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!!!

Vegas Reflections No. 3

Loren & I headed out to Zion National Park yesterday for a day of hiking and mentoring. There isn't anything better than some road-time and trail-time with a mentor and friend to draw out the conversation. And there isn't anything better than being in God's creation to draw out the inspiration and majesty of the Creator. If you have never been to Zion, I highly recommend it. I am planning on coming back some time to hike Angel's Landing Trail and The Narrows.

I met Chris Trethewey for lunch today to catch up and talk leadership. As always, it proved to be a great conversation. The more time I spend with Chris, the more I am impressed with his leadership knowledge and application. He and I have similar personalities and perspectives; we just have different contexts in which to practice our leadership. We usually end up bouncing ideas off of each other and gaining the other's insights into current dynamics and situations.

We talked at length about Central: Uncensored to discover what worked well and what needed to be adjusted for the future. Following this debriefing time, we talked about numerous other leadership issues. Here are some personal take-aways from that conversation...

• Alignment of staff is critical but difficult since most staff members come from churches where their ministries were "islands". They were not required or rewarded for collaborating across ministry areas.
• Always discover the irreducible minimum.
• Disney can reach a multi-generational audience with a single movie. How can the church use this strategy to communicate/teach to a diverse audience?
• If a leader does not possess discernment (about people, future, direction, etc), he is not a leader.
• A process of change is needed, but don't be afraid to toss a grenade every now and then to get things moving.
• Seek to understand all of the dynamics about a situation before passing judgment or jumping to conclusions.

Following my lunch with Chris, I met with Kyle Costello, Small Groups Pastor of Young Couples. This conversation proved to be intensely practical and strategic for leading small group leaders. Kyle joined the staff of Central about two and a half years ago after working as a financial analyst for Ford Motor Company. He will prove to be a great contact for the future. Here are some take-aways from my conversation with him...

• Utilize strong small group leaders as mentors for other leaders. This will spread your span-of-care and allow you to better utilize your time and energy.
• Try to establish inter-group conversation and encouragement among small group leaders.
  
• Whole-church campaigns provide strong growth and involvement in small groups; however, you can expect some natural attrition once the campaign is done. In the long run, though, campaigns are great for small group expansion.
• Be sure to provide multiple levels of training for hosts during a campaign. Don't rely on a single large-group training to adequately prepare hosts for campaign experience.
• Be sure to have post-campaign strategy for new groups to reinforce the purpose of the small group.
• Pay attention to the next-steps...have material available at all times (including on your person during weekend services) that directs people to their next step to getting involved in a small group.
• Living Room Events - Dinner & a Movie; Night at the Ballpark; Sacred Space (encouraging groups to adopt a specific area of the community and make it better through service projects)
• Leadership influence flows downhill.

I really appreciated all of the insights from Loren, Chris, and Kyle. I am looking forward to connecting with them more in the future.

Bushwhacker

I found my local outdoor store! Bushwhacker in the Metro Center in Peoria.

I spent some time there yesterday talking with the staff about local places to hike, bike & kayak. They had a brochure created in-house that featured some locations around the greater-Peoria area and the rest of Illinois, and even Wisconsin & Indiana. I knew about many of them already, but it was still good to have. They also had a list of local outdoor clubs.

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.

Family Emergency Plan

I saw a commercial this evening that reminded me of something I would see in the background of movies like V for Vendetta (2005) or Children of Men (2006). Both of these movies are set in the not-so-distant future when the world is falling apart and there seems to be no recovery. (This is not an endorsement of these movies; they are simply provided for illustrative purposes.)

The commercial I witnessed tonight began with innocent-faced children asking their parents how long they should wait after school... after soccer practice... after piano lessons... before going to a friend or relative's house. The sincere but stern voice-over then stated, "Will your family be ready in case of a terrorist attack? Make sure your family has an emergency plan in place."

What?!? I didn't see that one coming...

I understand that we live in a world where terrorist attacks are possible. I understand that we live in a world that is much different than it was just seven years ago. But have we already moved into the not-so-distant future as portrayed in Hollywood science fiction?

Along the same lines are all of the recent advertisements from the CIA seeking out new recruits. Have you seen these? Isn't the Central Intelligence Agency supposed to take a more subtle approach to recruiting?

Please understand that I am not making a political or social or even spiritual observation here. I am simply lamenting the recent historical turn-of-events and wondering aloud what the future holds for my children and grandchildren.

Honestly...this is why I don't watch the news. Call it avoidance if you will, but it seems like everything on the news deals with death, destruction, greed, etc. I would much rather watch Man vs Wild or Survivorman. After all...if a major terrorist attack happens and the world falls apart around me, I am taking my family into the wilderness! Remember Red Dawn (1984) with Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey, and Lea Thompson?

Sorry for the most depressing post I've ever done, but that commercial really got me thinking...

Weekend at the Lake

A couple of weekends ago, Ethan and I went camping with some friends at Devil's Lake in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We had a great weekend hiking, climbing, swimming, fishing, and connecting with God through His creation.

The forecast for the weekend was rain...all weekend. We were very fortunate that we only experienced a few sprinkles and one major shower (which we had advance warning of thanks to some friendly neighbors in the campground).

The first day at the Lake, we decided that the guys would go hiking and rock climbing on some of the bluffs surrounding the lake. We parked at the trailhead and hiked to the top of the bluffs. Alex and Jay started setting up the top rope when I quickly realized that Ethan & I needed to be at the base of the cliff...not the top. One of the guys asked if Ethan could rappel down the 100 foot cliff. I don't think so!

Alex said he thought there was a shortcut up the trail some that would lead to the base of the cliff we were climbing. Russ, Ethan & I started off in search of the shortcut. We never found it, but there were some possible routes if we were simply willing to go bushwhacking. Ethan was game, so down we went.

We got down about 100 feet - slipping and sliding on the mud, holding on to roots of trees - only to find ourselves at the top of another sheer cliff. I left Russ & Ethan there for a minute while I scouted out a new route. About fifty yards to the north, I found a 150-200 foot boulder (talus) field that presented the best option for descending the rest of the bluff face.

Ethan was a little skeptical at first, but he soon got the hang of downclimbing the boulders. There were a few times where Russ & I had to pass Ethan down a drop that was too big for him to climb down. By the end of the climb, Ethan was doing it all on his own and picking out his own routes. It was awesome to see him overcome his fears and enjoy a new challenge. The rest of the weekend, he was looking for any opportunity to climb on some boulders!