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Three Steps For Laying a Firm Foundation

The best way to begin anything is to build a foundation. Big or small, everything needs a foundation. Two important foundations are being built in my life right now, and I’m learning important lessons from both of them.

Construction crews are building a foundation on our new home. In addition, the people of Ascension Lutheran Church and I are building a foundation for our common ministry together.

Here in Florida the ground is too swampy for basements, so a house begins with a slab. It’s a nice flat, firm, level place on which to build the house. In order to withstand hurricane force winds, cinder block is used for the lower portion of the home, and then steel straps are pulled through the cinder block to the roof to hold everything down. A great deal about home construction was learned after the devastating hurricane Andrew in 1992. I’m glad that we get to reap those benefits. Our construction manager tells us that our roof will be able to withstand winds of 140 mph, or more.

We’re laying a slab at Ascension, too. It has to be done in a way similar to the building of a house:

  • Pour the slab.
  • Lay the blocks, one by one.
  • Secure it so that it weathers the storms.

We are pouring the slab by measuring the perimeter, pouring carefully, and smoothing it all out. The slab is being poured through a series of listening sessions where Ascension members are getting the chance to respond to twenty questions about the history of the church. They get to consider the past, think about the future, and do a little dreaming. We are measuring the perimeter by keeping in place boundaries. We are staying within the boundaries of the way things are currently being done. As a wise pastor once told me, “Don’t make any major changes for a year.” And we are smoothing it all out by sharing a great deal of fellowship time with one another (thanks to the hospitality of these great people).

We are laying the blocks one by one in a very intentional way. This is happening through one-on-one conversations and in small group settings. I’m developing relationships with people so that I get to know them personally, and they get to know me. We cannot truly move forward together until we all know each other well, and understand that each of us are fighting personal battles and glorying in personal triumphs.

Finally, we are securing it all, not with steel straps, but with the most important fastener of all: Love. When we listen to one another, learn from each other, get to know our common joys, sorrows, and triumphs, we cannot help but love one another. We are bound together with the greatest love of all, the Love of God that never falls or fails.

It is that love which will help us together weather any storm. And there will be storms. But we will learn from them, and they will make us stronger.

But it all starts with a solid foundation.

What other ingredients would you add to the construction of a firm foundation?

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Perfect Olympic Endings

I’ll admit it. I like knowing the results of the Olympic events before they air. I actually search for the results on Twitter and other news outlets. I enjoy knowing how it all turns out. And yet I still watch. I watch in comfort knowing how it ends.

Maybe that’s because in my daily life and work I don’t know how things are going to turn out. In real life things are not always tied up so neatly with a nice little bow and a happy ending. Things aren’t always so tidy. There’s enough suspense in every day life. I don’t need it in my entertainment, too. I like knowing how it all turns out.

Now living in the land of Disney reminds me that, like all Disney movies, there is evil in the world. But it all turns out well in the end. At Disney, there is always a happy ending.

That may seem somewhat simplistic. But I’ve walked out to enough gravesides to know that life is tough. It is often pretty sad. We need all the joy in life we can get, as the Lord allows.

I guess that’s one of the great things about being a Christian. It’s one of the reasons I wish all my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances were.

We know the end of the story. This life is filled with sadness, sorrow, frustration, trouble, and hardship. And, yet, there is also plenty in life to be happy about and in which to rejoice. For that I am thankful.

But I am most thankful that the end of the only story that really matters is a happy ending. Being saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ means that as sad as the end may seem for those left behind, for me the end will only be a new and wildly incredible beginning.

Everything will be new, good, and perfect. There will be no more endings.

It’s fun knowing how it will all end.

Do you like knowing ahead of time how Olympic events, or anything else, ends?

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Are You Wrecked?

Today my acquaintance and friend Jeff Goins releases his first book, Wrecked. I’m sure it won’t be his last.

Wrecked wrecked me. As I read my pre-publication copy I found it be challenging, smart, and yet easy to read. But it’s not easy to translate into real life. Which is a good thing.

This is an extremely important book, and one you should read. You won’t regret it.

According to Goins, to be wrecked means 

to have a transformation that goes beyond mere words — to be introduced to another way of life, to follow in the footsteps of a teacher who is calling you through the eye of a needle. Often it involves being catalyzed by an encounter with pain. The process is horrible and ugly and completely gut-wrenching — and at the same time, beautiful. It is real and hard and true. Most of all it is necessary. (p.32)

The term originally came from missionaries who came back from the field and said they would never be the same. They had been “wrecked.” Wrecked is getting out of the comfort zone. It means experiencing pain and being changed. It’s going through an experience that will permanently set your life in another direction.

If you buy the book (only about $10 at many online outlets) before August 5th you will receive $158 worth of free stuff. Go to goinswriter.com for all the details.

I find myself literally in the middle of being “wrecked,” out of my comfort zone, being daily challenged to do something new, and discovering the needs of a community that’s in the midst of changing me and the people I serve. More of those stories will be forthcoming here on this blog. But for now, check out Jeff’s book and see how it changes you.

How have you recently been wrecked?

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How I’m Learning that the Prayer of the Righteous Availeth Much

I must not be very righteous. “The prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

You see, I’ve been praying a great deal recently for one specific thing. No, really. I’ve been praying as I fall asleep at night. When I wake up in the middle of the night. When I wake up in the morning. As I drive my car. As I remember throughout the course of the day.

One specific thing. The way I wanted it to be. …According to the Lord’s will, of course. But, really, the way I wanted it to be.

I knew how I really wanted it to be, the way I wanted it to turn out, according to my own perfect will. I, I, My.

Guess what. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. Completely different. Having an impact on my very life.

I know I’m not “righteous.” And this reminded me.

Not my will, by Thy will be done. It always will be that way…His way…whether I like it or not.

He is righteous and I am not. He created the universe and knit it together, and I did not. He used an old man to create a chosen nation, and I did not. He parted the waters of the Red Sea, and I did not. He had a plan to save the world, executed it (literally!), carried it out, and I did not.

He knows best. And I do not.

But that doesn’t mean I should stop praying. The righteous blood of Jesus covers over me. It is because of the Righteous Man that prayer does, indeed, avail much.

The blood of Jesus means that God Almighty hears my prayer. And He answers it. And He know what’s best. Always.

And I do not.

I have to remind myself of that over and over again.

How has the Lord recently answered your prayers?

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Tuesday Brain Dump: Smile, Ride Your Bike, & Be Thoughtful

Here are just a few things that have been on my mind lately. It’s time to dump some of it out.

  • Smile. I was getting my new Florida driver’s license on Monday, and I noticed all of the people getting their pictures taken. It was interesting how smiling for a picture changed almost everyone’s disposition. Just a little smile. That’s all.
  • Ride your bike. Tammy and I took a long, long bike ride the other night. Riding a bike always makes me feel like a kid. It’s great exercise and such a freeing feeling. Get out your bike…and ride it…today.
  • Take out a blank sheet of paper. Seth Godin has recently been writing a great deal on his blog about the blank page. (Don’t just read past that link; click on it.) It has resonated with me as I am starting a new ministry in a new place. What if every group, board, and organization threw away “we’ve always done it this way” and started with a blank sheet, like Google? What new ideas, ways of thinking, and new strategies would come to the fore.
  • My Milwaukee Brewers are out of the race for the post season. This past weekend they were swept by the division leading Cincinnati Reds, effectively eliminating them. Now they are in “selling mode,” looking to make trades to bolster their farm system. What if, when we got behind in real life, we could go into “selling mode”?
  • Kids’ Play. As a kid, I remember playing “war” and being genuinely fearful as we crawled along the ground trying to avoid the “bullets” buzzing above our heads. There was nothing of which to be afraid. Now, it seems, there really are scenarios where that might happen, and there are genuine reasons to fear.
  • Be thoughtful. Having recently relocated, I can’t tell you how much “thoughtful” people mean to us. We have been blessed here with people who have gone above and beyond in very thoughtful ways. What can you do today to show thoughtfulness to someone who may really need that extra boost?

What are you dumping out of your brain today?

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10 Observations About Orlando from a New Resident

Now that we’ve been living in Orlando for the last few weeks, there are a few observations I must make about this city and the Florida lifestyle. It is an adjustment, to be sure, but a fun one nonetheless. If you’re new to town, here’s what you might find:

  1. Stop lights last about 3 days. I have to shave every time the light finally turns green.
  2. I enjoy living close to the beach far, far more than I thought I would. Now I just need to work on my six-pack abs.
  3. You can’t find decent, Milwaukee-style, thin crust pizza. It’s all poor imitation New York style. Oh, Zaffiro’s how I miss you.
  4. It takes an act of congress, and the budget of congress, to get a Florida driver’s license and license plates. It was easier to get behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. I’m accepting donations.
  5. There is no such thing as a real Florida native. I seriously doubt the truthfulness of the one person who told me he really was. 😉
  6. The heat really isn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Case in point: Today it was over 100 degrees in Milwaukee…and only 89 here in Orlando. Having said that, I don’t know what they did in the days before air conditioning.
  7. Suburban Orlando doesn’t know how to do independent restaurants. I challenge the restauranteurs in this area to visit Milwaukee and find out how it’s done. (For just a sample, check out Centro Cafe, Water Buffalo, A.J. Bomber’s, Rumpus Room, The Knick, Crazy Water, or La Merenda).
  8. There’s no need for pets. Just step out your front door into a veritable zoo filled with gators, geckos, and gulls (amongst other various and sundry wildlife).
  9. If you miss one strip mall, there’s another just down the street. I can get my frozen yogurt fix on most any block in the immediate area, in most any strip mall in the immediate area.
  10. Florida people are wonderfully welcoming and casually laid back. They take in stride the rain that comes most every summer afternoon, and turns back into glorious sunshine just moments later. …And they have welcomed us with open arms.

Living within close striking distance of Disney is, for us, tasty frosting on the cake. Can’t wait to take advantage of all it has to offer. In fact, I think we’ll celebrate our anniversary by having dinner there this Friday (a return to the place where we took our honeymoon 27 years ago).

What have you observed recently about the place where you live?

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3 Tips for Managing Expectations

Have you ever anticipated something only to find that it was completely different from what you expected?

  • The pictures on the web site of the vacation home were taken at night, lit like a Christmas tree, from across the lake. When you drove up, it looked completely different.
  • The conference registration promised a mountaintop experience. Your idea of a mountaintop and theirs ended up being completely different.
  • The reviews of a restaurant  led you to think it would be a completely mediocre experience. To you it became one of the best places you had ever been.

For months I had been thinking, dreaming, envisioning, and contemplating what life would be like beginning a new ministry in a new place. I had certain pictures of the place, the people, and my own activities and attitudes. I had a very complete picture in my mind.

Now that I am here and I have actually settled in, things are different from what I expected. Not at all worse, or even better. Just different. I am finding that I have to manage my expectations and keep at the forefront of my mind the goals and dreams that I had when I rolled into town.

To do that, I am making sure to these three things:

  1. Following a written plan. Before I rolled into town I wrote a 100 day plan that would be my guide through my first few months. I make sure to consult it daily and see to it that I live up to my own expectations.
  2. Listening and learning from the people who have been living the reality I have now entered. I am putting together listening sessions in my new congregation so that I can learn the thoughts, dreams, hopes, and ministry goals of the people who have a vested interest in Ascension Lutheran Church and its ministry. Their thoughts both ground me and give me a launching point to move forward in an intentional way.
  3. Adjusting my expectations to meet reality. A fun part of managing prior expectations is looking at the places where they meet with reality, and adjusting accordingly. It’s a fun exercise that brings lofty ideas down to the plane of “rubber-meets-the-road” ministry. It actually gives everyday work direction and impetus to bring some of those loft hopes, dreams, and goals to fruition.

If you’re trying to manage expectations: 

  1. Write down your plan.
  2. Listen and Learn.
  3. Adjust expectations.
Your expectations may even be greater than the ones you initially envisioned.
How do you manage expectations?
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The Other End of a Decision

I am now on the other end of a major life decision. Today  began a new ministry in a completely new place amongst new (to me) people. And what a day it was. People were gracious, good-humored, very kind, and very loving.

It would not be honest to say that I was always completely comfortable with the decision to end one ministry, begin another, move a quarter of the way across the country, and start all new endeavors. Sure, there were doubts. There were times when I thought about just remaining in a comfortable place where things had become somewhat routine.

But in the end, I knew that I was being led to follow a Call. In the end, I knew I couldn’t refuse. In the end, there were just too many things that pointed to a decision that I knew I had to make. In the end, the decision was made, we made the move, and here we are in the middle of a hot Florida summer.

When a decision is made, it often isn’t until one gets to the “other end” of it that there is affirmation. Following my installation today as Senior Pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Casselberry, Florida, our daughter made a statement that brought (for me) final affirmation.

She said, “You made the right decision. The people here are really, really nice.” True words. Affirmation. I guess it was so affirming because it came from an unexpected source. I never thought our daughter would make a statement like that. She was separated enough from the initial decision that her words carried weight.

The next time you have to make a decision, watch for signs that affirm your decision. Those signs may not come until after the decision is made, but they will bring affirmation and peace of mind.

Maybe you won’t even have to wait until after the decision is made. After seeking the opinions of people who are close to a situation, seek people who are on the perimeter of your decision and ask their opinion. It may go a long way toward turning back…or affirming a decision. God often uses His people to help reveal His will.

It’s always nice to know, on the other end of a decision, that it was the right one.

How do you determine when a decision is the correct one?

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Are You Listening?

This week I begin work in a brand new place with brand new people. The first thing I’m going to do is listen. But the listening is going to be ongoing…and very focused.

I have recently been reading a book called Church Unique. The premise is that each congregation has very specific gifts and resources. When those are narrowly focused and emphasized, it brings all work and ministry together moving in one direction and seeking a common end.

My listening will begin by paying attention to the things that make this new place unique.

How about you? What is it that makes you, your vocation, your place of employment, your ministry, unique? Begin by asking the questions suggested by Church Unique:

  • What are the unique needs around your geographic area?
  • How are these needs reflected socially, economically, ethnically, environmentally?
  • What special opportunities are found within your immediate sphere of influence (within a half-mile)?
  • What is the most significant change in your community in the last decade, and what needs or opportunities do they create?
  • What are the largest community events, and what needs or opportunities do they create?
  • Because of your specific location, what solution could you provide that no one else does?
  • What one positive change in your community would have the most dramatic effect in people’s lives?

When you answer these questions, you will have a starting place, a focus, and and plan.

What questions would you ask to help you become a better listener?