And that was probably true. Still, I’m planning to revive this blog as well as our church’s website (www.LivingHope.info) in preparation for our church’s 10th Anniversary on September 19. There’s a lot of work to do… so I’d better get to it!

First, I received an email from someone whose family has been attending our church for the past few months.  She said, in part:

[My husband] and I agreed that the Christmas Eve service at Living Hope was by far the nicest and most MEANINGFUL one we have ever attended.  It really started our Christmas off right.

We got back from Indy on Sunday night.  I really felt a loss at missing Sunday morning’s service.  I never felt that way before.  That’s a testament to how much Living Hope has become a part of my spiritual life.

Second, I just noticed today that last week (on my birthday), my friend Nichole wrote this post about Giving on her blog, in which she mentions something that stuck with her from her visit to our church a month or so ago.  I was excited just to see her that Sunday.  It’s nice to hear that something from that day has stuck with her and is still influencing her thoughts & life today.

Please understand: I’m not the kind of person who wonders if my work really matters…. but it’s always nice to hear real-life examples of ways that what we do makes a difference to the people around us.  It’s just… encouraging, you know?

If you’ve had this sort of thing happen to you recently, please share it in the comments below!  I’d love to hear about it!

Thank you, Stacey, for agreeing to be my wife & letting me be your husband! I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished in the past 13 years, and I’m looking forward to all that the next 13 years will bring!

(To all the rest of you, my apologies for being absent from this blog for the past few months. Maybe I’ll do better in the new year…?)

Still… it makes for a reaaaaalllllly long day! I’ve spent half of today preparing for it, and in a few short hours I’ll be getting up again to start loading the truck… then going to the church to pick up more stuff… then going to the booth site to unload it all… then running back out for a second load… and then finally settling in for my 11-hour shift at the booth, outdoors, in 80 degree weather — which should be great for selling ice-cold water and pop! My day will begin around 4:00 am and end around 9:00 pm.

Fortunately, I won’t be working the booth alone. Over a dozen volunteers will be stopping in to work their shifts and make things happen. That’s half the fun: getting to spend time with these guys & gals. The other half of the fun is interacting with the crowds. I get to play like I’m a carnival barker, shouting “Get your ice cold water here! Only one dollar! Ice cold Pepsi! One dollar!” And I get to have the occasional conversation with someone who asks, “So what are you guys doing this for?” And I get to invite lots and lots of people to our church’s Grand Opening Celebration that’s coming up on Sunday, Sept. 20. (You’re invited, too!)

But right now, it’s late. I need to hit the sack so I can get up in 4 hours and start my day. Maybe I’ll see you at the Popcorn Fest!

Oh, well.  As you can see from my Twitter stream in the box to the right, I’ve never stopped sharing bite-sized bits of my life there.  You can always follow me on Twitter if you want to avoid the next (inevitable) dry spell…

Here’s what makes Panera a good place for us to meet:

• Good food
• Free refills on soft drinks
• Free wifi (wireless internet)
• Chance meetings with people we know and people we don’t

It’s that last one that seems to set Panera apart from some other places we’ve met.  It seems like half of Valparaiso comes through Panera between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.  We usually plant ourselves somewhere near the doors, and it seems like every other time we’re there, we end up talking to someone.  And that’s a really good thing for a couple of church leaders trying to make sure that church connects with ordinary folks where they live!

Of course, if you know someplace else we should try that meets those same criteria, I’m open to suggestions! 

I can’t wait for summer!

Yeah, big surprise. But I’m not alone. Lots of pastors seem to have this problem, since so many are still frantically working on Saturday nights trying to finish their Sunday morning message. Fortunately (or unfortunately, I’m not sure which), I don’t have that option. Because Stacey works hard all week long, and her evenings are often full, too, with work and PhD classes. (Last night, for example, she was at the school from 5:45 until almost 10:00. And that was after a full day’s work.)  So if we’re going to spend any time together, it has to happen over the weekend.  I can’t spend my Saturday working.  I really need to finish my work by Friday night at 5:00.

So Fridays are for finishing. Finishing my message. Finishing the bulletins and outlines and anything else that needs printed. Finishing my phone calls and emails and reports and preparations for Sunday afternoon board meetings. Etc.

In other words, don’t expect much out of me on Fridays. If you call, I’ll be happy to talk to you, but probably not for very long. Want to get together at a coffee shop to talk about God and life and whatever?   Great!  Let’s schedule it for a Wednesday, or maybe a Thursday.  Not today.  Because Fridays are for finishing.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to work.