We Use the Job to Get People Done (not the other way around...)

I just enjoyed reading one of Anne's latest VBS posts. Other pastors I talk with are sometimes surprised that we don't often use a curriculum with our ICU groups and that we give so much latitude to our volunteers who oversee various aspects of our church life. In her post, Anne explains some of the heart behind that flexibility...

Painful News

I received some very sad news this week. Kurt Wedemeyer went home to be with Jesus on Thursday morning after a sudden, unexpected heart attack. Kurt & Laura were long-time members of the Coastlands before they headed out a few years ago with a team to support Steve & Donna Shober as they stepped in as the new pastors at New Hope in Scotts Valley.

Here's the memorial service info:

Friday, May 2, 11:00am
North Coast Calvary Chapel
7188 Avenida Encinas # 105
Carlsbad, CA 92011
(760) 929-016

There is also a memorial fund established to help provide for Laura and her girls which is available through North Coast Calvary. If you'd like to contribute, call and ask for Pastor Orville Stanton or e-mail him at orville@northcoastcalvary.org.

Brotherly Reunion

My brother (Geoff) and I grew up adventuring together -- backpacking, rockclimbing, snowboarding, etc. Yesterday we hooked up for our first adventure in about 13 years. It was an incredible day.

I am so grateful for the relationships that I have with my family, all of whom now love and serve Jesus. My parents were divorced in 1977. Sometime after that, each of them gave their hearts to the Lord (miraculous stories for each of them). In 1982 they were remarried to each other (I was their ringbearer). Thank God for how He can take a broken family and bring healing and redemption!

A couple more pics...

You can't really tell... but I was wearing my VBS t-shirt!

Rock Climbing on Thursday

My brother took this shot of me climbing Zuma Point during the summer of 1995. On Thursday I'm taking the day off and he and I are going to hook up and climb it again. I'll probably keep my shirt on this time. *smile*

Hearing God's Voice

One of my new Facebook friends recently asked me how to know if / when God is speaking. Here was my reply:

Hi [Name]-
I LOVE your question. I think learning to hear God's voice is one of the most exciting (but sometimes frustrating) parts of growing in our relationship with Him.

When you're first learning to listen for His voice, I think the most important thing is to understand that He is really speaking to you! It's not something that we're accustomed to.

Most people think that God is very distant and uninterested and that if He ever speaks to a person it would be a very strange or amazing thing (because He almost never does it). But nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible says that God is constantly thinking about us and whispering to us (check out Psalm 139:17-18).

I would encourage you to just start talking to Him. Pray something like this: "God, I think that's you tugging at my heart. I think you're trying to get my attention. Well, now you have it. Please speak to me. I want to hear and understand whatever you want to say."

Let me know how that goes... and if you think you "hear" anything in response. Now remember, it won't be an audible voice (that's the frustrating part). The Bible describes God speaking to us in a whisper... And it's always encouraging and hopeful.

Warmly,
Todd

This person is having so much fun now... They've bought a copy of Enjoying Your Journey With God and a Bible. The adventure has begun!

Spending Time

Yesterday Hilary wasn't feeling too well... So I got to have some time with my boys. Precious time with my precious little guys.

Life has a lot of pressure. It's so easy to get pushed around by all the "necessities" of life and let the most important things fall by the wayside. I don't ever want that to happen with my kids.

I know that if I want my kids to make good choices when they are older about who they spend time with and what kinds of things they do, I need to make good choices today.

Weekend Reflections

This weekend we enjoyed having Matthias Nowak with us at The Coastlands. He's the pastor of the Delta Church in Bern, Switzerland. Matthias and Daniel have a long history together and through the years our churches have grown in love and relationship with each other (of course "churches" don't grow in love, people do... but you understand what I'm saying).

Matthias spoke about our heart as a church family. It was so beautiful and refreshing and encouraging to hear him speak. Using stories, examples, and a little scripture too, he painted a our portrait. And just like when I see photos of my own family, it made me fall in love with our church all over again...

A Bad Dream

I had a bad dream last night. I don't often recall my dreams. But half an hour after I had woken up, I still had the dream-scenario playing in my mind. I could feel it weighing on me with thoughts like, "What if that had really happened? What would I say? What would I do?"

Then I remembered to take those thoughts captive. I quickly and quietly prayed and asked the Lord to take them away and to take away the heaviness. And He did.

The enemy loves to mess with us when we're vulnerable. When we're sleeping, he will introduce nightmares. When our bodies are fatigued, he will introduce a virus. When we're grieving, he will try to insert a spirit of depression.

But remember, the enemy always overplays his hand. He's always bluffing.

The nightmare is real... but if I call his bluff by refusing to engage in the speculation / divination that it offers, it's actually powerless over me. The virus is real, but if I call his bluff by refusing to isolate and refusing discouragement, God promises to use my weakness to His advantage! The depression is real, but if I call his bluff by offering my grief to the Lord (read the Psalms for examples of how to do this), He will show me in a tangible way that He is indeed near to the brokenhearted!

Cherry Pie

A few weekends ago we had fun in services studying about our Gift-Mixes. I told the following story to illustrate how our unique responses to people's needs can highlight our God-given giftings:

Your friend, Janie, throws a small party for 10 of her friends. In her excitement (or hunger) to serve the cherry pie she had made, she spills it all over the place.

Friend #1 jumps up and rallies some people to get the cleaning supplies, others to find the mop and bucket, and someone else to help Janie find her Tide-to-Go so that the stain won't stick. She's a Leader / Champion. Gifted at mobilizing and rallying, but sometimes forgets that she's not in charge.

Friend #2 starts talking about how apple pie is a clearly superior pie to cherry. There's no risk of stains, there's no artificial coloring, and really, the whole world would be better off if they converted to apple pie. He's an Evangelist. Gifted with motivating and convincing communication, but sometimes lacks tact.

Friend #3 immediately bursts into tears and begins consoling her friend. Feeling Janie's embarrassment as if it were her own, she experiences a deep empathy with her friend. She's a Mercy-Shower. Gifted at identifying with people, but sometimes finds it difficult to help others make progress.

Friend #4 insists that Janie take his piece of pie. He saw her excitement (or hunger) as she was serving the pie, and is determined to make sure she's taken care of. He's a Giver. Gifted at helping other's ideas come to life, but sometimes forgets to allow others to help him with his own needs.

Friend #5 isn't actually there. She was invited and came to the party for a little while (for the BBQ portion *smile*), but had to get up and go before the dessert was served. Moving quickly, she's exploring new ideas and making new connections. She's an Apostle. Gifted at charting unknown territory, but sometimes lacks sensitivity.

Friend #6 pipes in, "I had a feeling something like that was going to happen!" With a heart attuned to the underlying significance behind various circumstances, he's deeply moved to understand what God is saying in the moment. He's a Prophet. Gifted at sensing, discerning, and interpreting, but sometimes lacks flexibility.

Friend #7 dumps her own pie in her lap and then starts chanting, "Food fight! Food fight!" She doesn't really care much whether it's clean or messy, so long as we're all together and we're all having fun. She's a Pastor. Gifting at gathering people to see them flourish, but has difficulty letting people go.

Friend #8 chimes in, "I remember when I spilled pie..." He has a story for everything and encouraging advice for every dilemma. He's an Exhorter. Gifted at helping others with immediate direction, but sometimes lacks depth.

Friend #9 proclaims, "There's a better way to eat pie! I've researched it and summarized it in 10 easy steps!" She's a Teacher. Gifted at helping people integrate truth into their lives, but sometimes lacks grace.

And Friend #10 cleaned up the mess while everybody else was talking. He's a Servant. He finds deep joy in taking care of anything that needs doing. Gifted at facilitating others' vision, but sometimes struggles to be purposeful for himself.

Have fun finding yourself, your friends, and your kids in these examples...

Facebook Users?

I just created an account on the much-talked-about Facebook. Not sure if it will be a useful tool or not. But if you are someone who enjoys using that site, please add me as a friend. I'm curious to just check it out for a little while.

I know that there are many tools available to us as we're seeking to "go into all the world." I'm just exploring if Facebook will be one of those tools...

One thing's for sure, I was AMAZED to see how many of my classmates from high school and college had accounts. I instantly recognized dozens of names and faces that I hadn't come across for at least 10 years!

Love vs. Fear

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... 1 John 4:18

I often feel intimidated, nervous, overwhelmed... Fear of people. It's incompatible with love. It doesn't work to try to help people and be afraid of them at the same time.

So when those feelings try to overwhelm me, I'm learning to repent with a quick prayer like this,

Lord, please forgive me for fearing. You've promised that you want to use me as a blessing in people's lives. I choose now to trust you. Please grow my love for the people you've given into my care.

That last line is key... As I grow in love for people, there's no room left for fear. When I'm nervous about a conversation that I need to have, what sermon I'm going to preach, or what work I need to do, I'm learning to stop my anxious thoughts and ask the Lord to increase my love.