Benediction

Tales of the Human Spirit

I'm a sucker for a good story about the "Human Spirit." I just read a story about two Americans who competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. Marin Morrison and Nick Scandone were featured this week in Sports Illustrated. Marin was a swimmer with brain cancer; Scandone a sailor with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Marin came in last in the 100 meter freestyle, but was cheered like a conquering hero. Scandone won the gold. They never met, except on the pages of a sports magazine. They died on the same day, three months after competing in the games.

When I read stories of courage, perseverance and grace, I am moved. It moves me when a stadium full of Chinese strangers cheers wildly for a young girl they don't know, who struggles to stay afloat, much less win a race. I am in awe of a man who defies his atrophied muscles and wills his 90-pound body to victory in boat race. 

And I wonder how God fits into these stories? It seems God has built something into us that is inspired by the underdog, the overcomer, the loser who wins. Is that because it is Jesus' story? Jesus, the child whose life began outside a cheap hotel in a poor exurb of Jerusalem? Jesus, the kid who confounded rabbis though he had little formal education? Jesus, the one who turned the other cheek, and so practiced what he preached? Jesus, who died on a cross, but rose from the grave?

And I wonder if our spirits are moved by these stories of the "human spirit" because the stories are really shadows of the stories of the Holy Spirit. I wonder if this kind of grace and courage and determination is a breakthrough of the life that God intended us to live from the beginning, where we cheer one another on through impossible odds, where we believe in one another, where we hold up the hands of one another while the battle unfolds.

And I wonder how God responds when he hears these stories?

Are You Crazy?

When we launched Lakeside Church in 1987, I was coached and encouraged by a group of northern California pastors in a network called Next Generation Churches. Some of the best men I have known have been pastors in this group. When I was younger, they prayed for me, encouraged me, took me to lunch. (The lunches were helpful because I was broke and hungry.) They have been my friends and colleagues for nearly 25 years.

Over the years I have sought to return the favor that these leaders gave me. I have become the encourager, the hope-giver, the lunch-buyer to a new generation of pastors. I love the people who are leading churches along with me in our network. Many are making great progress in advancing the kingdom of Jesus in our region. I do whatever I can to serve them.

In August the Director of Next Gen Churches retired. Several pastors from the network asked me if I would be interested in serving as the next Director. I prayed about it for a minute, then said No. (I know, pretty spiritual response, huh?) I have a high calling from God to lead and serve Lakeside Church.

Then the leader of our national association called. He asked me to consider taking the role of Transitional Director of the network.

And then the convergence began.

I was sitting in a meeting with the group charged with leading the association forward in this transition period. As we talked about the mission of Next Gen Churches, it struck me that what they were talking about is exactly what I wrote my doctoral thesis on: Healthy Churches Coaching Other Churches. Hmmm.

Then I talked to my wife about the possibility of serving Lakeside and Next Gen Churches for a season. I told her about the doctoral "coincidence." She already knew I loved these pastors. But I was certain she would say, "What, are you crazy!?" Instead she said, "I think you should do it." (I think I said, "What, are you crazy?")

Then I told the Elder Team of Lakeside about the invitation to serve. I knew they would say No. One of their roles is to protect Lakeside. They would not want me serving in two places. They'd say No. But no, they said, "We think you should do it."

Meanwhile, this could never happen unless the staff at Lakeside was healthy and at peace. It is. Hmmm.

I asked God if he was certain. He said, "What, are you crazy?" OK, God is always certain.

When I was certain I had heard all this correctly, I called the national director. "I'll do it," I heard myself say. "What, am I crazy?"

That's how I became the Transitional Executive Director of a network of 140 churches scattered across northern California and Nevada. (It's also how I became the driver of a 2000 Buick company car. I hope you don't see me in it. It's sort of like a pastor's car.)

So when you are praying, please pray for me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not crazy, but I am seeking to follow the Lord's lead. The state of California needs healthy, vibrant churches to touch the neighborhoods and communities we live in. I know the Lord has had is hand of blessing on Lakeside. I am praying that he will do the same for Next Generation Churches. We could use your prayers.

Public Confession

At the risk of voyeurism, I've been thinking about Tiger Woods. I have no public opinion about his alleged affairs or his private life. Even my private opinion is fairly pointless: I possess no personal knowledge of this famous golfer. I am not his judge nor his friend.

But I've learned some things by watching the events of the last couple of weeks. After Tiger crashed his car into a tree and a fire hydrant, he pleaded with the world for privacy. Why should his private sins require a public confession and apology? Why couldn't he simply deal with it within his family, he wanted to know? I don't blame him for this desire. Who wouldn't feel this way?

Here's how it seems to me: If Tiger Woods were simply a golfer, if he had earned his income solely through playing golf, I think he could reasonably deserve privacy. But once he became an endorser of products--of golf balls, razor blades, sports drinks and automobiles--his reasonable expectation of privacy disappeared. Why? Because when someone endorses a product, he's not telling others, "I think you'd like Gatorade." He is telling us, "I think you'd enjoy my life. If you drive this car, you'll be like me. If you drive this golf ball, you might play like me. If you use the products I use, perhaps you'll have my life." And poof goes the right to privacy. To people who want to be like you, you have given them an invitation. You endorsed their right to know you. And now they want to know if your life is real. No one wants to buy a mirage. They are buying your life and lifestyle. And if you turn out to be different from what the commercials have suggested, people feel betrayed. After all, they've been buying your products in order to be like you. (Example: Remember when Gatorade sold sports drink with the jingle, "I want to be like Mike," as in Michael Jordan?)

OK, none of this matters to me in relation to Tiger Woods. I admire his golf game, but I don't aspire to be like him. Otherwise I would practice golf a lot more often.

But it matters to me a lot when it comes to my life as an endorser of Jesus. That's essentially what a Christian is, an endorser of Jesus, his lifestyle and his offer of eternal life. Every Christ-follower is saying to the world, "I want you to follow Jesus. I want you to embrace his life." And because we endorse Jesus, the world starts watching to see if we will live up to what we've been promoting, endorsing. And if (or when) we fall short of the commercials, they feel it is their right to judge us. 

Which is probably why public confession matters Christians. None of us is perfect. None of us perfectly lives like Jesus. In fact, Jesus died for us because we were not perfect. And he offered us forgiveness, not perfection. 

Perhaps the reason James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another is that public confession is good for the soul and good for our endorsement of Christ. It reminds us that we are not offering our neighbors a Pharisaical better-than-others life. We are offering them forgiveness. And when they see us confess our sins, our failures and shortcomings, they learn the sweetness, not of perfection, but of forgiveness. When we turn to Jesus, that is the gift we are endorsing.

Customer Service at Church?

A couple days ago I wrote about the delightful customer service I received on my Thanksgiving Road Trip. I wonder how that relates to church?

Some people think the church is too consumer-oriented, and they're probably right. Yet, I wonder if we treated people like customers when they came into the circle of the church, would we express love better? And I don't mean that the staff should treat people like customers. I mean each of us could treat the others like customers, like people who matter to us.

The primary question of a good customer service provider is: How may I serve you? That is a great question for Christ-followers to ask in any context: How may I serve you? When I am not thinking straight--in other words, when I am consumed by my sinful, selfish, normal way of thinking--I usually want to ask: How can you serve me? But when I get myself behind me, and I begin to think about others, my question can change. I can begin to think about serving you. And suddenly we have a Christ moment, a moment when grace is given, a neighbor is loved, and people get a glimpse of Jesus.

Such customer service need not be limited to the church lobby. I can offer this service in every context I enter. How may I serve you? It's a game-changer.

Road Trip Surprise

My wife and I took a road trip for Thanksgiving. Our two daughters, and much of our family, live in SoCal. So we got in the Mustang (Donna’s ’06, not my ’66) and rode the road. Along the way we enjoyed two surprises.

In Santa Nella, known more for Andersen’s Split Pea Soup than for coffee, we stopped at Starbuck’s. The two people who served us were friendly, cheerful and patient. The young woman who took our order described the holiday drinks they were offering, including the Caramel Brulee latte. “It’s a little sweet,” she said, “so you might want only two shots of syrup, rather than three.” Donna took two; I took three. And we were off to see the barista. He brewed our potions, then called out “Two delicious Caramel Brulee lattes, one a little less sweet.” As I grabbed them off the counter he told me to bring them back if they weren’t just right. He even suggested I could drink it down to just about the bottom of the cup, then return it if I wanted. (He was joking, but it was a friendly, I’m-interested-in-you kind of gesture.) We left commenting on the service and the lattes.

Farther south on I-5 we arrived at Grapevine, a pit stop town at the northern trunk of the grapevine. I slaked the gas tank then dashed into In-N-Out for a burger. I have a practice at on-the-road fast food places: Always ask the employees how they are. I figure that everyone they meet is both tired and in a hurry, a grouchy combination. So fast food workers get trampled in the rush. Usually they’re surprised, and impatient, with my question. They blurt out a “Fine” and look expectantly for my order. At In-N-Out though, the young order-taker looked me straight in the eyes and offered the first volley, “How are you?” She listened to my response, then took my order.

These were little pleasures for me, but they stuck in my brain. And they made for a pleasant journey. After all, the only place I-5 looks good is on a map. But I enjoyed my experience in a coffee shop and a burger joint because someone else cared to pay attention to me.

In the everyday crush of human exchanges, it’s easy to neglect others, to forget that loving our neighbor is as important as loving ourselves. Loving others is not always hard and not always big, but it takes some thought and practice. And both you and your neighbor will enjoy it.

Thanks

Thanks Mom. Where would I be without you?

Thanks Donna. You are the best. I love you and am grateful for your love and respect. These thirty years have been sweet like Peppermint ice cream.

Thanks Breck, Bryce and Bethany. Being your Dad has been the highest privilege of my life. I am blessed by each of you in unique ways. I love the gifts you bring to the party of life. I am more proud of you than you will ever grasp, or at least until you have kids, which will mean, of course, that then I will have grandkids, and that will be awesome, and I will be proud again... But I'm getting ahead of yourselves. (Sorry.) I miss you all like crazy. Come home... (Just kidding. Well, no I'm not.)

Lakeside Church, thank you. Thank you for following Jesus. Your passion and fruitfulness is growing everyday. I watch you love Jesus and serve others. I watch you struggle with faith and its application in this life, and I see you come out stronger. Thank you for following me too. That is a gift that a church gives its pastor. I cherish the gift. I look forward to the years ahead as we pursue the mission in our region of the world.

Thank you Jesus. You paid it all. Amazing. Grace.

Tribute

In September 2008 Lakeside Church launched our second campus. Lakeside Church of Orangevale meets every Sunday at Twin Lakes Elementary School. We've just entered our second year of ministry from this location.

When we were preparing for launch, a young couple joined the journey with us. Stephen and Rosemary Shirley wanted to be a part of the new church. Specifically, Stephen wanted to use his worship leading gifts to help develop Lakeside Orangevale as a worshiping community. Everybody who watched Stephen saw his passion to be a worshiper. Unfortunately, not everybody got to watch Stephen as he led.

Late last week Stephen Shirley passed away as a result of cancer. He is now worshiping without disease in the presence of our God and Savior. And our Lakeside Family, especially our brothers and sisters at Lakeside Orangevale, is suffering the loss.

One of the weird facets of having one church in multiple locations is that we don't become acquainted with everybody. (Of course, hosting four gatherings in Folsom already makes knowing everybody impossible.) This means most Lakesiders never got to know Stephen. I did not get to know him well myself. We met for lunch once. I served with him in Orangevale once or twice. I found him delightful, passionate about his faith in Jesus, eager to move beyond the disease that wore him out.

Ultimately, the dis-ease of this world wears us all out. Paul told the Romans that creation groans under the weight of decay. Someday it will all be redeemed, but in the meantime, creation groans. Even the Spirit of God groans when he prays for us, with utterances that cannot be expressed by words.

Some of our friends are groaning today at the losses accrued in this world. But there is a redeemer! Stephen Shirley knows him. Up close and personal.

The Team

Would you indulge me in a little thanksgiving today? I want to thank God for the team of leaders he has gathered at Lakeside Church.

Mike Klockenbrink, Chief of Staff: Mike is an outstanding leader, a big idea person. Mike loves to dream from the 30,000 foot level, but he has a great knack for bringing the big picture down to the details of making things work. Mike gave me a big sign last Christmas that says, "Laugh." He makes me laugh and encourages me to remember the joy of serving Jesus and his church.

Jeff Kreiser, Outreach and Extension Ministries: Jeff is responsible to lead Lakeside in the process of reaching out to people who are not-yet-followers of Jesus. At Lakeside, we believe people grow best through mission. I often say it like this: Nothing transforms a life like a mission. Well, Jeff has Lakesiders on mission all the time and everywhere, including almost 200 Lakesiders spending Thanksgiving in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco serving the poor.

Sean Miller, Student Ministries: Sean leads a great team of student leaders who serve in one of the most challenging areas of church ministry--teenagers and young adults. This area is hard because when kids start wandering off the path, the youth pastors get the calls from worried parents. It's hard because kids are trying to figure out their own identity apart from their parents. If their parents are Christ-followers, sometimes young people feel a need to distance themselves from their parents' faith in order to differentiate themselves from their parents. Sean and his team are hitting home runs in Lakeside's student ministry.

Gabriel Wilson, Worship Arts Ministries: Many of you have come to know Gabriel as he leads Lakeside in musical worship from week to week. What you have suspected while watching him lead is that he is a humble servant of Jesus. I can tell you that his personality up front matches his character behind the scenes. I was skeptical about hiring a traveling rock musician as a worship leader. I thought the ego might be way too big. I was completely wrong in that fear. Working with Gabriel is an inspiration to my faith.

And I'm out of time to tell you about Lynette Greco and her leadership of Kidsfest, of Chris Baltzley and his leadership of Lakeside Orangevale, of Jim Price and his role in leading Adult Ministries, or of Lisa Eneqvist, Lakeside's extraordinary Director of Communications. These people, and many others, are leading Lakeside Church forward every day. I am so grateful for them.

Today I have the unique privilege of spending all day with these leaders, praying together and planning the next steps of Lakeside Church. We're taking a strategic planning day away from the office to ask together: God, what do you want next for your church at Lakeside?

One of my prayers is that we will continue to be able to do it together.

Imprint, Take Two

This might be an appropriate topic for a Saturday morning.

As part of our Imprint series, we are looking this weekend into Psalm 127. This statement catches my breath: God gives to his beloved sleep.

We spend a lot of money going to sleep. Or maybe I should say, staying awake. I watch the Live Feed on my Facebook page and realize a lot of my friends are not sleeping well. Certainly some of them have medical issues that make a good night's sleep difficult. I am sympathetic to that. But then, what do I do with this promise from God: He gives to his beloved sleep?

Apart from physiological issues, I believe many sleep problems are really spiritual issues. The first part of Psalm 127 is about trusting God, about seeking his help as we build a life, a home, a career, a church. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain who build it. Solomon is saying: Wait on God. Trust him. Rest.

The Lord was so passionate about giving his people a rest that he built rest into his weekly calendar. He did not do this for his benefit. (Does God get tired?) He built the Sabbath so his people could catch a break. When we work non-stop, seven days a week, we are telling God: I don't trust you. I have enough work at the church that i could work 24/7. But God would not be building with me if I did that. He gives me sleep. I am happy to take advantage of that promise!

This weekend I will give five practical steps to take when raising our children. (Spoiler Alert...) One of the steps is Teach Your Child to Sleep. You might think: Well, sleep is a natural function. And that's true. But since God gives sleep to his beloved, falling asleep is a spiritual activity. Learning how to enjoy God's rest is a gift.

More at Lakeside Church this weekend. Don't sleep through it...

Imprint, Take One

This weekend at Lakeside Church we'll be addressing Psalm 127. It's part of our parenting series called "Imprint." I won't have time to talk about every issue that comes up in this psalm, so I thought I'd give some advance perspective.

Solomon is the author of this psalm. So the wisest man in the world is giving parenting advice, or really, life advice. Here's how he begins:

    Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.

    Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

    In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat,

        For he gives to his beloved sleep.

I'm a builder. I didn't even know I was a builder until I helped launch Lakeside Church. Looking back now on 20 years of ministry here, I realize I am a builder. I have initiated five building campaigns at Lakeside. I have helped build nearly 70,000 square feet of space. I have remodeled my house...three times. It seems obvious now: I am a builder.

But the role of builder is deeper in me than stacking bricks and mortar. I've helped build a church, that is, a group of people who are passionately following Jesus. I love that role. I love to help people "get it" with Jesus. I love to see their eyes light up as they begin to understand who Jesus is and what he means to them. I love to build faith into people.

I've also built a family. Donna and I have raised three kids. They are the pride of my life. I've had a strong hand in shaping them in their journey of life. What a privilege. What a challenge.

I'm definitely a builder.

But to me, and other builders like me, God gives a gentle warning: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. That is true whether the "house" is a child, a family, a business, a school, a church or a community. Whatever we think we are building in this life, it will be empty unless the Lord builds it with us.

To me this is a call to humility. I might think I'm a great builder, but unless the Lord builds the house with me, my effort goes in vain.

Perhaps you could push the pause button in your building career for a minute. Stop and do a survey of what you are building: Is God building it with you? Are you leaning on his expertise? Are you building according to his blueprints? Don't risk building in vain.