Stepping Out

A few months ago my oldest daughter had the opportunity to fly on a trapeze. There's a trapeze school up near my folks, and they had given her a gift certificate for her birthday. When we arrived that day for her to use it, I was shocked when I saw just how high up the starting platform was. I remember thinking that she was going to be pretty scared once she got up there, even more so when the leaders told us that we were not allowed to go up with her. I mean, she's only 8 years old. And yet, she climbed up the stairway, sat down on the ledge, got hooked in, and with hardly a hesitation at all, off she flew. How awesome to see her sailing back and forth, screaming with a mixture of fear and glee. By the third time, she was trying to do a flip, and all the fear was gone. When I asked her afterwards if she was scared, she said "of course". "But you jumped right off!", I replied. "I was scared, but they told me to 'go!', so I went...and it was great!", was her reply to me. That simple..."go!"..."so I went...and it was great!". Guess who got a gift certificate of his own for Christmas after remarking it looked like fun? I have a feeling that my hesitation will be a bit more prolonged than my daughter's.

This past Sunday the congregation I serve decided to choose faithfulness over fear. After a year of intentional and prayerful visioning by the Church Council, the congregation was asked to approve a budget that would carry that new vision forward. It is a budget that does not make a whole lot of business sense, meaning the projected expenses are lot more than our actual income was for this past year (and for what our projected income is for next year according to our pledges). In a business world, it is a $45,000 deficit budget. In our church world, it is a $45,000 faith budget that we have committed to "Pray It In". There was no mass hysteria at the meeting that clouded people's minds. There was certainly the realization that this is a big number, and that saying yes to this budget was indeed scary. But there was an even greater realization that we are called to be faithful to what God calls us to, and that He is bigger than a number. So we cling to the promise that He will provide for our needs. Deficit vs. Faith...semantics? I think not.

God has called us to "Go!". We're scared, but we've pushed off of the ledge, grabbing onto that trapeze tightly. May our great God replace our fear with exhilaration, as we discover the joy that comes from being faithful and soaring upon His Spirit. Who knows, maybe next year, we'll be ready to even try a flip.

Perfect and Beautiful

It was an exhausting weekend.

WinterFest brings together 425 (or so) youth and adult counselors from around the East Coast for a weekend of experiential worship, seminars and fellowship. It's an honor and privilege to be the co-planner and co-leader of the weekend. Although it always takes a lot out of me (from which it seems to take me longer and longer to recover from each year), it always puts more back into me than it takes. This year was no exception.


Our speaker, Rev. Judy Howard-Peterson, Campus Pastor at North Park University in Chicago, was a great mix of challenge and edification. My lasting impression is her challenge to find the "perfect and beautiful" in our situations, in those we cross paths with, and in ourselves. That is a theme that has always resonated deep within me, and her willingness to share part of her story of loss (she has had 7 miscarriages) while yet finding the "perfect and beautiful" was a real gift to all of us.



Our Artist-in-Residence for the weekend was Kelly Kennedy of Art and Souls Ministry. Kelly is an amazingly talented potter who used the medium of her art to enhance our worship experiences, and used the meatphor of clay and artist in ways that revealed the depth of our relationship with our God, who molds and makes us as He wills, and as we allow Him. It was powerful imagery that connected well. Her assistant Susie was a joy to be around, and is gifted in the arts in her own right.



Matt Lundgren, Pastor and Worship Leader at Willow Creek Church in IL sat in with the worship band for the weekend, and led a great seminar on using gifts in worship leading. His gentle spirit, natural wisdom for flows of worship, and all around good nature is infectious. I wish I could be around him more often and on a regular basis. To be able to play my guitar with him in the same band is just a blast. Willow Creek is blessed to have him.



6 adults came along from my church. Each one being perfect and beautiful in their own right. They're willingness to give up their time for our students frees me up to lead and plan the weekend. Every good pastor who works with youth knows the value of good, solid, faithful volunteers. I am rich in them.



But when it comes to perfect and beautiful, it is our youth here at church that spring to my mind. Watching them worship and play and tease and enjoy this past weekend was amazing. One day they will be our lay leaders and our pastors. The Church is surely in good hands, for they are perfect and beautiful, as is our great and grace-filled God.