Good thought from Kosuke Koyama from Three Mile an Hour God via I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt ...

God walks 'slowly' because He is love. If He is not love He would have gone faster. Love has its speed. It is an inner speed. It is a spiritual seed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed... It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, whether we are currently hit by storm or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore it is the speed the love of God walks.

From Vince...

This is what's holding me back from living the Jesus life. I'm going 150, but God moves at 3 miles per hour. So I need to slow down and walk at God's speed. I need to move at the speed of love.

Good quote on abiding today from I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt:

The monks have a theological idea they call perichoresis. They believe that God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit exist together in a sort of choreographed dance of love. Since the beginning of time they've been tangoing, moving together in a beautiful embrace. And we are invited into that dance. We get to spend our days dancing with God. In fact, we were created in God's image, and so if God is always dancing, we were designed to dance too. Our lives were meant to be a dance with God - and a dance is passionate, interactive, fun at times, romantic at others.

Abiding looks like a dance with God. Now when you dance with someone it's typically awkward at first. You're very aware of what you're doing, of what the other person is doing, of the correct steps you're supposed to be taking. But when people continue dancing together, eventually it becomes totally comfortable. You stop having to think about what you or the other person is doing or the correct steps to follow. It all becomes very natural. In fact, if you watch people who can really dance, it's sometimes almost hard to tell where one person ends and the other begins.

And that's what God is after with us. That's what abiding looks like. It's a moment-by-moment sharing of life with him that may be awkward at first. In the beginning it may take great conscious effort. And there may be embarrassing trips and falls and stepping on toes. But slowly it becomes more and more instinctive, effortless, and enjoyable. Eventually, we might even come to a place where it's not that I have to practice the presence of God and remember to focus on and spend my time with him. It will be like we're one person, connected and "lost" in each other.

I woke up early this morning. Well, early by Phoenix standards. We flew out here yesterday to spend some time with Mike Breen & his team from 3DM Ministries. Amazing people! The time difference is making a difference in my day, though. You know it's bad when you fly out of Atlanta at 8:45am, take a nearly four hour flight and arrive in Phoenix at 9:30am. The time difference hit me last night before I got a second wind from dinner (more of that in a minute). Went to sleep at 10:15pm (1:15pm Atlanta time) and woke up at 5:20am this morning (8:20am Atlanta time).

So, got some good, quiet moments this morning over breakfast and coffee. Been pouring over my 'book of the moment' - I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt by Vince Antonucci. Good thoughts in a humorous book. A little over the top at times, but good nonetheless. Read this quote & it struck me this morning...

The ancient Celtics believed in what they called "thin places." These are places where the natural and supernatural worlds come together at their narrowest, with only a thin veil between them. When you're in a thin place you're able to catch a glimpse of God, and it becomes easier to sense his presence.

I read that and thought, "That's what I experienced last night!" We had all gone out to eat with our new friends to P.F. Chang's (one of my fave places to eat). We sat around a big, round table, with a big lazy-susan type platter where they proceeded to bring out a sampling of appetizers, then a sampling of entries, and then a couple of desserts. We ate a little and laughed a lot, just enjoying the shared heart we have in Christ. Honestly, it was like one of those movie scenes when a group of friends are sitting around a table at a restaurant thoroughly enjoying their meal and time together - you know, the scenes where you think, "Real life just isn't like that." Last night it was.

To me it was a thin moment - a place where God's presence hovered and washed over our meal; where His love permeated every laugh and every conversation.

Have you experienced a 'thin place' before in your life? Share your story below...

'Back in the day' I used to hit the pseudo-sand volleyball court that our church built on a daily basis. Early college years I'd get up late, head over to get my work done quickly & then head out to the courts to play. I'd record AVP volleyball tournaments that were broadcast each weekend and watch them religiously. That was back when Karch Kiraly & Sinjin Smith were virtually undefeatable.

So, why I am reminiscing about 'the good ole days' all of a sudden? Because my good friend LV Hanson (aka the Catalyst Road Trip Vanagon Vagabond) got to practice with the AVP team of Jake Gibb & Sean Rosenthal - currently #3 on the tour this year! Not only did he get to scrimmage against them, he & his partner actually put up a great fight - losing 21-18 (although they were leading 17-15 at one point). Gibb & Rosenthal are in town because the AVP is in Atlanta this weekend!

So, I'm surfing & watching old AVP highlight reels and checking on ticket prices for the weekend. I think we're going to try & hit the tournament for the championship match on Sunday afternoon!

Now that I've laid out my mega-movies weekend, what about you? What movie(s) would you rent if you had a free day and wanted to relax in front of tube?

So, what to do when you're by yourself for the weekend? How about a movie marathon? Andrea & the kids are away, so I thought I'd take some time to watch some movies I hadn't seen before (and some that I knew Andrea wouldn't want to watch). Getting ready to sit down for #8, #9 & #10. Here's a quick breakdown of the first seven:

Thursday:
#1 - Cloverfield (3 out of 5)
Great format, loved the concept, not scary enough to be a real monster flick.

Friday:
#2 - I Am Legend (4 out of 5)
Great movie, thrilling, slow at times, but that helped build into the plot, I believe. Only wish I had was wanting them to go into the back story in more detail.

#3 - Ocean's Thirteen (2 out of 5)
Comparatively bad; the plot wasn't near as good as the first two; no storyline outside of the heist.

Saturday:
#4 - Sweeney Todd (4 out of 5)
Lots of violence, blood, & singing - that about wraps it up! If you can stomach the throat slitting (and there is lots of it to stomach), it is a really entertaining movie. Great music, as well!

Sunday:
#5 - Die Hard (4 out of 5)
Great classic from the 80s. Bruce Willis at his finest. Loved seeing it again even thought I've seen it several times.

#6 - Ironman (4 out of 5)
Really good - lived up to the hype; can't wait for the sequel

#7 - Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2 out of 5)
Didn't live up to the hype; shouldn't even be put in the same discussion as the first three; worse than Temple of Doom.

Today's Flicks:
#8 - 2001: A Space Odyssey - The quintessential Kubrick classic. I know I've seen this one, but it's been a long time. Seems like I've started it several times since then, but never watched the entire thing, so that's my goal today.

#9 - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Classic Mel Gibson in a classic Sci-Fi flick.

#10 - Pan's Labyrinth - Critically acclaimed & nominated Spanish fantasy film from a few years ago. Heard good things about this one. I actually rented this one because Guillermo Del Toro, the Director, is slated to direct the forthcoming prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Hobbit.

Now that I've finished reading the book, I thought I'd share a few more quotes that stuck out at me from the last several chapters:

God has buckets full of grace to pour out on us - but we have to be standing where the downpour is occurring. And that place is where He has designed for us to fit.

[On the fivefold ministries in Ephesians 4] We are not all called to be pastors, but we are all called to care. We are not all called to be teachers, but we are all called to hold out the Truth. We are all responsible for learning how to listen to God's voice, something that comes more naturally for the prophet. We are all called to share the Good News with others, but this takes all those who are not called to be evangelists out of their comfort zones. And we are not all apostolic, but we must learn to walk into what God calls us to do.

Many churches split, not because of theology, but because they don't understand the interplay between pioneers and settlers. In some churches, the pioneers are driven away by settlers who do not want to explore anything new. In others there is pain caused by pioneers who are not patient enough to wait for settlers to catch up with them. There needs to be a mutual respect and acceptance, for without both pioneers and settlers the Kingdom will not grow.

One of the Kingdom tasks assigned to God's people is to rebuild human community wherever we can.

Christ didn't run after the Rich Young Ruler because he knew the young man's heart wasn't ready. Jesus knew and let him walk. Jesus never ran after anyone. Instead, he made himself available to those willing to wholeheartedly seek the Way to God, the Truth about God, and the Life found in God. ~ Michael Simpson, Permission Evangelism

A Person of Peace is one who is prepared to hear the message of the Kingdom and the King. He is ready to receive what God will give you to say at that moment. This should be our prayer as we venture forth each day. "Lord, bring into my path today a Person of Peace, and give me the grace to speak your words to this person."

No amount of coercion on our part can make someone become a Person of Peace. This is the job of the Holy Spirit; He alone can prepare a heart to hear the Gospel. ... Our main job is to walk through life with our eyes open and our ears listening to the Spirit as He reveals to us the Person of Peace He has prepared.

This really is exciting news. Even in the most important task we have been given, the assignment to go and make disciples, God does most of the work.

Our outward relationships are not just to be occasional outreach projects or evangelism programs. We are to live a lifestyle of mission, evangelism, & service.

Took advantage of some down time today to finish reading The Passionate Church by Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad. Took me 2-3 weeks to read through it (trying to get into the practice of reading at least one chapter of a book a day, preferably two).

I'd have to say that I have mixed emotions around this book. I absolutely love the way that Breen has taken concepts of what it means to be a disciple of Christ and processed them into a visual format. The LifeShapes found throughout the book are easily understood, for the most part, and equally easy to communicate to others. I think this is probably the best method of discipleship that I have seen in my life, and something that would be a great tool for churches and Christians to use in going out and making disciples.

Some chapters were simply incredible. I went back through when I had finished and evaluated the LifeShapes according to the impact that they had on me and how powerfully they were communicated. The book started strong for me, and ended strong for me, with a few chapters in the mix that just didn't deliver.

The one thing that I will have to say is that the book felt neutered to me. Some of the concepts, and the overall nature of the book, feels like it is more provocative and revolutionary in its approach than it comes across as. Knowing a little behind the people and situation surrounding the book, my suspicion is that the publisher had a hand in watering it down to make it more palpable for a greater market.

That being said, Breen and Kallestad do a great job of communicating within the parameters that they are given and there are truly shining moments and concepts that I believe will alter how I step forward from this day forward as a Disciple of Christ and a Disciple Maker.

I'd recommend this book as a good steady read for someone looking for 'something more' from what they perceive the Church should be.

As I've written many times, this blog has seen quite a life and has changed focus several times over it's 5 year history. It began as Emerie's blog when she was born. It changed to a family site when we moved to Oklahoma and then to Nashville. I used to keep a separate blog for my own thoughts, then blogged with other staff through Gladeville Blogs for awhile, and lastly every once in awhile via the Threads Connect blog. I got tired of segmenting my thoughts through several different channels, so at some point I consolidated & TheEdigers.com became a place for family news and Chris' thinking.

It's worked well, but I think I'm ready to branch out again with a separate thought blog, and I need your help!

What should I call my new blog? I'm calling on those of you who know me well to offer your thoughts in coming up with a name/theme that relates well to who I am. Please take a few minutes & offer your two cents as a comment - thanks!

One of my articles is being republished on the Threads website this week. It's called "How to Integrate Story Into Your Young Adult Ministry." Here's an excerpt:

And the story continues…

Each week I get to live my childhood over again - climbing in the van, driving home from church with three young children, and listening to them recount the stories they learned from the Bible that morning. I remember the time in my life when I still found wonder and excitement in the stories of Moses & the plagues, David & Goliath, or Jesus walking on water. Nowadays? I barely flinch reading these passages (many probably for the hundredth, or event thousandth time or more), and I’d probably feel cheated in a way if our pastor decided to teach on such common narratives.

I was raised, in many ways, to see beyond the stories of Scripture. I know them all by heart, but I’ve also been taught the underlying truths and hidden lessons in each of them. Sure it was cool that Jesus fed the 5000, but what He was really trying to teach you and I was that we need to depend on Him in our lives. Walking on water? Don’t take your eyes of Jesus or you’ll begin to ‘sink’ away from Him in your life.

MORE THAN A MANUAL While each of these ‘lessons’ I’m sure are accurate and are things that we would do well to follow, the problem is that by de-storifying (yeah, I made that up) God’s Word we have taken what has been given to us as a Grand Storybook and reduced it to a step-by-step ‘Owners Manual for Life.’ Why’s that a problem? Because we lose a great truth - and one which resonates in the lives of young adults - in the process.

.:: Read the full article here...

I'm feeling guilty. I was on a pretty good tear the last couple of weeks of getting back into the discipline of blogging more regularly. Then the past week hit & I dropped off once more. I've thought of blogging the last few days, but, honestly, didn't feel that I could. Made me reflect a little on the reasons why I go through blogging hiatus at times...

• Better Priorities - There are times in my life that blogging simply doesn't rank up there as one of the top priorities in my life. It might be that my mind is tapped from projects at work, or that I need/want extra time with Andrea or the kids - whatever the reason I sometimes take a break (even unknowingly) because my outlet here simple doesn't fit into the greater picture at that given time. I'm sure my writing, at least in some way, will assume a greater priority at some point in my life, but until my kids get bigger it's probably going to stay where it is.
• More to Say than I Can Write - I go through seasons, both short & long, where there are things of importance happening in my life that I am not at a point to share here. I'm a fairly transparent person, but sometimes there are things going on in my life that I'm not ready to share for one reason or another. When those times come I don't feel like typing about what seem like shallow, 'lesser' things when there are greater things in the background. Eventually most of these come to the light at the appropriate time. A good example was at the end of last year when we knew we were going to moving, but it wasn't public knowledge yet.
• Nothing to Say - It might be that I've tapped my creative juices elsewhere, or I'm simply brain-tired from having to give focus into other things. At times I'm absent because I don't have much to share - doesn't happen often, but it does from time to time :-)

Got an unexpected treat today. This morning Brad Lomenick, the Catalyst director, invited me to come out to the AT&T Classic PGA tournament being held about 5 minutes from the offices at TPC Sugarloaf. Met up with Gabe Lyons, Catalyst friend & founder of The Fermi Project (among many other things). Had a great time, even if we didn't get to see very many big names (limited to Zach Johnson, Greg Norman, & Kenny Perry). It was good getting to know Gabe a little, take in some golf on a beautiful day, and take in some free hospitality food & drink from the Gwinnett Chamber (who gave Catalyst the tickets).

Among the many things that Gabe is/has been a part of, he is co-author of unChristian that came out last year. Great book & resource if you haven't checked it out yet. Here is a clip about the book from Gabe/CNN last year:

More from The Passionate Church:

Prayer was as fundamental an element in the life of Jesus as breathing. He inhaled his Father's presence so he could exhale his Father's will.

Today's unchurched are not so much rejecting Christ as they are suspicious of Christians. Churches that practice the presence of God have great appeal to a generation that is hungrier than ever to know and be known by a God worthy of reverence.

Many faith communities have become little more than gatherings of isolated individuals.

The affirming message of the Gospel is that God wants to aid and guide us in the struggle to be human and invites us into a relationship with Him. The Bible also teaches us that we find ourselves and true fulfillment not in isolation, not even as we engage with one another, but rather when we relate to God through one another.

One of the most obvious areas of seismic cultural change is in outreach. In the past nonbelievers clearly identified the church as the place to go for answers to spiritual questions. Many of our current models of evangelism are still based on that premise. Unfortunately, many of these methods are still navigating by landmarks that are no longer there: a shared moral code, childhood exposure to church, a common spiritual language. We continue to offer answers to questions that most unchurched people are no longer asking.

The idea of evangelism frightens many Christians. They rarely see outreach modeled in a way that they feel capable of doing. That is why their evangelistic efforts are usually confined to bringing a friend or colleague to church in hopes that you will share the Gospel with them.

A true leader looks like a sheep from the front and a shepherd from behind.

Kevin Carroll, former athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers and Nike executive, was one of the speakers at a recent simulcast event that GiANT put on. I grabbed his book, The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, while at the event & spent a couple of days this week reading through it. It's a very unique book in how it is presented and reminds you of, as Newsweek calls it, "...an adult's version of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! - a pocket-size guide to finding your way in life."

"Take what you love to do and find a way to make money at it." This is one of those modern-day staples of career wisdom that I have even found myself doling out to those behind me, just getting ready to start out in their careers. Kevin Carroll takes this wisdom a step further by outlining several 'rules' that will help you do just that.

There's nothing really profound in this little book (it's literally about 6"x4") - at least nothing that isn't either something we've all heard before or is common sense. But, as with all good writers, Carroll presents it in a way that brings freshness (and fun) and encourages you in a way that you feel you could step right into the suggestions he makes.

The "Red Rubber Ball," according to Carroll is the life work that brings you joy, enthralls you, inspires you, that you dream about, etc. It's our 'sweet spot' in life.

Here's the seven "rules of the red rubber ball" in quick format:

1. Commit To It - Following your Red Rubber Ball requires us to give all of ourselves to the pursuit
2. Seek Out Encouragers - Sustaining your life work cannot be done alone
3. Work Out Your Creative Muscles - The paths on your pursuit aren't always obvious or easy; creativity is required
4. Prepare to Shine - Each day is an opportunity live out your life's work; look for the defining moments
5. Speak Up - Never accept the boundaries imposed on you; sometimes you must alter the course when necessary
6. Expect the Unexpected - Be aware of & embrace the things that, no matter how unlikely, reinforce the pursuit you are on
7. Maximize the Day - Pursuit must become your daily routine

Rules of the Red Rubber Ball is one of those books that is good to keep on your desk, or your nightstand, or in a place that you will see it each day as a reminder of what you are pursuing in life. It is fun (probably the most unique looking book I have read since I was a kid), and a good, short read - it took me two nights to read before falling asleep in bed; it will likely take you about 30-45 minutes to get through.

Our baby girl is growing up! This week she officially graduated from preschool and will be attending the same school as the boys in the fall. Hard to believe she is getting this old :-(

I've uploaded photos from her big day onto our Flickr space ("Emerie's Preschool Graduation") and put together a video from the ceremony as well:


Emerie - Preschool Graduation from Chris Ediger on Vimeo.

More from The Passionate Church:

We are to work from our rest, not rest from our work.

Growth is not the same thing as bearing fruit... Growth must happen before fruit is produced. And growth comes from knowing how to abide. (John 15)

Pruning is not the fun part of life. We seldom see churches displaying banners advertising "40 Days of Pruning," or small groups practicing "Pruning Yourself to a Better Life." But if a grapevine is not pruned regularly, the branches grow spindly and weak. There is no abiding time when they gain their strength for the growing season.

We need to have times of pruning in our churches, times when most, if not all, activity ceases. Times of rest and abiding.

I can't remember the last time I consumed a book the way I have The Shack. I can't remember what day I began it - I know it was late last week. Now here I sit, less than a week later, having finished the last page tonight. I can sum up my feelings in one word: amazing.

The book is simply unlike most other books out there. It isn't simply a good story. Neither is it a book of theology. It is experience woven throughout an allegory that helps paint God in colors that most of us haven't taken the time to view Him. It is something that my first time through I flew through the pages, and which the next time I read it will likely crawl through its words.

The format and nature of the book reminded me a lot of Brian McClaren's A New Kind of Christian. That book came out in 2001 and I encountered it at a time in my life that was in a state of change. It helped open my eyes to a greater view of Who God is beyond the box that I had placed Him in my life up until that point. It had the same allegorical vibe as The Shack and left me having a hard time putting it down just like this one.

I don't feel like I can go into much detail, or maybe I just don't want to because I simply don't want to spoil the experience for anyone else wanting to read it for themselves. I will draw from one thing that the writer, William P. Young (or Paul Young) said a little over a month ago. Our Catalyst Vanagon (check it out at catalystroadtrip.com) made a stop to see the author when he was in Atlanta for a book signing. Young will be one of the main platform speakers at Catalyst this coming October, so they took a few minutes to ask the author some questions. You can watch one of the videos below. Go here to view both of them on the Road Trip blog.

Here is my favorite quote from the video that really hits where I am at at this moment in my life and reflects some of what God is speaking into my heart these days...

"My process and my Shack took me 11 years, and I moved it down to just a weekend for Mackenzie. I squeezed that process down. And I'm just trying to communicate to my kids... that it took me 50 years to come to love this God, and it was such a process of struggle with me because I had to unlearn so many things. And I want to save them 40 years - my kids are so far down the road from where I was, and I'm so grateful for that. But I wanted them to have a big picture so that they can understand where to put all the pieces, where to put the different pieces, of the puzzle pieces, that people give them - truth puzzle pieces. But now they have some place they can put it and they can be in love with this God that I'm in love with, Who pursues us the way He does."

Ernie Johnson & Paul Young from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Viewed this great video that LifeWay Student Ministry (the guys I first worked with when we moved to Nashville), posted via the new Student Ministry Internet Producer (my first post at LifeWay) on Facebook. Good stuff:

Good stuff from reading The Passionate Church today:

"'The Kingdom of God is near' literally means that if you reach in the right direction, your hand will disappear through the curtain of this world and reappear in the reality of the next world. There is a portal in time that we can't see, and the in-breaking of God's presence is about to take place."

"Repenting will not by itself bring about change. Repentance is only the first part of the circle. Stopping after we repent only invites the experience to return and makes it harder to repent the next time."

"'My faith is personal' is a favorite. But that is a self-contradicting statement. Faith is always acted out, never kept bottled up within."

Sitting here watching my Sunday ritual HD concert/music shows, current view: Crossroads on CMT. Been a fan of this series for awhile. Basically they take a rock artist & a country artist, get them together, and they cover/duet on each other's songs.

The show itself really isn't much of a surprise. There are enough 'crossover' artists (funny how that term used to be used for Christian artists who crossed to the 'other side', aka 'secular world' - different discussion for a different day) out there - both country artists who find success in the pop/rock arena (Taylor Swift), and pop/rock artists who do so vice versa (Jewel).

What is amazing, however, is how well they match up artists. I have yet to watch a Crossroads that I didn't love, with artists that don't go well together. Today's installment is Maroon 5 & Sara Evans - isn't disappointing. That's the key to this thing working - being good at matching people up who work well, & compliment each other. Seems a good concept that carries across other areas of life, huh?

Emerie - Happy 5th Birthday from Chris Ediger on Vimeo.

Had a great time this morning with Emerie's "Princess Barbie" birthday party. She had 8 girls from her preschool come and Kate, the youngest daughter of our friends Jeremie & Kelly. The girls played "Pin the Kiss on the Frog," had a special scavanger hunt started by a note & personal clues left by Barbie herself on our doorstop, and they got to decorate their own crowns. Andrea served strawberries & grapes and little 'princess-y' sandwiches with pink lemonade before we sang & cut into Emerie's castle birthday cake that Andrea made.

I've posted a photoset on Flickr with the pics here: Emerie's "Princess Barbie" Party

I've also got a short video of us singing "Happy Birthday" to Emerie with her blowing the candles out. It's taking awhile to make it onto our Vimeo space, for some reason. I'll post it a little later tonight here.

Lost use of the flat panel monitor in my office one day this last week. Not a huge ordeal as we have unused monitors at the office that I could plug in & use, and I always have my Mac opened up, so I can always just use the built-in screen exclusively. The problem is that I didn't realize how spoiled I really was with two monitors. I've had this set-up for the last three and a half years beginning while I was at LifeWay. Dell flat-panel monitor turned vertically (works great when you're working on/designing websites a lot) with my laptop propped up next to it using the built-in screen as a secondary workspace.

So, it goes down, and I proceed to spend the next hour and a half trying to get it to work right, thinking in the back of my mind how I'm going to have to A) Purchase the AppleCare plan for my MacBook Pro (which I didn't do when the company bought it in January), and then take it down to the local Apple Store to get fixed - perhaps being without it for a day or two.

I wound up downloading a firmware update that got things working again. It was only when things were working smoothly once more, and I felt a sense of calmness come back over me, that I realized just how pathetic I am.

Started my next set of books this week. The first is The Passionate Church by Mike Breen & Walt Kallestad. It is a book that I've been wanting to read for awhile and that some work I'm doing now at GiANT has provided the perfect opportunity to start. Here's the basic premise of the book from the back cover:

Jesus led and lived with a passion that changed the world. Today, across America and around the world, church leaders and believers - in numbers too high to count - are desperate to experience that passion.

- Pastors ache to see church members become true disciples and to see congregations become communities reflecting the love and life of Jesus.

- Believers yearn to be closer to Jesus, to have a faith that transforms every aspect of their lives

- Non-Believers hunger to experience a faith that is real

To fulfill each of these longings, The Passionate Church offers eight simple-yet-profound truths that help believers fully understand what it means to be a true follower, and by using easy to recall shapes (called LifeShapes), they'll learn to apply those truths to every situation and relationship in their lives!

Best quote so far...

God has chosen people - not plans or programs - to spread his message. Yet somehow most of our attention and energy has shifted from making disciples to buildings and budgets. We ask our members to spend their time serving as ushers, nursery workers, and committee sitters. When told that Jesus' command is to go and make disciples, we are all too tired from raising money to meet the budget and organizing Wednesday night dinners to fulfill His commission. We have made church a business, and that has distracted us from our real call.

The other book I've begun is The Shack by William P. Young. This book came out about a year ago, but I hadn't heard of it until I arrived in Atlanta. All of a sudden it seemed like everyone we were talking to was talking about The Shack! Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, says "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" did for his. It's that good!" Not sure how much higher endorsement you can grab than that!

From what I can tell it serves as an allegory of sorts wrapped in a novel. Here's the back cover:

Mackenzie Allen Phillips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for the weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

Just finished uploading pictures from Emerie's birthday celebration today. We had a great time. Andrea made Emerie a big cookie & decorated it for her to take to preschool. After school was out the two of them went to the American Girl school so she could pick out a doll from mom & dad. Then it we picked up Italian take out (because she wanted spaghetti & meatballs for her birthday dinner) and then proceeded to let her open her presents. All in all it was a great day. Saturday will be her Barbie Princess birthday party (with 10 of the girls from her preschool). I'll post some updated pics after the official party, but here are the photos from today's festivities:

• Emerie's 5th Birthday

Yesterday I began writing about my impressions of my latest read, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality by Dr. Henry Cloud. Today I'll try and finish up what impacted me through this great book. Honestly, I've got so many pages of notes that I could probably spend several days unpacking what I took away from reading it. Instead, I'll try and hit some of the highlights.

Cloud spends the last portion of the book talking about what a person of integrity, one who is in touch with reality, looks like. He talks about that people of integrity don't merely know & acknowledge the truth/the reality around them - they actively seek it out. This may be couples who spend time investing in their partner's life by getting to know them better & better. It may be an employee who seeks out advice and feedback from peers. The reason they are so eager to know reality & the truth is because they know that they, themselves, have somewhat tainted glasses through which they see themselves & the world around them. Only by receiving truth back from others can they themselves have a greater sense of reality is, about their own lives and about what goes on around them.

Every human has faults, weaknesses, delusions, distortions, emotions that are not totally mature, lapses in judgment, and many other things that can cause problems. ... When we can see ourselves and what we are doing, we can always do something about it. But, not until. The observing ego is one of the big keys to making anything work. ...

Those who do well have an ability to "neutralize" hard truth, making it not overwhelming, but something to be looked at without all of the awful and terrible emotion that goes along with it.

Another factor of people with integrity is that they finish well. I love Cloud's quotes here: "All things being equal, character wins." And "People do well when they do what they do well and stay away from what they do poorly." Now, that sounds really simplistic, but, unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who are simply not living it. They spend a great deal of time & energy on things that they are not good at, and then feel frustrated because they no longer have time to do what they are good at & truly enjoy. This may be in a relationship, like a marriage or a friendship, or in a job.

Humility is not self-depracating, but real and honest. When someone is who he or she really is and does not act as if he or she is more than he is, that is not arrogance, but secure identity.

The person of integrity has the ability to "keep going" - to push through obstacles, to never quit. Or, as he puts it, "Somehow finds a way." Those are the people who are successful in what they do. They cut their losses and move on.

One last thing (and believe me, there are more pages & thoughts - just couldn't stand the thought of putting this into one more day)...

Cloud talks about the fact that people of integrity do look back after they've moved on. They learn from where they (and others) have been. He likens it to how our body metabolizes food. He says we 'metabolize experience.' In other words, we take it in, we break it down into what is usable & what is not. Then we take the good & keep it to build new things - what is not usable we eliminate.

It's looking back upon the things that we succeeded in, and look to our experience at how we contributed to that 'victory' in our life. It's also looking back upon the things we failed in, so that we can learn from the losses as well.

Again, I'd highly recommend this book. Read it and then email me. I'd love to have a phone conversation, or, if you're close by, sit down over coffee one day to hear how it impacted your life.

I finished Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality at the end of last week. Great book! I'm going to have to go back and re-read it in the near future so that I can digest it more, but this is going to be on my highly recommended book list for years to come.

As promised, I thought I'd share some of my insights and impressions from the book.

First off, it's important to get the idea of integrity that almost all of us have out of the way first, just as Cloud does in the book. Integrity is not merely a moral stance, the choosing of 'right' over 'wrong.' While that is certainly a portion of what integrity is, it involves much more than that. Integrity/character is more than simply a moral safeguard against 'getting into trouble.' Is incorporates who a person is, not just what he/she does.

Cloud talks about the 'wake' that every individual leaves behind them as they move through their life, family, relationships & career. It's not a question of whether or not we are impacting people, it is a question of how. As Cloud puts it...

When you move through life, through your company or organization, through your career, and through your relationships, your character is going to be a "force." The question is, "What kind of force is it going to be?"

When someone has a wholeness of character (a much better definition of integrity), they will leave people and jobs better than when they found them because of the kind of person they are. People of integrity, fundamentally, are involved in the "other." They have the ability to experience and empathize with what those around them are experiencing, and the ability to build into the lives of others.

The human heart will seek to be known, understood, and connected with above all else. If you do not connect, the ones you care about will find someone who will. ...

Connecting with others in a way that makes them feel understood and valued is key to life and the basis of building trust and loyalty. From that base, everything else works.

That value and worth builds trust in the lives of those around the individual. To trust inherently means to be careless/carefree. Those with integrity of people of grace who show 'unmerited favor' to others. They also build trust through their own vulnerability.

For trust to work, there is a tricky power component. Think about it for a second. How much do you trust someone who is powerless? or a wimp?

But, on the other hand, if people are so strong that they are impenetrable in some way, or even so much stronger than we are, there is too much of a gap to bridge between the hearts. We can't identify with them enough to think they will understand us.

Not enough power, and we can't entrust things of value to the person. Too much power, and we can't feel that they could ever understand or relate to our own vulnerability.

Another concept of integrity that Cloud addresses in the book is that having integrity means that we are about to see and be in touch with reality. Of course we'd all think of the concept of honesty and truthfulness with someone who is supposed to have integrity. Equally as important, though, is that we are able to grasp the way things really are - not to be skewed by either what we want to be reality, or what we hope to be reality.

Telling the truth is foundational, but not enough for success in love and life. ...

For us to get real results in the real world, we must be in touch with what is, not what we wish things were or think things should be or are led by others to believe they are. The only thing that is going to be real in the end is what is. ...

Reality 201 and higher is for those who are honest. They have the foundation and do not lie. But, they also have other character aspects to who they are that keep them from having blind spots way past lying.

Tomorrow I'll finish my thoughts on the book by talking about what people who are in touch with reality look like.

Had a friend send me this link the other day. Really cool. The guy is a great artist who has created a new monster out of ink blots every day for the last 200 days. What's amazing to me is how he has created a profitable web site from all of it. Cool to watch...

Been in all-day meetings the last two days. Not fun. Don't get me wrong - lot of good insight & ideas gained that wouldn't have been otherwise. I just don't think I'm a meeting kind of guy.

Looking forward to being back in the office (with minimal meetings) tomorrow and ending the day feeling like I'm getting some things accomplished.

For now it is catching up on some emails, Facebook activity, & the like before eating dinner with the fam and then sitting down to watch the Idol.

Didn't get a chance to sleep in as much as I normally would on a weekend. Kids were up early & playing around downstairs, so I went ahead & got up with them. Ate some cereal, wondered at how in the world the Hawks beat the Celtics yet again, and then sat down with my coffee to peruse some of my favorite Internet stops (something I don't get much time to do anymore). Somehow I got onto the ESPN Widget Center and click through page after page of interactive content that they have enabled people to pull and post onto their own websites, Facebook profiles, and the like. Really cool stuff and worth a look if you're a sports fan.

Something got triggered in my brain and I looked back through my Delicious bookmarks to find a site that a friend of mine told me about several months ago. It's called Sprout and it basically allows you go build interactive, high-quality widgets for free. Here's a quick intro from their homepage:

Sprout is the quick and easy way for anyone to build, publish, and manage widgets, mini-sites, mashups, banners and more. Any size, any number of pages. Include video, audio, images and newsfeeds and choose from dozens of pre-built components and web services.

You can embed your sprouts on any Website or leading social media sites, include MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Friendster, Blogger, Typepad and more.

It's incredibly easy & a lot of fun to play around with! In about an hour I had a Catalyst Sprout built - you can see it (for now at least) about halfway down in the right side column on the homepage of this site. One really cool feature is that once the sprout has been placed onto a webpage, it is automatically updated whenever you update the Sprout. Great way to get your content out & about on the web and still maintain control over what it looks like/feels like/acts like.

I'm sure I'll play around with it some more when I have a chance. For now the sprout allows you to catch the latest Catalyst blog posts, articles & videos and publish them on your own site!

I set it up to fit into the sidebar here, but if you'd like to see another size just let me know. It's pretty easy to resize things & I'd be happy to shoot you one that fits better on your site.