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)

My Kids Are Sick!

So last week Ethan was in the hospital overnight with croup. This week Morgan is diagnosed with strep throat. Pray for the Genders' household!!!

I can't wait to say the famous movie line, "This house is clean." (Although I know it won't sound nearly as creepy as Zelda Rubinstein made it sound!)

Encounter with a Soldier

I was doing some reading at Panera today and met a young man on crutches. I struck up a conversation with him by asking what happened. Turns out it was a motorcycle accident that happened in June. Somebody pulled out in front of him, and he flew over their hood about 20 feet...broke his pelvis and fractured his leg in a couple of places.

He went on to tell me he was home on leave after a second tour in Iraq with the Marines. Get this...he said it was a blessing in disguise! He is getting some extended time home with his family that many soldiers don't get.

Do me a favor? I don't care what your political leanings are towards the war in Iraq...just send up a prayer right now for our soldiers. I've got some guys I grew up with back home in Newton that are over there, and I know they, as well as all the others, would appreciate your prayers. Thanks!

New Setting

I have begun working at Great Oaks Community Church. It is somewhat surreal to actually be here after all of the weeks of interviewing and waiting. I don't think it has really sunk in yet!

My last Sunday at Fox Valley Christian Church was both encouraging and heartbreaking. The people at FVCC have played such a large and important part of my life for the past 11 years; it was difficult to leave them. We didn't say, "Goodbye" though...we agreed to say, "See 'ya later!"

I am looking forward to returning to FVCC in the future when we visit our family in Geneva/Elgin for holidays. It will be great to see all of the old faces. For now, though, I have a lot of new faces to get to know!

I spent most of today unpacking my office and getting to know where things are situated in the church. I still have some organizing to do, but it is coming together. I already have a preaching date (October 7) and some classroom teaching dates set. I have to become familiar with their core class curriculum this week and next for those classroom teaching dates.

I am partnering with existing staff members to host a two-Sunday small group kickoff these next two Sundays. I will also be meeting with my small group leaders in the coming days and weeks so that I can become familiar with them and their groups.

Things will be pretty busy for a while as I assimilate into the life of Great Oaks...keep checking back for regular updates!

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!

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.

Prayer Update :: 2-28-07

In the past I have had a team of 30+ people regularly praying for me through a weekly prayer update I would send out. For some reason, I stopped sending these out last year. Thanks to some recent accountability from family and friends, I have begun this discipline anew. As I pressed "Send" on the email to this prayer team, I realized I should post this prayer update on my blog as well. With that said, here is this week's prayer update...

Let me begin by saying this is an interesting season of life I am in. I am struck each day by God's presence, by how quickly my kids are growing, by how much my wife loves me despite my shortcomings, by how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things, by the fact that God would want to use me despite my insignificance, and by the amount of time I spend focusing on both meaningless and meaningful things. It is a tremendous and trying season of life.

Please pray for the following this week...

- My family as they recover from being sick
- My upcoming trip to Las Vegas to spend time at my mentor's feet once again
- My family as I am in Las Vegas
- Balance of work and family
- Clarity and conviction in decision-making
- Continued shifts in my ministry to fulfill my calling as a "leader of leaders"

Thanks for your partnership. I will make a diligent effort to continue in this discipline in the coming weeks!