Crossroads Farm

Failure!

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:50 -0400

In the movie, Fellowship of the Ring, there is a powerful statement that Gandalph seethes at Frodo after the young hobbit has offered the ring to him. He says, “Don't tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it: Not even to keep it safe. Understand Frodo, I would use this ring from a desire to do good, but through me it would wield a power too great and powerful to imagine.”

It has me wondering how many of us feel the call of ministry only to have it swallowed up in our own selfish kingdom building? What if, as was the case with the disciples, the kingdom that Christ is using us to build is actually far different than the one we desire.

So what happens when my ministry looks more like a Jerry Springer show than a Youth group ideas book? How do I resolve the fact that success for my ministry is measured, somedays, by whether the middle school boys flushed. When conference speakers are talking about the injection of the Holy Spirit,why do I most often believe that the answer to our ministry problems could be solved by issuing tranquilizing darts to my volunteers? When other youth workers give updates that seem more like a greatest hits recitation, how is it that I am embarrassed to say that we have two kids being discipled by a staffer and a couple of our missing kids showed up to an event? We have the unhealthy tendency to evaluate what God is doing, based on our personal fulfillment.

I realize that we have have the propensity to desire our unrealistic expectations for the purpose of self importance and recognition. I fight with my pride on this. Whereas it is true that I have great intentions for the Kingdom, and it is also true that I pray for only what God has for me on a personal level, when it comes to the things that I want to do for Him, I want more and more. I have found that my ambition to serve the Lord can lead me to dissatisfaction. It is a spiritual issue.

I need a measuring staff for my ministry that immerses me in Christ's reality and value. By evaluating my ministry based on a few of the lessons I have learned from Christ's own ministry. These are principles that are hardly the kind that will find themselves on the main stage of a youth ministry conference. In some respects they can be as demotivating as a real day in ministry can be. It also will be a standard that I need the Holy Spirit to raise.

I have to consistently remind myself that God has not required my assistance in anything he wants to do. Instead, he is at work in me, through the process of His will.Tough stuff. Here is my “Go-to” list for true accountability in working towards God's will.

1.Ministry is not popularity
Christ himself understood that he would be rejected. Ministry has a propensity to drive us to a desire to popularity. When we judge our success by numbers alone, we have set a bar that Christ set for us. There are occasions when God will move and critical mass happens, but it is not to be our measurement of ministry value. Mark 8:31

2. Break-Ups are inevitable

The Bible is full of difficult passages about disagreements and the parting of ways. One of the best known was the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over the value of John Mark's service.

I remember being taught that God used the split to further perpetuate the gospel. I do believe that, but it does not change the struggle that it must have been for both, Paul and Barnabas. I believe that both men must have been in anguish over the break. It must have weighed on them both. How could God allow a dear friend to be so wrong?

The truth is that we must accept that opinions can divide, and we will have differences of opinion that will cause divides.

3. Some partners will cause damage
When Judas abandoned Christ, it was with malice and in spite of the fact that God used it to bring about his salvation, caused death. It also was the step to a suicide. I cannot begin to understand God's ways, but I can recognize how the people must of talked about Jesus leadership. The conversations must have been laced with criticism and sarcasm.

In ministry, not all partings are simple. Students leave. Staff leaves. Sometimes they do not like you. Sometimes they will talk. Sometimes they will cause damage.

4. No one boasts in the failures
There are thousands of untold stories in the Bible. I am compelled by those. I wonder how many people left the hill side an hour before dinner and thought, “Yeah. Jesus is an interesting speaker, but I gotta get something to eat.”

They not only would have missed the miracle of the loaves and the fish, and likely missed the message of the Bread of Life.
Peter sunk. Thomas doubted him. One of the men hanging beside him refused to grasp his one last chance. There were pharisees in every crowd, catching the grammatical errors but missing the truth of the ages. For every believer, there were ten crucifiers. For everyone who heard, there were thousands who did not. Jesus didn't heal everyone, and it is likely that some spent their life denying the power of Christ, while others simply held their illnesses against Him. This is the part that kills me. Christ knew all of it.

I am denied the paralyzing knowledge of each way and person I have, and am failing every day. That is grace that I need. I have found that the single most energizing thought I can have is this. Grace resides in failure.

Paul put it this way. “He is made strong in my weakness.”

No problem there. Weakness is my strength.

Drift Fatigue

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:14 -0400

A squid boat which was lost a year ago during the 2011 tsunami was recently spotted. It was drifting about 120 nautical miles off the coast of British Columbia. It seems sad to me. What have the squid guys been “Squiding” with for a year? Did they put up pictures of the boat at all of the, ummm, maritime bars, asking if you see this boat to please call the phone number. We do it for puppies, kittens and bicycles. It seems reasonable for someone to put posters around town for a missing boat.

Part of my fascination with the story is that I never get to use the word squid in a reasonable conversation, and then, “Bam!” just like that I can use a whole year's worth of squid-word-rations, all day long. People are actually marginally impressed with my knowledge of odd current events.

The truth however is that I am actually repulsed by the concept of squid fishing. Even if I were to catch one, I don't mind saying that I wouldn't want to touch it.

I've only encountered real squid at a restaurant. By that time, it was cut up into cute little ringlets of rubbery, buttery fish-like food. My questions are always the same on exotic foods. Are we so desperate for food that this grotesque creature looks appetizing? Sure. If I am Chuck Noland, (Tom Hanks' character from Castaway) I can be tempted to eat something out of sheer boredom, but there are still frozen TV dinners I haven't tried at the Piggly Wiggly. I am going to make sure that I have sampled all available, common foods before I resort to ingesting an alien-like, cephalapod.

Maybe that explains why the boat was lost and not reclaimed earlier. The squid-guys moved on to work as Honda salesmen.

What caught my attention was a single sentence. It read, “It’s been drifting across the Pacific for a year, so it’s pretty beat up.”

I wonder if that is not the explanation for most people's exhaustion with life. Drifting always makes the trip take longer. It puts us into uncharted waters. It leaves us unprepared for parts of the journey. That wears on a person. It wears on a marriage. It wears on a ministry, a career, a family, our faith. Drifting, or living accidentally, allows each new shift of the the currents to make a victim of us. It creates a chaos and doubt.

There is a straight line that leaves us less wind worn. It is a direct path to where we are aiming. It is a peaceful path, but one of deliberate course. The tsunamis that rage against our life's fulfillment and joy can set even the most planned ministry adrift into the sea of doubt, instability and self reliance. That course is the only “true north” on the raging torrents of ministry, relationships and decision-making.

The real danger comes when we adjust to the currents of criticism and setback. I often times begin to reassess the vision for the trek. I find myself dead-reckoning. I veer off course for hours at a time when the assault come. Oh, they will come.

Here are a few key principles that I have applied to ministry that keep me from becoming a derelict, a beaten and blasted fragment of the proud traveller, or worse, a ghost ship, the vessel that has no life left in it except for the physicality of staying afloat. Here they are.

1. One of my mentors, a man named Don Lonie, used to remind me that God is more concerned with who I am in Him than what I do for Him. It is critical for me to realize that the destination that I deem so critical to God's mission for my life is actually his tool for shaping me. God is moving me where he wants, in the shape that he wants me.
2. Another of my mentors, Bill Bullard, has reminded me that if God has another to steer the ship He would have selected them initially. His selection was me for this stretch of the journey, regardless of the many detractors. Besides this, he reminds me that I am riding God's ship. He set the course. As long as I make sure that I am heading where He desires, I am not lost.
3. Peter, in the book of Matthew has given me the most stabilizing nautical advice when he asked,
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
Matthew 14:28

Hmmm. Just what is my destination anyway?

Grace, the Youth Worker and the Age of Social Media

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:07 -0400

Somehow, it happens. Those of us who are committed to keeping our ears to the social relevance track, can get run over by the Bieber train. I was looking through my twitter feed and discovered that I was getting updates from Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and the band Big Time Rush. I suspected it has something to do with the three young teenage daughters I have.

It's a national pass-time to keep up with people who make news. I have a few friends who live very public lives in front of millions. Their lot is not one I want. I can barely keep from stepping on my own tongue in front of my own limited circle of friends and staff. The most familiar pattern I continue to repeat is to post or tweet an emotional response, only to realize that it would most likely be misunderstood by too many. Then I delete it.

One of my greatest fears is that as I get older, I may lose my filter. I am worried that as an elderly man I may let lose with all of the statements that I have held back over the years. My filter is held in place by only the smallest thread of concern for the perceptions of others. It's a pretty unsure mooring.

Maybe that is why I am so sensitive to the sin that comes directly from our involvement on the informational fast track. It is so simple to gossip now. It is a one click sin. It requires no premeditation. All we have to do is listen.

I have encountered it several times in the last few months. A friend will tell me about a tweet from a famous minister that is inappropriate, or even wrong. They know it's true because it was on their blog, twitter or Facebook account. I listen. Now I have to determine if the information is relevant. It may even be preachable.

It is also gossip. It brings big people down and brings common people up. It also makes me a judge of motivations, meanings and nuance. Dangerous stuff.

My simple word to the wise is this. In 2 Timothy 2:26, Paul states that his prayer is this, “that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

I have so much more information now with which to be discerning. It is a responsibility for me to demonstrate so much more discernment that ever before. As a leader of students, and many of them have very little else to worry about besides whether Tim and Taylor are dating, I need to show them how to have information with an equal douse of grace. Here is my simple recipe for being a grace-giver.
1. I don't read because I'm curious.
That is the same thing as researching a rumor through my network of middle-schoolers. Social media is too vast to hold accountable. I'll wait until Kim Kardashian tells me herself before I react.
2. I cannot be the passer of information unless I am the solver of the crisis.
The truth here is that a tweet is not a desperate cry for my evaluation of lifestyles. Justin will have to call me before I let him know whether he should stay single for a while after his break-up.
3. Consider the source.
Anything designed to get me to gossip comes from a bad source. I would rather talk about something that matters.
4. I am not smart, perceptive or attentive enough to evaluate.
Sometimes, I can misunderstand something that I heard, firsthand. I have had arguments over things that happen in my own home. I am going to have to be okay with the fact that I am not called to head the media police.

Lord, make me a grace giver in the information age. Let me be deaf to the noise that shapes my opinions. Let me be a hearer of truth.

I got to hit my Linked In box. I hear there's some more dirt about Steve Jobs.

Love Each Other Abundantly

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:26 -0400

Part 3 in The Family Creed Series

Life can be pretty full as a parent. Full is a good thing sometimes. Sometimes it is just full. Rich is a better word for me. The difference is macaroni and cheese versus cheesecake. I will eat both. Both are filling. One needs ketchup. The other is rich.

I was teaching my five-year-old to ride a two-wheeler one summer not so long ago. She had never lacked for confidence. In truth she relished the chance to show of her own new skill set, like a fighter pilot buzzing the tower. We had a new flight controller, a friend, over for dinner one night and like all kids, my daughter assumed that she was there because news of this two-wheeled phenom had spread several counties over. She dragged our friend outside to watch this Cirque de Sole'esque demonstration of balance, speed and danger.

We stood, smiling at the excitement in my daughter's eyes as she tore around our driveway circle laughing like I'd imagine Evil Kneival laughed at the edge of every ramp he rode off of. In my mind, I heard Steppenwolf kick into a song.

She raced around the drive and as she skidded around a bend yelled, “I was born to do this!”

A split second later the handlebars cranked sideways and she rocketed over them and across the stone gravel. When she stopped skidding she screamed. It was not a pained scream. It was an angry scream. “But I was not born for that!”

Rich.

We schedule fullness in. Sometimes when we schedule fulness and abundance. But that is not what God said. He said he came to give abundance to us. I tend to try to manipulate abundance through things, experiences and time.

Jesus said that He came to give abundant life. I have tried to put that in some perspective. In my family creed. The creed was just a way to put our values in a way that we could hang onto them when life conspired against them. Our first core family value is to LOVE EACH OTHER ABUNDANTLY!

There are times when I want to love my family out of my fulness. I run out. I get short with them. I become selfish and controlling. Our family commitment to love abundantly comes from our commitment to be love for each other.
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

There is a profound truth in that passage. It is that God is love. He doesn't just give it. He is love. I have learned that the key to my family experiencing love is not for me to give it as a gift, but instead, for me to be love. When I allow Christ to be love through me, then the love in our home never runs out. It''s a supernatural thing. It's a spirit thing.

Rich.

HS Winter Retreat 2012

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:42 -0400

We Need a Hero

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:44 -0400

The only responses to need are avoidance or heroism. A delayed hero, is no hero of all. I wonder how often heroism is simply too late.

In late 1864, not more than a half a year before the president was assassinated, another famous american actor, with the last name of Booth, made headlines because of someone named Lincoln. The actor was Edwin Booth, John Wilkes' brother, and the beneficiary of his actions was Robert Todd Lincoln, the presidents' son. It seems that Robert had been forced against a train car which had begun to move. The movement caused Robert to fall onto the train tracks in New York city. Edwin, acting on sheer impulse reached out quickly and grabbed young Robert by the collar and hoisted him back onto the loading platform in one continuous motion. The action saved Lincoln's life.

Heroism is an awkward thing. There are several critical components needed to be a hero. Just in case you have plans to become one, this is a great list to have in your pocket.
1. Crisis
2. Opportunity
3. Decisive and immediate action
4. A quick change costume

Actually, I added the last prerequisite on my own. I guess it just would feel more dramatic if the person saving you from certain tragedy is wearing spandex and a cape. I prefer the colors of purple and neon green. Being a hero in spandex does place a higher priority on working out. There is a strong motivation to stay fit if you know that the television crews are going to be filming and you are wearing skin tight spandex. That's why I might suggest the mask as well. In the long run, I decided to make number four optional. The other three are pretty certain.

Most of these elements are readily available. People everywhere are in crisis. There is poverty, illness, loneliness, depression, spiritual emptiness and moral desperation and an occasional beached whale. You don't need to write this one on your list because it is so prevalent. The issue with need is what kind of hero are you designed to be? In other words, it is a good idea to know what you can rescue people from.

I am not that strong a swimmer. The realization of my limits will help me in not attempting to rescue someone who is drowning. The truth is that I believe each person has a “Heroes Skill Set”. Most people never take the time to determine what their skill set calls them to act upon.

The second necessary component is opportunity. Again, no problem there. I can have my pick of worthy causes. I can save the California Condor, end global warming, stop political corruption, help students read, deliver meals to the elderly, babysit for a new mom, stop to help a stranded motorist, fund a missionary, start a small group, dig a well in Africa, and anything else that needs to be done. The problem again is that I have not determined what God has asked me to do.

You and I have unique passions, concerns, abilities and resources. I always wondered how Superman determined who he would rescue and who would have to die. I think the choice could be debilitating for a hero. I can see Superman sitting on a couch paralyzed by the demands. Now he just sits and tries to figure out how to make the perfect decision. I think that was what the ice fortress was all about. Even Superman needs to chill. (I just cracked myself up).

The true mark of a hero is the third item on the list. A hero is bound by immediate, pressing and personal need. Drowning victims can't wait while we decide to act. That is fairly unfair of crisis. It places demands on us. When New Orleans flooded, the need for support was pressing. There was no understanding when the process took too long. That's because people died waiting.

Just a thought. Spiritual need waits too. The call of every believer is the same. Now is the appointed time. “What?” is the question that each believer is asked to answer for themselves.

The Power of the Stay

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:37 -0400

A simple man passed into eternity last night following his struggle with cancer. His legacy however is less simple. His hallmark, a watershed of stability and consistency, was his ability to stay. More than that, I think. His life was a determination to stay. Jack Kerspilo. I doubt that you will ever hear of him unless you happen to be traveling through South-central Michigan and stumble across the High School gymnasium that bears his name. This community however, will not forget for a hundred years.

He is one of the last of his kind. The kind who coached and taught in order to give to a community. He ate at the local restaurants, knew the kids of his former players and the kids of the kids of former players. It was that he was here for nearly three full generations that made the impact. Everyone knew his flaws. Everyone knew his strengths. He stayed long enough. He created the culture of sport in a tiny Michigan town.

This is not meant to be the story of Jack's life. In the first place, I would not be the one to tell it. But I can apply the principles from a small piece of it.

Youth workers, pastors, business owners all seem to be in a constant searchlight vigil for the next new thing that will propel their businesses, churches or ministries forward. I am a career youth worker, and in an era where the average tenure of youth worker is a little over one and a half years, I would like to propose the secret of an impacting ministry. Stay.

Last. Endure, survive long enough to know and to be known. Pray that God will help you to bear with the people you are called to serve, and to blind them to your downsides long enough to become, theirs.

Thanks coach. That's a good lesson.

Family Creed

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:32 -0400

Part 2 of an 8 Part Series on Your Family

They looked at me and said with all the conviction they could muster, “But we have teenagers. It is too late to start something like this.”

I think that is a lot like saying, “I've fallen to this ledge. I might as well throw myself the rest of the way down the cliff.” It may even be more like saying, “I am so lost there's no sense in looking at a map.”

It would be like ordering a cheeseburger at a restaurant, finding out that the meat is bad, the cheese is moldy, the bun is rock hard and you find a toenail in it. You finish eating it though based on the principle that you have already started it. And then you go back to the restaurant again and order another toenail burger every day. That would be dumb.

It is never too late to do something right and to stop doing things without reason. Every family already lives by a creed. It makes me laugh when I hear that it is too late to put a little wisdom into parenting. Quite a few families live by the motto, “If it's in front of us we'll do it.” That is called the Tyranny of the Urgent Creed. It means that we are willing to raise kids accidentally. That seems crazy to me.

Advertisers put more thought into what our kids will eat, listen to, wear and do than most parents do. Too many families are raised by the school system. That is by no means a rip on teachers either. I just know that the governments control public schools. I just don't feel confident that anything run by our government can produce well rounded, spiritually grounded kids. Seriously, have you seen the tax code? How confusing can something get? I want for my children to understand the purpose of life not to comply with the codes.

That is why many families would rather make it up as they go along. If you think that life is an undesigned journey, and that a plan will steal the freedom, just do your next vacation that way. Get in a car and drive. My family tried that once and ended up in Toledo for four days.

By the way, a creed is simply the grid that we sift our lives through. It is not a system of rules. It is never to late to apply a few guiding principle to how we live as a family. As I write this concept down, I would suggest that this could be a fun family discussion. Ask each kid in your family what they want from their family and go from there. Create it together.

Families are not really one set of parent's responsibility. In talking about the things that YOUR family will be about, you have shared the vision and perpetuated a legacy.

The ARMS of the Servant Leader

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:58 -0400

The Arms of a Servant Leader from David Anderson on Vimeo.

Parenting 101

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:44 -0400

Sometimes I am not sure I deserve kids as great as mine are. Sometimes I think I got exactly what I should expect. My wife and I entered into this joint venture called parenting with our eyes wide shut. Most parents start families that way. There is this pull to populate the earth which usually leads to a crowded bathroom at some point.

I remember having an ambiguous discussion about being ready to “start a family”. It was followed by a million family experts tell me that you are never ready to start a family. It was a strange way of encouragement. It is a lot like telling a car buyer that they can't possibly be prepared to handle their own transportation. I have never had a banker tell me that I will never be ready to save money. I think I really disagree with that statement, “never ready.” Besides we really knew we were going to need help keeping up with the lawn.

On the wall wrapping around our family room is a creed. I think it would be cool if it looked like real flames, like the inside of the ring that Frodo wore but I couldn't find paint that did that. I used blue.

I guess our creed was designed to help us figure out what families were all about. My first draft had to go through some major revisions given the nature of the child labor laws but eventually we got it right. That is important because it took a long time to paint it around the room. I don't plan on repainting it for a while.

Here are the seven things that we said our family would be about.
1. Love each other abundantly
2. Protect each other relentlessly
3. Pray for each other tirelessly
4. Guide each other cautiously
5. Honor and respect each other endlessly
6. Enjoy each other abundantly
7. Bring glory to God ultimately

I know it reads a bit like a Charles Stanley sermon but it works for us. I was also in love with modifiers at the time. I walk into our family room a lot and read it. It's been a good reminder when your kids are fighting or when you've seen what their teenage rooms look like. I still think there should have been a clause about scratching Dad's back vigorously.

In the next few blogs I want to spend some time talking about parents. Mostly about how I see these seven guides rolling out in people's families.

Belief Based Avoidance

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:27 -0400

The Bible says in James 2:17 that faith without work is dead. Okay. Before you go to Jon Acuff's Blog, claiming the need for something a little less, well, stinging, just stop for one second and think about this verse.

It is the spiritual, "Weekend At Bernie's". If you are younger than 35, you have no idea what that is a reference to. I'll sum it up. "Weekend at Bernies was a moderately funny movie in the 80's. I believe that the soundtrack may have been done by Starship. That in and of itself doomed the movie to a position in 80's trivia. The concept for the movie was simple.

Two young guys are invited to the ultimate weekend party at an exec's place. They arrive a bit early to discover that Bernie has died. Fearing that they may miss the party, they use Bernie's dead body as a prop, and the hilarity (or at least a few morbid chuckles) ensue. Inspite of the ageless nature of the film (Ray Bans and pegged jeans) most people have forgotten both the film and its sequel.

I get the same imagery when I read the verse with the exception of the dead body pinging off of every bouy in the bay, as the fellas pretend to be taking Bernie water skiing. I think that for a lot of people faith is a prop to a kind of Christian weekend party. We, because I am a Christian too, carry faith around with us, because we know we can't get into the party without it. In truth it is a nuisance. We say things that we mean but do not believe very heartily. We are secretly overwhelmed with guilt over all the stuff we are not doing. Christians have the best intention to win the world for Christ, we just aren't sure where to start.

I'm like that. I change the channel if I feel a burden or some guilt over starving children. I'm like that when a missionary speaks at my church. Honestly, most churches have stopped, or at least slowed that trend down. We don't need to feel more guilty, so we don't need to hear about a leper colony. I don't mind talking about being a real christian to my neighbors, because that means I just have to do what I'm already doing. They will see that Jesus is for everybody because I'm just like them.

I tell people that I am going to pray and then forget their names. I carry the inactive body of faith around with me. It's pretty annoying, but it let's me take the ski boat out.

That may be why quite a few Christians claim James 2:17 as their favorite verse. It adds to the idea that we know faith. Faith, however asks to drive the boat. That not only would have killed the movie, but it is the acid test. Does faith drive me to do reckless things? Not stupid or irresponsible things, like driving 120 on the interstate, but actions that are risky... just a bit.

Faith demands that I know God's promises and then do something about it. I should give in faith. I should serve in faith. I need to pray in faith. I need to talk to my neighbor in faith.

I am feeling a little guilty right now. I'm going to go for a run. I believe that exercise is good for us.

Attitudes Up... Worship

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:39 -0400

“It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow.”
Calvin Coolidge

I am not really much of a hand-raiser. I think that takes a special kind of spiritual confidence. It says, “Don’t look at me. I am in the presence of God right now, and if you could see Him the way I can, you’d be raising holy hands too.” But everyone looks.
The new hottest designer degree at Christian colleges around the country is that of worship. Our passionate desire is to pursue God and his presence. We want to experience the sense that he is active today in our lives. For many of us, we ask that he engage us emotionally. I have heard more than a few kids claim to have experienced God because they cried.

I guess that I define “worship” a bit differently than most; my being moved by the presence of God. I took my cue from Isaiah. In Chapter six of his book to Judah and Jerusalem, Isaiah is confronted with God and frankly, he pees himself in awe.
He has spent the last five chapters explaining what will happen when everyone else sees God. It’s big stuff. Judgment is coming and no one is going to escape. Five chapters of condemnation for the world.
Isaiah comes face to face with God in the sixth chapter. His response is this. “I’m doomed! I have seen God!”
That is reverence.

His next response is to tell God that he is not worthy. Forget for a minute that this servant of God has made a pretty good career of proclaiming God’s vindication against sinners. Once he is in God’s presence he realizes how great the grace of God is.
Finally, he asks that God use him in any way God sees fit. His response, his movement is to give himself completely to the mission of glorifying God. Isaiah has worshipped and the result is that he has been changed.

I have been at many church services that claim to have excellent worship, but at the close of the service we are all still the same. I recall a few moments in my life where I was confronted with the awesomeness of God. In each, I was moved, changed and purified.

We were at the Creation Festival in Pennsylvania with about 100 students. On the second to last night of the festival I, along with 60,000 other believers, was listening to Michael W. Smith’s band play a worship set. Before long, it was as if all of them ceased existing. God had invaded my spirit and I was alone before a Holy God.
From that point on, the rest of the night was God’s. He spoke to me. I argued with him. He challenged and loved and reassured me. In the end, I gave God all that I was, and all that I owned.

Worship moves us.

NordicTrak Logic

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:35 -0400

It is seventeen degrees outside. Accuweather has just informed me that the “Realfeel” is four degrees. I wonder if there is any relevance to the actual temperature if my perceived temperature is thirteen degrees colder than that. I mean, seriously, if it is feeling like four, and who determines what it feels like, then why do I need to know actual temperatures.

More importantly, this is the day that I am supposed to buckle down and resume my holiday-slackened workout regime. It feels like it’s four degrees outside. Short of training for the Iditarod or an assent up Everest, I can think of virtually no value in working out in that type of weather.

Four degrees makes me want to hunker down, beneath six progressively thicker layers of bed coverings and sleep through the entire winter. I desire to eat a massive breakfast. I want to remain sedentary.

There is a rule at work in my life. The things I want to do, I don’t want to do that badly. That includes everything difficult.

I would rather coast spiritually, assuming that I am on the best path to spiritual maturity, accidentally. I want to get ripped physically as long as I don’t have to pass up on the Krispy Kremes. I want to finish a book without setting aside the time needed to do the research. I want to be a bigger, better, more mature version of the 2011 Doug, without work. That could happen, right?

I’m going to have to buy a Nordictrack.

A Romantic Christmas Mess

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:58 -0400

Last night I was putting away my favorite Christmas decoration. It is either a Créche, a nativity or a manger scene. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to call it. I want to appear intelligent and “The Créche” sounds more old-world-church to me. I believe that people who chose “Créche” probably have named their children “Martyr” or “Maglionn”. Adding extra, unpronounced letters to a kids’ name can mean that you are original and smart. I am not that smart.

The phrase, “manger scene”, sounds more like something a kid would say. If I was attempting to write a deep essay, I would use that one. I would say something about faith being best understood as a child. But I’m not writing anything that profound.

I think if I use “nativity”, it puts me in the middle. If I was looking to write a metaphor, I would explain that I found myself in the center of that manger. It is where I desire to live my entire life. I would express that the middle of the stable is the place true believers stood that night. “Nativity”, is most likely the word that I would chose anyway, even if I wasn’t writing a meaningful spiritual parallel. Which I am not.

I used to stare in wonder at the beautiful porcelain pieces. They are all there. The three kings adorned in rich raiment, bearing chests of wealth for the new king are pensively locked on the child in adoration. Their camels are regal. I don’t know if regal is a fitting description for camels. I hear that they spit. These camels however, have no intention of spitting. Beside them stand the shepherds. They are poorer looking than the kings, but appear as if they cleaned up a bit for the birth. I noticed that one of the sheherds is missing his wooden crookstaff. I wonder if my daughter’s Barbie collection has a suitable replacement. I have an Indiana Jones action figure whip, but that seems inappropriate. I may have to carve one.

There are three sheep, two cows, a docile donkey, a surprisingly little angel that hangs from a little nail in the front of the stable. I wrapped them all, one by one in red bubble wrap. It’s a pretty good sign as to how much I love these pieces, in that I didn’t pop a single bubble.

Finally, I took out Mary. She looks to be about thirteen years old, and in remarkably good shape given that she has just delivered a baby in a barn. Joseph, is on a knee. His concerned head is tipped to the right as he contemplates how this baby will change his life. Will they be buddies? Will the Son of God want to fish? What if he’s not very good at carpentry? Will he, Joseph, live long enough to see his “son” grow up?

The baby has his arms outstretched toward Mary, Joseph or a camel depending on how the scene has been set up each year. As I wrapped the last piece, I had one thought.

This scene is a romantic mess.

We know that there were no kings in the stable that night. There weren’t even wisemen there. We have no idea how many people actually showed. It may have only been two shepherds. There might have been animals, but being a farm owner, I seriously doubt the thoughtful expressions on the cows and donkey. I believe Mary would have been beat. Joseph may have been worried, and the baby was, most likely, asleep. The stable was little more than a cave. Angels probably don’t look like pretty nine year old girls or else they would have never had to tell people, “Don’t be afraid of me.”

I still love the Nativity.

I just realize that our desire for a romantic story has shaped the events of that night. Now most people are endeared more to the embellished tale over the reality. I came to understand that we have made a romantic mess out of the first story of Jesus. I wonder what else we have messed up in our quest for romance.

This year I will once again have to rely on God’s grace and His Spirit to retell me of love, forgiveness and Emmanuel. That will be my prayer today. “Lord, don’t let me mess this up”.

Now I need to get a stick, or else the shepherd will be holding a pink ski pole next year.

"Your Failures as a Son"

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:59 -0400

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Gladiator. In a frightening scene between Marcus Aurilius and his son Comodus, The emperor confesses in a moment of candor, after his son admits his weaknesses as if they are his strengths, that Comodus's failures as a son were Aurelius's failures as a father.

There is a tremendous truth in that statement.

It is not a complete truth. It is more a truism; One that the Bible points out when it states that the sins of the father are visited on their children. I understand that more and more as I raise my own family. I see it in my children. My failures become... hopefully to a lesser degree, theirs. This is grace.

I have a strong desire in the next years to begin to offer a parents discussion forum here at the farm. This is not a seminar, but rather an opportunity for parents to assist each other raise their own standards. I truly believe that our children become reflections of who we are. As we pursue Christ they will also. As we work, so do they. As we continue to attempt growth so will they.

It keeps a fire burning under my lethargy.

Tebowing... More Than Just A Fad

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:33 -0400

It's really just a thought. Tim Tebow continues to give God, and his saviour, Jesus Christ, all the credit for his strength. He showers praise on his teamates with a self-depracating humility that is not only rare, it is downright refreshing. He prays publically. You will be hard pressed to find someone that derides his character, work ethic, his competitive drive or his kindness. Those are all nice. But he and his team, the Denver Broncos have moved into first place. They are winning.

Just like we suppose it should work. I have not had a single conversation where someone has let me know that what they desire is for the bad guy to win. Nobody wants O.J. Simpson back as a spokesperson. Nobody wants to see the bad people prosper. They also have let me know that this Tebow thing makes them a little nervous. After all, if God really is bringing the wins to Denver because of one righteous man (and that sure seems to have a biblical ring to it) and if my life does not reflect that same level of blessing, then I must not be a righteous person.

Let's not take this too far. It is, after all, just American football. There were righteous people who were afflicted with poverty, illness and failure. What I do believe is this... That every time Tim Tebow takes the field, he is praying, "So that all of America knows that you are the one true God.

I am a Detroit Lions fan. Could any team feel more "anti-Tebow" right now? I am still praying for Denver to roll right through the Super Bowl. We haven't had many miracles around here lately. That is a cause I could get behind. I want high school football stars to immitate Tim as he immitates Christ.

A Great Idea From Terry Linhart

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:05 -0400

A friend from Bethel College wrote an interesting idea blog on family groups. It's a cool take on small groups. Read on. Thanks Terry.

Developing a family group: 5 commitments

Categories: Odds & Ends

Last week I wrote a post regarding the unique family group to which Kelly and I (and our kids) belong. The group has been going for 12 years now, though we’ve been a part of it for 10. Five families gather every-other-Friday night for a time of sharing, Bible study, prayer, lots of laughter, and even regular tears (of both joy and sadness). Our three teenage kids feel like they’re cousins to the others in the family group and they’ve grown up together. We’ve endured the up’s and down’s of job loss, job success, sickness, healing, work turmoil, work promotion, divorce, marital enrichment, adoption, and kids leaving for college.

We don’t have the magic formula, though obviously something is going right. I jotted down five commitments that I think a group would have to make to be able to meet regularly for over a decade.

1. Have clear leadership with consensus decision-making. One couple has to be in charge and they set the pace. Yet every decision needs to be consensus. We have one couple who hosts and leads, but never in a heavy-handed way. One of the ‘fun’ things we’ve done is allow different people to have a particular night and ‘surprise’ us.

2. Commit to endure the emotional give and take that accompanies become brothers and sisters. As our group grew closer and closer, and we grew to know each other better, feelings became hurt more easily and little things mattered more and more. When we stepped back to realize that we were becoming close like brothers/sisters, suddenly we saw those tensions as good things versus as rising conflict. Our response was to become MORE unguarded, to risk complete openness, and now we are truly a “family of families” and no topic is off limits in our midst.

3. Figure out what you do outside of the group. The five families don’t attend the same church now and we don’t usually do much together in between meetings (though we call and text each other regularly). But, the girls used to meet on the off weeks for prayer and share time (and sometimes still do) while the men got together on occasion. We make sure that the adults go out to 2 or 3 really nice evenings out each year and all five families go camping for a weekend every summer. The key here is that nothing is forced and it has evolved.

4. Commit to key components and avoid the social drift. Too many Christian groups these days see their goal as “connecting” while not focusing on the content of the meeting. We make sure that we study a Bible-centered curriculum (we’ve run the gambit on this from intense book studies, DVD series, spiritual disciplines, trade books), we pray together, and we share. And we eat good food afterwards! [I'll talk more in a later post about the role of children/teens in our family group.] It’s too easy to not work at having content, but that work is worth it. This year has proven that. These are some of our best family group times ever.

5. Have a clear mission for the group. For the first seven years, we regularly evaluated the purpose of the group. We always asked whether we should keep meeting (just to be sure) and whether we should grow beyond the five families. We’ve done a few small service projects for those in need and we’ve secretly funded some ministry/service in others’ lives (but you can’t say anything because it’s a secret). We’ve avoided the temptation to think we’re a church (and I’ll probably weigh in on ‘house churches’ in another post) and we’ve battled against the temptations (i.e. laziness, familiarity, aging kids with busy schedules) that can thwart an effective family group.

We don’t have to evaluate as ruthlessly now because the role/mission is clear.

Everyone knows…. we’re ‘family.’

No matter what happens, no matter what struggles/battles are ahead.http://www.terrylinhart.com/developing-a-family-group-5-commitments/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TerryLinhart+%28Terry+Linhart%29

Can't Deny It's Working

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:23 -0400

I Tebowed in front of the Office building in Hillsdale that CRF is trying to sell quickly.

Courage

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:15 -0400

What does teen culture look like when teenagers lose their courage? Most of us had that when we were three. We believed we could fly. We thought we could stop bullets. We knew that we looked like Barbie.

Something happened between then and now. Most teenagers hold on to one or two possible areas of focus. It usually is something they are already good at, but they don’t want to try flying anymore. Too many falls.

What happens when we lose the hope in the good stuff ever happening to us? What happens when we lose our dream?

I heard a conversation between two girls who were talking about how a purity ring wouldn’t matter unless you are a virgin. What I gathered they meant was that mistakes steal the hope in something better for us in the future. I think that the conversation was about never rising above a few errors. I know we can’t fly but I also know that one failure doesn’t mean we have to stay in our failure.

I remember when one of my daughters was learning to ride a bike. She thought she was pretty good at it. We had a friend over for lunch one day and my little girl, full of the knowledge of her expertise, announced that she would be riding around the driveway if anyone wanted to watch. The message was obvious. Who wouldn’t want to watch a cute five-year-old ride their bike. Especially given the skill level they were sure to witness.

Of course we all convened outside to see the show as she ripped her little bike around the gravel circle as fast as her tiny legs could spin the pedals. The entire time she was laughing and shouting, “I was born for this!”

It was only a matter of a few seconds when her handlebars spun sideways and she went blond trusses and wheeling extremities over them. I watched with a concerned dad’s grimace as she slid face first across the gravel. I was sure that she would erupt in a wail of sobs. She didn’t. She yelled instead. “But I was not born for that!”

I have just realized that this statement is not true.

We are born for that. I have come to the understanding that we are born with the capacity to fail. Biologically, we have been created to grow back skin, to heal over holes and to recover from near death. God designed human beings to fail, recover and repeat that process over and over again. We are made to skid across life leaving patches of ourselves in streaks.

That is how he designed us spiritually as well. I believe that is what Romans 8:35 and following indicates.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

More than conquerors? As in, “one more victory than failure”. The news for those two girls is that they can live with courage. God has enough of him to allow you to wear a purity ring after you’ve failed.

A Vblog Response to a Troubling Question about Sex

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:30 -0400

In light of CRF's involvement with Silver Ring Thing on Sunday, here is a comment on 40 somethings views on sexuality.