thoughts from 02

I found this poem I wrote back in 02 while on vacation. I had just concluded a grueling few months of activity and from re-reading the poem...I guess I needed a break.

Time Piece

Sometimes…I’m sick of time.
This strong current of seconds, minutes and hours elapsing,
never to be revisited.

It’s always there, reminding me of where I need to be
and it seems that so little of it is mine to use as I wish.

“It’s time for this and time for that” I hear them say,
I just wish they’d go away and let me savor a little more
of the grains of sand falling in my hourglass.

Time adds lines to my face, depth to my soul and prompts me to
be careful how I use this fleeting gift called life.
I really can’t despair because I do believe “my times are in His
Hand.” These feelings tell me I need to yield a just little bit more?

As I enjoyed my vacation, I realized just how busy I have been this year MW 7/31/02

unique book

I stumbled across a book by Steven James called Story. James is a poet, storyteller and conference speaker. He uses those skills to paint an interesting overview of the Bible. Starting with creation and ending with revelation, he simply launches it in story form. He weaves in his poetry and at times modernizes the characters to frame a really compelling look at scripture. Here is an example of his poetry.

when i was young i drank cases and cases of dreams

because that was all i could afford and it was the only thing

my grocer kept in stock. but i never became drunk, because i didn't learn how

to swallow them deeply enough.

good friday

The creative team here at Grace Church has re-created the settings of four very significant experiences Jesus had in the last days and hours of His life. I cheated and went in early this morning before it was open to the public and was overwhelmed by the encounter I had as I walked in His foot steps. Make every effort to experience this for yourself. Personal tours begin @ noon and last until 9:00pm here at our facility.

my friend jim

I met Jim the night he rolled (in his wheelchair) into the Worship Center his first time at our Saturday night service, wide eyed, nervous and skeptical. It was obvious that this was foreign ground and he was scared. We struck up a friendship that has lasted for the past two years. I watched Jim make a dramatic transformation. Although his health was very poor, he rarely focused on it. He was more interested in a new internal life, free from all the stuff that beat him down for over 40 years. I will always cherish our after service discussions and his many emails. He has a child like wonder when it comes to things pertaining to God. I had the honor of baptizing Jim. We talked about the experience for weeks prior to the event. He came two hours early that Saturday just so he could sit and prepare himself. When I lifted him from beneath the water, his eyes were already open and he gasped out the word….wow! He went to a whole new level of trust after that night. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

Several months ago, Jim’s health took a severe turn. I just left his bedside. I can barely recognize him now as the cancer has completely taken over his body. He speaks to me in the softest of whispers, most of which I can’t decipher. Yet, when we pray together, I still see that same wonder appear in his expression. He is within days or even hours of completing his time on earth. The suffering is hard to watch and I’m happy it will be over soon. I’ll really miss this gentle soul. II Cor 1:3-5

Update: Jim died at 6:00pm Easter Night.

The Hunter

The media has been filled with moral collision stories lately. The unfolding mess in New York state government has been the top news item for days as one governor steps down and now his replacement has similar issues.


Several years ago I wrote a small piece of poetry that captures the peril of making poor moral choices.

-The Hunter-

Silently, skillfully he weaves through the forest of people…hunting. Beneath his feet, spats of blood from an earlier hit. A man, unconvinced that careless eyes and a wandering heart is the target of choice, stood broadside and vulnerable. Now, the trail of hemorrhaging life is betraying his whereabouts as the broken shaft of the arrow of lust protrudes from his soul. Panic rakes his senses as dignity, reputation and future ooze from the open wound. The cadence of stalking footsteps ring in his ears like an approaching train as he succumbs.

Thoughts that were running through my head as I reflected

on the moral failure of a fellow pastor. Scriptures tells us that the enemy of our souls is

like a lion, hunting those who allow him opportunity to get close

4/4/02 MW

recent phone conversation

A guy contacted me and wanted to know if I would disciple him. He proceeded to ask if there were certain books he could read or study groups he could join that would speed up the process. I come across this kind of request often. Since there are so many different opinions as to what discipleship means, you have to dig a little to see what a person is really asking.

It's heartbreaking when I meet with these young men and witness the effects of either not having a dad present while they were growing up or living with a father who just didn't connect with them. Now, they're starved for solutions to all the unanswered questions, affirmation and for someone to unlock their purpose/person. They have begun a friendship with Christ and honestly do not understand why He was so relationally cemented to His Father. It's tough to frame discipleship for them while this very primal need remains unresolved because they are actually seeking something deeper than what they think discipleship means. I pray and trust God for wisdom on how to help this generation see Christ and flourish.

By the way, here's a very simple working definition for disciple:

Someone called to live in Christ, equipped to live like

Christ, and sent to live for Christ.

why is encouragement important?

There is a gift we can give one another that is quite unlike any other. It's priceless, overwhelmingly helpful, absolutely necessary and universal. People sense that the best gifts are the expensive extravagant items found in the kind of stores most of us could never afford to shop in. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This gift is within reach of all of us and could and should be given every day. I’m talking about encouragement. Scholar William Arthur Ward, wrote these words "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will never forget you."

How we need other human beings to see value in us. To notice the good things we accomplish or the kind deeds we do. There's also the seasons when life is hard and everything seems impossible. An encouraging word can be like a cool drink of water to one wandering in the desert. What an incredible investment a kind supportive word is to a person crushed under the weight of some disappointment or loss. The true definition of encouragement means that we actually inject courage into the one in need. It's that lack of courage to go on, climb another step or take another risk that must be overcome by encouragement. A very wise person once said...If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. The right word can inflate a person enough to pick up the pieces and begin again.

Today, as you launch out, be prepared to give the gift of encouragement. I guarantee you will come across one or more worthy recipients. Be the one who lightens the load of another by the simple act of speaking a kind life giving word.

still learning to lead

The majority of the fellow pastor blogs I read from around the country tend to focus most on leadership issues. Things like vision, staff performance, setting church goals…etc. I’ve held leadership positions in and outside the church since I was 19 years old. I have co-served with some great and not so great leaders, all of whom have left an indelible imprint. In the business world, I was fortunate to sit under some of the most brilliant minds in the marketing industry, people who set and shaped national marketing trends. Seeing them in action behind the scenes and then watch their ideas take shape in the national media arena was pretty thrilling. The staff I presently work with is an outstanding crew. The crazy thing about leadership for me is that it’s very last thing I ever wanted do. Being chronically shy, I’m most at home in the last row yet God has consistently pressed me into leadership venues.

Church leadership does have many of the same dynamics you would find in any other organization. The pursuit of excellence, keeping staff motivated, meeting the expectations of those you serve and taking your congregation soundly into the future is as much a pastoral teams responsibility as it would be any general manager or company VP. The dramatic difference between leadership in the church vs. the private sector is the soul of the leader. I’ve seen people with immense organizational/leadership skills take absolutely no stock in the health of their inner-self. While the company they navigate thrives and enjoys explosive growth, the home-front is in ruin. Doing our best in the ministry environment is a must but most important for the Christ follower is the level of their spirtual health.

Christian leadership is far more about who you are than what you do. The apostle Paul was very comfortable telling young believers to simply watch his life and follow his example until their own faith matured. As a church leader, my deepest desire is to provide a consistent godly example for my co-servants. People at all levels desperately need to experience and be challenged by the fruit of the Holy Spirit emanating from the ideas, speech, emotions and inter-action they have with those who lead them.

Story from whoisgrace.com

Author Mignon McLaughlin is most famous for writing just one sentence. A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, and always with the same person. As I write this, I have lived the past 12,614 days of my life with the same person at my side. Could there be any greater dare than promising to share a massive portion of your one and only life at its most intimate level exclusively with one other soul? Some feel a good marriage is reserved for those lucky few who somehow seamlessly click on multiple levels. How about all the others who can’t seem to find a solid place to even begin a friendship let alone heartfelt solidarity? The truth is, nothing good just happens. Meaningful, fluid things take a good measure of intentionality and nothing is more meaningful and fluid than marriage. I don’t care for the phrase working on my marriage. I like how CCN journalist Anne Taylor frames it. A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet and two solos at the same time.

I didn’t promise myself to Annie to control her or write the script for her life. I wanted the chance to dance with her holding her tightly though all of life’s chapters while at the same time giving her great opportunity and room to grow as an individual. That requires me to take to the dance floor every day with those two things in mind. To lead with confidence and grace during the duet and rejoice when I get to spin her free and applaud the solo. No, a good marriage doesn’t just happen but it certainly is possible.