Retweet

I recently started using Twitter. Not so much to say "On my way to the grocery store" as for the challenge to basically blog in about 10 words. While I don't mind filling people in on what's going on in my life, the tweets (not making this up...that's what comments are called on Twitter) that are most influential for me are the ones that reveal something about the tweetererer (okay, I did make that word up). There is also a feature on Twitter called retweeting. You retweet something that you read from someone else on Twitter. It then appears on your page with the original author's name attached.

Today I placed on Twitter (and, therefore, Facebook...mine are linked...wonders of technology, I know) the following comment: "sometimes it all comes down to wanting to be retweeted." Though I think a few people simply took that as a cheap attempt by me to get retweeted, my intention was different. Deeper, I think.

The more I'm around all of us who are broken the more opportunities that I have to notice how we want to be significant. We want to be noticed. "Retweeting" wouldn't exist if our basic nature didn't cry out for it. Notice me and think that I'm worth something. We clamor for status. How else do you explain couture jeans and foods that take 10 words to claim organic status? Perhaps Halloween lawn ornaments fit into this category, too. And, lest the rest of us be left out, interrupting others in conversation, name-dropping, living beyond our means, withholding affirmation from others and the like all usually have something to do with being noticed and ensuring status. For me, I also trip over my desires to be thought of as "wise" or "articulate".

The Fall is an ugly thing, isn't it?

I didn't so much want my tweet posted over everyone else's twitter page. I was just shooting to communicate that (in ways I wish I didn't have to admit) I want to be noticed, too. I want to be noticed in this world that is passing away to nothing.

I wish I didn't. Jesus needs to teach me more about his sufficiency because I get caught listening to this culture telling me sufficiency comes more from what I know or own than who I am: a child of God being changed into His likeness more each day.

Expecting

As some of you may know, my wife and I are expecting our third daughter in about 2 months. In fact, this weekend we have a hospital tour scheduled. The reality is setting in more and more with each passing day.

But when I say that I'm expecting, I mean more than just a baby. I'm expecting a lot more. I'm expecting to feel the immense stress of dad-ing three daughters (the weight of that seems oppressive and intimidating even as I type it). I'm expecting to be scrutinized by three pairs of eyes for the rest of my life: my relationship with Jesus, how I treat their mom, how I treat them, how I handle my temper or my money or my time. I'm expecting to set an example of how each of them should expect to be treated by guys. I'm expecting to laugh. I'm expecting to cry. And I'm expecting to be surrounded by crying (four women in one household...even a cat that at least used to be a female). I'm expecting a lot.

Funny thing is that I'm not even remotely smart enough to expect more than 2% of all that is ahead.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Almost There!

Tonight we'll meet together with the River Campus launch team and organize, sort, prep, organize, sort, and prep some more. Before the evening winds down we will have completely loaded the trailer that houses all the supplies and resources for the new campus in the East End/Columbia Tusculum/Linwood neighborhoods. So it should be both energizing and fun! Come on down to the Crossing at the Salem Road Campus if you want to lend some muscle tonight.

The launch of the new campus is still a few weeks off - September 27th. Between now and then we plan to have one Sunday in which we go down to set everything up (Sept. 6), one Sunday that both campuses are together again to pray over the launch team (Sept. 13), one Sunday that will serve as a practice (Sept. 20), and then it's time to launch! Those dates have always loomed way off in the distance. We get more excited and humbled as each day draws us closer.

Parkside (BOTH campuses) has a big, God-sized challenge ahead of ourselves. Months and years of praying, seeking God's will, and preparation have led us to this point...let's see what God brings in the next few weeks, months and years.

River Campus Launch Team Meetings

God has called us to a big job in launching the River Campus on Sept. 27th of this year. It's going to take quite a few people who are willing to step up to the opportunities that God has given us. Pray about being a part of the launch team. You'll be an instrumental tool (or an instrumentally instrumental instrument) that God uses to lead new people in a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ...and He'll produce life-change in you in the process. Join George for one of the two upcoming launch team information meetings. No commitments...just info. Make time and check it out.

Wednesday, July 8th at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 12th during 2nd service

Both meetings will be here at the Salem Rd Campus. See you there!

Doors

So people often say something about God opening and closing doors with regard to making decisions. Sometimes I wonder whether or not God "closes a door" for us not because His answer is no but because we're letting out the air conditioning.

Caring

I've often heard it said that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. I agree. It should be that way. But I sometimes see that the adage translates into, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you coddle."

Being cared for and being coddled may start with the same letter but that's about where the similarities end. In my opinion, it is much more caring for someone to make a hard, gut-wrenching decision to have a difficult conversation with me as their friend than to either ignore my brokenness or say something about me behind my back. In fact, many of the times that the Kingdom have been most palpable to me have been those times when in authenticity a difficult conversation takes place.

It is much easier for us to not confront. It is much easier to take the easy way...hence the obvious name. It evokes much less stress to maintain the status quo or equilibrium. But my times of growth and life-change (those times when I'm being changed by God to look more like His Son) usually don't happen in these contexts. Like muscles being torn during a good work out, my life change and growth usually happens with a tearing. [As a side note, that usually isn't a tearing of my brain tissues alone but rather a tearing of my ego, expectations, or heart in some way.]

So I want to know that people care about me before I care about how much they know...I really do. But I also want that caring to be the right kind of caring. Not coddling. Not allowing me to remain as I am. Rather, I want to be stretched by the kind of love that doesn't leave well-enough alone. Then I'll know how much they care and, probably, how much they know at the same time.

So does that make sense to you? Do you ever think the same way? Does my thinking need to be challenged? Because I want to lead in this same way. So it'd be good to know what you think, too.

Leadership Paradoxes

Leadership is difficult. That probably isn't enlightening to you.

As a leader I often find myself questioning my own decisions and directions. (And, authentically, I wonder if other leaders do the same or if they have some God-given, self-assuredness that I'm lacking.) And I've often heard it said that if you think you're leading people someplace but turn around to see no one following, then you're simply taking a walk.

But perhaps that doesn't mean that you don't know where you're going or that it is the wrong someplace. Perhaps it is just that people don't want to follow. Or, likely, it is that we haven't help them to see and take the appropriate steps to be able to follow.

We talk about determining our next steps here at Parkside a lot. I hope God gives me more clarity everyday in my own next steps and in discerning next steps for those who are on this Journey with me.