faith.family.climbing

30 Things in 30 Months Blog

2012-01-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

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Jake and I have created a blog to track our 30 Things in 30 Months project. Click the pic below to see the list and a chronicle of our adventures.

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30 Things in 30 Months - A "Bucket List" for My Teenage Son & Me

2012-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

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I came to the realization a few weeks ago that my son, halfway through his sophomore year in high school, had about 30 months to go until he graduated. Soon after that, he will be gone - off to college, maybe never to live with us full time again. (A parent can dream, right?)

I was struck by how many places in my life I have good intentions, but I don't always follow through. I don't want to drop my son off at college with a bucketful of regrets - things I wished we had done, experiences I wished we had shared. So I set about to be intentional about mazimizing the time I have left with son living in my home as a teenager.

Another factor that I quickly needed to take into account is how different we are! I could think of something off the top of my head with my daughter, and she would likely say, "I was just thinking of that too!" But my son and I have very different temperaments and personalities. Thankfully, we both love Jesus and want to serve him. We just see the world differently sometimes. I've learned to embrace that - but that is another post for another time.

So, how could I be intentional about getting the most out of my time with my son, do it in a way that had the highest likelihood of actually happening, and do things that HE would really want to do, as opposed to what I think he should like to do!?!?

So here is what I came up with: 30 Things in 30 Months - A "Bucket List" for My Son's Remaining Years in High School. To be honest, I'm pretty sure the movie, The Bucket List and the TV show My Name is Earl influenced me, but who cares?

So I told him about the idea and -- here's the genius -- I put him in charge. I asked him to make a list of 30 things he'd like to do with me before he graduates from high school. In 3 days, he had 25. I'm sure it will go beyond 30, and we'll whittle it down.

Some things I was happy to see on the list - college road trip to Boston (where I grew up) and snowboarding. Some surprises to: he wants to find another father-son duo to read a Christian book together and meet weekly to talk about it.

I'm so grateful God whispered this idea in my ear (He uses all kinds of tools to speak to His kids). And I'm excited that my son pounced on the idea.

Now, my prayer is for follow through, and for finances - the kid's got some expensive ideas. But I am trusting God to provide these opportunities for meaningful experiences that my son (and I) can look back on in the years and decades ahead.

I'll post the list as soon as we have it. Maybe I'll include the things that didn't make the list as well.

With you in the Great Adventure,
Brett

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What Should Joe Have Done?

2011-11-14T18:53:00.001-08:00

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There’s been a lot of discourse about what Joe Paternoshould or could have done. He heard from a graduate assistant that his formercolleague and friend had sexually assaulted a boy in the showers of his lockerroom. He did tell his superiors, which seems to be within the legalrequirements of his role as an employee of the institution. And then, as far asanyone can tell, he ignored it.

When it all came out – and it always all comes out—Coach Paternowas a casualty. Not just his job, but his legacy as well.

I would say that Joe Paterno’s failure was a moral failure, afailure of virtue and character, a failure of courage. When confronted withperhaps the worst thing you could hear about a trusted colleague, he lackedwhat my high school football coach (who was a contemporary of Paterno) called “intestinalfortitude.” Coach Paterno himself said, “I wish I had done more.”

So what should Joe have done? I have a few suggestions:

First, he should have asked more questions. He is saying theallegations from the grad assistant weren’t very specific. Really? They couldhave been as specific as the questions the coach asked. You’re the head coach.This happened in your locker room. This guy was at least a colleague, if not afriend. You’d want to make sure you have a clear idea of what this guy saw. Youknow what he witnessed will likely ruin someone’s life. Shouldn’t you make sureyou know as specifically as possible what happened?

After he reported it to his supervisors, the next thing heshould have done is confronted his friend: “I heard this from a grad assistant.I don’t believe he is lying. What is going on?” Most guys know when they’rebeing lied to. I would put a lot of faith in a tenured football coach being apretty good judge of this. Look your friend in the eye. Hold him accountable.“What are you doing?”

From here there are only two options: help your him confesshis actions to the appropriate authorities – probably the police, with a lawyerin tow; or go to the police yourself if he won’t do it—or at least confirm withthe school Athletic Director that the allegations have been reported to thepolice. The main thing is, make sure this guy won’t be around any more youngboys until an investigation is complete.

As an aside, I have a feeling the coach lost a fair amountof sleep over this. You don’t hear this about a guy you’ve worked with for along time and whom you trust as a human being and just brush it off after youreport it up the chain of command. Maybe he talked to his wife about it. Maybehe kept it to himself and stewed. I don’t believe a man who has given hisentire life to coaching young men to excellence lacks the moral core to bedeeply disturbed by something like this.

For those boys and for Joe Paterno’s sake, I wish he’d hadthe courage to ask more questions, confront the person whose been accused ofthese acts, make sure it couldn’t continue, act in the best interests of thosewho couldn’t protect themselves. In a similar situation, I hope I do.

Coach Paterno let a lot of people down—most of all, the boysSandusky had access to. I know he didn’t mean to. And with the life he’s lived,this failure of courage is not indicative of every decision he’s ever made. Butit was a failure. And it will taint his legacy.

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Boots on the Ground

2011-10-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

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I work for Man in the Mirror. Our vision is for every church to disciple every man. So we basically work with churches in any way we can to train up leaders, equip them with resources they can use to reach and disciple men, and provide support and encouragement to pastors.

Here's the thing: I'll often go and conduct a training for 10-20 churches, or conduct a men's event for 50 or 250 guys. And then the same thing happens every single time: I leave.

Man in the Mirror celebrated its 25th Anniversary earlier this year with a banquet. We invited Bruce Wilkinson to come speak, and he offered to spend some time with our staff and executive team beforehand and talk about vision.

He queried us about what might be keeping us from achieveing our vision -- EVERY church discipling EVERY man is a tall order!

We knew the answer. We've known it for 10 years. The problem is what happens at the end of every interaction we have with churches and leaders. We leave. To solve the problem, someone needs to stick around and help these churches and leaders do the hard work of implementing the strategy that we help them develop. We need "boots on the ground."

How many, Bruce asked. How many would it take?

We felt like maybe one leader for every 1,000 churches would be a good start - this also happens to coincide with about one per every million people. Or about 330.

Bruce said, That's what you need! You need to find that "one in a million" person.

Of course, you can imagine our reaction: "Who? Us?" To which he basically responded, If not you, who?

That was the beginning of our efforts to recruit 330 Area Directors to work in 1,000-church territories around the country, recruiting leaders to help them work with churches who want to reach and disciple EVERY man they can.

We're looking for those "one in a million" people. Maybe you're one of them. Maybe you know someone who is. Go to this site: www.mimareadirectors.org and poke around. Watch the video, read the job description, see what "A Day in the Life of an Area Director" might be like. Then, if it's for you, click on the link to Take the Next Step.

Do me a favor: Share this blog post or the link above with someone you know who is passionate about men's discipleship and might consider a career change to do it full time.

Let's help every church disciple every man.

Book Review: Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index: The Best Bible Subject Index Ever

2011-10-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

I received this book from Nelson as part of their BookSneeze program. I enjoyed reading though it, and am happy to write a review of it.

This reference book has a lot going for it. It's compact and comprehensive, covering a ton of subject areas. However, these two characteristics together bring out its weakness. It's not particularly deep in any of its subject areas. So if you are a lay person who is building a reference library to help you in your own Bible Study, this is a great addition to that library. If you're a pastor or scholar, you've likely already got all of this information - and tons more - in your library.

Boulderpalooza 2011!

2011-01-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

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What a difference a year makes!

Last year, Cassidy and I went to Gainesville Rock Gym for Boulderpalooza in great climbing shape. I won men's beginner, and she would have won advanced, but got bumped to Open and finished 4th.

This year, we were both out of climbing shape for sure. She finished out of the top 3 in Advanced, and I took 3rd in beginner, although I climbed pretty poorly. It's 2 days later and my forearms are still in agony!

Good news is we had a fantastic time. Neither of us expected to do well, so the competition was much more about having fun. I also just enjoyed spending the day with my daughter. She didn't climb with me much, but we had a couple hours on either side for the ride up and back. A great time talking on the way back especially, as we discussed her future with school and what's going on with church and friends.

Just an awesome all-around day with my teen-aged daughter. I am fully aware that there are less and less of those opportunities available. So I am grabbing every one I can!

I was pretty proud of the kids from our gym team too. They won all the adult male divisions, and one of the female adult divisions, as well as juniors. Way to go Team Aiguille!!!

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As long as Christ is preached...

2011-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

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Have you ever questioned someone's motives for preaching the gospel? Been a little suspicious or even critical of their motives? I have, for sure.

Paul didn't care.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. (Phil 1:15-18, written from imprisonment)

I can't tell you the number of times I see other people getting notoriety within Christendom that I don't feel jealous or cynical about their "success." It is a sign of my own pride, for sure. But having a higher focus - on seeing the gospel spread instead of getting credit for it - not only is more righteous, but a better way to live my life.

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Book Review - Living Life in the Zone

2010-12-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

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Got this book to read by a freind of the ministry, Joe Pettigrew, and his friend and well-known sports personality, Kyle Rote, Jr. I'm reviewing it here for the BookSneeze program.

Living Life in the Zone is a good devotional book for men who are just starting out in their spiritual journey. There are four sections which cover the basic four areas of a Christian man's life: marriage, children, work and faith.

It is definitely oriented to the sports-minded guy. Each devotion has a key thought, a quote or text on a topic, some Biblical content and insight, questions for journaling or discussion, a call to action and prayer. It's basic biblical stuff, and maybe even a little too much at times for the type of guy who will be most interested in this type of book. But if a guy will stick with it, he will most likely find himself wanting to go deeper and deeper in his relationship with God.

A good, solid, basic devotional book with lots of sports references.

Buy it at http://tinyurl.com/2buswwk (Amazon)

The Marriage Prayer

2010-09-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

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Spent the weekend in Houston. Got to share The Marriage Prayer at Friendswood Methodist with about a dozen couples on Friday night. It reminded me of the great scene from The Princess Bride...

On a serious note, The Marriage Prayer is a book, an evening couples event and an actual prayer. It reminds us of the importance of praying for our spouse every day, and of several keys to marriage:

Faithfulness, which brings security
Priority, that after God, our spouse should be our top priority
Purpose, to bring our spouse into God's presence
Unity, because we are one flesh
Attitude, we should encourage our spouse daily
and the Goal of Marriage - to bring God glory.

I really enjoyed being with those couples and sharing about the struggles and triumphs in my own marriage.

But the GREATEST part of doing these is it reminds me how blessed I am to have a really, really wonderful wife.

The Clemmer family, Summer '10

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A Good Read...NYT: What is it about 20-somethings? & Driscoll's WP Response

2010-09-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

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A great article in the New York Times about the 20-something generation. This article cites some empirical research. here's a excerpt:

One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married. And marriage occurs later than ever. The median age at first marriage in the early 1970s, when the baby boomers were young, was 21 for women and 23 for men; by 2009 it had climbed to 26 for women and 28 for men, five years in a little more than a generation.

Mark Driscoll responded to this article with an op-ed in the Washington Post called The World is Filled with Boys Who Can Shave. He points out the impact of this specifically on men, challenging guys in their 20's to grow up. He challenges guys in this age bracket:

Men are supposed to be producers, not just consumers. You're defined by the legacy, the life, and the fruit that come out of you, not by what you take in. But most guys are just consumers.

Two great articles on this topic.

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Daily Read from the White Horse Inn blog: "Morally Therapeutic Deism"

2010-09-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

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Great post from WHI about 'fake christianity' trend in our culture. Some would say Glenn Beck is in this camp, but I'm not sure.

From the blog post: "CNN online recently featured an article on Kenda Creasy Dean’s new book Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telliing the American Church (Oxford University Press, 2010)." Here's a quote cited from her book.

The problem does not seem to be that churches are teaching young people badly, but that we are doing an exceedingly good job of teaching youth what we really believe, namely, that Christianity is not a big deal, that God requires little, and the church is a helpful social institution filled with nice people…

Ouch!

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Why I don't like most blog posts...and why I really like some

2010-09-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

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I manage the facebook page for Man in the Mirror, and I've started to post a message every morning called Your Morning Read. I look around for interesting blog posts or articles that I think the constituency of MIM would find helpful or interesting and give them a link.

As I have been looking for stuff to post, I realized that I have a reasonably simple set of criteria that I have been using to recommend a link. It's the same criteria I use to determine if I want to read something myself:
Relevance - This is the most obvious one. I read stuff that matters to me.
Writing - Poor writing quickly loses my interest.
Challenge - I love reading something that challenges me to think differently, be better, confront my own hypocrisy.
Length - Esoteric? Maybe. But this has become one of my crucial criteria. Do you have a lot of time to read blogs? People that talk just because they like the sound of their own voice bug me. I'm beginning to notice that about some bloggers as well, especially those who post daily. When a blog post goes on and on, I get the sense that it's just train of thought. Maybe there's some pressure to "meet deadline", and not enough editing time to put out a concise insight.
Self-contained - If I have to read too many previous postings to understand what this one is talking about, I lose interest.
Story - Take me somewhere. I will read previous postings if there is a narrative that is compelling. The best example I can give of this is the Wrestling with an Angel blog.
I could add other things as well: humor, a unique perspective, sarcasm (sometimes), humility.

So, I'll start posting some of these blogs here. Why say something that someone else can say better? Look for those postings under, Your Daily Read. Enjoy!

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"Wannabe Cool" Christianity...Maybe Not as Bad as You Think

2010-08-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

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Someone sent me this article recently from the Wall St. Journal: The Perils of 'Wannabe Cool' Christianity http://tinyurl.com/2dpzstj. The writer is a 27-year old self-professed evangelical who is frustrated with some of the trends of Christianity of late. He mentions pastors with $80 haircuts and metro styles, sermons about sex and hip cultural references. He is specific in his criticisms, and even names names.

Being in ministry full time, I am often frustrated by the ministries and personalities that seem to get all the attention because they are flashy. Meanwhile, I am just trying to help regular guys in churches disciple men more effectively.

So I read the article the first time and thought, “Yeah! Right on!” Then I felt a conviction that has become a regular “pricking of my heart” from God lately...

I have become increasingly hesitant to criticize what others in the Christian world are doing. I'm talking about style, not substance. Criticizing a guy for his $80 haircut is easy. On the other hand, I took a 10 minute shower this morning and didn’t give it a second thought, even though millions of people around the world have limited or no access to clean drinking water.

The “sex” talks may strike some as crass, but I know that Mark Driscoll is earnestly seeking to reach unchurched men in their 20’s. This is what they’re thinking about. I watched this video. I wish more pastors were willing to speak as frankly and directly (and Biblically) about issues like this. Though maybe not in the Sunday morning service. Maybe.

I thank God for Mark Driscoll and some of those other guys. He is using them in His own way. Frankly, it’s not my business whether He chooses to give them more or less “success” in ministry than my efforts, or those of my ministry or my church. I just need to be faithful to my calling.

Rather than focus on what others should or shouldn’t be doing, I think we should focus on God’s call to us to reach our community and the world with the Gospel.

Forgive me. I know that I'm probably being as self-righteous as it may seem that I am accusing the author of being. But then again, we're both named Brett.

The Real Meaning of Redemption

2010-08-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

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Just read an article in the Wall Street Journal online about Manute Bol. Remember him? 7 feet 7 inches tall, about as graceful as an ostrich. I always kind of liked the guy. I have no idea why.

He died earlier this year of complications from a skin disease he contracted helping people in his native Sudan. He died mostly broke, though he made $6 million or so during his career. Where did the money go? Gambling? Expensive houses and cars? Nope. He gave it away to help people in Africa. Why? He was motivated by his love for his people and his Christian faith.

As this article notes, Manute showed us the real meaning of redemption. It's not about me being redeemed, it's about doing everything in my power to bring redemption to others.

Manute Bol. A real hero.

Read the rest of the story in this great article by Jon Shields: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704853404575323043046894012.html

Chandler Mountain Challenge

2010-02-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

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Had an awesome time climbing at HorsePens40 during the Chandler Mountain Challenge on Super Bowl weekend. It was a crazy weekend with lousy weather, but an awesome to hang out with family and meet some new friends.

My cousins and aunt and uncle live in Birmingham, so we drove there on Friday and stayed overnight. My folks flew down from Troy, MI to see us (and my mom's sister). That was a miracle in itself, as my mom's health has prevented her from doing much for a couple of years now. Amazing what a little brain surgery can do for ya! (You heard me -- brain surgery.)

Anyway, we drove up to HP40 through rain and sleet on Saturday, hung out for an hour waiting to see if the weather would clear, and then...drove back to Birmingham. Comp postponed to Sunday...Super Bowl Sunday!

The family all agreed to climb on Sunday and hustle back for at least the second half of the "big game." So off we went on Sunday morning. And it was COLD! Too cold for Jackson to even want to climb for the first 4 hours of the comp. (Smart dude. He still won his age division even though he spent a few hours learning the finer points of checkers from Howard Schultz, the HP40 owners' father.) I know they say the cold air helps with friction, but if you can't feel your fingers, what good does friction do ya?

Cassidy, Kimberly and I climbed...OK, Cassidy and I climbed. This was Kimberly's first time outdoors and she just couldn't do anything hard. I got so caught up in finding Cassidy and myself stuff to climb, that I earned the crappy husband of the year award for not paying attention to my wife. She persevered and toward the end of the day we found some routes that were perfect for her. She ended up taking 3rd place in women's!!! Cassidy took 2nd. My women rock!!!

As for me, I learned how easy it is for me to get caught up in good things and ignoring the best things. Taking care of my wife was a best thing, and it took me all day to do it - and, I'm ashamed to say, a few weeks to realize how bad I'd made her feel. I get so caught up in my own world so often that I miss the bigger picture.

As a husband, my job is to put my wife first - emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Too often I forget to take care of her, often in the guise of, "I don't want her to think that I think she can't handle it." Honestly? That's just a copout. What I really don't want is for her to cramp my style. Pretty self-centered.

So guys, if you're reading this, here's my take: God gave us our wives and it's our job to take care of them first. Just like Christ takes care of his bride, the Church, to the point of taking on all the penalties for our sins. I am supposed to put my wife first, ahead of what I feel I deserve or I'm entitled to.

I can't wait to take her back to HP40 and spend the whole day finding routes she can climb. I want her to love rock climbing, not for me (OK, a little for me), but because it makes her feel like she's accomplishing great things. At our age, we need new accomplishments!

By the way, the folks from Solid Rock Climbers for Christ http://www.srcfc.org/ put this event on, and they did a great job, especially considering the conditions. I was excited to be able to share a little bit after the climbing. I talked about faith in a person - Jesus - not in a religion. The competitors were very gracious. I spoke quick...it was cold and there were prizes to be awarded!

Thanks to Brad Killough and his family, Ryan Bolen, Jonathon Parker and the Schultz's for a very fun day, and a good lesson.

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Photo credits: Kimberly Clemmer

Boulderpalooza 2010 - A Lesson in Fairness & Fathering

2010-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

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Boulderpalooza 2010 is in the record books, with some shocking results for the Clemmer family.

Cassidy and I went up for the competition last weekend. Jackson's first flag football game was the next day, and he wisely thought he should attend the last practice before the game...which got cancelled due to weather 30 minutes after we left. Aauugghh!!

Anyway, we had a great time climbing. The comp was well set and well run. Props to the Gainesville Rock Gym and the sponsors for a fun, fun time. The ending is what was so surprising.

Only 2 Open climbers showed up (the highest level, kind of like 'pros'). So one of Cassidy's climbing friends who would probably normally climb Advanced jumped into the Open category. This makes sense, since there was a cash prize for 1st thru 3rd place in Open. She is a GREAT climber, and she finished with more points than Cassidy in the red point section of the comp; 3rd in the Open division. Cassidy finished first in Advanced. Everybody's happy!

Then, they decided that Cassidy climbed too well to be in Advanced, so they bumped her into Open, which has a finals climbing competition. Which would have been pretty cool if there wasn't a cash prize for Advanced too. So, she climbed in the Open Finals On Sight and finished 4th. No victory in Advanced, since she was bumped out, and no money in Open. Pretty frustrating, especially considering she's a teenager, not a pro, and she entered Advanced appropriately.

It has been a lesson for us both. The good news is, of course, at 15 she got bumped into the top division of a comp with prize money involved. She beat the next climber in Advanced by a ton of points, and every route she completed she did on her first try (a "flash"). We've learned about pacing yourself for finals a bit, and Cassidy got great exposure to the sponsors (hello, La Sportiva? My daughter's shoes have holes in the toes and she LOVES her Solutions! Hint! Hint!), as well as practice climbing in front of a crowd that should help her at Sport Climbing Youth Nationals this year, Lord willing that she qualifies.

I also had to learn to control my emotions as I spoke to the organizers about the decision they made to bump her up. It was a compliment to her climbing, but perhaps not a "fair" decision in light of the circumstances. I was impressed with Pat from the gym, who listened to my frustration, expressed their reasoning clearly, and allowed that though they felt the made the best decision they could under the circumstances, they might not make the same decision the next time they faced this situation. I think I kept my cool, explained my feelings as a dad, and a coach.

Pat said they would have a debriefing and maybe ("I can't promise anything") they would be able to do something for her. (They gave TONS of stuff away through raffles and she got shut out of that as well. Including free La Sportiva shoes..."Hello? La Sportiva? Did I mention Cassidy's Solutions have holes? Oh, I guess I did.) I haven't heard from them and I don't know if I will. It would be nice for them to follow up.

It's been perhaps the greatest lesson to me as a father. What better opportunity to help your children learn to face adversity and the "unfairness" of life (in a fallen world) than something like this. I wanted to tell her she was robbed! The people running the comp had it in for her! It would be so easy to put her in the position of being a victim. And I'm sure a little of the leaked out.

But I was proudest of her reaction. She was, of course, devastated at the lost opportunity to win the Advanced Division in an adult bouldering comp, and especially the 300 bucks that went with it. But after a little while of crying on daddy's shoulders (oh, did THAT suck! my heart was breaking...), she pulled herself together. Her facebook status later on that evening showed her positive attitude:

boulderpalooza was a blassst. and im such a beastly climber i got bumped to open from advanced. hahaha.

Wow!!!

So, lessons learned:

LIfe is not fair. (Duh!)
My daughter has an amazing capacity to overcome adversity and not be mad at the world. I am still working on this.
My daughter is a gifted climber. Beastly.
Being a dad often means helping your kids deal with frustration, not fixing it.

Oh, and one more thing. I won the Men's Beginner division. Haha! The prize? A new rope and a pair of climbing shoes. (Evolv shoes. Cassidy wants La Sportiva's. She's loyal.)

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Photo: Cassidy on the first of 3 routes in the Open finals. Thank you to Patrick Gallagher for posting this pic on his facebook photo album, Boulderpalooza 2010

Merry Christmas! And Here is Luke's Account

2009-12-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

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In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

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Hoarding Life

2009-12-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

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Heard a great sermon on Sunday. My pastor, Pete Alwinson, is talking about Peace this Advent season. One of the points he has made is that the Christian faith often causes one to lose peace - the peace that is found in complacency in particular. He used this great quote from Wm. Barclay:
I can see how I "hoard life" sometimes. I want it to be comfortable. I want my family to be comfortable, and my job to be comfortable and my church to be comfortable... Working in ministry makes it even easier to be like this, because I've always got a convenient comeback to those feelings that maybe I'm not really living my life in a way that builds the Kingdom as effectively as it could. I can always hark back to some ministry experience that blunts the barb of Christian conscience.

There is no place for a policy of safety first in the Christian life. The man who seeks first ease and comfort and security and the fulfillment of personal ambition may well get all these things, but he will not be a happy man; for he was sent into this world to serve god and to serve His fellow man. A man can hoard life, if he wishes to do so. But that way he will lose all that makes life valuable to others and worth living for himself.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on myself. I just want to be honest with myself about the ramifications of my faith. Patrick Morley quotes Dr. Schaeffer in his book, The Man in the Mirror, and points out the two "impoverished values" of personal peace and affluence.

Personal peace means just to be let alone, not to be troubled by the troubles of other people, whether across the world or across the city -- to live one's life with minimal possibilities of being disturbed...Affluence means an overwhelming and ever-increasing prosperity -- a life made of things, things and more things -- a success judged by an ever-higher level of material abundance. (from Frances Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live, 1976)

I want to be sure that I am not committed to ease, comfort, ambition, personal peace and affluence - that I am not "hoarding my life" - so that I miss out on what I could be doing to make a difference in the world.

===

Broken-Hearted at Christmas

2009-12-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

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Seems like Christmas is a rough time for a lot of people emotionally. I suspect it's the contrast between the joy that is expected to permeate the season and the reality of unmet expectations, broken relationships or just that general feeling of, "is this really as good as it's going to get?"

Got this Weekly Briefing from Pat Morley at work today. A great message for the Christmas season.

My heart has been broken many times -- left out, made fun of, rejected, feeling alone, feeling unloved, depressed, broken promises, shattered dreams, betrayal, falsely accused. And then there are my sins of which I am ashamed and over which I grieve.

What is breaking your heart today? Maybe an injustice -- by you or against you. Maybe you're grieving, or need to grieve, what could've been -- a son on drugs, a daughter who has wandered from the path, a spouse who seems distant, or parents who got divorced. The closer the person, the deeper the hurt. (excerpted from To Anyone With a Broken Heart, Weekly Briefing Volume 351, December 14, 2009. Read the rest of the article.)

I'm praying that we would all feel the real presence of God this season -- His peace, love and comfort in the midst of a trying and difficult world. If you know Him, don't forget to talk to Him. If you don't, just talk to Him, He'll hear you. If you want to talk to Him and don't know how, email me (baclemmer@maninthemirror.org). I know Him and I'd be happy to introduce you.

===

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cckaiser/ / CC BY 2.0

Great Times Climbing in Ch-ch-chattanooga

2009-12-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

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That's the sound of my teeth chattering. Took my son Jake to Tennessee last weekend to camp and climb. We had a great time (mostly). The highlight was probably waking up Saturday morning to snow on the ground! We went with friends from the gym, including my buddy Ike who is the camping and climbing uber-guide.

The climbing crowd is really interesting. Kind of like surfers in the laid-back mentality and the relational style. I heard the phrase, "Awesome dude!" about a million times. A fair amount of drinking too, so not super kid-friendly, although I doubt most of the adults saw it that way.

Jake had a tough day at the comp on Sunday. We had climbed outdoors two days already and we were both pretty tired. He still ended up finishing 4th in his age group!

Here was the most interesting part of the weekend to me: surrounded by young, energetic people, all of them really love the outdoors and the challenge of climbing, yet no realization of where all of this must have come from. An appreciation for beauty and creation, but no affinity or interest (it seemed) in the Creator. I loved what we were doing and even who we were doing it with, but I still felt pretty out of place.

Stop Taking the Bible So Seriously

2009-08-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

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Can't believe I'm posting something this irreverent-sounding, but this guy makes a great point. (David Hopwood on the church.wrecked.org site.) The Bible is a living, breathing work of art and truth, not a list of rules combined with a history textbook.
"The more I've got to know it the more I have discovered it's jokes, shocks, puns, wisecracks, pathos, horror, riddles, idiosyncrasies and subtleties."

OK, how about, stop being so serious about the Bible? Still not quite there...

I like to point this out to people who read stories like the woman at the well so sterile-ly. Come on! A single woman was hitting on a rabbi. Trying to make him uncomfortable. It was like a goth teen getting in a businessman's space just to see if she could rattle him. Of course, it ended up changing the woman's life. That's not "serious", that's miraculous! That's the power of Christ - power we actually have at our disposal. (Eph. 1) Much more interesting than a history textbook.

The Bible is full of real stuff like this. That's one of the reasons I love it so much.

Now, of course we should take the Bible seriously. But maybe we just shouldn't be so serious - flat, emotionless, legalistic, angry, you get the picture - about it. It really misrepresents it. It's the living word of God. It's the greatest story ever told! And it's all true... Amazing.

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Pomona Highlights

2009-06-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

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I had a great weekend in Pomona last week. Highlights:

My new BFF Lynn Guerin acted as host for the weekend. A great servant's heart. He is a pretty amazing guy. One of his accomplishments is helping put together the John Wooden Course. Hanging out with John Wooden has got to be so cool!
Meeting with 27 leaders from 15 churches to talk about men's discipleship. My favorite part was hearing the guys share their struggles and then hear them encourage each other with ideas.
Went to the Influencers Bible Study on Friday morning with 150 guys. Maybe the first men's Bible Study I've seen singing work really well in a long time. Amazing talk too. "Quiet brilliance", I would call it.
A breakfast with my friend Angelo Ismirnglou-one of those awesome high-energy, visionary guys. He's going to do great things in the Brotherhood of St. Andrew!
Then 100+ guys at Pomona First Baptist Church doing a Rewired Seminar. Had a weird experience when I pulled up realizing I had been there before 3 years before. They knew. That's why they brought us back.
A couple of hours jammin' with Mat Kyser and the men's leaders from The Village Church in Irvine. What a great group of guys. I went to their church on Sunday as well. An amazing service on the topic of adoption. Matt was channeling Mark Driscoll style-wise.

The weekend was fun, and a huge encouragement to me. OK, so I didn't surf. But hey, it's California!

Sunflower Seed Christianity

2009-04-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

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Have you ever eaten sunflower seeds? You chuck a bunch in your mouth and crunch on them. You extract the meat part of the seed, and then you spit out the husk. It's trash. A little salty, perhaps, but not edible.

In Revelation 3, God tells the church at Laodicea:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Francis Chan imagines presenting the people of his church to God at the end, and having God go, pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft!-pfft! Spitting them out because they are lukewarm. As I watched this great video, I had to ask myself:

Would you be willing to give away as much as you kept?
Would you be willing to sit on the grass every week for church, so the money it would take to build a comfortable building could be used to help others instead?

Are you willing to really teach what Jesus taught? Live like Jesus lived?

This is such a challenge to me personally.

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akumaru/1157598310/

Intolerance in the name of tolerance is hypocrisy

2009-04-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

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Not that I am a big fan of pageants, but how in the world

did we get to the place where a culturally way-out-of-the-mainstream paparazzi blogger would help decide who would represent our country in any kind of international contest? More than that, why are we asking 20-something year old young women to opine on gay marriage and government bailouts? I think that fact that these women had actually thought about these things puts them miles ahead of most people, regardless of age.

Kudos to Carrie Prejean, Miss California, for speaking truth instead of lying to win a contest. I believe your willingness to stand for what you believe will reap you great benefit.

And to the judge who personally attacked Miss Prejean in his blog the next day: intolerance in the name of tolerance is hypocrisy.

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Transformed from darkness to light...but a dim light at first

2009-04-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

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Great quote from Pat Morley today in his Weekly Briefing on the nature of discipleship:

"We do not become disciples through a single life-changing event—transformed from darkness to light, yes. But it is dim light. Instead, we become disciples by steady plodding, by the regular intake of God’s word, by a consistent diet of preaching, by constantly rubbing shoulders with fellow pilgrims."

http://www.maninthemirror.org/weeklybriefing/wb319.htm
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Send My Friend Josh to Thailand for a Missions Trip, please!

2009-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

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My friend, Josh Wayt, is a college-aged guy with a heart for Christ. (He's the one on the right in this picture.) He has only been a Christian for a few years, but he is totally invested in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. He's been involved with Campus Outreach - a college ministry - for awhile, and he is now preparing to go to Thailand for 2 months of intensive mission work and training.

Would you help Josh out? This is probably one of the toughest times there could be to raise funds for mission work. I am writing Josh a check. Honestly, it's not in our family budget, but we'll make some different decisions so we can help Josh out. Please prayerfully consider doing the same. If just 50 people write Josh a $100 check, he'll have enough, plus be able to help some of his teammates out as well with money from his own connections.

Make checks out to Campus Outreach Florida. And they can be sent to him at 45 South Lake Jessup Avenue. Oviedo, FL. 32765. Here is Josh's support letter:

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. In the past two years I have become increasingly involved with a ministry at my university called Campus Outreach. The Lord has been so faithful in using this ministry and its leadership to teach me more of Himself and His will for my life. I am truly excited about His call to labor and build laborers for His kingdom. God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to Thailand this summer for further training and experience in this call.

On May 29th, myself, and seven other students will be departing for our two months of training and service in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Khon Kaen University has been staffed for over twenty years by Campus Outreach. Our group will be teaming up with the staff and students from Campus Outreach Thailand, and assisting them with their service and ministry to the surrounding community. Every morning our group will receive training in the word and evangelism. The latter half of our days will be spent ministering on the local campuses for several hours. This ministry will include
building relationships with students, evangelism, and hopefully, the opportunity to lead bible studies.
The trip is being funded entirely through donations. The total cost will be five thousand dollars. This will include housing, food, and any other expenses. I am very excited about the opportunity to serve and to minister, and ask that you would join me in ministry. I am asking for your support and prayers for this trip. If you are able to assist, please forward any donation to me with the check or money order payable to “Campus Outreach Florida.”

I thank you in advance for your prayers and support. God bless.

In Christ,

Josh Wayt

So please join me in supporting Josh. Send him to Thailand with me!
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Mark Driscoll on Men Who Act Like Boys

2009-03-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

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“Too many men act like boys, and too many boys think ‘if I get married it will make me a man.’ And it never works like that. Boys who get married don’t become men, they ruin women, and sometimes children along with them.”

I love this guy's ability to communicate Biblical, reformed, covenant thinking in up-to-date terms.

http://tinyurl.com/cwr9yl or watch below.

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pain

2009-03-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

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Talking to my friend Kevin McMillan last week about my son who suffers from migraines and my daughter who has some stomach issues. Kevin can relate. Since I've known him as a seminary student moonlighting here at Man in the Mirror, Kevin has bravely fought Crohn's Disease. (Kevin might not say "bravely", but since I never actually saw him cry, I'll call him brave.)

We were talking about a profound statement my son had made after a middle school youth group retreat. For some reason, the retreat theme was 'suffering' - I know, odd for 10-12 year olds. But even though the kid has these migraines that hurt so bad they make him puke his guts out, he told me that some people suffer a lot more than he does. And when he has a migraine, he is thankful that it's not worse. Pretty deep for a 10-year-old (at the time).

Kevin made a profound statement, at that point. A great observation:

The greatest pain is the pain in the moment. But the
One who created the moment is greater than the pain.

When you're going through your own pain, it can be so consuming. You might not feel like you can ever survive it. Why? The greatest pain is the pain I am experiencing right now. But, in the midst of that pain, the comfort is that God is the One who created the moment.

Peter says that character is produced through suffering. Perhaps part of developing character is learning the lessons from the pain: I will get through this. I am stronger than this struggle. I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.

We can say those things so easily. Perhaps one of the "gifts" of suffering is that it helps us learn to believe them.

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photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/missrogue/522823385/

x-treme rock climbing = x-treme victory

2009-03-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

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the first sport climbing series competition in florida for 2009 was this past weekend. the whole family went on the 4 hour drive down - left at 5 am. ugh!

the gym - x-treme rock climbing miami - was extremely cool. high walls, roof climbing, even a stalagtite.

cassidy was awesome. she climbed in the youth female b category and she WON! this picture is actually from the bouldering competition she won last month, but it's a cool picture of her hanging off a climbing wall.

you can actually watch her climb at the miami gym here. she makes a scary move at the end that looks like she's going to fall - but she just goes for it and holds on, hanging by one hand.

jackson couldn't compete with his arm still in the cast. we go to the orthopedic doc tomorrow to find out if he (a) keeps the current cast, (b) gets a new cast or (c) gets the cast off and starts rehab. obviously, we're hopin' and prayin' for option c.

the team aiguille kids - our gym team from aiguille rock climbing center in longwood, fl - entered 8 of the 10 divisions and won 5 of them, taking 1-2-3 in 2 of them. our kids really, really climbed well, especially for the first competition of the season. we're proud of them all.

coaching rock climbing is way different than coaching soccer. that's for sure!

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the bobblehead gospel

2009-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

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working with david delk on a new series called "the bobblehead gospel". not sure if we'll keep that title. it's based on the concept that too often we create this watered down version of the gospel that is basically designed to sound good. it's not really about following jesus, but about using him to make us feel better about doing what we want to.

here's a couple of videos for the song 'plastic jesus'. one is just a bobblehead jesus with billy idol singing the song in the background. great version of the song. the other is from one of those all-time classic movies, cool hand luke, where paul newman's character sings it when he finds out his mother has died. not sure what the connection is between the song and his mom - maybe it was her favorite...but i digress.

i'll write some more about each of the lies of the bobblehead gospel we are teaching about. who knows, maybe you'll see it in a book some day. enjoy the videos!

Sing it Billy, Sing it!

What a great piece of movie making

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how fascinating!

2009-02-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

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love this video from pop tech. benjamin zander talks about music and life. the best part of the whole thing is his approach to handling a mistake. rather than saying, "oh, dang! i messed that up!" he urges us to look at mistakes as a splendid opportunity to learn. to say, "how fascinating!"

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men follow leaders

2009-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

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I spoke at a men's retreat for Trinity Lutheran Church in Midland, MI last weekend. Did the Seven Seasons of a Man's Life seminar for them. I woke up Friday morning for my flight and knew I was sick. Sore throat, sinuses. By the time I got up Friday night, I was pretty stuffed up. Somehow (HS, of course) I made it through the weekend. The guys were awesome. And the most awesome was their pastor.

Gerald Ferguson has a heart of gold, and you can see it in his men. I've been to many churches, and it's amazing to me how often the men are a reflection of their pastor. If the pastor is aloof, the men are too. If he's arrogant, his men are not fun to be around. But when he is kind, considerate, and visibly loves Jesus, you can tell it from looking at his men. Men follow leaders.

Like Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians:

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

I would add a corollary: If you are in a position of leadership, follow the example of Christ, because others will do as you do.

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the unshakeable kingdom - the fascinating ways God works on us in crisis

2009-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

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my pastor's sick, so i taught our ironman men's bible study tonite at willow creek. we talked about crisis and how men deal with it. the guys were awesome.

ways guys deal with crisis that they came up with, with bibical examples:
anger - like naaman
blame - like adam
shame - like david
lying - like esau
withdrawal - adam again
isolation - still like adam
denial - can't remember which biblical character we came up with for this one
violence - like peter

pretty deep and emotional stuff from a bunch of "ironmen". good, honest stuff.

why does crisis happen? we looked at hebrews 12:

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

for one thing, discipline. but just as an earthly father's discipline brings us what they think is best for the time we are on earth, the heavenly father disciplines us for what will always be our own good, so that we can be holy and have a harvest of righteousness. cool stuff! oh yeah, and it's painful. great.

later on in the chapter, the writer of hebrews (apollos, perhaps?) tells us what this discipline is accomplishing in our lives:

25See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."

that last bit refers to Deut. 4, where the israelites are being warned against worshipping idols! so, the shakable kingdom is a life where you worship anything other than God. "making money is what it's about." "i have to have this job to be happy." etc. these become idols in our lives.

the unshakable kingdom though is a life built on worshipping, trusting, relying on God alone - like the man who builds his house on the rock.

so, in a crisis? remember, our God is a consuming fire. if you are living in the shakable kingdom, he loves you so much that he will burn away the idols so that all you have left is him. not so fun in the short term, but eternally exhilarating!

if i am in a crisis and i am losing things - my house, my car, my job, my cable, my ability to send my kids to private school - it's worth asking yourself, "is this God loving me so much that he's willing to move me from the shakable to the unshakable kingdom?"

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"i'm taking jake to the hospital!"

2009-01-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

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not what you want to hear your wife say when you answer the cell phone. our son fell out of a tree and busted his right arm - broke the ulna close to the wrist, and dislocated his elbow. we met at florida hospital south. they have a special pediatrics emergency department. they took good - if a bit slow - care of him.

his arm looked gnarly. i have pictures but it's just too gross. things are bending in the wrong place and his elbow is just wrong looking.

in the end, they drugged him up, kicked us out, and manipulated his bones back into place manually. i'm glad we weren't in the room for that part!

through it all, my 11 year old son was as brave as you could possibly expect a kid to be. he did everything they asked, suffered thru 2 sets of x-rays as they moved it all around, and told us when he needed more pain meds.

jackson is a stud dog. it's not that he was stoic or fearless - it was that while he showed his pain and fear, he didn't let it overwhelm him. he handled it with maturity way beyond his years. he asked us to pray for him a couple times during the afternoon as we waited for treatment - what a treat when your son asks you to pray for him in a public place.

my son and i have had a running conversation for several years about fear. it started when he was about 5 and learning to swim. we've always said that it's ok to be afraid, just don't let your fear keep you from doing something you want or need to do.

he lived that this week. he's my hero.

"have I not commanded you? be strong and courageous. do not be terrified; do not
be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
joshua 1:9

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most of the dudes are chicks

2009-01-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

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one of the greatest frustrations i run into when i talk to guys about their churches is just how feminized it is. from love songs to jesus sung in the key of falsetto to a 5:1 ratio of women's activities to men's activities, to sermons about feeling better about yourself, a lot of guys are just tired of this "chick-ified" version of church. and the ones who like it, well...

here's great video with mark driscoll that points out how important it is to reach guys, and gives a little editorial on the state of men in the church.

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courage and victory!

2009-01-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

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the kids competed at the american bouldering series florida regionals at aiguille rock climbing gym today. in the morning, jackson took 4th in his division and cassidy won hers in the youth competition. kind of a weird competition, where the kidsstay sequestered until its time to climb. they don't see the route til its time to climb it and then then have 5 minutes each to climb 5 routes with 5 minutes in between.

in the afternoon, they participated in the 'citizen's comp', basically, the adult competition with everyone who wanted to compete from around the state. jackson climbed himself into the advanced category (!).

cassidy entered the open division - basically, the best climbers in the competition. she made it to the finals, and finished in second place! my 14 year old beat every woman in the comp except the 24 year old who flew in from Kansas City for the event! what's more, cassidy has been sick all week and hasn't climbed since last saturday. she was in bed from sunday through thursday, and felt awful most of the day. she is amazing!!!

i'm so proud of them both. jackson for coming along so quickly, and cassidy for overcoming ridiculous odds and finishing second to someone with 10 years more experience, and beating everyone else. my kids ROCK (climb)!

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climbing comps and stuffy noses

2009-01-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

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tomorrow's the big day - regional bouldering comp and then a citizens comp in the afternoon. cassidy's been sick since sunday morning. in bed sun morning to thurs morning almost non-stop. she made herself take a 1-mile jog/walk this afternoon to get her muscles going. she's either going to rock and roll or crash tomorrow! what an adventure!

jackson is determined to climb better than ever. he will, too. he's a stubborn kid. once he decides to do something, he gives it his all.

i haven't decided if i'll climb in the afternoon or not. 'game time decision.'

watching a movie with my family and in-laws this evening, i really had a sense for how much i am blessed. we get on each others' nerves sometimes for sure, but it's nice to be with a group of people who really love each other.

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jason castro is a follower of jesus!

2009-01-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

someone sent me this website: http://www.iamsecond.com/

really cool site. they have a collection of videos of people talking about their faith. jason castro, the "over the rainbow" with a ukelele singer from american idol, has this incredibly cool testimony on it.

what an encouraging thing to watch today! a gift...

here's a youtube video of him singing 'hallelujah' on idol. watch his iamsecond video to see what he says about this song.

boulderpalooza!

2009-01-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

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my kids rock!!! my son took 3rd place in his age group (beaten by a couple of boys with a lot more experience than him). my daughter took first in her age group, and beat a 17 yr old for first in all the girls.

they are so awesome!

ever heard of a "mountain pie"?

2009-01-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

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no, it's not the leavings of a cougar... it's two pieces of bread, buttered, put into this folding skittle on a stick with some jelly, preserves or even pizza fixings inside, and then stuck on a fire to grill up. when it's done (correctly), it looks like a grilled cheese sandwich.

you heard it here first. mountain pies. brought to you by my brethren brothers in maryland.

check 'em out on York Blog:

behavior modification vs. heart transformation

2009-01-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

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this is one of the biggest ideas for the man in the mirror seminar, 'rewired.' as i teach it this weekend in maryland to guys from the frederick church of the brethren, God is speaking to me all over again about the importance of believing in Him, in His power, in His grace, in His accomplishments, rather than my own.

in romans 7:5, pauls talks about "the sinful passions aroused by the law", saying that the law itself results in sinful passions - i think he means that when we decide we'll follow the law, motivated by our desire to make our own salvation, then all it ends up doing is making us want to sin.

1 corinthians 15:56 says, "the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." so if the law leads to death, what's the answer? next verse: "but thanks be to God! he gives us victory thru our Lord Jesus Christ."

being religious just doesn't cut it. the righteous live by faith...not the law. how's that for the consequences of grace?

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someone who helps get me out of the box

2009-01-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

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andy searles is a pastor at aloma methodist church just north of orlando. i love the way he talks (he's british). i think he's a good judge of life partner, as his wife tracie is pretty cool and works with me at man in the mirror.

but mostly, i love the way he thinks. his blog, 'whatever is', is one of my favorites. i read every post thru google reader. but what i enjoy the most if just sitting at lunch and talking about things. he's got great insights, always sees past the surface.

we all need friends (brothers, mentors, whatever) like that. people who challenge us and who make us see the world differently - get out of the ruts we sometimes don't even know we're in. andy does that for me.

i think it's time i took him to lunch again. feeling a little too inside the box lately myself...

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some outrageous video from my friends in montana

2009-01-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

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i've worked with harvest church a couple of times in billings, mt, with man in the mirror. these guys have a great ministry with their men, 'harvest wild men.' they also have some ridiculously funny videos.

go here to their video vault and check 'em out. my personal favorites are the 'man law' ones.

this is a fantastic example of reaching men with manly, resonant language. i gotta think jesus is chuckling every time one of these is played.

did i mention ... they have climbing walls in their lobby. so cool.

www.harvestweb.net

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going to maryland for a men's event

2009-01-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

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i'm going to frederick, maryland to conduct a rewired event for their men's retreat this weekend. it's always something i look forward to doing, yet i always have to miss something to do these. this weekend, i am missing... BOULDERPALOOZA!

boulderpalooza is in gainesville, and it's the biggest bouldering comp of the year. the kids are going with friends from the climbing gym. they'll have a blast because the gym is really set up well for bouldering. kimberly has a memorial service to go to for one of her best friends mother.

to top it off, kimberly's parents arrive saturday afternoon as well.

anyway, as i prepare for this weekend, i am praying that God would refresh me and speak thru me. the last few months have left me a bit weary, but i have a growing sense that he has something for me - and our family - in the coming year.

here's a video i did a while back that churches use to promote rewired events...
http://mitm.rev-media.com/asx/mitm_wired_high.asx

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our dog's got cancer

2009-01-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

...
we have a dog named kernan. got her 4 years ago from the son of a friend of a friend. she turns 12 this month, and she has this growth in her mouth. the vet told us yesterday it's melanoma - cancer.

so, we had to sit with our kids and tell them. that sucked.

interesting to see how they each handled it differently. i thought one would burst out crying and the other one would cry later by themselves. right reactions, wrong kids.

so mom and dad each slept with a sad child last night. we all cried together, and comforted each other. of course, the questions about the next dog started. i don't think there's a good chance of that happening, at least not quickly.

anyway, here's to kernan. a sweet tempered, gray muzzled black lab who wants nothing more than to be with "her people." she'll be with us a lot over the next few months. (i'll post a picture of her soon.)

i never should have gone to see 'marley & me'!

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ouch!

2009-01-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

i've got this wicked pain in my right arm from climbing. it's right above my elbow on the inside of my arm. plus, i fell about 6 feet from the top of a bouldering problem and landed standing up with my legs locked - just felt the impact right up my spine. my back hurts too.

i am either an recreational athlete with the aches and pains of training and improving...or just an old guy.

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when the phone rings at 1 am...

2009-01-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

it was my 14 year old daughter. from her cell phone. from her own bed. by accident.

seems she was texting her friend and hit a button accidentally. after our hearts stopped pounding, and i got her cell phone from her, it took her mom and i a long time to get back to sleep.

she is so grounded.

on the other hand, if you're going to get awakened by your daughter at 1 am, i'm glad she was safe. safe, and grounded.

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faith, family and climbing

2009-01-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

these are the things God is using to give me joy right now.

my faith - my relationship with Him, my relationships with my pastor and brothers at church, my work helping men find an authentic relationship with Him

my family - a wonderful, caring, hilarious and beautiful wife. awesome, smart good-looking, athletic, conversational and sometimes exasperating kids. parents, in-laws, sister, etc. all better than anyone else's i know.

climbing - a new found passion for climbing up walls with little to hang on to. initially with my daughter (who is awesome at climbing), and now with my son, and we're working on mom.