Hello, I'm a Life Group!

Recently I was on vacation in the Bay Area with my family, which presented me with a unique opportunity. See, while the Golden Gate Bridge and Monterey Bay Aquarium are definitely remarkable and worth seeing, I march to a different beat

You may already be aware of my somewhat fanatical love for a certain company named Apple? Well, their headquarters are not far from San Francisco, and they have a store on campus that sells t-shirts, hats, etc. Needless to say, I felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to 'The Mother Ship' (they even have shirts that call it that!).

I browsed the mousepads, mugs, pens, etc. until I found an item that I felt was just right for me: a shirt that says 'Hello, I'm a Mac!' It's pictured here:


Unfortunately, on my return home, I discovered that I had grabbed the wrong size shirt! As these items are not available in any other Apple Store on the planet, I called the 'Company Store' as they call it, and inquired about sending my shirt in for exchange. The associate on the phone said it was no problem, and this morning I found my new shirt in a box outside my house.

I was so excited, I opened the box, ironed the wrinkles out of my precious garment, and put it on immediately. I'm sporting it even as I type these words...

My point? Apple's customer service and product quality is highly regarded in the business community and they have developed a unique culture of loyal users and consumers in the computing world. They are so good at this, in fact, that I couldn't wait another minute to put my t-shirt on! In addition, the prospect of owning a shirt that expresses my excitement for Apple and their products was enough to warrant an extra stop during our family vacation.

In the 1980's, Ford Motor Company ran an ad campaign with the slogan, "Quality is Job 1". I think Apple could say, "Service is Job 1". As a Pastor of groups first and media second, I believe it's safe to say our slogan for Life Groups could be "Caring is Job 1"!

But the real question is: do we care? Are we showing Christ's love to those in our groups and around us? Are we developing a culture that causes people to stop and ask, "How can I help this person right now?", "Can I pray for you?", or, "Is my comfort more important than this person's need?"

I'd like to think so, but it's a question worth asking again and again. Do we care? Do we truly, passionately, wholeheartedly care in ways that make a tangible, practical and relational difference?

If we created a t-shirt that said, "Hello, I'm a Life Group!", would others be so excited about what Christ is doing through this ministry that their vacation plans were changed, their boxes ripped open and the shirts put on without hesitation? I hope so...

Bright Ideas: 10 Commandments

I met briefly with a Life Group Leader today who shared with me that he's feeling led to have his group study the 10 Commandments. I told him I thought this was a great idea!

While we emphasize following the Sunday sermon series in our groups, I've always granted leaders freedom to select something unique for their flock if they felt the need. This frees leaders up and allows for variety that is absolutely necessary to keep group life fresh.

As we prepare to launch the Fall session, what are you planning to study with your group? Will you use our Group Guide, following the sermon series, study a book of the Bible or possibly select a video series to do?

Speaking of video series, the conversation I had with that leader reminded me of a very cool video I came across about the 10 Commandments:

The Ten Commandments - motion (kinetic) typography from Vit Ryznar on Vimeo.

An Experiment...

I've been a fan of social media (facebook, Twitter, etc.) for quite a while now and while I'm not exactly a facebook junkie or an avid 'Tweeter' I do like to share things I'm thinking or reading about from time to time with the rest of the internets.

Lately, I've been wondering how I might use this tool to enhance ministry, and I've come up with an idea...

This Fall, anyone at Desert Springs will be able to send me questions that come to mind while listening to the Sunday Message, which I will then post to a new Life Groups Twitter feed and facebook group! This will allow anyone following either of those accounts to view a wider variety of questions that could potentially be used in Life Groups, and possibly even start some conversations about them online!

I hope you'll plan to participate with us in this grand experiment and that it will be an encouragement to you!

Summer's End

What a Summer it's been... I've gone on a couple of trips with my family, read some excellent books, enjoyed a few great ministry experiences and seen my kids grow in new and exciting ways.

I've also said farewell to a couple of friends who left this world behind, cried with others who are struggling with hurts that are relational, financial, physical, emotional and spiritual and watched as disasters and wickedness take their toll on our world.

In all of that, I've been reminded quite poignantly that my life on this earth is a vapor and that how I invest my time into those whom God has placed in front of me is so very very important.

One of the books I read this summer is 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan. Without belaboring the point, Chan writes about God's great love for us first, then asks us to carefully consider what our proper response to that ought to be. Are we living a real, authentic, practical daily life that honors Him? Are we caring for the sick, poor, orphaned, addicted, disillusioned and broken?

-- Are we too comfortable? Am I?

Those are the kinds of questions I find myself asking as a new season of ministry is about to begin at Desert Springs. I believe that God is stirring up some new things in me; I'm not satisfied with my level of 'commitment' any more. I want to learn new ways that I can serve Him as I serve others, and I am firm in my conviction that the kind of relationships that can develop through Life Groups are where that will happen.

I'm excited to find the answers and to respond to God's leading this year, and I hope you are too!

See you out there...