Many of you noticed my absence over the last month or so before my previous post. Let me share the cause. On December 10, I got one of the worst phone calls of my life, as I learned that Becky Burns, one of the leaders in our singles ministry, had passed away unexpectedly. It rocked me, and it rocked our singles ministry. It was one of those tragedies that we all know is a part of life, but we try to avoid at all costs.
The days following her passing were paradoxical. On the one hand, it was one of the most stretching times of my life, as I tried to minister to the family and to our church while dealing with my own grief. On the other, it was so inspiring to see how our singles ministry rose up and met the crisis with unbelievable grace. The group ministered to the family by providing food, cleaning the house, helping to plan the memorial service, composing the service order, and putting together a slideshow for the reception. All this, along with countless emails, phone calls and text messages ensured that care was given in every possible way. It was nothing short of remarkable, truly the closest experience of "Acts 2" church as I have known.
I was honored to be asked to bring the message at Becky's service. It was, however, the hardest thing I have had to do in ministry. I don't know that I have had such an intense sense of dread about anything ever before. Yet, God's grace carried me through, just as it had for us all in the preceding days.
Now that several weeks have gone by, God is continuing to heal me along with the rest of our folks. We are not completely different than we were before our loss; in many ways the singles ministry is the same as before. At the same time, we have all been changed by this experience. We have experienced in a new way the concept of "community." We have learned together how to be vulnerable in our times of weakness, and to be strong in the face of intense difficulty. Most of all, I think we have learned a deeper truth of the Christian faith, that we do not"... grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Praise be to the everlasting God, who comforts us in our time of trial.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Anatomy of a Miracle
Ok, friends, I'm back. My blogging sabbatical is at an end. I'll explain the circumstances of my silence in my next post, but this time I must share "the rest of the story" to our Compassion for Christmas campaign. (See previous post.)
In preparing to launch our campaign to the GAP young singles group, our mission project leaders felt that we should set a goal for the number of food parcels our group would send to provide aid to Zimbabwe. Jim suggested that 20 could be a good goal. We decided that we should spend some time praying about it, that setting an arbitrary goal apart from the Lord's leading would do more harm than good. So, we planned to spend the next few days praying about it on our own, and we would come back together and see if we had been given an answer.
This whole exercise was a bit challenging for me. For some reason, I had never prayed for the Lord to direct me to a numerical goal like this. Sure, I'd prayed for direction, for answers to tough problems, and I had experienced the Holy Spirit prompting me with an answer. Numbers, however, seemed awfully specific. Would any number come to mind? How would I know the difference between the Lord's leading and my own best guess?
In my prayer time over the following days, I laid all these concerns before the Lord, and I asked for a clear answer. Suddenly, I had the number "25" come into my mind. Doing the math to see how much money that would equal, I quickly shook the thought aside, saying, "20 is bold; 25 is nuts." As I continued to pray, though, I kept feeling compeled or urged to 25. I simply could not ignore it any longer.
I emailed our leaders and just told "I'm thinking 20, but my heart keeps telling me 25." They both replied that day that the Lord had been impressing them with 25 as well. So we had our answer.
We all agreed that this was an outrageous goal, one that we could not motivate or inspire people to hit on our own. We decided together that if God had led us to this goal, that it was His business what He was going to do. We shared the goal with the group on launch day, and we kept them up to date each week on how we were doing. We focused, however, on the Bible's teaching for us to be compassionate, and to be responsible only for what God had entrusted to us. We intentionally highlighted the significance of each gift rather than the need to reach the goal.
On Celebration Day, January 11, we had collected $1,623, enough for 18 food parcels. We praised God and shared what the Lord had taught us through this campaign, and prayed for the people who would receive this aid, that their hearts would be open to the Gospel. After our meeting, I was told that more money had been given that day, though we had planned to no longer receive funds. I looked in the box and found $495, enough for five more parcels. Later that night, I received a text message from someone else who wanted to give money for another parcel. And then during the week, I received the final dollars necessary for us to hit our mark.
The Lord led us to trust Him with an outrageous goal: for 45 or so single adults in their 20s-30s, many with school loans, several still in graduate school or seminary, to sacrifice in the midst of the most stressful season of the year in the face of the greatest economic turmoil any of us have ever seen in our lifetimes. Because of God's provisional work in us, $2,250 was given, in big gifts and small, to feed 150 people for over a week. Because of this, people we will never meet, never see face to face on this earth, will hear the Gospel and be our neighbors in eternity. And I learned a little bit more about trusting God.
In preparing to launch our campaign to the GAP young singles group, our mission project leaders felt that we should set a goal for the number of food parcels our group would send to provide aid to Zimbabwe. Jim suggested that 20 could be a good goal. We decided that we should spend some time praying about it, that setting an arbitrary goal apart from the Lord's leading would do more harm than good. So, we planned to spend the next few days praying about it on our own, and we would come back together and see if we had been given an answer.
This whole exercise was a bit challenging for me. For some reason, I had never prayed for the Lord to direct me to a numerical goal like this. Sure, I'd prayed for direction, for answers to tough problems, and I had experienced the Holy Spirit prompting me with an answer. Numbers, however, seemed awfully specific. Would any number come to mind? How would I know the difference between the Lord's leading and my own best guess?
In my prayer time over the following days, I laid all these concerns before the Lord, and I asked for a clear answer. Suddenly, I had the number "25" come into my mind. Doing the math to see how much money that would equal, I quickly shook the thought aside, saying, "20 is bold; 25 is nuts." As I continued to pray, though, I kept feeling compeled or urged to 25. I simply could not ignore it any longer.
I emailed our leaders and just told "I'm thinking 20, but my heart keeps telling me 25." They both replied that day that the Lord had been impressing them with 25 as well. So we had our answer.
We all agreed that this was an outrageous goal, one that we could not motivate or inspire people to hit on our own. We decided together that if God had led us to this goal, that it was His business what He was going to do. We shared the goal with the group on launch day, and we kept them up to date each week on how we were doing. We focused, however, on the Bible's teaching for us to be compassionate, and to be responsible only for what God had entrusted to us. We intentionally highlighted the significance of each gift rather than the need to reach the goal.
On Celebration Day, January 11, we had collected $1,623, enough for 18 food parcels. We praised God and shared what the Lord had taught us through this campaign, and prayed for the people who would receive this aid, that their hearts would be open to the Gospel. After our meeting, I was told that more money had been given that day, though we had planned to no longer receive funds. I looked in the box and found $495, enough for five more parcels. Later that night, I received a text message from someone else who wanted to give money for another parcel. And then during the week, I received the final dollars necessary for us to hit our mark.
The Lord led us to trust Him with an outrageous goal: for 45 or so single adults in their 20s-30s, many with school loans, several still in graduate school or seminary, to sacrifice in the midst of the most stressful season of the year in the face of the greatest economic turmoil any of us have ever seen in our lifetimes. Because of God's provisional work in us, $2,250 was given, in big gifts and small, to feed 150 people for over a week. Because of this, people we will never meet, never see face to face on this earth, will hear the Gospel and be our neighbors in eternity. And I learned a little bit more about trusting God.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Compassion for Christmas
This year we decided to have a special emphasis in our singles ministry for the month called "Compassion for Christmas." The idea is pretty simple: Christ's coming to earth was the ultimate act of compassion and love by God for humanity. The Father saw our needs and sent Jesus to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. As followers of Christ, we are to grow to be increasingly more like our Lord.
For this reason, we will be collecting funds all month long to provide food parcels for Zimbabwe, a nation which has been racked with inflation and famine. It is our desire that as we cut unnecessary expenses and share out of the abundance that we have, that God would shape our hearts to be more like His. If you would like to join us in this venture, click here for more information.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Christmas in a Cup
This year I believe I am more inspired and prepared for the Christmas season than ever before. This has led to far more blog ideas than I generally come up with. Check back often this month for more Yuletide ponderings and observations.
Today I want to highlight my favorite beverage for Christmas 2008, the Espresso Truffle from Starbucks. Not only is this delicious elixir a joy-inducing concoction beyond expectation, it is also a "compassionate-consumer" product. Teaming with the ( )red initiative to provide care and medicine for AIDS victims in Africa, Starbucks donates a nickel for every one they sell. You can click here to see how many days of medicine have been provided by other consumers. If the winter weather is chilling your bones, go treat yourself to an Espresso Truffle. (Before 6:00pm, that is. You want to allow some time for your metabolism to burn this sucker off!)
Today I want to highlight my favorite beverage for Christmas 2008, the Espresso Truffle from Starbucks. Not only is this delicious elixir a joy-inducing concoction beyond expectation, it is also a "compassionate-consumer" product. Teaming with the ( )red initiative to provide care and medicine for AIDS victims in Africa, Starbucks donates a nickel for every one they sell. You can click here to see how many days of medicine have been provided by other consumers. If the winter weather is chilling your bones, go treat yourself to an Espresso Truffle. (Before 6:00pm, that is. You want to allow some time for your metabolism to burn this sucker off!)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Now we can celebrate
I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to getting things in the right order. I never eat dessert before the entree. I do not read the end of a book before I get there; I refuse to edge the lawn before I mow it. I would not think of proposing to my bride to be before I had purchased the ring and had talked to her father. I will not leave a football game before it ends, and I always shave the right side of my face before the left.
That being said, I have a very strong conviction that Christmas music and Christmas paraphernalia should not be used or exhibited until after Thanksgiving. Growing up, I always anticipated the drive home from Thanksgivings in San Antonio, for then we would be allowed to begin playing the Christmas music. So now, it is official. Let the Christmas celebration begin.
(Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer and listen to the festive background music I've selected.)
That being said, I have a very strong conviction that Christmas music and Christmas paraphernalia should not be used or exhibited until after Thanksgiving. Growing up, I always anticipated the drive home from Thanksgivings in San Antonio, for then we would be allowed to begin playing the Christmas music. So now, it is official. Let the Christmas celebration begin.
(Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer and listen to the festive background music I've selected.)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Fellowship of the Hunters
This past weekend marked one of my favorite holidays-- the opening weekend of deer season. For years this has been one of the most special weekends on my calendar. Each November, I head back to my parents' home in south Arkansas for several days of jam-packed fun. Here's how it went this year:
On Thursday I arrived at Mom and Dad's place around 8:30pm to find a full pot of my mom's homemade chicken 'n' dumplins. Each spoonful is an emotional experience, one which words simply cannot describe.
On Friday, Dad and I test fired our rifles, and then we enjoyed lunch at the Backyard BBQ. You'll not find a better kept secret in slow-smoked delight. After lunch we went out to the farm to put out some persimmons and to do a final check of our stands. My cousin David and his son Ryan met us there, as did my buddy Nathan. Once we got everything ready for the big hunt, we all went home to another inspiring meal by Mom.
Saturday we arose at 4:00am and headed out into the fresh, cool dark to prepare for the hunt. Though we all saw deer, Ryan was the only one to bring one home on this morning. We got off the stand for a great lunch that my mom and aunt made for us. We then all headed back out for the rest of the day, making time for Dad and me to grab a quick nap. The afternoon brought no reward for our efforts.
Nathan and I then headed out to our buddy Andy's deer camp. We stayed out there on Saturday night and arose at 5:00am the next morning. This day was also packed; in addition to all our stand time, we also had a Bible study after lunch. We even managed to have a little more success than the day before. I killed a little doe, but Nathan really stole the show. He killed a doe in the morning, a doe at lunch (while we were all sitting around talking!), and then a huge 6point that evening.
All told, it was a great weekend! For those of us who participate, it really is about a lot more than simply getting a deer. The times of raucous laughter, shared meals, working together, catching up with each other and old-fashioned storytelling make the Fellowship one of the most special things I get to experience. (Sorry I don't have a pic of Dad, Andy, David or Ryan).
On Thursday I arrived at Mom and Dad's place around 8:30pm to find a full pot of my mom's homemade chicken 'n' dumplins. Each spoonful is an emotional experience, one which words simply cannot describe.
On Friday, Dad and I test fired our rifles, and then we enjoyed lunch at the Backyard BBQ. You'll not find a better kept secret in slow-smoked delight. After lunch we went out to the farm to put out some persimmons and to do a final check of our stands. My cousin David and his son Ryan met us there, as did my buddy Nathan. Once we got everything ready for the big hunt, we all went home to another inspiring meal by Mom.
Saturday we arose at 4:00am and headed out into the fresh, cool dark to prepare for the hunt. Though we all saw deer, Ryan was the only one to bring one home on this morning. We got off the stand for a great lunch that my mom and aunt made for us. We then all headed back out for the rest of the day, making time for Dad and me to grab a quick nap. The afternoon brought no reward for our efforts.
Nathan and I then headed out to our buddy Andy's deer camp. We stayed out there on Saturday night and arose at 5:00am the next morning. This day was also packed; in addition to all our stand time, we also had a Bible study after lunch. We even managed to have a little more success than the day before. I killed a little doe, but Nathan really stole the show. He killed a doe in the morning, a doe at lunch (while we were all sitting around talking!), and then a huge 6point that evening.
All told, it was a great weekend! For those of us who participate, it really is about a lot more than simply getting a deer. The times of raucous laughter, shared meals, working together, catching up with each other and old-fashioned storytelling make the Fellowship one of the most special things I get to experience. (Sorry I don't have a pic of Dad, Andy, David or Ryan).
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Presidential Options
With the come of election day, I want to again offer a word of perspective. As a follower of Jesus Christ, my vote was not cast on a whim, but rather based on deeply held convictions. At the same time, I must make it clear that my wagon of hope was not and is not hitched to these two or any other presidential candidates. Only a fool would put so much stock in mere men.
I also have to say that I have found it difficult to be faced with these two men as the only real choices. I respect John McCain's service and Barack Obama's political skill, but from a leadership stand point I have a real issue with both. Senators, by the necessity of their role, are compromisers; they work to build consensus to get things done. This is drastically different from Executives, who are given the responsibility to make the right decision no matter the resistance. For this reason, I just want to put forward a few last minute write-ins for the 2008 election. (In no particular order.)
1. Howard Schultz-the CEO and Chairman of Starbucks led the Seattle coffee shop to international exposure. It was not until his hiatus from the CEO position that the company overextended itself, leading to sigificant drop in stock prices. With Schultz's return to the helm, he has made the humbling decision to close some stores in order get the company back on track.
2. Carly Fiorina- the former CEO and Chairman of Hewlett-Packard successfully led a dramatic rebuilding effort at HP, including a highly controversial merger with Compaq. While her dismissal from HP was less than gracious, she has taken the high road when discussing those involved. Though she was polarizing at HP, particularly among the establishment, she has a proven track record at getting things done.
3. Colleen Barrett-the former President of Southwest Airlines began with the company in 1971 as a secretary before moving up the executive level. While all the other airlines struggled to avoid filing for bankruptcy, Southwest grew from an in-state commuter airline to become the most profitable airline in the nation. Barrett's pragmatism and down-to-earth demeanor greatly influenced Southwest's unexpected success.
I also have to say that I have found it difficult to be faced with these two men as the only real choices. I respect John McCain's service and Barack Obama's political skill, but from a leadership stand point I have a real issue with both. Senators, by the necessity of their role, are compromisers; they work to build consensus to get things done. This is drastically different from Executives, who are given the responsibility to make the right decision no matter the resistance. For this reason, I just want to put forward a few last minute write-ins for the 2008 election. (In no particular order.)
1. Howard Schultz-the CEO and Chairman of Starbucks led the Seattle coffee shop to international exposure. It was not until his hiatus from the CEO position that the company overextended itself, leading to sigificant drop in stock prices. With Schultz's return to the helm, he has made the humbling decision to close some stores in order get the company back on track.
2. Carly Fiorina- the former CEO and Chairman of Hewlett-Packard successfully led a dramatic rebuilding effort at HP, including a highly controversial merger with Compaq. While her dismissal from HP was less than gracious, she has taken the high road when discussing those involved. Though she was polarizing at HP, particularly among the establishment, she has a proven track record at getting things done.
3. Colleen Barrett-the former President of Southwest Airlines began with the company in 1971 as a secretary before moving up the executive level. While all the other airlines struggled to avoid filing for bankruptcy, Southwest grew from an in-state commuter airline to become the most profitable airline in the nation. Barrett's pragmatism and down-to-earth demeanor greatly influenced Southwest's unexpected success.
So, which of these would you like to vote for?
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