Please Pray...

This is the beginning of a crazy week for me. After lunch yesterday, LuAnn and the kids took off to visit family for a few days while the kids are out of school. If it weren't for the upcoming Spring Thing event this weekend, I'd be with them, but as it is, I'll be pulling together the last few things before students show up on Friday.

So naturally, I started out the week with an all nighter in our empty house watching Lord of the Rings with a couple of my students. One of them hadn't seen it yet, so we had to fix that right away! They both fell asleep sometime around 1:00 AM, just before Helm's Deep was occupied - so we finished this morning when I got home from a 6:30 prayer meeting. (Just a side note: "Mercy" is falling asleep at the youth minister's house while he's still awake - and being able to leave the next day with your eyebrows still intact! You guys can thank me later.)

The point of this post is actually to ask you to be praying for my preparation time this week. I'm pulling together thoughts that God has been bouncing my way for about 10 years into 4 messages, so there's way more content to pare down than a weekend's worth of attention span can handle. Distillation may not be my strongest attribute - I'd rather take a seed and extrapolate the potential branches. Please be praying that what is left when I'm done hacking away at the myriad of impulses etched on my gray matter would be only whatever God wants to use to penetrate the hearts of His people who gather this weekend.

With no family at home, and my weekly routine completely out the window, also pray that I'd stay focused enough to line up all the ducks - and relaxed enough to shoot them when the time comes. I'm not above losing large chunks of time to distraction, so I'd appreciate that not happening this week.

On a somewhat related note, I've been contacted twice in the last couple days regarding a request for an insurance quote for my '92 Volvo; they have my name and number right, but I've got no Volvo to insure. I'm hoping this is just a case of sloppy data entry, but just in case it's more of an ID theft issue, if you see me this week ask me for the super secret handshake just to make sure it's really me!

Thanks for your prayers.

Stop Procrastinating. Just Start.

A few months ago, my 4Runner died. I had gone into a store, and when I came out and turned the key, just a bunch of clicking... no life. It was pretty obvious that the starter was the problem, so we got it parked in the driveway with the intention of getting to work on it when it warmed up a bit. A few warm days came here and there, but still the 4Runner sat, pathetically mocking me every time I passed by.

You see, I had a problem on top of my car problem. I knew what the car problem was, and I knew roughly what needed to be done to fix it: Take bad starter out, put good starter in. So simple, right? But I've been dreading doing it for a few reasons.

1. I didn't know exactly where the starter on my old 4Runner was. I knew what it was supposed to do, and roughly where it should be, but not exactly where or the best way to reach it, so I knew I'd have to do a lot of hunting before being able to make any progress.
2. The engine compartment of my 4Runner is a mess. 20 years of small leaks and dusty places have added up to be a thick black layer of sludge covering basically everything. It's hard to tell where one part stops and another starts! (Plus, grimy, greasy hands... I have issues.)
3. I'd read several horror stories of other 4Runner owners taking of entire suspension packages just to be able to reach their starter, then discovering the starter wasn't actually the whole problem anyway. Maybe it was the wiring, or a relay somewhere. I didn't want to do a ton of work to find out the problem wasn't really what I thought it was.

So, the 4Runner sat until yesterday at lunch. I finally decided to stop putting it off and start digging in to the mess of parts and pieces by taking off the wheel. Once the wheel was off, I took off a guard panel inside the wheel well to open up some more space and get a clear(er) view of where the starter was supposed to be. As I began to peak in and poke around a little bit, I noticed something strange - a bolt just hanging from it's perch in the engine block. Surely that should be tightened to something!?

Turns out, it was one of two bolts that holds the starter in place! The starter was just laying there, not bolted in - I have no idea how that can even happen, but I guess after almost 180,000 miles, a two inch bolt CAN revolve enough to fall out! Fortunately, the bolt was still hanging there, so I lifted the starter a bit and wedged my hands into enough space to tighten the bolt.

After some extra juice via some jumper cables, it started right up. A project I'd been dreading because it seemed beyond the scope of my mechanical acumen (which is rather limited, I'm told) turned out to be easily remedied. I just had to dig in... I just had to START to find that out.

I wonder how often we miss simple solutions because we're afraid to start.

Is there a tough question you've been afraid to ask?

Is there a hard conversation you've been putting off?

A potential conflict you've been avoiding?

A big project you just aren't finding time for?

Get some help and START.

You just might find it's not as difficult as you thought (and even if it is, you'll be one step closer to resolution).

Watch Your Step

Found this link over at churchcreate. This place looks awesome... I need to visit Los Angeles again, soon. I'll probably have to take my brother if he sees this though!

Stop Motion Fun with Cans

Recently, we had a sweet Cloverton concert with Delusions of Pluto. The cost of admission was 3 cans of food, which are going to a local food pantry led by Panhandle Love In Action. As the pile of cans grew before the concert, I thought "It would have been cool to have set up a stop motion video of the counter as the cans were collected." Good thought... too late.

But, last Thursday morning, I stole my wife's camera, set it up on a tripod, and dumped out a box of cans to play. (Is it ever ok to play with someone else's food?) I've never done a stop motion video before... just thought it would be fun. It was. I learned a few things though:

• Fewer moving parts would have been a good idea!
• More pictures = better.
• Small movements make for less stop, more motion.
• Stop motion takes a lot of time.

It's fun to experiment, and just so I don't keep all the fun for myself, here is my first jerky jump into the stop motion world. Also debuting is the compositional skill of my soon to be 9 year old son, Dakota. He's been messing around with Pattern Music on my iPad and I used something he composed for some background music (based on his recent obsession with Phineas & Ferb). I'm much more impressed with the results of his technological experimentation than with my own!

Can We Go Out To Play? from Mike Andrews on Vimeo.

Guest Post: Young Thoughts About School (or Something)

Last night, Emily walked through the room while we were watching Waiting For Superman and it caught her attention enough that she stopped and watched. She just asked me to set her up a blog, so I'm going to compromise a little bit and let her do a post here about what she thinks of the movie and school in general:
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 My dad left the room so now I'm going to write what I want.  On Sunday night I went to a concert by Cloverton and Delusions of Pluto.  It was so cool!  My friend, Brielle, and I sat on the steps by the stage, right next to the speakers!  It was so loud!  We had a blast!

Oh-no!  Dad is back!  Ahh!  Bye!

 Emily

P.S I did like the movie.  You should watch it.  But don't tell my dad.

Back In the Market

A few years ago, I wrote a post which consisted of a quote from Erwin McManus' An Unstoppable Force (still one of the best books about leading a church that I've read), followed by a quick thought about the cost of the assumptions we make. I called the post Assumptive Language. The post has ended up being one of the top 3 most visited posts here on this blog. Why? Because of the title. It was entirely accidental, but I ended up using a phrase that was connected to something entirely different than my intentions: Sales.

In the sales world, assumptive language is the practice of speaking to your prospect as if the deal is already done, as if all obstacles will be managed. It's touted as a good closing strategy. (The quote I used in my post spoke of the way we speak to people as if they understand what we're talking about even when they don't.) The term "assumptive language" has been the number 1 search term that's brought people to my blog - even though my blog has nothing to do with sales. I'm not search engine savvy enough to know exactly why this is true, but at this point, I feel an apology is owed to the misled masses of used cars salesmen and realtors looking for a quick tip. Sorry.

Your industry had a bit of a chance for revenge this weekend however, as we are looking for a replacement for our oh so tired mini-van. 

At the first dealership we visited, I already found the perfect vehicle. LuAnn's not convinced, though, that you can replace the family Caravan with a 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 (which is #689 or something of about 1100 if anyone's interested). White with blue racing stripes, 6 speed manual transmission, 6.4L V8 cranking out more horsepower than any Caravan will ever dream of, (not to mention the sweet blue stitched leather interior)... This car had my name on it. Alas, the bank account with my name on it doesn't have $48,000 sitting around.

I really don't like shopping for vehicles. There were two lots we looked at and we actually were able to wander around unaccosted for quite a while. At 35, we still don't look like real buyers, I guess! That's part of one of my least favorite things about car buying:

• You either can't get help, or you can't get rid of help. I realize this is a no-win for the salesmen, too.
• The 'right car' is never the right price. Car loans are stupid. I hate that I may have to get one - should've saved more, should've got a better paying job, should've planned better, blah, blah, blah...
• Staying content in a culture that does everything it can to make me discontent so I'll spend more money.
• The unknown. We're not looking at new cars. Whatever we buy, it will be something that someone else deemed "not good enough to drive". Why wasn't it good enough? What gremlins are hiding underneath the hood?
• Assumptive language. When I sign, and my name's the only one on the title, then it's my car. Until then, let's not try manufacturing emotional attachments, ok...

So what are your least favorite aspects of buying a car?

5 Signs Your Creative Problem Solving Efforts Have Failed

Problems beg to be solved. Sometimes, the solution is obvious - other times... not so much. So we start thinking, imagining, tinkering. We get creative.

Unfortunately, there are days when creative solutions just flat out fail. Here's how to tell if your creative solution is probably going to fail (or already did).

1. The gathering crowd seems to sense impending doom as you implement your strategy.
2. The solution involves half a ton of dynamite and a consensus of city officials & the highway department.
3. Police are called in to cordon off a safe zone before you can act.
4. The problem is still there when you're done. Doh!
5. The problem is worse when you're done. Duh.

HT to Sheldon Shires for bringing this stunning bit of creative thinking to my attention.

Bonus Signs
If either of these phrases could possibly be uttered as a result of the implementation of your tactics:
     "Bits of whale rain across the beach."
     "Over a quarter mile away, a massive chunk of blubber has flattened the roof of a brand new Cadillac..."

3 Quick & Easy Strategies to Avoid What You Need To Be Doing

Image: Chris Orr via creationswap.com

I started this post yesterday while I should have been finishing off a paper that was due last night.
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I should be writing a paper right now. I planned to have it done two hours ago, but our staff meeting was canceled, so my afternoon just blew wide open. So, instead of sticking with that deadline, I've been organizing my inbox, reading some articles, returning messages and overdue library books, thinking about some Scripture passages... (I made the overdue library books part up, besides, if you wait until Wed. here you don't have to pay the late fee!) And now, I'm posting some thoughts about the avoidance strategies that I often employ to keep from doing the one thing I should be doing.

• Do something useful that's not really that useful. For example, it's always nice to have the children's books alphabetized and cordoned off into their appropriate sections. Who can stand it when the Golden Books get mixed in with the Kidz Lit Classics, right? So, instead of fixing that flat tire that has your wife stranded at home, you could tackle the munchkin section of your home library. At my house, that's a solid 4 hour project, minimum. And by the time it's done, it's too late to start something new...
• Distract the Tasker. Someone needs something from you. You know the request is coming. They're about to ask. So you speak up right before they say something and get them engaged in some other conversation with so many rabbit trails, they're hopelessly lost and forgot to ask before you send them on their way. Good work.
• Hide. Again, you know someone's coming. The boss finally remembered what he was going to ask you yesterday and you find out he's on his way. But what if you're not in when he gets there? What if... hang on, someone's coming...

Sometimes, when it really comes down to it, though... just do what needs done and get it over with.

Kota's Online Adventure

A couple days ago, I heard a sound from the kitchen (where the computer sits in our house) that seemed a little out of place. LuAnn and I were watching something in the living room, 3 of the kids were downstairs, and Kota was in the kitchen on the computer. He's always been the one the other kids go to for electronic assistance, so he's pretty proficient when it comes to finding his way from one online game site to another. He also knows how to find his way to other stuff, as well...

What I was hearing was certainly not the sound of a game. As I walked into the kitchen, I could plainly see that he wasn't playing anything - he just sat there staring, mesmerized by the dancing pixels on the monitor, mouth slightly open, eyes fixed and dilated (ok, maybe not dilated, but at least wide open). I could see the YouTube logo in the corner of the screen... "Uh-oh... what's he staring at... awkward conversation on the way... what did he stumble into..."

This:



He was impressed.

So am I.

We raise geeks at our house.

8 Reasons My Car May Be Duct Taped

Have you ever been driving around, minding your own business, when you pull up behind a car that makes you want to apologize to the nearest tree? You feel like your carbon footprint went from that cute little baby birth certificate kind, to molds of Sasquatch proportions just because you got too close. Ok - I've never felt that way either... just checking.

I do own a couple vehicles, though that would cause at least a little embarrassment for the vehicularly squeamish. I qualify for the Elite Lemon Membership level in the Junky Car Club (Yes that is a real club, check the link). Over 330,000 miles between our two family vehicles (one of which is currently sitting in the driveway waiting for a new starter). Not so sadly, the time for upgrading is upon us. I'll miss the duct tape. Yes, I said duct tape. Here are some potential reasons I may have duct tape on my car:

• I'm going for that NASCAR look. By the way, anyone else impressed with Trevor Bayne? Wow!
• It keeps the tail lights in. They just don't make those plastic clips like they used to.
• Better aero. It keeps the front end down in the corners. Seriously, the Caravan's rear end is so loose 3 rounds of wedge aren't enough to tighten up that backside.
• I like to bump draft. Who doesn't?
• It's cheaper than a new paint job at Maaco. Plus I have the flexibility of rearranging my stripes every once in a while - new tally mark for each squirrel I hit dodge. Dodge, I said dodge!
• It keeps my "custom windows" from flapping in the wind. The sound of that plastic sheeting when it's too loose is just so annoying.
• Some of my students thought it would be funny to "saran-wrap" my car with duct tape. They're just jealous 'cuz I can drive.
• I like to spell out messages to other motorists. "Honk if you want to bump draft."

So, imagine you roll up on a car with duct tape... Why is it there?

A Bluetooth Single

Since I have so many other, much more important things to procrastinate, I finally linked my phone (which is not an i anything) to my iMac via the bluetooth capabilities they both share. I think I can link it to my iPad as well, but that will have to wait for another day with even more urgent responsibilities. I don't really know anything about bluetooth aside from it being the condition that occurs after eating smurfs or blueberries. I don't get what that has to do with helping electronic devices communicate with each other, but whatever... I know that bluetooth will connect one device to another, I know that it will allow files to move between connected devices - but I don't really know why or how. 

I loaded some pictures and videos that I've taken on my phone and remembered how fun it was to watch this one:

 

That boy has wheels! I hope he learns to set his eyes on where he's going instead of where the ball went when he hit it, but man those legs move fast.

There's no lesson here, no moral imperative (unless you feel like digging one out)... just a gratuitous dad moment. The boys have their first wrestling tournament this weekend, so avert your eyes if you can't handle more...

Interrupting Mimes?

I got a phone call this morning to go help a friend tow a car. I left the office and got the car where it needed to go, but when we got done I decided to stop at home for lunch a little bit early rather than go back to work just to leave a few minutes later.  (Not like we're in a huge city where that's a big hassle, but still, early lunch sounded good.)

About 5 minutes after I got home, Lizzie decided to carry a geoboard (fancy name for a square block of wood with a pattern of finishing nails sticking up) into the living room. She tripped. She hit her face. She bled all over.

Instead of lunch, we took her to urgent care and got 3 stitches. That chin is really small for 3 stitches! She also knocked a recently capped tooth loose, so we get another trip to the dentist Monday. So thankful her face did not become a well measured graph of 1" squares though!

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As I was writing about this, my wife sent me a message to let me know the phone was not functioning, so I just got back from a quick trip home to force the battery into submission. It would have been much easier if we'd had industrial strength tweezers to pick at the tiny wiring harness! I guess the elves who made it thought it would be funny...

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Have you ever felt interrupted? You have everything (or at least some things) all mapped out and ready to go, but then something unexpected holds up your thought train like a gang of Old West mimes. You thought I was going to say bandits, didn't you? Desperados? Gunslingers? Nope. Mimes.

They're not exceptionally dangerous interruptions... just terribly inconvenient and awkward.

So do you let the mimes get through their schtick and then simply get back on course, or do you just run them over? 

(Bet they'd make some noise then!)

An Unwanted Visitor

I'm sitting in my office today, feeling a bit paranoid. I can't quit checking the floors, looking to see if anything's creeping around in the corners or behind the shelves... because, when I went out into the common area of our offices today, I found a little strand of slither laying beneath a chair - Pituophis catenifer sayi. If that's too cryptic, I'll translate: I found a freaking bullsnake in the office!

iPromise

So... for a long time, I've resisted. I've brushed aside what so many have hailed: ignored the call of the Cupertino sirens... and stuck with what I knew. I've remained faithful to the familiar. But today is Day 1 in what some would say is the next stage of my computing evolution and others would liken to partaking in forbidden computer fruit. I have, for the first time, plugged in and started up my iMac - which is technically WestWay's iMac procured at my request and curated on my desk. I use the word curate, because taking the computer out of it's slim little box and placing it upon my otherwise cluttered desk felt like installing a piece of art with it's hidden power lights and shiny little keyboard and 1 button mouse that functions like 2 buttons and a scroll wheel and a track pad all in one - the simplicity of the mac design.

But fear not, my ever faithful PC friends. I am maintaining dual citizenship for now. The rest of the office functions in a Windows world, so I will not be closing those portholes or portals any time soon. I promise I won't look down on your hard drive seizing, frozen drive crashing habits. I promise not to laugh at your keyboard crushing frustrations (at least not any more than usual). I promise to still help you when you can't remember how to cut-copy-and-paste your way to completion of tasks and even to assist in the recovery of those all important pictures lost in the latest round of today's trojan wars.

I promise to refrain from dropping ubiquitous i's in front of words that don't need them for any reason whatsoever and to be diligent to keep myself free from the stain of the apple arrogance. I promise to avoid assailing your ears with a constant stream of the kindergarten-esque "music" projects I concoct in the lab of my GarageBand just because it's there.

Day 1 has begun. I've set up e-mail, found the network printer, adjusted the sound (which is really good and probably annoying my oldies-loving neighbor), done a little browsing and now, posted this iblog! I look forward to learning the new language of applework, installing a bit of software, and making full use of the creatively productive pieces of this machine that are at the core of why I made the switch.

Get it? Core - - apple. Ha ha???

Sorry... I promise to still apologize for bad jokes too.

Problem? What Problem?

I have a problem.

Over my lunch break today, I decided to change the blade on my lawnmower.  I'm not one of those over-maintenancey guys who practically vacuums the lawn before I mow, so I routinely mow right over sticks, rocks, hidden toys... The blade was badly in need of being replace by something with much less chunks bitten out of it and much more actual blade. I haven't been cutting my grass lately, so much as I've been tearing it out in 20 inch swaths.

So I ignored the safety instructions about unplugging the spark plug, removing all the gas, and putting on a full suit of chain mail - I straddled the mower over two saw horses and did the job. You might be thinking this is where the problem comes in... it's not. Failure to capitulate to rubber room safety concerns may be a character flaw (or not), but it's not the problem I'm talking about.  Neither is ignoring rocks and sticks in the grass and putting neighborhood windows in peril. (And I'm really not heartless enough to mow over my kids' toys... usually.)

When I was finished, in the midst of putting everything away, I gathered up the packaging from the new blade to throw it away.  I threw my socket wrench back in the toolbox, along with the package of extra washers and spacers that I didn't need, put the mower and saw horses away, threw away the garbage... and this is where the problem is: I had to fight a very strong impulse to set aside the old mower blade.  I could hardly bring myself to throw it out. You never know when you might need an old mower blade, right?

Right?

Ok. Could somebody please tell me what possible use one could have for an old, rock-chinked mower blade?
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Just thought of something. Someday, I could could carve out a handle from those Christmas tree trunks I have laying around (two of them now), and make a sword! Excuse me now, I have to go retrieve something!

Resources from Catalyst West

For the last several weeks, my desk has been piled with stuff I brought back from Catalyst West. Some of the stuff was purchased, some were free books that I seem to never be able to pass up (why would anyone want to?!), and some other promo materials from vendors that were set up at the conference. Just thought I'd pass on some links to some of the resources, connections, causes, and ministries I brought back:

Clover - Fashioners of great websites for growing ministries.
TOMS Shoes - A shoe company that gives a pair of shoes away to someone in need for every pair they sell!
Invisible Children - A movement working in northern Uganda to rebuild life for child soldiers, who've been abducted and forced into the longest running military conflict in Africa.
Orange - Proponents of a strategy that fuses children's and youth ministry with the rest of the Body - ministry to families starts at home.
Orphan Sunday - Nov. 7, 2010 Echoing God's heart for the fatherless.
One Day's Wages - A giving movement intent on alleviating extreme poverty by donating a day's wage. These guys have done a great job leveraging social media to work on their mission.
Gift Card Giver - Distributing unused and leftover gift cards to people in need.
ISS - Stewardship solutions to resource God's vision for the local church.
The Last Letter - Committed to taking up the cross among the poor and lost - a passionate call to action for all of us.
Bethany Christian Services - Orphan care, adoption, and counseling through unplanned pregnancies.
X3Watch - Accountability Software/Tools for fighting internet porn.

Many of these deserve a lot more attention than one post could give all of them, so check the links and see what you find. Then come back and comment and let me know which ones are most exciting for you.

Lovin' the Consistency

I hope this isn't hitting the peak too early, but my adrenaline is going crazy today. Several last minute things to do before leaving with an awesome group to go to Catalyst has me running around a little bit! I'm feeling like I'm just about to step onto the pitch for a big game or something... One of the things to do (that I really didn't need to do yet) was to go pick up new registration tags for my 4runner.

So I drove ALL the way across the river to Gering - which as anyone local knows is an arduous task in itself. (Seriously, it took almost 10 minutes to drive all the way over there.) I got to the line at the DMV/county clerk to find big, bold announcements that they no longer have insurance information on file, so I would need the insurance card for the truck. I'd driven the van (meaning I didn't have the 4runner card with me, I had the caravan card).

Before she even asked, I explained to the nice lady behind the desk that the information is the same (same policy, same coverage, etc.) but she apologetically informed me that I needed the one for the vehicle that was being renewed. (I think she even teared up a little.) Not a big deal, I'm just killing time until leaving tonight for L.A. so I drove WAY back over to Scottsbluff to pick up the truck's insurance card, then turned around and drove ALL the way back across the river and railroad tracks.

I waited in line with the proper piece of paper proudly clutched in my right hand (even checked to make sure I didn't grab the outdated one that I should have thrown away 6 months ago!). I made it up to the desk where another very nice lady offered to assist me - I dutifully showed her the registration renewal card, handed her the check, she gave me the new registration and stickers... never even mentioned the insurance!


Gotta love consistency!

I wonder... what if I'd kept my mouth shut the first time!?

Looking Forward

Random thoughts looking forward to traveling to the Los Angeles area next week for Catalyst West Coast:

Scottsbluff to Irvine is a really long drive, especially in a church van!
     I wonder if a van full of our small group will smell as funky as the van full of the youth group...
     What's the over-under on LuAnn throwing up before we hit Utah?
     Breakfast at the Bellagio... are you serious?  Will their drive through even fit a 15 passenger van?

The time trapped in a rolling box will no doubt provide many moments to remember, but what I'm really looking forward to is seeing the fruit God produces in the coming years from the seeds planted at Catalyst. We have a very well rooted and high capacity group going that will be learning and growing together in a way that is unlike anything I've been a part of before. I can't wait to see what God does with us!

A Few of My Favorite Things of 2009

No raindrops on roses here, or even whiskers on kittens... but since the year is winding down, here are a few of my favorite new and not so new things from 2009:

Experiences:
Lucid -WestWay hosted the 2009 rendition of the Spring Thing youth rally this year. The rain was incessant, and the attendance was low - but One Time Blind was awesome and God was simply amazing. It was a great weekend of worship and being challenged to deeper faith. Here's a post with some after thoughts regarding the weekend.
Catalyst West Coast - Immediately following Lucid, I headed to the west coast for Catalyst with my good friends, Jimmy and Rodd. (No that's not a euphemism for a couple travelling goodies packed away in my suitcase, it's the two names of two guys that I drug to California in April.) Catalyst was a great experience from which I took away so much that I'll spare you a rehash here.  But check out my posts from late April to see what we were gleaning from a great rented Mustang ride, Andy Stanley, Perry Noble, Guy Kawasaki (and the rest of an incredible speaker lineup), as well as In-n-Out, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A induced euphoria.
The Coldwater Mission - This was the summer when I finally was able to pull together a group of students and adults to go on a mission trip to an unknown location with an unknown job to do.  We depended on God and got to see Him work in some exciting and wall-paper-scraping ways! Most of these posts from August revolve around Coldwater.

Books:
Sustainable Youth Ministry - A lot of youth ministry is not sustainable. It just can't keep going the way it's going. Youth ministers burn out, volunteers flame out, and students check out. This book will go a long way toward helping a church that wants to build a youth ministry with a larger view than the next big event. Any church looking for a youth minister needs to have the search team (or whoever is responsible for the selection) read and discuss this book early in the process.

Primal & Wild Goose Chase - Goose Chase is a challenging look at the Holy Spirit as the guiding force of our lives. We don't need to be in control as much as we need to be responsive. Primal digs into what is really at the essence of Christianity - and what is all too often deficient in our day to day living: loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, & strength. I really appreciate how Batterson pulls together so many different fields of interest in illuminating Scripture.

An Unstoppable Force - The first book by Erwin McManus I came across several years ago, I still think it's his best. I don't re-read very many books, but this one is one of my annual favorites. The church can (and should) be so much more than what most people (even many of those on the inside) think it is. I gave away my copy this year, but will definitely be buying another in 2010.

Tribes - This book was a freebie from Catalyst this spring. Glad I got it! Lots of great stuff about how a group of people can come together with leadership. I'm still not completely comfortable with calling someone my "tribe" but there is a lot of wisdom to be found here.

Jim & Casper Go to Church - Henderson and Casper let us in on a great experiment: church guy and atheist visit churches together all across the country and share perspectives/observations with each other. Lots of eye-opening stuff.

They Like Jesus, But not the Church - Kimball shares the stories of a generation who has grown very skeptical of the church, but still have a pretty high opinion of Jesus (even if it's based on an incomplete perception of him). Enlightening thoughts about some areas where we (the church) may not be reflecting Jesus as well as we think we are.

UnChristian - Completing the "take of the insider-blinders" trifecta, this book, based on solid research, shares what young people outside the church see when they look at the church. Perception is important, and younger generations are not perceiving the church in a very healthy light - we need to do better.

Crazy Love & Forgotten God - Are we really in love with Jesus? Does our faith make too much sense? Francis Chan opens his heart and shares a glimpse of what it looks like to really love Jesus in Crazy Love. Forgotten God focuses on the "third person" of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. Why is it that we don't seem to talk about Him near as much as the Father and the Son? Is He really just a "silent partner" in the Godhead? I don't think so, and Chan does a great job leading the reader into a deeper walk with the Holy Spirit.

Music:
new worship music - Steve Fee led a number of the sessions of worship at Catalyst West Coast with the Hillsong United crew leading a couple times. The passion with which these guys approach their craft sparked something within me that's been a little dormant for way too long. The church needs to continually create great art that is an expression of worship given to our Creator.

Websites/Tech:
NewSpring Community Church - After being so encouraged by their pastor in April, I began to dig into the website of this church in South Carolina. These guys are doing awesome stuff with technology and teamwork. Check out their services sometime (either live or archived).
Twitter - I'm usually way too wordy for only 140 characters, but decided to give this a shot earlier this year. It's a fun and interesting way to share thoughts. I've especially loved getting a peak into the everyday workings of some leaders I greatly respect. You'll find me as 6drews on twitter if you're dying to see if I can really say anything with such a restricted word count! One thought that twitter has brought to mind is that if I can't tweet a sermon (summarize it in 140 characters), the people I'm talking to probably don't know what I'm talking about either...
Friends Starting Blogs
Several friends have started blogging this year - some often, some not quite so often. I'm excited to see what will develop as my WestWay friends share what God is doing through this forum. I've gained a great deal from blogging and am praying they will too. Check the "Blogs of Local Friends and Family" area on the left side of this page to see what they're saying.  Feel free to castigate any of them who have not posted lately!

Family:
Mine is awesome! No additions this year, but Liz turned 3, Josiah is still hilarious, Dakota is the coolest 1st grader I know, and Emily is closer to the age I was when I got married than to the age she was when she started to walk! Their mom spent the year being incredible. She is definitely my favorite.

Things I Just Don't Get This Time of Year

Do you ever just step back and look at the way things are going around you and wonder why they're going that way?  I do.  And sometimes, like the end of every year, I just don't get it. Maybe someone can explain these things about the holidays to me...

-"The Sweater" - What is it about Christmas that makes people think it's appropriate to buy someone a shirt that looks like a pile of technicolor mohair vomit?

-Fruitcake

-Standing in line to buy stuff for people that don't really want it, who are also standing in line to buy stuff for you that you don't really want. What if we just spent that time doing something together for someone else who actually needs our help?

-Parents enduring untold stress to "protect" their children from finding out that Santa's not really a part of this whole thing we call reality. Santa's a fun character. Let him be fun, but ask yourself why are you working so hard to maintain a lie?

-"The Sweater Team Photo" - Sorry mom, we don't really want to look like the Partridge family in our matching mohair for the latest Christmas photo op.

-Adults fighting over toys in stores - and (the near tangent) parents desperately seeking "this year's Elmo". Seriously people, your child's Christmas will not be ruined if they don't get the poo-poo pet or PS720 or whatever else "the hot new thing" is supposed to be next year.

-Why no one ever does a Christmas play re-enacting the Revelation 12 account of Jesus' advent?  Really, go look it up. This whole Christmas thing isn't just about a baby in a manger and family time and presents and bowl games, it's about the winning salvo in a war much larger than we may imagine.

-Thinking that coercing someone into saying "Merry Christmas" is some kind of victory. We can't expect the world to tell our story. That's our job.

The baby in the manger came for a reason. He had a mission that he passed on to his followers, to be carried out until he comes again. Don't misplace your part in that mission among the tinsel and figgy-pudding.