My Shabbat Seven v2009.10.31

Seven of the more "peculiar" (in other words, besides the obvious) things I've been thankful for this past week...

• Wii Fit. Even if it's not making me all that more "fit," it at least gives me the feeling that I've done something healthy.
• Preschoolers. My son is one, and of course he's the most adorable little human being on the planet...sometimes. And I'm also privileged to have an office with a door that is 20 feet from a preschool with 15-20 eager-to-be-alive, innocent, curious, & impressionable 3-, 4-, & 5-year-olds.
  
• Indoor S'mores. If you've partook of this delicasy, you know why it's on this list. If you've haven't had this perfect blend of taste & texture pass over your taster, perhaps I'll share a bit of our next batch...maybe. And, yes, this point probably single-marshmallowedly neutralized the first point (Wii Fit) this past week.
  


• Fantasy Football. This probably doesn't make the list if my "ThePastorIsFaster" team wasn't in first place in one league and my "GreenEggsAndRam" team in the playoff picture in the other league.


• Playing "tackle" football with my 3-year-old son in our leaf-laden, sunlit backyard.


• Ideas/Thoughts/Theories. I can easily get lost in thought...which has been known to cause extended moments of indecision and inaction. I take a long time to read books because I like to chew on them with my mind like a cow chews on grass with its 4 stomachs. I like to think.
  


• Friends. Specifically, those rare kind of friends who are so selflessly helpful and caring that you can take them for granted and they selflessly help and care just the same. At different moments in life, it's a different friend. I hope that I could be such a friend to others someday.
  

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Glocalize [an FYI to UABCers]

The first apostles soon discovered that the Great Commission had layers to it. Jesus told them "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Some remained at ground zero in Jerusalem & Judea. Some went on mission trips towards Egypt, some towards India, some towards Macedonia, Rome, & Spain. One thing about this growing movement that was later labeled the Christian religion--the local churches in the "ends of the earth" kept a connection and a kinship to the believers in Jerusalem. And reciprocally, the local churches in Jerusalem and Judea kept in communication with the believers out in the "ends of the earth."


As our world becomes more and more globalized, we will need to become more and more glocal (thinking globally & acting locally). (You can find out about glocalization here. You can read Leonard Sweet's introduction of the term into Christianity in Soul Tsunami.)


Our recent Faith in Action weekend was wonderful...and for sure, our congregation needs to keep growing in respect to serving our own community in the name of Jesus. Still, we need to also grow in our ability to "think globally" about the Great Commission. One tool for doing so as individuals is the website for the American Baptist Churches' International Ministires.

At this site, one can browse through the various works of ABC missionaries throughout the globe. You can also browse by type of mission work being done, including:

• Training Future Church Leaders
• Leading people to faith and starting new churches
• Creating Economic Opportunity and Building Futures
• Opening the mind, empowering the heart
• Promoting health in an HIV-AIDS world
• Abolishing Human Trafficking
• Seeking peace and offering refuge

So if you've got a few minutes and an internet connection, go "think globally" for a bit. And see if you can help think of ways we can be "acting locally".

My Shabbat Seven v10.24.2009

Seven of the more "peculiar" (in other words, besides the obvious) things I've been thankful for this past week...

• Sunshine. Usually, this is an obvious one, but lately it's felt like a rarity.

• Playing Catchphrase with JT.
  
• Basketball. I love the game, but I'm not sure if it really loves me back. I got to play with Jeremy this past week, and Illinois has started practices...ahhh. How's that Psalm go that talks about heaven..."better is one day in your courts"?

• When JT replies to our "You need to hurry up!" with "I'm hurrying upping!"
• Homemade food. When we returned from our hospital stay last weekend, we were greeted with various homemade foods from our church family, plus my mom brought her pumpkin bread and made chicken & noodles while she was her.
• Flavoring for medicine. If it wasn't for grape flavoring, cherry flavoring, or the ever popular bubble gum flavoring, getting the helpful medicines down our son's throat would be a lot more difficult.
• Baseball playoffs. Yes, even if the Cardinals didn't play very well in the first round. Now I'll cheer for anyone but the Yankees.
  

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

My Ministry Age is 37

In a recent edition of the Leadership Journal there was a quiz to determine what generation a pastoral leader best represents. My score of 37 put me in the higher end of the "Younger Leader" (25-41) range. The other two ranges were "Pragmatic Leader" (42-58) and "Traditional Leader" (up to 75).

I usually don't go for the quizzes that litter the Facebook-osphere. But I was...satisfied...with this little diddy.

The premise of the article was that leaders of all generations need to understand each other to better help the church transition into the next era. I wonder, though, if there is actually an assumption that more leaders need to become "younger leaders".

The Nobel Not So Noble To Me Anymore

It's not that I'm anti-Obama. He's our President and I do want him to be successful (on some level, but admittingly not in every respect). In regards to "world peace", I would say "Go, Mr. President!"


However, I don't think he's accomplished enough in this respect to merit the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize...at least, yet. (Read the press release here.) It seems he's been given the award because of his good intentions and clever speaking, which is not what I thought the Prize was for.


I hear the Committee's explanation is that they hope that by naming Obama and his intentions as Prize-worthy, more members of the global community will follow along. I guess I do hope that their hopes will not be disappointed and this will do some repair of the American reputation in the world. Still, the Prize is a little less noble to me.

My Shabbat Seven v2009.10.15

This'll be a combo late-from-last-week & early-for-this-week post of the Shabbat Seven.

• When JT says "Mmm. Tasty."
• U of I homecoming. It was great to see old friends again.
• Mom's pumpkin bread. Mmm--that gooey part in the middle of the top--oh, yeah!
• The "envisioning moments" w/ the Church Board. The present is being enlivened by figuring out our future.
• Preschool Parent Club. I get to be in the Parent Club now...I feel so "on the inside" now.
• Weekday holidays = days with the fam.
• Living so close to the Barnes-Jewish-Christian Children's Hospital in St. Lou.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!

My Shabbat Seven - v2009.10.03

• My "Small Engines I" 4-H project. Taking that small Briggs & Stratton engine apart, identifying, and labeling all those parts helped me figure out why the mower stopped running. (That project went to State, btw...and I never did the "Small Engines II" where you put the motor back together.)
• Fresh apples and everything Alison is doing with them. Mmmmmm.
• Paintballing...in the woods.
• NBA Live 2009 All-Play for our Wii. It gets me pysched up for the basketball season AND helps me veg-down before beddy-bye.
• When JT says "What?" with a rapidly increasing pitch and an equally rapidly increasing grin. Thanks to Nicole for reminding me how much the little guy's predictable blurts bring me joy.
• The Planets by Gustov Holst. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just know it's a music thing. After the Trivia Night I listened to The Planets all week. Mars--The Bringer of War, Jupiter--The Bringer of Jolity, & Mercury--The Winged Messenger are my favorite movements.
• Smores. Graham crackers, roasted-just-to-flame marshmallows, solid chocolate. Whomever did this first should get profit-shares from all sales of Hershey's, Jett-Puff, & Honey Maid June through October.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!