Does your Pastor have a bodyguard?

Does your Pastor have a bodyguard?

Mine doesn’t. I have heard of Pastors who do. I find it a little strange, although I know there are well known Pastors with huge followings who might need one. So far, mine hasn’t. But it does make me chuckle a little to think about it.

Although he doesn’t need a bodyguard, I am learning that he needs something else. He needs people to protect him. With prayer, encouragement, love, and understanding of the incredible time and life commitment he and his family give to us. Of course, other than prayer, he has not asked for this. And your Pastor probably hasn’t either. If he has been lucky, he has been getting this from his inner circle of friends and close community members. But, I think it should trickle down farther. I think our church communities should do a much better job.

Someone said, ”We need to protect our pastor and his family”, to me recently.  I have always believed that, but over the last few years, I have come to understand how important it is.

I often have the opportunity to speak with new families about what makes our church so unique. Most people are typically drawn to our Pastor and his teaching very quickly. He is dynamic, honest, and extremely relational. I remember feeling the same way when I first started attending.

And then came the first summer. The summer is when he takes extended time off. I remember for the first few years, I dreaded summer at church. Because I knew he wasn’t going to be teaching every week. I knew why he takes the time off. He does it to reconnect with God, relax, spend more time with his family, and reset his thinking and priorities. But back then, it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t like it. I preferred his teaching over others. I liked his funny stories. I always got something out of his message. That was not always true with some of the other people teaching.

And then one day it hit me.

All of those things were about ME.

I wasn’t thinking about him.

I wasn’t thinking about the amount of time he spends preparing his message each week.

I wasn’t thinking about the countless hours he spends with the staff preparing for each series and teaching to be impactful.

I wasn’t thinking about all of the thousands of things he does that go along with his profession.

I wasn’t thinking about how he doesn’t have a Monday through Friday job which only asks for 40 hours a week.

I wasn’t thinking about the sacrifices his family makes so that he can do what he does.

He is a Pastor.

His job could go on 24/7 every day if he allowed it.

And quite honestly, I was choosing my attitude towards the other people speaking. I was determining that I wouldn’t get anything out of their message. And it wasn’t fair.

I have gotten to know my Pastor and his family pretty well. I absolutely love their hearts and where they are leading this amazing community of people. And I now realize how much he and his family need a break from leading. He needs to be able to step away, and spend quality time with his family. He needs to silence all of the noise, and truly spend more time with God. I have watched him learn to adjust his schedule to do this more throughout the year, but the summer is the time when he can really focus on that. They have learned what they need to avoid burnout. And I think that is wonderful.

This year, he and his family are taking a long trip to Thailand. And I am so excited for them. As I think about what it will do for them to be out of the country, spending time together and planning the adventures that await them, I can’t help but smile. I know what they have invested in our community in order to make it what it is. And it has not been easy. Now it is our turn to invest back in them. To help them know how much they are truly appreciated. To give them time to rest.

This advice isn’t just for my church family. You can easily apply it to your Pastor and his family. My heart aches when I read stories of Pastors and how they are treated by their own church community. The fighting and struggle and heartbreak is sometimes unimaginable. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Does your Pastor understand the value of taking a break?

What do you think of the idea of protecting our Pastors?

LifeChangers – A New Addition

LifeChangers

It’s a series about people just like you and me, who decided to do something different.

They decided to change their life, or the lives of others around them.

They are inspiring.

They are making an impact right where they are.

They are passionate.

They are full of life.

And they are willing to share their story.

Every once in a while, you meet people who you instantly like. When I met Grant and Kellee at the Quitter Conference in February, that was my reaction. They were so sweet, and had a unique energy about them. They have a neat story. A life-changing story.

They have been married for eight years, and have two young, beautiful daughters. They are huge college basketball fans and love the Kentucky Wildcats. They are currently living in Ohio, and starting on a new journey. A journey that started with an experiment.

Last Thanksgiving, Grant’s best friend was visiting and told them about a book called The Radical Experiment by David Platt. As soon as Kellee heard what it was about, she instantly wanted nothing to do with it. She thought it sounded too extreme! But, Grant really wanted to do it, and ordered it that night. They ended up finishing the book in a few days.

The main focus of the book is around a radical response: living the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world-changing. The book really overhauled their perspective and altered their whole life’s direction. They started the Radical Experiment on January 1st, 2012, and committed to being open to whatever God wanted for them…with their time, money, careers, service, etc.

They specifically committed to:

1. Reading the Bible in a  year

 2. Praying for the entire world, by country

3. Committing their lives to a multiplying community-their House Church

 4. Sacrificing their money for a specific purpose

 5. Spending a week in another context- for example, a mission trip.

Kellee thought God was just preparing them to give abundantly this year, both in time and money, so that’s where her focus was at the beginning. However, as they continued with this radical shift in perspective, He quickly showed them that He wanted them to pursue something they were completely not expecting. He wanted them to pursue foster parenting and/or adoption! This was quite a shock at first. Remember, they have two small children. And this was not something that either of them had planned.

Over the last few months, they have quickly finished their homestudy and licensing process. From what they have learned in training, fostering is very, very difficult. It seems to be a great thing for the birth parents and the foster children, but not necessarily the foster parents! They are scared they won’t know how to handle issues like abuse. They are nervous about adding more kids to the mix, when they already feel stretched thin. They’re also scared about the attachment to the children and the loss they’ll feel, when they go back to their birth families. Kellee has blogged some really honest, emotional posts during this process. I have loved watching this journey they are on, and am so inspired by them.

I asked them what advice they would give to people considering becoming foster parents.  They said they would urge people to look at WHY they want to do it. Initially, Kellee was not really interested in connecting with the birth family. She’s now come to realize that this is a huge part of the fostering process, and she now prays that she’ll be able to minister and build relationships with the birth mothers. Also, adoption used to be their focus, and fostering was just a means to that end. However, the Lord really changed their hearts, and they now really WANT to foster, even though it means that they will have to work towards getting the children back to their birth families. They still want to adopt, but don’t know if that will happen in this process or internationally. They are truly open to whatever God has in store for their family!

 

I asked Grant and Kellee how we could help them, and they said that our prayers are greatly appreciated. They would love prayer for wisdom and confidence as they get ready for their first foster child placement, most likely happening sometime this month.

 

You can read more about their journey on their blog, http://radicalkeys.wordpress.com.

You can also follow them on Twitter: @kelleekeys and @grantkeys

 

I am so thankful to have met this amazing couple, and look forward to watching how God will use them in the lives of kids who need the love and support they have to offer. They are definitely LifeChangers.

Pointing fingers

I try really hard to show grace.

To give people a second chance.

I try not to judge people by a first impression or by their actions.

It’s something I think I do an okay job with - most of the time.

But then, I hear a lyric that cuts right to my heart.

Open our eyes to the world

At the end of our pointing fingers

I think to myself – I’m doing okay. I don’t point fingers anymore.

But I know I need to do better.

Because minutes later, I’m in the grocery store and irritated by what someone is wearing.

What? How can my mind switch gears so quickly?

How can I instantly judge, when my heart knows it’s not my place.

And that person probably needs an incredible amount of grace.

As I look up more of the lyrics, I see another line that hits home.

The truth’s become so hard to see

The world is on their way to You

But they’re tripping over me

And then I realize. I can’t do it on my own.

I continually need His grace to help me show it better to others. It doesn’t come from me. It comes from Him.

I want people to see grace and love through me. And, sometimes I need to be reminded how much more help I really need.

Can you relate?

LifeChangers – On a new path

LifeChangers

It’s a series about people just like you and me, who decided to do something different.

They decided to change their life, or the lives of others around them.

They are inspiring.

They are making an impact right where they are.

They are passionate.

They are full of life.

And they are willing to share their story.

I am so excited to start this new series. I’ll be posting once a week with a story of someone who has inspired me.

This first post is very special to me. This person has been on an incredible journey over the last few years. I have always thought he was pretty amazing, but as he continues to grow and develop, he gets more and more interesting to me. He has always had a strong, self-confident way about him, but I have seen the center of that confidence change. It’s deeper, and more intense. I think he’s just starting to uncover what’s been hiding deep inside for a long time.

As some of you may have guessed, I am describing my husband, Rick. Let me assure you right now that I will NOT be posting only about my family on this series! However, I wanted to do this first post in honor of him and his recent significant accomplishments. He has a pretty unique story, and one that you will be hearing more about as it continues to evolve. He blogs periodically at I, Hammer, and I think you will enjoy his posts. He is a pretty cool guy. Not that I’m biased or anything.

Rick’s fitness story is somewhat like mine. He was an athlete for most of his life. Then, marriage, a career, and sedentary life settled in. He no longer played sports. He worked out every once in a while, but it was no longer a priority. Somewhere between working full-time, taking care of the kids, and keeping up with life, he found it hard to be motivated.

A few years ago, he bought a new mountain bike. He has always been good with bikes, and loved to ride when he was younger.  After he got his new bike, he started riding more. He found that he really enjoyed it again. He had uncovered a hidden passion.

Then, late last fall, he discovered a park near us called Saw Wee Kee park. It is a park right along the river with difficult trails, perfect for mountain biking. When he came home from that first ride, I could tell that something had changed in him. He had rediscovered an old love. He was hooked.

Not long after that, he made the decision to sign up for one of the largest mountain bike races in the country, The Iceman Cometh Challenge. Since that race isn’t until November, he decided to find smaller races to help him train. The other weekend, he competed for the first time, at the age of 43, in The Sylvan Island Stampede. The boys and I were so proud of him.

Some people will say, “What’s the big deal? It’s a bike race.” However, this was no easy bike race. It was seven miles of twisting and turning trails on slick mud and terrain. None of the competitors were having an easy time.

And, to me, the fact that he has chosen to train and compete at this point in life is truly inspiring. I know many people younger than Rick that say it is too hard to train and attempt to push themselves at something new. Not Rick. He now has a fire. He’s remembered what it’s like to push himself beyond something that he didn’t think he could do. And that feeling can be addicting. He’ll be competing in his next race in a little over a week.

Rick’s motivation is inspiring.

It makes me realize that you can do anything you put your mind to.

No matter how long it’s been, or the challenges that you’ve faced, you can always choose to start again.

You can choose to step out of your comfort zone.

You can choose to push yourself.

You can choose to live life.

You can choose to be a LifeChanger.

Brag it up!

I love to hear about exciting things that are happening to people around me. It energizes me. And I love to encourage people who are doing unique things.

But what I often find is that people are scared to speak up. They don’t want to appear self-centered. They are afraid they will disappoint themselves or others around them if they don’t finish what they are excited about doing.

Today is all about YOU!

I want to hear what you are excited about.

I want to hear what’s going great in your life.

I want to hear your dream.

I want to hear about something awesome that you just accomplished.

I want to hear about that new project you’re starting.

Today is all about shameless self promotion with no regrets!

Ready, set, GO!

 

 

And the Winner Is……

Thank you to all of you who submitted suggestions via Facebook or in the comments. I appreciate your ideas, and some of them were very creative! But, they weren’t exactly expressing what I want the series to be about. I know what you’re thinking – how could you possibly peek inside my head to be able to figure that one out??

My husband and I talked about it all weekend long, and he actually ended up coming up with the name. I feel it best describes the series I will be starting soon. His response was, “So, do I win the Amazon gift card?” Yes, honey, yes you do!

So what was the winning name? Drumroll, please………………..

LifeChangers

It’s a series about people just like you and me, who decided to do something different.

They decided to change their life, or the lives of others around them.

They are inspiring.

They are making an impact right where they are.

They are passionate.

They are full of life.

And they are willing to share their story.

I am so excited about sharing the stories that I have already been working on. I am hoping that you will be as inspired by them as I am. I will be posting the series once a week.

I would also love to hear from you. If you would like to nominate someone, please let me know.

I have had this series on my mind and heart for a while now, and starting putting ideas together about a month ago. Little did I know that it would go along nicely with our new series at The Orchard! I love it when that happens.

Thank you again for all of your great suggestions. I appreciate it very much!

 

I need your help!

I am so excited about a new series I am starting on my blog. Once a week, I will be featuring people or organizations that inspire me. The main theme is going to be around normal people who are doing extraordinary things right where they are, or people who have stepped out of their comfort zone to do something unique. Those are the kind of people that get me excited and inspired.

Here’s where you come in. I need your help.

creativity (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

I have been thinking long and hard about it, but I am having a difficult time coming up with a name for the series. I’d love your ideas for a series title.  If you are going to be reading it, I think it would cool for you to have some input. I’ll even throw in a $20 Amazon gift card if I pick your title. (I know, it’s probably not very motivating – but, hey, you will get to see the title every week too!)

So, throw out some of your creative ideas. Ready, set, go!

You can’t make me!

Remember that line from grade school?

You can’t make me!!

I have been thinking about this in the context of motivation and encouragement. We can be positive and encouraging and do our best to lift someone up. We can even speak into their life and help them realize things they may not believe about themselves. But what I can NEVER do is MAKE them do anything.

They have to choose for themselves. The decision to change has to be more attractive than the decision to stay the same. They have to choose to change. This is true in so many areas of our life.

I can’t make someone stop drinking – but I can show them unconditional love.

I can’t make someone eat healthier – but I can offer suggestions that have helped me.

I can’t make someone want to have a relationship with God – but I can live the most authentic, loving life that I can.

I can’t make someone follow their dream – but I can ask them about it. And I can help them remember what it was like to dream.

The list could go on forever. But the one thing I have learned is that it has to be YOUR decision to change. It can’t be your husband’s, or your boss’, or your friend or family member.

Change has to come from you. It has to mean something to you. It has to cost you something.

But the great part is always the reward. It is always better than you imagined.

What significant changes have you made in your life?

Different paths

I have learned to appreciate the fact that everyone is in a different stage in their faith walk. I know this because my husband and I are in very different stages, and took completely different paths to get where we are. I also have friends in varying stages as well, from no faith at all to completely unwavering faith.

I used to believe that there was a “destination” that people worked towards. That’s what I was taught. I know now that isn’t true. Everyone’s faith walk looks different. There is no destination. It’s a continual journey. Just when we think that things are going great and we are right where God wants us, that can change in an instant.

Road Sign (Photo credit: freefotouk)

I have learned that it is silly to want someone to be where you are spiritually. Do I want them to experience a relationship with God? Absolutely! But what I go through looks different than what the person next to me will go through. The amount of work it takes to change my heart may be completely different than how someone else is impacted.I’ve also realized that God speaks to people differently. Sometimes it’s through music or nature or poetry, and sometimes it’s in a conversation with a friend. For me to expect someone else to hear or see things the same way that I do is pretty close minded.

One of the things that my pastor continually challenges us to do is to take one more step forward in our journey. Whatever it is. It looks different for everyone. But, if you are moving forward, and challenging yourself to grow closer to God, you will be amazed at where this journey will take you.

Have you experienced this? I’d love to hear from you.

I thought I had lost her

I thought I had lost her

I was sure of it

I didn’t think she was ever coming back

She was unique

She was strong

She was in good shape

She was confident

She loved a challenge

She was comfortable in her own skin

And she was missing for a very long time

But she is slowly making her way back

With every workout

And every dream

And every new personal best

And each new mile walked or biked or ran

And each size dropped

And each new adventure

And every time she pushes beyond what her mind thinks she can do

But she’s also changed

While she is similar, she has something she didn’t have before

Years

And wisdom

And faith

And self acceptance

And understanding

I love getting to know her again