The wonder of it all . . .

I am currently on vacation in Eureka, KS. Usually I am up for trying something new, especially on vacation. So last night, I loaded up the sail boat with my cousin Bryce and headed out across the lake. Let me reassure you from the start that we managed to stay upright and not capsize the boat. In the midst of 'tacking,' 'steering the rudder,' 'adding tension to the sail,' and 'making turnabouts,' the realization hit me once again, everyone of us needs that quiet space that we can spend time in to pray, meditate, reflect, and in general to relax and be still. Maybe for you it's the sail boat. For someone else it may be the mountains or a hiking trail. Wherever and whenever is not important. The important thing is that you go there. Turn off the sounds of this world and tune into the voice of Jesus and the wonder of His creation.

yup . . .

Lately, I have had the desire to write more. I have an idea for a small book that has been churning for some time now. It goes to reason though that before I dive into some form of a book project that there should be a fair amount of practice, right? With this new desire though, I am coming to some realizations. The realization that writers have blocks when they don't know what to say (write) is becoming very apparent! Frankly, I struggle too on what to write. Let's you and I be honest, you don't want to read all of the thoughts and feelings that I have. Honestly, I don't want to read about all the thoughts and feelings that I have - and I live those thoughts and feelings every moment of every day! So here is my thought, feeling or question for today -

"When is it apparent that someone is spending too much money?"

Feel like a random question?

It is not - it is a thought that I have had today as I have looked at the news!

The Power of a Whisper

"Had saul not obeyed His whisper from God, Ananias could not have obeyed the one he himself received."

For me, this is one of the lessons that I am taking from Bill Hybels new book, "The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond."

I live about 2 miles from the home of the Goodyear blimp. Rarely does a day go by when I do not have the privilege to see this rather gracious vehicle glide through the stunning blue skies of Northeast Ohio. Frequently, the pilots are projecting some sort of message on the massive display screen that is located on the sides of the blimp. Usually, there is some form of an advertisment or congratulatory message. When we have the rare honor of seeing the blimp at night, the messages that are displayed are particularly bright and easy to read. I'm not sure about you, but this is often how I want God to speak to me about the matters of life - send the blimp over my backyard in the middle of the day with a bright message that gives me specific instructions. So often though this is not how God speaks to us. Rather, God chooses to speak to us in the slightest of whispers.

Pastor Hybels spells out the importance of listening to God's voice for us in his newest book. One of the reasons that it is important for us to keep our ears in tune to that 'still small voice?' Our obedience to the whisper creates opportunities for others to obey the whisper that they hear.

Thank you Pastor Hybels for sharing with us the lessons that you have learned from your many years of listening to the whisper.

Blink

I have recently finished reading another fascinating book by Malcolm Gladwell entitled, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking." Once again, in true Gladwell form, I was taken on a fascinating journey into realms that I have never visited. This time it was the realm of thinking.

Everyday, multiple times a day, in all aspects of life, we all make snap decisions or judgments. Whether we realize it or not, we make a fair amount of those snap decisions based on our prejudices. We make those quick judgments based on things that lie behind a 'locked door' in our mind. The truths that I took away from this book were many, but one bears sharing here.

It is imperative that each one of us intentionally work to train our minds to slow down, if ever so slightly, when it comes to making important decisions. It is important that we work intentionally to slow our thought processes down when we are talking with people so that we can better read the non-verbal cues that they are giving us.

To paraphrase Gladwell at the end of the book; "when we are able to take charge of the first two minutes of a conversation, a decision, an audition, an interview, etc.; we will be able to see people and circumstances for what they truely are."

Thank you Mr. Gladwell for writing another thought provoking book!

Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movement

As part of Zondervan's blog tours, I have had the privilege to review books that are new. This has been a wonderful opportunity that I hope will continue.

The lastest tour has taken reviewers to the book, "Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movement," written by brothers Dave and Jon Ferguson. This book was my first exposure to the Ferguson brothers, and I am sad that it has taken me this long to become acquainted with them.

My heart is that God's Kingdom will be advanced in this world through the ongoing salvation of people who are not currently connected to a life giving relationship in Christ. I believe that I have found kindred hearts in the Ferguson brothers. Through this book, they are challenging the rest of us to think about ways to build God's Kingdom on this earth. They are challenging us to think about ways that may be foreign to us, but ways that are essential for us to consider if we are going to be serious about reaching those who are outside of a relationship with Christ.

The entirety of the book was summed up in the early pages with this quote; "reproducing isn't about our kingdom; it's about God's Kingdom."

This is a must read for any church leader. As a matter of fact, go here; "Exponential: How you and your friends can start a missional church movment," and buy a copy now!

Outliers

I just finished reading a rather fascinating book - "Outliers." In it, Malcolm Gladwell takes an intriguing look at how people achieve success. In short, I would highly recommend it to anyone. If you would like to have your typical views of 'summer vacations,' birth date deadlines for sports leagues, and Bill Gates, then I would encourage you to pick it up at the local library and enjoy. He explores why Koren Airlines had such a deplorable safety record. He looks at how rice paddies in China are connected to exceptional math scores, and why feuds like the "Hatfields and McCoys" are very common in Appalachian America!

Thank you Mr. Gladwell for challenging our thinking!

Ukraine Day 6

Today was a bit of a slower day. The team went in different directions and made contact with people around the city. Pastor Tom and I met with an outreach team from a local church and fellowship with them and prayed for and blessed them. Then we had lunch with a local pastor. Dan, Gary, and Bob enjoyed some time with a man that runs an orphanage in the city.

When I sit back and try and picture what I think Jesus may look like today, I can't help but picture Ivan and Tanya Benedyk. These two people are incredible at working to build God's Kingdom. Pray for them as they are in a time of transition.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Ukraine and it will be very full. Please pray for us!