Two of our three kids have mentioned the same phrase over the years. Now my youngest has picked up this phrase. You see when I’m out at church, away from home, gone all day, I have to be honest my heart aches when I don’t see my bride or my kids. With church there are some nights I might not see the kiddoes or Deb until the next morning.

When I walk into the house, from the garage, drop my bag to the floor, and greet the family, my youngest like the others, now says, "daddy, take your shoes off." Of course it took me a while to figure out why I needed to take my shoes off so quickly with the other two, but I did get the hint. hehe.

These kids knew dad was home for the night if I took my shoes off. It meant that they could chill and know dad was home for good that night if the old dogs came off. One of my biggest hopes is that I become the kind of husband and father that remembers to stop and to listen to those in my life who love me and who’d like me to just be present in their lives. Thank you Jesus that you are the one present with us and that you stop to just be who you are as our God and as our king. One who loves and adores us and who holds us ever so close. SO, you parental units…"Take your shoes off."

I had a wonderful weekend here with some Jr. High students from my church and from another church. Young Life and its Woodleaf camp has to be the "Hilton of camps" when it comes to camping. One of my students walked into our cabin as we arrived at Woodleaf and said, "Wow, there’s heat and look the showers are in the same room." The meals were the best of the best when it comes to conference style camping, and the facilities were awesome everything from the rec hall to the sugar barrel snack bar. I especially enjoyed the "gold cup" open early for us old guys who needed a Mocha to pick us up before the day got going.

What I loved about Woodleaf and the folks who ran the weekend was that the gospel was communicated in a way that was made simple. It was brought down to the level of a Jr. High kid. The weekend was centered on a relational type of gospel where we leaders got to walk with the kids in the midst of their lives for 36 hours of wild fun. Every talk was prepared in a way that each student would hear why Jesus loved them and why Jesus desired to be in relationship with them. They were given the freedom to come as they were. Messy, broken, and in need of someone to help them clean the messy spew of life. I did however come away appreciating what it means to come down to the level of a kid when during one of the "messy" games I happened to get caught in the middle of some cross fire and was blessed with a large bucket of old milky leftover cereal from that mornings breakfast. It happened to be about 40 degrees during the game and when the feeling of warm goo was poured on my head, I almost spewed my left lung. I then was thankful that even in the midst of my spew that somehow Christ was present and Christ was with me and how blessed I was to know that I was giving back to a bunch of kids, what was given to me by a bunch of Jr. High leaders at a Jr. High winter camp several trillion years ago when I came to know Jesus as my Lord and savior.

This morning I got to again here Reggie McNeals Present-Future seminar sponsored by Fuller Seminary. Overall Reggie McNeal did an excellent job at presenting the different cultures within the life of the church and it was impressive that he presented each of these cultures or generations in a way that was simple for the "boomer" types to grasp. He also conveyed the need for the church to become missional in the way it does church. I had spent some of my time at Princeton being introduced to what it means to be post-modern and to be a missional body through folks like Darrell Guder. What if we actually made our worship experiences a time to listen to what God is doing and how God is working in the midst of the people of God? What if our preaching was a time for hearing those who’ve been moved by Christ and his Holy Spirit to love the poor and the sick?  What if the church worked at loving its own community through showing Christs compassion? I resonated with the way he described the differences between the Gen-X and Millennial cultures that those in attendance yesterday and this morning got a good grasp of what many in the church, but even more in our world are needing when it comes to authentic spirituality in finding God.

I guess I’d fall into the Gen-X culture of church wanting and needing authentic relationships as a means for knowing and following Jesus. Evangelism in essence really is bringing Christs love to those cultures who have for whatever reason given up on church. McNeal showed a Ryan Bolger clip where Professor Bolger from Fuller seminary describes what it means to bring the gospel to those cultures who’ve stepped away from the church. Mcneal really pushed those who were in attendance this morning to become open and ready to listen to what it means to be post-modern and really helped clarify what it means to be "emergent or emerging." Loved every second of these past couple of days and will listen to Mcneal’s CD’s to continue processing what I heard and I’m pondering when it comes to being missional in the way we present the gospel, God’s grace, and his love to the world and to those right next door, across the street, and in our communities.

A couple of posts ago I began to journal some about the theme of grace in my life as a follower of Jesus. After listening to Reggie McNeal today, the topic of grace came up in regards to how we the church respond to the sins of the world. What if we the church actually responded to the sins of the world through the act of Grace. Grace as a relational act of God’s eternal love. McNeal challenged those present to consider what it would mean to love as God loved when it came to being a missional body, sent by God, into the world, in and midst the broken hearted within our own communities? It would mean that the church universal would have to rethink how it welcomes those who’ve become disappointed with the four walls of the church and who would rather practice their faith, their spiituality without the actual "institution?" It would mean meeting the people of God at their place of need without judgement, but with relational grace. I also heard him say something to the effect that 20th century "witnessing or evangelizing" has to be re-imagined when it comes to bringing grace to those looking for grace. Instead of offering four spiritual laws with a one way ticket to hell option if you don’t believe, what if we the church universal actually offered what the gospel is really about, "life abundantly?" If I think of all of the people in my life who gave me Jesus, it was in the form of a relational type of grace. It was the kind of grace that allowed for me to move and be just as God made me. Was it introduced to me perfectly by these mentors, friends, and pastors? No, but it allowed me to also give grace back to those who tried to live their lives before me as followers of Jesus and who tried to give me grace. It allowed for me to recognize the truth of the gospel and to respond to Christs redemptive grace. As for Reggie, I bought his Present-Future book with hopes of reading it on some study leave coming up. His seminar actually is his book almost word for word. Good stuff to ponder when it comes to relational grace. When I actually translate the chicken scratch for notes I took I will play with this topic of grace some more later on in future posts I pray.

Attended a Reggie McNeal Present-Future seminar today. Got his book which I’m looking forward to reading in a few weeks. I was really impressed with his heart to push the church toward a kingdom mentality in how we love the people of God and how we do church. I also loved his thoughts on the needs of the different cultures or generations and resonated again with my needs as a leader for authentic and genuine relationships. His heart for the church to be a missional body is exciting. I’ve finally figured out how to put sermons and stuff onto my little ipod shuffle. You can here a presentation from one of my CD’s I liked very much here.

A glimpse of what seminary is really like. Very funny. Boy I miss seminary! Hehe. Thanks Scott!

HT: Scott

I’ve been doing some thinking and reflecting lately on the theme of grace in my life. I’ve been challenged to look at areas of my life that grace has appeared on more than one occasion. I’m learning that grace is essential to my ministry as a pastor to the people I come in contact with and walk alongside with in ministry. What if the same very people you serve are also learning what it means to show grace? What if grace is difficult to show in the midst of ones weakness? How about those who have a difficult time receiving grace knowing that it’s from upon high?

We are recipients of grace from upon high. Jesus is the essence of grace. As a youth pastor I’ve come to learn this over the years that my role is to show grace to those students who have never met grace face to face. I’m called to be grace to those who have a hard time showing grace. I’m especially called to be grace to parents. I’ve found that my greatest mountain to climb in youth ministry over the years is showing grace to parents who also haven’t really seen and experienced the grace found in a relationship with Christ and who’ve encountered and received his grace found at the cross. Parents who I wish I could bonk on the head when I witness their feeble attempts at being people of grace with their own kids. I then recall my responsibility to be grace to our own kids. Recognizing their need for their father and mother to show much grace during these times of change and transition from being our babies to adolescence.

If I could rewind the clock of my ministry over the years I’d make a couple of changes. I’d become bold in the way I show grace. I’d step out in faith and with courage. I’d jump into those places where grace has never been. I’d walk alongside those within the church universal who could use some grace because of the lack of grace they receive from their friends, family, and society. I’d be a maverick and rebellous when it came to showing and giving the church grace.

I’m a firm believer that the church would become the church if it recognized its lack of grace when it came to loving the people of God. The church would become the church if recognized the need to receive the Lords grace filled love and moved toward imitating his grace to those places that have never seen or touched grace. In this pursuit of being a person of grace I’d become a husband and father who let grace overflow. (Knowing especially that my bride has given me way too much grace and that I don’t deserve the grace she has shown me in my own feeble attempts of being grace to her) I’d become a father who models grace to my kids in order that they’d become people of grace with their friends. I’d be a pastor who would be grace even to those who disagreed with me.

If grace existed wouldn’t the community of God, the people of God be able to manage through the mire of sinfulness? Wouldn’t we the church if grace were modeled, imitated, and expressed in acts of love be a place where people were affirmed, accepted, and received for who they were as broken individuals in need of grace and wouldn’t then those who encountered the grace of the Savior than go out into the world to be messengers of grace?

I’ve been trying to take advantage of Mark’s work at the Daily Pslam. I needed this one today taken from Pslam 17:   

A Prayer of David.
        1   Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry;
    give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2   From you let my vindication come;
    let your eyes see the right.
3   If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
    if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
    my mouth does not transgress.
4   As for what others do, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5   My steps have held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.
6   I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7   Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.
8   Guard me as the apple of the eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9   from the wicked who despoil me,
    my deadly enemies who surround me.
10   They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11   They track me down; now they surround me;
    they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12   They are like a lion eager to tear,
    like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13   Rise up, O LORD, confront them, overthrow them!
    By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,
14   from mortals—by your hand, O LORD—
    from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
  May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;
    may their children have more than enough;
    may they leave something over to their little ones.
15   As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
    when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.