Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago. Sounds like such a long time in so many respects. Two decades have past. Two complete decades. Four Presidents ago. 1990. But here I sit twenty years later and I cannot believe how the time has flown by. Where did it go?

Twenty years ago today Shelley and I were walking the halls of BroMenn Hospital in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois trying to induce labor. But it wasn't happening. Twenty five plus hours of labor. Shelley's water broke on the 20th of April and Shea Noel was delivered just after midnight on the 22nd. And twenty years have just whizzed by.

Shea Noel. The name means Magical, Precious Gift. And that is exactly what she has been to us and still is. God gave us a beautiful gift twenty years ago. And tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of that amazing gift. I love being her father. And I love that she is in love with her Heavenly Father who thinks she is tremendous. I love her with all my being and would give up anything for her. God loves her with a perfect love and gave up His Son for her.

Shea Noel, thanks for being the most amazing daughter a father could ever ask for. Your Mother and I are so very proud of you and pray for you every day. Thanks for blessing us with your joy and smile. You are an incredible young lady. I could not ask for more.

I Love My Son

My youngest turned 18 yesterday. Wow! Where did the time go? He is a great young man and I am so very proud of him. Cannot believe that our last will graduate from high school in just four short months. It just doesn't seem real.

Shelley and I have prayed so many prayers for him. We prayed for him before he was born, at his birth with some health concerns, and every day since. I am sure I will pray for him everyday of my life just as I do my daughter, Shea. And it is so incredible watching so many of those prayers answered in his life. I love the young man that he has become. I love the values he has adopted as his own. I love his relationship with Christ. I love how he brings so much fun and laughter into life. I love his sense of humor. I love how he takes responsibility for his things and really takes care of them. I love his relationship with his sister. They are true friends. I love hearing him whistle. Reminds me so much of my Dad. I just love the kid.

Now, Ty is not perfect by any stretch. We have had our hard knocks and difficult times. And there will be some in the future. But I cannot imagine not being in love with him. No matter what comes. I am blessed to have him as my son. I just love being his father.

Ah, the mystery. My love for my kids is but a shadow of the perfect love of our Heavenly Father for us. Amazing!

Blessed

Late night news just ended. Weekend is all but over. Family is heading off to their rooms and bed in their individual ways. I am sitting here just listening, thinking and thanking God for the great weekend this was. Thanksgiving Eve services at Central were awesome. The rice and beans challenge last week really rocked our worlds in many ways. Thanksgiving Day brought time with super friends and adopted family. The laughter and fellowship were incredible. The food .... wonderful as always. The weather was spectacular all weekend. Mild, sunny, storms and rain all mixed in here in the Valley. Golf with great friends on Saturday. Saw the movie Blind Side with the family. Awesome movie. Texas Roadhouse for lunch on Sunday. Christmas decorations all in place. Football games galore all weekend. Family breakfast together.

Lord, thank you for giving me these last few days with my family. I love them and am so blessed by them in my life. Thanks for my church family. For the great friends you have given me. For life and breath and joy and laughter. I am blessed, indeed, I am blessed ..... and grateful!!

I Don't Have It All Together

That statement surely won't surprise anyone. So why print it? Because I needed to see it in print. I needed to let it soak into my brain and allow everyone else (the 3 or 4 people who actually look at this blog) to see that I put it out there and am not hiding behind some mask. The easy thing is to hide. The human thing is to hide. But it is not the truth. It is not real. No matter how much we try to "edit" the truth about ourselves we still know the real truth. And that truth for me is simply this ... I don't have it all together.

But here is the truth about that truth that I still need to come to grips with. Christ doesn't expect me to have it all together. And the people who really love me, rightly love me ... don't expect me to have it all together either. Usually the only person who expects me to have it all together is .... well ... me. And I just keep disappointing me.

So, I put it in print. Not sure it will change anything. But it is now out there and I have said it, printed it and sent it out to the world. I don't have it all together. Bring on tomorrow!

We Need To Talk

“We need to talk!” Those words always cause me to stop in my tracks for a moment. My heart skips a beat. My pulse quickens. My palms get a little sweaty. And my first thought is, “what did I do or not do that I am now in trouble for?” Whether those words are said by a boss or supervisor, a close peer, or especially my spouse, they are cause for a quick assessment of my recent living. What could be so urgent?

Yet, most times, after “the talk,” I am grateful. Something gets brought to my attention that I was neglecting. Maybe I hurt someone’s feelings unintentionally and I need to make amends. Maybe my actions, though truly innocent, have wronged someone or been misunderstood. In all those situations I do want to come clean and be on solid ground with those I have hurt or offended.

Usually, when my spouse says, “we need to talk,” it isn’t because I have hurt her or offended her. It is most often because I have become so busy that we literally “need to talk.” The closeness, the community, the unity and the intimacy that is needed for our relationship to flourish and thrive has fallen prey to busyness. My personality and wiring causes me to forge full steam ahead into the busyness and endure the season. The needs seem pressing. The demands and responsibilities loom large. And I focus all my energy and adrenaline on accomplishing what seems urgent. But God has placed a wise “help-meet” into my life to remind me that the urgent is not always the most important. The urgent is not always the priority. And usually my human response to dealing with the urgent will lead me to sacrifice the most important; the truly “urgent;” my relationship, support and intimacy with my spouse.

If I can become guilty of neglecting the most important earthly relationship God has given to me, how much more so can I neglect the most important relationship of all …. my relationship with God, my Father? I do it all the time. Thirty-seven years I have called Him “my Father.” But I still struggle with the same issue of becoming so busy with what appears to be the urgent in my life, that I sacrifice the most important community, unity and intimacy far too often. I don’t spend enough time listening and talking to God. I neglect the very lifeline that will give me the power, wisdom and discernment to deal with what is before me.

That is why I have a little sign in my office to make me stop in my tracks every day. It is OK if my pulse quickens and my palms get a little sweaty when I see that sign. Because I know that after “the talk” I will be grateful. That little sign reads this way …..

“We need to talk!” – Your Heavenly Father.

Leadership Summit

I have taken a bit of a break from blogging. Not that I am the best at this discipline. But I needed to get away for a few weeks to be with my family, to break from deep thought, and to refresh myself for for the next season of ministry.

The last two days have been spent at The Leadership Summit. The biggest take-away I have from all the speakers was Bono's question, "Where does your sphere of empathy end?" Wow! What a haunting question. I have spent the last 5 hours wrestling with that question. I will spend many more hours and days wrestling with it. My greatest fear is that my final end is way short of what Jesus' end would be. It is really not my fear ... it is my reality. And that haunts me. I cannot claim to be a follower of Christ and be so exclusive. The outcast, the fringe, the lost, the sinner must all be within my sphere of empathy. Yet, in honesty, I still have a definitive line that measures my expression of grace. How I wish this was not true. But I know that it is. My prayer coming out of The Summit is that Christ and the Holy Spirit would expand my sphere of grace. How can I hope for infinite grace in my own life without extending it to those who Christ brings into contact with my life? Wow. I am humbled.

Still Amazed

I am once again sitting on the backyard patio. I cannot believe that we are 16 days into June in Phoenix and we have had only 4 days so far that got above 100 degrees. This is usually our hottest temperature month. It has been so nice in the mornings and the evenings. I cannot thank God enough for the reprieve from the heat of the summer in the valley.

But the most impressive thing to me is still the decisions for baptisms that have happened at Central since September 1st of last year. I never thought in all my years of ministry that I would see over 1200 people be immersed into Christ in one year in one congregation. Not sure I ever thought I would serve in a congregation that had 1200 people ... much less see 1200 additions in less than a year. I cannot believe I get to be part of this. I know that there are others who have seen great things. But God has blessed me with seeing this. I am completely amazed.

I don't know why God has allowed this. But I am so thankful. I will forever be grateful that God has entrusted our leadership with this. Bring it on Lord. We will follow where You lead us. Help us to be faithful to those You have entrusted into our care.

Amazed!

I am sitting on my backyard patio reflecting on another incredible weekend at Central Christian Church. This was one of our baptism weekends. And God showed up huge. 229 people were obedient to Christ and followed His example of being baptized. The stories were incredible. I was brought to tears so many times throughout the weekend. I found it hard to catch my breath several times. The emotion, the tears, the surrender .... it was amazing. We have been able to witness 1214 people surrender to baptism just since September 1st. Every one has a story. And every one is completely known and loved by God. He has pursued them and wanted the best for them all along. I wish you could hear the questions and stories they shared. I am praying for them tonight. I know what God has in store for them and yet I know what Satan has planned. Would you join me in praying for them? For their protection, their future in Christ and for their witness to others? And there were so many more who came to begin their questions about following Christ. I am hopeful for the opportunities that are ahead of us. God ... You are so good. Thank You for allowing me to witness what You do. Incredible. I am in awe!

William Paul Young

This weekend was an amazing one at Central Christian. We hosted and interviewed Paul Young, author of the New York Times Bestseller The Shack in all of our services. The authenticity and honesty of this man was astounding. Our people were moved by this brother's testimony and story. I feel honored to have met him and visited with him. He is one of the most gentle, kind, loving Christians I have ever met. I am better for having some brief moments of his time. Our congregation is better because of his sacrifice of time being with us.

I must say that I am dismayed and frankly ashamed of some of the attacks and criticism this brother has taken for writing a fictional story as a gift for his children. How brutal some of these critics have been and many of them by their own admission have never even read the book. To post and share such close-minded opinions when you haven't even read for yourself that which you criticize is as hypocritical as one can be. There are many things we Christians should stand strong against and fight against. The Shack isn't one of them.

Paul Young, thank you for being so transparent with our congregation this weekend. Thanks for the grace by which you have handled the criticism and critics. Thanks for sharing with the world your gift to your children. Thanks for caring about broken people. And thank you for opening my mind further to how big and awesome the grace of God really is. I still can't believe that God loves me so wildly. I am blessed that you graced me with some of your time today.

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