Holy Lent, Batman!

Let it be known in all parts that I, James Lee, will not be practicing self-denial by giving anything up for Lent this year.

There, I said it. I'm not...and I mean it.

I am, in fact, not giving anything up for Lent this year. "Why?" you may ask. Or, actually a more common response would be, "So what." But the "Why," if you were to inquire, is because of the fact that on January 12 of this year, I gave up being a control freak, and ever since, life has been pure hell. That's right, I stood up at our first Celebrate Recovery meeting, walked down front, took that blue chip, said these words, "My name is Jamie and I'm a control freak and perfectionist, and I have to learn to let some things go," and it's been downhill since. Would you like a list of the things that have gone wrong since then and that have begun to teach me, under no uncertain terms, that I never was really in control to begin with?

So, I think I'm done with the self denial stuff for a while. Oh, I'll keep giving up being a control freak, or trying to, but enough is enough. I will, however, continue to encourage my folks to practice some sort of self denial during the holy season of Lent.

Did I just hear someone shout ugly things at me? Things like, "Hypocrite!"... or ... "Take the log out of your own eye before you yell at your neighbor about the splinter in his!" ... or ... "What's good for the goose is good for the gander!" (Honestly, I never really liked that one anyhow)

Ok, let me explain something. I am not observing Lent this year through intentional self denial. I am, however, still maintaining a holy Lent, and I will be doing so by engaging in an activity in which I have not engaged since the days of my childhood. Those were days spent within the blonde brick walls at Lynnville UMC, when this time each year, little plastic banks would suddenly, and mind you, mysteriously appear on all of the Sunday school tables, with little calendars, listing little scriptures, and stuff about shoes or snacks, and books or mail, or any number of other things that could have a 2 or 3 cent price tag associated with them.

This year, instead of giving up sweets, or fast food, or coffee, or exercise, or whatever...I am going to TRY to observe a holy Lent by helping to ease the suffering of children of the Almighty King all around the world, one nickel at a time. Won't you join me?

If you would like information on how you, too, can participate in the Lenten World Hunger Offering, please let me know.

Peace,
Jamie

Copy and paste this link into your browser for a 4 minute video on world hunger... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX4AB6uuIK8

ctrl Z...

"If you keep your homiletical mind on, you will find something every day that will preach." - Rev. Dr. Eugene Gibson

The Rev. Dr. Eugene Gibson was one of my preaching professors in seminary. He pushed me, a lot. At the time I'm not sure I really appreciated it, but I'm a better preacher for being in his class.

Now, that being said, here's what hit me this morning, and I'm going to give props to Doc Gibson for helping me keep my eyes open when these moments happen.

This morning, I got up just like I do every morning, stumbled to the kitchen, kept my eyes closed while I turned on the light, cracked one eye just enough to see the "power" button on my coffee maker, tripped over the cat, and started my day. Coffee...check. Cat fed...check. Breakfast started...check. I do this every morning, and enjoy spoiling my girls by making sure they have a hot breakfast every day before they go to school.

After breakfast was finished, I sat down with my second cup of coffee, checked my email, hit my facebook page to see who might benefit from a dose of sarcasm a'la Lee, and while the girls were getting ready I felt the need to play just one game of Spider Solitaire until it was time to start pushing them out the door.

The cards were dealt, the first moves were made, and then after making one move I realized it was not the best move I could have made, so I hit the drop down menu, clicked "undo" and it was gone...that's when I saw it.

The "it" was sitting beside "undo" on my screen...just a few letters, not even a real word, but there it was..."ctrl Z." It does the same thing as clicking "undo." Now, if you're a spider solitaire officianado, you already knew that. I had never noticed it before. Two little keys on the keyboard, conveniently close together, and all you have to do is push those two buttons together and your last mistake is gone. Pretty cool, eh?

Wouldn't it rock, if in life we could do the same thing? Now, I may be speaking for myself, but I have some things in my life that I would love to see disappear like a poorly planned card move. I've made bad decisions. I've hurt folks. I've wasted opportunities. Knowing there was something I could do to undo those things would rock. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

Enter grace. God's "ctrl Z" plan. Well, ok, so it doesn't actually undo the mistakes, but it provides a way to healing. The fact is that every decision we make bears certain consequences, and though grace leads to forgiveness and healing, the pain that our actions or inactions might have caused remains. It then comes to us to go to those we have hurt, acknowledge our mistake, and ask for forgiveness, even if that one is the Creator God.

The beauty of the "ctrl Z" on the card game is that the mistake was undone, which allowed me to stop, take a look at what I was doing, regroup, and try again...BUT...it still cost me a point. However, it was a chance to begin again...and that's a good thing.

So, the next time you say these words...

"Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"

...and then hear these words...

"Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love for us. In the name of Christ, you are forgiven!"

...you have just experienced "ctrl Z."

May you experience God's grace today, tomorrow, and always.

Peace,
Jamie

And Doc Gibson...Thanks, Bro.

Blue Chip Night...

Hello, my name is Jamie. I'm a firm believer in Jesus Christ, and I suffer from being a control freak and perfectionist...

It sounded stupid the first time I said it. I've been told most of my adult life that I'm a control freak. My kids know I'm a perfectionist about most things, and even my wife has made comments about it over the years. I have laughed it off for years by just saying it was part of my OCD tendencies.

I mean, I knew it was there. I can't walk past a throw rug without straightening it up...not in my house...not in your house...not in Wal-Mart...not in the grocery store. If I step across a rug, I'm going to straighten it up and that's all there is to it. My canned veggies in the cabinet all have the labels facing the same way. I like the remotes in a certain spot. There is a certain level of order that has to be maintained or I wig out, literally. And crowds...don't even get me started.

I didn't really think is was a very big deal until a couple weeks ago. The church that I am blessed to pastor has launched a ministry that I've been wanting to get involved with for years, Celebrate Recovery, and our first meeting was two weeks ago. Celebrate was born at Saddleback Church years ago and has become a world wide source of recovery and healing. We've been planning to launch at Grace for months, preparing, getting ready, lining up volunteers and material and our first meeting was going to be a general introduction kind of thing. No big deal, really. A short worship service was going to be followed by a video and some introductions by the leadership, then it was off to small groups to begin facing our demons...only my demon was a little impatient (Hmm, I wonder where he gets that from.) and decided to hit me during part of the worship service.

It's called "The Chip Service," and basically is a moment of celebration within the worship service. There are different color chips that are handed out to folks who have been free from their demons for different amounts of time, but the most important chip, we were told, was the blue chip. Folks who are on Day One of recovery recieve a blue chip. That means that they have taken the first step in breaking the chains of addiction or finding release from something that has kept them enslaved...but hold on, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The video...that's what really got me thinking. I had not seen it before and was not expecting to be affected like I was. I did expect folks to talk about addictions to drugs and alcohol, and they did. I expected folks to talk about food addictions, and self-esteem issues, so those didn't surprise me. I don't have a problem with any of that. Then it happened...three words scrolled across the screen..."Control freak"..."Perfectionist"...

Those aren't really problems, are they? I mean, honestly, is that something that folks need to be in recovery for? So I like things done a certain way. Big deal. Then I started thinking about all of the times I had yelled at my girls for the messes they left everywhere, and the times I had cussed at my employees years ago for not building something the way I wanted it built, and the times I tried to push my feet through the floor board while Steph was driving. Shall I continue with the list? Or can I just say that I realized that yes, I was a control freak, and yes, it was getting in the way of some of my relationships.

So I stood up, walked up to the front, took the blue chip, and said those words: "My name is Jamie. I'm a firm believer in Jesus Christ, and I'm a control freak." It still almost seems silly, I mean really. It's not a drug or alchohol addiction so it almost seems silly for a grown man to stand up in front of a group of folks and admit that he likes to be in charge, but it has made me more conscious of how I treat folks around me, and I'm beginning to notice the times when I cringe because something is not the way I want it to be.

So it wasn't an instant success story, but hey, it's a start. I still have issues. But admitting there is a problem truly is the first step to healing, and healing comes through Christ, which by the way is the backbone of the Celebrate Recovery program.

That being said, if you're battling your own demons and are ready to find healing, come on out to LaCenter Thursday night. I'll meet you at Grace UMC, right on Hwy 60 at 7:00, and you can let the healing begin.

Peace
Jamie

Mall Dad...

A couple weeks ago I ran across an article by Rick Howerton called, "Three Gifts Every Leader Should Give Their Family for Christmas." Here's a link to the article:

http://www.churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-blogs/157433-rick_howerton_three_gifts_every_pastor_should_give_their_family_for_christmas.html

I already knew what he was going to talk about, and probably knew what he was going to say before he said it...more of my time, yada yada yada...family worship time, yada yada yada, and more of my time doing stuff with the family that didn't revolve around church, yada yada yada. I knew about all of that stuff already, and was doing a pretty fair job with it...so I thought.

Pre-Christmas season, or Advent, is uber-crazy around my place...just like I'm sure it is around yours. This year we also threw an open house at the parsonage into the mix, which I think was the first time we had ever done that, and which I know added to the already uber-craziness.

But...once the gifts had all been wrapped, the menu had been prepared, dinner had been had with Steph's family and with mine...once the lights had been turned off Christmas Eve, after gifts opened Christmas morning, the star had been followed, the babe had been swaddled and adored, and after worship had been led Christmas Day...it was time to crash.

I had planned to leave for a mission trip the day after Christmas like I have done in the past, but this time the weather didn't cooperate and the trip was postponed, which left me asking as I kicked back in my recliner Christmas afternoon..."What am I going to do now?"

I still had vacation days left and that's a good week to burn some of them up, so when we got up Monday morning, I said this to my bride of nearly 19 years: "I'm going to give you something for Christmas that I have never given you before. I'm going to take you and the girls to the mall and shop with them...all...day...long. A whole day of my undivided attention...at...the...mall." Yes, Virginia, there is a crazy man standing there.

We told the girls to gather up their gift cards and Christmas cash (cha-ching), then we all climbed into the 4 door sleigh, and headed to the mall. Had I lost my mind? What the hell was I thinking? It was the day after Christmas, for Pete's sake, and I was taking my brood to the epicenter of commercialism?

The crowds were just as bad as I expected. We actually did get to park on mall property...barely. Lines were long. Stores were packed. But my wife and two daughters had...a...ball (at the mall).

As I watched them, something in me began to change. I actually began to relax (and no, there was no alcohol involved). I noticed that I stopped standing out in the mall as much and actually started going into the stores with them more. I began to smile as I watched my daughters flit from one clothing rack to another, knowing they only had X number of dollars to spend, and that they had to spend it wisely.

I sat down with them and had a soft pretzel and a coke (Have you ever had one of those things? O...M...G...they are good.) I noticed that I began to notice the crowd less, and that my feet weren't hurting as much, and that I wasn't nearly as mad at the other mallers as I thought I'd be.

And then...9 hours, that's right folks, 9 hours later, we loaded back into the Explorer, Steph looked at me and said, "Thank you."

I've given her a lot of stuff for Christmas over the last 23 years, and more than likely, she doesn't remember much of it. I know that I don't. But this year, I gave her more of me.

I think the Lee clan started a new holiday tradition this year. Next year, I'm going to take the whole week after Christmas off. I'm not going to plan on going on a mission trip. I'm not going to go into the office. The band will be practiced up before Christmas...and I'm going to be, once again, a mall dad. It was actually fun.

I noticed something else this Christmas break. When all of my girls went back to school yesterday, I didn't do my happy dance like I used to. I actually hated to see them go back.

May your days of Christmas help you see what is really important. This year mine did.

Peace,
Jamie

Thankfulgiving...

Ok, so I haven't done this since August. I've been a little busy, but now things are becoming more manageable and I may be able to pick up, once again, the Pen of Sarcasm just as King Arthur wielded Excaliber, and start blogging again. I've heard it said of bloggers that never in the history of humankind have people said so much to so few. That's probably true, but oh well.

I've been watching Facebook off and on the last couple days and I have to say, it does my heart good to see all of the folks who are publicly giving thanks for all that they have been given. Obviously, the most common is family. Then comes salvation, and I even saw an "ABC" method for giving thanks for that. Pretty cool, and the list continues: safe travel, the Thanksgiving feast, friends, freedoms, well you get the picture. I'm thankful for all of the thankfulness as well.

Then I'm reminded of this past Tuesday night. Being the new kid on the block in Ballard County, I was asked to speak at the Community Thanksgiving Service. Totally expected that, and I had been planning it for several weeks. I made a rookie preacher mistake, though, and had built the message, basically, around one question.

I made a quick little self-introduction, since it was the first time most of those folks had ever seen me, then moved right into the message. Since it was a Thanksgiving message, what better way to begin than to talk about the holiday, which I did. You know what I mean; the meal, family getting together, the cranberry sauce that goes "Slurp" when it comes out of the can, and then I messed up.

In my family, we have maintained a Norman Rockwell-esque tradition of going around the room and mentioning one thing we are thankful for. I assumed every other family did as well, so I asked the question, "How many of us this Thursday, in the midst of the chaos and cooking, will gather with our family around the Thanksgiving feast and go around the room lifting up one thing we are thankful for?" I thought it a fairly innocent question. I mean, after all the freakin' holiday is called "Thanksgiving."

Crickets chirping....

Not one. Not one hand went up. Well, one did. My wife. But she married into this crazy family so she didn't really have a choice. I was floored. Maybe folks were intimidated by this fairly vocal, really outgoing, new kid. Maybe folks just didn't want to look the fool in front of the rest of the crowd. Maybe I was just being naive. I don't know. But whatever the reason, in that crowd of 150 or 200 people, not one person admitted to gathering with their family and lifting up one thing they were thankful for.

I don't know what to do with that. Admittedly, it totally blew my momentum, but we recovered and a good night was had by all. I have to say, though, the response of the crowd haunts me.

Has Thanksgiving really just become Black Friday Eve, or are we truly still a thankful people? I believe we are. So...I am going to accept that Tuesday night was just a fluke, probably because I got up and scared the hell out of some folk, let this go now and keep doing what I do.

Next year, I'm going to give thanks for TWO things.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with thanksgiving.

Yes We Had a Great Day...

I love Jeff Dunham. Sure, he plays with dolls for a living but the guy is a genius. One of my favorite parts of his act is when Peanut and Jose the Jalepeno are talking about their day:

Jeff: I understand you guys had a good day today?
Peanut: Yes, we had a great day!
Jose: No, we did not.
Peanut: Yes!
Jose: No! We did not haaave a good day.
Peanut: Yes we haaaad a great freakin' day!
Jeff (to Peanut): You were supposed to take him to the spa
Peanut (to Jeff): I took him to the spa!
Jose: He put me in the vegetable steamer!

Sounds like they did not have a great day, well at least one of them anyhow. That skit reminded me of someone I once knew. Fred was 104 years old, I think, when he finally had to stop saying "I woke up on top of the ground, it's a great day!" You could always count on Fred to greet you that way. Even though he might not have been having a great day, from the best I can remember, he always seemed to keep things in perspective, and saw each new day as a gift to be celebrated.

I've been noticing something lately and it's beginning to concern me. I'm not really sure how long I've been watching for this, but it's been a while, and what I've noticed is that folks like Fred are few and far between. Few are the folks who celebrate each new day as the gift it is, and allow that gift to shape their perspective for the entire day. Much greater is the number of folks who wake up and begin their day belly-aching about something, then allow that negativity to spread like the plague to those around them.

Don't believe me? Run through your facebook friend's posts and look at the number of people who seem either unhappy, depressed, or just plain negative. Talk about a buzzkill. After I started noticing the trend on facebook, I began looking for the same in the people I interacted with face to face. Same thing. More people than not seem to be oozing negativity.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a realist and I know that things are tough all over...but really? Also, I'm not an anthropologist, nor did I sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I did come across a study that said negativity is contagious. It's true in marketing, in our own circles, and in the church.

Being a realist, I know that life is not all puppies and daisies, but for crying out loud, how about a smile every now and then? Is that really too much to ask out of folks who wake up, can get out of bed under their own power, have a little food in the house, and have friends and family to help get them through the really tough days? I think not.

Honestly, I have my share of bad days and I know you do too. I have days when I could absolutely spit nails and things happen that even make a preacher cuss, but that's just life. You roll with the punches and go on. Fred has been gone for years, but his words still ring in my ears anytime I feel the urge to start griping: "I woke up on top of the ground. It's a good day."

I'm halfway through with this journey we call life, and I'm going to spend the last half doing everything I can to curb this tsunami of negativity. I don't know what that's going to look like yet, but something has to give. I care greatly about the things that cause you stress and difficulty and want you to know I'm here for you. Don't be surprised, though, when you start complaining and I say, "Hey, you woke up on top of the ground. It's a great freakin' day."

I'll leave you with a little Electric Light Orchestra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj8kMmUxkSE (Copy and paste into your browser)

Peace,
Jamie

That's How We Roll...

I'm a dad. Have been all of my kids' lives. I love being a dad, not always crazy about some of the stuff that goes along with it but I love it. My girls are my pride and joy, and each is the apple of one of my eyes.

I will admit, though, there have been times when watching something they were doing, had done, planned on doing, or even thought about doing upset me, that's just the way it goes, but for the most part I've got some good kids. They make me proud...a lot. Jen rocked the volleyball court day before yesterday, at least that's what I was told. I wasn't able to go to that one. Hannah has a heart the size of Texas and just watching her take on the mother hen role with kids in her class, Cheetoh (her cat), or even the stray dachsund that camped on our porch last night just makes me melt. I love my girls...

...I love my church. There are times when something it is doing, has done, plans on doing, or thinks about doing upsets me, that's just the way it goes, but I love my church. We have our issues, no doubt, and some of them have been driven home for me this week...on a denominational level numbers are slipping, financially we're budgeting more than we're taking in, and I could go and on, but last night, my folks made me proud to be their pastor and to be a Methodist.

During our Leadership Team meeting last night we had the usual stuff to discuss...finances, committee reports, yada yada yada, then they did it...new business...

"We want to start a Celebrate Recovery group here at the church..."
"I think that's a great idea."
"The county definitely needs something like this."
"What do we need to get started?"
"Let's do it."

"We need to start a feeding program in town..."
"Like a hot meal?"
"Once a week?"
"If we only serve one person a week that's one person that got a hot meal who might not have otherwise."
"Whatever you need, you let me know and I'll see what I can do."

Now, let me say this...financially we're struggling just like every other church in the nation right now. The numbers on Sunday morning? They're getting better but not where we need to be yet. We have the same 20% of the folks doing 80% of the work just like most other churches in the world, but in the midst of all of that, the Grace Church family decided to hear the voice of God, step out on faith, and launch two new ministries. Not programs to fill up a calendar, ministries that will make a difference in someone's life and just might help bring God's kingdom right here in LaCenter.

That's how we're going to roll. Times may be tough, but even in tough times God calls, and when God calls, Grace Church is going to answer. I love my kids...I love my church.

Peace
Jamie