Here I sit…

Week two of my sabbatical is coming to a close. I was really looking forward to this time, but even I did not realize how much I needed it. Let me back up though. Some of you hear the word sabbatical and you think a myriad of things. Some think…

VACATION

NOTHINGNESS

TIME OFF

LAZY

Even though all those things seem to be what we would label “sabbatical” it is so much more than that. This is what I love about my church. At the ten-year mark they give each of our staff members a one month sabbatical. However, this is not a vacation. This is not nothingness. This is not “time off”. It is rest, but is not laziness. This is a time to rest, replenish, and re-energize. In fact there are some requirements on our time of sabbatical. Not a list of rigid rules, but some guidelines in order to make us truly get the most of it.

REQUIREMENTS OF SABBATICAL:

Week 1: You must spend one week at another church simply serving. For me that was a trip to Nashville. Some of my best friends are on staff at one of the best churches in the country there. I love it, because I can go, copy stuff, make coffee, file stuff, love on people, take notes, encourage staff, and simply be a guy helping the church for no other reason than serving the church.

I am not drawing a paycheck from them.

I am not getting any gain other than serving them with the gospel.

I have to tell you that it is one of the best weeks I have had so far on my sabbatical. In fact I was able to get my friend there to take the weekend off, which was the first time in four years that he has had a Sunday off where he was not leading somewhere else. I served him and his family and it was so rich. We unplugged, got in kayaks and spent three hours in the Harpeth River in Tennessee. It was full of resting, replenishing, and re-energizing. It took that week to get me in a state of sabbatical.

Middle of Nowhere: Nashville, TN

Week 2: You must spend a few days in solitude. Solitude looks different for all people. However, one constant remains. You must get still and quiet in order to hear God’s voice in new and fresh ways. I was home from Nashville for a few days to celebrate my wife and daughters birthdays and then I hopped another plane to the North East. I walked off the plane this past Saturday in Boston. It was cool and overcast outside. I got my rental car and started up the coast. An hour later and I was in Manchester, NH. Now being an East Coaster myself it felt as if I was coming home. It was welcoming and full of beauty. There were rolling hills and mountains in the distance. I spent a few days with my good friends Bo and Eric who used to be on staff with us in Texas, but now lead one of the greatest churches in the North East. Everyday since I have been here I have had large chunks of solitude. Simply still and quiet moments. It is amazing when you still yourself how clearly you can hear God.

He has spoken through scripture.

He has spoken through nature.

He has spoken through the quiet.

He has spoken through others.

He has simply spoken…

Today is a full day of solitude. Today is full of writing, reading, and listening.

New Found Lake: Bristol, NH

Week 3 & 4: You can do what you would like. For me…that means going home and hanging with my family. Investing all I can in my wife and daughters. Giving them the full attention that they need from their husband and father. It means resting at home. It is like when you go on vacation and you come home needing a vacation from your vacation. Well, this time I get that. I get to come home and rest after traveling to rest. Sure I look forward to new places. I love the quiet of airplanes, hotel rooms, and the loneliness that sometimes comes with travel. In fact I revel in those moments. However, there is really no place like your own bed, couch, kitchen, patio, family, and surroundings. I actually look more forward to that than I do anything else I have done.

I encourage you…if you are not taking a regular sabbath, you need to. You don’t need a month. In fact Jesus retreated regularly to rest, replenish, and re-energize. It is time that we take back the time that God wants from us and give it to him. It is there and there alone that we hear the still small voice of the Lord.

It was Saturday a week ago. I woke up and started to feel that little scratch in my throat. As a preacher you notice every little twinge in the vocal region of your body. I began to take vitamin c, drink herbal tea, suck on cough drops filled with menthol and honey, drink pickle juice, gargle with Listerine, and any other home remedy I could find. However, to no avail. Sunday morning I woke up to a voice that was almost completely gone. Not only that but my ears hurt and my nose was dripping. I somehow managed to make it through two services and then went into an afternoon coma.

Monday I decided to take to the couch and sleep it off. But then I realized really quickly that this thing was not going away. It was taking up shop and residing in me. I woke up Tuesday and was ready to literally die. At one point I pushed on my eyes and clear fluid made its way out (I know it’s gross, but it was reality). It was at this point I decided it was time to go to the doctor. However, it was not just a decision to go to the doctor, but I even said to my wife, the nurse, that I wanted him to just give me a shot. Did you read that last sentence? I WANTED him to give me a shot…with a needle…that goes into your skin…and hurts. WHY?

Well…honestly because I am not a fan of needles does not mean that I don’t need a shot from time to time. In fact even though I am not a fan of needles, I am a follower of good health. I understand that in order to move forward with good health sometimes you have to do things you don’t like. You have to do things that are painful. But in the end you end up being healed as a result.

As I look at many people’s journey with Christ it is much the same way. Some people are not fans of the pain that comes with knowing and claiming Christ. However, when we truly follow after him we find that we begin to be healed. Sure it might hurt. Sure it might cause us some pain. Sure we might have to go through some things we don’t like. But the end result is us being healed and transformed to do what it is we were created to do. Fan’s very rarely do what they need to do. That’s why they are fans. But followers understand that sometimes you have to go through painful stuff to get to the good stuff.

Come to find out I had a severe upper respiratory infection. Sure enough he recommended the shot and I took it. Did it hurt? YEP!!! Did I care? NOPE!!! Why? Because within 2 hours I was already feeling better. It was worth the momentary pain to begin the process of healing. Today I hope you will go through the momentary process of some pain to become a follower of Christ.

For more Not A Fan posts and interaction go HERE!!!

Starting last Thursday I got enthralled in what I usually get enthralled in this time of year. In fact being a follower of what I am it is tough not to get wrapped up in the hype. It starts mid week with watching the rehearsals and then really from Thursday to Sunday it is go time. The crowds pour in and there are more people than one person could really count. The atmosphere is electric and there is an anticipation of what will happen this year.
I mean honestly every year is exciting, but you are wondering if this year can top last year. Last year seemed so spectacular. There was laughter, drama, and awe. But no matter the atmosphere the same thing is going to happen this year that happened last…someone is going to win!!!

Now my guess is, is that you think I am talking about Easter. I will get to that in a second. But I am talking about the Masters. I love golf and I love this event. From the time I was a little kid till now it is my favorite major in golf. My dad was a local golf pro when I was a kid and I got to go to Augusta and I even have a signed visor of one of the PGA’s golf legends. I am a fan of golf. Before this last Masters I was a fan of Bubba Watson. But after his win this past Sunday I have become a follower. I have watched interviews, examined his swing, looked at his equipment, and learned details about his life. I would even go so far as to say that there are many things I would like to emulate from his life.

Now it is interesting to me that I can get so caught up in the hype of a man. Now I get that Jesus was fully man, but he was also fully God. In fact the last time I checked Bubba Watson has never resurrected from the dead or raised others from the dead. Yet what I have noticed is, is that it is easier sometimes to become followers of good people and forget that we have a Great God that we should want to follow even more. He not only conquered death, but he did so for us. For me that is more than enough to want to be a follower of the one true God.

I am excited to see over the course of this series how God is going to take us here at Compass from being casual fans of Jesus to being COMPLETELY. COMMITTED. FOLLOWERS!!!

-This series of Not A Fan posts are posts from where I am contributing for Compass Christian Church. Please feel free to read and watch there as well.-

It may come as a surprise to people who know me. In fact some will flat out not believe me. But the reality is, is that I have not watched the Grammy’s in years. Now I remember in middle school and high school we would have watch parties and ask to stay up past our bedtimes to watch these lip syncing mega stars wow us into believing we needed what they had. However, as I became more of a connoisseur of music, or as some say,”a music snob”, I simply did not want to watch anymore. In a market that has been saturated with sub-par musical ability and bad versions of Glee on stage I have had no desire to engage.

Now for a myriad of reasons last week I chose too. In fact I was quite engaged. Maybe it was because my kids went to be early and were out cold. Maybe it was because my wife was sicker than a dog, and in an attempt to not catch whatever she was throwin out, I decided to let her rest in the comfort of the bed versus laying on the couch with me. Maybe I slipped into a time-space continuum where I had my brain sucked from its recesses and had lost all sense. For whatever reason, I was deeply enthralled. Now the show was not as bad as some have said and not as good as others have professed.

It was simply…ok…

Nothing wowed me really. I was super impressed with Adele. The Foo Fighters are one of my favs and they delivered. Bruno Mars was as cool as a they come with his vintage throw back flare. But for the most part…it was…Eh!!! But as I watched I began to learn some life lessons and as a church leader I think these lessons could easily be applied to the church world as well.

1. Shock Value for the sake of shock value never works. Sure people will be talking about it for a week or so, but what is the real payoff. Usually those that are talking are not impressed. There was a performance  that I have heard numerous people talking about this past week. I heard people in line at lunch talking about it. I heard it on the radio. I heard it Starbucks. I even heard it in the church offices. If you watched you know what I am talking about. If you did not it was a performance by Nikki Minaj. The whole thing was bad. It was not that I was offended. It was just bad. I guess it takes more to offend me than others. I was not impressed, because there was no payoff for her statement of shock. It was shock for shock sake. We do this in the church sometimes too. We say and do things sometimes for the sake of shock without thinking about the payoff. Is it worth polarizing an entire crowd to say something that could have been said in a completely different way, that would have gotten a much better response and opened up dialogue for deeper conversation. I am sure that many live by the mantra that “whether it is good press or bad press, at least they are talking about me.” Not sure I want the church to be talked about the way we make ourselves out to be sometimes.
2. People Still Like Authentic Way More Than Produced- Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters got on stage to give an acceptance speech. First off you have to know that I LOVE the Foo Fighters. They are the real deal. In fact their acceptance speech for their award did more than convey that. Dave said that their entire album had been recorded on reel to reel. There was no digital mix down. There was no manipulation. He said that the best thing you can do for your talent, is learn to play your instrument. The crowd went crazy. Even the artists who are so deep in lip syncing an auto-tune stood and applauded. Why? Because at the end of the day people don’t want something manufactured, they want the REAL DEAL. The church is no different. People walking in the doors of our churches no longer are satisfied with us putting on a slick show. They want to experience authentic and real people. They want to experience a real and authentic God. They simply want the reality of who God is. Maybe we should consider stepping away from our productions from time to time and strip it all back to exposing the reality of God to people. It seems that these are the moments that people are longing for and respond too the most.
   
3. People Will Put Up With A Lot To Be A Part Of Something- Now in a bit of a contrast to the last lesson I noticed something else. Even though they all applauded the real, which I really believe they wanted, they still put up with a lot of bad performances, or sub-par performances. Why? Honestly, I think it is because we all want to be a part of something. It is interesting to me that when people feel a part of something bigger than themselves they will put up with a lot. I have been to churches where people will put up with ok preaching, ok worship, ok children’s areas, ok…etc. just because they felt as if they were a part of something. Now this is not to dismiss the fact that I am a huge proponent of excellence in ministry, but sometimes we get so consumed with being perfect, that we miss the mission. The beauty of the church being human, is that people don’t always expect us to be super human. New people tend to have more grace on the church than the church has on the church sometimes.
   
4. No Matter How Good You Think You Are People Stop Watching Long Before You Want To Be Done- As the night of electronic glow came to end I noticed something begin to trend on social media outlets. Many people were turning it off. Some complained that there was too much music (very ironic being it was a “MUSIC” awards show). Others complained there were too many commercials. Some even complained that there were too many old people performing. But the common thread was that about an hour and half into this three hour program people were done. Whether we like it or not, this is the nature of people in our churches too. No matter how great we think our preaching, singing, ushering, coffee, children’s areas, youth areas, or any other areas may be, when people are ready to leave…they are going to leave. They are going to go home. How do we remedy this? I am not sure there is an answer, but I think it goes back to the second lesson. Give them something so authentic, that they don’t ever want to leave the presence of God.
   

So there ya have it. What have you learned from the world around you lately?
Let me know HERE and HERE!!!

I have seen all the video clips.
I have heard all the performances.
I have seen all the interviews.
I have seen all the controversies that led to this rock altering event.

In other words I was not looking for anything new. It was fresh hearing the perspectives of the artists that performed, and the attenders who were, well, attending. But nothing earth shattering.
Each person gave a great account of what it was like. It was almost as if you were living it through them and felt as if you had been there too.
Just as I was about to turn the channel a man came on the screen that I had never seen in these documentaries before.
He was the producer of Woodstock.
He booked the talent.
He was the one that literally pulled it off for the guy whose brainchild this was.
His insight was new.
His insight was different.
He talked about the festivals that followed Woodstock in 1969.
He talked about how they each tried to mimic what happened at Woodstock, but it never happened again.
These other festivals ended in riots. In fact one of them ended with four students killed at Kent St.
Then he said this, “Woodstock was nothing more than a great moment in history. We wanted it to cause a movement, but these other festivals were proof positive that even though it was a great moment…it was nothing more than that. Movements alter history forever, and even though Woodstock altered music forever, history itself went back to business as usual.”

My jaw was on the ground. I immediately wrote it down. I paused the DVR and played it back again. This was such a profound statement.
I began to look at my context of life.
I eat, breathe, and sleep church world.
I long to see the church create a movement in the Kingdom that will alter the world towards Christ.
But I realized something…
Every weekend in churches all around the country we are creating something.
I would love to say that we are all creating little movements for the Kingdom, but could it be that we are just creating little moments that are simply not as effective as we could be.
Now stay with me. I am not saying that we are ineffective. But keep reading.
Could it be that we, much like those other festivals after Woodstock, have become more prone to mimic other churches and try to create a moment that we thought was cool instead of creating a movement in our own communities?
I have done it.
I have gone to the cool church, in another state, doing creative stuff, reaching their community, and thought…WE SHOULD BE DOING THAT!!!
But why?
My heart is right. I want people to experience the movement that I experienced there. But usually I end up creating a second rate version of what I experienced. Why?
Because the church that I deemed cooler than mine really was not cooler. They have simply grasped that they are to create a movement for their community. Each of us have been called to create a movement for the Kingdom, but unfortunately we get wrapped up in creating moments that are second rate mimics of other churches instead of being a unique voice for our corner of the Kingdom.
So what about you? Are you creating Moments or Movements in your life and church?

Join the discussion on twitter and facebook with me.

i’m a dreamer.

i love to think about what things can be like.

i can get a vivid picture in my head and see what it looks like in reality.

in church world that can be a great commodity and dangerous at the same time.

it is great because vision must be cast out of looking from the clouds and seeing the big picture.

however, this can be very dangerous because sometimes we can get our head stuck in the clouds and never come to the dirt and put the shovel to those dreams.

the people i see doing the most good in the church are those who balance having their heads in the clouds and then parachuting down to the dirt to make them a reality.

we make all sorts of excuses for staying in the clouds.

we make lots of BUT statements…(might I add those are big but’s- #sirmixalotreferernce)

i would get in the dirt, BUT…i might get dirty.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…the clouds are nice and i don’t have to do anything but dream.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…what if others don’t understand what i saw in the clouds.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…i might fail.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…what if God let’s me down.

i would get in the dirt, BUT… i’m creative not administrative.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…my family might think i am crazy.

i would get in the dirt, BUT…

that little word is the difference between living out your dreams to do what God has called you to and staying in the clouds and never experiencing what he longs to do with you.

as much as God is in the clouds,

He is also…very much…

IN THE DIRT!!!

what dream do you need to get out of the clouds and into the dirt?

]]> http://freshairpoetry.com/2012/01/06/head-in-the-clouds-2/feed/ 0 http://freshairpoetry.com/2011/04/20/come-hang-with-me-here-this-weekend/ http://freshairpoetry.com/2011/04/20/come-hang-with-me-here-this-weekend/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:05:30 +0000 Trevor http://freshairpoetry.com/?p=2604