Jen and I had a good time at Hillside Community Church in Crown Point this past weekend. They were having their missions conference this month, and I was the featured guest this weekend. Since their theme was “His passion, our purpose; his purpose, our passion,” I dealt with the question of what was the number one thing on the heart of Jesus himself.

It turns out that the number one thing on the heart of Jesus was submission to the will of his Father. So what does it mean to share the same passion as Jesus? What does it mean to be passionately submitted to the will of the Father, and why do we find it so hard? I’ll deal with that in a later post (I hope to get my sermon uploaded to my podcast soon.)

Anyway, the church is pretty healthy and is raising money to support their missions budget for this next year. Last year, they raised over $20,000, and this year they are hoping for $30,000!

Thank you for your prayers for us. It looks like we will soon be having a new church partner and perhaps some individual supporters as well!

Praise God!

Popularity: 4% [?]

I’m writing this post from Jen’s parents’ house in Weeler, Indiana because tomorrow, Jen and I have the privilege of presenting our vision for Lafayette to Hillside Community Church in Crown Point. I will be giving our basic presentation during their Sunday School time. Then, I will be preaching at the morning service and leading an interactive study at their evening service as well.

If you think of us tomorrow, please pray that God would give us favor with some key members of the congregation there and that we could have some kind of partnership develop between us and Hillside!

Popularity: 5% [?]

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.—Psalm 62:7

I was reading Psalm 62 this morning for my quiet time, and this verse popped out to me. Reading it sparked a little “wow” moment somewhere inside me.

Everything about this verse is almost cliche to me. Sure, my salvation depends on God. Sure, he is my mighty rock. Sure, he is my refuge. All those things are “old hat” to someone who has been in the church since he was born.

However, there is that extra little word thrown in there—honor. My honor depends on God.

It just got me thinking. How much time do I waste during my day trying to preserve or earn “honor” for myself? I imagine that 90% of my day is about gaining honor in some way.

When I do my todo list, my motivation is usually to impress someone. I want to impress my wife who really values getting things done in a timely way. I want to impress the people I know in Lafayette, so they will trust me more as their pastor. I want to impress unbelievers so they will listen to my message. Whenever I do anything, on some level, I’m trying to earn honor from others.

But my honor depends on God.

That’s a new thought for me. I have always thought that my honor depends on me and my performance. Sure, people tell me all the time that “It doesn’t matter what you do as much as it matters what kind of person you are,” but when it comes to honor or reputation it really seems to depend on what I do, doesn’t it?

Well, according to King David. Our honor doesn’t depend on what we do before people. Our honor depends on God. My honor—how I am evaluated by others—doesn’t depend on me or on the fickle nature of other people. My honor depends on God.

Now that is a refreshing thought!

Suddenly, I feel more empowered to focus my energies on pleasing God rather than people. If it is true that my honor really depends on God, then he should be my only concern. I should invest myself in pleasing him, and if he so desires to honor me in the eyes of others, that is his prerogative. If my honor really depends on God, then my attempts to please others will always yield lackluster results.

---

Lord, I just want to thank you for teaching me this lesson today. I want you to please you. I want to concern myself more with how I stand before you than with anything else. And I want to know what means to stand before you robed in Christ. I want to know your grace.

Thank you for showing your grace to me this morning by teaching me something new. Help me to always remember that my honor isn’t about how well I can impress people. My honor depends on you.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Jen and I have been regularly sending out our prayer requests every few months or so, and I thought that I’d post our next set on the blog here. God has really been answering some prayers too, so I’ll post some praises first:

Praises:

• Jen and I have signed final approval paperwork on our house. As soon as the building permits get approved, they will start the work. Praise God for helping us make those decisions.
• Greg is continuing to tell people about us and get us contacts with people moving into the area. Praise God for helping us meet him!
• Packing and move preparations are coming along nicely, and we plan to make the move on January 2! Praise God that Jen enjoys packing!

Our Top Ten Requests for December.

Here are our top ten requests for this next month.

• That our priorities would be God’s priorities.
• That God would prepare the hearts of key people in Laf. to receive the gospel.
• That our funding would jump to the next level soon.
• That our final month at NWBC would be filled with grace.
• That our move to Laf. on Jan 2 would go smoothly with good weather.
• That Charlie would have good good-byes with his friends here in Chicago.
• That God would guide our decisions about our new home.
• That we would be able to finalize our church name and incorporation.
• That we would have wisdom raising our kids.
• That God would continue to work miracles for his own glory!

Popularity: 4% [?]

It turns out that one of the men from the Pondside group is actually the President / CEO of Lafayette Savings Bank! It’s amazing how God works things out. I gave him a call, he had someone call me and in about 30 minutes this morning, Jen and I were “easily” approved for at least a $180,000 loan.

This raises the question now of where we should live and what home we should build/buy. The reason this is a big question is that in Lafayette, homes are really inexpensive, and we could get a home of over 3000 square feet with a loan of under $200,000!

So, I’m asking you to pray with us and also to comment on my site here with your suggestions / opinions about this.

Jen and I are praying about a few key homes that we could build for a reasonable amount:

The Leesburg

• $120,000
• 2037 square feet.

The Coolidge

• 1618 square feet
• $90,000

Elevation

First Floor

Second Floor

The Taft

• 1737 square feet
• $105,000

Elevation

First Floor

Second Floor

The Clemson

• 2582 square feet
• $120,000

Elevation

English Cottage Elevation

Floor Plan

The Townsend

• 2771 square feet
• $130,000

Elevation

Craftsman Elevation

English Manor Elevation

Floor Plan

[The Auburn]

• 3183 square feet
• $135,000

Elevation

Farmhouse Elevation

Southern Classical Elevation

Floor Plan

Our Dilemma

Here’s our dilemma. The Auburn house would be absolutely wonderful both for our family and for the sake of the new church ministry. There is a dedicated home office space downstairs by the door, but there is a huge area upstairs for the kids to play in while the adults are talking or having a meeting downstairs. However, the house is really big, and Jen and I are concerned that we might seem to be pretentious by having such a large house while living off the support of others-who likely have smaller homes for themselves.

The Others

The Townsend and Clemson houses are really just toned down versions of the Auburn house. We would enjoy them too, but they both skip the office (we still aren’t sure we need that), and the Clemson has one less bedroom.

The Taft and Coolidge houses are both the functional kind of house. Everything we really need is in these two houses. Jen and I both grew up in homes without much more than what these two houses have.

And regarding the Leesburg, I just think it looks really good. It’s a ranch style home (one story), is economical, but we haven’t seen any floor plans yet.

None of these homes have basements, but one could be added for only $30,000!

So.

So Jen and I are trying to figure out whether we need to stretch ourselves a little bit more financially so that we can get a “dream house” that would be great for both family and for ministry (core group meetings and larger Bible studies) with the potential downside of people thinking negatively about us. We are especially concerned about some of our supporters resenting our apparent affluence.

Or whether we should grab on to one of the more economical and functional houses, save ourselves some potential concern over money, and avoid the appearance of materialism to those we are trying to reach.

Pray and Comment.

Please pray for our wisdom in this decision, and please comment or email me to let us know what you think.

Popularity: 5% [?]

I want to thank all of you for praying for Jen and me during our trip this last weekend to Lafayette. We had a really fun time in many different ways.

Quick Notes

• We were able to stay with Jen’s cousin and her family. They are so gracious and generous each time we visit. Praise God for Mark and Michelle Withers.
• We were able to meet a group of families who have been passionate about a new church in Lafayette for almost a year. Praise God for our meeting with the “Pondside” couples.
• We were also able to meet a family that has recently moved from California and was part of a BGC church plant out there. They are really excited about being on the ground floor of a new church, and the kids were even giving me suggestions on what the name of the new church should be.
• Jen and I found the place where we want to live. We want to move to an area called “The Commons.”

Prayer Requests

Here are the two biggest things Jen and I are praying about right now. Please join us in prayer for these things.

Pray for God’s guidance for us and the “Pondside” couples.

We had the chance to meet with three families that have joined together to start a new church in Lafayette to intentionally reach people with the good news of Jesus. They have been meeting together for a while now and have adopted the temporary name of “Pondside.” They really seem like great people, and if they choose to partner with us, it would likely be an incredible combination.

Pray for us to get a home in “The Commons.”

In driving through the different areas of Lafayette this weekend, Jen and I really fell in love with a neighborhood called “The Commons” that would be not only a great place for our family but also a wonderful launching-point for the new church. Lots in “The Commons” are going quickly at about $40,000 and homes that would work for us are between $130,000 and $160,000.

We really need to get loan approval first before we can make a decision, but if we can make a decision next month, our home could be ready by early Spring. Buying an existing home is also an option, but most existing homes are more expensive than new construction right now.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Basic elements of a leadership development program

Danny Wallen finished up his sessions yesterday by giving us a couple of different models for developing leaders. I’ll just quote them here:

The Two Track Analogy

There are four parts of leadership development that work together like the components of a train track.

• Spiritual Formation (experiencing God and becoming Christlike) is the gravel under the train tracks.
• Input (gaining knowledge, developing values, and learning skills) is one of the rails. One way to do this is by going through a book together.
• Experience (apply what you are learning through activities) is another one of the rails.
• Dynamic Reflection (process it all with mentors and peers, accountability and evaluation) is like the railroad ties holding everything together.

Mentoring with the “Constellation” Model

I have no idea why this is called the constellation model, but it basically describes the different kind of mentoring relationships that are possible. I was also unsure about whether we were supposed to encourage ourselves and others to have a balance of these mentoring relationships or not.

• Upward—those who are mentoring me “from above” and have been where I am.
• Downward—those I’m mentoring who are either direct reports or less experienced than I.
• Inside—those peers who are coworkers or somehow within the same circle as me who serve as peer mentors.
• Outside—those who are peers but are outside my current situation and can offer greater objectivity.

3 Formations Model

This model basically emphasizes the different stages of ministry that people go through as they age and/or mature. Mentoring should be appropriate to the particular stage of each person.

• Spiritual Formation is the activity that forms the basis of godly character and inner life in the minister. This usually needs to be the focus for people up to their mid 30s.
• Ministerial Formation is the emphasis on developing leadership skills, experience, and gifts. This is usually the emphasis for people until their mid 50s. Some of the skills to emphasize are these:
  • Word Skills
  • Relational Skills
  • Organizational Skills
  • Group Skills
• Strategic Formation is really the activity that emphasizes helping people achieve their full potential to reach a God-given destiny. This is sometimes called “convergence” and it usually applies to those in their mid 50s and on.

Just-in-time Training

One final model that Danny showed us was called “just-in-time” training which contrasts to the way we usually go about things. Usually, we do “just-in-case” training that assumes we can adequately prepare people for the experiences they are likely to face. Just-in-time training, however, emphasizes that we give people the specific kind of training that they will need for the specific task at hand.

• Orient them to the task (talk about it).
• Involve them in the task (have them do it).
• Equip them for future tasks by reflecting together.

According to this model, the real teaching and learning take place in the third step which is AFTER the task has taken place.

Creating a Leadership Development Strategy

I was so glad that Danny finally got to this point. It’s one thing to talk about what needs to go into leadership development, but there are so many good models, and I never know what path to follow or if I should be the maverick and blaze my own trail. He gave us six final key points regarding the development of a unique development strategy.

These development strategies might be an overall development strategy, but the idea is to have a specific strategy for each specific type of leader you plan to develop.

• What do you really want to accomplish? Write out your goal and vision, and be sure to balance task and relationship.
• How can you instigate a cyclical process? Particularly think about ways to integrate the regular processes of public ministry together with the processes of private ministry (people development).
• Hammer out your general ideas with specific steps.
• Get started—select emerging leaders based on character not giftedness.
• Remember the WIFM principle (What’s in it for me?) and answer it for both you and the leaders you will be developing.
• Develop leaders as God has developed you—with patience, faithfulness, grace and truth.

Other new things I learned.

I also have to just mentioned one other new thing I learned. Apparently, before the machines were developed to flip donuts in their grease, it was done by hand in a process called “diddling donuts.” Our peer group leader, Larry Faus used to be quite skilled at the process and spent some time tonight telling us about his ability to use a diddling stick to diddle those donuts. You cannot imagine the amount of laughter this generated in our peer group. It has been about a year since I have laughed as hard as I did then.

My Action Steps

• I will continue to flesh out what my leadership development strategy needs to be for the new church.
• I will decide on a leadership development “exit strategy” for my transition out of NWBC.

Popularity: 4% [?]