DS3 Blogging

For the City

So on Saturday, I watched a strong TED conference talk by Dave Meslin. He talks about 7 barriers that keep people from being involved in their communities, specifically local politics. It was such an inspiring talk that intended to tweet it this week. 

Then, on Sunday, I read Abel Harding's blog post on my city's desperate need for new leadership, especially when it comes to the future of downtown Jacksonville. Abel draws inspiration from the players and events that followed the Great Fire of 1901. Reading his post (combined with yesterday's TED talk), I am personally bothered (in a good way) with the current and future story that is unfolding in Northeast Florida. And further more, how that story fits into the greater story of God's kingdom.

God says to an exiled people through His prophet Jeremiah, "...seek the welfare of the city...and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7). What if this is also what He is saying to the Christ-followers of Jacksonville? 

We have tons of churches in Northeast Florida...and new ones are planted every year. This is a good thing. But I wonder what would happen if we prayed for more men and women who would seek the welfare and prosperity of this city, for the ultimate glory of Jesus? New leaders and laborers who would build up the ancient ruins and be restorers of streets to dwell in (Isaiah 61)? I wonder what God would say to that kind of prayer?

Pleading for God's leadership.

Reclaim Gathering is this weekend. There is still time to jump on board and be a part of what will be a powerful 3 days. If you wanna come, but need help getting there, email us at reclaim@access218.com.

With just a few days left before the event, I am preparing my heart. I believe there is something God wants to do in me personally in these days. And I personally do not want to miss it.

Isaiah 2 is a part of my preparation, particularly v.2:

'...and many peoples shall come, and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
   to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths."'

In this verse, the people are making a journey to meet with their Creator. They are not really going to submit tons of requests. They are going up to the mountain and asking for leadership. They are asking God to tell them how to live and how to be in this world. This is a gutsy, yet humble expectation...God's leadership is like no one else's. God's leadership will lead those that follow to a different place. Asking for that kind of leadership is costly, risky, and always worth it.

That's what I am asking for at Reclaim. I am hoping that God would literally tell me what to do and how to live. I am praying for correction, encouragement, and challenge. I want to be taught. I want to come back walking differently. And I am willing to unlearn as much as I need to so that I can truly respond to His leadership.

Some conferences are about building leaders. Reclaim is more about raising up a new generation of eager, humble God-followers. And this weekend is a gathering where we ask Him to teach us and lead us down His path. 

I am praying that Reclaim will be an opportunity for me and those with me to meet face to face with our Creator and plead for Him to be our leader. May it be so in Jesus name!

Reclaiming my spot in the tent of meeting...

More than enough information

On Monday nights at 7pm, I get the honor of communicating messages each week to a great community of post-college young professionals called Forward, the young adult ministry of CrossRoad Church. We are currently looking at the life of David and particularly, the David and Bathsheba story. It is a soap opera to say the least. As we sit in this story, I am hoping that we'll discover and get honest about areas of temptation that we are facing, but also the grace that is available to us in Jesus. We have three more weeks left in this series and I am excited to see how God will use this story.

I am not proud to admit that I have lost the battle of temptation more times that I want to say. One of the statements that I make (to myself or whoever caught me) afterwards is, "If only I knew then, what I know now." Something in me says that if I had more information, I would've been able to make a better choice. That statement only works, however, in my own brain. 

In 2 Samuel 11:1-3, we read the beginnings of a tragedy unfolding. David sees a woman bathing and finds her beautiful. What's a man to do right? What I realized is that by the time we hit verse 3, David has more than enough information to make the right choice. 

1. This woman has a name [Bathsheba]. She's a real person with real needs, hopes, desires, and responsibilities. She is not an object or scenery. She deserves to be treated as a human being.

2. This woman is someone's daughter [Eliam]. She is cared for by others simply because she exists. She has history. She has relational value and therefore deserves respect.

3. This woman is someone's wife [Uriah]. She has made commitments. She is connected to someone else and that union must be honored. 

David, knowing these three details, had more than enough information to make a better choice than he did. And the truth is, in the situations where I am tempted, I do not need any more information. I have already been given enough insight to love my God, love my neighbor and forgive my enemies. I already know enough details to love justice, seek mercy and walk humbly with my Creator. 

Not having enough information to make the right choice is an excuse. And a bad one at that. I do not need another book or counseling session. I need to act on what I already know.

I pray that you and I will make great choices this week. I pray that you and I will see that in most cases, we know enough information to love well and live in truth. So let's do it...

Leadership Community

When I started in college/campus/young adult ministry back in 2002, I thought the best thing I could do for everyone was be the self-sufficient and all-knowing leader. Quickly I realized that I could not live up to this image. 

Pretty soon, I started hearing messages at conferences about removing the hierarchy in ministry and giving more ministry away. I was told that my goal was to work myself out of a job. Sounds good in theory, but after a few weeks of living into this, I became lazy and folks wanted to know what I was doing with my time. 

Both images lacked something important. The goal is not self sufficiency or deliberate irrelevance, but as Seth Godin points out in his post, is a little closer to interdependence. What I am learning as a leader is that I need to bring my best self to the places I am strong and be the greatest student in the places I am weak. Self-sufficiency is traded in for confidence. Abdication is replaced with humility. And the hierarchy becomes community. 

My responsibility is to bring to the table all that I know I know. I am required to be honest about what I know I don't know. And the best part, I am joined with a team of people who are all doing the same. 

Great Support for Reclaim

We just finished up the last Reclaim Regional in Venice, FL. Now we are gearing up for a massive Reclaim Main Gathering in just under 4 weeks. This has been an exciting journey for me personally and I am so excited to see the beginnings of a movement of young adults who will rise up and be the Church today! Such great days to live in. 

There have been so many encouragements along the way. One huge joy over the last several months has been the support from real (over 35 yrs old) adults. I have had numerous conversations with the 'real adults' about the importance of reaching out and pursuing the next generation. Some in the older generation are interested in this age group as they can see the potential to save and reinvigorate their local churches. But most are just heart-broken that so many young adults are missing in many of our churches. I have heard the phrase many times, "I love what you're doing with Reclaim'. It has been quite encouraging. 

 

Last week, we sort of heard that phrase again via video from Rev. Timothy Whitaker, Bishop of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. That name and title may not mean a lot to you, and in truth, Bishop Whitaker is just like all of us...a follower of Jesus trying to be faithful what all God has placed in his hands. But his support is one more voice from the older generation that sees the need for something like Reclaim in our state. We (the Reclaim team and I) appreciate Bishop Whitaker's support so very much. 

If you are a young adult, we'd love to see you at Reclaim this April. And if you are connected to a young adult or interested in young adult ministry, you should consider joining us for this weekend event. We are praying that all would be inspired for the sake of this generation and the glory of Jesus. Check us out at www.reclaimgathering.com.

It was more than an event...

Last April, over 1o0 young adults from across Florida gathering for the Reclaim Gathering. The video below is a small snapshot of what happen that weekend. 

 

We prayed that Reclaim would be more than an event...and by God's grace it will be. In about a week, we will begin hosting regional gatherings across the state of Florida. We'll start with two this fall: Reclaim Northwest at Killearn UMC in Tallahassee on November 18 and Reclaim Atlantic Central at Georgianna UMC in Merrit Island on November 20. Our goal is to get face to face with young adults. We do not simply wanna draw a crowd...we really want to create a large community of young adults who are interested in being the Church today. We are planning 4 more regional gatherings for the first few months of 2011...stay tuned for more details. 

If you are a young adult and live in the Tallahassee or Atlantic Central areas, we would love to see you at a Regional event. 

A New Normal and Reclaim

Most churches in the US are doing their best to reach out to young adults. Some have started new services, hired more staff, and initiated special projects designed to reach the next generation of adults. Few can say that they are truly successful. Most of us are still looking for the right formula that will get some young people in the seats on Sundays. What we all know is that reaching young adults is a critical need...something that we can not give up on right now. 

A few months back I was sitting in a meeting with some leaders. Most were under the age of 35 and all were under the age of 50. Our conversation was focused on ways we could work together in reaching this missing generation. We spent a little bit of time discussing what our churches and communities would look like when (or if) we actually did reach young adults. Many good thoughts were written down. But one that stuck with me was the dream of  a new normal. I have been thinking about (and praying for) the 'new normal' for the Church ever since. 

Like I said before, the current reality for those of us concerned about the state of the Church is 'we need to do more to reach young people'. But I am looking forward to the day when we are saying 'we have young people...we need to do more with them'. I am looking forward to the day when our brainstorming sessions move from trying to get and keep them in the house to sustaining the steady flow of young people who feel like the Church is where they ought to be. 

We are not there yet, but I believe that through prayerful action and Spirit-inspired initiative, we will be there one day. Part of my calling is to help the Church get there. For the last few months, a small team of folks from ACCESS218 have been organizing Reclaim. It started as a gathering for young adults in April 2010. To our surprise, over 100 young adults from across Florida attended this gathering. It was a great couple of days and my eyes were opened to the potential of young adults who are still interested in being the Church in our day. Our prayer was that the idea of Reclaim...gathering and inspiring young adults to be today's Church...wouldn't stop at our April event. And by God's grace, it hasn't.

This November, we are hosting 2 regional Reclaim events in Tallahassee and Merritt Island. Our hope is that we will be able to meet young adults in different parts of Florida, hear their stories, their dreams and some of the ways God is moving in their lives. We'll do this over dinner, conversation, acoustic-led worship and more. We hope to host 4 more regionals in the coming year that will lead up to the Reclaim 2011 Main Gathering...April 8-10 in Coral Gables, Fl. As always, our prayer is that Reclaim events will be more than just something to do...we are believing that God will use our gatherings to inspire young adults to be His Church today. 

If you would like more information on Reclaim events, check out our website: www.reclaimgathering.com. You can also check us out on facebook and twitter or drop us an email at reclaim@access218.com

 

Called out by Seth Godin

Loved Seth Godin's recent post, Demonstrating Strength. It actually came at a perfect moment for me. I was just realizing the weight of yet another decision that needed to be made. I was thinking at that moment, 'I could just do this and it'll be easier". But often easier is not better. Often the best thing to do is the harder, more honest and more humble response. In the short term, I might appear weak. But in the long term, I will find that my strength doesn't come from perceptions and images.

The last line of Seth's blog really got me, "Risking the appearance of weakness takes strength. And the market knows it." I would add that the church, the culture, and all of heaven know it as well. 

One of the greatest things I've learned in church leadership is the fusion of honesty and humility. It is one thing to be honest and transparent, and another thing to defer honor and choose to be a servant to all. But when these two qualities meet, it creates a powerful combination that manifest over time into strength. 

Read Seth's post and let him call you out. When you check out his list, some of you will not see any of the described actions as weak. That's good...that means you know the power of an honest, humble individual. Some of you will read the list and wonder if the actions described are too easy. If you think they are easy, I would ask when was the last time you actually did one of them.

Living an honest, humble life demonstrates strength in the long term. But it is tough and costly in the short term...and totally worth it. 

What's holding you back?

I have these moments, usually in the mornings, when I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. Sometimes it is from the constant wrestling match of tough decisions that come with being a ministry leader. Other times it is the small details that can make daily living a little bit complicated. Every once and a while, it is the combination of the two and more...always feeling like there's one more thing to do and a few more things to say. Add to this mental pressure the voice of the enemy who tries to convince me that I am not cut out for any of this and you begin to see the problem. I am often in a state of defeat before 9am...already cowering back into my invisible cave even before I leave the apartment. 

Now all of the above is valid and deserves to be acknowledged, listened to, and worked out. It also deserves to be called what it is (at least for me), a distraction. These mental gymnastics, although honest, are not productive. Definitely not productive in the efficient sense, but also and more so in the healthy sense. None of the above described gets me any closer to the answers I crave, the man I want to be or the life I wanna live. In fact, these seemingly honest thoughts do more to hold me back than anything else. 

What I have to do is remember in the midst of it all that regardless of what my brain is saying, there is a call on my life, people I am committed to loving and serving, and a mission that is worth every ounce of my being. I have learned to take all of these mental assumptions to close friends and trusted leaders. I invite these individuals to speak to these morning thoughts so that my brain is not the only verbal authority in my head. The more I do this, the more I realize the feeling of the weight of the world is actually things like mental exhaustion, a desire to be honest about my feelings and a longing for deeper community. And the more I get these thoughts out of my head and into a larger conversation, the more I realize the lies of the enemy disguised as 'being honest with myself'. 

Most of all, putting these morning thoughts in the right place gives me the freedom to keep moving. If all the negative thoughts in my head are true, then how much more amazing is God who is able to call the unfaithful and use the unreliable for His glory. 

Why do we allow our own thoughts to speak louder than the voice of God in our lives?

 

Alaska Launch: Human Connections

Part of the Alaska Launch experience is manning a booth at the Kodiak Crab Festival. We're encouraging people to register for a giveaway...a 32 inch TV. We're also giving away free coffee, hot chocolate & lemonade as well as Bible tracks & giving our testimonies. Some of the strategies aren't exactly what I'm used to. And as the last post revealed, it has been challenging reconciling personal convictions with what we've been asked to do. It has been a stretching couple of days...until today.

It was finally my day to hang at the booth. It was so good to connect with people. As I talked and poured coffee, I remembered the primary draw in coming to Alaska...ALASKANS! My goal in coming here was to make friends with people at different stages of the faith journey from this state. I think I did that today.

Close to the end of my shift. A dude named Theo came by...23 year old guy from Washington state. At first, he was no different than any of the other folks who came to the table. But then he didn't leave...he just kept talking to us. Finally, I asked if he wanted to take a walk around the festival. One walk led to sitting on a bench by the sea bank. For about a half hour, we talked about our families, our travels, our current situations, and our faith journeys. In those 30 minutes, I watched the Holy Spirit make an unmistakeable connection between Theo & I. It felt holy & God-ordained.

Hanging with Theo reminds me that at the end of the day, true human connections trump methods, strategies, and perspectives every time. I'm here in Alaska to connect with people. And it will be the people that will get me back here on mission again in the near future.

Our time in Alaska keeps getting better...more stories to come.

LML,
Derrick