Thoughts From Chris

I heard a couple years ago that there was a doctor in Dayton, Ohio that did Lazik surgery for free for those who work at churches full-time.  I have been wearing glasses, and predominantly contacts, for many years.  I signed up, and they told me it was about a nine month waiting list.  

In January, after nearly a year, I called expecting to hear that I was next.  However, they instead told me that due to the economy, they were canceling this program indefinitely.  I was so disappointed. 

I then received a call in September, and they told me they reinstated the program, and that I was up.  I was shocked because I had basically written them off.  It was a two day process with the pre-op and the post-op.  Kathy, Farrah, and I spent two nights in a hotel there in Dayton about mid-October to have the procedure done.

They ran a bunch of tests the day before.  However, when it came to the surgery, it took about 45 seconds an eye.  It was absolutely incredible.   The smell of flesh burning as the laser cut my cornea was a little interesting, but there was not a hint of pain.  A couple of numbing eye drops is all they gave me, and that was all I needed.  

My eyes were a little uncomfortable the rest of the day, but 24 hours later I was seeing 20/20.  One week later I was seeing 20/15.  I feel very blessed to have had this done – for free!  I went to a high school football game last Friday night and I was commenting to the guys I went with that the game and field seemed so clear and crisp.  I have better eyesight than when I wore glasses or contacts. 

I wonder when I watch the Detroit Lions if I will see the plays more clearly?

 … On second thought, maybe I should have left my eyes alone!

I have spent the last several weeks writing reflections regarding things God revealed to me during my sabbatical in May and June.  Let me continue doing that.  I have been in full-time ministry now for nearly 15 years.  One thing I have always tried to pursue is involvement outside of the church (with various levels of success).  While I want to serve and be a blessing to those inside the body of Christ, I also want to do the same for those in our world.  There are times in ministry when I feel very isolated and insulated from the rest of the world.  In recent years, I have felt the compulsion to seek greater levels of intentionality to get out in the world. 

When your full-time career is ministry, over time it can begin to feel like an artificial setting.  When people go into full-time ministry later in life (after they have had secular careers), or when they have another job on the side, it keeps them fresh and they can better relate to the common person working in the world.   I have talked to many pastors about this, and most of them share these same thoughts.

Last year I subbed for Fort Wayne Community Schools a few days every month.  I really enjoyed it, and I think it was healthy for me, for the church, and for those I interacted with in the schools.  I think it was a win/win on many fronts. 

During my sabbatical, I had time to think and pray about this area of my life (confirming that doing something smaller on the side in the community is wise and healthy).  I also pursued another area similar to subbing but a little different – teaching in the college arena.  I pursued a specific opportunity at IPFW, and to my surprise, it fell into place.  Instead of subbing this year in FWCS, I will be teaching a freshman class at IPFW called, “Foundations for Success.” It is a class intended to teach life-skills to freshman and help them learn about what it means to be successful in college and what it means to be successful in their life long-term (similar to concepts found in “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”).

While I am very excited about this opportunity, the thing God showed me during my sabbatical is that one of the reasons I long for different experiences, outside my full-time ministry job, is because he has given me a passion to be involved in our community and has wired me to live outside of the box.  For some people, they love pursuing one thing in life and feel overwhelmed when they have too many irons in the fire.  For me, if I don’t have several irons in the fire, I feel claustrophobic and boxed-in (simply the way God wired me).  This does mean I need to be careful about pace of life and not getting spread-out too thin, but I am cognizant of this as well and will regularly re-evaluate my priorities.

As you pause and think about your life, the ways God has wired you and the passion he has given you to be a blessing to people in different contexts, what is God revealing to you?

Well, it started out as a dare at a Christmas party last year.  I was giving Craig Eakright a hard time about his latest pursuits of competitive running.  I said something like, “When you can do a triathlon, then you will be a real man.  When you are ready to step up, I’ll do it with you (never dreaming of course that it would ever happen).”  To make a long story short, he eventually agreed, I was hooked in, and then I started recruiting others to go on this suicide mission with us.

Last Saturday was the culmination of that dare.  I trained for four months, loved it, got in shape for the first time in my life since high school, and had a blast on Saturday morning competing.  For me, I think this is the beginning of many more.

A few noteables, however:

• it was a 400 meter swim, 9.5 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run (great for beginners)
• there were 332 participants
• 25 of us were from Grace Gathering (most of whom were rookies)
• the average time for all 332 was one hour, 12 minutes, and 37 seconds
• my time was one hour, 12 minutes, and 31 seconds (my six seconds to fame)
• Mike Trumbower from Grace finished in the top 100 at 1:05 (and he was a last minute sign-up)
• Jen Dyben did awesome on the swim (third best among women – thirteenth overall)

Congrats to all of you who took the plunge. I am already looking forward to next year.  I cannot tell you how much better I feel and how much my eating habits changed during the training as well.  I actually loved the training as much as the event. 

Now, if I could just get people to become Michigan Wolverine fans and Detroit Lions fans ….  I think then we would have something truly special!

During my sabbatical in May and June of this year, God spoke to my heart in several ways (personal life, marriage life, ministry life).   Here is another sabbatical reflection from my personal life. 

As I reflect back on my 14 years of full-time ministry, I think I struggled with pride particularly the first several years.  It was not a pride that necessarily had a lot of outward manifestations, but it was probably more inward.  People would regularly complement me on the job I was doing and the way God was using me in the lives of others, and I often attributed it to my hard work and dedication.  In other words, I gave myself more credit than I deserved. 

I knew pride in my heart was one of the sins I struggled with, and so I prayed often for humility.

During my middle years of ministry, maybe years 6 through 10, God allowed me to experience some struggles in ministry that really brought brokenness.  Those difficult times brought a deep humility in me that I had never experienced in the past.  As I reflect on those difficult times today, I would not change one thing because of the way God used it for good in my life. 

The last few years of ministry, however, I think I have been so fearful of pride that I have swung the pendulum over too far the other way.  When a person is over-consumed with pursuing humility he is often highly self-critical, avoids and attempts to undermine any complements people might give him, he focuses on his shortcomings more than any spiritual progress he might be making, and he minimizes and almost denies the importance of his contribution to the body of Christ (using his gifts and passions for ministry).

I think I have felt all of these things in recent years.  I have minimized the importance of my role at Grace (at times questioning if it is even needed).  Whereas in the early years of ministry, after receiving a compliment I might think to myself, “Yeah, I am pretty good aren’t I?”  In the last few years, after receiving a compliment I would be more inclined to think, “Yeah right, it wasn’t that good, if you only knew how many areas I need to improve in my life.” 

What God showed me during my sabbatical is that self-deprecation is not humility.   I don’t need to devalue the gifts God has given me in his kingdom and that my role and influence are actually important.  Instead of believing that God has little use for me, maybe God wants to use me to influence far more people in the future than he has in the past.  If that was the case, would I be up for the challenge?  Can I swing the pendulum more toward the middle away from both extremes of pride on one side and false humility (self-deprecation) on the other side?  

Humility is not about thinking less of myself; humility, rather, is about thinking of myself less.  It is giving God the credit and the glory (never stealing it from him outwardly or inwardly), but also recognizing that he uses human vessels to accomplish his divine plans – even people like you and me.   This means that we have real worth in God’s eyes, and that he can and wants to use us – even though we are imperfect. 

What I am now pursuing in my life is a humble confidence in how God wants to use me.  I believe God wants me to increase my faith in how he might want to use me in the future.   This is not a prideful elevation of myself but a humble willingness to allow him to use me to influence one person or one million people for his kingdom (whatever he chooses). 

I am not there yet, but I am excited to see God give me a more balanced, healthy, and biblical perspective as I make myself more available to him with both genuine humility and expectant faith and confidence. 

During my time away on my sabbatical I had many people speak into my life, and I spent time trying to gain perspective on my future.  I feel I received insight into many different areas.  Let me give one of those insights in the personal realm.  I  have become aware that as I view my relationship with God, I predominantly see myself as a hard working servant of Christ.  I love progress and growth in life, and I am consistently striving to serve God in greater ways.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being a hard-working servant of God.  In fact, we are all called to serve God.  I Peter 2:16 says,  “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

At the same time, it is also true that everyone who follows and worships Jesus in life is a son or daughter of God.  This isn’t just someone who is God’s servant, tending the garden as an employee; rather, this is someone who is a cherished son or daughter of the king. 

If you have ever seen the TV show “The Apprentice” you know that Donald Trump interviews and evaluates potential hires – people who will work for him and represent him (a coveted position to work for one of the richest men in the world). 

In the TV show, however, as he is interviewing these candidates, who is usually to his right and left?  His son and daughter.  Do they work for their dad?  Absolutely.  However, everyone knows those two are in a league all by themselves as they work alongside other employees.  They are family.

Romans 8:15-17 says, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

God is my dad, and Jesus is my brother.  I am in the family.

I don’t need to prove my love to my dad.  I don’t need to earn his love by my hard work.  He is not going to fire me and disown me if I mess up. 

The realization that I am not just a hard working servant of God but a cherished son of the king is something I don’t think I understand too well.  I think my imbalanced understanding of this has affected me and my perspective in life more than I realize.

I believe God wants to take me on a personal journey during this next season of my life and help me understand what it truly means to be his cherished son.  The thought that God would pat me on the back and say, “I am proud of you son,” is a foreign concept to me today.  I hope that as I understand his unconditional love and my position in Jesus, this will be something I believe on a regular basis as I serve and glorify my heavenly father. 

I am currently on a research sabbatical May and June and will not be posting on my blog until I get back July 1.  I am interviewing leaders regionally and nationally regarding the direction Grace Gathering is heading in the future. 

I am also beginning the journey of writing my first book.  If you go down a couple of posts below you will notice that I narrowed my topic to four different subjects (with a summary of each).  I had over 50 people respond with their input, and it was incredibly helpful.  If you were one of them, thank you!

Here is an analysis of the feedback.  The following is the percentage of people who ranked each topic as number one:

35% The Goal is Jesus:  how Bible learning has hijacked Bible living

29% Giving the church back to the people:  how to decentralize with growth

20% Sexual Purity of the mind: why abstinence is inadequate

16% The Balanced Church: charting middle ground on dividing issues

I was surprised how close all four topics ranked in people’s minds.  This told me that all of them had some appeal.  This second analysis is even more telling, however.   The following percentages indicate how many people had the following topics ranked number one OR number two:

71% The Goal is Jesus:  how Bible learning has hijacked Bible living

55% Giving the church back to the people:  how to decentralize with growth

37% Sexual Purity of the mind: why abstinence is inadequate

27% The Balanced Church: charting middle ground on dividing issues

Of the four potential topics, I have made my decision.  I am leaving room for God to change that decision at any point in the process, but I am going with “The Goal is Jesus.”   I think the predominant reason why is because the other three feed off this one.   Centering our character and life-mission on Jesus is the foundation of our sexual purity, puts in perspective the role of doctrine and handling debatable issues, and it is what drives the need for church structure to empower the people. 

While I think the other three topics will probably still be independent books in the future, I will include some of the content of the other three in this book (as well as many other issues).  The thrust of the book might also be more holistic than what the current subtitle and overview suggest.  The idea that Bible learning has hijacked Bible living may be a chapter in the book rather than the main thesis. 

I am very excited about how God will lead this and the impact it can have both in my life and in the lives of others.  Distinguishing between the goal/end (becoming more like Jesus inwardly in character and outwardly in life-mission) from the means (Bible studies, sermons, church attendance, small groups, doctrinal beliefs, biblical worldview, etc.) is very confusing to many people.   Many of us (including our churches) are deceptively content and satisfied with our engagement with the “means,” even though we may never be drawing closer to the “end goal.”   I am praying that God’s Spirit will guide every thought and sentence as I write. 

Thank you for your prayers during these two months away.   I am praying for a balance of productivity and refreshment. 

OK.  It is official.  I am now registered for something incredibly crazy.  I haven’t been on a bike since I was a teen, I have never run any kind of a race, and I cannot swim a lap in a pool without needing a break.

Why should that stop me, though. On August 8 I will swim .2 mile, bike 9.5 miles, and run 3 miles.   Since this is now 4 and a half months away, I probably should get started with a little training.  My goal is to start no later than April 1 (I know April fool’s day).  Guess who’s the fool?

From what I gathered this past Sunday, I think we are going to have maybe 30-40 people from Grace do this thing (many of whom who are like me and have never done anything like it).  I think it is going to be a blast.  I am looking forward to this forcing me to get in shape as well. 

For those interested, here is the website: www.hamiltonnorthchamber.com

You can register online.  Also, for novices like me here is Jill Eakright’s e-mail address:  jill@eakright.com.  Jill has participated in this particular one two or three times, and she is willing to answer basic questions people may have.  I know I had and have a lot of questions.

If you want to try something crazy, and get in shape while doing it, try this with us. 

If nothing else, it should be interesting. 

No flash photography or video within 100 of feet of me please.

Here is a picture of my dinner tonight.  Actually, this is also what I ate for my lunch today.  Actually, this is what I ate for breakfast today as well. 

This weekend many of our teens, from the challenge of Brian Smeltzer, will be eating beans and rice throughout the weekend.   He invited anyone from our church to take the challenge with them also.  I know of many families and adults who will be participating this weekend. 

My family will be in Colorado this weekend at my sister’s wedding (a wedding I have been praying for during the last 15 years by the way). All six of us will be in the wedding.  Should be a great time.

Because we will be gone this weekend, we decided that we would participate in this exercise early (yesterday and today).  It has been very interesting.  Our two oldest kids participated with Kathy and myself.  Our second grade child lasted one day and our third grade child last both days.  I am very proud of them both.

It is estimated that nearly 16,000 children die of starvation every day (click here for hunger facts).  What a concept in the 21st Century.  Nearly half of the world has a regular diet of beans and rice.  It is considered a luxury to simply have food.  The point of our exercise is to place ourselves in the shoes of many in our world (at least in the arena of food).

These last two days have been a little more challenging than I first anticipated.  God has shown me many things, however.  I will not share them at this point becuase many will be taking the challenge this weekend.  It has been very good.

Here are a couple of websites Brian passed to me that are related to this topic.  I encourage you to check them out.

Beans and Rice Link (click here)

Advent Conspiracy Link (click here) (several very compelling short videos regarding Christmas – particularly the one called “Enter the Story”)

MITCH ALBOM | WASHINGTON 25, DETROIT 17

Lions blacked out — and that’s a good thing

“Tickets remain. That was the story Sunday. For the first time at Ford Field, the Lions couldn’t sell out; the game was not televised. Some called this sad. Others called it merciful. Many didn’t notice.”

MICHAEL ROSENBERG | LIONS TALKING POINTS

0-16 becoming more and more of a possibility

My son, Grant, turned 6 years old today.  I don’t remember much when I was 6, but I grew up watching the Detroit Lions lose every year.  I have been a fan since I was a young boy.   The Lions have won one playoff game since the 50’s.  Needless to say, they have never even appeared in a Super Bowl, much less win one. 

Last year as I was making my son a family fan, I noticed that he would get greatly disappointed after every game the Lions would lose.  I came to realize that this was not a family tradition that should be continued but a curse that should be broken.  It was really hard for me to see him disappionted every Sunday.

This year I have decided that I need to reverse the curse.  I have lived a depressing NFL fan life for too many years. I cannot do this to my son.  It just would not be right.  Michigan has the winningest college football program in the country.  Even though they are having a rebuilding year, I know they have always been, and will be again, one of the best teams.  Not so, for the Lions. 

It is hard, however, because Grant sees my commitment to the Lions, and this motivates him.  I am trying to change (or at least hide it).

I am working on making him a Colts fan.  His Poppy is working on making him a Bear fan.   Anything would be better than what I have had to put up with all my life.  Please pray God’s mercy on his life!

OK.  We have had 4 babies in 8 years, we have moved 4 times in 8 years, and life in the Norman home is never existing under 100 mph.  We don’t need a pet, and as far as I am concerned will never need a pet.

I broke down two and a half years ago and bought our three kids one fish each to pacify their longing for pets.  I figured the fish would last two or three weeks, and we would be done with it.

Today, Moriah’s fish is still living.  I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to bribe her and let me allow that fish to have the freedom it longs for in the sewer system.  However, to no avail.

It is confession time – I had a weak moment last week – no, the fish is still in our home - it is not that.  It was definitely a weak moment, though.  It is all a blur to me now.  It is like a bad dream that I cannot shake.  Somehow … I don’t know how … but somehow I agreed to a hamster.  I know – small potatoes in your eyes, but gigantic in mine. 

This isn’t something that swims around and makes no noise.  No, this is something we hear at night running on that cylinder on the side of the cage, it has four feet and moves, it smells, and has bitten both my girls in the last three nights, brining blood and tears to both of them. 

Don’t worry, I don’t believe in cruelty to animals, but c’mon, do the Norman’s need another thing to add to the plate?  Somebody tell me “no.”

I don’t know … what’s next … Kathy is going to turn a pregnancy test positive or something like that (that is not a subtle hint by the way).

Anyway, “Tommy,” the name of this creature in our house, won’t get any of my love and affection.  And if it bites one of my kids one more time …