It has been a while. New things going on:
-I finally got my clearances to work in the Raptor division at work. I got my clearances on Halloween; I wonder if that means anything. It only took 15 months: a marvel of government efficiency. This did mean that I had to leave the HH-60 test squadron that I had been working with for four months. I had a lot of fun there: I enjoyed the people and the actual work. I wish that I could have stayed for a little while longer to work on a few more projects, but such is life.
-There is only about 8 weeks until I'm a dad! Crazy! Leigh Ann and I have been going to the baby classes on base, which have been a lot more informative than I thought they were going to be.
-I am officially going to be teaching a class for Embry Riddle starting in January. Bad timing, considering the baby will have just arrived, but also good timing, since money will be short with LA not working. The class is College Algebra. Not the most exciting topic, but a good one to start with while I figure out how to teach. I'm almost surprised that they're going to just throw me into the class without any education on actually teaching. I'll get the hang of it quickly, I suppose.
-All for now.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
I'll do it, but I WON'T like it!
How many times do I have this response to a simple request from Leigh Ann, or in an area that God wants me to change? After reading Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God, this topic has come up several times my life, as well as in the lives of several friends. In the chapter called "Inside Out," Osborne talks on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and unfolds the concept of yielding. Besides the conjured image of letting the other guy go first in an intersection, he says, yielding to the Holy Spirit is a valuable idea and can be broken into three parts. One, remove as much static on our line with God as possible by obeying what we know. Obeying what we know always brings more light and less static. Two, have an openness to insight and help of other believers. The third part is the most important, and probably the most elusive to most believers: "Am I willing to let God change me?" Not in actions only, but in the matter of my will: how I feel and what I want. God not only can change what we do, but what we want to do. This is shown in Philippians 2:12-13, "Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Osborne says that the first part of the verse came as no surprise for "Fear and trembling fit into my paradigm of spirituality well. Jesus had saved me; now it was up to me to work it out. It was my job to stay motivated, figure out what God wanted, then suck it up and do the right thing." Suck it up--I've felt this way so often. But in the verse, it says for us to work, and it says that God works. What's the difference? It seems to me that our "work" is nothing more than allowing God the access and total control of our lives to change us. Then, He will work in us to align both our will and our actions to fit His purposes. What a relief! Osborne says he started praying not just "Lord, help me do it," but "Lord, help me to want to do it!"
Well, this is a good start, but it turns out that our natures often don't allow it to be that easy. This is where we won't allow God to change us. Osborne says, "We're willing to allow God to provide us power, but we don't want him messing with our attitudes, feelings, and desires." I personally find myself wanting the authority to give God the attitudes that I would like him to change and to withhold those that I relish such as bitterness and rebelliousness. I, like Osborne, was "taught that one of the greatest signs of spiritual maturity is the self-discipline to do God's will even when we don't want to." He goes on to say, "When I find myself knowing what to do, but not wanting to do it, I'm no longer satisfied to obey with some sort of macho self-denial and hard obedience. If that's all I've got, God hasn't changed me much." He talks about the idea of a Prayer of Permission, where we say to God something like, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't want to do it, and I don't want to want to either! I give you permission to change what I feel and think about this in my life."
Well, this is a good start, but it turns out that our natures often don't allow it to be that easy. This is where we won't allow God to change us. Osborne says, "We're willing to allow God to provide us power, but we don't want him messing with our attitudes, feelings, and desires." I personally find myself wanting the authority to give God the attitudes that I would like him to change and to withhold those that I relish such as bitterness and rebelliousness. I, like Osborne, was "taught that one of the greatest signs of spiritual maturity is the self-discipline to do God's will even when we don't want to." He goes on to say, "When I find myself knowing what to do, but not wanting to do it, I'm no longer satisfied to obey with some sort of macho self-denial and hard obedience. If that's all I've got, God hasn't changed me much." He talks about the idea of a Prayer of Permission, where we say to God something like, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't want to do it, and I don't want to want to either! I give you permission to change what I feel and think about this in my life."
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Stripped
I'm reading a book called Stripped: Uncensored Grace on the Streets of Vegas by the pastor of Central Christian Church in here in Las Vegas, Jud Wilhite. It's a close look at how God's grace can radically transform people's lives, even in here in Sin City. The first chapter is about a married couple who both are committed Christians, baptized by immersion, and give 10% to their church. Sounds pretty normal so far...until you learn that both of them are dancers in provocative, well-known topless shows here in Vegas. The first chapter describes their journey to becoming followers of Christ, and then ends by mentioning that though they are still dancing in the shows, they can see how the very nature of the shows is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Scripture, and that they can both see that their careers as dancing in the adult entertainment industry must come to an end soon.
I finished this chapter in the morning and thought about it all day. WHAT!? They are still dancing in the shows?!? This was my initial response. It would seem to me that their pastor should have immediately, with gentleness yet firmness explain that what they are doing is causing others to sin and that they should obey God and trust Him to sustain them as they look for new jobs. Note: this was my initial response, though without a lot of confidence since I've never personally dealt with a situation like this. This leads to this thought: discipleship can be a messy process. Of course, we aren't supposed to clean our lives up before we are believers, and surely not immediately afterward, but there seems to be an unwritten rule in the Christian culture that I grew up in that says that you need to get rid of all major, up front sins within 6 months, or else. I thought that this was the end to this story since chapter two went on to another subject, but fortunately for me, Jud struggled with the same questions and moved back to this story in chapter 3.
Here's some of what he had to say.
After talking with the couple: "Had their faith made a tangible difference in their lives? Absolutely, they said. It inspired them to be baptized, to commit to one another in marriage, and it challenged them to serve and help others. But don't they see a conflict between what they believe and what they do for a living? Yes. They acknowledge a very real spiritual conflict, one they didn't feel good about, but one they admitted not being able to resolve. At least not yet." (pg. 60)
Jud goes on to talk about how Jesus really did hang with the riffraff of society, and ate with them, which he said, "Eating together is a picture of acceptance, loyalty, and trust...Jesus did not simply hang out with people on the fringes of society; He took great pleasure in being around them." (pg. 62)
I really love this quote: "Too often we mistake grace for weakness, forgiveness for giving in. We see strength only in pointing out sin and stomping on it until it's dead. But in Jesus we find someone who has no patience for those more concerned with enforcing the rules than helping others. Though He was perfect and, therefore, in a position to judge and punish all of us, Jesus showed us a different kind of strength, a strength found in grace, compassion, and forgiveness." (pg 63)
This question that I'm posing to myself of "What would I do if I was the pastor?" is a very old question. Churches since the first century have been trying to strike the correct pose between purity and holiness on one hand and grace and forgiveness on the other. I know that if you force the first, than it becomes an artificial holiness where people start following rules because they feel they have to instead of loving God because Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands." Of this Jesus said in Luke 11:47, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." You can, however, encourage people to live holy lives out of the right motivation. On the other hand, can you offer too much grace and forgiveness? I think the answer is obvious: no.
So I guess I've tentatively come to this answer. For that situation, I would extend grace and support for them to continue to make the right decision with gentleness and love. But with blatant, outright sin in someone's life (even if they do seem to be making progress, if only in their mind at the moment), it would seem that you would want to limit to what extent they represent the church. You do have to be very careful who you allow to be put into places of authority, leadership, or any role where people might emulate an individual's actions or attitudes. Paul said in Philemon 4:9, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice." Whether or not the leaders in the church say this or not explicitly, they will be imitated.
Whew! This is a tough situation that requires God's love and wisdom. Pray for the pastors and churches in Vegas!
I finished this chapter in the morning and thought about it all day. WHAT!? They are still dancing in the shows?!? This was my initial response. It would seem to me that their pastor should have immediately, with gentleness yet firmness explain that what they are doing is causing others to sin and that they should obey God and trust Him to sustain them as they look for new jobs. Note: this was my initial response, though without a lot of confidence since I've never personally dealt with a situation like this. This leads to this thought: discipleship can be a messy process. Of course, we aren't supposed to clean our lives up before we are believers, and surely not immediately afterward, but there seems to be an unwritten rule in the Christian culture that I grew up in that says that you need to get rid of all major, up front sins within 6 months, or else. I thought that this was the end to this story since chapter two went on to another subject, but fortunately for me, Jud struggled with the same questions and moved back to this story in chapter 3.
Here's some of what he had to say.
After talking with the couple: "Had their faith made a tangible difference in their lives? Absolutely, they said. It inspired them to be baptized, to commit to one another in marriage, and it challenged them to serve and help others. But don't they see a conflict between what they believe and what they do for a living? Yes. They acknowledge a very real spiritual conflict, one they didn't feel good about, but one they admitted not being able to resolve. At least not yet." (pg. 60)
Jud goes on to talk about how Jesus really did hang with the riffraff of society, and ate with them, which he said, "Eating together is a picture of acceptance, loyalty, and trust...Jesus did not simply hang out with people on the fringes of society; He took great pleasure in being around them." (pg. 62)
I really love this quote: "Too often we mistake grace for weakness, forgiveness for giving in. We see strength only in pointing out sin and stomping on it until it's dead. But in Jesus we find someone who has no patience for those more concerned with enforcing the rules than helping others. Though He was perfect and, therefore, in a position to judge and punish all of us, Jesus showed us a different kind of strength, a strength found in grace, compassion, and forgiveness." (pg 63)
This question that I'm posing to myself of "What would I do if I was the pastor?" is a very old question. Churches since the first century have been trying to strike the correct pose between purity and holiness on one hand and grace and forgiveness on the other. I know that if you force the first, than it becomes an artificial holiness where people start following rules because they feel they have to instead of loving God because Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands." Of this Jesus said in Luke 11:47, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." You can, however, encourage people to live holy lives out of the right motivation. On the other hand, can you offer too much grace and forgiveness? I think the answer is obvious: no.
So I guess I've tentatively come to this answer. For that situation, I would extend grace and support for them to continue to make the right decision with gentleness and love. But with blatant, outright sin in someone's life (even if they do seem to be making progress, if only in their mind at the moment), it would seem that you would want to limit to what extent they represent the church. You do have to be very careful who you allow to be put into places of authority, leadership, or any role where people might emulate an individual's actions or attitudes. Paul said in Philemon 4:9, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice." Whether or not the leaders in the church say this or not explicitly, they will be imitated.
Whew! This is a tough situation that requires God's love and wisdom. Pray for the pastors and churches in Vegas!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Meaning
There is nothing as meaningful to me as seeing people come to know Christ as Savior for the first time, or for others to come back to him after being away. After the message at GP over the Prodigal Son this last Sunday, many people either put their faith in Christ for the first time or came back running in a manner of speaking. I have no idea what God has planned for our family's future, and I have no direction yet as to whether I am to stay in the AF or not. But having had the opportunity and privilege to be apart of God's work here in Vegas, where people so desperately need hope and something other than the emptiness of sin, it is very difficult to think about leaving. If I am to stay, I'll have to get out of the AF, and if I do, I'll obviously need a job. I have no idea what that will look like at the moment, but I know if I simply obey, God will provide everything I need at the proper time.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Narrows
I hiked the narrows last weekend with some friends from work. We did the backpack stay over the night thing. We stayed at campsite 8, which seemed like a little too far for the first day. It was awesome, though.
.jpg)
An unexpected waterfall:
.JPG)
.JPG)
One of the 317 times that I crossed over the river:
.JPG)
Finally done:
.JPG)
This what it looked like toward the beginning of the hike:
An unexpected waterfall: A good shot of the actual narrows:
.JPG)
Dave and Bethany at Big Spring (this water tasted just like bottled spring water, weird!)
Dave and Bethany at Big Spring (this water tasted just like bottled spring water, weird!)
One of the 317 times that I crossed over the river: Finally done: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A Grief Observed
I just started...and finished A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis today. It's a very short book--I read it during my lunch break. It's not like the rest of his books; it's more his journaling as he deals with the grief of his wife's death. Since he published it under a pseudonym, he was brutally honest. There is a very sharp contrast between his intellect and his emotions as he strives to understand and deal with the raw pain caused by his wife's departure. The first couple of chapters are a little shocking, as he contemplates the idea that God is really not all that good, and that he might be a Cosmic Sadist. Interestingly, this contradicts the whole premise of the book that he wrote earlier in his life The Problem with Pain. This contradiction coincides with his thought that God allowed his wife to die to topple his "house of cards" which represent all the beliefs that have not been tried to the point of life-and-death. His attitude changes as he continues to write and go through the grieving process. That's exactly what he calls grief: a process. He says at first he started writing to map out a state of being called grief, but later realized that it was really a journey closely analogous to traveling through a long, narrow, winding valley where the scenery around each subsequent corner could become a little more bearable, but then it could also look like the shadow of death that you already passed through earlier in the journey. It was relieving to see that someone viewed as so imminently spiritual could express the course, organic, and undressed frustration that each of us encounter as we live out our journies, but at the same time see how God renewed his heart in the midst of one of the most painful and faltering times of his life.
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Role of "Church"
Something that's been on my mind for a while is the purpose of our worship gatherings as Christians. There seem to be two mindsets out there among Christians: 1) Our worship gatherings are for the growth and fellowship of believers and to encourage and train believers to spread the Gospel to others. If non-believers come to know Christ during the actual gathering time, that's great!, but that's not the primary reason that we meet. Once people do come to know Him, they will be welcomed as brothers and trained to reach others. The primary way we expect to reach non-believers is through the witness of the Christians in our church while they are living out their faith in the world. 2) Our worship gatherings are for the growth of believers and to reach those who don't know him. We want to help everyone, believer or not, to take the next step on their spiritual journey. That may mean helping someone start their search for God, placing their faith in Christ for salvation, or learning how to trust God as master in another area of their life. We want to not only train believers to reach others for Christ but to reach non-believers for Christ in the process. We understand that not every Christian is capable of a complete apology of their faith, but if they can tell their friends what Christ has done in their life through their local church, then perhaps their friends will come and be changed by God's grace as well.
Without getting into all the Scripture references at the moment, I know that the Bible commands us as Christians to reach others with the Gospel of Christ, to grow them in Christ (discipleship), to support other Christians, and to train them to reach others for Christ. Most protestant churches that are passionate about the Gospel wouldn't argue with these things. These goals can be reached in many different ways. I don't believe that these different ways should be viewed as right or wrong but instead as good, better, or best.
As I wrote in my Constantine blog, in the first and second century, Christian's worship gatherings were not primarily evangelical in nature and centered around communion. I'm not necessarily placing more credence on early-Christian's practises over our own (that's a whole different topic), but I am saying that option #1 does have historical precedence. However, is there Scripture that indicates that worship gatherings should be only for believers?
I've seen both types of churches in action. Both churches were Gospel-centered and led by the Holy Spirit. Option #1 church was better at giving believers a lot of in depth knowledge. However, knowledge is good only so far as it leads to obedience. One friend told me that we learn orthodoxy (right knowledge) so that we can do orthopraxy (right action). However, in my experience in my own life and the life of other Christ followers, I know way more than I actually obey. Option #2 church is better at reaching people for Christ and being an impact in the community. My sample size is small, therefore I can't make valid inferences about all churches that fit into #1 and #2.
What do we think? Two questions: 1) What does scripture say to support #1 or #2? 2) If scripture doesn't say much in support of or to detract from either, what can we say from our experiences? Note: if you respond, please state what you think the role of church is, so I know what your premise is.
Without getting into all the Scripture references at the moment, I know that the Bible commands us as Christians to reach others with the Gospel of Christ, to grow them in Christ (discipleship), to support other Christians, and to train them to reach others for Christ. Most protestant churches that are passionate about the Gospel wouldn't argue with these things. These goals can be reached in many different ways. I don't believe that these different ways should be viewed as right or wrong but instead as good, better, or best.
As I wrote in my Constantine blog, in the first and second century, Christian's worship gatherings were not primarily evangelical in nature and centered around communion. I'm not necessarily placing more credence on early-Christian's practises over our own (that's a whole different topic), but I am saying that option #1 does have historical precedence. However, is there Scripture that indicates that worship gatherings should be only for believers?
I've seen both types of churches in action. Both churches were Gospel-centered and led by the Holy Spirit. Option #1 church was better at giving believers a lot of in depth knowledge. However, knowledge is good only so far as it leads to obedience. One friend told me that we learn orthodoxy (right knowledge) so that we can do orthopraxy (right action). However, in my experience in my own life and the life of other Christ followers, I know way more than I actually obey. Option #2 church is better at reaching people for Christ and being an impact in the community. My sample size is small, therefore I can't make valid inferences about all churches that fit into #1 and #2.
What do we think? Two questions: 1) What does scripture say to support #1 or #2? 2) If scripture doesn't say much in support of or to detract from either, what can we say from our experiences? Note: if you respond, please state what you think the role of church is, so I know what your premise is.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
How to Pack a Pack Properly
I'm going to Zion National Park this weekend and looked up in a book how to pack your pack. Here's what it said:
From "Mountainering", chapter on Outdoor Fundamentals.
"Strategically loading the items in your internal-frame pack can dramatically influence your speed, endurance, and enjoyment of an outing. Generally, you will feel best if you can concentrate the load on your hips and avoid loading your back and shoulders.
On trails, the load should be carried high and fairly close to the back, as this will allow your hips to take the majority of the weight. To implement this strategy, load your lightest, fluffiest articles (sleeping bag and extra clothing) in the bottom; place the densest items (water, food, stove, fuel, rope) up top, near the shoulder blades.
"Strategically loading the items in your internal-frame pack can dramatically influence your speed, endurance, and enjoyment of an outing. Generally, you will feel best if you can concentrate the load on your hips and avoid loading your back and shoulders.
On trails, the load should be carried high and fairly close to the back, as this will allow your hips to take the majority of the weight. To implement this strategy, load your lightest, fluffiest articles (sleeping bag and extra clothing) in the bottom; place the densest items (water, food, stove, fuel, rope) up top, near the shoulder blades.
For more difficult terrain, revise your trail-packing strategy. Pack the heavy items slightly lowers, and ensure they are as close to the back as possible. This will force more of the load onto your back and shoulders but will lower your center of gravity and allow you to more easily keep your balance.
Along with arranging items in your pack for optimum weight distribution, organize them for quick access."
I know, for this type of thing peope call me a nerd, but I'm not listening!
Monday, August 13, 2007
It's a boy!
Everything looked good at the sonogram today, and he wasn't too modest! It was very easy to see that he was a boy. Here's the best picture, even though it's still hard to see the little guy, and I never like looking at other people's kids in sonogram form. I usually say, "It's a baby!" The event of the sonogram this morning really helps to solidify that this is really going to happen now. For a long time, even though I knew LA was pregnant, it didn't fully sink in that I was going to be a dad. It does help, though, thinking about what kinds of things I'll do with him in the future. Truthfully, both Leigh Ann and I were kind of relieved that it wasn't a girl, simply because boys are easier to raise (and cheaper I might add).
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Rando
Lot's of stuff going on:
-Leigh Ann's pregnant for anyone that didn't know. Tomorrow, we may find if it's a boy or a girl, if the baby (we call it Oscar for the time being) isn't too modest. A lot of people have asked me if I have a preference, but I really don't. I answer, "I hope it's a child!" Anyway, it will be exciting to see the little person on sonogram finally. Last time I saw Oscar on sonogram, it was at 6 weeks, and he/she was the size of a grain of rice (not long grain either!).
-Serving at GP is such a priviledge. We had a meeting today where Devin casted the vision for Crew (our setup and teardown team), and we had around 20 people sign up. I realized that all of these people came for perhaps one or two reasons: they want to connect and/or they want to serve God. Everyone needs community and service is faith in action, our spiritual act of worship. At GP, service isn't just the way to get things done, it's an opportunity to allow a person to worship God through action. We need to make this opportunity available to everyone, and not allow just a few to hog the priviledge!
-Just finished a great book called "The Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the rest of us," by Larry Osbourne. It's not contrarian for contrarian's sake, but it does challenge a lot of the linear thinking methods to growing in Christ that we have been taught for a long time. Osbourne doesn't claim these methods are bad or wrong, but he does challenge the thinking that everyone must grow in God by reading your Bible for 30 minutes each day, praying for 20, journaling consistently, having an accountability partner, etc (what did people do before Gutenberg, for instance?). Again, not that these things are wrong, but they don't all work for everyone. He claims they are tools, not rules. Use what works, drop what doesn't, and there will be periods of your life that you need some tools more than others. There were some pretty challenging ideas for me in the book. I'll blog on those in the future.
-Also finished another book called "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Andy Stanley. Great book, especially if you're in church leadership. However, one particular chapter of the book was especially poignant for me. It was Listen to Outsiders: Focus on who you're trying to reach, not on who you're trying to keep. I'll blog more on this too, but two quotes: "If you are surrounded long enough by people who think like you think, you will become more and more certain that's the best way to think. Over time you find yourself inclined to completely disregard the concerned voices of those positioned on the outside." And "So if a large portion of the population is not going to church and the majority of churches are not full, that means there's a lot of room in the churches that exist for people who are not going. And yet most churches now being built are patterned after churches that already exist...The church today is primarily characterized by insiders reaching insiders." GP is very good at creating engaging environments where anyone can connect to God, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey. I had a friend back in Florida that I was doing my best to point to God. I invited him to our baptist church, and he said to me, "You know, I just don't feel comfortable there." I couldn't argue with him. Looking from an outsider's perspective, I wouldn't have felt very comfortable either. And it wasn't because of the truth of the message being spoken either. It would have been because of the strange music, the dress code that no one told me about, the unknown language being spoken, and the fact that everyone that was a bit older seemed to have the first name "Brother." Should getting used to these things be a prerequisite to coming to know Jesus as Savior and Lord? No! The pharisees had tried to make things very difficult to come to know God, and ended up not knowing Him at all. Jesus made things very simple. Shouldn't we, without compromising God's Word and the eternal truth of the Gospel, make our presentation of that crucial message in such a way that the most amount of people will hear it? Stanley says "Invest and Invite." Use relationship evangelism to reach people to Christ, and invite them to a place where they can take another step in their spiritual journey towards Christ.
-Got back from TDY to Eglin last Thursday. It was good times. Saw a lot of my friends, went shark fishing, but didn't even catch a regular style fish! I flew three times, and only puked once! Seriously, I'm surprised I didn't puke more on the 3.3 hour flight, no a/c, hot and humid day in FL, making continuous circles on the flare track. The H-60 CTF is turning out to be a really great place to work, and if I don't get my security clearance for another couple years, I won't be disappointed. Oh, by the way, if your boss asks you to "monitor" the progress of a conference room remodel, run! The monitoring has turned into a 20 hr a week, making miracles happen with people who don't really feel like helping, all before the end of the fiscal year which is rapidly approaching. That's ok, though. I take solace in the fact that conference rooms are the new key to air power.
-Leigh Ann's pregnant for anyone that didn't know. Tomorrow, we may find if it's a boy or a girl, if the baby (we call it Oscar for the time being) isn't too modest. A lot of people have asked me if I have a preference, but I really don't. I answer, "I hope it's a child!" Anyway, it will be exciting to see the little person on sonogram finally. Last time I saw Oscar on sonogram, it was at 6 weeks, and he/she was the size of a grain of rice (not long grain either!).
-Serving at GP is such a priviledge. We had a meeting today where Devin casted the vision for Crew (our setup and teardown team), and we had around 20 people sign up. I realized that all of these people came for perhaps one or two reasons: they want to connect and/or they want to serve God. Everyone needs community and service is faith in action, our spiritual act of worship. At GP, service isn't just the way to get things done, it's an opportunity to allow a person to worship God through action. We need to make this opportunity available to everyone, and not allow just a few to hog the priviledge!
-Just finished a great book called "The Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the rest of us," by Larry Osbourne. It's not contrarian for contrarian's sake, but it does challenge a lot of the linear thinking methods to growing in Christ that we have been taught for a long time. Osbourne doesn't claim these methods are bad or wrong, but he does challenge the thinking that everyone must grow in God by reading your Bible for 30 minutes each day, praying for 20, journaling consistently, having an accountability partner, etc (what did people do before Gutenberg, for instance?). Again, not that these things are wrong, but they don't all work for everyone. He claims they are tools, not rules. Use what works, drop what doesn't, and there will be periods of your life that you need some tools more than others. There were some pretty challenging ideas for me in the book. I'll blog on those in the future.
-Also finished another book called "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Andy Stanley. Great book, especially if you're in church leadership. However, one particular chapter of the book was especially poignant for me. It was Listen to Outsiders: Focus on who you're trying to reach, not on who you're trying to keep. I'll blog more on this too, but two quotes: "If you are surrounded long enough by people who think like you think, you will become more and more certain that's the best way to think. Over time you find yourself inclined to completely disregard the concerned voices of those positioned on the outside." And "So if a large portion of the population is not going to church and the majority of churches are not full, that means there's a lot of room in the churches that exist for people who are not going. And yet most churches now being built are patterned after churches that already exist...The church today is primarily characterized by insiders reaching insiders." GP is very good at creating engaging environments where anyone can connect to God, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey. I had a friend back in Florida that I was doing my best to point to God. I invited him to our baptist church, and he said to me, "You know, I just don't feel comfortable there." I couldn't argue with him. Looking from an outsider's perspective, I wouldn't have felt very comfortable either. And it wasn't because of the truth of the message being spoken either. It would have been because of the strange music, the dress code that no one told me about, the unknown language being spoken, and the fact that everyone that was a bit older seemed to have the first name "Brother." Should getting used to these things be a prerequisite to coming to know Jesus as Savior and Lord? No! The pharisees had tried to make things very difficult to come to know God, and ended up not knowing Him at all. Jesus made things very simple. Shouldn't we, without compromising God's Word and the eternal truth of the Gospel, make our presentation of that crucial message in such a way that the most amount of people will hear it? Stanley says "Invest and Invite." Use relationship evangelism to reach people to Christ, and invite them to a place where they can take another step in their spiritual journey towards Christ.
-Got back from TDY to Eglin last Thursday. It was good times. Saw a lot of my friends, went shark fishing, but didn't even catch a regular style fish! I flew three times, and only puked once! Seriously, I'm surprised I didn't puke more on the 3.3 hour flight, no a/c, hot and humid day in FL, making continuous circles on the flare track. The H-60 CTF is turning out to be a really great place to work, and if I don't get my security clearance for another couple years, I won't be disappointed. Oh, by the way, if your boss asks you to "monitor" the progress of a conference room remodel, run! The monitoring has turned into a 20 hr a week, making miracles happen with people who don't really feel like helping, all before the end of the fiscal year which is rapidly approaching. That's ok, though. I take solace in the fact that conference rooms are the new key to air power.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Baptism Sunday!
We baptized 35 people this Sunday! That's incredible! I've never been to a church that baptized more than 5 or so on any given Sunday. It's so awesome to see the all the work being done come to fruition in seeing baptisms, which are a symbol not only of Christ's work in the person's life, but of God working in a powerful way in the people of North Las Vegas. Many of the people baptized were those who had been baptized as a child, but felt like they wanted to make a public confession of faith of their own choosing. Many of them were children who recently committed their lives to Christ. But I think what was most exciting is that perhaps half of those baptized today were new to GP within the last 3 months or so, and their baptism is evidence of God working powerfully in their lives. At least 6 had not previously planned on being baptized today. This is the reason we expend so much effort on advertising, community outreach, and making our worship gatherings on Sunday as inviting to those who aren't yet saved.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
First H-60 Flight
I had my first H-60 flight last night; it was awesome. It was an aerial refueling mission where the C-130 dragged a hose and the H-60 pilots practice connecting and getting into the correct refueling position. I wore night vision goggles for the first time and learned something I never knew: there is not a point in the sky where there is not a star. I never realized that before last night. I mean, everyone knows there is a lot of stars, but honestly, how could there be that many!?
One of my main goals was to not get in anyone's way and to not make a complete idiot of myself. I feel like I did a pretty good job at both.
I realized that helicopter pilots tend to be much more accepting than fighter pilots. I think it's because of the crew mentality: let's all work together to get the job done. Fighter pilots, with a few exceptions (two of whom go to Grace Point), tend to be more exclusive. They can do everything, without anyone's help. If you're not one of them, you are inferior, period. Those words are never spoken, but it's well understood across the Air Force.
I've noticed that those who are not pilots often try to get close to the pilot world just like the not-so-cool kids in high school try to maneuver themselves close to the popular crowd to try and glean just a little of the adulation the popular kind bask in.
Anyways, the flight was awesome, and I finally feel like I'm earning my living.
One of my main goals was to not get in anyone's way and to not make a complete idiot of myself. I feel like I did a pretty good job at both.
I realized that helicopter pilots tend to be much more accepting than fighter pilots. I think it's because of the crew mentality: let's all work together to get the job done. Fighter pilots, with a few exceptions (two of whom go to Grace Point), tend to be more exclusive. They can do everything, without anyone's help. If you're not one of them, you are inferior, period. Those words are never spoken, but it's well understood across the Air Force.
I've noticed that those who are not pilots often try to get close to the pilot world just like the not-so-cool kids in high school try to maneuver themselves close to the popular crowd to try and glean just a little of the adulation the popular kind bask in.
Anyways, the flight was awesome, and I finally feel like I'm earning my living.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Teaching at Embry Riddle?
I heard today from a co-worker that there might be an opportunity for me to teach a class at Embry Riddle, which is a university that has campuses all over the U.S., especially at Air Force bases. (My dad actually got is undergrad degree there while he was still in the Air Force.) I guess the opportunity is that if you have a master's, you may be qualified to teach a class or two. This sounds exciting for a couple of reasons. One of my strongest attributes is that I love to learn. And because I love to learn, I love to help other people learn. Maybe to help them get excited about something they didn't know could be interesting. I would prefer to start out doing something fairly benign like math for dummies to get my feet wet. The other thing that's always a plus, though not as exciting is the extra money. However, I have no idea what the committment would be like on my part; it seems that it would get smaller the more familiar I am with the material. I'll find out soon if I'm even qualified to teach anything.
Liking Work
I'm really liking the latest installment of my job for the last month. This is the most fun I've had waiting on a security clearance so far. I'm working at a test squadron for HH-60 rescue helicopters. Lately, I'm mostly helping prepare for a helicopter aerial refueling test at Eglin AFB in August.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
More Lessons from "Volunteer Revolution"
-This is a good idea: create what Hybels calls "First Serve: one-time serving opportunities offered at a variety of times and tapping into a wide range of skills and areas of interest...First Serve mantra: Come once and check it out. No strings attached."
--This would be a good thing to do at GP. It would give people the permission to check out a service area before they committ to it. I think a few people get scared off thinking that if they come once or act interested, they will be conscripted for the long run.
-Hybels says after the volunteer serves once, he should ask himself a series of questions to see how well he matches this area of service.
1) Did the work feel meaningful? Did he feel emotionally energized or exhausted afterwards?
2) Did he enjoy working with the people he served with? That is, is there a comfortable relational dynamic on the serving team? (The relational sense of community may be just as, or more important than the actual work the volunteer is doing.)
3) Does the time frame for the service opportunity fit realisticly into the volunteer's schedule?
Hybels gives some examples of First Serve. Most of them involve a team leader or an experienced volunteer on the team meeting the person and showing him the ropes. If the task is one that can be easily performed by the first timer, such as directing traffic or raking leaves, he should do it. But more complicated volunteer positions could best be served by a tour as the action happens, such as the nursery/preschool area, so the person gets a realistic feel for what it would be like.
Hybels also says that a person should be allowed to experiment with many different opportunities until they find the one that would be most fullfilling to them. The best thing they can do, he says, is "Just jump in!"
--This would be a good thing to do at GP. It would give people the permission to check out a service area before they committ to it. I think a few people get scared off thinking that if they come once or act interested, they will be conscripted for the long run.
-Hybels says after the volunteer serves once, he should ask himself a series of questions to see how well he matches this area of service.
1) Did the work feel meaningful? Did he feel emotionally energized or exhausted afterwards?
2) Did he enjoy working with the people he served with? That is, is there a comfortable relational dynamic on the serving team? (The relational sense of community may be just as, or more important than the actual work the volunteer is doing.)
3) Does the time frame for the service opportunity fit realisticly into the volunteer's schedule?
Hybels gives some examples of First Serve. Most of them involve a team leader or an experienced volunteer on the team meeting the person and showing him the ropes. If the task is one that can be easily performed by the first timer, such as directing traffic or raking leaves, he should do it. But more complicated volunteer positions could best be served by a tour as the action happens, such as the nursery/preschool area, so the person gets a realistic feel for what it would be like.
Hybels also says that a person should be allowed to experiment with many different opportunities until they find the one that would be most fullfilling to them. The best thing they can do, he says, is "Just jump in!"
Lessons from "Volunteer Revolution"
Some quotes or paraphrases from Bill Hybels' "Volunteer Revolution." And some thoughts.
-"Too many willing-hearted volunteers have been wounded "on the job." They've responded to an invitiation serve, only to end up in a volunteer position that was poorly conceived, resulting in tasks that few people would find fulfilling. Or they show up to serve and discover they have nothing to do; an unprepared volunteer coordinator has wasted their time, causing them to lose precious hours they had willingly carved out from their busy schedule.
"Some work hard on menial tasks without ever hearing how their efforts serve a grander cause; they're given plenty of work, but no vision. Others have felt overwhelmed by unreasonable demands for which they've not received proper training; rather than being set up to win, they get put on the express lane to frustration and failure."
--Churches must leverage their volunteers; a church's staff must be a enabler for volunteers to be effective. In any church, all team leaders must be active participants in the work, but they must also train and guide all volunteers in that team. Each team member must know what they are doing supports the overall vision of the church, and therefore furthers God's kingdom here on earth. Team leaders must also be prepared when the volunteers arrive so that each volunteer is quickly moved into a task that accomplishes the overall task at hand. Volunteers MUST NEVER stand around wondering if they are needed or just simply in the way. Once the in-the-way thinking starts, there is a good chance they will leave--not just that event, but all events for the organization. The team leader must be both a big picture person and fine detail person all at once. They must see how each team member can contribute most effectively to the overall scheme, but they must also know the details of what must happen to get there. There is a tension there that must be maintained. This type of thinking must be conveyed to the team leaders, both those that have been in a position for a while, and also those team leaders that may have just moved into that role.
-"... a profound truth: the church was designed to be primarily a volunteer organization."
--Hybels goes on to talk about how many attenders of church expect their pastor to act like their doctor and their lawyer: I pay him to do all the work. My version of what a typical attender may say: "I go to church, sit in the seat and get ministered to. The pastor is supposed to preach, counsel, marry, do funerals, feed the poor, tell others about God, and serve. That's what I pay tithes for: so I don't have to do it." The reality is that the pastor is supposed to train up the body of Christ so that we can go do the good works and serve. That's what we were saved for! So, the pastor and the staff of a church must do well when they both train and provide avenues for everyone to be a priest in some way. In fact, this should be their primary role! This is one area that Grace Point is focused on: getting people into serving positions. Devin (lead pastor), always says, "You're never more like Christ than when you're serving."
-A Hard Lesson for Hybels to learn was that while his church was still very yound, the core developed a whatever it takes attitude toward volunteering without finding where their strengths and passions best coincided with the work that needed to be done. This lead to burn-out. Many left the church after five years wounded, tired, and disillusioned. Then the pendulum swung to the other side. They used spiritual gift tests, seminars, strength finders, etc. to make sure that every member found exactly what they were best suited for immediately. This worked sometimes, but often it made people believe that they must be perfect for the role that they first jumped into, which quickly led to discontentment, and volunteer attrition. Hybels' point is that we should try to help people find what their gifts and passions are (tests aren't bad), but allow for experimentation. Let people feel their way around while serving to determine what they're good at and passionate about.
--At Grace Point, we try hard to get people into those serving roles that best suit them. We can continue to get better at funneling people information through the Sunday message and small groups on where they can get involved in service.
-"Too many willing-hearted volunteers have been wounded "on the job." They've responded to an invitiation serve, only to end up in a volunteer position that was poorly conceived, resulting in tasks that few people would find fulfilling. Or they show up to serve and discover they have nothing to do; an unprepared volunteer coordinator has wasted their time, causing them to lose precious hours they had willingly carved out from their busy schedule.
"Some work hard on menial tasks without ever hearing how their efforts serve a grander cause; they're given plenty of work, but no vision. Others have felt overwhelmed by unreasonable demands for which they've not received proper training; rather than being set up to win, they get put on the express lane to frustration and failure."
--Churches must leverage their volunteers; a church's staff must be a enabler for volunteers to be effective. In any church, all team leaders must be active participants in the work, but they must also train and guide all volunteers in that team. Each team member must know what they are doing supports the overall vision of the church, and therefore furthers God's kingdom here on earth. Team leaders must also be prepared when the volunteers arrive so that each volunteer is quickly moved into a task that accomplishes the overall task at hand. Volunteers MUST NEVER stand around wondering if they are needed or just simply in the way. Once the in-the-way thinking starts, there is a good chance they will leave--not just that event, but all events for the organization. The team leader must be both a big picture person and fine detail person all at once. They must see how each team member can contribute most effectively to the overall scheme, but they must also know the details of what must happen to get there. There is a tension there that must be maintained. This type of thinking must be conveyed to the team leaders, both those that have been in a position for a while, and also those team leaders that may have just moved into that role.
-"... a profound truth: the church was designed to be primarily a volunteer organization."
--Hybels goes on to talk about how many attenders of church expect their pastor to act like their doctor and their lawyer: I pay him to do all the work. My version of what a typical attender may say: "I go to church, sit in the seat and get ministered to. The pastor is supposed to preach, counsel, marry, do funerals, feed the poor, tell others about God, and serve. That's what I pay tithes for: so I don't have to do it." The reality is that the pastor is supposed to train up the body of Christ so that we can go do the good works and serve. That's what we were saved for! So, the pastor and the staff of a church must do well when they both train and provide avenues for everyone to be a priest in some way. In fact, this should be their primary role! This is one area that Grace Point is focused on: getting people into serving positions. Devin (lead pastor), always says, "You're never more like Christ than when you're serving."
-A Hard Lesson for Hybels to learn was that while his church was still very yound, the core developed a whatever it takes attitude toward volunteering without finding where their strengths and passions best coincided with the work that needed to be done. This lead to burn-out. Many left the church after five years wounded, tired, and disillusioned. Then the pendulum swung to the other side. They used spiritual gift tests, seminars, strength finders, etc. to make sure that every member found exactly what they were best suited for immediately. This worked sometimes, but often it made people believe that they must be perfect for the role that they first jumped into, which quickly led to discontentment, and volunteer attrition. Hybels' point is that we should try to help people find what their gifts and passions are (tests aren't bad), but allow for experimentation. Let people feel their way around while serving to determine what they're good at and passionate about.
--At Grace Point, we try hard to get people into those serving roles that best suit them. We can continue to get better at funneling people information through the Sunday message and small groups on where they can get involved in service.
Constantine
I recently finished the book "The Christian Story", by Justo Gonzalez. I've been thinking a lot since moved to Vegas and got involved with Grace Point about what church is supposed to be like. I grew up in a Baptist background and I often wondered why we dressed up to go to church, the pastor wore a suit, the choir wore robes, there even was a choir, why there was an organ, what's with the stained glass windows, etc.... I learned in the book that the "conversion" of Constantine changed everything. Christian worship before 306 A.D. was very simple, revolving around the Communion, singing, and reading of Scriptures from both the O.T. and of the N.T. books that they happened to have. After Constantine, everything started to change. The bishops, or simply the head of the local church, started dressing in clothes likened to the emperor's, the local body moved from homes to more and more ornate buildings, choirs were added to beef up the singing, etc. Now I know why Christianity (both Catholics and Protestants)does a lot of the things it does, not because it was so ordained in the Bible, but because an emperor wanted his religion to fit his tastes a little better. When I hear preachers say, "We dress up for church on Sunday because we need to bring our best before God," it burns me up. Didn't God say, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice," in Hosea 6:6? "A broken and contrite heart, Oh God, You do not despise." "Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart." Not only does this hinder a Christ follower's appropriate focus, it keeps outsiders from feeling comfortable in a world that's nothing like their everyday life.
One small thing that I don't necessarily disagree with that the church after Constantine did was that the reason churches started doing stained glass, carvings, and statues depicting stories from the Bible and of the Saints was because the masses were largely illiterate, and coming to church and seeing the stories depicted in visual form were often the only way they would learn.
One small thing that I don't necessarily disagree with that the church after Constantine did was that the reason churches started doing stained glass, carvings, and statues depicting stories from the Bible and of the Saints was because the masses were largely illiterate, and coming to church and seeing the stories depicted in visual form were often the only way they would learn.
Ready, Go.
So I enjoy reading blogs, but I wanted to start my own. I used myspace at first, but the advertisements were too annoying, so I quit. I'm going to talk about the books I've read, things I've heard and are thinking about, or just questions that I haven't found the answer to yet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)