Very rarely do I read a book twice, but I took Blue Like Jazz on vacation and reread the entire thing. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Here is what I love about Donald Miller--he says what most of us think but aren't willing to say :) What a gifted writer and thinker! In fact, I'd love to have him speak at NCC if anybody has any connections :)

I think it ranks as a must-read. You may not agree with everything he says, but it'll make you rethink why you believe what you believe.

Here is an amazon link.

Just got back from vacation. We spend a week at the ocean in Rehoboth, DE every summer. This is our summer of simple pleasures so here are some of the simple pleasures we enjoyed on vacation.

Losing track of what time and what day it was
Reading a good book by the pool
Throwing a frisbee on the beach
Pulling Josiah on the beach on a boogie-board
Playing "tennis" with Parker
Floating on a raft
Feeding cheetoes to a swarm of seagulls
Family bike rides
No alarm clocks or email

I'm going to check out of the blogosphere for a week.

We've got a little family vacation planned. Can't wait to cross the bay bridge on the way to the ocean. Somehow I decompress as we cross over.

FYI--I turn off blog comments while I'm gone :)

Peace Out.

Just wanted to share our Baptism by the Bay video.

This is a must-watch. Baptism is our public profession of faith so we video every baptism, edit it, and then show it the next weekend. We also give a DVD copy to everyone who got baptized as a spiritual memento.

Enjoy the video!

I think it was two weeks ago today that I got a little surprise.

Just as we were finishing edits on the last chapter of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, I found out that my publisher, Multnomah, was being sold to another publisher. It was a little bit of a shock :) Thankfully it doesn't jeopardize my book in any way. In fact, there could be some upside depending on who is buying Multnomah out. My only concern is this: I want to keep writing with the same team of people! I can't imagine a better working relationship between author and publisher.

There is certainly a level of uncertainty about what the future looks like, but I've been so impressed with the way the team has kept on keeping on with my project. Can't wait till the book goes to print :)

The day before vacation is always quite a day :) Lots of loose ends! I've written a couple articles to beat deadlines. We're finanlizing titles and epilogue for In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. And I'm trying to empty my email inbox which is no easy feat :)

You need a vacation after the day before vacation :)

During my summer sabbatical I really try to look at myself and NCC through a wide-angled lens and regain some perspective. It helps me refocus on what's important. It also helps me remember why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I'm not sure how to say this so it comes across the right away. I've noticed that the more articles I write and the more conferences I speak at the more people perceive you as some sort of "expert." But I often joke with our staff that the farther away from home you are the more of an expert you are :) So all the churches on the west coast are experts to those of us on the east coast :) The truth is that I don't feel like an expert on anything :) I honestly believe that anytime you think you have something figured out it is the beginning of the end.

I think one key to leadership is cultivating a culture of humility and teachability where people realize that you never have it completely figured out. I think another key is cultivating a culture of experimention where people have the freedom to try new things and fail.

Here are some of the issues I feel like we're wrestling with as a church right now.

One of the big ones is assimilation. We've always been good at getting people in the front door. But we have a hard time getting them into the living room :) I think our efforts to really allow people to retain their anonymity while they explore Christianity has caused us to not be as assertive as we could be or should be in following-up with people.

One of the other things I'm really wrestling with is how do we help people cross the line of faith in more creative and concrete ways. It's almost embarrassing to admit that we're still trying to figure this one out. We don't do traditional altar calls where people come forward. Ocassionally we'll have people raise hands in a prayer or we'll invite them to celebrate communion. We've had alot of people cross the line in Alpha. And, of course, baptism is the ultimate public confession. But I'm concerned that we aren't doing a good enough job in helping people take their first few steps following Christ.

That's the tip of the iceberg.

We certainly have a dozen other weaknesses. But hopefully we have the discernment to know what they are, the wisdom to know what to do, and the courage to actually do something about them. That doesn't mean we don't play to our strengths. But I think we'll wrestle with issues like these as long as we're doing ministry.

You never have it completely figured out :)

Since I just blogged about some of our weaknesses let me flip the coin.

We spent some time brainstorming recently and it really turned into a long look in the mirror. We're really trying to figure out our niche as a church.

We feel called to be a teaching church and share our learnings with other churches, but we don't want to reinvent the wheel. So we spent a couple hours talking about our passions and convictions. There are lots of things we don't do very well :) We're definitely a work in progress. But I also think we're coming to terms with who we are and who we're not. And this is huge: if you don't know who you are you'll try to become someone else.

Our reflections came out of a diagnostic question that every church needs to ask itself: what makes us unique?

I'm not talking in "better or worse" terms. I'm talking about originality. I just think every church with a kingdom mindset ought to celebrate it's own uniqueness and the uniqueness of other churches in their community!

The following reflections don't represent our entire genetic code. But this is part of the double helix. Think of them as strands of DNA. Hopefully these reflections help other churches go through the process of identifying their DNA.

There are three core convictions that drive NCC.

C1: The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet.
C2: The greatest message deserves the greatest marketing.
C3: The church is called to compete in the middle of the marketplace.

There are certain phrases that get repeated around NCC all the time.

We're orthodox in belief but unorthodox in practice.
Doing church in the middle of the marketplace is part of our DNA.
There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.
We take fun seriously!

We have rather unique core values. A few of them include:

Irrelevance is irreverence
Playing it safe is risky
Work like it depends on you & pray like it depends on God
Everything is an experiment
Expect the unexpected
Everyone is invaluable and irreplacable

I think where we do church is somewhat unique. We love rented facilities. We sort of feel like we're a "tabernacle church" patterned after the Old Testament tabernacle that functioned as the first mobile church or multi-site church. Our macro vision is to meet in movie theaters @ metro stops throughout the DC area. Now meeting at a theater near you! And I hope we contribute to a coffeehouse church trend. I'm not saying we'll never build a church building but we really thrive in marketplace environments.

I think who we are reaching is somewhat unique. We're 73% single twenty-somethings. We're also 25% unchurched and 50% dechurched. I really feel like we are a church for people who quit going to church. And I continue to be more and more amazed at the racial and political diversity of NCC.

I think how we are doing church is somewhat unique. Our theaterchurch.com podcast is neo-evangelism. Blogging is digital discipleship. We love turning the theater screen into postmodern stained glass via videos. And we're very intentional about branding sermon series and marketing small groups. I also think doing church in multiple locations is part of our DNA. We had the mulit-site vision before we had one viable location. I also think we're pretty good at cultural exegesis. We're intentional about redeeming culture and using it for God's purposes.

In some ways, church development is like child development. We're only ten years old so NCC hasn't even hit puberty yet :) I'm not sure all that we'll become. But I think it's important that we continue coming to terms with who we are and who we aren't.

I wanted to put a couple conferences on the evotional radar.

I'm speaking at MinistryCom in Phoenix, AZ on September 8-9. It targets anybody with a communication portfolio in the local church.



I'm also speaking at The Innovative Church Conference at Granger Community Church on September 20-21. Granger is one of those churches that is really setting the creative bar!

I think conferences are a great way to sharpen the saw. It helps us keep our ministry edge. Look forward to connecting with some of you at both places! It seems like conferences have become blogger reunions lately :)

I can't help but blog about one of the testimonies that really impacted me at our Baptism by the Bay. It keeps reverberating in my spirit.

One of the guys said that his first Sunday at NCC was the Sunday we showed the Wild Goose Hunter video where I chased geese and jumped into the Anacostia river. It's still a little embarassing. I felt a little juvenile :) But the thing that really struck me is that he said that video was instrumental in him knowing that NCC was a place where he could find God. Somehow God used that video to take the edge off.

I've been gnawing on that all week.

I've always felt like our culture of humor isn't just about having fun. I think it is one dimension of authencity. I think it helps people know it's ok to seek God in their own way at their own pace. I think it opens the spirit. I think we underestimate the spiritual value of humor. Maybe it plays more of a role in our spiritual development than we realize?

All I know is this: somehow God can take a goofy pastor who jumps into a river and translate it into a new Christ follower going into another body of water and getting baptized nine months later!

An interesting "phenomenon" has happened in the last ten days. Not sure what to make of it, but I feel like God is up to something.

We've had four different national ministries that we really respect approach us about hosting an event for them in DC. All of them were totally unsolicited. And we're really fired up about the unique opportunity to tag-team.

Did you ever see the movie Field of Dreams? The famous line is: if you build it they will come. That is what it feels like! It feels like we built this coffeehouse on Capitol Hill and it is a perfect location for kingdom gatherings.

It really feels like these are unMANufactured opportunities.

Since we opened Ebenezers in March we've collected hundreds of customer comments. Here's my personal favorite. I'm thinking about getting it framed :)

In case you can't read it, it says Ebenezers kicks the H E double hockey sticks out of Starbucks :)

Couldn't resist sharing this one :)

Thanks G!

Had a conversation yesterday with Todd Wilson who doubles as executive pastor at New Life Church in Virginia and helps spearhead www.churchplantingnetwork.com.

The church planting network is an amazing collaboration of church planting organizations. They also put on The National New Church Conference. The 2006 conference had a pretty amazing cast of characters. This is definitely one of those must-attend conferences for church planters. It doesn't hurt that it's in Orlando, Florida next April :)

Looks like I'll be doing a pre-conference intensive.

Church planting is in my blood. We currently have a church-planter-in-residence on staff at all times so we're always in the process of planting a church. But I really think we need to take it to the next level. Not sure about the how or when, but I know we need to be planting more churches as we're launching more locations.

We are dotting the i's and crossing the t's on In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. I just sent off a dedication and acknowledgements to my editors.

I always wondered how authors could thank so many people :) Now I know why! I'm so grateful for so many people who made this book possible. I sort of felt like I was giving one of those Oscar's speeches and I was afraid of forgetting someone.

I'm in a very grateful mood right now!

You know how different groups of animals have different names? A group of flamingoes are called flamboyants. Bees are swarms. Cattle are herds. Sheep are flocks. Fish are schools. I love the name for a group of buzzards that gorge themselves on roadkill: a committee.

We've always been very intentional at NCC about trying to avoid unhealthy and unnecessary bureacracy. I'm not saying all committees are bad. But so many church committees lose sight of the Great Commission and become circles where people gossip and vent.

We had a meeting of our Executive Leadership Team last night and I couldn't help but rejoice over how healthy and purposeful our conversation was. It feels nothing like a committee in the buzzard sense of the word :)

We have a somewhat unique structure at NCC. For example, we don't discriminate between staff and non-staff when it comes to the leadership positions. We're actually a mix of full-time staff and non-staff. It just never made sense to me why you wouldn't allow someone to serve as an elder capacity simply because they are trained and called to serve God full-time. At the same time, I really value the perspective that our non-staff members bring because it gives us peripheral vision.

For the past several years, vanilla chai has been my drink of choice. But I made a bold move today and asked for a shot of espresso in my vanilla chai. I have a friend, Trey Hicks, who probably didn't invent the drink but invented the name. He called it a dirty chai. And then someone on our coffeehouse staff reminded me of it yesterday.

Voila! Long live dirty chai!

Just had a conversation with Eric Bryant who is one of the navigators at Mosaic in LA. Eric shared a little bit about the Mosaic Alliance and the way God is leading them to share what God is doing in LA with other churches in other parts of the country. Not sure how to say it, but I love their DNA as a church!

A team of NCCers went out to the Origins Conference a few years ago and it was really a creative catalyst for us. I'd put Mosaic right at the top of my list of innovative churches that are blazing a creative trail. The Mosaic Podcast is a must-listen. And I read a lot of books and a lot of authors, but Erwin McManus is right at the top of my list. I read everything he writes!

I'm breathing easy this week because I begin a five-week preaching sabbatical. I only have one week's vacation where I'm away, but when I'm not preaching it's like a vacation :)

I love preaching, but every preacher knows that you can hit a point of diminishing return. So about four years ago I started taking a preaching sabbatical in the summer. I feel like it is my way of putting down my staff and really focusing on what God wants to do in me. It's so easy when you're in the thick of ministry to get focused on what God wants to do through you.

I've been around the ministry block enough times to know that you can preach because you have to or you can preach because you have too. One "have too" is because you're scheduled to speak. And that is when ministry becomes a chore. The other "have too" is because God is doing a work in your life and given you something say and you can't not say it :) When you are doing ministry out of the overflow of what God is doing in your life then ministry is a joy!

It's amazing the toll that preaching can take on you! It is nothing short of physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting preaching three times on a weekend. I often describe it as exhilirating and exhausting at the same time. So I think a little preaching sabbatical contributes to my long-term health. And I'm sure it'll add to my pastoral longevity.

For what it's worth, I really try to check out of the process. One of our point pastors, Joel Schmidgall, spearheads our next two series and leads our Big Idea meetings. And we're intentional about scheduling our missions series during my sabbatical so we have four guest speakers.

Every year our staff puts together a little gig for the annual variety show. Here is our opening act to provide a little levity at the beginning of a week :)

Watch the Trailer.

Just got back from our annual Baptism by the Bay.

Because we don't have a church building or baptismal we've always had to get creative. So a few years ago we decided to do a baptism at a public beach on the Chesapeake Bay. It turned into an amazing experience. We do a "church picnic". We play games like a marshmallow toss and water balloon toss. We even threw in a tug-of-war this year :) Then we do a little worship on the beach followed by our baptism.

It's pretty cool doing a baptism in a public space. What a way to go public with your faith!

It's hard to put into words, but the thought that goes through my mind every time we do a baptism by the bay is this is what it's all about.

It was so amazing to hear the stories. Each of them unique. Each of them a testament to how big God is. And the last person I baptized was my dad. I can't even put into words my thoughts and feelings. In the words of Heinrich Zimmer, "The best things in life can't be said."

Had an interesting experience last night. I saw a friend from High School that I hadn't seen in fifteen years! He came to our Saturday night service @ Ebenezers.

It was very cool catching up. And it was so gratifying to see a spiritual intensity in him that is really remarkable. He didn't grow up in a christian family, but I invited him to church when we were in high school. And he thanked me last night because he said I kept inviting him and inviting him and inviting him until he finally came. I don't even remember being that persistent :)

Fast-forward fifteen years and it's amazing to see his passion for God. He is serving as a lay pastor at his church. And his family is loving and serving God.

It really impacted me last night because I honestly didn't feel like I did much, but he thanked me for the role I played in him coming to Christ.

It really reminded me of how important it is to plant seeds by sharing our faith and inviting people to church. I know that is so basic. But a simple invitation can change the trajectory of a life.

The world keeps getting smaller and smaller.

I wrote an article, Inaction Regrets, for Catalyst Monthly and got an email from a New Zealander today.

Hi Mark.

My husband and I get Catalyst monthly and we have been inspired by your article--Jump off a cliff!! We live in a little rural town called Masterton in the North Island of New Zealand. Our Pastor recently called for anyone who wants to be a Holy Spirit Inspired Risk Taker to step forward for prayer. About 85% of the church did. Last night your article was the main feature at a Head of Departments meeting. Very positive feedback. Your article is very likely to continue to spur us on to further action so that we can reach the finish line with less regrets. I love the part where you describe everything is an experiment! That is so empowering!

I continue to marvel at the way technology facilitates new connections. John Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horseback as a circuit rider. We can travel that distance with one click of a mouse.

Blogging and podcasting are circuit riding at the speed of light!

Blog On!

I had a meeting this week to begin planning for NCC en Espanol. Totally fired up about adding a Spanish service in 07. We've got a huge spanish-speaking population in the greater DC area. And we have an NCC contingency that has had a vision for this for quite some time which makes it a very organic endeavor.

We'll form a small group that will start praying and planning in the fall. I love the way our small groups can test pilot different ministry ventures. Our youth small group is another great example. In a sense, every small group is an experiment in keeping with our core value: everything is an experiment.

Paz Exito.

I know that doesn't technically mean "peace out" but it's the best I can do with my three-and-a-half years of High School Spanish :)

My two favorite letters in the English alphabet today are AC :) After living without Air Conditioning for eight days we finally got our AC fixed. Picture me with my face two inches from our air vent :)

All I know is this: I wouldn't want to spend eternity in a place that doesn't have AC if you know what I mean. Eight days is long enough!

I just finished the last line edit for In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. What a surprisingly fun and painless process. I think that is a testament to great editors at Multnomah. We made very few changes, but some of the editorial tweaks really streamlined things. I really feel like it polished the book.

The book moves to copy edits next week. I need to write an epilogue. And then the manuscript should be signed, sealed, and delivered before I head on vacation.

Then I start my next manuscript :)

Can you keep a secret?

It's Summer's birthday today and I'm dying to give her her birthday gift :) We got her an old-school 4G iPod mini. And I downloaded some of her favorite songs. And now I have to wait all day to give it to her :) I can't wait to see the look on her face.

I have to think this is exactly how God feels about all the gifts He wants to give us. He can't wait for us to receive them and use them and enjoy them.

I think Ebenezers is going to be listed as an official DC tourist destination soon :) Very cool to connect with Chris Surratt from Seacoast Community Church yesterday. He and his family were passing through DC so I gave them the nickel tour of Ebs.

Seacoast is one of the churches leading the multi-site revolution. And Chris is one of their campus pastors. I really appreciate and respect the way they are sharing their best practices with other churches.

I recently did an article on my writing journey for Ministry Today. I posted some thoughts earlier this week. Here's a link.

Here are seven writing tips, but I think they can double as preaching tips as well.

#1 Write for intrinsic reasons

If you write for the wrong reasons your dream will short-circuit. I often ask aspiring authors if they are willing to write a book even if it doesn't sell one copy. That is the litmus test because it reveals whether they are writing for extrinsic reasons or intrinsic reasons. Writing for intrinsic reasons is like singing in the shower. You write, first and foremost, because you love to write. In fact, you can't not write because you feel called to write. Every author who believes in what they write wants to sell as many books as possible, but that can't be the driving motivation. Don't write because you want people to read. Write because you've got something you have to say.

#2 Find a Writing Rhythm

Half of writing is rhyme. The other half is rhythm. My peak writing hours are six AM to nine AM. In fact, I get more accomplished before my official work day starts than I do the rest of the day. I hit a point of diminishing return around Noon. My mind is too cluttered to write straight. I also find that sometimes I need to walk away from whatever I'm writing for twenty-four hours to regain my perspective.

#3 Keep Reading

Writers are readers. I read approximately one hundred and fifty books per year. Granted, I have an unfair advantage as a preacher because I slot about twenty-five hours of study time per week. But I've also leaned to be a good steward of my time. I have a book with me wherever I go. And the truth is that everybody could read at least one book a month if they simply kept a book in their bathroom.

#4 Find Your Voice

Writing a book is baring your soul. You feel intellectually and spiritually vulnerable. Writing forces you to come to terms with who you are and who you aren't. Unfortunately, many authors hide behind their words. You don't feel like you know them any better at the end of the book than you did at the beginning. I try to write as if I'm having a conversation with someone over coffee. Keep it real. Keep it personal. Don't just share your thoughts. Share your life.

C.S. Lewis said that every life consists of a few themes. Finding your voice is giving expression to those themes--your core convictions and core passions. Write about the things you're passionate about. And dare to be different. Don't be afraid to express your personality and originality in what you write.

#5 Know Your Writing Strengths

Writers need editors because all of us have blind spots. A good editor understands and complements an author's weaknesses. I know my strength is saying old things in new ways. I juxtapose truth in creative ways. I'm insatiably interested in everything so I import knowledge from a variety of disciplines--everything from physics to business to philosophy to neurology--to add density and variety to my writing. I'm good at conceptualizing truth in creative ways, but my weakness is application. And I recognize that in my own writing and preaching. I'm a thirty-thousand foot thinker. I tend to fly circles around the airport so I need editors who help me come in for a practical landing.

#6 Tie Off the Umbilical Cord

I'm a perfectionist by nature. I will keep revising a manuscript till Kingdom Come if I don't have a deadline, but at some point you have to tie off the umbilical cord so a book can take on a life of its own. According to Parkinson's Law, the amount of time it takes you to complete a project depends on how much time you have allotted. If you have a month, it'll take a month. If you have six months, it'll take six months. One way that I've overcome my perfectionism and procrastination is the 80% rule. I send my chapters to my editors when I feel like I'm 80% of the way there. It relieves some of the pressure I feel to make sure every chapter is perfect.

#7 Pray Like It Depends on God

We have a core value at NCC: work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God. That is a pretty good modus operandi when it comes to writing. Writing is hard work. There is no way around it. But prayer is what helps a book come to full-term. I actually had a prayer team that was interceding for me while I was writing In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. The prayer team prayed for every person who would pick up the book and read it. They prayed for my editors. And they prayed that I would write exactly what God wanted me to say. Those prayers give me a sense of destiny. I can't wait to see the way God answers those prayers in the lives of readers.

CBS News online does a weekly feature called blogophile.

With millions of sites floating through the blogosphere, who really has time to peek at even a fraction of them? Blogophile reads them for you and presents a weekly roundup of the buzz on must-read blogs.

The article this week was actually on the way bloggers bash their bosses :) But they had a sub-section on blogging religiously that linked to evotional.com.

Here's an excerpt from the online article.

Blogging Religiously

With younger generations moving away from organized religion, some ministers have stumbled on a new, cyber-savvy approach. A growing number are taking the Gospel to the Internet, blogging their ministry to online twenty and thirty-somethings, the Washington Post reports.

"I used to think that the blog supplemented my weekend message," Mark Batterson, the lead pastor of National Community Church, told the Washington Post. "Now I wonder if it isn't the other way around. It's hard for me to imagine why a church that has younger members wouldn't have a blog component."

He even recently hired a "digital pastor" whom he met through his blog. Many of the blogs seem to humanize the pastors in ways that younger, potential churchgoers, might relate. For example, Batterson's blog describes a "stupid mistake" he made that day and he frequently mentions his family. This week, he discussed the excitement of his daughter's swim meet.

For the most part, blogging pastors are getting praise for using technology to reach new members. "I'm so pumped about the way God is using blogging to be another vehicle for His Word and that the media is taking note. Very cool," blogs David Russell, who appeared in a photo accompanying the Post's article. Given the emphasis on values and faith after the 2004 election -- never mind blogs -- it will be interesting to see what role these pastors' blogs will play.

Our home AC unit broke on the 4th of July and it's still not fixed. I'm more and more grateful for air conditioning with each passing day :) Seriously, how did people survive before AC? Mad props to Willis Haviland Carrier, the inventor of the first successful home air conditioning unit. Whassup Willis?

I'm beginning to realize the direct correlation between mood and room temperature. It's so much easier to be happier when you're cooler :)

Just had to vent. Pun intended :)

I've been writing articles for Relevant Leader the past year. It is the sister magazine of Relevant. And it is geared toward emerging leaders and emerging churches.

The latest article, Right-Brain Preaching, just came out in the summer issue. If you aren't part of the Relevant Network you need to subscribe! Every quarter you get a "box" full of goodies--books and CDs from emerging authors and artists. You also get Relevant Leader and a bunch of copies of Relevant.

Here's a link to the Relevant Network.

I just sent out the latest evotional--an email version of my weekend message. We're currently in a series titled The Neurology of Faith.

I write the evotional primarily for NCCers. I think it's a way to give them a double dose of messages. If you hear a message and read a message I think you're twice as likely to remember it :) Evotionals also keep NCCers in the loop if they are out of town. And the evotional is an easy way to e-vangelize a friend. All you do is forward the evotional.

The evotional is also a resource for other pastors. If you anything like me, you're always on the lookout for sermon ideas and sermon illustrations :)

A free subscription is available if you follow the evotional link on the homepage @ www.theaterchurch.com.

I just did an article for Catalyst Monthly. I love everything Catalyst does. Their podcast is a great resource if you don't subscribe yet. I'm already looking forward to the conference and it's still three months away.

Here's a link to the article I did on inaction regrets. I spell out one of our core values at NCC: everything is an experiment. I think it's worth the read :)

I hung out with Ben Arment today. Ben pastors history church in the DC area. I love his vision and their organic approach to church planting.

Once a church planter always a church planter!

It's hard to describe, but I have so much respect for church planters! Church planters are a unique breed :) You almost have to be a little out of touch with reality to plant a church :) Even when the church doesn't grow as large or as fast as your vision, you have to keep believing. It takes tremendous emotional endurance. But the thing that kept me going in our early years was knowing we were making a difference one person at a time!

I guess what I'm saying is this: here's to church planters :)

I think it was about a year ago that I wrote an article for Ministry Today magazine. I really resonate with their editor, Matt Green. And that article turned into a regular feature. Matt asked me to write about my writing journey for the next issue that comes out this fall.

I thought I'd blog a few excerpts from the article. It was probably one of the most enjoyable articles I've written because I still marvel at the supernatural synchronicities that have happened over the last twelve months.

Getting a book published has felt like a steep climb at times. But as the release date (10.02.06) for In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day approaches I sort of feel the way you feel when the summit is in sight. You're exhausted from the climb. But what a view. It's pretty cool to look back at how far you've come and see the hand of God.

My Writing Journey

When I was in seminary I had two dreams. One dream was planting a church and seeing it grow from the ground up. I've been living that dream for the past ten years serving as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, DC. But the other dream gathered dust for more than a decade. I feel as called to write as I do to pastor, but my writing dream took a lot longer to fulfill. In fact, there were moments when I wished God hadn't even given me the passion to write because the dream was like a pebble in my shoe, a constant source of irritation and frustration. The longer I went without turning that dream into reality, the longer the shadow it cast on the rest of my life.

Then in 2002 I took one small step in the write direction. I started turning my weekend messages into an Evotional that I sent out via email to subscribers. That weekly exercise forced the writing habit. And it proved to be an important part of my digital ministry. Exponentially more people read my evotionals than listen to my messages. (For a free subscription, visit http://www.theaterchurch.com/).

The next step in my writing journey was self-publishing my first book, ID: The True You, with Xulon Press (www.xulonpress.com). The driving motivation was proving to myself that I could actually write a book. I self-imposed a deadline; invested fifteen hundred dollars into the project; and the book was released in November of 2004.

I wish I could tell you that ID: The True You was a New York Times Bestseller. It wasn't. In fact, it sold fifty-seven copies its first month in print. My first royalty check was a whopping $110.43. Let's just say that I didn't start making early retirement plans!

Shortly after ID: The True You was listed on Amazon.com, I decided to get a little more proactive in pursuing my writing dream. I started working on another manuscript that I titled In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. I started praying for favor with publishers. And I emailed my friend, Brian McLaren, and asked if we could grab lunch. Brian is the author of several paradigm-shifting books including A New Kind of Christian. I asked him a thousand questions about publishing and he was patient enough to answer all of them. Then he went the extra mile and introduced me to an author agent. My agent and I had several conversations. He liked my writing style. I liked his experience and expertise within the publishing industry. And I signed him as my agent.

After helping me craft a book proposal, my agent began shopping it to seven publishers that he thought would be a good fit. Several publishers expressed interest, but a five-hour meeting with Kevin Marks and David Koop from Multnomah sealed the deal. One thing they said impressed me. They said they weren't looking for an author. They were looking for a relationship. I felt like they "got me" and I "got them." And I respected their team of authors that included the likes of Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, and Bruce Wilkinson. After three months of conversational negotiating, I signed a deal to write four books over a two-year span.

To be continued...

What a blast at our annual variety show last night! Some amazing acts. The guitar and cello duet was a-amazing! So was The Evolution of Dance. Got to love a little Champion flashback with light sabers. And men in tights :) What more can I say!

There were two highlights for me. One was David, a homeless man who has been attending NCC for several months. He has an amazing voice and he was so excited about singing. He said he wanted to "give back" for the way NCC has served him. I think his acapella song brought the house down! What a soulful song.

The other highlight was Josiah's comedic debut :) He told me he wanted to tell his one and only knock knock joke. I thought he'd freeze on stage, but he told the joke and got a laugh! FYI--his stage name is Josiah the Joker :)

Good times :)

I know I'm biased, but sometimes I think to myself: Man, I love this church. I say it all the time, but it's worth saying again: church ought to be the most enjoyable hour of the week. It really felt that way this weekend.

I'm really appreciating the uniqueness of all three of our locations these days. I love our coffeehouse service on Saturday nights @ Ebenezers Coffeehouse. It has a unique vibe. And I love doing church in a theater. Union Station and Ballston Common Mall are such great marketplace environments.

The last few weeks I've really been appreciating and celebrating the diversity of our congregation. And we have so many diverse guests every week. I met several unchurched and dechurched people this weekend who have finally found a church home at National Community Church.

I met several church planters who were in town and checking out NCC this weekend. We had guests from Hawaii, Tokyo, and Puerto Rico in one of our services. And it was also cool to meet alot of DC interns who found a home away from home at NCC. I feel like that is part of our niche. I love being a church home for twenty-somethings who are only here for a few months or a few years. I feel like we have a unique opportunity to make an impact on them.

I cited a study in my message today that found that children laugh, on average, about 150 times per day. Adults laugh approximately 10 times per day. So somewhere between childhood and adulthood we lose 140 laughs per day!

I think we'll get our laugh quota today!

I honestly think the variety show is part of our church culture. We take fun seriously! The healthiest and holiest people are the people who laugh at themselves the most.

Check it out tonight--6 PM @ Club Nation (1015 Half Street SE).

What happens at the variety show stays at the variety show!

I did an interview with a Washington Post reporter a few weeks ago and the story, Cyber-Savvy Pastors Blog When the Spirit Moves Them, was on the front page of the Metro Section of Sunday's paper. Here's a link.

The article also cites a couple good guys and great bloggers. Check out Brian Bailey and Ben Arment.

I thought it was a great article on the way pastors are redeeming technology and using it to do digital discipleship.

Blog On.

Man do I love swim meets :) Summer is a fish. She is undefeated in backstroke and she even set a pool record yesterday. Please forgive a doting dad :) But it is pure joy watching her use her God-given gifts. And I love the fact that she is such a team player and has a humble spirit about it. She's not impressed with herself :)

One function of my blog is family biography so I like marking significant milestones. Summer's first swimming record qualifies :)

We just launched a leadership podcast for our NCC leaders. Here's a link to the inaugural podcast. We've got both an audio and video version. We're going through our core values and this issue focuses on everything is an experiment.

One of our goals in building Ebenezers, our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill, was to create a place where the church and community could cross paths. Doing church in the marketplace was already part of our DNA. Our long-term vision is to meet in movie theaters @ metro stops throughout the DC area. Building a coffeehouse took it to another level. We aren't just doing church in the marketplace, we've created a marketplace. And if our flagship is successful I'd love to see Ebenezers turn into a chain of coffeehouses.

The coffeehouse is up and running, but we want to take things to the next level by making Ebenezers a destination spot. Or date spot :) We've beginning to book bands and turn our performance space into a concert venue. I also like the sound of Ebenezer Theater. I'd love for Ebenezers to be a place that celebrates and cultivates local artists and actors.

Ebenezers will host The Violet Burning in concert on July 14 @ 8pm. Steph Modder, AKA Estephania, will be the opening act. Doors open @ 7:30 pm and there will be a $10 suggested donation.

One of the things I love about living in DC is the fact that tourists friends come through here all the time. Got a chance to connect with Tim Stevens and his clan. Tim is half of the dynamic duo from Granger Community Church.

Tim and Tony Morgan have a great podcast called the Simply Strategic Show. Definitely worth checking out.

I heard there was another Elvis sighting in DC. In fact, more than one Elvis. The Elvi were seen playing football, jogging, and taking pictures with lots of tourists in front of the Capitol.

You never know where Elvis is going to show up.

Viva Variety Show.

I'm going to talk about emotional intelligence (EQ) this weekend as we continue The Neurology of Faith series. I think one dimension of EQ is the ability to discern another person's spirit. And no one was better at it than Jesus.

Behind a person's gifts, looks, roles, and image is a spirit. And that spirit is what makes or breaks the person. It is the key factor I look for in hiring staff. It is the key factor I look for in friends. And right at the top of the list is a spirit of humility. Nothing impresses me as much as someone with a humble spirit. They are approachable and teachable and likable. At the end of the day, it is the spirit of a person that determines their destiny.

I had a conversation with a pastor yesterday that God is blessing in some profound ways. The church he pastors has impacted thousands of people in a few short years, but there is a level of frustration because he feels like the black sheep in his pentecostal denomination. He doesn't do things the traditional way so their is a level of suspicion about what God is doing at his church. He feels like God wants to use him on a larger platform to influence other pastors and he asked my advice.

My short answer was to nurture a spirit of humility. God will take care of logistics. He is in the business of supernatural synchronicities. But I honestly think that humility is what sets the stage for everything God wants to do in our lives. Our job is managing our motives. If our motives are wrong then nothing we do is right. If our motives are right then everything else takes care of itself.

I think part of what prompts this post is spending time praying for each person on our team at our staff pray and play. I felt like God gave me insight into the spirit of each person and I walked away with a deeper appreciation for each of them. We've got a team full of people with the spirit of joy, the spirit of encouragement, the spirit of humility, and the spirit of fun :)

I don't want to give too much away, but I heard Elvis was alive and making a comeback at the NCC Variety Show @ Club Nation on Sunday at 6 PM.

What happens at the variety show stays at the variety show!

I just sent out this week's evotional--an email version of my weekend message. You can get a free subscription to the evotional or podcast @ www.theaterchurch.com. The links are on the home page.

Nothing like the 4th of July on the National Mall. It's one of those days where you really appreciate living within walking distance of the Capitol.

We headed down there and watched the fireworks along with a few hundred thousand of our closest friends. Josiah was scared of the noises at first. In fact, he covered both ears with both hands for about twenty minutes before the show :) But he loved the fireworks--especially the green ones.

Then we came back and did a little Batterson Fireworks Show :)

Good times!

I feel totally refreshed today.

For starters, two days without email :) And our staff play and pray retreat was a-mazing! I walked away feeling so much joy.

We had some serious fun. The house we stayed at had a pool, volleyball net, and a yard the size of a football field. So we played everything from capture the flag to kickball to Marco Polo. I think that play time is an invaluable part of doing life and ministry together. I want to work with people that I like to play with too!

Along with some serious playing we did some serious praying. We spent several hours Sunday night and Monday morning just praying into each other's lives. I felt like the prayer time was so meaningful and it really reminded me of how blessed I am to be serving with a team of people who aren't just incredibly gifted, but who have such humble spirits and amazing attitudes!

I think one side benefit of prayer is feeling a vested interest in the person you prayed for. That's how I feel after our retreat. All of us invested in each other's lives via prayer!

I'm checking out of the blogosphere for a couple days.

Every year we do two staff retreats. One is our strategic planning retreat in the fall. The other is our play and pray retreat where we, you guessed it, play and pray! We're headed out as a team to do a little praying and a little playing!

I've said it a hundred times but it's worth saying again: how much you enjoy ministry depends on who you're doing ministry with. I'm grateful for a team that makes ministry a blast :)

Peace out.

After our Saturday Night service I got a chance to hang out for a few minutes with Buddy Cremeans who pastors Northway Fellowship in Albany, New York. We originally met, of all places, at a dinner at Ed Young's house at the C3 Conference this year. Buddy and a crew from Northway came down to do a little recon at NCC.

I'm totally inspired by their story. They have to be one of the fastest growing church plants that I've heard about in the Northeast region. They are five years into their plant and have approximately 2000 attenders. And through some miraculous circumstances they've got about 130 acres on the Northway Freeway where they are going to build. I couldn't help but rejoice over the way God is blessing them because I think alot of people think church planting in the Northeast is next to impossible. I think Northway proves otherwise :)

Praise God and pass the popcorn!

So I went to a little get together to celebrate a baby dedication after our Saturday Night service. I didn't eat lunch or dinner so I tactfully made my way over to the food table, but I was starvin marvin. So I start piling things on my plate and I noticed two toothpick containers. One of them was vertical with lots of toothpicks scrunched together. And then there were some toothpicks randomly sitting in a little dish that were laying horizontal. The horizontal ones were easier to grab, and I was extremely hungry. So I grabbed a bunch and picked some meatballs and chicken nuggets.

Once my appetite was partially satiated I read the little note in the little dish with the horizontal toothpicks. It said: "Used toothpicks."

Hmmmmm, boy. That'll whet your appetite!

It was gross enough eating my food with toothpicks that someone else used to eat their food. I'm just hoping they didn't use the toothpicks to pick their teeth too :) Yummy!

I spent Saturday morning at Summer's swim meet. The adrenaline is still pumping! I don't know how else to say this: I love watching her swim because she loves to swim. Is there any greater joy than watching your kids do something God has gifted them to do? Pure joy.

Imagine how God must feel when He watches us use the gifts He's given to us! God is a proud parent. To think of Him in other terms is to totally miss the heartbeat of our Heavenly Father! If I get excited over Summer winning a swim race then I can only imagine how much God must rejoice over each of our accomplishments! I think God is the fan who loses His voice going nuts cheering for us as we're competing for him. I seriously think we underestimate how excited God gets.

I think I'm going to start a new blog feature called what was I thinking. Every once in a while I like to share something I've done that is really stupid just as a way of encouraging evotional readers :)

So I swing through McDonalds to get b-fast on the way to a swim meet this morning and I order coffee. But the cup is full and I typically do half coffee and half milk :) So I've got to empty about an inch. Without thinking I lower my window while driving about 60 mph on 295N.

Please don't try this at home!

First of all, half the coffee came flying out instantaneously. And it all came right back in the car. It splattered in my face, on my shirt, and in my lap! The only good news is that the wind cooled it off a little so I didn't get burned.

What was I thinking?

Hopefully that makes you feel better about you :)