The Baker BLOG

sure sign of a good vacation is that you’re glad to be home.  And I am.  This may be hard to believe but I enjoy being in the office at church today just as much as I enjoyed being in D.C. last week.  Call me crazy..or just someone who loves his job and can’t believe they pay me to do this (don’t get any ideas). 

mother’s day tribute: I bought my mom a corsage (is that how it’s spelled) and hugged her and told her she’s the best mom in the world yesterday.  I made lunch yesterday (which means I bought lunch and was supposed to Biaggi’s and ended up Kentucky Fried Chicken).  She really is a great blessing to my life and I absolutely wouldn’t be the person I am today without her.  She is selfless and you don’t really find many people like that.  She’s been a servant as long as I can remember and i think you all see that as well.  She was nervous this morning cause she’s part of the Russia missions trip.  My mom…heading to Moscow…crazy…pretty good for a simple Indiana farm girl.  God does amazing things.  She’s actually teaching over there to the women…man does she have an awakening coming talking through an interpreter.  At least she’ll have some good Vodka (just kidding, mom doesn’t drink Vodka…that I know of..but then again she raised me).

My boys didn’t do quite so well with mother’s day.  I reminded them it was coming but do you think they did anything for the best mom in the world?  Nope.  Well, let me say that Sara is an awesome mom.  She is the most real person I know  and she has passed that on to her boys (I have many quirky neuroses which they have as well, but that’s another blog).  aleb said, “I guess you’re just a better son than us!”  “that’s true,” I said.  When it was all said and done we did get lunch all together (no small feat with teen-age boys) and Sara said that was her gift.  She lets them off the hook again.  They hugged her and said happy mother’s day and really that’s all Sara wanted.

I want to tell you, that last week when Cal Jernigan spoke for me; I was nervous for you.  I love this church and I really wanted to show off the great staff, the great volunteers, and the great stuff God is doing here at Eastview.  I was doubly blessed to hear Cal’s impression of you guys.  He thinks this is a great church (not that it would have changed my opinion if he didn’t).  It’s a nice confirmation that I am really blessed to be here, at this time, with you guys.

OK, I’m a little late on the post today…but I’ve been busy practicing what I’m preaching.  I’m resting..you know…Sabbath..ceasing, etc…  I am in Washington D.C. today with Sara and Cal and Lisa Jernigan (by the way, Cal did a great job preaching at Eastview yesterday and the six baptisms and awesome worship just thrilled my soul.  I’m serious, my heart was glad as I shared my congregation with a fellow pastor whom I respect and he confirmed what I know.  God is doing something special at Eastview.  I can’t believe I get to be a part of it.  Anyway, back to D.C.

 We didn’t get into D.C. until 1:00 a.m., but that’s flying these days.  After a night’s rest (not long, but I didn’t set the alarm, so that’s resting) we headed down to the monuments in D.C.  Washington, check; Lincoln, check; korean war memorial, check; the room Abraham Lincoln died in, check; Arlington national cemetary, check; White house, check; tomb of the unknown soldier, check.  It was an incredible day…and we’re tired (Lisa had an odometer and we walked 9 1/2 miles), but it was enlightening, sobering, and a patriotic.  The cool thing is that Lisa met a lady on the street as we were walking whose job is to set up tours of the white house.  Now usually, you have to have a letter sent by your senator or something (which I would never do, cause it sounds like too much trouble) to get in the white house; but this lady has set us up for a tour Thursday morning at 9:30.  How cool is that? 

The view from Robert E. Lee’s home overlooking the Potomac over the city of Washington was cool, but the thing that touched me most was the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It was meticulous, reverent, precise, sober, military, honorable, intense, perfectly coreographed!  All to honor an unknown person who died in the line of battle.  I thought, how precise, intense, meticulous and reverent should the service be to honor the Lord of Life?

As you know i spent last week with three different teams praying, dreaming, visioning, speaking openly, planning, strategizing, etc…  IF you know me at all, you know that this kind of interaction and vision stuff really just charges me up.  So I loved every minute of it and feel good about all that was accomplished.  And now here i am in my office with hundreds of ideas and some great direction and some fresh vision and a new sermon plan for the upcoming year.  and that’s the easy part. 

Here’s what  i’m learning about leadership.  Because God gives the gift and responsibility of leadership to some in His body (I hope I’m one of them:-), most leadership decisions are not that hard.  Really, for a leader making decisions is not hard at all, the Spirit just kind of moves quickly in my heart like that.  I literally make dozens of decisions concerning Eastview Christian church every week.  Of course, I have the help of a great staff and great elders and volunteers who speak into my life…but honestly, most decisions I make come really easy for me. 

Last week, I think we made some great strides in plans for taking our church to the next level of what God is doing here.  Some plans for missions, some plans for teaching, some plans for our staff and honestly I can hardly contain myself because I’m so excited to see what God is going to do.  But first, I have to communicate it.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like talking, but talking isn’t communication.  Communication is starting with leaders and moving to others and then to the whole congregation and getting them to see clearly what you see clearly. 

The hard part is communicating stuff in such a way that others get it.  I have a ton of great ideas and plans on my desk right now, but I can’t truly begin any of them because they have to be communicated in the right way or they may not seem as useful as I believe they are.  So I will schedule a series of meetings with key people all throughout the church staff and leadership and body, and hopefully by this Fall we’ll be ready to roll with them.  In the meantime, I’ll be talking and praying that God will make stuff as obvious to others as he has to me.

I woke up last Friday at 4:30 ish and Sara I think to myself (which is like talking to yourself only quieter), “why is Sara shaking, she must be dreaming.”  So I nudged her and noticed that she wasn’t shaking but the whole bed was shaking (no wise guy comments).  I thought, “man that’s weird” and then I went back to sleep.  Next morning I find out we had an earthquake - can you believe it?  A couple of years ago while visiting California, I said, “I’d like to experience an earthquake sometime (my wife said i was stupid, but I was only thinking a small one).”  So, I can now say I experienced an earthquake and that’s kind of cool.

Then… my wife surprised me with a tickets to Michael Buble’ in Indianapolis Friday night.  Now if you didn’t know, I want to be Frank Sinatra if I grow up…so Michael Buble’ is a great substitute.  It was at Conseco Fieldhouse with 8,000 other people but he made it feel small club cool.  It was sweet.  My wife is so creative and cool to do such a thing - love that girl.

It was cool Sunday to see people file down the aisle to put their fingerprints on ID cards of who they are in Christ as they celebrated communion!  Lots of tears and tears are good.  We’ve all learned a lot about who we are in Christ and there is a reason it’s called amazing grace.  Most striking to me is that so many people are stunned that they are a valuable part of the body of Christ.  Well, believe it.  Also, as Doug said, you can now hear our sermons on line from our website.  If you’re if, yeah it’s on I-tunes.  I guess this means now you can turn me off when you’re tired of listening.

Today, I’m in Indianapolis for some planning stuff with some staff members.  Pretty heady stuff for our future and then some times planning out sermons for the next year.  I’m a preaching junky so thinking about what to preach for a whole year is about as good as it gets for me.

Can you believe it, half way through April and we have snow during church?  But even that weather couldn’t harm another great morning at the church.  Here are some things that are happening and that I dreamed of being a part of when I was growing up:

- New people are coming every week.  I’m pretty sure it’s the prayer.  God is working on our behalf as we talk to him and people are coming to Eastview.  Last night I asked a classroom full of people how they got to Eastview.  One couple says, “We don’t know.  We just kind of stumbled on it and came in and then came to the cross and now we’re at e-steps 1.”  Are you serious?  Anyway, it may interest you to know that people come to church for many reasons, but it almost always has to do with someone inviting them or having personal contact with them (can you say, “passionately engaged”?).  Keep praying and being close to those outside of Jesus, HE is working on them!

-New people from different backgrounds are coming.  I was so pleased last night to look at a group of 25-30 people and see that there were four different races represented, different financial backgrounds and different church experiences.  When I grew up in Indianapolis and saw some of the racial stuff that was going on, I asked God if he wouldn’t help me be a part of a church that is comfortable for all races and kinds of people.  I think God is doing that here and I pray he keeps it up…it feels like the kingdom.

-People are eating up the Word of God.  I love preaching, that’s a given…but it seems like the people on Sundays are loving it too.  I’ll admit this series about who we are in Christ is powerful teaching from the Word, but I’ve never been a part of a fellowship that is so anxious to hear a sermon on Sunday morning.  It makes me want to preach harder and better. Pray that God blesses the teaching of his word each week. 

-lives are changing.  I’m getting tons (by that I mean a lot, because a ton is 2,000 pounds) of letters, e-mails, conversations, etc… of people sharing with me how God is radically changing their lives.  God is doing what God promised to do by his Son and through his Spirit.  Today is the day of salvation in our church.

-church is fun.  I feel like people like what they are doing with a great spirit and having a good time doing it…and so am I.

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O.K. I should be writing about how cool church was yesterday (over 4,000 again and a bunch of baptisms, visitors and people seeking direction in Christ), but some e-mails I received have sent me down this path.  We did a rockin’ tune yesterday that totally nailed the point of the sermon and guess what the music was too loud.  (o.k. so I’m venting in my sarcastic/humor kind of way).  Do I know that what I’m going to write now will probably not sit well with some?  Yes.  Is that going to stop me?  No.  Am I stupid?  Maybe. 

Disclaimer: if I say something that may be insightful but also may be too harsh, please take it in the insightful way.

I was in youth ministry back in the nineteen hundreds (over 20 years ago now) when I first had someone tell me the music was too loud.  Here is the collective wisdom I learned from this over the years:

1.  A guitar or drum set is always loud.  They just look loud to an older generation.  You can have an orchestra that shatters the stained glass and it’s beautiful, but when it’s a guitar (especially a bright colored one) it hurts my ears.

2.  No one who is a new Christian or even visiting will ever get really ticked off and complain or say, “I’m leaving your church because the music is too loud”.  Those kind of displays are usually reserved for people who have been Christians for over 30 years and are filled with the joy of the Lord (that was sarcastic).

3.  Music is a gift from God and much of the music in the Bible is LOUD (see Psalm 150).  I often wonder if some will get to heaven and ask Gabriel to turn his trumpet down.  I guess it will seem loud until God speaks and then you’ve got the thundering, rushing water thing (see Revelation).

4.  The purpose is more important than the loudness of music (which I really believe still is style likes and dislikes).  Old men still watch basketball and ESPN even though most of that is overrun with rap music.  I’ve never heard a sports fan say, I’m not going to watch the game because the music prelude is too loud.  

5.  I’ve seriously thought about passing out eastview ear plugs so that those who think it’s too loud can have a cool but discreet way of saying, “My ears are bleeding”.

6.  We really want to be a church that is open to every expression of God’s creation called music.  This means that some songs will just not hit every audience.  I hate (and by hate the word despise might be more appropriate) country music, but I don’t tell Matt to not sing that style of music, I simply put in my eastview earplugs in!

7.  If you want to hear “too loud” visit our young adult or teen ministry some Sunday and we will feel serene.  Again, I have preached in both places and as a 43 year old, it’s loud to me too, but I can still worship there because I focus on the love a younger generation has for God.

I don’t know if this solved any issues, but it made me feel better and of course that’s what blogs are all about.Â

Well, here i am sitting in a Ft. Lauderdale hotel wishing i was home (wishing I was home two days ago, which was the plan!). Anyway, the trip to Haiti was amazing. The work which Emmanuel and Prisca Laguerre are doing is absolutely amazing. over 700 kids in their school. I got to teach (through Manno’s - that’s Immanuel’s nick name) over 35 church leaders for about 2 1/2 hours each day Tuesday through Thursday through the book of I timothy. Very cool as I got to influence the leaders of four different churches. Also reconnected with Pastor Arcenio Jimenez who works in one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti and made a three hour journey just to talk with me at Manno’s house.

the kids were amazing (we ran a soccer camp even though we didn’t speak the language) and I fell in love with them…again. We also got to work with another Eastview team that was there and they were great…especially loved working with two young (20’s) people in our congregation that I didn’t know very well before hand. I’m encouraged that we have a next generation of believers who are fired up for Jesus at Eastview.

I like the food in Haiti (go figure, me and food) and had a great week.

Spent most of the day Saturday trying to get the one crop duster out of Cap Haitian to Ft. Lauderdale to get to B/N that night to preach on Sunday. I’ve heard Doug did a great job, but man I really wanted to share what I had prepared (what does a preacher do with a sermon that he doesn’t get to preach?). Anyway, I thought about you all a lot yesterday in the airport as services were going on and I prayed for you.

Guess what, our flight was canceled yesterday too! So, another night in Ft. Lauderdale (which isn’t the end of the world but I really needed to get home) and hanging out with our six person team. All in all, great attitudes, but if we don’t get on our flight home this afternoon…there may be an international incident!

Things I appreciate more: water from the tap, wireless phone service, family, home, Eastview, roads (yes even the crappy ones in B/N), toilets that flush, and being able to communicate in a native tongue.

Things I really didn’t miss: the pace of the American lifestyle, television, computers, and snow on Easter.

Next week, hope to be sharing from my office and my home.

Today is resurrection Sunday - early and I’m getting ready to preach (very excited).  I’m also getting ready to fly to Haiti this afternoon for a mission trip with some of my small group.  So…you get the blog this week a little earlier than usual.  What I’d like to share with you comes from the sermon at Mt. Moriah on Friday at their Good Friday service.  Below is what I preached (seven guys had seven minutes each to preach on the words of Christ on the cross).  Growing up I always wanted to be a black pastor, and Friday I was surrounded by some great pastors and a congregation who was fired up.  Read the following and imagine the rythm of it and lots of “Amens”, “c’mon”, “that’s right” etc….

Today…

Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today is salvation come to this house.

Today you shall see the salvation of the Lord.

Today is Friday…Good Friday.

Today is different from other Fridays.

Still today is another day.  Today my money issues are still my money issues.  Today my job is still my job.  Today my family is still my family.  Today those people who bug me are still those people who bug me.  Today my struggles are my struggles and today my sins are still my sins.

Still…today is the day the Lord has made.  Today is the day the church commemorates the death.   Today is a day for solemn reflection.  Today is for remembering the body and the blood.  Today is the day for thinking deeply.  Today is Good Friday, the day our Savior died.

For some…today is the beginning of Spring break.  Today is the day before Saturday.  Today is the end of the work week.   Today is the day I hit the bars.  Today is a day for going on a date.  Today is for going to the movies.

At the cross…today is another Roman crucifixion.  Today is the day before the great Jewish feast.  Today is the day for preparation.  Today is for making the journey to Jerusalem.  Today a ruler’s wife has bad dreams.  Today a king wonders, “what is truth?”  Today truth becomes King!  Today the King of the Jews is crucified.

On one cross…today is the day I get what I deserve.  Today is a day when bitterness overflows.  Today is when I blame everyone but me.  Today is the day I curse my birth and those around me.  Today is a day for swearing and anger.  Today I am a condemned man.  Today, hell has been my reality and it is my destiny.  Today is a day of desperate hopelessness.  Today I’m naked and alone.  Today is the day I die.

On the middle cross…today is the day for which I was born.  Today is the day that fulfills scripture.  Today is a picture of the Lamb of Atonement.  today my blood will flow and my body will break.  Today I choose to lay it down.  Today I seek my Father’s will not my own.  Today I drink the cup prepared for me.  Today the weight of sin crushes my soul.  Today the sky turns black.  Today the temple curtain tears.  Today the angels stand ready, but don’t move.  Today the Pharisees win.  Today God so loved the world.  Today is the day I die.

On the other cross…today is the day I get what’s comin.  Today I regret what I’ve done.  Today my past comes back to haunt me.  Today my wife becomes a widow.  Today my children lose their father.  Today those I’ve hurt get to move on.  Today I’m drawn to the one next to me.  Today is the day I believe.  Today I can see an Eternal Kingdom.  Today I reach out to the Eternal King.  today I utter my first prayer.  Today is the day I ask to be remembered.  Today is the day I die.

Today hear the words of christ from the cross.  Today hear the gospel of Luke speak.  Today the words are for you and me and the guy on the cross.  Today the words of the Living Word.  Today is the day I die, and the reason I live.

Today you will be with me in paradise.  TODAY you will be with me in paradise because today is all we have.  Today YOU will be with me in paradise because this message is for everyone.  Today you will be with ME in paradise because all God ever wanted is to be close to us.  Today you will be with me in PARADISE because there is a place where there will be no more crying, or sorrow or pain or death for all of these have passed away. 

Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

And let us rejoice that Easter followed Good Friday.  He arose!

Well, it’s six days before resurrection Sunday.  I’m stoked to see how God will work among us this Sunday at Eastview.  First though, let me say that I and Sara had a great weekend in New Albany at Northside Christian Church.  Did you know they have three former Eastview students on staff there?  Very cool to catch up with some special people in my life.  I also love the Sr. Pastor and his wife, George and Sue Linn Ross.  Great leaders of this 5,500 hundred person church.  I spoke four times on Saturday and Sunday on the Kings (a passion of mine).  It was fun and their church is awesome…

But I missed Eastview.  I know Doug had a great sermon (already listened to it), and Matt did a great job with worship and all of our youth and children’s programs were awesome as usual (so it’s not like you need me or anything).  But when we were driving away, Sara and I both commented how we missed “our people” and we were talking about you.  I want to thank you for allowing me to preach around the country.  God has always seemed to open up those doors (a dream for me), but I truly am grateful for a church that allows me the freedom to bless (hopefully) some other congregations from time to time.  I always go away blessed and longing for home (and all of you at Eastview).

As you know we’re in the middle of 24/7 prayer the week leading into Easter.  I’m so excited that we filled the slots and people are here around the clock praying.  I’ve already been to the auditorium three times to pray and you can already feel the excitement of what God is going to do by his spirit.  This morning for our usual staff prayer time, I had the staff meet in the auditorium and pray over the seats asking God to fill them and to speak into the lives of those who would sit there (isn’t it amazing that he already knows).  As we were praying I looked around (yes I peaked during prayer) and I saw a beautiful picture - our staff standing throughout an empty auditorium praying.  It was a stark picture of them doing what they do figuratively all the time…stand up for the people and ministries of Eastview.  I’m so proud of them and I was moved to see them praying for you and the people you are asking God to open doors and conversation with.

Ok. now for the unimportant - how in the world did Illinois State not make the tournament?  That’s crazy.  Of course we’re doing our annual pick-em on the staff and the loser buys the winner lunch.  Mark Warren is our commissioner of all things March Madness.

Hey let me recommend a prayer book (yes a book of prayers that you can read in your quiet time and make your own - I find this helpful in expressing similar thoughts to God in a variety of ways): Guerillas of Grace.

On Friday at 11:30 Mt. Moriah is hosting a Good Friday worship service and I’m going to be one of seven pastor’s speaking.  If you’re free and looking for a place to remember Jesus’ sacrifice..you’re welcome.  Also, we will be celebrating communion together this Friday night at 6:00 p.m.  See you there.

Now my only dilemma is what to wear on Sunday.  My classic side wants to buy a new loud Easter tie, and my casual side wants to dress cool (which was easy when I was a youth pastor)…Oh well, five more days to decide.

We witnessed the baptism of another international student from China yesterday … Dean can’t pronounce his name but God can…he knew it before he had it… What a trip from China to Normal to Dean and Linda Johnson’s Bible study…to book of life…his name is there.

My name is “speak first, then think”.  Yesterday when talking about Moses I said he made his way to Midian where after a long journey across the desert he came to Midian and sat down by a well to relieve himself.  Ugh.

Remember weeks ago as we ended our engage campaign, we put names on foot steps and brought them forward symbolic of the prayers for their salvation and that if God opened up the door, we would walk through it.  Well, this morning in our prayer time as a staff we took those feet and prayed for all the names.  It was cool to hear name after name be lifted before the throne.  We asked for God to move in them, to lead someone to them, to reveal himself to them.  It struck me as the symphony of names rose in the room that God heard all of them and knew all of them and is now working on them according to our requests.

Your name should be on the sign up for the pray time that begins next Sunday right after church.  There are many names there, but we need to fill all of the slots.  Is your name there?