Why not Wednesday? Expanding the mission in hard times…

· 1 Comment ·

For success to happen God needs to show up. But the vessels that carry God’s presence is people. In challenging times we can focus on what we lack, or we can embrace constraints by being creative. In being creative you need to get back to basics. The key for expanding the mission is people.

The Y factor
Early on in my ministry I attended “The Leadership Summit” put on by Willow Creek. Bill Hybels discussed what he called “The Y Factor.” You can read about it here. In dealing with a resource crunch, a member on his team wrote X (paid staff) + Y (volunteers) = Z (bearing fruit). Their focus was to double Y.

Y>X= expanding the mission
Expanding on that idea, the Y factor should be exponential. Truthfully, our “volunteers” support the church, serve in it, and more importantly, they’re the missionaries in all parts of our community. The church reaches its missions best when Y (volunteer staff) is greater than X (paid staff). Paid staff is important and vital- think of them as the coaching and support teams. But, paid staff are not the players- that’s the members. The better our members are equipped and mobilized, the greater our ministry impact.

Church is family
Pastor Mark Driscoll describes church as family. Church is extended family. You can hear him describe this here. There are no consumers in church. (At least, there shouldn’t be.) There are two kinds of people: family and guests. One of the marks of being in the Spirit is hospitality. One of the marks of being dialed into God is love. We’re family, and we should be an inviting one.

Free people up to serve
I blogged about a conversation I had with Pastor Pasma, found here. In that conversation he walked me through significant ministries that developed at the church I grew up in- powered by the people. He invested much time in the conversation talking about how to free people up to serve. “Staff to meet essentials… work to free people to serve.” Pastor pointedly stated how the people serving in the church is the truest mark of health and growth.

The Bottom line:
The church is people. The church success rests on people. Church growth is about people. While in hard, difficult or crazy times, the solution is your people. God’s power is evident in three things: Prayer. Bible. People. Loving God gives us a foundation for expanding the mission. Loving people gives us the means to make it happen.

Are we asking the right questions?

· Leave a comment ·

This TED talk raises some interesting questions to think through. A mentor of mine said: “If you ask the wrong questions you’re likely to come to the wrong conclusions.” Agree or disagree, the video gives us some things to thing through. A big one is: Are we counting the right things?

1st Anniversary of twoznek.com: What I love…

· 1 Comment ·

It’s hard to believe that this blog project is a year old now! The best advice on blogging: write what you’re passionate about. One area I infrequently mention is a huge passion of mine: Kelly. The Bible guides us to live with our wife in an understanding way. I respect her wish to stay out of the lime light, and will probably get an eye roll for writing this. So, on the one year anniversary of this blog, here is a glimpse into the love of my life.

Joy
Kelly brings lavish amounts of joy into our house. She helps us boyz enjoy the little things, love each other and play. There is no greater gift a wife can bring than joy. Life in the Woznek house, both in good and challenging times, is a delight from the radiance she brings.

Elegance
There is a charm and refinement to our family because of my love. From incredibly detailed birthday cakes and cards, to graceful Thomas track layouts and “You’re not wearing that are you?” Kelly makes us boyz look good and she delights in it. Her quiet spirit lacks no playfulness. In her innocence, don’t think she didn’t play the prank on you. Kelly makes even the simplest things seem like art.

Hugs
I love holding Kelly. I love watching her hold our boyz. I love times we sit by the fire, or on the couch reading. I love lazy days off when we’re all in our PJ’s cuddling together and laughing. I love the warmth Kelly brings by just being in the room. The softness of her voice, the melody of her laugh and just her presence is unlike anything on Earth.

The bottom line:
I’m head over heels in love with Kelly! God was gracious for allowing me to be with her. This is just a glimpse. Her love of God, her faith, her courage, her dreams, her entire life I adore. She embodies learning and living. Kelly makes life a dream come true.

Why not Wednesday? Family life

· Leave a comment ·

Some of the best ideas and clarity of ideas comes from family life. Abnormally, let me give the bottom line on top.

The bottom line:
Don’t get so busy and distracted that you cannot hear and listen to your family. You might just miss something.

Night time prayers
I put my boyz down to bed. We wrestle, read, share Schnickle Fritz stories. They realize bed time is for real when we pray. Setting them down I perform the most important duty of a dad: just listen. These times can be funny to epic proportions (stalling tactic I think) or incredible serious. They’re the best times. Here is why…

Toy churches
Jadon, my oldest, pulls his nana (blanket) from his face, turns his chin ever so slightly and squints. He’s curious and about to ask a question. (I didn’t think I was quirky until I had kids.)

Jadon: Daddy, why aren’t there toy churches?
Daddy: Because the church is people.
Jadon: What kind?
Daddy: Church is people who follow Jesus.
Jadon: Jesus loves me!

Reminders are creative lessons
His response was pretty cool. I would have sung that song for him, but my boyz made it clear that singing is off-limits for me. Last night brought clarity. Other times brought creativity. Family life is a huge resource. Here is the creative reminders Jadon gave me:

  • Church isn’t some game, it’s a real important thing.
  • Church is people who follow (active verb) Jesus.
  • Church is also about loving and serving people, even if they can do nothing in return, like children.

Celebrating our story…

· Leave a comment ·

I love this video that Coram Deo Church put together for Easter. It briefly tells the story of who Christ is and what Church is about… Easter is the Superbowl of history… We should celebrate it, share it, and keep it fresh in our souls. Enjoy.

 

Manic Monday: Good people need the Gospel too

· Leave a comment ·

God puts everyone on a level playing field. Even if life is good and everything is in order, there is still need of the Cross. The Sunday sermon is something we should ponder throughout the week. This Sunday’s sermon grabbed my attention. We often forget about the moral person.

As Jon talked about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, men who had it all together, I remembered a time in college. I was talking with a gentlemen about mankind’s condition. The often used phrase “religion  is a crutch” and “man is morally good or neutral” were used. He claimed to be an atheist or perhaps an agnostic. Chance would have it that the movie we picked was Sphere…

Given my class in the Book of Romans, I wanted to hear his insights to Romans 1 and 2. In church we often focus on Romans 1, but we forget about chapter 2. In discussing human depravity we focus on how bad man can be and forget our man can be relatively good. Paul deals with the moral person. Moral people who do good by following “the law of God as it is written on their hearts.” Even given their moral code, they fail to measure up even to their own standard. After discussing our views on man, we watch his beloved movie.

The movie Sphere brings out the nature of man in Romans 2. Here a perfect object- the sphere- brings out the worse of the characters. Their conclusion was man wasn’t good enough to posses the sphere. Man was depraved according to the movie. When it ended there was that awkward silence right after. I did not pounce, and he said there was more to think about. We agreed, even good people have faults. We enjoyed the discussion and it brought more depth to watching the movie. A seed was planted.

Romans 1 talks about the highly sinful man, Romans 2 the moral man and Romans 3 the religious man. All three need the Gospel. Back to the sermon… Jesus related to the moral and the religious. He talked with Nicodemus, even if it was on the down low. Part of mission and being compassionate is meeting people where they’re at. While Jesus came for the sick and the needy (those who need the infamous “crutch”) He did not neglect the good people too. Jesus knew this simple truth: We don’t need a crutch or a good moral code, we need a savior.

(especially on Monday)

Lynx & Stuff

· 2 Comments ·

Interesting links or things that stood out… Note a link do not mean I fully agree….

I’ve been asked a few times why I post graphic arts or design advice. There are two key reasons 1) I like it. 2) Design really is a language in our culture. Often ministries lack of design knowledge can lead to distraction. (We’ve all seen power point slides that make us cringe.) Ministry leaders generally do not have education is design, but having an awareness will help them listen to those whom God equipped in that area.

Design stuff related to education. Often have carryover to ministry settings:
http://studioedesign.com/

Open Source for ministry? Church data management solution
http://tonymorganlive.com/2011/03/24/the-advantage-of-open-source/

Where to find some of the best leaders. Ron’s posts are short, sweet and potent. Good blog to follow. It also frames things in a way to discuss and think through.
http://www.ronedmondson.com/2011/03/some-of-the-best-leaders.html

How to choose a typeface
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/03/24/how-to-choose-a-typeface/

Clarification on what Pastor John Piper means by Christian Hedonism
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/what-is-christian-hedonism

PETA push for Bible translation change. HILARIOUS! (well, maybe)
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/23/peta-dont-call-animals-it-in-the-bible/

‘Ask Elizabeth’ Good advice, bad, indifferent? Interesting thoughts
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/03/22/the-surprising-story-behind-elizabeth-berkleys-new-book-ask-elizabeth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+entertainmentweekly%2Fshelf-life+%28Entertainment+Weekly%2FEW.com%27s%3A+Shelf+Life%29&utm_content=Twitter

Facebook advice for your ‘brand’
http://mashable.com/2011/03/22/tips-brand-facebook-page/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_content=Twitter

Combining color advice
http://www.39articles.net/understanding-color-combinations-to-make-unique-design/

Perespective

· Leave a comment ·

1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable .
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness.
7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful ; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power ;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.
Psalm 145 NASB

The elephant in the room: People die

· 1 Comment ·

Discussions revolving around Pastor Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins” are interesting to follow. (If you’re looking for a critique of the book or its critics, sorry, not what this post is about.) Watching conversations both for and against the book, I’m noticing a trend. It seems in this discussions on the character of God, heaven and hell, we are missing something significant. People die.

The Garden
God said in the day that you eat the fruit you shall surely die. The plight of man because  of the first Adam is death. That narrative carries throughout Scripture. In all discussion on the after life, the key is the word after. Where did death come from? Is death a natural state or divine judgment?

The Cross
Jesus died. Jesus was separated from the father. Given that they’re eternal beings the time may be short, but given that the God-head is not bound by time, it would seem such pain would be an eternity in and of itself. Regardless, Jesus died. He rose again on the third day. Again the question is: what’s the deal with people having to die, Jesus included?

Pain, Suffering & The Problem of Evil
This issue is the most perplexing. Frankly, I think it is harder to wrap my mind around than the Trinity. Given all the efforts of mankind, we still struggle this issue. Perhaps this is why human nature is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of God. Either way, this discussion is a deep and heavy one and at its core is the fact that people die and we try to run from that,

The bottom line:
The discussion seems to avoid the reality that people die. In reading and listening to all sides of the discussion, it seems we’re dancing around the elephant in the room. We die, why is that? Perhaps that issue needs to be addressed first and would give clarity to the after life discussion. Are we assuming we have the answer to that question? We proclaim that death is not the end of the story, but it is a very significant part of it. Why is there death and suffering in the first place?

Manic Monday: Coffee Woes…

· Leave a comment ·

Switching between coffee blends can be a traumatic experience. Recently Kelly and I enjoyed Starbucks 40th Anniversary blend. Great stuff! This week we had to switch to a normal non Starbucks blend we drink. It tastes weaker and not as robust as the previous blend. It lacked the spice, kick and sheer joy of the previous blend. Sigh.

In coffee there are extraordinarily blends, horrid blends and normal blends. Each should be enjoyed for what they are. Yes, I said and mean we should enjoy our horrid blends.

The horrid let’s you know that you still have taste. It tests your character and values. Are you focused on what’s most important? Horrid blends let you better appreciate the better, but also help you cling to what is most important.

The extraordinary blends let you still be surprised and delighted by coffee. We often view average as evil, but I think that is a poor view of average. You cannot reproduce the extraordinary or it wouldn’t be what it is. But, to enjoy the extraordinary takes practice, discernment and readiness for when it happens. It takes being a student of coffee. Are you well trained in the art of coffee so you can be ready and fully able to enjoy the extraordinary?

The bulk of life is the ordinary. Average normal ordinary blends move life. Meeting expectations is a good thing. You know what you are getting. What you are getting is a let down compared to the extraordinary. However, in the ordinary is contentment and enjoying the gift of coffee that God gave us. Ordinary is about enjoying the little things in life. It’s about enjoying coffee as coffee.

Here is to my ordinary blend! Enjoy your coffee!

(especially on Monday)