Archive for February, 2009
McDaniels and Xanders Are Idiots
It didn’t take long for this to blow up…
First – that trade would have been ridiculous. Denver gets the shaft, Tampa wins the lottery, NE gets to unload a large salary. Instead, Kansas City gets a decent QB that is going to have to run for his life this next season because no one over there knows how to block. But they didn’t really give up a lot to get him.
Secondly – Jay Cutler – I seriously doubt you read my blog…(you should, by the way…) but if you do. Listen to me for just a second. Relax. Don’t go postal just because your new coach and GM are idiots and they don’t know how to handle the press or other teams for that matter. Rise up above them, it’s going to be alright.
There is no way Pat Bowlen lets you leave this town. He knows the value of a quarterback and you’ve got the goods to be one of the best of your generation. Man up…buck up…smile and save your venom for the brass behind closed doors.
Lastly, McDaniels/Xanders – how the heck do you screw up this badly after doing so well the first 48 hours of free agent signings? Would San Diego entertain trading Rivers? Indy Manning? Pittsburgh Big Ben? No. And maybe all of the reports are wrong and misquoted – fine. How do you not pick up the phone and call your QB and say – “Hey man, they offered us the moon for you, we turned them down because you’re more valuable than that but in the NFL rumors get out and we wanted you to know the real deal.”
Instead, you cut off communication with his agent? You can’t be that stupid. You guys need to listen to the words of Shannon Sharpe to Bubby Brister when he subbed for John Elway for a game or two during their first Super Bowl – “This offense is a Ferrari, Bubby. All you have to do is start it up, keep it out of the ditch and we’ll score points all night long.”
We all get to wait and see where this goes but for every great step that was taken, to alienate your Pro Bowl QB would undo all of it.
Community To What End?
I’m in dialogue with a peer about the importance of life groups/small groups that have real, authentic, raw community with each other. It’s more than just Bible study, it’s doing life together. It’s uncomfortable, edgy, messy life.
That we agree on. To what end is where we found ourselves disagreeing. His slant is so that people can figure out who they are and how they wired. A safe place for them to discover who God has created them to be. Where they find freedom from legalism and religion.
I say the point of community is for us to push each other to be more like Jesus – spiritual formation. I don’t need to find my inner Grant. I need my inner Grant to find Jesus and become more and more like Jesus. That’s life, abundant and meaningful.
To some who have no framework of God or discipline – they need some law, some boundaries. To others who are Pharisees, they need some freedom. It’s not a one size fits all commodity. Some need a hug, others need a kick in the hindparts. All need love. All need to serve. All need to worship.
As our conversation continued, I realized how important the distinction is and how that single question sets your life groups for either success or failure. If your Life Groups are basically supper clubs, when hard conversations arise – they either don’t happen or they destroy the group. Because likability and niceness is the goal…not spiritual transformation. If the goal is just to find yourself, you’ll miss Jesus. It makes birthing and reproducing leaders almost impossible because you don’t want to leave that cocoon of niceness. There is no need to stretch or grow once you’ve find ‘it.’
Having spiritual transformation as the end goal makes everything harder and simpler. Now we know we meet and we give people permission to kick over the dark places of our hearts, exposing it to the light of Jesus. Painful? Uncomfortable? You bet. But the purpose isn’t our comfort, it’s to become more like Jesus. Simple to understand…hard to achieve. That becomes the ‘trump card’ of the group. We do what we do because it leads us to spiritual transformation. If it doesn’t – we should not do it. We will choose to do some things that are hard because they lead to Christ-likeness.
So where will we go from here? I’m not sure what the answer is for him and his congregation. I know what it is for me. We’ll choose transformation. It’s harder, slower, and riskier. But it’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s where life, abundant life is.
DVD Slump
Two nights ago Aim and I watched Eagle Eye, movie with Shia LeBouf or however you spell his name. About 35 minutes into the movie, Amy says to me…”It’s the computer.”
I didn’t say anything. I knew how the movie was going to end that way as well but our recent history with movies has been so atrocious, I was holding out some hope.
It was the computer. It was a remake of the movie iRobot without the acting and humor.
Last night we watched Next with Nick Cage and Jessica Biel. She is gorgeous but this role was incredibly small for her and basically she acted like the damsel in distress all movie long. Julianne Moore played a tough FBI agent. It was okay. I think the concept would have made a better television series than a two hour movie. To be able to see only two minutes into the future would have made for some funny bits as well as dramatic ones. I realize that this is sort like what Quantam Leap was back in the day but not really. (Are you following this?)
Decent movie with a weird ending but it was the best one we’ve seen in a while.
Anyway…here is our recent list of movies that you should avoid…
Burn After Reading – atrocious. It wasn’t a very clean movie. It wasn’t a funny movie. It wasn’t a good movie. Just don’t even bother renting it.
The Good Shepherd – Matt Damon, Angelina Joline, Robert DeNiro – how can it miss? It did. It wasn’t bad…it wasn’t great. It was slow, hard to follow at times. Again…don’t bother.
Traitor – Don Cheadle, all you need to know. Great actor and this I would watch again. It was a good movie, action/spy/thriller kind of vibe. I had to throw in one movie that didn’t suck it up.
Michael Clayton – George Clooney, politics aside, he can act. This one kind of starts off slow then draws you in. Probably was about 20 minutes too long but if you’ve got nothing else to watch – might be worth the rent.
Wanted – terrible movie. Can’t believe Morgan Freeman was even part of it.
Thankfully we have a TV now so we can watch Amazing Race, Survivor, Burn Notice, and Hell’s Kitchen.
Leadership Summit Preview
Went to Leadership Summit lunch today. It was a preview of this year’s Leadership Summit.
Highlights of the day for me…
Riding with David Manner.
David Manner is our interim Worship Pastor. He’s also a long-time acquaintance that is fast becoming a deep friend. Great think time.
Reconnecting with Merl Mees
Merl was pastor at Western Hills for 17 years. I almost went to work with him/for him/on him. We laughed pretty hard today and he’s one of those guys you can hit 900 mph with almost instantly. Every time I talk to him, I learn something. The fact that he gives me that kind of access still astounds me.
Hearing Tim Keller will be at the Leadership Summit
Tim Keller preached the one sermon that rocked me most – Seek to prosper the city. He’s got another one in the works concerning Luke 15 and the two prodigal sons.
Bono, part 2
Bono will be at the Leadership Summit again this year. His first trip was in 2006 and he ripped the church for ignoring AIDS and Africa. Bill asked him back for a report card check. Bono agreed and sent a video tease as well.
“I knew the church was a sleeping giant, wondering what or who would wake her. What I wasn’t prepared for was how fast the giant could move.”
I’m planning on going…who wants to go with?
August 6-7, 2009.
Finally…
Got to talk with the principal of our elementary school. Incredibly nice lady and one of the only times in my life I felt comfortable talking to a principal of any kind.
Biggest need – technology. No real shocker there. She’s going to her teachers to get a ‘wish list.’ We’ll see where this goes.
Why I’ll never ship with DHL
I order some software from Apple and they shipped it with DHL. It’s hard for me to say anything negative about Apple in general because they are so awesome. But this is one of those times.
I’ve been tracking the package via DHL’s online tracking system. It hit Topeka today and I was trying to work out with the courier a time to meet them since our office is closed. Here’s where the trouble began. I entered my tracking number and the package was gone. Not gone as in – we’ve already delivered it – but gone as in – it doesn’t exist.
I call. They only do international shipments, not domestic. The domestic service doesn’t take phone calls, only emails. The international only takes phone calls. Think about this for a moment and you will see the ridiculousness of this policy.
The email ‘service’ will respond within 24 hours.
That is so helpful. NOT.
So I get online to use the helpful chat service. They can’t find the package. Doesn’t exist. It does, I’m looking at the screen right now, how can you not see it? Let me send you the email with the screen shot AND the email I have from Apple. They can’t take email or phone calls – just the chat.
Then they ask if I would take a customer service survey. And I took said survey. They didn’t have numbers low enough.It just angers me deeply. I need help. I need their help, have paid for their help and then they act like it’s my fault that I’m not getting the help I need.
I thought about the church and this situation as well. How many times has that same mentality been communicated? A guest walks in not knowing where to go, where to take the kids, where to sit, where to get coffee and 15 people pass them before offering to help, offering to walk with them. Churches so set in their system of doing things, they now exist to serve themselves instead of the ‘customer.’
Last night, Stephen and I changed up the seating in our worship center/auditorium/theater/coffee shop place. We did it at first to be a bit more creative in our series but then as I walked around I realized our guests are probably going to like the new set up better than the old. Not because it’s different but because it’s more cozy, less formal, less threatening. It feels more akin to a theater in the round than just straight rows of chairs. I started thinking of the places I sit in straight rows of chairs…funeral homes, weddings, school board meetings…I’m sensing a pattern, here.
So the next time I meet a new church goer…I’m going to be the ANTI-DHL.
American Boredom
I watched some American Idol tonight with my son.
I tried to watch it would be a better description.
I realize that half of America watches this show. I realize that some of you are addicted to it. I also know that Lost is watched by this same half – another show I gave up on after 3 episodes.
But I was bored. I mean the singers weren’t awful. They weren’t incredible. It was like watching people sing on the cruise except without the alcohol. I don’t get the craze behind the show. Ryan Seacrest is annoying. Simon is a jerk. Paula is from another planet. Randy is the only decent one but he calls everyone ‘dog.’
Oh well…back to Burn Notice…the best show on television.
Facebook To Own Stuff Forever…What To Do?
With the new user agreement at Facebook, my attention was drawn to this line…
You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.
What implications does this have for my blog and me feeding my blog into Facebook? I wasn’t sure so I started clicking around. This post seems to have the latest info but it still doesn’t really answer (at least in language that I can understand) if I post an article, artwork, or song that is originally mine – can Facebook take it and use it for their profit?
I’ve asked the Facebook blog/owner guru people with no answer yet. Until they do…I’m not importing my posts here into Facebook anymore.
UPDATE: Rob Williams wrote this to help clear the mud.
Encouraged
6 weeks in and there’s been a voice in the back of my head that kept going – “Yeah, but…”
This is a great place to serve…”Yeah, but it’s early and is this really going to be a place that you fit?”
These are some incredibly creative people that are going to make me better…”Yeah, but what’s going to happen the first time you disagree with them?”
The worship times have felt deep…meaningful…intense…reflective…”Yeah, but is that just your perspective?”
The family is good, their happy, their excited….”yeah, but how much longer can it last?”
Then came Sunday. I don’t know why Sunday ended up being so significant. I mean…6 weeks in, it IS still early. Most pastors are telling me they didn’t feel right or at home until after the first year, sometimes longer. I’m a long way from that mark.
But Sunday was good. Part of it was Danny and Suzanne were here. They got to feel the vibe of Western Hills, meet the people, experience the service. When I introduced Danny in the second service, I barely got Pinecrest Community Church out of my service when the congregation burst out in applause. Completely spontaneous, very warm and heartfelt. It was another confirmation that what we did and how we (Western Hills, Pinecrest, all involved) did it was right, was God-honoring.
Part of it is our relentless pursuit of authenticity. Authenticity is not just being real for the sake of being real. If we only did that – would lead us to some bad places. In my less mature years (I’m not saying I am mature now…just more mature than I was…), I used ‘authenticity’ as an excuse for my immaturity. As in – “This is who I am, deal with it.” I’ve seen authenticity used as a weapon to hurt others. Not good. Not real authenticity either.
Real authenticity is being who you are, being real about who you are for the purpose of life change, spiritual transformation. No pretense, no guile – not to stay where I am but to move closer to Jesus. This understanding of authenticity is probably closer to James’ understanding of humility. We humble ourselves so that Jesus can ‘lift us up.’
I used to think this meant recognition. I don’t think it means that anymore. I think it means lifts us up to where Jesus is…in His character, His compassion, His mind. He makes us more like Him when we are humble (authentic) because He doesn’t have to break us.
At any rate…I’m seeing life change in our folks. Slowly…but surely. Walls are coming down and I could feel it on Sunday.
Rejoining Humanity
At least it feels like it… we finally have internet and TV service at the house. It’s a small taste of normalcy in two months of life that has been nothing but normal.
It’s funny that we really haven’t missed the TV as much as the internet. I guess that’s because we stay connected through email, facebook, and the blog. For Amy and the kids, it means the return of some Webkinz as well. (And paying bills online.)
[Sigh of contentment]
It’s especially nice to have these things today as it takes the sting out of saying goodbye to two dear friends as they head back to Colorado. What a great weekend of late night talks, cards (the guys dominated the gals), laughter, and fun. It was way too short and we’re already looking forward to seeing them as well as the rest of the Pinecrest family next month.
Steamboat Arabia
I got to go with Cooper this week on a field trip!! I love field trips. And this one would rank in the top 5 of all time.
There was a brother that worked for his dad at the family owned HVAC company. At one particular service call, he learned that there were over 100 steamboats that sunk on the Missouri River between St. Louis and Omaha. Talking with his other brother and dad about it, they decided it would be cool to find one of these ships, dig it up, sell the stuff from it and do it again. A treasure hunt in the middle of Kansas.
Here is one of the brothers. He was at the museum this day and he told us the story of how they found it (45 feet deep in the middle of a corn field) and what they found.
As they dug the stuff up – they quickly realized that they had found a fully loaded boat from 1853. It was in essence a time capsule of life before the Civil War. They knew that couldn’t sell all this stuff. It had to go into a museum. So they built their own.
The artifacts are amazingly preserved. Plates, shoes, boots, saddles, guns, knives, dolls, over 200 tons of stuff – basically looking at what Wal-mart would have stocked in 1852.
After the Steamboat Arabia, we headed to Kaleidoscope in Crown Center. It was awesome as well. Basically it was a bunch of creative stations that they turned the students loose to experiment and explore with. I would love to have a space like this at church.
Good time. I love hanging out with Coop. I’m glad he still thinks I’m cool enough to hang out with.
An Incredible Lunch
Had lunch today with Miss Marjerie Fox. It was like spending the afternoon with Angela Lansbury. She told me that her husband led her to the Lord after he was led to the Lord by a bar owner who was a customer of her husband’s beer distribution company.
But that wasn’t the most incredible thing about lunch.
She told me about the Bible study she leads on Thursday afternoons at a local nursing home. As well as the one at our church. As well as another one on one study she has.
But that wasn’t the most incredible thing either.
At the beginning of lunch, I asked our server if there was anything we could pray for him about. I do this whenever I eat out. Our guy’s name was Jeff and his dad is being deployed. He looked shocked I asked but thankful.
Marjerie asked me if I’ve ever had anyone tell me no. I haven’t but it’s led to some pretty interesting conversations.
But that wasn’t the incredible thing about lunch either.
Jeff leaves the check with us and he’s written a note on the receipt. It said thank you, made my day.
He comes back for the card and says obviously you haven’t looked at the receipt. We tell him we had and that it was a nice note.
It hits me that I never looked at the bill. He had comped our entire meal. Paid for it all.
He said it was one of the nicest things that had ever been done for him – that someone would pause to pray for him. He also said to be sure to sit in his section the next time we were in. Then he gave us a free dessert to take home.
We wanted to pray for our server just to be a blessing to him and he ended up being a bigger one for us.
And all of that made it an incredible lunch.
It’s Complicated…But Good
How are you doing?
I’m wondering what is going to break first – my stamina or the honeymoon? To steal a line from Bilbo Baggins – is there enough jam to spread over the toast?
The hard reality is there is 1 of me, close to 300 congregants that want a piece of me. I’m convinced that it’s not me they want but the pastoral care/presence. It stresses the importance of reproducing leaders that know how to feed themselves and care for the souls of others.
In the meantime…do we both have the grace to live with each other? Will I be authentic enough to let people know – I love you, you are important, I want to connect with you but I’m limited? Will I be the anti-superman Pastor who is honest about his limitations and frailties? Will the congregants be patient and gracious with their pastor? I think the answer is yes on both fronts…at least it is so far.
I’m thankful to be in a context where that can happen. I know of some that can’t. But then again, it’s fair to ask how they got there in the first place. A blog I read asked the question this week when did the shift happen for pastors to ‘run the church’ as opposed to care for souls. I feel the tension but I wonder if some of it isn’t self-made.
I know of some pastors that couldn’t NOT run a meeting or not tell their ministry leaders how to do their job. They have to have their way, the last word. And maybe it started out that way for a good reason – the church in crisis, immature leaders, needs one voice and clarity or there are sin issues to work through – whatever. But it’s not healthy to run a marathon that way. It’s not biblical. It sets everyone up for failure down the road. It doesn’t set a culture up for leaders to thrive in.
Ultimately, we want to be a place where all people can come and connect with Jesus with no masks, no pretension. That starts with leaders….most notably me.
So…how am I doing today? It’s still complicated….but it’s still good.
McCarter Elementary
We are living in some temporary housing right now and the school that we are zoned for is in an older part of town, USD 501 for those of you familiar with Topeka.
During our parent-teacher conferences, I was struck by the statements of the teachers. 67% of the students at the school qualify for free or reduced lunches. They normally are the last school to get updated technology.
Normally, a good PTO can help provide funds to bridge the gap but when 67% of your kids are already on free or reduced lunch – do the math.
They have one computer lab of about 20 PCs for the whole school. I noticed no computers for student use in the classrooms.
They don’t have an overflow of parent volunteers. Is that because of the abundance of single parent families? The economy? I don’t know.
I do know there 4 churches within 4 blocks of this school. When I asked if any church had offered to help or adopt them, all I got in return was an empty stare. Teachers there genuinely care for the students but are handicapped by the resources and economic status of the families they are serving.
I also know that Western Hills is located a 10 minute drive away, in another school district and another work away. There are a 1,000 reasons (excuses) why we should not be the one to help. Distance. Convenience. Finances. Other schools are closer. Those other schools are significantly more affluent.
I know better than to say some other church will help.
I’m off to set up an appointment with the principal.
Tool Glossary
I got this from Rowland…and I’d link him but he hasn’t blogged this year…or last…or probably the year before that. I think he and Wayne are in a contest to see who can go the longest between updates.
Tool Glossary
TOOLS EXPLAINED
DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to cuss.
ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.
SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.
PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.
BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.
HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.
VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.
OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.
TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.
HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.
BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.
TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.
PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.
STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.
PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.
HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.
HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.
UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.
X*(%$#%@%&%*&)(-IT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling ‘X*(%$#%@%&%*&)(-IT’ at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.
9 Minutes
That’s how much time I have until my next meeting. Questions that I’m wondering about…
What can get done in 9 minutes?
Where exactly they hide the sun in this city?
I miss Burn Notice and Chuck…and my DVR.
Why is it I love most of Dave Matthews stuff but every so often I hear something from them that I hate?
Will the Broncos really be that much better next year? I’m guessing not.
Does anyone really care that Kansas City still doesn’t have a head coach?
Why isn’t Kansas ranked in the top 25?
Do they really need my phone number and address when I check out at a Christian bookstore? Why?
What’s the point of tableclothes on a kitchen dining table?