Before I get into my post for the day, it appears there are some nice guys out there still.  Specifically one named Romo, who was not even out for the publicity.  Earth to Romo:  It makes it really hard to hate the Cowboys as I’ve done all my life if you continue to pull stunts like this.

Now on to the real reason we’ve come together.

I am on the phone a lot.  I mean a lot.  It seems sometimes that the phone is permanently atached to my ear, and I hate the feeling when the phone gets warm and begins to melt into my ear hole.  But I have quite a few friends and I try to stay in touch with them on a regular basis, as well as people who I’m pouring my life into here at the FC.

But sometimes it gets out of control when I’m forgetting some people and don’t have time to call others and I talk to others too much.  I mean, I’m trying to balance my life here, so how do I do this?

Well this morning I created a call list of people that I need to call on a weekly basis, people I need to call on a monthly basis, and people I need to call on a quarterly basis.  I do this, not so it can become a routine, but because I care about the people in my life and want to be intentional about keeping in contact with them.  So out of authenticity, I’ve decided to share with you some people I owe a call to very soon, and pray that they will forgive me for the injustices I have cast upon them.

Brian Wilson
Garret Walker
My two sets of grandparents – I am such scum!
Clay Davis
Chad Ridgeway
Remy Range
Ray Pierce
Brian Howe
Brandon King
Cj Maloney
Jim and Brandon Peper
Sue Huey
Tim Payne
Gary Trimm

This is not the call list, and I certainly will not show it to you, however, it is a few people I have not called on the list in an appropriate amount of time.  Shame on me.

So this is something I’m doing to help myself keep in contact with friends and associates and become wiser with my time in the area of communication.  If you would like to be added to the list, please let me know.

Is there anyone you should have called by now?

Recently I have been focusing most of my posts on relationships.  This is where I believe the most significant amount of change, both spiritual and otherwise, takes place.  And specifically In the relationships into which I pour myself.  Any relationship I have, I have as a result of the time and energy I’ve put into that relationship.  I would never blame other people for my inability to have a relationship with them.  I might blame differences in personality (which includes mine) or I might blame life’s circumstances (which also includes mine), but I would never blame someone else for not putting their time into my life.  It’s their time.  They can use it as they please.  It certainly is not anyone’s fault because they are busy or even because they didn’t want to respond.

I think sometimes we get misguided when we’re younger (let’s say 30 and under) because we see how our “infatuations” quickly turn into relationships and then incorrectly believe in some way that all of our relationships will be close and effortless.

But a relationship is hard work, especially if you are not particularly outgoing.  No.  Change that.  Even if you’re outgoing, because you have to put the effort in, and when you get shut down (which you very well may at first, and again, and again), then you have to keep trying – if you really want a relationship with that person.  “A man who has friends must himself be friendly” -Proverbs 18:24

I came to Massachusetts as a 23 year old who had a lot of friends in a lot of different places, and I quickly realized this 1 thing.  If I was going to have friends here in New England, it was going to be on me.  I was going to have to call or show up or send that email.  I also spent a lot of nights alone as a single, 20 something pastor who was told by more than one person on a given weekend night that they were busy.  But I kept calling and kept writing and kept showing up – response or no response. 

This is what a person does if a person wants to have a relationship with someone.

They relate.  And they don’t stop relating.

I have been searching for New England pastors who blog that I could connect with/learn from and after a bit of a frustrating search, I have almost come up empty.  Besides our lead team (you can view them on my blogroll on the right), I was not very successful in finding pastors who just try to be real and share on their blogs.  I found a few who enjoy sharing how no one exogetes the Scriptures as well as them (by the way, as sarcastic as that sounds, I did read a real implication like that), and a few others who tell me how great president Bush is, and how our country will go into moral depravity if a woman or that other guy gets into office.

But this is not what I’m looking for, and after an hour long search yesterday from 4 pm – 5 pm, and a few minutes from 7am – 7:30 this morning, I am still frustrated.  So I need your help.  Please connect me with pastors in New England who share  not only their opinions, but also their hearts via this medium called blogging.

I did find this guy, who looks promising and who I’m going to contact soon, but there are pockets of pastoral groups that I’ve attended and even participated with, and as far as I know, none of them are sharing what’s going on in their ministries and lives in blog form.

Come on, you have to know someone.  It’s time to share.