It’s All In a Name

It’s been really fun lately on Sunday mornings at North Creek.  We are in a new building and we’ve had a flood of guests come to visit.  I find myself looking around and thinking, “Am I in the right place?”  It’s fun and refreshing to be around that much change.  Every person who walks in the door is so thrilling for me!  “Who are they?  What is their story?  What do they bring to the table?  What part will they play in our story?” 

Along with all of those questions, comes the most important question, “What is their name???” 

I work at a homeless shelter about once a  month and I met a new lady this week.  Later that night, after only meeting me once, she called me by my first name.   What a strange moment that was for me!  A woman with literally nothing but the clothes on her back made me feel so valuable.  The irony was obvious.  Social status, worldly possessions, and education faded away at that moment.  I was humbled and honored that she cared enough about me to remember my name.

I’ve heard so many people in my life say, “I’m not very good with names!”  And I don’t buy it for a minute.  I don’t buy it because I used to say that, but after realizing how valuable people’s names are, I decided to work on it.  And the result has been stunning.  I simply look at people for what they are now…important.  So important that I work very hard to remember them…and to pray for them throughout the week.  People are valuable and I want them to feel that way!

Not only am I working on it, but North Creek Church as a whole works on it!  Collectively we try very hard to remember people and get their names down.  We are not perfect at it, but our stats are pretty good!  And rarely does a Sunday go by where I don’t hear the phrase, “Man!  You remembered my name!  That’s the third person to call me by name and I’ve only been here one week!” 

I know in that moment, that just as my new friend at the homeless shelter had my attention, that we have theirs.  Not because we are the perfect church, but because we know that people are important and valuable.  And the old song from the sitcom Cheers runs through my brain…”where everybody knows your name…”  How funny that we are in an old bar!

Just Decide

I feel like God is standing behind me lately.  His deep and wide voice is piercing me like a steel pipe through my chest.  His voice, as steady and resounding as any voice you will ever hear, saying, “Just decide.”

Flashback to three years ago.  As we decided to plant a church, we made so many decisions so fast that our heads were spinning.  Our plan was set in motion and we committed to give everything we had to this idea of a church that was even foreign to us.  We were going to abandon some of our own traditions, ideals, wants and needs in order to foster an environment for those that didn’t know Jesus.  We were going to give people the opportunity to ask questions, learn, grow, even decide not to follow Christ.  Our world and everything about our church would not be focused on those of us who had been on the journey with Christ for a long time, but rather we would lay down our needs and love people unconditionally.

The irony is that when you make a decision about who you are, you also make a decision about who you are not.  I’ve been wrestling for the last couple of months because I can sense that as our church fills up with an assortment of people from every end of the spectrum of the line of faith, that just deepens the line that we drew nearly three years ago. 

As the line deepens, it becomes clear that we cannot meet everyones needs and desires.  This is probably the most painful part of leadership for me.  Because we know who we are, we automatically aren’t right for some people!  How can this be?  The core of who I am wants to then bend and twist our values to accomodate everyone, but when leaders do that, what is lost is the framework and the mission that you started with.  YOU SIMPLY CAN’T BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE! 

And we’re back to that voice in my head…”Just decide.  Just decide.  Just decide.”  With great resolve, we have decided.  I love the fact that people of any walk of life are welcome in our church.  I love the honesty and the basic questions that people asking.  I love watching our long-time Christians being challenged, not by men’s breakfasts and women’s Bible studies, but rather because they are being asked to tell someone the story of Jesus for the first time.

I love North Creek.  With all of it’s flaws and imperfections, we are who we are and I like it.  I like it a lot.  And if you do, too, that’s awesome, but if you don’t, let me be the first to say, “We bless you on your journey.  There are so many great churches out there and my prayer for you is that you find one that you love as much as I love our church.  Just decide.”

Malnourished Christians

I read an article this morning that mothers in Sierra Leone don’t practice breast feeding and don’t have access to formula, so they pour rice water into their babies mouths to feed them.   This provides little nutritional value and leaves children susceptible to disease and death.  A child born in Sierra Leone has more than a one in four chance of not living to see his or her first birthday.  Consequently, this country has the highest mortality rate of children under 5 in the world.  Deaths of children that could so easily be avoided!

This illustration reminded me of the church today.  I know that many church attending Christians fail to read the Bible regularily.  A small passage every Sunday fed to you by your pastor is not enough to be healthy.  Just as those mothers have the means with which to feed their children, but fail to do so, we also have the means to “nourish” ourselves spiritually.  If it were possible to look into the lives of those that walk away from Jesus, I wonder how many of them simply starved themselves spiritually?

I have a burden for this topic because of the journey I’ve been on to get to love reading the Bible.  I used to struggle with the guilt of wondering if I was reading enough or getting enough out of it or if I was being reverent enough.  And then I stopped fighting so hard.  My general rule of thumb now is to read a chapter a day.  It’s so easy to do and I don’t make it more difficult than that .  I just read.  This is not a time for me to study or pray or find an answer to a problem.  I just read for the enjoyment of reading and being with Jesus. Often times I have Mark read to me.   If I want to do a Bible study or pray, I do it separately.  I put a hedge of freedom around those 5-10 minutes a day when I get to just load up on His Word. 

And what I’ve found is that many times God uses those few minutes to speak to me anyway.  He uses a verse to remind me who is in control.  He uses a verse to put me at ease when I’m stressed.  He uses a verse to strengthen my marriage.  And sometimes, He says nothing.  But no matter what happens, I know that the Word is living and active in my life and I can’t get away from it’s power once it’s poured in. 

So, where do you start?  Open the Table of Contents and start with an easier book, such as Mark.  Or one of my favorites, I and II Timothy.  Just read.  Write down questions as you go, but don’t get stuck on what you don’t understand.  Just read.  No worries, no guilt, all freedom.  Enjoy!

Welcome to our New President

What a day!  It has been fun to watch the exchange of power on television this morning.  We are blessed to be in a country that celebrates democracy.  We do not have violence and an overthrow of our government, but rather we give over authority and power with grace and dignity. 

My call to arms for all of us in America is to love, support, and pray for our President.  That doesn’t mean that we need to agree, but we do need to speak appropriately when we disagree.  The weight that Obama now carries is the heaviest in the world.  Let us not be so arrogant to speak poorly of the leader that God has placed before us.  As Christians, we should commit to pray for him and to make our communities the strongest that we can. 

We also have a responsibility to speak unwaveringly about what we believe.  Each of us speaking freely of our convictions in love and with respect is the heartbeat of our great country!  So, blessings to our new leader as we forge ahead in freedom and unity!

Membership Orientation

Last night we had our first Membership Orientation of 2009!  It was an awesome event and reminded me once again why we do what we do.  There was such a diverse crowd.  We had a 21 year old man up to a grandma.  There were people who have long and rich church backgrounds and one man who read his Bible for the first time last week.  There was people that I’ve known for a very long time and those that are new to my life in the last few weeks.  I looked around the room and saw the unity that Jesus can bring to people.  Aside from the love of Christ, I’m not sure that such a group of people would find common ground, but inside the walls of our church, we gathered, ate, laughed, and learned together.

I am excited for new members of our church.  People who are committed to each other and to the growth of North Creek.  I am excited to find out what each person brings to the table and to watch God use their giftings and talents.  Each one is valuable for a different reason and each one is with us for a different purpose. 

Welcome!  We are glad to have you with us!

 

P.S.  Thank you to everyone who has asked about Delaney.  She is doing much better and went back to school today after a week off!

Systems

I am a very systems oriented person.  I like to know why and how we do everything.  Processes and rules help me to function best.  As we were setting up the systems (and still continue to in some cases) for North Creek, it was almost mind numbing!  How would people get involved in ministry?  What form would they fill out?  How about Membership?  Baptism?  Children’s check in?  What information would be in the bulletin and what events would we be providing?  The list of questions went on and on…..and on.

I thought a lot about systems this week as my daughter, Delaney, has been really sick.  For the first time in her life I had to take her to the doctor for her illness.  We went to the Urgent Care Clinic and got the meds that we needed.  However, after being at home for about seven hours, she continued a rapid and scary decline in her health.  I loaded her up and took her back to the clinic.  Surely there was something I missed!  Something else they could do to help my baby!  I walked in and told the lady at the desk my name.  She looked at my records and went and talked to the nurse.  The nurse took us back to an exam room and informed us that our insurance only lets us go to the Urgent Care Clinic once a day.  I could either take my child to the emergency room or back home.  So, we picked up Delaney, lethargic and barely able to lift her head, walked out with the nurse and passed the doctor on the way out the door.

A system, well thought out in intentions, left a sick child, just feet away from a doctor, who was unable to help.  It was eye opening and made me angry to the core of who I was.  It reminded me once again that systems are great and very much needed to function as a society and in our church.  However, systems need to have loopholes that include common consideration for the most important part of the system….people!

That’s what I want to keep in mind for North Creek.  Our systems are our strength, but not every situation is going to work into the ramifications of a person’s life.  It’s important to stick to the system as much as possible, but not at the sake of being inconsiderate and ridiculous to people.  As with everything in life, balance is best!  We’ve got to love people and boundaries!

Life

I love talking to people who have questions about God!  I happen to have had a couple of opportunities this week just to have some authentic conversations with people.  One woman asked me to tell her the story of Jesus.  She was unclear about the timeline of His life and wanted someone just to walk through it with her.  Another friend of mine asked me to tell her the story of creation and why I believe in God.  Seriously!  If you want to be challenged in your beliefs, try summing up creation over lunch.

When we decided to start a church, we consciously made the choice to foster an environment where people new in their faith or people with questions would feel comfortable.  I will never regret that decision.  Faith and believing in Jesus is a journey!  I can remember getting my first Bible as a junior higher and being totally lost.  I can remember learning to worship with singing and thinking how strange it was.  I can remember trying to figure out how to pray and feeling foolish.  I can also remember the awkwardness of walking into church alone and hoping someone would sit by me.  Perhaps coming to Jesus as a young adult makes me feel a special bond to those people who are experiencing church for the first time.  It’s like visiting a foreign country…exciting and intimidating all at the same time.

I lay awake at night and think about people.  People who don’t know the love of Jesus like I do.  People who are raising kids without Godly principles.  People whose marriages are crumbling because they don’t have a Biblical foundation.  Jesus has just been this incredible source of strength and love in my life.  I look forward to every day that I get to share the love of Christ.  What a privilege it is to know HIM!

Ethan Matthew

Jeff and Angela, our youth pastors and dear friends, had their baby at 3:07 am!  Ethan Matthew is 8 lbs. 4 oz. and is 19.5 inches long.  He is healthy and Angela is doing great. 

It is hard to even put into words the amazing gift of this baby.  Jeff and Angela have made so many sacrifices to seek God’s will for their lives.  They deserve nothing but the richest blessings from God!  As I looked down at that beautiful baby boy with a full head of hair and his perfect little face, I couldn’t help but think that God was smiling on them a little extra today. 

 

Ethan -

Man of God!  Today you were born into a blessed and incredible family.  You carry with you a family name that is associated with many great men before you.  Your parents love and serve God with all of their hearts.  There is a multitude of people praying for you and believing in you.  Greatness is rolled out before you and we can’t wait to watch God fulfill His plans in you!  Today we celebrate your birth and look forward to your life.  We love you!

Be the Best Where You Are

One of my all time favorite teachers was an English teacher that I had in college, Debbie Pope.  She’s got endless energy, guilty smiles, and enjoys life enough for all of us.  It’s what I loved.  And I also loved English.  I love to write and I love how words can change a person.  That’s probably why I married a pastor and also became a pastor.  I wanted to use words to change the world.  So, this morning I read a blog that Debbie wrote and thought I would pass it on.  Simply this:  you’ve taken the paths that you’ve taken for a reason and it’s important to enjoy the place that you are at. 

Here is what she wrote: 

This morning, I was thinking about identity again. Actually, I was praying in my car. I like to pray out loud in my car, after I stop at Starbucks and pick up my steamed soy misto for the morning and am back on 108th Avenue NE, headed to the 520 floating bridge and Seattle.

Praying, talking. Having a cup of coffee with Jesus. I imagine him sitting in the passenger seat, sometimes.

And somewhere in that conversation, the word “identity” came up — and came up in conjunction with the fact that I was driving back to school, back to class. See, I have been homesick for Chattanooga ever since I got back. I was there for 4-5 days in October and had a glorious time. I was there for Christmas break for 4 days, and soaked up every minute of it — old friends, family, celebrations, familiar streets, sounds, landscape. I’ve been gone for 30 years, and somehow, this year, I’ve begun to realize how much of my identity is still rooted in being that person — a Southerner. In those experiences, those people — that place. And I find myself praying that somehow, sometime in the future, I can go “home.” Seriously. It’s who I am. It’s who I want to be.

But this morning, I’m also someone else.

I am a teacher. Today, I teach.

Frederick Buechner — and for those of you who may not know, he is a Presbyterian minister/author — and my patron saint of some 20+ years now — says something like the following concerning identity (and I’ve just searched madly through Listening to Your Life for the correct reference, and cannot FIND it!): “If you want to know who you are, watch your feet — for where your feet take you, that is who you are.”

(And again, that’s a Pope paraphrase — but pretty darn close to the original.)

I’ve always loved that. It’s so plain and simple and true. Where your feet take you, that is who you are.

Can’t deny it.

If you want to know who you are — at any given moment of your life — look down at your feet. Where are you? Where have they taken you?

THAT is who you are.

So I said out loud in my 2005 Honda CRV as I accelerated onto the entrance ramp to 520, “My feet are taking me back to school today, God. Help me to be the best teacher I can be, because that is who I am — that is where I am — today. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know where I will be a year from now. But today, my feet take me to the classroom.”

And then, in the next firing synapse, I thought of Dr. Truett Edsell Bobo, and Stan Steward (now Dr. Stan Steward, also — but just Stan in my college days). They were both my college professors at Bethany (then) Bible College, Santa Cruz, CA.

Whenever I am starting a new class, I think of them, and I pray another prayer, and it’s this: “Lord, I teach today in the name of Stan Steward and Truett Bobo, who taught me that good teaching is passionate. It is engaging. It is creative. It is thoughtful. It is FUN. It is life-changing, liberating, challenging. So in their names, I take my feet into my two classes today.”

Identity. We all have it. Years go into the making of it. Places go into the making of it. Family goes into the making of it, educational experiences, friends, husbands, wives, children.

And it comes to a point, always.

And that point is today.

Now.

Where your feet take you, that is who you are.

 

For me, I will be a great mom today!  I will give my kids all that I can to make them better little people today.  I will set aside the frustrations that come with diapers, tiny toys surrounding me, and jelly fingerprints on my walls.  My feet have taken me to my home and my family today, so I’m going to do the best that I can. 

Take a minute to look at your feet.  Where are you going today and how can you be Jesus to the people that God has given you?

Exchange the Good for the Best

A message that Mark preached on Dec. 14 has been stirring in me for the last three weeks.  It was about decluttering your life for the holidays, but the underlying theme is what is still with me – are you doing a lot of “GOOD” things in your life, but not what is “BEST”?  I really feel that God has something better for my time than what I have been spending it on.  I have a passion for leadership and challenging people, but honestly, I have been weary doing a lot of other good things.

Granted, it’s been a busy three years.  Moving, having a baby, and starting a church has really consumed me, so I’m not being too critical of myself.  We all deserve a little grace for ourselves!  However, now that Kennedy is two and a half and the church is functioning well, I hear the sweet voice of Jesus calling me to refocus.  “Spend more time with me!”  “Invest in leadership!” “Challenge people to love Me more!”  It is as if His spirit is renewing my weary bones and giving me permission to let go of the good things to be all that He has for me.  And I am excited.

My prayer is that each of us would take a long look at our lives and declutter.  Decluttering is easier than it seems.  Just do your passion first and there won’t be room for the rest.  What is your passion?  If it’s loving on preschool kids, get in there and teach them a Bible verse with all of the creativity that you have.  If it’s teenagers, get in their face and tell them that you believe in them.  They need to hear it.  Do a study on spiritual gifts and find out where you are gifted.  If you have a passion to see people healed, pray for sick people in our church!  Stretch yourself this year.  Become better by doing the best thing with your time!