The annual search for the perfect Christmas Tree happened the day after Thanksgiving in typical Batterson tradition. We went out to a farm to cut down a tree, but it was too short for our ten foot ceilings so we've actually got two Christmas trees this year! That's a first.
I got the second tree at a treestand on the corner of New York and Bladensburg. We put it in the trunk and you have to go East at that point on New York so the first place for me to turn around was the Arboretum. I took a shortcut through the Arboretum and realized that I looked somewhat suspect driving through the National Arboretum with a tree in my trunk. I passed a security vehicle and they gave me an interesting look. I felt guilty even though I hadn't done anything wrong!
It was one of those juxtapositions that feels a little wierd. It would be like drinking a pepsi at Coke headquarters or eating a Burger King Whopper at Wendys. It just felt wierd.
That's all I'm saying.

We did our official Ground Breaking @ 201 F Street, NE on Sunday! What an Ebenezer moment. And it's too cool that we did it eight years to the day (11.21) that we had our first public service @ Union Station. I don't take those little things for granted. I'm grateful for a God who gives us pats on the back!
It was so cool to see our neighbors out there along with the church. We laid hands on the walls and prayed for favor. We moved some dirt. And the Thanksgiving offering came in at more than $40,000 (pledges and gifts). Praise God.
He continues to provide vision and provision.

When I was a teenager I learned to juggle basketballs. The key to juggling is not focusing too much on one ball. You've got to split your focus three ways.
I feel like I've been juggling this week.
One ball is the coffeehouse. We're getting ready for our ground breaking on Sunday. A second ball is our staff retreat. I've been processing our surveys all week. A third ball is sermon prep. A fourth ball is the meetings that are part of every week. And a fifth ball has been staffing strategy. I'm trying to get a handle on what our staff needs to look like. A sixth ball is our 2005 budget. We're beginning to plan for next year. A seventh ball has been an online course on contemporary issues that I'm teaching for Regent University.
That's a lot of juggling! Sometimes it's tiring, but I wouldn't want it every other way. I love the different hats I get to wear.
This is one of those weeks where I feel like I've given it everything I've got. I'm tired, but I feel great about it.
Out.

I spoke to some pastors last weekend. I was introduced as the pastor of the fasting growing church plant in the Potomac District. I sort of cringed. Then I got a piece of paper with the stats for all church plants in the past fourteen years quantifying it. I came back to the office and put it in the paper shredder.
In one sense I'm grateful for the growth we've experienced, but we can't afford to read our press clippings. And the truth is that I don't think we've seen anything yet. I think the church you grow up in sets some subconscious standards for you. So I feel like we're a "small church" because the church I grew up in had about 3,000 attenders.
We've got a lot of growing to do spiritually and numerically.
The Laws of Church Planting
We sort of defy the "laws of church planting." I keep hearing things like, "If you don't break 100 in your first year or 200 in your second year you never will." The truth is that we didn't do either. It took us five years to grow from 19 to 250. Most of our growth has happened in the last 2-3 years.
Here's the point. We've come a long way. We have a long way to go.
We just need to keep praying like it depends on God and working like it depends on us.

I occasionally post blogs that I second-guess. This is one of them.
I got a phone call today from the Attorney General. He's attended NCC since our inception. I've attended his devotionals in the Senate and Justice Department for eight years. They've been part of the warp or woof of my life. I've thoroughly enjoyed them and feel like I've learned more from him than he's learned from me. he has profound insight into the things of God.
I know he's a political lightning rod, but I have so much respect for him personally. His grasp of Scripture and the sheer quantity of Scripture he has memorized is pretty impressive.
As he prepares to leave office he is making the phone rounds saying thank you. He just called to say thanks for being his pastor.
That'll make your day!
Back to work :)

I don't think anything is as draining as dealing with negativity. It sucks the life out of you :) Here's the problem: Lots of people are negative. I think the twelve spies are a microcosm. Ten were negative and two were positive. I think that is how it breaks down in most churches.
There is such a fine line between healthy processing of legitimate frustrations and negative venting that doesn't serve any redeeming purpose.
I think negativity is ten times as contagious as positivity! It's so easy for things to spiral downward. It's the human condition. It's emotional entropy!
So how do you arrest negativity and put it in handcuffs and throw it in jail?
I think it's ok to call it like you see it. You've got to make a "meta observation." "Hey guys, it seems like there is some negativity happening here. Let's deal with it if it needs to be dealt with, but I don't want us to get derailed."
I think negativity is best dealt with privately and sometimes "ex post facto." You've got to do a post mortem. You've got to let someone know that they are "bringing the morale of the group down to their level." Most people are totally unaware of how their negative emotions affect others. And no one tells them!
One of my pet peeves is someone yawning during a meeting. It communicates two non-verbal messages--I'm tired or I'm bored. Neither one is acceptable!
I used to validate all negativity :) I would play defense. Now I try to confront it and actually play offense instead of defense if I feel there is a false dichotomy.
For example, lots of pastors hear this one from people who want their needs meet. "I'm not sure we should focus on reaching more people for Christ because we need our congregation to mature." If someone says that I'll say "That's stupid." Just kidding :) I'll say, "I think that is a false dichotomy--we should stop doing the great commission because we need to mature spiritually. So let me get this straight. Let's disobey God so we can grow up. Let's stop evangelizing so we can be discipled. That makes zero sense."
I try to help them see through their false perception or assumption.
One final thought.
The only way to overcome negativity is with positivity!

I got some interesting feedback from the evotional this week. Someone emailed me about another theater church that has "seasons of purge". It's a series of messages focusing people on why they attend. Members need to fall into three categories: new in the faith, serving in the church ministry, or recovering and in need of healing.
I love those three categories.
I think forcing people to know why they attend NCC is a great idea. Most people just attend without much thought beyond "I like it."
This church forces the issue: serve or leave.
The end result is a purging.

I've been stretched pretty thin lately. I realize that I'm at another one of those junctures where I need to know less so I can do more.
I'll never forget an incident a few years ago. I was feeling pushed to my personal limits and we had a "lightbulb" issue and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I had to make the "lightbulb" decision and it showed me that I knew way too much about too many things. Too much was too dependent on me!
I think part of the challenge is that as a church planter I used to do everything! If anything was going to get done I had to do it. But I've got to learn to let go.
So here's my thought.
Jesus left needs unmet in every town he visited.
To meet every need in every village he would have had to stay there forever to address every new need.
I love Mark 1:35-37. The disciples are looking for Jesus. He is in high demand. His popularity ratings are off the charts! They said to Jesus, "Everyone is looking for you." And Jesus says, "We must go on to other towns as well."
Translation: we have to leave some needs unmet. That sounds uncaring, but that is reality. We can't meet everybody's need. We've got to discern which needs the Holy Spirit wants us to make.
I'm sure Jesus wrestle with the perenial pressure all of us feel: there is so much to do and so little time.
Such is life.

I know I'm biased. I'm a pastor. But I sincerely believe that God's game plan is for every Christian to be sold out to a local body of believers. Life is too short to be part of a church you aren't excited about. I know it's unrealistic for everybody to be as excited about NCC as much as I am all the time, but I think we need more people who are 110% committed to the church.
I gave a phone interview to some seminary profs yesterday about our church model. I said something I've never said before. And I said it pretty emphatically. "If you've got a complaint or criticism about NCC but you haven't invited an unchurched person to NCC then I don't want to hear it. But if your complaint or criticism is related to the unchurched person you invited I'm all ears." We invited an unchurched friend a few weeks ago and it radically changed the way we experienced church. I didn't preach and Lora didn't lead worship the same way. We viewed it through their filter--what were they thinking and feeling. We were more concerned about them getting something out of the service than getting something out of it ourselves. It was an about face, a paradigm shift, a 180 degree turn. I think complaints and criticisms ought to be weighted based on how proactive the person is about sharing their faith and inviting others to NCC.
Church Flirts
I started reading Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris. What a profound analogy. I think most Christians date the church. It's love at first sight. "This is the one." They fall head over heels in love with the church, but after a while two things happen. They begin to take for granted or forget what caused them to fall in love with the church in the first place. They succumb to the thing that kills romantic relationships--familiarity. And the second thing that happens is they become painfully aware of flaws and faults. Every church has them. The key to a healthy relationship is learning to accept the flaws. But some people never accept the flaws and hit the eject button. They start dating and fall in love with another church. But if they don't learn to accept the flaws they'll repeat the cycle. Too many Christians flirt with the church, but they never cross the line and commit. There are a couple tell-tale signs of church daters. They are me-centered. What's in it for me? What did I get out of it? They go for what they can get. Daters tend to be critical. They are quick to find fault. They have a consumer mentality. Church is about consumption instead of production. They go to one church because they like the music. They go to another service because they like the preaching. It's all about what they get out of it. They've never even stopped to think about the fact that the key to satisfaction is giving yourself heart, soul, mind, and strength to the bride of Christ. It's ending the dating game and making the commitment. Lots of Christians are two-timers. They aren't committed to one local body of believers. They are dating several churches, but the commitment is difused because of it. They have one foot in and one foot out. They have their options open. When you don't have a passionate and committed relationship with a church everyone gets cheated--you cheat yourself, you cheat the church, and the cheat the world.
Boy do I sound like a pastor!

I got up at 5:30 AM and headed up to Pennsylvania to spend the entire day with about 30 pastors and church planters. I thoroughly enjoy any opportunity to share our story with other pastors. I feel like part of my calling and part of our calling as a church is to inspire and encourage other churches. We seem to have more and more opportunities to do it.
I tag teamed with Steve Pike. He shared some great thoughts.
You do what you can do and God will do what you can't do.
If someone hasn't left your church lately your vision is too broad.
The most dangerous moment in the life of a church is when you reach a goal or achieve a vision.
You can relax. You can sit back. You can put your feet up. It's so easy to lose your edge!

What an unexpected birthday surprise. I just got the final draft of my manuscript from Xulon Press. I wasn't expecting it today, but I feel like it was God's way of patting me on the back on my birthday. This is so simplistic, but God is so thoughtful.

Yesterday was another Ebenezer--hitherto the Lord has helped us--in the process of building Ebenezers. What a journey. We purchased 201 F Street, NE on February 7, 2002. It took a year to get it rezoned (January of 2003). It took a year to design it and get it through historic preservation (February 2004).
We took one small step/one giant leap yesterday. We hired a contractor to do the project. They've done multiple projects in the historic district so they've got a great track record. We've turned another page and begun another chapter. If we can get all of our permits lined up, we'll hopefully break ground before the end of November!
Praise God.

I completed my thirty-fifth trip around the sun yesterday. What a ride. I can't believe I'm 35 years-old today. I'm halfway to seventy. I'm halfway between thirty and forty. I do believe that age is relative. I honestly think I'll die young at a ripe old age because I still feel like a kid. I feel better physically than a did five or ten years ago. And I think I'm getting more curious as I age. I'm interested in everything. I think one of my greatest fears has always been staying the same! I always need to be growing and stretching to feel good about life. I just thought I'd take some time to write a prayer of thanksgiving to God. How do you capture the blessings of thirty-five years in a single prayer? I'm grateful that I was born where I was born and when I was born. I'm grateful for my family. My mom and dad believe in me more than I believe in me, for which I am grateful. I think my bedrock confidence in God and my sense of destiny come from parents who instilled that in me as a child. I'm grateful for a family that loved God, read me Bible stories, and prayed with me every night. I still remember memorizing Bible verses on one of our vacations together. I remember going with my dad to clean the church when he was the part-time janitor and trustee. As I look further back, I'm also grateful for grandparents who set a spiritual standard. I think I am where I am in answer to their prayers for me. Life turns on a dime. I look back and think about how where we have lived defined so much--who my neighborhood friends were, what school I attended, my circle of relationships. I look back and see how God guided when we move to Greendale, Wisconsin and Naperville, Illinois. I love those two places. We could have so easily moved someplace else and life would have been so different. In that sense, life is fragile. But God is the one who had ordered my steps in ways I never could have. I thank God for Corrie Ten Boom. It was after watching the movie about her life, The Hiding Place, that I put my faith in Christ. Who would have ever thought that a woman in a concentration camp in 1944 could live a five-year old boy living in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1975 to Christ!I think God for Alexandria, Minnesota. Our family vacationed there every summer for eighteen years. It was on a prayer walk through a cow pasture in Alexandria, Minnesota that I felt called to ministry. It was my Damascus Road minus the lighting, horse, and voice. But I heard the inaudible yet unmistakable voice of God loud and clear. My life turned on a dime. I'm grateful for the atheletic abilities God gave me. So much of my life was defined by sports and I learned so much that has served me in ministry--lessons about performing under stress, team work, how to control the competitive drive, how to win, how to lose. I think most of us, when we reach thirty-five, could have never guessed we've be where we are ten or fifteen years ago. Life is full of surprises. I would have never put DC on the radar screen. Now that I live here I can't imagine living anyplace else. I feel like I'm living my dream--plant a church and see it grow from the ground up. I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to be anyplace else doing anything else with anyone else. It's not always easy. I definitely need vacations! But I don't want easy. I want to leverage my life and make it count for the kingdom. I have an interesting feeling at I turn this corner of my life. I think the word is convergence. I feel like everything to this point has prepared me for what's next. I feel like I have the potential to be a much better leader and teacher and writer because of everything I've experienced in the first thirty-five years. Part of life's inherent excitement to me is not knowing where I'll end up. I just pray that I'd grow in my humility, purity, and intensity. I genuinely want to give God everything I've got. I want to feel like I feel after a great workout--exhausted and energized. I'm grateful for my family--my wife and my kids. I feel so blessed to have them as a husband and father. I want to love them more and return the blessing they have been to me. The longer I live the more I realize that the quality of those relationships determines the quality of life.I'm grateful for my staff family. I love doing life and doing ministry with them. I'm grateful for my church family. We are a pretty ecclectic and unique group. And that is part of what makes it so much fun. As I look back on this year I'll never forget two experience. I'll never forget the last day of April. I spent the day out at Haines Point. I think I stopped drifting that day because of some of the decisions I made. The piece of driftwood I picked up was a spiritual anchor. And I'll always look back on my first experiment with forty days of prayer and fasting as life-changing. God changed my outlook on life during those forty days. I can't wait to do it again! I'm excited about doing a New Year's Fast in January, a Lent Fast pre-Easter, and another forty days of prayer and fasting next Summer. I think they are key to maintaining spiritual momentum. I feel like I could write all day and only scratch the surface, but it does my soul good to keep these things in my consciousness. I'm beginning this day with a profound sense of gratitude to God for being my God and making me who I am. I don't always like me, but that's when I can take my eyes off of me and focus them on Him. Lord, thanks for all of the above and the millions of small and large blessings that have escaped me. I believe that in eternity you'll reveal all the ways that you blessed me and I was totally unaware of it. I can't wait. Until then...I'll just keep taking laps around the sun.

We just finished our God @ the Billboard series and I'm already looking forward to next year. I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of redeeming songs and movies and juxtaposing Scripture over them. I think it delivers a 1-2 punch.
The key with those series is remembering why we do them. The goal is to incarnate the gospel into a language people can comprehend.
Culture-Shapers
The 18th century Scottish thinker, Andrew Fletcher, said, “Give me the making of the songs of a nation and I care not who writes its laws.”
Our culture is shaped, even more than we know, by the movies we watch and the music we listen to.
Approximately 40% of Americans attend church on any given Sunday which means that 60% of Americans are getting their theology from someplace else. Let me cut to the chase. For better or for worse, whether we like it or not, the musicians who write music and the producers who make movies are the chief theologians of our culture.
There is a message behind the music and the movies—some of them good and some of them not so good. And one way or the other, those messages shape the soul and the psyche of approximately 175 million Americans.
Every winter we do a series titled God @ the Box Office to explore the spiritual themes in popular movies. God @ the Billboards is the counterpart. It explores the spiritual themes in popular music.
Let me give a disclaimer.
This series isn’t an endorsement of any of these bands. Some of these bands live pretty godless lifestyles. They are singing out of the brokenness of their lives. But that is part of the reason we chose these songs. They resonate with real life. They strike a chord (pun intended).
Ravi Zacharias said, “I credit them with a greater degree of honesty and unmasked vulnerability in recognizing the anguish within the human heart than the academician, who often conceals such a struggle behind a façade of self-assurance.”