We are getting our oil changed at Jiffy Lube as we are gearing up for our move to Florida. I hate coming to a place like this because they high pressure sale you to death in front of everybody else in the lobby. I feel a lot like Jerry Seinfeld and this conversation…classic! “See this gasket…I have no confidence in that gasket!” Awesome!!
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Today is Jenny and my 16th wedding anniversary! Where has the time gone? We are going to have to celebrate after we get down to Florida as we are busy in moving and getting ready to head down this next week.
I am so thankful to Jesus for Jenny’s friendship and support for all these years! I am blessed!
Here is a great list of essential leadership principles from Brad Lomenick. Just as he says, they are simple, but yet sometimes very difficult to carry out…or maybe just for me anyway.
I know for me, the “Be Humble,” and “Be Decisive” are the hardest for me. And with the advent of “smart” phones, the “Be Present” is also a difficult one for me.
Of course, the humility piece is always difficult isn’t it? I had a seminary prof tell me one time, “Don’t take yourself too seriously…but always take your calling very seriously.” I also find myself waffling on decisions I shouldn’t. I roll them around in my head, over and over. I have a high school classmate of mine the other day post on his Facebook wall that he and his wife instituted a “device-free dinner table” over the last few months and it has really helped “community” in his home. We need to do that…starting with Dad’s iPhone!!
So tell me, which of Lomenick’s list are the most difficult for you? Why?
Here is the list:
1. Be Humble– you’re not that big of a deal.
2. Be Authentic– your team wants to be led by the real you.
3. Be Informed- ongoing competence requires ongoing learning.
4. Be Decisive- no one wants to be led by someone who can’t make a decision.
5. Be Present- in the moment, focused on now, and physically around. literally.
It has been four weeks since the devastating EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, MO. I still get questions every day about what can be done to help in Joplin. My former church, Forest Park, is at the corner of one of the major intersections in the entire “Four State” region. It is said that well over 100,000 cars pass through that intersection each weekday…a mixed blessing that the tornado happened on Sunday night, I suppose. There is still a whole lot of work that is still happening through the church and Samaritan’s Purse that is set up in their parking lot.
Here is one of the main FP ministries that has been birthed out of the tragedy…Mission Joplin. What a great opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
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Here is a video that Greg Atkinson, the Campus Pastor at the Carthage Campus, put together for Samaritan’s Purse.
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Here is a great video from a church in San Antonio that describes in a succinct way the devastation and the calling from God to help those in Joplin to rebuild.
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Photo by Keith Myers--Kansas City Star
You need to take several minutes and read this amazing article by Eric Adler and Laura Bauer from the Kansas City Star. I am so thankful for the men and women that were simply “doing their job” that night and saved countless lives in the process.
Pray for them in the coming days as they process all of the things they saw on May 22. I know that there are many people who are there to help as they all heal from the physical wounds as well as the psychological wounds take much longer.
Condition Gray: Inside the hospital as the Joplin tornado hit – KansasCity.com.
We have received and accepted the call today to be the new senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Belle Glade, Florida! We are very excited for the future and very grateful to Jesus for bringing us through a very difficult 14-16 months.
We feel like it is a perfect fit for us in a whole lot of ways. First, God had us both grow up in First Baptist Church in Springfield, MO and I served in two other Read more
We are most likely moving to sunny Florida in a few weeks or so (official word Sunday afternoon!). We have two wonderful dogs that we just simply can’t take with us. We have two Labs (Pepper & Marly), though, that are going with us to Florida. So, if you are pretty good with math, you are thinking, “Four dogs! That is crazy!” And you would be totally correct! We had one dog given to us…and then another…and then another…then another stray came to live with us! That is fine when you have almost three acres for them to roam around, but we simply can’t do it. I know, I know, we have issues saying “no!” to stray dogs!
The two awesome dogs are Henry, a male Puggle (Pug and Beagle) and Cocoa, a female lab mix of some sort. They don’t need to go together, but each would actually do better to a “one dog family.” Henry has been neutered and Cocoa has been spayed. Read more
A lot of things have happened since my last post, for sure. We have moved in with Jenny’s parents, been on a major week-long job interview in Florida (stepping toward a major burning bush in our lives), and the boys have started summer school here in Springfield. Needless to say, I haven’t been able to keep up with my blog.
The end of the world was to be at 6:00 p.m. on May 21st. It didn’t happen as Camper predicted, but the world was definitely changed for many people in Joplin and Duenwig, MO in less than 24 hours from his prediction. We were in our bathroom with our weather radio on when the storm went through Joplin. The storm track was about 10 miles to the south of us in Carthage. We had big chunks of debris in our yard following the storm.
I was able to go over and help out some on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday following the tornado. Words can’t describe the destruction that happened. There was also an indescribable force at work following the storm…the Church…busy helping rescue, recover, and restore. The amazing thing is that it the entire body of Christ irregardless of denomination–Convoy of Hope (Assemblies of God), Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, and the list goes on and on.
At Forest Park Baptist Church, there has been over ten thousand volunteers come through to help with Disaster Relief, all funneled through the great ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. Forest Park turned their “bus barn” into an amazing place called “Mission Joplin” that is basically a store without cash registers for people to come and receive help. I talked to a former colleague of mine yesterday that tells story after story after story of God’s hand through the entire process. They have had a major outpouring of money and donations that they have had to ask people to stop sending donated goods because they were simply overwhelmed and didn’t have anywhere for them to store the donations. Amazing what happens when people rally around a cause.
My prayer is that in the next two to three months, the Church will continue to be there to help people in the recovery process. I have several friends that are have major trouble dealing with their insurance company over both their cars as well as their house. There is also a great difficulty in finding suitable rental houses as well as the sheer amount of debris to remove. Plus, as always, when the government gets involved, there are always a lot of red tape and hoops to jump through to get help.
If you have opportunity, you need to donate to the cause to a reputable organization. Several of those which I have total confidence in are Forest Park Baptist Church (donate here), Convoy of Hope (donate here), or Samaritan’s Purse (donate here.) You can also come and volunteer with each of these groups as well. You can also dial 211 on any touch tone phone to talk with the coordinated relief effort . They can help you find the best place for you to serve. There is also a official site for the recovery at rebuildjoplin.org. It is a very helpful site with two main options at the home page, “I have been affected and I have a need” or “I want to give to meet a need.” Check it out and get involved. While we are waiting on our next assignment (more details later) we are planning on going down to help volunteer.
Here is an amazing video of the storm and destruction. As you watch it, please pray for Joplin and Duenwig.
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