Becoming Greek

Worth the wait

Last weekend I had a service with one of my good friends Josh Webster.  Josh interned with me for a year, and we literally shared an office/desk/phone/car for a year.  He was taking a year of preparation in ministry before he started full time youth pastoring.

Josh worked at Panera Bread for 6 months before he started his position in Horseheads, NY (I know)....  He is in a great church, with a great pastor, and is so happy.  He took some advice from me that I thought I would share with some of you young guys going out into ministry.

Fit is everything.  When you are a round peg, look for a church that is a round hole.  If you are a square peg you need to find a square hole.  So many young guys jump at the first thing.  Or the most alluring position, and there is no thought about fit.  This is the reason why youth pastors have such a short life-span.  After a few times, they wise up and look for fit.  However, so many guys give up on ministry because they assume they are not a fit for ministry.  The truth is that they were probably not a fit for the church they were working with.

I was so encouraged to see Josh doing so well.  No one wants to put ministry on hold for a period of time, but a good fit is worth the wait!  I am proud of Josh and Sam, and the students up in Horseheads (gets me everytime) are extremely lucky.  The sky is the limit, and that ceiling gets awfully high when the fit is right.

Garage Sale

I did not realize how many t-shirts I owned until I decided to move overseas.  I think I had 60 or so related to youth ministry.  So if you are ever in youth ministry....  Buying t-shirts is not something you have to do....  Anyways, we are putting together a garage sale for Saturday.  We are selling a ton of stuff, so stop by if you are in the area.  Also, if you are a FYM alum or current member you can help yourself to some old school FYM shirts.  Well, back to pricing.....

Whirlwind

The past few days have been a whirlwind.  I started out last Wednesday with a trek out to Waynesburg, PA.  I had a wonderful time, but the next two days were out in New York City.  I have been driving, driving, driving.  We connected with several pastors in the NYC area, and ran into a few old friends.  My friends Brandon Watkiss and Doug Reed were in town doing a set up trip for a New York invasion this summer.  We ended up having some great connects and some time with old friends.  Brandon was always making a few new friends here and there, and sound a buddy on the subway....

300 years from now

I had an interesting conversation with a tremendous pastor last week.  Brian Koch is the lead pastor at Glad Tidings in Reading, PA, he is a tremendous leader in our fellowship.  He talked about the ancient church, and a lot of our modern buildings.  He pondered a questioned about what would happen to his church in 300 years.  Long after all of us are gone, will we still have structures standing?  After all our nation has not even experienced 300 years.  

We know that buildings will decay with time, but will the message we communicate today still live on?  In Acts the Bible talks about how the people of Berea were more noble than the Thessalonians because they knew how to study the Scriptures.  They might have had Theology down, but today there is not a remnant of the church.  So how do you ensure your legacy will live on?  You must invest in others, and teach those to invest.  Those we invest in must learn to "pay it forward" rather than "pay it back".  Technically, to ensure survival after 300 years requires generations of leaders, and individuals who continue to build a legacy.  

Yet, the truth is that it is out of your hands.  But that is the key to reproduction.  If things live and die on your solo efforts, so will your legacy.  Your legacy will continue through your family furthest, and friends second. The more real you are in your everyday life the farther your legacy will go.  The key to having a lasting legacy is to try to a look down the road rather than the "here and now".  Will you have a legacy in 300 years? 

Helen and Helena

Yesterday, I was honored to attend a funeral of a wonderful woman named Helen Dobrinoff.  She was the grandmother of on of my good friends Helena Dobrinoff.  Helena was a grad of the University of Maryland, and came back to Central PA to take care of her grandmother.  Helen was influential in Helena coming to the area, and finding the Lord.  Helena would not be in a ministry situation today if it were not for her grandmother.

Helena shared yesterday at the funeral and had some powerful statements.  The first was this.  She told how some people used to tell her to move on with her life, and stop taking care of her grandma.  However, she looked at it the opposite.  She expressed how much she learned while she was taking care of her grandmother, and what a value that was.  I learned a lot from Helena in this area.  The value of family is so important.

She also shared about her relationship with the Lord.  She expressed that when she spent time with her grandma, that she was spending time with the Lord.  This happened because Jesus shined out of her life.  Helen has left a tremendous legacy, and is responsible for teenagers in Central PA connecting with God.  Jesus is continuing to shine through her in Helena.  Just a few days ago Helen heard words I long to hear someday, "well done good and faithful servant".

Renick Chase

One of my great friend Josh Willaford has started a graphic artist company. Josh is a staff pastor in a church plant in the Cincinnati, OH area. He is using this company to subsidize his income. If you are a pastor checking out the blog, and you need some help in this area. Josh, is one of the best when it comes to meeting the needs of churches. He understands the church world, and has a great look to his material. Josh did a ton of work for me when I was the youth pastor at CLA. The company is called Renick Chase.

Football and missions?

My brother Dave just got back from Bishkek. Kygystan. The mission trip was simple. He plays football for Evangel University, and they played football. In fact they were the first American team to ever compete in the country. They brought equipment, won the tournament, and showed the love of God. The influence that they had in the city was tremendous and "wide". I love the concept and hope to have football players come to Greece and invest in the community. We hope to host camps for students all throughout the summer months that is sponsored through our coffee shop. We want our influence to be wide in the community we live in. So this football idea might be a real winner!!

Not meant for visitors

Yesterday I was in New York City seeing my brother Dave. (I will post more about that latter) I was coming into the city through the Lincoln Tunnel and I was heading to my normal parking garage. The problem with this trip was that I was hitting NYC during rush hour. It was insane driving. I usually go a block into the city, and then hit my parking spot. However, during rush hour (un-known to me) the NYPD re-structures the traffic. The normal way I went was coned off, and I was directed into the city. I drove bumper to bumper for 45 min to finally get to my spot. I lost 45 min because of the change in the traffic patter. The NYC subway system is similar during rush hour. They make trains "express" and they skip certain stops. I have experienced that first hand as well.

The truth is unless you have been around NYC a lot, these nuances are difficult during your first time.

As I travel to a new church every week, I know the feeling. Often times church is like NYC during rush hour, not visitor friendly. When we know the ropes we operate with ease. But your first time can be a steep learning curve. Think through all the things a new visitor might be confused with as they visit your church.

What can you do to make a first timer have a great experience? If you have been attending your church for year a year, you have learned the ropes. So keep on the look out for the country boys getting lost in the big city traffic.

Re-lease

On Mothers Day I was at a tremendous church called Christian Life Church. The pastor is a great guy named Eric Miller, who is the brother to one of my good friends Craig Miller. Craig and I were on staff together in Camp Hill, and now he is helping on staff with his brother.

I preached the message about re-leasing your kids into God's destiny. I was in the middle of their "re" series, and it is something I am passionate about. Parents hold tremendous influence on their kids whether they feel like it or not. And when I was in youth ministry I could tell when a parent was not quit ready to re-lease their child.

The message honored mothers, but set a reminder that we have to re-lease our most precious gifts back to God. I know that it was difficult for my mother, but she did it. I know it will be difficult for me some day, but I will do it. We have to be willing to let go of the things we love the most.

at the end of the service Craig came up and we did the altar together like old times. He is so powerful in worship, and some families were really touched. A bit of an un-orthodox mothers day message, but I would tell by the tears in people's eyes that it touched hearts....

Jamie loves the beach

After District council we decided to take the 30 minute drive down to the beach. Jamie loves the beach. She went all the time growing up, and it is fun to see her in her element. It was a little windy and cold, but we made due. The water was chilly.... At one point everyone was standing at the edge of the water. Brady had finally gotten the courage to get right by the water. He flirted with danger for a few minutes until we was totally comfortable. Thats when a huge wave came towards us. Mac was whisked away, but Brady had to fend for himself. He tried to stand strong, but fell in. He was drenched, he was cold, but he had fun!!

Maybe the next time we go it will be a little warmer. Also, Mac did not eat too much sand this time....