Isaac Hunter

Sermon Preview: Missing Home: The Elder Brother

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:55:00 -0400

We love the idea of grace, and we like the reality of grace even better, as long as it gets doled out to us and the people we like. But, grace for people on our bad list? That’s the last thing we want them to receive, at least from us.

I am not just talking about the easy/difficult cases—the proud, arrogant, judgmental, self righteous— who use truth as a weapon to wound their self proclaimed “enemies” rather than a salve to mend wounds that need tending to… I have a hard time loving them for sure… But, I’m also talking about the real people in our lives who God forgives even when we don’t want to, the people God told us to love even when they don’t love us.

I have a difficult time loving the elder brother types. This is ironic, of course, because the portion of “elderbrotherism” in me is precisely the reason for the difficulty. That Elderbrotherism, if left unaddressed, can kill a man’s soul and tear people to pieces.

This week we are going to address it.

Sermon Preview: Missing Home: The Younger Brother

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:25:00 -0400

Perhaps no parable of Jesus is as well known as the “Prodigal Son.” It’s terse, beautiful, and scandalously gracious. Whether we’re drawn to the story because we find ourselves in it or because we hope it’s the kind of news that’s too good not to be true… I don’t know.

I do know that I have a hard time going a year without preaching it. Every time I study for these sermons, I find out more about God and more about me.

If you pray for this weekend’s service— which would be a kind and noble thing, I would ask you to pray about:

1. Who to bring. People need to hear the truth about God’s limitless love. I do. You do. People we know do.

2. What to do. There is a good chance you know this story—what should we do with it?

Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday or Sunday.

This Too Shall Pass

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:35:00 -0400

If you are going through a rough season right now— it will pass. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but it will. If you stay close to Jesus, or use these less than desirable circumstances to get closer to Jesus, you will be glad you did.

If you are in the thick of the storm, I will be praying for you today… I will pray for the rest of you tomorrow.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison…

“ripped from the headlines” of my life

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:52:00 -0400

In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, (and really- how could you? The media is barely covering it) it’s an election year. As is often the case during election years, much ado is made over the “Christian” vote, the intersection of faith and politics, and the separation of Church and State. What does this mean for us as individuals and as a church? What are the personal and corporate responsibilities of God’s people in dealing with the moral issues in the public square? I am not going to try to provide comprehensive answers to those questions in 1900 words or less. My goal in this article is to help us think well and graciously together.

Those questions are larger than any single policy, position, or issue. But sometimes an actual issue helps frame a conversation that can be too easily divorced from reality, so here is an example “ripped from the headlines” of my life.

A gentleman came into my office the other day and said, “What are we, as a church, willing to do to stop gay marriage?” I know this man. He loves Jesus, he loves the church, he loves people of all kinds, and he wants to honor God. I also know that he wanted Summit to make marriage protection petitions available at the church and to move us toward a more public stance on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Earlier that same week, I had talked to a young man after a service who wanted to know if, as a gay man, he was “welcomed at Summit?”

See the quandary? Before moving on to the larger discussion, I do not believe homosexual activities are, or can be pleasing to God. However, people with homosexual proclivities are very much loved by God on the same basis that every other fallen creature is. So the answer to the gay man’s question is an unequivocal “yes.” There are several excellent discussions of the textual force of the Old and New Testaments regarding this issue (Richard Hays’ Moral Vision of the New Testament case study on Homosexuality, 381-406, is an excellent place to start). As a result, I do not think gay marriage (never mind the philological issue) is something Christians can or should embrace. We must speak honestly, in love, about that even if it causes all sorts of consternation. But should we speak together about it in the moral square?

Remember, we are not talking about moral disagreements or moral equivocations here; we are engaging a question of strategy. The significant thing to recognize is that you can agree on ends and disagree on means. Very good thinkers, who love Jesus very much, have agreed morally and vehemently disagreed on strategy. The means and ways that we uphold a Christian view change according to context and circumstance.

Consider what C.S. Lewis said about marriage and the state in Mere Christianity:
A great many people seem to think that if you are a Christian yourself you should try to make divorce difficult for every one. I do not think that. At least I know I should be very angry if the Mohammedans tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine.

Thanks from the Hunter's

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:41:00 -0400

On behalf of my whole family, I would like to thank you for your kind words, notes of encouragement, and prayers for Ava. We are very grateful.

I wasn’t going to mention anyone by name because I cannot possibly mention everyone by name… but, just because you can’t say everything nice about everyone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t say a few nice things about some. So, family members excluded (they’ve all been awesome), here is a woefully incomprehensive list of a few people whose actions over the last few days have been much appreciated.

Tim and Eleanor Tracey: They’ve got lots to do. They shelved a bunch of it. They know Josh and Lisa, and they are there with them. They aren’t trying to be important, they are trying to be helpful, which makes them… Awesome.

Kyle and Sarah Mattingly: Josh and Lisa’s neighbors. Mowing yards… fixing sprinklers, taking care of Josh and Lisa’s ancient dog… Awesome.

Lori and Hannah Groves: Princess Hannah Bannana or Hannahbina is mentioned frequently in the Princess Avabina stories… ‘cause she is one of Ava’s heroes. She is Noah’s age and she lent Ava her iPod for the week. This was very kind. Lori (Hannah’s mom) has been there every step of the way… Awesome

Allison the Night Nurse: Ava really likes her.

Dr. Pattisapu: Brilliant surgeon who did great work with the knife.

Sid Cash: Sid’s a banker and a follower of Jesus. He is the banker for Hunter Vision (and Summit’s as well). He has made sure my brothers have what they need to open the Lasik clinic every step of the way, including this one. His help and faithfulness have been key in relieving some of the Hunter Vision pressures, so Josh can get more done for the clinic and Ava. . If you have any money… you should put it in Sid’s bank, New Traditions. (I’m not joking.) He is a fine man, and I trust him.

I know there are lots of people not on this list that should be, but that doesn’t mean you are any less appreciated. If you’ve said a prayer for Ava—we appreciate it.

If you want to know what you can do next:

1. Keep praying: Josh’s Blog is the best source of information on how to pray each step of the way. The more people praying, the better.

2. Research and let Josh and Lisa know about any non-crazy (i.e. don’t write about the healing power of leaches, bathing in plum juice, or the life-giving melodies of Darius Rucker) treatments for GBM. If you know someone in the field, or you know someone who has been healed of a GBM (particularly as a child), let them know on Josh’s blog.

3. This will seem disconnected, but it is not. If circumstances were normal, I would not use this blog to direct business anywhere, but circumstances are far from normal.

You can sign up here to have your Lasik, Botox, Latisse, or cataract surgery done at Hunter Vision. Josh runs the business side of Hunter Vision. If they have more patients than they can shake a stick at in the first six months, he will have one less thing to concern himself with… that’s a good thing.

The immediate success of this new eye clinic is a minor concern compared to the enormous struggle they are dealing with right now, but the two issues are not divorced—they are intertwined.

My guess is all that comes next will be expensive. Many of the treatment options they are considering may not be covered by insurance, which means they will cost lots of money— Josh’s income is linked to the clinic. If the clinic does well, Josh and Lisa will have greater means to battle this cancer.

Plus, Joel is a genius and a highly skilled surgeon, and he will do a really good job. It’s a win-win… you see clearly and their future looks better.

Mostly I wanted to say thanks. I believe by creed (The Apostles Creed, not Scott Stapp’s band) in “the communion of the saints.” That belief has been confirmed in a thousand different ways in the last week. We are grateful.

Thoughts on Ava and Jesus

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:02:00 -0400

When my niece is awake at the hospital, she asks me to tell her stories. She also asks me not to sing. (She has a discerning ear from an early age… I have been dismissed from worship auditions several times at Summit.) Last night, when I ran out of original fairy tale material, I repeated nursery rhymes for her while simultaneously cooking up new yarns to spin about Princess Avabina and her wise and handsome uncle, King Izako. (Thinly veiled? Yes… but it’s my fairy tale.)

One of the nursery rhymes I rehearsed last night for filler: Humpty-Dumpty. You remember it. The poor egg shaped fellow who had the bad tumble and broke all to pieces. His king, whoever he was, must have been a good fellow. He sent his horses and men—all of them—to put Humpty back together. Sadly, they weren’t up to the task.

I suppose the king would have gone himself if he thought it would have done any good. But, he was just a man (possibly an egg-man), but a man nonetheless. Men have their limits.

When I got home from the hospital this morning, I thought of the best king we know from the Old Testament, David. He was not egg-man king, but a very great king and a pretty good man. He said at one point that he would have traded his very life for his son’s, Absalom, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” But, of course, he couldn’t. Men, even kings, have their limits.

I sat in that hospital room last night when she was hurting knowing Josh and Lisa, or any member of our family would literally give anything to trade places with her. But, we can’t. We are not big enough to get that small. We can walk with her. We can stand by her. But, we can’t trade places with her. Men have their limits.

…

There may not be a more visceral and unrelenting sorrow than that of a father and mother who cannot stop a disease that is threatening the life of their child….

Do you know what my brother said to me yesterday? He said, “Sometimes scripture prepares you for stuff that you don’t even think about… The Father watching his Son go to the Cross and choosing to let it happen—the agony of it all. I can’t bear to watch my little girl suffer, and I can’t do a thing about it. This I would never choose. He did—and I don’t know why Ava or why not Ava… I don’t wish it was someone else, I wish it was no one. But I am grateful for God’s love. I see it different now.” (Gratitude and grief are difficult to convey on paper. As soon as the words are penned, they seem a trifle compared to the actual thing. But, I saw both in full.)

Here is truth: the only One in the entire universe who can take our place—did. Mere men or kings (historical or fairy tale) can’t swap fates… That sort of thing required a God. Jesus knew this, and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

It doesn’t mean that this world isn’t full of sorrows—it is. But, this world is not all there is… this life is not all there is… One day Ava will be whole, healed, and restored. I pray it’s tomorrow, but forever will always be more important than tomorrow, and today is what we’ve got. There is a kind of gratitude that only those who mourn can know.

Is. 53:4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried…

My Niece Ava

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:43:00 -0400

My niece has brain cancer. 72 hours ago, she was playing and laughing… Since then, she was taken to the hospital after having bad headaches, and they found a tangerine sized tumor on her brain. They scheduled surgery and removed most of the tumor. They determined it was malignant. That is what we know right now.

Many of you are aware of this already and have been praying for her. We are very grateful for your prayers and ask that you continue them for the duration.

In order of chronology, here is what is and is coming in the near future, should everything remain as is.

1. Ava must recover well from major surgery. The next 24 hours are critical in terms of recovery. Treatment (of any kind) for whatever remains of the cancer cannot begin until she is healthy enough to endure it.
2. The detailed pathology report will be rendered in the next 4 or 5 days. The grade and nature of the tumor should then be known… and the enemy to fight will be clearer.
3. They will then have to decide on a treatment plan.

Please pray:

1. That God would heal Ava quickly and completely.
2. That Josh, Lisa, Ava and Noah would have a palpable sense of peace and God’s presence and strength.
3. That Josh and Lisa would have wisdom about every decision they need to make in the next few days.

Someone asked at the hospital yesterday if all this “had shaken my faith?” In short, my answer was and is “No. “

Worlds fall apart. Anyone who isn’t aware of that hasn’t lived very long or paid much attention. I don’t understand this… but if my faith were contingent only on the breadth of my comprehension I would have little faith (if any) and none to speak of… Either the Jesus of our faith is bigger than our understanding, or He’s not Jesus.

However, not knowing everything doesn’t mean not knowing anything.

Here is what I know I believe: God loves Ava more than the rest of us could combined, God loves Josh and Lisa and Noah, God can heal her immediately, and He promises to heal her ultimately. I believe “our God is an ever present help in our times of trouble.” And, when hell itself seems to have burst open and been poured out… I still believe all of this.

Josh and Lisa have been nothing short of heroic every step of the way. I am amazed at their faithfulness and faith. I’m privileged to see what “every virtue at its sticking point” looks like up close—they are amazing. Ava is a fighter… but she does not fight alone.

Sermon Recap--Week 6 on the Ethic of Anticipation

Mon, 17 May 2010 13:18:00 -0400

Yesterday, we wrapped up the series: “The Ethic of Anticipation.”

So we come back to two of the questions we began with…

1) Why don’t we change?
2) Why do we from time-to-time change for the worse?

We forget what we are called to, or maybe more so, why we are called. We are called God’s chosen and holy people. God has chosen us to be real conduits of His grace and love and mercy and kindness and goodness. Our job is not just to survive and plod through another day… No, we are called to be a light in the darkness, and illuminate the good news of great joy for all the people.

We looked at the story of Esau and the importance of making sure we are filling ourselves up, so that we can be poured out for the sake of others and for the sake of the kingdom.

So, what’s the plan? We need each other. We need to be in community with people who love us and love Jesus. And, we need Jesus. We need time with Him and time in His Word.

Sermon Recap--Weeks 4 & 5 on the Ethic of Anticipation

Mon, 10 May 2010 13:45:00 -0400

If you missed Dr. Garwood Anderson’s sermon on May 2nd, download the podcast here.

Yesterday, we talked about renewing our minds…here’s the application:

1. If you are going to be transformed more fully into the image of Christ, your mind will need to be renewed.

2. This means you will need to unlearn some of the old patterns of thinking that are detrimental to your ability to experience life and peace.

3. We should become increasingly aware of our thought life, increasingly intentional about dwelling on what/who matters most, and we should feed our minds with that which is good and noble and true, etc…

4. This all easier said than thought… that makes it no less important.

Sermon Recap--Week 3 on the Ethic of Anticipation

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:45:00 -0400

Yesterday, we celebrated the baptisms of 84 people, worshipped together, and dodged a fierce thunderstorm at Bethune Beach. All in all, it was a great day.

Here is the application of yesterday’s sermon:

1. Forgiveness means that you see the other person as a person, not just the sum total of what they have done to you…

2. Forgiveness means that you release the right to do them harm and seek vengeance against the. Scripture is clear about this—vengeance is God’s.

3. Forgiveness means that you wish the person well.

Thoughts to Avoid Running

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:12:00 -0400

So, Lincoln woke me early this morning… he went back to sleep. I tried to do the same but was unsuccessful. I prayed and thought, and prayed and wrote, and read and then prayed some more. That may sound super spiritual, but a lot of it was just a successful attempt to avoid jogging.

Among the things read: “The Love Song” of J. Alfred Prufrock—one of my very favorite T.S. Eliot poems. (Someday, I will tell you how truly sad it makes me that he and C.S. Lewis did not care for each other, and how much I hope they are good friends in Heaven.) I also read 2 Kings chapter 2. They have more in common than a cursory glance might lead you to believe.

Prufrock is a little man who is doing all he can to summon the courage to (of all things) talk with a girl he likes very much and alas—cannot. In one of the most gut wrenching self-indictments I’ve read, he says this:

For I have known them all already, known them all
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons….

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be
I Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool….

I grow old … I grow old … I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Long way of saying—he was too careful, measured, and cowardly to ever reach for greatness or risk foolishness. No tragedy but the story left unwritten.

In 2 Kings 2 early in the chapter, David is getting ready to die… He says this to Solomon.

David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn.

David said to his boy, be courageous, be steadfast, go all out for the God who created you. If you err, err on the side of passion (reading further it gets a little less noble). But don’t err on the side of fear, nor cowardice, nor sloth—show yourself a man.

J. Alfred needed a David in his life… we all do. Kill the coffee spoons… love in heaps.

Sermon Recap--Week 2 on the Ethic of Anticipation

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:42:00 -0400

Yesterday, we talked about finding our identity in Christ. This is an all too familiar phrase, though perhaps misunderstood in the Christian world.
Primary identity in life doesn’t come from the role you fill, the relationships you have, the way you look, the occupation you hold… it comes from your Creator and your ability to connect your value and personhood to Him through Jesus.

He is our standard, our benchmark, and we were made to reflect His glorious goodness. Many people have never given serious thought to asking, "How would my life actually grade out in the eyes of a holy, just, righteous, perfect, truth-telling God?”
So long as you see Jesus as a part of who you are rather than the center of who you are, there will be confusion about your identity. Your fundamental identity is either: redeemed or unredeemed/with or without Christ according to the scriptures. (Don’t mistake this for loved or unloved—love is a given from God!)

The application of yesterday’s sermon was either trust Christ for your salvation, or if you have already trusted Christ for your salvation, be baptized if you have not been. Yesterday’s sermon was very simple.

Sermon Recap--Week 1 on the Ethic of Anticipation

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:38:00 -0400

Kristy (the communications director here) is on some high romance trip with her husband, which is awesome. Before she left she said, “Will you blog the sermon application?” And I said, “Sure.”

In an effort to be a man of my word, I am doing that.

Here were the big points from yesterday:

We’ll be studying Colossians 2:20-3:17 over the next few weeks.

Jesus is the starting point of transformed character. Jesus is the end guarantor of transformed character. Jesus is the nexus of the process of transformation…

Most of us feel like we start from who we have been and work from there because this is the way it feels. But, Paul says this is the starting point of the person who is trusting Christ for their salvation—you have died and been raised anew with Christ.

Part of our confusion surrounding a pursuit of personal holiness comes when we think we have to pretend we are something we are not… not so, says Paul, “become who you are.”

Pretending you are something you are not is just as demanding but not as rewarding as becoming who you are.

Deep and abiding, eternal progress comes not from committing to progress and obedience first, but instead, comes from responding first to the One who will love you if there is never any progress or obedience…

Princesses have to clean.

As long as Jesus is an addendum to your life in any area, rather than the One around whom that area is formed, you will not grow the way you are supposed to. You will not miss out on being loved by God, you will miss being able to receive His love like you were created to. And, you will miss being able to love others like you were created to…

Your spiritual development always requires the grace of God.

God gives us the dignity of causality; therefore, ongoing progress requires effort (though no amount of effort earns God’s favor—that’s a grace deal).

We are going to try to learn how to windsurf over the next few weeks.

Hopefully this was helpful. I am praying for you this week.

Go to the Plaza

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:48:00 -0400

This week, worship at the Plaza will continue at 11:00 a.m.

I have great hopes that the Plaza will become yet another venue for Summit to gather and invite people into a community defined by grace that moves people toward Jesus and each other.

So, I have composed a top ten list, which will influence you (Jedi style) toward the Plaza.

10) It has an international flavor… the name “plaza” comes from the French word: “plazour,” which means “this tastes international.”

9) Kyle Cox is there 50% of the month. He is sick.

8) Eddie Kaufholz, site host and Herndon Campus Minister,=’s the white TD Jakes.

7) Where else can you attend church, sneak under the chair, and stay for a Richard Marx concert—for free! (Clearly, I do not advocate this…I am just making the observation.)

6) I will not be there to rain on the coolness factor. No Isaac =’s increased coolness.

5) Parking will never be an issue. Seriously, the parking lot is huge.

4) You can always find a good seat. There are no bad seats at the Plaza (think Herndon sans columns).

3) Time for community. The Herndon site is busy and a bit rushed. The Plaza has a laid-back atmosphere before and after service (a plush cafe atmosphere to be exact).

2) It is an act of service for first-time guests at Herndon. The more we can evenly distribute people during optimal inviting hours, the better every newcomer’s experience will be. There will be more parking at Herndon and more seats at Herndon. (I hope there will be some first-timers at the Plaza, too.)

1) God is big enough to be everywhere at once… that certainly includes the Plaza.

Starting Sunday...

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:05:00 -0400

Billy Sunday, the famous evangelist, allegedly said, “The best thing that could happen to you is that you would accept Christ and get hit by a mack truck immediately.” Hmmmm…I suppose there is a bit of truth to that (Phil. 2:23), but it seems to minimize the reality of the resurrected life in the flesh and the value of being with God before we depart to see Him face-to-face.

Our lives are not a waiting room for eternity… granted they are brief and not always altogether pleasant, but they are not meaningless, nor is the way we ought to live them up for grabs. If we are in Christ, then we have been raised up to and for new life.

So then, how ought we to live and why? This is the rub… there is not only confusion over some of the things we should and shouldn’t be about. For example, how much should a Christian give? What does it mean to forgive like Jesus did? Is it okay to _________?

We’ve got more answers than we do questions. And, there is also the question of why? Why does it matter? If God will be the One setting us and the world around us to rights through His grace and power and our “ticket is punched,” then what good are rules about how to live anyway? And, isn’t grace opposed to the law? Who needs laws when grace leads the way?

For the next five weeks in service, we are going to be talking about “The Ethic of Anticipation.” What does it mean to live Christianly, and why does it matter?

See you then.

Updates

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:04:00 -0500

The problem with having a blog is that you feel a need to keep it updated. Constant updates require either excess wisdom or a willingness to write about what you had for breakfast.

I am not sure I have any extra wisdom to dole out. And, while the chicken biscuit I ate for breakfast was fantastic, it’s not exciting enough to blog about. If I had eaten fortune cookies for breakfast… I could kill two birds with one stone, but alas, I did not.

I will some give some brief updates to prove this blog still has verve and life:

1. James Raffenaud, my current friend and former colleague, is now the president and CEO of a national marriage ministry. However, he still talks to us and even does the Marriage Show at Summit. It’s nice when people don’t get big heads and forget the little people.

2. I spoke at the Jobs Partnership class at Summit last night. I loved it— the people in the room not my talk. All of them were great.

3. Jada performed masterfully in her school play. Lincoln fished with me on Monday, and we had a great time. Ella lost another tooth and draws me lots of pictures.

4. Starting next week I am going to preach my sermon every week on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Anyone who wants to can come… I can’t imagine it will be very full since I am only announcing it here. I am preaching on Thursdays now to make sure we are all systems go for Waterford.

5. I am really excited about the Waterford team moving to Waterford. I am excited for their sakes, not because I want them to go… I will miss them, but it’s a good thing.

That’s all I got for now. Tomorrow: Egg McMuffin.

niceSERVE 13

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:24:00 -0500

I am very grateful…

I am supposed to be putting the finishing touches on the sermon right now. I will get back to that in a minute, but I wanted take a moment to say how grateful I am that I get to serve Jesus alongside people like you.

I have no idea what the final numbers were on niceSERVE today. I don’t know how many of you took the rice and beans challenge, or how many of you have taken significant steps in your life through the “Thrift” series, but I do know that all of it honors God and blesses others…I know there were a bunch of you who did some or all of those things over the last few weeks, and I appreciate it. Your sacrifices—great and small— matter more than you know.

It’s one thing to show up for church on a Sunday morning. It’s a very good thing. It’s another thing altogether to take steps to grow up in Christ, and that is precisely what thousands of you are doing. Keep up the good work.

You inspire me. That is all.

In the Words of Poverty Branch: I Need Some Space

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:36:00 -0500

Here is some great news… lots of people are coming to Summit, which means God is good and you are faithful in inviting your friends.

Here is a wonderful challenge we are facing again: space issues. We had almost 1,100 adults at our 10:45 a.m. service this past Sunday—our sanctuary seats around 820 people. We are looking for things we can do to add capacity, but in the meantime here are things you can do to help:

1. Attend the 9:15 a.m. or 12:15 p.m. service. There are still around 250 to 350 seats left at each of those services… There are about 150 seats left at the 6:00 p.m.

2. Scoot in. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s easier for people to find seats on the aisle.

3. Buy the Dillards at the Fashion Square Mall, and let us use it for a while. (I know it is a long shot, but I figured I would throw it out there.)

Keep inviting people who don’t have a church home. God is doing great things in people’s lives, and we will do everything we can to make more space to reach more people.

Thanks in advance for your help! See you Sunday.

Haiti Relief

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:08:00 -0500

Last night I was watching the news about Haiti and my son came in, he wanted a glass of water. I don’t know if I have ever thought to be grateful to be able to give him a glass of water. Last night I was.

I thought about the hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti (and elsewhere) who cannot give their kid something as simple as a glass of water. We can’t fix that for everyone but we can fix it for someone.

We should be grateful for all that we have and generous with what we have been given— toward that end, we will be offering some opportunities through Samaritan’s Purse for us to respond together this Sunday.

Here is what Summit is doing now:

Haiti Relief

Happy New Year

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:06:00 -0500

May your 2010 (also known as the year of fitness) be wonderful. We are starting a new three-week series on Samuel and David this Sunday. I am looking forward to it and will see you then.

A Role Model for Jesus

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:44:00 -0500

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly… And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Joseph… we don’t know much about him. The most likely explanation for the lack of information is that he died before Jesus reached thirty years of age.

The last time we hear about Joseph is in Luke Chapter 2 when he and Mary were taking Jesus up to Jerusalem for Passover. Then they lost him (never a good feeling as a parent). You’ve got to feel twice as bad for losing Jesus… Rough bible outro for anyone.

But, we know this. We know he didn’t take the easy way out….

It must have taken great courage for Joseph to love Mary well. To take her as his own and obey God—what valor and nobility to embrace and love the Son that would cost him his reputation.

And, how much would Jesus love that about His dad? How grateful would He have been to be raised by a guy with that kind of character? How much would he have admired His dad’s courage to care for and protect a woman who would be thought of as unworthy by everyone else? How much would Jesus have loved His dad’s willingness to stick by His mom when she was young, single, and pregnant, when every “righteous person” would have told him to take a walk? But every time, Jesus saw those virtues in His dad. He caught glimpses of His father and the Father.

All the good that Jesus saw in Joseph was a reflection of the goodness of His Father in heaven… I wish I knew more about Joseph, because I admire everything I know.

Lord if there is a call that You place on my life that challenges my need for approval in the eyes of men—even if it costs me—help me have the courage to follow You and choose the better kind of righteousness.

Head Stands

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:42:00 -0500

…Before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit…

When anyone told a story my grandmother didn’t believe, she would say, “Everybody who believes that is standing on their head.” As a child, (who was responsible for one or two stories that elicited that response) this was very confusing. I looked around for people standing on their heads. I never saw anyone standing on their head. I assumed she was wrong. Turns out, it was just her way of saying… I think you are engaging in falsity.

We all have different responses to things that seem unlikely—that was hers. And, by any reasonable criteria, the virgin birth is up there on the unlikely scale…

It is no good to say (as I have heard of people doing) “those were primitive people who did not understand science, and therefore, had no idea that a virgin birth was impossible.” If they did not understand what caused birth, we wouldn’t be around to discuss all this.

And it is a poor reading of scripture to say this is an extended metaphor. There are a couple of super boring details (which I will not get into here) about biblical exegesis that strongly suggest the biblical writers actually wanted us to believe birth narratives actually communicate truth regarding how Jesus’ birth came about. Suffice to say, the narrative is not a recapitulation of an Egyptian, Greek, or Roman fable… the text was written in a way that indicates it is to be regarded as history, not as a metaphorical way of communicating that Jesus’ birth was “super special.”

Moderately smart people sometimes take issue with this; they say it is a scientific impossibility for a virgin birth to occur. And then are proud of themselves for stating the obvious. (Sadly, some well meaning Christians get angry about this claim and answer back with facts about some bizarre species of frog in Costa Rica, captive sharks, or komodo dragons that have showcased the possibility of random virgin births in nature… This is understandable, but also unfortunate because it misses the point).

I am not well read on hermaphroditic frogs, sharks, or komodo dragons…so whether virgin birth is completely impossible in nature is beyond my limited scope of learning.

The point of the biblical story is that this was a supernatural act of God. It is subject to some measure of historical verification, but science offers little assistance here. Miracles cannot be repeated in laboratories.

Science is the study of the natural world as far as it is knowable. Science deals with nature. It does not deal with the supernatural.

The best scientists gladly admit though that they are at the mercy of tomorrow’s discoveries and dependent on yesterday’s comprehension—part of what makes science fun for them. But they would readily admit that the study of how will never build a complete theology, nor will it completely disqualify another. Science can be helpful or it can be extraneous—it depends on the question you are asking.

Sidebar: this is not the same thing as “science and faith don’t mix.” If God has authored the book of creation, then of course they will overlap. However, when I hear that “science has disproved/proved the existence of God or disproved scripture,” I think the people uttering the sentiment are ridiculously ignorant. It is not in the realm of good science’s aim nor is it within science’s power to do either…

There is a difference between being smart and being wise. Wisdom recognizes that regardless of one’s capacity for understanding, we are finite. The finite cannot pierce the infinite. There are limits to what we can understand. That’s part of the reason the infinite became finite.

I don’t think you have to believe in the virgin birth to be saved. There were many people who knew nothing about it who followed Jesus. But if you will not believe in the virgin birth or refuse to believe it because it’s just too miraculous, I wonder if your God is big enough to save anyone?

So, when it comes to the virgin birth… I am standing on my head. Not because I can make perfect sense of it—it makes sense of me.

(By the way, out of respect for my grandmother and for clarity’s sake, she was standing on her head for this one, too.)

God, help me not rationalize opposing truth merely, because I can’t explain it… or, even more likely and more dangerous, because I can do what I like if I keep You at arm’s length… if I am doing that in any area, forgive me.

Preparation in the Present

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:38:00 -0500

…when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph…

Technically speaking, she wasn’t His mother yet, but I think more is happening in this preemptive title than Matthew enjoying the benefit of retrospect.

Mary’s future was so certain she could rightly be introduced this way even before her future had been introduced to her. Why? Because God completes what He initiates every time.

You never know what God has planned for you. I don’t know what God has planned for me. Sometimes we get inklings, glimpses—other times, none whatsoever. Walking by faith and not by sight isn’t a command in scripture— it’s doctrine. It’s a statement about the way things are… of course we should respond accordingly.

While there are some things you can’t plan for, you can prepare.

Could Mary have planned to be the Mother of the Messiah? Not in a million years. Was she prepared? Apparently, she was. From everything we know, Mary had lived a life steeped in the scriptures and walked as well as she could with the Father before and after she technically became the Mother of the Messiah. (We know more about her than one might think from a cursory reading of the text.)

One of the ways we can prepare is to think about a future (though shrouded in mystery) that will one day be written in the history books and live now as if the movie of your life is going to play forward—because it will.

It is possible one day you will be someone’s spouse. Are you living with he or she in mind? Will they be glad with the decisions that you are making? In some ways you are already Mr. or Mrs. _____. It hasn’t technically happened, but what does love have to do with time?

You might someday be a parent. People will ask, “Aren’t you ______ Dad?” Are you making decisions now that prepare you well for that possibility?

You may be someone’s boss, teacher, president, etc… Are you making decisions that benefit the people you will influence before you ever know their name?

Maybe God’s plans for you are so unlikely that they would seem impossible if you read them here… But remember, His mother. No one was expecting that, even if they were hoping for it. Nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

How can you possibly do all of this? How can anyone prepare for that which they cannot plan?

Make decisions that honor God in the present. Put Him at the epicenter of your life. And every decision you make will both influence and prepare you for the future to which you are called.

Lord you know my future… I don’t. Help me to trust you as much with today as I do with my eternity, so that I am well prepared for what is to come.

The More Significant Miracle

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:56:00 -0500

Matt. 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…

Why did Matthew write the birth narrative? Why did the Spirit incline him to do so? It’s not like we need to know it for purposes of salvation.

Mark’s Gospel, which comes first chronologically, begins with Jesus’ interaction with John the Baptist at the Jordan. Mark makes no mention of Jesus’ birth. I assume the people in the churches that just had the Gospel of Mark were just as saved as those with access to Matthew.

And, if Matthew (and Luke for that matter) are writing so others can believe, let’s be honest—it’s not like a miraculous tale of a virgin birth makes an already incredible story any easier to believe… walking on water and being raised from the dead, those sorts of things raise enough eyebrows on their own. Of course, people who tell the truth rarely feel the need to make their story easier to believe.

So why was it written? I don’t know with certainty the answer to the question, but it’s a question worth asking, because I am almost sure there is more to it than Matthew’s desire to see gifts exchanged and blue firs more respectable than other trees. It’s a little dangerous to wade into the waters of authorial intent… but danger is my middle name.

If I had to wager… I would say Matthew wrote the story and the Spirit inspired it, because Matthew was writing to a largely Jewish audience who would be aided by additional understanding of how Jesus fit in to the larger story of Israel. I would say there is a good chance he wrote it to help construct a larger framework of God’s engagement with the world for people who thought they could be of little to no use to God. I would say that he wrote it because it’s true.

From Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (which contains surprisingly surly characters) to the introduction of the pagan Magi… The story of Christ’s birth is one that foreshadows the story of His life—one of inclusion and division, love and fear, miraculous mingling with mundane.

The manger is an eternal signifier to you and me that all who will may come. God uses this story to remind us that even when we do not see Him or think to look, He is still at work. In the story of the incarnation, we see again that no one is beyond hope… not because of who they are or who they are not, but because of the goodness of our great God.

The world was as broken as post fall Humpty Dumpty… and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men (see the OT) couldn’t put it back together again. The King Himself was required, and the King himself came.

We may not need this story to follow Jesus, but God uses this story time and time again to remind His people that He went to great lengths to come to us. He still does. That is a far deeper mystery than a virgin birth.

Lord, will you remind us today that even more significant than how You came is that You loved us enough to come at all? Please help us live this day in a way that reflects gratitude and faithfulness. Amen.

Why Wait for Thanksgiving?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:42:00 -0500

Today I am grateful…that God loves me, that He put people around me who love me too.

I am grateful to be a part of a church that prays for the prayer requests.

I am grateful for a son who likes to fish.

I am grateful for a pretty date (it was Rhonda) to the Magic game last night… and that we won.

I am grateful for an incredible family.

I am grateful that I get to work with people I love.

I am grateful that I rarely have to shop.

I am grateful for Bass Pro Shops… where I do not mind shopping.

I am grateful for Hank Paulson.

I am grateful that the vast majority of challenges and difficulties in front of us as a church are good problems.

I am grateful for this day… God help me do it well.

Fall Travels

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0500

After hunting with my brothers for a week in Ohio and traveling to Kansas with my wife to see my new nephew, baby Luke, I am back.

I had great time on all my trips, but I am ready to be home again. I miss my family, and I miss work when I am gone… that is one of the ways I know I have a great job, and that I work with great people.

Here is a brief update on what I learned/remembered during my vacation:

1. I really like being in the woods and sitting for a long time with the Bible or some other book and a cup of coffee.

2. I like that every moment is pregnant with potential, and when it’s quiet—I remember that.

3. My brothers (Pop and Lincoln are givens) are my favorite guys in the world to be with… John, Andy, Aaron, Beery, and some others are up there too.
There is little that compares to having long conversations in which words are only perfunctory and laughter is guaranteed.

4. My Uncle Jan and Aunt Michele are super people… they make our annual ritual possible. And, they are really fun to be around. Very few people can spin a yarn like Uncle Jan.

5. You can think a lot when it’s silent… I can also not think at all (not sure which I like better).

6. Baby Luke is one of the finest young children I have ever known… he cries never, and he is super cute.

7. I am almost finished with “Too Big to Fail.” It is a fascinating read.

8. It’s great to be at a stage when you can take some time off (this was my longest time away since we started Summit) and not have to worry about organizational health, because the team you work with is so competent and gracious.

9. I was able to think about the big picture for the rest of this year and through March of next year.

I suppose there are other things, but they would get increasingly random. In short, I cannot wait to see you this Sunday—I look forward to picking up where we left off in James.

Mercy

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:06:00 -0400

One of the key tenets of Christianity is this: we all need mercy; no one stands so tall they are above it, and no one has stooped so low that they are beyond it.

Why then are we less than merciful to each other all the time? Because we forget too quickly how much we have been forgiven? Yes.

Because we aren’t sure how far we can go before mercy gives way to some watered down form of tolerance? Sometimes.

Because mercy costs the giver, not the recipient? I suppose… but refusing to give mercy costs everyone.

God’s love is unconditional. Is His forgiveness? (Maybe a better question is not “will He give it unconditionally?” but “can we receive it without condition?”). It doesn’t seem we can or should expect to receive it without condition (Matt. 6, Mark 11). Our willingness to confess and repent and our willingness to extend mercy to others are listed as requisite. That is a good kind of scary to me.

God, help us be merciful to others as you have been toward us.

Focus

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:42:00 -0400

I was six years old when I got my first magnifying glass. I was amazed by my new-found ability to burn stuff… I didn’t even realize there were other uses for a magnifying glass until recently. You know how it works, two convex lenses concentrate the sun’s energy on a particular object until that object is no more. Introducing a magnifying glass into the equation doesn’t change the amount energy radiating from the sun, it simply harnesses what’s available—it focuses it.

Focus is merely the difference between diffused and concentrated energy. It’s one of the most important tools a leader can bring to the table. Jesus remained focused through a myriad of distractions— from the wilderness to Calvary. He was locked into the Father’s mission.

How about me? How about you? How easily are we distracted by this thing or that, only to find ourselves increasingly busy but less productive?

There are a million things vying for our attention… We can always google something else, watch another show, take another five—usually not bad things. But, that doesn’t make them good and don’t necessarily make us any better. We cannot live fully if we do not lived focused.

The question is how do we remain focused without becoming narrow and unavailable? Because here is the other side of the coin: Jesus (while never distracted) was frequently interrupted and more often than not was quite interruptable (new word). The wedding at Cana, the children whom He invited into His arms, the woman at the well, the crazy, naked tomb dweller—all interruptions…

The sirens sing too pretty to let your attention be dictated by circumstance alone… the Spirit is too big not to pay attention to circumstance at all.

More on this soon… for now: “This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:35)

Baby Blog

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:54:00 -0400

My younger brother, Joel and his wife, Lizzy, welcomed baby Luke into the world today. From all accounts, (except John Calvin’s, and he is wrong about this one) the baby is perfect. Well done Lizzy; well done Joel; and thank you God for a healthy new nephew.

Psa. 139:13-14

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

Listening Again

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:10:00 -0400

Proverbs 19:27

Cease listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

We rarely stray because of what we do not know; we are more likely to stray because we stop listening to what we do know.

Listening to voices of authority— either scripture or wise reflections on truth— is a critical part of living wisely. We don’t institutionalize listening to discipline for the sole purpose of hearing new information… at some point new information succumbs to the law of diminishing returns. We institutionalize the practice of listening to the same old, eternally true stuff, so we are slower to sin, quicker to repent, and better able to love well.

The fact that we haven’t forgotten doesn’t mean we don’t need to hear it again.

Relearn the Running Man

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:11:00 -0400

I am praying for the Waterford campus today, specifically, for three things…

First, that we would be faithful. “We dare not ask God to give us that for which we are unwilling to work.” I can’t remember who said that, but someone did… probably Abraham Lincoln, because he was so tall (non-sequiturs are hilarious).

That quote might be overstating the case. God says we can ask Him for anything. A sincere desire at least implies that we are willing to sacrifice what we’ve already been given for the sake of what is not yet. Being faithful stewards of our time and money starts with the time and money we have—not the time and money we don’t.

Second, I am praying God would reach more of more people through that campus like He is reaching people through this one. I have little passion for a growing church where no one grows. The Gospel lived out is the means by which lives are changed, and it is the means of grace through which lives are changed. We wouldn’t be going to Waterford if we didn’t think that we would reach more people for Christ.

Third, I am praying for Garry, Jeff, and the team of around a hundred that have declared their intent to go to Waterford before we even asked for their commitment. I am grateful for those people. I am glad I can follow Jeff and Garry’s lead. I think great things will happen, because people are taking risks that matter.

Okay, four things… finally, I am praying for this Sunday. We are going to celebrate. We are trying to raise a million dollars over and above our regular giving before the end of the year, so we can fund the start of this campus. We are asking people to commit to give and go this Sunday. The money is just a bi-product of what we are celebrating.

We are celebrating people leveraging what they have for the sake of others. We are celebrating people who prayed and obeyed God’s call. So, cue the trumpets, prepare the finest wines and cheeses, make your arms akimbo, relearn the running man, free-style rap about celebrating, and other such things… because people’s obedience, sacrifice, and God’s faithfulness are all worth celebrating.

Wednesday Morning Prayer

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:18:00 -0400

We prayed in the sanctuary this morning. There were probably a dozen of us. It was great. Not “heaven rending, angels singing,” great— more like “there is no other place I ought to be, and no more important thing I could be doing right now,” great.

I don’t know how prayer works…I have theories and a core set of basic theological beliefs, but I would be engaging in fibbery (new word) if I pretended to know how talking with God alters circumstances. He’s God, so it’s not like we are telling Him anything He doesn’t know. He’s good, so it’s not like we can talk Him into better things. I do know it changes me. And I trust it goes beyond that… because I trust God.

He tells us to pray. He tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock. He tells us to listen. It’s a wonderful thing to obey and trust Him with the results.

If you are wondering… we prayed for the church this morning. In summary, we prayed for a building, for people, and for Summit people to be faithful in giving. And we prayed that God would use this next step in the life of our church to reach more people with the Gospel. If you want to pray like that today… it would be much appreciated.

Watch Out For Satan

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:31:00 -0400

I’m not a big “demon behind every tree” guy for two reasons:

First, I know they hide behind rocks.

Second, I have known enough kind, but somewhat crazy, Christians to see this kind of theology as less than helpful. (Ex. When I was in middle school on my way to a youth retreat, a tire blew out on the van. The driver said, “Everyone out! Satan has attacked our left rear flank.” She was serious. I was unaware that tires could be flanks or that Old Scratch carried a shank.)

However, I am aware enough of my tendency to undersell the ongoing spiritual tension that surrounds every endeavor to push the kingdom of God forward. I have a moment of clarity about it from time to time— I did yesterday.

We have an enemy. He is not bigger than the God who loves us. His future is already decided. We have an enemy, and he would love nothing more than to take something good and make it an idol in our lives. He would love nothing more than for us to see failure as an identity rather than an event. He would love nothing more than for fear to run your days and nights. He would love nothing more to deceive you and then accuse you. That’s what He does…he takes as much as he can and gives back as little as he has to.

To fear him his ludicrous, to be unaware of his existence is dangerous. Why don’t people, who love and trust God, want to pray? Why does that sin you (or someone else) have been forgiven of still hang like an albatross around your neck? Why do bright people shipwreck their lives doing the same old dumb things over and over? We have an enemy.

Why am I surprised that there is pushback when we are trying to push forward what matters most? I don’t know, maybe I am a slow learner. No one who is in a war should be surprised when they get shot at…

Here’s truth. God wins. Love wins. And for those who are in Christ the One who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. No matter where the opposition comes from, there is only one way forward. Humbly trust that God is who He says He is and trust that we are who He says we are.

Labor Day done… back to work.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:15:00 -0400

This weekend we:

Started getting our stuff ready to sell in a garage sale extravaganza.

Spent some time talking about the multi-site strategy with a couple in our church.

Went swimming in a lake. (The kids did— Rhonda and I supervised)

Went to the spray park.

Went swimming at “Gramsy’s” house and hung out with the family.

Hung out with my parents.

Went fishing at the pond twice. (Lincoln out-fished me with ease.)

Went to church at Summit on Sunday night and on-line at Northland… Two great services—two great sermons.

Went out to lunch with Rhonda, the kids, and Lizzy (my brother Joel’s wife, who was in town for her baby shower).

I watched college football.
I ate too much.
I read a book.

I started getting ready for the talks, meetings, dinners, and tasks I have coming up.

It was a great weekend.

Now, I am fired up about the week ahead. I’ve got a TO DO list the size of a sasquatch, which I plan on annihilating with divine help. (I plan on annihilating the list, not the sasquatch, as they are among my favorite mythical creatures. But, unclear modifying clauses make for great jokes, so I am not fixing the sentence).

If you want to pray: Pray for the “going local” campaign (more about this later). I am speaking at The Gathering today. Pray that God would do great work there. Pray for “Vision Sunday” this weekend. Pray for me to be in lockstep with God this week.

Find Some Tape, Then Break It

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:14:00 -0400

There are always things to be done—always.

Here is what I learned from watching very wise, very good leaders: you have got to create your own finish lines, because other people won’t do that for you.

If you refuse to create finish lines then over time, you will become less effective, or worse— you will crash and burn. God commanded that we observe a Sabbath— work six and rest one. It wasn’t advice. It was one of the big ten.

Sunday night after service is a finish line for me. From the moment I drive off Summit’s campus until Monday evening when the sun goes down, I do nothing vocationally ministry-related. I try to do things that replenish my soul like read, hang out with my family, and when the kids don’t need me, I fish. When I don’t take that time I pay, the church pays, and my family pays.

When we make arbitrary but necessary lines and cross them, everyone wins. We live out what we “believe:" that God is still big, and He does just fine running things without us. Everybody else gets a restored us (as long as we don’t fritter the day away on things that don’t help our souls rest). And, most significantly, God is honored.

… There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

Uncle Mark

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:54:00 -0400

My Uncle Mark took us on fishing trips and pheasant hunts when I was a kid. He was my leader at Camp Adventure when I was a teenager; he was my boss and pastor when I was a student minister at Granger Community Church in Indiana. He has had a profound influence on my life in every era. Yesterday, he gave our staff three hours of his time— his profound influence continued and spread.

He said more helpful things in three hours than most people do in three years. He did the most creative thing with the questions, “What kind of character traits do you want in the people you want on your team? What kind of characteristics do you want in the people you want to work for?” It was insightful; it was a little intimidating. He talked about the seasons of ministry and recognizing when you are the bottleneck. He talked about a life of integrity and caring about what counts the most. He was encouraging. He was really, really good.

I am grateful for his influence. He doesn’t have to do this sort of thing. He does it because he loves Jesus, loves the church, and wants to honor God with his life.

My family is a tremendous blessing. I recognize that more and more as time goes on… To whom much is given much is required. I want to be faithful.

Devos

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:27:00 -0400

Here is what I read this morning. (Acts 26:16) Paul relays this message from Jesus when recounting his “Damascus Road” experience to Agrippa:

Get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you…

We should all have long memories and a faith rooted in what Christ has accomplished, but it is for that very reason that we should have great hope for what is to come. Don’t lose what has been or get stuck in it. There is more…

Get up, stand on your feet, and keep your eyes peeled…

Super Random Thoughts

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:52:00 -0400

All Christians some of the time and some Christians all of the time try to get to the point where they are so “set” they don’t have to trust Jesus to provide. That’s never a good goal. We should never be so self-reliant that we begin to think we are self-sufficient. (Rev. 3—little taste of Vision Sunday)

We are opening the new space (The Annex) this weekend for kids… wahoooo. That will be awesome.

Following Jesus means not chasing after a whole bunch of other things. (Matt. 6)

School starts Monday for my girls. Ella is going to kindergarten. Jada will be in second grade. I think they are ready.

If our highest and best hopes do not require a dependence of God, we should rethink our highest and best hopes because they are different than God’s.

Lincoln hunted with his bow twice this week. I was proud of him. (Gen. 27:3)

It’s rarely useful to yell at other people… even if it’s cathartic. We should seek to be helpful, not to feel better as a result of discourse. (Mark 2)

Garry and Abbie are rad. Garry is coming on staff on September 1st. He will be a tremendous asset to the team.

This weekend we are talking about vanity—how it makes you tired, boring, and erodes effectiveness over time.

God is bigger than our prayers.

I will see you Sunday.

Child's Play

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:10:00 -0400

After I finished writing out my prayers this morning, I thought, “I am asking a lot more from God than He is from me.” Then I thought, “I hope that’s okay… I hope God’s not frustrated with my stream of petitions.” And then another thought crossed my mind, “This is an awful lot to ask…” I “know” God can do anything, but maybe I ought to ask for things I know He will do… it will decrease the difficulty level—set the bar low for Him, so I don’t get disappointed.

Then I opened the Bible. I am in Mark 10 and Acts 26 right now… and I read these two passages.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)

Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? (Acts 26:8)

How cool is that?

Children never stop asking for things. They never stop asking about things. And they never worry about request overkill. They may not get everything they ask for—that doesn’t stop them. Child-like faith requires a manifestation of dependence.

And then Paul in addressing Agrippa in front of a whole court of people utters that simple phrase. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? God is big. Really. He may not do what we ask (cause he is God, and it would be childish, not child-like to assume we know better), but He is certainly able.

In short, ask away.

Back!

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:32:00 -0400

I am back. The summer is coming to a close and fall is near… although it is still very, very hot. Someone should tell fall.

I am re-upping on my blog commitment through the end of the year. That is, so long as I have things to say. (I will try neither to write, nor make you read, completely useless information that comes from compulsion alone.)

I always enjoy the month that my schedule is intentionally changed for the sake of my family and the church. I think it’s productive. And the staff doesn’t miss me a bit—they might say they do—but that is only because they are kind. We have a great team. They do good work in my presence and absence alike.

Here are some things that happened over the last month (in nugget form).

-I finished two of three projects that I wanted to finish for the church.

-Through the kindness of some very generous people who opened their home to us, we were able to spend some family time away.

~~I read several books~~-some of which I may review here shortly.

-I wrote a lot in a journal that looks like tree bark.

-I went to the Leadership Summit. It was good. Bill Hybels and David Gergen were my favorite.

-I fished with Lincoln, Jada and Ella. He likes it better than they do.

-Rhonda and I went out on some dates. She is way better looking than I am.

-Had breakfast with my Dad.

-Josh’s office became a taxidermy shop.

-Tons of backpacks got collected for OCC, because you are generous people.

I am looking forward to the next few months. We have great opportunities that will require God’s help and lots of people’s faithfulness. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

'Supdate

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:18:00 -0400

I have been a poor excuse for a blogger this summer… no promises that I will change that before mid-August or so, but here is a quick update on Summit life.

1. People are still taking their next right steps with Jesus at Summit. God is at work.

2. We are adding space to help facilitate more people to take their next right steps… We are back up to pre-summer numbers in mid-July. We have never been back up to pre-summer numbers in mid-July. It will be an interesting fall.

3. niceSERVE was fantastic. Over 800 people gathered in sweltering heat to help people know they matter to God. Thanks to everyone who showed up and sweated together.

4. Our staff just went through their mid-year reviews. We have great people on staff.

5. I am always grateful I get to be a part of this church. I want to serve here until I die. As long as Jesus allows me to serve at Summit, that’s what I want to do. I get to do work I love, with people I love. I am grateful.

Aunt Michele

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:46:00 -0400

1Pet. 4:9: Be hospitable to one another without complaint…

Aunt Michele. You need someone like this in your life. Someone who orchestrates the important stuff by doing the normal stuff that is required to make the important stuff happen— all while not begrudging the normal stuff, nor under/overestimating its importance. These people are priceless.

Aunt Michele is hospitable. A biblical virtue that is commonly overlooked in modernity, but only in its presence (it is always obvious in its absence). Hospitable people open their lives, their space, and their homes to other people when it would be less trouble to do otherwise. She does it for our family year after year.

Without her work in advance, our family’s time together would be very different. Truly hospitable people do the work so that time is easier for others; the work is a means. Some people consider their work more important than it’s purpose.

Much has been made of the Martha and Mary story in Luke 10… incorrect conclusions have been drawn. The idea that Jesus was chastising Martha for her work is wrong. He was helping her see that her first act (Luke highlights that it was Martha not Mary who welcomed Jesus) was a very good thing. But, her work ended up distracting her from what was most important, rather than preparing her for what was most important. The distraction was what kept her from the better part (sitting at the feet of Jesus)—not her work. Her work was necessary for the better part to be a possibility.

This is what makes my Aunt so wonderful. Over the years we have made her life more complicated—it’s never easier to make others feel at home. But, she has never let the work be a distraction from time together… only preparation for it. Everybody needs somebody like that.

Uncle Jan

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:24:00 -0400

My mom always said the same thing to us before we left for school. Every school day, from kindergarten through my senior year of high school, I heard these words: “Have a friend, be a friend. Do your best, be your best. I will be praying for you.” I am still mulling those phrases over.

That first part, “have a friend,” leads to the second part. When you have people in your life that love you well, you realize it is incumbent upon you to love other people the same way and you are better equipped to do so. Timothy had Paul, Paul had Barnabus, etc…

Last week, as I spent time with my family, I was reminded of some of the ways they poured into me. I reconsidered whether or not I am doing that well for the people around me. If I think everyone ought to have a person like _______ in their lives, an appropriate question to follow it up with is, “To whom can I be that kind of person?”

Example: everyone ought to have an Uncle Jan in their lives (not my Uncle Jan… you have to get your own, but someone like him). The man is an ongoing testimony to the virtues of industry and courage. He is very bright, but there are more smart people out there than you think. Smart means little if you don’t do something decent with it. What has set him apart is his willingness to outwork just about everyone else in his field—not instead of loving his family, but because he loves his family.

He also, as I mentioned last week, was the guy who taught my brothers and me how to hunt and took us fishing when we were little. This has resulted in many weeks in the woods and on the water building our relationship in ways that we never could have otherwise. He didn’t do that for every kid in his life… no one can. But, he never let the fact that he couldn’t the same for everyone stop him from pouring into us. I appreciate that. I want to do the same for my kids and a few others.

What about you… did you have an uncle like that? A friend like that? For whom can you be that type of person?

Vacation

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:33:00 -0400

I grew up with very few family traditions— I think we had three. One of them was an annual trek to Ohio for summer vacation—that tradition continued last week. So now, for thirty-two years and counting… I have spent time in Ohio with my family.

It is a mystery to most people, especially most people who live in Ohio, why anyone from Orlando goes to Ohio for vacation, but they don’t know the Ohioan side of my family. They are worth the trip.

My Uncle Jan was the first person to take me fishing. When my brothers and I were little, he was in the throes of building a business from nothing but sweat, good ideas, and courage, but he always took a few days off to take us fishing. He taught us to love the outdoors. He even got my dad (who is a wonderful man—but who would not refer to himself as an “outdoorsy” type) to go on the boat with us. Things like that shape a kid.

My Aunt Michele (yes, one “L.” Jada’s middle name is spelled the same way after her) is a wonderful woman and our family historian. My grandparents and most of my dad’s other close relatives died long before I arrived, so my growing understanding of them comes chiefly from her. She has always been patient with her nephews as well, as my brothers were often guilty of breaking things in her home.

My cousins, Greg and Janell, are awesome people. Greg is the president a big company… turns out he was not just pretending to be smart all those years because he was older than us. He actually was/is really smart. Janell is always the same—fun to be with and a big fan of family time.

I will be blogging anecdotal “learnings” from the trip over the next week… I just thought you should get to know some of the characters in the story first.

Have a wonderful Fourth. I will see you Sunday.

John Parker blogs!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:18:00 -0400

Hello all,

I am your guest blogger today. My name is John Parker. I am the Executive Pastor here at Summit.

This is my first foray into blogging since the Communications Department banned me from Twitter (which, as I understand it, is a super short blog) for making a joke. As retribution, you can expect this to be the driest and most humorless (least humorous) blog you have ever read. By the end, you will wish I had only tweeted (seriously?? is that an acceptable word?) since then you will have only been subjected to 140 characters of mind-melting boringness.

I grew up in Minnesota, known for its many lakes and sedate unexpressive citizens, so being not funny should be quite easy. My parents love Jesus and love us kids, so all-in-all we had it pretty good. We mainly went to two churches growing up. My strongest memory of church was the one we attended when I was in 6th grade. We were playing a game in youth group that involved two people being blindfolded, having eggs taped to our heads, and then being armed with some sort of rolled newspaper club. It was me vs. the token high school dude under the supervision of a seminary student “doing his time” in the youth group who let the beating go on way too long. (I don’t recall the lesson of the game, but I am sure that it was a really good one like, “don’t sin or you’ll end up like this egg-covered 6th grader.”) I also remember that our church was against celebrating Halloween, so they would host an alternative event called a hobo party where we would all dress like homeless people and then eat a lot of food. (Somehow that ironical event made much more sense than asking our neighbors for candy.)

The point is, that for a young kid who loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him with his life, there weren’t many super-great examples of what that could look like outside my immediate family. I was a voracious reader as a kid and read as many missionary bios as I could (yes, I was home-schooled). It was in those books that I saw examples of God working in amazing ways in the lives of people. So I grew up certain that I would be a missionary because that seemed to be where God worked.

Fast forward ten years and my family is relocating to Florida and trying to find a church. After a few disheartening attempts, we found Northland and my view of church changed dramatically. Suddenly, I was in a community where the kids I went to youth group with were actually trying to follow Jesus, and the leaders didn’t unleash club-wielding giants on us, but rather took our faith seriously and poured into us. It was amazing.

From that season of life, I left for college, thinking that now I wanted to be a student ministry minister person and was certain that one day I would end up in ministry with Isaac and Andy. With my maturing view of church, I had seen what amazing things a local church could be and do, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Fast forward another four years and I am now somehow married to Brandy (yeah, Stockholm Syndrome!) and working at a great little church in Orlando doing student ministries. Then over the course of six months in 2001, God gave Isaac and I clarity on the timing of His call to start a church (Andy was a bit slower on the uptake.) Suddenly, we found ourselves in an apartment clubhouse, building a church with about 30 other people. Isaac was leading worship (Andy, where are you???) and teaching. Bre was watching the kids (2 of them) in the clubhouse exercise room, and I was sporting a goatee because I still thought I might end up being cool.

In those days, everyone had to do everything and a lot of that everything fell on me. No task was (or is) “below us” when it came to serving God. Being the parking lot guy, greeter, sound tech, usher, and janitor were all typical and simultaneous roles on Sunday. During the week, the hats I sported (along with the goatee) were budget, operations, ministry development, volunteer coordinating, missions, and everything else. It was (and is) a great time for someone like me who likes to be helpful.

In the past, it would bother me some that I didn’t have one clear gift or talent. I knew I was called to serve God and had some differing ideas of what environment I would serve in, but I never have had a clear picture of what my contribution was. I learned over time that being bothered by that was only caused by my pride (whatever was left of it after sixth grade—see paragraph three for details).

The bottom line is that God wants me (and you) to be helpful. He knows exactly what we are capable of, but more importantly, He knows exactly what He is capable of doing through us. In the end, it is way more about Him than me. Being a generalist (generally helpful) is not an excuse to not get better at specific things, rather it means there is a whole lot for me to get better at, so I can keep being helpful. That is what I want.

I’m in a place now that I can see God at work on the scale I dreamt about when reading missionary biographies. I love this church and am amazed at what God is doing in the lives of people. As long as He chooses to use me and however He wants to do that—I’m all in.

Considering how long it has taken to write this, I am guessing that “Summit Blogger” won’t be one of my better contributions here at Summit, so don’t even bother to ask me Communications Department! (I would be willing to be “Summit Tweeter,” though.)

EX: “I just walked through a door and am now walking down a hallway. Oh look, there is a coworker… I just said hello to my coworker.” (128 characters)

Altruistic Murkiness

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:33:00 -0400

Let me introduce myself, I’m Jeff—I get the opportunity to work along side Isaac and some pretty special people here at Summit. Isaac asked a few of us to blog-in while he is away this week. He suggested I write to all of you about managing people in ministry and to give a few thoughts on how managing people is similar or different to the for-profit context.

OK. I realize I just lost 92.3% of my reading audience! But, hey, Isaac thought it was important, so here goes…

First, a little about why I might have some thoughts about this subject. I have had a weird career! I have spent a total of 26 years in management positions. What’s weird is that 8+ of those years have been in for-profit organizations. 18 of those years have been in non-profits.

While real differences in the for-profit and non-profit contexts do exist, fortunately, I think most of the principles are universal. After all, in each case we are managing people. Peter Drucker, considered to be the father of modern management, spent the later part of his distinguished career writing about leading and managing non-profits. Here is what he said in his book, Managing the Non-Profit. “People decisions are the ultimate—perhaps the only—control of the organization.”

These decisions are the same in either non-profit or for-profits organizations. Who do we hire? Who do we fire? Where do we place people? Who do we promote? How do we train? In my experience the most effective organizations (for-profit and non-profit) have well developed protocols and management approaches.

The principles for effective decisions are well documented and way beyond the scope of today’s blog-in for Isaac. So, where to go from here? In the remaining space, I want to speak those in the non-profit world with a few simple thoughts.

First, management is not necessarily a bad word. Let me give you one that is perhaps more palatable—stewardship. If people are our greatest resource (and they are), then spending time and energy to help them be effective is time well spent. It’s just good stewardship. And by the way, it’s good management.

Next, non-profits have the challenge of what I’ll call “altruistic murkiness.” Say what? In a non-profit, we are susceptible to think that anything we do is the right work—because we are doing it in the name of altruism. However, the opposite is true. Because our “product” is changed lives (which is difficult to measure); and because we usually are operating on limited resources, the non-profit has a greater need to be clear with employees and volunteers as to expected results.

Finally, Drucker has a thing he calls “The discipline of organizational abandonment.” All organizations, especially non-profits, need to steward their resources to produce the results of fulfilling the organization’s purpose. What I think Drucker is saying, Only do things that fulfill the mission. Stop doing things that don’t. Applied to managing our people, non-profits often are too slow at addressing poor employee and volunteer performance. We just can’t bring ourselves to do something about ineffectiveness. And when we don’t, we end up hurting the organization we so dearly love, the people that organization is trying to help, and even the poor performing employee who is trying to help.

To sum up, the principles of managing people (recruiting, screening, selecting, orienting, giving assignments, training, managing, and evaluating) seem to be universal. The differences that exist are in ways they are applied—due to the distinctives and nuances of each context.

There is obviously much more to explore here. So, for the 7.7% of you still reading, I’d love to get your thoughts at www.jkern.com.

Be a Bee

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:57:00 -0400

“It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised; the mosquito is swatted.” – Marie O’Conner

Hello, blog friends!

Allie checking in here. Isaac asked some of us to guest blog this week, so I’m doing just that.

I ran across this quote the other day and thought about how true it is on so many levels. The truth is this: everyone is busy, everyone is giving their lives to something, bees are productive and helpful, and mosquitos are straight from the pit of…

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself running a million miles a minute and when I finally slow down I often think, “What did I do today?” Perhaps the question I should ask is, “What did I do today that really mattered?” Grant it, life is full of tasks that just have to be done (dry cleaning, oil changes, laundry, etc.), but it’s easy to get so wrapped up in being busy that we forget what and whom is most important. These are some questions I find helpful when I evaluate how I’m really doing at life…

- Am I too busy to spend time with God?
- Am I positively investing in the relationships God has placed in my life?
- Am I putting others before myself, or is it all about me?
- Am I investing my time and energy into eternal things (things that matter)?

Let’s think about that bee… He’s making the world a better place (flowers and honey) and working hard for the greater good (he’s doesn’t live in that beehive alone). He’s got a responsibility outside of himself that he doesn’t take lightly.

On the other hand, that pesky mosquito. (My apologies in advance for those of you who don’t find them pesky.) He’s always out to ruin a good BBQ, always looking for the next tan leg to latch onto—it’s all about him.

Here’s the person I want to be: one that loves God and spends time with Him; one that love others and invests positively into their lives; one that thinks about others before I think of myself; one that is busy doing things that will impact eternity…

Have a great Tuesday!

Loving Like Jesus

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:16:00 -0400

I want to love people better than I do. I love some people most of the time and I love humanity and all that I suppose, because that’s easy enough. But there are some (or many) people I don’t love like I should.

Everybody has their Ninevites. Mine are people like the crazy guy who doesn’t seem to be getting any less crazy with time…. the conservative (who may very well be right) but is so wrong about the way he is right that I would rather hang out with a meth-fueled brown recluse than I would with him…or the left wing bleeding heart lady (who may very well be right) but impugns every motive of every person who disagrees with her— calling them selfish and stupid before she goes off to the spa and reads US Weekly. There are more, but you get the point.

John Wesley once got kicked out of a Methodist church for preaching on Romans 5:7: “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us… He told the bishop that he understood—it was a hard text to stomach.

When we think about Jesus dying for all the people we don’t like, when we think about Him loving all the people we don’t love, then it should change us because we fall into the same “sinner” category they do… A bit overwhelming, huh?

Ann Lamott said, “We know we have created God in our image when He hates all the same people we do…” God is better than that. He created us in His image and there is no sane reason to try to return the favor.

The way I will love people more is not merely by trying harder, but by being closer to Jesus. Maybe better said, it’s about becoming more aware of how close He is to me. Because I, like you, and like those people I have a hard time loving are the sinners for whom Christ died. Drawing near to a love like that changes people. It is still changing me…

Continual Surrender

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:13:00 -0400

Surrender is not a one-time decision. An initial commitment is necessary, but if you are going to give yourself to God—your time, your gifts, your money, your talents—you must decide to do so continually. In some ways, this gets easier with time. With discipline and grace, good things can become second nature after a while. Because old habits (good and bad) die hard, moments will come when you can just dance and not have to think about your feet.

I know some of you are taking your very first steps out of a very dark place. The idea that life will ever get easier sounds absurd, but it will, I promise. Just as the heartbroken teenager cannot imagine a moment will ever pass without her thoughts drifting toward the one who broke her heart, they eventually will. She will someday get to a point where she rarely (if ever) thinks about that young fellow. So to will there come a season when you look back at the mountain you are climbing now and it will appear much smaller than it does now. This trial will not last forever—you will.

Saying that surrendering gets easier is not the whole truth. There are ways in which surrendering gets harder. This is the irony: the more you give of yourself to God, the more He gives in return. What He gives may not necessarily be what you want or the way you want it, but more nonetheless. The more you have to hold on to, the harder it is to give it up again, and again, and again.

I don’t know why this cognitive dissonance exists. It would seem that the data would lead a rational creature to make rational decisions. If God cannot be outdone in the giving life department, then we should have an ever decreasing angst about surrendering ourselves completely to Him. We are not merely rational creatures. If we were, no one would smoke, date people who are bad for them, root for the Cubs, or eat Mexican food (that junk is nasty), but people do all of these things.

We need more than reason alone to surrender. We need faith. We need people around us who will inspire us. We need a vision that pulls us forward and is greater than we are. We need to remember that God is better than we know, and bigger than we think.

For what it’s worth, I’ve never met someone who has regretted giving himself fully to God. I’ve never regretted one day surrendering to God as best I could. Here’s to another day, another choice, another opportunity…

"Tell Me All the Great Things"

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:09:00 -0400

“Tell me all the great things…” that’s what the king asked of Gehazi (Elisha’s very average, on-again, off-again servant) in 2 Kings 8:1-6. In that short passage of scripture a mediocre king, on a comfortable throne, in a messed up world, got close enough for a moment to hear the words of Elisha’s servant. In that moment, Gehazi became a servant of the Most High.

I don’t know what the king wanted to hear Gehazi say (I doubt the king did either). And we don’t know everything Gehazi said, but we’ve got a few cliff notes. We know he told the king that God used Elijah to bring a dead boy back to the land of the living. We know he told the king that God used one of His own to do more and better things than circumstances seemed to allow or conventional wisdom dictated as possible. We know it must have been one heck of an extemporaneous sermon because a moment later, that mediocre king became great— for just a moment. He leveraged his power on behalf of the powerless; he eschewed his own kingdom for the sake of a better one. It must have been a really good message about “all the great things.”

In general, good preaching isn’t just descriptive. Telling people how things really are is important, but a decent news anchor can do that. Good preaching isn’t just prescriptive either. Telling people what to do can be helpful for application sake, but most people can figure that out. The best preaching illuminates truths that are easily lost in the reality of all that is and has been. Good preaching cuts through what’s only real for a moment to get to what has been and can be true. Good preaching tells the kings of this world (of everything and nothing) about all the great things God has done. People are able to see that great things are still possible, because by God’s grace, they are…

One of the best things I ever learned from my father about preaching wasn’t from one of his sermons (though they were and are very good). It was from one of his “almost” sermons to me.

When I was sixteen years old, I was cutting weight yet again for yet another wrestling tournament. I was sitting on the couch feeling skinny, tired, and weak. I looked like Skeletor and an ant had a baby.

There I was, sinking into the cracks beneath the couch cushions and ready to throw in the towel, when Pops walked in and said, “Look at you! You look ripped, cut, hewn from marble like a Greek statue.” I said, “Really? I just feel weak and hungry.” He said, “No, that can’t be… What feels like hunger is just the death of weakness. Your ‘hunger’ is making you strong.” By the time he left the room, I wasn’t just feeling better—I was better. It wasn’t a full-fledged sermon, but it gave me a glimpse of something good.

He saw things that I couldn’t see for myself until he said them. Some words are so good that they can’t even be true until they are spoken. Once spoken, they can’t help but be true.

Goethe referred to this when he said, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you will help them to become what they are capable of being.”

Jesus lived it out centuries before calling Simon Peter the “rock,” and telling Nathaniel he was the Jew “in whom there was no guile.” Jesus spoke truths into existence. Our job (with God’s help) is to see and speak truth in such a way that it reveals what has been veiled by temporary realities.

I am not talking about the power of positive thinking. I’m not the guy who buys the “if you can dream it then you can achieve it” thing. I will never play in the NBA no matter how much I believe in myself or work on my jumper—it is impossible. I will never have a butler. I will never be 6’5” 230 lbs. of shredded muscle. Those things would be awesome, but aren’t good enough to be great things anyway.

I am not a power of positive thinking guy, but I am a great things guy. I believe when we tell people about the great things (they are loved by God now and not when they get better) and when we speak clearly of the great things God has done and still promises to do, then we create new ways for people to live and new worlds for them to live in.

I may not get there every Sunday, but it’s always worth a try. Think about it…what was the best sermon you have ever heard? What spoken words did you hear and suddenly, something that always had been true became true? How did this cause you to live differently?