Church

Last Sunday evening, three of us from Mountainview Church flew from Denver to Tulsa.  Jim (senior pastor), Rick (executive pastor), and myself.  We spent Sunday night in Tulsa and drove the next morning to Joplin, MO.  We spent Monday and Tuesday interviewing potential new staff people.  Apart from the interviews, what I enjoyed most was the interaction between the three of us.  We spent a fair amount of time traveling in the car and just talking about the present and future of our church.  It was good to bounce ideas, share feedback, and dream together. As the newbie on staff, it was nice to have time to participate at this level.  Many of my fondest ministry memories are connected to team experiences.  At one point while I was serving in Walnut Creek, we had two other full-time ministers, an administrator, and a part-time staffer.  My greatest joy was getting to…

OK, we're actually flying, so technically it's not a road trip -- although there will be driving involved. Along with Jim and Rick (our senior and executive pastors), I will be traveling to Tulsa and then to Joplin, Missouri, to meet with candidates for staff positions at Mountainview Church.  I've only been to Tulsa one time, back in 1988 or 1989.  I had traveled there with some college buddies to attend a week-long conference.  My only lasting memory of Tulsa was driving by the Will Rogers Methodist Church.  Having grown up in a denomination that usually named her churches after either the street they were on or the town they were in, this church caught my eye.  Also, I happen to be fond of quotes from Will Rogers.  A few samples ... "Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a…

I was asked a few weeks ago if I would be willing to read a book written by one of our Mountainview attenders and consider writing a blurb for the book.  It's about how he and his sister are caring for their dad who suffers from dementia.  It's titled, "Dementia: Our Journey of Caring for Our Father at Home."  It's an easy-to-read book and is simply a collection of real life stories and how they coped with each one.  As one who lost my own father ten years ago, it's easy to connect with the stories and wonder ... "What if that had happened to my dad?" One of the stories I read this morning was about their dad's struggle with the television remote control.  In addition to actually operating the television, it seems like remote controls nowadays can even start your microwave and set your sprinkler system.  He would…

For a while when I first started working at Blue Haven Pools and Spas, most of my co-workers didn't know I was also a pastor.  Our president and my fellow managers knew, but many of the hourly employees didn't.  I can remember with fondness when they first discovered my real job while we were eating together in the customer service room.  It was a classic "He's what?" / "you're a pastor?" moment. Today, I had a similar moment.  Since arriving in Highlands Ranch, I've been on a mission to find an inexpensive barber similar to the one I enjoyed in San Diego.  At $25 a haircut, I didn't feel like I had succeeded my first two times.  I shaved $10 off that amount (sorry for the pun) at Lon's Barber Shop in Littleton.  Lon is one of those barbers who likes to talk.  Normally, I like to settle in my…

Here's an excellent article on how to go about discipleship in an organic fashion: Making Disciples Jesus' Way.