Thrown Under the Bus

Lindy Weatherly threw me under the bus on Sunday morning. Following the (rocking) prelude, there was awkward silence. It lasted just a few seconds, unless you knew that something was suppose to fill it. She said, "We're looking for Trey...." beep, beep.... Bus coming through. I quickly corrected the situation by throwing John Miles under the bus. "It's not me. It's video."

This morning as I was thinking through the service again, the Holy Spirit smoked me. Not just a gentle wrist slap; it was more of a full-on slap across the face (could have inspired a song like this). In the quiet of the morning, God clearly said to me, "The issue is not who was right. You do not have to always be right." (I hate it when God says things that my wife has already told me before.) He continued, "The issue is not being right; the issue is your pride. Your pride will not allow you to be wrong." (Now you see where the bright red marks across my face were there.)

As I sat and thought, I immediately thought of some of the verses from the Bible that speaks to the issue of pride:

"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (Prov. 16:18)

"Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Prov. 11:2)

"Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor." (Prov 29:23)

So many of the nations that the prophets of the Old Testament speak out against are condemned for their pride. And I am no better. My pride can drive me to make decisions that glorify myself, my thinking, my knowledge or skill set...and it's not about me. I wasn't there when the earth was set on its axis. I was not there when the sun burst forth into light. I was not in the beginning. I was not before the beginning. I am not God.

So I confess and ask for forgiveness to God, to Lindy, to John. It's not about me and my desire to be right or proved correct. I should have not thrown you under the bus in an unintentional attempt to preserve my pride. And now the really hard part: making this a lifestyle change and not just a blog post.

Second Look @ Sunday

Thankful for another incredible (and busy) weekend. Before we jump into the highlights from yesterday, I would be remiss to not share some highlights from the past two weeks:

• Christmas Eve was incredible! Where to start....thanks to our set-up team for showing up in the midst of the first round of snow storms to unload the trailer at Bob's.
• Thanks to the band who came together to lead us in worship.
• Thankful for those who helped tear down and load up so that everyone could enjoy Christmas.
• Got a chance to worship with my sister-in-law's family last week. Got to see my oldest nephew profess his faith in Christ and follow Him in baptism. Awesome.
• It was really cool to be able to sit with Alyssa (the 6-year old) and join her in worship. She's learned to read which makes it much easier for her to sing corporately. So cool to hear her sing praises to God with me.
• Many people are ashamed or embarrassed by their in-laws. Mine are pretty incredible. Had a great time with them.
• The gym is getting busy. We closed out the month on a great note. Thankful for a great team there too.

And now yesterday's highlights:

• Loved the job the worship team did leading. If you're not worshiping, it's a you issue. Really cool to see people like Chet and Chance set free to use all their gifts and abilities to the fullest.
• Can't imagine what life would be without our Children's Ministry volunteers. Thanks for all you do!
• Guess which movie was showing in the same theater as we set up our nursery? Yep...this one.
• "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision." -- Helen Keller
• Thankful that Jesus does not go for the Dream Team, but chooses the dropout and flunkies, the less-desirables, me.
• Got a chance to talk with someone tonight about what it means to be a Jesus-follower. Praying for her as she studies Jesus, His life and ministry, and His call on her life.
• Already getting excited about next week. I've got people in mind to invite; do you?

Second Look @ Sunday

Some quick thoughts on Sunday:

• The worship team did a fantastic job. Bummed that so many people enjoyed the free coffee and missed the first song though.
• It was neat to wrap up the book of Philippians. I always enjoy teaching straight through a book of Bible. It's great to come across powerful verses in the context that they were originally written.
• At the same time, I'm getting excited about the new sermon sermon series. We launch "At the Movies 2010" this Sunday.
• It's always awesome and inspiring to celebrate communion together as a community.
• Thanks to our Children's Ministry volunteers. You guys bring fresh excitement to kids each week.
• From what I hear, Brandi Hollen did a fantastic job of speaking on the USI campus.
• Had a lot of fun working the Discovery Church booth with Janet Oberholtzer, Martha Duckworth, Brandi, and my family following the service.
• I might have overwhelmed a student from Minnesota when I gave him a full-bag of peanut-butter cookies. Not sure he knew what to think.
• Thanks to all the cookie-makers. You're much more talented than me. I burned the chocolate.

Shh Mom. I'm Reading My Bible

Got a text message following our first week of Children's Programming at Discovery. Here's what it said:

"She (5 year-old girl) did all the homework in her Bible she was supposed to yesterday. I read it to her and she did it. She came home today from (her aunt's) and got her Bible out and sat on the couch. She told her sister and me to be quiet. She is studying and has to get it done before church next week. :-)"

What an awesome story. Love it when little ones fall in love with the great story of the Scriptures. Love the work that our Childrens Ministry team is doing.

Second Look @ Sunday

Some of the highlights from Sunday:

• Our set-up team does a fantastic job of unloading and getting everything ready to go each Sunday. Thanks for all you do.
• Shari Devine and Katy Olson sounded great together. You guys should do that more often.
• Missed Bobby G and the rest of the band though. Looking forward to seeing them next month.
• Loved the passage from Sunday. Philippians 3 kicks series tail.
• The Connection Lunch was awesome. Over 30 people gathered around the biggest table in Los Bravos history to share chips, salsa and lots of great conversations.
• Told our waiter that Marty Smith was my dad. Marty's face was priceless.
• Had a great time seeing an old friend and her precious little (almost) 3 year old boy.

What Would Jesus Say to Bono (part one)

What would Jesus say to the self-described "Imelda Marcos of Sunglasses"? What would he say to the 2005 Time Magazine person of the year (along with Bill & Melinda Gates)? His music has earned him legends of fans. His humaniatarian work has earned him the respect of world leaders and other dignitaries. The most pressing question though is what would Jesus say to him?

I suppose Jesus might say...

"Your music rocks."

While Bono was just 16 years of age, he answered the ad of a 14-year old

 boy named Larry looking to start a band. After watching adoring teenage girls flock to the house for practice, Bono was convinced: his future was in music. The band would become known as U2. They have gone on to sell over 145 million (wonder what Dr. Evil would think of that?) albums. They have received 22 Grammy awards. They have been inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. 

I believe that Jesus would appreciate their music. He would definitely like the passion and effort they bring to their performances and their studio work. Remember the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Work from the heart for your real Master, for God" (Colossians 3:23, The Message).

Bono's music usually is real. It usually describes an individuals journey toward God or their running from Him. Whether they are describing a place "Where Streets Have No Name" or the struggle which has left them feeling like they "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," U2 embraces the search for God like few other mainstream bands.

Today in Review

• Worship team did well while making adjustments. Darrin, you have some serious pipes.
• Ryan, wishing your guitar well. May it rest in peace. Here's hoping you have another next week.
• "27 + 39 = 66. If you're Catholic, there's even more."
• It's amazing the devotion and sacrifice that so many people made so that we could read God's Word in our own language.
• How am I neglecting God's Word?
• Who's in for making a difference at Tekoppel?

You Can't Handle the Truth

I went through high school and started college with the dream of being an attorney. While keeping in debate, I loved the cross-examination time. It was so fun to watch your opponent squirm as you fired questions at them. Today, the favor gets returned to me. It's my time to squirm.

Today I will stand before the Midwest Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church to transfer my ordination. As part of the process, I have already taken written exams and been orally examined by a committee. Today, all of the ruling & teaching elders at the meeting will be given the chance to play "Stump the Chump" with me. (FYI: I'm not that formidable as a chump.) They can ask anything they want to about the English Bible, Theology & Sacraments, The Book of Order, Reformed Tradition, and the Nature and Office of the Minister of the Word.

If you're a praying type, please do so. I can definitely use it. Hopefully, it won't turn into a Jack Nicholson moment where the elder is yelling, "I want the truth" and I reply, "You can't handle the truth."

9/11

Vince Antonucci asks the question today, "What were you doing seven years ago today?"

I remember very clearly the events of 2001. I remember hearing on Bob & Tom that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Not many details were available and I supposed they meant a little crop-duster. I went into Jojo's to meet a friend for breakfast. When I came back out and started up my car, I heard the latest update: another tower had been hit. I was headed to my parents home (less than a mile away) and by the time that I arrived there the Pentagon had been hit. I immediately went to Olivet where we spent the day wondering what we could do and how we could speak in the midst of the crisis.

Often we encounter tough times, even earth-rocking devastation. How do we continue to function in the midst of the pain? Where do we find hope in the midst of the crisis? How can we move on when there seems no where to go?

"Turn to God." The answer seems trite, a little too Sunday-School. Yet, sometimes the answer is the obvious. Just because 4 seems like the easy answer to 2+2=? doesn't mean it is wrong. Psalm 77 reminds us that even when it seems like God has forgotten us, we can continue to trust in Him.

People of the Book (part four)

In the end, the summary of the article is that we must fall in love with the book. We must return to being a "people of the book." Like the Israelites, we should rise with a desire to hear from God afresh each day. We should listen to Him as He speaks into our lives. We must direct our attention and our affection to the One worthy of both. We must develop an insatiable appetite, an unquenchable thirst for the Word of God.

People of the Book (part three)

John Ortberg describes the prophets as the "orginal performance artists." God would give them a message, but also creative ways in which to live out that message. To illustrate the desperate situation that would be the siege and exile, He commanded one prophet to make bread over a fire fueled by excrement. He commanded the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer (to which the only appropriate reply must have been..."Golly.")

Today, as we share the message of Scripture, as we teach and live it, how are we bringing the gospel into three-dimensional reality for those around us? We must find creative and powerful ways to communicate the love of a creative and powerful God. I believe that this should include the use of video, media, art, photography, drama, comedy, poetry, prose and a variety of other expressions.

People of the Book (part two)

"In many ways our situation is increasingly like that of the early church. The gospel had to compete in a multi-religious, pluralistic environment where, as Edward Gibbon put it, "the masses considered all religions equally true, the philosophers considered them equally false, and the politicians considered them equally useful." Historians like Rodney Stark say that the reason the church exploded across the ancient world was, to a large extent it was because the church incarnated the word—cared for the poor, fed the hungry, embraced the orphan, risked sheltering the sick." (People of the Book)

As I read those words, the truths and maxims came rushing back:

• "They do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."
• "You are the only Bible some people will ever read."
• "If you were charged with being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict?"
• "I would have became a Christian if I ever met one."

How is that we allow the gospel to be proclaimed on Sunday morning, yet stay dormant within our lives the rest of the week? How can we talk about how Jesus cared for the poor, the broken, the hurting as we retreat to our middle-class, suburbian like dwellings? How can we claim God as our Father, Christ as our Lord, the Spirit as our Counselor and not care for the very same people that they care for, the widowed, the orphaned, the immigrants?

People of the Book (part one)

Just finished reading an article by John Ortberg entitled People of the Book. It caused a rush of thought and questions. Over the next four days, I'll unpack some of the ways that it knocked me around and the questions it raised.

First: the issue of passion for Scriptures within the church I serve starts with me. In our Student Ministry at Olivet, the middle school and high school students are not going to revere the Word unless they see that modeled in my life. At Discovery, the passion that I bring to my personal study of Scripture will be translated in the rest of the community. When my time with God is shallow, rushed or non-existent, how can I expect anything less from those in the pews (or in Discovery's case...the theater-seating). When I spend time in God's Word, it is a rush of exhiliration. I learn so much about who God is and what He has done throughout history and how He is moving in the future.

"By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity, a word that will not be revoked: before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." -- Isaiah 45:23

Awesome gift

What's it like to be the church that has very little? It's interesting and yet so helpful in remembering that God gives us exactly what we need. For example:

Exhibit A: Kitten's preschool classroom at Olivet recently got a new rug for the kids. Kitten was commenting to the Director of how nice it was and how she hoped that she would be able to get something like it for the kids at Discovery. She stated that she would probably settle for something plainer though for pure cost purposes. A couple of weeks later, Kitten walked into my office at Olivet to find a gift. Here's what it was. One of her co-workers had overheard the story and had got online and ordered it for Discovery. What an awesome gift.

Exhibit B: Just got done talking with one of my talented debaters from North. He said the passage he read this morning was a great reminder to trust God. Read it for yourself. Luke 12:22-31.

Church in the ATL

Here's the highlights from my experience at The Midtown Bridge. Larry Grays began their series called Caffinated Conversations this week. Here's some of the highlights:

• God is always working but sometimes it feels like nothing is happening while we wait.



• The farther we get from God, the harder it is to hear His voice. Stay close to the bucket!



• However, proximity to Jesus does not guarantee you are a Christian anymore than being in a garage would guarantee that you are a car.



• When Peter began to sink, he wasn't doubting God. He was doubting whether or not God could do the supernatural through Him.



• He's an on-time God.



• God has adopted us! (one of my personal favorites)



• What are you doing with God's time? If God were to give you 15 more years, what would you do during that time?

On the whole, I had a great time visiting with TMB. The people there were extremely friendly, a great example of Southern hospitality. I really appreciated the way the staff and volunteers were so willing to share what God's doing in this relatively new church plant.

Tomorrow, the Exponential Conference kicks off. I'll try and keep updates flowing.

Learning about Leadership from the Bible

Tony Morgan has been writing about leadership lessons that he learned from Scripture, particulalry the Gospel of Matthew. They have really got me thinking. More importantly they have got me reading. It hit me that God has been revealing much about what it means to be a leader and a Jesus-follower way before Warren Bennis, Warren Buffett, or Jimmy Buffett were around. So I've been crawling back through the beginning pages of Scripture and learning some amazing leadership lessons. Here's some of what I've learned.

• God is creative. A leader should strive to be creative as well. Who wants boring when you can create the Grand Canyon? (Genesis 1:1)
• God is waiting to move and work. Are we waiting in anticipation of what He is up to? (Genesis 1:2)
• All that God created was expected to produce results. Jesus reiterated this in John 15. What is my life producing? What is the church I am serving producing? (Genesis 1:11-12)
• All of God's creation has a purpose. Nothing is created by accident. You and I have a purpose. Does all I do reflect this purpose? (Genesis 1:17-18)
• We reproduce what we are. If I want those who follow after me to be something, I need to be that something. I do not have the genetic make-up to create a 6'5" skinny NBA baller. I can reproduce Jesus-followers though. (Genesis 1:24)
• God made me exactly like I am (though a few more inches would have been appreciated). I am not an accident. I bear His image and am sufficient to lead and develop leaders. I have the ability to be creative. (Genesis 1:26-27)
• We are called to be leaders. We have responsibilities and assignments that we are expected to fulfill (Genesis 1:28).

Holy Week

This might be the busiest week in the life of most churches. Obviously, for us at Discovery, not so much yet. (But no promises on next year.)

At Olivet this week, we kicked off Holy Week with the Palm Sunday service and the Easter egg hunt. We do the Easter egg hunt the week before, because we do not want to miss the celebration point of Easter. On a side note, it creates two big weeks for visitors back-to-back.

Wednesday will feature the normal Wednesday evening programs. I'm excited because I'm up to teach in the Matrix. At the beginning of the school year we went to team teaching. The upside was that it made the ministry less dependent upon me. The downside is that I miss the opportunity to teach some of the best middle school and high school students in Evansville.

Thursday evening will be our Maundy Thursday service. We will be remembering (perhaps that is the key word for this week: "remember") Jesus' final moments with His disciples. We'll celebrate community through communion this night. The service begins at 6:30.

Friday evening will be our chance to focus on Good Friday. I'm really excited because I get to help teach and design this service. I think I'll be working with Jeff Kleinschmidt, one of the most gifted acoustic guitar players that I know. Can't wait for this evening.

Sunday will celebrate Life and Hope. Easter Sunday. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

If you want to follow the Holy Week closely, check out In the Agora. They are observing this Holy Week on their blog day-by-day. Here are the previous days blogs.

• Palm Sunday


• Holy Week Monday


• Holy Week Tuesday

Something to Look Forward To

I just got the chance to read Vince Antonucci's talk for the Exponential Conference. His seminar will be entitled, "The Idiot's Guide to Idiotic Church Planting." It's a homerun. Vince shares passionately about what church planters (and Christians as a whole) are called to be. He lays out a solid exegetical framework (big words) for the fact that we are called to be fools, idiots. He weaves his own personal stories in with media and sound advice to make one killer point. I don't want to spoil it for those who will be there, but don't miss it. You'll definitely be glad that you were there!

Changing How You View Love

Have you ever encountered a Bible verse and just moved through it without really thinking about it because you were so familiar with it. Then all of a sudden something grabs a hold of you and forces you to look at it with new eyes. Today that happened to me.

Matthew 5:43-48 took on a new image for me today. The great communication experts tell us that our brain locks concepts with images. That passage of Scripture has a new image in my brain. It looks like this now:

Not what you were expecting probably. But definitely life changing. May God cause you to love others in a completely scandalous way. May love be the natural overflow of your life. May those you encounter be changed by the gracious way in which you embrace them in love.

Want to know more about the art, check it out here.

Goals for 2008 (part one)

I'm not big on resolutions. They seem so over-played. No body really sticks to them, and by saying it was "just a resolution" it seems okay to dismiss the fact that you did not reach your objective. I say all that to say that I prefer goals. Definite, achievable goals.

Over the next few days, I want to share some of my goals for '08. I must confess, I'm pretty excited about this year. It will be one of the busiest, most stress-filled years of my life, but I am expecting God to do some pretty amazing stuff in the midst of it. So without further ado...

GOAL #1: Take the time each evening to have a serious conversation with my wife. Relationships are important and need to be cultivated. They do not grow through proximity, but rather through conversation and living life together. Furthermore, my wife's love-language is quality time.

GOAL #2: Read through the Bible. I read alot. I should read the Bible more. This year, I'm reading through the Bible in "The Message" translation. I figure I'll shake things up a bit by not reading a translation I am overly familiar with (particularly in the Old Testament). By the way, if you want to check a cool online resource to help you read through the Bible in a year, check out: youversion.com. It's really neat how they have put it together.