Getting Ready for Christmas

According to Ethan, we have been waaaaay behind on getting our house decorated for Christmas. We decided that this weekend would be as good as any to get a tree, unpack all the boxes in the basement, and set out our myriad snowmen.

Last Christmas, I attempted to tie the Christmas tree to the top of the van. Since I didn't have a roof rack, I thought it would work to just run the twine through the interior of the van and close the doors. As we're driving back home, I hear Ethan in the back, "Hey Dad! The tree is falling off the roof!" Sure enough, the twine had come undone, and we almost lost the whole thing going 55 mph down the highway!

This year I just tossed the tree in the back of the van. It was a lot easier!

The kids had fun decorating the tree and setting out the rest of the decorations. I love going back through our ornaments and remembering the history of each one. My favorite is the moose that reads - Merry Chrismoose!

Cowboys vs Packers

Anybody else watching the Cowboys/Packers game? What a great game so far. I can't believe how well Aaron Rodgers is doing as backup QB for Brett Favre.

Personally, I am enjoying seeing TO mess up so often! I'm still rooting for Tony Romo, though, since we went to the same school. Go EIU!

New Small Group

I met with several members of my new small group this evening. We had dinner together and spent some time getting to know each other. Half of the couples have never been in a small group before while the other half has extensive experience. We are also varied in age and life-situation. It looks like it will be a great group to lead!

We are going to meet for one more meal in December and then begin in earnest in January. The plan is to meet the first three Sunday evenings of each month. The 1st & 3rd Sundays will be study nights without kids, and the 2nd Sunday will be a potluck meal with the entire family invited.

Weekend in Review :: 11-25-07

WORSHIP
Let the Praises Ring - Lincoln Brewster
Open the Eyes of My Heart - Paul Baloche
Arise - Paul Baloche
Like A Child - Jars of Clay
This Little Light of Mine - Luke MacDonald

MESSAGE
Series: n/a
Message: Grow Up and Act Like a Child
Speaker: Jason Rea, Pastor of Student Ministries

Notable Quotes...
"Spiritual maturity is believing that God's way is the right way."
"As a child of God, I can count on an available, patient, and passionate Father."
"God's patience is displayed in his continual forgiveness of our stupidity."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• "Second Chance Christmas" - new teaching series begins next week. Be sure to invite your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Invitation postcards are available at the Welcome Center.
• College & Young Adult Retreat at Miracle Camp - Dec 29-Jan 1
• MS Retreat at Miracle Camp in January - registration and deposit are due next Sunday
  

What Makes You Feel Loved?

Over the years, Karen & I have had several conversations about the "love languages" that we each speak. If you are not familiar with this terminology, Gray Chapman wrote the book on it called The Five Love Languages. He states that there are five most common love languages that an individual will "speak": Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service & Physical Touch.

Oftentimes, a husband and wife will speak different love languages, and the challenge in marriage is to make sure you speak your spouse's love language not your own. For example, my love languages are Physical Touch and Words of Affirmation while Karen's are Quality Time and Acts of Service. I have to make sure I speak Karen's love language to her, and she has to speak mine to me. If we don't, there is potential to make the other person feel unloved.

Have you ever thought about the fact that your children possess unique love languages as well? I think it takes time for them to develop, but they are definitely there. I have discovered that Ethan's love languages are Quality Time and Physical Touch. He loves it when Karen & I spend time with him reading, playing games, etc. He also loves it when we snuggle with him while watching a movie and when I wrestle or box with him.

Here's a question you can use to discover your child's or spouse's love language...

"What is it that I do that makes you feel loved?"

Early Christmas Present!!!

I got an early Christmas present today from my mother-in-law. I had told Karen earlier that I was wanting to save up some money for a kayak. Mom called to let me know that various stores were having sales the day after Thanksgiving.

After extensive research on the various brands for sale, we picked this one up at Dick's Sporting Goods for 1/2 price. It is a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 100. According to the reviews I read online last night, it is a great brand for beginning kayakers...and for big guys since the cockpit is larger than most other models. It is designed for rivers and lakes and up to Class II rapids.

I can't wait to get it out on the water in the spring!!!

Letting Go...

I'm taking some time out this evening to just sit in a corner of The Blend to reflect on life and catch up on some reading. I'm still trying to get through the Bible-in-a-Year with my accountability partners - only 6 more weeks left!

Most of you that track my blog are aware that I recently resigned from Fox Valley Christian Church after being a member/employee for the last 11 years - most recently serving as the Executive & Teaching Pastor. I am now working for Great Oaks Community Church as the Pastor of Adult Ministries.

There are some unusual paradoxes I am experiencing...

• Surrounded by people all the time yet I still find myself intensely lonely sometimes (being an extreme extrovert this one is really foreign to me)
• Confident that I did the right thing yet occasionally doubting it
  
• Fully trusting God yet confused as to why He hasn't brought resolution to this transition
• Loving my new church yet wishing I never had to leave my old church (it's akin to turning your affections to a new girlfriend when you are still deeply in love with your old girlfriend)
  

The interesting thing about Great Oaks is that all five of the pastors have come from other churches within the last 5-6 years. As a result, we frequently find ourselves talking about the various dynamics involved in transitioning from one church to another.

I knew it would be tough to leave FVCC, but I didn't anticipate the struggle it would be to let her go once I was gone.

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (61-70)

If you know me very well, you know I couldn't talk about myself without talking about food! Here goes...

61-70 :: Food

61. I like food...a lot! It is one of my biggest vices.
62. Pizza is the perfect food...bread, fruits & vegetables, meats, dairy...it's got it all!
63. The best biscuits & gravy I've ever had were in Newton at a place called Chub & Sylva's. Chub was the owner and head cook...and his physical description fit his name! Unfortunately, the restaurant shut down when I was younger.
64. I've always wanted to enter an eating contest...pies, hot dogs, whatever. I've never done it, though.
65. I feel really out of place in fancy restaurants. I once ate at Emeril's in Atlanta, and I couldn't wait to get out of there.
66. I've started eating at only local places when I travel. Some of the greatest food is found in non-franchised places. The best pizza I've ever had was in Fayetteville, WV at a place called Pies & Pints. Of course, it could have been because I was with the "boys" getting ready for a whitewater rafting trip the next day!
67. I hate any food that requires work to eat it (i.e. peel-and-eat shrimp). The big guy wants his food easily accessible!
68. I know I shouldn't eat at them, but I love buffets...especially Chinese buffets!
69. Chili's is one of my favorite places to eat - great burgers, fajitas, salads, and all-you-can-eat chips & salsa (with queso!).
70. When I was in college, I didn't have enough money for hamburger, so I would just have Helper with tater-tots.

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (51-60)

Here comes a theme my cousin, Kari, came up with after I included the comment about owning a Dairy Queen. She asked me, "How many people know you owned a Dairy Queen?" Without further ado, here are some things you need to know about my employment history...

51-60 :: Employment History

51. I grew up in Central Illinois farm country, so my first few jobs were focused around agriculture. My first paid job was walking bean fields picking out weeds with a long-handled scythe-like knife. I was 12 years old.
52. My second paid job was baling hay. It was hot, hard work, but water never tasted so good.
53. I've never de-tassled corn, and I don't want to!
54. I worked one summer as a "tire buster" - changing, patching & rotating tires and doing oil changes.
55. I worked in three different factories during college summers - making wiring harnesses for Ford; working a collator in a printing factory; and assisting at a saw in a cabinet factory.
56. I worked at McDonald's in college for 1 week. Then I got a job at a local radio/television channel that I held for three years of college.
57. My wife & I were owner/operators of a Dairy Queen the year after graduating college. It was a great opportunity and a huge financial blessing early in life.
58. I worked for a company called Productivity Point International doing in-office computer training for major companies. I enjoyed the teaching aspect but hated having to wear a suit & tie everyday.
59. I worked for two years in a local high school as a teacher's aide in a self-contained special education classroom for students with behavior, learning, and emotional disorders. I taught the Math & Science portions, but I served mostly as a "bouncer" to keep the kids in line.
60. When I worked at Hardee's in high school, I had a fly get slathered onto a sandwich when I was adding the mayonnaise. It was a lunch rush, so I just picked the fly off and served the sandwich.

Prayer of Agur

In Proverbs 30, we find the sayings of Agur. To be honest, there is very little known about this man. We can infer from his opening comments that he has a healthy respect for God and, as we discover later in the chapter, a keen awareness of the world around him. Two attributes that we should all pursue...

The passage that I was drawn to this morning was his prayer in verses 7-9:

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

I think we would all benefit from praying this simple prayer. How different our lives would look if we constantly pursued honesty & integrity in all our relationships and actions, and if we became truly content with what we need rather than pursuing what we want. In fact, this prayer bears a remarkable resemblance to another prayer we all know...

"Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:9-13)

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (41-50)

Here's a theme that was inspired from one of the blogs I track...

41-50 :: Things I Don't Do Well

41. Fix or build anything...I just can't do it.
42. Sit still.
43. Drive in crazy, busy traffic...I tend to "talk" to the people around me!
44. Wait patiently for things I want.
45. Golf...but I really enjoy the game!
46. Play first-person shooter games (or any 3-dimensional games). Just give me two-dimensional Super Mario Brothers.
47. Have mercy/compassion for people who don't support the vision of the church.
48. Come up with things I'm not good at...just kidding!
49. Remember the birthdays of my extended family.
50. Draw or create anything artistic. (But I think Ethan is going to be awesome at this!)

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (31-40)

Alright, so I've taken some time off from the 100 Things You Need to Know About Me. I've been traveling...spending time with my family...attending conferences...getting things done at Great Oaks. I've been busy...give me a break!!!

I'm still looking for some input on themes for the remainder of the list. Let me know what you want to know about me.

31-40 :: Trips and Travels

31. One of my favorite vacations ever was a week-long cruise with Karen the year we owned the Dairy Queen. The only downside was when Karen was offered drugs in Jamaica.
32. My other favorite vacation was my honeymoon...enough said.
33. I have a wish-list of places I want to go including the Grand Canyon, Ireland, Machu Picchu (there is a great 3-day backpacking trail that leads to this amazing city), Europe, the Swiss Alps, Glacier National Park, Alaska, and the New England region of the United States (in the Fall).
34. I have to stop often for bathroom breaks when on road-trips. More often than Karen or the kids...
35. I used to make my peace with God before every flight.
36. On a flight with my son, a friend of mine who is an air-traffic controller was able to get the captain to personally say "Hi" to Ethan over the intercom.
37. I have always expected to run into somebody I know in an airport. It has never happened until leaving from O'Hare this past Sunday. Bill & I ran into a member of Great Oaks who was leaving for a trip to Brazil.
38. I don't fit in most airplane seats. As a result, I get really frustrated when someone in front of me leans their seat back. On really long flights, that doesn't make me a happy boy!
39. While in Boy Scouts I took a week-long canoe trip in Boundary Waters. It was one of the greatest wilderness trips I've ever done.
40. During a 2-week solo trip, I ended up in Washington D.C. and was threatened with arrest by a really angry police officer.

2008 at Great Oaks

After the conference was over yesterday afternoon, Bill and I sat down outside of a Starbucks for a couple of hours to reflect on the conference and to dream about the future of Great Oaks. We put our heads together on some upcoming teaching series and special events and walked away with some God-sized plans for Great Oaks in 2008.

We'll share in more detail in the coming weeks/months, but I'll give you a sneak peek on some things...

Teaching Series

• In January, we're talking about who we are and the vision of the church.
• In February, we're talking about sex!
• In March, the whole church is going to spend "21 Days with God".
  
• In June, we're going to the movies.
• In July, the whole family is going to worship together.
• In September & October, we're spending 40 days together.
• In November, we're going to learn how to become generous with our time, energy, and resources.

Upcoming Events

• Three MarriedLife Live events!
• Local, national, and international efforts (i.e. community service projects, mission trips, etc)
  
• Cross Training for kids
• Student conferences and retreats
• Men's & Women's Retreats
• Quarterly gathering of leaders & key influencers for vision-casting, leadership training, and fun
• Willow Creek Leadership Summit

Strategic Planning

• Intentional focus and programming built around "Foyer...Living Room...Kitchen" strategy
• Redeveloped leadership structure
• Consistent language and branding
• Greater emphasis on teaching people how to feed themselves
  

I hope you're as excited as I am!!!

Exponential Reflections: Misc

We had several speakers on the second day of the Exponential Conference including Rick Warren, Allen Hunt, John Ortberg, and several other pastors from various churches around the country. Here are some thoughts from their talks...

• "The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence." (Warren)
• "God may use me, but he doesn't need me." (Hunt)
• "Simplicity, contentment & generosity...these three traits should mark all of us." (Quote from John Stott)
• "Generosity is the new evangelism."
• "We all possess a kingdom - a sphere of personal power. Money is the primary way we expand our kingdom." (Ortberg)
  

Exponential Reflections: Joe Stowell

Joe Stowell is the former president of Moody Bible Institute and is currently teaching pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows. Here are some thoughts from his presentation...

• Generosity isn't just about money. It is a whole-life perspective.
• Your church never looks more like God than when it exudes generosity.
• The goal of being a generous church is to bring honor and glory to God.
• Glorifying God is making the invisible characteristics of God visible within the world.
• To glorify God is to be chips off of God's block.
• To glorify God is to make God evident in the world.
• The heartbeat of stewardship is trust.
  

Exponential Reflections: Chuck Bentley

Chuck Bentley is the new CEO of Crown Ministries. Here are some thoughts from his presentation...

• Generosity is the greatest cure for apathy.
• Too often, we practice "transactional generosity" - asking people to give more because of a specific need. God didn't call us to this practice; He calls us to a lifestyle of "transformational generosity" - sustained generous giving because our lives have been transformed.
  

Exponential Reflections: Rick Warren

Rick welcomed us to the conference and shared a few thoughts. He will be speaking at length during the first session tomorrow morning. Here are my thoughts from his opening comments...

• Give and Serve are the two words that best describe the Christian life. Jesus came to serve and to give. We are simply to model that lifestyle.
• You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
• Every time I give, it breaks the stranglehold of materialism in my heart.
• You don't give to be blessed; you give to be a blessing.
  

Exponential Reflections

Bill & I have been enjoying the Exponential Conference at Saddleback. The speakers have been humorous, poignant, and challenging. The worship led by Lincoln Brewster has been amazing!

When we arrived, we walked into the auditorium to find hundreds of round tables set up throughout the multi-purpose auditorium. After walking among the tables for a little bit looking for someplace to sit, we sat down with two other pastors towards the back of the room. I introduced myself by my first name and asked them where they were from.

"Peoria" one of them replied.

"IL?" I said.

"Yeah...you know of it?" the other one replied.

"Yeah...we are at a church in Germantown Hills. Where are you guys?"

"Faith in Washington!" one of them said.

We travel all the way to California to sit down at a table with two pastors from a church just five miles away from ours...God has a sense of humor!

I'm going to post some thoughts from the various speakers in following posts...

Heading to SoCal

Bill & I are heading to Southern California today for the Exponential Conference at Saddleback Community Church. I am looking forward to finally seeing this church for myself. I'll keep you posted on take-aways from the conference...

Weekend in Review :: 11-11-07

WORSHIP
Lord Reign in Me
No One Like You - David Crowder
Unchanging - Chris Tomlin
He Is Exalted - Shane and Shane
I Will Boast - Paul Baloche

MESSAGE
Series: What's In Your Wallet?
Message: Living Within Your Means - Part 2
Speaker: Chris Genders

Notable Quotes...
"We need to build financial margin in our lives so that we are prepared for emergencies and for when God calls us to action."
"How we handle our finances is a spiritual issue."
"If we mishandle our finances, we rob God of the worship He deserves, and we rob ourselves of the blessings we deserve."
"We are to give our first and best to God. To give anything less is to dishonor and devalue God in our lives."
"If we wait to save money until we have eliminated our debt, most of us will never save any money for the future."
"We are the managers of God's resources, and He cares deeply how we spend all of our money. His concern doesn't stop at Giving and Saving."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Celebration Sunday - November 18th - to be baptized, contact the church office at 383-4330
• Christmas Series - Second Chance Christmas - invitation postcards available soon
• MarriedLife Live - January 26th

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (21-30)

21-30 :: Being a Pastor

21. I never intended on being a pastor.
22. If I weren't a pastor, I would be a high school math teacher.
23. I get annoyed when I meet new people who find out I am a pastor and then change their behavior, language, conversation, etc. I want people to feel like they can be themselves around me.
24. I am sometimes not myself around church people. (Yes...I am aware of the irony/conflict between #23 and #24!)
25. There are a lot of Christians that I wish would never tell people they are Christians.
26. I think people are too dependent upon the church to "feed" them. The church needs to teach people how to feed themselves.
27. I wish we didn't have to refer to the Old Testament as "old"; it makes people think it is irrelevant. How about Part 1 and Part 2 instead?
28. Being a pastor is oftentimes lonely. This is why I highly value my relationships with other pastors.
29. I don't like doing weddings, funerals, and hospital calls. I know they are a part of the job; I simply don't feel like I know what to say or do.
30. I wish more Christians would tell people what God is for rather than what He is against.

The Blend - new website!

The Blend - my favorite local coffeeshop - has recently updated their website. Check it out here...be sure to look at the pictures.

Can't you just picture me settled into one of the booths with my laptop, Bible, and journal as I prepare an upcoming message? (I've also done quite a bit of blogging from these booths!)

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I was at The Blend this morning working on my sermon for this coming Sunday. While I was there, I ordered today's special - Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Imagine my surprise when I'm reading the blogs I track, and I find that Perry Noble, Pastor of NewSpring Church, recently shared some interesting perspectives on evangelism as a result of having this very drink at a Starbucks in Atlanta's airport. Check it out here...

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (11-20)

Continuing in a blogging tradition, here's the next grouping of 10 things you need to know...

11-20 :: Movies

11. I cry almost every time I watch the hospital scene in Remember the Titans.
12. One of the greatest lines in a movie is said by Kurt Russell in Tombstone after slapping Billy Bob Thornton - "You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?"
13. I absolutely hate Hope Floats and Mrs. Doubtfire.
14. I can quote too many lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The ones I most often say are, "T'is but a scratch" and "I got better."
15. I think everybody should watch The Princess Bride at least once...okay, a dozen times!
16. I will watch any movie that stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or Vin Diesel.
17. Make fun of me if you will...but any time The Princess Diaries is on, I stop to watch.
18. I saw the first showing of Transformers on opening night with a bunch of friends. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd had everyone shouting and clapping out loud. It was awesome! We almost stayed to watch the next showing.
19. I didn't want any of the Lord of the Rings movies to end. I loved Tolkien as a kid, and I could not wait for each movie to come out.
20. I secretly wish I was Neo.

100 Things You Need to Know About Me (1-10)

I read on African Banter that a blogging tradition is that you have to write 100 things about yourself once you've made 100 posts. Since I am at a new church, this will be a great way to introduce the people of Great Oaks to some things they don't yet know about me.

Rather than listing out 100 things in one post, I thought I would post in short bursts of 10 (each with a theme). Here we go...

1-10 :: Historical

1. When I got married, I was 6'4" and weighed 215 pounds. I'm now 6'4" and weigh 275 pounds. (It's all muscle...)
2. I played flute from 4th grade through 8th grade.
3. I played the piccolo my 8th grade year.
4. I played on the girl's volleyball team my 6th grade year. (Sixth grade was a rough year...)
5. The house I grew up in was heated solely by a wood-burning stove. I'm really good at splitting wood!
6. The house I grew up in wasn't on a well or city water. We hauled water 2-3 times a week from town to fill a cistern.
7. I once went frog gigging with a 12-guage shotgun. There wasn't much left...
8. When I was in college, I climbed a TV tower at 3:00am with three other friends. Those red lights are really bright up close!
9. I used to pretend the be asleep in the car when we would get home from long car trips. I loved it when my Dad would carry me into the house.
10. My little sister used to be really afraid of the "monster under the bed". Right after she got over her fear, I hid under her bed and grabbed her leg when she came to bed. I got grounded for two weeks, but it was worth it!

Weekend in Review :: 11-04-07

WORSHIP
Jesus Paid It All - Kristian Stanfall
We Fall Down - Chris Tomlin
I Give You My Heart - Delirious
You Are Holy (Prince of Peace) - Michael W. Smith

MESSAGE
Series: What's In Your Wallet?
Message: Living Within Your Means - Part 1 (Debt)
Speaker: Bill White

Notable Quotes...
"It's not about knowledge; it's about application of knowledge."
"Even if you pay off your credit card at the end of each month, you will still spend about 23% more than if you just used cash."
"God is more concerned with your character than your comfort."
"Debt is a cancer."

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Operation Christmas Child - shoe boxes due November 11th
• Celebration Sunday - November 18th - to be baptized, contact the church office at 383-4330
• Christmas Series - Second Chance Christmas - invitation postcards available soon
  

Raking Leaves

I took Ethan to a follow-up doctor's appointment in Geneva this afternoon to make sure there weren't any lingering effects from the croup last week. He checked out just fine and was extremely glad when the doctor said he couldn't get a flu shot today because he just finished a round of scripted steroids.

After the doctor's appointment, Ethan and I went over to Karen's parents for a visit. The four of us ended up in the backyard raking leaves into a huge pile for Ethan to jump into. It was a great afternoon of relaxation and connection with my in-laws and my son. (I would post a picture, but I haven't figured out how to get them off of my cell phone!)

I love the Fall because of moments just like these. And, yes...I jumped in the leaves too!

Going All the Way

As many of you know, I love to network with and track other Christian leaders from around the country. You also know that I love to read. So when I came across a recent post from Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv, offering a free copy of his recent book for people who blog about it, I couldn't resist!

The book is called Going All the Way: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance. I've read that some pastors are utilizing the book as their foundation for pre-marital counseling while others are using it for material during teaching series on marriage. I honestly don't know much more about the book than what I've read on other blogs, so I will let you know my thoughts after I receive my copy.

I have been learning from Craig for some time now, and I have been inspired and challenged by his teachings and writings. I've got two other books written by him, Chazown and Confessions of a Pastor. The first time I heard him speak was his presentation on the multi-site movement during the 2006 A2 Conference. I can honestly point to this talk as the turning point for me with regards to the multi-site movement. I also recently listened to his talks about "exponential innovation" and "practical atheism" from the 2007 Buzz Conference. Great talks that I highly recommend checking out.

Enough for now...I'll let you know if I get a free copy of the book...they only had 40 left...