Indiana Living

It seems that every little town in these parts has a fair, festival, or fun weekend of some sort.

The big deal in our town is the Grabill Country Fair, held the weekend after Labor Day. Now, when I say "big deal", you have to remember that we get excited when they install a new pop machine in front of the video store. Everything is relative. Just today there was a big traffic jam at the four-way stop (yes, the four-way stop). There must have been three cars and an Amish buggy backed up. I must have waited a full 45 seconds to get through. Yep, Mayberry is alive and well in 2005.

Anyway, back to the Fair...there is some serious eating to be done at this place. My favorite is the pork tenderloin sandwich. The meat is about four times as large as the bun. The trick is to do a tri-fold number on the tenderloin, then add pickles & mustard. Several of the local churches and civic groups have food booths. Our youth group sponsors the "Spud Hut" (baked potatoes & fixin's). I'm not much of a "stand alone" baked potato fan. But gimme a steak and a salad with that Spud and I'm all over it. Thanks to Dr. Atkins and the numerous other food choices, the Spud Hut hasn't done too well over the past couple of years, but it's still a good opportunity to get the church name out in the community. Plus, we get to meet a lot of people.

Another group does hot apple dumplings. Man, are they good. Of course, you have to get it a la mode. Yummy!

Diet starts next week, right?

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Enjoyed watching our local minor league team with my son over the weekend. They won 7-0. Minor league games are great. Where else can you see:
Kids doing the crazy-spinning-bat game (we used to do this at church camp, cracking up laughing when kids would get dizzy and fall down --yep, it doesn't take much to humor me).
People dressed up as potato chip bags, racing around the field (and staffers dumping real potato chip bags onto the crowd from atop the pressbox).
Jake the Diamond Dog, retrieving bats and taking water to the umps.
Frisbees and t-shirts being tossed and rubber-band launched into the crowd.
Free fireworks.

Good stuff.

Three Months!

Well, I've been blogging officially for three months now. I don't know who reads this, except my wife (when I really make her sit down and do it), a couple of staff members (past & present), and a few friends. But I'm having fun with it anyway.

Audio A Meets Switchfoot

I went to the local Christian bookstore to pick up the new Casting Crowns and Audio Adrenaline CD's that were released today. I popped Audio A into my CD player and thought, "Man they have really changed their sound. This sounds a lot like Switchfoot." Barely into the third song, I said, "This is not Audio A." I popped out the CD and realized that the record company had put the wrong CD in the case. It was the new Switchfoot CD (not supposed to be released for a couple of weeks). So I was bummed out not to be able to rock out to Audio A. But on the other hand, I'm one of the first people to hear the new Switchfoot album.

Katrina and the Waves

Man, I just can't believe the devastation of the hurricane. Some of my preacher friends are Gulf Coast guys. One has lost his house and a couple of others fear that there will be nothing left when they return home.

I can't imagine what those people must be feeling.

Looters! The scum of the earth. I think they should be shot on sight.

This is So Cool!

I stumbled upon something called Google Earth. Using satellite images from all over the world, you can "zoom in" and explore. It's like the old Microsoft terraserver, but much better. I guess Google combined with something that used to be called Keyhole (I had never heard of it). Anyway, you simply type in where you want to go, and the software will take you there. The resolution and clarity is much better in some places than in others. For example, most of Michigan is pretty fuzzy, but if you go Seattle you can actually see the Seahawks playing somebody (a goal line stand).

I found some of the places where I used to live, the churches where I've preached, famous ballparks and monuments. It's very user friendly. It has a function where you can have it list street names, churches, schools, etc., so it makes it easy to find things. You can make it seem like you are flying.

Have fun!

P.S. I was doing some reading about this program and someone made an interesting comment: "If this software is available for free and it is easy for everyone and his dog to download and begin to use in a matter of minutes, it's scary to think about what kind of top-secret, high-tech stuff is being used by the military and governments around the world." Yikes! Big brother is watching!

Signs of the End Times

MSN had a link to a new Paul Anka album on which he does some covers of rock & roll hits. His version of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Jump are enough to make you want to puke. You'll have to listen to three hours of AC/DC just to recover. The link said "Hot Tracks." Are they kidding? Ugh!

Back to School

The kids went back to school today. Where did the summer go?

Do you remember the feeling of the first day of school? Seeing your friends that you hadn't seen for three months. The excitement of the new classroom and a new teacher. Wondering which kids would be in your class. And not a care in the world except wondering if you would have any homework.

More Nuggets from the Summit

Bill Hybels
"We are at the helm of the most important ship on any ocean."
"Paint a picture of the future that ignites passion."

John Maxwell
"There's a difference between delegation and total abdication."
"People will not go along with you if they cannot get along with you."
"As followers of Christ, we're not always sure where we're going, we just know we're following Jesus."

Ken Blanchard
"Feedback is the breakfast of champions."

Colleen Barrett
"We're not competing against other churches. We're competing against the alternative uses of people's time."

Rick Warren
"What you think you own is really just on loan."
"Every time I give, it breaks the grip of materialism on my life."
"The world is full of little Saddams."

Leadership Summit

Last week I attended the local simulcast of Willow Creek's Leadership Summit. It was outstanding. Most of my staff and one of the elders attended, and we really enjoyed being able to debrief and brainstorm between the sessions.

Rick Warren had a great message about "Leadership as Stewardship." Several of the other speakers were good too. The thing the kept busting my chops was the idea that the leaders needs to make the vision clear. I need to constantly keep the vision before the people. That was very challenging.

Bill Hybels did the closing session entitled "The Things We Must Do." Four crucial principles of church leadership:
1. Keep the Vision Clear
2. Get the People Engaged
3. Make Your Gatherings Memorable
4. Pace Yourself for the Long Haul

Lots of good stuff to chew on and ruminate over.

Congratulations Ryno!

Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. I have many fond memories of watching him play. He was Chicago's first beloved #23 (later Michael Jordan would bring fame to that number in a different sport).

The man quietly did his job every day.
Key stats: .285 career BA, 282 HR, 344 SB
Awards: NL MVP, '84, Gold Glove '83-'91, Silver Slugger '84-'85, '88-'92

His fielding percentage at second base is the highest for anyone who played more than 800 games at the position (.989). He did not make a throwing error in seven of his 16 big-league seasons -- is that incredible or what?

Way to go Ryno!

(By the way, it was a little scary today when I realized that this "old guy" is only six years older than me).

It's Campmeeting Time

Last week we enjoyed a couple of days at the Hillsboro Family Camp. We have only missed a few times since 1987. It's always fun seeing old friends and hearing great preaching. I got to hear my friend Jeff Faull preach a couple of times. Also picked up a CD of one of Tony Sullivan's messages. Hillsboro had a big impact on me when I was a rookie preacher. I've had the opportunity to speak there twice, and Lord willing, will preach again next summer.

This week my son and I will join some other guys from our church at The Northmen. This meeting has a much different "flavor." It's all men & boys, camping out in the middle of the woods in northern Michigan (the nearest town is 12 miles away). No electricity or indoor plumbing (bathing is done in the creek). This too, is a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with old friends. More importantly, it's a great time for father & son bonding.

Hey, Girlie Man!

The book that my Wednesday morning Discipleship Group is reading now is called King Me. In one of the chapters, Steve Farrar laments what he calls the “feminization of our boys.” He writes, “Godly women can have a wonderful influence on young boys. But he needs a man in his life to show him what masculinity looks like.” The entire book, by the way, is about how fathers need to proactively and aggressively take the lead in mentoring, training, and discipling their sons to be men of God.

During the time I was thinking through the chapter, I happened to see another book in a Christian bookstore entitled, Why Men Hate Going to Church. I wondered if it didn’t contain a similar premise. Why is it that many churches have a disproportionate amount of women in them? Where are the men?

I think Farrar may be on to something. He writes, “Our sons need to be around masculine preaching and worship. When was the last time you heard a sermon on the importance of being a warrior for righteousness, or being aggressive in telling the truth regardless of the cost? More often the traits we hear lifted up are the more feminine traits: tenderness, compassion, sensitivity, and gentleness.” Wow!

He also talks about “feminized worship.” This is where the guy leading worship is soft-spoken, quiet and passive. And the songs talk about Jesus being “beautiful” or “lovely.’ Keith Drury calls these, “Jesus-is-my-girlfriend” songs. Farrar says, “Am I in a church or a spa? At a deal like that, you don’t bring your Bible, you bring your moisturizer.”

He talks about the pictures of Jesus. You know the ones – the soft, European-looking Jesus with the long, flowing hair and the manicured nails, and the flawless complexion. What’s up with that? He recalls looking at one of those pictures as a young boy and thinking, “Jesus is a Breck Girl!” John Eldredge dealt with this topic in Wild at Heart. His point was that we’re not going to attract men by lifting up a harmless, fluffy, Mr. Rogersesque, really nice guy as the model of Christianity.

I think these guys are right. A real Christian man is a manly man, and yes, there needs to be a tender, compassionate side to that man, but I don’t need to be a girlie man to be a godly man.

Ed Youngisms

Brenton Balvin had some great quotes from from Ed Young of Fellowship Church.

I was first introduced to Ed at the Catalyst Conference a few years ago (not as in "literally, personally," but as in "hearing about him and listening to him").

Some of these are pretty good:
1. 'it not about my thingdom, but about his kingdom'
2. 'do I need that, or do I greed that'
3. 'the higher the predictability, the lower the connectivity'
4. 'when I bring God the best, the rest gets blessed'
5. 'we take the American Express to debt, we need to read the Masters Card, and then we get a Visa to financial freedom'
6. Offering is not about giving, it is about 'bringing it'
7. 'too many people are running around talking smack, but not doing jack'

I especially enjoyed #'s 3 & 7.

How's Your Swing?

Recently I came across an interesting concept on Len Sweet’s website. He wrote about the need for the church to remain rooted in the first century while living in the twenty-first century.

There is a new theory among physicists about how the swing works. Previous theories revolved around the principle of "parametric instability," which pivoted the action of swinging at the middle of the arc, and the rocking forward into a higher center of gravity. Physicist William Case, while watching how children actually swing, has now posited a new principle which physicists call "driven harmonic oscillator." The key to the swing is not in the middle of the arc, but at each end of the arc, where and when the swingers at the same time lean back and throw their feet forward.

That's my image statement. As a historian of Christianity, I want the church to lean back–not just back to the 50s, but all the way back through 2000 years of history, all the way back until we're, in the words of that Sunday School song, "Leaning, Leaning, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." But at the same time and I do mean simultaneously, we must use that energy and power that comes from "learning to lean" to kick forward into the future.

I think that’s a wonderful image for the church I serve. We are part of the movement to restore New Testament Christianity. Biblical doctrine and principles are just as important and relevant today as they were 2000 years ago. The gospel of Christ is still powerful and life-changing. Our task is to engage our culture and build relationships with people, demonstrating the difference that Jesus makes in our lives. Let’s do it, for His glory!

4th of July Weekend

Heading to Clinton, Iowa (that well-known vacation mecca) for the holiday. Will be visiting relatives and enjoying Clinton's Riverboat Days.

Happy Independence Day y'all!

God Bless America!

Batman Begins

Went to see Batman Begins with my son yesterday. He is getting old enough that we can enjoy this kind of stuff together. And it’s a lot of fun. This is a great movie! It explains how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It brought back a lot of memories. I was a big Batman fan as a kid. C'mon, everybody sing -- "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na: Batman." I was probably too emotionally caught up in the exploits of the crime-fighting duo of Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward). But this one was much better without the cheesiness of the late 60's (no "Biffs" or"Zowies"). And the Batmobile was one incredible car. An indestructible Hummer/Tank on steroids. It’s very intense.

Two big thumbs up for this one.

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Arlington

So I'm scanning the radio dial on the way back to the office after lunch and I stopped on the country station in time to hear Trace Adkins' new song "Arlington" for the first time. Gulp. If that one doesn't put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye, then you ain't an American.



Arlington

I never thought that this is where I’d settle down,
I thought I’d die an old man back in my hometown,
they gave me this plot of land, me and some other men, for a job well done,
there's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road, the man inside he cried the day they brought me home,
they folded up a flag and told my mom and dad, we're proud of your son

Chorus:
and I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,
I'm on sacred ground and I’m in the best of company,
I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I’ve done,
I can rest in peace, I'm one of the chosen ones, I made it to Arlington

I remember daddy brought me here when I was eight, we searched all day to find out where my granddad lay,
and when we finally found that cross,
he said, "son this is what it cost to keep us free" Now here I am,
a thousand stones away from him,
he recognized me on the first day I came in,
and it gave me a chill when he clicked his heels, and saluted me.

(Repeat Chorus)

and every time I hear twenty-one guns, I know they brought another hero home to us
we're thankful for those thankful for the things we've done,
we can rest in peace, 'cause we are the chosen ones,
we made it to Arlington, yea dust to dust, don't cry for us we made it to Arlington

American Justice

I had to report for Jury Duty yesterday. There were about 20 of us who were in “the pool” from which six jurors would ultimately be chosen. The case was a misdemeanor and would last no longer than a day. We watched a video about the importance of Jury Duty and how we were being good citizens, etc. Then we went to the courtroom. Six were chosen at random to sit in the actual jury box. The lawyers then questioned them. This process took place several times as three of the six were eliminated, then two of the replacements were also eliminated. I learned that being a Judge includes long periods of boredom as you listen to the lawyers repeat themselves.

The defendant was a woman who violated a “No Contact” order (kind of like a restraining order). It was obvious that her defense was going to be that she had a good reason for violating it. Talk about lame! I wonder if her lawyer knew that his case was over before it even began.

I’m glad that I never made it to the “hot seat” (although it would have been interesting). One of the questions asked of each potential juror was, “If you were the defendant, would you want you on the jury?” I would have had to say, “No, I would want some bleeding heart liberal who thinks that the law can be ‘interpreted’ in any way one wishes. I would want someone who thinks that “No Contact” only means “No Contact” until you find a good reason to disregard it. If I were the defendant, I wouldn’t want me on the jury, because it’s already obvious that you are grasping at straws dude.”

“Okay, thank you for your time juror # CM5-4, you are dismissed.”

God bless America!

Da Cubs!

Just when I was prepared to resign myself to another disappointing and mediocre season, my Cubs have pulled off a seven-game winning streak. This is what they do to me. They get my hopes up, only to dash them later in the season. After 30 years of following them, one would think that I would be accustomed to this. But like Charlie Brown thinking, "This time Lucy won't yank the football away at the last second", hope springs eternal in my mind. Only to eventually succumb to a gut-wrenching "Arrrggghhhhh!" I still want to throw up when I think about Game Six in 2003.

But this article by George Will about Greg Maddux did bring a smile to my face and an obligatory, "You da man, Maddux".

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