Pastor Paul's musings

Joshua Recovery Update

2008-07-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Having been home almost 24 hours now, Josh seems to be doing well. Slept well (we were all pretty exhausted!), waking up only for the pain med rotation. His pain level has been pretty good today. Colleen has been working with his meds to curb some nausea and dizziness he's dealing with. We've kept it to rest and relaxation today, and that's actually been really nice!!

Joshua's Surgery Update

2008-07-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

We don't have internet access at the hospital, so I am posting from my phone. The doctor was very pleased with how surgery went today.

So far, Josh has handled the pain really well though the doctor did say he put quite a bit of anesthetic into the bone and muscle area.

It is 5:30 pm now and the anisthetic seems to be wearing off. Josh is making his own comments about the pain but is still handling it well. We anticipate going home within the next couple of hours.

I'll post again once we're home.

Latest on Josh's Surgery

2008-07-11T16:35:00.001-07:00

Latest info on Josh's surgery ... we saw the doctor for the pre-op appointment last Monday. He took his own x-rays, which showed the fibroma to be the same size and location as already known.

Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday (July 15) at Northridge Hospital at 7:00 am. While it is still set for an outpatient procedure, the doctor said there is an 80% chance he will stay overnight. It all depends on how he does with pain management, using the crutches and the restroom on his own. If he does well with all three on Tuesday, he comes home that day. If there is any question, or he recovers slow, he stays overnight and comes home Wednesday.

An additional piece of information has Josh a bit bugged. In the first appointment a few weeks ago, the doc said he'd be in a cast and then a brace for a total of 6 weeks. The surgery is exactly six weeks before school starts. Josh was NOT wanting to go to school in a cast or brace.

Well, on Monday, the doctor said it would be 8 weeks. Josh is pretty bugged by that at this point.

Other than that, we are full steam ahead! I will post here after surgery, so feel free to check back Tuesday for updates.

Kind of a Long Day

2008-07-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Funerals are hard. Even when I don't know the person whose funeral I am officiating, like today, they're just hard. I think some of it for me is because I just want people to feel better, and death is something I just can't fix. I don't mean to sound weird. It's just true. I can't make it all better for the grieving family members.

After that, met with a Pastor going through some church crisis. I am praying for him as he walks through more of it tonight in a meeting.

Then, had lunch with Pastors from all over Simi Valley and Moorpark, sponsored by our local Community Pregnancy Clinic. They brought in Star Parker as a preview to their annual banquet on September 26. Powerful speaker and advocate for the unborn! I had never heard of her before today, but I am already looking forward to the Banquet!

Two other meetings, one this afternoon and another this evening, along with a phone call with someone on the East Coast (is there such a thing as phone lag?!) have this old night owl tired early.

Peace out!

Loose Ends

2008-07-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I am working on my notes for a memorial service I will officiate in the morning for a man I have never had the pleasure to meet. If you are a Pastor, maybe you feel like I do about what we get to do: it is a deep and awesome privilege to be invited into some of life’s most sacred moments because of Who and what we represent.

I’ll talk about that more here someday …. but for now, ….

This is one of those families that I rarely come by, in terms of this man (again, I never knew him) and his legacy truly oozing out of his wife and daughter.

While I am putting my notes together, a friend (who is also a Pastor) calls me. He says, “I couldn’t sleep tonight until I called to say I’ve been thinking about you all day. I couldn’t live with myself until you knew that not only was I thinking about you, but that God’s heart smiles when He thinks of you, and you are a real asset to the Kingdom of God.”

I was blown away! The man whose memorial service I will lead …. he died on the 4th of July of a sudden heart attack, leaving too many things undone and unspoken. A good man with too many loose ends.

My friend didn’t want to leave any loose ends, and reminded me that neither do I. What are the loose ends for you?

Bad end to a difficult conversation with a loved one? Unfinished business between you and a friend? Unresolved conflict between you and a neighbor? Words you know ought to be spoken or written before it’s too late?

I got ‘em, you got ‘em, we all got ‘em. Dare to say what some of yours are?

A Grand 4th of July

2008-07-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hung at the Park tonight with a number of SVPD Officers. With Colleen and the boys gone with family up north, I took the opportunity to spend the 4th of July with the Police Department.

It started at 5:00 pm at the Station going through the Briefing with the detail of Officers working the 4th of July festivities. Our City does a pretty large party every July 4th that ends with fireworks.

There were about 20 Officers and Explorers at the Briefing with another 20 or so already in the field. When the Briefing ended at 5:30, I was called by the Watch Commander and asked to respond to the ER to a report of a man not breathing (read below).

After leaving the hospital, I went to In & Out to pick up 50 Double Doubles and fries for the Officers working the Park event. I was really proud of our local In & Out! They donated half the bill and didn't even flinch at the huge order! To top it off, they got it done in 23 minutes!!

The rest of the evening was spent connecting with a BUNCH of Officers. It was a GREAT time to re-connect and connect with a lot of them at once. Spent some time walking the park and then enjoyed a grand view of the fireworks.

We learned tonight that our show was the 2nd largest fireworks event in Southern California, with the Rose Bowl being the largest. Having seen a few of our events in the past, it was definitely the best I've seen our city do!

Looking forward to Colleen and the boys coming home tomorrow night, and then a great Sunday at church. We have Randy Stonehill with us, followed by an old-fashioned Church Family BBQ!

Chaplain Callout

2008-07-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

I was called to respond to the hospital at 5:30 pm today, where a 60 year old man had been taken after being found not breathing by his family at home. When I arrived, he had already been pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

His wife, daughter and son-in-law were with him. He had complained of chest pain and pain in his jaw last night. Today, he was generally not feeling well, but family encouragements to call the doctor or go to the ER were turned away by him. He went to take a nap this afternoon and they found him not breathing a couple hours later.

A Hospital Chaplain took over about 45 minutes after I showed up, and from there, I went to our local 4th of July Celebration and spent the evening with Police Officers at the Park and at the Command Post.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here's to a wonderful 4th of July to you and yours! I hope it rings something of freedom's reign in your heart that goes far beyond burgers, hot dogs, lots of goodies and pool parties! May the depth of what this day represents move strongly in your heart today and cause us all to stop for a few moments to give thanks to the Father for the gift that freedom is.

Colleen and the boys are up north this weekend, taking a last minute opportunity that arose to spend a few days with her parents and all siblings at her brother's "back 40" in Lincoln, CA. I stayed behind due to a few work things that needed tending over these days.

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It's not often that Colleen's siblings are all together at once in the same place. Doesn't happen much for mine either, but anyways, that's where they're hanging right now. Her borther literally has 40 acres up there that he is building a house on. The family has already been doing a bit of framing during their time there.

For us, the 4th of July is usually spent sleeping in and hanging at the BBQ and backyard with family and friends. Almost always culminates with the City Fireworks Extravaganza either from a nearby view at the Park, or seeing what we can from the roof of our house.

With Colleen and the boys gone, I am taking the first part of the day to relax and read. I am hoping to get a ride-along this afternoon and into the night, figuring this would be a good night to get out with a couple of Police Officers and see what's happening behind the fireworks in our City.

If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know!

Josh's Surgery Information

2008-06-30T14:03:00.001-07:00

Just heard from the doctor's office a couple hours ago. Word is that surgery is set for Tuesday, July 15 at Northridge Hospital. He is first on the surgery schedule for that day. We'll find out the exact time the day before when the hospital calls.

The surgery is planned for outpatient, so he should come home that day. The procedure should take between 60-90 minutes.

Fun News Article!

2008-06-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share that our church was featured in a great article yesterday in the LA Daily News. A reporter called us out of the blue asking if she could do an article on our church. She was apparently impressed by our website.

I originally thought it was just running in a local Simi Valley section. However, they ran it in their entire distribution on page A4.

You can also read it online here. If you get a chance, leave a comment through the box at the end of the article!

Many have walked alongside us over a number of years of tilling tough soil. For those who have and who know our story, it's a fun thing to get to enjoy some positive, free press, and I thought you'd enjoy rejoicing with us!

Satan Interviewed

2008-06-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

Craig Groeschel, Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, interviewed Satan for a recent message on unity in the church. He apparently has done several of these interviews. Enjoy some humor today .... or not ...

A Heart Deeply Moved

2008-06-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard numbers and don't know if I will. The site I was at was Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch. Just at that site, there were probably about 150 of us.

Pastors and Church Leaders gathered today at somewhere around 100 different sites for a conference call. I know....you're wondering why we all got together just for a phone call.

The reason for the statewide gathering was to inform Pastors and Church Leaders about the Protect Marriage movement happening here in California right now. Back in 2000, our state voted over 61% to pass Proposition 22, which added a provision to the California Family Code that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

A few weeks ago, the California Supreme Court declared Proposition 22 unconstitutional by a vote of 4-3. Knowing the possibility existed, a statewide initiative was started to put on the November ballot a Constitutional Amendment, which is the only way that the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman will stay the law.

A request to stay the Supreme Court's decision until the November elections to see how the vote of the people would come out was denied by the same Supreme Court. So, last week, our state began to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples and officiating their wedding ceremonies.

"As goes California, so goes the country." If we are not able to move the Church in California to stand up and vote to pass this Constitutional amendment, the consequences will be much more dire than I imagined, or that any of us would probably think. Whatever happens here will eventually impact the entire country.

Pastors could be made to decide to either officiate same sex ceremonies or face discriminatory charges. Churches could lose their tax exempt status for not allowing same sex ceremonies in in their Sanctuaries.

My heart was moved deeply at this meeting. We really are talking about, and facing, the weakening of the institution of marriage and family as God designed it. I was strongly convicted to do whatever I can to encourage Californians to get to the polls this November. You'll hear me talk about this more and more as November 4 approaches.

There are SO MANY issues that demand our time and attention, and that are important. I realize that many people put quite a bit of stock in what I say and how and where I lead just because I am a Pastor. I do my best to honor that privilege and trust.

As I step forward into this season of speaking into this issue, of high importance in my heart is the truth that marriage is not an issue to be defined or ultimately legislated by man, or by political procedure, but by God.

When it comes down to it, while this amendment is a political issue, it is in my opinion more largely a spiritual and moral issue that supercedes any political realm or party.

For now, I encourage you to check out this website, and this one. They will help answer questions and provide more information. Stay tuned for more.

Thoughts About "Biblical"

2008-06-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

I've been reading some stuff in the last week or so about what's "Biblical" and what's not. I'm getting kind of bugged by it.

Specifically, it's stuff on how churches do church. The train of thought is "we want to do church Biblically" or "more Biblically."

Haven't you been doing church Biblically before? I know some of the leaders this is coming from, and I know they HAVE been, and fabulously so.

Is it that other churches AREN'T doing church "Biblically", so we feel the need to differentiate ourselves as doing it "Biblically"? Every church wants to have a niche in its community. Something they do or are gifted to do (read honestly: something we don't think any other church is either doing (a) at all, or (b) very well, mmm, or "Biblically").

I know a lot of Pastors. We ALL want this ... to do church "Biblically". Nothing less. Just because I have a desire to do church "Biblically", and it grabs attention for one reason or another that I want that, doesn't mean others aren't doing it "Biblically", or even that I myself am not. But that's exactly what it sounds like.

What is getting the attention is any individual churches or Pastor's METHODS that usually have drawn a very large group of people. We tend to flock toward them to find out HOW they did that so we can figure out how to do it where we are (both Pastors AND non-Pastors do this, by the way). And we call it "Biblical". Or at least that's one moniker we put on it. Makes us feel better about it anyways.

I'm all for being "Biblical" and I sure hope we're doing church "Biblically". The question begs, what is "Biblical" church? How can we communicate our heart more accurately, so that it doesn't sound like we're saying others aren't doing it "Biblically" or can't be defined as "Biblical", or that the fruit (numbers) a church produces isn't big enough to say they are a "Biblical" church?

Praying For a Friend in Twitterdom

2008-06-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

I heard through the twitter-vine that one of the Pastors I follow just resigned from his church yesterday. Would you pray for Scott & Michelle Harris and their family, as well as their church family?

Join Twitter and follow me here. For more details on what Twitter is, click here. READ THE WHOLE POST to get to the part about Twitter.

Good Weekend

2008-06-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

I really appreciated this weekend! Lots of BBQ'n, which I just love to do.

Friday night, I visited a man from church in the hospital. He survived a procedure this week that he wasn't sure he would make it through. We had the most amazing visit as he openly shared with me some pretty deep things he's been through and some of the stuff he's done. This is a man rescued by Jesus from the brink. He became for me a huge example of someone who is "poor in spirit", the very message I was working on for this weekend.

Saturday, I hit the day hard, churning out the majority of today's message. Started a new series that I've been thinking about for a while, but just decided to start in the last couple days of the week. "Becoming All That You Can Be" from Matthew 5:1-10, the Beatitudes. Challenging stuff, but good, deep.

Last night, q'd some really nice ribeyes and had my sister and her husband and kids over for her birthday. Colleen and the boys saw "Get Smart" late in the afternoon with a family friend, who also joined us for dinner on the spur of the moment. By the end of the evening, I was whipped. A good whipped, but really tired.

This morning, church went great at both services. The message was hard, but received well. Had visitors at church today that had been part of our church some time ago, so it was just heart-warming to see old friends and hear their remarks about how we're missed. Cool thing!

Then, this afternoon, I spent some time watching golf with Colleen, who is the greatest woman in all the world, in my book! Later in the afternoon, I headed to Fry's Electronics to see if they had a replacement power supply for the family desktop computer. They did, I put it in, and the computer works!

I love fix-it projects and all, but it seems lately that whenever I have a project to do, it's extremely frustrating and filled with multiple return trips to the store! This one worked, and that felt good! Q'd some beef ribs for dinner, but overdid them! Peanut butter and jelly for dinner as Colleen and a friend were canning plums for plum jam from our tree in the backyard. Just felt like the Walton's around here. It was cool!

As far as Josh's leg, it seems we'll call the doctor tomorrow and get the ball rolling to set up surgery. It's not that Josh is looking forward to it, but the way he put it is that he "wants to do whatever is best." And, he doesn't want to go to school with a cast. We'll keep you posted on the schedule.

'Nite for now.....

Josh's 2nd Opinion

2008-06-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Today, we saw another doctor for a second opinion on Joshua's Nonossifying Fibroma. He concurred with the diagnosis and the treatment, though he did place it with options.

One option is to let it be and monitor it. It is possible for it to resolve on its own, but there is no telling unless we chose this option of waiting and monitoring.

Another option is to repair it only if it breaks. Painful and more complicated, but an option. UPDATE: included in this option would be fixing it if it becomes painful for him even before any break.

Another option is to repair it now. One difference with this doctor is that he would NOT use Joshua's own bone to graft the void in his tibia. He would use bone from the bone bank instead. He prefers that because it avoids the patient having a second surgery site for donor bone. He also mentioned it would be an outpatient procedure, which seems to make this a more palatable option.

We are waiting through the weekend to give Joshua time to consider the options. The doctor was very good about cautioning me (Colleen was good with it!) to really get Josh's buy-in on the decision. Important especially if we choose to repair now, as the recovery period goes better if Josh knows this was something he decided to do as well. After the appt, Josh's position was to go ahead and repair it now. But we want to give him a couple of days to ponder it. If we go ahead with the repair, we'll call Monday morning and get the ball rolling.

We'll let you know what the decision is once we've made it. We appreciate your prayers for wisdom, discernment, peace and patience.

Trust Is A Curious Thing

2008-06-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am trying hard to trust God today! Wait a minute....can you really try hard to trust God? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Honestly, I am not sure if it is or not, I'm just being open with you. I am trying hard to trust God today. There, I said it again!

I am finding myself anxious about my son's doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. I know a lot of people have deeper and more life-altering or threatening issues that you are dealing with, and I do respect that pretty deeply. Anyone who knows me would attest to that....I think.

I wouldn't say I am a man of GREAT ( meaning "BIG") faith, but at the same time, I don't find myself struggling like I have the last couple of days with the tension of this doctor's appointment. I know God is in control, and He knows what He is doing, and He won't give me anything I can't handle, etc., etc.

Can I just say, "I'm anxious; I appreciate your prayers for my son, Joshua, and his Mom and me"? Thanks!

Catch-up Quick List

2008-06-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

CANNOT believe it's been two weeks since my last post. CANNOT believe I've been back from Texas for almost two weeks. CANNOT believe the school year is over. Let me catch you up on what the last two weeks (and then some) have held.

Just before I left for Texas, Colleen landed a new job as a Teacher for the Certified Nurse Assistant class at our local Adult School. She starts in September. She's happy. That makes me happy!
Also just before I left for Texas, someone in our church called me and said they had a car they were getting rid of and they felt they were supposed to give it to me .... turns out it's a 2001 Ford Crown Vic that used to be a Detective Car with the Beverly Hills PD! It's even black! Sweet ride, and a lot of fun to watch people react when you're driving near them! Really fun car for a Chaplain!
Went fishing with my boys for the first time ever two weeks ago! We all caught a lot of perch and I caught my first bass! It was only about 6" long (or was it 12"? I can't remember now!) but it was a blast of a time.
The last of 3 homes we lived in during my 4 Jr. High years in Texas was torn down last year. Made me sad.
Every trip to see my family in Texas is like a pilgrimage to me now. It's where I gave my life to Jesus and was baptized in 1979.
My 12 year old son read 3 books in 3 days while we were in Texas. Amazing!
My wife and kids had their first Boots Burgers this time! If you're ever ANYWHERE NEAR Rockwall, Texas, EVER, you've got to get yourself one (or more!!). Just trust me. Watch out though, they're closed on Sundays & Mondays. The rest of the days, they're only open a couple of hours.
I almost missed my flight home from Texas. TWO different GPS systems failed me a total of FOUR times with one battery failure, one freeway onramp that had been closed for YEARS and TWO onramps that were closed for construction. And here I thought technology was my friend! Silly me!
My 13 year old son is facing significant surgery this Summer for a nonossifying fibroma in his lower left tibia. We're headed for a 2nd opinion appointment with the probable surgeon this Friday. We're very glad it is caught and not causing him pain right now. We are told emphatically by the first doctor that it is NOT cancer.
Last Sunday, June 8, our church celebrated a friend's healing from Lung Cancer. Last Thursday, another lady in church went in for a SECOND operation in TWO weeks for breast cancer. This Wednesday, a man in our church will have a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. WHAT is UP??
For the first time in .... well, EVER in my ministry .... our church will gather for July & August in one service on Sundays at 9:30 am starting July 6 as we prepare to become a CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS for 6 months. Weird thought.
I preached a message this morning on "What My Dad Taught Me".
I spent the Father's Day afternoon with my family at the BodyWorlds exhibit in Los Angeles. It was fascinating and I highly recommend it! Topped it off with Panda Express.

That's all for now.

Chillaxin'

2008-06-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

This has been an awesome weekend of just being with family. Not a lot of activity, which has been just fine. We've just been enjoying each other and resting.

Taking naps, watching movies, staying out of the heat, taking walks in the cool of the evening, and making some pilgrimages back to places I lived and spent time as a kid. Makes me look forward to Summer!

We fly home Wednesday night and hit the proverbial "ground running" on Thursday. Blog at ya then!

Final Day of Foursquare Convention

2008-05-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

Great day! This morning, one of our District Supervisors, Peter Bonanno, spoke about the Sabbath commandment. This Winter, he was on a Sabbatical, which is a growing principle for our Pastors. A much needed one.

It was so good to hear his message being presented to our Convention body. Us Pastors tend to think we can just keep going and going and going. We also tend to think we're indispensable and that everything rests on our shoulders. Sabbath and Sabbaticals remind us that GOD is the only indispensable being, and the only One able to handle that responsibility!

Shared lunch with a Pastor just now recognizing he is in burnout. He is going home tomorrow to share with his church on Sunday that he will be taking a necessary Sabbatical to recover and heal. It is such a privilege to get to share the story of my own recovery with other Pastors in the same place I was. It gives hope that they can live again with passion and purpose!

While tonight's session was again, in my opinion, way too long, the speaker was very good and encouraging. He is Kirbyjon Caldwell, Pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church here in Houston. He is nationally well-know for being President Bush's Pastor, and was recently in the news for officiating at Jenna Bush's wedding.

After the session, I was able to connect with some friends from Bible College, Denny & Brenda Truett. They were both raised on the mission field and married while in Bible College. From there, they spent almost 20 years in Argentina and Ecuador as Foursquare Missionaries. For the last six years, they've been pastoring in Ada, Oklahoma, where Brenda's parents pastored just previously. It was great to catch up with them. Had a great time getting to know their two youngest kids, who had me missing my boys quite a bit.

THEN, after that was the traditional last night party with Tim & Kelly Mossholder and Bob & Lisa Penberthy. Since I didn't get to Israel for Convention last year, we skipped a year. Made up for it tonight though, as you can tell by the lateness of this post!

Gotta hit the sack, as I get up early to help Chuck Shoemake get to the airport and also pick up my rental car. I'll head back to the hotel to pack up and check out, then make my way to Dallas. Until next time ....

Welcome Charlee Ann Kuzma!

2008-05-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

My new niece, Charlee Ann Kuzma, was born this afternoon at 4:47 pm (CST) at 7 lbs, 6 oz. She is the first daughter of my brother, Steve, and his wife, Danielle.

Those who follow my blog know that I am in Houston, TX, 4 hours south of where my family is right now, celebrating Charlee's birth.

Soon after I got the news, our evening sessions began. I was celebrating Jesus with 3,000 others, and they sang a couple of my personal favorite worship songs. I think they did that in Charlee's honor.

I gotta say that worshipping God with 3,000 other people with a couple of your favorite worship songs right after the birth of a new family member deeply moved my heart! I just couldn't hardly hold back the tears.

Another Day at the '08 Convention

2008-05-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

The third day of Convention has come and gone, in somewhat of a whirlwind it seems. For some reason, my eyes and body woke at 7:00 (5:00 am my time). It's unusual for me to wake up early and be cognizant of much.

After waiting a few minutes, it was clear sleep would not settle back in, so I got up and did a couple of things. It wasn't more than about five minutes when the reason my body awoke became apparent. My stomach did a couple of acrobatics, and before I knew it, nausea was in full force.

Making my way back to the bed to lay down and be still, the neighboring chills and sweats broke out while I hoped and prayed with all I had (which isn't much that early for me) that I wouldn't lose it. I HATE throwing up!

I just stayed as still and covered as I could. Next thing I knew, it was a couple hours later and I was fine, even feeling pretty rested. Thank you, Jesus! Have I mentioned that I HATE to throw up?

I made it to the Business Session, which was quite interesting. In a move to "save time" at Business Sessions, they are peppering the regular sessions with some of the business logistics. For instance, they took the vote on a number of Bylaw changes during tonight's meeting. So, the earlier Business Session mostly served the purpose of allowing for questions and discussion regarding those changes.

I won't bore you with details. Anyone interested can click here to go to the Foursquare Business website. It has our agendas and even the Bylaw changes in detail on it, though I have no idea how long they will leave it up.

After the Business Session, I connected with Mike Barker for lunch. We had a great time, and Mike always gets me laughing hard! He and Stacy are coming out to California for vacation in July, and we talked about having Mike come out and speak at NewHeart while he's there. We'll see.

The downside to the spreading out of business logistics into regular sessions is that they have added time to those sessions. Tonight's meeting was again 3 1/2 hours long! Just way too long in my opinion. Lots of departure throughout the latter part of each evening's session.

After tonight's meeting, I spent the rest of the evening catching up on some work, getting a little rest and tracking with Colleen and the boys. They flew out of Burbank this afternoon and landed in Dallas a couple of hours ago.

They have since stopped at the hospital to see my sister-in-law, Danielle. She and my brother, Steve, are expecting Charlee Ann Kuzma to be born at any time. Labor was induced this afternoon. If she doesn't deliver by tomorrow afternoon, they'll do a C-section.

These are exciting moments for our family, and I am so grateful to be able to be here on the first days of Charlee's life. I am so very proud of my brother, who has come a long, long way in his life over the last year or so.

Well, it's late, and tomorrow is the last day of Convention. I'll certainly post as soon as I can to announce Charlee's birth, should she be born before I post tomorrow night.

Latest Convention News

2008-05-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

It's the 2nd day of Convention and running into old friends has been a real treat for me.

Saw Charlie & Darla Finocchiarro. Charlie was in my wedding and I was in his. We did Bible College together and now they are missionaries in the Dominican Republic.

Ran into Denny & Brenda Truett. The 3 of us went through Bible College together. They spent almost 20 years as missionaries in Argentina and Ecuador. Now they are pastoring in Ada, Oklahoma and just saw their oldest child, Michelle, get married last Saturday!

Saw Mike Barker, a former Youth Pastor at NewHeart, on the elevator. He and Stacy are still in Austin, pastoring City Life Community Church.

Another old Bible College buddy, Gil Dirmann, is now pastoring in South Carolina. We used to hang out quite a bit back in the dorm days.

The most significant session of the day to me was the workshop session I attended on Sabbaticals. It was presented very well by a couple in Ohio who took a sabbatical 3 years ago. More and more Foursquare Churches are beginning to recognize the need for this crucial part of a Pastor's rhythm, and it's a good thing. We have by and large always known Sabbaticals to be REactive instead of PROactive. I am so glad to see this tide beginning to turn!

Also had lunch today with some new friends. We actually met through my work with Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and that's what we met about today. Both of the couples are pastoring churches in Washington State that are interested in integrating the EHS principle into their churches.

After that, I was introduced to a pastor who is just now recognizing and admitting that he is in burnout. I was asked to help walk him through the initial stages of entering a sabbatical period for his own health and the health of his marriage. This part of my work is always confidential, but the Lord knows who he and his family are. Pray for them if you would.

The only real downer to the day was tonight's session. Foursquare leaders are trying something new this year, bringing some of the Convention business into the main sessions. It's an attempt to save time and increase participation regarding the business matters of the Convention body. Our business sessions have been known to be way too long in the afternoons.

However, I don't think it's really saving any time overall. Last night's meeting was 4 hours long, and tonight's was over 3-1/2 hours long. By the time tonight's session was dismissed, over half the crowd had already left! It will be interesting to see if this gets addressed at all in the next couple of days.

That's it for now! Good night all!

Foursquare Convention Update

2008-05-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, I hung out with Bob Penberthy & Tim Mossholder, along with Tim's 2 boys, Brennon & Braden. Bob had rented a car and they were headed for a grocery store, which was good for me too.

It was a blast of a trip, as Tim had his iPhone on Google Maps and I had my AT&T Tilt on Live Search. In our search for a Wal-Mart, both maps had it wrong, so we were quite a crew. It was a night of wrong turns and dead ends that had us all making memories.

After a good night's sleep, today was mostly restful, kind of gearing up for the gatherings. As an introvert, while I enjoy seeing everyone, it tends to be kind of draining.

You can try to be yourself as much as possible, and I think I do pretty good at it. It's still quite something when you attend these events and your colleagues ask, "How's the church going?" That almost always means, "How many are you running?" or "Is it growing numerically?"

If it is, you struggle with the urge to clarify what that means. If it's not, you struggle with the urge to clarify what THAT means.

I want to be able to say, "That shouldn't be", but the fact remains that it is what it is. Pastors are people too, and the desire to be deemed "successful" is just as strong in us as it is for anyone who is not a Pastor.

What it means for these gatherings is that each person/pastor has to identify what's really important in terms of relationships and what qualifies them, and then go with it. There are some people who are going to ask, "How are YOU?" I try to be one of them, knowing that I'll be asked the previous questions and will have to roll with it.

I sure hope I don't sound cynical by that. I don't feel cynical or sarcastic. I just know that I am trying to become, and I think am becoming, more and more honest with who I am, who God has made to be, and how He has made me to operate in the realms of relationship He's graced me with. This family called Foursquare is one of those realms, and I do love and appreciate it. I try to also not expect more of this relationship (or set of relationships) than it can, or is even supposed to, give.

Hope that all makes sense. Feels a little like too much rambling. Feel free to tell me if it is!

Funny Feeling

2008-05-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

I appreciate being able to get to a location I’ll be at a few days with a little bit of time before events begin. Gives me a chance to get a lay of the land around the area.

For Convention, we’re in downtown Houston. Texas, that is. Um, that means there’s still at least some respect left for the Sabbath. While I preach Sabbath, and try to live by it, I’m not used to everyone else around me doing it.

Read:

kids with families playing in the park across the street from the hotel;
stores are closed…got my exercise today strolling downtown to the view of my new Windows Live Search feature on my phone, which kept telling me where the next closest store was, but not where the next OPEN store was;
people are kind and friendly;

It was truly refreshing!

In the mean time, as I was walking through an empty downtown Houston, sweating beyond my comfort level for the clothes I was in, I began to get a funny feeling. It made me think through what the feeling was….

It wasn’t the unique Texas breeze. I spent my Jr. High years near Dallas. I’m tellin’ ya…Texas has a certain breeze unlike any other place I’ve been. I could feel it and smell it, but it wasn’t the Texas breeze.

It wasn’t anxiety. Believe me, I know anxiety when I feel it. If you know my story, you know that’s true, but it wasn’t anxiety I was feeling.

I wondered if it was what Pastor Jack Hayford (Foursquare’s President) has said about this Convention. Seeing people I haven’t seen in a while, catching up with stories and hearing what's on the heart of our leaders always brings its own sense of anticipation. Maybe it was anticipation?

It was a sense of urgency that I just couldn't really nail. I started asking the Lord to help me determine what the sense I had in my heart was about. I didn’t hear or feel anything definite in return, but I do believe there is something special the Lord has for me this week. I think that’s the funny feeling I had today.

As the week progresses, I’ll keep you posted. In the mean time, what do you do with those feelings when they come along?