Francis Chan should be calling me any day now.

“I understand, I just won’t participate in it.”

Those are the words I shared with my wife this morning as we discussed the topic at hand.  A few weeks ago, a pastor I know twittered that he loves collaborating with pastors from around the area. I responded with a tweet that said something like, “Then lets get together soon _____________”  This is where the story gets good (this is, of course subjective).  The local pastor in question evidently goes to his gatekeeper/secretary/hall moniter and tells him/her to set up an appointment with me.

About a week later I receive an email from gk/sec./hm who informs me that there is a spot for me in the schedule and to let me know when’s good for me.

Now before I go any further, allow me to say, that despite the slightly sarcastic tone I’ve used thus far in this blog post, I affirm this person’s wise system of making sure his schedule is kept clean, neat, and free of distractions so he can work more effectively.  In fact, I could certainly learn from this type of mentality.  I’m not one of those people who believes that business practice and organization is bad for the church.  As you know though, via this blog, I am really into relationships, and Stop being a stubborn muleI don’t know if I want to participate in the frenzy or to add to the dude’s schedule.  This post is not really about him, it’s more about me.

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours with two guys who are rockin it for Jesus in the Boston area, and it was all done because one of them called the other one, then the other one called me.  We had a great time and I learned tons just talking through some of the elements of ministry we’ve all gone through.

But for whatever reason, I have a mindset to not get back to Gk/Sec/Hm, and at the same time if Buddy, Andy, or Francis‘s Gk/Sec/Hm emailed me and said they wanted to get together with me, I’d say, “Sure, how high do you want me to jump?” So basically what I’d like you to do today is to tell me…

to stop being a stubborn mule.

Steve Harrison

David Huey

There are a few people in the world who are wicked awesome (sorry for the N.E. slang) and who you want to hang around or listen to pretty much everything they do and say.  Andy Stanley, though I haven’t actually met him, (does listening to him preach from about 10 feet away count?) is one such individual for me.

And then there are those individuals who make you feel like they are thinking that way about you.  I don’t think they really think that way about me, but they make me feel that way.  They are a special group of people, two of which I am happy to have in my life.  These encouragers are more than just cheerleaders, they are guys who pour into my life and encourage me to do more than I thought I could do.  If you don’t know Dave and Steve, you should.

They are certainly different in their methods of encouragement.  If you first meet Dave, my hunch is that at first you wouldn’t think of him as “an encourager” (though it’s been almost 15 years since I met him), but now he’s one of my biggest encourager friends.  Steve is Mr. Encourager, and that’s all I have to say about that.  I’ve never seen anyone more encouraging in my life.  This may be because I’m a yankee, but I digress.

Dave and Steve have, through their lifetsyles, encouraged me to be a better encourager.  And maybe even…

to find more.

I just have to say this:

I’m really excited about what is happening at Fellowship Church here in Central Massachusetts.  The community that is being built and vision-driven for His glory is an amazing thing to watch.  I feel humbled and stoked  by the stories I’ve heard over the last 6 months about what God is doing in the lives of people in and through this community.  Whatever is happening, it’s because God is using amazing people who are using there gifts to further his kingdom, as opposed to their empires.

I believe this weekend will only fuel this fire in our community as we begin the “One Prayer” series for the 2nd year in a row.  This will be a month long series we’ll be doing with 1600 other churches in the US and 20 other countries!  As Fellowship grows, it shouldn’t just grow in number (though that’s what a healthy church does), but in it’s impact on the kingdom of God.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this weekend, my favorite pastor in the entire world (outside of my dad) will be speaking at our church.

This will be good times!

I see it in my own life.  I watched, listened, learned, then made decisions in my life based on whether or not I thought they were wise.  But for the most part, while I tend to view their overarching role in my life very positively, I look at specific things more negatively and do my best to be different than them.

I’m talking about parents, and the way we react to them as we get older.  One of the reasons I’ve been thinking about this is because of the growing number of people I hear on a regular basis who claim to do certain things because there parents did it another way, and that didn’t work for them.  Or at least it had an impact on why they made a particular decision.  Of course I also hear the complaints of the churches that “people just aren’t as committed as they used to be.”  I always laugh when I hear this because it has nothing to do with commitment, and more to do with the people who have “committed” themselves in the past.

In the past (and quite possibly, the present) church leadership has asked their communities to do activities and jobs that take up a huge amount of time and effort.  I don’t think this is wrong, except when it seriously undermines time and responsibilities with the family (I should qualify this by saying ‘immediate family’).  The results might not be immediate, but the child grows up resenting the church, and this is clearly not what Christ intended to happen.  I believe Andy Stanley calls it “choosing to cheat.”

In my own life, I love the amount of time my dad put into the church he pastored, but I look at other things that he did in the church and do things the complete opposite, not because he did them at that church, but because I think there is a better way.  Actually, I think he does things the complete opposite now too.

So we have two reasons why children grow up and change the way their parents acted – either they are resentful at the actions of their parents, or they just believe there is a better way.  Do you think there is a difference in the end results of the changes made by those who made them out of resentment and those who made them simply for improvement sake?

I do.

Whenever you make decisions about your future based solely on resentment to the past, I believe you stunt the possibilities God has for you in your life and close opportunities you might have been able to see otherwise.  For instance, I now see clearly that although my dad’s taste in music is less than adequate for a church in 2008, his leadership and people skills are far superior to mine, and I can only hope to learn a portion of where he has gone in his life.  I’m opening myself up to learn some and to improve some.

But their are things that I look at in my life that I can’t believe people did – whether to me or someone I love – and I can’t allow myself to make decisions out of resentment towards an individual or even an organization.

Some of my heroes are people who have overcome (or are overcoming) tremendous odds to become the person God wants them to be.  One person who has recently become a hero of mine (don’t tell her, she might get a big head) is Jenn. She’s also a pastors kid (always a resentment starter) and she works at our local Starbucks (God is good).  In late September/early October, doctors told Jenn, who’s around my age, that she has cancer. If you were to read through her blog in the last few months, you would realize that Jenn is not ignoring her situation or going through life without some serious questions for God, but she’s fighting through her circumstances, asking some hard questions, and freeing herself up to grow through her trials.

Now I don’t know if there are differences in this discussion between whether you go through a sickness or if someone imposes an undesirable circumstance in your life somewhere along the way, but I do know this:  That true heroes are the people who overcome the circumstances they may have gone through – either because of bad decisions of the adults in their lives, an illness we can’t shake, or a freak accident of nature that comes upon us – and fight and fight and fight to come out “shining as gold” on the other side.

2 things before I’m done with this post:
1.  This lady proclaimed me the “King of Hyperlink”  I now see why.  A gift from the king.
2.  My posts were so intense this week.  I’ve got to lighten up.

I’ve been thinking about steps lately.

Steps are the easiest way to lead someone to a specific place.  Just like if I want to go to the other side of the road with the chicken, I need to start with the first step, so it is with many journeys of a spiritual nature – step by step.

I have been highly influenced by the teaching of Andy Stanley who talks about steps in the book, “The Seven Practices of Effective Ministry.” The book describes a path we take people on in leadership, and how a path that is narrow in regards to where you want people to be led, is more effective than offering them a hodge podge of choices.  Please remember I’m a pastor, so most of my viewpoints tend to lean towards the church.

At Andy’s church, that path starts with a committed follower of Christ inviting  their friends to a Sunday morning service, continues on to a connecting environment of some sort where individuals or families connect into a small group, the place North Point wants them to grow.

This is the philosophy my predecessor and I have taken on at the FC, but now I’m begining to ask a series of questions (after using the path for 3 years) as to whether its effective or not.  I believe that small groups are the place where fellowship happens, and I think this is the most effective growing point for our church, but its the beginning thats making me wonder.

Why?

Because when someone in Andy Stanley’s church invites their friends to church, the odds are good that the person they are inviting has some sort of reference point from which to view this type of church.  And that reference point, although it may not be the most flattering, probably brings visions of Sunday school songs like “Jesus loves me” and of the pastor bringing down judgment and moisture on those daring enough to sit close to the front of the sanctuary.

But when someone at Fellowship invites their friends to church, the odds are good that the person is thinking, “I’ve never gone to church, and I sure as hell don’t need to go now.” even if they like the person who is asking.  Culturally speaking, it’s a giant leap for someone in New England to come to church, unless the head guy has the title “Father”, and even then, the perception intellectually is irrelevance.

So I’ve been processing and ideating, and I’d like to bring to you the new conceptual first step which focuses on community.  New England loves its towns, and I think we could do a much better job being involved in the community at large than we do.  What this looks like I don’t know yet, but I do know that it begins with a strong online presence, and continues as we, as a church, help make the unchurched aware that we exist.

If it were a path, I guess the first step would look something like this:

Instead of a fellowshipper simply inviting their friends to a Sunday morning service – first, a person becomes aware of the reputation of Fellowship Church through community outside of the church.  This is much easier and cheaper to do (if we get creative) through the web 2.0.  Thank you for teaching me Eric.

I’m processing a lot right now, and I’d like to you help me through this. I appreciate your community, input, and your ideas.  So what do you think?

Am I on the right path?

An excerpt from my message on October 19, 2008 at Fellowship Church.  Thanks Andy Stanley for your help with this.

Enjoy!

Tonight I’m tired.

I learned a lot from the speakers, the friends I’ve caught up with, and the all around Catalyst experience.  I was thinking about giving you our schedule for the day, but since I like to highligt relationships, I’ll share the people I saw speak/met/reconnected with.  It’s a great list.

Speakers @ Catalyst on day 1:

Andy Stanley (Once again. he would not let me wash his feet with my hair)
William Paul Young (author of “The Shack”)
Jim Collins (author of “Good to Great”)
Brenda Salter McNeil (author of “A Credible Witness”)
Steven Furtick (amazing pastor!)
Seth Godin (One of the best bloggers out there)
Craig Groeschel (founder of “One Prayer“)

People with whom I reconnected:

Dave Huey & Cherie Rector (Dave and I go way back to PCC days)
Tim Payne (doing a great job as the life groups pastor at this church)
Shane Kenney (Saw him from ’93-’97 at PCC and never talked to him until this conference)

People I’ve met:

Vince Antonucci (author of “I became a christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt“)
Hank Wilson (planted a church in Boston)
Pete Wilson (No relation, but it was an honor to meet this great pastor/blogger)
Tim J Chambers (great to finally meet this pastor from New Jersey)
Steve Harrison (invited me to dinner with him and the remainder of this list; capped off a super day)
Michael Harrison (pastor in VA and brother of aforementioned new friend)
Aaron Swensen (Life group pastor of Lifechurch.tv Tulsa Campus and hater of Sonnys BBQ ribs)
Jay Stevenson (self professed bum who will someday find a job, and a nice guy)

I love Catalyst and seeing all of my new and old friends!  And Billy, Bramlett, and Al loved seeing Robbie Seay Band and Jon Foreman play an acoustic concert tonight.

They were on the front row.

One year ago today I started blogging.

I wrote of my trip to the Catalyst Conference ’07 (which at the time was my 4th) with my cousin Tim, and how Rick Warren brought it to 12,000 pastor-leaders.

Today I’m back in Atlanta at the Catalyst Conference enjoying my team and some old friends, and ready to be influenced by some of the greatest Leaders of our generation:  Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, William F. Young, Craig Groeschel, Jim Collins, and Steven Furtick are just a few of the names that have already impacted me significantly through books, blogs, and messages I’ve heard and read.

You can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or this blog (blog posts in the evenings this week).  I’ll share what I’ve learned, who I’ve heard, and who I’ve connected with as I keep an account of what’s happening here in Hotlanta.

Tonight at 7PM, we’ll be hosting another live broadcast of what we’ve learned on FCTV.  We tried this last night, and it went well.  People connected with us by texts and with each other by the chat mode on FCTV.  Latest reports have people tuning in last night from Massachusetts, Virginia, Germany, New York, and of course, Atlanta.  So check it out tonight, October 9th, at 7 pm.  (This time may be changed if we do not get out of the conference in time, but I will offer prompt notice on twitter and facebook if this occurs.)

Hows your week going?

The Trailer

I have a love for the art of story.  I love the eloquence of a finely told life experience, especially if it is accomplished across the bridge of two movies or two books.

It probably started when my dad and I sat down to watch “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Return of the Seven” one night.  I loved that a team of experts would come together, then accomplish their task, and then I loved the fact that I got to see it done all over again.  I mean, some of these series of movies and books have been life-changing for me.

Occasionally a book gets a solid first run, and they make a sequel not worthy of the original content.  In fact, many times the only reason it’s done is marketing.  Unfortunately this happens a lot in the Christian sub-cultures of our world.  Are you serious?  Give me a break, “The Power of a praying pet turtle?“  Or the Oh so popular “Chicken Soup for the One eyed radio DJ’s soul.”  So I thought I’d share with you my favorite series of film, literature, sports, or television:  (and no, American Pie is not on the list)

10.  Boston/LA 2008 – That sure was a long 21 year wait.

9.  Left Behind. It did become something of a marketing ploy, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless – inaccuracies and all.

8.  Young Guns. I love these movies, and Jack Bauer’s in them, so they can’t go wrong.

7.  Star Wars. Many would suggest this would be number 1.  I would not.

6.  The A-Team.  “I pity the fool…”

5.  Rocky. Nuff said.

4.  John Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series.  A collection of detective/legal thrillers set in San Fran.  Good stuff!

3.  Lord of the Rings books and movies – These last two were difficult, but an amazing story to walk through.

2.  Letters to the Next president by Andy Stanley – seriously, you have to hear or watch these.

1.  Harry Potter – I have no words to say how I felt after I finished those books in November of 2007.  And this was after I made fun of others who read the stinking things.  Whether its the movies or the books, these things are absolutely brilliant.  And of course I was drawn into witchcraft immediately after reading them.  (this is sarcasm)

Okay, your turn. What did I miss?

Back in one of my earliest posts, as I had just started off as a newbie pastor here at Fellowship Church, I shared the next 5 series would be doing over the next several months at our church.  So I thought I’d do it again.  Here they are, and I’ve also put were I came up with the idea below.

Nature Lover:  A journey through Psalms- 4 weeks
Begins July 6th at the Party in the Park and ends on July 27th
Idea:  Came from my head.  I’m an ideator.

Treasures:  Finding Proverbs - 5 weeks
Begins August 10 and ends on September 7
Idea:  Came from my head, but was probably inspired in some way by Lonnie and Andy.

Changeup:  The story of Pauls conversion- 4 weeks
Begins September 14 and ends on October 5
Idea:  From the old noggin, but was probably inspired by my 1st grade teacher, Miss Talis.

the Levite Chainsaw Massacre:  The worst story in the Bible - 4 weeks
Begins October 12 and ends on November 2
Idea:  Once again, came from my head, but was probably inspired by Hannibal Lector (just kidding)

The Fellowship Globe:  Missions - 2 weeks
Begins November 9 and ends November 16
Idea:  Probably something like a missions conference, which I was exposed to growing up in this church. 

Say what you need to say:  A bucket list of words - 2 weeks
Begins November 23 and ends November 30
Idea:  Andy

Presence:  The Gift of God - 4 weeks
begins December 7 and ends December 28
Idea:  Steven Furtick

30 Days to Live – 4 weeks
Either in January or February
Idea:  Craig Groeschel

Got any more ideas for me?