really meant to be read in your head, they are designed to be heard.  I need to know how the sermon sounds, what people hear.  And this practice give me a chance to do that.

Pastors, I would challenge you to schedule in a regular pre-preach.  It’s been a great help to me and i think Creekside is stronger because of this simple practice.

Are You Being Fed?

When people say that they stop going to church because they weren’t getting fed, I’m just going to be honest, that’s a cop out.  Sunday morning is about worshipping Jesus.  Somewhere in the church we decided that we couldn’t tell the truth.  Truth is, people stop going to a certain church because they don’t like it.  You’re right you’re not getting fed on a Sunday morning because the purpose is to glorify Jesus.  As a by product your heart will be transformed if you are seeking to engage in worshipping Jesus, but it’s not about being fed.

I wish people would say the truth when they leave a church.

These are all acceptable and plausible statements:

‘I did not like the music.”

‘I did not like the preaching.”

‘I did not like the direction the church was going.”

‘I would rather watch football.”

‘I was offended by something the pastor said.”

The list could go on and on.  And this would be nice because they are true.  “I’m not getting fed” is a spiritual sounding cover up for anyone of those statements.

Can I tell you something though.  The motivation of all of those statements, even “I’m not getting fed” are rooted in the same problem.  Selfishness.  Until I can get away from my own selfish desire to “be fed” on a Sunday morning, I will never be nourished.

Something truly amazing happens in a corporate gathering where people are worshipping together, and I know that I too am engaged in worshipping God and giving thanks to Jesus on the Cross, through the music, communion, even the sermon, I am built up and encouraged and I feel satisfied.

I’m not trying to get fed, I’m trying to find my satisfaction in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The language of being fed, is not what Jesus had in mind when he said he was the bread of life.  I think it was more about being truly satisfied not just fed.  When Jesus said he was the Living Water, and whoever came to him would never thirst again, that’s what he was talking about.  Satisfaction.

So I posit this, healthy churches are helping people to find their ultimate satisfaction in God.  They break away from the temporary feeding mentality and point to God and finding satisfaction in him.

If we put our satisfaction in God then amazing things begin to happen.  Selfishness has not foothold in our hearts.  Materialism dies out.  Consumerism fades.  When our ultimate satisfaction is found in God alone then it’s not longer about me getting fed.

Satisfaction takes time.  I do believe that the self-help / felt-needs style of preaching that is fairly common in churches is much more like a drive-thru spirituality.

“I’m hungry, I’m going to go get a burger off the dollar menu.”

“I have a problem in my marriage, I better go somewhere that’s talking about marriage for 3 weeks.”

“I have money struggles, I better go over to that church that has an 8 week campaign called Debt is Dumb.”

All of these things will help the immediate pain, but they don’t last.  If we think we can fix a marriage in 3 weeks then we are lying to ourselves.  If we think a campaign called debt is dumb is going to be the silver bullet that will transform the world, we are kidding ourselves.  It’s the burger on the dollar menu.  I will feel full for a while but then it will fade.

But if we are leading people to find their satisfaction in God, then debt problems change because consumerism can be broken.  If we are leading people to satisfaction in God then we will see healthy marriages because selfishness is broken.  When I am satisfied in God I no longer have to think about myself.

Teaching people to find satisfaction in God takes a lot longer than an eight week campaing.  But a gourmet meal talks a lot loner to prepare than a .99 double stack from wendy’s and the satisfaction lasts a lot longer.

So what’s keeping us from teaching our people to find their satisfaction in God?  What’s keeping you from finding your satisfaction in God?

John Lennon Would Be 70

I remember where I was when I intentionally listened to the Beatles.  It was at my friend Kevin Swann’s house.  I was spending the night, we listened to the Beatles, Kevin started trying to teach me how to play guitar, and then we watch Star Wars in widescreen (this was also a revolutionary experience).

John Lennon may have been one of the most creative and innovated songwriters of all time.  To me, one of the most amazing things about John Lennon was his vulnerability in his songs.  Listeners were invited to join John on his journey as he was battling his inner demons, his addictions, his anger, his grief, and his joy.

Lennon did not seem to be a nice guy, but he was a real guy.  In an age where every “celebrity” can have a reality TV show, celebrities being authentic and real are very rare.  Lennon was real.  His murder was tragic, and I would have loved to be able to buy a John Lennon album made in the 90’s (I think Lennon would have embraced grunge and would have done it well).  I would love to hear John Lennon and Paul McCartney right more songs together.  I would love to hear what John Lennon would say about Kanye West and Lady Gaga.  But it can never be.  John Lennon is greatly missed but will never be forgotten.

Update: Some of my favorite songs:

Watchin’ the Wheels – Helps me remember that there is more to life than success.

Beautiful Boy – makes me cry every time – deal with it.  Takes me right to the first time I held Judah.  It’s amazing what becoming a father does to your heart.

I Am The Walrus – such a weird and awesome song

Revolution – Rock!

Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except For Me And My Monkey

You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

Help!

I’ve gotta stop, I could just find songs all night.

Family Friday – Growing Up

My son is growing up so fast.  And sometimes that’s completely terrifying.

For instance, the booster seat.

Judah is now big enough to ride in a booster seat if he needs to.  So in the van, he is in his big car seat (the thing looks like a throne).  In my car he is in a booster seat that is only held in by the seat belt.

The other day we were driving home from the Library and saw a construction site.  I’m pretty sure heaven for Judah will be an eternal construction site, at least that’s his idea of heaven.  From my seat I hear him talking about the construction site and then without warning I feel him breathing on my neck!  He had unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up in the back seat area of my car.  I completely freaked out.  When did he learn how to disconnect the Seat BELT!  AHH!!!

He’s growing up and it’s awesome and it’s scary!

My Pants Are Too Tight And There Is A Family In Mexico That Needs A House, Lets Fix Both!

Hey Everyone,  Today I am starting a weight loss and fundraising effort called, “My Pants Are Too Tight And There Is A Family In Mexico That Needs A House, Lets Fix Both!” or

MPATTATIAFIMTNAHLFB!

With an acronym like that I’m sure it will take off.  So here’s the deal.  Last year I was a part of a trip with Creekside Church and Alternative Missions to build a house in a village called Cofradia.  That village and the people who lived there are amazing.  The church that we worked with is full of great people who want to bless their village.  And I want to be a part of blessing those people.  And you can be too.

We are planning another trip this year in March to build another house for another family who really needs it.  Let me tell you a little bit of their story.

Here is a picture of the Lamas Family:

One day the family was working in one of the chili fields, and they had their two year old son Angel with them.  Angel was playing under a tree when he found a cooked Corn on the Cob and he proceeded to eat it.  Apparently the owner of the field had put rat poison in the Corn to kill the rats.  Angel became very ill and lost the ability to walk, to feed himself and he became blind.

That was two years ago.  Angel has regained the ability to walk and to feed himself but he is still blind.  The family is currently living in a borrowed house, but they need a permanent housing solution.  The husband and wife work when ever they can but they need our help.

We have a team of people who are ready and willing to go to Cofradia and build this house, we just need money to pay for this whole endeavor.  The House costs $6000.00 and individual trip costs come to $1400.00.

This is where you and I can change some lives.  As I stated above I am going to begin a fundraising and weight loss campaign, MPATTATIAFIMTNAHLFB!

5 years ago I got really serious about my trying to get in shape.  I weighed 303 lbs and I got really serious, joined a gym and over the course of 6 months I lost 40 lbs.  I felt great!  Then I had two kids and started grad school.  Exercise began to drift farther and farther back on my priority list.  And over the past two years, since my daughter was born, I have regained 31 lbs.  Not a good situation.

So I started to think about what could motivate me to get back into shape.  Then I started planning this return trip to Cofradia and I realized just how much money I had to raise, and I’m not a rich man by any means.  So I had two problems in front of me.

1) My pants are too tight

2) This family really needs this house

So why don’t I try to combine fixing both of these problems with  MPATTATIAFIMTNAHLFB!

And then as confirmation I received a free 3 month pass to 24 Hour Fitness, so I realized, I have to do this.  I have to embark on MPATTATIAFIMTNAHLFB!

So will you help me to that?  Will you help motivate me to change my health and change the life of a family in need?

Here’s the deal.

I weighed in today at 294 lbs.  I want to loss 30 pounds in the next 90 days.  I’m looking for people who will pledge me to lose this weight.  $1 a pound, $5 a pound, $10 a pound, whatever you can do.  I’m looking to raise $3000.00 from this effort.  Will you help me do this?  It is possible but not with out your help.  All gifts will be tax deductible and will be handled by someone way smarter than me. I’m not going to sell any of your contact info I just want to be able to communicate with those who have said that they would be willing to pledge.

I’m going to be completely accountable to you on this journey on twitter, facebook, and this here blog.

You can pledge me here: http://tinyurl.com/Cofradia2011

Here is a video from last year’s trip:

Please consider partnering with me in MPATTATIAFIMTNAHLFB!

Learning a Second Language

Learning a second language is hard.  (duh).

I am currently enrolled in a Biblical Hebrew couse at NU.  It’s a great class, and I’m learning a lot but it’s very challenging for me.  We are learning the language conversationally.  That makes it much more fun than just sitting down and running through stacks of flash cards and paradigms.  I know the difference because that’s what I had to do for New Testament Greek.

In this course I keep thinking this is how my kids must feel when they have to learn new aspects of English.  But I realized this morning that it’s not really the same at all.  My kids have no other language getting in the way.  So their associations are primary.  When I point to an apple and say, “apple”  they don’t have another word in another language that they have to associate with the english word apple.

I do.  When I hear the word melech I have to think king, I can’t just think melech and be done with it.  There is another step in the process.

Hear’s the point: Language is important. In the church we often try to speak the language of our culture and that’s important.  But I think we are also guilty of trying to transform the language of the culture to make it more Christian.  And I think that’s one of the big confusions around the church.

But what if we just used words that were biblical, like sanctification, redemption, justification, propitiation. These words are still english but they are the language of the church, and let people learn them through discovery and experience, the way our children learn.  Instead of trying to make associations with different words, to make sense of a new word.

How can we take steps out of the process for people who are learning the language of the church, without changing the language of the church?

Good Problems To Have

We are now officially in our groups semester.  The launch has been a little too effective though.  We are running out of space in our groups that are young kids friendly.  This is a great problem to have because we have a lot of people who recognize their need for intentional community.  This is a great problem to have.

Also, we are getting set up for our Mexico home build in March, and we had 25 people interested in going to Mexico.  A few people have already had to drop out of the team, but 25 people going to build a house. Making sure that there is enough work for everyone to do is a good problem to have.

Furthermore, I am doing a pre-preach for my sermon on 10-17-10 in 30 minutes.  This puts pressure on me to get my sermon done early, and to know what I’m talking about weeks in advance so that our band can pick songs that fit with what I’m talking about, and then if we have any creative elements we have time to create them.  It definitely puts pressure on me, and this is a great problem to have.

Thanks Creekside for giving me good problems to work with.

Do you hear God speaking in all of creation?

Does God speak through all of creation?  Or does he only speak through accepted forms of revelation?  This is part of the question that I have to answer for my research thesis for my Masters Degree.  I came across this video and I thought it was interesting.  I would love to here your thoughts on it.

I personally think that God can use anything he wants to reveal truth.  I am doing my thesis on Humor as a Prophetic tool.  I think God uses humor in the Bible and today to surprise us with truth.  Often though we (christians) ignore truth tellers because they are not coming through the accepted channels.  Also I think this pastor is on to something when he says that, to truly see God’s truth in all creation we would need to always be in our Bible.

I don’t think we can remove the Bible from the conversation.  I think the Bible provides direction and clarity to our search for God.  But he’s can use anything else to get our attention.  SO it could be an Arcade Fire song, it could be Fight Club, it could be George Carlin talking about the power of words and censorship of words that only have power because censors give them power.  All of those are examples that have been aha moments for me.

What do you think?  Does God still talk to us? How does God talk to us? Do you think this pastor is Crazy?  Do you think I’m crazy?

Two Years Old

I know this post is late, but it’s still important to me to get out there.

Two years ago on 9/11/08 my beautiful daughter was born.  Joss was 3 weeks early, and born, like judah in an emergency C-Section.  Kathy and I stayed the night in the hospital for Kathy’s high blood pressure and headaches.  I was sent home the next morning to get stuff for kathy and we were going to go home on 9/11.  Instead while I was out the Dr. decided that the baby needed out.  As with Judah I was away from the hospital and afraid that I would miss the birth of mu children.  I made it back just in time for both Judah and Joss.

Kathy and I were talking about how sad it was that Joss was born on 9/11.  A day that will forever be marked with tragedy.  I have other friends who were also born on 9/11.  It’s defintely marred their sense of celebration for their Birthday.  But I think the fact that Joss was born on 9/11 is a beautiful reminder that even in tragedy, life can still happen.

9/11/01 is truly a horrific day and I remember exactly where I was when I learned of what was going on.  I remember the feelings of anger and fear that I felt.  And I felt those same feelings when we were getting set for the emergency C-section.  Angry that I could lose my wife and my baby, afraid for the worst.  But God and the Doctors brought Kathy and Joss through the crisis.

Now when I celebrate Joss’ birth, I am reminded of the tragedy of 9/11/01 and encouraged by the beautiful life that God brought into my world on 9/11/08.

I love you so much Jocelyn Bella (Joyous Beauty).  Your smile warms my heart and removes my fear.  I want to protect you and help you grow up into an amazing, godly woman.  You are a true gift and your mother and I are amazed by you.

This is Joss and I in Disney World.  My dad is behind us and I think he was confused about something.