Joshua Generation

As yins might know, I am a huge bluegrass fan. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder is one of my favorite bands (and I got to see them in concert last year....coolio!). They sing a song called "Joshua Generation." It is about how we need to stand up with holy boldness in the church today as Joshua once stood.

I have been reading through the Bible again this year and am in Joshua right now. It was fun to read these verses yesterday:

Joshua 1:6-9 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV)

I wonder if I'm supposed to be strong and courageous?!?!?!?! God only tells Joshua that THREE times!!!

And the key to that? The "Book of the Law" and faithfulness...

Lord help me to spend some time in your word, being faithful, and trusting in your faithfulness...

Acting Like a Kid Again!

This past weekend, I was blessed to lead worship and speak for the Washington District Youth Retreat held at Jumonville. What a blast...the theme for the weekend was CLIP...Christ Loves Imperfect People. This was what their youth leadership team came up with and what they gave me as a direction. I started off Friday evening by having one of the kids "clip" the word "clip" in my hair on the back of my head! We talked about how Jesus loves us no matter how goofy or messed up we are, and we took the next step to talk about how we need to be His hands and feet to love others into His Kingdom too. All in all, I had a great time. I pray that I was used by the Lord over the weekend and that some youth can see Jesus a little more closely and be used by Him a little more as they live their lives.

Leaders on the anvil...

We are pretty foolish sometimes! Think about it, we often just hope that things will drop in our laps without any proactivity on our part. One of my favorite stories in Scripture is that of the Israelites pressed from all sides as they're pursued by the Egyptian army. The army is behind, the mountains are to the north, the desert is to the south, and the Red Sea is in front of them. The Israelites begin to complain to Moses who begins to pray to the Lord. The Lord's response is, forgive the MOW (my own words) translation, "Quit praying and get moving!"

I've been thinking a lot about leadership these past few months. As we seek to adopt a more team-based approach to doing ministry as Cornerstone, and now with my involvement on the Conference level with a desire to produce better pastors. It seems to me that both in the life of our Annual Conference and in the life of the local church, we just expect that God will drop the right leaders on us just when and where we need them....as if God is the "leader fairy."

I believe with increasing conviction that the church needs to put itself on the anvil...allowing ourselves and those who may be called to lead to be formed by God into that role. Moses did. David did. Peter did. Paul did. These guys didn't just fall from the sky, but were molded and formed by God and the faith community to be used for the Kingdom.

So must we. We need to be investing in the lives of potentially great pastors and putting them on the anvil to shape them into that instead of putting so much time into poor and mediocre pastors who will never step up.

In the church, we need to be praying with discernment that God will show us those who can be leaders if we invest in them. And we need to be patiently placing them on the anvil of God's grace to be formed into the next generation leaders....

Am I off base?

Happy Birthday!!!

To Shadrach, that is! On Tuesday, February 20, "our boy" will be 7 years old. He is a faithful friend who is always loving and forgiving. Although he frustrates me sometimes, he almost always manages to bring a smile. He is always happy to see me, and is always excited about "the next big adventure" that we're going on. How God could pack so much of Himself in our dog is amazing...

I'm BearyBear...like to meet my "pa"?

Get it? Like to meet my "paw"? Here is my teddy bear that I've had since I was a wee one. (You can read into "wee" whatever you want.) He used to say things when you pulled his string, like the title. He also said things like "I think I'll go to bed...set the alarm for Spring!" and "I'd like a peanut butter and honey sandwich" and "I can't see the forest for the bees! Ha, ha, OW!"

A couple of BearyBear thoughts:

First, can someone please tell me how I can remember all the sayings of BearyBear when I can't seem to memorize Scripture to save my life? (I'm also an expert in TV commercials from the 70's...)

Then there is the nagging question...is it OK for God to be my BearyBear once in a while? I mean I know I'm supposed to serve God and love Him and that I've been created for His plan and purpose and all that Christian-eaze stuff (JS...you got your ears on?....sorry bro!) But sometimes I need comfort and joy and peace and security that comes from knowing God through His Son Jesus. Is that OK? Maybe I need to spend a little time just hugging Jesus today...how about you?

Happy VD...

...Valentines Day, that is!!! Can I tell you how blessed I am on this Valentines Day? Good!

First, I am so blessed because I know that God loves me. He proved that on the cross for me! To prove it, I offer this verse from Romans 5:8... "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Wow, God through Jesus Christ has made me His valentine. Cool!!!

Then there is Carla...only the greatest woman in the world. She is the best wife a man could ask for. She is my best friend, my confidant, my partner, my lover, my buddy, my companion, my discipleship partner, and my champion. Again...WOW! Am I blessed or what?

My prayer today is that I might be the same kind of valentine to both the Lord and my wife that they are to me!!!

Whiter Than Snow...

Yesterday, some colleagues of mine and I had a discussion about relevance. I confess that I don't read books, I don't listen to secular music, I don't watch much TV, and I don't watch movies. Other than that, I'm completely relevant!!! And I love snow. To top it off, I have a great love for the "classic" hymns of the church, and bluegrass music! And so here I sit, in Cranberry Twp, an alien in a foreign land.

Still, I love it here. I feel called to be here. I hope that I stay relevant by being a student of people instead of by participating in what the world, by and large, does.

I want to share the lyrics from a favorite hymn of mine...one that speaks of another favorite (of mine, and yet generally unpopular with those around me) subject...SNOW!

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself, and whatever I know;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee,Thou never said'st No;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Alone With God...

Why is it so hard to find...that time and space and energy to be alone with Him? The Psalmist says in Psalm 42:1-2 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" I wonder how he answered that? How do you? When you're feeling thirsty for His presence but you can't quite find the stream, what do you do? How do you move from that thirst to "yet I will put my hope in Him."?

Update from Michigan

Well I'm here in Detroit for this conference about how to transition the church. It is OK, but not the best I've ever been to. One of the highlights for me has been the concert of Nicole Nordeman last night. What a worship experience that was! I am coming home on Saturday and I can't wait. I miss Carla, and I miss Shadrach. But as "big and wonderful" as the Northridge Church that is hosting this conference is, I really miss Cornerstone. It is a clearly where God wants me right now, and I'm privileged and honored to be there.

Latest Update

You can click here to read my latest update to Cornerstone Church.

Lifelong Learning...

I was at a meeting of our Annual Conference yesterday regarding clergy effectiveness. We were trying to clarify what makes an effective pastor. One of the pieces we discussed was a lifelong commitment to learning. Now, I am not saying I am effective, but I will say that my effectiveness only increases with each learning opportunity. Every day of life experiences is a day that can teach us something. But we must be willing to learn. My accountability group partners and I are heading to Michigan for a few days for a conference called "Change Without Compromise." Again, this is an opportunity to learn. When I come back on Saturday, I'll be praying for the strength to grow into a better pastor for Sunday!

How about you... are you a lifetime learner? What are the latest lessons God is teaching you? How can we help each other to grow more faithful?

Talk about cold!

My office was 53 degrees this morning! This may be the downside to "church in a warehouse"! I mean I love the cold weather, but it is kinda nice to be able to warm up. On a day like today, the heating system in our building just doesn't seem able to keep up. So after sitting in front of a space heater for a few hours and managing to get the temperature up to 58, I decided to work from home. Carla had built a fire in the fireplace so the house it toasty! I am finding that being somewhere else to work for a day is a different experience. I got a lot of work done already...preparing for classes and such...in my new setting. Maybe there is some credence to the idea of freshness of the mind in freshness of the setting!

Prayer

I preached this past week about how we need to make our prayer and devotional lives more of a community focus...in other words, let's spend time in prayer and the Word TOGETHER!! God has blessed us with Christian brothers and sisters in our homes, neighborhoods, and churches and wants us to walk the journey together.

I just talked to Carla on the phone, and she prayed with me. That is so cool. How much better prayer is when you're sharing it with another Christian. Truly when two of us are together in His name, there He is!!!!

Let Go and Let God...

When Carla and I were serving in New Paris, PA, we had the honor of knowing, loving, and being loved by a wonderful saint in the Lord. I'll call her JB, because that's what we called her! She went home to be with the Lord at a far too young age two years ago. I rejoice that she is with her Savior, but I still get a tear in my eye thinking that the world isn't quite the place it used to be when JB was with us.

She was so faithful, and when I was struggling or worried or concerned, she would often say: "Brett, just let go and let God." Then she'd smile and say "that's all you have to do...let go and let God!"

Last night, I was awake in the middle of the night and found myself thinking of JB and her words of eternal wisdom. How true...that we must let go and let God.

So today I ask how? How do you do that? For me, it is continually praying "Lord, help me to let go..." And is He faithful!

My Window on the World

Here is a view from my office window this morning. Isn't it beautiful...the snow? I wish I could just take the day off and go for a long walk in the winter woods. For now, the view from my office window will have to do.

And isn't that like our relationship with the Lord? The apostle Paul said "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV)

We really have such a small view of God and of the realities of His presence in our lives. We only see such a small part, but it pulls us into a greater desire to know Him more. Just as my little view on the world from my window beckons me to the greater realities of winter, so does my view of God. Maybe I'll read a little more Scripture today....maybe I'll spend a little more time in prayer...maybe I'll put on some praise music...and make that window just a little bit bigger today...

I'm sick of this!

Being sick, that is! My sinus infection is back...in fact, I think I never really got over it. But thanks to my fine doctor, I'm gonna be back on drugs any minute and get over this once and for all. I shall overcome...someday.

So Carla says to me...

.... it must be really tough to come up with fresh material to preach on each week. You know, I never really thought about it! I've been preaching for 10 1/2 years and I never really stopped to consider that it is challenging to prepare material and keep it fresh. Now it could be she was saying that because she doesn't think it is fresh!!! I hope not.

I guess I am just asking the Lord today for wisdom. Show me how to tell your timeless message afresh and anew this week. May your Holy Spirit transform my life and my thoughts that I might truly be an instrument for you. Speak through me, or in spite of me...

Whiskey Before Breakfast

Not something I generally practice, until yesterday that is. OK, I'm talking about the bluegrass song "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which I am learning. My latest endeavor is to improve on my bluegrass flatpick skills. After a trip to see Steve last week, he hooked me up with a Steve Kauffman book to take me to the next level. So I've been working on the intermediate versions of Whiskey Before Breakfast and Turkey in the Straw. I'm having fun pushing myself to learn some new things and all the while enjoying the best guitar money can buy! God is good!

Psalm 33:1-3 says "Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the guitar; make music to him on the six string Collings. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. (NIV) (I only changed it a little!)

Yeah...what He said!!!!

Boy Band!

Last night, I enjoyed another practice with "Boy Band." Steve, Mark, Mike and I join together once in a while to lead worship for Cornerstone. We were practicing last night for our "gig" next Sunday....what a blast. These guys, myself excluded, are great musicians. It is so fun to learn a song in 10 minutes and get it "tight" within a half hour. They inspire me, make me laugh, and make me a better player. Man, am I blessed!

Snow!!!

We all know that God loves bluegrass...but did you know that He loves snow too?

See: Isaiah 1:18-19 - "Come now, let us reason together,"says the LORD."Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow;though they are red as crimson,they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient,you will eat the best from the land. (NIV)

And then in Job 37:5-6, we learn that "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth.' (NIV)

I am thankful for the snow today...its beauty, that fact that God sent it to us, and the metaphor behind it!

(Plus I'm glad I get to play with my new remote control snowmobile Carla got me for Christmas!!!)

The faith of the people called Cornerstone

Man, am I blessed. (Woman, am I blessed too.) I have the awesome privilege of being a pastor. Wow...what a deal. I get to love people and be with them. I get to share Jesus and get paid to do it. I get to follow what God planned for me since before I was born (see Psalm 139). And I get to be with some of the greatest saints ever...most of which I cannot name here...bummer.

But I can tell you about one dude who blessed me today. I have been fretting about our upcoming reality of greater space and the money that it will take to lease that. But this person just shared with me that the 22 % increase in giving needed to make 2007 happen is easily doable if we just continue to follow the Lord's leading.

Wow...what faith. Here I am fretting, and here he is saying "it's as good as done." Thank you Lord for humbling me and for placing people of great faith beside me to steer me closer to you. Thank you Lord for blessing me, and for using the people called Cornerstone to do it!

Calluses

In case you don't know me...I LOVE to play guitar. Yesterday I took the day off because I have too many Saturday obligations this week. While Carla was hard at work at Nursing school, I headed to Pittsburgh to my favorite music store. Steve, the dude who runs it, is a great guy and probably knows more about acoustic instruments than any single person in the free world. After I came back home, I spent the best part of the rest of the day playing. Know you may ask, "doesn't that hurt your fingers...pressing on those strings?" Well, I may answer "no way, Jose." The secret is the calluses. If you play daily like I do, eventually the skin on the tips of your fingers becomes very hard and doesn't seem to mind the constant activity of the fingertips on the strings.

Tomorrow, we embark on the second week of our Cornerstone journey entitled "What If?" Still focusing on the early church in Acts 2, we will ask ourselves "what if we weren't so callused to what God is up to?" You see, we Christians sometimes get calluses...not the kind from playing guitar but the kind from playing church. We lose sight of the lost and we lose sight of what God is doing and how to join Him in His activity. Tomorrow in worship, we'll look at how Peter got rid of the calluses and how we can too!

Another Auld Lang Syne

I have been working out at the gym now for an entire year. What a blast. My cardio endurance is better than it has been in 15 years. I can lift "weigh" more (get it? "weigh more"? get it?) than I did when I started. And I've made some new friends...friends who aren't Christians. What a blessing it has been in my life...it has helped me to grow stronger physically, spiritually, and emotionally...and it has helped to remind me of why I do what I do...

Unless you become like little children...

Check out this interaction with Jesus, His disciples, and some kids Matthew 18:2-4:

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)

I think I know what He means... You see, Cornerstone Church is headquartered in an office/warehouse complex. We share our building and parking with businesses located in our complex. There is a tenant across the parking lot from us who seems to think that there is assigned parking spots for certain tenants. If somebody parks in "his spot," he simply pulls his expensive foreign luxury car so close to their driver's side door that it is almost impossible to get in. I know this because it happened once to me, and I watch it happen to the other tenants from my office window. This seems to me to be about the most childish act I could witness....so this guy must be just like Jesus!

Wrong! There is a difference between being childlike and childish. My "friendly" neighbor is pretty childish, but not very child-like. Why? Well, there is that humility piece! You see, Jesus wants us to humble ourselves....to put Him and others before ourselves. When we do that, we have child-like faith.

Jesus, help me not to be so childish today, but to have the humility of a child and your heart of love and service today....

What If?

The people called Cornerstone started a new journey yesterday as we worshiped together...a journey to begin a strategic outreach to our community. 2006 has been a great year. Our "Stepping Stones" discipleship ministry has been a valuable tool in helping to equip us for ministry. Our small groups are growing and we added a few over the past year. We have embarked on a new journey of leadership structure that will allow us to be more faithful in ministry. God has been blessing us very richly in this past year.

Now it is time to start looking outward. We are poised to make a Kingdom impact where live and move and have our being. We are beginning that by asking "What If?" What if we saw the purpose of Cornerstone not so much to worship and meet our own needs, but what if we saw the purpose to be an instrument of God's love and salvation in our communities? What if we were really passionate about Jesus....and about the lost?

Whaddya think? How can we do that? What have we done well? Where do we need to be working? What needs to be a part of our strategy? What "what if's?" do you have to offer?

My latest update...

If you click here, you can read the latest update I wrote to Cornerstone Church...the people I love to serve, and the people with whom I love to serve the Lord!!!

Go Rain Check!!!!

Do you remember that Toys R Us commercial from a few years back about the rain check? It features a little boy who gets a rain check for Christmas instead of a toy. He runs with his rain check...watches TV with it...shows it off to his friends...call his rain check his best friend! You can check out a very poor quality video of it here. The commercial is absolutely hilarious.

But more than that, I think it illustrates a sad but true point. I am beginning a message series this Sunday for Cornerstone entitled "What If?" During the series, we will challenge ourselves by asking the "what if?" question of ourselves in comparison to the early church. I will share for five consecutive weeks from Acts 2:36-47.

Sunday, we begin by asking "what if we really had a passion for Jesus?" Look at Peter. He was a louse all through his apostleship training. He would have been on Academic Probation (ask my mom about when I was in college and my experience with the "dean's list"...I was on the dean's "list" all right!!!) But when Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit, look out. He is on fire and for the first time does something right!

He gets excited not about the stupid things in life that, in the end, mean nothing. He gets excited about Jesus and cannot contain that excitement. And it forced him to focus his ministry...DON'T MISS THIS...on the UNsaved! What if...we did the same?

What if our raison d'etre wasn't for Christians, but for those who are not yet.....?

A New Chance

I love the first of a new year...it is an awesome time to reflect back and to hope ahead. I am excited to see what God has in store for 2007!

Check out waht Jesus said in Matthew 9:16-17:

16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

In my life personally, and in the life of Cornerstone Church, I want to allow my life to be a new wineskins...full of the new wine that Jesus brings!

BOGO!!

Who doesn't love a good BOGO sale? Well, this week, just for Christmas, Carla and I got BOGO sinus infections!!! Yippee!!!! We are both taking drugs and hopefully are on the mend. I promise after the new year begins to get back into a more regular blogging routine!

Never too old!

For toys, that is. My dearest Carla got me a toy for Christmas!!! A remote controlled snowmobile. It is awesome...luckily, it goes on grass and stuff too since we seem to be snow deprived this winter in the greater Pittsburgh area. I can't wait for snow even more now so I can play with it on the drifts! Talk about a gift that brings great joy!

And isn't that just how our God is too? Always giving gifts...ones we don't ask for...ones we don't deserve...ones will never earn...ones that bring true joy. On this Christmas, thank God for bringing Jesus into the world and into your life. Any may you look forward, if not to the snow, then to the joy that He will bring to you as you give yourself back to Him!! Merry Christmas, and "God bless us, every one!"