(So You Know) What I Did This Summer - Week 2

Note: This was written on 6/22/14 but never published...

As I'm sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, I'm thinking back over what I accomplished during Week 2:

• I read 1, 2, and 3 John multiple times. In 1 John, I focused on the three aspects of change in a Christian life: 1) how we think theologically, know/believe, 2) how we act morally, love, and 3) how we relate socially, fellowship.
• I finished reading The Jesus Chronicles: John's Story. While some may like this book, I was very disappointed. To me it seemed that many times it was nothing more than John's gospel and the book of Revelation being recopied word for word rather than a historical fiction novel helping me understand the culture and time period better. In fact, I had planned to read all four gospels but will stop with John's for now.
• I am still reading Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day and rewatching 24, Season 1 (which coincides with the book's chapters), although I only read one chapter / watched one episode this week.
• I am also currently reading The Machine about the greatest baseball team of all time, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds! This book was recommended by my nephew and has not disappointed yet!
• I continued to work on the backyard patio, leveling the ground and laying the pavers. A huge thanks to David, Daniel and Dustin who helped out two straight hot days! However, before I can call it "finished," because of the unlevel ground, I'm going to need to go back and recompact the soil to avoid erosion.
• Finally, after ten days, I went geocaching! The 2McTwins and I drove past Asheville on Wednesday night so we could get an early start on Thursday. While we did not get to many that we had planned for, we drove several hundred miles and saw some of God's most beautiful creations, including The Devil's Courthouse and Chimney Rock. Total geocache count - one traditional, four virtual, two webcam, and five new NC counties cached!
• Today I worshipped at The Cove. On the way down to Mooresville, I listened to over an hour of Third Day, so my ears were ringing, my eyes were wet, and my throat was hoarse before I ever got there, so I was ready! Worship was powerful, the teaching on the Lord's Prayer left me with some things to think about (including "A strong discipline of prayer will give you a strong passion for prayer"), and the outdoor baptisms were awesome! Bonus - there was a female drummer (something I can't remember ever seeing during worship)!
• I'm not sure I got a single nap in this week.
• I did continue to pray for the RCC staff and family daily!
• And I avoided wearing khakis all week (even to worship today).

However, I did miss being a part of VBS and working the kitchen with Kerri, Wyatt, and others. I'm so thankful that our Body has such a great opportunity to reach out to our community's youth in such a big way!

Two weeks gone, seven to go - I'm not bored, yet, but I am missing the RCC family! More to come...

(So You Know) What I Did This Summer - Week 1

Wow, the first week of my sabbatical flew by! In trying to keep my promise about letting people know what I'm "up to" during my time off, here is a quick list of some things I accomplished during Week 1:

• Read the Gospel of John (three chapters each morning, focusing on the word believe)
• Am currently reading The Jesus Chronicles: John's Story
• Am currently reading Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day and rewatching 24, Season 1 (which coincides with the book's chapters)
• Extended our backyard fence (by just a few feet) and started a patio project (If you heard me teach on June 8, you might remember that I said I planned to spend the first two weeks of the summer doing outdoor work. I have been reminded that one, I am very thankful I don't make a paycheck with a shovel in my hand, and two, it's been a long time since I've had a "good tired", but I experienced several of those this week!)
• Attended the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of Peter Pan with Kerri & Wyatt (and no, I had no idea it was a musical until the singing started! Great job Gabe, Morgan, Rose, Marcy, Christopher, Braeden, Colton, Sophie, et al!) 
• Worshipped at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (I really enjoyed walking to/from church as well as the focus of quietness and meditation during the early service. The sermon was on the Trinity and I loved the first point - "The challenging doctrine of the Trinity is just as challenging as our God." He simply cannot be figured out, nor would we want Him to be. Of course, I messed up communion, so I'll probably have to go back to make that right!)
• Worshipped with Kerri & Wyatt at Horsepasture Christian Church (the 11:15 contemporary service was in their new gym where tables were set up and filled with those who came early for the Father's Day breakfast - full house!)
• Ate Father's Day lunch at my in-laws'
• Napped several afternoons
• Prayed for the RCC staff and family daily
• Spent EVERY night of the week with Kerri and Wyatt!
• Avoided wearing khakis until Sunday church services necessitated

One week gone, eight to go, more to come...

Hot Dog - My Sabbatical is Here!

It's here.

My office shelves are a little lighter because of the books pulled that I hope to read. I've measured the backyard for a potential project and am ready to tackle Lowe's. Travel plans to Bellingham, WA in June and Mackinac Island, MI in August are finalized. One more quick trip back to the office to switch my phone message over to announce that I'm gone and then...

It's here.

I'm excited, nervous, optimistic, dreadful, joyful, anxious, appreciative and cautious, all at the same time. In short, I feel weird.

It's here.

The two month, nine-week sabbatical that our leaders gave me this summer for my twenty-five years of service to Reidsville Christian Church begins today. And while I've anticipated it and planned it for over a year, I still have no idea what's going to happen.

Which makes it pretty much just like every other day, right? Oh, I've got my strategies, and I think I have control of so many situations - what I plan to do, what I hope to accomplish - but the reality is, I have no idea how any day is going to turn out, and I'm not just talking about the next nine weeks. At the same time, there is nothing that takes place anywhere, at any time that catches God by surprise. And not only does He know - He controls.

We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.

Proverbs 16:33

While that may be a disturbing thought to some, it is becoming more and more of a solid foundation for me. I keep reminding myself, I don't have to know how... I just need to make sure I know Who.

What I do know is I am blessed. Throughout my ministry in Reidsville, God has continually given me me "more." The leader's gifts and church family's support culminated this afternoon in a hot dog luncheon. It seems my oft-told "Hot Dog Cooker Story" led to the meal's theme and even the crafting of a fancy double cooker! It was only later that I discovered the inscription on the bottom:

"In celebration of 25 years of dedication to God and Reidsville Christian Church"

I would guess there has probably never been another gift like it for such an occasion, which makes it all the more treasured! 

Thank you RCC for letting me serve with you, and for caring about me and my family in ways that I just can not put into words. I am eagerly anticipating what God has planned for us together when this sabbatical time is complete. Until then, you will be in my prayers this summer, and I ask that I be in yours, because...

It's here.

Eight More Weeks (but who's counting?)

By now most of the RCC family knows that I will be on sabbatical this summer from June 9 through August 11. This time represents a (almost) total break from work and ministry and will be an opportunity for me to recharge and reconnect with God, myself, my family, and my friends. It is also just one more outpouring of God's unmerited "more" on my life.

Words can not express my appreciation to both our elders (who view this time as a long-term investment in both the RCC family as well as my own) for initiating the break and to each of you from Reidsville Christian Church for your consistent support of Kerri, Wyatt, and me. While I believe this is a good and necessary thing, I know it will not be an easy thing. I love what I do and being away from it (especially the weekend teaching) is going to be a challenge.

One thing I am confident of is the amazing opportunity this provides for our elders, ministers, and staff. The prospect of each of them being able to lead you in new and different ways with the gifts God has given them is an exciting thing!

Some of you have asked what my plans are. My “unplanned” plans include:

• Spending the first couple weeks just trying to unwind and catching up on some things at the house that have long needed my attention.
• Participating in some in-depth training at Logos Bible Software in Bellingham, WA (and of course geocaching in OR, WA, and Canada) during the last week of June, then performing two wedding ceremonies locally during the July 4th weekend.
• I believe the final five weeks have the potential to be the most beneficial. The first four are completely unplanned (which again is extremely uncomfortable). I hope to do a lot of reading and scripture memorization, but I am intentionally not going to plan or prepare any future teaching or programs. Instead, I want to be open to what God has to say during this unique time rather than “plan” what I think should be next. I will begin the month of August performing a third wedding ceremony, followed by a week spent with my family on Mackinac Island as the nine weeks conclude.

Here are a few things you can pray for and with me:

• Pray that God would bless this time of rest. The word for “sabbatical” has the same root as “sabbath” – which means “rest.” As I explained at our congregational meeting, I do not do a good job with this and am hoping to discover some new habits that will help prepare me for the next season of ministry. Pray that I will truly be still and know that He is God. Pray for renewal spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
• Pray that God would bless this time of family. Because Kerri will continue to work during most of the summer, we hope to keep things at home just as “normal” as possible. However, because of your graciousness, we are planning to do some fun things together as a family as well. Throughout the summer and beyond, pray that I would love God by loving my family.
• Pray for our elders, ministers, and staff, that God would grow them in their gifts and wisdom, and in their love for God and His people.
• Pray for Frank Dodson, Harry Gill, Scott Patterson, and Clay Perkins as they lead you in the majority of the summer teaching. Support them with your attendance. Let God speak to you through new voices on Sunday and etch into each of your hearts a clearer grasp of this amazing mission we are all on to grow as Jesus’ disciples.

You can read about my summer - the books I’m reading, the places I’m going, the things God is revealing - here on my blog, but hey, there are no promises it will get updated with any regularity. I mean, look how long it's been since my last post!

Kerri and I are so thankful for this gift of time and space that we believe will allow our family to experience joy, rest, and connection together, as well as equip me personally to be a better pastor for God’s flock and the RCC family.

I simply can not wait to see what "more" God has in store for all of us!

Not a Blogger nor the Son of a Blogger

I've never been much of a blogger. Check that - I have never blogged before today. Ever. I don't even really read blogs. So I didn't read a blog about how to write a blog before I started writing this blog (which you may have already figured out or will soon enough... I'm guessing there's probably some unwritten rule about how many times you can use blog in a single sentence.)

And I certainly don't expect anyone to read my blog. This is not an attempt to regurgitate the minutiae of my life out onto the internet for all to see. (I present to you my, count em', four Facebook posts in the first seven months of 2012 as further evidence). As Rossi said in a Criminal Minds episode a couple years ago - "Can somebody explain to me the appeal of these sites? 'Eating sushi tonight - yum.' 'Boss is keeping me late tonight - grrr.' Whose life is so important that we'd be interested in this kind of detail?" 

Not mine.

But I have been feeling God's tug for me to be more aware of His day in and day out gifts of grace. Now, as a preacher, I love to talk about God's grace in the salvation arena. It's one of my favorite topics, maybe because it was so late in the game before I really started to "get it." But I rarely think about God's grace in my daily life. And yet, if grace is really all about me getting what I don't deserve, then daily doesn't even begin to cover it. My life is literally soaked with people and moments and opportunities that I simply do not deserve... and yet I picture God shaking them on me with something like a big salt-shaker just so He can add flavor to the blessed life that He's already given me. Grace on top of grace, or something like that.

Like Table 26.

It's been ten days since the end of the longest conference I've ever attended. Beginning on a Sunday night, going through the next Saturday morning, with morning, afternoon, and evening sessions that many times went beyond 9:00 PM CST (which is an hour past my EST bedtime), no conference I've ever been a part of even comes close to this schedule. And to think it used to be a twelve-day event! Ouch! 

Don't get me wrong - it was good. The information and inspiration that three others and I experienced and brought home to NC will help us lead a new ministry in our local church that has the potential to bring unprecedented care to the hurting people around us.

But it was long (kind of like this post).

And what made it not only bearable, what made it not just enjoyable but memorable was Table 26. When the four from our church sat down at Table 26 on that Monday morning with four others from three different congregations in Texas, we had no idea what we were in store for. We had no clue what God was going to be "shaking down" on us. We spent the next six days and forty-five plus conference hours together, and almost all of them at Table 26 (except for that Thursday afternoon turf war when we were relegated to Table 18 - you know who you are! I'm still looking over my shoulder for "Walkie Talkie Man.").

But it wasn't just the class time. Several off us spent the off-hours together as well - laughing together, crying together, praying together. We were are family.

As one woman from my church emailed us all: "The conference was incredible and the company even better." No doubt. But God simply did what He has done so many other times in my life. He layered additional grace on top of the grace He'd already given.

And He didn't have to. It would have been enough for us to just have been at the conference. That was an incredible blessing in and of itself. To be honest, it was more than enough. But God "twenty-sixed" us!

I want that phrase to become a part of my regular vocabulary. I'm praying that I will have the eyes to see and the heart to feel the times when God "twenty-sixes" me. And when He does... and when I do... I plan to write some of it down.

Again, I'm not a blogger, nor the son of a blogger (a little shout-out to the minor prophet Amos!). I'm not writing so much for others to read but so that I can remind myself. I simply do not want to take God's "Table 26's" for granted any more.

The Lord's love never ends; his mercies never stop. 

They are new every morning; Lord, your loyalty is great.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NCV)