Category: hmm… thoughts

  • “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?

  • 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.”

  • 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?

  • Always and Never

    As a 20 year old I sat next to Kristen in pre-marital counseling wide-eyed. The pastor knew we were crazy for one another and he said, “Make sure that you limit the times you say “always” and “never.” 

    That’s why I chuckled when I read Seth Godin this morning.

    “I’ll never buy from you again.”
    “I’ll never vote for that candidate if my candidate loses.”
    “I’ll never invest in that stock.”

    Never seems like a really long time, doesn’t it? Practically forever.

    Here’s the thing. People who say ‘never’ actually mean, “until my situation or the story changes materially.” Making bad decisions in the now to honor absolute statements in the past isn’t particularly sustainable. Consumers, short-sighted as they are sometimes, are able to realize this pretty quickly.

    In fact, the only thing shorter than ‘never’ is ‘always.’

    How true is that in your church? In your youth group? 

    Leaders lead people where they “never” wanted to go or “always” avoided. It’s not a popularity contest. Follow God above all else.

  • The day there was no news

    Imagine this. A day with no news. A day with no wars. A day with no natural disasters. What would that day look like on the news? It would look like this.

    HT to Cory

  • The home stretch

    Home stretchMegan has about three weeks left of school. Like a lot of other kids in school, she can only think about the finish line. How many days until she is done with first grade, gets a vacation, and enters second grade? Right now that is all those thoughts dominate her mind.

    We are using this time, this moment, to emphasize three McLane values. She knows them… now she is getting to live them.

    Value #1: Winners don’t look back. It doesn’t matter what the sport is, if you keep your eye on your competition and what they are doing you are more likely to lose. We teach our kids to focus on doing their absolute best. If they are in first place… only look at the finish line and do your best. For her school work Megan needs to focus on being #1 and not focusing on what her friends are doing. They may be doing great right now, or they may be cashing it in. But there is still important learning to be done in these final moments. I know that historians tell you that looking back helps you not make mistakes in the future… that may be true for some things. But for me, my ministry and my business depend on my looking forward toward the goals and focusing on the winning… all that matters are the two times I can control: Today and tomorrow. Looking back only leads to failure.

    Value #2: Never give up. We say this all the time when we wrestle and play with the kids. “Do you give up?” The right answer is “Daddy, I never give up!” (As they are pinned down on the floor struggling to get up and knock me down.) The life of a McLane is never a bed of roses. We’re not handed anything… we earn what we have with hard work, diligence, honesty, and perseverance. I moved out of my house before my 18th birthday and I learned this lesson the hard way. Sure God wants to bless us. But in my life, God blesses me when I’m working hard. I expect my kids to translate that value to everything they do. From soccer to karate to 1st grade. Until the teacher or coach tells them its time to go home, they don’t give up.

    Value #3: Finish strong. Let’s face it. Most people are lazy. They know that doing 70% of their job and making 51% of people happy means doing a “good job” and getting a raise. Our society expects and rewards mediocrity. (Sorry, but this is why I hate unions. Unions reward mediocrity.) I don’t believe God desires mediocrity from His children. We teach our kids that finishing strong matters. From the first day of 1st grade to the last day of first grade… everyday matters. When I’m at work, finishing a project strong is all that matters. It doesn’t matter that I’ve had a great week of preparation. It doesn’t matter that the meeting started good. It doesn’t matter that I have a good plan. What matters, what you are judged on, is execution. Strong execution of a plan, task, or even a sermon makes up for inadequacies in other areas.

    These are the values I teach my kids. Are they biblical? You tell me.

    What values do you teach your kids? What values do you express in your daily life that emphasize who you are, your life story?

    Bonus: What does this have to do with the Protestant Work Ethic?

  • Problems with your man? Take the test

    marital chartI was talking to a former student last night. She has issues with some dude. She was reflecting on advice I gave her years ago… “If your friends say he’s a loser, and your mom says he’s a loser, he’s a loser no matter how much you like him.” But maybe the problem was that this young lady wasn’t scoring high enough on this test? Get that score about 50 and you’ve got yourself a good wife!

    Take it and let me know. (click on the image to see full-sized version)

    HT to Boing Boing

  • Understanding & Parenting Your Teenager

    Parenting 101I’ve long thought that one of the major problems facing students today is that mom and dad give up on parenting when their child reaches high school. Fortunately for me, the Bible agrees with my “thought,” recent research backs up my “thought” and finally there is some momentum gaining speed in student ministry for getting parents more involved.

    A friend of mine, Brian Eberly, recently did a teaching session at his church on this topic and was nice enough to share his stuff on his blog. I would encourage anyone who has a middle/high schooler in their life or anyone who is in youth ministry to check out his notes, audio, and presentation. I know Brian enough to know that he’d love to help anyone looking to do this type of seminar in their church.

    HT to Brian

  • What do you want?

    Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving His gifts— He wants you to get to know Him. Even some large thing we want is only incidental; it comes and it goes. But God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you.

    HT to Oswald Chambers

  • Chirp!

    ChirpRight now our house is a little annoying to be in. You need to know that we live in an old house, built in 1871. For those of you outside of Romeo I’ll explain our town to you like this. Have you ever driven through and old town, gone down Main Street and slowed down to admire the Victorian homes? I live in that neighborhood. Romeo is one of those towns with homes dating back to the mid-1800s.

    Over the years our house has acquired a bunch of smoke detectors. I think there are 8 smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector. And every single one of them takes a 9v battery. Our house is annoying to be in right now because 3 of them need their batteries changed. And they remind you… chirp.

    An annoying warning sign. Think about this. The chirp that is annoying me is annoying me by design. The batteries are low on those 3  smoke detectors to warn me that if I don’t change the batteries soon they will go back to the silent way there were before with one important difference: They would be dead. They won’t protect my family.

    What are the chirps in your life? What are the things in your life that give you constant reminders that you learn to ignore?