An Open Letter to FVCC

The following is a letter that was mailed to the church late last week informing them of my recent resignation and my search for where God is calling me next...

Dear FVCC Friends & Family,

There are times in life when decisions need to be made that are neither easy nor enjoyable. Now is such a time…

I wanted to let you know that I recently submitted my resignation to our Elders. I realize that this may surprise most of you, but please know that this was not done lightly or quickly and only occurred after several months of prayer, reflection, conversations with mentors, and intense personal struggle. I love this church and the people in it, but it is time for me to move on to another phase in my ministry. I have not yet identified where God is calling me, but I wanted to be above reproach with the Elders and the church by informing you of my decision to pursue such a transition.

Every church and every pastor has a preferred style of ministry, and it is vital for the health and growth of the church that this style of ministry be shared by each. During the last few years, I have noticed a growing discrepancy between my preferred style and that of the church. Please understand that neither is better than the other; they are simply different. FVCC is pursuing some great ministry initiatives, and I pray that God will continue to bless this church, the leaders, and the members in the coming years.

It is with great sadness, and eager anticipation for the future, that I leave the only church I have ever served. FVCC is where I discovered my calling into ministry. It seems like it was just yesterday that the church took a risk and asked me to accept a staff position despite having a lack of experience and education. Since that time, I have discovered the joys and struggles inherent in being a pastor. I am who I am today because of my time here at FVCC.

For the past 11 years, my family and I have been blessed to be a part of this church family. We have spent time with you in countless worship services and small group gatherings. We have laughed together over meals and cried together over pain and suffering. We have celebrated the birth of children together and mourned the loss of loved ones together.

Along with the sadness, though, comes a great deal of peace in this decision. Karen and I understand it is the right decision, despite the pain and disappointment it may cause. The reality is that if I were to maintain my current position with everything I am experiencing, I would be dishonest to our God, to those around me, and to myself.

Please pray for Karen and me as we attempt to determine where God is calling us. It will be difficult to move away from the church and the Fox Valley area, but we are open to God’s leading. I look forward to the time we have remaining together, and I thank you from the depths of my heart and soul for allowing me to be your pastor.

Personal Branding

Have you ever noticed how people "brand" themselves without even thinking about it? Many of us put bumper stickers or logos on our cars. We have t-shirts that reflect experiences or organizational involvement (most of my t-shirts are FVCC event shirts!). These things immediately tell everyone around us some little piece about our lives. So why am I telling you all of this?

I was at my local gas station this morning pumping gas when a woman pulls up to the pump in front of me. As she puts the car in Park, I immediately see the Jesus fish on her trunk and a cross hanging from her rear view mirror. Right away, I realize that she has some level of faith and is probably involved in a local church.

As she steps out, I see the Teva sandals and a muted-colored t-shirt with a picture of a whitewater rafter clutching his oar flying upside down out of his boat. The tag line on the shirt reads, "Getting this high in most states is a felony." She's a rafter.

I walk over because I have just discovered from her personal branding that we have two major things in common - Jesus and whitewater rafting. (On a side note, I think Jesus would have liked rafting...)

Now mind you I don't know who this person is, so in an effort not to surprise her as I walk over (friends tell me I can appear a little intimidating to people that don't know I am just a big, friendly bear) I say loudly and from a distance, "So where do you raft?"

She turns with a look of confusion on her face and then looks down at her shirt. She replies with a tone of amusement, "I wondered how you knew I go rafting! I raft the Youghiogheny." I tell her I typically raft the Gauley (see picture), and we have a brief conversation about rafting. We soon part ways and continue in our day.

Moral of the story: if you brand yourself, be prepared for somebody like me to start a conversation with you.

Voice from Iraq

I was working in the office today when an IM popped up from a good friend of mine who is serving in the Special Forces over in Iraq. We grew up together back home in Newton, IL. He played a significant part in my accepting Christ, and he was also the best man in my wedding.

We used to have these late night discussions together standing out in his driveway along with his two brothers and some other friends. We would talk through all of the normal stuff of life - school, sports, girls, motorcycles, cars - but we would always end up on the topic of faith. I miss those late-night discussions...

It was great to be able to connect with him even for a short time. He isn't due back until next year, but I am looking forward to getting together with him when he does. Be safe, JQ, and know that I am praying for you. Love you, bro!

iPhone Hype

This post is for all of you fans of the new iPhone, but it is primarily directed towards two of my closest friends and co-workers. You know who you are!

Here is the first paragraph of an article from tech-blog www.switch.com...

"Contrary to what the hype would have had you believe, Christ himself did not return to Earth this past Friday to render judgment. Apple simply released a cell phone. Now that the day of days has come and gone and the planet is recovering from its collective hangover, we think it's time to step back and ask ourselves just what the heck happened. What did we all get caught up in?"

For the full article, check out http://www.switched.com/2007/07/03/does-the-media-love-apple-too-much/

You Know You Live in a Small Town When...

Yesterday morning, my wife and I were starting the day and we are making plans for the evening. I made the assumption that we would be doing projects around the house or in the yard. Suddenly she says, "Maybe you should take the kids to the worm races tonight."

Excuse me? The worm races? (I am not making this up!) It turns out that our library was hosting an activity for kids to learn about earthworms, so after dinner last night I packed up the kids and went out for an evening of small-town fun.

The head librarian read a kid's book about worms and then it was off to the races! She gathered the kids around three different rifle-range targets, placed a huge nightcrawler for each child in the bullseye, and then sprayed them with water (the worms...not the kids).

After a few minutes, the worms started moving and writhing. The winner was the worm that moved outside of the target area first. I was proud to say our table won! (You couldn't really keep track of whose worm it was...maybe next year we can paint little numbers on each of them.)

After the races, they took the kids in the back of the library and had them make their own worm out of tongue depressers, decorative craft balls, and googly eyes. It was honestly a lot of fun for the kids and the parents. That's life in a small town...

Transformers

I went with some friends to see the Transformers movie last night. AWESOME! It is easily one of the coolest movies I have seen in a long time. Michael Bay and the crew from SKG did an amazing job on this movie. The plot line was solid. The action was intense. The special effects were seamless.

Two thumbs up...five stars...whatever top rating you want to choose, this movie is worthy of it and more. You have to go see this movie! Some of the people who went last night were not into Transformers as kids, and they even loved the movie.

Since it was the first showing of the movie in the Chicago market, there was a ton of energy in the crowd. We were clapping, cheering, shouting, etc. It was entirely contagious! The best was whenever Optimus Prime (the lead Transformer for the good guys) would roll up and start kicking butt. The whole crowd erupted; it was awesome!!!

We were seriously considering staying at the theater to watch the midnight showing...it was that good! I am definitely seeing this one in the theaters again, and it will be added to my personal library when it comes out on DVD.

The Dangerous Book for Boys

I was just reading in Newsweek about the book, "The Dangerous Book for Boys." The book is gaining popularity - not because of it's ability to offer trivia, history, and advice for pre-teen boys - but because of the nostalgia it provides for men in their 30s and 40s. "Picture a world where your father walks with you down a starlit road, pausing to point out Orion. He recites Robert Frost, knows how a battery works - and all the rules about girls."

The article was commenting on how men, in our technologically-driven, modern world, feel they have litte, if any, fatherly advice or experiences to pass on to their sons. Quoted in the article is Stephanie Coontz, author of "The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap," who says that parents worry they aren't spending as much time with their kids as past generations did. In truth, she says, "people are spending more interactive time and resources on their kids than ever before." The real problem is they think they have less to teach them.

I know I thought about this even before I had children. I am not mechanically-inclined. I don't know how to fix an engine or build a tree house. As I jokingly state, "I have the spiritual gift of lifting. If you need something moved, call me!"

What skill-set am I supposed to pass on to my son and daughter? What happens if they are small and weak and cannot lift anything? What will they thank me for some year down the road as they tell my grandchildren everything they learned from me? "Yeah...your grandfather...he really understood how to move a piano..."

Maybe this is why I am so passionate about getting my kids out into the wilderness. Here is a skill-set, an experience, that I can pass on to my children and to their children. I want them to discover the joy of camping and hiking and rock climbing and whitewater rafting. I want to see their surprise and appreciation as they encounter wild animals in their natural habitats and as they stand at the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep, mountainous valley. I want to hear their laughter as they swim in a mountain stream and explore the tidepools along the beach. I want to watch their eyes twinkle and their imaginations expand as they watch a sunset or gaze up at the Milky Way. I want them to eat food that was cooked on a fire in the middle of nowhere. I want them to get dirty and smelly and learn how to poop in the woods.

I want them to learn to love the unknown and to experience the thrill of discovery. I want them to learn ingenuity, creativity, and resourcefulness as they adapt and overcome any obstacle that comes their way. These are traits, after all, that will benefit them no matter what course they choose in life. And these are traits that I can pass on to each of them.

Reflections on Sunday

We had a great experience yesterday during our 10:00am adult service. We had 8 people place membership with two of them being baptized in the service. I had the privilege of baptizing one of them (water was cold!) who has recently joined my couple's small group along with his wife, and the other individual was baptized by a fellow friend. (One of the things I love about FVCC is that you do not need to be a pastor to baptize someone. We allow any immersed believer to perform baptisms.)

It is always amazing to see people accept God and discover a new way to be human. Both of these individuals had grown up in the Roman Catholic Church, but their families had never made their faith personal. God... church... whatever... were all kept at arm's length as something you do out of requirement not personal belief and conviction.

This is not to say that all Catholics do this; some of the most devout Christians I know are Catholic. But for these two individuals, they made the conscious choice to make their faith personal as adults, and it happened to occur as part of our family here at FVCC. I am looking forward to seeing these two guys grow in their faith and knowledge of the Word.