Church

Following Jesus is an adventure of faith. There are times when God prods or pushes us into areas where we might be fully prepared. His timetable for action doesn’t always match our own; in fact, I’m not sure he consults our timetable at all.This adventure of faith is filled with twists and turns. Those looking for a straight line from accepting Jesus to spiritual maturity will be frustrated to know ... There’s not one! A Christ-follower must be content to know that God is in charge and is at work in her life.But it’s also the twists and turns that add excitement to this great adventure of faith. For when we least expect it, God shows up and in ways we may not have predicted.What a great God we serve!

Here are two graphics I just designed for Opportunity Camp's theme. Full picture: Text only:

I just finished redesigning the website for Opportunity Camp, a camp I've worked with for the last ten years. Opportunity Camp provides a week of free camping for kids from Contra Costa County Social Services and is staffed entirely by Christian volunteers. A fair number of these kids are in foster homes or group homes; others are in the social service network for various reasons. Opportunity Camp really is unique among Christian camps.My "official" role is Director of Spiritual Development ... a fancy way of saying that I create the teaching material and speak at the morning and evening assemblies. Most of our campers have little or no church background and have a hard time sitting still -- a great combination for a pastor!You can download a copy of the teaching material if you're really bored and need something to do.

Many times we find ourselves in the space between now and the not yet. It is the place in life where we may feel like we're in a holding pattern -- circling around, waiting for directions for directions to land or to be given the green light to takeoff.We often feel like the formative moments in life require action ... we must do something, tackle something, gain something, or give up something. Perhaps there is just as great formation in the still moments, when no action is required or expected. When taking action may be the least prudent of all decisions.Often God uses this space between the now and the not yet to shape and mold us in ways that endless action would never allow for. It may be that he is forming us in the interim for greater challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

I'm within a few pages of finishing The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a book I vaguely remember hearing about a while back but not pursuing until I saw it referenced in a book by Phil Vischer. I finally picked up a copy this past Saturday at Borders and haven't been able to put it down. It's about how social epidemics spread -- and it's fascinating.He talks about the three types of people who help create and spread social epidemics -- connectors, mavens, and salespeople. A connector is someone who is well-connected. The maven is an information gatherer and disseminator. The salespeople is a persuader. These three are what he calls the Law of the Few ... that it only takes a few people to create a wave of change.He also discusses principles of stickiness -- what enables one message or product or trend to stick while others don't?…