Missing in (Substack) Action

And 10 Thoughts from the Week

Hey folks! It’s been a while!

I’ve been MIA for a while. In January we made some staffing changes at church, these moves added more responsibilities to my plate… which pushed things like writing off of my plate. I’ve missed it! Life is still busy, but I decided to prioritize posting a weekly newsletter until I can do more.

That Being Said… Here are 10 Thoughts From the Last Few Weeks

1. Not Having Enough Time = Dependence on God (For Me)

Leonard Bernstein once said, “To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” Maybe. In the last few weeks, I’ve discovered that this was true for me when it came to depending on God.

My prayer life has improved as I frequently prayed for God to help me as I stood to preach sermons that were only 50% complete, classes that I only had a couple of hours to prep for, and so on. I have experienced God being with me in remarkable ways! Now my prayer is that when time is abundant, I will still remember God!

2. Speaking of Free Time

Guess what I’m doing this summer (Well, guess what I hope to be doing.)!

Returning to school!

I’ve applied for United’s (UTS) new Doctor of Theology program. Here is a link to the Statement of Purpose I submitted. (This will be very awkward if I’m not accepted. 😬)

I’d appreciate your prayers:

1. For skill, wisdom and discernment, understanding, and time management skills (for I plan on pastoring while going to school), and for the success of the new program.

2. Finances. I am thankful for educational loans, but I’d prefer to avoid unnecessary debt, if possible.

3. Denzel Washington Quote

My kids (don’t) love it when I drop nuggets of wisdom. Spring sports have officially started, and with it the complaints about how hard things are at practice.

Me: Do you know what Denzel Washington said?

Them: Who is Denzel Washington?

Me: (Pushing aside feelings of shame for having raised such kids) He’s the coach from Remember the Titans. Anyway, he said, “Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.” Do you know what that means?

Them: Yeah, dad. 🙄

4. Spring, The Hero We All Need

I’ve always loved all 4 seasons but, lately, winter has been tough on me. Gray skies, cold weather, no signs of life… yuck!

The other day it was 68°, the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze. I felt like I could fly! More of that, please!

5. Starting at the Beginning

I don’t want to brag, but I’m a man of incredible ideas! Like the Queen from Alice in Wonderland, who “believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” I’ve been known to have 6 brilliant ideas during a morning run! I’ve even thought of creating an LLC to sell my ideas to others — a man of the people, I am.

My problem has always been implementation. I have a terrible habit of beginning in the middle. Therefore, many of my ideas end up like those flowers that bloom in early March, only to suffer Winter’s last revenge.

A few years ago I had an idea to create a show that used ethical dilemmas to bring the community together. Excitedly, I began working with a producer, setting dates, fundraising, finding locations, participants, and facilitators… and experienced so much difficulty! Very few people caught the vision and the idea was filed away in the cloud with its sisters and brothers.

Recently I decided to bring it out and dust it off. This time no lights, no fancy venue, no fundraising, just working the idea with interested people; the beginning. 12 of us met at the Element Eatery and for 1.5 hours we role-played through an ethical dilemma! And it was AMAZING!

I started in the middle because of dreams of the impact ideas could have, the acclaim that would accompany it, and, yes, the financial gain. Those things distract from the main goal. Lesson learned!

6. Teaching the Utes

One of the responsibilities that have been added to my plate is teaching Confirmation. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked directly with youth. I’ve been impressed by their participation and insight; they are like malleable forms that believe anything is possible. Teaching them reminded me of this powerful quote:

Adolescents are looking for a soul-shaking, heart-waking, world-changing God to fall in love with, and if they do not find that God in the Christian church, they will most certainly settle for lesser gods elsewhere. Youth look to the church to show them something. Most of the time we have offered them pizza. — Kenda Creasy Dean, The Godbearing Life.

Nothing wrong with pizza, but it’s a poor substitute when one is craving the eternal life of God. I am thankful and humbled by the opportunity to teach them.

And, now, since this is how my mind works, here is a clip of what I think of whenever I hear the word “youth.”

7-10. 4 Quick Hitters

7. It’s tourney time! For the first time, the women’s side of the NCAA tournament is receiving more interest than the men’s. I’m looking forward to filling out 2 brackets this year.

8. I’ve had 3 sleep-related injuries this year alone. Getting old is… weird.

9. Coveteousness has a new partner, the algorithm. I was looking at some of the new e-bikes that have been released, and now Google won’t let me see anything else. Don’t judge me when you see me cruising around town.

10. I’m currently hankering for Pineapple Fried Rice… it’s 9 am. 🤦‍♂️

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