I've been listening to this song the last few days. I love the way that the words of Jesus are paraphrased. This part, "The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing; invade my heart; invade this broken town" may stick with me for some time.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!
Your Love is Strong
by Jon Foreman
Heavenly Father
you always amaze me
let your kingdom come in my world
and in my life
give me the food I need
to live through today
forgive me as I forgive
the people that wrong me
lead me far from temptation
deliver me from the evil one
I look out the window
the birds are composing
not a note is out of tune
or out of place
I walk to the meadow
and stare at the flowers
better dressed than any girl
on her wedding day
So why should I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need.
You know what I need!
Your love is strong
The kingdom of the heavens
is now advancing
invade my heart
invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
is buried treasure
would you sell yourself
to buy the one you've found
Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
25 Random Things about me
OK, my best friend from when I was a kid sent me this, and I normally don't do these things, but things are slow today so I thought, why not. However, I refuse to send it on because I am generally a kill-joy ... so my random number of people will be zero. :)
(Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose a random number of people to be tagged . You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.)
1. The scariest moment of my life was when my daughter Esther slipped while going down steps on the side of a cliff in Thailand. She was 4 and I had just told her to hold the railing. I was holding Micah who was two when Esther tripped, fell, and caught herself with one hand on the railing. She was hanging by one hand over about a 20 foot drop. We kept this moment to ourselves ... didn't want anyone back home to worry about us. :)
2. I am a 'routine' person. I am lost if what I expected for the day doesn't happen. I'm not necessarily a planner ... just a creature of habit.
3. My fondest memories as a child are of long road-trips to Phoenix to visit my relatives.
4. I use to play in a handbell choir when I was a kid ... and I was pretty good at it. I hadn't thought about that in years until I saw one playing at Crown Center last weekend.
5. Our pipes froze Sunday morning, but luckily there was no damage. I went to turn on the kitchen faucet and no cold water came out. We took a hair dryer down to the basement to defrost the pipes which evidently were not frozen solid because water started flowing in a minute or so.
6. My kids are geniuses. :) Esther is amazing at math and reading. She has yet to learn division at school. She asked me about it and I told her it was the opposite of multiplication. She looked at me and said 'so that means 100 divided by 10 would be 10, right?'. Micah is incredibly creative. He's writing and illustrating stories in first grade. His drawings are great and his stories actually have a plot with a resolution. Luke is smart enough at age 2 that when we disagree on whether he can keep his light on in his room at bedtime, he politely tells me to leave the room and close the door, then proceeds to turn the light on himself. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such cool kids!!
7. The sweetest thing my wife ever said to me was 'It's OK'. We had been in China less than 6 months and were being asked to leave our city due to visa problems. We had not had a stable home in almost a year - 1 month packing up, 2 months in Virginia, 1 month in Thailand, and 5 months in China. Finally, we were just starting to have a home again and it looked like we'd have to leave ... and leave in a hurry. I told her the news wondering how she would respond and she told me 'It's OK'. Coolest thing ever. (BTW, yelling in broken Chinese at an immigration officer does not help you get a visa! )
8. I struggle being compassionate. When someone tells me something about life not going well, my initial reaction is to say 'buck up, that's life, get over it, move on, and be happy'. I'm working on this one. :)
9. My favorite author is Dallas Willard. No one has put more thought into the workings of the kingdom of God. His writings are brilliant. My second favorite author may be John Ortberg, who basically just translates Dallas Willard's writings into readable texts.
10. I am always right, or at least think I am. (It's taken a lot of progress to add that second part.)
11. I believe that internet pornography is a silent killer that is completely ruining the sex life of most married couples. There are way too many Christian couples who wouldn't describe their sex life as 'excellent'. It just shouldn't be that way.
12. My favorite speaker is Erwin McManus. That guy can tell a good story. His books are OK, but you need to hear him speak.
13. I am lazy. I constantly struggle with doing the minimum amount necessary to make myself look good (and sometimes not even that). 'Above and Beyond' is not in my vocabulary.
14. I am astounded by the fact that time is relative ... Einstein was one smart cookie. I like to think about things that make my head spin.
15. I still think of my friends in China all the time. If I pray for Zaozhuang too long, I will begin to cry.
16. I am a cryer ... but try to hide it. Seriously ... I can tear up watching the NCAA tournament.
17. I sometimes wonder if the American church is set up exactly backwards. Shouldn't the paid 'experts' spend most of their time leading the leaders of the church, and then the leaders spend most of their time leading the attenders, and the attenders spend most of their time leading the non-attenders. It seems like in most churches the paid 'experts' try to lead the attenders and non-attenders. The leaders then don't have anyone to lead and at the same time aren't being led by anyone. This is why people can go to church for 50 years and be no more like Christ than when they started. It's tragic.
18. I think Frank Martin is a good coach for K-State. He gets a bad rap because he is unproven, but the kids play hard and love him. He has yet to have a junior/senior led team and that is when teams are good. Just watch, KU will lose some wild ones this year because they are young.
19. I will love watching KU fans stress out this year because their almighty basketball team loses more than 5 games. I absolutely loved the loss to UMass, particularly because it was partially due to a Bill Self technical foul.
20. The 2003 K-State football win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship was the best sporting event I have ever attended. Something about watching overconfident Sooner fans watching the 'best team in history' get destroyed.
21. The 1998 K-State football loss in the Big 12 championship was the worst sporting event I've attended ever. I seriously, was emotionally depressed for weeks. We had the national championship in our grasp!!
22. The knowledge based seminaries for training pastors in the States disturb me greatly. We have church leaders graduating from Seminary that can do expositional preaching on all kinds of passages of the Bible but have never led anyone to life in Christ. Contrast that to the Chinese house church leaders some of whom can barely read and are drastically impacting their culture for good.
23. If I ever take a job in Marketing or Accounting, shoot me.
24. I am really pumped and a little bit nervous about leading a trip to India in October.
25. I think everyone should go and live in another culture for more than a year. It makes you realize how much of the way you view things was determined by your culture. We think we are independent thinkers ... but we are not.
(Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose a random number of people to be tagged . You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.)
1. The scariest moment of my life was when my daughter Esther slipped while going down steps on the side of a cliff in Thailand. She was 4 and I had just told her to hold the railing. I was holding Micah who was two when Esther tripped, fell, and caught herself with one hand on the railing. She was hanging by one hand over about a 20 foot drop. We kept this moment to ourselves ... didn't want anyone back home to worry about us. :)
2. I am a 'routine' person. I am lost if what I expected for the day doesn't happen. I'm not necessarily a planner ... just a creature of habit.
3. My fondest memories as a child are of long road-trips to Phoenix to visit my relatives.
4. I use to play in a handbell choir when I was a kid ... and I was pretty good at it. I hadn't thought about that in years until I saw one playing at Crown Center last weekend.
5. Our pipes froze Sunday morning, but luckily there was no damage. I went to turn on the kitchen faucet and no cold water came out. We took a hair dryer down to the basement to defrost the pipes which evidently were not frozen solid because water started flowing in a minute or so.
6. My kids are geniuses. :) Esther is amazing at math and reading. She has yet to learn division at school. She asked me about it and I told her it was the opposite of multiplication. She looked at me and said 'so that means 100 divided by 10 would be 10, right?'. Micah is incredibly creative. He's writing and illustrating stories in first grade. His drawings are great and his stories actually have a plot with a resolution. Luke is smart enough at age 2 that when we disagree on whether he can keep his light on in his room at bedtime, he politely tells me to leave the room and close the door, then proceeds to turn the light on himself. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such cool kids!!
7. The sweetest thing my wife ever said to me was 'It's OK'. We had been in China less than 6 months and were being asked to leave our city due to visa problems. We had not had a stable home in almost a year - 1 month packing up, 2 months in Virginia, 1 month in Thailand, and 5 months in China. Finally, we were just starting to have a home again and it looked like we'd have to leave ... and leave in a hurry. I told her the news wondering how she would respond and she told me 'It's OK'. Coolest thing ever. (BTW, yelling in broken Chinese at an immigration officer does not help you get a visa! )
8. I struggle being compassionate. When someone tells me something about life not going well, my initial reaction is to say 'buck up, that's life, get over it, move on, and be happy'. I'm working on this one. :)
9. My favorite author is Dallas Willard. No one has put more thought into the workings of the kingdom of God. His writings are brilliant. My second favorite author may be John Ortberg, who basically just translates Dallas Willard's writings into readable texts.
10. I am always right, or at least think I am. (It's taken a lot of progress to add that second part.)
11. I believe that internet pornography is a silent killer that is completely ruining the sex life of most married couples. There are way too many Christian couples who wouldn't describe their sex life as 'excellent'. It just shouldn't be that way.
12. My favorite speaker is Erwin McManus. That guy can tell a good story. His books are OK, but you need to hear him speak.
13. I am lazy. I constantly struggle with doing the minimum amount necessary to make myself look good (and sometimes not even that). 'Above and Beyond' is not in my vocabulary.
14. I am astounded by the fact that time is relative ... Einstein was one smart cookie. I like to think about things that make my head spin.
15. I still think of my friends in China all the time. If I pray for Zaozhuang too long, I will begin to cry.
16. I am a cryer ... but try to hide it. Seriously ... I can tear up watching the NCAA tournament.
17. I sometimes wonder if the American church is set up exactly backwards. Shouldn't the paid 'experts' spend most of their time leading the leaders of the church, and then the leaders spend most of their time leading the attenders, and the attenders spend most of their time leading the non-attenders. It seems like in most churches the paid 'experts' try to lead the attenders and non-attenders. The leaders then don't have anyone to lead and at the same time aren't being led by anyone. This is why people can go to church for 50 years and be no more like Christ than when they started. It's tragic.
18. I think Frank Martin is a good coach for K-State. He gets a bad rap because he is unproven, but the kids play hard and love him. He has yet to have a junior/senior led team and that is when teams are good. Just watch, KU will lose some wild ones this year because they are young.
19. I will love watching KU fans stress out this year because their almighty basketball team loses more than 5 games. I absolutely loved the loss to UMass, particularly because it was partially due to a Bill Self technical foul.
20. The 2003 K-State football win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship was the best sporting event I have ever attended. Something about watching overconfident Sooner fans watching the 'best team in history' get destroyed.
21. The 1998 K-State football loss in the Big 12 championship was the worst sporting event I've attended ever. I seriously, was emotionally depressed for weeks. We had the national championship in our grasp!!
22. The knowledge based seminaries for training pastors in the States disturb me greatly. We have church leaders graduating from Seminary that can do expositional preaching on all kinds of passages of the Bible but have never led anyone to life in Christ. Contrast that to the Chinese house church leaders some of whom can barely read and are drastically impacting their culture for good.
23. If I ever take a job in Marketing or Accounting, shoot me.
24. I am really pumped and a little bit nervous about leading a trip to India in October.
25. I think everyone should go and live in another culture for more than a year. It makes you realize how much of the way you view things was determined by your culture. We think we are independent thinkers ... but we are not.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Leadership Laws
My MBA class ended a week or so ago and so I've finally had some time to think. One of the things I've been thinking about is what my 'leadership laws' should be. When given the privilege of leading other people what guidelines should I cling to? This is still a work in process, but here's what I've come up with so far.
1. Keep it Simple.
All of the great leaders I've been around have this gift. They can boil their vision down to one simple idea or sentence. They can summarize their key priorities in 3-5 bullet points. Jesus said 'love God, love people' and told stories that my 9 year old can understand. Rick Warren summarized his church philosophy in five points. Sprint's new CEO had 2 main objectives for the year. My church's purpose is simple "reach people for Christ and grow believers to be like him". Obama's vision was simplified down to one word, 'change'. I need help with this one! My leadership usually has 50 points with sub bullets under each one! :)
2. Identify and Address Problems. (Don't be a solution looking for a problem.)
The local church is often terrible at this!! Instead of focusing on and measuring progress against a problem (poverty, lack of knowledge of Jesus, lack of belief, lack of purpose) we focus on and measure our local church itself (our solution). Success then is measured by how many people attend our church rather than the impact on the community. We would do well to take Paul's advice "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Cor 10:12) The church is not unique here, but it was the clearest example I could think of.
3. Do Something Different
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got." It is amazing how many times we don't do anything different and expect different results. We say we will just try harder. Trying harder usually doesn't work. No one sets out to fail at a task. People generally don't fail because they didn't try; they fail because they did something wrong. Leaders need to figure out what was wrong, and do something about it!
4. Build Trust
Carl Peterson ... probably don't need to say more than that for KC Chiefs fans. When leading, I always want to assume the best in people, and explain my thought processes. These two things build trust. Carl rarely assumed the best in people (see Jared Allen) and he rarely explained what he was thinking. Instead he talked around everything with blatant arrogance that let everyone know he knew more than they did. I've found that most people will follow you and accept a decision they disagree with if they just get a transparent view into why you made the decision. Carl's approach had people in my office literally cheering when he was fired.
In following principle 1, I guess that's all the rules I should have. Like I said earlier, these are a work in progress ... but I think I'm getting close.
1. Keep it Simple.
All of the great leaders I've been around have this gift. They can boil their vision down to one simple idea or sentence. They can summarize their key priorities in 3-5 bullet points. Jesus said 'love God, love people' and told stories that my 9 year old can understand. Rick Warren summarized his church philosophy in five points. Sprint's new CEO had 2 main objectives for the year. My church's purpose is simple "reach people for Christ and grow believers to be like him". Obama's vision was simplified down to one word, 'change'. I need help with this one! My leadership usually has 50 points with sub bullets under each one! :)
2. Identify and Address Problems. (Don't be a solution looking for a problem.)
The local church is often terrible at this!! Instead of focusing on and measuring progress against a problem (poverty, lack of knowledge of Jesus, lack of belief, lack of purpose) we focus on and measure our local church itself (our solution). Success then is measured by how many people attend our church rather than the impact on the community. We would do well to take Paul's advice "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Cor 10:12) The church is not unique here, but it was the clearest example I could think of.
3. Do Something Different
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got." It is amazing how many times we don't do anything different and expect different results. We say we will just try harder. Trying harder usually doesn't work. No one sets out to fail at a task. People generally don't fail because they didn't try; they fail because they did something wrong. Leaders need to figure out what was wrong, and do something about it!
4. Build Trust
Carl Peterson ... probably don't need to say more than that for KC Chiefs fans. When leading, I always want to assume the best in people, and explain my thought processes. These two things build trust. Carl rarely assumed the best in people (see Jared Allen) and he rarely explained what he was thinking. Instead he talked around everything with blatant arrogance that let everyone know he knew more than they did. I've found that most people will follow you and accept a decision they disagree with if they just get a transparent view into why you made the decision. Carl's approach had people in my office literally cheering when he was fired.
In following principle 1, I guess that's all the rules I should have. Like I said earlier, these are a work in progress ... but I think I'm getting close.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Do something ... really!
I was reading my favorite scripture this morning, John 15. It is my favorite because it makes following Jesus simple.
Things I love about this passage:
Things I love about this passage:
- vs 8: we glorify God by being fruitful. 'Glorifying God' as best I can tell is the single reason we exist, and this tells us how to do it! In one sentence!
- If we abide in Jesus, we are guaranteed to be fruitful ... there is no other outcome. What a cool promise!
- If we don't abide in Jesus, we are guaranteed to not be fruitful. There are no shortcuts.
- If abiding in Christ results in bearing fruit, and being fruitful results in glorifying God, then if I abide in Christ, I automatically glorify God!!
- Abiding in Christ sounds wishy washy ... so Jesus tells us how to do that: Follow my commands.
- The commands give us concrete direction of things to do or not do that will result in us abiding in Jesus. The commands are not our God, Jesus is! Christians really screw this up sometimes. This reminds us to not confuse the goal 'Abiding in Jesus' with the means 'following his commands'.
- 'Following commands' implies action. I can not follow Jesus by trying to be more loving, or trying to be kinder, or trying to be more patient. I must actually change the way I act.
So, to summarize:
Actions (Disciplines) ---> Abiding in Christ ---> Bearing Fruit ---> Glorifying God
So I have to ask myself this week, what actions will I take to move toward who Jesus wants me to be. Here are a couple simple things I'm doing this week:
- I have been busy and tired lately. This results in the 2 hours of kid time I have a day (6:30pm to 8:30pm) to consist of me watching tv or working on homework while they crawl, hit, pinch, or otherwise annoy me. Tonight this changes. Tonight those hours are for me to invest in my kids. I think we're going to play Buzz Lightyear on the computer, and they are excited!!
- I have been busy and tired lately. This results in very little time reflecting and praying. Today, I got up and went straight downstairs to spend time with God. No shower, no teeth brushing, no breakfast ... but I don' think He minded. At least 2 times a week I will wake up and go directly to time with God. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
- I have been busy and tired lately. (There is a theme here!) One source of comfort for me is the wonderful elixir named Mountain Dew. I love a Mountain Dew in the afternoon! However, I have a long standing principle to take care of my body by only drinking one serving of pop per day. Needless to say, I have not been following this very well. It's time to get back to that.
So these are my actions for the week, concrete things I can do differently to obey the commands of Christ which will result in a more effective life, and ultimately in glory to God. If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got. What will you do differently this week?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Reasons to like an Obama Presidency
I voted for McCain. My views simply lined up with his views better than with Obama's. But that being said, there are several things I'm looking forward to with an Obama Presidency so I thought I'd list them here. The cool thing about America is we just had a historic, power-changing election and the next day there were no riots, no violence, and everyone goes back to work. I love this country!!
Reason #1
We immediately regain the world's respect and admiration. I don't think most people realize what a hit our reputation has taken around the world and how much that affects us here. Only in America is Obama's story possible. The world recognizes this and at the core this is what they admire about America. America is exceptional in it's culture of freedom and opportunity! Too often lately, we have been leading by force rather than by example. I'm excited to be in a country that is a positive example to the world!
Reason #2
Obama realizes that the U.S. is not God's favorite nation, or God's favorite people. Our lives are not more valuable than other lives. We live in a global community and we often lead it, but we do not rule it. We have been blessed tremendously and it is our responsibility to be a blessing to those around us. We must focus on that responsibility and lead by example. It is not our God-given right to rule the world or expect more from the world than we do from ourselves (see torture). I don't think Bush or McCain necessarily believed these things, but our actions over the last 8 years seem to have drifted in that direction.
Reason #3
It is awesome to see black Americans rejoice and finally know on a national scale they are an equal part of what makes this country great. It is truly historic; it is incredibly meaningful; and I love it!
Reason #4
I will thoroughly enjoy listening to the man speak over the next 4 years. He holds the ability to write and speak words that motivate and inspire. I believe this is a key function of a good leader and something that has been missing for a while around here. :)
Reason #1
We immediately regain the world's respect and admiration. I don't think most people realize what a hit our reputation has taken around the world and how much that affects us here. Only in America is Obama's story possible. The world recognizes this and at the core this is what they admire about America. America is exceptional in it's culture of freedom and opportunity! Too often lately, we have been leading by force rather than by example. I'm excited to be in a country that is a positive example to the world!
Reason #2
Obama realizes that the U.S. is not God's favorite nation, or God's favorite people. Our lives are not more valuable than other lives. We live in a global community and we often lead it, but we do not rule it. We have been blessed tremendously and it is our responsibility to be a blessing to those around us. We must focus on that responsibility and lead by example. It is not our God-given right to rule the world or expect more from the world than we do from ourselves (see torture). I don't think Bush or McCain necessarily believed these things, but our actions over the last 8 years seem to have drifted in that direction.
Reason #3
It is awesome to see black Americans rejoice and finally know on a national scale they are an equal part of what makes this country great. It is truly historic; it is incredibly meaningful; and I love it!
Reason #4
I will thoroughly enjoy listening to the man speak over the next 4 years. He holds the ability to write and speak words that motivate and inspire. I believe this is a key function of a good leader and something that has been missing for a while around here. :)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Romans 12:2
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what Paul says in Romans 12:2. The verse has really hit home to me as I consider the question 'How do people change?'. Paul directs us, 'do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed ...'.
It is the contrast between conforming and transforming that has really stood out to me. I often ask God to transform me, but don't change the practical realities of my life. I do the same thing I've always done, go to the same places, hang with the same people, work in the same way, but ask God to change me and give me new results. It's ludicrous.
I must change my ways (actually act differently) to get different results. This 'non-conformity' creates the environment for transformation. This is huge. If you want to change something about yourself, a bad habit for example, stop just trying harder through will power, and start changing the actions surrounding your behavior. If you want to stop overspending on your credit card, tear it up so you can't use it - don't just try harder. If you want to stop smoking, block your access to cigarettes - don't just try harder. If you want to stop looking at porn, remove your access to the internet - don't just try harder. Confess, and get accountable. Get practical. These sacrifices like living without credit cards, not carrying cash for cigarettes, or living without the internet to avoid porn, create an environment for God to change you into someone who at the core of their being doesn't want to do these things and so as a result, doesn't.
Warning: We can not allow non-conformity to become a new type of law or a new identifier for us. Non-conformity is not the goal, transformation is. We all know enough Christians that have slipped into thinking that 'not conforming' is the end goal. If I act weird enough, I must be a true believer. If I do [insert extreme thing here], then that shows my true belief. The truth is even if we isolate ourselves in a monastery and give everything we have away - if we don't couple that with a focus on transformation, we just stay a very messed up person (who is now poorer and living alone in a monastery). :) If we forget to connect the actions of 'not conforming' to the purpose of transforming, we miss the point. (See the Pharisees in the Gospels).
It is the contrast between conforming and transforming that has really stood out to me. I often ask God to transform me, but don't change the practical realities of my life. I do the same thing I've always done, go to the same places, hang with the same people, work in the same way, but ask God to change me and give me new results. It's ludicrous.
I must change my ways (actually act differently) to get different results. This 'non-conformity' creates the environment for transformation. This is huge. If you want to change something about yourself, a bad habit for example, stop just trying harder through will power, and start changing the actions surrounding your behavior. If you want to stop overspending on your credit card, tear it up so you can't use it - don't just try harder. If you want to stop smoking, block your access to cigarettes - don't just try harder. If you want to stop looking at porn, remove your access to the internet - don't just try harder. Confess, and get accountable. Get practical. These sacrifices like living without credit cards, not carrying cash for cigarettes, or living without the internet to avoid porn, create an environment for God to change you into someone who at the core of their being doesn't want to do these things and so as a result, doesn't.
Warning: We can not allow non-conformity to become a new type of law or a new identifier for us. Non-conformity is not the goal, transformation is. We all know enough Christians that have slipped into thinking that 'not conforming' is the end goal. If I act weird enough, I must be a true believer. If I do [insert extreme thing here], then that shows my true belief. The truth is even if we isolate ourselves in a monastery and give everything we have away - if we don't couple that with a focus on transformation, we just stay a very messed up person (who is now poorer and living alone in a monastery). :) If we forget to connect the actions of 'not conforming' to the purpose of transforming, we miss the point. (See the Pharisees in the Gospels).
Monday, September 29, 2008
One Economists view
Check this article out:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html
This gets into what my previous post was about. The government created the problem and so they are trying to create more government to fix it. At this point they may not have a choice ...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html
This gets into what my previous post was about. The government created the problem and so they are trying to create more government to fix it. At this point they may not have a choice ...
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