Be Interesting

I like this post by Seth Godin...

It reminds me that we don't have to be perfect in our services and programming in the church, but we do have to be interesting. In the words of Chip & Dan Heath (authors of Made to Stick), one of the keys to making a message stick in the minds and hearts of people is that it should be unexpected (i.e. interesting).

What we do should have people talking... not about us but about Jesus Christ.

Paying Respects

I arrived at the church today in time to pay my respects to a fallen soldier - Pfc. Phillip Pannier. He was a 2006 graduate of Roanoke-Benson High School. He was killed in Iraq by enemy fire last Tuesday along with two other soldiers in his unit.

The funeral procession - which consisted of fire, police, ambulatory, family, friends, and veterans - passed in front of the church on Route 116 about 11:15am. The staff and a few other individuals stood alongside the road to pay our respects and display our gratitude to the family and friends of Phillip.

I didn't know Phillip, but I am thankful that men and women like him are willing to pay the ultimate price to protect people who cannot protect themselves and to provide the freedoms that I continue to enjoy in this country. My prayers are with his family and the rest of our armed forces around the world.

The Year of Living Biblically

Since finishing the Bible in a Year challenge, I have been in the mood to read. I just polished off A.J. Jacobs' latest book - The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Jacobs is officially Jewish, but as he puts it, "Jewish in the same way Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant. Which is to say: not very." The description from the jacket cover is an apt one...

"Jacobs's extraordinary undertaking yields unexpected epiphanies and challenges. A book that will charm readers both secular and religious, The Year of Living Biblically is part CliffsNotes to the Bible, part memoir, and part look into worlds unimaginable. Thou shalt not be able to put it down."

As a pastor, I found the book to be one man's authentic pursuit of Biblical comprehension and application. It was an interesting - and much appreciated - view of the Bible and religion in general through his eyes. He has a keen awareness of his behavioral, emotional, and spiritual perceptions during the experiment. He is also well-aware of his own preconceived notions (this became painfully clear in the section on the New Testament).

I think the most unexpected aspect of this book was how much I laughed audibly while reading it - much to the amusement of my wife! Of course...many of these laughable sections involved his wife's sarcastic and not-so-amused responses to this undertaking. Reactions that Karen and I both agreed she would have if I were to pursue something similar.

My favorite episode was the time his wife sat in all the chairs in their apartment knowing that according to Leviticus 15:19-23 he would not be able sit in any of them. (Click on the link if you want to know the specifics...) In the same chapter, he shared some rabbinical teaching on this passage that I found extremely intriguing. I won't post that teaching here as I need to do some more research before stating my opinion on the teaching.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. I am confident that I am going to read his previous book - The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. For that book, he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z - or more specifically, from a-ak (East Asian music) to Zywiec (a town in southern Poland known for its beer).

Java Girl

The following article by Blair Waltman, a sophomore at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, really got me thinking this morning...
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Java God
by Blair Waltman

I am a coffee kind of girl. Everyone has their little morning things, their routines. Little fingers play with Cheerios. A mother’s creased and floured hands make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - with the crust removed, of course. A bachelor defrosts a breakfast burrito and watches ESPN highlight reels. Someone opens up shop for the day. And I have coffee.

I’m ritualistic about it; any dedicated drinker is. It’s taken a certain way - sugar and no cream, and dark. Flowing, steaming, ebony streams. I’ll curl up on the couch, wrap myself around a mug, and while away the morning hours. Time becomes unimportant.

So, as tradition dictates, every morning I wander into my tiny kitchen, dig blindly in the cabinet for the medium roast grounds. I measure off the teaspoons and heat a old chrome percolator, a castoff I inherited from my brother that, in my opinion, really tastes better than those plastic machines.

Like any creature of habit, I’m not a fan of my ritual being disturbed. Unless there is some demanding circumstance, say, for example, a fire in the apartment, I tend to get grouchy if I cannot get my morning coffee.

It’s not the caffeine charge that compels me - at this point I think I’m nearly immune. But I enjoy the flavor, the smell, the withdrawal from the rush of life in slow sips. If I miss it in the morning, the day feels a little off. Skewed. It bothers me for my first few hours of the day.

Earlier this week, as I began the 7:15 am tradition, my mind wandered. Most people, at this point in their day, are thinking about sleep. If they’re thinking yet at all. But my mind curled and swept through random venues, a leaf in a river. All the time my hands moved independent of me, not requiring the mind to directly dictate movement. They know what to do.

I thought, as my mindless hands opened up the coffee grounds, that I hadn’t read my Bible the night before. I’d been so tired. And as I poured heaped spoonfuls of medium blend into the percolator, I realized I hadn’t spent much real time with God that week at all. The week had been hectic, and I’d pressed Him somewhere in the dusty back corners, along with phone calls long needing a return and laundry. I realized, as I put the coffee pot on the lukewarm burner, that it was easy for me to do this - to put Him in the back of my mind. There was initial guilt, of course, but it didn’t effect my day. I could go on completely oblivious to it. I wouldn’t even notice.

As I poured out the kohl-colored liquid into a green mug, I had one more thought:

I would notice more if I didn’t get my coffee than if I didn’t spend time with God.

This isn’t limited to beans and drinks. I think maybe we all have our coffees - something that, if we went a day without, we wouldn’t function. We’d be upset. The day would not be a complete one. We’d be aggravated and moody without it. It could be a boyfriend or girlfriend; television; Internet; sports, whatever. Usually it isn’t God. Maybe we’ve got God in our heads as something we can pick up and put on the shelf when not in use, and we can use it when we will. But its absence isn’t a disaster.

None of these things, not coffee or boyfriends or video games are inherently bad. But does it seem a little off that we would be more upset about missing them for a day than God?

I poured my coffee down the sink. All of it. I had none that morning. And you know what?

I didn’t miss it.

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 (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.

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.

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!

Anonymous Worship

I decided to attend Northwoods Community Church this evening for their mid-week service. Northwoods is a sister-church of Great Oaks and is located about 30 minutes away.

One of the struggles for pastors is to find times when they can simply worship God without the distraction of being "in charge". It is a delicate balance on most Sunday mornings to truly worship God without worrying about transitions, cues, etc. As such, it is always refreshing to go to another church where you can be anonymous and simply experience worship and listen to a fresh voice impart the Word of God into your life. This is also why conferences are so important for pastors.

I got to the church about 45 minutes early, so I just sat in the parking lot trying to catch up on my Bible-thru-the-year reading that my accountability partners and I have been doing. (I'm only four weeks behind now!!!)

When it was time for the service, I got out of the car and started walking towards the building. I noticed a woman getting out of her car directly in front of me, so I shifted my course slightly to walk around the other side of the car. As I did so, she looks at me and says, "Didn't I see you at Great Oaks on Sunday?" So much for anonymity!

It ends up that she had been to Great Oaks two or three times - one of which was this past Sunday when I introduced our guest speaker and then led the church in communion. I explained to her that I was a new staff member and decided to check out Northwoods for the evening. Her boyfriend soon walked up and she introduced me to him as well. Ends up he was at Great Oaks on Sunday, too.

They invited me to sit with them for the evening, and I graciously accepted. As we walked into the foyer, we saw the auditorium doors hadn't been opened yet, but that didn't deter her boyfriend. Turns out, he was going to be commissioned during the service for an upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. He promptly leads us through a side door onto the floor directly in front of the stage, and proceeds to introduce me to two staff members and an elder of the church. So much for anonymity!

Despite not being able to just be a face in the crowd, it was a great night of worship and celebration as they baptized ten people and commissioned twelve people for the trip to the DR.

My true purpose in going - to worship God without distraction - was definitely realized. The fact that I got to meet two great people who may begin attending Great Oaks and, as it turns out, may be wanting a pastor to marry them soon, was simply confirmation that God is always at work...even when I think I'm not...

Saving Grace

I was just getting ready to turn the TV off last night when an episode of Saving Grace began. I had seen commercials for the show but had never seen an episode, so I decided to stay up and see what it was all about.

If you are not familiar with the show, click here for an overview. In a nutshell, Holly Hunter plays Grace Hanadarko, a cynical detective who lives hard and fast by drinking too much, sleeping with numerous men (most of them married), and defying authority. One night she cries out to God for help after hitting a man while driving drunk. Suddenly an angel appears and begins to spend time with Grace trying to help her straighten out her life.

Before I go any further...I am not endorsing this show. It is laced with profanity and sexual overtones, so if you choose to watch it, you have been warned.

I am, however, stating that it is an interesting collision of the secular and the sacred. My gut is telling me that most Christians would condemn the show; however, in doing so they are also unwittingly condemning Scripture. Let me explain...

Throughout the Bible, we encounter people just like Grace. Think of the woman at the well (John 4:1-42).

We read her story without truly grasping who she was. We sanitize the story to make ourselves feel better. We read that she had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't even her husband, but we don't dwell on that fact because we prefer to fast-forward to who she was after she encountered Jesus.

That's the way we like our Christianity - clean, safe, and sanitary. Unfortunately, the people who really need to encounter Jesus live messy lives.

We watch shows like Saving Grace and are repulsed by Hunter's character, but we don't stop to think that these are the very people that God loves and wants to embrace the most. Remember Jesus words, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12)

If we are to be a people and a church after God's own heart, then we had better get used to spending time with and getting to know people just like Grace. It will be messy at times, but it is what God desires the most.

Why I Blog

So here I am...sitting in my overstuffed chair with my feet up on the ottoman. Karen and the kids are all taking a nap, so the house is finally quiet for a few moments. I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on my blogs that I track. I love learning from other leaders and catching up on stories from friends. It got me thinking about why we blog. Here's what I came up with...

1. Connection - Inherent in all of mankind is the need to be connected with other individuals. Blogs and other social networking sites allow us to maintain some level of connection with people all over the world. No matter where our friends are or where other leaders live, we can feel like we are a part of their lives. Yes...I would love to sit down face-to-face with the authors of the blogs I track, but it probably won't happen any time soon. Until that day does occur, I will continue to connect from a distance.
   
   
2. Transparency - As a pastor, one of the core values I feel I need to bring to those I lead is transparency. They need to know who I am...especially since most people in the church probably won't have a chance to sit down for a cup of coffee with me. They need to know my likes and my dislikes, my joys and my struggles, my coherent thoughts and my random thoughts. They need to know that I am a real person who deals with the same issues they deal with whether they be parenting, marriage, finances, or spiritual struggles.
   
   
3. Discipleship - As the church grows larger, there is a greater need to disciple people. Blogging can provide pastors with an expansive network of discipleship partners. As we teach and lead through the blogosphere, people throughout the church and around the world can enter into conversation and debate. We can provide these "on-line disciples" with resources and additional insight into Scriptural interpretation and application. For teaching pastors, especially, we can take what we talked about on Sunday morning and explore it a little bit deeper on Monday morning. This way, the conversation can keep happening throughout the week as people ruminate upon the truths we presented during the weekend services.
   
   
4. Stewardship - Blogging is wise stewardship of time and energy. Imagine the time it would take to sit down with every person in the church over a cup of coffee so that they could get to know me on a more personal level. Imagine the time it would take to personally disciple every member of the church. Even if I did all of this in small groups of people, it would occupy entirely too much time. It would take me away from my other responsibilities in the church, and, more importantly, it would take me away from my family far too often. Yes...blogging takes time, but it is a much wiser use of my time than trying to be all things to all people.

So those are the reasons why I blog. How about you?

Growing Pains

Children and churches both experience natural and predictable growing pains.

For some reason, people expect growing pains in their children but not in their churches. As the church moves through the various stages of growth, numerous dynamics are experienced.

As the church grows and more people come through the doors, there is a sense of loss at the family feel the church possessed when it first started. One day, the core group looks around and says, "Who are all of these people?"

As the church grows and more people who were previously unchurched join the family, the teaching begins to be focused on helping them grow in their faith and their knowledge of Scripture. This can leave the mature Christians who started the church wondering where the "meat" is that they are wanting to eat.

As the church grows and more worship services are added, there can be an acute sense of disconnect from other people in the church. First service people don't know third service people, and the Saturday night crowd never sees the light of day on Sunday morning. The worship services themselves begin to take on a more "professional" feel.

As the church grows and more leaders emerge, there are greater expectations placed upon past leaders to become specialists. They are expected to change where they spend their time and with whom they spend their time.

As the church grows and more volunteers are needed, volunteers come face-to-face with job descriptions and higher levels of excellence being placed upon them. Musicians and vocalists must audition. Potential leaders must be interviewed. Some volunteer roles are reserved for a few highly gifted people.

All of these changes and more can create a sense of frustration and loss in people. Most church members will tell you they want the church to grow and reach more people for Christ. But here's the rub...they don't want the church to change how it does things.

Let me ask some simple questions...as a child grows, do parents change how they relate to that child? Do they change how they dress that child or feed that child or spend time with that child? Of course! And the same goes for the church.

Random Thoughts

* I am teaching the college group tomorrow night. They are watching Rob Bell's Nooma videos and then discussing. Should be good...

* I just had an Oscar Mayer Fast Frank microwaveable hot dog in a bun. It was surprisingly good! The packaging is designed to lightly toast the bun, too.

* I love sitting around and dreaming about the future with other leaders. Just had a jam session with Jason & Dan sitting on bean bags in the Student Room talking about how to integrate Children, Student & Adult Ministries. We are reviewing the "Think Orange" movement from Reggie Joiner and will be reading The Big Idea by Dave Ferguson next.

* Got a call from a small group leader who had too many people sign up for her group. Great problem to have! We discussed options, and I set her loose to decide the best course.

* I'm currently reading Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue & Russ Robinson.

* Can't wait for Vegas to connect with some great leaders and long-time friends!

* I missed my workout session this morning. I'll do it tonight after dinner sometime. We talked in staff meeting this morning about the need to stay active and in good physical condition. (I am balancing the hot dog referenced earlier with some yogurt and whole grain Wheat Thins.)

* We are launching a new series in two weeks called "What's In Your Wallet?" I am teaching the first and last Sundays of the series. Watch out for David Spade and those barbarians!!!

* I watched some interesting videos on YouTube yesterday at somebody's house. The people who make these have way too much time on their hands.

* Barq's rootbeer is the best!

Insomnia

It's 5:15am on Sunday morning, and I cannot sleep.

I am preaching this morning at Great Oaks Community Church in Metamora, a bedroom community to Peoria, IL. Later this afternoon I will be meeting with the Leadership Team for my formal interview. These are some of the last steps in the process for GOCC.

Nervousness is not the source of my insomnia. I admit I am anxious to preach, but it is the good type of anxiousness (excitement). I think mostly my lack of sleep is concern about missing my alarm clock and my ride to the church. Karen and the kids are staying behind at the hotel and meeting me at the church for the second service. (On a side note, it is extremely difficult to get ready in the morning in a pitch black room with your entire family trying to sleep!)

I couldn't ask for a better environment, though, since I can't sleep. I am sitting in a secondary lobby of the Stoney Creek Inn in East Peoria. The lodge setting with moose & bear, a two-story river-rock fireplace, and a big-screen TV with the Great American Country channel playing country music videos suits me just fine (currently playing: "A Little More You" by Little Big Town and, no, the remote is not broken...I chose the channel!)

I'd really appreciate your prayers this morning and afternoon...thanks!

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.

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...

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.