Evotional.com

Sunday, July 31, 2005

cow pasture

A few weeks ago I visited the cow pasture in Alexandria, Minnesota where I felt called to ministry in August of 1989. It's my Bethel or Damascus Road. That prayer walk changed the course of my life. My cousin-in-law, Dave Schmidgall, took some amazing pictures. There was a storm brewing that evening so the cloud contrast was pretty amazing. Here's one of the shots.

For what it's worth, I'm getting into original art and original clothing. In other words, I want what I wear on my back and what I hang on my wall to say something about who I am. So I asked Dave to take the pictures so I could turn them into framed pictures for my office. I want the cow pasture to be a daily reminder to be faithful to the original vision God gave me as a teenager.

podcast

Got an email from an NCCer that I thought I'd share:

I was listening to your CD on the Physics of faith series a few weeks ago and you said you make faces while you work out. I said to myself, "There is no way I do that." But sure enough, I was at the gym the next week and realized I DO make all sorts of faces while attempting to pump some iron.

I am a regular tither but I was challenged by your payday message to give more. Or more specifically, to see if I can out give God. While I would have loved to send that nice juicy check to pay off some of my school loans, I felt an urging while listening to the podcast of your message at the gym this evening (while making those faces) to write the check to a friend who is going on a mission trip to Japan in September. So I did it and just sealed the envelop and will mail it out in the morning.

A couple reflections on this email:

First, I'm so encouraged and challenged by people who step out in faith financially. I get excited to see what God is going to do!

Second, you know I'm a podcasting fanatic but how cool is it that this person was "having church" while working out at the gym. You don't have to be sitting in a pew for the Holy Spirit to impress something on you. You can be in the middle of a work out. I honestly believe that every good preacher ought to be podcasting! I just think it's a way to exponentially expand influential.

faith promise

Lora and I made a faith promise today. It felt so good. I honestly believe it's the best investment we can make.

When we give beyond our ability it allows God to bless us beyond our ability. We don't even know where the money is going to come from, but I felt like the Holy Spirit prompted us to give and promised a thirty, sixty or hundred fold ROI. That's not our motivation in giving. You don't give to get. But you also can't outgive God. I have a confidence and anticipation that I can't even put into words. I can't wait to see how God provides what we promised. That's what a faith promise is all about.

For what it's worth, these kinds of blogs are milemarkers or milestones so that when God does provide I don't forget to thank Him for keeping his promises!

regular attender

I went to church with my family today. What a surreal experience :) It's only once a year that we get up, get ready, walk to church, and come home as a family! Today was it. It was fun being a "regular attender" today.

We're in our On Mission series and Michael McNamee spoke. Hilarious. He is a straight shooter. He told some amazing stories about what God is doing in Europe--healings and revival movements. Miraculous stuff. It was like Acts 29. A continuation of the crazy stuff God did in the first century--guys named Saul getting knocked off their horse, angelic jailbreaks, handkerchiefs that heal.

Sometimes we hear stuff like that and it's almost foreign to our experience and we have a choice. We can make our theology conform to our reality and dumb-down or water-down the gospel. Or we can make our reality to conform to our theology. I want my life to be Acts-like. I want my reality to conform to the theology I find in the Book of Acts.

We also prayed for our missions team to Columbia that flies out today. The Lord took me to Acts 13. We are continuing the tradition started by the church of Antioch 2,000 years ago. Pretty cool. We were worshipping and we laid hands on them and sent them out.

By the way, the missions video and passport that we handed out rocked too. What a creative team. It's awesome to step back and watch our team take over! Job well done!!!

Saturday, July 30, 2005

I'm Back

What a week.

Lots of sun. Lots of fun.

I won't bore you with all the vacation details, but let's just say we caught several dozen frogs, 10 minnows, and about 25 wobbie diggers. I think the fact that we live in an concrete jungle where the only live animals are rats, makes it so much fun for the kids to catch things that swim and hop and dig.

One of the highlights of the trip was taking time each day for each member of the family to share what we were grateful for.

Here are a few of the things I'm grateful for:

Summer learning how to stand on my shoulders cheerleader style in the pool. My shoulders are sore :) but we had a blast.
There's nothing as relaxing as floating on a raft is there?
The sound of ocean waves.
Playing catch with Parker in the pool.
Time away to clear my head and my heart.
Vanilla shakes with gummi bears at Cold Stone Creamery.
Vanilla shakes with gummi bears at Cold Stone Creamery (I had two of them).
Building a "sand castle" with Josiah (more like a sand hole).
Walking the board walk and window shopping at the shops at Rehobeth.

By the way, Summer said she was grateful for "frogs" every day :)

Friday, July 22, 2005

checking out

I head on vacation tomorrow so I'm checking out of the blogosphere for a week or so. So much is happening right now that it's tough to leave, but it's probably good timing. One of my favorite feelings in the world is driving over the bay bridge. It's like all the stress of living and working in DC dissipates as we cross the bridge! Rehobeth Beach here we come :)

Because I love what I do, it's tough to "check out" or "let go" for a week. But a couple friends offered some valuable advice that I thought I'd pass along:

I trust you’re going on vacation with the family. Don’t miss a minute. My kids grew up overnight. It happens really fast.

Appreciate that reminder. I'm going to cherish this week with my wife and three kids. I never want my kids to feel like ministry was a sacrifice. I want them to feel like they were the luckiest kids in the world growing up as PKs. I think the key is putting family before ministry. I try to do that by limiting my evening commitments. But vacations are a huge part. I'm 100% dad.

Things are really hoppin!!! I can sense the "insanity"! Critical mass, baby!!! I still remember you and me talking about what that was, how far away that was, and what it would be like to hit it!!! The point where you are no longer pushing things along, but rather trying to hang on while God makes it roll! Exciting times!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that your vacation couldn't have come at a better time! I know you will, but I wanted to encourage you to really"check-out" for the next week! Jesus modeled "checking-out" either to the mountains or the sea! I know I am not telling you anything you don't already know and want to do! But, I also know that if there were ever a temptation to not, it is now!!! But I think Jesus did it, first, b/c he physically had to. The wear and tear that ministry has on the physical body is amazing. Even Jesus had to rest the physical body by getting away mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The way I've been describing the last month is the passage in Galatians 5 where it says "keep in step with the Spirit." The Holy Spirit has been taking huge strides lately! I'm hanging on for dear life and trying to keep up! I'm a little out of breath, but I don't want Him to slow down either!

By the way, that's probably how my kids feel when they walk with me through an airport :)

Relevant

Pretty fired up right now. I love Relevant magazine. Their audience mirrors NCC. We're both passionate about reaching emerging generations. Looks like I've got an invite to write for an upcoming issue. Have no idea what I'm going to say, but I love aligning with like-minded causes! If you've never heard about Relevant, check it out at www.relevantmagazine.com. I'd highly recommend a subscription.

For what it's worth, here are the magazines I religious read:

Relevant
Rev
Fast Company
Wired
Entrepreneur

I've just added Mental Floss and Communication Arts. I don't recommend them yet because I've gotten all of one issue!

You never know where you'll get a great idea from! The key to creativity is having your antenna up!

5th Birthday

I celebrate my fifth birthday tomorrow! Five years ago my intestines ruptured and I went in for emergency surgery. I was on a respirator for two days. I always get a little nostalgic this time of year. I feel so fortunate to be alive when I should have died. I feel like God spared my life. By the way, my physician's name was Jesus. No kidding. It had a hispanic pronunciation, but I'm grateful for Jesus and Jesus. The surgeon and the Great physician.

I think July 23, 2000 was the worst day and best day of my life. I'd never want to go through it again. It took me a year to fully recuperate. But it totally changed my perspective on life. I honestly feel like a five year-old.

buzzworthy

Here's the card we're taking to council to begin buzzing the buzz conference. Thought I'd show off Pastor Dave's skilz. We've got lots of people with skilzs on our team. Don't you love that word? Skilz. Makes me think of Napoleon Dynamite. Anywho. Take a look see.

evotional card

Pastor Josh put together a cool vintage card for evotional.com for General Council. I thought I'd show off his skilzs.

sniffing

We floated my manuscript, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, a few months ago and one of the publishers is "sniffing." I don't know exactly what that means since I haven't gone down this road before, but I've had such a peace through this whole process. Most of life boils down ton our core value: work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God.

I've got such a sense of destiny about this particular book. I believe God is going to open the right door. I believe I'll find favor with the right publisher. It's so hard being in a position where you literally have no control over what happens. I've learned that you are at the mercy of the publisher's goals and timelines. But that's good for me :) That is where faith is stretched and strengthened.

What's cool is that the publisher who is sniffing is one of three publishers I'd put at the top of my wish list. We'll see if anything materializes.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

on mission

I'm fired up about our next message series titled On Mission.

Eight years ago we wrote our first $50 check to missions. We weren't even a self-supporting church yet, but I felt like God was calling us to begin investing in missions. And I knew he'd honor that because you can't outgive God. That month we experienced a 600% increase in giving and we haven't looked back. We'll give $250,000 to missions this year. I dream of the day we're investing millions of dollars in missions every year! But it all started with a small step of faith. We gave beyond our ability and when we give beyond our ability it allows God to bless us beyond our ability. II Corinthians 9:8 promises: "God is able to bless you abundantly."

I honestly believe that God's hand of favor on NCC boils down to two things: 1) how we give to missions and 2) how we reach out to the poor in DC. As long as we're doing those two things, I'm confident God will continue to bless us beyond our ability!

Colossians 1:6 says, "All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing."

Here's a cool thought: the sun never sets on our missionary family! We now support sixty-five missionaries and ministries in Washington, DC and around the world. From an orphanage in Egypt to a seminary in the Ukraine; from medical missionaries in Asia to church planters in India; from a campus ministry in Japan to riverboat pastors in the Philippines; our investment in missions in bearing fruit and growing. And someday we’ll meet people in heaven that we never knew on earth, but our investment in missions changed their eternal trajectory!

Our goal for this series is for every NCCer to go and give. We want everyone to be a shareholder in the Great Commission. We've got some amazing missions trips planned for 2006. We'll go to Ethiopia, the Galapagos Islands and Portugal. But even those who don't go can give. We're going to challenge every NCCer to make a faith promise. I'm praying that our heart for missions gets bigger and bigger! And the way to do that is to give more and more!

still buzzing

I'm still buzzing. I felt like yesterday was one of those breakthroughs where you think about something so much for so long and then eureka. It's going to take a ton of time and energy, but I'm buzzed about the buzz conference. I really think it'll help us help more churches. It's nothing short of miraculous the way God is putting so many pieces of this puzzle together so quickly.

I think I created a category in my reticular activating system yesterday because I kept thinking about "buzz words" all day. I'm seeing buzz everywhere I look. I'm on a mission to redeem buzz.

A person who has a little too much alcohol to drink gets a buzz right? Ephesians 5:18 says, "Do not be drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." In other words, we ought to be getting our buzz from the Holy Spirit. And there's no buzz like spiritual buzz.

Enought buzzing for one morning. Better buzz off.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

buzz

I had a "eureka moment" this morning. We brainstormed names and ideas for the conference we want to do next year. We came up with some fun and crazy and creative names, but nothing really resonated. We wanted a word a word that encapsulates our convictions. We wanted a word with a little pizzazz. Nothing seemed to stick. Then this morning I thought of one word that is fun and self-explanatory and not too over-used: buzz.

That's the name of our conference.

We wanted a word that would create some buzz. So Buzz it is. Pun intended :)

This is totally off topic, but I love Buzz Lightyear and I've always been afraid of getting a buzz cut. Anywho...

I think the word buzz is a great fit with our conviction that the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. And no one was better at buzz than Jesus. Even when he told people not to tell anyone about what he had done he couldn't keep them quiet. His "buzz factor" was off the charts!

I don't think anything in the history of humankind has been as "buzzable" as the gospel. It's something so good that you can't not talk about. Isn't that what Peter and John said in Acts 4:20? "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

It boils down to this: is your church boring or buzzing? Great churches buzz. They have a high "buzz factor." Our conference will revolve around three convictions: 1) the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet; 2) the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing; and 3) the church belongs in the middle of the marketplace.

For what it's worth, I came up with a simple formula that I think is the key to creating buzz:

Originality + Authenticity + Creativity = Buzz

Our brains are wired in a way that we notice things that are different. That's why you notice when someone gets a haircut or rearranges their furniture. Too many churches are too predictable. That's where originality comes into play. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people. I think too many churches look too much alike. I love the way Seth Godin says it in his book, Purple Cow. If you've seen one brown cow you've seen them all. But a purple cow? That'd get your attention wouldn't it. We need some purple churches!

Anything less than authenticity is a gimmick. We've got to do the right things for the right reasons. At the end of the day, I think postmodern apologetics boils down to authenticity. Jesus was the real deal. His authenticity was magnetic. In one sense, we don't market the message. We are the message! Our level of authenticity will make us or break us. Things that are genuine and authentic create buzz!

Creativity is the way we package the message or brand our churches. It's all about having the right wineskin. God is omni-creative. The more we become like Christ the more creative we become. Too many churches are too left-brained. I'm hoping this conference crosses the corpus collosum and unchains the right-brain of some pastors and church leaders.

The bottom line is this. Originality + Authenticity + Creativity adds up to BUZZ. There are no short-cuts. You have to work hard and work smart. But it's about being "as shrewd as snakes." It's about "compelling them to come in" (Luke 14). The word compel means "to demand attention." I think "buzz" is a fair interpretation.

So here's what we're going to try to do with our Buzz Conference. We're going to help churches imagineer a church culture where they design:

Outreaches that buzz
Bulletins that buzz
Baptisms that buzz
Small Groups that buzz
Welcome packets that buzz
Message series that buzz
Videos that buzz

I think the Buzz Conference (BC) will help churches identify their unique churchprint or DNA. I'm hoping it's one small step/one giant leap towards becoming more original, authentic, and creative. That'll add up to churches reaching more people who are unchurched and dechurched. That'll add up to more churches reaching emerging generations. And that'll add up to more churches having more fun doing what their doing!

Let me just share one thing that drives me or drives me crazy :) Does it bother anyone else that Hollywood and Madison Avenue do a better job of marketing meaningless things than the church does marketing the good news? I think we need a sanctified competitive streak. I think the church needs to walk into the Aeropagus like Paul and compete in the marketplace of ideas! We need to stop cursing the darkness. We need to start beating at the world at their own game! One way to do that is for churches to stop competing with each other and start learning from each other. I think the buzz conference will produce creative fusion.

For what it's worth, we're thinking May 4, 5, & 6. It'd correspond with the National Day of Prayer (May 4) and we'd probably try to do an optional Capitol Tour with someone like David Barton. I think it'd be a cool perk. And May is a beautiful time of year in DC.

discharge all the duties

I was so encouraged by a verse in II Timothy 4:5: "Discharge all the duties of your ministry."

I'm a people-pleaser by personality. I want to be all things to all people. And when NCC was smaller I could do that. But I've really been wrestling lately. I have a hard time saying "no" to anyone or anything. But I've felt like I've been stretched so thin lately. In fact, if I had to describe my life the last few months it'd probably be: so many ideas so little time!

About a month ago I decided to make a shift in the way I work. When I come back from my "summer sabbatical," Tim Elzea will join our staff as my personal assistant. I need help :) I need someone to relieve some of the pressure (albeit good pressure) I'm feeling day in and day out.

One of the challenges at this juncture in ministry is that I can't have my hand in everything. I want to. And it's a tough transition when you used to do everything because there wasn't anybody else to do anything. But I think our staff could potentially double in the next two years. When life is changing exponentially and you try to change incrementally, there is a growing gap between what you want to do and what you can do that causes tremendous tension. All of that to say this. I felt a little guilty about not being available for everybody. But I've had to come to the philosophical and theological conviction that I'm not even called to be all things to all people. I'm called to "discharge all the duties."

Andy Stanely said something a year ago at the Catalyst conference that stuck with me. He said, "Everybody needs to know Jesus. Not everybody needs to know Andy Stanley." We have an amazing staff! And I'm realizing more and more that I need to just discharge duties because they can do what they do better than I can do what they do. Ultimately, all of us are pointing people to Jesus.

I really feel like God used that verse--"discharge all the duties of your ministry"--to affirm the direction we're headed. What a temendous encouragement.

By the way, isn't that what Jesus did? He discharged the duties to twelve disciples!

II Timothy

My forty day journey through the epistles continues. Here are some thoughts from II Timothy.

Paul says he serves God with "a clear conscience" (II Timothy 1:3).

I had a frustrating day yesterday. My computer crashed and I lost two emails I had spent hours working on. Unfortunately, AOL doesn't have a back-up feature like Word so I lost everything I was working on! I'm no computer guru, but my processor was maxed out. It warned me: virtual memory low. But I ignored it and paid the price.

When we sin it's like we open guilt windows that causes our conscience to crash. Confession is the way we close the windows and defragment and operate at peak performance. There is nothing like serving God with a clear conscience is there? No distractions. Nothing to slow us down!

II Timothy 2:7 is some of the best advice in Scripture: "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all of this." No reflection = No insight. Reading without meditating is like eating without digesting. I believe that the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writers of Scripture can inspire the readers of Scripture. This verse is at the heart of why I decided to just read through the epistles during these forty days versus the entire Bible like I did last year. I'm trying to linger longer over key verses. There is nothing like God giving us insight into His word is there? It's life-changing!

II Timothy 2:14 says, "Warn them before God against quarreling about words." When I was in Seminary I almost jumped ship and left the Assemblies of God because I had issue with some of the semantics of how the doctrinal statement described the baptism in the Holy Spirit. To make a long story short, I use different words to describe the same experience. I think words are incredibly important. I don't recommend compromising your convictions. But I decided not to quarrel about words. In the world of mathematics, there are different ways to arrive at the right answer. Don't get me wrong. There is only one right answer. But there are different ways of getting there! I think the Holy Spirit speaks more than six billion languages. He deals with each of us on an individual basis. No one has more originality than the Holy Spirit. You can't put Him in a box or reduce him to a formula! I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity of the Holy Spirit. He fills us in different ways at different times. I never want to let semantics get in the way of me being filled with the Holy Spirit. Too many churches have reduced God to a doctrinal statement. The end result is "having a form of godliness but denying its power" (II Timothy 3:5).

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Riverdance Mockumentary

We just posted a couple variety show videos on the website today. You'll find the Riverdance mockumentary and our family's first "epic" film, War of the Water Balloons. Just click on ear & eye candy on the homepage (www.theaterchurch.com). It'll get you to our video archive.

By the way, I woke up on Monday with what I'd call a fun overdose. What a blast!

Enjoy :)

We're taking evotional.com to the next level. We'll have an evotional.com booth @ General Council to begin resourcing other churches in the areas of technology, creativity, and marketing. Thought I'd share the retro design we came up with for our banner. Kudos to Pastor Dave and Pastor Josh who are working like banchee monkeys (by the way, I have no idea where this phrase comes from or if there is even such a thing as a banchee monkey or how to spell it).

But I really like that phrase :)

Banchee monkey. If there isn't one there should be :)

jack and the beanstalk

There is a shifting of the tectonic plates happening right now. I have no idea what evotional.com will become, but I think it's morphing. I think the weekly evotional (email version of my weekend messages) will continue to be the bread and butter. I pour myself into the evotionals because I think it's a way of helping NCCers get a double dose as well as supplementing the spiritual diets of people who don't go to NCC. I think the most encouraging thing is the way so many people forward the evotionals to friends who are unchurched or dechurched. The evotional is a spiritual vitamin supplement.

I think the blog will continue to be huge part of evotional.com. But I have a feeling that it will become more than the evotional and blog. We've begun podcasting or godcasting. So we now have an audio evotional or evotional godcast. I think we might venture into webcasting and broadcasting when the coffeehouse opens. I can envision everything from evotional productions to evotional apparel. Not sure how or when those ideas will become realities. But I think God ideas have a way of becoming more than we ever imagined (Ephesians 3:20). I think every evolution of evotional.com is an expression of the passions and dreams God has given me to help people reach their God-given potential.

One of my prayer mantras is "help me help people." I pray that all the time as I go into meetings or prepare to preach. I think evotional.com has the potential to help alot of people in alot of ways.

My favorite plant is the moso bamboo. It's grown in the far east. When you plant it, there is no visible growth for five years. But it's forming miles of roots under the surface. When it finally breaks through the surface of the ground it can grow up to a foot and a half per day. And it grows to a height of ninety feet. It's like Jack and Beanstalk. I think that's what is happening with evotional.com.

we see what we are

I continue my forty day journey through the gospels. My stop today was Titus. I thought I'd share some thoughts along the way.

Titus 1:15 is one of the most important verses on perspective in the entire New Testament. "To the pure all things are pure." The Talmud, the Jewish commentary on the Old Testament, said that we don't see the world as it is. We see the world as we are. That is so true!

I think we tend to see what we're looking for. On optimist can always find something to be optimistic about. A pessimist can always find something to be pessimistic about. And I think we tend to see what we are. The specks of dust we see in others are a reflection of our planks!

I'm so challenged by this one verse! I want to see through the eyes of God. I think the way we do that is by looking through the lens of Scripture. Scripture gives us 20/20 vision by purifying our hearts and minds. And when we're pure in Spirit all things become pure. Scripture is like a blue light. It reveals God's fingerprints every where we look! We see his beauty and grace and power and love and smile!

Monday, July 18, 2005

pin the tail on the donkey

I just emailed someone and said my life feels like "pin the tail on the donkey" right now. It's like I'm spinning with ideas and opportunities. Around and around. And I'm just hoping that once I'm done spinning around that I'll pin the tail in the right place. I have no idea if what I've just blogged makes any sense, but that's how I feel.

My sense of destiny grows deeper and stronger by the day as synchronicities seem to be happening left and right. Everything that has happened in the last month giving us a larger platform could not have been man-u-factured. There's no way we could have planned any of it. And we certainly weren't seeking out all the attention we've gotten recently.

I think it's exemplified by Amy Doolittle calling me last week and telling me the Washington Times wanted to do a story on theater churches. I ended up getting two calls from two reporters at two different papers doing a story on theater churches on the same day. What are the chances? And what are the chances of that article landing on the front page?

Then, evidently, someone at Janet Parshall's America picked up the paper today and read the story and I'll do an interview tomorrow. It's crazy. I feel like I'm on one of those moving sidewalks. I honestly feel like I'm just along for the ride.

I'm hoping the article and interview are an opportunity to encourage pastors and churches to think in new ways. We've got to do a better job of reaching emerging generations. We've got to do a better job of reaching the unchurched and dechurched. We've got to do a better job of marketing the greatest message. We've got to do a better job competing in the marketplace of ideas. And I'm not sure how to say this, but most churches need at least a 1000 miligrams of creativity steriods.

If all this media attention just results in media attention then it's a waste of time and energy. But if the article and interview help inspire some churches to think outside the box and get out of the boat then it's worth it.

I'm reminded again today that God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. He can arrange front page stories and radio interviews even if we aren't seeking them out. It's funny. I remember wanting some media attention a few years ago. I thought it might help us as we launched our second location at Ballston Common Mall. But nothing happened. And now that we're not seeking it out, God seems to be working overtime setting us up. All I can say is that I'm absolutely amazed when I zoom out and see all of the synchronicities.

Scripture says we need to "keep in step with the Spirit." I've learned that somtimes the Holy Spirit takes long strides. I feel like a little kid with short legs trying to keep up with a giant who is taking long fast strides. I just don't want to slow the Holy Spirit down :)

radio interview

Just got a call from Janet Parshall's America. They've doing a program on "theater churches" based on the Washington Times story. Looks like I'll do a short interview with them at 4:30 on Tuesday, July 19. They've got 163 affiliates nationwide but the program can be heard locally on WAVA 105.1. The program is also live at jpamerica.com in case you want to tune in.

churches get thumbs-up at theaters

The Washington Times had a front page article on theater churches today. Pretty cool. They were at NCC taking some pictures yesterday. Here's a link if you're interested in the article:

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050718-120338-9682r.htm

For what it's worth, I think a church ought to be meeting in every theater in the country :) I'm sort of shocked there aren't more. I think the reference to seventy churches in theaters only refers Cinemedia or Regal. There's got to be more than that.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Variety Show

We out did ourselves tonight. We had some good old-fashioned fun at the Variety Show tonight. So much talent. So many laughs. I love events like that. I think we totally underestimate how much fun God has when we have fun! I think He laughs when we laugh!

There were some amazing acts. And the videos were vintage! I'll link to a couple of the videos once we get them up on our website.

I'm absolutely convinced that nothing is more important and nothing is more difficult than creating culture. Fun is a huge part of our culture at NCC. And I think that's the way it should be. I know I've said it a hundred times in the last week, but we take fun seriously.

I wonder if heaven will be part variety show? What I know for sure is that we'll be there forever and never experience a single nanosecond of boredom!

I despise boredom. I think it's dis-grace-full.

One of the highlights on our trip to Minnesota was horse back riding. I'm on "Joe" and Parker rode "Miss Chester." Before we left, the "ranch hand" said, "Do you have bug spray?" We found out why she asked that question. I've never gotten so many mosquito bites in my life. The horses were like mosquito magnets. And it doesn't help that mosquitoes are Minnesota's state bird :) They feasted on our legs which explains the "skeeter stik."

Saturday, July 16, 2005

it helps to be moving

I just got linked to a great blog on "moving." Blaine Smith writes:

In his Chronicles, Volume One, Bob Dylan reflects on the setting that he believes best enables him and others to compose music. It is one, he explains, that is anything but stationary: “You can write a song anywhere, in a railroad compartment, on a boat, on horseback--it helps to be moving.” He adds, “Sometimes people who have the greatest talent for writing songs never write any because they are not moving.”

Isn't it fascinating that most of the biblical Epiphanies happen when people are on the move. Jonah is running from God. Paul is on the road to Damascus. Jacob is fleeing Esau. David is on the run hiding out in caves.

It's tough for me to pray when I'm not moving. I'm a prayer walker. My best praying happens when I'm moving. It helps to be moving! I don't just pray best when I'm moving. I also think best when I'm on the move. And I love to write on airplanes! I think there is a time to "be still and know that I am God." But God also has a way of revealing himself when we're "on the move" too!

I find this single insight--"it helps to be moving"--absolutely intriguing. It just resonates with my personal experience.

Teaching Churches

I sort of feel like I've been living Nehemiah 2:11-12 the last few weeks and months. Nehemiah has this dream of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but he doesn't go public right away. It says, "I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem."

Nehemiah has a dream, but he hadn't verbalized it yet.

I feel like the Lord has given me some new dreams and new passions in the last few months, but I haven't verbalized them. I've been examining the walls. I'm still not ready to "go public" with some of them. But I wanted to blog about one of them.

About a year ago I felt really impressed that NCC was called to be what I'd call a "teaching church." Just as there are hospitals and teaching hospitals, I think there are churches and teaching churches. I think NCC is called to be a teaching church.

Teaching hospitals aren't better than hospitals. But they are intentional about training emerging doctors. I feel like we're called to train emerging pastors and emerging churches. In one sense, we've been doing that for the last couple of years. A week doesn't go by that I don't meet with a church planter or a pastor does reconnaissance at one of our services. But I think the time has come for us to become more strategic in the way we help other churches. To me it's a stewardship issue. We've got to be good stewards of our successes and mistakes.

I'm well aware of our defects and deficiencies. Every church has them. We probably have more than our fair share. But I think we're called to play to our strengths. And our strengths can help some other churches. Ironically, I think we're weak where lots of churches are strong. And we're strong where lots of churches are weak.

I think we're good at media and marketing. We're living out our conviction that the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. I think we're good at creating culture. Nothing is more important or more difficult than creating culture! I think every church needs a pastor of culture (whether that's their official title or not). I think we're good at reaching emerging generations or as some church demographers call them--the missing generation. NCC is 80% twenty-something and 80% single. I think we're good at reaching unchurched and dechurched people. I think we're good at doing church in theaters, clubs, and hopefully the coffeehouse we're building on Capitol Hill. We're passionate about doing church in the middle of the marketplace. One of our convictions is that the church is called to compete in the marketplace of ideas. Too many churches have gotten comfortable existing in the Christian bubble or Christian ghetto. They are answering questions nobody is asking! And I think our irrelevance is irreverence!

Our goal is to create a network of churches that are trying to do church in new ways. We don't want to compete with existing networks. We can't compete with existing networks even if we wanted to. So what's our niche? I think it boils down to creativity.

One of my deepest convictions is that the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. I think the words "church" and "creativity" ought to be synonyms! When people do a "word association" test, they ought to say "creativity" when they hear "church." I believe there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet. Too many churches do ministry out of memory. I think we're called to do ministry out of imagination. If you think of the Kingdom of God as a corporation, then I think NCC would be in the Research & Development department (R & D). We're called to experiment. In fact, one of our core values is: everything is an experiment. For what it's worth, the New Testament doesn't prescribe a "church formula." The New Testament leaves 98% of how we do church up to us. The only ordinances are baptism and communion. That used to cause angst for me because I just wanted God to tell me exactly what to do. Then I realized the reason why He didn't do it that way. It would kill creativity. It would kill originality. Every church would look like every other church.

Too many churches are cloned. Thank God for Willowcreek, but we don't need another Willowcreek. Thank God for Saddleback, but we don't need another Saddleback. Thank God for Northpoint, but we don't need another Northpoint. Thank God for Fellowship Church, but we don't need another Fellowship. Fill in the blank with any church. We don't need to be like someone else. It comes down to one of our convictions: we need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kind of people.

I'm totally grateful for the teaching churches that have helped us and inspired us along the way. I'm totally grateful for the books and blogs and conferences that have made my synapses fire in new ways. And we're going to keep learning. But we're also going to start teaching.

Here's the funny thing. I have no idea what to call our "consulting arm." I think we have this thing 70% figured out. But sometimes we wait for God to part the Jordan river before we step in while God calls us to step into the Jordan river before He'll part the waters! Joshua 3:8 says, "Go and stand in the river." In other words, jump in with both feet. Get your feet wet. And Joshua 3:15 says, "As soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing." I'm not sure where this "current" will take us, but we're doing a swan dive into the river.

We're going to set up a booth at the Assemblies of God General Council in Denver, Colorado the first week of August and go from here.

Here are a few of our initials ideas:

We'll launch a blog that is exclusively for pastors and church planters. It'll be a way of systematically sharing what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how we're doing it. I also want it to be an idea sharing venue. I'm hoping it's like a creativity IV that pumps God ideas right into pastors' veins.

We'll host our first conference in 2006. Two people may show up, but we're going to go for it. One of our assets is our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill. It gives us so much more flexibility! Plus Washington, DC is a great conference destination. We'll probably tag a spiritual heritage or monument tour onto the conference.

Eventually I'd like to see us create a network of church planters. I'd love to have a church planting school at some point as well.

I have no idea what to expect, but we're going to take a dive. So as the old saying goes: here goes nothing. And hopefully nothing will turn into something.

Philemon

I've begun my journey reading through the Epistles over the next forty days. I started in one of the most least read books in the Bible--Philemon.

Here are some thoughts from Philemon v. 8. "I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love." There are two motivations for doing things: you can do them because you "have to" or "want to." I think sometimes we "have to" do something and that's fine. But the goal isn't just obedience. I think it's motivated obedience or joyful obedience. In other words, you don't just do what you should do because you have to do it. You do what you should do because you want to do it.

I believe that the deepest level of transformation isn't intellectual, it's emotional. It's not changing your mind. It's changing your heart. It's getting to the point where you're desires are sanctified and you want what God wants. It's the difference between pulling and pushing. Paul doesn't want to push. He wants to pull. I'm a big believer in leadership that pulls. I don't want to guilt anybody into doing anything. I want to inspire and motivate and encourage. That is what Paul does here. I think discipleship often begins as "discipline." You do it because you know you should do it. But ultimately it needs to morph into desire. You do it because you want to do it.

One more thought. I love Philemon v. 22: "Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers." That is so cool. Too many of us pray, but we don't make any plans preparing for the answer to those prayers! Faith isn't just praying like it depends on God. Faith is also working like it depends on us. It's both/and. Paul plans for answered prayer!

Friday, July 15, 2005

post-modern stained glass

I had to write out some info on NCC today. Thought this thought was worth sharing:

Meeting in rented facilities certainly has its challenges. But the theater has amazing assets. The screen is a big one. It’s 21st century stained glass. Medieval churches used stained glass to tell the gospel story in pictures to illiterate people. We use the movie screen to tell the gospel story in moving pictures to a post-literate culture.

synchronicities

I have been using the word "convergence" a ton lately. It just seems like the last few months and weeks have been full of so many synchronicities. I believe in divine coincidences. I think divine coincidence = providence. For example, I got two calls from two reporters yesterday doing a story on churches that meet in movie theaters. It's not like I get those kinds of calls all the time. And they were totally unrelated. So it's sort of wild to get two of them the same day! I'm just seeing God's fingerprints all over the place these days!

convictions

I've been thinking about convictions alot lately. William Scolavino said, "The depth of your convictions will determine the height of your accomplishments."

Here are four of my deepest convictions when it comes to "doing church":

C1: The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing
C2: The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet
C3: We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people
c4: The church is called to compete in the marketplace of ideas

heaven and hell

Got a totally cool qoute from my mother-in-law this week. I don't usually post random quotes, but this is one of those "quotes that make you go hmmmmm":

"To the unbeliever, earth is as close to heaven as they will ever get. To the Christian, earth is as close to hell as they will ever get"

no style

Met with someone who made an interesting observation about Christianity. She was talking to a friend who is struggling with some sin issues and checking out Christianity. They said, "My life is all style and no substance. Christianity is all substance and no style."

That challenges me :) It's got to be both/and. One of my core convictions is that the greatest message deserves the greatest marketing. We need some style to go with our substance.

if fun is wrong

I'm totally fired up for our NCC variety show this weekend. I love to laugh! If this year's show is anything like last year I know I'm going to lose my voice this weekend :) I told our staff this week that if fun is wrong we're going to sin on Sunday!

The Game of Life: Fall in Love

I just sent out the Fall in Love evotional from the game of life series. Man, that was a tough project :) Anytime you tread onto relationship territory you do so with some fear and trepidation :) But I honestly think churches need to talk about that stuff. Too often we steer clear of topics like dating and sex and money. But that is where the rubber meets the road.

Too many churches are answering questions people aren't asking! These kinds of messages are so emotionally draining. You measure every word. But I feel like it's my responsibility pastoring a church that is 80% single and twenty-something to be talking about this kind of stuff. I'm just extra prayerful when I preach on these kinds of topics :)

juggling four balls

I made a tough decision last night not to teach for Regent University this fall. It's agonizing because I love to teach and who doesn't like a little extra income or alot of extra income for that matter :) But I made the decision for three reasons:

1) I don't want money to be a motivating factor in where I invest my time and energy, and in all honesty, money was too much of the motivation. When I took the paycheck out of the equation I wasn't as excited about teaching. That revealed to me that I probably wouldn't be teaching for the right reasons. I want to do things for intrinsic reasons not extrinsic reasons.

2) I felt like the student base was outside my "niche." I love undergrads, but I feel like I'm more passionate about pastors and church planters who are already in the game. We definitely need people who shape the worldviews of undergrads. That's vital. It's just not my niche. If I teach again I think I'd want it to be with grad students who are doing school and ministry at the same time because what you teach finds immediate application. Not as much is lost in translation.

3) You can only juggle so many balls at the same time. I can juggle three balls, but if you add a fourth I'll drop all of them :) That's how I feel right now. I'd be bored if I wasn't juggling three balls! But Regent was a fourth ball that probably would have caused me to drop all of them :)

By the way, after I made the decision it passed what I'd call the relief test. It was tough to say "no" but I felt relieved afterwards. That was a confirmation that I made the right decision.

core values

We talked about core values and core convictions in my ministry mentoring group yesterday. John Hassler came up with some fun variations on our core values that are too good not to share. Here are a few of them:

Expect the unexpected virgin birth
Pray like it depends on Dad and work like a carpenter
Changing water into wine is a chemistry experiment
You can't out fish God
Maturity does not equal wearing the same tunic as me
Go the extra cubit
It's never too late to be a disciple instead of a tax collector

For what it's worth, here are all of our core values:

expect the unexpected
irrelevance is irreverence
love people when they least expect it and least deserve it
playing it safe is risky
everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable
pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you
maturity does not equal conformity
it’s never too late to be who you might have been
do it right and do it big
everything is an experiment
you can’t outgive God

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

goose pimples

One of the highlights of this trip was visiting the cow pasture where I was called to ministry. I got goose pimples just walking through it again. It's hallowed ground for me. It's a long story, but a prayer walk through a cow pasture near Lake Ida (Alexandria, Minnesota) totally changed the trajectory of my life in August of 1989. That's where I knew I was called to ministry. It's cool to have a place like that to return to. It's my Bethel or Damascus road.

I spent some time praying there and then we did a photo shoot. I was trying to find a photographer and then I found out that my cousin-in-law, Dave Schmidgall, was going to be driving through Minnesota the same day I was there! So he took a two-hour detour to take some pictures!

I'm turning that cow pasture into my decor in my new office. I'm tired of art that is pretty but has no significance or meaning in my life. I want art that says something about who I am. I want art that says something about my life. So there is going to be a picture of a cow pasture on my wall somewhere!

I'll post some pictures once I get them.

overdose of nostalgia

I had an amazing experience Sunday night. Before heading up to Alexandria, Minnesota I decided to swing by my old neighborhood. I knocked on the door of my old house and the owner actually gave us a tour! I hadn't stepped foot inside that house in probably twenty-five years!

The most amazing part was the way different rooms released different memories. I look at the garage door and remember my dad surprising us one Christmas by walking in with a dog in his jacket. The backyard reminded me of the night I went out to check on our bunny rabbits and one of them I had died. I went in to the house and told my parents, "Teddy is hard." When I walked into the kitchen I could smell and taste and see the Christmas cookies on the counter. And my room reminded me of Big Foot. And oh yah, I saw the actual toilet where I was toilet trained :)

I even went and talked to a neighbor that still lives across the street. I got the brief update on what some of my childhood friends are doing these days. It was an overdose of nostalgia.

creating culture

I'm back from my whirlwind tour to Minnesota. I totally forgot how distinctive Minnesotans are. We are a unique breed :) Even the way we say "yaaah" with a long "a" sound :)

I took Parker with me and we did some recon at Solomon's Porch. It was cool to see the way they do their service. They have sofas in a circle. It's very communal. All their music is homegrown which gives it an authentic edge. I don't know if I'd call it "worship" music because it didn't seem like people really sang along very much on most of the songs. But the lyrics were very contemplative. The best way I can describe the gathering was that it was "spiritually relaxing." I also love the "swiveling stool" in the middle!

My goal in going was to get some ideas for our coffeehouse service @ Ebenezers. I definitely like the Q & A element, the conversational and communal tone of the gathering, and the authentic edge of the music. They aren't concerned about "doing church the way it's been done before." I think the key to Solomon's Porch's culture is Doug Paggitt. The entire "tone" of the church is a reflection of his personality and gifting.

I did have one thought on the Q & A time following messages. I've wanted to do that for a long time, but the theater just isn't conducive. So I'm excited about the rabbit trails we'll run on after messages at the coffeehouse. I'm hoping it gives it a talk show feel where people have a sense of ownership. Their voice can be heard. I realize there are potential dangers. You always have people who want to hijack a meeting or get off topic. I think the key is establishing some simple ground rules that are explained before the Q & A part of the gathering. One of them is the sixty second rule. I think that keeps people from monopolizing a gathering. I don't think it's bad to have people question or contradict what's been said, but I think there has to be a "respect rule." If you can't say something in a respectful way then you can't say it. In other words, you can't use offensive language or go into "attack mode." I think the goal is to keep things "honest" and "positive" even if there is an element of negativity. And there has to be a "counseling rule." The Q & A time isn't a personal, one-on-one counseling session! If someone doens't pass this test then we deal with it after the gathering. That is up to the discretion of whoever was speaking. I'm sure we'll need a few more ground rules, but I think this has huge potential. I'm excited about experimenting with Q & A.

I think some churches make the mistake of trying to imitate the "mechanics" of what other churches are doing. I'm absolutely convinced that the key to every we do is creating the right culture. The problem isn't that there aren't enough people serving in the nursery or volunteering for production or plugging into a small group. The solution to those issues is creating the culture where people value the right things. It's about shaping convictions. It's about shaping values. Solomon's Porch is authentic because everything they do is an expression of who they are.

I'm excited to see what our gathering @ Ebenezers feels like. It's fun to think outside the box and begin to imagine possibilities. Part of the processing is seeing what other people are doing. That's why were big believers in recon. We don't come home and implement what people are doing wholesale. We try to discern why people are doing what they're doing and learn from their successes and failures.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Solomon's Porch

I'm headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota tomorrow to do a little reconaissance at Solomon's Porch (http://solomonsporch.com/index.html). They're doing some unique things so I wanted to go and get some ideas for our coffeehouse service that we'll launch at Ebenezers in January of '06.

I'm taking Parker with me and we're going to head up to Alexandria, Minnesota where our family used to vacation every year when I was growing up. It during during a prayer walk through a cow pasture near Lake Ida that I felt called to ministry in August 1989. I can't even put into words how it feels knowing that'll I'll be in Alex tomorrow night. I feel like I'm eight years-old again. I remember the intense anticipation for weeks before vacation. I could hardly wait. That's how I feel today.

I'll preach at Union tomorrow and then head to the airport.

The Giant Safety Net

We have a core value as a church: playing it safe is risky. I think there are a dozen ways to say it. Safe is unsafe. Taking no risks is very risky. safety is risky and risk is safe. But you get the idea :) I just think faith is about playing to win. Too many Christians live like they're playing not to lose. But risk and regret have an inverse relationship. If you don't take any risks you'll have lots of regrets.

Neil Clark Warren talks about optimism in his book Catching the Rhythm of Love. He says, "Fundamental to the adoption of an optimistic outlook on your life is the need for a giant safety net." I immediately think of a tightrope walker at the circus. A safety net removes the fear of falling. It allows you to focus on walking the tightrope.

Warren says, "You need to know that you can make a few mistakes along the way and not be obliterated by them." How we view mistakes is huge! Mistakes are learning opportunities!

Then Warren says, "Without this safety net, your anxiety may run so high that you will portect yourself against every eventuality, safeguard yourself on every side, live every moment with ultimate caution, and play for a 0-0 tie in the game of life."

That last line impacted me because we're in The Game of Life series. I think too many people play The Game of Life like they're playing not to lose! But God is our giant safety net. That ought to free us from fear so we can walk the tightrope of faith.

Don't look down :)

Golden Calf Relationships

I continue The Game of Life series tomorrow. The Big Idea is fall in love. By the way, I don't think love into something you fall into. It's something you ought to walk into with both eyes wide-open. I think it'd be awesome if everybody feel head over heels in love with somebody. But it has to be for the right reasons. Too many people confuse "falling in love" with "falling in lust" :)

I think our concept of love is backwards. Genesis 24:67 doesn't say, "Isaac loved her and she became his wife." It says, "So she became his wife, and he loved her." I'm not saying you shouldn't love someone before you marry someone. But love is a choice. My all-time favorite definition of marriage is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. I think you should marry someone because you love them. But you should also love them because you married them. It's both/and.

Golden Calf Relationships

Remember the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32? I read that story and part of me laughs at how goofy it is. They make a calf with their gold jewelry and then they bow down and worship it. They even give it credit for getting them out Egypt. Makes you want to "silly slap" them doesn't it? Come on, people!

I laugh at that story until I realize how silly some of my "golden calves" are. Let me get to the point. I think "finding a soulmate" is the primary golden calf that twenty-somethings are tempted to bow down to and worship. I don't say that in an accusatory tone. I honestly believe that the desire to get married is a godly desire. It's something God has hardwired into the human soul. But here's the problem. If we seek a spouse more than we seek God we've got a relationship idol or golden calf relationship.

An idol is anything that is more important to us than God. And if we aren't careful, we can fall into the same trap the Israelites fell into. Remember what happened? They got tired of waiting. Isn't that the hardest part? I know lots of people who are playing the waiting game instead of the dating game. And they're sick and tired of waiting. If that's you, read this next paragraph twice.

In Exodus 32:23, the Israelites say to Aaron, "Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." The Israelites couldn't wait forty days! They had a "waiting problem" which is a spiritual problem. I'm not sure exactly what day the Israelites quit the waiting game and starting making an idol for themselves. But if they had just held on a few days longer they would have avoided the plague (Exodus 32:35). If only they could have seen what was happening on the mountain. God and Moses were planning their future! The Israelites felt abandoned, but the reality is that during that "holding pattern" God was making plans for Israel.

I have a friend who just sent out 300 resumes with no response, but he said something profound. "I've walked with God long enough to know that when it seems like nothing is happening God is up to something!" If only the Israelites had had that perspective!

Here is the great danger we face when we're waiting. We'll be tempted to revert to old patterns and head back to Egypt--the place of bondage. We'll be tempted to think that God has forgotten us. We'll be tempted to settle for second best. That's what an idol is. It's anything less than God's best. A relationship that isn't God-ordained is a "golden calf" relationship. And here's what happens. A person starts sacrificing to the god of relationship when they should sacrifice the relationship to God. They make compromises they shouldn't make. All because they can't see God planning their future. All because they lose faith that the God who has brought them this far will get them all the way to promise land. So they settle for a manufactured idol. Don't try to manufacture a relationship! I'm not saying you shouldn't be praying and watching. I'm not saying you shouldn't initiate a relationship. But there is a subtle difference between looking for a relationship and letting a relationship find you.

Here's a promise. Whether it's forty days or forty months or forty years, if you play the waiting game and hold out for God's best, God will always make it worth the wait.

The Game of Life: Setting God-Sized Goals

The Game of Life: Setting God-size Goals
07.06.05
Pastor Mark Batterson

This evotional continues The Game of Life series. Last week’s evotional focused on pursuing God-given passions. This week’s evotional focuses on setting God-sized goals. To sign up for the audio evotional (podcast) at www.theaterchurch.com.

I read a great story a few years ago about Monty Roberts, author of The Man who Listens to Horses. One of his defining moments was an assignment given one of his high school classes. A teacher had the students write about what they wanted to do when they grew up. Monty’s passion was horses. He wrote about owning a two-hundred acre ranch and breeding thoroughbred horses.

The teacher gave Monty an “F” for the assignment because he said it was unrealistic. The teacher knew that Monty was living in the back of a pickup truck and he told Monty that he could never amass enough money to buy a ranch and purchase breeding stock. Then he told Monty that he could rewrite the paper for a higher grade. I love Monty’s response: “You keep the F; I’m keeping my dream.”

I’m not sure what that teacher is doing these days. My guess is that he’s still giving “F’s” to dreamers! But I know where Monty Roberts is. He owns his ranch. He’s got an Equestrian Academy. And he’s even developed a novel method of training and communicating with horses called Join-Up. You can check it out at www.montyroberts.com.

I think there are two kinds of people in the world: naysayers and daydreamers. Thank God for daydreamers!

Scan the pages of Scripture and here is what you’ll find. Every person that God used in an extraordinary way had a crazy idea that made them look ridiculous. Noah looked crazy building an ark, but not when it started raining! Elijah looked crazy when he called down fire from heaven, but not when the sacrifice was consumed. David looked crazy attacking a giant with a slingshot, but not when Goliath was lying flat on his back! Jesus looked crazy hanging on a cross, but not when the stone rolled away and he walked out of the tomb!

Nehemiah is definitely part of the crazy club. A cupbearer in Babylon, with no education or experience in construction has no business rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem! What a crazy idea! But I think God-sized goals usually seem like crazy ideas because they are humanly impossible! They deserve an “F” if you’re gra