30/30…

I’m not all that familiar with the ins and outs of Long Island, as we’ve only visited there twice. However, I am attempting to get familiar with the area via internet browsing while I watch TV in the evening. As we speak I have the Dodgers game on in the background, while I type away.

According to various websites, the village that we’ll be living in (Garden City) is apparently only about 30 minutes from the beach and 30 minutes from “the City“… Sounds a little too good to be true! Apparently, it’s true.

Marissa and I have spent the past 4 years (for Marissa, most of her life) living along the Rocky Mountains, but have never really taken advantage of them. Our first two years in Boulder, we’d drive up to Copper and snowboard a few times a season, but other than that…we’ve remained at lower elevations.

What we’re headed to, reminds us of what we loved about Los Angeles. When Marissa and I were first married, we lived about 20 minutes from the city (in Pasadena) and about 30 minutes from Santa Monica (beach).

We really love the energy of large cities and lots of people. New York metro area has around 20 million people within a 90-minute drive. A plethora of people!

I’m also more of a beach bum than I am a mountain man. I’ve lived close to the coast a couple different times in my life, and love it! There is something therapeutic about sitting on the beach, hearing the rhythm of the waves breaking on the shore, while enjoying the sun or moon setting over the water (depending on which coast).

I’m looking forward to our 30/30 opportunity!

Furthering the Invisible…

Good Times…

Last night, we had our final Sunday night worship gathering for theClayCommunities. Marissa, Ashlyn, and I will be moving in a few weeks to pastor a church in New York.

We have spent the past two years leading this great group of people, and it’s truly been a blessing to see so many people striving after more of Christ. In a nutshell, “theClay” is a missional-incarnational ministry, basically focused on spiritual depth and evangelistic breadth. I spent most of the past 23 months encouraging the church to be externally-focused, while maintaining our number one priority of becoming disciples of Christ.

It was a bit emotional after my final talk…as I sang in the back to the musical worship led by Chris Martin and the band. Yet, I was reminded what’s great about the community of believers…we’ll forever be connected as residents in the Kingdom of God. I am excited for what the Lord has in store for each and every one of you! Remember, while the Lord may not ask you and your family to drop everything you know as secure and move across the country in obedience to His call (as he’s asked of us), you must at least “be willing” to do so. The Lord has called each and every one of us to “unconditional obedience”.

Furthering the Invisible…

Start Spreadin’ the News…

…We’re going to be a part of it… New York, New York!

We are just a few weeks away from relocating to Long Island, NY where I will serve as Senior Pastor of Valley Stream Church of the Nazarene. See my wife’s blog about our transition.

I am really pumped to see how we will be used by the Lord to reach the people of Long Island. The church we’ll be serving at, is really “one of a kind.” It is probably the most loving and friendly church we’ve ever visited, and now we’re able to bring spiritual leadership to the community. We interviewed over two different weekends in July, and really connected to the people there.

Now, it’s crunch time! It’s time to pack everything we own, and get ready to move 1800 miles away. In addition to family, we will definitely miss those we’ve had an opportunity to serve here in Denver. Emotional days are ahead of us. Please, keep us in your prayers.

Furthering the Invisible…

Fitness…

we bought a wii fit this week…after a few weeks of calling multiple stores multiple times a week to discover when the next shipment would come in (they’re hard to get in denver). It’s something we’ve had our eyes on since we bought our “nintendo wii” back in January, and we’re pumped we have one now.

one of the first things the program does, as you’re setting up a profile, is it gives you a preliminary health status (discovered from your age, weight, balance, etc). i am starting out with an “overweight” designation, which is no big surprise to me…i have lacked the discipline to work out regularly for probably the past 6 years. following 20 years of continuous exercise and participation in sports i can really tell how unhealthy I have become.

i am weaker, get tired easier, am less motivated to eat the right way, and therefore am less active than I used to be. i have always had a pretty high energy level, multi-tasked, and have needed little sleep most of my life. presently, although I’ve aged a bit, I have a greater need for rest and down-time. i still work and play really hard, but i am worn out when the day is over.

i now have an accountability/workout partner (the wii fit trainer), and am motivated to exercise more in order to get my body mass index (wii keeps track for you) down, my weight down a bit, and strength-train.

some essentials when exercising physically are a healthy diet, strength training, cardio training, accountability (usually an accountability/workout partner), and last but not least… rest. most nutritionists/physical trainers will tell you that it is vital when you’re in any form of diet or workout program that you are getting 7-8 hours of rest a day. if any of these factors are missing, many times the effectiveness diminishes and the results are hindered. discipline is required.

i have been thinking quite a bit this summer about the spiritual disciplines that are vital for life as a disciple (of Christ). spiritual exercise is very similar to physical exercise. our (spiritual) workout routine consists of a healthy diet (of the word), strength training (discovering and growing in our gifts/strengths), cardio training (constant stengthening of our heart), steady interaction with a workout partner (consistent prayer/journaling with the Lord), and last but not least - rest (taking a 24hr sabbath every week).

physically, i find that when i struggle in any singular discipline (ie. eating right), it affects other disciplines and my workout program falls apart.

which physical discipline/exercise is the most difficult for you to consistently do?

which spiritual discipline/exercise is the easiest for you to neglect and how does it affect the other disciplines?

Furthering the Invisible…

Dreams: An opportunity or calling?

i respect erwin mcmanus a lot. not just because he’s a personal friend/mentor, but also because he has a prophetic side to him that the church needs to hear…that i need to hear. i am almost finished with his most recent book, wide awake (i’ve had a ton of time on my hands this week, in bed…so i’ve gotten a lot of studying done.) anyhow, here is a quote from the chapter on creativity that i’d like for us to reflect on.

“A God inspired dream isn’t just an opportunity; it is a calling. Your dreams are not simply a source of inspiration but the stewardship of your life.” (p.161)

feel free to leave a comment, stating whether you agree/disagree and why…

furthering the invisible…

Chaos!

i have a tendency to get fixated on things from time to time, which probably feeds into my functional OCD (never been diagnosed by the way).

alan hirsch has effectively summarized and synthesized the scientific concept of “chaos theory”… how it’s significant, and what it means for the church. he mentioned it briefly in the forgotten ways, (which is a must-read; click here to read the first two chapters), and elaborated on it further last week when i had the opportunity to talk with him. i am so convinced of it’s significance (especially in the organization and functionality of the church) that i am going to focus (errr “fixate”) on it in my doctoral dissertation.

without breaking it down for everyone just yet, (to avoid leading you), i am curious if anyone out there knows much about it, and is aware of any great resources that focus on chaos, adaptive leadership, emergence, etc. i am clearly fixated on it right now, and the only way to get my “fix” is to study the living daylights out of it. please let me know, and i’ll somehow return the favor (possibly with some literary recommendations of my own).

furthering the invisible…

Under the Weather.

i have been feeling like garbage the past 24 hours. got home from church yesterday afternoon and started feeling the nose run and the throat get a bit sore (which explains why I only had time to activate this blog and add some info on my bio). i took some drugs to help me sleep and felt worse this morning. full blown head-in-a-vice type of headache! doc said this afternoon that i have an upper respiratory infection and i bought some more drugs.

i am not a fan of being sick. i’m not sure who is, but i do remember when i was a kid i didn’t mind it, especially if it meant missing school for a day or more. now, i’m just annoyed because there’s so much to do, but so little time to do it. at least i can read and write while i’m home. i know, i know….i should be resting, but i’m in the middle of a good book right now, and i haven’t been able to put it down.

i think God uses illness or any somatic symptom really, to get my attention. it forces me to slow down…and depending on the sickness, stop me altogether. i need to find some good ways to release stress and tension. i’ve tried quite a few different things, but here i am…with stress manifesting itself in physical symptoms once again. my wife has been an angel today though…i admittedly am pretty whiny when i’m under the weather.

anyone have any ideas to release and/or manage stress? who knows…maybe it will work for me.

furthering the invisible…

Hello world!

i’m going to leave this generic title given to everyone when they open an account because i think it’s funny. everyone’s first posting should be titled “hello world” and wordpress is making a strong effort toward that reality. i just launched this new blog, so i’ll probably wait until tomorrow for a real posting. sorry for the false start…