Thanksgiving- build some traditions

If you've been around me much, you can tell that I'm not a big fan of doing things because they've always been done that way. Yeah, I'm a gifted tradition-breaker.

But what you may not now is that I don't break traditions just to break them. My heart is to challenge the status quo, to mess with routine, and get myself and as many others as possible to get back to the essence of following God and being the Church!

Traditions can be great tools. They are built-in life-memorials and altars. Places of safety, worship, and celebrations. Traditions create markers in life that we can return to and build in essential practices.

What are the traditions you value most at Thanksgiving?

Here are a few of my favorites and a few I'd like to build in:

1. Being with family (it says that no matter what, family is top priority)
2. Eating together (ok, obvious, but sometimes we forget that eating together is an important part of keeping/ building healthy relationships)
3. Thanks-giving (everyone goes around the table and shares what they are grateful for before and while we eat- usually because some take too long and the rest of us get hungry)
   
4. Communion (we share communion as part of our Thanksgiving meal- it keeps our gratitude aimed in the right direction; this can wait until the end of the meal)
5. Special thank-yous (think of 1, 2, or even 3 of the people who've had the greatest impact on our life, and send them and email, or better, a letter, to say "thank you". These are meaningful, specific to how they've impacted our life)
6. Giving (build into this season opportunities to give and serve others- give a turkey to a neighbor, friend, or co-worker in need; volunteer at the local soup kitchen; clear out favorite clothes, toys and donate them to a local shelter)
7. Football (I miss playing football with my brothers before Thanksgiving dinner- so I like to go outside with whatever guys are around and throw the football; then, veg after dinner and watch football or at least sneak a few minutes.)

What are your favorite traditions and why? What would you add to this list?

RED CARPET SUNDAY ticket info

You can do it! Get reserved seats of your choice for both YOU and YOUR FRIENDS! "How," you ask. Simple, follow these steps:

1. Just get some fliers.
2. Give fliers to friends and invite them to come on December 7th.
   
   
3. Tell them it will be an amazing experience with FREE breakfast, FREE horse-drawn-carriage rides, FREE family photos, and a chance to win a VIP dinner package.
4. If they are willing to commit to coming, give them a ticket (with reserved seat).
5. Fill out the stub with their info on it and turn it in on Sunday morning.
6. That stub will enter them into the drawing for the VIP dinner packages.
7. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE THEIR ON DEC. 7th!

RED CARPET SUNDAY

Here's the plan. We're going all out for our guests on December 7, 2008, rolling out the Red Carpet! And we're breaking all the rules in church:

• Rule #1: you can't have people in every seat in church, 'cause people need their space. We're filling every seat in the theater.
• Rule #2: only stuffy, religious churches have reserved seating, i.e. elderly women with bun in her hair has sat in that same indented pew for 63 years. Don't you dare take her spot! Well not on 12/07. We've got tickets for every seat in the theater, and if you've got that ticket, you've also got exclusive rights to that seat. Woo hoo! On the other hand, if you've got a ticket to a seat, you better make sure there's a warm body in the seat (and your dog doesn't count).
• Rule #3: church is only for religious people. We already broke this rule every week for the last 5 years, but we want everyone to know it. The whole point of Lifehouse is to reach people who are experts in "the way of religious formulas". We're just a bunch of ordinary, "normal" people who love God and want to know how to follow Jesus every day of our lives.
• Rule #4: God will strike you dead if you bring food, coffee, and yes, even that hard candy into church! Again, we blew this rule out the window a long time ago, we're just going public with it now. At Lifehouse, we eat in church, drink coffee during sermons, and beg people to take a breath-mint! And so far no one has been struck by lightning or keeled over from food-poisoning.

So, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS, and FAMILY to Lifehouse East for RED CARPET SUNDAY on December 7 at 10 am. And if you want breakfast, you better get their at 9:30. There will also be:

• FREE Horse Drawn Carriage Rides!
• FREE Professional Family Photos!
• NEW Sermon Series- the X-Mas Files, "the truth is absurd"

SO, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE SEATS FILLED! See video below for ideas on how to get people there:

Date Night

Laura and I enjoyed a date night.

Got a chance to go see Fireproof at the Cinemas. Our first movie out together in about 6 years. Was a little nervous about it being a chic-flick or something. But I thought it was great, both from a personal perspective and as a pastor.

I'd HIGHLY RECOMMEND to every couple to go see FIREPROOF. It will give you plenty to discuss in your marriage, great insight into your spouse, and I think it's the kind of movie we should be supporting at the cinemas.

I'm Voting For...

I'm not apolitical or non-political. I believe that my calling and responsibilities are bigger than politics. Matter of fact, I believe that the Church is the Hope for Change in the world. The only Hope for true change. God has entrusted to us the responsibility to bring the message of Jesus Christ to ALL. We are bigger and more powerful than the US government, UN, the World Banks, and nuclear proliferation (combined). We've been entrusted with the duty of eternity. I will not be detoured or deterred from my sacred call.

We've also been entrusted with a vote. Here's a great video to help guide how you make a decision on who you will be voting for in this election, not only for President, but for state and local government. We must be careful not to vote for "my" best interests, but the best interest of our nation, freedom, and life.

Convoy Marathon- more exhausting, more fulfilling

This past weekend was unbelievable.

Friday night we had a Volunteer commissioning rally for all who wanted to serve on Saturday for Convoy of Hope. It was electric. 420 Jesus-followers who showed up just to be a part of serving and giving to our community through Convoy of Hope. Probably one of the coolest experiences I ever had being a part of the excitement and passion of so many coming together as ONE.

Saturday from 6am was a marathon of serving, ministering, leading, and celebrating.
Convoy of Hope was a day of compassion for all of Washington County. One Big idea- compassion in the name of Jesus, 30 churches cooperating (unheard of), 80+ different agencies, organizations, and companies, 700 volunteers, and we reached 2,300 guests. Unprecedented! Awesome! We treated EVERY guests as our guest of honor, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Sunday at Lifehouse was more rally and celebration than church. We "did" and "were" the church on Saturday, so Sunday was just an opportunity to be a "family of friends". I love pastoring Lifehouse and leading the Church to reach this region for Jesus!

65,000 Steps

If you watch the video closely, you'll see me somewhere in the crowd running the Baltimore Marathon this past Saturday. Finished it in 4:38. Not great, but I finished. Considering my longest run before that was about 13-15 miles, I'm pumped. Besides, I've joined 1% of world population that's done it.

You read right. Marathon (26.2 mile race) = about 65,000 steps. It felt like a million on Saturday when I got to mile 21. They say a marathon can be divided in half: the first 20 miles and the last 6. That's about right.

I DID IT! I had set this a goal and now I've checked it off the list. Next up, shooting for eventually achieving one of my life goals, finishing an Ironman (swim 2.4 m; bike 112 m; run 26.2). Someday.


Lots of life lessons from the race which I'll be using in videos that I recorded with Corey about 30 min after the race. It's for our series at Lifehouse called, "OCTANE!"

Weekend in the Rear-view Mirror

What a way to finish out September. In a farewell moment for Jon and Carrie, they lead as our band covered "Stop and Stare" in "God at the Billboards".

This series is a blast. Great moments, since the top songs really grab the tension and struggles we all have. One Republic identified one in this song, "have you ever stopped, stared and noticed that you're no where near where you thought you'd be or wanted to be."

I challenged Lifehouse, and my self in the process, to gain direction from God by stopping and listening. We need to slow down long enough for God to speak to us through the busyness of life, and then we must listen. Not just hear, but actually listen by doing.

Looking forward to next Sunday, October 5th. Where covering "What about now?" by Chris Daughtry. Great song with a focus on how we can have great impact in the world.

Change Inevitable- So, let's be proactive!

We've heard it ad-naseau, "the only thing certain is change". Change is inevitable, and that's not a bad thing. A great friend and mentor in my life suggested this about church and ministry,

"The methods that brought growth in our church that helped us grow from 0-100, needed to change in order for us to have a continued impact and grow to 200. Equally, the things that got us to that point need to change, so that we could continue to grow and impact more people."

So, there are two ways of viewing change: it will just happen and we will be bystanders watching OR we will lead change and proactively guide through tumultuous times and initiate change and truly be leaders.

We recently have navigated and lead significant change at Lifehouse. That's nothing new. We've been changing and growing every month since we began. We've navigated pastoral and leadership personnel changes, style adjustments and enhancements, budgeting shifts, and the wonderful challenges of leading change through growth.

What scares you about change? What change do you need to start leading, and stop following?

A player in a great novel

Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness is a fictional story about what is happening in the spiritual realm around us everyday. Recently I have felt like a character in a Peretti novel. I'm busy working, leading, training, and pastoring our church, and I don't think I realize often enough the profound spiritual implications of what we are about.

Every prayer is a battle cry. Every moment we overcome temptation we're defeating the enemy. Every act of faithfulness is a stab in the heart of the enemy's tactics. Every trial grows our faith. Every struggle with despair expands our understanding of God's love. Every question deepens my apologetics. Every arrow fired at our Cause strengthens our resolve. The struggles, challenges, frustrations, and conflicts are simply opportunities for growth- both personally and of God's Kingdom.

James 1:2-4 states, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (The Message)."

Thin Places

In Wild Goose Chase, by Mark Batterson, he mentions the idea of inattentional blindness. The idea that we become blinded to things that we see all the time. However, the wonder of God is found in the routine of life, and when we stop and notice divine moments in ordinary events, those are called "thin places" according the Celtic Christians. The place where heaven meets earth.

I found a thin place in Hagerstown, MD at 5:45 this morning while running. When I began, the stars were bright and the moon lite the street. It was magnificent, breathtaking even. Then, as I ran, dawn began. I don't mean it crept in the way my daughters sneak into my bedroom. It gloriously arose. It was awe-inspiring. Truly wondrous. Steadily, what happens everyday happened, not again, but in a special way, that is one-of-a-kind. And as dawn arose, I could see the dew covered fields, and watched as a heavy fog began to descend over our town. Even the fog was spectacular. Toward the end of my 12 mile trek, the fog began to break and the sun shown through. And all I could say was, "Wow God! You Rock!"

What "thin places" have you seen recently? Would love to hear your stories.

A Moment of Silence

Today we pause and remember.

We stop for moments and offer our silence as the loudest prayer and testament to our honor of those lost on 9/11 and our solidarity to the values and freedom that make America great.

Even after seven years, the horror, tragedy, and also the great compassion of the events surrounding 9/11/2001 still burn in my heart as true as they did in those days. Close my eyes, I can see it. I can feel the emotion welling up in me right now. Mourning. Anger. Fear. Eventually the solemn confidence that God is bigger than terror, evil, and fear.

May we never forget...

• the victims and heroes of 9/11

• that there is true evil and evil people in this world
• that there are people who hate America and freedom
  
• that there is good in this world
• that there is hope in God
• that God is big enough.
  

May God bless America!

Recharged?

We have set aside this week (8/17-22) for fasting and prayer among Lifehouse leaders.

Why? This is a critical time to put our focus on God and keep our hearts broken and centered on Him. Fasting and prayer are not tools to twist God's arm, but a way to quiet ourselves and prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in and through us. Since fall is an exciting, busy, and forward- moving time for us, this week is an opportunity for a spiritual tune up before September hits.

Here are a few themes over the last few days:

• Monday- Isaiah 61:1-7 The great exchange. We believe that God wants to refresh us and renew our spirits. Take time for the great exchange, trading our mess for His mercy, our tragedies for His triumph, and our failures for His forgiveness.
• Tuesday- Psalm 51 Cleansing waters. God is in the triage business of accessing our sin, guilt, and shame, and forgiving, healing, and making us whole. We are made new when we accept His love and forgiveness.
• Wednesday- Joshua 3:1-4 Let's invite God to lead us into scary, dangerous territory and dreams. We must have His presence before us, and consecrate our hearts and lives so that He can do amazing things through us.
• Thursday- Joshua 1:1-9 Be very bold, very courageous. "Dream no small dream for it stirs not the hearts of men..." and it requires not the hand of God. We're praying for impossibilities to become divine possibilities. We're asking for the hand of God to be powerfully apparent in our lives and within Lifehouse Church East.

What is God speaking to you during your personal time with Him?

How are you removing the distractions of life to focus on God?

New Book

Looking forward to reading Wild Goose Chase, by Mark Batterson. I'm waiting for my copy to arrive pre-release, and I'll post a review here for you. In the meantime, here's some info on the book:

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something...

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” -from the introduction.

More about the Author:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

You can order a copy here (and no, I'm not getting any royalties. Just wan to encourage people to live the adventurous life as well).

Olympic Mind-set

Awesome to watch the Olympics, especially when we get to see the best in history. Mike Phelps crushing world records and winning gold medals in droves. Wow!

I also watched a documentary on how the Chinese build their Olympic team. Since their Communist, they tell the people what to do. So, if they find a family that is athletic and decide that their 3-yr will be a great athlete one day, then they kindly drag the kid from the parents and off to the gym. They groom them into world-caliber athletes and then put the best on their Olympic team. Great to be an American! We do it just a little different, but have unbelievable success. Parents and children here volunteer to train rigorously for years to obtain greatness. From a young age, parents are taking their kids to intense training, home schooling them to keep them in athletics as much as possible, and forking out $10,000s, if not $100,000s. The young athletes train about 8 hrs daily for years. They have a focused-intensity on only achieving greatness in their sport.

I wonder what would happen if we would put that kind of intense focus and discipline into
our relationship with God and giving our all to Him. What if we devoted ourselves to following Jesus the way these Olympians have to a sport? What if we gave our kids and all new believers in our churches the same kind of focused support and backing to grow spiritual as these parents have? We would probably develop an "Olympic-class" of Jesus-followers.

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Hebrews 12:1-4.

How can we step up our own intensity in following Jesus?

What holds us back from being as intense about Jesus as these Olympians are about sports?

Can We Make God Smile?

I don't feel that spiritual. I mean like all those really spiritual people. The ones that make me feel inadequate, not good enough. What's worse? I don't really feel that bad about it.

I'm learning to define my spirituality, less by what others think, and the measurements of the religious world, and more by how often I'm making God "smile". I have this thought that worship is simply anything we do that causes God to look in at our life and smile. So, I ask myself, "What do I do everyday that makes God smile?" It has begun to change my outlook on spirituality.

Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Luke 12:30)

How does that impact ordinary spirituality? We can worship God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Have you ever thought that by simply using your mind in creative, intelligent ways you can express your love to God? Or by using your strength and physical abilities, God is smiling down on you?

Eric Liddell is quoted in Chariots of Fire as saying, "I believe that God made me for a purpose... but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel HIS pleasure." Maybe we can be spiritual while running, swimming, thinking, reading, painting, studying, climbing, writing, feeling, dreaming, or doing anything that brings a smile to God's face. Maybe it's un-spiritual to waste what's in our heart, soul, mind, and strength to bring God fame.

How can you use your passions, gifts, strength to bring a smile to God's face?

How NOT to Burn Out

I shared this simple devotion with our staff yesterday:

Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses was attracted up the mountain to see a bush that burned but wasn't consumed. When he got close, God spoke to Him, and warned him to take off his sandals because the place where he stood was holy ground.

What's my point:

• Others are drawn to people who burn, are passionate, full of life.
  
• In order to not be consumed, the source of the flame must always be God.
• The moment the we (or the bush) become the source, we're consumed.
  
• The only way to keep God as the source of our "fire" is to keep God as the center and the fuel of our life.
• We are only the conduit of God's presence and "fire". It's not about us but God.
• Maintain a constant relationship and daily time with God to keep your "fire" hot.

Just a thought?

What do you do to keep your fire hot?

DOING vs BEING

There is a significant difference between doing something and being somebody. The difference may only be in identity, but that matters.

Do you swim OR are you a swimmer? You may go swimming, but a swimmer IS more.
Do you run OR are you a runner? It's a matter of commitment and accomplishment.
Do you parent OR are you a mom or dad? Not just a behavior but a way a responsibility and identity.
Do you do Christian disciplines OR are you a Jesus-follower? One is legalistic and behavior focused, the later is a way of life, an identity.

We're not just going through the motions. There's no set stuff that we "do" that makes us something or somebody. "Being" is a way of life, a commitment or devotion to something. Being requires more from us, and outlast the actions themselves. We're parents even when our kids are at home with the babysitter. We're runners even when we're not running.

We are Jesus-followers regardless of the setting, posture, or moment. "Being" doesn't require pews, organ music, robes, or even a Bible in-hand. Being a Jesus follower is a way of life.

Don't just do stuff, BE!

Don't Spend Side-ways Energy

I've been reflecting recently on the idea of expending "side-ways energy". Here's a definition first: an investment of time, resources, emotions, and/or spiritual focus on issues or situations that are not productive or expedient. They are typically situations or issues that are contestable but provide little or no effective ministry or relational growth or benefit. They simply create trouble, arguments, or require an unbalanced amount of personal investment compared with the return.

We will give our time, energy, and resources to something. May we see all of these as resources that God has entrusted to us, and now we are stewards of these things. I don't want to waste them in areas that will not produce the greatest, most effective results. How we spend our personal resources must be in line with our spiritual values and seem pleasing to God. However, I realize that we may not all agree on what is an issue that demands side-ways energy. (And debating that would probably require a certain amount of side-ways energy.)

The challenge is to be most intentional about the use of my life and energy so that it's being used on what matters most. Here are some areas that I'm beginning to avoid spending side-ways energy:

• denominational theological issues, i.e. doctrines that separate on church from another that are not part of what we consider to be part of the essential beliefs of the church.
• political banter. While I'm deeply passionate about my political views as well as an ardent patriot. I'm convinced that I can do more good leading people to Jesus and helping them in their journey with God than I can argue political views.
• petty conflict. There are certain things that I think we just have to get over. How cares if the toilet seat is up or down? (ok, that's not even an issue in our home, just an example).
• justifying mistakes. I used to spend time explaining why I did something wrong, even though I knew it was wrong, so that I wouldn't look bad. Then I realized, it's okay to just apologize and say, "I'm sorry" without trying to explain myself. It's so much easier too.
• micromanagement. This isn't one of my deep challenges, but every once and a while, my perfectionist juices kick in and I stick my nose into an area of life or church that is unnecessary. We have great people in leadership who I profoundly trust, and they should be given the freedom to lead, fail, and win big.
• TV/ internet/ games. Laura and I are disciplined about our family time and what we watch on TV. I stink at video games and hardly have time for the internet except for research and an occasional blog or facebook. However, this may be one of the all-time great America side-ways energy suckers. At the end of the show, game, viewing- what do you really have... nothing. This is opinion not gospel. But certainly worth chewing on.
  

I'm sure I could think of more examples, but you get the point.

What are some areas in your life that demand side-ways energy that can be eliminated or avoided? Where can your time and energy be better spent?

Sunday in the Rearview Mirror

Here was Sunday in all it's fun:
5:15 woke up and got 4 sets of clothes, my computer bag, and Bible/ notes ready
5:30 on the road to Snook Park- Hagerstown, MD
6:00 check in for the race, get body markings (not what you think, they just right your number on your arms and legs)
6:45 got ready for race time
7:00 the Hagerstown Sprint Triathlon began
7:08 got handed our team band, jumped on my bike and took off riding
7:41 got a flat tire 3 miles from finishing that leg of the race, and road on a flat the rest of the way. While that slowed me down, I wasn't about to get off and lose more time.
7:51 dismounted and took off running (if you could call that running)
8:15 crossed the finish line after biking 11 miles and running 3.1. Not bad, but could have been better without the flat.
8:50 off to the YMCA to shower and get ready for Lifehouse
9:35 arrived at Lifehouse and got ready to preach
10-11:15 Lifehouse service, preached message in series "Anatomy of God"
11:50 lead an orientation for those who wanted to be baptized in the evening
1-3pm final group session with Spring Life Developments students who are our newest leaders and disciplers at Lifehouse
3-5 BBQ with my Ironheart buddies who race in the Sprint Triathlon as relay teams
5:30 arrived at Lifehouse- Bethel to prep for the baptism service
6-8 enjoyed the connection of 4 churches celebrating together as 1 family. We baptized 4.
9:30 made it to Rich Vieira's house to taunt the Red Sox getting smacked in the mouth by my Yankees, only to watch them lose miserably.
12:30 finally went to bed.