Colorado Highlights

My Colorado experience was pretty amazing. Instead of posting all the minor details, I think I’ll give you some of the highlights.

Family
I got to spend a lot of time with my big sister Laure and her husband Jonathan. We saw a ton of stuff, played lots of games, and ate a bunch of good food!

It was the first time that I was able to go out and visit them, and it was cool to see them in their home. I miss being able to spend time with them…it’s not everyday you can go up to Colorado!

Swetsville Zoo
A guy named Bill Swets lives in Fort Collins, and he has been spending his retired days welding Sculptures out of scrap metal. He has dozens of them, and it is free to go through his “Zoo.” Laure and I got to meet Bill and watch him work on his newest creation. It was a unique place to say the least!

Estes
Estes was pretty cool. We got to travel up the mountain by using these little gondola things. At the top you could purchase peanuts and feed the ground squirrels. They would walk up to you and take them right out of your hands!

Rocky Mountain National Park
I think Rocky Mountain National Park was my favorite part of my trip though. The scenery was breath-taking, and we saw tons of animals! I got up close and personal with an angry marmot, and we also saw dozens of elk! We were also able to catch a glimpse of a moose as well.

Bison Ranch
We went to a Bison Ranch in Wyoming. They take you on a little train tour and you can get right up next to the Bison. They also had a yak, some Beefallos, camels, ostriches, and llamas. Good times. We didn’t get any buffalo meat that day, but I did eat a buffalo burger later that week!

Whit’s End
I grew up listening to Adventure’s in Odyssey, and my family had every single album that came out. So it was really cool visiting Focus on the Family and going through their ice cream shop and seeing their little museum. I had a whadfamchocsod from the soda fountain with my lunch!

Garden of the gods
We didn’t spend too much time at Garden of the gods.
We had a lot of things to do in Colorado Springs that day, so we had to get moving. But it was still pretty stinken cool!

Pikes Peak
We took the cog railway up Pikes Peak. It was cool being able to listen to the tour guide give some of the details of the mountain and some of the history of exploration and stuff.

Altitude
Speaking of Pikes Peak…it turns out that being 14,110 feet above sea level will make you feel a little strange. I made sure to stay hydrated throughout the trip, but it was pretty easy to get out of breath. We went backpacking one night, and I that was one of the more intense cardio workouts that I have had in a long time!

tim

Trying to sum it all up

I have given up trying to sum up all the fun, crazy, and interesting experiences I have had recently. The month of May has been ridiculously full of stuff (traveling, weddings, family stuff etc.)

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Soo with that thought in mind, I have decided to post some pictures! Maybe this will sum up the last few weeks! Enjoy!

tim

Crazy Love

I recently finished reading the book, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I was thinking about writing a review on the book, or posting some reflections on it, but I decided to share some quotes from it instead. I figured I would let the book speak for itself. Here are some good quotes that stuck out to me:

Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?

On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don’t consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor. But there is nothing normal about today.

Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him—frequently and zealously. Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, he tells us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He called this the “first and greatest commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.

The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves and me is nothing short of astonishing.

The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.

The thought of a person calling himself a “Christian” without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.

But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.

It is just this sort of love that is crazy to the world: true love, a kind found nowhere but through Christ.

I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come in contact with is Christ.

I found this book to be encouraging and challenging! I’d highly recommend it! You can check out the book’s website here if you would like.

tim

Mileage Math

I have been on the move lately. In the past three weeks I have traveled:

2,000 (+) miles on a plane to Florida for the Exponential Conference

1,000 (+) miles in my car in the past three weeks for interviews

=

3,000 (+) miles

I am definitely glad to be stationary today! My car is glad as well. While I was driving home yesterday the “Service Engine Soon” light flashed across my dashboard. Hopefully it won’t be anything too serious.

tim

Boldness

I took a ton of notes from the Exponential Conference this year. There was a ton of excellent things to chew on, but I thought I would share the sessions that made me think the most. One of those sessions was taught by Francis Chan. He talked about the Holy Spirit and boldness.

I was excited for his main session because I have heard him speak before and he was excellent. He is such an encouraging, humble, and honest speaker.

So here are my notes:

-Acts 4:13-f <– Why can’t it be like this today?
—They were “Astonished” because they had “been with Jesus”

-Today people are very well educated, but they lack boldness. We are raising terrified people.

-Verse 29. <– They prayed for MORE boldness.

-Paul also prayed for more boldness (Ephesians 6). (And Paul was really bold already)!

-We need to be praying for more boldness in our lives.
—We have so many insecurities.

-It doesn’t make sense that the Holy Spirit would change.

-Do I live like the Holy Spirit works in my life like in the book of Acts?

-If you read the Bible on an island, what would you believe, and what would you expect to see?

-What does the church in Acts really look like? <– The Church is a family.
—People are attracted to gangs because they are doing things biblically (except for the killing).

-We need to pray for boldness.
—Elijah vs. 450 Prophets of Baal

-God is a creating God. The Holy Spirit has the power to move and work in new and creative ways.

-James 5:17 <– “Elijah was a man just like us.” But he prayed.

-We must pray for boldness.

I think we are often guilty of squelching the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Spirit has power–But how often do we live our lives like things depends on us? I have so many insecurities. I’ll watch a guy like Francis Chan and think, “I could never be as good of a speaker or leader as he is.” And yet God is looking for people who are faithful, available, and teachable. Ministry is about what God can do through me. The power comes from God and not from me.

We often claim to have faith, but we still live a life that is “safe.” The prayer for boldness is really a prayer for an increase in faith. It is a prayer that says, “God, I believe that the Spirit really does move in powerful ways—move in me.” Will you pray for boldness today?

tim

What If?

Craig Groeschel is the lead pastor for lifechurch.tv and he spoke at one of the main session for the Exponential Conference this year. You can read my previous blog post about his book, Confessions of a Pastor if you would like.

I enjoyed the main session a lot, but he taught a workshop that really got my mind going. Here are my notes:

-Every movement starts with outlandish ideas.
-E,g. Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr.

-These movements always start with the question, “What If.?”

-What if what happened in the New Testament Church happened in my church?

-What if 3,000 people would accept Christ at my church in one day like in Acts 2:38?

-What if, like in Acts 2:42-46, our community would be filled with holy fear? What if people became radically different? What if God added to our churches daily? What if we believed that the church is a building and not the people of God?

-You must ask your own “What If” questions.

-Three theories about leading a movement.

1. To lead a movement you have to see things others don’t see.
-You see the trends in the culture and you ask, “What’s coming?”
-You must go where people have never been before.
-Where there is no vision the people perish
-People don’t want to join a church or a building—they want to join a movement.

2. To lead a movement you have to do what others don’t do.
-Story of the Paralytic Man in (Mark 2)
-You have to be willing to fail.
-You have to be willing to break the rules.

3. To lead a movement you have to hurt like no one else.
-People will often hurt you when you see what others don’t.
-You will often be criticized, mis-understood, fail, and feel dissatisfied.
-You have to be willing to make hard decisions.
-You will over-estimate what God wants to do in the short-run. And you will always under-estimate what God wants to do in the long run.

Groeschel is a guy with vision who thinks outside of the box. Lifechurch.tv is one of the most innovative churches in the nation, and this comes from asking the question, “What If?”

So what if? I think this is a great question because it helps us to dream. We have such small vision sometimes. Sometimes we let fear and criticism keep us from dreaming. Sometimes we have let the past dictate what we do in the present. But the question, “What If?” forces us to examine the heart of God, and seek to aggressively do whatever it takes to carry out his mission.

So what are your “What If?” questions?

tim

Expo 09!

Tomorrow morning I will be flying to Orlando for the Exponential Conference! I have been heavily anticipating this trip for some time now, and it is almost here!

Through some awesome generosity I was able to register for free. I am also going with some good friends from Suncrest as well! It should be an amazing time. I am looking forward to the speakers, the workshops, and all of the free junk that I am sure to get!

(You should also be jealous the weather is supposed to be amazing).

tim

Good Friday Reflections

When I was growing up, my sisters and I had these audio cassette tapes of dramatized Bible stories. Our favorite tape was the story of Jonah. (This was mostly because of the awesome sound effects). The sound of Jonah being spit up on dry land was hysterical! It was this great burp/vomit noise, and we thought it was just awesome. We used to rewind the tape over and over just to hear that noise!

We had several of these tapes, and we listened to them for hours and hours growing up. But the one that I remember the most was about the death and resurrection of Jesus. As a child, I never really liked this tape–It was kind of scary, unsettling, and even disturbing.

I had a hard time grasping why Jesus would allow this to happen. I knew that Jesus was the Son of God, and that he had the power to do whatever he pleased. So why didn’t Jesus stop Judas from betraying him? Why didn’t Jesus let Peter continue his assault on the soldiers who came to arrest him? Why didn’t he defend himself better at his trial? Why didn’t he stop the beatings? Why didn’t he stop the cruelty and mocking? Why didn’t he stop them from hammering nails into his hands and feet? Why? These questions were disturbing to me as a kid.

And to be honest, these questions are still disturbing to me. The cross was designed to be disturbing; it was a horrific and painful means of execution. The Romans used it to illicit fear, obedience, and intimidation. It was a brutal, bloody, and drawn-out way to kill someone. There is nothing more disturbing than the cross.

But the primary reason the cross is so disturbing is because of the ugliness of sin. As Christians I think we sometimes forget just how much God hates sin. But God hates sin so much that he sent his one and only Son to die a horrific and disturbing death on a cross–a death sentence that you and I deserve! The cross is disturbing, because our sins are disturbing. In Isaiah 53 it says,

He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

I hope that on this Good Friday, you stop and reflect on the disturbing nature of sin and the cross, as well as the goodness, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

tim

Read any good books lately?

I spent a good deal of time reading at Barnes & Nobel today. I love to read. I am constantly consuming a good book, a blog, or reading articles online that sound interesting to me. Sometimes I go through seasons where I don’t read as much, but that’s usually before or after a big reading binge. I’m the guy that enjoys reading his cereal box in the morning. And I totally loved Book-It from Pizza Hut as a kid! (Can we get that for adults)? I just love to read.

So what am I currently reading now?

“How We Decide” by Jonah Lehrer.
(This book is written by a neuroscientist who has studied how the human mind makes decisions. It has been very accessible and fascinating so far. I’ll probably blog about this one sometime down the road.)

“Christ in Church Leadership” by Paul Winslow and Dorman Followwill.
(The title of this book isn’t very catchy, but it has some great practical stuff about leadership.)

Books I would like to read/curious about:

“Crazy Love” by Francis Chan.
“Sticky Church” by Larry Osborne.
“The Chamber” by John Grisham.
“The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs.

What about you? What’s on your reading list? Recommend anything?

tim

Sticky Reflections

I had the opportunity to attend the Sticky Church Conference that Suncrest hosted yesterday. This was a great one-day conference that was jam packed with ideas, strategies, and insights on church growth and leadership. I love going to conferences and soaking up as much wisdom and information as I can.

However, I always feel like I am drinking from a fire hydrant when I go to a conference like this. There is just SO much good information to take in; it is hard to process it all. That’s why I love the speakers that are very practical.

Because of this, I really appreciated Larry Osborne’s main session. He had some very basic principles that were universally important for leaders to consider. I took a lot of notes from his session, but these practical bits of insight were my favorite. In many ways these principles are “no brainers.” And yet these things can be some of the most difficult things to actually do! Here are my reflections on “Four Priorities” that Osborne laid out during his session.

1. Develop a healthy leadership team.

There are no short-cuts when it comes to training leaders. I think many churches and church leaders are impatient about getting instant results. But training healthy leaders and getting rid of un-healthy practices, traditions, and methods can sometimes take years. Healthy churches also realize that it is important to develop, equip, and train people that you already have. We must pour into our existing leadership. This doesn’t always have instant results, but it will have lasting results.

2. Shepherd the flock I already have.

As leaders, we often become so number focused that we often forget to truly take care for the people that we already have! It is often tempting to measure success strictly on numbers. But how can we have a good retention on new people if our core is struggling? No one likes to be used, and sometimes it feels that way if we are only focused on outsiders.

3. Become believer targeted but seeker sensitive.

I have heard many different thoughts on how “seeker sensitive” you should be. One line of thinking is that a “seeker sensitive church” may end up being too shallow. On the flip-side, if you become too deep you might drive newcomers away. I think (like with most things) there should be a balance. But I love the concept that he talked about that was, “we should EXPECT visitors every week—and not just at “special events!” This mindset will change how you communicate to people. For example, we may have to eliminate a lot of the “Church Jargon” that we all seem to “partake” in.

4. Foster long-term, Christ-centered relationships.

Obviously discipleship is important, but I believe that discipleship is always more effective in a relational context. At the beginning of Osborne’s session he said this, “The stickiest thing you have in your church is close and tight relationships.” People are more likely to stay at the church if they connect relationally with someone. This is why small groups are so important; they help connect people past Sunday morning.

As a guy who will hopefully be in full-time ministry soon–I love these principles! These Four Priorities should be values that every minister should have, and they should also dictate a lot of our goals. For example, rather than having a goal like, “Let’s have ___ amount of people at our special event this week.” Wouldn’t it be better to focus on, “How can this week’s event build relationships?” I think when you plan events with those types of goals and expectations you will often still get quality numbers. It’s just a different (and healthier) way to think. It’s the difference between being leaky and being sticky.

tim