Because Relationships Matter

If it's Monday, it's GCC Group Night!

As we enter 2009 at GCC, we have some changes coming to groups at GCC! No, I'm not going to detail them all here. Let's start with the logistical change.

What if the teaching pastor doesn't have to keep track of all the group options offered? What if any staff or guest just needs to know, "If you wanna get in a group, come to GCC on Monday night!" 

Ok, we might need to refer them to the web, a bulletin, or guest services for a few more details of exact dates for each type of group, but you get the point? It's easy to communicate.

Have you noticed that people don't listen well, read well, or retain well? People are smart. They just have too much stuff coming at them.

If you want them to get it, make it simple. Is that a guarantee that they'll get it? Nope. Just increases the odds. Depends on how important your message is and how badly you want them to get it. 

With groups previously offered on Monday and Tuesday nights, midweek services on Wednesday, and then a service on Saturday or Sunday... People felt like, "I'm never home!" They weren't. This is simple. I like simple.

Happy New Year! Have fun! Be smart!

Test post

This is a test. This is only a test - post.

All right, so I'm trying to figure out why my last blog post is formatted perfectly when I go to the blog site directly, but on the feedblitz that came in email and on feedburner, it's bad - I mean - BAD!

On this test post, I'm inserting a couple pictures to see how the formatting works. It is of our diva - daughter (Amy), son (Jeffrey), and daughter-in-law-to-be (Brianna) celebrating Jeffrey's most anticipated Christmas morning gift - the Bears jersey!(Everyone is looking a little rough - which is why you don't see me in the photo - it was just scary frightening!)

The only thing that I did differently was to type it from my son's laptop because it was convenient. I did have an incredible number of typos on the draft format and it required lots of editing, but other than that, I don't get it. I'm typing this from my laptop to see if it's now normal again.

I have read the typepad blog and I can't find any "known problems" that indicate what I experienced. If any of you are smart people - ok, that doesn't sound right - you are all smart people. I mean smart about blogging software techie stuff, and you know what I did, please let me know your thoughts. If not, I may have to chalk it up to blog demons.

Some Christmas thoughts...

During Christmas, we tend to connect with extended family. For some of us, extended family is so close that we talk with them daily. For others, we aren't close at all and only get together with over the holidays. Can't it just be a bizarre mix of emotions?

During Christmas, we want to make things right. People rally to make sure that others have food, a gift, and we don't want to think of others alone or in sadness. We watch stories of stranded travelers trying to just get home to the ones they love. Joy for those helped mixed with sadness at the great unmet needs. 

I have a similar feeling each year. Excited for the celebration and wanting time to slow down. It's coming too quickly. Not because I have too much to do, but because it will soon be past. What is this bizarre mix of emotions about? 

We will sit in churches tonight around the world. Waiting. Waiting. For Jesus. What will we do with this Jesus?

I'll hear Mark Beeson tell us that the light overtakes the darkness - the darkness does not overtake the light. Some will be reminded. Some will hear it for the first time. Jesus is the light of the world! Will we carry the light into a dark world? Hope. Jesus.

I can never hear the message too often! I can hardly wait...Merry Christmas! 

Simple Gratitude: Connect & Value

As a leader, the most important asset I have are volunteers. They pull with me as hard as they can toward the same goal - helping people know they matter to God. Without them, I can only do what I alone can do, and that's not much! What can I do in response - especially at Christmas - to thank them? 

In past years, we've brought many of our teams together for a meal over the holidays. The teams have grown, and financially, it was just time to find another way. The solution - simple. Spend time together and thank them.

Jeff and I spent a couple evenings this week hosting the volunteers from our Group and Care Ministries to a Christmas Open House in our home. It wasn't fancy - no truffles, cheesecake, or things I couldn't pronounce. Cookies, Oreo pudding, and anything with marshmallows, popcorn, cereals and green and red M&M's mixed in was more the order of the evening!

I really love these people, so I just did the best I could to let them know how much they matter to me and give them a chance to hang out with the people they love.  

I wrote this post on caring for leaders a couple years ago. This remains unchanged. There are four things great leaders must do for the their teams: Connect, Value, Include, and Challenge. They don't just happen. I have to be intentional.

Mark Waltz and others have done it for me, and I want to be a great leader. There's no greater purpose I can give my life to - I want to serve Jesus well by serving those he loves.     

Living the Truth

As we continue Lies We Tell Ourselves at Journey this week, we'll look at the topic of perfection. (Yes, you can still attend any of the classes even if you missed the first week. Come!) "I know that no one is perfect, but ..." is a common expression. We say it, but we get pretty frustrated when life demonstrates that reality all too well to us! 

In my own life, I don't cook - or- I do it as little as possible. Out of necessity, Jeff is quite the chef when he needs to be! 

I talked to both of our kids on Saturday in back to back telephone conversations. Jeffrey asked, "Is Dad with you?" "No. Why do you ask?" "I just had a question about the pork chop recipe."

Within minutes, Amy asked, "Is Dad with you?" I thought there was a conspiracy. "No. Jeffrey just asked me the same question. Why do you ask?" "I just had a question about the chili recipe." Nice. Some truths are just too well known.

Undaunted, I spent many hours in the kitchen yesterday in a leadership role. It was time to make many Christmas desserts. I was reminded that: 1) it's better to not turn some foods 'green' in order to create a holiday theme, 2) when you smell something burning, it's too late, and 3) that little teaspoon of vanilla and baking soda make a big difference when overlooked.

When we feel inadequate, we often don't try. It can be paralyzing. The more we accept our imperfectness and embrace the One who is perfect, we're able to enjoy who God has created us to be.

Cookies burned and had to be thrown away, I forgot ingredients in the recipe (but we think it might have turned out better!), and we're not sure that red and green colored food is very appealing for our guest, but Jeff and I had an afternoon and evening full of laughs! Living the truth allows us to experience joy!

I'm not alone.

It's happened to most of us. The feeling. People all around us. Friends. Family. Co-workers. Neighbors. We have a secret. Something wrong with us. Different. Don't belong If others know, what will they think? Fear. Rejection. Sympathy. No matter how much we try to convince ourselves that we're not alone, the feeling overwhelms us if we let it.

There's a way out. Relationship. The fear contains the key to the solution. In relationship, we discover that we're not alone.

In studies that measure the effectiveness of group therapy, the number one reason people give for their own growth: I discovered that I'm not alone. I don't need a research paper to know that.

We humans are complex creatures, and yet we're very simple. Our God is complex, and yet very simple. We're made in his image. In the midst of our complexity, the solutions are often right in front of us.

"I'm not alone," is a powerful truth to discover and the necessary foundation to move forward. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to talk last night on the topic of finding the truth. I look forward to our continued conversation next Wednesday at Journey. 

Finding the Truth

I've been preparing for the Journey Class this month: Lies We Tell Ourselves. We'll focus on Finding the Truth during our first week, 12/10/08.

I've been reading lots of stories from the Old Testament. People have always been attempting to get right with God and to get God's blessing. They search, they question, and they try to figure it out. They want it really badly! They do some crazy things to get it! 

What's different today? We want something, but something is missing. We may not know what it is, but we know it's there. Many of us have even connected with it before. We can't find it or we can't get it back.

During Christmas, our awareness is heightened. It's missing. We want it! 

Many have heard, "Know the truth and the truth will set you free." Jesus said it. Lies are the barrier to truth. If we want to get to the truth, we have to move past the barriers - the lies.

Here's the problem: We don't see the lies - they sneak up on us, they are active, and we don't recognize them. In fact, we believe the lies as if they are the truth. Yikes!

We're not alone in this dilemma. How did lies work in the lives of those in the Bible? What's consistent between then and now? What does God want us to learn?

I invite you to use the comments section of these posts to continue the conversation - before or after the class. If you have specific questions you want covered, post a comment to let me know.

Simple Christmas Request

I have become a foster parent, and have been doing respite care for other foster homes, but have recently been placed with a 5 yr. old little girl. Wanted to know if I could request to get her on the "adopt-a-family" list?  If there's an overwhelming response for this, please put me on the bottom, as I feel I'm sure there's much more a need for others. So let me know, and how I go about doing this. Again, not in a "desperate" situation, but every little bit helps.  My own daughter doesn't expect much, we try to keep Christmas fairly simple, not forgetting the "reason for the season"!! Thanks Kathy, God Bless

 

I've watched this single mom for a few years now. We offered assistance to her previously at Christmas, but she declined - strongly; there were others with greater need. I watched her go through a several month period without gas which meant no hot water or stove; she cooked meals at a friend's house and heated them in the microwave and had lots of laughs with her daughter as they endured cold showers. She has suffered incredible personal loss at the death of a child she loved dearly. She doesn't hide from others, but her attitude is not an indicator of her challenges. She's an active volunteer serving beside others who will likely never know.

 

Adopt-a-Family is where we connect our guests who need a little help during Christmas with our guests who have some help to offer. Our Care Coordinator, Dawn Lovitt, (also my assistant extraordinaire!) developed it a few years ago and continues to administer the program. She has great fun watching as overwhelming needs are miraculously met in only a way that God can do.

 

While single mom is accurate that there are many in need, and it is humbling to accept help, it is really an incredible gift to those who get the privilege to give. I hope many of our people will experience the gift of loving others.