New format

To any and all regular readers.  (yeah, both of you, haha)

I'm hoping to change up the format of this blog just a little bit.  Whereas in the past I tried to write once per week, my hope is to begin writing 3-4 times per week, perhaps a little bit shorter, and detailing more about what's happening with Catalyst Church, and even a little more about our family life as well, and less general rambling about what may be good stuff, but too sermonesque.  So, my encouragement is to check back regularly and the knowledge that you're doing so will force me to keep at giving you regular things to check back for.

Grace and peace.

Mountain Lake Conference Wrap-up

My friend Curt told me that the churchplanters.com conference was well worth stopping what I need to be doing to be part of.  He was exactly right.  

Last night we sat at the Atlanta Airport (where I learned that if its within the realm of possibility, I will never fly with that money grubbing delta airlines again) and debriefed the personal and professional gains from our 36 hours in town.  It's hard to encapsulate a conference into a blog, but I would just say that the greatest blessing was the affirmation that some of the values God has been impressing within me over these last 6 months were the exact same values that these cutting edge leaders spoke about.  These included things like the importance of discipleship not as a value, but as the overall purpose for church planting in general, and that there needs to be systematic planning in place for spiritual formation in church plants, an area which has been sorely lacking in many large newer ministries.  Shawn Lovejoy spoke to the question, "how much money does it take to plant a church?" His response..."whatever you have!"  He talked about while "faith is often sexier than wisdom/prudence," it's prudence and wisdom that are championed in the scriptures as the means necessary for long term life success.  As you might imagine, fundraising in the current economy has been a little slower than I'd hoped.  The feeling might be that if you don't reach a certain point financially, there's no way your new church will be a success.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Interestingly, lots of very large churches have launched with half or less of what we are working with now.  Now this doesn't mean I'm not still going to be asking people to partner with us.  It's just a reminder that God will provide all we need to start this church when we need it, where and how we need it, and I can guarantee you, He'll get the credit for it, because I have no great plans in place to somehow get people to give money in my own strength.

One other little lesson I learned from this conference?  Never go to a conference alone.  Always, always take at least one team member with you.  Even if it costs more than you expect or maybe can afford in the short term, get some of your people in the seats beside you.  I brought along Brad (hopefully our future worship/arts director) and Nate (a partner student from the Anderson University School of Theology and who knows, maybe a long term team member going forward for Catalyst).  Just having the opportunity to hear what they will take away from this experience, relationally, personally and professionally was worth every dime we invested to bring them along.  I know Catalyst Church will benefit from their being in ATL with me this week, and even further, I think that their lives in general were stretched and blessed and encouraged as they move forward in whatever ministry God has for them. 

At some point I want to look back through my notes and review some of what we took in from this week.  As I do, I'm sure this blog is going to see a smattering of thoughts and ideas from these great teachers.  Because I believe the prophetic words they shared will actually be used by God to redirect some of the course of our life and ministry.  And because this blog is the window into our ministry world right now, I hope you can see and hear what's shaking inside of us, and if there's something there that impacts you as well, all the better.

Affirmation

Today I got a very early start flying out to Atlanta for a Church Planting Conference at Mountain Lake Church.  My friend Curt had really recommended this gathering as a place we needed to see/hear/experience.  He was right.

The biggest affirmation today was just that we are on the right track as it relates to the conversation of Catalyst Church's need to engage people in systematic, measurable spiritual formation.  This goes back to my hearing the Dallas Willard podcast on the Australia trip, and connects it even further.  Ed Stetzer was sharing today and among the many things he said that were worthwhile, perhaps the most significant was, "we need to make sure we are committed to making disciples, not simply creating momentum.  The goal is disciple-making, not church planting.  Church planting is the means, but disciple-making is the goal."

After reviewing my notes and kinda getting my thoughts together, I'll post a little more information about the event and the travel and how I see this gathering helping us as we go forward from here.

The longest day ever

Okay, time changes dictated that Feb. 18th would be a 39 hour day!  It started at 6 am Brisbane time (3pm Tuesday eastern time) and after 33 hours of flying, laying over, going through customs, flying some more, getting caught in delay in Chicago, finally leaving Chicago after midnight, landing at 1am, seeing Drew Brees (QB from New Orleans Saints) in the baggage claim area and realizing he was on our flight from Chicago, finding out my bag was lost, finally leaving the airport at 2am, driving back to pick up my car at Church at the Crossing, and making my way through blowing snow to Pendleton, I finally arrived home at 3am.  It took about 1/2 hour to wind down a bit and get to sleep.  And then...it was time to get back to work again this morning at 9:30am.  

I'm sure it will take a few days to get fully recovered.  And if you don't like flying, a trip like this is probably not all that exciting to think about.  But even though it was only a week, and even though the travel was extremely long, this was still the trip of a lifetime, and I will look forward to the next opportunity to be with my new friends in Australia and to take Carlotta and Camden along.

This weekend is Camden's birthday party in Elizabethtown, and then on Monday I'm flying to Atlanta with the Crosspoint team and a couple of guys on our launch team for a church planting conference.  I'll post a blog from there on Monday about highlights and where Catalyst is headed.

Feb. 17th

Got up and enjoyed seeing the girls off to school.  Went for another swim/surf at Burleigh beach, just down the coast from Surfers.  The waves were huge but not so choppy.  I really enjoyed it, but the salt was killing my eyes, so I didn’t spend as much time in the surf today.  We had our second go around of fish and chips (it’s the UK/Aussie standard like our hamburgers) and then after getting about 30 minutes of Skype time with Carlotta, we worked on filling a pool for the Ravells, changed the tire on the rental car, and then made our way back to Surfer’s for some souvenir shopping. 

 

After our shopping, which was pretty unsuccessful except for a few items, we had dinner with the Blacks and Ravells at the Phil and Marleta’s house.  We had a great visit, caught up on the story of the Church of God in Australia, and it was great that Phil and Marleta and Jeanine just poured into me some great insight and things to keep in mind from their experiences.  One thing I know for sure…Catalyst needs a Phil and Marleta!  Got in and packed up a bit, didn’t sleep hardly at all and then it was time to get on the way toward home.

Feb. 16th

Tried to stay out of the way while the family got ready for the day.  Today Tim, Andrew and I made the 1.5 hour journey up to the mountains, a place called the Hinterlands.  The day started with me driving.  I should talk for a minute about this. I’ve driven here several times, including today up in the mountains.  I thought driving on the left hand side of the road and the right hand side of the car would be totally difficult.  It’s actually been rather fun.  Three or four things you have to know.  1.  The turn signal and windshield wipers are switched, so you have to get used to that and you turn your wipers on a lot.  2.  Pay attention to who has the right of way in the roundabouts.  Answer, probably not you!  Remember, everything goes to the left, so the slow lane on the motorway is on the left, the exit ramps are on the left, just everything is backwards you know.  3.  Using the rearview mirror is so hard because it too is facing the other direction.  And 4.  Backing up is also complex, again thinking backwards.  But yesterday I pulled off the unthinkable, a perfect parallel park (left side of the road)!  I am officially ready for Australian driving, although I still am a little confused sometimes with driving around town in Pacific Pines.

 

Okay so we drive up these mountains.  And it was a very nerve-racking experience, because there are one lane sections, hairpin curves, and oh by the way, your looking down a 500 ft cliff!  So you take it slowly, give way to the buses and after driving for 40 minutes, you make it back into town.  But O’Reilly’s, where we went yesterday, is on top of this mountain.  And so we took about a 3 hour hike around the mountain to a nice waterfall.  At the waterfall I almost died.  I slipped and began falling, but caught myself on a ledge about 2 ft down.  Andrew however, did not see said ledge, and thought my head was going to be dashed on the rocks below.  I think he was much more scared even than I was.

 

There were incredible views and just it was an incredible place all around.  We made our way home and got pizza for the family meal, which we enjoyed.  Got my first smell of vegemite (which was completely disgusting) as well as some Australian snacks.  Also we went up to the water tower for a view of the stars and the Surfer’s Paradise skyline.  It was awesome.  If I lived here I know I’d be up there 2-3 times per week.  Just about the time we got back from the skyline view, I hit the wall and basically fell asleep immediately.

Feb. 15th

The day started with a painful reminder of how out of shape I’ve quickly become.  I woke up about 5:45 am and attempted to go back to sleep for about 1hr. 15.  Tim had asked me a couple of days ago if I’d be interested in walking/running with him.  I said yes, not because I really wanted to, but because a) no one likes to walk/run alone and b) I felt I should exercise, even though I don’t want to exercise.  So at 7am we went for a jog/walk.  It was the first day the sun was actually out, and even though it wasn’t hot yet, it was plenty warm.  Now David lives in a neighborhood built into the hills.  As a matter of fact, just up from his home is a severely steep incline.  It was this incline that we attempted to ascend while jogging.  I made it to the top, and jogged most of the way.  Never has my heart pounded that far out of my chest or my breath so escaped me!  We walked/jogged for about 35 minutes, and then after a few minutes rest, took a little hop on the trampoline. 

 

Got a chance to talk with Carlotta via videoSkype and saw she and Camden.  That makes it an especially great day, especially since we got to use the thing I bought for her before leaving and the technology worked well. 

 

We went to the beach at Surfer’s Paradise.  Spectacular.  Paradise is not a word which should be thrown around willy-nilly.  Whoever named this place got it right!  The beaches are spectacular, the surf is intense, and the people are very friendly and laid back.  Phil went with us to the beach.  You know you’re in a great place when you can go to the beach in the morning and be part of church at 4pm.  If only this were available in Pendleton! 

 

We returned home for lunch and a quick shower then it was off to setup for the worship service.  Journey’s first baptism was held today, so we had to setup and fill a small family-size swimming pool.  We started the load-in at about 2:15p and the service began about 4pm.  It was very relaxed, very enjoyable.  You can see the passion in David even as he prepares for the weekend experiences.  He told Tim as he carried boxes from his garage (because the trailer has not arrived yet) “this is what I live for.” 

 

After the service and the load-out we all returned to David and Jeanine’s for fish and chips and just a time to visit.  I really think that living in closer proximity to our new friends here would be great.  Maybe David will need a Yank for a church planter at one of the next sites here in Australia!  Still tired early in the evenings, so went to bed around 10.

Feb. 14th

Slept 10 hours.  It was good rest.  Still a little tired when I got up this morning.   We went into Surfer’s Paradise and got a chance to see what are regarded as the best beaches in the world.  Even in the rain we saw these incredible para-surfers, riding boards, flipping and flying through the air while managing to hang on to a giant parachute.  It was truly amazing.  We also saw where the Indy Car race took place annually on the streets of Surfer’s for several years.  Its just an awesome city.  I can’t wait for a time to bring Carlotta and Camden back here.

 

One of the great things about spending time with Australians is the incredible euphemisms you learn as part of the conversation.  They just have a way of saying certain things, making references to certain things, with terms that are so unique, so funny, yet so normal here.  Of course we heard references to blokes, the standard Australian term for a man.  We also heard about “chunder” (vomiting) and about people who “crack a nana” or “spit the dummy.”  Both mean a person who is kinda throwing a tantrum.  You also quickly begin to recognize that some words that are natural parts of American English reference not so honorable things in Australian English.  Case in point, the use of fanny vs. bum. 

 

I also got to go with David to see the meeting location where Journey gathers.  It’s a great location, prepared for expansion and right in the center of town.  Everyone who lives here knows where the community center is, and that’s where they meet.

 

Had a great dinner with Phil and Marleta, Josh and Laura and the Ravell Family.  (Add more tomorrow)  It was a joy to share great Indian food and laugh around the table.  Over the course of the day we talked about a variety of different subjects, including Australian/American politics.  It’s quite interesting to hear what the perceptions of 
non-Americans are about American life.  It’s also interesting how centrally focused we are as compared to the broad perspective of other nations non-Americans have.  These trips are also just a great reminder that distance and different languages, cultures and ethnicities do not change the fact that we are all the same.  It makes me wonder so often why we as humans long to fight with one another so much.  It’s probably because we neglect to realize that we are all the same with the same needs, desires, hopes and longings and it truly is God through Christ that somehow unites us all together.

Feb. 13th

I’ve never been this tired, this sleep deprived, in my life.  We arrived at David and Jeanine’s home at around 2:30 pm and it took everything I could do to keep myself awake until 8pm, simply attempting to align myself sleep-wise with Australia time. 

Brisbane is a cool city.  We drove into downtown to walk around a bit, and find some lunch, and we also were looking for some free wireless internet access (which apparently doesn’t happen here).  We also got the experience of the whole opposite side of the road/opposite side of the car driving.  And let me say, I was glad Tim drove first, in part because I was so tired, I’m not sure my brain could even process the differences.  Not good when all the exit lanes are on the left, and your turn signal and windshield wiper controls are all reversed.  Thankfully, your accelerator and gas pedal are the same as in the U.S. 

 

David and Jeanine are just the friendly and welcoming people I expected they’d be.  They have three lovely young daughters, Bethany (14), Hanna (12?) and Sarah (9).  It’s going to be a joy getting to know them all and quite fun getting to hang out and be part of their lives on their home turf these next few days. 

 

David talked a bit about the culture of Australia and the nature of church planting here.  He said that for many, church has been out of their life equations for maybe three generations, since the 1950s.  This has led to lots of questions about God, but fewer venues to explore the answers to those questions.  This in connection with a significant suburban development boom has afforded Journey a great opportunity not only to launch a new church, but even further, to consider a multi-site model which could really be significant down the road.

 

I’m sure I’ll know more about this in the days ahead, but right now I think my brain has processed all it can.  I laid down for two minutes and could barely stay awake.

Feb. 12th

This will literally be the shortest day of my life.  I think we got like 7 hours from when we took off in California to when we crossed the date line.  Now granted we make up for it on the way back, with like a 41 hour day on Feb. 18^th!  On the flight I listened to some discussion between Bill Hybels and Dallas Willard.  Unknowingly, this was a podcast about discipleship/spiritual formation.  And as I was playing a game when it came on I almost forwarded past it.  But I stuck with it, and for Catalyst it may be one of the most valuable teachings I’ve heard ever.  Strategically it very much will help with our movement mission, as he talked a lot about just several things that I must keep in mind as we move forward as a church in terms of our strategy, our teaching and the expectations we have of people as we move forward.  We also met a great young man named Matt, a Mormon from San Francisco who sat between Tim and me on the flight to Sydney.  We didn’t delve deeply into the differences in our faith expressions/understandings.  But we did talk about several serious life things, like his real estate job change and family life.  His parents are serving a mission in Brisbane during their retirement years.  Maybe being a disciple is as much about the conversations we don’t have now as it is the ones we do.  Maybe we should have been more forward, more divisive, about the disconnections between our beliefs.  I felt like however that maybe we made a friend, and that maybe that’s how you have opportunities to show that we followers of Jesus are not all judgmental and visceral and coarse in our correction.  Maybe I’m still over-thinking some of this.

Feb. 11th

Here we go with another long trip leaving Carlotta.  These trips are always a mixed blessing because even though I can’t believe the opportunities I’ve had to go exotic places all over the world, I always feel bad that she cannot come along.  I wish financially that we were in a position to bring her with me to these places.  Unfortunately, life circumstances at least in the context of the last two trips weren’t going to make it possible anyway, with her being pregnant while I was in Africa and now with Camden at home during this trip to Australia.

 

I’m really not sure what to expect from this trip, partially because the leadup has been so busy and intense, and partly because I’ve never taken a trip with fewer “spiritual” responsibilities.  It’s really just a fun experience to interact with David, see a new perspective, meet some new people and see the other side of the world.  I’m certain that God will have other things in mind for this experience, so we will just have to wait and see what those are. 

I'm Tired

I came home from New Orleans 15 days ago.  It was a great trip.  Taught 4x this weekend at CATC.  (Here's a link to the message if you're interested  http://www.churchatthecrossing.org/Portals/0/sermons/02_08_09.mp3)  Wednesday I leave for a week for Brisbane, Australia.  I can honestly say that there won't have been a day off, completely work free, since about January 14th.  I'll get back from Australia early Thursday am on 2/19, take a trip to Kentucky on Friday morning, get home late Saturday, have an important meeting on Sunday at Church at the Crossing, and then come home and maybe get a little rest before a 7am flight to Atlanta the next morning.  I think we've hit the busy season of Church planting, and by busy season I mean...the next twelve months!  No complaints, just a reality that that list of a million things I've jokingly referenced a few times still has a handful of items to complete.  

My hope is that Sabbath counts on planes, too.  That though the temptation to plug in headphones and just work til I drop or the planes wheels touch down on the other side of the world is a real possibility, that these few days away really need to be a few days away from "the list."  

On another note, we have a new ministry partner here at Catalyst Church.  His name is Nate Wiebe, he's a student at Anderson University's School of Theology.  He spent the past 5 years in Guam, and he's going to be working with me in learning the church planting ropes this semester (and hopefully beyond).  

We're also gearing up to start our small group ministry, Thursday March 5th at our house.  If you're in the area any Thursday evening, you're always welcome to stop in.  Actually, that goes for pretty much anytime, but some days, Thursday's the only day I can guarantee I'll be here.  

One last note, I am going to be setting up an additional office at Indiana Ministries.  They've got an open office space and are allowing me to use that.  My cellphone is my primary contact, but if you can't find me anywhere else, leave me a message there!  

That's about all the cognitive function I have left for this past two weeks...tomorrow we reload and start up again.

I said I was done but I will give you an update about meeting location.  I have got the process started with the school, and now am looking forward to getting this rolling with even more momentum in the next ...well tomorrow!  And, we overhauled the website a little bit.  Take a look and let me know what you think.  http://www.exit14church.org

Chris