These are all thoughts from a break out session with Darrin Patrick the pastor of The Journey Church in St. Louis Missouri.

Challenge:  Your daily job is to develop a very deeply gospel centered identity that you are both jacked up beyond belief and that you are able to bask in the glow of Christ's redeeming love.

Question:  Are you becoming aware of some of the motivations under your most Christ-dishonoring behavior?

Problem: Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the competent, the confident and the successful but what you need in leaders is someone who has been broken by his own sin and his understanding of Jesus’ love. . .  The best leaders are those who repent the most fully without excuses because they don’t need excuses because to approach Jesus.  He loves them right now just the way they are.”

Interesting Quote: A church plant is a different preferred future for a local expression of the church.

I don't remember the last time I was awake at 4 a.m.  I'm looking forward to sleeping a lot on planes.

Also, you should go read this for a good laugh.

March wasn't really a good month for blogging huh?  April doesn't really look like it's going to be a good month either as these are the days I'll be travelling:

April 5th-April 15th:  Poland, Germany, Austria.
     I'll be speaking with my ole friend Nathan Smith to American students on military bases in Poland, checking out Auschwitz and hanging out for a few days in the German and Austrian alps.  It's going to be amazing opportunities, amazingly fun, and amazingly tiring as I'm still shaking off this flu.  If I have regular internet connection, I'll try to put updates on here while I'm there.  Please be praying for the ministry that will be taking place while I'm there.

April 19th:  Elaine's Wedding near Atlanta, GA
     Spending the night at Trey Boden's house whom I love and then watching my little sister (by love, not by blood) Elaine MacCorkle get married makes for what should be an amazingly good weekend.  On their RSVP they allowed us to request songs for the reception.  That's genius.  They're genius.  I love them.

April 20th-25th: Orlando, FL.
     Probably my favorite thing our leadership team here at Midtown does is attend the National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL.  It's sure to be a week full of learning, conviction, and team growth.  Whether we agree or disagree with the speakers or each other, this week is one of the best weeks of open dialog and constructive conversation that our leadership team has every year.

In the mean time, I have been and will be working more consistently on this than posting here.  It's a new teaching idea we've had to offer more in depth study that complements what we're teaching on Sunday nights.  Feel free to follow along with us at Midtown as we study through Philippians and go deep in personal study and reflection.  The Surplus will include, daily personal study, creative LifeGroup ideas and extra resources (books, audio and video sermons, etc.)

CUSTOMER SERVICE:
One of the reasons I haven't posted as much in March has been that working double duty at Midtown and Cafe Strudel has a way of absorbing a good amount of my time.  Working at the Strudel has also changed the way I think about lots of things which I hope to comment on soon but today was a funny example:

I stopped by my neighborhood bank to make a large cash and check deposit (of my tips from the last month) and ask some questions about finances while I'm in Poland.  I know the cash deposit has to be a little annoying for them so I go ahead and count everything out and organize all the bills to face the same direction to just make my banker's lives as easy as possible. 

When I walked in the only available teller is having a conversation and kind of looks at me with a "What the crap do you want?" expression on her face.  I smile and offer my ziploc bag of well organized bills and say "Can I deposit this?"  She said yes with her mouth but no with every other part of her face.  The entire time she worked on my deposit she acted annoyed and bothered that I had interrupted her much more enjoyable conversation with her co-worker. 

The funny thing is her JOB is customer service.  She gets paid specifically to make sure that I as a customer am SERVED and HAPPY.  I know what she feels like cause there are times at the Strudel that we get slow and start to think that we're there to enjoy and entertain ourselves, when that just isn't the truth.  We're there to serve other people.

As if you didn't see it coming:  WAKE UP CHRISTIANS.  We aren't here on earth for our enjoyment and to mindlessly entertain ourselves.  We're here to serve others.  We look like obnoxious fools when we moan and complain anytime we are inconvenienced by others instead of pursuing and relishing opportunities to become more like our Savior Jesus by humbling ourselves and selflessly putting others' interests ahead of our own (phil 2).  

Before you get all defensive and start thinking to yourself, "Well Luda, you kinda suck at this too. . . " let me just go ahead and agree with you.  But let's not get bogged down in comparing ourselves to each other and using that as an excuse to not run after Jesus.  This is me repenting and apologizing for the countless ways I put me first in my life and forget that my life has been bought with a price.

Much love,
Luda

p.s. If you read this thing I'll try to be more consistent and not take any more month and a half breaks.

As I’m writing this, my roommate, Chris Kakaras, just brought me my computer because my leg is propped up with an ice pack.  First off, Chris is an amazing friend.  Secondly, Chris has his own blog at www.chriskakaras.com with tons of personal financial wisdom.  You should read and listen to his advice.

Thirdly, Chris is the Business Administration Director at Midtown Fellowship.  Essentially, he runs all of the finances at Midtown and yells at me for how bad I am at following his policies.  I could write this and just brag about his dedication to excellence, his ability to build a smooth-flowing financial system from scratch or his mind-blowing discipline.

But that’s not what I want to write about.  I want to write about Chris’ heart.  

Since I’ve been waiting tables at Café Strudel, I have heard multiple negative comments about how churches handle their finances.  Today’s comment was from a woman who stopped going to church because in her mind, “It was just a business.  All it cared about was getting more members to get more money to build bigger, flashier buildings.”  That sucks.  And it’s true for entirely too many churches.

So without further adieu: Here’s what you should look for in a Business Administration Director for your church.  
    1.)  Chris’ heart beats harder for God’s mission than for bottom lines.  He cares more that people in Columbia are coming to know Jesus than anything else.  Chris never wants to limit ministry out of fear that God might not provide what we need.  Instead, he maximizes our financial effectiveness by helping us not waste money.
    
    2.)  Chris’ heart is passionate for people to understand God’s principles for their personal finances.  His blog, personal finance classes he teaches and time he spends counseling people help people learn how to obey God with their income and cash flow.  God has used him in my life to take me from being a financial idiot to actually being somewhat in control of my finances.

    3.)  Chris’ heart is for integrity.  For years, Chris has spent time in prayer everyday that money will never corrupt his heart.  He understands the incredible temptation involved with being in control of large amounts of money.  He is passionately dedicated to protecting our church family from any financial sin or mistake that could cripple the mission God has called us to.

So, here’s to you Chris.
 

This is a short list of questions the movie Jumper forgot to answer:

1.) What causes a jumper to be a jumper? 
2.) What religious basis causes paladins to have their panties all up in a wad?
3.) Are jumpers good or bad?
4.) Are paladins good or bad?
5.) Can a paladin stop being a paladin?
6.) Shouldn't movies have plotlines?
7.) How can a movie where you can jump to any location as fast as you want actually get slow in the middle?
8.) Why did we choose to go see Jumper?
9.) Why did the main character (whose name I've forgotten) forget that he jumped for the first time when he was 5?
10.) How did old-school paladins fight jumpers without all the modern technology?

In conclusion, don't go see Jumper. 

. . . is a lot like money.

The love of it will consume you. 
It's better if you give away what you have realizing that it's really owned by Somebody else.

If you want it, you'll find it to be an insatiable desire.

. . . is a good thing if you have problems controlling your bladder.

Idols are rarely little wooden or golden carved imaged that we bow down to in modern American post-everything society.  Instead, they are desires (often times extremely good desires) that we allow to become non-negotiables in our lives.  They ruin our intimacy with God because of what He says in Ezekiel 14:3-5;

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.'"

Here's what God's saying: When you approach me and you're holding idols in your heart, I will refuse to talk to you about ANYTHING other than the idols in your heart until you deal with them.  I will talk to you about your idols and nothing other than your idols for however long it takes to RECAPTURE your idiot-traitor-deserter heart.

Here's my response:  Ok God, there is this thing in my life that is a good desire that You created and put in me.  I think it's becoming a non-negotiable in my life, and that means it's probably an idol that You hate because it distracts me from You.  So . . . I'll make you a deal:  I'll let go of the idol as long as by doing so, You agree to actually give it to me in the long run.  No seriously God, I'll stop idolizing it as long as You'll let me have it.

My pathetic attempts to deal with my own idols only reveal how deep my idolatry is.

I'm an idiot.

I don't know what you think about the prosperity gospel, but I agree with this guy.

Simply put, conversations are good.

Even the most introverted of men has conversations with himself in his head.  Conversation has a certain effortless progression to it.  Casual persuasion, personal stories and humor provide the perfect place for our thoughts to grow, react and reach new conclusions.  Even when you disagree completely, conversation reinforces the reasoning for your thoughts.

But I'm a little worried about our generation.

The elevation of conversation as the final authority on intellectual discourse is highly overrated.  Specifically in the spiritual culture I spend a lot of time in, conversation is growing in popularity as the only valid form of theological education.  The argument goes like this:  No person can ever fully understand the true meaning of the Scriptures.  To assert that you know exactly what the Scriptures are saying is arrogant.  Therefore, NO ONE can talk about the Bible in any kind of authoritative way.  (Rob Bell makes this argument in Velvet Elvis amongst others.)  As a result, some churches are moving to conversation led services.  Rather than have someone preach the Word of God, the congregation just talks about it and tries to collectively come to some conclusions.

Remember what I said to begin with; conversations are good.  On the other hand, the problem with the previous argument and the conclusion to replace preaching with conversation is THE BIBLE.  I'll just quote one:

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God."  1 Peter 4:11

The thing about the Bible is that it's going to say over and over again 1.) that we should preach and teach, 2.) that men are gifted by God to preach the word of God and 3.) that when those called to teach and preach DO teach and preach, they should do it with authority. Here's what I mean by over and over: Mark 16:15; Luke 24:57; Acts 10:42; Romans 12:7; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-13; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:6,11 and 13; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:1-3 and 15.  That Titus 2:15 one is really interesting: "Encourage and rebuke with all authority."  (By the way, those are just from the new testament.)

Simply put, questions are good.

Socrates had a thing for using them for educational purposes.  He developed an entire basis of learning on questions.  Jesus had a thing for using questions to teach as well as to shut the mouths of the pharisees and the rabbis of His day.  My friend Adam can make you realize a thousand things wrong with everything you think by asking a few simple questions.  I have a thing for using them to approach conflict resolution in a generally peaceful way.  Replacing assumptions with questions that allow explanation is like giving a tense conversation a back rub.

But I'm a little worried about our generation.

I get the feeling that sometimes we equate actively questioning everything with open minded, cultured, sophisticated intelligence.  Specifically in the spiritual culture I spend a lot of time in, I think our love of questions is an overreaction to the preceding generation.  In response to the Enlightenment culture of reason, the church boiled God down to a thousand formulas that all made perfect sense.  Doubting God is heresy.  God is in the formulas.  Doubting the formulas is heresy!

The problems in that thinking are obvious:  God is not as small as our easy to diagram formulas.  Formulas are not God.  Doubting formulas is not heresy, or even a lack of faith.  It's smart.

At the same time, the overreaction to an unyielding, pre-packaged, formula-ruined view of God is to equate doubt with godliness.  If you're not asking questions about everything, then you don't have a brain; you're not authentic; you're afraid.  And of course, the only problem with that is the Bible (John 20:27; Heb. 3:12-13; James 1:5-8). 

Questions are good, but they're not the answer.