Month: May 2008

  • Saturday Tunes

    I got a reminder that I forgot to do this last week. Last weekend was so wild I don’t even know if I opened iTunes. This weekend is slightly better. While we’ve got tons going on with trying to get the yard in shape for a graduation party, trying to get the house in shape for putting it on the market, soccer, my Acts class, and a few other things… music will be an integral part of that. More to the point, I’ll be listening to music when I’m working outside, getting ready for my Acts class, and installing some stuff around la casa de McLane. 

    As always, these are the next 10 songs that popped up on my iTunes. Totally random, no cheating, ratings included.

     

    1. Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches ***** (You need the Juno soundtrack)
    2. How Great Thou Art by Charlie Hall ****
    3. All the Small Things by Blink-182 **** (Perfect after a hymn!)
    4. …Neverending…. by David Crowder Band
    5. Hollywood by Collective Soul *****
    6. Always Love by Addison Road ****
    7. Breakdown by Daughtry **** (For my American Idol moment this morning)
    8. The Best is Yet to Come by Sevenglory ****
    9. What a Friend by Jadon Lavik *****
    10. Born Losers by Matthew Good ****

     

  • Striving for Perfection…

    Perfection

    I am one of those people that wants everything I do to be perfect. And I know a lot of people are like me and set lofty goals for themselves. In fact, at the core of a lot of my “problems” is a desire for everything I do to be “perfect.” Even though I spiritualize it and say I strive for excellence, there is a microthin line between excellence and perfection.

    That’s why I was intruiged when I read a post from Ray Pritchard warning about what you strive for. 

    Here’s his list: Signs for recognizing when striving is bad. 

    1. When our personal agenda consumes us morning, noon and night.

    2. When we get angry if our plans are questioned or criticized.

    3. When we interrupt others to talk about what interests us.

    4. When we try to manipulate circumstances to get our desired result.

    5. When we are nervous and fretful about things we can’t control.

    6. When we use sarcasm to keep others from questioning our views.

    7. When we get angry over little things that normally wouldn’t bother us.

    8. When it has to be “our way or the highway.”

    9. When we justify unkindness because, after all, we’re serving the Lord and his work comes first.

    10. When we can’t relax, can’t let go, can’t rest, can’t laugh, and can’t enjoy life because we have taken ourselves too seriously.

    A read a bunch of those and went… “oops.” How about you?

  • Who stole my Jesus?

    Right now I have a God-shaped hole in my life that can only be filled with an 8 inch plastic Jesus.

    Yesterday I went to the church to finish cleaning out my office. I snapped this picture when I was done as this is the cleanest the office ever was from the moment the painters told me I could move in. 

    As I gathered the last of my stuff I realized something. Jesus was missing. That’s right. Someone had stolen Jesus. 

    Jesus w/gliding action

    Also missing are the 10 Commandments which were affixed to Moses arm with a custom made peg. I find that highly ironic because not only was Jesus, the grace giver with gliding foot action missing… but so were the tablets upon which God wrote for Moses, “Do not steal.” 

    I’m not offering a reward for my missing Jesus… as he is always free. If you have my Jesus, would you please leave him in my mailbox or front porch? 

  • Disco Bears

    Who says scientists don’t like to have fun? This video proves two things. First, scientists really are stuck in the 70s. Second, you cannot stop the power of disco.

  • Leaving Romeo: Jimmy

    Last week I talked about leaving Romeo and my relationship with our senior pastor, Bob. Next, I want to talk about our music dude Jimmy. Jimmy, like Jason before him, has been an awesome friend to me. There is something about being in that “associate” role at a church that I’ve always found kinship with. 

    Jimmy joined us in November 2007. Like the rest of the staff Jimmy came from “big church land.” Jimmy and Ashley have an amazing personal story. Not only do they have an amazing story, they love talking about it as they realize their pain… ultimately… can and should be used for glorifying God. If you don’t know their story, take them out for a steak dinner and have them tell you!

    It goes without saying that Jimmy is talented. Even if you don’t care for his style of music you have to recognize the gifts God has given him. (Of course, his dad is a musician and music is part of what it means to be in his family.) But in the last 6 months I’ve learned that there is so much more to “The Savage” than just musical talent. 

    In my post about Bob I pointed to two qualities I’ve always looked for in a staff member at the church. Does this person passionately love Jesus? Is he wild eyed enough to follow God and not man? If you’ve ever talked to Jimmy for more than 5 minutes you’ll know the answer to those questions. It’s a scary combination when a man is both talented and passionate about Jesus. As I told his mom a couple weeks ago… that a combination she must be proud of. 

    Jimmy is game for silliness. At his very first staff meeting he jumped on board with the Elf videos we used. I knew right there we’d get along!  There’s nothing worse than a guy who is super talented and “too cool” for silliness. Not the case with Jimmy. (I really was worried about that.) Jimmy is a gamer.

    Jimmy is game for leading Romeo’s worship to the finish line. As I think back on the music at our church over the last 5 years I can think of a single description: Liquid. I liked the music when we first arrived… super vibrant and fun. Then we went through some dark times musically, the people were fine, it was just an issue of preference. From there we went through a steady embrace and transition to where we are now. Music is a big part of what Romeo is now all about as we try to reach Romeo for Christ. The goal is worship excellence. (High quality musically, high quality worship experience) I look forward to coming back to Romeo often and telling him, “the music is solid.”

    Leaving now stinks. After years of toil, snares, and bumps… things are just getting good! And Jimmy is a big part of that. He adds an element to the staff that was missing. 

    Beyond work, Jimmy and Ashley are awesome people. Kristen and I are looking for opportunities to be in Romeo so we can hang out with our new friends. Their daughter cracks me up as she is a synthesis of both of them. She is a little bit wild like Jimmy yet sweet like her mommy. The bad thing is that she has one of those smiles that’s going to cost mom and dad a lot of money! She’s going to get whatever she wants. 

  • “Who are you anyway?”

    Recently, God has been all up in my video about who I am. It’s crazy how easy I get my identity wrapped up in what other people think of me. I suppose being in a public position will do that to you.

    One of the things that Bill Clinton was always accused of as President was that he based a lot of decisions on public opinion. As much as I disdained that style of leadership I recognize it as a legitimate way to handle yourself when all eyes are on you. “Just do what the majority wants and everything will be OK.”

    But I don’t think that’s leadership.

    Adam’s definition of what a leader is: A leader takes you where you don’t want to go on your own.

    Not only do I want to be a leader that takes people where they don’t want to go on their own… I want to be the type of person who is lead by God in ways that I wouldn’t do on my own.

    Confession #1: I’ve gotten wrapped up in being called a leader. I fall into the mistake of thinking people want to know what I think. Instead, a true leader defers to the ultimate source of wisdom, thinking, and counsel. The most appropriate thing I can do as a leader is point someone to ultimate truth found in the Bible. And I recognize that sometimes I do that and sometimes I depend on my own talent, experiences, and personal preferences. I used to be so good at saying, “This is what the Bible says: _______. And this is what I would do if I were in your position: ______________.” It seems that the more people want to recognize me as a “leader” the more I want to emphasize the latter instead of the former. The result is that I’m not always the best leader I can be. Ironic, eh?

    Confession #2: I get wrapped up in being called a pastor. I’ve never been comfortable with that title. But as the year’s have gone by I’ve gotten much less diligent in blushing it off when people call me “Pastor Adam.” I don’t know if it’s that I’ve gotten comfortable with what God has done and others recognize that in me or if I just like being called a pastor? Now, it’s true. That is what/who I am. And I am not ashamed of the title. I am not ashamed of my position. And I am not ashamed of my church. It’s not about shame. I recognize that its a sign of respect for my position yet I’ve always been uncomfortable with being labeled any title. Since I entered full-time ministry I’ve always self-reflected and laughed at God’s slapping me… ME… with the title of pastor. Sure… since I was little… even before I was a Christian… I always knew I’d be in ministry. But I also know who I am. I am biblically qualified to be a pastor and yet I know who I am.

    • Above reproach? As far as I know
    • A one woman man? Heck yes!
    • Temperate? I do my very best to not lose it
    • Self-controlled? To the best of my knowledge
    • Respectable? You tell me
    • Hospitable? Check
    • Able to teach? Check
    • Not given to drunkenness? Been good on that one since early teens
    • Not violent but gentle? By the grace of God
    • Not quarrelsome? Not my thing
    • Not a lover of money? How could I be?
    • Manage his family well? Could always do better
    • Not a recent convert? Check
    • Good reputation? Let me know, OK?

    Confession #3: I want to get more wrapped up in my identity as a daddy and husband than as “Pastor Adam.” Closing in on 6 years of working in churches full time and I know well why some denominations don’t let their pastors marry. The demands on the position are over-the-top hard to balance with a family. People think nothing of about calling me late at night or early in the morning to talk to me or ask me to do something. And I’m always tempted to work every day and most nights for youth group, small groups, meetings, and other stuff that lands on my schedule. I really don’t think this is biblical and I should be more disciplined about saying “Can we talk or do this tomorrow?” In the past 6 years we’ve had countless family meals interrupted, countless dates disrupted, dozens of movies put on pause, play time put on pause for other people so many times my kids hate it when I take a call, times with daddy missed for this and that. Spending quality time with other people’s kids while missing the same with my own. Honestly, I hardly ever noticed. But my wife and kids did. It’s tough being married with kids and being married with kids to a church. Only recently have I been doing some studying in the New Testament and I realized… “Wait a minute! These guys weren’t nearly as available as I am and God still thought they rocked as pastors and leaders.”

    How about you? Who are you anyway?

  • Raiders & 5 Million Legos

    I think this has to do with some sort of marketing campaign or something. But what do you do with a boulder made of legos and a hill in San Franscisco? You reinact a scene from Raiders of course.

  • 10 random Monday thoughts

    It’s a holiday. And a holiday for me means that I tend to get strikingly little done. I may have some big plans for my day… but if I get 1-2 things actually done I’ll be satisfied. Here’s just a data dump of things on my mind.

    1. I’m definitely taking a bike ride today.
    2. It was supposed to rain today, but looking at the satellite I don’t think that’s likely.
    3. I stayed up until 2 AM playing Madden 08 for the Wii. It’s just OK.
    4. This morning I added a ton of people to my friends list on Facebook. Many of them I don’t know personally but are “fans” of YMX on Facebook.
    5. It was fun to head out to Metemora State Park last night to hang with the Fisher’s and Brinker’s. Each time we come home Kristen and I vow to take our kids camping. I don’t really know if that will happen or not. But I hope it will
    6. Everyone is asking us when our house will go on the market. Probably in a few weeks. We have some things we need to do first. We are oddly at peace about the process. We know it’s a good house and are hopeful it will sell at a good price. 
    7. Jimmy was clutch yesterday. I was very pleased with the services over all. I especially liked that he “de-cheesed” the Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” 
    8. It was a little weird being my “last day” at Romeo. At the same time, we’re back next week. It’s not like we’re moving right now. The most common question yesterday was, “When do you start your new job?” I start next week and my next trip out west in in a couple weeks. 
    9. I’m shopping for a digital SLR as my wife has broken both our cameras. How do you decide between Nikon and Canon?
    10. Mellen’s Market (the corner store across the street from us) is closing its doors and going out of business later this week. That’s a total bummer.
    11. Bonus random thought: Kristen and I are planning to sell our car and buy a new one when we get to San Diego. We are definitely looking for a small/tiny car that gets great mileage. (I may even get a scooter!) High on our list of cars to look into are the Prius and Civic Hybrid. (American cars) We are also considering some Korean made cars and Mexican cars made by Ford and GM. I just had to get that dig in since Romeo people still think that there is a delineation between “American cars” and “Foreign cars.” No one outside of Michigan has used terms like that since the 1980s… but you still hear and see it here on bumper stickers. Let’s translate that… by “foreign car” they really mean “non-union made car.”

  • Change without compromise: The Gospel

    Today is my last time speaking at Romeo as a staff member. It’s a fun way to go out. So, chances are if you are reading this you won’t be one of the people in the congregation this morning. With that said, I’m enclosing my morning notes to the message.

    Here are my speaking notes

    Here is what is displayed on the screen

  • What $4.05 gas means to Romeo

    gas goes up againNothing. If it doesn’t change how you use your car, $4.05 gas means nothing to you.

    I had this thought as I picked up a cup of coffee this morning at a local gas station and watched people belly up to the pump to offload some cash. I actually hope it hits $5 or $7 per gallon soon. Why? We need to change, that’s why. 

    Yesterday I decided to ride my bike to the library. Its only a couple of miles and its perfectly flat getting over there. I had the time and it was a nice morning so I figured, why not? Our town has a great trail system and even the main road, Van Dyke, has a bike lane to use.

    But a funny thing happened as I was riding. I got flicked off a lot. People slowed down to yell out the window at me. One man even intentionally drove up behind me as I rode down the bike lane and honked at me… angrily telling me I don’t have a right to the road. (Newsflash, it’s legal) It was sad. Because at the same time I was observing something fundamentally wrong with our town: A bunch of fat, angry people yacking on their phones as they drive around… alone. Almost every car had a single passenger… even monster SUVs and minivans. All empty.

    Gas is only going to get more expensive. It crossed $130/barrel this week and it will only be a few days until those prices are reflected at the pump. 

    So what should you do? It’s pretty simple. You should drive less. You should ask your boss if you can alter your job hours to carpool with a coworker. Next time you move, move somewhere close to your work. You should inflate your bike tires and ride around town instead of driving everywhere. You should walk a little more. Maybe you have two cars and you could get by with only one? Maybe your kids need to carpool to soccer? Maybe you should just tell their coach to move practice to your neighborhood instead of a county away? In short. Stop the insanity! 

    We are the reason gas is $4.05 and not $1.79 or less, stop whining and change. I think the government should tax gas more and oil companies should get richer until angry, fat, cell phone happy Americans change their behavior.

    What do you think? How could you change your driving behavior? What’s it going to take before you actually change your gas guzzling behavior?