Follow My Ride across Asia Right Now

I’m riding my bike from Vietnam to Cambodia to Thailand right now to raise money & awareness for People for Care & Learning. The people that are supporting the ride are actually Building a City!

If you’d like to support the ride and the cause, you can give online at www.willrideforhope.com!

Also, follow along:

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5 Words I Want to Embody in 2012

I have my eyes set on a good and challenging 2012.  I have some family, ministry, and personal goals on tap.  Some things that are going down in 2012 are the fruit of a few years being born…wouldn’t be fair to list them as resolutions.  The investment has already been made and they are simply going to happen.

So, I’m not rolling out substantial goals/resolutions in writing this year.  What I am doing is setting my eyes on some values or words that I want to embody in this coming year:

• predictable – While I want to plan for the unexpected, I want to people around me to find me utterly predictable.  I want my family, my church, and my peers to see me as a constant, predictable, value-driven person.
• courageous – I don’t want to unnecessarily put myself in harms way.  But, when opportunities arise to speak-up for the marginalized or launch out and take hold of a great opportunity, I want to step out with strength, confidence, and decisiveness.
• strategic – I have a limited amount of time.  I have what I view as a substantial responsibility toward people.  I want to steward my time in a more strategic way than ever by investing in and receiving personal investment from the people who I can deliver the greatest impact to and who can do the same for me.
• adventurous – 2010 was a life change year for me (I got a handle on my health). 2011 was a year where I adventured myself more than I have in my domesticated life (marriage – LOL).  I want 2012 to be a year of adventure in every arena of my life (spirituality, family, ministry, recreation).  I want to smash some self-imposed barriers and boundaries.
• better – What was attainable in 2011 and before shouldn’t be an acceptable performance in 2012.  I’ve committed my life to an increasing mission.  If God has helped me to arrive at a blessed place, I want to honor Him by moving forward from that place.  I don’t want to indefinitely rest in His favor.  I want to steward His favor well. That means launching out from confines of safety, familiarity, and rest to grow.

In 2012 and at 38, I’m not just getting older. I pray that I’m getting better, more adventurous, more strategic, courageous, and predictable in my life mission.

Hector Picard Inspires Me As I Get Ready for WILL RIDE FOR HOPE

Last Saturday, I rode my bike 100 miles with a most inspirational human being, Hector Picard. He has no arms. He drove down from Ft. Lauderdale, unloaded his own bike, inflated his own tires, changed his own tires, and out paced almost everyone on the ride! Ridiculously inspiring.

When he broke from the pack, I followed him and thought I was going to die trying to pace with him. I followed him for around 20 miles at 25 mph. That is a blazing pace, especially when you’re going it alone. Wow.

No arms. No excuses. Check out the video from the ride to Key West w/my friend, Hector Picard (double amputee) -> http://bit.ly/rwgqDl

The ride was my attempt at getting ready to ride my bike 540 miles across Cambodia in 6 days to raise money for People for Care and Learning. If you’d like to support my ride, 100% of the donations at www.willrideforhope.com go to People for Care and Learning!

Check out both the video…and drop a little coin at www.willrideforhope.com to bring hope to folks on the other side of the planet. BTW, if you give $100 or more, I’ll send you a great Will Ride for Hope Old Navy T-shirt!

Quick Things To Do To Make Thanksgiving Day Meaningful & Fun

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Say a prayer.  Return thanks to the One who created it all.

Sing your prayer. I know this sounds odd…and maybe it’s just me.  But, growing up when our extended family would gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we wouldn’t “say a prayer.” We would sing it…The Doxology to be exact.  It became such a substantial memory, I made sure the Doxology was sung at my wedding.

Tell stories around the table.

Tell the 1st Thanksgiving Story where the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims come together for a 3-day feast of Thanksgiving. We

Share what you’re thankful for. Take turns around the table. Don’t let conversation drift off into other things before you miss out on being vocal with your thankfulness.

Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ride bikes. We call it a “biking adventure.”  Throw the whole family on the bikes and go for a nice, relaxed tour around the neighborhood or somewhere you’ve never been.

Watch Football.  Turn on the tube. Kick back. Fall asleep at halftime.

Play football. Just remember: you’re not as young as you used to be.

Start a tradition. Start a quirky tradition unique to your family.

Play a board game. Balderdash. Scattergories. Monopoly. Parcheesi.

Play cards. Hearts. Spades. Euchre. Rook.

Put up your Christmas tree.  Well, we already did this pre-Thanksgiving.  But, a Christmas Tree is nice to look at on Thanksgiving Day.

Take a family picture.  Your family is together.  Don’t miss that opportunity to grab a few pics as a family.

Go fo a walk at dark. Grab flashlights and go for a walk.

Sit around a fire. I live in Miami-Dade county.  Apparently, you have to have a permit to do this sort of thing. <-crazy. Call me a law breaker I guess.  But, there’s nothing more mesmerizing than sitting around a fire, staring at embers, roasting marshmallows, and being with your crew.

Stay up late…stay up until your eyes burn. Just don’t be the first person to fall asleep on the couch or you might find yourself painted up like a barn, covered in shaving cream or some similar sort of chaos.

Tips for Staving Off Muffin Tops This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is around the corner.  And, that means heavy culinary artillery…more firepower than your taste buds can resist!  So, don’t resist.  But, DO have a plan so you don’t do what most Americans do, which is an average 4,300 calories on Thanksgiving!

Let me help:

1. Drink water.  Ditch the sweet tea and sugary drinks.  Water fills you up and keeps you hydrated.  Plus, cold water actually incinerates calories as your body works overtime to warm itself.

2. Pile on the legit vegetables. That doesn’t mean friend green bean casserole or candied yams!  Good vegetables are low in calories and filling.  Eat them first so you don’t stuff yourself on the buttery, fat, and carbohydrate-icized goodness!

3. Aim for the lean meats. Instead of slamming the honey baked ham, eat the Turkey breast (skinless).  It’s really hard to go overboard on lean turkey meat.  It’s low cal and high protein.  That means it’s filling and better for muscle repair than Popeye’s spinach (who said spinach gives you good muscles?!  crackheads…don’t think it’s true!

4. When it comes to the naughty stuff, think portion control.  By all means, try the sweet potato casserole.  But, if it’s Paula Dean inspired creator used a few sticks of butter in it’s making, keep the portion small.

5. Enjoy your family.  Take your face out of your plate and talk.  Thanksgiving is a perfect time to talk, tell stories, and enjoy family.  The more laughing and talking you do, the less damage you’re going to do with your fork!  So, laugh a little!

6. Take a pre-emptive strike by a little Pre-thanksgiving meal exercise assault.  The truth is, I’m not going to be a calorie hawk on Thanksgiving (but, I will track what I eat).  I generally eat about 2,100 calories per day.  Thanksgiving, I will up my caloric intake.  But, I’m rolling out early for a 25-30 mile bike ride.  I love cycling.  I love eating.  On thanksgiving, I’ll burn 2,000 calories before the main event.  In essence, you could say, I’m going to ride to eat…a sneak assault, a pre-emptive strike on the Thanksgiving Smorgasbord!

And, that’s it!  If you can’t pull that off, break out a pair of stretchy pants and a bib and go for it!

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Teaching Your Kids to Do Big Things

Everything that your children do that they haven’t done before is potentially a BIG thing.  Uncharted territory. New. A big deal.

Swimming. Riding a bike. Jumping off a high dive.  These are big things.

We ought to teach and lead our kids to attempt Big things.  Watching my 4 year old daughter jump from the 5 meter platform for the first time was exhilarating for me…and for her.  We got her ready together.  And, when she jumped, she was that much closer to realizing she can do whatever she puts her mind to.

The latest Big thing for us are bikes.  We’re all mobile.  The week Blake turned 4, we took off his training wheels.  He’s rocking his bike.  Now, we do biking adventures on Saturdays.  Riding my cyclocross bike with my 8-year old daughter on the mountain bike trails on Virginia Key was killer for me!

Every step. Every big step is another arrow in my kids’ arsenals.  My job is to stock their arsenal so they are prepared to take life by the horns.  So, here are some things I do to help my kids do BIG things:

1. Never tell myself they are going to like something new they’re going to try.  Default to the positive.  Expect them always to want to try the new challenge.  That means holstering your own biases so you don’t negatively influence them or pass on your own fears to them.

2. Expect them to pull it off.  If you set your expectations low, they sink to meet them.

3. When they fail, acknowledge their stumbling.  But, get them back in the saddle quickly.

4. Make the adventure an adventure.  If you’re about to do something BIG, pump it up.  Hype it up.  Get everyone ready to celebrate.  And, have a blast.  The mundane is rarely worth conquering.

5. Don’t sell them short.  Your kids can do more, go farther, perform better, and rise to the occasion with a greater capacity than you’re able to understand.

6. Don’t manage the detail. Show them the way. Let them get the details worked out on their own.  If you’re obsessing on the detail on the way to pulling off the BIG thing for the first time, you’ll complicate the thing out of the realm of possibility…or out of interest.

7. Know that if you adventure your kids, they’ll develop a taste for conquering BIG things.  It will translate into a life practice.  Start early.  And, never stop.

The Pack and The Pace Setter

Bill Isaacs, in the Forward Leadership Blog wrote a great piece, “Leaders, Listen up.”  In the entry, he makes a phenomenal point, “The banana that leaves the bunch is the first one peeled.”  Great insight.

CYCLING

I love cycling. And, I couldn’t help relating Bill’s statement to what it takes to break from the pack to win the Tour de France.  Now, I’ve never ridden the Tour.  But, I do have 3,000 miles cycling under my belt this past year. And, I know what it feels like to ride alone and in the pack…it can be withering or it can be easy…depending on how you ride it.

ON THE PELOTON

While cycling in a peloton, you can actually ride on average 10+ mph faster than you can by yourself. Every stage of the Tour de France’s 21 stages and on multiple occasions, cyclists try to break from the pack/peloton. They may be out ahead for the whole day. But, they almost always get swallowed up by the peloton within a few miles of the finish line.

RIDING SOLO

Alone, there are just too many factors working against you when you’re going solo: wind, discouragement, no rest, you’re the only pacemaker, etc… The result is that most stages are decided by a sprint in the last half mile. Still the sprinters are set up by their team mates who sling shot them across the last few hundred feet of the finish line. Crazy!

THE TIME TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT AND GO SOLO

However, the place that the lone banana can break free is up a mountain. There is no benefit and almost all hazard to gain by staying in the peloton going up a steep mountain.

This is where the guys like Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, and Andy Schleck distinguish themselves. Going into the Pyrenees Mountains, these guys get up and out of their saddles and huff it up the mountain like warriors. These are the guys that finish well beyond the pack…sipping lemonade while everyone else is still out working up the mountain.

KNOW WHO CAN MAKE THE JUMP AND GO WITH THEM

When one of these guys make their break, you either jump out with them and battle. Or, you slink back into the pack and pace your way up the mountain.

PREMEDITATED REVOLT FROM THE PACK

Breaking from the pack happens strategically. It isn’t accidental. It isn’t easy. It changes the pace of everyone else. You need both. But, all of the roles working together makes the Tour a beautiful and challenging thing. Even the guys who break from the pack and don’t make it alter the speed of the pack.

FALLING OFF THE BACK OF THE PACK IS A TERRIBLE THING

The sad thing is when guys fall off the back of the pack. When that happens, they only ever rejoin the pack the next day. And, the remainder of their 100-150 miles of that day is a rough, lonely slog…if they even finish at all.

Faith Says, “We Choose The Fire over The Compromise.”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” DANIEL 3:16-18

Day 1 of 2: 120 for Orphans

I’ve really been looking forward to this ride for sometime.  It’s the first ride, my friend, Rick Whitter has put together for iOrphan Support.  Excellent job…and excellent ministry!…over $13,000 raised to serve orphans in Haiti!  Awesome!

I’ve been looking forward to this ride also as preparation for WillRideforHope.com.  The 6 day-in-a-row 90-mile days on various terrain across Cambodia is going to be a challenge..will probably have the same kind of challenging terrain.  Today,  I got my first real taste for how it’s going to feel.  It’s a big bite to chew no doubt!

Here’s the skinny on today:

1. The ride was roughly 25 miles on pavement.  We averaged around 14-16 mph (on mountain bikes) on this ground…easy ground to cover on a mountain bike at that pace.  On my cyclocross, I should be able to maintain a higher speed in Cambodia.
2. The ride was roughly 35 miles on dirt, rock, and grass. <- that was no joke…jarring!  And, it led to some mechanical troubles on my bike….largely because the bike is fairly new and hasn’t been completely tweaked.  I think I’m back on my bike tomorrow…and off the spare mountain bike.
3. The 7 people I’m riding with and the folks in the support vehicles are amazing!…really salt-of-the-earth type of people…glad to call them friends (including the ones I’ve just met)

If you’d like to follow along with Day 2, you can do so at #ride120 or by following my WillRideForHope Twitter account.  You can also get more information on my Cambodia ride st www.willrideforhope.com as well as the iOrphan Support at www.iorphan.cc.

  

Want to join me on a great trip?!

I’m going on a big trip soon…one of those kinds of trips that make you a little nervous…and pumped at the same time.

And, while you can’t exactly come with me, I’d like to give you a sort of invite.  Check it out: www.willrideforhope.com

In January, I’m riding my bike from Vietnam across Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand.  That’s 540 miles in 6 days.  I’m doing this to raise awareness and money for people we’re serving in Cambodia.  We’re working to give the extremely poor a working chance.  You can find out a little more about the organization we work through here-> People for Care and Learning.

While you can’t go with me, you can help sponsor our work there.  I will ride those 540 miles for you if you’ll make some sort of donation.  You can do so at www.willrideforhope.com.

Soon, we’ll be listing our givers.  You can help me by giving and letting me put your name on that list.  Every name listed will help me personally recruit more givers.  

Any amount makes a difference, especially when you consider that roughly $12 will provide clean drinking water for an entire family for a year. 

$1,000 will relocate a family from a literal garbage dump to a brick mortar house we’ll build and the Cambodian government will deed to the family moving in.

 Your modest sacrifice can make a massive impact for REAL HUMANS living in the most challenging circumstances.

Now, these humanitarian efforts really touch people.  AND, they are the tip of the spear offering Gospel legitimacy to the People for Care and Learning team.  So, go with me!….by sending resources with me.

You can give at www.willrideforhope.com.

Here are some other things you can do to help:

• Spread the word by facebook “liking”www.willrideforhope.com
• Follow @willrideforhope on twitter.
• Forward this email to your friends!

So far, we have well over 1,000 Twitter followers.  Help us get out there a little more.  Together, we can do some cool stuff…there’s more than enough room for us all on my bike.  

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

 

Pastor Travis Johnson - lead pastor, life pointe church

 

Catalyst Conference 2011 – Dr. Cornel West

Dr. Cornel West, professor, civil rights activist, socialist, and actor (Matrix) spoke at Catalyst.  I’m not a Cornel West fan as it pertains to his political ideology.  I’m not really into socialism.  HOWEVER, Dr. West absolutely captivating in his interview.  He is an effective communicator with some really great things to say.  Two ideas stood out so loudly that they are the only two things I want to share here:

————

1. “I am a Christian with gangster proclivities.” I used to do those things. Now I don’t…but, I still wrestle with it.

2. “A hatred for Xenophobia isn’t the same as love for everyday people.”

————

Maybe, it’s just me.  But, I find it easy to be “against.” It’s much more challenging to be “for.”  God is not satisfied with us being against injustice. He wants us to love.  It caused me to think about how Jesus overturned the money changers in the Temple.  He was against their actions.  But, he did not cause them irrecoverable loss.  While Jesus was against their actions, He was also for their recovery and redemption.

Therein lies the beauty of the revolutionary Jesus.  He not only rises up against.  But, He is so FOR that He lays down His life for the very ones who killed Him.  It’s for that reason that Christianity went viral, unstoppable…a movement of against would’ve never made it past the first century.

Catalyst Conference 2011 – Mark Driscoll Takeaways

Mark Driscoll, lead pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA has had a profound impact on me and a number of other young pastors.  While I don’t agree with him on everything (He’s reformed. I’m more Armenian. He’s Complimentarian. I’m not), I respect and am encouraged by his passion for Jesus, the Scriptures, cities, and Gospel mission.

I thoroughly enjoyed his talk about Fear at Catalyst.  My takeaways:

• 40 is the new 80. I’m tired, people!
• Stress manifest in the body…he’s blown out his adrenal glands twice due to stress.
• Luke 12:25
• Fear isn’t always a sin. But, it is an opportunity for sin.
• When you fear someone, you cannot love them.
• We let people take the place of God as a sort of a functional god.
• Prov 25:29
• Who has too much influence on your emotional well-being?
• Is your appetite for praise consuming you?
• Are you committed to people and things that God didn’t call you to?
• You may be very busy but not very holy.
• Fear is vision without hope.
• Fear is not always rational but it is very powerful.
• Fear preaches a false Gospel.
• Fear turns us all into false prophets.
• We predict a future that isn’t coming.
• WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO FEAR? -> The Bible says, “Fear not. I am present with you.”
• Others who struggled with fear? Adam in Gen 3, Abraham in Gen 15, Isaac in Gen 26, Jacob in Gen 28, Moses in Exodus 34, Elijah in 2 Kings 1, David in the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psalm 23), Jacob in Isaiah 41, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet im Jeremiah 1, Daniel 9, Haggai 2, Mary (pregnant) in Luke 1, the women at the tomb in Matthew 28…to all of these people, God said, “Fear not, I am with you!”

Catalyst 2011 – Dave Ramsey Takeaways

Bar none, there is no one on TV who makes as much common sense as Dave Ramsey…pure genius…brutal honesty about finances, stewardship and life.  Here are some of my favorites from today’s session:

• In the marketplace, Christians should be “roaring lambs!”
• In order to be present, you have to know that people matter.
• You have to stop in our TRANSACTIONAL CULTURE to be relational!
• People matter.
• Go relational!
• Treat people well…opportunities come through people.
• If you are going to put a fish on the back of it, you better drive it right.
• Excellent people love working in excellent environments.
• Leaders should probably spend double or triple the amount of time they are presently spending on staffing.
• You’re hiring the spouse too…do spousal interviews to weed out the talented people you want to hire who don’t have adequate support form their spouse.
• Slow and steady matters.
• If you don’t have the resources to fund it, maybe that’s God saying you shouldn’t do it.
• When you are growing faster than your money to sustain it, you are growing too fast.
• Do’t advance past your supply lines.
• He who is impulsive exalts folly. -Proverbs 11:29
• Don’t blame your impulsiveness on the Holy Spirit or Jesus.
• Put a spirit of generosity on your ministry.
• Look at your work as an act of worship.
• How to leave a bad job -> -> -> Be so excellent that the competition steals you away.
• If you tell the truth and show up on time, you’re ahead of 80% of the rest.

OTHER PEOPLE’S NOTES:

Tim Schraeder’s copious, super-detailed and overly excellent notes!

Catalyst 2011 – Jim Collins Takeaways

Perhaps the only leadership guys I enjoy more than Jim Collins are Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell.  Jim Collins is purely genius though.  His books, Good to Great and How the Mighty Fall have been substantial books in my life.  So, any time I get to pick up some nuggets from him like I did today at Catalyst is a real treat!

Here are my takeaways:

• Greatness is not the sole result of circumstance but also a direct result of conscious decision.
• Try to change every “what” question into a “who” question.
• Your strategy for climbing a mountain isn’t nearly as important as who your climbing partner is.
• Darwin Smith, CEO of Kimberly Clark: “I was just trying to become prepared for the job.”
• It isn’t about personality. It’s about humility. <-leadership begins here.
• But, humility combined with will power is the essence of where leadership begins.
• Bad decisions taken with good intentions are still bad decisions.
• Never grow beyond your ability to preserve your culture! -Southwest Airlines
• Fanatic Discipline is discipline on the tough days to move ahead AND discipline on the good days not to overreach.
• Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines: “We’re so paranoid that we’ve predicted 11 of the last 3 recessions!”
• The only mistakes we learn from are the ones we survive.
• The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.

OTHER NOTES:

My top 10 takeaways from Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great.”

Others’ Notes from Jim Collins at Catalyst 2011:

Ron Edmonson on Jim Collins’ Talk at Catalyst

Brian Dodd on Jim Collins’ Talk at Catalyst

Tim Schraeder on Jim Collins’ Talk at Catalyst

Catalyst 2011 – Andy Stanley Takeaways

Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Church in Atlanta, GA opened Catalyst 2011.  He’s an exceptional leader/communicator. He shared about accessibility, success, engagement, and being present…very good stuff as always.  Here are a few thoughts that stood out to me:

• The more successful you are, the less accessible you become (whether you like it or not).
• You can’t be fully present with more than a few people.
• As you wrestle with the reality of not being able to engage with everyone who needs engagement, you ought not to stop engaging altogether.  Instead, “Do fo one what you wish you could do for everyone.”
• Don’t be fair. Be engaged.
• Go deep rather than wide. (relationally)
• Don’t be involved everywhere. Be involved somewhere.
• When you do for one what you wish you could do for everyone, you usually end up impacting more than just the one.

Register for the NINES CONFERENCE!

Hey! Don’t miss out on the Nines Conference (FREE), which runs from 10 AM-7 PM on Tuesday, September 27th.  Last year, some 50,000 people benefitted from this good conference. Some really great church leaders are sharing their thoughts on:

• time
• staff
• money
• family
• vision
• discipleship
• health (my topic)
• grace
• preaching

This is the first year for me to have a spot to speak at The Nines.  I speak at around 6:40-6:45 PM right after Michael Slaughter, lead pastor of Ginghamsburg Church and before Nancy Ortberg of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.  That’s quite a privilege for me.  I’m taking the opportunity to share a very personal story about how I have learned to honor God with good stewardship of my health.  I hope you join me and some other very excellent speakers at The Nines Conference!

Will Ride for Hope – 540 Miles across Cambodia

On February 2nd, 2012, I will complete a bike ride from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam through Cambodia (Pnomh Penh & Siem Reap) to Bangkok, Thailand.

WILL RIDE FOR HOPE - CAMBODIA

I’m riding 540 miles in order to bring HOPE to Cambodia through People for Care and Learning (PCL). This ride will be the first of many rides, runs, walks, and swims around the world by many people who want to raise awareness and money concerning extreme poverty. PCL will build homes, drill water wells, provide education, medical care, vocational training, and humanitarian work. Join the team and say “NO” to poverty.

I’ll share more later, including the very-soon-to-be-launched website.  In the meantime, LIKE the “Will Ride for Hope” Facebook community page NOW.

Church of God Evangel Articles About Life Pointe Church

The January 2011 issue of the Evangel, the official magazine of the Church of God, published two articles about Life Pointe Church. I thought I’d share the PDF documents of those articles here.  If you’d like to access the entire magazine, you can do so at www.onlineevangel.com.

• Sharing The Unchanging Gospel in A Changing World by John Upchurch
• Love Aggressively; Never Compromise on Mission, an interview with Travis Johnson

I loved thinking back on how God has collected us all together…we’ve got a good family, a good mission, and a good Father.

Happy New Years! May Your Resolutions Be Achievable & Measurable

Happy New Year!

I hope you’re taking the time time to celebrate AND to look ahead into the next year. They say the typical resolution lasts only 4 days. I believe it.

One of the reasons is likely because people have resolved to arrive at a new outcome without resolving to take the specific steps to get there. So, stop now and put some specific actions with your resolutions.

EXAMPLE: Don’t plan to lose weight. Plan to cut calorie consumption to a specific amount (500 calorie daily deficit) while increasing calorie burn by a specific amount (500 calorie burn daily). That plan will help you to lose 2 lbs per week. It’s achievable and not mysterious.

So, what achievable specific resolutions are you making for 2011? Here are four of my personal development resolutions, which are achievable, measurable, and highly beneficial:

1. Bike 5,500 miles. I’ll do this by commuting to the office, exercise, group rides, and a bike ride from Key West to Pensacola.

2. Read through the Bible using a 365 day chronological reading plan.

3. Read through the New Testament as a family during daily devotions.

4. Read 52 books (theology, bios, marketing, pastoral, and a few classics).

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Travis, Kelly, Kourtney, McKenna, and Blake Johnson

This Christmas I’m thankful for the circumstances into which Jesus was born: humble, common, and chaotic.  He continues to step into the lives of the down and out, the up and out, the self sufficient, the desperate.  Regardless of where we reside or what circumstances we have, Jesus steps in and lives among us with a plan for our redemption.

I’m thankful for a God that is above us…but, who is not fearful of being among us.  My prayer is that you’ll receive the gift of a Savior born among us, who lived and did miracles.  And, as thanks, He was beaten murdered, and thrown in a hole which was incapable of holding Him.  Today, He’s resurrected and ascended and making intercession for us.  God loves us with an amazing love.

Merry Christmas!

Thoughts on Haiti and Next Steps

Wherever I looked there was an overwhelming challenge in Port-au-Prince.  No doubt, the situation is improving as rubble is cleared and the city is slowly rebuilt.  But, honestly, the situation was desperate before the earthquake.  The great, overarching need isn’t strictly humanitarian and it won’t be solved by outsiders.  The ongoing challenge in Haiti will only be permanently solved by the people of Haiti.

On the Street

Imagine your family being in a financial pickle and you go to someone for help.  Upon having people help, they also become very visible in providing the help by communicating to your children in front of onlookers how they intervened and had provided aid and rescue.  How humiliating.

This may not be a perfect analogy.  But, it is certainly in the ballpark in some of our dealings with the Haitian people in both our governmental and missions dealings.  We should guard against the unintended tragedy of shredding the humanity of those we seek to serve.

I sense that a combination of the earthquake, long-term poverty, disease, and political corruption has brought young men in Haiti to a place of deep frustration.  Throw in well-intended public declarations of foreign help into the mix and it seems like good deeds have the potential to become deeply offensive to a place that is already a powder keg.

Solutions for a Gospel-active Future

It’s ridiculous for me, as an American, to talk about vibrant spirituality in Haiti.  Afterall, Christianity in America is taking a beating due to incongruence with our words and deeds, soft-pedaling on Scriptural absolutes, independence from God and others, and a failure to love one another with a dangerous love.  At the same time, the Christians in Haiti, though pressed, injured, killed, diseased, and impoverished are joyous, worshipful, kind, hospitable, loving, and utterly dependent on God.

The Haitian situation has not stopped Haiti from advancing the Gospel in the USA, especially in areas like South Florida, New York, and Boston.  And, the American situation should not stop Americans from advancing the Gospel or providing humanitarian help in Haiti.  So, how are Americans to be a part of the solution in Haiti?

• Humbly and in the background. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus says, to do good deeds discreetly.  First, doing good deeds with fanfare robs the giver of his reward.  It also robs the recipient of worth.  By serving discreetly, we are able to elevate humans in the struggle as opposed to foreigners outside of the struggle.
• By serving the most marginalized. James 1:27 declares that pure religion is serving widows and the orphaned.  In serving these, we are serving Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46).
• By developing those with high potential. The solution for Haiti is already in Haiti.  We need to work to find those people and resource them to advance their education.  They in turn will have their hands directly in the shaping of Haiti’s tomorrow.  One such example is Pastor Joel Vibert.  He was a student of the Eglise de Dieu Seminaire Biblique in Port-au-Prince in 1967.  He began teaching there in 1974.  He now is president of the seminary and pastors a church of 1,000 people in a densely populated community in Port-au-Prince.  His influence is clearly visible as, seemingly wherever he is, he is surrounded by very sharp, contagious young men.  The seminary was started by Dr. James Beatty, one of my seminary professors.  There are many other Joel Vibert’s out there waiting to happen and we can have a hand in investing in them.

Next Steps

It is in my heart to focus efforts on developing young leaders.  I never realized the massive impact Dr. James Beatty had on Haiti.  I knew he’d started the seminary.  I know pastors who came up through the seminary.  I’d not been in touch with the highly relational, Gospel-faithful young men on the periphery of the pastors in the churches in Haiti to see and hear their passion…and to experience the far-reaching, long-term impact of an investment into leadership development.

So, we’ve decided that we will invest and work with other churches and individuals to establish the first endowment scholarships at Eglise de Dieu Seminaire Biblique.  They will require of the recipients maximum academic focus with specific guidelines for areas of service.

In doing so, we hope to be a small part of a long-term Gospel solution among a massive humanitarian crisis.  If only one Joel Vibert emerges out of that investment, then the exponential impact he will have will clearly demonstrate that to have been good seed planted in good soil.

Collateral Impact

I’m also praying that the spiritual vibrance of the Haitian people, a beautiful people who endure a massive struggle would impact my church family in South Florida, a beautiful people whose affliction is more subtle…a curse of prosperity, which lulls us into a false sense of independence and a lack of need for a redeemer.

Stay tuned…as soon as I have the next steps of formalizing an endowment solidified, I’ll give you the opportunity to be a part of serving our extended church family and the people of Haiti.

Haiti Trip

 

Playing on my iPhone with the kids at the orphanage in Dufally.

It’s Friday morning and we’re preparing to head back to the states after spending this week in Haiti.  Most of our time was spent in Port-au-Prince raising tents at the Bible School and at churches to house worship services and classes. 

We also went out to deliver some supplies to a rural orphanage.  The children there were beautiful.  They loved on me and accepted me, a stranger, with a love that was nothing short of spectacular.  We played on my iPhone…and just like my kids, the didn’t want to stop playing with Tom, the Talking Tomcat.  The orphanage itself was in desperate condition.

Each morning, we woke up on the compoundat about 5 am to the sound of voices singing at the church down the road.  “Love Lifted Me” in creole is about as pretty of a song as I’ve ever heard.

Claude Condo is the only one who came with me from Life Pointe.  Everyone else were pastors.  Claude was a super star on the trip.  His french got us out of trouble a couple times.  And, he was able to minister to people in a way that we simply weren’t.  One of my great takeaways was being able to spend so much time with him…what an amazing, good brother…and friend.

Haiti, obviously, was in bad shape before the earthquake…one of the most impovershed nations in the world.  The earthquake compounded the issue in a way that pictures cannot fully capture.  When you come face-to-face with the reality of the human struggle, the sense of despair is overwhelming.

Wherever you look, you can see pain on the faces of people.  However, in places like at Pastor Vibert’s church, the joy on people’s face is visible and clear.  Life in the shadow of the church and within the touch of Jesus is a better life in Haiti. 

This trip has been good ministry for me.  It’s been a privilege working next to the beauiful Haitian brothers and sisters.  And, spending a week with good friends and partners in ministry from the USA, has been medicine for my soul.  I’m thankful for new relationships…praying that it’s just the beginning…and God allows me to be a part of what He’s doing through the amazing Haitian people.

If you’d like to see more pictures & video from the trip, check me out on facebook.

On Pain, Surrender, and Redemption

“God has landed on this enemy-occupied world in human form…The perfect surrender and humiliation was undergone by Christ: perfect because He was God, surrender and humiliation because He was man.” -C. S. Lewis in The Case for Christianity

Jesus lays out the unattainable path to perfection.  He takes a path that we, in ourselves, cannot walk…yet, we’re compelled to walk it.  In our inadequacy, we pursue Him only to find we can’t in our own ability.  I think it’s in our greatest desperation and lack that we collapse feeling completely unable and insufficient, only to realize He is truly our ability and sufficiency.

Within each of us are a mixture of natural gifts and learned traits or abilities.  Some of us have the ability to endure substantial amounts of pressure.  While others have a lower pain thresh hold and give in more quickly to life’s intensity.  Ultimately though, we all crumble.

It’s in the crumbling that we can identify with the surrender and humiliation that Christ faced in His own humanity. His surrender was at the hands of a burdensome cup of suffering placed in His hands by our loving and fierce Father.  Our suffering, like that of Christ, may also be found out in pursuit of some highly tuned value.  More likely though, it’s in pursuit of something less noble.

Regardless, in the pain, we find the ability to be close to Jesus.  It’s only in this place of desperation that we are positioned to experience His perfection. When our lives are most fragile, most marginalized, we have our greatest opportunity to be near our Redeemer Jesus.

If you’re like me, your first reaction to pain is bristling defensiveness.  Perhaps though, we ought to more readily embrace the pain and suffering as the altar where we meet Jesus.  Instead of viewing suffering as a place of desperation, maybe we ought to view suffering as an altar of beauty, transformation, and communion with God.

I don’t know that I’ve ever been at this altar of pain and benefitted myself by wallowing in angst.  I do know that eventually as I work through my pain in this sacred pain-filled sanctuary, I have always found God to be sufficiently beautiful and redemptive.  And, so life is expected to continue to bring the pain as we move through various phases of life.  And, I for one aim to handcuff that expectation of pain to the hope of my Redeemer Jesus being sufficiently perfect in walking with His redeemed through the pain and humiliation to a beautiful surrender to realized dependency on His perfection.

A Little Sweat Never Hurt Anyone

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nie percent perspiration.” -Thomas Edison

Hard Work

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

- Vince Lombardi

The Time I Looked Down the Barrel of a Gun

For whatever reason, I find myself in the most precarious situations.  Once, I walked up on a bulldozer trucking along barreling over trees, headed straight for a church parking when I was on staff at North Cleveland COG.  I quickly learned how to drive a bulldozer…lucky I didn’t get run over in the process.  People heard the noise and walked out to see me sitting a top a big yellow machine.  My first thought when I saw them was, “I bet they think I’m crazy and that I did all this carnage.”

Three times in my life, I’ve looked down the barrel of a gun: once in Homestead, once in Florida City, and once on a lonely dirt road in southeast Tennessee when I was in college.  The time in Tennessee is such a sensational story that no one would believe me if someone else hadn’t been there to witness it.

In Florida City, I was doing a ministry project on a Saturday with my friend, Mike Hall.  We had just spent the morning talking to kids.  We were on our way home.  I was driving my car with the windows down. Someone approached the car pulling a pistol from his waistband. What was going on didn’t even register with my brain until about 30 seconds later after I had casually pulled away from the corner and was on my way.

Mike and I just looked at each other and basically said, “Did that just happen?” It was a big non-event that should have caused me to change my pants.  Ironically, Mike is now the Drug Task Force Director and busts those kinds of guys routinely.

That moment didn’t really have any shaping effect on my life. It turned out to be just another historical artifact on the timeline of my life…just another story to tell.  Come to think about it, neither did the bulldozer, the Tennessee hillbilly with a gun, or the other quasi-sensational events in my life.  Crises points do impact us on some level.  But, it seems like after the initial euphoric let-down, we resume our regular lives.  Perhaps, you can look at 9-11 or Hurricane Andrew as some similar point where you experienced some kind of spiritual yearning only to fall back into previous levels of spiritual apathy.

WHAT HAS IMPACTED AND CHANGED MY LIFE?

A thousand inconsequential actions peppered across the course of my life.  I think if we’re looking for silver bullet kinds of moments to propel us forward or to destroy us, I think we’ll be disappointed.  Of course, that isn’t a rule.  I easily could have had bad outcomes in the three experiences I’ve had with gun violence.  But, we are much more likely to die of apathy than we are to die at the hands of a violent person.

Likewise, we are more likely to be greatly impacted by the seemingly inconsequential, mundane actions of a good person consistently pouring into our lives. This conclusion has helped me to press through the pain of feelings of insignificance, feelings and questions about whether or not I’m making a difference.  I’ve concluded that changing culture, changing lives, and obtaining success in sharing Jesus isn’t going to be won or lost in some grand event or great crash.  Rather, it will be won or lost in the seemingly inconsequential decisions of our routine and daily decisions.

So, cheers to the mundane, the boring, the repetitive, the disciplines. I’m looking for victory…and I think it will be found in the most inconspicuous of places: the shadows, the grocery story, the swimming pool, the office, predictability, commitment, and the routines of life.

A Reflection on Being a Dad

It’s a day after Father’s Day. I’m somewhat reflective thinking back on my childhood…and thinking about my relationship with my children.  I’d like to share some things from the perspective of a son and a father…with some words to fathers.

I don’t have a story of a father who wasn’t there or a father who was abusive.  I have a story of a good father that was engaged in my life and who modeled godly masculinity.  That upbringing has shaped me and marked me to attempt to do the same for my children.  Consider some marks of godly masculinity I can still see through my rear view mirror…marks I’m working at living out:

• Love your children and pay attention to them.  You are making investments in them when they’re young and when they actually want to be around you.  One day, they’ll be independent like they should be and won’t need you.  Then, those investments will pay off and they’ll choose to enjoy more than just a vertical relationship with you…but, also a friendship between mutually respected peers.
• Never discipline out of anger. Always let your correction be measured, calm, and with an aim to correct…not punish.  God, in His good mercy is not punitive to His children.  He’s corrective.  Because He loves us, He wants us to grow.  His correction reflects that.
• Make memories.  I can think of a lot of things my dad “said” to me.  Most of those things…the really great life lessons hang on pegs…and the pegs are memories of something we were doing.  One of my earliest memories with my dad is riding in an old flat bed truck through a sandy orange grove.  I can see the dirt road going by through the rusted out floor board of the old truck.  I remember falling asleep with my head on my dad’s lap while he drove us home from that adventure.  These memories are imprinted in my mind and heart and laid the foundation for a high trust relationship with my dad.
• Be predictable. Don’t be predictable in the sense of losing spontaneity.  But, stick to your code so that your children know how to function.  If the code is always changing, you kids will be confused.
• Don’t undercut mom. If mom says something to the kids, back her up.  Teach your son how to respect women.  Teach your daughters how they should expect to be treated.  If you treat your wife like a dirt bag, your son will do the same.  And, your daughters will accept the same from other domineering idiot.
• Speak the words of Jesus in your home. Let Jesus be at the center of your life…not only when you want something, when you’re in a jam, when you hit your thumb with a hammer, or when you’re at church.  Be the priest in your home and season your stories and discussions with the Good News of Jesus.
• Never let your kids say, “can’t.” Can’t isn’t in the Johnson vocabulary.  Winners never quit and quitters never win.  Things don’t come in “can’ts,” they come in ‘cans.’”  If can’t is an easy escape, your kids will never do the great things.  The great things are never easy.  If the great things were easy, everyone would be great.  But, they aren’t.  A lot of people teach their kids in word and by example to take the path of least resistance.  Resistance and challenge are necessary to build muscle.
• Be daring.  Don’t obsess over safety.  Don’t get me wrong.  Be safe.  But, your kid isn’t going to die if you don’t sterilize his pacifier.  And, your kid won’t be traumatized if he falls down on his butt trying to learn how to walk.  You can’t chase your kid around for his whole life trying to catch him before he falls.  Let her be daring.  It’s a proud moment when your 4 year old goes off the high dive right after a grown adult nearly wets their pants trying to do the same thing.  Daring is good for a kids sense of adventure.  And, when they conquer their fears, they realize their capable of more than they previously thought.

More Than a Consumer – a Disciple, a Called Minister

From Chris Day on his blog talking about his experience at Life Pointe Church when he realized God had a calling on his life…pertinent as we talk about the 5 fold ministry in Ephesians 4:7-16:

Very early on during the first year of my fantastic journey one of the new Pastors within my church family called me out during one of his first Sunday morning teachings. The man stood up there on the stage right in the middle of his message that morning, and he boldly exclaimed these 7 words in front of everyone, “Chris Day – YOU’RE a Disciple of Christ !” A series of chills – sent from up above – totally consumed my body. That was instantly one of the most groundbreaking moments of my fantastic journey. That’s when it all really made sense to me as a born again Christian. From that point forward I realized that I had a real role – an urgent purpose – a definite mission on this journey.

Sometimes, I want to bash my head over how badly WE and ME miss it.  It’s simple.  We’re called by God, qualified, and empowered to do the work that Jesus did and walk out the walk that Jesus walked.

Best of the Best: Internet Candy

Here is some internet candy I’ve enjoyed recently:

• Kayaking in the Keys on Flickr.  Beautiful Pictures from my favorite way to explore the Keys.
• Harvard Business Review: “The Kindle isn’t Dead Yet (and other Reflections on the iPad)”
• Art of Manliness (one of the best blogs on the internet): “Weasels Ripped My Flesh”
• My friend, Chris Day turned 43 (and I didn’t tell him Happy Birthday because I’m a slacker!)
• Seth Godin: You Can See the Determination in His Eyes
• Mark Driscoll’s latest blog series called: 11 Leadership LEssons from the 12 Disciples.   My favorite entries in the series are:  Hurt before Fruit, Under Authority before in Authority, and Pray Humbly Then Proceed Boldly.
• Nelson Searcy: Who’s Answering Your Phone
• RunKeeper.  Track your walking, running, cycling, or mountain biking via GPS.
• Livestrong.  Over the past couple months, it’s become my #1 stop on the web. Want to get in shape? Burn more calories than you consume.  If you’d gotten too comfortable on the couch and are looking for a tool to kick your hinder parts into shape, this is a good place to start.

Sunday Wrap-up

Wow! I haven’t done this in a long time!  Here goes:

• Today, I shared about Spiritual Growth/Holiness out of Ephesians 3:14-21.  I love this series.  I love the Book of Ephesians…powerful stuff.
• Paul wrote to an imperfect Church then that they would #1 know Christ and #2 grow in Christ.
• Nothing has changed.  And, the prayer is still the same.
• And, the good news is that He offers us the privilege of godly relationship with one another and the chance to extend hope in Christ to the world!
• That’s a beautiful picture, my friend!…well worth the good, challenging journey.
• Did you know that for some amazing team members, Sundays at Life Pointe are a 13+ hour journey. To the people who graciously walk out what you talk out: You guys are killer!  Really, it’s an honor to serve along side you.
• The Homestead campus has one more Sunday of 9 & 10:30 am services.  Beginning Father’s Day, we’re kickin’ it at 10 & 11:30 AM!!!

• WHY? Because, the new schedule should give us two front door service as opposed to one. If you’re a 1st time guest at Life Pointe, there’s a 95% chance, you attended the 10:30.
• Also, we have a lot of families with small children. 9 AM is tough to get to.  10 AM is more than do-able.  So, is 11:30!
• This should go a long way to helping with the bottleneck in our 10:30 by giving people better options.  And, it will help us reach more people…and, that’s what it’s about!
• PLANTATION KEY?!  Who through the Molotov Cocktail on that place?!  It’s on fire…incredible.

• We’re really hoping to be able to make it to the Fall before launching a second service.  We’ll see.
• The kids venues were slammin’.
• The parking was neatly packed.
• And, the auditorium is on the verge of being too full.  That’s a great problema!
• Speaking of growth, have I told you recently about our partners in crime, Baypointe Church in Panama City Beach?  Check them out.  They had a preview service today…couldn’t be more excited Ben and his crew who are bringing the GOOD News of Jesus to PCB!
• You gave a little bit towards sharing the Gospel in that community through Ben Liles and Baypointe.  Now is the time to crank up the prayers.  They’re about to have a heck of an adventure!…honored to be connected to them in a small, small way.
• So, how did the day end? How else? Wings at Dillons.  That place is noisy, which makes it easier to eat with my kids and friends without feeling like I’ve disrupted a whole joint!
• Next week is going to be a really good Sunday as we dive into Ephesians 4 and worship Christ together.  Let’s get it on!
• But, first…let’s do another thing we were made to do, live out the Christwalk in plain view of the world.  Expect God to change lives.  Love recklessly.  There is no other path worth taking!!!