The good stuff!
My wife and I bought a house in March. We used a realitor that we did not know and who was not Christian. I have been working to get out of the Christian subculture and be a part of those who live around me that do not know Christ. We built a close relationship with the realitor and really we became friends. She did not push us to buy a house and I did not push Church on her, I and my family just lived out our fatih in front of her. We bought the house of our dreams and have stayed in contact with her. This morning I found an email from her. Here is the important part: Second, I want/need to go to church. I’ve been thinking about it and putting it off because I really do not have a church to go to. For some reason lately it’s been on my mind. Maybe because of some of the things that have happened in my life recently I’m not sure. I’m not even sure when church is I would guess Sunday morning right? I would love to see you guys and maybe start attending your church, let me know what you think.
We are having her for dinner in a couple of weeks (vacation end of this week). Pray and I praise God for his goodness!
Thoughts on Wide Awake by Erwin McManus
I need to start by admitting that I generally love most of the stuff by McManus. I have to say though, I was not too excited by Soul Craving, so in getting this book I was hopeing for something better. I got what I asked for. The book discusses the need for vision and dreams within leaders, most of us who have lost our vision or dream somewhere along the way. The book is not just for leaders, it is for all who wish to regain their life dream or their passion for living.
In the book you get the personal stories of which McManus tells in a gripping and fantastic way as he does in all his books. You also get the unique view of Scripture that McManus brings out in sermons and books. You also get motivation and inspiration that is added with a sense of action.
There are three chapters in the book that are some great reading, the rest are just a half step behind these three.
In Chapter 3 McManus gives you a look at Daniel and Esther. One of the things that these do have in common is their flexiblity. McManus writes on Page 76: “Often people of faith are preceived as dogmatic, ridged, and unchanging. Do you know why? Well, because they are dogmatic, ridged, and unchanging. The preception is pretty accurate.”
He continues: “Part of the dilema of believing in God is that you can actually begin to act like you are God. You’re always right, never wrong. The way you do eveything is the way everyone should do it. Many of us end up being conviced that when anybody does something different than we do, when anyone approaches life in any way different than we do, then that person is absolutely wrong. And we are conviced that our prespective and God’s perspective are exactly the sme thing.”
“Ironically, this happens not when you have more faith but less faith. We become dogmatic as a result of fear, not faith. Faith keeps you flexible and postured for change. Faith ignites courgae, not conformity. Fear seeks to control; faith seeks to create.”
In this section I see McManus to hit the nail on the head. This is not for others but for me. This book is full of gems like this.
In this book you will be pushed to recapture the dreams that you lost along the way in your life. You will hear stories of people who went out and chased their dreams. You will find yourself motivated to dream and live a life that is worth living. I would challenge you to read Wide Awake and let me know what you think about it.
Wide Awake
Has anyone else read Wide Awake by Erwin Mcmanus? I am looking for some other people’s thoughts on it. I will share some in depth thoughts later but wanted to see what others thought that read it.
Let me know – I will post later today or tomorrow my thoughts (should finish it today)
Back and Refreshed
A week of just doing stuff that I normally do not do has helped me to feel refreshed and alive. I had a great time seeing my kids on rides and having fun. I had a great time with my wife and our family. The cool thing is in just a couple of weeks it is off to the Outer Banks for a week. By the way if you get a chance to pick up Wide Awakeby McManus do it! It is a wonderful book in my opinion. I am 7 chapters through and it is a book that has caused me to think and wonder. That is one of the things I look for in a book.
On a different note I was able for most of the time to keep my mind on family and fun and not on church stuff.
I did this quick vacation without missing a Sunday because I will be missing two in a row in two weeks and did not want to miss three out of four. I did have the opportunity to baptize 4 adults yesterday! It was awesome, we have been baptizing people every month. It is wonderful to see Christ making a difference and changing people’s lives.
That is all my ramblings for today.
What is everyone else doing for vacation this summer?
One other quick question – anyone doing a conference this year? The Staff I work on is headed to Granger for Innovate 2008 – our first time going there. We try to go to a different place each year to get a well rounded view.
Again – for real this time – I am done rambling.
Quick Vacation
I headed off with the family to do an amusement Park and then on to see some family. This should be a good restful few days. The problem is that I have a hard time not thinking about things that have to be taken care of ministry wise. I will do my best but it will roll through my mind. How do others handle this or is this not a problem for you?
BTW – The Big family vacation comes the first week of August and this is the one I am looking forward too. A house on the beach at the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week.
Moving Experience
I moved offices yesterday. I was in a back hallway office that was large and secluded but I needed to be in the main office area because of what I oversee. We had a man who was 85 who worked in the church for the past 35 years pass away a little less than a year ago and his office was out there and unoccupied. The lead pastor let me know that I needed to move in there (this was about 4 months ago). I have put it off because the man and I were close. I moved in yesterday. I was a moving experience in many ways. I was moved with memories of my friend who is now with Christ but whom I miss. I also had many great memories of the past 7 years in the other office. In another sense I moved out with everyone else which will be cool because I am the office clown and the kid who would sit on the steps when my parents had a party so I wouldn’t miss anything.
Memories of my friend prompted me to think about my legacy. How will people remember me someday. I am building that legacy everyday. I pray it is a legacy that honors Christ.
How will people remember you? How do you want to be remember? What will you legacy be?
Looking for God
I find myself these days looking for God. This may sound weird at first but follow. I read the book Pop Goes the Church by Tim Stevens and liked it a whole lot – I could probably say loved it. I learned a lot from reading the book and it confirmed many of the things that have been rolling through my mind.
People today are hungry for God but they just do not know it or they do not know where to look. Television, music, and movies are full of stories and songs of people looking for something bigger than themselves. They are looking for purpose and meaning to life. They are looking for God.
Back to me and my looking for God. I now listen to music with my 13 year old and try to hear the artist sing about looking for God. I now watch television looking for God. I watch movies looking for God. Just in the past few hours I have watched Eli Stone and see a searching for purpose and a searching for God. I watched the movie Glory (note to self – add this to my favorite things page) and people searching for God. I find myself looking for God in everything and I do it all the time now. I have found God in some places I would have never expected – like this show and movie. I love it. God is showing up in unexpected places and it is because I am looking.
Where have you found God lately? In music? In movies? In Television?
Lost
I am praying about and planning the next time I speak. For those that do not know, I am a Navigational Pastor, like an Executive Pastor, except Navigational sounds cooler (at least to me). My primary gifts are not in teaching but in administration, so I speak one every two months on Sunday Mornings. I begin planning them out and praying about them well in advance. In mid August I speak again and my heart is really being pulled to do something on LOST. Not on the show but on people who do not know Christ.
Can anyone relate to remembering when they lived like Heaven and Hell were real places. Or when they had a real fire burning inside them that people where dying and going to hell. Let me know if you have anything that I might find helpful as I prepare.
