Hallucination

Thomas Edison once said "vision without execution is hallucination." That hit me like a ton of bricks. Julie and I have had dreams of doing some very specific things for God from the time we were teens. We have seen many of them already. But that's not the end. God has put dreams in our heart that he wants us to "execute." Of course in our execution, we must be dependant upon Him, but what if we fail? Edison says we are hallucinating. Don't get me wrong, we will fail at some things, but not at the vision God has placed inside of us. I am a believer that if God gives you the vision, he expects you to fulfill it. Please don't hear what I am not saying, but I wonder how many leaders, pastors, etc are just hallucinating. Do we really have a vision from God or are we making up something in our own minds? We have to get on our face and know what it is he expects from us and not just attempt to do what the next guy has done. What are your thoughts?

Excellence

Over 2,700 passengers were on our ship last week and that is not one of the larger of the fleet. Some are currently holding 4,200 and one is scheduled to set sail next year that houses 6,000 people. What blows me away is how no matter how many people are on the ship, it never feels like more than about 600-800. The cruise industry moves people, serves people, and pampers people better than any industry I have personally ever seen. Let's break it down...the cruise director said over the course of the week they had served some 65,000 meals...WHAT!!! Not only that but the crew kept 1800 rooms cleaned and neat, not to mention every other part of the ship. It's called excellence. Where is this work ethic in the church. Sure those guys work 12 hour days to make money, but we are all working for a much higher calling. I am sick of the church being sloppy and lazy. Just because the ministry down the street is doing ministry a little lazier than you are doesn't mean your in the will of God. I am not saying neglect family and other things, but lets get over our sloppiness like misspelled words on the screen(sorry if there are some in this post - it's my blog!!!), workers being late, the sound not being set, trash on the floor, and just plain apathy in the room. We only get one shot at this thing called life, it's time we make the most of it.

The Gathering

Really good to be back last night. Have to say I miss the students. It's fall break week so everyone had tons of energy. As the night came to an end, things got intense. I guess anytime you deal with the issue of suicide, people listen. What amazed me was the amount of students who had a loved one that that had committed suicide. I am constantly blown away at the issues these kids face, yet they still give this whole God thing a chance. We have a new thing, if you had asked me a few years ago, I would have told you it was elementary, but it's amazing how it's working. Every week at the end of our service, or at some important transition I stop the service and have every student look at me until they smile (many of them really don't want to smile) but when they do, I have them simply repeat these words...He loves me!!! It is amazing how their demeanor changes immediately. It's really cool to watch God work in these kid's lives.

Communicate

Continuing in the thoughts of things I learned from Royal Caribbean is the idea of communication. I realized this week, how easy it is to forget about something that you really want to do. Every night we would receive the next days newsletter in our room. It would have the spa specials, events on board, port details etc. Anything that was happening was in that newsletter. In addition to the newsletter announcements were made throughout the day, signs and displays were posted throughout the ship. I realized how easy it was to lose track of time and miss something you wanted to attend. I am not arguing that people should live unorganized lives, but lets face it, many people have a time management struggle and in the midst of chaos, things they genuinely want to do get shoved aside for whatever reason. I think about what it would have been like if we had been given one brochure when we boarded the ship and it had all the activities for the week on it. How hard would it have been to dicipher when and where to be. As a church, we have to learn what to communicate when, and to whom it must be communicated. The sunday bulletin cannot be your primary communication system within your organization. You and I have to find strategic ways to communicate on the large scale as well as in smaller groups. Where is your communication system breaking down? What workers, leaders, unbelievers, and families are being affected?

Expectations

When our family planned to take a cruise this year, there were a few things we wanted and expected from it...to get away from the norm, good food, fun, and relaxation. Believe it or not the cruise line knew this. Although we are not drinkers, they also knew that most people on board expected alcohol, and lots of it. Everyone got more than they bargained for. Before we even checked in and received our sea pass cards, there was a cookie buffet for those waiting in line. The opening announcement was that the upstairs dining area was serving a buffet immediately when we entered the ship. The minute we set sail there was a party on the upper deck. Alcohol was being offered all over the ship, and might I add people were taking advantage of it. It was as if all of our senses were being touched by the sounds, smell, taste, and view of the activities aboard. Throughout the week, the options of food, fun, alcohol, and relaxation were endless. It was exactly what we expected. As I thought about this I realized...when people come to church, they have expectations as well. Among the most important are...1 They expect people to be friendly 2. They expect their life to be touched. I am convinced that when people walk through the church doors for the first time, they are looking for something different than the week had to offer. The question is are we as a church striving to meet those in every way possible with a spirit of excellence or are we "having service?" Just some thoughts to ponder as we prepare for the weekend. One thing to keep in mind is that the cruise line can't afford to miss it or they will go out of business. As the church, we must have this attitude.

Ready to Go!!!

Just back from a long vacation. One of the weirdest feeling is being away and relaxing while still anticipating getting back to what you love. Over the next few days I will be posting a few thoughts on things I learned from Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. It is amazing to me how the secular culture gets it right more often that the church. Here a few pics from the week.

The Gathering

Heading out for vacation tomorrow, and leaving with a bang. I'm so proud of our student leaders for the stories they shared tonight. They shared deep personal issues and how God has set them free. Almost 50 students decided to follow Christ tonight. Off to bed with a smile!