Leadership…

This past week we celebrated the life of my 95-year-old grandmother. Her passing provided an opportunity for me to reflect on many memories.

One of my favorites happened at least thirty years ago in Eagle Grove, IA. Mom, Dad, and four kids squeezed into the family car for the four-hour drive. This gave us plenty of time to plan out our grand entrance.

We would sneak in the back door, tiptoe up the stairs and then SURPRISE grandma in the kitchen. When we arrived, the back door was open. Without a peep, we made it into the basement and paused for a moment to relish the completion of stage one.

Our oldest sibling and fearless leader moved ahead with military-like skills peering around the corners and starting up the steps. In the distance, we could hear the sink running and the sound of cupboard doors closing.

Feeling like we were going to burst, we held it in and forged ahead. Upon arrival to the main floor, we flattened ourselves up against the wall and then….at an ideal moment…emerged in the kitchen to see Grandma, facing away from us with a pot in one hand and a towel in the other.

SURPRISE!!!!

Grandma let out a howl and let go of the pot.

Mission accomplished!

Grandma loved seeing her grandkids. And not just our immediate family who had surprised her, grandma loved each of her grandkids. She was always kind and loving and generous to anyone who crossed her path.

As a result, over the course of her lifetime, she cared for and impacted hundreds of people. I don’t think she ever spoke harshly or attempted to manipulate. However, for the time I knew her, she not only loved people of all ages and backgrounds, she literally influenced them to be better followers of Jesus.

This Sunday, we return to our study of First Peter with a sermon from 1 Peter 5:1-4 on the topic of leadership. As leaders, we are told to guard, guide and provide like a good shepherd…and really, like my grandmother. I look forward to sharing much more on the topic of leadership. I hope to see you at either 9:00 or 10:45 am on Sunday.

Have a great day,

Troy

Run Troy, Run…

I am a runner.

And actually a pretty sorry one at that…

In a good week, I will get out 1-2x per week. Here is what this looks like…I will receive a text from a friend and running partner the night before. I will wait for a few hours to make sure there isn’t a good reason to decline. I will set my alarm for zero dark thirty and go to bed mentally preparing myself for what lies ahead.

My alarm will shake me out of my sleep and I will roll out of bed, put on some running clothes, fill my water bottle and walk out the door to meet for the run.

I will stretch and complain about the fact that I don’t run enough. Then we will take off…

During mile number one my body is angry with me…similar to how you feel when a mosquito is buzzing in your ear. My joints will be testy and my lungs will tighten up.

By mile number two, my body starts to warm up and get used to the idea that I am pushing it to move far outside of its comfort zone.

Heading into mile number three, my mind begins to provide reasons to stop…just for a little while…maybe even walk a few blocks.

I resist.

The battle rages on…this past Wednesday I was faced with plenty of options. My knees hurt, my lungs were about to burst, my muscles were sore and my legs felt like lead weights.

The only way to continue on was to envision the end of the run. I kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other and shortly, I would reach the end.

I did finally push my out of shape body to the end and for the rest of the day, felt great about finishing.

My lungs felt better, my muscles were sore in a good way and mentally I would say I was more alert. If you are a runner you might relate…

This Sunday, we are going to talk about a race from Hebrews 12:1-2. Simply stated, the writer of Hebrews compares our Christian life to a race that we must run.

Within our Scripture, we are given three motivations to keep running. So, if you have been feeling pain or have questioned your faith recently, I think this will be a great Sunday to come to church. You are welcome at either 9:00 am or 10:45 am.

Hope to see you soon,

Troy

Hope…

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to join a few friends and attend a luncheon for pastors introducing Faith and Family Day at the K for 2018. There were a few hundred pastors who met at Kauffman Stadium for some good food and instructions about the event.

However, the reason I have faithfully attended this luncheon for the past several years is Dayton Moore, the GM for the KC Royals makes an appearance to talk about Faith and Family Day.

This is significant for several reasons. Dayton Moore has an incredibly strong and courageous faith in God. Listening to him share about some of the ways he has had to practice his faith was inspiring to say the least.

Dayton Moore is also an incredible leader. He has a clear vision for the Baseball team and is confident in the path he has chosen to fulfill the vision.

But I think the best part of the luncheon is hearing people ask him questions about anything ranging from specific ways he shares his faith to questions about the team. Someone even asked if we were planning to keep Moose or trade him.

He told us not to tell….J/K.

There is something exciting about the beginning of the baseball season. Every Major League Baseball team will have 168 regular season games and then the top ten will make the playoffs.

Each team begins with the hope that they will be the next World Series Champion. Imagine what it would be like if you could look ahead and know that your team was going to win. Imagine how it would affect those days when you lose a close game in the final innings. It would be painful, but you would still have confidence that in spite of the loss you would still win the season.

The death and resurrection provide us hope and confidence that in the end, those who are followers of Jesus will emerge victoriously. Jesus has conquered death and shares the victory with each of His followers.

This Sunday, Pastor James will continue our sermon series, “The Cross :: God’s Best with a message from Ephesians 2:11-22 about the fact that beyond the cross, we have been given hope.

The hope we have been given can make the worst days manageable and the greatest tragedies acceptable.

We have so much to celebrate, I hope to see you on Sunday at New Life CityChurch at 9:00 or 10:45 am.

And, Go Royals!
Troy

Forgiveness…

A few days ago I had a “come to Jesus” talk with my boys. I was not happy with the trash they were leaving in the back seat of my car.

Now, this was not the first conversation. Unfortunately, it seems that nearly every time we take a trip, I have to remind them to clean up their mess.

So, a few days ago, as I was gathering my things, and I noticed the growing amount of trash, I began to formulate a plan.

At first, the only person I could get to admit fault was, “not me.” However, after using some interrogation skills, each boy admitted fault. I explained that my expectation from here on was that NOTHING is to be left in the back seat. No wrappers, no jackets, no water bottles…NOTHING.

After going into detail ad nauseum, I finally told them that if they leave anything in my car it will cost them $10 per piece.

How’s that for parenting skill?

Well, I know my boys, and there is a zero percent chance that they will leave the backseat spotless.

Which means I will either make a lot of money charging them $10 per piece or I will need to teach them about forgiveness.

Speaking of forgiveness, this Sunday we continue our sermon series, “Beyond the Cross.” We are studying the lasting effects of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This week, the sermon will be from 1 John 1:1-2:2 about forgiveness.

Like my boys, there is no way we can live up to God’s standard of perfection. In fact, we fail regularly and the only way for us to experience fellowship with God is through forgiveness offered to us by Jesus.

Interestingly enough, the more I learn about God’s forgiveness for me, the easier it is for me to forgive my boys. I may have to see about that $10 fine after all…

Have a great weekend, stay warm and I hope to see you on Sunday, rain, snow or shine :).
Troy