upward & inward

My family and I have begun watching the "Lost" tv series . It's already in its 4th season so we're starting on the first season and thankful that it's available on DVDs given how each episode leaves us wanting answers that we now don't have to wait a week for...:). After watching a few of the episodes, I found myself thinking a lot about what our Senior Pastor John Henry has described as "hot water experiences" ( in this sermon John speaks of a tea bag and a cup of hot water: the water doesn't give the flavor of the tea - what's in the tea bag is released as a result of the hot water). Hot water experiences seem to abound in the show: 46+ people thrust into a " Lord of the Flies " knock-off, loosed from the common culture, and forced into situations they would never otherwise have dreamed they would encounter. In another way, I've been reminded that motivations which drive the decisions we make are at once complicated and simp...

We are thoroughly enjoying the spring this year. In our part of the world, it is green, green, green. While we know that humidity comes with the green, we are enjoying the beauty of the growing world around us - especially, in our backyard. However, the growing comes not only in color but in sound. We have so many birds in our backyard. Loud ones, too. And, an owl. God is so good. If we wait on Him and listen, He speaks. Even through the sights and sounds of spring.

About 4 years ago, the boys purchased another dog after we had grieved over the death of our Retriever-German-Shepherd mix dog (Cindy-girl) for a few months. Of all the dogs I've owned, the best experiences have been with retrievers. Against my better judgment, I agreed to this purchase. We did our research and thought we understood the high-energy frenetic nature of these dogs. We had no idea. This is Jackie's picture. She seems calm now, but don't let that fool you. In a moment (or less), she can turn from the tranquil to the insane. This dog reacts (freaks) over the following catalytic events: Public displays of affection. No overt PDA. Period. We will test this as a family by having a group hug and listen as the barking begins and all semblance of rational thinking leaves her. Loud noises (i.e., doorbells, yelling, laughing (sometimes)). Catches sight of her tail. This sparks spinning that can last some time. Gets to go in her kennel. Finds her ball. And, so many more...

In a previous posting , I described what I had begun to share with my oldest boy concerning what it meant to be (from God's perspective) a man. It begins with every man has "a will to obey." The will we choose to obey reflects our loyalties. The measure of our obedience to God's will is in direct proportion to the measure of our loyalty to God. True men of God live and work under the monarchy of the King's rule. This King has no legislature nor judicial branch to keep Him in check because He requires none. His will is perfect, His purposes are pure, and He demonstrates His love and care for His subjects every day. His sovereignty is absolute. The question for all of us is: does all of that really matter? Aren't we just supposed to be loyal to ourselves? Some call this being "true to yourself." Yikes. Back when I was true to myself, I was running away from God, not towards Him. According to the Bible, our true self isn't anything to write home ab...

Here's a picture of the flowering Bradford Pear tree in our front yard. Praise God for the changing seasons and His never-changing grace and love.

The reason this is important for me to consider is that I'm leading my oldest son through biblically-based discussions on what God considers a man to be. There are so many opinions in the world today on what a man is supposed to be and what his duty should be (if he has one). Our sons are bombarded with cultural influences in this regard. So, in a continuing effort to describe to our sons what the biblical worldview is in general, I have an opportunity to specifically discuss what the Bible (God) says men should be. I'm using a book called "Raising a Modern Day Knight" by Robert Lewis as a guide through this process. It's biblically founded and accordingly raises the standard beyond what cultural influences will dictate to us. In the book, the author begins by using Adam and Jesus as a model for understanding the purposes of God with regard to His chosen men. They each had: a will to obey, a work to do, and a woman to love. For Adam, his duty was to obey God ,...

If you were to ask friends I had in high school and in the Army whether I would be serving God as I am in full time ministry, they'd probably say that there is no way that greg’s life could be or will be dedicated to the Lord. If you would have asked Jesus, though, He might have said that through Yahweh, greg’s life can’t help but BE changed – dedicated and set apart for the purposes of God. 2 different perspectives on the same life. However, once someone is touched by God, introduced to Jesus, and brought up short by his/her own sin and insufficient eternal significance, there can't help but be life change. No matter if there is a dramatic change or a gradual change experienced by the one who perhaps grew up with Jesus and never left Him - there is always a life change with Jesus. The Bible says: Jesus is THE living Stone and we are like living stones that make up the church. [I Peter 2:4-5] As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious ...

I am so excited about what is happening here at Central. The potential for great things - for God and by His Name and power - is huge, huge, huge. However, change (for many of us) can be easy to resist. The Rut of Routine can be hard to escape. "But we've always done ( insert your favorite ministry here) this way." "If it aint broke, don't fix it." These comments point to the possibility and assumption that a change may be "change for change sake." No change that's effective can be so empty of purpose. The Senior Staff is in agreement: any change will be with missional purpose. In other words, we define our priorities based on the vision God has given us and then we implement change . In the next posting, I want to discuss change further: if the members of the church change, doesn't that by definition mean that the church should/will/must change?

The Bible Study lessons are now posted (thank you, Lynn Baskerville) and referenced on this blog. Go down the right hand side of this blog and you should see a reference list for "Bible Study Stuff". We'll be discussing Week 2 questions this week. Enjoy.

I had the unique pleasure of attending my middle son's orchestra recital (that's his picture). There were young men and women from 9th grade to 12th grade who presented to those attending all that they had prepared. Some played alone (with an accompanist) while others played in an ensemble. As I listened to what they offered us, I thought of these three leadership lessons: How you practice is how you play. One young man, a sophomore, played a very difficult piece by memory nearly without mistake. It brought tears to my eyes. Really. He was that good. As he finished and sat nearby, I told him, "well done!" He said, "Thanks. I've been working on that piece since November." November! Over four months! I responded, "it showed." Yes, it did. As we practice, so we play. What is practice, but purposely doing something repetitively so that we can do it easily without thinking? Scales, scales, scales. So it is with leadership. We consistently document ...