Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Decision Making Process - Courtesy of Nehemiah

I've been reading the book of Nehemiah for the past several weeks and something I hadn't noticed on the first few passes jumped out to me this morning. (if you don't get enough out of your time reading the Scriptures, it's probably because you're not camping out long enough...).

Nehemiah 2:6 reads: "so it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time."

Let me give you some context. Nehemiah is upset by the reports he hears about his hometown which is in ruins. He wants to go back to restore it but needs the approval of his current boss. When he pitches his plan to the boss he has already thought through the timeline. So when pressed, he has an answer. As a result he is sent with his boss's blessing and provision.

In Nehemiah 6:15 we read that the wall was finished in 52 days. This timeline is so amazing that when their enemies hear about it they KNOW that it was done with the help of their God.

Here's what jumped out to me. God often blesses us because we're blessable. Those of us that do the hard work of seeking God on the front end (Nehemiah 1:4-11) have the benefit of His divine insight into our problem (Nehemiah 2:6). The fallout of that process is that even our enemies are impressed (Nehemiah 6:15).

Here's the first draft of the process that I pulled out of the text. There's plenty more to be gleaned from this story but this was enough to create some momentum in the decisions I was making yesterday morning:

1) Seek God (Nehemiah 1:4-11)
2) Make your plans according to His insight (Nehemiah 2:6)
3) Gain the approval of those with the power to make a difference (Nehemiah 2:8)
4) Prepare for opposition (Nehemiah 2:7-10)
5) Survey the Problem (Nehemiah 2:11-15)
6) Describe the problem to those that will do the work (Nehemiah 2:16)
7) Cast the vision (Nehemiah 2:17-20)
8) Celebrate (Nehemiah 8)

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Wringer

Welcome to another addition of Friday's Fun Family Facts.

If you've been a follower of my blog (that eliminates most of you...) you have probably gotten the sense that my family is pretty "unique".

We (my family) love unique people and we hang around with them too. My family's heroes come from lists of starving artists and philanthropists; people like My Step-Father's dad Val Cushing or, for that matter, my Step-Father himself...(yes, that is a bagpipe maker's company website).

Now, as a child growing up in a family with this philosophical bent, there are certain experiences that I was privileged to have that you, frankly, missed out on; living in a Tee-Pee, Gutting my own turkey for thanksgiving, sharing dinners in my home with political idealists wanted by the FBI for anti-war protests, and while other kid's brought fruit role-ups to school for snack we brought boiled eggs from our own chickens and fresh figs!

The price that one pays for this kind of upbringing, however, is that occasionally there are hazards in the home brought on by a commitment to natural, homeopathic/organic living. Your mom, for instance, washed your clothes in a washing machine - mine used a Wringer Washer:

Romantic...right? Actually, I can tell you from first hand experience that they work quite well as long as no one gets their fingers caught in the shirt they are feeding into the rollers because, as a 5 year old boy, they are trying to help their mother by feeding said shirt through the rollers while she has gone off to answer the phone. Let's just say that when you put something in the rollers as thick as a 5 year old boy's arm, the lever that releases the rollers gets jammed. Therefore, the only way to get that object (as thick as a boy's arm) out is to reverse the rollers and let it role it's way out - just the way it went in...

But these hazards aside, I can definitely say that my upbringing has added a richness and flavor to my life that a lot of you missed out on by having normal lives. And, as a minister, it gives me a quiet confidence knowing that there is little you can say that will surprise me.

Enjoy your weekend. I'll see you Sunday!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

My Junk Drawer Interprets Nehemiah

We have one...and you do too!

That stupid drawer that haunts you at night when you're trying to sleep. Stuffed to every square inch with receipts, expired coupons, phone books from the past 2 years, pens, rulers, a cloth measuring tape, ripped envelopes with doodles on it from a phone conversation last June...It's a junk drawer!

Here's the beauty of the junk drawer, when you need to clean up quickly, you can pull it open shove your junk in it and slam it shut. Your guest gets to sit just 3 feet away enjoying how clean your house is. You, on the other hand, are sweating to the thump of that tell tale heart beating away from within the junk drawer.

I was reading in Nehemiah this morning and something struck me. Even though the most memorable part of the story told by Nehemiah is how they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, after you get through the first 6 chapters you don't hear much else about it.

With the wall fixed after 52 days the Israelites had nothing but their internal matters to turn to. And as they read the law of God and remembered their history they came to the chilling realization that they may have fortified themselves against outside attacks by fixing the wall, but it was their internal struggles that took down the wall to begin with. If they didn't figure out how to obey God's commands and live according to his principles they would eventually be right back where they started.

I guess you see where I'm going with this...we stuff our junk in the junk drawer and celebrate the fact that things look clean. The problem, however, is not the junk, but the fact that the junk was strewn around to begin with. At some point the junk drawer is going to get full so unless you begin to fix the behavior that's making the place a mess you'll eventually run out of hiding places and sooner or later you'll have to fix the real problems...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Yes, That's John Bishop With Jake and Mike

For those of you who know me...you will think this picture, which was taken at a Community Outreach luncheon I attended yesterday, is very ironic.


For those of you who don't know me...let's just say I had to write the names down so I wouldn't look like a fool later when I was telling people about this picture.
To give you a little more perspective, one of Chunk's (our Executive Pastor) favorite games to play with me on road trips is the football trivia game. Here's how it works:
Chunks: "John, I'll say a mascot you tell me the city.
John: "Okay"
Chunks: "Bears"
John: "Uhh...I'm just taking a guess here...uhh...Miami"
Chunks: shouts of disbelief and endless ridicule...
If Chunks had asked me to match the name Jake Delhomme or Mike Rucker with a team before yesterday I don't think it would have gone well.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

You Want To Get Connected to Elevation Church...

To those of you who are currently attending Elevation Church and not involved this is for you.

I have come to a VERY profound conclusion over the past few weeks...

You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church!

I am overcoming a delusional faulty assumption that I didn't realize I was living under: I assumed that you didn't want to get plugged into Elevation Church and it was my job to motivate you, cast vision, convince you, persuade you, and otherwise manipulate you to "give it a try".

I have seen hundreds of people have their lives radically changed because they began to give sacrificially, use their gifts on Sundays on a volunteer team, get plugged into a Community Group and begin to apply the truths of Pastor's message to their life, and feel the joy of moving from an invitee to a host by committing to the growth of our church through evangelism, and yet, I still had this faulty assumption that you didn't want to get connected...

I've changed all that. Now, I have realized that you DO want to get connected, there are just barriers that you (or I) have put in the way that make it difficult to do so. So I have listed two common barriers and their solutions below. I hope this will clear the way for you to get involved...

1) You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church, but you don't think we need you.
In one sense you're right, we set the place up this past Sunday and we will set it up this coming Sunday with or without you. We were around before got here and things seemed to work...

But in another sense, we DO need you terribly. Our vision is to see people far from God filled with life in Christ, which necessitates GROWTH. That means we may have enough volunteers today, but we'll need more tomorrow. We may have enough group leaders today, but when you finally get your lost friends to come they'll need a place to get connected too.

So go ahead and jump in there's plenty of opportunity for you to make an impact!

2) You really want to get plugged into Elevation Church, but you don't know how.
Maybe you already fell for my trap and clicked on one of my links above and found yourself at an easy online connection point...but just in case you didn't, we have an easy online connection point for you to get involved in any one of the 4 G's (Gifts, Giving, Groups or Growth). Go ahead and click a link and let the mouse take you. It's kind of like facebook, hit one and you won't be able to stop...

Also, we have a table set up in the lobby of every campus that we call the "information table". There are very nice people called connector's that can get you connected on the spot.

If you are at the Butler Campus, you can also take advantage of the "orangepeople". And hey, you may get a bag of Cheetos out of it! Not bad!

I'm sure there are more barriers, but hopefully I've eliminated two for you.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Lead Like a Follower

Lately, I have been coveting motorcycles I see on the road. the other day I saw one in my rear view mirror just as I was getting ready to pull off the highway that I thought looked particularly nice.




To my surprise, this motorcyclist turned off the highway with me. Over the next few miles I did my best to keep this bike in my sights and was glad at each turn that it stayed right behind me. As I approached my community and prepared myself to watch as the bike disappeared down the road I was shocked when it followed me into my community.

I immediately concocted a plan to follow the bike back to its house so that during the next community yard sale, I could buy a coffee mug in exchange for a conversation that might lead to this guy selling me his bike real cheap.

Here was the problem, he was not leading...I was! He had followed me for 3 miles and was still behind me and I had limited options for how to find his house. I could have pulled over and let him pass, and then pulled in behind him and followed him home - a little creepy but effective. Or, I could have let it go - actually, that would not have been an option now that I think about it, it was a really nice bike.

So, what I actually did was let him lead me from behind.

For the next quarter mile I drove just a little slower so that he would stay close. By correctly reading his intentions I would anticipate his next turn and was able to follow him from the front all the way to his house. Don't worry, I played it cool! I don't even think the guy knew I was following him...

Here's a paradox of leadership that's illustrated in my stalking this guy: Having a position of leadership can often be the biggest enemy to actually leading. When you allow your position, title or authority to dull your senses you stop paying attention to the subtle intentions of the guy behind you and you run the risk of removing yourself as the leader by making directional decisions without gathering the right data.

with the motorcycle in my community, I was successful at other times, however, I'm still learning how to keep my eyes on the road and the rear view mirror recognizing that sometimes I need to lead like a follower.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A Response to our Struggles

This was my response to a good friend's email earlier. He is going through a hard time and I wanted to encourage him. I have seen him at his highs and lows over the past year and a half and his integrity has endured. As a result, I can say with confidence that God is moving in His life even though the circumstances seem to point to His absence.

I wanted to share this email here because I believe many of you are going through the same challenges. The economy is bottoming out, your family is walking a tight rope, your spiritual strength is waning and you need to hear God's voice this morning. I hope getting to see a behind the scenes peak at my personal communication with a friend encourages you:

________________

I was reading in Nehemiah this morning writing furiously because God was speaking to me in a way that is atypical in my time with Him. Here is some of the fruit of what He taught me this morning...I think it might be for you too!

11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal [a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. (Nehemiah 2:11-16)

You are not at the peak of despair, but the beginning of the inspection process! The promise of God's Word is clear in this passage as it lands not on the frustration of the torn down walls, but on the promise of the work that will be done. It sounds like you've got some ruined walls in your life right now, but the walls are not the point, the walls only provide a good workshop for God to continue building his greatest work yet.

Know this: You are not trying to face life with the courage of a mighty warrior, you ARE a warrior and as such you HAVE courage! God has brought you this far and He is taking you on.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever. (Psalm 23)

You may be heading into the valley today, but God's plan always has been, and always will be, to take you THROUGH it! Don't faint in the process, embrace God's timing, continue to rely on Him and look forward to the day that you have come THROUGH the valley. By definition, there is always a mountain top on the other side of the valley.

________________
"Remember, the teacher is always silent during the test." - Pastor Steven

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Lopsided Approach to Lack...

Every time Heather and I get into a situation where money starts to get tight we end up having the same conversation, "We need to cut back!"

"Cut back" usually means stop eating out, buy less groceries, don't drive around so much, make coffee at home instead of going to Starbuck's (Heather's standard suggestion...).

If it's really tight we'll start thinking through other things we could cut: Cable? Internet? clothes? Heat?

In thinking through this the other day I realized that our approach is very lopsided. We are good at figuring out ways to cut back, but what about figuring out ways to increase our income?

If I'm at a yard sale with $50 bucks in my pocket and I see a nice Honda Collection, Project H leather jacket that a guy is selling for $100 I've got two options: talk him down (cut back) or go get more money (increase my income).

Here's the principal: if there's a shortage there are two streams to consider the one flowing in and the one flowing out.

In personal finances increasing your income is often not an option, especially in the short-term, but that just might be the answer in other areas of our life.

As a father I have it good right now, I've got one kid that gets my undivided attention. When I get a second, third and fourth kid, however, I can't approach my love for them with a "cut back" mentality. Dividing my love 4 ways won't benefit anyone in the end. No! I need to figure out how to increase my income. How to love 4 kids with the same intensity as I loved 1 which means I need to increase my income.

The same is true for you in many areas of your life. You're too busy at work to volunteer at church. But having a "cut back" mentality when the options are cheat my boss, or cheat God only guarantees that someone loses. Instead, do the hard work of figuring out how to maximize both options. Get creative and go for the win/win.

Friday, November 7, 2008

What Fire?

Welcome to another installment of Friday's Fun Family Facts... (This was a tradition that I had at the beginning of this blog's life that I thought I would pick back up, at least for today. To read some of the other entries you would need to scour the archives looking for titles with words like tee-pee, diarrhea, Starving Artist etc...)

So, I was a curious kid!

We had found a family of rabbits hiding under a gigantic blackberry bush behind our barn. In an attempt to catch one of them (I think we had just read Brier Rabbit) we dug a hole and buried a metal 5 gallon bucket in the ground. I think we were hoping that one of the rabbits would accidentally fall into the bucket and we would be able to keep it, and pat it, and love it and call it George...

Years later I rediscovered said metal bucket buried in the side of the hill behind our barn. I had to cut away the grass that had grown over the top of the bucket and when I did I discovered 5 gallons of water and slime...

Now, before you judge me let me give a few disclaimers about what you're about to read:

1) I was way too young to know better; probably about 14...
2) I was bored.
3) I was home alone.
4) I knew that Gas was flammable, I just didn't know that it floated...yet.
5) I was NOT anticipating that the floating gas would flow over the lip of the bucket and stream down the hill in a snaking, spreading, conflagration of fear and tumultuous panic scaring the virgin landscape of the once beautiful yard.

So having seen the water in the bucket I made the VERY logical mental leap that I should pour some gas into the bucket and light it on fire to test the questionable theory that gas was, in fact, flammable.

It burned...

Thankfully, however, I was able to beat the flames into submission using a 6 foot piece of flashing that was beside the barn.

Upon extinguishing the fire, I did what any normal 14 year old would do...I took a quick glance around to make sure that no one had seen any of this, wiped the sweat and charred grass from my forehead, turned, walked casually back to the house, and pretended that nothing had happened.

Amazingly, no one ever found out. the most I ever got was, "John, why do all the hairs on your forearms look like that?" to which I just grunted and said, "I don't know."

Mom...Dad...I promise this was the only time I almost burned myself alive using gas.

...behind the barn.

...without a thorough plan for what to do if things were to go terribly wrong.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Best Practices or Bold Prayers?

I was at a conference recently when a speaker asked the question, "Are you working from best practices or bold prayers?"

Seemed like a good question on the surface...it got some "amens".

After thinking about this idea for a few weeks however, I started to get a little frustrated by it. In my thought process I kept pitting the best practice against the bold prayer and every time I would come up short. I don't think it needs to be that way.

In other words, I came to the conclusion that the question would be better phrased this way, "are you working from bold prayers and then best practices?" I believe that we need to ask God for the boldest thing we can reasonably ask for, and then work VERY hard to achieve those ends using the BEST practices we can.

So you ask God to bring back your kid (sister, friend, parent, spouse, etc...) who has wandered away from the faith (bold prayer) and then you get to work living a life worthy of the calling you have received humbly bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:1-2).

The greatness that God has called us to as the body of Christ requires both bold prayers AND best practices.

If you aim at the "best case scenario" and miss you've still hit something in proximity to the "best case scenario"...still not bad!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Leadership Lesson From the Birds

Have you ever seen those huge flocks of birds flying is gigantic swarms. They sway back and forth and heave and swell...it's kind of freaky, like you're watching gigantic insects or something. (check out this link if you have no idea what I'm talking about...)

I saw one of these flocks the other day while I was waiting at a stoplight and as I watched thousands of birds swarming back and forth. I started to notice that the movements were actually started by small pockets of birds. the whole group would be flying one direction and then, seemingly, one lone bird would turn around and head back another. Inevitably, other birds would follow and new movement would swell in the new direction.

It occurred to me while watching these freaky birds that this is how I feel in a lot of situations as a leader. I'm not typically the archetype "goose at the front of a perfectly formed V..." where I set a direction and everyone falls in line... More often, I feel like that one stray bird in the midst of thousands clamoring to make the vision I deem most important a big enough deal to sway others and create movement.

In some ways, I like it like that...it's comforting to know that you're being followed by people who chose to follow me. This is what I've discovered in my experience: learning to create a following when people have a choice to follow you is the ONLY way to create a REAL following when people don't have a choice.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Butler Campus Volunteers

Volunteers, I wanted to post a VERY serious post as a way to say thank you for all that you do. Yesterday, we had one of the largest attendance days we have ever had at Butler with 1366 people. Thanks for staying committed to the vision of seeing people far from God filled with life in Christ.

Reason #1: You get to experience really cool things to and from Butler Campus. Consider the following:












Reason #2: You could be driving this (which seems worse to me):












Reason #3: You will have great role models who will teach you about hard work and discipline like our wonderful graphics designer Ryan Hollingsworth:












Reason #4: We have great health care:












Reason #5: We get to turn these:












Into These:











To the volunteers who make it happen: thank you for your dedication! You are making a significant difference in the lives of people who are coming to Elevation Church.