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Haiti – Missions Trip

Many from the church have been asking how Calvary is going to respond the catastrophe in Haiti.  One way is that we will continue our support of Convoy of Hope, who is already in Haiti distributing food and water.  Another way we are going to respond is by sending a missions team to help in the relief effort.

The details are a little sketchy right now, but we are looking to go to Haiti in late February or early March.  We will be partnering with some of our missionaries who are currently there, along with Convoy of Hope, and assisting in any way we can.  We will most likely be distributing food and water, helping with the cleanup efforts, and partnering with local churches to minister to people in a variety of ways.

If you are interested in being a part of this team please contact me (pastorjamie@lynnfield-ccc.org) or Pastor Clark (pastorclark@lynnfield-ccc.org).  We will be having a orientation meeting for those interested on Sunday, January 24th at 5:00 pm in Room 214 at the church.

If you are not able to be a part of this trip, but would like to support those who are going, please see Pastor Clark or myself about that as well.

And certainly pray for the people of Haiti.

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Record Breaking Weekend

We had a record breaking Sunday this past weekend at Calvary.  This past Sunday there were 986 people in church, which is the highest attended non-Easter weekend service in Calvary’s history.  What made it ever more exciting for me was that out of the 986, 230 were children.   230 kids is obviously more children than I could keep track of myself, so I am so thankful to the dozens of children’s workers that made this past weekend as great as it was for every child.

Looking forward to some more record breaking weeks in 2010!

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Playing on One Buttock

I am not a musician. I have, however, had the privilege of knowing several gifted musicians throughout my life.  Those gifted musicians I know have many differences (different instruments & styles of music), but one thing I notice they have in common is that they all play with emotion.

I read recently that Benjamin Zander, long time conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, encourages his musicians to become “One Buttock Players.” He doesn’t believe that you can truly convey music by simply playing it musically correct, you have to play it with emotion as well.  And when musicians play with emotion quite often you will see them rocking back and forth from one buttock to the other…thus becoming one buttock musicians.

To be a great musician takes emotion. In fact, no matter what your field is, it will take emotion to be great. If all your doing is going to work, punching the clock, sitting around waiting for it to be time to leave, how successful do you think you will be?  But, if you bring emotion, intensity, eagerness and determination to your job what can be accomplished then?

The same principle applies to your family, to your relationship with God, and to your personal life.  If you want to be successful in those areas you have to go after them with emotion as well.  If you want to see your marriage improve, you can’t be content to sit in front of the TV every night.  If you want your relationship with God to improve you can’t be okay with simply sitting on a pew each Sunday.

What do you think would happen in your job, your family, your relationship with God, if you went from being a two buttock to one buttock player? What do you think would happen if you gave it everything you got and held nothing back?

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The Jesus Storybook Bible

If you have been looking for a great children’s Bible one you will want to check out is The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name.  I was introduced to this Bible a year, or so, ago by a CCC’er who absolutely loves it.   I think I have read through most of it now, and I love it as well.  The Bible is designed for children ages 4-7, has wonderful illustrations and does a masterful job of showing Jesus as the story beneath all the stories in the Bible.

I am sure there are many places you can pick a copy up, but they sell for $13.00 on www.christianbook.com.

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Appendix 5

I just finished reading Jim Collins’ new book How the Mighty Fall and it was a great read.  There were lots of excellent points in the book, but weirdly the part I loved the most was the fifth appendix.  In the 5th appendix Collin’s discusses how to pick the right people for your team. He comes up with six characteristics.  In his words, pared down a bit…

1. The right people fit the company’s core values. People often ask, ‘How do we get people to share our core values?’  The answer: you don’t.  You hire people who already have a predisposition to your core values, and hang on to them.

2. The right people don’t need to be tightly managed. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you might have made a hiring mistake.

3. The right people understand that they do not have “jobs”; they have responsibilities. The right people can complete the statement, “I am the only person ultimately responsible for…”

4. The right people fulfill their commitments. In a culture of discipline, people view commitments as sacred-they do what they say, without complaint.

5. The right people are passionate about the company and its work. Nothing happens without passion, and the right people display remarkable intensity.

6. The right people display “window and mirror” maturity. When things go well, the right people point out the window, giving credit to factors other than themselves…yet when things go awry…they point in the mirror and say, “I’m responsible.”

For any team to be successful, you have to have the right people on the bus.  These are six great characteristics to look for when hiring, or looking for volunteers.

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13 Years

Becky and I were back in Missouri for Christmas and I had intended on writing a few posts from the Midwest, but spending time with family came first.  So, I am just now getting around to reflecting on some experiences from growing up in Troy, Missouri.

First thought…Sometimes you only get 13 years.  I went to a fairly average high school. There were around 200 kids in my graduating class.  Most of those I graduated with transferred into the school system at some point or another, but there were a few, like me, that completed their entire education in Troy.  Not many, but a few of us toughed it out from kindergarten all the way through our senior year together.

Here is the sad part.  As important as my faith in Christ was to me growing up, I can actually think of some of those kids that I went to school with for 13 years that I never talked to about Christ.  Never mind the hundreds that I knew for shorter amounts of time, there were actually kids that I knew for 13 years that I never once talked to about my faith!

Perhaps a few saw that I lived my life a little differently.  Several of them probably knew that I was the president of my school’s Bible club.  Maybe 20 of them had to listen to my speeches in English class that I chose to give on God & the Christian faith.  But I messed up, as I never took the chance to personally share with them what was the most important aspect of my life.  And now, the chance I had to tell them is gone.

Sometimes you only get 13 years….sometimes less. I had 13 years, kindergarten through 12th grade.  You may only have a few years of working with someone before they take a new job.  Or 4 years together at college.  Will you miss the opportunities liked I did to share what is most important to you?

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Shepherds & Teams

One passage in the Bible that I always struggled to understand is Luke 15.  It is where Jesus tells a story of a reportedly good shepherd who is in charge of 100 sheep.  One of the sheep goes astray, and because this shepherd’s love for his sheep he is willing to leave the 99 to go search for the one wanderer.

What I always found hard to understand was how this shepherd could be counted as a loving shepherd.  Sure, to the one lost sheep he is loving, but what about to the 99 he left unguarded and out for wolves, jackals, hyenas, thieves, or whatever else to come and get?  To me this never seemed like a good shepherd, it always seemed like a neglegent one.  That was until I learned more about shepherds.

I never knew that the most sheep any one shepherd can handle by himself is about 50.  Once a shepherd has more than 50 sheep he has to go and find an assistant to help him.  Someone from the first century who heard Jesus tell this story would know this.  They would know that the story implies the shepherd didn’t leave the 99 out vulnerable to go search for the one, rather he entrusted the 99 to the care of his unmentioned assistant.   To put it another way, shepherding is a team effort.  It can’t be done alone, at least not without neglecting some of the sheep from time to time.

Which highlights the value of teams in the church.  I am privileged to work at an amazing church with a top-notch team of people.  However, despite all the gifts and talents each person on our team possesses, none of us by ourselves could meet all the needs of our church.  Together though we are able to do a pretty bang-up job.  It is true at Calvary, and it is true in every other church as well….In caring for the church, we can’t do it alone, at least not without neglecting some of the sheep from time to time.

The problem is so many people try to do it by themselves.  They are afraid to trust others, or to delegate responsibility.  The result is that when they have to go take care of the one, they neglect the 99.  That is why it is so important to be bringing people along with you.  To always be building up a team.  To always be recruiting.  To always be pouring into others.   To always be mentoring someone else.  Without a good team to back you up, you will always be less effective than what you could be.

What about you?  Are you building a team to help you with what God has called you to do? If not, what do you see happening to the 99, when you have to go after the one?

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Heading West for Christmas

Pretty excited to be heading to Missouri with Becky and Jack for Christmas.  Both Becky and I grew up in Missouri, and our families are still there.  So, every year we take some time to travel back West to see them, and it is always a great time.  This year I am looking forward to spending some quality time loved ones, baking some Christmas cookies, riding some 4-wheelers, taking some down time to read, and just enjoying Christmas.

I am going to try to document some of my home town on this trip back, and perhaps share some of my reflections on growing up in small town Missouri here.  Stay tuned.

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The Gospel According to Scrooge

Two of my favorite events on our church calendar each year are our Christmas and Easter productions.  This years Christmas production, The Gospel According to Scrooge, was an absolute blast.  The cast and crew did an amazing job (especially Mrs. Cratchit!).  My favorite part of our Christmas production is all the new faces in the audience.  Every year during our productions we have hundreds and hundreds of people who come to visit Calvary for the first time.  Many of those people we will see back again at a regular weekend service as well.  The arts are such a great way to reach out into the community.

So appreciative of all the hard work and dedication of every person who was a part of this years Christmas production.  Again, they did an absolutely amazing job!