Blague de Brett

Justice, at least if it benefits me...

2012-01-10T20:11:00.004-05:00

If you don't live around Pittsburgh, you may have no point of reference for this blog post. In Allegheny County Pennsylvania, there is a huge furor over property tax reassessments. Somebody petitioned the courts a while back to force the county to reassess properties. The county complied, and then began mailing out the new assessments. The assessed value of some Pittsburgh properties has gone up 400% and more, and believe me, the owners are not happy.

Because of the kind of inner city ministry I'm involved with, there is a lot of talk about "justice." We believe that God has called us to act justly in the world and to do so on behalf of those who don't always have the strongest voices. So on the surface it seems like a justice issue that so many taxpayers are up in arms about their new assessments and the extra taxes they may have to cough up because of it. And my first reaction is fight because, for me and Carla, our newly assessed home value has increased by over 30%. Justice is to fight for a lower assessment, right?

However, as a Christian, I'm called to act justly....always. That means even when it doesn't benefit me. That means even if it directly harms me. Right? Because our newly assessed home value is actually right in line with what our home is worth on the market. Which leads me to ask the simple and difficult question: Would I be willing to fight for a higher assessment if our assessment was considerably below fair market value. And because our assessment is actually fair, it really isn't justice at all to fight it, it's just not fun to accept.

Do you see the issue? I feel called to right the wrong, to justice, if I am going to have to pay more. But isn't the real test of my justice mettle to see if I would fight to pay more if paying more was actually correct?! What say you?

Reconciliation Blues

2011-12-16T08:43:00.002-05:00

Have you read this book? The subtitle is "A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity." I just finished reading it on my Amazon Kindle (thanks mom) and I must say it has been very thought provoking, inspiring, and challenging. I have had some assumptions debunked and have had some misconceptions put right. I have also wondered what others who have read the book are saying. Any thoughts?

Summer Jobs!

2011-12-07T11:35:00.001-05:00

I have a great job...mostly because it isn't a job, but a ministry. I have the awesome pleasure of being able to serve the Lord by serving folks in need in the inner city. Here on the North side of Pittsburgh, we are blessed with so many wonderful things. We are also plagued with some poverty and the associated issues that go with it.

But in the midst of that, I get to live and work here...helping (I hope) to bring about the Kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." And in so doing, I am blessed to be able to live and work year round with some of the greatest people I've ever been blessed to know.

But I think my favorite thing, and my greatest blessing, is the 70 or so young people that flood the North side each summer to serve on the staff of The Pittsburgh Project. Their jobs tend to be harder, more thankless, and more stressful of any of our year rounders. And yet their smiles and joy in serving tend to be greater too. A coincidence? I think not. Jesus said numerous times in numerous ways that the greatest of us would be the servants. And these young people exemplify that better than anyone I know.

We, The Pittsburgh Project, are hiring for next year. If you are one of these exemplary people of whom I speak, please apply. Or if you know someone who fits that bill, pass the info along. And know that I, and the whole North side of Pittsburgh, will be blessed. Oh ya, and so will God...

A Time to Prepare...and to Reflect

2011-11-30T08:21:00.001-05:00

Over the past few days, Carla and I have been dabbling with decorating the beautiful home that God has blessed us with. We are humbled every day at how He continues to shower us with His grace, love, and abundance. And we want to always be people who are thankful, and people who share.

Three things have smacked me in the face this week that remind me of that truth. First, a volunteer of ours at The Pittsburgh Project had a new grandson born yesterday, but with very serious health problems. Seeing pictures of this little guy struggling for life makes me realize how much the world needs the healing touch, the hope, and the peace only the Lord can bring.

Then I saw an article this week comparing the excesses of Christmas in much of the Western world to the poverty in much of Africa. Having lived there for a few years of my life, the stark differences between the two worlds I have inhabited reminds me of how much I need to be someone who shares.

Then this morning, I was walking past our Middle School bulletin board and the kids have been encouraged to write on the board what they want for Christmas. There were a few things like iPads and clothes and such, but a few of the responses really kicked me at the core of my soul. One student wrote "My Dad" and another wrote "I want my brother back..." I realized how privileged I have been to be nurtured in a family that has not been ravaged by the realities of inner city poverty and crime. And I realize, again, that out of my abundance I am called to give.

So I guess what I am saying is: All I want for Christmas is to have the heart to give and the obedience to do it...

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-11-21T07:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I am reconsidering my decision to end my blog ad infinitum. And that is partly because of one of my most longtime, faithful readers. Her name? Well, I call her mom, mother, jude abood, and a few other names that I can't mention on this family-friendly blog. Those names are only uttered during not-so-family-friendly games of Pounce, a favorite full-contact card game we play.

Today is mom's birthday so I thought I would honor her with a few, albeit rare, kind words.

Thank you, mom, for being a great teacher. You taught me to "mingle, mingle, mingle." You taught me how to bake bread and to sew. You taught me how to do laundry and how to do dishes the correct way (too bad Felicia and Brenda were not quite so cooperative around the kitchen!). You taught me how to conduct myself in public, and how to have the integrity to conduct myself when nobody else is watching. You taught me how to stick with 7 years of piano lessons even when there was no evident fruit. (Buy hey, I can pound out "Don't Bring Me Down" with the best of them, and my love of music continues to this day.)

Thank you for encouraging me. You encouraged me to use my gifts and to recognize when I didn't have gifts to use. Thank you for supporting me through failed attempts at things like Little League and other short-lived (thank God) athletic attempts. Thanks for dragging me to numerous activities...band and piano lessons and youth group and cub scouts and drama practice and forensics and crap like that.

Thank you for appreciating me. Thanks for the black raspberry pies that often await my announced visits (although it does seem like Felicia gets more food when she visits). Thank you for putting up with my sisters and teaching me how to do the same. Thank you for loving and caring for dad. Thanks for softening enough to let us have dogs (and even enjoying a ride to Keiper's with Harley in the back seat!). Thanks for making holidays special and for often making everydays seem like holidays.

Thank you for being you. I am thankful to God to have been born into our family. I hope you enjoy this, your special day. Happy birthday mom, and many happy returns.

FART POOP PEE BURP (I couldn't post a blog about you without using some bathroom humor words!)

The end

2011-11-17T17:02:00.000-05:00

I will no longer be blogging. If you want to read a past blog, read it now because I'm deleting it next week. Thanks for being a faithful follower.

"Dance With Who Brung Ya"

2011-04-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

Our pastor is preaching a series entitled "Follow Through." We've been working through Haggai and Malachi and learning about how followers of Jesus follow through and what leads us to shrink backwards. We've been thoroughly enjoying the preaching and have been greatly challenged.

So this week, one comment that stuck out was when Gary said that we should "dance with who brung ya!" In other words, when you go to a dance with a particular person, you don't dance with someone else. He went on to expound about how God has brought us to this dance, but we quickly abandon him for more "attractive" partners. We've been encouraged to return to our first love and dance this dance of life with the Lord who has brought us into new life.

Carla and I have been discussing about how God has brought us to this dance and what He's brought us from. We've also been humbled about some ways we have sought different "dance partners." What about you?

The Race Val

2011-03-18T09:37:00.001-05:00

So I got a new cell phone the other day...with Sprint so that I can actually use it in my house and where I work. What a concept! Anywho, when setting up the security settings at the store, they asked me to choose a security question. One of the options was "your first car."

That got me to thinking about the ole' '64 Plymouth Valiant 4 door I bought back in '83. I bought it for $300 from Mrs. Wadsworth down the street. Her husband Bob and I sang bass in the church choir until he passed away. She didn't need two cars so she sold it to me.

I'll never forget that day. When she opened the garage, I thought I had seen the most beautiful car in the world! It had chrome bumpers (you younger readers can Google "chrome" to see what that is) and grille. It had 102,000 miles on it, and a little rust, but to me, it was brand new.

I drove that car for the next three years...using it more as a truck at times. My horse saddle fit nicely over the bench front seat and the back seat and trunk could haul quite a few bales of hay. I hit a deer with it the first Fall I owned it, but thanks to Dad and the junkyard, I got it back on the road in no time. I LOVED that car...and I thought at that moment, "I wish I still had it."

Now I have two very newerish cars that run great, and a newerish Harley Hawg to tool around town upon. So I was thinking as I was waiting for the phone transaction to be complete, why do hold onto the past like this? Why is our first car so memorable? Why do we often want to return to those days? It seems we forget about all the problems and issues and cares of the times long past...

Lord, help me to live for you in this day, thanking you for all that's past, but more so looking forward to what you have in store next!

Friendship or Fellowship? (A Postcript about Facebook...)

2011-02-06T16:56:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes, Facebook. And more specifically, Facebook "friends." If you read my previous blog about friendship and fellowship, and if you have any Facebook friends, you may have discovered that term is sometimes a misnomer. Let me illustrate.

A number of years ago, Carla and I loaned nearly $1,500 to some folks in a church we were serving. They were a young family with three little kids and their house was going up for Sheriff's sale. The church had helped them to the point of fatigue, so they approached us. We agreed to pay their tax bill and they agreed to pay up back when they received their income tax refund.

Well, to make a long story even longer, about six months later, they gave us a check for $500 and the promise that more was coming. That was the last we ever talked about it. Carla and I moved on and seldom even speak about it. It's cool. You win some, you lose some.

Except a few weeks ago, this person attempted to "friend" me on Facebook. Really? Facebook friend? Now I know you're thinking that they're attempting to send us our money. Not so much...our new address and information is well published. Needless to say, I "ignored" their "friend" request.

At any rate, it just amazes me how we throw around the term "friend." Fellowship is meant to help us to grow. Friends are meant for our comfort. But I'm not sure where the term "Facebook friend" sometimes falls...

PS: Yes, I will agree to be your Facebook friend, even if I don't know you...even if I don't like you...if you'll give me $1,000! Thanks in advance!

Friendship or Fellowship?

2011-01-26T17:50:00.000-05:00

So this has been rolling around in my head for some time now. A few months back, I participated in a Bible study at our church. One of the weeks, we focused on the role that fellow Christians play in the life of a believer. One of the elders in the church put the curriculum together and, in it, he said something very profound and challenging.

He stated that God created friendship for our comfort. But he created fellowship for our true growth. Wow...deep stuff, and I'm thinking very true!

We all need friends....people with whom we can laugh and cry and play. Friends are for fun and friends are to minister to one another in times of need. I'm so thankful that I've been blessed with a few true friends. I enjoy them, and I think they enjoy me! Friends are good, and friends are good for my comfort.

But we also need fellowship. And I'm realizing as I've been thinking this through that I have far fewer people in my life with whom I'm in fellowship. Besides Carla, I won't name them here. But these are the people who are not only friends, and not just friendly. They're the ones who seek me out when I'm not going down the right path. And they're the ones who ask me to show them the same things. They're the ones that inspire me to grow up, and the ones who will let me inspire them to the same. They're the ones who don't just comfort me when I'm afflicted, but afflict me when I'm comfortable and vice-versa!

So I'm thankful for my friends, for sure! But I'm especially thankful for my fellowship partners...those that help me to be a man more like Jesus!!!

Mom wanted a new blog entry...

2011-01-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

...so this is all I have. I learned, while going to the funeral home today, that the purpose of a suit coat is to hide the wrinkled shirt underneath.

New Years Blessings

2011-01-04T10:13:00.001-05:00

Just a few quick lines to say how blessed I am at the beginning of a new year. First, we who call ourselves The Pittsburgh Project started out our new year together with a day of prayer and seeking the Lord together. How awesome is that? What it is a blessing it is to belong to such a group of Kingdom-hearted people!

Then last night I was able to attend the first of four nights of prayer and fasting at Hosanna Church. There were about 30 people gathered for a time of praying in the new year for four consecutive evenings. How awesome it was to spend an evening with other "saints" as we sought the Lord in repentance and restoration for how we have behaved as Christians and as a church.

I can't think of better ways to live out "happy new year!"

"I" Problem (warning: this blog post is longer than most and may be continued...)

2010-12-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

So I guess it's been like a perfect storm of things leading up to the authoring of this blog entry. Unfortunately, some of the strongest illustrations cannot be included here because they would certainly be too offensive (mostly, because they would be too personal toward some).

Let me start with the church and Christmas. Is it just me, or did Christmas suddenly become about us? And I'm not even talking about the worldly perspective, but from that of the church. I saw numerous church signs, websites, and some tweets/facebook updates stately loudly and proudly that "Jesus came to earth for you!" It must have been a mantra of one of the leading church growth gurus this season...you know, those that I have long unfriended on facebook and stopped following on twitter and reading their "leadership" canons? I say this because I saw this message (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) in so many church circles this year. Now it is factual that Jesus came to earth for you. He came to save you, and me, and the world. But the truth is that He came for Him. You see, a faithful reading of Scripture will prove that EVERYTHING God does is for Him. Everything. So when He sent His Son, it was ultimately for Him. Hey, we benefit, to be sure. But it was not for man that God became flesh and dwelt among us. But it was so we could see HIS glory, not our own.

A second event that swirled some clouds to form this storm within my soul took place at a public place. I ran into somebody who I would have considered a "friend" some years ago. I haven't seen this person in quite some time, and in the ten or so minutes we were able to spend, I heard a lot about him. His new job and all his new responsibilities and office and stuff. And then he left. He didn't ask about me. I don't know why I'm surprised. He is a Christian and must have heard the message that Jesus came to earth for him. It sure sounded to me like that was pretty much his sole focus...himself.

And then there is the book. It was the one book I asked for Christmas (besides a NASB version of the Bible so I can follow along more closely as my pastor reads) and it is entitled "Radical." It was recommended by a friend...one who asks about me and who focuses on things other than herself outside of Sunday morning. She is someone who gave up a lucrative career to follow her calling. She lives in a rented apartment and buys her clothes and furniture at the second-hand store so that she can be faithful to living a radically different life for Jesus. It kind of makes me wonder if she made it to church this Christmas, at least in many locations. Because I think she missed the memo that Jesus came to earth for us. She is living as though He came to earth for Himself and to draw all people to Himself and that means she must live differently. So Carla bought me the book and I have finished reading chapter 4 so far. And the book lives up to its name so far, because in it the author is talking about how Jesus came to earth for Himself. He came to transform lives so that transformed lives would live for Him and bring others to Him so that they can live for Him.

Finally, there is "our" church. Hosanna has been around for 20 years. It was planted by the same guy who is pastoring it still. But Hosanna must have missed the memo, because the church doesn't seem to think that Jesus came to earth for it. Hosanna isn't a "successful" church and Gary isn't a "successful" pastor, at least in the eyes of the run-of-the-mill Christian church in America today. After 20 years, they should have thousands in the seats and a $150,000 sound system and baseball and soccer fields "for the kids" and a coffee bar and at least 3 services on Sunday, a few on Saturday, and numerous the week of Christmas (so that people can learn that Christmas is for them.) Gary should certainly have a title like "executive, senior, or lead" by now and should have a staff of many.

But no. Gary is bi-vocational and for 20 years while pastoring this little church has cleaned windows to pay the bills. The church building was paid off last year...$150,000 worth. There are probably 100 people there at the weekly service. There is a part-time secretary. I'm not sure who cleans the church, but I know it is very clean. The worship team isn't perfect and I don't feel like at the Benedum Center for the next great performance. The sound systems cracks and frequently makes a noise that can only be described as like a loud fart.

And yet this church is raising $30,000 to send to Liberia. (That is in addition to what four individuals coughed up on their own to go and support the faithful use of these funds to build a school so 200 kids aren't cramped into a house.) Nearly every week, someone is introduced as giving themselves to Jesus and a life of service to Him. There are radical testimonies that are frequently shared. People are living very different lives, and not unto themselves. The Kingdom is coming to this little slice of Pixburgh.

So what's my point in all of this? Maybe some contrition for buying into "it's all about me" mentality during the years of my pastoral ministry. Maybe some sadness of heart for the fact that we have exchanged the truth of the gospel and its radical message of transformation and unabashed Kingdom living into a trite story about our own comfort. Maybe some regret that I didn't take a bolder stand and have a fuller realization at times that life isn't about me.

And then the hope...that I am part of a church, nay, a movement of transformed "folks" who are out to, yes, save the world. That I have saved nearly $700 already for my trip to Liberia...whenever God opens that door. For a job where I can go live the Good News to people who sometimes don't have enough good news, let alone Good News. For a renewed sense of awareness and for a few Kingdom friends (like the one I share a bed with and the one I regularly meet for coffee and the one who suggested the book and the one "unsuccessful" yet faithful pastor who happens to serve (and I do mean serve) with the people of Hosanna and the ones who call themselves The Pittsburgh Project) who have this same burden and excitement and reckless abandon. I praise you Lord. May my life, my marriage, my work, my recreation, my resources, my friendships, my struggles, my joys, my conversations, and even my Christmases....be about you and you only. Amen.

Merry Incarnation, er, I Mean Christmas!!!

2010-12-24T07:29:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone. At least that's how Christians often express their greetings in this season. And why not? I mean, are we not celebrating Jesus' birthday?

Well yes, it's true we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas time. But even more meaningful is the fact that we celebrate the Incarnation. Ya, that's a big church word but it really means that God came to town. He revealed Himself. He made Himself known in the best way we can grasp it, as a person.

My favorite Biblical rendering of the Christmas narrative (apart from Linus reciting Luke 2 from the ole KJV) is from John 1. No, there are no mangers or angels or shepherds or little babies. But there is the simple, yet most profound, explanation that "the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."

So, yes, at this Christmas, I wish you a Merry Christmas. But at this Christmas and throughout eternity, I wish you a Merry Incarnation...and understanding that the very being of God has been made known in Jesus Christ. O come, let us adore Him!

How to Decorate Your New Home for Christmas for Less Than $650,000!

2010-12-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

So we haven't owned a home in 14 years. Instead we've been living in homes provided by the churches we have served. Now like anything, there is good and bad to that. But we are truly enjoying owning a home and being able to invest in decor and decorations that we know (God willing, instead of the bishop) that we'll be here next year to enjoy them! And we LOVE our house!!!! We feel so incredibly blessed to be here. In order to celebrate those blessings, we went out and bought Christmas decorations worth many times the fair market value of our house. What a better way to prove you're blessed than to decorate! I'm providing some before and after pictures so you can enjoy the season with us:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A Quick Jaunt for Some Decorative Chain...An Autobiography by Brett Probert

2010-11-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

So today I goes to get a couple of feet of decorative white chain and a swag hook to hang a plant for Carla. I went to our favorite hardware store...Bellevue Hardware. Unfortunately, they were sold out of the chain, which was priced at $0.24 per foot.

So I was forced to go to another "big box" store which shall remain unnamed for legal reasons. After finding the swag hooks in the lighting department, I ask a friendly orange-aproned sales associate if he could help me. He said, and I quote, "only if you need help with shelves." So I ask someone where the decorative white chain is to go with my swag hooks. They tell me in hardware, which is at the other end of the store.

So I goes to the hardware section, find the decorative white chain, and ask the sales associate who is standing literally 4 feet from the chain if he can cut a few feet of it for me. And he says, and I swear I'm not making this up, and I quote, "I'm not certified to cut chain." And that's it.

So I politely asked if he could find another store employee who was schooled in the art to come assist me. After a short wait, a board certified, card-carrying member of the white decorative chain cutters union appears to cut my 5' feet of chain. He handed it to me, and started to walk away. At which point I says, don't I need an SKU number so they'll know to charge me $0.96/foot for my chain (you'll notice that the price is just slightly, LIKE FOUR FREAKIN' TIMES, higher than Bellevue Hardware)? He says, oh yeah, and scribbles the SKU number on a piece of scratch paper with a bunch of other writing on it.

I went up front to pay, and when I handed the cashier (I'll call her "Jan", mostly because that is what she had written on her orange apron at this unnamed big box hardware store) the scratch paper and she enters it in, she says "that number isn't right. What's the right number?" So I said "I don't know...I didn't write the number down...the certified Master Decorative White Chain Cutter did!"

After a call to hardware, which BTW was a wrong number, a line of about 17 people waiting behind me in spite of the fact that I'm telling Jan it's $0.96 per foot...can't she just key that in..., the manager or someone in authority came over to help. (I know they were an authority figure because they had an orange apron on.) Instead of just looking up the price, she decided it was a great time to school Jan in the fine art of how to search for an unknown SKU number in the 'puter system. I thought that was a great idea, because Jan is probably now a certified SKU number looker upper, or something.

After only six hours, I was able to walk out with my chain and hooks, although I must admit, it felt more like A BALL AND CHAIN!!!

Anyhow, I'm glad I missed church last week because the sermon was about complaining and since I wasn't there, I'm allowed to complain. But in order to reign it in a little, I've decided to keep the name of the store a secret. Thanks for letting me rant.

Loss of Innocence (sniff, sniff)

2010-11-02T07:17:00.000-05:00

So the other day I was working with a couple of groups of college student volunteers at TPP. I love working with groups like that because you meet people from around the world. Perhaps most interesting at times is the different dialects I experience from across the US.

Welp, I said to one group "let's weed this hillside up to those jagger bushes." And one student, not from Western PA, looked at me and said "what?" So I repeats myself and said "just go as far as those jagger bushes." At which point she said "what's a jagger bush?"

Now what ensued was a discussion that led to a heartbreaking revelation: "jagger bush" isn't a real term. It's a colloquialism of Western Pennsylvania. People from other places don't call them jagger bushes. They call them thorn bushes, or they call them by their proper names.

Alas, at the tender young age of 45, my innocence was shattered like tender young skin laid bare by the hapless destruction of a jagger bush...

Hosanna!

2010-10-19T16:10:00.001-05:00

Since stepping out of the pastorate and into a more "boots on the ground" ministry earlier this year, Carla and I have been searching for a church. Our desire was to find a church in our community that really represented us and our neighbors. We wanted to find a church that was alive and where people were real. We wanted to find a church where we were challenged to grow and serve in crazy new ways. We wanted to find a church where people were friendly to outsiders and to one another. We wanted to find a church where Sunday morning was a time to honor God and a springboard to a life of service and ministry. We wanted to find a church where people shared life with each other and with a lost and hurting world. We wanted to find a church that was diverse...ethnically, socially, economically, generationally...because that is the reality of our Brighton Heights neighborhood. We wanted to find a church where the lost, hurting, and dying were finding a truly new and incredible life in Jesus Christ. We wanted to find a church where the worship wasn't perfected by practice, but practiced as an offering to God, and therefore perfect in His sight. We wanted to find a church that understands the Kingdom and is living as a true light in the community. We wanted to find a church where the preaching was inspired before being inspiring and where the message was captivating because it was truth. We wanted to find a church that gave sacrificially to see the Kingdom come at home and around the world. Quite simply, we wanted to find the perfect church!!!!

So we visited churches...many of them. We visited some that were very close to our house and some that were not. We visited churches that were big and some that were small. We visited churches that were affiliated with a denomination and some that were as independent as they come. In our search, we had some pretty humorous experiences (remind me to tell you of the church with the marble communion table with the chiseled inscription "Come Unto Me" and a fence all around it....I swear I'm not making this up!) and some that were just downright discouraging. Some churches we went back to a few times and some we walked out of before the service even ended. Some churches we really liked but weren't close or there were other minor reasons.

But finally, I think we've settled into a church home. Indeed, the characteristics that we searched for and that I listed in the first paragraph really seem to exist in this little church in Brighton Heights. It is called Hosanna, and we are loving it. Hosanna is an expression of praise (and originally meant "Lord, save us") and we feel like it lives into both of those meanings. It is not a perfect church (and if it was, it isn't now 'cause I'm there!!!), but it is the perfect church for us. We walk there holding hands together, get to worship together side by side, and get to walk home hand in hand with a stopover for an awesome Panini at the Brighton Cafe.

Thank you Lord for leading us to the Northside of Pittsburgh. Thank you for a beautiful home of our dreams in a great neighborhood. Thanks for a great ministry opportunity at The Pittsburgh Project. And thank you for our wonderful new church home. May these things continue to come together so that our lives and every aspect of them can be an offering to you!

Peace, bro.

2010-10-06T17:49:00.000-05:00

So on my way home from The Pittsburgh Project today, I stopped off at the local thrift store. Now it's called the Red, White, and Blue Thrift store on Ohio River Boulevard but my neighbor calls it "The Boutique on the Boulevard." Sounds much classier that way!

Anywho, in the midst of my buying two long sleeve t-shirts and a vase for our hall tree (all for $5!), a guy who I'll call "Dan" starts talking to me. (I'll call him Dan because he said "Hey...what's your name? My name is Dan." He said to me "Wow, you keep it up, bro." I said "keep what up?" And that's when the conversation started.

He told me that it looked like I was a man at peace. He said that so many people are running around in this world all bothered by the stuff life throws at us and he could tell by my face that I was living a life of peace. He said he thought I had figured out a way to not let the stresses of the world get me down.

Well, I hope he's right. I mean walking a life of faith in Jesus has really changed my heart. The things I once worried about I find I worry about less. The more I surrender to Him and keep my heart focused on Him and His purpose for me, the less I find that I'm stressin' about the stuff. You know, the stuff?

So thank God for the peace. It sure does pass my understanding. And I hope not only my new friend Dan but others can see the peace on my face...'cause it sure is in my heart!

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be a...

2010-09-23T07:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was working with a group of volunteers from a local college. Almost all of them were college freshman and through the course of the day I asked them what they wanted to do when they grow up. I didn't hear too many clear cut answers, but maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

First of all, so few people actually stay in the same career field these days. I personally think this is a good thing in that we have permission to dream fresh dreams and do new things with our lives. That is what walking by faith is all about...to understand that God has big new plans for us around each new corner. When we get into a complacency, almost any complacency, we are in danger of following His will for our lives in the past. I believe the Lord is always calling us to some new plane (or helicopter), and that means our lives should be in a constant state of flux.

I also think that the younger generation sometimes feels forced into going to college. This puts some in the position to make decisions about their future before they know enough about themselves to make that call. I think that was probably the case with me in some ways...I went to college because it was the thing to do for people with grades like I had. I don't regret it, and never have. But I think the healthier (and cheaper) approach might be for some to simply get gainful employment after high school to discover more about who they are. Then when they figure out what they like and dislike, what their true strengths and weaknesses are, and what their calling from God may be at the time, they can make decisions about future educational pursuits or career choices.

Now for me, at 45 and in my uptheenth career, I'm still trying to decide if I want to be an astronaut, or a cowboy, or a fireman, or a ...

Oh Deer!

2010-08-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

So while Carla was at work and there was a lull in my homeowner repairs, I went out for a quick 180 mile ride on the Harley. Now in the middle of the afternoon in the summer on a country road, out jumps a deer. Luckily, I was paying attention and was able to avoid hitting it. (Non-motorcyclist factoid: If you hit a deer on a motorcycle, it hurts you as much as it hurts the deer.) But then, I settled back into my comfortable ride.

Then alas, some 25 miles later, another deer jumped out. This time, I whipped out my camera and snapped this photo so I could blog about it. jk lol rofl lmao omg lmnop.

But seriously, it got me to thinking about a conversation Carla and I had this morning about how God is always calling us to be uncomfortable. He wants us to be constantly stepping out and taking Kingdom risks. He wants us to be living radically different lives than the world around us. And this always, ALWAYS, causes discomfort. So are you settled into the ride of life? Are you comfortable with where you are? Then I ask you, do you think Jesus is?

I'm just sayin'...

Tipping Point

2010-08-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

So I just got back from a week's vacation (more on that in another blog, perhaps) and ended up heading to Murrysville to meet mom and dad as they were passing through on their way out west. Why did I meet them there? To take the old records, of course, so they can haul them across the country so sister Felicia can record them to .mp3 and memorialize them forever. Why, you ask? Good question!!!

A few years ago I read a book entitled "Tipping Point" which was a fascinating review of what makes something just seem to take off. I saw this phenomenon in action. You see, several months ago, M&D brought me their entire collection of old record albums with the instructions to "throw them away or sell them and keep the money or whatever you want to do with them..." Fortunately, I stored them in the attic of the man cave. Because a week or so ago, I saw a news story that Mitch Miller had died. I simply emailed the link to the story to my siblings and parents because we often decorated the Christmas tree while singing along with the album shown here.

Well this began an email flurry about not just the Mitch Miller albums, but ALL of them. This ended with me strapping a bunch of old record albums, that just two weeks ago nobody in the world even knew existed let alone cared about, to the Hawg and drove in emergency fashion to Murrysville so they can be expedited across the country!

Please pray not so much for mom and dad's trip, but especially that the records get there soon and can be recorded STAT!

Man Cave!

2010-07-27T17:27:00.001-05:00

Welp my man cave has just taken a few big steps forward to perfection. Recently, I added a small, dormitory sized refrigerator. Now this evening, I have added a TV!!!! So, true story, I'm blogging from my air-conditioned man cave while enjoying a cool beverage and enjoying the evening news. Good stuff! Indeed, I am blessed, even if I am bald! Now, if I just had a urinal....

All By Itself...

2010-07-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

So I was walking back from doing a little shopping at the neighborhood grocery store this morning when I noticed these stalks of corn growing out of the side of the little cliff above Brighton Road. There are some almost ripe ears on them so I may rappel down in a week or two and harvest them, but that isn't the reason that I write.

The curious scene of corn growing in the middle of the city on a side of a cliff got me to thinking about a favorite passage of Scripture. In Mark 4, Jesus said "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

This just served to remind me of how often we try to do the things we should let God do all the while trying to get Him to do the things that we're supposed to do. The "all by itself" phrase in Jesus' parable is, in my estimation, His way of saying that the farmer has a role and ought to play it. But when all is said and done, there are some things only God can do. We should be doing our stuff, and quit expecting Him to do it. We should be letting Him do His, and quit trying to do His job.

Now I was going to go on to conjecture what some of "our jobs" and "His jobs" may be, but perhaps I'll wait. Maybe I'll build on the list that you, faithful readers, provide. Bring it on!

Feeling Very Blessed, Even if I Am Bald...

2010-07-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I got to preach for the first time since I stepped away from Cornerstone. My friend Jeff St. Clair asked me to fill in at their "contemporary" service and I did so. I had a great time...I felt very free to share what the Lord placed on my heart and had an absolute blast doing it!

Afterward, this sweet lady started gushing about how much she enjoyed the message and how I was welcome to come preach anytime and yada, yada, yada. And then she said "do you ever let your hair grow out?" I swear, I'm not making this up! The point she was making was that I might be a better preacher if I didn't shave my head...

Now this strange exchange got me to thinking. I am truly blessed. I love to preach, but I realize that I love that I'm free from the crosshairs (yes, pun intended) of every pew sitter (or in some cases, chair setters) and their endless need to dictate how I should live my life, right down to my hair. I realize just how free I feel and how blessed I am to be at this stage of my life as I stare down the corridor of middle age. (Notice I didn't indicate that I'm there yet!) Jesus said when He sets us free, we'll be free indeed. I feel that my life is such a living testimony to that.

I have a wonderful wife...my best friend and such a Godly influence on my life. I am loving the ministry that God has opened for me at The Pittsburgh Project. I have not looked back one day since I started there! We have a gorgeous, just-our-size dream home with wonderful neighbors in a great neighborhood in the coolest city in the world. We have some great friends, some great ways to pass the time, and a sense of calling that we are living out. In brief, I'm feeling very blessed, even if I am bald...maybe especially because I am! Thank you Lord!

Now if we can just decide on a church to call home so I can start to criticize "my" pastor...

I won!!!

2010-07-05T18:07:00.000-05:00

Well I have become both the envy and enemy of my newest neighborhood. I, hater of gardening and most inept at all things green, have successfully won the "first ripe tomato on the block" unofficial contest. My prize is pictured here for your enjoyment. I planted our urban garden on the weekend after Mother's Day and calculated late July as when our "78 day Big Boy" tomato variety would produce its first fruit. But alas, on this the fifth of July, our first tomato is ready for harvest. We will have another ripe by the end of the week!

This is much to the chagrin of our dear friend and neighbor, Paul, who has held this coveted title for years. Another neighbor, Sally, said "I have never known anyone to beat him..." The problem is that Paul loves to cook and bake and share his creations with us. Plus our respective dogs Shadrach and TeeBoo are the best of friends and daily playmates. I was fearful this unseating of a longstanding champion would jeopardize our mutual jocularity, but alas, Paul just delivered two piece of his delicious homemade Blackberry pie. All is well in Brighton Heights...

Caution: Toys You Play With May Alter Your Life Forever....

2010-05-26T07:03:00.000-05:00

So I was having lunch yesterday with a friend who was showing me the plans for the new house he and his wife are building. It is going to be a very cool house...one story ranch with full finished basement. The property is awesome and the house is going to be sweet!

But he was relating how difficult it has been at times for his wife to visualize how things will look. As we talked, it dawned upon me a notion that I had latently thought about but never fully expressed: that men tend to think better spatially because of the toys they play with as children.

Seriously...I played for countless hours in our "dad-made" sandbox with my matchbox cars and Tonka toys. I developed some serious transportation systems in that sand and in the piles of dirt around our home addition in the early '70's. I built untold numbers of homes from Lincoln Logs and the set of "Bricks" we had...a precursor to Legos. And I believe those years of looking down on my imaginary world, literally looking down, taught me to think about things from a bird's perspective. I believe it allows me to visualize things and imagine things from an aerial perspective better than children who played with dolls (read: GIRLS!).

For what it's worth, that is the unveiling of my long-held view. Now bring on those sexist retorts!

Kids!

2010-05-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

So let me just tell you how much I love working with the kids God has put in my life at The Pittsburgh Project. My main responsibility is 3rd and 4th graders and we do all kinds of things...games, Bible studies, prayer and worship, tutoring, ecology, performing arts, field trips, and the like. Good times are to be had by all!!!

But what really trips me up every time is their humor and their love for life. The other day I was "in the face" of one of my third grade boys trying to reel him into control and scare him into some respect. While I'm in his face with my voice slightly raised and my face working hard to look serious and stuff, he says "Mr. Brett, did you shave today? You need to shave...your whiskers are getting long."

So I'm like trying to keep from laughing and maintain my tough guy stance, but to no avail. I busted out laughing, and he did too. Thank you Jesus for the joy you show us in the lives of kids. Thanks for reminding us that we must become like them to truly experience the kingdom of God...

Sessy!

2010-05-14T06:31:00.001-05:00

So on Wednesdays at The Pittsburgh Project, we always have staff meetings. They start at noon with a brown bag lunch, then some sharing time, then a Bible study and prayer. I love Wednesdays because I love our times together.

However this week was a real treat. Our Executive Director (and/or our chaplain-type-person) provided lunch, then brought the ice cream man to our alley and we all got free ice cream!!! (Lib called it a "sessy," which she says means gift. None of us never heard the term!) I got a Heath Ice Cream Bar...yummy indeed. It was fun as all 50 or so of us lined up like little kids...and it was a blast to see the smiles of childlike joy from each person as they walked back with their favorite frozen treat. Then we played games in the gameroom...ping pong, air hockey, four-square, fusbol. It was a great afternoon.

That is one of the many things I am enjoying about the ministry of TPP...that there is a true sense of teamwork and an unforced balance of hard work and playing together. One feels appreciated there because one IS appreciated there. My hats off to our TPP leadership, and I continue to serve with joy, with or without the ice cream!!!

Requiem for a Friend

2010-05-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

A friend died of cancer this week . She loved the things that God created for us to enjoy...flowers and plants, animals, and the people in her life. She loved to laugh and she loved to make others laugh too. She was a giving soul, and I was blessed to know her, albeit not as well as I would have liked....

Her passing has me down...she was too young and it seems to unfair and so hard for her husband and daughters. The thought of not being able to be there at her daughters' wedding or being able to move to Florida to fulfill a longtime dream is such a bummer.

In her last days, her husband said to me that some things just don't seem that important in the light of what was happening. How true...how fleeting life can be and how we seem to focus on the truly unimportant and often ignore the things that mean the most.

So today, in MB's honor, I am going to try all the more to focus on the things that mean the most to me: My God, my wife, my family, my friends, and my ministry to a lost and hurting world. Love and obedience...the things that God desires the most...are the things I seek to give today.

Enough Already!!!

2010-04-29T20:04:00.001-05:00

So I came home tonight and decided to go for groceries...which in and of itself isn't so bad. It's when you get to the checkout and it is time to find the right "rewards card" (read: gimmick to annoy you) in your wallet. Of course, Carla has the one I need so they'll look it up...except we've moved like 83 times and changed our phone number like 114 times since we've had the card so they can't find it. I applied for a new one so I could save 8 bucks...but it took longer to fool around with the rewards card bullcrapola than it did to actually shop for groceries!

And then I need help getting to my car...not because of the groceries. No, I can handle them alright. I need help carrying ALL THE FREAKIN' REWARDS CARDS! Everywhere you shop you have to have a "rewards card." (read: card from hell.) WHY? WHY CAN'T WE JUST LOWER THE PRICES WITHOUT A CARD?

OK, I'm done. I feel better too. Now I'm going to work on the addition to our home to store all our rewards cards.

Where's the Joy?!

2010-04-28T20:10:00.001-05:00

So as many of you know, I hain't a pastor any more. So I have this weird experience of having a weekend! Wow, I could get used to this! Part of the cool part about a weekend is that you get to go worship in church. As a pastor, I found it very hard to worship...always thinking about what I was preaching on or what was happening next or what went wrong. And even on vacation, I would always critique and compare the pastor of the church we would visit...forgive me Lord.

But now, we're kinda looking for a place to put down some roots, or maybe a couple of places to call our church homes! So on Sunday, we're back at a place we've been to a few times and as the worship service started, I began to weep. Part of it was tears of joy...I was so caught up in loving on God. But part of it was tears of sadness...for all those in my life who have never found this joy.

Even among many Christians we have known, people seem to lack true joy. And when you're a part of a group of people who have it, you get caught up in it and get bummed for those who don't. I'm not talking about happiness, you know, at good stuff that happens. I'm talking about true joy...that peace that transcends our understanding and, quite honestly, all the bad and good stuff in our lives.

At least I'm grateful that we've found a few great churches so far that are oozing with that true joy. And maybe most of all, that He has led me to The Pittsburgh Project where I am literally surrounded with those kinda peeps everyday!

Free from "social" media...

2010-04-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

So this morning I met a great friend for coffee...for like 2 hours. We met in a quaint little coffee shop just up the road...The Muddy Cup in "downtown" Bellevue. The coffee was great, the atmosphere was even better, and the conversation was phenomenal. And it got me to thinking...

Lately, I haven't been on facebook as much. I have been on twitter even less. These little e-gadgets are designed to put us in community with one another. And in a sometimes sad, often inauthentic, way they do. I believe what these so-called "social media" tend to do is to create a sense of community which really couches the reality of isolation.

Often, facebook updates are attempts to gain self-pity and to draw attention to oneself. Twitter, it seems, caters more to the ego. We tweeters tend to espouse our own intelligence, or worse, to "retweet" the insightful maxims of alleged gurus of a particular field. And what, at least to me, tends to be the end product? Isolation.

And yet a conversation on the porch with Carla, my best friend in the world, is priceless. It isn't proud, or selfish, or inauthentic in any way. The chat in the "the farthest thing from Starbucks" coffee shop this morning is tacitly irreplaceable by any alleged "social" media.

I'm not deleting my facebook page, or shunning twitter for eternity. But as I find myself less and less attracted to them, I find myself having greater and more inspiring, and yes, more "social," interactions than ever!

The REAL meaning of Easter

2010-04-04T17:09:00.000-05:00

So I'm leading worship for the Easter party at The Pittsburgh Project the other day. I had maybe 30 K-2nd graders in the room at the time and I asked them why we really celebrate Easter. One little boy raised his hand and said we celebrate Easter 'cause it is Jesus' birthday. Nice try.

So then another little girl raises her hand and she said "we, um, we celebrate Easter, um, 'cause we celebrate, um, Jesus' recreation from the dead!" (note that I added the bold and italics. You can't really do that while you're speaking.)

So for the past week I've been thinking about Easter and how it kinda really is Jesus' recreation from the dead. He recreated death...so that in Him, we no longer must fear it. He recreated death...so that in Him, death can be not only and ending of a chapter but the beginning of forever. He recreated death...so that in Jesus, death is victory instead of victorious.

I guess He knew what He was talking about when He said that we must become like little children...they're a whole lot smarter than we are sometimes...

Happy Easter, and may you experience a recreation from death!!!

Fit to be Tied

2010-03-28T16:47:00.000-05:00

So Mom and Dad came to visit today and at some point Mom says something about how one size 9 shoe by one manufacturer isn't the same as another size 9 shoe of the same manufacturer and how frustrating that can be. Which reminds me...

So now that Carla is the full time employee in the house and I'm just a part-time bum, I'm doing the lion's share of the housework. Most of the time, I enjoy it, but let me just get something off my chest.

In this country (the country from which I'm writing is the USA so when I say this country, that's the one I'm talking about. So many of my readers are from other countries...I don't want there to be any confusion.) we have som'n called the ASTM. Now that's a bunch of letters meaning that somewhere in a cave or something there are "standards" for stuff. Like there's a piece of metal or something one inch long. Like for real. So if you want to make a tape measure that measures an inch, you compare your inch to the "standard" inch to make sure that the inch you're selling is a real inch, or something. (Note: this also works for tape measures that are longer than an inch...simply use the same inch and multiply it by the number of inches on your tape measure!)

So I'm thinking the other night as I'm making the bed after doing the laundry, why don't we have an ASTM fitted sheet? Now just wait, imagine with me what it would be like if a fitted sheet would fit?! Crazy, eh? I mean like one fitted sheet doesn't fit one way and another fitted sheet doesn't fit another way and I'm throwing a fit and fit to be tied and all that, but the fitted sheets don't fit. None of them. Ever.

So I'm thinking we should have like an ASTM fitted sheet, made out of titanium or something, in a cave or lock box or vault where they control the temperature. Then when someone wants to make a fitted sheet, they can compare it to the ASTM fitted sheet so it will fit. Then I won't have to throw a fit, or be fit to be tied...

A Tale of Two Cities

2010-03-24T07:33:00.000-05:00

Well, one is a city, and one is anything but! However, I am concluding that there are lots of similarities between the two. The place on the left is Salix, PA, the little town where I grew up. The whole zip code of Salix has less people living there than just a few blocks of the area of Pittsburgh where we now live. And yes, the place on the left is, the Northside of Pittsburgh. Now that we've lived in Brighton Heights for a few months, I've observed some striking similarities between life in small town America and life in the city.

One thing that is similar is the fact that people know each other. In the suburbs, everybody pretty much leaves everybody alone, and you don't really get to know many neighbors. But in Salix and in Brighton Heights, you know your neighbors. You talk to them, every time you see them. You share life a little...the joys and the struggles. You talk from your back yards or on one another's porches. The biggest difference is that you don't have yell as much in the city because the houses are so much closer together than in places like Salix.

Another similarity is the use of streets. In the city and in the small town, you walk and play in the streets. The obvious exceptions are the main throughways, but the side streets are play places. I remember our life on "Center Street" in Salix...it was a place to play. Same on Brandon Road in Pittsburgh. People walk their dogs on the streets, play ball in the streets, ride their bikes in the streets, and you simply yell "car" in the rare times when someone is driving through the neighborhood.

A third thing that strikes me as similar is the sense of being somewhat self-contained. Oh sure, there were the trips to the "big city" (a.k.a. Richland...a suburb of Johnstown) when we were kids. Things like clothes and big groceries and such couldn't be found in Salix. But you bought your gas, your main staples, got your mail, went to church, did your banking, and got your car fixed right there. So it seems to be with city neighborhoods. Oh sure we venture to Target or Walmart or, God forbid, Ross Park Mall when it becomes a necessity. But we mostly live in our zip code. We buy our meet, our groceries, go to church, do our banking, and even get our hardware supplies in walking distance from our front door.

There are differences to be sure, but I'm not sure we have felt this "at home" since we left Salix (or New Paris, another quintessential American small town that we love...). Life in the suburbs, at least for us, has been the odd man out...

Blogger's Block

2010-03-23T05:09:00.000-05:00

You're probably wondering why I've been remiss in updating my blog. The truth is, I have blogger's block. It's a fairly serious condition wherein the blogger can't think of anything meaningful to say. The only known cure is a several month hiatus to the US Virgin Islands. See ya.

Final Report Card Installment

2010-03-14T17:29:00.001-05:00

For those of you tiring of my "report card" series (not the least of which is me...I get bored easily!), I am including here my final "grades."

Don’t worry about opposition…
Ignore criticism…
Don’t expect immediate results…

I admit I failed a lot on the first. I think that is perhaps my greatest struggle and subsequent failure in pastoral ministry. I was too afraid of people opposing me. In other words, I caved in to the pressure to be a "people pleaser" far too often. At times, I should have been more bold in my stance and not worrying about those who might oppose me. If God is for me, who can be against me?

As for the criticism, I was able to ignore it well at different seasons of my ministry. I have honestly never been in a position in my life, nor can I imagine one, where one is more apt to receive criticism. I was criticized on nearly a weekly basis for things I said in messages, in prayers, how I responded or didn't respond to situations, you name it. To be faithful in leadership, one must learn to ignore criticism. Never is this more true than as a pastor.

And this last one has always tripped me up, although I hope I'm learning in time. I love to work with my hands, and one reason is because I like to see what I accomplish. In ministry, that can be a very tough thing. Results are seldom immediate and are often difficult to see for years and years, if ever.

I've enjoyed reflecting with y'all. My prayer is that I, and you, can learn from Jesus and His way of dealing with others to raise up workers and witnesses for and in the Kingdom...

Some Friends, huh?

2010-03-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow night I was supposed to have a couple of "friends" over to hang out...you know, play guitar or whatever. Well one of them says in some baby, whiney voice that he can't come because he owns some business along the Mon river and he has to stay and defend it against flooding. What? That's what insurance is for! You've been wanting new digs anyhow, right?

So then the other "friend" says he has to reschedule because his daughter is going to be recording a song this weekend. Say what? Your daughter is young, bro. She has her whole life ahead of her to record. But you, you're getting old. You have to learn that you're first priority here! But no...he says in some baby, whiney voice "family first."

So, I guess I'll just be hanging out by myself installing our new dishwasher...

Report Card - Part 3

2010-03-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

So the next things on the list are:

Go slowly…
Spend hours in solitude…

I think I've done pretty poorly on these two counts throughout the majority of my pastoral "career." I tend to have a lot of energy and I find it difficult to go slowly. I get impatient sometimes and move on to the next thing before I've brought something to fruition. I think I'm finally learning to do this in my new life as a civilian...

As far as solitude, I've always spend my time in solitude. The problem has been that I've been too active during those times. By doing so I have at times negated the truth of "being still and knowing He is God." I love to spend time alone at times, but I'm learning how to be still at the same time so that God can speak His truth, love, and grace to me. Then He can best speak it through me!

Stay tuned for the next installment soon!

Another Interruption!!!

2010-03-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

I'll get back to the grades soon, but I must take a commercial break for a word from our sponsor. OK, he isn't our sponsor, but he is one of the coolest things in our neighborhood. He is Tom Friday from Tom Friday's Meat Market in Brighton Heights. He is an old fashioned butcher with hanging sides of beef and fresh cut stuff right there in front of your eyes. He wraps it while you watch and has the neato-ist freezer specials. We can walk there from our house and he offers free deliver to our door. Now how cool is that? Life is good! Check out his site and drop in to get some good meat when you stop to visit us!

Report Card - Part 2

2010-03-03T08:20:00.001-05:00

So in part two, we look at the next few items on the list:

Teach truths that none of your disciples can grasp at the moment…
Avoid crowds…

Now I think I have done a fairly good job at challenging the people God has placed within my care to grow. I love to teach. I think one of the reasons why I have seen some fruit from my teaching over the years is because I have tried to teach truth at a level that challenges people to grasp truths that require some wrestling! Whether they're five or seventy-five, I love to see people "get it!"

The next trait of Jesus in His leadership was avoiding crowds. I think I am getting a little better at this as time progresses. I have always been one to throw myself into my work and the people I'm with. While this is fun and exciting and stuff, it can also drain you emotionally and spiritually. I have, at times, paid a pretty high price for my unwillingness to avoid the crowds sometimes! Also, when we spend too much time with crowds, we tend to follow them. I think one of the characteristics of Jesus' ministry that made Him such a leader was His commitment to avoiding crowds.

I'm looking forward to sharing my next "grades" soon!

We Interrupt this Regularly Scheduled Report Card Blog...

2010-03-01T07:22:00.000-05:00

On the first day of March, how could I fail to pay tribute to the famous Weekend Update skit of the first SNL season when John Belushi rants about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb...at least that's the way it works in the United States...

I tried to find a video clip but could not, so I'm posting the transcript here. Enjoy! (BTW, if you know where I can find this video segment online, by all means let me know!)

Chevy Chase:
Last week we made the comment that March comes in like a lion and goes out
like a lamb. Now here to reply is our chief meteorologist, John Belushi,
with a seasonal report.

John Belushi:
Thank you Chevy. Well, another winter is almost over and March true to form
has come in like a lion, and hopefully will go out like a lamb. At least
that's how March works here in the United States. But did you know that March
behaves differently in other countries? In Norway, for example, March comes
in like a polar bear and goes out like a walrus. Or, take the case of Honduras
where March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a salt marsh harvest mouse.
Let's compare this to the Maldive Islands where March comes in like a
wildebeest and goes out like an ant. A tiny, little ant about this big.
[holds thumb and index fingers a small distance apart]
Unlike the Malay Peninsula where March comes in like a worm-eating fernbird
and goes out like a worm-eating fernbird. In fact, their whole year is
like a worm-eating fernbird. Or consider the Republic of South Africa where
March comes in like a lion and goes out like a different lion. Like one has
a mane, and one doesn't have a mane. Or in certain parts of South America
where March swims in like a sea otter, and then it slithers out like a
giant anaconda. There you can buy land real cheap, you know. And there's a
country where March hops in like a kangaroo, and stays a kangaroo for a while,
and then it becomes a slightly smaller kangaroo. Then, then, then for a
couple of days it's sort of a cross between a, a frilled lizard and a common
house cat.
[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]
Wait wait wait wait. Then it changes back into a smaller kangaroo, and then it
goes out like a, like a wild dingo. Now, now, and it's not Australia! Now,
now, you'd think it would be Australia, but it's not!
[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]
Now look, pal! I know a country where March comes in like an emu and goes out
like a tapir. And they don't even know what it means! All right? Now listen,
there are nine different countries, where March comes in like a frog, and goes
out like a golden retriever. But that- that's not the weird part! No, no,
the weird part is, is the frog. The frog- The weird part is-
[has seizure and falls off chair]

Report Card - Part 1

2010-02-27T11:24:00.001-05:00

So the first two things on my list are:

Hang out with the disciples…
Let them see you at your best and your worst…

I did the most "hanging out" in New Paris. And what a blast. The culture there lends itself to very relational ministry. At the other two places I've been, people are more closed off and don't value "hanging out" the way rural folks do. I think I did my best hanging out ministry there, and enjoyed it immensely!!! I wished I would have instituted more of this in my ministry at Concord and Cornerstone...

As far as letting people see me at my best and worst, well, I think I've probably done that...even to a fault! I've always tried to be myself and just let people deal with me as I am. There have been times when I've felt like I had to "be on my best behavior" or even become somebody I'm really not. For those times, I am sorry. I'm also sorry if my "at worst" has actually been damaging to someone or to their faith. I am sure that's the case, and I'm thankful for God's amazing grace to cover my booty when I do those things!!!

Stay tuned for more grades to follow!

Jesus' Method of Discipleship!

2010-02-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

So as I wind down my ministry as a pastor, and as my TPP kids are receiving their report cards, I've been thinking about grading myself on my last 14 years as a pastor. I'm using these requisites as a baseline. Mike Yaconelli summarized Jesus' methods in building followers for him like this. I think is a great way to measure faithfulness...so over the next few blogs, I'll be pondering these things. I'll also be asking the Lord to show me how I can live this out in my new ministry going forward. Thanks for hangin' with me!

Jesus’ Method Of Discipleship

Hang out with the disciples…
Let them see you at your best and your worst…
Teach truths that none of your disciples can grasp at the moment…
Avoid crowds…
Go slowly…
Spend hours in solitude…
Don’t worry about opposition…
Ignore criticism…
Don’t expect immediate results…

Why?

2010-02-24T20:35:00.000-05:00

So I just read this book called "What the Dog Saw." And the chapters explore such pressing questions as:

Why are there all kinds of gourmet mustards and stuff but only one ketchup really seems to dominate the world?

Why do some people just seem to attract dog bites and others seem to just woo an animal into submission?

Why do some people "choke" and some panic and what's the difference?

Why do we sometimes try to manage problems that are really just easier to solve?

I must say, it was a really good read. What are you reading? And, if you'll pardon the expression, why?

Ne pas oublier!

2010-02-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

Now don't forget! Blog is short for weblog...a sort of web based diary. Blague is French for joke. They are pronounced the same, and it is not by mistake that I call my blog a blague. In other words, it's Brett's joke!

So please try to remember that in nearly every post, I am inserting some "Brettly" humor! Enjoy!

How to Solve the Icicle Problem!

2010-02-18T08:11:00.000-05:00

So with all this snow there is lots and lots of talk about icicles. To the left is an actual photo of icicles covering our home.

Now there are at least a few big problems with icicles. One is how to spell the word. I think I finally got that right.

The other problem is death. Apparently, falling icicles are causing large amounts of death.

So, I have the solution. I noticed that my unheated garage has no icicles. Neither does the unheated, uninhabited house across the street. Aha, I said. Icicles are caused by our universal enemy: heat. Therefore, I have turned off our furnace. Problem solved! Now I suggest you go and do likewise.

#&#@$%!

2010-02-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was just one of those days I guess. It started out OK, but for whatever reason, my nerves were a mess. I was disappointed in myself for not having better control of my kids at TPP. Then I walked outside to slip and slide to my car, only to clean it off again...only to not be able to get up the street and had to find an alternative route home. Then I had to shovel our sidewalks and parking places, again. Then I was going to try to fix the brand new lamp that arrived yesterday but alas, I broke it worse. And I guess I just snapped.

The stream of filth from my mouth wasn't pretty. I felt bad for Carla who was privileged to witness this all. (She is SO gracious!!!) But I guess I just had to get it all out.

So last night I didn't sleep very well, mostly because I was regretting the way I lost control. I was reminded of these verses:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:20-21)

Boy amen to that. And thank God that we have forgiveness! I'm giving my mouth over to Him today that I might use it to bring glory, honor, and praise... I'll let you know how that works out for me just as soon as I deal with those kids, and that hill, and the shoveling, and that stupid-piece-of-crap-no-good-cheap-monkey-metal lamp...

Snow Fatique!

2010-02-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

So I stopped in the other day to visit an old friend who has a business here in da burgh. I hadn't been into his store in a while and was really looking forward to seeing him. But he was in a bad mood. In fact, everyone in the place was in a bad mood. In fact, it seemed like on that day, everyone in Pittsburgh was in a bad mood!

It seems like perhaps we are suffering from snow fatigue! Too much shoveling. Too many depressing forecasts. Too much slipping and falling. Too little sunshine and warmth!

But alas...Spring is but around the corner. Cheer up my friends, for these days will soon be passed. And then we can once again begin the season of "hot enough for ya?!"

Ooh, that smell!

2010-02-09T07:46:00.000-05:00

So I'm with a group of people the other day at TPP for our staff meeting lunch. All the sudden someone starts singing "ooh, that smell!" At first, I checked to make sure that I wasn't having a Grandpa Probert standby sandwich: Limberger Cheese. No, just ham and white American.

Then he starts laughing and says that he and his wife woke up to WDVE on the radio and the Skynard song "Ooh, That Smell." We had a brief conversation (frequently interrupted by him singing another soundbyte of that glorious song) about why you get a song stuck in your head.

The problem is, we never figured out why. Any ideas? And why is it usually a song we really don't care for anyhow? I'd like to thank you, Wayne, for allowing me to have that ridiculous song "Ooh that smell" stuck in my head for like a week now. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to step out onto my front porch and sing it at the top of my lungs...maybe that'll help.

Life is a Parade...

2010-02-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

So Carla and I were sitting here this morning enjoying a cup of hot beverage and doing some online shopping for our new home when there is a knock at the door. Turns out, it is yet another new neighbor who comes to welcome us to the neighborhood. (So far, this is shaping up to be the friendliest neighborhood we've ever lived in...) Turns out it is a man who I'll call Tom (mostly because his name is Tom!) who is 78 and is the son-in-law of our recently deceased next door neighbor. He was incredibly friendly, and very interesting! He was a computer installer/programmer since 1959! As he talked about how computers have changed in the 20 years that he has been retired, he made the statement that life is like a parade...

...he said that when you watch a parade, you really just focus on what is right in front of you. You might try to glimpse for a moment at what just passed, or try to see what might be immediately next, but for the most part your focus is on the moment.

Wow. The wisdom of a man 30 some years my senior. Lord, give me the strength today to live in the moment....with everything I have. But let me appreciate Who you have been in the past and Who you will always be...

Did I Say Something?!

2010-02-04T19:09:00.002-05:00

Aight...time for true confessions. When I'm not setting the kitchen on fire (right now, I'm making one of my favorite African delicacies...wali na maharagi. Can you tell Carla's working tonight?!), and even when I am, I find myself talking to myself a lot. Is this bad? I heard somewhere that it is a sign of genius. OK, where I heard that? I said it to myself! Sometimes, I pretend like I'm talking to Shadrach...somehow, that makes it seem acceptable. Or better yet, I'll call it praying! I'll talk to myself but convince myself that I'm really not...that I'm talking to God. That kind of holyfying something can make it all better!!! So what about you...do you talk to yourself? Why? For me, it seems to be therapeutic, and almost a method of more effective thought. Make sense? You too? Who said that?

LOA, ABLC, LMNOP? H-E-L-P!!!!

2010-02-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

So I only have a month left as a pastor in the United Methodist Church, and I'll be proudly serving that out with the people called Cornerstone. But, oh what a quandary this creates!?!!! For who knew that I needed....a STATUS!!!

Yes, apparently at the end of February my status as an ordained elder in the UMC is in jeopardy because I will not be appointed to serve a local church. But, alas, there is the ABLC option...appointed beyond the local church. But is my ministry w/ The Pittsburgh Project a legitimate expression of my ordination to "word, order, and sacrament?" Probably not...

So I have requested a VLOA...a voluntary leave of absence. This gives me 5 years (I think...I never read the book...) by Book of Discipline to either lose my ordination or get into a real ministry of word, order, and sacrament. I guess I'll just take my chances!!!

Fortunately, I believe my real S-T-A-T-U-S is found in my relationship with J-E-S-U-S! And here I thought I was F-R-E-E! You can check out John 8:36 if you don't believe me...

So You Say You Want a Revolution?

2010-01-30T08:02:00.000-05:00

So I was in the Pittsburgh Project staff meeting on Wednesday. They meet every Wednesday at noon, share a meal, a few announcements, and then have Bible study and discussion. Good stuff. This week the topic was "The Pittsburgh Project (TPP), Revolution or Institution?"

The Scripture basis was 1 Chronicles 12:32, an interesting choice. Wayne, our leader, was explaining that TPP was looking for people who understood the times and knew what the people of God should be doing. He further explained that TPP started as a very revolutionary idea nearly 25 years ago...that blacks and whites should live together in peace...that the "haves" and the "have nots" can live side by side and share life, not based on governmental mandates or programs, but on the Word of God and the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Good stuff indeed.

So the question remains for you and me, wherever we are today, do we want a revolution or an institution? In our churches, in our lives, in our families, in our neighborhoods? The real question is, what do you think Jesus wants? Hint: Look at what He did...

Mzungu!

2010-01-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

So today at the Pittsburgh Project, I was teaching my little ones a few Swahili words. So now they're calling me Bwana Brett...but that's a different story. So then I'm home this evening and while Carla's working, I'm just jammin some bluegrass on the ole guitar. While I'm playing, our dog Shadrach decides to lie down. Well he starts walking around in circles like 437 times before he decides that he found the right spot. What a goof...and yet how are we like that?!?! In fact, in the area of Africa that I lived as a Peace Corps volunteer, the word for white person is "mzungu." OK, you ready for the humbling reality of what that word literally means?

It means: person who keeps going around in circles!!!

So as I'm closing out my last month of preaching at Cornerstone and beginning my new ministry at the Pittsburgh Project. And as we're getting all settled into our new house, and as life is crazy, I'm trying to remember the truth of Psalm 46:10..."be still and know that I am God..." In other words, I'm trying to not be such a mzungu!!!

Fear Not

2010-01-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

In the midst of the move an' 'at, fear not, for lo, I am blogging, even unto the end of the age. I just don't have time right now...

But just as you have seen my blog go, so you shall see it return...

To "multi" or "mono," this is the question...

2010-01-13T06:08:00.000-05:00

So the other day I'm having breakfast with a couple of my best friends. While we're eating and talking, I'm texting and taking calls and reading my emails and checking facebook and tweeting and thinking of my next joke and composing my next Sunday message and worrying and praying and interrupting and....well, you get the picture. Why am I doing this? Because this is what culture tells me is healthy. The more you can do at once, the better (Extra Blague de Brett Bonus!!!! Fill in the blank!!!) ____________ you are. This, my friends, is the art of multitasking...

So one of my friends says, are you sitting down?, he deleted his facebook account. WHAT? Are you crazy? You shall be shunned!!! What about that Bible verse, it's in there somewhere, I think, that says woe unto the facebookless, or sum'n like that? How you could fall so far? How will you live?

After I work through my shock, he simply looks at me and says that he thinks his calling in this new year is to "monotask." To focus on one person or thing at a time...and only one thing at a time...and give it his whole attention. What a concept, but as an old professor of mine used to say, "I'm afraid he might be right...."

The Winter Storm of the Decade!!!

2010-01-07T19:38:00.000-05:00

So here we are...smack dab in the middle of the biggest winter storm we've seen all decade. That's right, you heard me, the whole decade (which began seven days ago...).

To the left I've included a picture of what our neighborhood looks like right now. (Note: there really isn't anything there but white. Get it, Mom?) Please don't mistake this picture for ghosts eating marshmallows in a styrofoam room.

So I have some thoughts on surviving this incredible storm which will probably doom us all:

1. Drive really fast. That way you'll get past the place where you might wreck quickly and avoid the wreck.

2. Don't stop at stop signs. That way you won't slide or spin out.

3. Stock up on strawberry Pop-tarts.

4. Call everybody you know every 5 minutes and ask them how the roads are.

5. Cancel any activities you may be in charge of at least 48 hours before the first flake drops.

6. Call the coordinator of any activities you are not in charge of at least every 15 minutes to see if they canceled the activity yet. (Don't forget to ask them how the roads are.)

7. Frequently update your facebook and twitter about the snow and your feelings about it.

Turn to What, or Who!?

2010-01-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

Big news in Christian circles this week: Brit Hume tells Tiger Woods to turn to the Christian faith to straighten out his life. Now on the surface, that seems like great advice, and to be honest, I think Brit's intentions were fantastic.

My issue however is that Christianity never straightened anyone's life around. Christianity is just another religion, and one that is fallen, at best. If anything, Christianity can just mess up a persons life.

Now before you think I've fallen further off my rocker, let me explain. What Tiger Woods needs, what I need, what you need, what Brit Hume needs...is Jesus Christ. Not Christianity. Not religion. Not a set of moral standards and behavioral modification techniques that don't really work. But Jesus Christ. The Word makes it pretty clear...HE came to seek and save the lost, not His followers, or at worst, the institution they've created...

What's "New?"

2010-01-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

So as I sit here at the dawn of a new year, I wonder what's new. As I continue my journey to know what God has in store for me next, I wonder what's new. I know that 2010 will be a year of significant changes, and many new things, but I wonder what's new. If only we could see down the road to know where we'll be walking, but then that is not God's mysterious way!

One thing I wonder is why so many people are called to start new churches, but so few are called to start new ministries. Many have asked me "are you going to start your own church?" The answer on about 14 different levels is NO. Part of my struggle with that is in the question itself..."own church."

Part of it is that so many seem to be starting churches in affluent areas (like Cranberry Township) and yet churches in places like Bellevue are going under. I believe part of the reason for that is "church" is still popular with the relatively wealthy, but ministry is what is needed to the masses (and I would argue, by the Lord Himself). Because churches tend to focus on themselves (despite good attempts and mission statements to the contrary), ministry sometimes doesn't happen as well through the church. Plus churches tend to generate capital, and especially if you start one in an affluent area. But ministry takes resources, financial and otherwise, in order to "succeed." In other words, starting ministries is so much harder than starting churches...but did Jesus say this would be easy?

So as I wonder what's new, I know for me it is NOT starting a new church. But one thing I do ponder is whether God is calling me to start a new ministry somewhere in the Pittsburgh area. What's new? Who knows...but you can join me in praying about it...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

May God's peace and blessings be manifest through your life in the coming year! Here are some more pix of our new house. Our address as of January 15th will be:

Brett and Carla Probert
3970 Brandon Road
Pittsburgh PA 15212

I will still be serving Cornerstone but no longer living in the parsonage. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T07:28:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick thoughts before I take a blog-break for Christmas:

1. Merry Christmas everyone. May you know that "God became flesh and dwells among us!"

2. We can't wait to move into our new home...closing date is January 15 and moving date is January 18. This is a picture of the front of it.

3. I hope everyone enjoys the gifts we bought for them this year. We cheerfully give, because He has given us so much...

4. Thank you all for your prayers for Carla's dad. We continue to commit him and his health into the Lord's hands...it's always in His hands anyhow, it's just that now we seem to know it a little more...

Merry Christmas, and may you be blessed and be a blessing in 2010.

And the Lord sayeth "Behold! I watcheth over the clunker!"

2009-12-20T06:47:00.000-05:00

So I'm driving along the other day in my "quart of oil every 1,000 mile/gallon of antifreeze every 2,000 mile/quart of tranny fluid every 3,000 mile" ten year old Saturn when alas, there is a buck. I mean alas too 'cause there was like no time whatsoever to do anything about him. He was big and beautiful and running about 275 miles/hour. I hit the brakes just about the same time I hit him! BAM!

So I'm thinking...great...there goes my beautiful clunker of a car. Prolly took out the radiator and all those doo-hickey's under the hood. I pulled over into a parking lot, got out of the car, and to what did my wondering eyes appear? But a couple of strands of deer hair on the hood. That's it. No dents (OK, that's a lie...no NEW dents!), no broken anything (OK, again...no NEW broken stuff), no steam from under the hood (or at least more steam than it usually puts out...keeps the wrinkles in the hood under control...). And I'm like, literally, thank you Lord!

At this time when I'm stepping out on faith, looking down a new uncharted road, and buying a house, I don't need to Bambi-ize my poor car. Thank you Lord for watching over the clunkers...both the cars, and the people!

Backwards, Part II

2009-12-17T16:19:00.000-05:00

So a few days (weeks!) ago I blogged about how we have the "great commission" of Jesus to His followers kinda backwards. This is the second thing that I've been kicking around lately that I think the church (universal) in America has backwards.

I believe that we have become almost incapable of interpreting Scripture except through the eyes of Paul. Not that Paul is a bad guy. Not that Paul's writings aren't a crucial part of the Bible. It's just that Paul interprets the gospel to how it applies to organization. That's not bad, but that was contextual to Paul's world at the time.

It seems to me that we, however, can no longer read the Bible apart from the lens of the organization...the church. So we miss the point. We don't understand the radical nature of the gospel...the message of Jesus.

My prayer is that I might be able to start to read the Bible with fresh eyes...not the eyes of the organizational church, but the eyes of one simply seeking to follow Christ....

Reflections on Shopping

2009-12-14T07:53:00.000-05:00

So I was doing some Christmas shopping on Saturday. I spent some time at the Ross Park Mall. Incredible...a bunch of rude, sorrowful, pushy, selfish people gathered in one place ostensibly to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world! I mean, I had a good time, but more because I just treated it as an adventure and a study of humanity.

I was also shopping in the Strip District in the 'burgh. If you've never been there, shame on you! It was a totally different experience. The streets and stores were jammed, but the attitude of people seemed very different. People were polite, smiling, and seemingly enjoying their time together.

In fact, I was in one store and was standing waiting to check out. The lady at the cash register was older and was super friendly despite the fact that you could barely move in this little hole-in-the-wall place. There were like 7 people in line, but it didn't bother her at all. She greeted each guest with a hearty Merry Christmas. The person in front of me was an acquaintance of hers and as he prepared to leave, she leaned over the counter and gave him a big hug.

I was next and she rang me up and I handed her my money and she gave me the change, I remarked that I must not have been as lucky a customer because I didn't get a hug. She reached over the counter and gave me the biggest bear hug and said with a grin Merry Christmas. I left the store with a huge smile on my face, and saw the other patrons smiling too.

Now I'm nearly done with my shopping, but do you have any guesses where I'm going back to?

I Have Sinned

2009-12-11T07:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, all you Steeler fans, I have sinned. Last night, in order to speak some hope to a friend, faithful blog follower, and twittermate who just happens to be a Cleveland Browns fan, I tweeted "Go BROWNS."

As you know, it worked. They won. We, the Steeler nation, are in deep mourning.

I feel that I must confess that it was I, and I alone, who must bear responsibility for this heinous transgression. Please forgive me!

And BTW, if my twitter account holds such sway over national events, anyone wanna like pick a stock for me to tweet about and we all invest in it and watch what happens?!

eW evaH tI llA sdrawkcaB

2009-12-09T12:18:00.000-05:00

So I think we have it all backwards. What do you think? Look at Jesus' words of instruction to the apostles...their marching orders (found in Matthew 28:19-20):

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

He told them (read: US) to do three things:
1. Go
2. Baptize
3. Teach

As I reflect on my leadership of Cornerstone Church over these last 4 1/2 years, I realized that in many ways, I have it all backwards. Oh we do these things, or we try. But maybe one of the reasons why we don't see the "kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven" to the extent we would hope is because we do them in the wrong order. We attempt to teach Scriptural truth. As we do, we hope that somebody will actually come and listen. Then if they do, we baptize them...we indoctrinate them into the faith. Then, and only then, we attempt to get them to "go."

Problem is, we didn't "GO" to them, so we don't seem to be able to inspire them to "go" to anyone else. So we keep teaching, and hoping someone will show up to listen. And we keep baptizing...indoctrinating those few who stumble into our midst. And we keep trying to get them to go, all the while not going ourselves....

ebyaM ew evah gnihtemos denrut sdrawkcab!!! tahW od uoy kniht?

Have We Lost Something?

2009-12-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

Have we lost something? By we, I mean the church...the body of believers in this American culture. The numbers are shrinking, you know. We're not seeing people come to the Lord like once did, you know.   I'm sure there are lots of reasons and stuff behind it, but one thing I suspect is that we lost something...

What have we lost? The call to change. We say we accept people as they are. And we do. And we should. Because God does. We say come as you are. And we ourselves do. And we ourselves should.   Because that is the call of God.

But that's it? I mean it goes no further? We just come into a relationship with Him, and that's it. We just live, and die, and heaven. The end?

I don't think so, and I believe that is something we have lost. God calls us to Him...to be accepted just as we are. But He DEMANDS that we change. He DEMANDS sacrifice...of our old lives for His. And that is hard. Very hard. And so we resist. And we don't change.   And we don't demand change of others...

...and we wonder why the grip of faith is slipping in our land?

Livin' For Sunday Mornings...

2009-12-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here is a recent photo from one of Cornerstone's worship services...NOT! If you have not ever been here, well we meet in a converted warehouse space and it looks just a little bit like nothing like this!

But we do faithfully gather every Sunday at 10:30 to sing, to pray, to praise, to share the Word of life together...to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. And in the past 4 1/2 years that I've had the privilege of leading this congregation, I've loved every minute of our worship together...

And yet as I work through my own transitions from being a pastor to serving the Lord in some missional way, I am reflecting on my accomplishments here....and on where I have failed. And as I lead this church through a time of transition and preparation for a new leader, we need to be reflecting on what we have accomplished together...and where we have failed. I believe one of the things that we have found it most difficult to do is to be the church in any big way other than on Sunday mornings.

Our budget reflects this...our money, our time, and our facilities are primarily focused on enabling the Sunday morning worship service. Not that it is bad to come together in worship...it is essential to our faith. But we must also be the church to the world the other 6 days. I believe one of my greatest shortcomings in my time here has been to be able to lead us in reaching out...boldly...recklessly...unceasingly...into this lost and hurting world. One thing I believe we need to strive for as we move forward is to be livin' for Monday mornings, and Tuesdays, and so on...as much as we do for Sundays.

Well I'm a Mouse, and I'm Stirring!

2009-12-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

So I'm coming from the gym to our ministry center this morning and there I am, sitting in traffic at a red light. That is life in Cranberry. Sitting in traffic at a red light. I had just been talking to Stan this morning about the old Christmas TV special where the voice recites the beginning of 'T'was the Night Before Christmas.' When he gets to the "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" part, there is this little mouse in the kitchen stirring something in a bowl and she says "well I'm a mouse, and I'm stirring!" Funny stuff.

So anywho, I'm sitting at this red light and all of the sudden I see this little mouse run out right into the middle of the intersection (228 and 19, no less!)! As he begins to scurry about on the pavement, he starts acting very strangely. You know, going this way, then that. Running very fast in one direction, then stopping and running very fast in the opposite direction. He finally and frantically made his way safely to the other side of the highway, hopped the curb, and took off into the grass.

And I'm thinking...I'm that mouse, and I'm stirring! As I ponder God's ever renewing call on my life, I realize that my time in the suburbs has been like this mouse on the road. It is just unfamiliar territory to me...it isn't where I really belong. It's not that it is a bad place...if you're a car. But I'm a mouse, and I think I have been stirring to find the grass where I belong.

Lord, make me faithful to follow you....may my prayer be your commands to me iin Proverbs 4:26-27:

"Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left..."

Hope in the Hood

2009-11-30T05:32:00.000-05:00

I took this pic while driving down through Aliquippa the other day. I was coming back home from spending a few hours with Ben...the 12 year old boy that I "mentor" there. If you've not been to Aliquippa and you live in the PIttsburgh area, you owe yourself a trip through there. It is such a depressed place in so many ways. When the steel industry pulled out a few decades ago, it's like they pulled out the heart and soul of Aliquippa and its people.

But NO! Take a closer look and you'll see heart, and soul. Jesus said that the last shall be first, and in many ways that is living out as truth in Aliquippa. I take heart in a world that is obsesses with "Happy Holidays" and other politically correct crapola that a town in the heart of our region knows where the true hope lies, and is not afraid to display it.

Merry Christmas, Aliquippa. And may the peace and hope, which can only be found in Jesus Christ (which you apparently already know) be yours this Christmas and always....

Caught Not Taught...

2009-11-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

So I'm thinking it's true, that the fine line between the dog and owner begins to blur over the years...

You see, we have this crazy dog Shadrach. He's almost 10 years old now and I love him...but I must admit he drives me crazy. He is so reactionary. Every little thing that happens he reacts like a crazy dog. Every time I get out the chair, he's ready for his next "big adventure." That usually means I'm just getting a glass of milk and he doesn't get anything, but still there is this ridiculous excitement...

He's also very fickle. One minute he is all lovey and stuff and the next minute he's like "leave me alone." One minute he is lying on the floor and the next minute he is fidgeting around on his cushion (his cush-cush!).

And I look at him and think...what a nut! And then I realize...over the years, he has taken on my personality!!! I didn't teach him to act this way, he just learned it by watching me! His behavior was caught, not taught.

So I wonder...are we watching and catching Jesus?

And then I wonder...who (besides Shadrach) is watching and catching Jesus...from ME?

Here...let me do that for you!

2009-11-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

So I went to the Bishop's Day on the District meeting last night. It was a very long meeting, but it was good in some respects. First of all, I got to see some old friends and hang out a bit. I also heard the bishop be very honest about how the United Methodist Church is dying and we better do something about it. I agree.

But after a 2 hour and 15 minute presentation, we spent a few moments on our knees in prayer. And part of that time was in explanation of why we need to pray. It just struck me...again...this notion that has been rolling around in my bean for a while now.

It seems that we (as Christians) spend much of our time and energy trying to do things only God can do, and then trying to get God to do the things only we can do. Some plant, some water, but it is God who makes it all grow (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). Only God can grow the church. Only He can bring about the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The best effort is to allow that to happen in us individually as we spend our lives on our knees in prayer, devotion, worship, and service to Him. That's our job.

The rest, I gently remind us, is His...

Me and My Big Mouth (Boy, did I just open myself up for comments, or what?!)

2009-11-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

I love Bugs Bunny. He has always made me laugh since I was a little boy and watched him on Saturday morning cartoons ('mimber them?). He had a way of getting himself into some scrapes and then would often, in reflection, say "me and my big mouth!"

I guess I have a big mouth sometimes and I get myself in trouble for it. Take for example recently when Carla and I were trying to decide upon a realtor. We met with this woman who was extremely scattered and disorganized. She forgot some paperwork, forgot her pen, and then lost the keys to a home she was showing us! When she emailed to see if we were interested in using her as a realtor, I said no.

Now I tried to say it in a polite way, but I guess the truth sometimes hurts. I had a few friends read the email just to make sure I wasn't slamming her and stuff, but I still kinda felt badly speaking my mind. Even if it was the truth. Even if it was in a kind fashion. Even if we, as a buyer, have the right to determine with whom we'll do business and why.

So why do I feel badly? I feel like I've opened my big mouth and "hurt" somebody. But in the end, aren't we really called to "speak the truth in love?" (see Ephesians 4:25) And how do we expect to grow if we're not honest with each other? How do we expect to be changed, and to change the world if we're not willing to lovingly confront?

In fact, I'm gonna preach on that this week....

Fun Facts from Brett's Kitchen

2009-11-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

With Carla working so much, and especially 3-11, I have been doing a lot of my own cooking. I just thought I'd share a few fun facts I've discovered along the way:

- Pork can, and will, explode in the microwave!

- Exploded pork can take a long time to clean up!

- If you bend down to get something out of the fridge, make sure you back up far enough before standing up or you'll bang your bald head off the freezer door handle, leaving a noticeable divot in your head!

- Bald head divots quickly turn to big bumps on your head!

- Seeing stars is not just a figure of speech.

- Dishrags can, and will, get caught in the disposal!

- Food doesn't taste nearly as good when you eat alone...

It kinda reminds me how spot-on God was when He said that thing in Genesis 2:18..."It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

GOOD PLAN!!!

NEWS FLASH: I'M NOT DEAD!!!! (yet)

2009-11-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

Heck, I'm not even dying (at least at a faster-than-normal-than-I'm-aware-of-but-if-I-don't-stop-eating-Krispy-Kream-donuts-that-could-change-rate). I am alive and well. Let me repeat that for the hard of hearing: I AM ALIVE AND WELL!

Why do I feel the need to share this news flash? Because of how people are treating me...how they are responding to my news that I'm pursuing God's call on my life to "local" missions. I have people from my previous churches calling and crying because I'm not going to be a pastor anymore. I have people at Cornerstone that avoid talking to me or at least avoid talking about "it", you know, the way it is when you're dying and nobody wants to say you're dying?!?!

Well, I'm not dying, and I'm not dead. I'm alive and well and following God's call on my life. I am more excited (read: scared too life) about what God is doing next than I have been in a long time! This is a very good thing. My life as a pastor hasn't been a mistake, it is just that the season has ended. My life isn't over. In fact, my new, new life is just beginning. And this is a good thing!

I'm not dead, at least not unless you consider the words of Paul in Galatians 2:20... "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Bert and Ernie

2009-11-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

So back in the day, I used to work on a horse farm that had Belgian draft horses. They came and went, but my favorite team we called Bert and Ernie. Bert was an older, gentle, wise gelding, and Ernie was younger, crazier, and personable. When we hooked them together, it was almost unbelievable how they took on each others' best characteristics and covered for each others' weaknesses. I used to love to sit behind them on a wagon or whatever and just watch them work as a team.

Stan is my lifting partner at the gym. We usually meet at the gym at 4:45 (a.m....yes it does come around twice a day) and start lifting at 5. We work out for an hour or so then sit and drink coffee and share life. It is a fantastic way to start the day.

How are the two related? Well, Stan is on vacation this week, and I made it to the gym Monday. That's it. Just Monday. Why? Because I'm Ernie...and I'm lazy unless I have a Bert to inspire me, push me, drag me, perk me up, settle me down. (NOTE: I am not calling Stan a horse, or any other part of a horse's anatomy, although there are times....) Carla plays this role in our marriage. (NOTE: I am not calling my wife a horse, or any other part of a horse's anatomy!) Some friends play that role in my Christian journey (NOTE: I am not calling my horses, or any other part of a horse's anatomy!)

The bottom line? I need to be a part of a team, or I stumble. Maybe that's why God said in Hebrews 10 that we should not "forsake meeting together as some are in the habit of doing..."

4th Gear

2009-11-03T18:29:00.000-05:00

So it's freezing outside today...like 48ish, but I decided to ride the hawg today. Let's face it, one is not going to be able to enjoy too many more days on two wheels this Fall. So this afternoon after my last appointment and before the sun set, I took a nice little "therapy" ride. As I was cruising along enjoying the cold wind, the sights and sounds of Fall, and the freedom of the open road, I decided that I like 4th gear best. Roads that are 4th gear roads are twisty and windy and maybe a little rough. They are roads with blind curves and blinder hills and lots of chances for fleeting wildlife. 4th gear roads have lots of hazards and surprises waiting, and so they demand 4th gear. Not 5th, not 6th, for sure. But not 1st or 2nd either. Just fast enough to really keep on alert on the bars. And just slow enough to enjoy the day, the view, and the challenges of the road...

I've spent a good bit of my life in 6th gear, and while I don't regret it, I find myself more and more comfortable with 4th gear. And not just on the bike, but on the road that leads to life...

Thoughts on Germ X

2009-11-02T08:10:00.000-05:00

So my wife, Carla, is a nurse. And therefore, she is acutely aware of germs and what they do and stuff. So we have Germ X everywhere...various places in the house, in the car, at the office, etc. And the bottle says right there on the bottom...kills 99.99% of germs.

However, from Carla's microbiology class a few years ago, apparently it isn't just the Germ X, or even the soap in handwashing, that does the trick. Apparently, it's the rubbing. No matter how you "sanitize" your hands, you must rub them together vigorously, for that is what really sheds the germs!

It kinda reminds me of 1 Peter 1:6-7, where we are told that the "rubbing" makes us stronger...healthier...more faithful...

The Road to Life...

2009-10-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

So when I was a kid, we had this stupid sister-imposed rule called "own places." That meant that when we were taking a trip in our 1970 Dodge Coronet (actually ours was a four door in Burnt Orange Metallic...with vinyl seats...) my sisters would yell "own places" and that meant we had to sit in our assigned seats in the back. Felicia, the eldest and self-appointed boss, sat on the left side by the window. Brenda, who is a ridiculous 3 minutes older than me but who lords it over me as if it were decades, sat on the right side by the window. That meant that my spot was, you guessed it, in the middle, on the "hump." (Please refer to 70's vintage rear wheel drive cars for a point of reference, all you youngin's)

The blessing in that was I had a great vantage point to watch dad drive....left arm on the window and right hand at twelve o'clock on the wheel. It drove me nuts to see him always moving that right hand slowly back and forth as we drove along, even on a straight road. So I finally spoke up one day to ask why he couldn't just hold the wheel straight. He explained that the art of driving a car is that you're always correcting...at any given time you're heading slightly to the right or to the left, and that the trick was to be aware of that and be in the process of correction.

Now that has become a bit of a metaphor for my life. You know, Jesus said that the road to life is a narrow road...and I think He might mean that as we walk through this life, we're on a journey, in a process. The trick is to keep moving, and to be always correcting...seeking to keep our eyes and our life focused on Jesus.

So what's my point? As usual, I'm not sure! But I think to say that life is a process. That we need to be always correcting our path. That we need to be staying out of the ruts. That the road to life is exactly that...it's a road. Ya, that's probably it.

Oh yeah, and that sisters are bossy...

Good Times with John and B.I.G.

2009-10-22T07:40:00.000-05:00

So I'm out on the bike the other day and I get lost and end up stopping a Sheetz for some "Cupoccino" to warm up. As I'm standing there in the warm sun enjoying the day and good beverage, these two guys get out of this beat-up old 80's vintage Buick two door and walk over to me. They began a conversation with me, or should I say two conversations?

You see the one guy, whose name is John, begins asking me all kinds of questions...most of them twice! He asked my name and told me his and we talked for like 20 minutes about the bike, his job, life stuff. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't the "brightest bulb in the pack."

Then there was BIG...short for Brain Injury Guy. He began having a completely separate conversation with me all the while I was talking to John. He told me how glad he was that I wore a helmet because he had suffered a brain injury in a car accident when he was 19 and how horrible it was. John probably wasn't too smart, but BIG made him look like a Harvard guy. BIG told me about only having one eye, and that his head hurt so bad on sunny days that even that "vicadin stuff" didn't help. And he went on and on, as John was going on and on...

Finally, they said goodbye...John called me by name...and they walked over to their car (out of which they sold frozen fish...for a living...I swear I'm not making this up!). John got in the passenger seat and BIG got in to drive...brain injury, blindness, vicadin, and all! My first thought was, get outta here fast before they have the chance to kill me! My second thought was, I just met Dumb and Dumber!

But as I drove away, I was humbled by some prayerful conclusions. 1 Samuel 16:7 came to mind in which we're reminded that "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I thought about their hearts...they were obviously best friends. They took time... a lot time...to take an interest in me, to learn my name, to share a few minutes of life. They were loving, fun, polite, kind, and engaging.

My final thoughts were this...I hope I get to see them again, and soon. Because in the parking lot of that Sheetz, in the hearts of two "strange"rs, I think I met Jesus...

Free!

2009-10-20T06:54:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend the other day and he was talking about the freedom we have in Christ and how awesome it is. You know, I have known this truth for years...in my head. But something about the passion in his voice and his testimony to me had a huge impact on me and I haven't been able to get the notion out of my head since then.

We are free...Galatians 5:1 says that "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." I believe that He desires us to be free...and how awesome it is when we are. Free from debt. Free from sin. Free from fear. Free from the expectations of others. Free from ourselves. Free to love. Free to be like Him. What has He freed you from? Better yet, what has He freed you for? Whatever it is, be free today. And remember the conclusion to the story in Galatians 5...from verse 13: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love..."

An Announcement...

2009-10-19T06:12:00.002-05:00

If you worshiped with us at Cornerstone on Sunday, October 18th then you have already heard this news, but I wanted to put it into writing for those who were not able to be with us.

About six years ago, Carla and I began to pray about a new direction that we felt God was leading our ministry. We have served the Lord in pastoring a church for 13 1/2 years now and have been blessed to be able to serve Him in this way. However, we have been increasingly convinced that He has a new ministry direction for us, and particularly for me (Brett). I don’t know exactly what kind of direction He is taking me, but I do know that in order for me to seek that out with honesty and integrity, I must announce that I am going to step down from pastoring Cornerstone Church .

I am willing to serve as your pastor here through the end of the appointment year, which is through June 2010, provided God doesn’t open other doors for us or for Cornerstone. I know this might seem to be an unusual approach by telling you now and continuing to serve as your pastor. However, I believe that Cornerstone is at crossroads that provides for huge and exciting new possibilities. I do not want to lead us through a planning time that assumes to involve me when I know I won’t be a part of it through the long term. Also, I don’t want to announce that I’m leaving and let Cornerstone to deal with that alone. I think it is much more honest and productive for us to work through this all together.

Although I am uncertain about many things as Carla and I go forward, let me tell you a few things of which I believe we are certain. First of all, I am not going to pastor another United Methodist Church …the Conference is not “moving me on.” Secondly, I am not going to pastor a church in another denomination. I simply feel that God has a calling for ministry that isn’t leading a church, but is more a mission.

Secondly, we plan to stay in the area, at least for now. Carla has a stable employment situation, and we feel that it is wise for her to maintain that while my ministry is in transition. I am beginning to write my resume, and I am feeling called to some kind of ministry where I will work with people groups that are unchurched and may never hear of or see the love of Jesus unless Christians go and take Him there. I may work with a mentoring ministry, homeless ministry, children of incarcerated parents, prison ministry, or something like that….again some kind of “missions” ministry, but here locally.

Most of all, please know this. I am not leaving for a better offer. I wanted to announce this now so that I can begin to search those things out with integrity. Also, I’m not leaving because I dislike being a pastor. I love it, but I know God has something different in store next. And we are unsure of exactly where He is leading us; just that we know He is calling us to leave this venture and step out to where He is taking us…a ministry that He will show us. (Genesis 12:1)

Lastly, know that I have great hopes for Cornerstone. The Leadership Team is a very capable group of solid Christians who have supported me in this because they know that God has big things in store for Cornerstone. Please pray for us all as we continue to seek God’s face and will for Cornerstone Church of Cranberry and for our lives as individuals.

in the love of Jesus,

Brett

And Now Please Bow Your Heads and Mow

2009-10-14T06:31:00.000-05:00

So last evening I had free time (yippee!) and Carla was working (bummer!) so I mowed the lawn. I know that sounds crazy, especially since the last time I mowed the back yard it was so high that i had to put the bagger on and empty it, and I swear I'm not making this up, EVERY SINGLE TIME I MADE A LAP AROUND THE YARD!!!! (Don't tell dad.) But I thought, hey, what if I mowed more often....maybe it might be easier when I did. And it was.

But alas, this hain't about mowing. My point is this...as I was mowing, I was reminded of how I do my best praying when I'm doing something else. Maybe I'm ADHD...maybe I'm crazy...maybe it's just how God wired me. But as I was mowing, I was having an awesome conversation with the Guy who made the grass! I was able to share some things on my heart from the day, and I was able to hear Him speak some things I needed to know. So Lord, help me to use the mundane activities of life as opportunities to spend time with you...

...and now, please bow your heads and rake...

Be Creative!

2009-10-13T07:11:00.000-05:00

So I'm not very creative. I can't draw. I can't paint. I can't write songs. I can't sculpt. I swear when I do crafts. Get the picture?

But I believe that we're created in the image of God...and He is the Creator! Just think of the imagination He must have to conceive of this world (and just look at Fall on the slopes of the Western Pennsylvania mountains if you don't believe me...). He is Creative, Creator...and we are made like Him.

So I guess I'm feeling challenged to be a little creative...perhaps with my humor, perhaps with my messages or my writing, perhaps with my guitar...idk, but I'm thinking that creativity and imagination spur a deeper connection to the Almighty...

Cough, cough...

2009-10-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

So I'm still coughing...even though I'm done (I hope) with the swine flu. But as I'm coughing, I'm remembering one of my favorite stories from childhood. See, we were in second grade and I had a cough. So mom sent me to school with Smith Brothers cough drops (see picture. BTW, why did they come 17 in a box? Like did the Smith Brothers have a thing for prime numbers?!).

Well, my twin sister Brenda wanted some cough drops. And I wouldn't give her any (now this was with good reason...see the picture, Brenda: They're MEDICATED. This is a SPECIAL FORMULA! They are not candy!!!). So after our bathroom break (the bathrooms were upstairs in the old Salix school where we only had 1st-3rd grade and no cafeteria), Brenda loudly fake-coughed the whole way down the stairs.

It didn't work.

Cowboy for an Evening...

2009-09-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago, Carla was working 3-11 on a Friday night, so I headed off on the hawg for an evening of relaxation. I was heading south on Route 18 in Washington County and was encountering all sorts of traffic, a rarity for this rural stretch of road. As I tooled on, I started noticing people in the cars dressed in cowboy hats and flannel shirts. Soon, I was at a mini traffic jam near the entrance to the concert grounds. I asked someone (dressed in the cowboy garb) next to me what was going on, and they responded that it was a Toby Keith concert...last of the season!

So that explains it. I have to admit, my first thought was "how stupid is this...a bunch of yinzers dressed like cowboys and cowgirls. I bet they don't dress that way on Monday..."

But then I thought, that's what makes America great. We are truly free...free to lose ourselves in some "other persona" if evening for an evening. We are free to live out our dreams, if only at a concert on a Friday evening. I love this country, and I love freedom....

G20 Scmee Scmwenty

2009-09-22T06:47:00.002-05:00

So here are some thoughts on the G-20 Summit in Pburgh this week:

Who cares?
What if all the protesters went on a mission trip for a week and did some real good?
Or what if the protesters got jobs?
Or what if the world leaders got jobs?
Or what if the world leaders got saved?
Or what if the protesters got saved?
This summit is pointless...in the words of the great theologian "The WHO" - "...meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."

I'm thinking of offering my own "discount" summit in these hard economic times:

G-17.95 Summit! You save over 10%. But wait, we're not finished...we'll send you a second G absolutely free (just pay separate shipping and processing fees....)

There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch...or is There?

2009-09-18T06:39:00.000-05:00

So dad always used to say that there is no such thing as a free lunch. (Actually, dad probably still says it...I haven't known dad not to repeat himself too much!) But alas dad was wrong on this one.

Today at C3, we're hosting yet another free lunch for our neighbors. You see, we don't have a real church building so we lease space in a business park. It's a real neato opportunity to do some different things and to bless our neighbors around us. So with the help of our staff and few wunneful volunteers, we're cooking up some burgers and dogs and stuff and inviting our business neighbors to enjoy it with us and one another. No strings attached. Free. For real.

Jesus said "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Hey Lord....we're trying!

Life's a Trip!

2009-09-15T07:31:00.000-05:00

So the other evening Carla was working and I was bored so I went out for a long (like 190 miles) ride on the hawg. As I was cruising up the highway nearing sundown, I was just admiring how beautiful the sky was that evening. The clouds were gorgeous and the colors that God had used to paint the evening sky were absolutely breathtaking. As I cruised along, I noticed something....everyone else on the road seemed to be going somewhere!!! I wasn't...I was just enjoying the ride. In fact, the ride was the whole purpose for the evening. But I seemed to be rather alone in that. People passed me and never seemed to notice the sky, or the sumac turning red, or the deer and turkey far off in the neighboring fields. They were all going somewhere, but they forgot to enjoy the ride...

A great theologian, John Magargee, once taught me about the dangers of destination disease. You know, how we focus on where we're going and forget to enjoy the journey of getting there? So that evening, I was free...free to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about where I was going. Didn't Jesus say something about the "road to life?" You think He was really trying to remind us the simple truth that life's a trip?

Sometimes, It Just Fixes Itself

2009-09-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

So it isn't much, but it's my car. It's a '99 Saturn SC-1. I'm thinkin the SC stands for super cool. Anywho, about a year ago, the windshield wipers started sorta just coming on and off on their own volition, even though they probably don't have a volition. So you can be driving down the highway on a bootyful sunny day and like all of the sudden they just start wiping. Sometimes on fast, sometimes on slow, sometimes on pause, and sometimes some combination thereof. And then they stop...sometimes down at the bottom where they're 'apposta and sometimes just right in the middle of the field of vision.

So people (read: Carla) say "why don't you get them fixed?" Well, the car is prolly worth less than a good set of wiper blades to start with and I'm just not thinking that it is really worth it. Do I have pride? Do I care if my wipers are on when it's such a nice day? Heck no! I just care that I'm not giving some mechanic his child's next tuition payment to "fix" the problem.

Now all that to say, my car seldom does the windshield washer thing anymore. Maybe it just got tired. Maybe it was a battle of wills and I won. Maybe they just fixed themselves. Who knows. But it gets me to thinking how much energy we put toward things that really don't need our energy at all.

Wasn't it Jesus who told that story about the farmer who...well, you can read it here.

SIMPLE!

2009-09-04T06:54:00.002-05:00

My how we complicate the simple... This seems to be the way of the world. And it certainly applies to the church. And it surely applies to the gospel. The good news of Jesus isn't complicated at all, and yet we've made it seem that way. On September 13th, C3 is going to embark on a journey to simplify. Won't you join us?

Doin' the Stuff

2009-09-03T07:13:00.002-05:00

John Wimber, controversial pastor, preacher, teacher, and minister of decades gone by is sorta famous for this line "doin' the stuff." He came of out a drug life into a relationship with Jesus Christ. After reading through the New Testament and worshiping in a church for a while, he was led to ask the pastor when we "get to do the stuff." By the stuff, he meant the miracles of Jesus...the healings and the instantaneous changes of life that Jesus brought about. The pastor kinda shrugged him off and indicated that Jesus did the stuff, but we don't anymore...

What a shame. Why have we dismissed the supernatural abilities of an awesome God. Why do we do our own stuff, and often with very little kingdom impact, all the while not letting God do His?

Step Up!

2009-08-27T06:53:00.002-05:00

Last evening, I had a great discussion with some friends from Cornerstone. Part of the conversation was about taking responsibility for our own actions. After I got home, and since Carla was working, I took Shadrach for a walk. We were walking down the little paved trail, that our ridiculously expense Homeowner's Association fees pay for, in the dark. The branches were hanging down from the nearby trees and several of them were whapping me in the face. I said aloud, as I've said before, "when is somebody gonna trim these trees?!"

And then it hit me, what about me? Why don't I trim the trees? Why do I assume someone else should? Why is it always somebody else's fault or responsibility? When will I step up, and not just to the little things of trimming tree branches, but to the big things of living like Jesus in this world instead of wondering when everyone else will...

NEVER eat your vegetables! A Blague Warning!

2009-08-26T16:18:00.002-05:00

So the other night, Carla's working 3-11 and I was fending for myself for supper. In the fridge were some leftovers...mixed veggies and a barbecued rib from a few days ago so I decided to eat that. Well as I'm eating my veggies, I feel something weird with my teeth. You know what it was? I chipped one of my front teeth! Now it was a very small chip, and I went to the dentist today and they fixed it with a grinder and some white shoe polish or something in like 17 minutes, but it is a principle issue. I always knew veggies were dangerous, harmful, wolves in green clothing, but now I know!

Wow...This is Good Stuff!

2009-08-25T07:56:00.002-05:00

Check this out: Philippians 3:10-16 (in the Message). What a neat and new way of reading an old and favorite passage of mine. I shared this Scripture with our Leadership Team last night as we gathered in my home. We had a very interesting conversation about how people who are not Christians have as a primary goal to not suffer. However, God seems to be saying that as a Christian, that is no longer our goal. In fact, we ought to be desiring to partner with Jesus in His suffering and be willing to do that to the point of death!!! Wow...that is powerful stuff.

It leads me to the question...am I willing to suffer in order to serve Him? Am I willing to give up everything...even life itself? And won't I know Him better if I do become willing? How 'bout you...

Ch ch ch ch changes!

2009-08-23T05:50:00.004-05:00

So I'm preaching today on change. How do you like change? Some people seem to thrive on change, and I think I may be one of them. I love to move the furniture around in my office or in the living room or in the guitar room. I love to do new things and go new places. I like variety and stuff. Some people do not. I wonder why...

The big question is where is God in the midst of change. Sometimes we control change and we must seek His face in that. (James 1:5 and James 4:13-15). Sometimes change just happens and we must search for the Lord in it all. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9)

As a Christian, however, mostly we ought to be waiting and responding to God's call to change. And when He calls, we must be obedient. (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Joshua 1:1-9)

Now if you're reading this Sunday morning before church, you can skip it...that's my message today!

Rebel and React!

2009-08-21T08:04:00.002-05:00

So I haven't blogged in a while...sorry. With facebook, myspace, twitter, our church website...I can't seem to keep up with it all!!!!!! Anywho, a couple of words I have written on a piece of paper on my desk:

React. Webster says "to change in response to a stimulus" or "to act in opposition to a force or influence."

Rebel. Webster says "to oppose or disobey one in authority or control."

Now those two words have been used to describe me! Can you imagine?!?! ME?! Rebel? React? NEVER!

Well, if you know me, you know that in some ways those words probably do apply to me. What I'm wondering is where and when it is healthy and where and when it is not! Lord, help me to never rebel against you and help me to know how to react to your love and grace!

Blague de Brett

Justice, at least if it benefits me...

Reconciliation Blues

Summer Jobs!

A Time to Prepare...and to Reflect

Happy Birthday Mom

The end

"Dance With Who Brung Ya"

The Race Val

Friendship or Fellowship? (A Postcript about Facebook...)

Friendship or Fellowship?

Mom wanted a new blog entry...

New Years Blessings

"I" Problem (warning: this blog post is longer than most and may be continued...)

Merry Incarnation, er, I Mean Christmas!!!

How to Decorate Your New Home for Christmas for Less Than $650,000!

A Quick Jaunt for Some Decorative Chain...An Autobiography by Brett Probert

Loss of Innocence (sniff, sniff)

Hosanna!

Peace, bro.

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be a...

Oh Deer!

Tipping Point

Man Cave!

All By Itself...

Feeling Very Blessed, Even if I Am Bald...

I won!!!

Caution: Toys You Play With May Alter Your Life Forever....

Kids!

Sessy!

Requiem for a Friend

Enough Already!!!

Where's the Joy?!

Free from "social" media...

The REAL meaning of Easter

Fit to be Tied

A Tale of Two Cities

Blogger's Block

Final Report Card Installment

Some Friends, huh?

Report Card - Part 3

Another Interruption!!!

Report Card - Part 2

We Interrupt this Regularly Scheduled Report Card Blog...

Report Card - Part 1

Jesus' Method of Discipleship!

Why?

Ne pas oublier!

How to Solve the Icicle Problem!

#&*#@$%*!

Snow Fatique!

Ooh, that smell!

Life is a Parade...

Did I Say Something?!

LOA, ABLC, LMNOP? H-E-L-P!!!!

So You Say You Want a Revolution?

Mzungu!

Fear Not

To "multi" or "mono," this is the question...

The Winter Storm of the Decade!!!

Turn to What, or Who!?

What's "New?"

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

And the Lord sayeth "Behold! I watcheth over the clunker!"

Backwards, Part II

Reflections on Shopping

I Have Sinned

eW evaH tI llA sdrawkcaB

Have We Lost Something?

Livin' For Sunday Mornings...

Well I'm a Mouse, and I'm Stirring!

Hope in the Hood

Caught Not Taught...

Here...let me do that for you!

Me and My Big Mouth (Boy, did I just open myself up for comments, or what?!)

Fun Facts from Brett's Kitchen

NEWS FLASH: I'M NOT DEAD!!!! (yet)

Bert and Ernie

#&#@$%!