Volunteer Appreciation

The process of building a new church facility is exciting, exhausting, and even overwhelming. I have never been involved in the actual construction of a house or church facility before, so it has been interesting to gain an elementary understanding of the construction process.

Time and again, I have been greatly impressed with our General Contractor. I cannot imagine how he can balance all of the demands of his job, yet he continues to show an amazing level of commitment to our project.

There is another group of individuals I have also been greatly impressed with - our volunteers. Almost every night of the week, there are volunteers in the new facility preparing various areas for future ministry. On Saturdays, we have had a handful of extremely dedicated volunteers working on the landscaping and other similar projects.

The past two nights, we have had a number of volunteers in our "old" facility cleaning out storage rooms, sorting through all of the stuff that a church accumulates in 35 years of doing church, and packing it all up for the move next week.

All of this volunteer involvement and commitment has proven what Bill Hybels once said, "The church is the most volunteer-intensive organization in the world." My hope and prayer is that this commitment to volunteerism will act as a catalyst for those individuals who remain seated in the stands and haven't yet figured out that they are supposed to be on the playing field.

Let's all come together to eliminate the 80/20 rule - 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Imagine if we accomplished 100/100 - 100% of the work is done by 100% of the people. This almost sounds Biblical (see Ephesians 4:16 and 1 Peter 4:10).

Quote - Donald Rumsfeld

"If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much."

Camping at the Dells

Karen and I took the kids camping just outside of Wisconsin Dells last weekend. Here's a pic of Morgan in the tent. We had a great time together; the only problem was that Morgan discovered a unique, but effective, method of waking me up in the morning...pulling on my nose hairs!

The Messengers

Have you seen "The Messengers" on TLC? The following is straight from the show's official website...

The power and force of the spoken word and the motivation it inspires are the essence of the new TLC program The Messengers. This innovative eight-part series...has a simple yet lofty goal: to find America's next great inspirational speaker. Showcasing 10 speakers from a variety of perspectives, The Messengers explores their ability to communicate the many complexities of life’s toughest lessons. Along the way, the speakers address issues viewers face in their everyday lives and communities.

The Messengers is an innovative and uplifting series with challenging individual experiences that act as a catalyst for the celebration of inspirational public speaking in contemporary America. "The participants really have to walk the walk before they can talk the talk," said David Abraham, executive vice president and general manager for TLC.

The foundation of each episode is a field trip designed to give the speakers a profound learning experience – the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes. In the first episode, the participants face the harsh reality of homelessness. They spend 24 hours on the streets of Skid Row in Los Angeles and then deliver speeches based on the topic of charity. In subsequent episodes, field trips range from the participants living as a blind or wheelchair-bound individual for a day, to sharing in a powerful moment of forgiveness between a man convicted of vehicular homicide and the deceased’s mother. At the end of each field trip, the group is given their speaking topic – one simple word such as hope, perseverance or forgiveness, to use as the basis for their speeches.

Given my chosen profession, it should come as no surprise that I really enjoy this show. I have found it to be inspirational, educational, and even frustrating at times. The aspect I appreciate the most about the show is the field trip. It is a personal philosophy of mine that a "messenger" needs to be authentic in their communication, and these field trips provide that authenticity. People can detect when your words are genuine and heartfelt rather than artificial and contrived.

If you haven't had a chance to watch this show, check it out and let me know what you think...

http://www.themessengers.com/sites/messengers/home.html

Investing in Others

Coffee and conversation were the key elements of my day yesterday. I spent the first few hours of the morning sitting in a local pancake house meeting with various people.

The first hour and a half were spent with my accountability group as we discussed the past two weeks - the highs and the lows - and challenged each other to become better men of God.

For almost an hour after that, I met with one of our team leaders in the church to discuss budgets for 2007. During this conversation, we discussed our hopes and dreams for the future of the church and for our families. We shared about our past experiences in life and how these experiences have shaped us and prepared us to serve God and our fellow man.

Later that morning, I spent two hours at the local Caribou coffeeshop - one of my favorite places in the world - with a member of the church. Our discussion touched on numerous topcis including our families, church membership, baptism, ministry invovlvement, and career choices.

These diverse conversations resulted in a great deal of personal reflection throughout the rest of the day. The primary focus of my thoughts revolved around one central theme: my chosen profession.

I regularly encounter people who ask me what I do for a living. I generally respond that I am a teaching pastor in a local church. For most individuals who inquire, this answer is sufficient. Some want to go deeper, so I explain that I also oversee the staff and work with other leaders in the overall development of the church.
However, I think there may be a better response to this question of what I do for a living. It may not be as succint or easily understood as teaching pastor, but it is appropriate...

I invest in the lives of other people.

John Maxwell utilizes a similar answer when he is asked about his chosen career. He responds, "I add value to other people." When I reflect upon any given week, almost everything I do centers around investing in - or adding value to - other people's lives.

When I teach on Sunday morning, I am investing in the lives of my listeners with the intent of making them more committed followers of Christ.

When I meet with my Men's Bible study, I am investing in the lives of these guys to make them better leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the marketplace.

When I meet with someone at a coffeeshop or a local restaurant, I am investing in their life to help them understand their purpose in this world and how best to live that out.

When I meet with the staff on Monday mornings, I am investing in the lives of my co-workers to help them understand the broader scope of the church and the processes for moving forward with the vision God has given us.

One question that naturally flows out of these observations is this... how do I continue to grow as a leader and teacher so that I can continue to add value to other people? The answer is multi-faceted.

I grow as a I meet with my mentors - those individuals who invest in me. I grow as I read and learn about life and love and leadership. I grow as I observe the world around me.

I grow as a result of each and every conversation and encounter I have with other individuals. As I learn about their stories and what God is doing in their lives, I grow in my understanding of who God is and how much He loves us and cares for us and disciplines us and protects from our own stupid choices.

But most of all, I grow in the times of solitude, prayer, and reflection. I grow when I stop investing in the lives of others - when I stop doing - and simply be in God's presence. During these times, I ask Him to reveal Himself to me more and to shape me into the person He wants me to be. It is these extremely personal moments with God that allow me to invest day after day in the lives of those around me. (Read Matthew 14 to see how solitude, prayer, and reflection helped Jesus weather the storms of life.)