Limping

Had a good conversation this morning with a few guys, wrestling through the book Leading With a Limp.  It's been a very stretching book thus far.  Much of the book runs counter to most leadership books you pick up.  The book challenges us to recognize and lead out of our brokenness.  It's not a question if you are broken, so much as do you recognize it and lead from that "limping" posture.  The following quote, recounting the story of Jacob (renamed Israel) wrestling with God, sparked some good discussion...

He wrestles with God and comes away broken and renamed. His limp is a reminder that when God renames us, he also makes each one of us a new person through a redemption that requires brokenness.

The story of Jacob exalts not the struggle but the goodness of God as he blesses a conniving, undeserving man. No matter how far off the mark we  might be, we see in this account the promise that if we open ourselves to meet God, we will not come out of the encounter the same. We will walk a new path--with an unpredictable gait.

Softball Story Illustration

For those who might be interested, here is the video I referenced during Sunday's teaching.  Enjoy.

Congratulations Brian & Corrina!

So happy for our good friends and fellow leaders at CrossPointe, Brian and Corrina, in the birth of their son William Daniel.  Very cool.  You can check out more pics and follow them on their blog by clicking here.

Community

Community has been on the brain a lot lately...guess that happens when you have to teach on that topic. Additionally we had our community group leaders over last night for the start of our monthly leadership community.  This was a time to hear the wins, the challenges and to equip our leaders.  Though no group is perfect, and we certainly have challenges, it was so encouraging to hear the stories of how Gospel transformation is happening within the context of community.  I love that we are launching CrossPointe as more than a service...in fact, I'm not sure how we'd really be functioning as a church without these groups.  They've been a huge part of what we are doing.  I loved this quote that I came across last week in doing teaching prep...

Sometimes in church circles when people feel 

lonely, we will tell them not to expect too 

much from human relationships, that there is 

inside every human being a God-shaped void 

that no other person can fill.  That is true. 

But apparently, according to the writer of 

Genesis, God creates inside this man a kind of 

“human-shaped-void” that God himself will 

not fill. 

--John Ortberg 

Lastly, in an attempt to communicate how God is at work in and through these groups we showed the following video to intro the teaching this past Sunday.  Check it out.

Picking Strawberries...and other restful things

Good day off today with the family.  Started out by picking some strawberries.  Then headed to Mellow Mushroom for lunch.  Read a bit on the porch.  Saw some friends.  Enjoyed strawberry shortcake.  You can check out some pics from the strawberry picking by clicking here.

Dora meets the Dog

It must be Friday

Theology in Community

One of the coolest things thus far in this whole church planting thing has been the opportunity to do theology in community.  By that I don't mean some "emergent", no one has any basis to speak authoritatively, and all voices are equally valid.  What I do mean is the collaboration and discussion that goes into each week's sermons and subsequent community group material.  I love that it is not me in isolation trying to figure out the entire message.  Instead I get to discuss the given passage and/or topic with Brian and others from CrossPointe and gain valuable insights.  The sermon is shaped as I hear Brian preparing the community group material and vice-versa.  There is something healthy about this kind of cooperation.  It forces me to craft the message in a way that drives towards application of the Gospel.  It forces me to start engaging with the material at hand earlier in the week.  I feel like by the time the sermon is preached on Sunday morning it has been shaped by the community of people I am working with and is better because of it.  If you'd like to check out the community group material that Brian is writing you can check it out at http://www.crosspointewinterpark.com/media/community-studies/