Timeout for my Tummy

It’s been a long week…and with it being so close to the holiday season I’m not a big fan of lonnnng weeks!  Enough of the “woe is me” routine….the real issue is that I spent a few days this week bowing to the porcelain gods.

I’m not sure the last time I’ve felt this off…every-time I put something in my mouth – my tummy yells, “YOU SURE YOU SHOULD BE DOIN’ THAT”.  Having the flu, with a nice touch of fever sort of caught me off guard with all the Christmas parties, events and festivities that are currently on my plate.

Not too many people enjoy the feeling and manifestations of looking like a dog’s breakfast..but there are a few things that I am learning to embrace when I’m at my weakest point:

1. Clarity on life:  There is probably nothing better to bring you back to reality than feeling brutal.  Sure you may feel and look nasty…but it takes you to a place where you remember not to take things for granted…which we can so easily do.
2. REALIZING LIMITATIONS: In this day and age we can get so busy doing things…we acquire this I AM UNBREAKABLE  attitude.  When you are forced to stop and rest it’s a humbling experience to realize that their are limitations to our human frame.
3. TIME TO RECHARGE:  Once the worst is over and the fever has subsided, it always amazes me how much I needed this down time simply to recharge the battery packs of my life.  In only a few days the physical, relational, social,  and spiritual batteries can be fully charged.
4. REMEMBERING WHO’S IN CHARGE:  The greatest lesson I learn from not feeling so top drawer is that I’m simply not in control.  This is always a hard lesson to learn…and it seems that I am constantly learning it – but oh well!  What can I say…when it comes to life lessons I pretty thick in the head!

So the next time you are feeling a little under the weather….consider it a life lesson in the making.  Now go and eat some chicken noodle soup and wash your hands!

The Church is Changing…

Have you ever had one of those days where all you do is sit and listen to people speak and by the end of the day you feel like you just got hit by a train?  Yesterday was one of those days…but there was a little twist involved!

Let me briefly set up the context of the day.  The leadership team of the church I work at got together to share out strategic directional plan for the upcoming year.  The ministry plan involved our individual ministry vision, top priorities, harvest goals and cultural values.  At first glance it appears to be a fairly daunting task – not just to present – but to actually sit there and try to listen to fourteen individuals unpack their plans for the upcoming year.

To be brutally honest it wasn’t!  Which for me to admit is HUGE!  I’ve never been diagnosed with ADHD – but I’m convinced as I have gotten older I have a severe case of it. I walked away from that experience with a new passion and vision for ministry.  Not just for youth ministries, but for the overall bigger picture. 

Let me quickly recap just two things that really stood out to me:

1. Church…which would include programming and it’s  initiatives… have been primary been driven and initiated by paid staff.  There appears to be a real shift to spirit-led/people driven initiatives.  For me as a pastor this is just so exciting!  To see spirit-led leaders & students taking the initiative to make a difference for Christ in this world – it’s awesome!  No longer do I have to concern myself with developing programs and social functions…people are stepping up and fulfilling their God-given calling.  There is no greater privilege than to walk along side leaders and students as they begin the transformation process in their own lives. 
2. Over the years the majority of churches have had a  campus based (come to us) ministry mindset (which I’m not saying is a bad thing).  Similar to the “if we build it….provide it….perform it – they will come.”  There appears to be a real shift to community based ministry where people are now taking the message and the love of Christ to their neighborhoods and place of work and recreation.  Inviting and bringing their friends out to church is still an option – but it’s no longer the only option.

Hopefully this leaves you with something to chew on!

Lessons from a loser

The light-bulb came on for me last night as I was leaving the gym after coaching my boys basketball game.I stopped to feed my addiction at Timmy’s and as I was waiting for my cup of goodness I began to go over the highlights of that night’s basketball action.

It was a well fought game but once again due to our size limitations….both in stature and numbers…we were unable to prevail victorious.  It is at the juncture that I must share a deep dark secret that I have kept hidden for many years…I HATE LOSING!!  At least this is what I thought?

It all stems back to my childhood….being born into the Bradford lineage…a very proud lineage to be exact…there are no room for losers!  Losing is not an option and it is vital that you win at all costs.  This is why for as long as I can remember I never participated in anything I knew I could not win at.  Need an example? The year was 1976 and I received my first bicycle.  I was so excited!  Lime green bike with a huge bright yellow banana seat. I jump on ready to ride…for some reason I thought it would be easy to ride – it looked easy enough – boy was I wrong!  My first bike collected a lot of dust because I wasn’t able to master the art of balance in my first attempt.

So going back to the drive-thru at Timmy’s…it became very aware that something has drastically changed in my life….I LOVE TO LOSE!  Even as I write this… the words look foreign but it feels right…I do love to lose, but let me explain why.

When I look back over all the years of competition…I was fortunate enough to experience my fairshare of winning.  When I think of the victories and championships there are great memories but what did I take away from those winning moments?  Not much!  They were short mountain top experiences…but that’s about it.  Over the years as a player and coach I have learned a great deal more through the experience of losing.

It’s only though the “agony of defeat” that the true self comes to the surface for all to see.  I know it’s completely counter cultural…we live in a society that preaches winning at all costs and do whatever it takes to succeed.  The wisdom of “losing is not an option” is not an option…as a coach to many age groups and individuals I encourage those I coach to embrace the art of losing.  Who cares about the scoreboard?  What have you learned through the process?  What has losing brought out into the light?  What areas in your life do you need to work on?

Now don’t get me wrong…I still love to win and I’m just as competitive now as I was as a child…but I like to think I’ve actually learned a few things over the years. Winning isn’t everything…it’s how we choose to play and ultimately how we respond to victory or defeat.

Braking for Christmas

I’m by no means a “Christmas hater”.  Yesterday as a family we went all out…decorated the tree, hung lights and pulled out box after box of Christmas decorations.  Just a word to the wise…it’s very important that as you set up your Christmas wonderland you turn on the traditional Christmas tunes!  Nothing gets you in the festive mood more than when you are listening to Bing Crosby and Rita McNeil…sorry for the side-note

It’s so fun to get ready for Christmas with the boys…they are just so excited about the whole season.  I’m pretty sure there excitement goes beyond just a few hour period on Christmas morning. Don’t get me wrong…they’ve made their list and their checking it twice and it tends to change significantly as Christmas day approaches.  There is something about looking into your children’s eyes and seeing the anticipation of the season as it quickly approaches.

The lesson I learned yesterday was two-fold:  First of all I learned the art of sitting back and taking it all in versus quickly hurrying to get everything done.  The process of transforming our home into a Christmas escape was incredibly rewarding not because we got it done in a day but because of the memories that we made.

The second lesson came as I was driving around doing a few errands for my lovely wife.  As I was stopped at a red light my attention was drawn to a bumper sticker attached to the vehicle in front of me.  The bumper sticker read: I BRAKE FOR CHRISTMAS!

 To be brutally honest at first I didn’t get it…then it clicked in!  The lesson I was in the process of learning that morning was being hit home.  This season isn’t suppose to be about the hustle and bustle which we so easily buy into…it’s supposed to be a time of reflection – a time to be thankful for family and friends – but primarily a time to be thankful for God who sent his Son to live among us.

The Age of Rage

Anger is a powerful emotion and force. Whether I would describe myself as an angry person or not, when I get angry, it’s almost like I am having an out-of-body experience. In those moments, when I lose it…I can become someone who is capable of doing some crazy and potentially horrible things.  When I think about things I’ve have said in anger. Think about the things I’ve done in anger. I wish I could take all those times back…unfortunately, I can’t get those times back.

I want to learn to get angry about the things that God gets angry about.  We see numerous times in Scripture where Jesus shows us that anger isn’t a bad thing. There are some things worth getting angry about, things that really matter—things bigger than waiting in long lines or someone cutting you off in traffic. What if I could channel my anger towards those things?

What if I could use the power of anger in my life to benefit the lives of those around me, as opposed to being destructive in my anger?

 We were created by God to use our anger, but when we don’t use it for the right things, it just goes for selfish purposes. Whenever I see someone who is really angry, I always think how powerful their passion could be if they used it for something good. 

There’s my two cents as I stand in line waiting to order my Grande Cafe Americano!