There are a lot of good reasons why we don’t like to focus, and why we think doing one thing amazing will limit our choices and keep us from utilizing the talents God gives us.

For instance, we believe that if we focus on that thing we’re the best at, we’ll miss out on opportunities to do other fun things.

Or we think we’re the best at more than one thing.

But we probably could be way more effective if we just learned to focus on and give ourselves to that thing.

Not only would we vastly improve our excellence if we worked on that one thing, but also we would learn to master that which we are attempting to focus.

Neither adding too much to our plates or doing nothing will bring us closer to accomplishing that which we desire to accomplish.

Yet we typically take the easier roads of doing the aforementioned exercises, because it’s easier, at times more fun, and requires less stress than not having to master that which should be mastered.

So we go about our days, trying to be good at everything we get our hands on, while everything we really want slips away.

Until next time.

Even the best sports teams eventually lose momentum.  How they respond to that loss is the important thing however, as their response can either put them on track to get back on the momentum band wagon, or keep them far away.  The Celtics are the world champions, right?  And right now they’ve lost a bit of momentum by losing to two  really good teams, quite possibly their two best competitors for the title.  But Garrett officially tells me at Finders on Friday not to worry, because “defense in the playoffs is totally different than in the regular season,and the Celtics are a defensive team.”

We’ll see how that goes, but now for my point.  I’m thrilled at some of the momentum we’ve built this spring at the FC.  God is really working in people’s hearts and each Sunday I walk away feeling like God is doing something big here in this church.  Here are a few of the things I’ve seen:

Our services have been pretty packed as of late, having to add rows regularly, but the cool thing is that we’ve also added regular attenders, including one family of 10.  If that doesn’t fill a row or two…

The spirit in our services has been electric. Thank you God!

Al and his team have done some amazing planning as far as creativity in the services.  The music and videos have been just what the doctor ordered.  And for me, by the time I get up to speak, the commotion is down to a minimum.  People are focused.

(for the record, the speech at the end of the service was not planned, nor did I even know the person who walked up to the stage and spoke into the mic.  But she evidentally really liked our service because she’ll be back next week she says.)

The web campus, led by Billy, has seen more than 10 attenders every week for the last month, includingpeople from New York, Vermont, Ohio, and Germany.

Is it me, or is our ministry for children the best in the state of Massachusetts?  Yes, I think it is.  Great job Steve and the rest of the Family ministries Team!  Kids love going to our church.

Some great things are happening at Fellowship,and you can see it yourself.  Check out this link to view our services on demand.

One more thing I’m excited about is my new small group is starting up this Wednesday.  If you’re looking to get involved at Fellowship, this would be a great way to start.  We’re meeting at the Holman household this Wed. at 6:30 pm.

How have you seen God work at Fellowship?

As a church, we are constantly striving to come together to accomplish our mission of leading people in Central Massachusetts into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Every year, month, week,and day we work towards this goal as a collection of broken people who have been forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus.
You wouldn’t believe (or maybe you would) how difficult it is to keep this mission THE focus for our church.
There are numerous roads we could follow as a group of people.  We could focus on obedience or social justice, the color of the carpet or the volume of the band, but we choose not to, because we have our mission, our shared purpose, and we choose instead to share this purpose.

There’s nothing wrong with these things.  Obedience and social justice are surely fruits of our surrender to this God-man I’ve just mentioned, and sometimes we have to pick the color of the carpet or change the volume of the band in a room, but they are not the focus.

No, if you attend Fellowship Church, I want you to know that we have a shared purpose, and it always points to connecting people and leading them into a growing relationship with Jesus.

Everything we do.  Everything we accomplish as a church should focus on this mission.  Sometimes the road seems long and tough, but together, we can become the church God wants us to be.  So internally, please answer this question with me:

Who am I connecting?  Who am I leading?

Thanks for reading my blog.

A picture of Carie and I with my grandparents in Richmond, Indiana – 3/30/2008

I think, when it comes to my job, I enjoy two things more than anything else in the world.  I tell you this because it’s important for you to keep me accountable in case I start doing tons of other things outside of these two things. You see, I’m big on focus, and I’m really working at it in my own life.

Those two things are conversating with a person one on one and teaching.

I absolutely love doing these two things.  Very occasionally I love to think of creative things as well, but I can do that inside of my teaching role, so that usually covers that need.

For me, my entire day could consist of talking and admonishing and listening to someone over coffee (or some sweet drink for me because I can’t take the taste of Coffee) and then (or first) shutting myself into my office to prepare for what I’ll be teaching to our church either this Sunday or those to follow.

Sometimes I’ll be in my office so much and I’ll realize that I haven’t talked to anyone in a given week and I’ll feel so empty, and then sometimes I’ll be out and about feeling relational and talkative and I realize I haven’t prepared like I should, and I feel foolish.

So I think I need both in my life.  And so I’e worked hard on focusing on these two things.

What are you focusing on in your work or life? 

Until next time…

And then it was just Carie and I. 

After church on Sunday, we went with a crew of people to Moe’s to eat and hang out.  Typically we have something to do afterwards like hang out with more people or play monopoly with friends or socialize in some way, but I was tired and we made no plans.

Monday rolls around and I have this big debate in my mind over what to do.  I had just watched the video for “Everything is Spiritual” by Rob Bell where he emphasizes the importance of resting on the day off, so I decided to take him up on the offer.

So I just rest.  Calm my mind and heart down.

It takes a while, you know?  With all the things we think about, all the things I could have been doing. Taxes, bills,cleaning, laundry (which I did do a bit of), planning, watching the tube, making calls, getting my much deserved haircut, going to Wal-Mart or Target to grab some items I need. 

Basically I could have run, did, shopped, made, achieved, read, watched, filmed, cleaned, prepared, moved…

But I knew I needed to rest.  To stop.  To breathe.  To be restored.

So, as it says hundreds of times in Scripture to do, I rested.

Later on in the evening, I had no choice but to play.  We had our 6th game last night in the new basketball league I’m in.  And I played.  I have to think a bit of playing after a good rest is just what is needed after a good mind resting.  The perfect transition to one’s mind being activated again.  It certainly helped, if nothing else, my ego to flourish, as I scored my first 20 point game of the season, and I did it against 6’6″ Massachusetts State Rep Lew Evangelidis.  But back to rest.

I don’t have the time or the capacity or the allowance in what I am as a follower of Christ to get too wound up, critical, tense, and  busy.  There’s too much at stake.  But there’s something about taking a time each week to allow my body, mind, and heart to relax that seems to bring balance to the things that I focus on.

So now it’s back to work for me.  But my hope is that more of us realize this important principle of rest, and how resting (and sometimes playing)prepares you and I for what lies ahead.