I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow for the Holy Land – direct flight from LA to Tel Aviv. I’m totally packed, but still not feeling that ready to go. It’s hard to disconnect from the pattern and the pace of life. More than that, it’s a little scary as there are so many unknowns involved. I honestly don’t know what to expect from this trip. I’m just trying to remain open to whatever adventures comes our way.
I know that I should be excited and feel blessed to have this opportunity. I do feel that in spurts. But I also know that I’m feeling a little sad as I’m going to miss my beautiful wife and also the birth of our niece. On top of that, I have to admit that I also feel disoriented, nervous, and a little stressed. I know that I will be challenged. I trust that I will be inspired. I pray that we will all be safe. I hope that I will grow closer to God and my fellow travelers as we walk the land where the Bible happened.
If you’d like to follow our journey through Israel – check out the Calvary Israel Blog
I’ve been thinking over the past couple weeks about resolutions for 2009 and one of the things that keeps coming back to me is to have an adventurous spirit. Sure, there are the usual things like lose weight, learn to play the guitar, etc. But a reoccurring desire that seems to be at the front of my mind is the idea of being truly adventurous. Be willing to take risks. Do things that I’ve never done before. Step out of my comfort zone.
Last weekend, we went to a wedding reception at a Chinese seafood restaurant. It was really incredible with a full 10 course meal. About 8 of the courses scared me. Several of the dishes still had eyes on them. Yet, I tried them all including the shark fin soup with crab.
Today, I’m leaving for Las Vegas to a WordPress conference. No, it’s not for my little corner of the blog world, it’s for work and what we’re hoping to do with Calvary’s website this year. While there, I hope that I can have the courage to meet new people and learn new things.
I may have the opportunity to go to Israel this spring. I hope that if I can find the money to go (I’ll gladly except gifts or donations of any sort…) I want to have the guts while there to do once-in-a-lifetime kinds of things.
I’ve been doing a lot more reading lately than normal. Both the Bible and some amazing books on topics of prayer, the Holy Spirit and more. These books have been challenging my faith and stretching my ideas. I think reading thought provoking books fits well with my resolutions for the new year.
I feel like there will be many chances in the coming months to have an adventurous spirit and find the extra in the ordinary. I hope I have the courage to step into those moments and opportunities boldly.
I went this afternoon to put something in the shared fridge at Calvary we have in the video studio. It’s just a little black mini fridge. The odor that emanated from it was anything but mini.
I foolishly decided to figure out what in the fridge was giving off the stench. I pulled out the first, and most obvious, cause – a thing of hummus dip. It was about a month past its expiration and had a slight odor. I then went to the gorgonzola, walnut salad – a slightly stronger smell and equally past its prime sell-by date. The string cheese on the middle shelf expired back in October, but it didn’t smell due to the air tight packaging.
The real culprit I could now tell was on the bottom, on a shelf long ignored and forgotten. I picked up the small bottle of Naked Apple Juice,which expired in September, and even through its packaging could smell a funk slowly seeping through. The last item left in the fridge was an innocuous looking plastic bag. It was wrapped up around a block of some sort. I unwrapped the bag, opened it and almost died. There were slices of muenster cheese that had gone completely rancid. It was now a fuzzy black and white cheese that made my eyes instantly water and the entire room quickly filled with it’s essence. It was the kind of monstrous smell that knocks you backwards, collapses your lungs and gives you hallucinogenic visions. Seriously, it was that bad.
So, lessons learned…. First of all, the people I work with like some already stinky food. When it’s allowed to go months past its expiration date, it just becomes even stinkier. The other thing this made me think of is sin. It seems enticing at first. We let it into our fridge/hearts because we think we’ll like it. But, we let it fester and rot unchecked. Days, weeks, even months go by and we finally examine our lives only to find that it’s odor has escaped into every bit of our lives. It’s contaminated everything. The only thing we can do at that point is clean it all out and start fresh. I love David’s words in Psalm 57.
Purify me from my sins,and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
Filed under: Ordinary Life | Tags: Calvary, faith, Family, friends, Leslie, life
This past Sunday in my LifeGroup, we were discussing chapter 2 of Henri Nouwen’s book “Here and Now” on the topic of joy, especially in the midst of sorrow. It was such a perfect topic for my own life and many in our group. It was also really meaningful with Thanksgiving being this week. I’m so thankful for this group of fellow believers. In the short time we’ve been meeting together, I can feel God at work and can’t wait to see what growth comes from our time spent studying and praying together.
This week at Calvary, we decided to create a little twist to the traditional thanksgiving testimony service we have each year. We had people share a passage of scripture they were thankful for and how that verse has impacted their life. It was incredible this morning to hear the common thread of hope from God’s word woven into the trials and challenges of so many people’s lives. From miraculous healing and God’s faithful provision to conquered addictions and restored relationships – I find myself just thankful that I get to work at a church where God is still moving and lives are being changed.
I feel like for Lesie and I, the past year has been a lot of waiting on God to come through. There’s been a lot of trust, and as we’ve found blessings along the path – there have been just as many trials that have stretched our faith and in turn drawn us closer to each other and to the Lord. I am extraordinarily thankful for my beautiful wife and the fact that I get to share my life with her.
Finally, here’s a pretty obscure passage I found when I was prepping for the LifeGroup time last Sunday. I’m thankful for the promises and hope we find in His word.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Even when times are hard and there aren’t many signs of good times ahead, we can choose to give thanks and rejoice because of who God is. He provides the firm foundation we need to stand on and He gives us the strength we need to make it.
I hope you can find much to be joyful about this Thanksgiving.
It’s mid November and it feels like the hottest it’s been all year. The heat has helped fuel the devastating fires that have ripped through Southern California. Over the weekend, the ominous smoke was so high and so thick – it blanketed the sky and blocked out the sun. Even today, with the constant, lingering smell of smoke and fluttering remnants of ash littering the ground, there is a constant reminder that the fire is still raging.
Then, I found out yesterday that this week was scheduled for a major air conditioning repair in Calvary’s Worship Center. Normally, mid November would be a perfectly planned time to pull off this type of repair. With the unusual heat, the fact that there will be zero chilled water available to cool the offices during the day has greatly raised my appreciation for the modern-day wonder of AC. This is because, while I am blessed to have a great office with a big window – that window faces South and by 10:30 this morning my office was unbearable. I wound up working from home in the afternoon.
Tonight, Leslie and I headed to the gym around 8pm. It’s usually not crowded this time of night. With all of the heat and smoke still in the air, many people who may normally be out jogging were all in the gym. It was packed with people trying to stay out of the heat and protect their lungs from the smoke.
All of this got me thinking about Hell. Luke 16:19-31 gives us a little insight into what the life after this will hold and how the decisions we make now affect our eternity. In the Bible, Hell is described as a place of darkness, fire, separation and torment. The good news is God has offered a way to stay out of the heat. It’s not through the relief of air conditioning, it’s not through the shift of an off-shore breeze, it’s not even through the courageous efforts of fire fighters. It is through believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, making Him the Lord of our life, that our sins are forgiven and our relationship with God is restored. I am so thankful that God has provided us such an accessible escape route.
Filed under: Finding God in the Ordinary | Tags: basketball, biola, Calvary, church, faith, Family, friends, Leslie, life, politics, prayer, work
Life is happening so fast. I’m struggling to keep up. This should really be seven different posts, but I want to catalog all my thoughts from this week in one place.
Sunday – Struggled as two of my main tech guys were late for sound check. Struggled as a couple of important media elements had to be adjusted at the last second before the first service started. Jumped in to help serve communion after an amazing message by Brent Dedmon during second service. Got to celebrate my brother’s birthday over a great lunch that afternoon.
Monday – Did devotionals for a group at Calvary called God’s Housecare. They are a group of retired guys who get together each week and help clean the Worship Center. After cleaning they gather around coffee and donuts and hear from one of the pastors on staff. I talked about the sovereignty of God in light of the then upcoming elections. It was fun getting into of God and politics with guys older than my dad. They were surprisingly balanced and wise.
Tuesday – Heard from Dr. JP Moreland and Dr Klaus Issler from Talbot School of Theology. They met with Calvary’s pastors and directors to talk about things like modern-day miracles, gifts of the Spirit, prophetic words, the voice of God, demonic activity, spiritual warfare and the power of prayer. How do we avoid the trap of having a rational, limited and contained view of God that fits so neatly within our modern, Western, linear worldview, and instead carry out a faith as “empowered evangelicals” willing to take risks and be open to how God is moving in miraculous ways not just around the world – but also within our own church? Followed that faith-stirring time on a completely different note with an amazing time of Pizza, Wii and Rock Band with the whole staff. Made it home in time for my friend Marty the plumber to fix my leaking toilet. He’s a really good guy. Then, watched history unfold that evening as the results of the election were announced.
Wednesday – Packed up our stuff so our home could be tented for termites. It was strange to wrap up our food in plastic, hand over our keys to strangers, and trust that everything would be okay while they killed the bugs lurking in our walls. Had a really long day at work, full of meetings. But, it was fun to celebrate my good friend Tammy’s birthday with my communications staff during our regular Wednesday meeting. Leslie and I were able to check in to a brand new hotel that night, Worldmark by Wyndham in Anaheim. It’s a timeshare resort that my dad has points for. It’s only been open for a week. Strange to feel like a tourist in your own backyard.
Thursday – Took advantage of hotel living and used the fitness room in the morning. Had the place all to myself for the most part. Had a great time later that night with my sister and parents at Cheesecake Factory, which was right across the street from the hotel. They have a new pumpkin cheesecake – good thing I had worked out that morning.
Friday – Checked out of the hotel and went with Leslie for a surgery she needed to have done. The surgery went well, but as she woke up from the anesthesia she was hit with a massive migraine. Was able to get her home just in time for the gas guy to come by and reconnect our gas. He was able to fix a leak in our furnace and discovered a problem with the ventilation of our dryer that I was able to fix on my own. Two hugely dangerous problems solved. Got to head out that night with my friend Michael to Westwood to watch some hoops with our alma mater, the BIOLA Eagles, take on the Bruins of UCLA. We lost by about 30, but it was still fun to see Biola represent at Pauley Pavillion.
Saturday - Was woken up by a ringing telephone – that’s almost never a good thing. Leslie’s mom was in the emergency room. Turns out she had three heart attacks this week because of a clogged artery, but didn’t realize they were heart attacks. On our way to the hospital in Whittier I was pulled over for speeding and despite the plea of a medical emergency – the officer still took about five minutes and still gave me a ticket. I’m still not over that. Leslie’s mom seems to be doing better now with a couple stints inserted. They’re keeping her there for a couple nights to monitor everything.
That’s the week that was. It feels like with every blessing, comes a trial. It feels like the closer I am to God, the harder life gets. Or, is it the other way around? I can’t tell. I know that He is at work in both the seemingly ordinary and in the obviously extraordinary moments of life. I’ll keep believing and trusting and praising Him through it all. And even as I feel like I’m constantly falling short, I know that God is constantly lifting me up. Life is happening so fast. I hope I can keep up.
Filed under: Ordinary Life | Tags: blogs, Calvary, creativity, design, friends
A blog carries with it a sense of personal branding. It’s like you’re saying, “this is a part of who I am, what I’m about, what I represent, and what I’m interested in sharing with everyone else.” It’s a piece of how you present yourself as a brand to whomever happens to stumble upon it. The design you choose can speak just as much about who you are as the words you write.
One of my fellow pastors at Calvary, Ryan Guard, has a great blog. He just needed a good graphic that tied in a little bit to his personality. A couple weeks ago when he made the switch to using WordPress, he sent out a plea for help for a better graphic look. I thought I’d hook him up with some simple jpeg goodness. This was the first idea that popped in my head and fortunately Ryan liked it, too. What do you think?
I wish I could get the same inspiration to make up a custom graphic for my own blog. But, I’ve got nothing. So, I’ll just stick with the cool rocks and water for now. Maybe someday creativity will strike and I can be a little more intentional about my own personal branding…
Our talented graphic designer at Calvary, Anna Gold, put this little invite together for an upcoming Office Party. I like that we’re able to have fun together as a staff. I think it’s so important for unity and morale and creativity and energy and so many other intangibles. We’ve been doing some sort of all-staff activity, both on and off campus, every other month or so for about the last year. I’ve seen how much it really does bring everyone together, across age and gender and even department lines.
Do you do anything similar at your work or in your church? Or, are we just crazy? Or, are you jealous because our work is funner than your work? Or, do you think it’s just a big waste of time?
Filed under: Ordinary Life | Tags: Calvary, church, communications, creativity, friends, work, worship
Once a month, a bunch of us from Calvary get together off campus to brainstorm what we’re going to do each Sunday for our alternative worship service called Elevation. We’ve been doing this for almost 3 years now.
We just had our most recent meeting on Thursday, where we covered the rest of our current series on Nehemiah, and our Christmas series on Luke 2:21-38 called “Heaven Came Down.” I’m really excited about how our Nehemiah series is coming together and I’m equally looking forward to the unique take on Christmas, focusing on the characters of Simeon and Anna.
These meetings are always a good mixture of spiritual insight, creative juices and just plain fun. I felt extra sarcastic for some reason on Thursday, but I really do love these times and especially all these people pictured below.
After lunch, we began looking way ahead to 2009 and a series we’re going to do on the parables of Jesus. As a creative and fun experience, my communication team and I led everyone on a sheep hunt where we reenacted the parable of the lost sheep. It was over way too quick and it was mostly just a silly excuse to get everyone outside for a group photo.
The only downside of the meeting is I think someone was there who made me sick. I started feeling bad that afternoon and it’s only gotten worse. Here’s hoping I can make it through the weekend. I can’t afford to be out of commission.
A couple weeks ago I got a phone call from my wife’s boss. My wife Leslie is the head cashier in the accounting department at Biola University. She was nominated to receive an award from Biola called the Values Award, which is a program at Biola where employees can recognize their peers “who have demonstrated excellence in the workplace, modeling love, respect, integrity, diligence, creativity and awe of God.”
This afternoon, I drove up to Biola and snuck into the back of the staff chapel time to see Leslie receive her award. It’s great to see that other recognize the same characteristics in her that I do: kindness, gentleness, sweetness, love, dependability, humility and grace. In her dealings with sometimes under-informed students and overly-emotional parents, I think she tries to give them the benefit of the doubt and an extra measure of patience as they work toward resolving the issue at hand.
It was also great to see Biola’s president, Dr. Corey, personally thank Leslie for her hard work and dedication. It reminded me of last week at Calvary’s pastor retreat. Much of our time together as a group was spent speaking uplifting words of encouragement, pointing out the strengths we see in each other. These types of moments, where we receive honor, esteem and blessings from both our peers and our bosses, can be the fuel that carries us through some of our harder or lower moments in life. Take the time to encourage those in your circle of influence. It may mean more to them than you could possibly imagine.
