jLaib

'X'ing out Christ in 'Christmas'?

2011-12-23T15:00:00.001-06:00

Just sharing some knowledge, since I've had this conversation several times this season. Obvious thanks to Dennis Bratcher.

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I have no doubt that some people write "Xmas" because they are too busy or too lazy to write out the whole word. And no doubt some secular people, who are just as uninformed as Christians, see "Xmas" as a way to avoid writing "Christ." And certainly there are secular and commercial motives in the fact that "XMAS" appears in ads and signs because it can be larger and more attention getting in the same amount of space (more bang for the buck). But those factors do not take away the thoroughly Christian origin of the word "Xmas." In this instance, all of the hype and hysteria over supposedly taking Christ out of Christmas by writing "Xmas" instead of spelling out "Christmas" is both uninformed and misdirected.

Abbreviations used as Christian symbols have a long history in the church. The letters of the word "Christ" in Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written, or various titles for Jesus early became symbols of Christ and Christianity. For example, the first two letters of the word Christ (cristoV, or as it would be written in older manuscripts, CRISTOS) are the Greek letters chi (c or C) and rho (r or R). These letters were used in the early church to create the chi-rho monogram (see Christian Symbols: Christmas Ornaments), a symbol that by the fourth century became part of the official battle standard of the emperor Constantine.

Another example is the symbol of the fish, one of the earliest symbols of Christians that has been found scratched on the walls of the catacombs of Rome. It likely originated from using the first letter of several titles of Jesus (Jesus Christ Son of God Savior). When combined these initial letters together spelled the Greek word for fish (icquV,ichthus).

The exact origin of the single letter X for Christ cannot be pinpointed with certainty. Some claim that it began in the first century AD along with the other symbols, but evidence is lacking. Others think that it came into widespread use by the thirteenth century along with many other abbreviations and symbols for Christianity and various Christian ideas that were popular in the Middle Ages. However, again, the evidence is sparse.

In any case, by the fifteenth century Xmas emerged as a widely used symbol for Christmas. In 1436 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with moveable type. In the early days of printing typesetting was done by hand and was very tedious and expensive. As a result, abbreviations were common. In religious publications, the church began to use the abbreviation C, or simply X, for the word "Christ" to cut down on the cost of the books and pamphlets. From there, the abbreviation moved into general use in newspapers and other publications, and "Xmas" became an accepted way of printing "Christmas" (along with the abbreviations Xian and Xianity). Even Webster’s dictionary acknowledges that the abbreviation Xmas was in common use by the middle of the sixteenth century.

So there is no grand scheme to dilute Christianity by promoting the use of Xmas instead of Christmas. It is not a modern invention to try to convert Christmas into a secular day, nor is it a device to promote the commercialism of the holiday season. Its origin is thoroughly rooted in the heritage of the Church. It is simply another way to say Christmas, drawing on a long history of symbolic abbreviations used in the church. In fact, as with other abbreviations used in common speech or writing (such as Mr. or etc.), the abbreviation "Xmas" should be pronounced "Christmas" just as if the word were written out in full, rather than saying "exmas." Understanding this use of Christian symbolism might help us modern day Xians focus on more important issues of the Faith during Advent, and bring a little more Peace to the Xmas Season.

Move It or Lose It

2011-12-09T11:43:00.005-06:00

‎"Those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them". -Steven Pressfield

I see this reality in the lives of some of the people that I love. We all hit a season when we are 15-20 years old; we can almost taste the independence we've been longing for (or are still getting used to having it), but still, we feel like the people who have lead us refuse to give us space, back off, or mind their own business. We private grind, "Let me live my life!"

The above quote inspired me to comment on a mere slice of that debate. It's simply this: If you do things in the right order, take responsibility, and act before people have a chance to question you, they might consider the monitoring they do of your life as a waste of their own time. If actions show you manage the steering wheel, they may just remove their own hands.

Unfortunately, we usually pursue this independence primarily with words instead of action. My brother had a college roommate whose life was out of order-- an oversleeping through class-last minute studying-laundry backed up-money mismanaged spectacle. His mom was used to checking in on him, and it would drive him crazy. The words: "I'm in college now! I'm close to becoming married! When will she see that I can do this on my own?"

I'm not denying that trust is a core and tricky issue in relationships, or that there may have been some boundary issues there with mom. But I remember was my brother's aside to me: "Because he clearly can't do this on his own."

This rings true in my own life. Pride moves me to want to be left alone in my weak areas. Somehow I have energy to make excuses, shield my thin spots from others, or complain about ‘hoverers’, but no energy for making actual progress.

Who is it that you want to treat you as trustworthy? A spouse? Parent? Supervisor? Officer? The only time to be convinced that you can do things independently is when you are. Or your pattern will scream for help in keeping your car on the road for you.

Morning War

2011-10-30T23:47:00.001-05:00

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

C.S. Lewis

Mission Mindset

2011-06-15T22:25:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when a shocking turn of events in someone else's life caused you to just 'halt' for a moment?

I've been musing about a friend of mine. We share the same Christian circles, know each others families, and have done ministry together. Recently, he was charged with a very serious crime, and a high bail has been set for his release.

This is a complete jolt to everyone he knows. A younger, mutual friend of ours texted me for help, utterly disturbed. "I looked up to him as a role model for so long. I don't even know what to feel." When such unpleasant discoveries shake us, they inflict deep doubts. And doubt always causes some form of chaos.

I wonder how this friend of ours was able to hide for so long.
Why he didn't give Jesus access to his struggles.
Why he was so silent toward his fellow Christ-followers-- especially when his sin was in its infancy.
What it was like for him to do life as a Christian, while spending so much effort protecting his own secret self-destruction.

I can easily picture a guy like my friend coming to our church. He appeared normal. I am not insinuating that we have a bunch of future inmates like this at Southfield, sitting among us. But I suppose that on some level, we might. People who are mystified on how to get out of the private hole they have dug. Who are on the verge of blowing everything up they know and disappointing a lot of loved ones. People who have no idea the path that they are on... and where that path will lead them.

My friends: when we turn slides and strum strings, our goal is not to just turn out another Sunday morning. Our aim is to bring hope to the hopeless, and near self-destroyed. And cast light to any vessel that is closing in on a shipwreck.

"Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me... I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

~The Resurrected Christ, in commissioning Paul (Acts 26:16-18)

This blog originally appeared in The Beat, a weekly e-challenge to the music & tech teams of Southfield.

Chan, on God and Hell

2011-05-28T11:44:00.001-05:00

I'm not a Chan groupie or expert, just a fan.

And I don't claim to have entered into scholarly conversations about hell, so this doesn't mean to me what it may mean to others.

But I enjoyed and agree.

Miserable

2011-05-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

"Being miserable is easy. Being happy is tougher and cooler." ~Thom Yorke

Clothes

2011-05-24T16:42:00.003-05:00

I'll never forget the day I married Courtney. She was dressed so beautifully. And when she saw me standing there, 45 minutes before the wedding, she said, "Go home and change out of that old t-shirt this instant!" Hmph! Like my clothes had anything to do my loving feelings for her!

Okay, so I made that up. But with the warmer weather having arrived, I thought it would be good to revisit our policy about attire on stage. Many churches decide differently on this issue, and there is room for scores of opinions. (Check out a blog from WorshipMatters.com I enjoyed with MANY responses.) So here are some thoughts about how we do things at Southfield. And be encouraged! This is more of a heart exercise for our team than a tongue-lashing; I think our team tends to dress quite appropriately for the job. (Thanks!)

What should drive my spirit as I select an outfit that is stage-fit?

We want to convey 'intentionality'. This is a call to 'dress-UP'. Not UP ten notches, as if it were the Royal Wedding. Just UP from normal-- maybe one notch, or two. It should be clear to our people that the team is engaged with the opportunity to lead others and have come prepared to do so. It's not about the clothes, but about what the clothes help say about our focused, 'bring-our-best' attitude. (This may mean we sacrifice a touch of comfort or convenience, but the message we're trying to send is worth it.) Today, you aren't a Normal Joe; you are leading.
We want to express 'relate-ability'. This is a call to wear something recognizable, rather than extreme. Too hipster, too traditional, too mod, too dated, too "anything not us" won't help our demographic connect with you, no matter how your great intentions may have been. Connecting with people is why we are physically on stage. This is how we serve. So we can't undercut our ability to do so by wearing something wildly foreign to our clan-- the people of Southfield, in greater-Joliet of the USA.
We want people to look at Jesus. This is a call to selflessness. I like how Bob Kauflin said in the above blog: "(The role of our stage people) is to draw attention to the surpassing greatness of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. That means clothing that would draw attention to them is inappropriate. Categories include clothes that are immodest (even sexually alluring), tight, 'loud,' dirty, or sloppy." We do have the power to distract our friends from focusing on Christ in worship. It takes a servant's heart and some good cultural know-how to be able to decipher the difference between what is acceptable and what is better left at home... for the sake of Christ's work.

As you can see, while these principles may rule some attire out, they leave a LOT of clothing options within bounds. And to that I say, have a ball!

Even after passing your wardrobe through the above grid of principles, you still may be asking for specific help on where the 'lines' are (since equally wonderful people still vary on their interpretations of what is 'acceptable'). So maybe this will help: Ladies, any top that has straps that are 2 inches or wider is fine, as are shorts/skirts that fall 2 inches or lower than your fingertips. Men, a shirt that covers your shoulders and pants that cover your legs is a great place to start. Nix anything with a barbecue stain.

Final encouragement: When you consider our goals as a team and employ these principles as you pick out apparel for the morning, with the good of God and others in mind first... your worship for the morning has already begun.

Wait for it...

2011-05-20T14:52:00.002-05:00

"The first step in coming to maturity is to develop a concept of deferred satisfaction." Larson

Thirsty

2011-05-05T08:54:00.002-05:00

The day my tribe and I are this thirsty, I will be filled with hope for us all.

Unsuspecting Worship Leader. PT 1

2011-04-06T12:33:00.004-05:00

To the church harmonica player:

I wish I had your mad skills. As you sit in the corner of the stage and rock the mouth organ, I appreciate that you are the Worship Leader for the weekend.

"What!?" you gulp. "I just sit in the corner and rock the mouth organ on three parts of two songs!" I don't lead!

Don't freak out on me now. But you are a worship leader... that's what Bob Kauflin, church worship guru, says. I have to agree with him:

"If I’m in front of a group, I’m leading. Whether it’s through verbal contributions, facial expressions, or bodily posture, people are following me."

Most churches are accustomed to a single person who verbally welcomes, directs, encourages, and dares. But it is undeniable that each of the visible servants affect how worship is lead for the whole room.

His apparent joy sets the tone.

Her passion and zeal is contagious.

His genuine engagement matters to everyone in the room, enhancing or hindering the whole team effort.

For what it's worth, Bob continues: "This raises some questions. What am I leading people to? Am I aware that I’m being followed? Am I doing anything to make my leadership fruitful?"

So thank you, Harmonica Chick, for enhancing what your team is trying to do, in your own authentic way. And thank you for challenging yourself to do better where you can, to inspire a heart of worship for the Body you are serving. It matters a lot!

PS- Here's the rest of Bob's 3-paragraph article.

The YOU OWE ME story, Chapter 2432

2011-01-22T09:13:00.011-06:00

I am currently on hold with INGDirect.com. As I type. I'm a big fan of ING, by the way. Check them out. Their 'waiting messages' are way funnier than like, Sears, and Alex was a big help in setting us up.

Last week ING offered a promo for starting a new account, where you get $50 just for trying one. So I signed on. And yesterday I had this idea to get my wife a card to the account. So today I'm trying to get the card, and there's drama because in the system she's not even married to me yet, and we were told we need to do all kinds of crazy crazy like fax in our marriage certificate and whatnot to get her last name changed in the system. Ugh. (Who even faxes anymore?)

So I call with a few questions, and I get Alex. Alex is the kind of guy you could go have a beer with and throw darts with, and after we make fun of the 'waiting messages' together (Alex said hello to me just after some guy BJ said he was Neil Diamond), he takes my question. "You know, we can skip all of that stuff if you just put your wife on the phone with me for like 2 minutes. NICE.

But, oh. PROBLEM: my wife just left. She's going to work out. SNAP... But then another idea occurs to me. ANSWER: The iPhone has come from heaven to us just for moments like these. I'll put Alex on hold (he's gotta be polite no matter what I do), I'll call Courtney, I'll merge the calls, and wham-o. We all win!

And this is why I'm blogging: My wife didn't answer. Not normal. Hmm. Called again. No answer. HMMPH. And again. No answer. GRRRRRRRRRR.

Now, I know what's happening. Her phone is silenced or on vibrate and she's rocking out to hip-hop music during the 10 minute drive to Cardinal Fitness. So I need to pause on this little story (because I know you want to know how it ends) and describe what I saw inside myself: I was IRRITATED.

"What the heck? Why isn't she picking up? Why do we even have phones? I'm trying to do something here!! Alex is not going to wait forever!"

Have you ever noticed that happen to you? Something I just had an idea about yesterday suddenly demands everyone to snap to attention and intently listen to their phones in case I want to call. What's the deal with that attitude? I mean, I just shared a Saturday-morning snuggle with the love of my life an hour ago, and suddenly now there is something in me that is peeved enough to act like she has never come through for me, ever. (Which I guarantee you, 'coming through for me' is her specialty. She's amazing.)

How quickly the world owes me as soon as I see something I want.

BTW, that 'selfish voice' in me is an old version Justin who I'm trying to murder. Daily. I hear his whines in moments of inconvenience, and on my good days, I have the presence of mind to tell the voice of my old life to shut up. Today was pretty good for that.

So would you believe that I patiently called her repeatedly until she answered-- no less than 20 times? (I checked in on Alex once to cheer him on, hoping he is enjoying Neil Diamond jokes while I am releasing bloodhounds for my wife.) If Alex can be patient, so can I. So I stepped on Old Justin's throat and hit redial until she answered! And I merged the calls and we squared it all away in minutes, my Hulk rage subsiding.

Alrighty! We win! It's a GOOD day again! I mean, why did the pilgrims even come here, if it weren't for the hope of shiny new debit cards for everyone who asks? And iPhone trickery? And hilarious waiting music/stand-up comedy by BJ and Gigi? (I am not kidding about the names.) (I may be kidding about 'hilarious'.)

Morals of the story:

1) Beware of "GOOD Day! BAD Day! Good Day AGAIN!" all within a matter of minutes. There is a twisted voice inside you that really believes you are the center of the universe. Either you kill it, or it will ruin you-- moment by moment, relationship by relationship, opportunity by opportunity. (I have found that my only hope is to get help from Jesus.)

2) Laugh at and think about this clip of a pretty observant comedian. Make special note of his line that I ripped for this blog: "...how quickly the world owes him..."

3) If you start a new online account with ING, make sure you get to be on hold for a little while, and then say *I* referred you so that you can get $25 just for starting an account and get ME $10 for being smart enough to refer you.

After all... you owe me.

A Necessary Shift

2011-01-18T17:59:00.000-06:00

“Here is one of the greatest values of praise: it decentralizes self. The worship and praise of God demands a shift of center from self to God. One cannot praise God without relinquishing occupation with self. Praise produces forgetfulness of self – and forgetfulness of self is health. We soon discover spiritual health has its roots in divine adoration.”

-Paul Billheimer

Mystified is okay

2010-12-18T14:10:00.001-06:00

Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you have to judge it. It's okay to just say, 'Yeah, that doesn't seem like it makes sense to me.' 'Critical thinker' does not necessitate 'cynical person'.

Personal Vision

2010-11-27T22:11:00.007-06:00

I am taking a class that is helping me gain a sense of personal vision for whatever God is calling me to do in life. I appreciate the help. The recent coursework is helping me use what I already know about myself (my influencers and learning seasons, passions, values and skills for example) and determine where this is all headed for me.

Because all of us who live for Jesus have all tended to have an itch that we would love God to scratch: "What does God want ME to do with MY life?" We yearn for God's vision for who we are and what time we will spend serving him on Earth. Can you relate?

Walling says, "Vision ignites passion! It motivates and captures a believer. It describes what the heart yearns to see accomplished and what would drive a believer toward sacrificial living and obedience."

It reminds me of a story Perry Noble once told. He was at breakfast in a big-picture conversation with a friend who was challenging him in his personal vision. The friend asked, "What is the one thing you would do for God if you knew that you could not fail?" Perry immediately replied, "I would start a church." Without a blink, his friend responded, "You are a coward if you don't."

A personal vision is always becoming clear; though it may take time to become lucid, it is ever-clarifying and can be recognized as much with a pure heart than it can be with a good set of eyes. It is that one thing that is larger than you that you would be excited to take a run at, or a hundred. It is anchored in your past and your passions. You would do it whether you got paid for it, or not, or even had to pay in order to do it.

What do you think your life vision is?

The author shares some good words on 'ambition'. Not to be confused with 'vision'. "Many of us have pursued 'ambition', but called it 'vision'. It was our own great dream for God.

"'Ambition' is all about 'me'. 'Calling' is about alignment and obedience to God and his plan. Discovering vision is not about dreaming up your biggest dream-- it is about discovering what God has created and called you to do. Personal vision is about discovering what God has created me to do and surrendering to it."

I think Henry Blackaby was right on when he said, "Don't dream up what you're going to do for God and then ask him to bless it. Figure out where God is working, and then join him there." (paraphrase)

Check out Terry Walling's Focused Living Resource Kit: Focused Living ('Calling Bundle") for the fuel for these thoughts.

Always Developing

2010-11-08T21:51:00.000-06:00

Development includes all of life's processes, not just formal training. Leaders are shaped by deliberate training and by experience. "Leadership development," as one of my colleagues so often emphasizes, "is a much broader term than leadership training." Leadership training refers to a narrow part of the overall process, focusing primarily on learning skills. Leadership development includes this but much more.

-J. Robert Clinton, from The Making of a Leader

Enablement vs Opportunity

2010-10-20T14:07:00.001-05:00

‎"Help me, so I can get by" = 'enabling'. "Help me, so I have a chance to get ahead = 'opportunity'.

Hiring and Firing

2010-10-08T22:52:00.000-05:00

I'm enjoying learning a lot from my current grad school class Next Steps in Church Planting. Besides an interesting chapter called Misfires on Hiring (Church Planting Landmines), my classmates have added a lot of anecdotal wisdom:

It is difficult to hire the right person, but it is much more difficult to fire the wrong person.
You always have to recognize the cost of hiring the wrong person.
Ask others' opinions. If you have to talk others into liking them, you'll have problems down the road.
Don't "undersell" or "over-promise".
Leave emotions out of it.

Recognize your strengths and limitations in hiring - and listen to those who have a better track record than you do.

The job may require 25 different things, but establish a list of the "Top 5" and don't compromise. The others may have some "wiggle room", but the top 5 will ruin you.

Listen more than you speak - your goal is not to impress them with your church. Ask good questions and find out all you can about them.

The wrong somebody is worse than nobody.

Always hire as if the person you hire was going to take care of your kids.
It can take two years to get rid of a bad choice.

How vs Why: The Preaching Dilemma?

2010-09-13T13:32:00.004-05:00

Checked out this article by Don Miller, referred to me by my friend Ryan Crozier.

Interesting read. I'm wondering what it says to teachers and preachers out there like me.

Why the Bible is a Terrible Book For Americans

Come what may.

2010-09-08T12:26:00.004-05:00

Whatever comes to help a leader develop his strength of character will always trump whatever comes to help him run his organization.

Adapted from Leading With A Limp (Allender)

Bitterness

2010-09-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

The secret to not becoming bitter toward the people who appear to be trying to ruin your life... is to get a life that cannot be ruined by people.

My Latest Endeavor: Grad School

2010-08-31T21:16:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to pick up on grad school work where I left off at Moody Grad School (now Moody Theological Seminary) several years ago. I got about 5 classes in and decided to put further program work off while I concentrated more on my current ministry.

Years later, I have now polled my student-friends for school ideas, prayed about where God may be asking of me in the next 10-20 years, and done some investigation. I'm excite to have begun work with RockBridge Seminary. I'll be pursuing a Masters in Divinity degree. I may still try to have some in-class experiences at Wheaton Seminary, to transfer over, but that's optional at this point.

The rest of this post taken is directly from their website tour for recently joined students. Rockbridge has a different academic approach, so ministry/grad school students may find it interesting. I did.

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A FRESH Approach to Seminary Education

Why A New Seminary

In 2002, Dr. Daryl Eldridge and Dr. Gary Waller of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), and Dr. Sam Simmons of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS) began collaborating on how to adapt seminary education to meet the needs of 21st century churches.

Dr. Eldridge, Dean of the School of Education Ministries at SWBTS, was in touch with the leadership training needs of churches as a frequent church training and leadership conference speaker. Dr. Waller was the Dean of Distance Education at SWBTS, directing all online programs and extension centers. He knew firsthand the potential of online learning. Dr. Simmons was director of the Southern California Campus (Orange County) of GGBTS, which included an extension center at nearby Saddleback Church. Simmons, an expert in non-traditional seminary students, had researched extensively the challenge of reengineering seminary education.

These men noticed several emerging trends among Evangelical churches that called for change within seminary education. At the same time, they became increasingly concerned that seminaries were either unwilling or unable to make the changes that were needed.

1. Church hiring practices

Churches today are more likely to look within their congregations for ministry staff rather than hire from a list of recent seminary graduates. These emerging ministry leaders have typically proven themselves in business, education, and other non-religious sectors. Usually, they have good people and leadership skills. Plus, their understanding of their church’s culture and community context make them attractive candidates for a ministry staff position. Through volunteer service in their church, they have sufficiently demonstrated ministry gifts, integrity, and faithfulness. What they don’t have is a seminary degree. Since they are well-established in the church and community and responsible for the duties of a ministry role, they are not likely to leave their ministry field and move their family to another city in order to attend seminary.

Rockbridge Seminary founders realized that seminary education needed to be more accessible so students such as these hired by their own churches to serve on staff could complete a seminary degree without leaving their church field.

2. Every member ministry

A growing number of churches are shifting from a clerical to an organism model of church ministry, meaning that church members discover and use their God-given gifts and that church staff members release control of ministry, shifting instead to an equipping model based on Ephesians 4. Often, these volunteer ministers guide church programs that can grow as large as those guided by vocational ministers. Thus, it is natural for these volunteer ministers to seek ways to improve their ministry skills, including seminary education.

Rockbridge Seminary founders realized that seminary education needed to honor and validate the growing number of seminary students with calling and service that held Kingdom value equal to the calling and service of those in vocational ministry.

3. Distrust of seminary education

As reported in a research study released by the Barna Group in 2004 (“A New Generation of Pastors Places its Stamp on Ministry”), younger ministers are more likely to distrust seminary training, viewing it as irrelevant and unnecessary.

Rockbridge Seminary founders realized that seminary education needed to become more relevant by offering students a learning journey shaped by their calling and built through learning experiences that were immediately applicable.

4. New paradigm church movement

Through the influence of mega-churches such as Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Community Church, a new type of church has emerged that is more contemporary in worship style and more culturally relevant in communicating the claims of Jesus Christ. These churches are sometimes referred to as “new paradigm” (as in Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium by Donald E. Miller) or “emerging.” Sometimes, seminary students from these churches found the traditional seminary classroom to be antagonistic and even cynical. As a result, new paradigm church leaders often prefer internal training, conferences, and seminars for training over traditional seminary education.

Rockbridge Seminary founders realized that seminary education needed to win the support of new paradigm churches through a fresh approach that emphasized partnership and service and a fresh design that emphasized ministry.

Could an existing seminary make the necessary shifts to address these trends? After an agonizing and soul-searching process, Rockbridge Seminary founders concluded that the answer was no. A new seminary was needed to address the needs of a changing church.

Why The Touchstone Course Is Special

The normal pathway for a new student entering Rockbridge Seminary is to enroll first in the Touchstone Course. An exception is made for a limited number of Test Drive students who are allowed to pick a course to "test drive" it. Test Drive students, however, are required to take the Touchstone Course in the term immediately following the Test Drive course.

You may be surprised by the Touchstone Course. Instead of being about ministry, the Touchstone Course is about you.

Why?

Dr. J. Robert Clinton, Professor of Leadership at Fuller Seminary, has researched over 1200 biblical, historical, and contemporary servants of God. He came to a startling conclusion—most spiritual leaders do not finish well. Of those who do, Dr. Clinton found five common habits at work in their lives, habits we want you to develop through your seminary program. Seminary is more than a degree. It is about you, your unique and wonderful call by God to serve, and being equipped to fulfill that call. Seminary is not only about equipping you but is also about helping you finish well. Here’s how this course will help:

· The Touchstone Course is necessarily introspective. It pushes you to go deep, perhaps realizing things about yourself you’ve not realized before; especially in light of your unique and wonderful call by God to serve Him. The insights you gain during this course may be valuable not only for your seminary program but throughout your journey.

· The Touchstone Course will challenge you to develop a perspective about your life, an understanding of your calling, and an awareness of how mentors can support you in your journey.

· The Touchstone Course will coach you to assess your level of development in 35 ministry competencies and to analyze what the assessment results mean in light of your calling and ministry development.

· The Touchstone Course will guide you to write a personal learning plan, helping you personalize your seminary program.

· The Touchstone Course will orient you to the Ministry Portfolio that will capture course and, for some academic programs, project materials that you will present at the end of your program in the final course.

After the Touchstone Course, you’ll be ready to move ahead with the Bible, theology, and ministry courses … with the perspective and focus to help you not only serve well but also finish well.

What's my spiritual gift?

2010-08-24T15:01:00.004-05:00

Recently this came up at my church when the morning sermon broached the topic. We were studying Ephesians 4 in the context of the whole book of Ephesians (context always helps understanding), and several friends wanted to know more about the subject of spiritual gifts.

Hoping the following gets you started on your study of the topic!

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I would say that I like the practical definition put forth by an article on Bible.org: "A spiritual gift is the God-given capacity of every Christian to carry out his function in the body of Christ." (nice article on spiritual gifts here, longer than this one)

Biblically:

Ephesians 2:10 says that each saved person is a masterpiece of God, spiritually brought to life and created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Ephesians 4:16 in turn says that the body of Christ-- all of those masterpieces together-- grows and matures itself "as each part (masterpiece) does it's work" and just a few verses before it is confirmed that each part does a different kind of work. So those some of those good works that we were created for will form a collaboration of service within the body of Christ, accomplished by specialists.
There are many spiritual gifts. Check out Ephesians 4, I Peter 4, Romans 12, and I Corinthians 12 to see the partial lists represented in the Bible.
Since there is no single exhaustive 'list' in the New Testament, we should be careful about becoming dogmatic about about making one single compilation (although I am going to show you a good guess for a list), and whom has exactly which gift. At the same time, I think it's also possible that we don't even have every gift recorded in the Bible, while it also seems that there are some gifts recorded in the Bible that God isn't really using anymore.
The primary purpose of gifts, I believe, is to convey that none of us can do it alone and we need each other and the diversity of all the moving parts for the body of Christ to be... well, just that: a unified body that can actually DO something. (1 Cor 12:12) That's where our focus should be.

We are to understand and pursue all the gifts in order to be as useful to the body of Christ as possible (like a musician or an athlete who can 'play' at any position needed). But the reality is that each of us are going to be naturally inclined and in-tune in a few areas in a unique way. This is because of the uniqueness of how God re-creates each person ('spiritual gifts'). So, while it's okay for me to work on my thin areas to try to develop them, when it comes to playing my role in the body of Christ, it makes the most sense for me to concentrate on the areas where I am most naturally strong.

How does one determine his/her spiritual gift? I believe the best way is to start serving, give it time, and begin noticing the areas toward which you lean. Being intentional, humble, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I believe that you'll figure it out on your own. In the midst of this, though, your supervisors/leaders/pastors or even co-servants in ministry are a great source of encouragement and critique. Ask them what they think, and see in you. When they give you an evaluation, be humble and listen.
Another way, which is less-effective but still helpful, is to take a spiritual gifts test. (Instead of experimenting through serving, you basically role-play all kinds of service scenarios.) If you honestly answer to the test , it can give you a good guess in the right direction. Here's a free spiritual gifts test you can take that will yield your results with a nice teaching portion at the end about how you may be able to use the gifts you have.

Food for thought:

#1: I believe that too often we tend to cater to our own pride, and we aren't willing to try something until we know we are good at it (and perhaps 'spiritually gifted' enough). Instead of having this mentality, why not just try something? It's better to just start serving and figure out along the way what's most natural for you. "You can't steer a parked car."

#2: I believe that church ministry is such a disorganized, unproductive and emotional mess sometimes because we won't humbly listen to each other. People place themselves in ministry where they think they ought to be and do not consider, or ask for, the observations of others. We are willing to take on the jobs that make us look or feel good, rather than where we could be most effective for Christ. Boo! I've learned that anything pride is allowed to dictate will become disgusting.

#3: Your spiritual gift is for Christ. Not you. It is tempting to take a spiritual gifts test to find out what nice things it may say about yourself, or make yourself feel special, unique, useful, or included. Don't do it! When our spiritual gifts become about our own self-esteem, we're making our feelings and insecurity dictate what we will attempt for God. Never a good idea.

#4: Spiritual gifts don't necessarily make you useful. Spiritual things are connected. Your effectiveness in implementing your spiritual gifts, therefore, is directly connected to your level of spiritual maturity (how intentionally you are working to grow and personally develop in Christ) and your level of spiritual health (how obedient your are being to Christ). You may very well have a gift and want your church to depend on you for it, but be aware that a lack of discipline or growth in other areas can undercut the potential of the ways God has gifted you.

Reader

2010-08-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

Are you a reader?

I have never been one. I have always wanted to be one. And I hope that someday, you will ask me how it's going, and I will be able to say, "Oh, me? I'm such a reader now. Oh the things I read."

I have always heard, "Stop reading --> stop growing." I have always heard "readers are leaders."

A friend, Kevin Fiske, shares a quote that I find inspiring:

C.H. Spurgeon said of Paul’s desire for books in 2 Timothy 4:13:

He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, “Give thyself unto reading.” The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master’s service. Paul cries, “Bring the books”—join in the cry.

Hashing out 'submission'

2010-08-16T14:17:00.006-05:00

Did a message called "Am I Strong Enough to Submit" (8/15/10) yesterday for my church. Grounded in Eph 5:21-6:9, it is all about eliminating the effects of pride and chaos from our relationships with the God-given tool of submission.

I received some great questions, and I'd like to attempt to address them.

How does someone who clearly has authority over another person simultaneously 'submit' to them?

To 'submit' means to yield or concede. This yielding can be to a superior force (like a hurricane, because you have no choice), an authority (because those are the rules, or there is trouble), or to the will of another person (because you love them and want to be a giver). I think our difficulty with understanding how, for example, a husband submits to his wife even though he is to be the leader, comes from a confusion between the words 'submit' and 'subordinate'. Submission is more about an attitude than it is about a title. Anyone can submit.

I submit to my wife all the time. She knows more about the baby and the family calendar, more about what she thinks will make a cozier home or where she'd like to go for dinner, more about how my clothes go together and how I can best be on time for things. Whether she's more qualified or I just want to cater to her preferences, I yield. It doesn't make me less in charge; at the end of the day, I still have to answer to God for the state of my marriage and family.

As I have been a husband, father, and boss (the three examples of power given in the passage), I have found that the kind of leadership that is both most efficient of resources and most energizing to the people whom I am over is to be a listener and delegate tasks, decisions, and creativity as often as I can justify it. That develops into a lot of yielding on my part, because it means that I will end up answering to them in any of those areas I have given them. This is submission without giving away the big chair (that God sat me down in). It will give your relationships the give-and-take element. And it will make you an easier person to trust and follow if and when, ultimately, you have to make a decision simply because you are in charge.

Does it make sense to say that husbands should 'submit' to wives, parents 'submit' to children, and bosses 'submit' to workers?

Yes. For a handful of reasons, in my opinion.

1) The passage begins with these words: "Submit yourselves to each other out of reverence for Christ." Everyone's included. So there must be some way to enjoy a mutual give-and-take without destroying the productive order of things.

2) Paul then proceeds to explain how this fleshes out in our major relationships, and he clearly has words for every party involved-- words that describe how to place limits on their own agenda and think of the other person first.

3) Within the context of everything else I've read in the Bible, I would say that I have never seen an authoritarian structure or dictatorship succeed in nurturing growing, spiritually-accommodating relationships. They may be productive for a season or set up a heartless infrastructure, but I don't believe they can make the body of Christ what it is supposed to be. When the power-holders don't learn mutual submission, even in Christian circles and families, the results have always been icky.

What if I am commanded to submit to someone who is not a believer?

The relationship can definitely get trickier from there, for sure, because it will be hard for them to have your spiritual good in mind. Tough question. I would just like to offer some general ideas, and none of them lightly.

You are practicing submission more out of love for Jesus than that authority.* Remember, 5:21 says "submit... out of reverence for Christ." That human authority you've been assigned is meant to be a tool to instill order in the family of Christ by creating a flow of responsibility. Sometimes when that imperfect person is out of line, their goals are far from Jesus' goals. When it comes between the person over you, and Jesus, you go with Jesus. Always. (In the text: v 22, wives submit 'as to the Lord'; v1 children obey parents 'in the Lord; v5 slaves obey masters 'as you would Christ')

So no, you should not allow your husband to beat you. No, you should not allow your parent to sexually or emotionally abuse you. No, you should not allow your boss to turn you into a workaholic who barely invests in your family. Jesus wouldn't want that, and issues like safety and the ultimate well-being of people supersede the authority of personal relationships.

However, in less-critical areas, we have to remember that our lives are imperfect, and no one will ever be able to live up to being to us what Jesus would be. Especially people who don't follow him. Sometimes we just don't get to choose the kind of authority we have. That's life. And God has a plan, even then.

Earlier in Ephesians, Paul makes it clear that our lives in Christ are, through grace and purity and unity, supposed to advertise a better existence to those who are far from God. Those unbelieving 'authorities' in our lives are not going to catch that message when we buck their authority every chance we see fit.

Once I was helping lead a mission trip to Mexico with a bunch of high schoolers. One student was very upset, as she was told by her non-Christian parents that she couldn't go. And she was telling me about all the ways that she was thinking about rebelling against her parents over this issue. She thought she was justified by her 'spirituality', since it could be considered noble to want to go to Mexico and serve and evangelize with us. I told her that if she is that thirsty to do God's will, then she should go home and apologize for the non-submission, and show her parents the humility and willingness of someone who loves Jesus even when they are disappointed, because this wasn't it.

I know this becomes very inconvenient when we are doing life with people over us who seem to cramp our growth opportunities. But consider that 1) when we do what we do more for Jesus than anyone else, we'll never regret what we do, 2) God is redeeming the value of these hard moments (see I Peter 3 and Romans 8), and 3) God always uses difficulty to grow us more than the spiritual opportunities that any human being could take away from us (see Romans 5 and 2 Corinthians 12).

*('Authority' sounds like a harsh word, I know, but I'm just trying to be concise. Ultimately I am Courtney's authority in the context of our marriage, but I guarantee you that, because of how I use whatever power I have to serve her, 'authority' is about the last adjective she would use to describe me.)

Choice

2010-08-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

The greatest, most exciting and beautifully freeing thing in life is ironically also the most frightfully unraveling destroyer: It's that we have been given the ability to choose.

Simple

2010-07-30T14:05:00.006-05:00

I'm supposed to be writing a message. I'm not.

I'm sitting on my couch with my laptop, doing everything I can but write. Laaaame. My mind just keeps going to the things I ought to do, the things I'd rather do, the order in which I should do things...

I'm also watching Cooper. Momma is out driving, running and errand or two, and basically just enjoying some much-deserved alone time.

Coops is sleeping so peacefully next to me. No way should this be happening-- he was due to eat hours ago. And he's been so fussy lately. Yet here he sleeps, right next to me. So I kinda keep... gazing.

When I look at his closed eyes, I can't help but be amazed at the simplicity of his world. Behind those eyes there is no screaming circus of events, no stress, no concept of fortune or debt, and certainly no 'to-do' list. So, so simple. Life for him is all about being taken care of. And some learning. Which one day will translate to doing, but that day isn't today. These days is just about growing, learning, and building up an ability to depend.

Does God want to see a little more of this in me? Unhindered trust? Dependence? Simplicity? How about you?

Not gonna lie: unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ~Jesus

Me

2010-07-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

"To be nobody-but-yourself--in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else-- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

-E E Cummings

Are you breakable?

2010-07-06T16:38:00.008-05:00

Here's a good idea. For anyone.

1) Try to put your baby boy to sleep. Swaddle him, hold him close, and let him hear your heartbeat as you pace around the room and you say things like, "It's okay" and "I know, I know".

2) As the child you are cradling settles down into a deep rest, realize that he is fragile and innocent, and that you are the only thing stopping his little life from hitting the floor. Acknowledge that his innocence is beautiful, and will over time lead to a deep trust.

3) Now as you continue pacing around the room and gazing into the innocent trust of your child, start actually listening to the words of the piano ballad on which you hit 'play' when you began trying to calm your child: Rich Mullins' Growing Young.

I've gone so far from my home
I've seen the world and I have known
So many secrets
I wish now I did not know
'Cause they have crept into my heart
They have left it cold and dark
And bleeding,
Bleeding and falling apart

And everybody used to tell me big boys don't cry
Well I've been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms
And be growing young
Growing young

I've seen silver turn to dross
Seen the very best there ever was
And I'll tell you, it ain't worth what it costs
And I remember my father's house
What I wouldn't give right now
Just to see him and hear him tell me that he loves me so much

And everybody used to tell me big boys don't cry
Well I've been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms

And when I thought that I was all alone
It was your voice I heard calling me back home
And I wonder now Lord
What it was that made me wait so long
And what kept You waiting for me all that time
Was Your love stronger than my foolish pride
Will You take me back now, take me back and let me be Your child

'Cause I've been broken now, I've been saved
I've learned to cry, and I've learned how to pray
And I'm learning, I'm learning even I can be changed

And everybody used to tell me big boys don't cry
Well I've been around enough to know that that was the lie
That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons
Well we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old
And our Father still waits and He watches down the road
To see the crying boys come running back to His arms
And be growing young
Growing young
Growing young

4) Drink in the moment while you and your Heavenly Father both have lumps in your throats. And think about this: maybe God isn't using you to help an innocent boy fall asleep. Maybe God is using an innocent boy to help a grown man wake up.

Who wants to get closer? (Ear-lobe guy?)

2010-06-29T08:17:00.004-05:00

I had a thought just now. If you are a manager, director, or leader of some kind, I'd like to share it with you. First, let me tell you about Dave.

I used to spend a lot of time in a Christian organization that assists people who have no one else, who have derailed their own lives after sometimes decades of foolishness, who need a lot of help putting the pieces back together. Several types of leadership are represented in that organization (as in most), both good and bad. And (as in most), it's not hard to notice the kinds of leadership that ultimately are growth-prohibitive or counter-productive.

One guy I know from there, Dave, is a cool guy who runs his life with a musician's perspective and a fight-the-system chip on his shoulder. My mental snapshot of Dave includes his shorter stature, defiant mug, long brown curls, army hat, and earlobe holes wide enough to accommodate 12-gauge plugs. He arrived several months ago all alone, and since then I've routinely reached out to him and cared for him, both in ways that he has enjoyed, and in some to which he clearly didn't know how to respond. Just doing my part.

I'm not around that organization nearly as often as before. God bless them as they help people on behalf of Jesus.

So here I am at Starbucks, doing some work today for my new job, when who pops in but Dave. He's still with them and still getting help these days, and just here to run an errand. But his eyes light up when we see each other. I leave my seat to go say hi, and this time when I give him the handshake-pull-in-for-a-hug (the normal tone I set months ago), he reciprocates more than before. We catch up on the latest, and then he pauses and says, "How are you doing? Are you good?" and goes on to try to offer some hopeful words to a guy who's usually the one in the mentoring seat.

It was cool. What I can't escape is that over the course of a few months of investment, something worked.

He knows I belong to Jesus, and for all I know, he's still professing Atheism. But not long ago we were strangers, and now I can see in his eyes and tell by his body language that he would want to come to my house if I invited him. Or learn how to hold my child if I offered, or help me out in my garage if I needed it. He would let me speak care and even hard truths into his life over a small table and the beverage of his choice. For sure, Dave has many people over him who are supposed to know the way and are telling him how to live. Many. But which ones is he leaning into, to listen closely? Not many at all, I bet.

So here's that thought I wanted to share:

'Authority' and 'Influence' are not equivalent.

If you really think about it, they can both feel the same to those who have them, but they are worlds apart to anyone around you who are on the receiving end of either one. One instills fear and isolation, and the other instills attraction and allegiance. 'Authority' is only a means toward 'Influence', and must constantly re-validate itself in order to have a voice.

Are you placing all your bets on 'Authority' in order to be effective? That is how you win battles while losing wars. What you are really after, managing friend, is 'Influence'.

Weird.

2010-06-23T11:31:00.008-05:00

It's 4:30 am. Court just woke me and said, "Um, I think my water just broke."

Since we've been expecting this, we are calmly getting stuff together. Kidding around and doing normal stuff-- making the bed, getting dressed. But the two of us are going to the hospital. We are becoming 'kid-people'... TODAY. Like, the whole 'idea' of us 'having a child' is going to become a reality.

I'm so grateful that we have nothing to fear. Ever. So we'll just take today's events as they come. Courtney is amazing.

Shutting off lights, leaving the house soon-- our little house for two for the last time. It will be a house for three when we return!

Just imagine.

Timeless, Limitless

2010-06-09T17:57:00.006-05:00

I always remembered Mike's birthday because it is 2 days before my own. He went home to heaven 3 months ago, but I posted a message on his Facebook wall today, anyway:

Hey Mike. Allow me to blow your mind for a moment. Not sure if you can relate to this, but for you, there used to be this thing called 'time'.
I guess you could picture time as sort of like an area, where one 'side' of it was like 'beginning' and another side of it was 'end'--it's just what we called it-- and figuratively speaking, a person like you would live in that area, somewhere.
The center point of time (to us) was what we called 'now'. And in the very center of 'now' was kind of called 'today' (loosely within the duration it took for the sun to come up and then go down again) and today (like, TODAY today) we celebrated YOUR 'beginning' (as we often did every time your old planet took to revolve around our sun). That celebration was called your 'birthday' -- pretty fun stuff. It's making a lot of people think of you today.
We miss you on your birthday, but we're glad that you're in a better place now, even though there's no 'time' where you are (I know the whole concept would probably make you shake your head and ask, "What was all that for?". You can ask Jesus about it-- He was in it once too and can explain it better than me). You've totally outgrown your need for 'time' now-- in a place where the light never goes dim and the celebration never stops, anyway.
So, uh... well, enjoy all that! While those of us in time think of you.

Still Growing?

2010-04-10T06:18:00.001-05:00

It would feel so great to wake up to today, April 10th, recognizing that I have it ALL TOGETHER... that I'm as smart today as I'll ever be... that I need no help, because I have evolved to become fully competent. That would be a very satisfying feeling, but it would only last for a moment.

What a depressing thought, that 10 years from now, I'd have to say that I would only be as wise and deep and strong and disciplined as I am today. What a downer. A decade from now, I'd just be 'alive', stuck in the same place with no where to grow. Eww.

I do have another option. I can live April 10th very humbly, convinced that I have a long ways to go and a lot to learn. I can chose to have a teachable spirit, and keep my mouth shut and my eyes wide open.

Here goes nothin!

Reflections from a litle Facebook abstinence

2010-04-04T09:41:00.009-05:00

It's practical, it's relaxing, it's funny, it's thought-provoking: it's Facebook. I love it.

I started to notice how much time I spend on Facebook several months ago; some of you would be surprised how much, and others would say it isn't half the time you spend on here. But for me, it began to be a bit excessive. And when things in my life become excessive, I aim to take some kind of break. (You have to be cool with what becomes you, you know.) Toying off an on with a Facebook sabbatical, I then saw online in late February that my friend Dave Corlew signed off of FB for the entire duration of Lent. (That's over a month.) Perfect-- no time like the present, right? Inspired, I said good-bye until Easter as well and began my no-FB break.

As of today I'm back on the grid (Happy Resurrection Day, all!). Some thoughts:

I learned that Facebook is the center of pretty much all of my lost time. No matter why I jump online, I tend to first do a quick notifications-check on FB before anything else. One thing leads to another, and I often then spend so much time commenting, reconnecting, stalking, etc that I forget the real reason I'm online in the first place. In fact, my clicker instinctively went to my FB bookmark multiple times for the first few days, so I had to delete the bookmark just to help myself.

Literally, if I had a party wing of my house with all of my favorite people and their friends gathered together, you bet I'd want to be in there every minute. Being a part of other people's lives is a blast. This is what FB is to me, and this is how most of my precious downtime-hours slip away, unaccounted for. Sometimes I can't join the party; I have to be able to leave the room and go do other stuff in my life.

No-FB season showed me that I enjoy free time that is centered around me. What did I do with all that extra time recently without Facebook? Read new books and write poetry and teach myself the fiddle? Not really... just got bogged down way less on my computer at home and work, is all. But my abandoned MySpace and almost-forsaken Hotmail account got 10 times the daily checks that it used to. 'Why?' I thought to myself. I dunno. It was just something to do to satiate that craving for something to be all about me. Makes me wonder how much, as a society, we're encouraging each other to be self-absorbed.

So I'm all about Facebook, and yet I think I want to find a way to spend less time on it. Somewhere along the line I have started to feel entitled to keep up with hundreds of people a day, and it starts to hinder the relationships and responsibilities that are most important and right in front of me.

Meanwhile, I have a new challenge: spend no more than 1 hr per day, including respond to at least 2 messages per day. We'll see how that goes-- 50+ new ones since the break arrived.

It's all a matter of perspective. (What's the real problem?)

2010-02-20T21:35:00.003-06:00

I had the privilege of speaking to high schoolers and jr highers at a winter retreat the other weekend. It was a blast-- met some very cool people, got to have & lead some great conversations.

High on life, I made my departure Sunday afternoon in George. George is the 2000 Plymouth Grand Caravan I was given by my dad. I love minivans! This is the 4th of its kind that I have personally owned. This one has 253,000+ miles on it. You go, George.

Not even halfway home, I'm humming along I-94 south when the vehicle ceases to accelerate. Just stops going. I coasted to the shoulder to investigate. What followed was 30 minutes of crawling at 5 mph to the nearest exit, many phone calls and canceling plans for the evening, and 5 hours of hanging out at a Flying J in Benton Harbor, Michigan. (Meanwhile, my incredible prego-wifey drove non-stop from Des Moines, IA to come pick me up and bring me home. 9 hours of driving for her.) I abandoned George at the area transmission shop & got home safe and sound. And the next day, my fears were confirmed: the van had dropped the transmission. Which means a trip to the scrap yard for most vehicles. Saaaad.

A few days later, literally just before I called the shop to tell them to ship ol' George off to sea, I had a idea. I called George's mechanic from several years ago to ask some questions. Rather quickly, it was uncovered that not only did George have transmission work done in the past, it had a warranty. A great one. A 3-year, 100,000 mile guarantee. Although it had surpassed 100,000 miles since the transmission repair, it had not eclipsed 3 years yet. So, with a minimal effort, it was arranged that a $2500 fix was covered by a warranty, and within a matter of days, George was installed with a brand new transmission for about $100 of my own money. Inside of a week, we picked him up and brought him back to Illinois, after a few days or figuring that I'd never drive him again.

I'm pretty grateful that George is still with us. I can tell that George is, too. Long live crusty George, the Awesome.

What is crazy to me is that I was THIS CLOSE (make inchy motion with fingers) to exceeding the warranty. If that inconvenient break-down had happened only 3 months later, that warranty would have been history, George would be a cube of scrap and I'd be scrapping for another vehicle. The inconvenient became incredible convenient; it was only a matter of time.

Sunday night, most people in my shoes would have been saying, "Why me? Why now? What did this have to happen when it did, instead of later in life?"

On Thursday night, it was more like, "Yea, me! Hurrah, now! I am SO GLAD this happened when it did, instead of later in life!"

Is it possible that sometimes, when we are complaining, we simply don't know what we're talking about? That the things we allow ourselves to whine about could actually be used be God to bring some incredible things into our lives?

Maybe my negative perspective is more of a problem than 'the problem'.

You are NOT the father!

2010-02-06T14:36:00.008-06:00

I was watching Maury Povich yesterday.

In self defense: I was on a Stair Master at Cardinal Fitness and the two TVs within view were channeled on Maury Povich. So I was forced.

Normally I would have geared up for 25 minutes of 'worthless'. (25 minutes is all my the Stair my body can handle at this point in time.) But it was just too funny to not watch. The show was one of Maury's classic "You ARE/ARE NOT" the father, when he spends the entire show settling biological parenthood disputes with paternity tests. Typically, they hear some commentary from the mother of a child/several children. Then they bring out the 'accused' father. The crowd obnoxiously boos him as he comes out. Maury gets some mileage out of some conversation with him, which usually involves some choice insults exchanged between parties. Then, climatically, Maury opens a large sealed envelope (you know... large enough to contain actual, medical test results and such... riiight...) and, stating the names of all parties involved, with tension in the air, settles the dispute with a declaration... "You, Bubba Spinks, in the case of Chloe Smith and 7-month old Herbie... ARE/ARE NOT the father!"

Then the crowd goes nuts, either way. Loud music hits. The stage erupts.

When Bubba IS the father, the mother gets all up in his face, cursing and pointing, and Bubba hunkers down with his face in his hands, or to maintain pride, runs back up the stairs in his sagging jeans, swearing that Maury ain't no doctor. When Bubba is declared to NOT be the father, Bubba jumps up and dances for the audience and beats his chest like LeBron James... probably pretty psyched about not having to child support. The mother, however, instantly runs out of the room (and I mean 'instantly'... you'd swear a gun went off), wailing and sobbing, and while the camera follows, usually collapses in the back onto the cement, beating the floor, flopping around like a fish. Maury follows back and offers his fatherly support. Or something.

So this happens again and again for the Stair Master audience. And then... something different.

A pretty lady in her early 20's who had never met her father but had always wanted a father in her life got a guess or something from a family friend about what her actual father's name might be (I think the mom had since passed on). She looked this guy up on Facebook and he was there. Heart in throat, she contacted the guy. This man, in his 40's, responded that he was from her area and did have an intimate girlfriend in high school, but he was never, ever told about a having a daughter.

So now they have both traveled to be on the show together, and Maury has the DNA test results in hand. There are eager tears of joy on stage, and anticipation is in the air. Enough vamping, it's time to read the results... "You ARE the father!"

They both collapse into each others arms, laughing and weeping. The crowd is on its feet. A girl has found her father, and a man is holding his daughter for the very first time. Not one person is cussing and pointing!

Question: If we rewound the clock by 25 years? And this guy had been dragged onto the Maury Povich set by his pregnant 'partner'--- do you think he would have reacted as joyfully as he did while I was on the Stair Master?

Probably not.

We all have had our lives succumb to a radical change. It happens
---when God allows us to ruin ourselves with poor decisions and actions, or
---he allows some other broken human to ruin things for us, or
---he Himself makes something happen differently than we anticipated.
And no matter what the reason for the change is-- when that change comes, it shocks us, embarrasses us, and ruins us. We don't even want it to sink in. We beat the floor in anger and ask "Why me? Why now? Why?" It's like our lives are over or something.

I mean, sure: there isn't much more out there that will re-route your life more sharply than an unplanned pregnancy. I get that. But if we would see past all of the failed expectations, changed plans, added responsibility, and inconvenience, maybe we would see some good in the things that God is allowing to come to pass. Babies are precious. It's a life. Wide eyes and sweetness. Something you would willing die for.

Maybe sometimes, we just need to grow up a little... or pause just for a moment to let the events in our lives grow us up a little. Hard and ugly things happen, and they can deepen us. But if we avoid discomfort at all costs, we are also avoiding that very thing we are all on a search for... meaning. And if you want to search for meaning without being a person with some depth... well, forget it.

God is always growing something good... no matter who is to blame. I think God can meet us on the other side of our shock and lead us to some very green pastures. Greener than we ever thought.

I'm interested to hear if you can relate?

2010-01-01T21:02:00.000-06:00

Powerful?

2009-10-13T04:08:00.003-05:00

I got chills when I watched this.

Commending Mr. Harvey on a powerful moment. Exciting to see a stadium full of people on their feet cheering, and sobering to see Steve sort of in pieces at the end.

I wonder who they were applauding for. Jesus-worship? Steve-worship? Maybe a little of both? If it was Jesus worship, I wonder what those thousands went and did after that moment. That's a lot of people who could do a lot of great things together for God.

What I take away from this video is, it seems to me, that there's a chasm between a powerful moment and a powerful life. We've all witnessed powerful moments and secretly tried to imitate them. All of us would love to lead the way in orchestrating something special-- to be known for a moment when we move people to stand and cheer for something. I know I would. But when I step off the stage and continue my life, does it match? Do my compelling statements and dramatic pauses fit with the back drop of my whole life... and in the context of my daily routine?

It reminds me of a line in the book of James: "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." My bold statements are either a natural overflow of my heart, or the prime accusers that will expose me. One day. And perhaps not on a stage. Or perhaps.

I have no desire to bring Mr. Harvey's sincerity into question; if ever I'm looking to find fault or hypocrisy, I don't need to look any further than my own heart.

I'd like to do great and honorable things for God, and I hope they're not limited to the moments when people are watching.

Happy to be sad!

2009-03-30T08:52:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I may have gotten more attention than I think I've ever received in my life. This may even include my wedding. After 6.5 years serving at a great church with a stupendous team and a phenomenal youth staff for an outstanding student ministry, God is moving Courtney and me on to something else. Courtney and I have known in our our hearts only since about mid-December that this would happen. Of the course in the past few months, there have been exciting conversations as well as conversations I have dreaded for a long time.

After returning home with the Mexico team on Saturday, we enjoyed a fully-fun and draining day yesterday. Grace had a special gathering to express thanks and hope and say good-bye, and H2O was used for the Launching the Laibs party. Between the two, there were a lot of laughs and gifts and words shared, and over 5 hours of standing, holding, and saying good-byes. After each crowd had dissipated, I unexpectedly broke down in Courtney's arms and sobbed uncontrollably like I was six.

Some things I've learned from this season, and more in this last weekend:

'Sad' does not equal 'bad'. We do treat it as if it was, but it's not. The thinker wrote in Ecclesiasties 3 that 'there is a time for everything' (laughing, weeping, living, dying, healing, murder, construction, destruction, etc). It's built-in to reality. It's in God's blueprint of life. 'Sad' makes the most sense at times, and it would be most appropriate if we have that feeling and demeanor.
'Sad' is tempting to avoid. Even though the perfect Creator included it in the life-balance, we hate it. It's not fun. It's uncomfortable. It's overwhelming at times. And it makes us not only feel our worst, but look it, too. Who likes the way their face looks when they are sad? No one. And there's running mascara and teeth and snot and wrinkles involved. And yet, "there is a time for everything... and a sovereign purpose for it... beautiful, in it's time." (Ecc 3:1, 11 -- I think the general purpose in life, according to the context, is to honor a balance that God invented) We avoid sad in the worst way, and are willing to do the dumbest things in order to do so. I wonder how God feels about that. It can't be good for us.
'Sad' can be hard work. How? 1) Sadness is exhausting... more exhausting than excitement, I'll bet. 2) Because we are not good at 'just being sad', proper sadness takes monitoring. Sadness is much easier in the moment if it is anchored in things like anger, blame, even worry. It's like shutting our eyes in an intense movie, or sarcastically shouting 'SORRY!'... we find easy ways to just 'get it over with'. Unfortunately, it would be much healthier for us in the long run if would would just have the courage to be 'sad' today because it's 'sad'. That takes a lot of control. 3) It builds character. That's always a hard thing. There are more desirable seasons that God has created, ones that we would rather skip ahead to. Cop-outs who avoid sadness at all costs wrestle for years after over the words and emotions they wish they would have expressed in the right mood at the right time. That doesn't make a person of character, but a person of dysfunction. Usually it's the uncomfortable things that chisel us into what will make us sea-worthy.
'Sad' is meant to be only for a time. Otherwise, it eclipses 'hope'. Sadness does not seem to me to be a thing designed to be wallowed in. Like boot camp: you get in, and you get out! It builds you in special ways, but it is not meant to be enjoyed, and you get no extra medals for prolonging it.

I think it would be good for us to learn that God's way is always best. Healthy individuals will have inconvenient, distressing promptings in life. There may be snot involved. "Sorrows may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning" is not a phrase of entitlement, but more a statement that God allows distress to shape us for a time, and we can always look forward to his goodness. I'm relieved to say that I may have disguised my emotions at times for the sake of others, but I never faked a thing, or tethered myself to a poor anchor for the sake of weathering the storm, or lost proper sight of God's goodness.

There is a correct way to be sad, and in select times, there is something very right about it. I've been more sad than I've been my whole life yesterday, and at times in the last few weeks, and I'm a better person for it!

Where is This Going?

2009-01-10T18:16:00.000-06:00

Coaches,

Last Sunday, as the crowd dwindled down to the last people in the building (either delaying departure or waiting for a ride), I was invited into a conversation with a coach and a student about a personal struggle that she was starting to feel some righteous guilt over.

While we talked, another coach let me know that a different student was waiting in the next room to talk to me. This confused me, because I had already said good-bye to that student about 30 minutes before.

As we wrapped up our intense convo with the 1st student and prayed with her, I located the 2nd student and asked him what was on his mind (our first one-on-one convo ever). He let me know that he likes coming to H2O, enjoys the messages, and has been wanting to ask some questions for a long time. He had driven all the way home, sat down on his couch, and decided he'd had enough, and drove all the way back to H2O to see if could satisfy some curiosities! These questions were investigative of Christ and faith. We had a good long talk, and I even had the privilege of showing him some passages of God's truth.

I just want you to know that if you sometimes wonder,

in a place with so many people, amid the crazy atmosphere,
the tight programming, the flurry of activity and the hype,

if God is doing anything here that is for real and for keeps, you are not alone. I think it's okay to wonder this, because why are we here, anyway? (I try to wonder it on purpose, now and again.)

You should know that these kinds of conversations have happened every week at H2O for months: evidence of Spirit activity in the secret places of the teenage heart. I'm not the only coach to verify this. Week after week, it's good to know that God is using what we're doing to highlight what HE is desiring to do in the hearts of broken people. God is still playing for keeps, and I believe we are actually helping.

"A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

He who has ears, let him hear." ~Jesus, Matt 13

Hike! jLaib

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

Pursuit Tells the Story

2008-12-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

Coaches,

I was reading in I Thess 2, where Paul is writing to the fledgling believers in Thessalonica. He and his missionary friends made a huge impact on their lives (because they all learned about God at got saved). Then Paul and his buddies were run out of town in a fierce way. Now Paul is a distance away, longing to return, and dropping them a line.

In studying how Paul's Team behaved, a servant group like ours could learn a lot about making a difference.

What are the mannerisms of a team that makes deep-impact?

*Courage that is driven by love for people and love for God. (vs 2)
*Pure motives, no trickery or magic, with the driving desire to please God alone. (vs 3-6)
*Individuals who are open books, honestly sharing life. (vs 8)
*Sweat-hard workers, determined to give and give. (vs 6-7, 9-12)
*Close enough to call 'friend', but out-in-front enough to call 'mentor'. (compare vs 8 with vs 7 & 11)

To me, there are clear signs here that this team actually did turn lives upside-down for the Kingdom. First off, you don't write touching words like this to strangers, and as their mentor, you have to imagine that his feelings for them only represent in part how they feel toward him. Secondly, the goals they had that Paul is listing just seem to be dead-on according to other Scripture, and as well as life-changing (according to my own experience). But lastly, check out vs 14: they were now suffering, too! They had followed Paul's Jesus right into the trenches with him, now passing even the hardest of tests. This was no cute con-game or a call to popularity; Paul's team had produced true-to-life(or-death)-converts.

Let me say it again: I call each of you dear friends, and as your leader, am so proud of what we've accomplished through H2O this year. Thank you for bringing your individual gifts, for your efforts in the limelight as well as in the shadows, and for sharing yourselves with students who are lapping up God's love.

My challenge to you today is to take a break, but to keep on giving. The next two weeks are a perfect time to rest from the Sunday night programming and the rigorous work that comes with it. However, there is no better time to reap a huge reward for small initiations than during a break from consistent meetings (like this one). Here's why:

When you take a vacation, the boss leaves you alone.
When it's the weekend, the teacher leaves you alone.
If the postman has no mail, if the tax guy has received the right forms, if the cop suspects no crime, they leave all you alone in the off-time. It's business.

But as Paul said in vs 8: "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

Coaches, you've shown our students a lot on Sundays, and now it's time to show them something different. We get a hundred kingdom-bucks for every dime's worth of effort when you facebook, text, email, call, invite over the students that never expect that our level of care exceeds the weekly Sunday-night schedule. Pray for them, and if only in your travel-time, check in with them. If they are dear to us and part of our whole lives, than we'll prove it, with pursuit.

Hike! jLaib

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

A Great Newsboys Story

2008-12-08T14:26:00.000-06:00

I've been a fan of the Newsboys ever since their '92 album Not Ashamed made them big. Ultra-creative music and stage show, penetrating lyrics, energetic sound. Today was surfing the 'net and thought I'd check out their bio on Wikipedia. I think I've kept up pretty well on their career and what some would consider trivia, but I did learn this:

The bassist that played with them only on their '95 album/tour Going Public actually left to manage White Heart and later lost his life in a motorbike accident.
John James, who was a founding member (with Peter Furler, current leader) and crazy front-man from the start and all the way through the famous Take Me To Your Leader tour, reportedly stepped down from the band to be a youth speaker and write a book (I remember). In actuality, he had a major breakdown and struggles with addictions.

Celebrities are real people that somehow are presumed by their adoring fans to have everything together. I read a sobering testimonial from John here. He speaks of having been part of a huge machine where people don't let themselves see problems in order to keep moving forward.

Could it be said that fans 'use and abuse' their own heroes? How else could it be that such falls from grace happen with no one who can or will help? I know that every person is responsible for their own actions, but I think there are times where us less-popular folks can't understand the tremendous pressures that superstars, as also-humans, face in the constant spotlight.

It also reminded me of a touching song Bebo Norman wrote, called Britney, for Britney Spears. (hear it)

What I loved about this story is that John got help from true believers. The Church decided to be The Church for John, and as he placed himself in a position where he could start to heal and remove the sinful practices from his life, followers of Jesus slathered the supporting love and powerful acceptance of God all over him.

If the family of Jesus' followers will not take broken people personally, as friends, and make an up-close difference, people like John and I don't have much of a hope to sense all that God would love for us to sense.

Pushing Fences

2008-12-02T12:57:00.000-06:00

Coaches,

Check out this cool email from Sonshine on the 17th:

I was talking to madre last night when I got home and asked her how snack bar went. She said it was good, but mentioned that as she left, she saw some kids outside smoking, cussing, sliding under cars, and their pants falling down as they were goofing off in the parking lot. My mom understands that this is an outreach, but i am concerned that all parents might not. I don't know what all can be done, besides go over the outside guidelines on the next regular H2O night, but i thought you should know anyway.

This is a great observation of a recurring dynamic most effective student ministries experience. There's a name for it. We call this dynamic the Dummies Who Search For Protected Places at Youth Group to Do Whatever They Want dynamic. And the thing to remember is, our friends the adolescents are smart as well as determined. We must give them that credit! We remember how we used to fly under the radar of authority, don't we? Recently at Extreme, Aaron and certain coaches dealt squarely with a beat-down fight and a sexual encounter, both instances that occurred on Grace property, by students, unbeknown by the staff on duty!

This is the real deal. So let's talk!

Are these students truly dummies?
Well, I suppose we'll have to judge that on a case-by-case. It's just more satisfying to say that... especially when they know better.

Why do they keep moving away from the large group, where we can't see them?
Hey, sometimes people just want some space so they can do their own thing. Sometimes 'their own thing' is pretty cool, and different. Other times it's destructive. Let's remember that lots of our students come to H2O for a sense of fresh air and freedom. Relaxing usually means roaming. (Quoting Dan Bradica: "I don't think I would have ever stayed at H2O if we couldn't have gone in all those little (forbidden) rooms for all those good times!" I get it!)

Do we care?
Yeah, we kinda have to. This is a ministry to parents by being a ministry to students. It just doesn't work to have parents rolling in seeing activity that is obviously not being monitored, especially when its inappropriate or unsafe (or finding out later what has gone on). I understand that silly moments and closed conversations can be very beneficial-- neither of which usually happen in the middle of a blaring gym-- so it's a tough balance to try to prevent the destructive without feeling like total prison guards. But we do want to be a good steward of our facility, our time window with students, and our reputation.

Is this dynamic really in every student ministry? Where?
I think so. Some groups (or couples) don't need to be where the action is, where the popular people mingle, or in the middle of some snack or game-- just their own little group and their own little adventure. H2O's spots for 'getting away' for private fun or rebellion, I've noticed, are: bathrooms (once in a while), walking around the building or near the cornfield (more popular in the summer), the green room/storage room (stud.leas! grrr!), inside vehicles (once or twice) and just places where coaches and stud.leas aren't around to observe/filter behavior.

What do we do when this dynamic presents itself?
What would you do? Seriously? I have some ideas, but I'm interested in yours! (Add your comment here.) Also interested in your answer: should hangouts in the parking lot be considered off limits? Why or why not?

--Occasional reminders from the stage of what's on/off limits. (Oh, that's me. Check.)

--Roaming coaches. It's just got to be in out habit to circulate when we can. Not many of us can do it on every night, but almost all of us can do it on some nights. I believe that even a mild sense of Coach Presence is a greater prevention to trouble than we will ever realize. Merely passing through a little private party once in a while is cool, too; you won't be butting-in officially, but you'll be reminding that we can when we want to!

--More coaches. H2O is growing, and having more of us would be awesome! We could cover more territory and influence more people! I think the chances are good that, if you are being relationally connected Grace as you should, you personally know one person who should seriously consider joining our team on Sunday nights! Do something about that!

--Teachable moments. If you have the opportunity to rope in some wanderers, accompany the rule-enforcement with a conversation. Explain that H2O is only as fun as it is safe, and we have to put boundaries up so people don't try dumb stuff on our watch. "Don't take it personally. We understand the desire for privacy at times, but you just can't have it here, like this." This accepting approach will go a long way, and your lesson may even be taught by those who learned it from you.

--Lean into relationships. See a 'trouble-kid'? Go get to know him and be friends before you have to smack him around with our rules. Let's face it; the thing that unsettles us about breaking up 'private parties' is that we don't want to be misunderstood and cause friction. Chances for that go way down if you plan ahead by getting some change in your pocket with certain students before you have to spend it.

Hike! jLaib

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

The Talk Time

2008-11-05T11:45:00.000-06:00

Coaches,

Thanks once again for another great night of whirlwind ministry. I know that you serve at H2O for the right reasons (and my prayer is that your service more fills you than drains you), but each week I am confronted with all that you do and all that you make possible in your faithfulness.

I've been so excited for how the first installment of Friendsie Frenzy went over. I hear that some of you coaches had some great conversations afterward about Friends Who Crush. I myself basically never made it out of the storage room after the message, and had one-on-ones convos long past the lights were turned out in the gym. The special (thanks, Strode & the band), the media, and the illustrations all clearly connected with, seemingly, every student. This isn't a grade-A for articulation (trust me), but connection.

May I zoom in on the whole 'message' portion of our weekly H2O program for a moment?

I'm grateful for such a response to Friends Who Crush because I see God at work. What a weird topic to build a message around, I still think. But we struck our bull's-eye-- perhaps more noticeably than ever. The bull's-eye is to usher students into a place of experiencing God.

We can attempt that in many ways. Suggest honest looks at reality. Connect through relaxing humor. Ask hard questions. Tell stories. Model the way. Reveal something bigger... maybe even eternal. I view the goal of our stage-challenges as more than simply 'teach something from the Bible'. It's about transferring truth that leads to action, and ideas that lead to substance. It's about offering a chance to try God's way, right now, in their world and in the midst of their own personal drama. I'm open to however we can attempt that in this unconventional war for students lives!

You are certainly involved in this process!

All of us are making an effort to have sincere conversations with students. In doing so, look for patterns that may be true of student culture, and not just those teens in the conversation. When you share such observations with us, it adds to our ideas for future message and series ideas!
When you carry-over the message content into your own conversation and blog time with our H2O attenders throughout the week, it gets increased mileage out of what God may be trying to express to their hearts, and in a more private forum as well.

Hike! ~jLaib

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

The Electoral What?

2008-11-03T14:27:00.000-06:00

My brother Rick is a sharp cat, and he writes funny things sometimes.

-----
The Electoral College

Q: The what now?
A: The Electoral College will vote to determine the next President.

Q: Is that like the popular vote?
A: No. The popular vote is exactly what it sounds like--whoever gets the most votes is most popular. The Electoral votes are determined by popular votes independent of each state.

Q: Can you loose the popular vote and win the Electoral vote?
A: Absolutely! George Bush lost the popular vote and won the Electoral vote. So did Bill Clinton. So did Nixon, Kennedy, Truman and a few others.

Q: Can you be President without getting any Electoral votes?
A: Sure, see: Gerald Ford.

Q: I meant can you be elected President without winning any Electoral votes?
A: Oh. No, no you cannot.

Q: How many votes are there?
A: 538. Two for each state (except Washington--they get 3) and 435 divided among the states in accordance with how many Representatives are assigned to each state.

Q: How many does Illinois get?
A: 22

Q: What if there's a tie?
A: A vote goes to the House of Representatives which then determines the next President.

Q: I think it's stupid. My friends think it's stupid and confusing.
A. Two things: 1. That's not a question. 2. You and your friends think it's stupid not because it's confusing but because you are confused by it. Kind of like chemistry, Shakespeare, and girls.

Q: So the Electoral College is a good idea?
A: It's a very good idea! The Electoral College assures that EVERY vote counts! Without the Electoral College a candidate could win in Texas and loose in the other 49 states and win the election. Is that the way to elect the best representative of the people? Of course not. What about minorities or farmers? Together they make up 5-15% of the voters. Their needs and concerns would never be heard. Additionally, the lesser populated states would be ignored and elections would become one big advertising blitz with no motivation to mobilize the people. The Electoral College keeps everyone involved and keeps us from moving back to a tyrannical nation.

See you at the polls!

The Map?

2008-09-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

Coaches,

Hope you've been enjoying the Pirates series are church is going through. Last week we discussed The Map for spiritual pirates. God's Word is the Map that keeps me from wandering around my whole life, aimlessly checking for Treasure here and there.

These days, what place do God's Words have in your life?

You may remember that I offered some practical ideas to the H2O group of how to incorporate God's Word into daily routine-- straight-talk about time-tested ideas that continue work for me, helping me mature.

As often as I'm able, I set aside some quiet time to read the map. There are times when I'm specifically looking for a route. Sometimes I'm 'studying' a portion. Other times I'm 'perusing', just becoming more familiar. Regardless, this is often not 'daily' endeavor, but it is 'regular'. Early mornings work best for me, but I've failed my whole life in making this happen every single morning. However, I can honestly say that if it becomes irregular, I feel hungry and aimless in my spirit.

It's nice to have Google Maps online whenever we need it, but it'd be so much greater to have the whole thing uploaded into our brains, wouldn't it? Constantly available for whenever we're lost, or want to give directions. That, in part, is what unconditional time with God's Word is all about. Chewable downloads, thoughtful time, guided by the Spirit. "I have hidden your words in my heart, that I would be able to live for you, not against you." Psalm 119:9-11

I've made a conscious decision to pay attention to God's words whenever I hear them. I was with students when I was taking notes during the sermon that morning, sharing a pen with them. In the car on a trip, some discussable lyrics came up from Shine 89.7 and had a short but sweet convo with the student who had called 'shotgun'. And at Moody during the college trip, students were right next to me as I took notes in the classes that we visited.

It was cool to model a simple discipline: paying attention to God whenever he might be talking doesn't have to be difficult, merely conscious. We pay attention to the people we love when they are talking, even when we think we know what they want to say!

I rely on some key relationships to nourish me with God's words. This is a dynamic in every person's life; it changes. (Doubly so; it's a Relationship that is enhanced by relationships, so it takes sincere attention.) We need an honest, give-and-take relationship or two that we can trust to pump in truth, and give us chances to vent truth as well. Do you have this dynamic in your life right now?

These relationships help us process reality, including the realities we take by faith from God's Word. It'd be great if these relationships were all around us (Eph 5:19), but it's up to you to create regular moments where this kind of exchange can lead you along a path of continued maturity. I hope our coach-only meetings help provide that somewhat for you. Home groups, peer gatherings, accountability partnerships, and friendships in Christ are other options as well, if genuine!

Sometimes I look inside at my soul and I see a tank that's on 'E' and I get a nervous thought! "If that's all I have, then how much do I have to offer the students we're leading?" Let's get serious about the Map we've been offered, not just for what God would like to do in us, but for those he'd like to bless through us. Wandering aimlessly is no way to live.

Thoughts?

Love ya, jLaib

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

Unplanned

2008-09-24T09:01:00.000-05:00

I was invited last night by Ryan, a friend of mine, to join him and several of his high school classmates for a meeting before the first bell. I had to get up much earlier than normal to do so! I also had to make a stop at my office beforehand. But I was looking forward to helping Ryan run this meeting in any way that I could.

I noticed something on the way there: for the first time in a long time, my motorcycle was not working properly. It would die while I was riding it. I had to stop several times along the way to re-start it and give it extra gas just to keep it alive. This was making me late.

Apparently, I was speeding during a portion of that experiment, because I then got pulled over by the Shorewood police. 57 in a 40. No discussion-- I'm getting a ticket. Awesome. Until it comes to light that he remembers my brother from high school (who also happens to be a sergeant for Will County) and we have many mutual friends. The ticket turns into a warning, and then he feels bad that now I can't even start my bike up at all. So he radios for a fellow officer to bring a jump-pack.

While we waited for about 20 minutes, we caught up on people we knew, his work, my work, and the economy. It was an enjoyable conversation (and interesting at how many motorists will sneer at someone who's been pulled over as they drive past). It turns out that the first meaningful church experience he's ever had has been at a church his family has been sporadically attending in Naperville for only a short time now, and he was interested to hear that I work at a church just down the road.

By the way, at this point it looks like I'm missing this meeting altogether.

His back-up came with the jump-pack, and after a few convincing attempts (including one 'farewell' and an invite to look me up on the 'net), we determined that this bike wasn't even going to make it back to my house. Pretty goofy! I pushed it into a nearby lot and and he gave me a ride back to work. Of course, I sat in the back. More friendly conversation as well as more sneers from the public.

I got to share a little about my faith and why I work for a church. When we arrived, he even came in to check the place out. He was pretty impressed with the progressive environment and the obvious intentionality of the space. He took some contact info with him. It would be cool to be some help to his family in the future.

I feel like a long time ago I learned a few things that make life a lot more fun.
*Don't sweat the small stuff.
*In the midst of most crises remember that later, this will also qualify as 'small stuff'.
*Don't lose your temper, get pouty, or become desperate to escape. Just don't.
*Presume that God is accomplishing more than you realize with any turn of events, and just go with it.

I believe in a God who has bigger and better plans than the ones I woke up with, a God that stays with me in every confusion and on the other side of every weathered irritation. Meeting tardiness, busted motorcycles and speeding tickets included.

I received a message from Ryan after all of this. He said that the meeting went well without me and, without knowing my latest excursion, he mentioned he was partly glad I didn't make it after all, since things were going surprisingly well and a new arrival would have only been a distraction. Pretty cool.

Of course, now I have to figure out what to do with the bike. Maybe some thief has stolen it already. (I wonder how he got it started.)

Foreign Exchange

2008-08-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

Coaches,

James wrote a provocation to followers under fire, to not be two-faced and lose touch with reality, aka forget what really pleases God.

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world
corrupt you. (James 1:26-27)

How easy it is for us to major on the minors, and then blow the whole thing when ugly things slip right out of the heart, through the lips!

How much devotion to Christ's cause it takes to do what God really cares about! Interestingly, God is most excited when we stave off the world's influence enough to keep our new life in Christ uncorrupted, and yet we must be in the world enough to be able to recognize and relate to people who have no one (James examples are "widows and orphans"). 'In it', not 'of it', as they say.

My mind is here because our group seems to have a new dynamic: foreign exchange students. Not 'wrong' in their styles or perspective, just... different. Difficult to converse with. Usually quiet. My understanding is that suddenly we have three in our large group, and predictably, they'll be around for the school year. Pretty cool!

These students are a world away from everything normal to them. I wonder how we as coaches and the students we are mentoring will rise to the occasion in the upcoming weeks.

I think some good ways to 'care for them in their (possible) distress' are to...

sit with them, if only to keep them company
be patient with their English, slow down speech and let them work out what they want to say
model a sincere heart for their comfort and their understanding of God

I know that many of you have experience with either being the foreigner or relating to exchange students. Any advice?

Maybe it only takes one truly helpless person sent our way to prove whether the practice of our faith is genuine or worthless.

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

Who understands?

2008-08-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Coaches,

Cool conversations with a girl on Sunday. She and her mom came to Grace on Sunday morning for the 2nd time ever. Conversed with her in the connection area during first service, and met her mom. Saw her moments later, wandering a little as second service was starting. She walked up to the 'students area' in the front left, and then doubled back, unsure of herself. So I approached and offered for her to sit with 'us' up in the corner, and she was relieved to join us. Afterwards, she thanked me directly for the offer, and I told her it's a standing one.

She came back to H2O that night, as she's been coming for a few months now. She came over to my spot in the bleachers to talk after the Alienomics: Control message. She didn't have questions to ask or want advice: only feedback. "I just wanted to let you know that you were right about what you said about 'control'." She went on to share some personal issues that related to some of the topics the message brought up (eating disorders, moving, and cutting were a few). The bottom line, she said in so many words, was that she wants to sense some sort of handle on her life. Being satisfied in God's control over all the 'stuff' amid feelings of self-disgust is the only way, she said. After inquiring about some of her experiences, I asked about her relationship with God, and does it go through Jesus? She hadn't heard that part... and still took a pass on my invitation to show her what the Bible says about it. Hopefully another time.

I'm praying that any one of us to be the closer on a heart that's always wanted to be held by its Creator. She'll be back to H2O... and many others like her.

Challenge for me: Understand people.

They've said, "They don't care what you know till they know that you care." I'd add, "knowing that you care means far more when it's qualified care-- and not merely one-size-fits-all." Her desire to simply confirm that "I was actually right" about how it feels to take extreme measures in order to sense some control in life is like finding a second person in all of the jungles of the Amazon that actually speaks English. "What a relief-- someone gets me."

Question: What kind of personal initiative does it take to understand misunderstood people?

What do you think?

This blog originally appeared in Monday Quarterback, a morning-after e-challenge to the adult staff of H2O student ministries.

successful?

2007-07-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

"Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."

Albert Einstein

A fun July 4th!

2007-07-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

The day started early. Court made us lunches and I packed Goldie with all kinds of beach crap. We met Duane & Sheri & Tiffin & Holly (& Rosie, & Vinnie--- their motorcycles) at 9 and we all spun out to Michigan City, IN beach. It has great sand and shoreline, a cool light house-type gig with breaker rocks, a cool park and fountain (that to date, we still haven't really gone to enjoy), and a sweet small-town retail strip. Lots of fun. We met Dave, Gordon, Becky, Leslie, Greg, & Erin there. We watched volleball a lot-- the evp tour was playing! It was pretty impressive ball with players from all over the country.

After some hang out, snacking, and vball of our own, it was time for the bikers and a few others to take off early. The ride there and back was a lot of fun, and Court and I split off from the pack to head to Lemont to meet up with the TeSelles. We got there just in time to hang out and help a little for dinner. The dinner was excellent! We also played some xBox 360 with Gunnar and Tygar, caught some lightning bugs with Stone, a did quite a bit of laughing.

By the time we cut out of there, we were ending a 12 hour day of straight fun, and we were exhausted! It was very cool to head back down 55 and over 80 in the 70 degree weather, catching fireworks all around us from several different towns and neighborhoods. (I see fireworks all the time when I'm with Courtney, but it's not often that we get to enjoy them together, and while riding Goldie, no less.)

Sweet surprises:
~Almost zero rain, and none that was significant! We hard-core people don't change our beach or bike plans even when we are threatened with projections of 40-50 percent chance of rain from nay-sayers and the timid. (roar!) There were some pretty dark clouds on the way out to the beach, and some on the way back (with a short, light shower). Other than that-- clear skies all out! Definitely awesome.
~Adding a few hundred miles on the odometer.
~The parking attendant let us share a spot for bikes, saving us some moola.
~Our first AVP/EVP Tour, on accident! Fun to be part of the excitement and watch some great ball. (Radzi and I are supposed to be part of that one day... I wonder...)
~Greg and I ate some pretty hefty 2-inch steaks... probably the biggest I've ever eaten. Heavenly. Moo.
~Court and I got pretty dark-skinned... but nothing really painful or burn-y like that last few outdoor days!

Merry Independence Day, everyone! With laiberty and justin for all, and to all a good night.

A change

2007-06-11T18:17:00.001-05:00

That's all. (anticipating your first question... it seems to be everyone else's!)

First time in my life. Likin the look... lovin the maintenance free thing...

invincible

2006-10-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

There's a guy in my church. He loves his 12 year old boy more than anything... severe handicaps and all. His boy can't express himself. Each night this guy and his wife pray with his kid. He tucks him in, kisses him, and pulls the string on a muscial toy that plays a night time song for him to go to sleep by.

Today I stood in the back of an empty room and watched his family hold each other and sob. I watched this guy kneel by his son, and pull that string so it could play sweet music one last time. And as I watched this guy's family close the casket on his boy, I caught the tune that was playing on a CD mix behind me that this guy had made for the funeral. I know the words.

In Christ alone, I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength... my source of hope...
Is Christ alone

With my throat pretty much closed up, I thanked God that we can know him through Christ.

And in that moment I felt like one of the most invincible men in the universe.

faith?

2006-09-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

"It has been well said that faith is not
believing in spite of circumstances-- that's superstition--
but obeying in spite of consequences."

^^Warren W. Wiersbe^^

self-pity

2006-09-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress.
Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.

-- Maya Angelou

Relax! Just Do It!

2006-05-10T03:04:00.001-05:00

"Every now and then, go away, and have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment... Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."

"These are the words of Leonardo da Vinci, and no idler he; he excelled as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher."

Source Unkown

new house

2006-04-12T05:53:00.000-05:00

Well... I am suffering though this 70 degree weather. I really want a cycle license!

The last few days... pretty sweet. Explosion was SO cool... I think like 6+ different youth groups were represented, and the WHOLE gang from Moody was SO cool to work with. They couldn't stop going on and on about how cool our leaders and students were to work with, so I guess the blessing was mutual... they are so talented, focused, and selfless. We loved the whole conference... breakout sessions, worship, coffee-house, everything! In fact, can you believe this same group did a similar thing for some youth groups a year ago, and it was totally negative and frustrating? Way to go you guys... You came and enjoyed, but you also encouraged. And hey, Victor didn't burn the building down. Wins everywhere.

Yesterday was a good work day, and then I got to catch the JT-Minooka guys v-ball showndown. It was VERY cool... tight competition. The JT sophs dropped a CLOSE one to the Nook (ALoobs & RCro), and then it went the other way for the varsity (Talk about split intrest! hometown verses new town and friends on either side! JRadz, JoeJen & Garrett Peace vs Cesar, PJDoyle & MarcPhillipines). JT was on fire in the last game, and about pounded the ball down the Indians' throat, but that's v-ball for ya... a major game of momentum. Then a ton of the coolest came over to the jPad which was a lot of fun.

(Oh yeah, I bought a house. It's pretty sweet. Have I said that?)

Some people are asking why I did it... they think I was sick of sharing with my dad and bro, or that I'm "finally growing up now" (thanks). No, it was a good investment and it puts me in closer proximity to the people I want to serve. It did require me giving up (gulp) my Joliet digs, but I think it's harder to live in Minooka. (They don't make tractor-sized spinners, for starts.) I miss seeing dad and Dan everyday, but I still stop over. As far as the 'growing up' thing... pish posh. It was more fun, great for team work, and financially wise to share with those two awesome guys for so many years. It was a great thing. But the move had to happen sometime, and it's turning out to be quite fun.

Top five male responses to the first walk-thru of the jPad:
5) "Oooh, stainless steel! (because it's steel)"
4) "What are they going to build behind you?"
3) "You've got a ceiling fan access, nice."
2) "So then you're getting cable?"
1) "That's the longest garage I think I may have ever seen."

Top five female responses to the first walk-thru of the jPad:
5) "Nice blinds. I'm impressed."
4) "Oooh, stainless steel! (because it's stainless)"
3) "Oh, and you can put cute things up THERE (recessed wall/shelf-ish thingy)."
2) "OhaWALKINCLOSETIamsojealous."
1) "You ARE gonna paint, aren't you?"

Oh, and gotta give props to you-know-who at karenblumhardt.com.

Oh, at the game I bumped into a HS classmate that I haven't seen in 10 years. We caught up and reminded each other that have our 10-year renunion coming up. What the heckinaw.

bike license saga... part IX?

2006-01-19T21:30:00.000-06:00

I tried to get my bike license this week. I know... I've been riding it around for a while, but mainly when no one is around, and pretty much only so that I can get the practice (in hopes to pass a test someday). I've felt pretty confident for the last month or two now that I could be good enough to be legal. So I've been on the lookout for a nice-weathered day. That came last Thursday when it (finally) stopped raining and was still like 50 degrees out. So I arranged my schedule around shooting out to the DMV in hopes to pass the driving test. (I passed the written tests months ago and that's how I got my permit.)

I showed up hours after I wanted to. There's a pretty groovy tiger there, runs the place. Black. Bald. Nicely dressed. Got a nice little swagger and a "mmmmmHMMMM" attitude. I'll call him Chauncy. Well, Chauncy sent me away twice before (once because the course was wet, once because the course had snow) and would you believe, he immediately sent me away again. I thought Chauncy was gonna have something else up his sleeve ("I'm sorry, sir, the course has laundry all over it.") But he said that my bike needs to be insured before I can be tested on it. Who knew? I'm all about saving money. Why would I insure a bike that I can't legally ride? (Just because I'm riding it anyway...) (Go ahead, throw a stone if you're perfect.) So I have to go get insurance if I want to be tested on this one-in-a-million chance 50-degree day.

"It's 3:30 now. What time do you close, Chauncy?" I asked.

"4:30 pm, sir. MmmmmmHMMMM" replied the Chaunce.

So I threw on my jacket and fumbled for my keys while I called the number of my insurance agent (Jim Wright. We'll call him "Jim".) (Not to be confused with Harold Wright, who is also a State Farm agent, and formerly my agent. And made both my mom and sister "feel dirty" (the phrase they both used at different times) just with his presence. So the Laib men switched to Jim. Sucks to be Harold.)

Digression: guys, listen to female intuition. If a girl "feels dirty" around a guy, especially if the girl is mature and respectable, then the chances are good that the guy has some issues. Protect ladies from scary men, always. Scaries often send true vibes, and girls often pick them up.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. Sucks to be Harold.

Since the number was in my head, I called over. Can we set this up so that I can come over, pick up a temporary card, and pay on the spot?

"Absolutely, sir!" I think her name was Candice.

"Alright, I'm on my way."

"We'll see you in a bit, sir. Thanks for calling ahead."

"And it sucks to be Harold, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Absolutely right."

I zipped over and took care of business. Shelled out my premium for the bike (120-something, took it down to liability), the Spinivan (480-something, brought that down to liability to afford the bike insurance) and my Y2K insurance (jacked that up to comprehensive... you never know....). After hearing about some short-term investment opportunities, I got on my big 'ol Honda Goldwing and scooted my patootie on back over to the DMV. In time. YES.

"Well, well, persevERE, you did, young squire." Chauncy is all about encouragement.

I took a seat and a very large man who was obviously very nice (You could just tell be his demeanor. And that he was flanked by adoring children and bunnies.) told me to wheel around back while he set up the course. He had a little 20-something flunkie with him that was learning how to give the test. (interruption) And nooooooow it's time for REALITY CHECKS WITH JUSTIN! (whoooooooooo!)

My friends had long told me that my bike was too big. They told me, "Don't get tested on your Goldwing. It's a cruising bike. You'll never pass." For those who don't know, a Goldwing is about the size of a hippo, and if not for the obvious speedometer, you might think it WAS one. If I hadn't starting doing squats in my workouts, I seriously would not be able to right the thing after it tips over, which it has done on several occasions. (Gravity and stuff.) And furthermore, the Goldwing, like the Hippopatmus, can not turn on a dime.

Can I spare you the details? The course? Dimes everywhere. For me to slowly putter through in 1st gear and dodge cones without putting my feet down would have meant to about snap my wrists (trying to turn the head of an unwilling hippo). As nice as the big guy was, there was no way I was passing this test. He even offered for me to try again, but it was no use. Then Big Friendly started coming up with ideas... could you borrow a smaller bike? Or rent a smaller one? Or paint this one to be smaller? One good idea he had was to go inside and talk to Brian.

Brian is a big guy ('sits-too-much' big... not 'giant-all-over' big like Big Friendly) who works behind the desk doing mindless things with other deskworkers. Brian has a Mike Yaconelli look about him, and sounds like a Gus Rousonelous brother. And Brian knows bikes. You know, knows them.

"What kinda bike you got dere?" questioned Brian.

"Goldwing. 1982."

"Yeah. I got dat same bike. You take care'v her & she'll last ya ferever."

"Is it just me, or is that a pretty small course to ride a bike like that through?"

(slight tilt of the head and a relational glance over the glasses) "Listen, I'm 57. Been ridin' since I was 23. And I don' think I could put the 'Wing tru dat course they got back dere."

So there you have it. I was asking the impossible. Brian gave me a bunch of tips on bike-care until Chauncy basically came by and shooed me away so that Brian, who was enjoying the feeling of an expert, could get back to doing mindless things. And I was left to go home... once again, without a license... and continue dreaming dreams of doing more with The 'Wing than insuring it well enough to sit parked in my car port (pleeease don't tip her over).

Justin needs...

2005-12-31T18:55:00.000-06:00

Top Ten entries of "Justin needs" as produced by Google:

1. 'Justin needs' to start playing smash brothers again.
2. 'Justin needs' a voice coach.
3. 'Justin needs' dependable routines and structured fun.
4. 'Justin needs' regular contact with his 15-year old brother, Kelly ("who has cared for him most of his life").
5. 'Justin needs' to get his butt to Ethics class.
6. 'Justin needs' to go home and watch Saturday afternoon golf.
7. 'Justin needs' a new bear-skin rug to go by the fireplace.
8. 'Justin needs' a new heart ("but time is short").
9. 'Justin needs' to learn that we are not living in 500 bc.
10. 'Justin needs' to get with Eric so they can "groove their collective butts off."

bike license saga... part III?

2005-12-06T02:26:00.000-06:00

So here's the sad thing: it doesn't look like it's getting any warmer.

Not that I really enjoy cold, anyway, but I was hoping it was going to be one of those "conveeeeeeeeeenient" winters where it's, like, 40's throughout. And then, cheerful little flurries on Christmas so people like Sarah King can be like, "SCORE! ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD!" and then summer hits the next day, and people immediately start wearing the Bermudas they got from their aunt the day before. (the distant one that sends weird things) What's my big deal, you ask? Well, I care not just for my comfort. And yours. I kinda was hoping to ride the bike more before March.

Last time I rode was in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. I hadn't gone to be yet and was all, "Gotta make that salad for the fam still... I'll just hop on the bike and shoot out to the 24-hr Cubs... not sure when they close, but it's worth a shot." So I bundled up good and hit the highway at 1 AM-ish. (Not to be confused with "Amish"; all of their motorcycles are pulled by horses.) Let me tell you, it was like 20 degrees IF and it was WIN-DY. With clenched teeth and tensed muscles, I rode the empty rodes all the way up I-80 to Larkin. By the time I got there, I was naturally pulling my shoulders in so tightly that I was punishing those little muscles in the middle of my back. ("OWWZ, DUDE!" they said. Groggily. It was late.) I went in to look for a list of odd things, like paprika, spinich, and red wine vinagrette. Which was tough, because I am only a natural at finding cereal, milk, paprika, and Nutty Bars.

Once the shopping was complete and my cells began to whimper (knowing it was time to go back out again), I bundled back up, psyched myself, and shot out back to the bike to load it up. Some guy that reminded me of Bernie Mac drove up next to me with his girl and as he was getting out, Bernie flashed a smile and was like, "Ain't you COLD up on that bike?" I shook him a 'hang loose' and was like, "Nah, dude. I live for this. Brings me to life. I'm hoping my aunt sends sweet Bermudas so I can ride around like this in the snow. Fingers crossed, cuddie."

Actually, not true. If I remember correctly, I hissed at him like a wet cat. (If you're reading this: sorry, Bernie.)

So, I won't try that again. Not till it's at least 40's or I have two layers of Carharts. Anyone who needs an early morning salad from me until then can just call Sarah. She and 'frigid' get along just dandy.

geek tragedy

2005-11-24T05:43:00.000-06:00

1) Working on laptop last Thursday, happy as lark
2) Put working laptop in case, drive 5 minutes down the road, pull out in office, find it all shut off, never to awaken. Problem: busted power switch in computer. Needs to vanish at Best Buy repair for weeks upon weeks. Sweet.
3) Use a 2.5" adapter and spare IDE cable to tap into Computer 1 at home, hoping to open up laptop, plug its hard drive into Comp 1 system (open heart surgery) and swipe the data so I can work with it while the laptop is on vacation. Result: doesn't work (bad cable?) and I busted Comp 1 160 gig hard drive in the process. Sweet x 2.
4) Yank IDE cable, laptop (now in parts) and Computer 1 hard drive to store in a big box. Buy new 80 gig to replace in tower as well as a new 200 gig and enclosure. Pay $75 for nice dude to swipe the data FOR ME. Run laptop, now re-assembled, to Best Buy. Also, find Windows CD to reformat Comp 1 after new drive is installed.
5) Going into hours 10-20 on computer problems this week: After assembly and while installing Comp 1 Windows, attempt to format the new hard drive on Comp 2. Instead, mistakenly repartition the Comp hard drive. Result: completely cleaned it off. Gone. Sweet x 3.
6) Go upstairs and apologize to Dan and Dad for having The Bad Midas Destroy-all-computers Touch.
7) Now, reload the XP OS on BOTH Comp 1 and 2. Spend hours trying to troubleshoot the internet problems, including 2.5 talking with guys in the Philippines about the same stuff over and over, and one guy who, after fixing the problem, sounded bored, like he wanted to shoot the breeze. Transcontinentally speaking.
8) Comp 2 result: internet works, needs all programs reloaded. Comp 1 result: fried network card? Motherboard issue? Not sure. Saga ain't over.

I hate problems, but I do love to learn, and I am learning a lot. Although it may bankrupt me, this virus I have. It gets on everything. I just walked through the kitchen and a microwave skittered away from me. In fact, if I were you, I'd be careful... you let your computer dwell on my xanga for long and BBBBBBBBBf476error <> F:/missing allocation 112
FAILURE/no recovery 7y88
FAILURE/no recovery 7y88