Working a 24

Yesterday was a very interesting experience. I worked a 24 hour shift 8am Wednesday through 8am Thursday. Is that today? Wow! Yep! It really turned out to be a great experience hosting Safe Haven homeless in our building this week. We have 3 more nights to go yet. They sleep right in the gym on cots. Lots of great folks from our congregation and other local churches are pitching in and serving to make this possible.

Yesterday, I mentioned Randy cutting their hair. It was really cool. They were so thrilled...you would have thought that he had given them a million bucks. 8 of 15 got their haircut. I wanted to share a picture with you. Saw a couple regular readers at the church tonight. They remarked that I had not posted today...they thought I was asleep all day. I wish. I was lucky enough to get a morning nap. My bed is calling me soon!

--Noah

Sleeping at the Church, Loving the Needy!

Or not! I may not be sleeping much. I am staying at the church tonight with the guys from the Safe Haven Homeless ministry that we are hosting this week. It has been a neat evening. A highlight was certainly seeing my brother in law Randy cut the guys hair for free. They waited in line all evening as he made them all look WAY DIFFERENT than when they came in tonight! Good stuff.
Today, in my quiet time, I decided to read verses about ministering to the needy. 2 verses emerged as ones that set the tone well for why we would engage in such ministry:

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35

Simple Thoughts about a Complex Topic

Recently, you may have read me talking about my last Master’s Class. Well, it was a counseling class and one of my final projects was that I had to develop a “hypothetical seminar” that I would lead in a local church setting. I did it on Grief recovery. I have been meaning to post a bit of my work here on my blog. This may minister to you or you may want to pass a pearl along to someone that is dealing with grief (if you find a pearl).

• MOST people know very little about how to deal with death and loss in their own lives or the lives of the people around them. It is incredibly healthy for you to equip yourself with a basic knowledge of grief recovery before death strikes. If one does not have that chance, it becomes crucial that they do so after death strikes. There is no reason to go through such deep pain without the comfort and power of basic understanding.
  

• When people experience death they are plunged into a place that is often painful and difficult. Even though it is not a place they ever wanted to go, people enter a journey of pain, adjustment and hopefully healing.
  

• A journey through grief is often a long, difficult and unpredictable journey. Knowing that from the outset saves you the pain of wondering what is wrong with you!

• The grief journey is as unique as the people that go through it. It requires patience, understanding, time, support and effort on your part.
  

• Forget what you heard! Time is not as easy a healer as we make it out to be!

• Don’t worry about letting people down. How you grieve is not up to anybody else. They do not know what you are experiencing. They are not going through what you are.
  

• Make a commitment to accept that your journey through grief is unique to you. It will not necessarily be the way that you thought it would be. It will likely not be like anyone else’s either. If you believe that, you will save yourself the hurt and negativity that accompanies comparing yourself to others.

• The nature and duration of the death and the level of relationship that the grieving person had with deceased make a huge impact on the intensity of the grief journey.
  

• Make a commitment not to place additional pressure on yourself to do ANYTHING too early. Do what you feel ready to do when you feel ready to do it.

• Embrace the power of empathy! This applies to your personal grief journey and the journey of those around you. It is essential that you are receiving the ever-so-important gift of empathy from the people around you. It is equally important that you are extending it to those who are grieving. Empathy is what people want and need more than anything else in their journey through grief. The problem is that they don’t often know that!
  

• Don’t be searching for fast fixes. Take it one day at a time. If there was an overnight solution, you would have heard about it by now!

• Keep the memories alive! It is ok, really!

• What is the most important thing you need to do? Something! Do something. Understand that there are many resources available to you! Here is a great starting list:

o Scripture, Prayer & Presence and comfort of the Holy Spirit

o The healing power of Christ

o Your Family

o Your Friends

o Your Church

o Your Co-workers

o Support groups in the community or the church. One of the most popular church support groups is Grief Share at http://www.griefshare.com/

o Great Books!

o Christian Counseling

o Medication

Hi! Who are you?

Hi! Thanks for checking in. Who are you? Please comment, email or tell me if you read my blog (just give me your name). Sometimes I am curious of my audience. That is the weirdest thing about blogging. You have NO IDEA who is connecting to you. So, if you do not feel bothered by the idea...please tell me in some way or another who you are. Go ahead, you can do it. Email (noahkaye@capitalchristian.org) or comment now (click below) or tell me the next time you see me! Thanks!

--Noah

A Great Search Team

In last month's Capital we published the names of all of the members of our Youth Pastor Search Team. Well, I just wanted to brag on them for a sec. Last night we gathered at 6:30pm and we interviewed 3 candidates (2 in person and 1 by phone). The meeting went three and a half hours!! But it was a great meeting. This team is a lot of fun and really doing a great job! The youth were an asset to our time last night. Everyone pitched in and contributed to a super evening (that we had packed tight).

Do you want to know who we are going to hire? Yeah, me too. Keep praying for us. Here is how we have been praying...Lord, you have already selected our next Youth Pastor, so please help us listen to you so that you can lead us to them.

CCF Upper Room Almost Finished!!

In case you did not know, in our spare time, we have been completing an 80x70 youth and senior center in the upstairs of our facility...elevator and all! I am telling you, THIS SPACE ROCKS!!!! Many thanks to Lew Good who has invested tirelessly into it's completion!! And many thanks to the people who have pledged and given financially to this dream. As of today, we have received pledges and receipts totaling $508, 294!!! Miracles! That is the only adequate word!

If you have not seen it, I guarantee you that you will be surprised by how cool it is! I am so excited that I went upstairs to see it 3 different times today. The paint is done, the carpet is in (fun carpet, I might add), flat screen TV'S abound and the sound system will be finished within the hour. I will post a pic soon!

Grand Opening TBA...

Weekend Reflections

Here are few reflections from the weekend.

• Got back last night from a great time in Lancaster County with the family. That is such a cool place to hang out. Relaxing. And the way of life of the Amish always does something to my world view. It's hard to explain, but it's good. Great bonding time, too.
  
• Davis can now say 5-10 different words, is walking all over the place, climbing stairs, backing off of furniture and his favorite thing to do is to play ball. So fun!
• Church was great again this morning! Attendance has been low the month of January. Not sure why. But, unity and energy have been high. We have had some great services where we have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and for some reason the numbers have not sidetracked me like they would have a few years ago. I want to be faithful to developing and impacting who is there! I will let the Lord deal with who is not there (and making sure that the bills stay paid...sometimes less people means less money...not sure what today's offering was, but we have been low this month).
• I have always said, "numbers are not the vision, but they are a product of the vision!!" We look at the numbers and watch them, but they do not always define the health of where we are.
• We are hosting Safe Haven homeless ministry at the church all week. Pray for this to be a time of great ministry to the men that will be sleeping in our facility.

Off to a Sunday nap! Feeling sleepy! Peace!

--Noah

Off to swim and see the animals!

I love all the firsts that we get to do with our little man!! This afternoon we are headed off to Lancaster, PA where we have rented a room for tonight at a hotel with a pool. We are going swimming with Davis! We'll also eat some good Lancaster County food. Then, tomorrow we are going to a petting zoo to show Davis animals that he has never seen before. Horses, goats, and the like. It is gonna be a blast...if he doesn't get too scared. I have been pretty much checked out (mainly out of town) since Monday morning. Looking forward to checking back in and sharing some quality family time!

Oh, by the way, I wanted to let you know that miracles do still happen! I got my recent masters project back. I got an "A"! Modern day miracle, trust me.

--Love to you!

I am having lunch with Rick Warren in 2 weeks!

Ran into a cool opportunity today (in my spare time). I found out on another Pastor's Blog that I frequent (Mark Batterson's Evotional) that Rick Warren will be in town for a Prayer Breakfast on February 4th. Since Mark has mad hook-ups, he landed Rick for a Lunch with just Lead Pastors at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse on Capitol Hill in DC. When I saw the opportunity, I jumped on it and was accepted (as was my friend Ben who is church planting...CCF supports Ben's ministry).

I will be spending time with Rick Warren and and other great leaders on February 4th, Lord willing! I am excited for this.

(In case you do not know Rick Warren, he is the Pastor of Saddleback Church and the Author of the Best Seller, "The Purpose Driven Life.")

Please Pray for Kenya!!

Pray for Kenya! We have received word that the situation in Kenya has become increasingly serious. We learned from EMM (Eastern Mennonite Missions) that Clair and Beth Good (Friends of Pastor Nelson and EMM leaders in Kenya…he spoke at CCF last year) are there, but earlier in the week were restricted to Nairobi. Sunday they were to fly to some of the church areas where the unrest was greatest. When they arrived they found 1,260 people in a camp; removed from their homes. Over 1/2 were children. The conditions described are very bad. EMM is trying to collect $100,000 to send. So, CCF will be participating not only through prayer, but we will be taking up a special second offering this Sunday for this purpose.

The good news is…Pastor Nelson just told me that political leaders have met today and they are negotiating for peace. That may be taking a turn for the better, but the humanitarian needs still exist. Be praying!

(There is info on EMM's website if you click here.)

Swimming against the current

After arriving home last night, I am finding my self swimming against the current this morning. So many details to tend to and think about for this coming Sunday and next week. This has been a morning of "scratch one thing off the task list, add two!" Let me tell you what I am not doing. I am not complaining and I am not stressing. It always gets done somehow or another. I will just keep swimming. I need the exercise. Smile.

--Noah

Togetherness

Today in one of our sessions, one of the table groups shared that we do not spend time together ENOUGH as the people of God. They made this statement that I thought was very true and insightful:

We do not see each other enough (as a people of God) outside of a context that has an agenda. Something powerful happens when we gather together with no agenda and allow the Holy Spirit to set the agenda.

Think about that. I thought that was good stuff. There is almost always an agenda. When is the last time that you gathered with people in the church just to be together? The early church may have done so regularly, even daily. No agenda, no purpose, no hurry. I am afraid that even in our families this is an issue. Are there times (often enough) that you are just WITH your family? No agenda, no activity, no purpose that caused you to join other than to be together. The Holy Spirit might just do some unique things if we experienced more non-agenda'd togetherness.

I miss Tricia and Davis. Can't wait to see them! Will be back late tonight.

--Noah

SEX!!

Now that I have your attention, I just wanted to say hello!! Actually, the theme of this event is "Embodying Sexual Wholeness in a Broken World". We are having a great time so far. The topic, messages, discussions, and workshops are all geared around gaining a healthy and biblical approach to celebrating and expressing our sexuality to take back to our churches and minister to people more effectively. Good Stuff. The speaker just referenced a book entitled "The Sexuality of Nuns." Maye be one worth looking at. Smile.

Love to you from COLD Virginia.

Off to Virginia

Leaving in a few minutes for Harrisonburg, VA to attend a Conference called School for Leadership Training. It is hosted at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (one of our Denominational Schools). Pastor Nelson and I are going together. We will be back late Wednesday night. I am looking forward to gaining new tools and also looking forward to the time that Nelson and I will share together!

I am not sure whether I will pick up Internet access while I am away or not. If I do, I will holla at you when I check email. If not, I will be out of the blogosphere for the next few days.

--Much love and don't freeze out there!!

Something is Happening!

I am thankful this afternoon for what the Lord did in our midst this morning. First of all, If I would have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit any stronger during the last song of our Worship Set, you would have had to pick me up off the floor or else watched me run around the room! I felt it deep within me. Sometimes our worship evokes a physical response. Man, did I feel that today! Those words from the song "Sing to the King" are still in my head this afternoon.

For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'Cause Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King!!!

Thank God for the hope of eternity!!

I also want to thank the Lord for His presence during our message time. Sometimes I feel like I am just rambling and not sure that I am connecting or making sense. There is lots that I DON'T know. Welcome to leadership. But there are a few things that I do know. I do know that people are engaging these last few weeks!! There is eye contact and non verbal communication during this message series and especially this morning that is showing me that people are engaged with what is being shared. I am incredibly thankful for that. As a leader and a Pastor, I want so badly to cast vision that ends up settling deep into the hearts of people. 'Cause Vision is just a dream if people don't help live it into reality! I have to remind myself that I plant or water....God brings the increase! I will keep casting, planting and watering...God will move the hearts. He is so good at it after all!

I could type a long time today....my heart is full of joy for what God is doing in HIS church! But, I'll stop, because they say people don't like to read long blog entries (one of the things in my Dummies book). I will end with this and keep typing somewhere else, smile.

One last thing...

Mark my word: Something is happening at Capital Christian Fellowship right now! Something special. Something new. Something deeply spiritual. It won't all be a walk in the park, it will take patience and we may lose a few folks, but it will shape the future of this great fellowship in a way that we will never regret! I believe that one day we will look up and see a church packed with disciples who are loving God, loving people and making disciples! Write that in your book.

--Noah

Weekends in the Blogosphere

So, check it out. I have been blogging since September. I have a monitor on my blog to monitor traffic. I have an idea of volume of unique hits to my blog each day/week. I try to find ways to increase my traffic. As a result, I have noticed several trends. Here is one of those things I noticed:

I don't write as much on weekends. And you don't read as much on weekends. Saturdays and Sunday usually have half the hits that Mondays- Fridays have. I am not sure whether I don't write because you don't read OR whether you don't read because I don't write. Either way, it is a reality.

...Just one of the things that I am learning as I become more acquainted with the Blogosphere.

--Noah

A Kodak Moment; Davis in Concert

OK, here's the ham! He begged for the microphone all evening at the Southern Gospel Concert. Nothing is cuter than a 12 month old walking around the stage totally blabbing into the mic. I guess I couldn't deny that he's mine even if I wanted...and I don't! What a kid!

Oh, and I had him come up on the stage and talk to the crowd before I sang one of my numbers.

--Good Times!

Thanks to your prayers and the snow...

I am done my project!!!

The snow caused us to cancel our Executive Board Meeting last evening allowing me the extra time to finish up my work. It is all done now, baby! The feeling is so good!

Thanks for all of your prayers, comments and encouragement. I heard from several of you.

I got one email with this quote....so appropriate:

"If it weren't for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn't get done around here!"

--HA

Now, off to an extended sound check at the church for our Southern Gospel Concert (which is tonight at 7pm!)

The Disease of Procrastination

I am finishing up a Masters Degree project for one of my classes. I have to write a seminar that I could actually administer. It is due _____________ (embarrassed to tell you). I am in hiding today until I finish. I have been at it non stop for the last 3 hours and my head hurts already.

I just took a break to check email and to post this and tell ye who read this today to send one up for me!! ...to finish this assignment and to be healed from the disease of procrastination that haunts me academically. If it is church or ministry stuff, I will get it done early. If it is schoolwork....forget about it....until that day it is due.

--In need of divine intervention!

A good friend of mine encouraged me last night with these words: "Cursed are procrastinators among men!"

I missed my buddy!

I have worked too late for the last two nights. I saw my son less than 1 hour each night. As I was sitting in Panera today trying to finish up my message, I really missed my little buddy. I just wanted him! So I packed up and went to get him. We came home to hang out and play ball (his new favorite thing to do). I need some family time. I will work more after he goes to bed.

We are blessed that he sleeps 12 hours a night, but we hate that our evening with him is over at 7:30pm. At least we get Mommy and Daddy time. Being a parent has been so fun for us! Waiting on #2!

Getting Excited About Saturday!

This Saturday at 9am, everyone at CCF has been invited to meet at the church for a morning of discussion about our purpose, direction and future as a church. The majority of the morning will be spent around tables in small groups answering key questions and doing key exercises. Much of what we discuss will connect to our Sunday Messages over the past few weeks and in the weeks to come.

I am getting very excited to see who comes and to hear what they have to contribute. I am expecting some very good stuff to emerge from our time together.

This will be our first of many of these events!

Be praying!

American Idol Time, Baby!!

Confession time...I am an American Idol fan! It is one of the very few shows on TV that I watch! It is something that Tricia and I look forward to doing together. Tonight was the premier of season 7! We watched it at Mom and Dad's. It was illegally funny, and there were even a few good vocalists.

--Good times!

Hilarious Comic

This is for all of you who made the same New Year's Resolution I did!

Neat Idea About Church Growth...

Here is the kind of church growth we don't want:

Growth because...Lots of people coming and joining into membership with only a few of them connecting, embracing a shared purpose (if there is one) or being discipled.

Here is the kind of church growth we do want:

Growth because...The people you have (Jesus started with 12) are connecting, embracing a shared purpose, and being discipled and it influences many people who are unchurched or dechurched to join in and do the same (Jesus now has 2 Billion)!!

Relationship Weekend Details

I like to use my blog to share stuff that is fresh out of the oven. My hope is that it keeps you coming back. I appreciate that you are a reader. Let me share some more of the details of our upcoming Relationship Weekend.

Relationship Weekend!

Saturday, February 9^th- Sunday February 10^th!

Providing leadership for our weekend will be Dr. Ron Hall and his wife Linda. Dr. Hall and Linda have been married for 27 years and have three sons. Ron Hall is currently in his ninth year at Valley Forge Christian College serving as a full time faculty member and Church Ministries Chair. Prior to this he pastored and planted churches for eighteen years. Dr. Hall’s specialty is life and relationship development. His doctoral work surrounded relationships among individuals, families, Christians, non-believers and churches. He has worked with thousands of couples and students on relationship issues.

Saturday, February 9th:

9:30am-11:30am- Specific Session for Married Couples! Fresh tools and hope for a healthier marriage!

1:00pm-2:30pm- General Session on healthy communication and relationships. This is a session for all! Teaching will apply to relationships at home and at work!

7:30pm- Evening of Inspirational music with Trevor Hall, Acoustical guitarist (will post more details about Trevor and this event in a later blog)

Sunday, February 10th:

8:30am & 10:30am Morning Services, Dr. Ron Hall will be sharing a Biblical message on the theme of “Equipping for Healthy Relationships”

Also, there will be more music from Acoustical Guitarist, Trevor Hall in both morning services.

Look forward to YOU being a part of this special weekend! Start inviting people now! Direct them to my blog for now or plan to pick up a flyer for the event this Sunday!

The "Unmeasurables"

There are so many things in church ministry that cannot be measured by numbers and data. Those "unmeasurables" can sometimes leave you guessing and often a bit frustrated. Anytime we close out a calendar year, I am faced with the reality of the unmeasurables. Who grew spiritually? Who bought the vision? Who served one another more? Who loved one another more, etc.? These are among the many unmeasurables in ministry. Certainly, we will know by the fruit produced. But, I wouldn't recommend sitting around watching and waiting for the fruit grow. You might get a bit unmotivated. Remember, a watched pot never boils.

Here is why I share this...

It is so difficult to know whether people are tracking with and connecting with our new simplified purpose statement that I have been preaching on for the last few weeks. I see eyes that look engaged. I receive a note or comment here and there indicating commitment. That let's me know where 5-10 people are. And that's great! But, what about the other 300-400? Are they feeling it? This is another one of those unmeasurables that I am talking about! Will know in time. By fruit!

Lord, it is so incredibly important that we move in sync as a community at CCF! Unify us and rally us around the shared purpose of LOVING YOU and LOVING PEOPLE!!

I am a dummy

Meant to tell you...

Since I have really been enjoying blogging, I thought I would start picking up some tools to help me learn the ropes and rules of blogging. I picked this book up at Borders last night. Look forward to learning some new things.

Tired...but I would rather __________!

You fill in the blank for yourselves. What would you accomplish if you didn't have to sleep?

I am tired tonight! We walked the mall and the lake today. We exercised enough for 3 days...need to exercise enough for 300! I could so go to bed right now, but I would rather watch my second NFL playoff game of the day. Last night, I was tired, but I preferred to be with my girlfriend...until 3:00am!!! We stayed up like we had no sense!

Anyway, do you ever feel frustrated when you get tired? I mean, there is so much cool stuff we could accomplish if we didn't have to sleep. Such is life. And don't get me wrong, I love my sleep as much as the next guy. I hit snooze as many times as you do.

--Love!

Hot Date!

I have a Hot Date with my girlfriend tonight! Dinner, bookstore and a late movie. Grammy is keeping Davis for a slumber party. Mommy and Daddy time!! We are excited! These opportunities are rare enough that we cherish them when we get them.

You may wonder...why a bookstore? Well, we are really enjoying the planning stages of preparing for my sabbatical this summer. Every 4 years the church gives me a 2-month Sabbatical. It is hard to believe, but 2008 marks my 4th year at CCF (and the start of my 5th). Tricia and I have been enjoying going to bookstores and reading and dreaming about where we will be spending our time away. We know one thing....we will not be in Maryland (for 2 months)! Wow! This will be wild!


--Noah

Another Great Small Group!

Ok, we really love our Small Group! Tonight was super. First one of 2008. We had a new family join us that has been coming to the church for just 6 weeks. They were a great addition to our group! You know what I love the most about our group? The informal and casual flexibility! It is refreshing! Sometimes we do what we planned. Other times we do what God planned! Tonight was a "God-plan" night. Our Co-Leader Ismael recommended that we all share our dreams and commitments that we want to make to the Lord in 2008. So, we did....along with testimonies and laughing, etc. Then, we committed to encourage each other toward our commitments and we prayed together. That was the evening. Lots of sharing, lots of fun, we know each other better now...and we never even started what we had planned for the evening. Another great Small Group in the books! I am convinced that the small group setting is the turf on which 50% of God's plan for His church is lived out!

Learning is Repetition!

I figure if I keep saying it and sharing it, some of us might just start living it. It is really consuming me recently. I have to admit something to you. Right now is the first time in my life that I have ever had such a clear vision! If someone would ask me my vision for CCF 3 years ago, I cringed. Because I was embarrassed. I didn't really know. What a shame! What kind of Pastor doesn't know the vision for the church he is leading? Well, today I was interviewing a candidate for the Youth Pastor position and he had a list of questions. His first question was "What is your vision for CCF for 2008?" Joy filled me! Seriously! I could hardly wait to answer him! I know what it is now!

I wrote the following today in preparation for Next Saturday's discernment morning. If you are a regular reader, it is the same wine in a different glass. Remember, learning is repetition!

Over the last few weeks, we have begun hearing in our messages about the need to simplify our purpose and focus as a church. As I have stated, I believe that these are tone-setting messages for our year and years to come! We have heard that “simple” works and people gravitate toward it. We have also began to take a true look at the way that Jesus illustrated that. He delivered to us 2 simple summary statements that captured what was most important as our purpose and our mission as a church. These 2 statements are known as the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission (Matt 22 and 28). They basically say Love God, Love People and Make Disciples! Scripture is clear that the greatest gift of love that we can give to God is to be His Disciples (and all that entails) and the greatest gift of love that we can give to people is to influence them into becoming disciples (and all that entails). When we look at the early church in the book of Acts, we saw a model and means by which they accomplished this and GREW! It was through Large Group gatherings in temple courts and Small Group gatherings house to house (Acts 5:42).

Understanding this, what would happen if CCF were to simply and clearly define our purpose as:

Loving God & Loving People

(by building disciples through large groups and small groups)

What would we have to start doing differently?
What would we need to stop doing?
How would we all share in this purpose and begin to spread it and live it?

These and other questions are what we will be doing at our morning of discernment and discussion at table groups next Saturday at 9:00am here at CCF!

I SO hope you are there! This will begin to determine our future as a church!

The Home Page

FYI...

The home page of our current CCF website now has:

• A new link to my blog.
• An advertisement for our upcoming Southern Gospel Event.
• A NOW HIRING link about our open Youth Pastor Position.
• A Link to our January edition of "The Capital", a monthly publication of CCF.

Check it out sometime at www.capitalchristian.org.

Want to Make a Difference!

Biblically, the church is not truly the church until people are living out their call and using their gifts so that we can become the "Priesthood of all Believers!" I will always believe in every member ministry. We can only have ministries as long as members and attendees serve and lead to make it happen. Church is not about the Pastors!

In case you wondered...THERE ARE ALWAYS OPEN MINISTRY POSITIONS AT CCF!!!! Always! There is SO much that we dream of that we cannot do because we do not have people to make it happen.

You wanna help?

For a list of some current ministry opportunities at CCF, CLICK HERE!!

To comment or not to comment?

I have received emails and calls from numerous of you who read my blog indicating that you are not sure of the "rules of blogging" and whether you should leave public comments on this blog or not. By no means am I an expert on rules of blogging, but let me tell you my perspective:

Comment as much as you would like!! Myself and others enjoy seeing what you have to say. Big thanks to those of you who already do. If you have something negative or private to say or you are unsure as to whether other people or myself would appreciate what you are writing, then be on the safe side and email it to me. Up until now, almost everything that you have said or emailed has been comment-worthy and I have thought to myself..."I wish they would have put that up for others to see".

(I chose to write this encouragement today, because last night I received an outstanding email from a regular reader. She is on staff at a very large and reputable church in PA and she sent me an email explaining that her church is launching a vision, purpose and series of messages that is practically identical to ours! It was encouraging and inspiring! These are the types of things that are great for people to see.)

I appreciate your comments and your reading!

--Noah

Relationship Weekend Taking Shape

The second weekend in February (Feb. 9-10) is going to be a weekend focussed on "Relationships" here at CCF! We are calling it a Relationship Weekend and we have invited one of my friends and mentors, Dr. Ron Hall to come and be with us Saturday and Sunday.

We are just finalizing the details of it today. I will post more information as it takes shape. Stay Tuned!

--Getting excited!

"REAL" Birthday, Real Learning!

Saturday was Davis's 1st Birthday Party. Today was his "REAL" birthday. It was cool because tonight my parents stopped by to give him a birthday hug and since Tricia's mom is in town visiting us, Davis spent his Birthday even with all 3 of his living Grandparents!
Anyway, one year ago today, we were at the hospital having a LIFE TRANSPLANT. Truly, our life has not been and will never be the same again. I have learned so much from Davis already. Here are a ten things that he has taught me in my first year as a Dad:

1. You can stare at a person with marvel every day without it ever getting old!
2. Babies aren't afraid of heights...or counter tops.
   
3. You can love someone else way more than you love yourself.
4. Early mornings and late nights are a great time for relationship building (and Barney).
   
5. Leaving work with stuff undone is well worth it if a baby crawls to you when you walk through the door of your house.
6. Marriage gets better when you share in creating a life together!
7. Diapers leak after 5 hours (especially when Mommy is at work).
8. One of God's most overlooked miracles is the way that he forms new life!
9. Slow down, because the clock won't!
10. My parents must have been machines to have raised 5 as close in age as we were!
    

--Noah

Small Group Perspective- Good Quote

Here is a quote that Pastor Nelson shared with me today from a book he is reading about Small Group Ministry. I believe this statement rings so true in this ever-crucial ministry of the church:

“Here is where we must begin just like Jesus. It will be slow, tedious, painful, and probably unnoticed by people at first, but the end result will be glorious, even if we don’t live to see it. Seen this way, though, it becomes a big decision in the ministry.”

--Robert Coleman, Master Plan of Evangelism.

Can you "One-Up" Jesus?

In reading, reflecting and praying through these EARLY hours this morning and in preparation for my message, I felt the Lord really solidify something in me. I have witnessed church after church remain visionless or argue and debate in meetings and sessions over their vision...what it is and who determines it? These type of questions and conversations have certainly been present in this church over the 4 1/2 years that I have been here. And while churches spin their wheels trying to gain vision traction, I cannot help but wonder whether they are genuinely just missing the scripture from their conversation or whether they are inadvertently trying to ONE-UP the vision that Jesus declared for His church?

Here is the word I felt penetrate my spirit in a strong way over the last week and this morning...

Jesus has already determined our vision (or as I want us to begin saying at CCF...our PURPOSE)!! That solves the questions of what and who? No meetings needed to decide that. Just teaching scripture!

The part that Jesus left us to determine with the help of His Holy Spirit is HOW we do it? Given our context, our place in time, geography, our culture and demography...how do we live out God's purpose for us?

Note: For summarized edition of Jesus' vision for His followers and for his church, see the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). If you don't have the time to link to those verses, it just says to LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE & MAKE DISCIPLES!!

--Noah

Davis Turns 1

Davis is officially 1 year old on Monday! Today we had his first birthday party. The house was PACKED with people that love him a WHOLE LOT! I will try to post a picture tomorrow. It was a great day! (Even though the Redskins did lose!!)

Headed to bed. Our niece, Brianna flies out at 6am tomorrow...gotta love a 4:30 airport run. Will head from there to church! Hoping for a great day of continued vision casting tomorrow!

--Night

Cousins!

We have had our niece, Brianna visiting with us since the day after Christmas. It has been great to have her. Tricia always loves hanging out with her. They have had a special relationship for years. Here is a picture of "cousins" Davis & Brianna staring at the TV. Too cute! They are good buddies. It is extra neat for me to observe them together because I have never had a cousin! My parents are both only children. I am glad my son gets lots of great cousins!

Notice who is in charge of the remote! Like mother, like son!

New CCF Website Coming Soon!

Just got off of a conference call with our web company. We have been working on a redesigned site for over 4 months now. The home page is done. Today we landed on our direction for the sub-pages. It is going to be the SIMPLEST and clearest church website you have ever seen! It will be designed around our purpose as a church...along with everything else we do! I'm getting excited about our launch. We are aiming for a go-live date of March 1st.

(If you really want to see the new home page, email me and I MIGHT send you the link...not posting it here though. Don't hate!)

--Noah

Preview for Sunday...The Spin Cycle

If you are a reader of my blog, then you are often the first to hear where my heart is and what I am thinking. I just got into a writers flow while preparing my message for Sunday. I typed basically non-stop from 9:30-11:30. I looked up and there are 2 people that I know sitting 2 tables away...ah the joy of working at Panera...white noise, great productivity and friends close by when you look up (2 hours later)!

Well, while writing the following stuff came out (among other things). I thought I would post it. I hope that it has some shock value on Sunday. That's my intention.

Here is an excerpt/preview from my message this coming Sunday:

First of all, know that I am preaching to this chubby guy right here FIRST and the rest of you can have your toes stepped on or your heart impacted as you wish.

• We are too busy!
• We run too much and too fast.
• We are expecting ourselves to handle way more than we are built to handle.

The Job:

• Do work right! You have to keep the job or get the raise! If you don’t keep the job or get the raise you will be judged by everyone in your life…because life is all about what people think of you.
• But you gotta stay in this miserable high pressure job anyway whether you like it or not because you have a $2,000+ mortgage payment, loads of bills and ZERO options but to keep doing what you are doing.

The Family:

• Spend time! Buy this! Buy that. Be kind. Help with the homework. Be patient. Get overwhelmed. Stay strong. Hide the truth. Be open and honest. Family first.
• Get to ball practice. Late for band practice. Christmas concerts…3 of them and you want to sleep through all of them. Family first.
• Text, email, call, deal with emergencies at work….tell your fam you'll have to hang out later. Family first.

What about the fun? The things I like?

What about my friends?

What about the church?

• Be there Sunday.
• Stay after for a meeting.
• Get home late.
• Be here Wednesday…Halftime is great! So is REAL Teens. So is Bible Study. So are Small Groups.
  
• Come to this event…be at that event.
• Support your church...by being here every time the doors are open…..because that is right and holy…unlike prioritizing your family or your health….or your intimacy with Christ.

Whatever you do….no matter what….STAY BUSY…keep life packed, complicated, complex and overscheduled….so that time can fly by until you die.

I hope you have caught on to the effect and impact that I am trying to make…

Allow this video to further convince you…I am sure you will relate to something in it…..It is called "THE SPIN CYCLE."

Calendar Challenged

If I were a betting man, I would bet that most of you reading this have been calendar challenged over the last 2 weeks. By that I mean that the Holiday schedule has had us all confused. I am willing to bet that at least once in the last few weeks you have uttered the words, "WHAT DAY IS IT?" Well, me too!

On work. Off work. Is it a holiday? Is it a trash day? Stores close early. Stores open late. Church on. Church off. School open. School closed. With Christmas and New Years both falling on a Tuesday...Wednesday has become the new Monday. Are you confused yet? Yeah, me too.

I am ready for calendars and schedules to get back to normal. Oh, by the way...only 43 shopping days left until Valentines Day...just go to the store this week and the Valentines Stuff is out already! Ugh!

A Capital Day

Today was a Capital Day. Once a month I meet with Michelle Ferrando, the editor of our monthly newsletter, "The Capital." We spend a better part of the day finalizing for print. In the process, we are forced to solidify and finalize many, many things for the month(s) to come. It always feels good and it seems to really organize us as a staff. We are proofing tonight and printing tomorrow. I will post it for you here when we are done. Michelle has been a real life saver! I told her today that if she had not come along, I would have discontinued this bad boy for 2008! It was a lot of work...until Michelle arrived on the scene! Go Michelle!

Chew on this for this year...

Sorry to mention Mark Batterson's blog again, but he had this posted today and I thought it was worth sharing. Great Stuff. He is an up and coming author. Click here to check out his stuff at Amazon. Meanwhile, chew on this...

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Priceless Memories

I have a growing blogroll that I have grown to appreciate. By that I mean that there are more and more Pastor's blogs that I am reading on a regular basis. I may share some of them with you soon. It helps me get a window into what some of these other leaders and deep thinkers are up to and is especially insightful now that I am blogging. This afternoon, I read one of my favorite bloggers (Mark Batterson) and he said this:

"One reason I blog is because it helps me remember what I should not forget. So every year I go back and re-read my blog as a way of reflecting on the past year. It is amazing how many priceless memories would have been forgotten if I had not blogged them. Lots of memorable moments in 2007."

I totally agree with him and I may start a similar practice. I have only been blogging since September, so I don't have a full year, but here are a few special memories in just 4 months of blogging my memories!

• Seeing TD Jakes Speak
• Learning Golf
• Learning work and home boundaries
  
• Davis and his ambulance ride
• Redskins Games, wins, & losses
• Masters Work & VFCC
• Talking about sex at Lanham Christian
• Learning balance and boundaries...part 2 and 3 and .....
• Remodeling our bathroom
• Holiday memories...Thanksgiving in the mansion, Christmas with the fam and the church
  
• Davis dancing, walking, and growing up
• Vision Development for 2008
• And More...

Just think, last year I would have had NO mechanism for remembering some of this. I am really enjoying capturing life more these days. It is causing me to savor it more. Good Stuff! I encourage you to find a way to slow down and savor 2008 a little more than you did 2007. Can you do it?

Hello 2008!

Last night we wrapped up 2007 watching the ball drop on TV with friends and family. Tricia and I kissed the new year in and barely made it til 12:30am before crashing. We are party animals! We made a special memory earlier last night when we put Davis to bed. We both laid on either side of him whispering into his ear how much we love him and how much we enjoyed our first year with him...thanking God for him in our lives (he just drank his bottle).

As I look back over 2007, I see the hand of God in our lives in so many ways! Frankly, I wonder how we would have made it through losing Tricia's father without the joy of Davis in our life. We feel like we can truly say of 2007 that the "Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord!"

I am really looking forward to a bright & beautiful 2008 in our home and the church. I hope that your year is as bright as the promises of God!!

--Noah