Saturday, February 28, 2009

BUZZ


The church was a-'buzz' today with so much activity. Last night Joelene and I joined a group of people there to make 1,500 pizzas for a Christian Life School fundraiser. Our job was to shrink wrap the pizzas so they'd be nice and tight and safe for delivery. That event continued today where they made 3,500 MORE pizzas in the church Commons.

There were school basketball games going on all night last night and today, too.

People were scurrying around in the main auditorium and lobby decorating for a wedding this afternoon.

I taught a church membership class in one of the lobby glass rooms today as well. Thirty-five people showed up wanting to become members of the church. That was amazing. God is moving right now in some pretty dramatic ways all across the board at KFA and it's terrific to be part of that.

It's great seeing the place with so much 'buzz' like it had today.

I'm ready for an awesome day tomorrow.

And be blessed.

Friday, February 27, 2009

CONSUMER

Richard Halverson, former Chaplain of the United States Senate, is said to have observed: "In the beginning, the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise."

I don't know what to do with all of that. Is that true? Is it partly true? Is it not true at all? If it IS true, what do we do about it?

Some argue that the early church had it exactly right, so we should return to those original roots. But CAN we do that? Is it possible? I don't really think it is. Time marches forward, not backward, so we can't manage that. And besides, it isn't like the early church was devoid of problems.

Run thru a quick summary of the New Testament books, written to the various churches of the region. They address a myriad of problems which had attached themselves to the early church. As romantic as it sounds, a return to the positions and processes of the early church is not what we need.

Another solution is just to close ourselves in - retreat - and make a new community that is 'pure, separate and holy.' But that can't be the answer either: to make a new society that ignores the world around it. That is incongruent with the mission Jesus gave us.

It is - again - the daily struggle, it seems, of being in the world - not of the world - but sent to the world.

Truthfully, we ARE consumers. We need to get over that 'raised hackle' issue. Every time you turn on your television, put on clothes, drive your car, go to the grocery store, etc etc etc., you are living proof of being a consumer - just like your next-door heathen neighbor.

What we must be careful of avoiding is NOT living in a consumer society as regulars, but of adopting a consumer worldview. There is a big difference.

Do you have thoughts on the subject?

And be blessed.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

WELL-ROUNDED

It has taken me nearly 50 years to get comfortable in my own skin. It's kind of a shame it has taken that long, seeing that my life is more than half over now. Maybe. My great-grandmother lived to be very nearly 110 years old, so maybe I'm not halfway done yet.

I've always made it a value of mine to try to be a well-rounded person - to be 'good' at most everything I attempt. I don't know that I've succeeded in that, but I've tried. Now, finally, I realize - at 49.5 years old - if you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. Even though society encourages that well-rounded thing, that approach inadvertantly breeds mediocrity. So maybe the biggest misconception of all is that of the well-rounded leader.

Churches seem to want their leaders to be great servants, deep thinkers, Billy Graham preachers, visionaries, electricians, life-of-the-party, Gucci models, university professor teachers, carpenters, judges, wise counselors, athletes, all-around fun guys, etc. etc. etc. All necessary and desirable attributes for an organization to succeed -- well, SOME of them are. But of all the leaders out there, I have yet to find one that has world-class strength in all the important, critical areas. The ironic thing is that those who strive to be competent in all areas become the least effective leaders overall.

So get comfortable with what God has put in your skin and develop that stuff. Don't worry about being 'well-rounded.'

And be blessed.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

DECISION

Truth is, our life choices boil down to just a very few significant behaviors. Living by consistent God-principles is the right thing to do.

When Jesus told His followers how to live in reality, He let them know it might not always be easy. A life of obedience to God will not be understood or appreciated by a selfish and sinful world.

God will always bless you when you devote yourself to carrying out His truths. You up the ante once you decide to live like Christ.

The most important decision you will ever make is how you choose to respond to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The SECOND most important decision you will make relates to how you will live in light of the FIRST decision.

And be blessed.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

NEIGHBOR

The famous question asks: 'Who is my neighbor?'

So, to help answer that question, an experiment was done on a state highway with a 22-year old actress, playing a driver-in-distrss in 5 distinct roles.

Career Woman: Dressed in a double-breasted suit she stood by her 'hood-up, broken-down' Pontiac Grand Am, holding a 'stop' sign and waited for help. Sixty-two vehicles and a minute-and-a-half later, Bill Leonard pulled over to help her.

Pregnant Woman: Disguised with eight months of padding, she waited 2.5 minutes while more than 100 cars whizzed past. To the rescue - two people - Bob Smith and Dorothy Jenning, stopped in the AMBULANCE they were driving. They had to make a U-turn on the highway to do it.

Little Old Lady: She had to wait nearly five minutes and watch 200 cars go by before two people pulled over to help her ... college co-ed Glenna Newell and land surveyor, Greg Smith.

Hippie Girl: In torn jeans, a wild floral top and a wild blond wig, no one stopped at all! She stood by her car for over 15 minutes and watched 400 cars, trucks, vans, buses and motorcycles drive by. No one even slowed down.

Mini-Skirted Nymph: She barely got the hood of her car put up when Ed Kent barreled to a stop right behind her. Her questionable 'damsel in distress' outfit stopped traffic in nine seconds.

Remember Jesus' answer to the question: "Who is my neighbor?" Nearness does not make neighbors. Probably the great question is not, "Who is my neighbor?", but "Am I neighborly?"

So -- are you?

And be blessed.

Monday, February 23, 2009

LETTERS

Tonight 70 men gathered for "LETTERS FROM DAD" (see November 8th, 2008 blog) -- a ministry dedicated to returning the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers. Each man's personal mission this next month? To write a letter of love and appreciation to his wife, expressing what she means to him, then hand delivering it to her in some special way.

If you're a married man reading this, what does YOUR wife mean to you?

And be blessed.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

TRANSLATION

Yesterday the Kenosha News published an article featuring Olibia Cruz, Maria Berea – both Hispanic women from our church – and me – highlighting the Hispanic In-Ear Translation ministry at our church. That ministry is reaching Spanish-speaking people in our community every weekend. They listen to our services by wearing a transmitter in their ear, hearing what is spoken simultaneously translated into Spanish by an interpreter sitting in another room. This fresh idea has done much to draw in new Hispanic friends into our KFA community.

It's made us stronger and fuller and better as a church and I'm excited about what all this will bring to our future KFA family.

And be blessed.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

LITTLE JESUS


Michael Frost says: "Following Jesus involves more than simply accepting Him as your Savior via some prayer of commitment, no matter how sincere that prayer might be. In order to follow Jesus, you must also emulate Him, using His life as a pattern for your own."

We call this emulation being a 'little Jesus.'

When we call ourselves 'little Jesuses,' we aren't claiming to walk on water or die for the sins of the world. Being a 'little Jesus' means we adopt the values embodied in His life and teachings.

Only Jesus was able to feed thousands with a few loaves of bread and two fish, but as 'little Jesuses' we can embrace the values of hospitality, kindness, compassion and generosity.

We may not all be able to preach to the multitudes, but we all can commit to speaking truth when we hear lies.

We can't really die for anyone else's sins, but we can embrace selflessness, sacrifice -- even suffering.

We hope to see a conspiracy of 'little Jesuses' unleashed across the world transforming their communities the way Jesus transformed His.

And be blessed.

Friday, February 20, 2009

ITALIAN DINNER


Tonight my honey and I are off all the way up to Thiensville, WI for a great Italian dinner at Albanese's Restaurant. This year one of my gifts to her was 'one Italian dinner OUT each month,' so tonight is our February night out on the town.

Buon Appetito! Ciao.

And be blessed.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

MANIFESTO


I have some friends who had a baby yesterday - cute little girl - number 3, just like Joelene and me. As I reflect on our OWN three daughters, one about to have a child of her own -- and though they are all now grown -- consider this a freebie if you're still raising yours.

MANIFESTO FROM YOUR CHILD TO YOU:

1 Don't spoil me. I actually know I shouldn't get whatever I ask for; I'm just testing you.

2 Don't be afraid to be firm with me. It makes me feel more secure.

3 Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave 'stupidly big.'

4 Don't make me feel that my mistakes are sins.

5 Don't correct me in front of others if you can help it.

6 Don't make rash promises. I feel let down when promises are broken.

7 Don't forget I cannot explain myself as well as I would like. I'm not as articulate as you.

8 Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily cornered into telling untruths.

9 Don't be inconsistent. That is confusing and causes me to lose trust in you.

10 Don't put me off when I ask too many questions. If you do, I am likely to stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.

11 Don't tell me my fears are silly or stupid. They are terribly real to me.

12 Don't forget how quickly I am growing up.

That list brings me to my knees every time.

And be blessed.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

"CHRISTIAN"


You gotta help me out here. Sure wish you would weigh in on this. I could be totally wrong/off with it. I admit that. I'm just 'talking,' OK? Just blathering on and maybe I don't have a clue what in the world I'm talking about just now. If you want, PLEASE tell me so. I can handle it. I'm sorting thru it all.

There is something inside me that bristles when we put "CHRISTIAN" in front of everything. Let me qualify that -- obviously Christian CHURCHES - I get that. We have a Christian SCHOOL where we teach Godly principles in the context of education to our children. Again, I'm more than OK with that. But I'm talking about Christian VITAMINS and Christian SAFETY PINS, Christian DIRECTORIES, Christian SYMBOLS on our cars so everyone will know there's a Christian DRIVER in there - or to get out of the way in case the rapture takes place, 'CUZ THIS CAR AIN'T GONNA HAVE NOBODY AT THE WHEEL," etc.

I know we want to be in the world but not of it. Scriptural. We want Jesus integrated into the whole of our lives. We want to be obedient to the Bible in not being 'conformed to the world.' Right. Got it. We just don't know how to do it.

One of our strategies? Extreme strategies? Boycotting things - because we have this fear of being tainted by the world. So we withdraw from it. Churches become havens to shelter us from the reprobates 'out there.'

And then ... we try to sanctify even the most basic activities for the sake of "Christian." Drinking coffee, exercising, cleaning. Nothing can be gray. Everything must be black or white. So when something gray arises, we make a Christian alternative out of it that somehow sanctifies it. So we're no longer content with coffee - now we have Christian coffee. No longer content with jewelry - we have Christian jewelry. Christian workout clubs. Christian furniture stores.

We categorize art, music, philosophy and entertainment as sacred or secular. Then we reject all the secular categories and embrace the sacred ones. Not only is that a bad strategy, it's just bad theology. While there IS a system that is set against the principles and purposes of God, not everything the world produces is bad.

But we don't need to label something Christian in order for it to be good. God doesn't need labels to find us and we certainly shouldn't need labels to find Him. Sure, there are things we should stay away from, but God has given us a mind, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and good leaders to help us know those things. Our categories have become the lazy Christian's guide to decision-making.

So - I don't know. What do you think? Too edgy? Too imbalanced? Let me know. I'm not always right.

And be blessed.

Monday, February 16, 2009

GIVE UP

On October 29, 1941, Great Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Harrow School to to hear the traditional songs he had sung there as a youth, as well as to speak to the students. What he said to them that day became one of his most quoted speeches. Unfortunately, the MYTH is that when he stood before the students he said: "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." And then he sat down.

In reality, he made a complete speech before sitting down that just included the words above, except he didn't say, "Never give up." Instead, he said: "Never give IN."

Frankly, I wish he'd said, "Never give up." It's so much more powerful than "never give in." Sometimes giving IN is exactly what needs to be done -- diplomacy ... tact ... healthy compromise ... team spirit.

But never give UP? Well, that's a scriptural approach. Pressing on ... more than conquerors ... standing fast ... don't be weary ... withstand ... overcome ... I think it's so important that, in life, we never give up.

Any idea what all these people have in common?

Richard Branson, self-made billionaire … actors Jim Carrey, Cher, John Travolta, Keanu Reeves, Lucille Ball, Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart and Tom CruiseGeorge Eastman, founder of the Kodak company … Albert Einstein, mathematician … George Gershwin, composer … the Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane … Peter Jennings, news anchor … Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's restaurant chain … Ansel Adams, photographer … Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President … Patrick Henry, American Revolutionary War politician … Philip Emeagwali, super-computer scientist and one of the pioneers of the Internet … Walter Nash, New Zealand Prime Minister … Duke Ellington, Billy Joel and Ella Fitzgerald, musicians … Rosa Parks, U.S. civil rights activist pioneer … Anton van Leeuwenhoek, world’s first micro-biologist … Alfred E. Smith, former New York Governor … Marcus Loew, founder of MGM studios … Horace Greeley, American newspaper publisher and former U.S. congressman …

So – what do all those people have in common? Answer: They are ALL high school dropouts. All of them. And yet, each and every one went on to acheive great things. They never gave up. Never, never, never, never, never, never.

Nor should we. Never.

And be blessed.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

SPEED LIMIT


Imagine driving your car at 75 mph – and as you do, you have this intuitive sense that you’re way over the speed limit … but you RATIONALIZE and say, ‘You know, I’ve been looking for speed limit signs and I just haven't seen one in a very long time on this road - but this is what I believe a reasonable speed limit SHOULD be on a road like this ---- so I should be OK.'

And as the speedometer clicks up to 75, you glance to the right and at that moment, you see a 55 mph sign. So now you clearly know what the law is and yet you are continuing to break it. Before that, you SENSED you were probably breaking it, but NOW … the sign has made it completely clear that you are.

So – what are we going to do? We don’t have an answer; we have no solution. But GOD does; and it’s that His righteousness can be given to us, even though we don’t deserve it. So Paul writes: ‘But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and Prophets testify.’ (Romans 3:21)

This is the breakthrough news of the decade – that what we cannot do for ourselves, God has done for us … that He has stepped in and intervened in the human dilemma and emergency ... that we can not be good, but God will give His goodness to us.

And Paul explains that the speed limit signs … the laws of God … show that we are sinners before we come to faith … and the rules and laws of God after we come to faith are a means for us to express our gratitude and obedience to God – that keeping God’s law is not to gain merit with God, but to say THANK YOU to God.

There was a group of boys hanging out together and one of them came up with a proposal for a prank that was both dangerous and illegal – and at that point, the group dynamic took over and they all agreed to do it … all except for one of the younger boys. And the eldest boy taunted the younger one in order to shame him into going along. He said, “What’s the matter? Are you afraid your dad will HURT you?” And showing incredible wisdom and personal strength far beyond his years, the younger boy said, “No, I’m afraid I’ll hurt my DAD.”

And that is the difference with the one who exists with a living faith in Christ. We do not commit adultery … we do not lie … we do not cheat … we do not steal … we do not gossip … we do not hate our brother … we care about the poor … we do not place things in our lives ahead of God – not because we’re afraid He’ll hurt us if we do something wrong – but because we never want to hurt the One who has been so gracious and generous to us.
It was awesome to be part of the service on Sunday where this information was shared and see at least 12 people come to Christ. Amazing.
And be blessed.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

VALENTINE


Well - it's Valentine's Day today - so I couldn't hardly pass it up as the theme for today's blog. It would just be wrong.

I am a blessed man to have not just ONE beautiful Valentine - not TWO - not even THREE - but FOUR wonderful valentines.

So this is a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY -- to my wonderful bride, Joelene --- and to my three awesome daughters, Whitney, Allison and Olivia.

Love --- from me.

And be blessed.

Friday, February 13, 2009

WET PAINT


Tell someone there are four billion stars in the universe and they'll automatically believe you. But hang up a "WET PAINT" sign and they'll have to test it for themselves to make sure.

There are a lot of inscrutable things in our lives like that which we have just gotten used to ...

Why are things that arrive by ship called 'cargo' and things that come by truck are called 'shipments?'

Why does quicksand work so slowly?

Why are boxing rings square?

Why do public bathrooms have no baths?

Don't those things BOTHER you? They do me.

If you have a bunch of odds and ends, and you get rid of all but one of them, what do you have?

How can you make amends, but not just ONE amend?

How can my house burn UP at the same time it burns DOWN?

How do I fill IN a form by filling it OUT?

How can my alarm clock go OFF by going ON?

I'm going to get back to you all when I've figured a few of these out. Or tomorrow - whichever comes first.

In the meantime ...

Be blessed.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

SKIN

I'd like to be part of a people who think 'missionally' - to be JESUS WITH SKIN ON to others. But I understand that in order to DO that, we must ...

1. Go from INTERNAL to EXTERNAL. In other words, do things like adopt schools, clean up neighborhoods, befriend blocks, replace 'worship service' with 'service-as-worship,' involve ourselves in an explosion of community engagement. My own small group begins this Saturday serving food to the homeless one weekend per month. All of these are the elements most people actually "GET" when you start talking 'missional.'

But there is MORE ...

2. Go from PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT to PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT. If you don't do THIS, then #1 just becomes one more program in a church schedule already chock-full of programs, promising possible mediocrity and eventually, most definitely, burnout. It is a realization that classroom information does little to develop people. Inform, yes. Develop, no. People development is 'life-centric.'

3. Go from CHURCH-BASED LEADERSHIP to KINGDOM-BASED LEADERSHIP. The missional group is not pastor-dominated. The role of clergy shifts to creating environments that help missional people and leaders. It is moving people beyond filling church ministry roles into developing people to do work in the areas of their greatest influence - where they live, work, study and play - in other words, where they already do life.

Jesus with SKIN on.

And be blessed.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

AND THE WINNER IS ...

From the quiz I posted based on the Friday, February 8 'brain itch' blog ...

A song was imprinted on my brain four days ago. It was either:

Who Let the Dogs Out
We Will Rock You
Mambo No. 5
867.5309-Jenny
Y.M.C.A.
Don't Worry; Be Happy

Which song was it? The strong majority of you guessed it was 'Dont' Worry; Be Happy.' WRONG!

The CORRECT answer is ...

"WE WILL ROCK YOU."

And be blessed.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

AED


Yesterday was a day filled with irony.

It began with the funeral I was privileged to conduct of a friend who died of cancer. I have talked about her on here a couple of times. She finally succumbed and passed away to heaven. Her service was Saturday morning. They released 100 balloons into the air outside afterwards as a symbol of her life of reaching out to others. Who knows where they will all land?

I went from there DIRECTLY to a class on how to administer CPR. Anyone see the irony in that? We learned how to operate AEDs (automated external defibrillators) and practiced on little dummies (not real people) on the floor ... 30 hard presses on the upper chest followed by 2 breaths into the open mouth ... and repeat. Didn't realize how tiring that could be. I'm glad to have the new knowledge. Always been something I've wanted to know.

Yesterday also happened to the 25th birthday of our eldest daughter, Whitney. Happy birthday, Whit.

And be blessed.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

BRAIN ITCH 2

PLEASE VOTE IN THE QUIZ AT RIGHT, BASED ON THE "BRAIN-ITCH" BLOG on FEBRUARY 6th.

Here's the other half of my 'brain-itch' thing from yesterday. THIS is the REAL brain-itch ... those things that I can NEVER get off my mind ... things that are non-negotiables for me as a person ... as a follower ... as a believer ... as a Christian ... principles I'm called to live out in such public, visible, obvious ways that the world will sit up and take note.

Part of my non-negotiables come from the book of Micah: doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God.

Others are from Exodus ... Loving God and worshipping Him only ... not allowing any allegiance to come before Him ... lettting His love be the grouding for every relationship in life … with father and mother … sister and brother. That same love won't let me covet what belongs to my neighbor ... that love provides a basis for giving and forgiving.

These are non-negotiables for bringing about RECONCILIATION in a world that’s been torn apart … segregated … divided. We are disciples of Christ … a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. One of the ways we restore wholeness is by living another of our non-negotiables ... that of being a pro-reconciling and anti-racist church, challenging ourselves to pick up the pieces and bring the pieces together in the ministry of reconciliation.

There is no better way to do that than by remembering our non-negotiable principles. And by remembering God’s concern is not that we have them carved in granite, but that they are literally embedded in the core of our being.

And be blessed.

Friday, February 6, 2009

BRAIN ITCH

I've had 'brain-itch' all day long. Know what that is? It is something in your head that just won't go away, no matter how hard you try or what you do to make it stop. In this context today, it was a SONG I couldn't get rid of. I'm sure that's happened to you in some form or another.

Down thru the years there have been plenty of 'brain-itch' type songs. Here are some prime examples ...

'Y.M.C.A.' by the Village People (1978). You remember the lyrics AND the motions, don't you? It's a fifth-inning staple at Yankee Stadium still.

'867-5309/Jenny' by Tommy Tutone (1982). Not only did it stick in your head, it also caused thousands of people across the country to call the number asking for Jenny.

'We Will Rock You' by Queen (1977). It is the granddaddy of brain-itch tunes. Nobody can escape it.

'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin (1988). Acapella, remember?

'Who Let the Dogs Out' by Baha Men (2000). They won a Grammy for it and ESPN loves it.

'Mambo No. 5' by Lou Bega (1999). Originally recorded in 1949 and then, voila!, it's back 50 years later.

Now here's your task. Which of these songs was the culprit of my 'brain-itch' today? Vote in the QUIZ at upper right.

I'm doing PART TWO on 'brain-itch' tomorrow, so come back. Until then ...

Be blessed.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

CULTURE

Not long ago I was talking with a fellow pastor and he told me he didn't think 'relevance' had much bearing on what we should or shouldn't do in the church today. To be fair, what he really said was: "We put too much emphasis on relevance." Maybe.

If the alternative is 'irrelevance,' I'll risk putting too much emphasis on it.

People assume Christianity and culture are at opposite ends of the spectrum and that more of one means less of the other. Of course, there IS a distinction between Christianity and culture. That much is clear. But just because culture is distinct from Christianity doesn't mean it is absent from Christianity.

The 'absent' viewpoint is what happens when we divide life into secular and spiritual categories. Within that view, prayer and sharing your faith are spiritual activities, while eating and exercise are secular. Pastors and missionaries hold spiritual jobs, while factory workers and lawyers hold secular ones. God shows up in spiritual venues, like church sanctuaries - while He is absent from secular venues, such as sports arenas and theatrical auditoriums.

That is a toxic worldview.

I know I talk about this a lot, but it is always on my mind. I want us to be the best we can be for the Kingdom and bring in people who don't understand church and have no context for church. That's always my prayer.

And be blessed.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

PUMPED

I was PUMPED today. Our staff pastors meet every Tuesday morning for a couple of hours to talk vision, planning, calendar, download books and pray. We don't do ALL of that every Tuesday, but usually we do several of those things at once. We're multi-taskers.

Today we talked a lot about our direction and vision before praying together. I love days like today because you can talk crazy thoughts and sometimes, God leads in directions that are just so cool.

Sunday was a tremendous day this past weekend and that sparked a lot of conversation. We had 2,400 people in church, which was a big 'bump up' from the previous weeks. We had 12 people baptized; our parking lots had problems - and the SPANISH MEET & GREET after 2nd service had 75 Hispanic friends there. What great food and awesome, beautiful, wonderful people in the room. So very gracious.

So much good is happening at the moment. So the 'talk' around the table was buzzing. It was energizing and exciting to sit and talk about future vision. I was PUMPED. Still am. I won't sleep tonight.

I'm going to go PUMP some iron now.

And be blessed.

Monday, February 2, 2009

GROUNDHOG




Today is Groundhog Day. I really do hate Groundhog Day. Mostly because - statistically - 90% of the time, that lousy groundhog sees his shadow, which means six more weeks of dreaded winter.

The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and cliear, there'll be two winters in the year." So, every February 2nd, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.

It began in 1887 and all the way up until 1966, the ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret and the groundhog, named Phil, had his prediction revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's forecast has been a national media event. He comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and gives his prediction to the world.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.

So we're buckling in for more snow and more cold and more clouds and more overcast. Sorry to have a bad attitude about it. I nominate Steve, the Coyote as the new arbiter of winter.

And be blessed.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

S-T-E-W-A-R-D

Everything we need to know about what God has called us to do with our 'stuff' is wrapped up in the word STEWARD. A STEWARD is someone in the employment of another person who faithfully manages the owner’s resources. So, if GOD, who is the OWNER, gives us the ability to make money, then it must be faithfully managed by US, the STEWARDS, in a way that pleases Him.

I can hear some of you now: “Wait a minute! That money?! I made it! It's mine ... sweat of my brow … anguish of my soul … inspiration of my ingenuity … brainchild of my genius … I put in my time … I invested my energy … I earned it … it’s MINE.”

Here's where a play on the word STEWARD can possibly help us.

S stands for SKILLS
T stands for TIME
E stands for ENERGY
W stands for WORK ETHIC
A stands for ATTITUDE
R stands for RESOURCES
D stands for DELEGATED

Did you create your SKILLS out of nothing?
Did you create TIME out of nothing?
Did you create ENERGY out of nothing?
Did you develop a WORK ETHIC out of nothing?
Did you develop the right kind of ATTITUDE out of nothing?
Can you manufacture RESOURCES out of nothing?
NO! All those things are delegated to us by God … and that’s what we mean when we use the word STEWARD.

So, a steward is a person who understands that his skills – his time – his energy – his work ethic – his attitude – his resources – are DELEGATED to him by God – and he holds them in trust for God.

From His own gracious hand, God gives you the ability to make money that you might enjoy what money can make available to you. But you can be so wrapped up in making it and enjoying it that you forget who gave you the ability to make it in the first place.

God is calling us to put Christ at the central hub of our lives … and in this area of money and possessions, to be able to SAY: “God, I enjoy everything You have enabled me to have – but as I enjoy it, I want to make sure I’m committed to using it to do good for Your Kingdom. I’m committed to being faithful and generous with it … and I’m more than ready to share it … in order to take hold of the life that is truly life.”

And be blessed.