Brother-In-Law

Here's the latest on the perils of owning a '68 Chevy Pickup...

We've decided to sell it. I've created a healthy set of skid marks on the ground (with my shoes, not the truck), but it's going to go. It's all hard because, well, IT'S SO COOL!

The youngest wants it, but he's only 14 and is short on cash right now. The oldest is scrambling to sell it because I told him we would go 'halves' on the profit. And then enter the third party...my brother-in-law. He is a connoisseur of such things. When I found out he wanted it, I offered it to him at what we had into it. He's family...and so that's how it "works." But the entire time I'm on the phone with him, my oldest is howling in the background, "No, you don't want that!!"

I think he has 'prom' on the brain...

So the deal is, my oldest has a "window of opportunity" to sell the truck because he'll get nothing if my brother-in-law gets it. Said brother-in-law knows what's going on and is laughing to see if his nephew can dispose of the truck in short order.

Okay, I still want to keep the thing. It's a beauty and runs great. But sometimes you get to do what is best for your family. Something "really cool" in times like these when you should be saving up for your kid's college education is too much of a luxury. So I really want the oldest to sell it so he'll profit...but I'd like to see the brother-in-law get it because I'll get to see it again.

Conflicted...and laughing!

Tools

Enjoyed our vacation time last week. I spent most of it working on our garage. I did this really neat thing, building an "abrasives" workbench for my grinders and sanders. I can almost sense my wife rolling her eyes when she thinks about the tools that I have but seldom use. I mean, how many grinders and sanders is enough? I guess the only way to find out is to keep buying until it IS too many.

I'm so much...a guy.

I was told a couple months ago that there are two kinds of guys - one who has tools, and one who knows how to use tools. I'd like to think that I'm the latter, but I know that it isn't always true. I love new projects because it might mean I get to buy a new tool; but that doesn't always mean I know what I'm doing when it gets in my hands for the first time. So, I've got to use it...to become proficient with it.

I was in a store the other day when I came across a friend who wasn't feeling well. Right there 'in front of God, the checkers, customers and assorted hardware,' I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed for him. No, I didn't draw attention to my friend or myself. I guess the point is I had a tool and knew how to use it...

I just wish I always responded that way, every time, with the gifts created and distributed by the best Toolmaker in the universe.

Too Funny

Went to a baseball game this afternoon for my oldest boy, a junior at Mountain View H.S. of Bend. I guess a local television station didn't have much to do so they sent a reporter over with a video camera.

The game went into extra innings. You know, early season high school boys, lots of errors, walks, etc...

Here's the clip they showed on the news, KOHD, our ABC affiliate here in Bend. It's of our boy, Zach. We're terribly proud...and laughing for all we're worth...for hours now...click on the link:

http://kohd.com/page/101506

He's a good baseball player, hitting .607 last year. He played really well in the game. But the winning hit? A dribbler past third...probably an error!

We're still laughing...and so is he. Wow was this ever fun!

Study

I receive e-mails from a variety of subscription sources for Bible Studies, video clips for preaching and a handful of blogs. One of those blogs is the "Desiring God Blog" written by pastor and author, John Piper. It is quite good. In my box this morning was one that is worth passing on to you on the subject of our devotional life. In his March 22nd offering titled "A Plea for Heart Devotions and Head Study" he balances these two important sides of discussion. He writes,

"This is a plea that all of you would build into your lives both personal devotions and purposeful study of God's word.

"Both:

"Daily prayerful meditation seeking personal application of God's word to your own heart and life.

"And:

"Regular study in a class or with a book where the (living or dead) teacher has seen more than you have and can give you insight in 30 minutes that might otherwise take you ten years to see.

"The reason I plead for both is that without a book or a class about what some part of the Bible means and a teacher who is ahead of you, your devotions will probably flatten out at a low level of insight.

"Year after year you will go over the same biblical ground and find it as perplexing as before. There will be little advance in understanding. This will tend to take the heart out of devotional reading, because the lack of growth cannot sustain the joy.

"Seek out preaching, books, and classes which take you further in grasping what various books and texts in the Bible mean."

That's good advice - the kind of wisdom that can lengthen one's life and deepen roots in Christ!

I've found Piper's material to be consistently helpful. While he does not come from specifically the same theological perspective as I do, I enjoy his insight and thought pattern (I'm sure glad this world is a whole lot bigger than my small thoughts). If you're interested, you can go to http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/ and sign up for your own subscription.

Delight

Today was my first day of vacation. I had high hopes for a "re-arrange" project in the garage. The plan was to move three storage units and the freezer to different locations, making the space more efficient and allowing me to install a beautiful new cabinet on the wall. I dutifully emptied the shelving and drawer units to be moved into the middle of the garage, creating one walkway each direction and "stuff" piled everywhere else.

It was at this point I realized that my plan wasn't going to work and some of the parts were not going to fit...and as I write all that stuff is still piled high.

Great news, I did get the nails on Scotty the Wonder Dog clipped! But that's about it for today and it's...okay.

We have two baseball practices and three games to be at this week. To complicate things a little bit, my wife leaves on Wednesday for her parent's house as her mother is recovering from surgery. Tomorrow or Wednesday my "new" truck, a '68 Chevy goes up for sale on Craig's List. I'm bummed about it because the vehicle is pretty cool, but it is for the best right now. But if my youngest had the money, HE'D OWN IT. The truck really is a throw-back in a variety of ways. It has the deep rumbling sound of a dual-exhaust V-8, beautiful chrome on the rebuilt engine with lap belts on a bench seat that I had to explain to my 17-year-old, how to use. The vehicle has a manual choke that he's never seen before and this is the first time that he's ever had to pump the accelerator once before starting, and "tapping down" the carburetor before shifting into gear. Oh the memories, oh the feeling and oh the hilarity watching the boy trying to get the hang of this classic.

Watched him "kill it" four times in a row...

Yesterday I was in Psalm 37, teaching on the subject of delighting ourselves in the Lord. Basically it gets us back to simpler things and focusing on what really matters - without distraction. Watching a son trying to get the hang of something from, well, my childhood, brings me back to those simpler things quite nicely.

It makes "delight" all that much more meaningful and real.

'68 Pickup

Bought a new-to-me truck today. It's a '68 Chevy Pickup. Lots of extras and new stuff on it. The dual exhaust on the beyond-stock-engine makes that low rumbling 'man sound' that every guy wishes every car made in the new millennium sounded like. In the venacular of my boys, "It's saweeet."

Now the arguement has begun. How long can I keep it for myself? Will the youngest talk me out of it? Will my wife make me sell it...NOW? Will the oldest boy scheme to be the proud owner of two Chevy trucks instead of one? Will my daughter pay admission to see this tug-of-war play out?

Yes, some of life's greatest questions...

Too much fun! God must be laughing...

Mentors

Had a phone call today from one of my former bosses. He was my pastor in my first full-time associate spot. I love that guy and had a marvelous time working for him, serving in a small town in Eastern Washington.

He was good to me...and a good example to follow.

There are two mentors I've worked for that I would hire to work with me in a heartbeat. The first one you've already met and the second I named my youngest son after. I've had a number of bosses in my life. But these men spent a great deal of time with me, investing their lives in mine. I can only hope that I showed the same attention to my associates over the years. Only time will tell.

No, I'm not looking for a job in my retiring days. The fact is, pastors never actually retire. It's this whole thing of "the call" that prohibits a life of leisure. In essence, there is a driving compulsion the moves us on. All I have to say is that along the way I'm hopeful that time will bear out that I helped someone in my line of sight and responsibility...

I only hope that three of them are my kids...

Road Maps

Tuesday is pretty much the same schedule every week, featuring prayer meeting, staff meeting and meetings with individual staff. We even went to lunch together today, and three of the guys rode with me to my house to grab some cassette tapes out of the garage.

During staff meeting today we worked - once again - on a new vision statement. This was session number six. We had a problem with our previous mission statement and vision statement being redundant. So we've moved some of our "directional furniture" around and come up with a fresh look at where we're headed. I have to admit that the process is punishing. I wish it were not this way but our problem goes back to three years ago when we did this whole thing for the first time. But the bottom line is that from time to time you've just got to do some tweaking to fine tune what's important in your life or organization. For us this process really is both. We are the Body of Christ, the Church. Being part of the Body is life...and it is also an organization. The old adage says, "If you don't know what you're aiming at you'll hit is every time." Knowing where you're headed whether it be a purpose, values, mission or vision statement is like a road map. Kinda reminds me of another 'map' that is "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

Anything & Everything

I'm back in the saddle again...

Okay, I'll stop singing.

I know, long time, no blogging. Thanks to those who've sent me e-mails and hit me up at church about being 'incommunicado' since my last installment on March 4th. I've had some scheduling difficulties and rightfully left my computer at the office at times so I could focus on more important matters...

I've been marching Faith through our new series titled, "Crossing Over the Crimson Bridge." Basically the whole emphasis is a re-dedication journey. The focus is that when we come to Christ, our lives are transported across "The Crimson Bridge," the cross of Jesus Christ. The problem comes when we take back areas of our lives that we decide we can't or won't trust Christ with. So the re-dedication comes when we take the specific subject and give it back to Jesus. Each message concludes with me nailing a piece of paper to the cross with that morning's message theme. Yesterday's theme was 'manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit,' that we need to embrace the fact that the Spirit wants to move powerfully through our lives and this area may be what He longs and desires to do through us. And yet we don't believe that it's for us - we wrongly think it's always someone else that the Spirit wants to speak through. These power gifts of the Spirit become uncharted territory in our lives all the while enjoying God's flow through the lives of others. And so we timidly live...

The irony is that I ran out of time yesterday to nail the theme paper to the cross, so I'll do it sometime this week. I must share that it has been a bit unnerving to drive a nail into the cross the past few Sundays. It really hits home that if I were the only one, Christ would have died for me. That's the depth of love that God has for each of us and a horrible debt that had to be paid for the forgiveness of sin. The awful truth is that it was my sin that put Christ on the cross.

I think about my family a great deal these days, more so it seems than I did in the past. Our oldest is getting ready to leave for college in a year and a half. I'm thinking about...okay, the school bill, but that's not the most important issue. I'm thinking about how we've prepared him for his future. We've planted in his life, and that of his siblings the values we hold dear. And yet one day soon he will be making his own decisions about all the choices that will avail themselves. And so we place our hope and trust in Christ that what we've done is enough. I'd do anything for my kids if it were for their own good and benefit. That's why I get the whole deal about 'love' and 'Christ on the cross.' He did everything for our own good and benefit. And that understanding helps me follow Christ because I understand in a greater way looking at my own family and the privilege of seeing life through my own father's eyes (and I'm still learning about the viewpoint...) that now all of this stuff makes so much more sense. The story of the prodigal is still the story of the Father. Oh what love. Oh what joy when a wayward son comes home. And oh what fellowship we have when we come to our senses...and come...home.

Extraordinary

It's Wednesday and I'm still enjoying the afterglow from last Sunday. The presence and power of Christ was wonderful and remarkable in our three services on the Lord's Day. Many whom I'd never seen before in our altars made strides in their relationship with Christ, and many more were touched by God because they were in attendance.

Our special guest was our friend, Anatoly Lastidka. This was Anatoly's second time with us. He's Ukrainian. No, he's WAY Ukrainian. We humorously tell our people that, "You won't understand everything he says, but you'll feel everything he says." He actually communicates quite well in the midst of a heavy East-European accent. But more importantly I need to note that he is anointed of God and his broken English only helps Americans like you and I sit on the edge of our chair and listen with extra care.

Sometimes having an accent or being out of step with the 'ordinary' can help make one extraordinary.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. Once again the pulpit will be moved out (again) and the glass topped high table will be back in with a stool. It will be week four of our experiment of me preaching without notes from memory. I wish I could say that I'm quite comfortable with this approach, but the truth is I am not. But our staff says that this style helps me communicate better...

The truth is I'd wear a clown suit if it would help communicate the gospel.

I believe with all my heart that March is an important month for us at Faith. I've felt this way since our all night prayer meeting in January (as part of our annual church fast). I'm wondering about how our church will look by the end of this month. Whatever happens over the next few weeks, I'm certain of one thing; God is good, all the time.

These are the days when the ordinary has flown out the window and the extraordinary is possible. These are clearly not ordinary times on any level. And so we say in unison, "Come Lord Jesus, come."