For me, this job is the completion of a journey, the continuation of a journey, and the birth of a new journey, all in one.

This life path was significantly propelled in 2005, when at a conference I heard first hand stories of God’s justice becoming a reality in extreme ways. As the founder of International Justice Mission described rescuing children from brothels and slaves from brick kiln factories, my heart came alive. I wanted my life to be given fully to God and his justice and love becoming a reality for others.

I left that conference with a fire in my heart but frustration in my mind. I was compelled but confused. And after a couple years of listening, God clearly spoke. This led to founding a nonprofit and investing in many more. I went on mission trips. I designed and hosted nonprofit websites for free. I volunteered and helped with events. Taking a project management job a year ago at a media firm, I spent as much of my free time investing in nonprofit work. My hope was that in 5 years, I would have enough business and nonprofit experience to land a management position at a nonprofit focused on addressing both physical and spiritual needs. That 5 year plan got fast tracked a couple months ago when Jeff Romack from ServLife approached me.

I’ve been a part of the ServLife community for over 8 years. I’ve led teams on trips to India and Nepal. I’ve volunteered at events. I’ve donated. I’ve attended the intimate book release of the founder. I’ve been a fan. So when the Executive Director asked me if I would be interested in chatting about joining their staff, I quickly yet tentatively said yes, let’s talk. Later that day when my wife shared her excitement, my reclined heart leaned forward.

About a month later, after much discussion and prayer, I accepted the position of Director of Operations at ServLife International. I am excited and intimidated and overwhelmed.

I would greatly appreciate your support and prayers. And I invite you to join me in what God calls us all to:

To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8b NIV)

To be loved. To come home. To sit on his lap. To be embraced. To be his child. To be understood. To be forgiven. To be challenged. To a purpose. To a mission. To an adventure. To be his ambassador. To be his hands and feet. To be persecuted. To be safe. To understand. To know. To be overwhelmed with mystery and wonder. To be compelled. To be inspired. To rest. To be. To go. To love.

I only played one year of high school football, and I was terrible. Lanky, uncoordinated and inexperienced, I struggled to keep up and understand plays. I wanted to be starting quarterback but was nearly the water boy. I was the guy you wanted to lead a musical cast, not a defensive line.

Despite missing summer practices and two-a-days, not to mention my musician hands and athletic disabilities, I started on the kick off team every single game. How, you ask? I didn’t give up. Trite as that may sound, it is true. I ran hard, worked hard, and ran hard. I finished every running drill and exercise out front with the fastest guys on the team. Yeah, they could probably beat me up with one hand tied behind their back, but they couldn’t shake me on the field.

While I never won the game for my team, I found one thing I could do and did my best. You can do the same. You may find yourself outside your comfort zone, outside your vocational expertise, but you can still do your best. You can still run. You can give it everything that you have and play this role at this time in your life and do a good job. Just don’t give up.

To transcend is to rise above or go beyond the limits. It is to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of life.

To detach is to separate, to release from something that engages.

Buddhism teaches that by mentally and emotionally detaching, we can weather the inherent suffering of this life unaffected and thus achieve peace and contentment. I confess that I have been more Buddhist than Christian when it comes to dealing with suffering.

How do I repent of detachment and embrace transcendence? They seem so similar and yet are so opposite. To detach is to avoid, ignore, disengage, and passively not care. But to transcend is to face suffering, to engage and triumph, to kinetically care without bounds. To love invincibly.

Is it possible to vulnerably love without limits and not be destroyed or overcome by the pain and suffering associated with love and loss and failure? I suppose that is where Jesus comes in. Right? I mean, as a Christian that is what I am supposed to say, but I think I believe it too. It has to be true. If it is not, then I am forever lost.

Jesus succeeds where others in my life do not. My family and friends are great, but they die and fail and hurt me. Jesus doesn’t die (or if he does, it doesn’t last for long). He is always there for me, always loves me, is always faithful. So instead of not caring about others, or pretending I don’t care, or trying to guard my heart, I can love with reckless abandon because of the security of God’s love in my life. That sounds good. But it sounds scary too…

I was reminded of Psalm 18:25 that says God is faithful to those that are faithful. As I looked around the room last Sunday morning in a coffee shop hosted church service, I saw God’s faithfulness in this church. From the couple with new child that have served in leadership for five years to the young lady that just arrived from Los Angeles. God is telling a story in this community of His faithfulness and love for all people, and it was beautiful to get to see it first hand.

It rains a lot in Flagstaff, but what is unique is that it is almost always sunny, even during the rain. It served as an appropriate metaphor for this young church. Chris and Angela, may God continue to shine through the rain and prove Himself a faithful Refuge for the brokenhearted.

Now I work at a business. And I recently went on my first bona fide business trip. Indianapolis to Jacksonville, FL, then Atlanta, GA, then back to Indianapolis, all in two days flat. All expenses paid. I like that last part…

I love to travel. I think it is mostly due to the 62.9% of me that is introverted. I never do more pleasure reading than when I am on a plane. And earbuds full of well chosen music can transcend any travel woes that may befall. Thus, I do not mind flight delays or screaming infants. Seriously.

We all recharge in different ways, and it is hard to prioritize things like solitude when our lives are full of work, church, family, volunteering, etc. But if we do not make it a priority to be in the rhythm of our lives, we will lose perspective, energy, motivation and even peace. Do not wait for your next business trip to sneak in a recharge. I won’t either.

God has made people of every genre, and he is an amazing artist. He has made incredible accountants, lawyers, poets, architects, bartenders, managers, painters and more. When we are lazy and not living into our potential, I imagine that God yawns and shakes his head. And hopes that we will change.

Worship songwriters, let me now address you for a minute. Yes, David Crowder, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Chris Tomlin, Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, Michael Gungor, John Mark McMillan, Jeremy Riddle, Kristian Stanfill, Martin Smith, Jon and Tim Nuefeld, Paul Baloche, Darlene Zschech, Glenn Packiam, Lamont Hiebert, Erik Cooper, Nathan LaGrange, Nathan Partain, and many many more international and local worship songwriters, I’m talking to you… Some of you have been amazing at pushing forward musically and lyrically (Gungor and McMillan, I’m looking at you…). But some of you have been lazy. Really lazy. Just because Matt Redman can pull off a simple line with incredible depth does not mean that you should try to write simply all the time. Now, I must admit that I have contributed to this problem. I have written some terrible lyrics in my day and am SO glad I discovered the power of co-writing a few years ago. But I can still improve. I must. I can. We all can.

So after two decades of leading worship, let me humbly request the following:

Please do not

• regurgitate the same lines from old worship songs and put them into new songs.
• use a religious term to end a line simply because it will rhyme.
• default to religious language because it is common.
• use “Lord” or any name for God as a comma.
• repeat the same word or phrase over and over if it can be avoided.
• overuse the words following words: light, shine, you, your, woah, yeah, oh, holy, glory, sing, praise, lift, mountains, voice, awesome, raise, grace.
• use future tense when present tense will do, especially if we are already engaged in such activity. (eg: we will praise, we will sing, we will stand)

Please be

• creative.
• a good poet.
• melodic.
• theologically sound (not theologically popular).
• unwilling to settle.

The church needs artists. We need songwriters. And we need you to be the best that you can possibly be. Some of us have a lower ceiling than others, but we must continue to push and grow and not settle. There is greatness in us planted there by the greatest artist of all. May our best continue to emerge as we reach higher.

Thank you.

Today was a tiny bit of work and a lot of fun. I credit that primarily to a solid marriage choice and pretty amazing kids. I give 87% of the kids being awesome to my wife, 10% to me, 3% to their teachers and 100% to God’s grace.

So for those still to choose their spouse, or beginning this epic journey of marriage, let me offer this humble yet weathered advice. Be friends, then lovers. In that order. Be on the same page with the spiritual projection and mission of your lives. Be willing to be shaped by your spouse, not just influence. Be full of grace. All the friggin time. And enjoy. Soak. Breathe. Talk. Assume the best and reject the worst. Hang on for dear life and never ever let go.

I have always loved St. Patrick’s Day. No not in for the green beer but for the story behind the man Saint Patrick was ironically not Irish. For more about this amazing man who loved the people of Ireland, check out this video:

So in honor of the holiday, I’m making Beef and Guinness Stew tonight for dinner. Please join me using the recipe below:

Beef and Guinness Stew Recipe

Rich and hearty, this is a great stew to make during cold winter months or anytime you want a hearty stew filled with beery goodness.

This recipe is designed to be made with the unique flavor of Guinness but that doesn’t mean that you can’t experiment with other stouts and porters! Serve it with the same beer you use to make it.

Ingredients:
2 – 3 pounds lean beef, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tbsp plus 1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground black peper
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
24 oz. Guinness Extra Stout (not Draught Style)
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
1 tsp thyme

Preparation:
Toss beef in a large bowl with 1 Tbsp of oil. Mix the flour, salt and black pepper and red pepper. Add to beef and toss until the meat is evenly coated.

Dissolve the tomato paste in a cup or so of the beer.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides. Add onions, garlic and the beer/tomato paste mixture. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes.

Empty the frying pan into a casserole dish and return it to the heat.

Increase heat to medium and add enough beer to cover the bottom. Boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the pan.

Empty the pan into the casserole dish. Add the rest of the beer, the carrots and thyme. Stir and taste to see if you want to add more salt, pepper, etc.

Cover and simmer on the stove top or bake at 300 degrees F for 2 hours, more if you’d like.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 6 – 8.