coming to you live from the fedex ground terminal in indianapolis

Two computerish things happened over the weekend:

- I got a wireless router. This allowed us to get the computer out of our bedroom, which had the only upstairs connection.

Man, it's awesome. Should have done this a long time ago.

- Then, the monitor stopped working. So, from Monday to Wednesday, the computer was rendered useless. All I could do was check email at work. It was terrible.

Now we're back up and running. There's lots to tell.

thanks for stopping in

Two things were great about tonight's midweek Prayer Gathering. First, we're back to meeting at our home, after a summer spent combining prayer with work projects. Second, we were joined this evening by Jason and Tina Harris, who are preparing to plant a church in Utah.

Jason shared his heart for the people of the largely Mormon community where God has called them, and talked about what it will be like to live among them. His passion for sharing Christ was contagious, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

After the Prayer Gathering, we shared a meal, and swapped Bible College stories, which was awesome.

Thanks, Jason and Tina. We really enjoyed having you in our home, and among our church family.

- - -

I got to hear some awesome stories tonight, of how faith is molding and shaping some of our lives. I'm really, really proud of you guys, and God is, too.

neighborhood walk shout-outs

Every so often, our church goes on a Neighborhood Walk. We stroll up and down the sidewalks, praying for God to bless these homes, and to give us opportunities to serve and share Jesus with those who live there. And we have conversations with anyone who might be out in their yard or driveway, introducing ourselves, listening to their stories.

I was by myself this evening, and I went to a neighborhood in the Franklin & 34th area, where Bob & Janice live. There weren't too many out this evening, until I rounded a corner and saw some guys chillin' in the driveway.

They invited me to sit down for a bit, so I got to meet Clifford and his friends. I enjoyed hanging out with them for a little, hearing their stories, sharing a little of what I'm about. They invited me to come back, and I told them I would.

I also got to meet Starlene and Jill, and got to talk to them for a little bit.



Thanks for the time, guys. It was great to meet you.

gen con friends, part two

So I told you in my previous post that I had two sets of friends make the trip to my town for Gen Con Indy.

The second group joined us for our Worship Gathering this morning: our friends Dustin, Dan, and Alan. I was happy to share a good chunk of life with these guys while I served at Bethel Baptist in Pekin, Illinois, and I learned a lot from our relationships.

Our visit was short, but it meant a lot that they stopped by. Thanks, guys.

I'm still looking to fill the position of Random Person Who Is Nearby And Can Hold A Camera Phone Perfectly Still.

gen con friends, part one

Gen Con Indy, the "original, longest running, best attended, gaming convention in the world," was in town this weekend. I had, not one, but two sets of friends make the trip over.

I met up with the first set Friday night, as I ventured downtown to meet James, his son Toby, and Seth for dinner between events. I worked with James and Seth during my time at Samaritan Ministries, and I've appreciated their friendship. I greatly enjoyed getting to spend a little time talking to them, and it was a joy to see Toby, growing and enjoying being with his dad.

On a separate note, I've got to find a different random person to take pictures.

James had some good thoughts about his Gen Con experience here.

Thanks for taking some time, guys. I enjoyed it immensely.

school's back

Some scattered thoughts as schools start back up in our community:

- Derek took his first bus ride to preschool today. Didn't cry once, unlike his mother and little sister. Wish I could've been there to see it, and cry with them. Check Kristy's blog for pictures and her thoughts.

- My children are in second grade, first grade, and preschool, respectively. They attend our local public school. That's how we have it for now, and it may not always be that way. (Educating them at home and at a private Christian school are other options.) But I will say this: I've met people and formed foundations for relationships that would never have happened if my children weren't enrolled at Winding Ridge Elementary School.

- As part of our Worship Gathering this past Sunday, our church spent some time in intense prayer for the returning students among our church family. I'm more burdened than ever about the importance of asking God for the protection of our children in every sphere, and especially school.

- We went to our school's open house event the evening before school started. Grace met her teacher, who was excited - to the point of gloating in front of other apparently jealous teachers - that she got to have Trey's sister in her class. Very cool dad moment.

- I asked our church family to check on the needs of our families with students going to school, and they responded, person-to-person. The stories are awesome.

- Our church is blessed to have teenagers returning to junior high and high school who are totally passionate about living out their faith. For some, this is their first school experience as a follower of Jesus. The ways in which they are being intentional, asking questions, dealing with struggles, and living the Life are a huge inspiration to me. I hope that sometime I can share their stories (or that they can), because they are what this is all about.

All I can say is... way to go.

one sweet stadium

Our local paper had a great article Sunday, written by an architecture critic going through our city's new stadium. Really interesting stuff.

I love living in Indy!

nicely done, em

Often, one of the hardest things to do is to be transparent. To let other people in on the struggles you're facing can make you feel vulnerable, open to ridicule and misunderstanding.

Sometimes, transparency as part of a faith community can be even more difficult. Church can have the vibe of no one else having any problems, much less problems like what you're going through.

So when a follower of Jesus lets people in to see how faith plays out in the hard times of their life, it can be a powerful thing.

My sister Emily is using her new blog to document her struggle with infertility, and how her faith is helping her. I'm proud of her for taking this step, and I'm hopeful that, as she shares her story, others will see the many ways in which a relationship with God manifests itself in the journeys of our lives.

So stop by. Enter her story. Tell yours.

And tell her her oldest brother sent you.

could we try something else?: thoughts on churches and zoning boards

So I'm breezing through my inbox, and it's the norm: 20% off this or that, somebody asked me to be part of a Facebook group, yada yada yada. Then:

"Churches Suing Cities." There's a title that'll grab my attention.

Leadership Journal's weekly newsletter featured an article about the escalating tensions between churches wanting to purchase property to build facilities, and the zoning boards who are balking - and refusing - because of the tax implications. (Churches - and other non-profit entities- do not pay property taxes on property they own.) The article highlights one church that took the measure of filing suit against a municipality - before a decision had been made.

I recommend reading the article: it brings up a lot of good points, and gives a good, if brief, summary of pertinent Scriptures on the subject. I wanted to outline some of my own thoughts on the subject here.

I'm in the process of thinking through some of these issues because of the situation in which our church currently finds itself. Currently we meet for our Worship Gatherings in a rented facility that is in the area where, in the future, I envision our church operating a facility. I've brought up the subject briefly in conversation with decsion makers, who shot the idea down almost immediately. They weren't rude about it: they're just trying to balance the ratio of tax revenue-generating properties to properties that don't.

So, as my experiences and those of other churches intersect with my studies, reading and thinking on church and culture, the following thought process emerges:

- At one time, churches held a place of distinction in American culture. They were seen as an institution that contributed to the common good of the community. This attitude is reflected in the location of many church facilities in older towns and cities. Center of town, prime location, etc.

- In our current American culture, which many refer to (accurately, I believe) as post-Christian, churches do not hold the same place of distinction. That's reality.

- Along the way, the cultural perception of church as contributor to the common good has also been lost. And for all the other entities that can be blamed, I believe our churches themselves bear much of that responsibility. The people who attend many churches are not better people - much less better citizens - for being part of them. They're just more religious.

- So in this climate, governing bodies are asked to choose who gets the prime 25 acres: the company that's going to provide jobs and generate tax revenue and allow them to hold off increases for another election cycle, or the purveyor of religious goods and services from which they will get zippo. From this perspective, the company can easily be seen as the greater contributor to the common good.

- So what needs to happen? I believe that churches must return to including in its mandate the common good of the community in which it finds itself. And it must start from the ground up - individuals, families, Sunday School classes, small groups, you name it.

An example of this in Scripture would be the church at Jerusalem, which is mentioned in Acts 2 as having "sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men [not just church members], as every man had need," and thus "having favor with all the people."

The teachings of Jesus are also clear on this subject. Real followers of Jesus are sorted out from the fake ones by the cup of water they give to one who is thirsty, the visit they make to the prisoner, and the clothes they give to the one who is naked. Jesus also instructs us that we are to provoke the giving of glory to God through our good works.

Of course, other examples in Scripture abound. These are just a few. So it's not as though we don't have a Biblical mandate for this stuff.

- As a church returns to being intentional in this regard, it then needs to be able to tell the stories, and weave them into the continuing narrative of the community. Lives being changed, needs being met, neighborhoods and families living better lives due to the presence of the church. And if you're thinking of huge cardboard checks being handed from one suit to another, get an imagination already. You're missing the point.

- Then, when a zoning board considers a decision, maybe the decision isn't zero tax dollars vs. lots of tax dollars. Perhaps it's personal vs. impersonal, heart vs. head, people vs. dollars - a playing field where churches at least have a chance.

It could be the only real chance churches have.