Thoughts on Taylor University Fort Wayne's Campus Closure

Early afternoon I heard about the decision to close Taylor University Fort Wayne [TUFW]. I was stunned. Over the last few hours I have been trying to process this news. It impacts me on a number of levels:

First is personal. If it wasn't for TUFW's willingness to be so accommodating I might not live in Fort Wayne today. The only way I could enter the USA was on a student visa. TUFW accepted all of my music credits from Huddersfield University and through their accommodating attitude and generous scholarship it was possible for me to live here and finish my degree. It has been a great privilege to work as a guest lecturer, chapel speaker and adjunct professor at different times.

Second, I have many close friendships with staff and faculty at TUFW. These are people who tonight are contemplating what is next for them. Of course I believe God will open up some wonderful opportunities for these people, but tonight it is hard and I hurt for and with them.

Third, I believed so strongly in the new mission of TUFW under the leadership of Duane Kilty that I invested a great deal of time and energy over the last few years supporting, consulting and encouraging that process. The development of the Pastoral Ministries Major that included a year long internship was something I was particularly excited about. I am disappointed not to see the fruit of these dreams in the way we expected.

Fourth, Heartland had the opportunity to partner with TUFW on a number of projects including Presence, Bringing Home the Prodigals, Love Work, Live Life with David Oliver. I will miss these moments of genuine partnership in the city.

So what now? Fort Wayne has a long legacy of raising up church leaders. As a city we must not take our foot off the accelerator of this assignment. As is often the case in the change of season, the "what" doesn't change, but the "how" does.

May God give people grace for this season, vision for the future, courage to embrace change and deep love for the next generation of kingdom leaders.

Finally some sense

I am very weary of the political season. The polarization of politics in the USA is reaching epic proportions. When I saw this clip I felt like it was a moment of sanity in a storm of emotion.



Good work John McCain.

These are a few of my favorite things - Pt 3

It's Saturday afternoon and I am in The Espresso Gallery [formerly known as Aspen Mill, formerly known as The Mill] in Georgetown! Every Saturday when I am speaking I tuck myself away at this table in the corner and go to work. Most of the time by Saturday I am editing my thoughts and working on PowerPoints.

Tomorrow I am speaking on one of my favorite things as part of our DNA. It was John Wimber's vision throughout all of his ministry that "everyone gets to play." I am picking up on that theme and talking about how all of us are called to re-discover that we are the Church everyday, all of the time, and not just on Sundays. It is my desire that the whole HC community finds ways to consistently live lives following Christ in a naturally supernatural ways. I am particular excited about talking about this in a multi-generational gathering. I think there is no better topic to talk to engage kids, youth and adults. We will be doing lots of fun things to practice hearing from God together during the gathering.

As adults we often have three basic misconceptions about kids and the things of the Spirit:
1. They are not quite ready yet
2. If they are hearing from God they should get it right every time
3. If we teach kids Bible facts they will grow into maturity.

I believe we need to teach kids an experience of God’s power as well as teaching them about His word. I find it so interesting that when the 72 returned from ministry trip, Luke 10 describes Jesus' joyful response, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure". There is a dimension to Kingdom living that requires all of us to return to a childlike faith. Why then would we not see kids as having less hurdles to cross rather than more maturity needed in order to "do the stuff"?

Jesus' ministry was built on demonstration, impartation and multiplication
I DO/YOU WATCH
YOU DO/I WATCH
YOU DO/I GO

I am passionate about teaching and modeling the priesthood of all believers. Often that is taught as a theology and yet in subtle ways church leaders are still seen as as administers of grace, rather than facilitators of a grace-filled community.

I am using a very simple outline. Everyone gets to PLAY:

1. Prepare [Believe God wants you to DO something]
2. Look and listen [Believe God wants to SHOW you something]
3. Ask for boldness/help [Believe God wants to GIVE you something]
4. Yield [Believe God wants to TRANSFORM something]

These are a few of my favorite things - Pt 2

I love interviewing people. This week I drove to South Bend and interviewed Rob Parsons. A couple of weeks ago I found out that my Dad and Rob were going to be close and so I asked if I could chat with Rob on camera about church, community and family life. I wanted to use some of the footage as part of my series this fall at Heartland. The TV studio kindly let us use their set and we talked for about 30-40 minutes. Once it has been edited I think it will be a cool resource not only for Heartland, but for other leaders and churches. This Sunday I am going to interview Ron Allen about some of the personal aspects of his sabbatical.

I believe that interviews are a very effective teaching model. I wonder whether in today's culture it might be more effective than a lecture based model. Done well, interviews can create a platform for people to share how theological realities and personal histories collide. This is the model of Paul's letters in the Bible. In one moment He is talking about who God is, in the next he is talking about his history or how we should treat one another. Paul is demonstrating how he embeds revelation into relationship, that is what I am going for most of the time I interview someone.

Here are a few tips for creating a good interview environment:

1. Be relaxed - put the person you are interviewing and the congregation at ease.
2. Be prepared - you have to know a person's story well if you are going to interview them well.
3. Be strategic - think about how the best way to unfold a story through the best sequence of questions.
4. Be spontaneous - often the person you are interviewing will say something that you need to follow up on for clarification or emphasis.
5. Be flexible - if someone has answered a question you were going to ask later in the interview, don't ask a redundant question.
6. Be assertive - if the person you are interviewing is going on too long, or is going down a tangent that is not relevant for the context don't be afraid to step in and refocus it.

These are a few of my favorite things - Pt 1

Several years ago my Dad said to me, “If you find a job you really love you will never really do a day’s ‘work’ your whole life.” He was not talking about never having a tough day or living in the land of idealism. Rather I think he was describing the relationship between passion, calling, and context. Watching him over many years I saw how he lived out that message. In his book The Anointing R.T. Kendall talks about a similar dynamic for the Christian using different language. He describes the anointing to do specific assignments as “a gift that functions easily when it's working… the person who is filled with the Holy Spirit is able to do extraordinary things, but to him it seems quite natural. There is an ease to it.”

While I have days and assignments that are mundane and frustrating, it is my increasing desire that the compass heading of my life and work is one not based on trying to impress others, but on what God has asked and equipped me to do. I love seeing that dynamic in those around me. I remember recently watching a friend do an activity that I had never seen him do before. As he performed it with such grace and competency I found I couldn’t stop smiling. Afterwards I said to him, “You were made for this.”

Over the coming weeks I am going to write about some of the favorite parts of what I do. Let me tell you about the first: being involved in wedding ceremonies. I didn’t always have a love for weddings. One of the first weddings I was involved in took place when I was about 12 years old. I played prelude music on the flute for over an hour and then the bride was 45 minutes late! By the time of the processional I could barely stand up. Over the last 8-9 years I have married dozens of couples. There was one memorable wedding that took place in Foster Park where I forget to tell the guests to be seated after the processional and everyone stood for the whole ceremony!

I love the ceremony, but even more than that I love the time I get to spend with the couples in the weeks and months leading up to the special day. There are two reasons for that. First, during marriage preparation it is so easy to talk about the big subjects of Christianity. The conversation flows naturally to discussions about sacrifice, covenant, forgiveness and unconditional love. These conversations are the easiest evangelistic context I know. More than once over the last couple of years I have led one or both of the marriage couples into a personal relationship with Jesus. Those marriage ceremonies were filled with an extra measure of joy. Several times guests of the wedding have begun attending the church because they encountered God’s love during the ceremony.

Second, it is a great privilege to walk with people through transitions in life. Giving newly married couples some tools to evaluate their circumstances and make wise decisions is so important. At other times it is being with a family in times of great joy, like the birth of a child or great loss like the death of a loved one. The responsibility of expressing the grace and truth of our God is one I take very seriously. There are relational bonds that get formed during these moments that can go on for years.

Ten things I would tell young leaders about being part of weddings:

1. Be patient – figuring out ceremony details can be tedious at times.
2. Be ready – to give good explanations about the covenant couples are about to make.
3. Be expectant – that God can use you in really wonderful ways through the preparation time.
4. Be discerning – ask God to guide the conversation into areas that are important to touch on.
5. Be open – to change and don’t follow the same template with every couple. Their experiences will be different and so they will need different things.
6. Be sensitive – to complex family relationships. As much as possible, work to make everyone at ease.
7. Be present – listening with your eyes is as important as speaking words with your mouth.
8. Be relaxed – during the rehearsal and the ceremony. You set the tone.
9. Be clear – on what your expectations are for the couple, the wedding party, the family.
10. Be personal – with the homily. It should reflect the personalities of the couple.

The Booth Family pic

500 to 110

I am getting back into the swing of life in Fort Wayne. It was good to share stories from Wales on Sunday morning at Heartland and now I have spent my first full day back in the office.

My email inbox has shrunk from 500 to 110 messages. It was 2-3 hrs of hard work, but felt good. At times the task of staying on top of the sheer amount of information that is around can be daunting. I know people who have refused to use email and also don't have an answer machine at home. Sometimes that seems appealing, although I am not sure it is very practical in today's world!

New Wine Artwork

Caz has done an incredible job as you will see for yourself.

Wednesday in Wales

Yesterday was a very full day, here are some of the highlights:

1. The continuation of David Parker's brilliant teaching.
2. Having lunch with the band at their cottage in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain.
3. Seeing so many people come to a conversation I facilitated about worship in Wales.
4. Sitting on top of a mountain with David Oliver talking about life.
5. Eating Fish and Chips with David Parker.
6. Seeing lovely ministry to those in pain in the evening session.
7. Taking part in the late night cafe and being being interviewed by Marcus G and Jess W on everything from worship to the will of God to Heartland to cardboard testimonies. Marcus has done a great job creating a cool environment for people to land in at the end of the day. My guess is that over the week some significant things have been said during the interviews at the cafe.

Tuesday in Wales

I loved yesterday. Once again, we were able to draw people into deep and high places in worship. There is perhaps no greater privilege [or satisfaction] than declaring who God is then leading people in heartfelt response to His love. The teaching continues to challenge and stir, particularly David Parker’s message tonight about evangelism. It resonates with much that God has been doing in my heart.

There were a few other nice things that happened:

Listening to the choir rehearse for Thursday night [they don’t call Wales “the land of Song” for no reason!]

The band is playing with amazing skill. They are dynamic, creative and sensitive. That makes it really fun.

Seeing so many people I know and love here [not ranked!]: Nigel and Gill James, Gary Smith, David Oliver, Marcus Green, Bruce Collins, Chris Daniels, Pete Joyce, Ben Franks, Renee Jehl, Mike and Julia Plaut, Brian and Anne Gregory, Paul Francis, Cath Evans, Julian and Linda Perkins, Dave Lyle, James and Dave Butler, Paul Trenchard.

Monday in Wales

Today was one of my favorite days in a long time. Tonight's worship went to another level and then we did a late night soaking session and it was incredible. Many of the band were doing something like this for the first and they stepped out and up today.

God is speaking so much to my heart.

Sunday in Wales

Tonight we saw at least 50-60 people get healed. Some of those had conditions for over 30 years. The day started with worship and David Parker speaking. He has a quiet intensity that is really cool. Next up was Bill Johnson. By the time he had finished I felt like I was about to begin Day One as a disciple of Jesus. I wasn't sure if I was encouraged by the commission or discouraged at my swimming in the shallow end for so long.

In the leader's session with Bill in the afternoon something really clicked in my heart. I could fly home tonight and it would have been a fruitful trip. Worship was fun tonight, people were so engaged.

New Wine Cymru: Night One

I just finished Session One. The place was jam packed because bookings are up about 30% on previous years. People came ready to worship and that made life fun! We taught 'O Taste and See' and 'Mighty to save'. The band are doing so well.

Kenny Borthwick spoke on lavish grace. He told some incredible stories of what is going on in Scotland.

I am off to bed, I was not able to fall asleep until 3am yesterday because of jetlag so I am exhausted!

In the last 24 hrs I

Left Fort Wayne

Visited Detroit

Saw the Empire State Building and The Statue of Liberty

Dealt with Newark's crazy airport

Pretended to sleep on a plane, but couldn't figure out how to do the real thing

Met Nigel James, who drove me to Cardiff

Picked up my Dad's car and drove to my parent's house [they are in Spain and France]

Had a shower

Slept for an hour, felt worse after it.

Practiced with the New Wine Cymru band [amazingly great musicians with humble hearts]

Ate a very nice curry from an Indian takeaway

Watched Top Gear

Ironed a bunch of shirts

Heading to Wales

I am at Gate 5 at Ft Wayne airport headed to Cardiff via Detroit, Newark and Bristol. I am leading worship at New Wine Wales. This is the shortest international trip I have ever done. It is just 8 days in the UK.

I have as much anticipation for this trip than any I have been on.

Please pray for:
Safety for our whole family - it is pretty tough on Jake even when I am gone for a few days.

Physical strength - I go straight into rehearsals after an overnight, international flight and then the conference begins the next day.

The Band - this is the first time some of us have been together. Pray for a great connection and synergy in all that we do.

The conference - that God would do some wonderful things in and through people

Connections - pray that God would establish the right relationships and networking in Wales and beyond.

My wifi access maybe spotty but I will try to post as regularly as possible.

Getting Prepared

Most Sunday mornings when I am preaching I wake up early. I spend the time praying and going over my notes. Being prepared is a part of stewarding both the gift and the assignment you have been given. Preparation includes the organizing, editing, shaping, re-shaping of ideas – then going back to check consistency with the original thought.

It also means to be ready for a detour, ready for what God through His Spirit might be doing spontaneously. It might seem like a contradiction, but the better prepared you are the more you are ready for the spontaneous. It is like a group of musicians improvising. The more they play together, the more comfortable they are with their instruments and each other, the more the synergy of shared spontaneity can take place.

This morning is a multi-generation service as part of Community Day. When I need to be succinct I write my notes into a mind-map on one page. It is not as wierd as it sounds. It is a way of graphically organizing notes to help you remember them. It has really helped me in the past. I am also very intentionally trying to simplify my messages and tell more stories.

With all of that said, it still needs God to come and breathe His life into it.

Jake's definition

Last weekend my son Jake aged 5 said to Trish, "Mom, I want to see a miracle".

Trish wisely didn't blow him off and asked, "Jake, what do you think a miracle is?"

Here's what he said, "Mom, a miracle is something that isn't that now is".

Like the best articulations of theology it is simple, but chunky.

Cardboard Testimonies

On Sunday I was preaching from Philippians 3:12-21. Here's how we ended the message. I will write more about it later.