I started digging into “Prayer” by Philip Yancey last night. Actually I picked it up again after starting it but not getting very far into it. Great stuff, especially in light of our emphasis on cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus this week. Here’s what he said:

“How often do I come to God not with consumer requests but simply a desire to spend time with God, to discern what God wants from me and not vice versa? Prayer that focuses on God, meditative prayer, can serve as a kind of self-forgetfulness. Some have called it a useless act because we do it not for the sake of getting something out of it, but spontaneously, as uselessly as a child at play.

Though my needs may drive me to prayer, there I come face-to-face with my greatest need: an encounter with God’s own self.

Prayer that is based on relationship and not transaction may be the most freedom-enhancing way of connecting to a God whose vantage point we can never achieve and can hardly imagine (55).”

To be honest prayer has always been the hardest spiritual habit for me. I’m not talking about the kind of popcorn prayers that we say as we go through our day. Those are good. But I’m talking about an extended “conversation” with God where the focus really is on Him and not on my needs and wants. It’s hard for me to quiet my soul and focus…yet it may be my greatest need.

Some things that have helped me do this have been taking a walk or even a jog…for me sitting makes it impossible but when I’m moving…even driving, it comes more naturally.

I am struggling here this morning with tiredness. Thought I got plenty of sleep last night but it seems something is not quite right…so I thought I would post about something that I’ve been thinking about while I drink a Mountain Dew. Craig Groeschel,l lead pastor of Lifechurch.tv, was taught in college that pastors should maintain what a professor called the “pastoral mystique.” This is when a pastor maintains a distance from the congregation and basically doesn’t have friends. He keeps a safe distance so that he will be respected and admired from a distance. Indirectly I suppose I was taught this as well. I think it is a load of baloney.

I’m a pastor because God has called me to that. That doesn’t make me better than a plumber or lawyer…it just makes me have a different career. Yes, my career is more focused on “God things” but it doesn’t make me better nor need to maintain some kind of distance from others. This is so completely the opposite of what Jesus did. He was with people. He had friends. He had a family who didn’t even believe him…that’s how real he was.

As a pastor I have always had this tension when meeting new people outside of the church. A conversation can be going great until I drop the bomb that I am a pastor. Sometimes this ends the conversation. Other times it means I have to work all the harder to build a friendship with them. Either way it plainly stinks that there is this awkwardness with people. Recently we were over at some neighbor’s house and the man of the house was basically falling over himself to please me. I just wanted to tell him to relax. I just want to hang out…not be served.

I guess it is one of the things that goes with the territory, but I refuse to maintain a distance…I refuse to try to put up some facade that I should be treated differently…that I can’t have friends who really know me…inside and out and still have the ability to pastor them.

Some may wish I was a little less open at times.

I thought this advice on blogging from an Innovate Conference (Granger CC) breakout session was blogworthy. Good stuff if you have a blog or are thinking about blogging. Things I would strongly echo are:

• Be yourself – blogs where the author is always trying to “teach” you something don’t hold my attention.
• Blog when you can and don’t apologize when you can’t.

I would add one:

• Be positive – I want to know what someone is for, not just what they are against.

And then the ultimate blogging resource: The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey
And then one I haven’t read but understand to be THE book on blogging for businesses:
Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble

It didn’t occur to me yesterday when I posted about Suncrest turning 13 but that does make us a teenager. That is one age I don’t want to return to if given the choice. What a tumultuous time! There are some good things about being a teenager though…
…it feels like your whole life is before you…
…you can do anything you want with our life…
…you are in a state of rapid change…
…you adapt to new things easily and quickly.

Fortunately for us, being a teenager as a church does not necessarily make it tumultuous for us but there are many good things for us too.
-We haven’t done everything God wants us to do. There are many great things ahead.
-We are changing…and that’s a good thing! Constantly adapting methods to deliver the changeless message.
-I think we still relatively easily adapt and change to new things. Our recent service time change proved that to me. In the last 2 years we have introduced podcasting, 2 of us on staff have started blogs, we are creating our own videos more and more, and we have produced a total church experience (Puzzled?). Technology is a great tool to spread God’s message and we are adopting it well.

While I wouldn’t want to go back to my teenage years I’m so glad Suncrest is in them and look forward to what God is going to do with us.

Suncrest celebrates 13 years today! I didn’t know it until John Wasem, our founding pastor, pointed it out. Very cool. Can’t wait to see what God does with another 13.

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Meant to do this earlier. Here’s some pictures from vacation for those that are interested. We had a great time and it was very restful and relaxing. Click here for those.

Just wanted to share what I read today.

“In quietness and confidence is your strength.”

These DVD’s haven’t even hit the streets and we’re bringing you the outtakes. They are just too funny to not pass along. The creator, Brennan Wilkins did a tremendous job. Here’s a hint if you look for them on the DVD: the link is hidden in the menu screen. This DVD will be used as a discussion aid in community groups. Over 400 are signed up so we have some good groups starting and restarting.

Here’s a conglomeration of stuff that I found interesting, helpful or otherwise amusing the past two days:

1. Interview with Don Miller of Blue Like Jazz fame.

2. What we can learn from Microsoft. Helpful stuff for church or business.

3. A new article about my friend, Jolee Mohr and the cause of her death. Her husband is in D.C. testifying about the whole case.

4. Just for laughs. A classic Youtube video. Worth watching the whole thing.