39 for the first time; last time for 6th

It’s been quite a month for us.  Returning from our first glimpse of our new calling in Egypt, while finishing our former calling in Decatur, trapped somewhere in the strange limbo called “itineration”.

In the last couple weeks, I turned 39—for the first time.  I know that is sometimes a shock for people as I’ve inherited mom’s good gene’s and I don’t look as old as 39. (Yesterday, my mom came into our reception and sat near a young lady from the community who thought she was my sister!)  Though still somewhere before the crest of the infamous “hill” we all dread going over, I’m officially at half of the American male life expectancy (check out this link for unique global statistics about you).

So, if I’m average -- and I’ve always liked to think of myself as above average ;) – then half my life is over, and half is yet to come.  That’s just weird to think about; how did I get here?  So here’s some reflections on 39…

-  I’ve now spent more birthdays with my wife than I did without her—my life is so much richer and fuller than I ever thought possible due to Keli; I am richly blessed by her friendship, partnership, and love.

-  I have 3 amazing kids who are brilliant with all our “smarts” and frustrating with all my flaws; in the next 39 years I look forward to see not only their continuing maturity but also their own pursuit of fulfilling God’s purposes for them.

-  We’ve traveled beyond our hometowns to the homes of brothers and sisters across the world: Canada, Belize, Guatemala, Guyana, Barbados, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and now Egypt. 

-  We are preparing to embark on our greatest adventure as we move our family to Egypt and all the unseen blessings, challenges, growth, and more that will result. 

-  We’ve been honored to work with some of the most amazing and wonderful Christians on the planet; and humbled by the numbers who have been inspired to pursue ministry as the Lord has called them out from under our leadership to greater arenas of service.

-  We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to transition well with lasting friendships and memories from three great churches:  Scott Memorial Church of God (Chattanooga, TN), Riverchase Community Church (Birmingham, AL), and now 6th Avenue Church of God (Decatur, AL).

Which brings me to our last week at 6th Avenue…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 8.5 years since we became pastors at 6th Avenue; Zeke was not even 1 year old when we came, Titus was only 2, and Grace was preparing to enter Kindergarten.  Despite lots of fond memories shared in the past few weeks, it was not all roses—even in the last few years of helping the Congregation to a new foundation and direction of ministry, it has been a challenging road.  The last two Sundays have been special, recognizing the “Mighty Warriors” of the past 8.5 years on the 23rd, and a “Change of Command” service yesterday with their new Lead Pastor Todd.  We accepted a wonderful reception by the Congregation yesterday afternoon; we were honored by guests from the community, neighboring churches, and even a few who made the drive from Birmingham.  As my dad and I sat together near the end of the event, he said, “Son, you had a good ministry here.”  I said, “Yeah, it turned out all right.”  Only the blessing of time and hindsight can see the good that transpired from all the struggle that marked our ministry here.  I’ve attempted to leave right and provide a good foundation for Pastor Todd to take 6th Avenue further in their mission; only time will tell how well a job we did at that.  We’re confident God has big things in store for the wonderful fellowship at 6th Avenue—we look forward to a great reunion day where we can hear all about the great things they are about to do for the Kingdom.  

R.A.S. - again...

Back in January, once our appointment to serve the Church throughout the Middle East was announced and official, the Revolution had broke out in Cairo and there was a lot of concern expressed for us, even fear.  After the recent events this weekend in Cairo, the same feelings of concern and fear are being expressed again, so i want to just post here what we had emailed to friends and family then...

R.A.S. stands for "Reticular Activating System" - and you have one.  no, it's not like a GPS gadget or any other electronic device.  it's not in your car or home, and you can't pick it up at the store.  it's actually a cluster of nerve cells at the base of your brain stem.  Keli and i read about it in a book by Mark Batterson last year...

"We are constantly bombarded by countless stimuli--sights and sounds and smells.  If we had to process or pay attention to all the stimuli, it would drive us crazy.  The RAS determines what gets noticed and what goes unnoticed.  Think of it as your radar system...You've experienced RAS...When you purchase a cell phone or clothing or car, it creates a category in your reticular activating system.  You notice when someone is wearing your outfit at the same event. (Can you say awkward?) And the second you drive your new car out of the lot it seems like everyone is driving the same model.  That is the function of the RAS.  You didn't have a category for your clothing or ring tone or car before you bought them.  you have a new cognitive category." (from In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day)

    so why am i giving you this neurological definition?  because several of you have had your RAS in high gear over the last few days as it relates to events in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to 2 of the 3 areas we're scheduled to spend significant time.
     our conversations, in-boxes, and phone calls have all included RAS prompted statements like, "have you seen what's going on in ______"
     events like these last few days have been taking place in these areas and other parts of the world for ages; however, those places jump off the page or out of the news story differently to you now because you know our calling and it places someone you know, dare i say even "care about", in the proximity of these events.  And so, your RAS kicks in and says, "pay attention, this relates!"
     Such mental promptings have led to a lot of concern, which is a partial function of RAS, and i want to address what God is doing here:

1. praise - that these things are happening while we are still here and not yet there
2. pray - RAS moments are used by the Spirit of God to prompt you to pray.  pray for peaceful and purposeful resolution to these events.  pray for the believers  currently caught in the midst of these events that their love and faith  will shine brightly to bring hope and a greater perspective.  pray for our preparation to step into what will be and to help lead God's desired future.
3. providence - this can be used by God for our good in that the created awareness is giving us a platform for connecting our mission with potential supporters who are becoming aware of the needs there
4. and, principle - this is a reality check for all of us; do we really believe what we say?  do we really believe that we're to boldly walk with God into the unknown for the sake of the call and the advance of His Kingdom, trusting our lives to His care?  or is it all just rhetoric without the reality of risk?

For further information on these recent Cairo events, i refer you to this interview from CNN -- the interviewer attempts to make a bigger deal of these events, while the one being interviewed cautions such sensationalism and broad application of the events.  Truly what we are learning is disconcerting; yet, this is NOT a wide-spread religious civil war.  

"Where He leads me, i will follow..."

"Even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil for Thou art with me..." (Psalm 23:4)

"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship..." (2 Timothy 4:5)

Reflecting and Reading...

While we wait and wait for responses to scheduling church visits, we have much to do around here: helping the kids with school work, soccer and band activities, preparing for birthday parties (Zeke's was in September and Titus' is later this month),  slowly transitioning out of 6th Avenue ministries (our last Sunday is the 30th), and still sorting through all the pics, information, and related communications from our recent trip to Berlin and Cairo.  There's always a lot to do at this stage, even though it sometimes feels like we're not getting anything done!

Reflecting on Steve Jobs (why not? every other blog in the internet has!)  i was totally shocked and speechless when his obit/photo popped up on my Apple homepage when we returned from church.  I spent a good bit of time looking at everyone's condolences to the family, remembrances, his Stanford 2005 commencement speech (youtube), and the beginning musings of his impact on the world and society.  there were some who likened him to the "Edison of our time"; honestly, i think this undervalues the vast genius of Edison and his technical contributions from which nearly everything else has progressed.  However, he definitely could be likened to the impact of Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, or George Washington Carver -- he did not pioneer computing just as these three did not pioneer their contributions; but just like these 3, Jobs took what was and forever altered the way we use, interact, conceive, and have future vision of all things computer related.  Jobs took what was previously fantasized in Star Trek and Dick Tracy in/before his youth and made it not just possible, but also brilliantly marketed so that nearly every corner of the globe has seen, used, and impacted by any number of iProducts.  Throw in Pixar to that influence and the amazing fact that all of this was achieved in the time he dropped out from Reed College around age 19 till his death at 56--just 37 years--and you have to marvel.

These iProducts have not only infiltrated Church ministry, they have influenced and created envy among clergy -- not only do i write this on a Macbook, i have posted pics and videos from my iPod, and shamefully dream of iPad and iPhone 4S.  i have read and contemplated the market strategies and R&D practices of this temporary Apple empire, and i have been challenged and convicted by how little similar drive, creativity, and influence we have for the eternal Kingdom.  the tech world, politicians, entertainers, and athletes--nationally and globally--all within minutes tweeted, posted, messaged, and press-released their thoughts and admiration of the influence of Jobs.  since the death of Mother Theresa, has there been any Christian leader who could unanimously and similarly be praised and missed for their contributions to the world?  within our little tribe of Christendom, the Church of God lost a bright light in missionary/author Cheryl Barton Johnson, and her funeral and memorial services have been a testimony of the impact of this solitary life lived in obedience.  in this time of declining Christian influence and bold following, where will the revolutionary, inspirational, pioneering, Spirit-filled, and ironically powerfully humble voice come?  As the Three-Worlds team begins to read The Next Christendom, i am reminded that individual may not come from the western or even northern hemispheres.


Speaking of iProducts and reading, i love iBooks, if only for the ability to test-read samples of a variety of books before biting the bullet to buy them all ;)  here are a few that i'm gonna have to buy...

The Tanning of America: How Hip-Hop Created a Culture that Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy by Steve Stoute
"My role was to be the conduit--the bridge.  And so that was the name, Translation, that I chose for my company and to describe what we do.  As a kind of pop culture anthropologist, what I also do is help clients find relevant ways to reinvigorate their brand--whether, as a few examples, it's McDonald's, Target, Estee Lauder, Hewlett-Packard, Wrigley, Tommy Hilfiger, Verizon, State Farm, Samsung, a show company or two, or a host of public and philanthropic organizations.  In a time of economic upheaval the likes of which we've been living through in recent years, marketer's connecting meaningfully to the new young consumer--the single most powerful purchasing force ever measured, who is currently driving the global marketplace--is a life-and-death brand survival act.  This too has to do with translating.  No, not in sending messages to be crammed down the throats of consumers, but in extending an invitation, communicating it with nuance and cool. ...along with questioning worn-out assumptions about who wants what and why, and more importantly nowadays, who needs what and why.  It requires an authentic, vibrant, hip, and, at times, reinvented means of storytelling--and a rejection of yesterday's rules."

The Two-Second Advantage by Vivek Ranadive and Kevin Maney
"The human brain is a predictive machine.  Intelligence is prediction.  This is a relatively new concept in neuroscience, coalescing into broad acceptance only in the 1990s and 2000s.  While the connection between prediction and general intelligence is generally understood, an even newer--and largely unexplored--idea has emerged in neuroscience: exceptional predictive capability is what drives talent. ...Most successful people are really good at making very accurate predictions--usually about some particular activity--just a little faster and better than everyone else."


EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey"So growing leaders was too refined and calm for me, but growing entrepreneurs was too wild and chaotic for me.  So I decided we needed to grow a combination of the two..and thus the EntreLeader was born.  I want EntreLeaders to be: 

• Passionately serving
• Mavericks who have integrity
• Disciplined risk takers
• Courageous while humble
• Motivated visionaries
• Driven while loyal
• Influential learners"