A pink folding chair, a rainbow umbrella, and a rained out movie

To celebrate the coming of Summer and to take advantage of an extra day of the weekend, my family and I headed up to the Mall of Georgia for their free outdoor movie…Paul Blart: Mall Cop. We knew it was going to rain, but the weathermen said it would rain at 7pm, dry up (only a 15% chance of rain) for several hours, then rain again after 10pm. It was going to be great.

So, we hit the TGI Friday’s dinner deal ($5 sandwiches and $5 salads during the month of May) and then made our way over to the lawn. A cover band was entertaining the crowd with some 70’s, 80’s and 90’s music…they were pretty good, I guess. We picked some spots, settled in, and relaxed while we waited for the movie. My wife and oldest daughter decided to hit the shops in the mall (no “free” movie is ever “free”)…and I and the other two kids stayed outside to guard our spots. About a half hour later, it started raining lightly…not enough to make us leave, but enough to make us get out the umbrellas. It was actually kind of fun to sit out there and watch a band in the rain…and that’s when it happened.

Have you ever been doing something, and then caught yourself in a reflection…only to realize how ridiculous you actually look? While sitting there looking at my kids in their little chairs covered in their umbrellas, I caught a glimpse of my appearance…that of a 300 pound man slumped down in a pink folding chair, holding a rainbow “Justice” umbrella, in the middle of a relatively empty lawn. I must have been quite a sight.

The movie cranked up just before 9:00pm and then we became some of the luckiest people on earth…we became part of the 15%…it started raining…hard. We wound up seeing about 20 minutes of the movie amidst the onslaught of a heavy downpour before we finally gave up, called it a night, and headed home. Were we frustrated? Absolutely not…we had so much fun as a family…laughing…and getting drenched. Would we change anything about the night? Not at all…well, maybe the umbrella.

Changes…and the chaos of dealing with them.

Has anything in your life ever changed?  Is it always easy?  Or is it sometimes a little chaotic?

And how do you deal with it when the change is going from something good to something even better?  I mean, if all change was from bad to good, life would be easy.

But sometimes, things aren’t so cut and dry…sometimes, change is the process of chaos trying to fit into harmony…confusion trying to fit into comprehension…craziness trying to fit into normal.  Have you ever been there?  And, how did you handle it?

Just wondering.

-Craig Story

Time passes…memories fade…important things are forgotten.

It’s been over a month since I posted anything to the blog…and I almost forgot my password to log on. Have you noticed how quickly you can forget things when you don’t have regular contact with them?

How many times do you forget a username or password to an online account or website that you seldom visit?
How easy is it to forget the names of people in your company that you only see at the annual leadership training events?
Have you ever forgotten a simple math concept that you learned in 6th grade or a 3rd grade spelling word, simply because you haven’t used either in decades?

And what about spiritual things?…Have you ever forgotten what God’s “voice” sounds like because you haven’t pursued him consistently in a while?

Any feeling like this is uncomfortable and hard to deal with. We like to be in control. We like to know what’s going on…or at least appear like we do. And when time passes…memories fade…or important things are forgotten…we simply feel out of touch and left behind.

Consistency is one of my most difficult struggles in life. I can do anything for a few weeks or months (blog, lose weight, demonstrate patience with my children, etc.)…but then other things get in the way and time passes…memories fade…and important things are forgotten.

My prayer for you and for me is that we will consistently seek God’s kingdom first…if for no other reason than to keep His “voice” fresh in our minds. Forgetting an account password is no big deal. Forgetting the character of our Heavenly Father or the plans that he has for our lives…that’s a much bigger problem.

DC, Williamsburg, and everything in between

We just got back from an eight day road trip to Washington DC and Williamsburg.  It was an incredible trip that reminded me very well how much of this incredible country there really is to see.  After 3 days of seeing the capital, we saw what may total to 1% of what there is to see.

We breezed into town on Friday (the day after Christmas) and stopped at Arlington National Cemetery to watch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.  The inscription on the tomb hit me hard as we watched this ceremony in silence: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”  A man that I will never meet (and that is unknown to this day) died so I could be free…truly an awesome experience to witness.

On Saturday, we hit the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Archives, the National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Memorial.  Amazing.

Sunday, we ran by the National History Museum, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, and Union Station.  More reminders of all that has happened in this country in the last several centuries.

On Monday, we travelled to Williamsburg, ate dinner with one of my cousins, and settled into the hotel for the night.  Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited the Williamsburg sites, and spent lots of time with family in anticipation of my cousin’s wedding on Wednesday afternoon.

It was a great wedding, a fun New Year’s eve time with family, and a long car trip home.

Basically, we took a week and saw some things as a family that everyone should see.  And we didn’t even scratch the surface of all that we could experience in those two cities…much less all the cities in between here and there…much less this country…much less the amazing world that God has created.

My point is this…if you ever have a chance to experience something that you’ve never experienced before…take it.  Our world is much too big and wonderous to remain unexplored.

Have a great 2009!

Recognizing a new leader

Yesterday at Church At The Grove was an awesome Sunday as we “ordained” Nathan Boyd.  In title, that means he can now put “Rev.” in front of his name if he wants to.  In position, not much has changed.  In job responsibilities, everything has remained the same.  In fact, the biggest change that happens during ordination is one that can’t be seen…we have now officially added accountability for God’s Church on to Nathan’s shoulders.

Why would anyone in their right mind choose to add extra accountability/responsibility on to themselves?  The best answer is that Nathan didn’t choose this…God did.  Over the last several years, God has been growing, stretching, challenging, and maturing Nathan to the point that he was ready to officially do what he has been doing unofficially for years…lead.  Pray for him as he leads people (Church at the Grove-ers and others) to follow Jesus and make disciples.  Pray for him as he gets married this coming weekend and begins to lead a family.  And, pray for him as he continues to allow God to lead him.

It was an honor to be part of recognizing a new leader.

God, keep Nathan focused on you, holy before you, humbly submitted to you, and broken by you.  Then, use him in incredible ways to be part of your amazing plan.

I have a secret codename, too. But I’m not telling what it is.

Alright, so President-elect Obama, his wife, and his kids have now been given their secret service code names.  If you would like to know what they are, you only need to look at one of the front page articles on Yahoo entitled “The Renegade is loose.  We repeat, the Renegade is loose.“ 

It’s funny how secret things are revealed so easily.

 

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not…but it is the way things are.  No matter what’s in your life, it will eventually be revealed.  An economic crisis reveals how you’ve handled your money in secret.  A promotion at work reveals how you’ve handled your job in secret.  A major life-change reveals how you’ve handled your marriage in secret.  The second most powerful internet search engine reveals what your secret service code name is.  And on and on it goes.  In other words, all of our secret things (good or bad) will eventually be revealed.

With that in mind, I hope we are all living our lives accordingly.  I hope we are waking up each day and trying to fill our lives with good secrets – secret generosity toward a hurting family, secret prayers with a holy God, secret acts of service in the community.  One day, these things will be revealed along with every thing else in our lives.  I hope the “reveal” is a good one for each of us.

Until that point, stay focused on “honoring God and obeying his commands, for this is all that we must do” (King Solomon).  I’ll see you Sunday at Church At The Grove.

 

P.S.  I have a secret codename, too.  But, I’m not telling what it is.

“Give us a king!!!”

That was the cry of the people of Israel to the God who had shown himself to be faithful to them in every situation.  God was their leader.  The people had relied on Him.  He had constantly provided.  It was a pretty awesome relationship…and one that was completely unlike anything that anyone had ever experienced before.  The Israelites were blessed.  And, how did they respond?

“God, give us a king!!!”

Basically, they told God they were tired of His leadership.  They no longer wanted to rely on a God that they couldn’t see.  They could no longer rely on one another.  And, they no longer relied on themselves.  They wanted a leader – a human leader – to guide them, direct them, control them, provide for them, and protect them.

“God, give us a king!!!”

God explained that there perspective was warped.  They couldn’t see the whole picture.  They didn’t know that a human leader would actually wind up leading them away from God.  They didn’t realize that relying on man was a bad idea.

“God, give us a king!!!”

And what did God do?  He relented.  He backed down.  He stopped trying to convince them.  He let them make their own decision.  He let them mess things up.  Out of His love for the people, He allowed them to make a stupid decision.

“God, give us a king!!!”

And, so they got one…Saul…a man whose heart was divided…pleasing God was important…so was pleasing man.  The people got everything they wanted…and their relationship with God suffered…their reliance on Him waned…life became a struggle.  God (to their surprise) had been right.

 

 

As the final polls close on the West Coast, I wonder if the people of the United States of America have spent the last 50-60 years learning how to rely on human leaders and turning away from the leadership of God.  I wonder if we have repeatedly asked for politicians to guide us, direct us, control us, provide for us, and protect us.  And, as a result of our constant requests, I wonder if God finally allowed us the opportunity to choose one of two candidates to be our “king”…knowing all along that neither one is best for us…knowing that we’ve left the leadership of God…knowing that our cries for a human leader would not cease until we’ve finally put people in government that could “take care of all of our problems.”

Was I worried about this presidential election?  No.  In my opinion, neither candidate was the right choice (not because of who they are, but because of who we are). 

Am I worried about our country?  Yes.  In my opinion, we have forgotten what the United States of America was and should be.  We started well, but ever since our humble beginnings 232 years ago, we have cried out, “God, give us a king!!!”  And now, the government as a whole – Repbulicans and Democrats / Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches / Conservatives and Liberals / Federal, State, and Local – is our king.

What will tomorrow hold?  I have no idea.  God is still in control…but in many ways, I think we are on our own…just like we “wanted” to be.  In fact, we’ve gotten everything we wanted…and now we will begin to realize what that really means.

Pray for our leaders…each and every one of them.  Commit to once again rely on God.  Resist the temptation to rely on one human leader, or two, or even several hundred working in a city halfway up the Eastern coastline.  And, resist the temptation to attack these leaders…they are only doing what we’ve asked them to do…it’s true that they are “misguided”…but it is our fault for steering them incorrectly.

Now, get some sleep, and rest easy in the fact that God is still in control…some way…somehow…God is still in control.

Environments Affect Actions

Last week, my family and I went to Disney World and had an amazing time.  Eight days away from home, Seven nights in Orlando, Six days in the parks.  It was awesome.

We rode some great roller coasters (props to the Imagineers for Expedition Everest…great ride, guys), got soaked on Kali River Rapids, were blown away by the shows, amazed at the parades, and truly welcomed by some of the 50,000+ employees of Disney World.  I made some memories with my kids and my wife that I will enjoy for a long time.

One of the most vivid memories from my trip, though, had little to do with my family…it actually took place in the deep end of the swimming pool (very cold swimming pool) at the hotel where we stayed.  I took my kids down to the pool on Wednesday morning while Amy took a break and headed to an outlet mall a few miles away.  When we arrived, their was only one other family at the pool…with two kids huddled up under their towels, a mom trying to enjoy a book in the one part of the pool deck that wasn’t shaded, and a dad that was gliding through the pool like an Olympic Swimmer.  It quickly became obvious that this was not the guy’s first time working out in the pool with a hundred laps or so.  He swam effortlessly from one end to the other.  It was natural…comfortable…and well-suited for this guy.  After twenty or thirty minutes of on-stop swimming, the gentleman headed toward the shallow end and slowly made his way up the stairs where he grabbed his crutches and carefully walked/hobbled back to the hotel room with his family.

As he headed toward the lobby, his body jerked and shuffled and wobbled with each step.  His legs were essentially useless to him…with only slight movement in one knee while the other leg acted as nothing more than a third crutch.  He was almost completely crippled from the waist down.  Life outside of the water was difficult…a sharp contrast to his life in the water that I had been observing for nearly half an hour.

When I left the pool that morning, I was challenged by what I saw…challenged to create environments where people could feel comfortable…where life was “easy” and “effortless”…where people could escape their broken realities for a little while.  The next time you show up on Sunday morning, take a few seconds in the parking lot to consider who might be showing up that morning.  You never know when someone might spiritually “hobble” through the front door looking for a place to “explore faith” a little bit…looking for an environment where they can be comfortable and take some time to understand the steps in their spiritual journeys…looking for a place to “swim” in the incredible presence of a holy God.

Then, as you walk into Youth Middle School, figure out how YOU can help make that environment a welcoming place for the broken people all around us.  You will be amazed at who will show up for a morning like that.

Yesterday was awesome

Go ahead and mark your calendars for October 3, 2009, because yesterday was awesome.  I headed down to the Friendship Festival in Social Circle to help out around there.  I got a chance to meet the mayor, the Better Hometown committee folks, the School Board Superintendent, a bunch of key volunteers in the community, and hundreds of awesome people that make Social Circle a great place.  They’ll do it again next year, and I would love to have 20 of us there all day long to help out…so mark your calendars.

Also, I was reading in Exodus this morning…you’ve got to check this verse out:

“Are there any gods like you, LORD?

There are no gods like you.

You are wonderfully holy,

amazingly powerful,

a worker of miracles.”

-Exodus 15:15

Moses knew the God that he followed.  He expressed that knowledge through his worship.  Do you know the God that you follow?  How do you express that?

Well,  I gotta run…I’m heading up to YMS to set up for Church At The Grove and I’ve got to be there in 10 minutes.  See you soon!

Item #28 on my list

So, I started the weekend with 38 items on my To Do list.  Amy and the kids were in Florida with Amy’s college roommate and her three kids.  They were having a blast and enjoying some great weather, beautiful water, and lots of laughs.  Meanwhile, I had decided that this was going to be a “Get Stuff Done” weekend for me…in fact I was going to attempt to get 38 things done.  I’m not there yet…in fact I won’t finish…but I got pretty close.  Welcome to Item #28 : “Update Blog.”

It’s been a crazy month since I started as the Grad Coach at YMS.  I’m loving every minute of it (well 95% of the minutes anyway).  I get to hang out with about 200 kids in school that need a little extra encouragement and a little extra push to really live up to their potential.  I am a coach for school.  Kind of like a personal trainer…without the spandex (sorry for that visual – alright, quickly think of things like puppy dogs and sunsets).  Alright, now that the spandex image is out of all of our minds, let me tell you that I have already crossed paths with some of the most incredible teenagers you could ever meet.  Many of them have difficult challenges in their lives, but they are still incredible kids.  Many of them have lived through experiences and emotions that I will never face, but they are still willing to open up to people.  Many of them have been hurt, but deep inside they are still trying to learn to trust.  It’s an awesome place with awesome kids and overwhelming needs…pray for me as I try to be part of the story that God is writing with the lives of the YMS students.

And, let me encourage you to really seek out what God has in store for your life and your ministry in the future…it can be really awesome if you’ll look for where you fit in His story and then jump in 100%.

See you Sunday at CATGrove.  Don’t forget that we’re back to two services this weekend.  See you at 9:30am or 11:00am.  Now, on to item #29.