AllStar Night 2009

I want to thank all those who helped to make Allstar Night 2009 one to remember! It was an amazing time from Joey the pig, to Mark’s rendition of Louis Armstrong, to the sister I never knew I had (played by Jeff). Simply put, even with a little bit of rain, got to say I had a blast! Especially want to thank Dennis & Kelly Fields for hosting and helping to organize so much of the event…you guys are amazing. Also want to give a shout out to Scott who got up at 2a.m to put Joey on the grill…and never even got a chance to try it out…next year my friend, next year. Also props to Kevin, Chris, Bill, and all the others who came out early to make it happen. Great time…look for videos to come of Allstar Night ‘09.

AllStar Night this Friday.

Come out and celebrate our volunteers this Friday at the Fields House! It’s sure to be an amazing time as we celebrate our stars under the stars! We will be having a Hog Roast, inflatables for the kids, inflatable jousting tourney, outdoor movie, and an awards ceremony honoring the volunteers. Bring a chair, a side dish, and a little bug spray…great combo I know.

MCGL Commercial

Allstar Night Commercial

A Beautiful Mess.

There are few things I hate more than moving. I’ll take going to the dentist, drinking decaf coffee, even a visit to the DMV before volunteering to move stuff. Especially when it comes to the those pieces of furniture that you just can’t ever seem to get a good grip on. You know the ones, that 300 lb. couch and easy lounger, that no matter how you pick it up…just never feels right. It’s this in mind that got me thinking about prayer. Truth is, prayer is a lot like that couch or easy-lounger when you get down to it. For all the messages I’ve heard, read, and even taught on prayer…I’m realizing that prayer is simply hard to handle.  It’s not something that can easily be boxed in or figured out  nor do I believe was it ever meant to be.  It’s not about repeating the same words over and over again, it’s not about having a good pastoral tone to our voice, or five steps to effective prayer.  See I think what makes prayer often so hard to handle at times is that very little about prayer is clean, neat, and proper. But rather…prayer I’m coming to find is messy, real, and honest. It’s tears, it’s cries, it’s laughter, it’s joy, it’s silence. See it’s only when we come to really let go of the need to fit our prayers in a convenient, nice and neat little package…that we come to really discover the beautiful mess of prayer. There is a great poem from “Guerillas of Grace” which speaks to this:

How shall I pray?
Are tears prayers, Lord?
Are screams prayers,
or groans…or sighs…or curses?
Can trembling hands be lifted to you, or clenched fists
or the cold sweat that trickles down my back or the cramps that knot my stomach?
Will you accept my prayers, Lord, my real prayers,
rooted in the muck and mud and rock of my life,
and not just the pretty, cut-flower, gracefully arranged bouquet of words?
Will you accept me, Lord, as I really am,
messed up mixture of glory and grime?–Ted Loder

What’s In Your Calendar?

Momentum…it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot as we prepare to head into the Summer Ministry Season. And so like every season…I go through the process of loading up the calendar with one event after the next, from Outreach Events, to Connection Events, to Brat Events…it is Wisconsin after all. And before I know it…I’m overwhelmed by the amount of stuff to be done this summer. Tired and worn out just by the very sight of the calendar in front of me…anyone identify with a schedule or life like that? Truth is…I think too often with church, even with life we use the calendar way too much as a measuring tool. The fuller the calendar the fuller our church will be…the fuller the calendar the fuller my life is. Yet I can’t help but wonder if maybe we have it backwards. When one looks at the early church…what one finds is not a church identified by a calendar full of endless Awana’s Club meetings, Mens Retreats, and mystery food potlucks. Rather they established momentum….by going the other way, by emptying their calendars to make time for others. See it’s in relationship…with God and others…that our hearts are truly renewed, refreshed, and revitalized for the mission ahead. Yet life-giving relationships and friendships don’t just happen…they require time. See I wonder what would happen in my life and your life if we invested as much energy in clearing our calendars as we do in filling them up…if this summer we went out of our way to empty our calendars for those relationships that refresh and renew us? Just a thought.

Kicking Off the Servolution Season.

I want to thank everyone who helped out with our first Servolution project of the season. It was a great time getting to bless the seniors and vets at Churchhill in Monroe. Great community of people and personalities there…want to especially thank Cindy for letting us be apart of the festivities.

Mad City.

Got to spend an afternoon with Keith and MaryLynn cruising around Mad City. Great time… as here are a few of the video highlights from the road trip. You’ll notice that Keith is a wealth of trivia knowledge:

Austin.

Thought I’d give you guys the first glimpse of little Austin McRae…as here is one of the ultrasound pics. It looks like he has a strong throwing arm…a future Tony Romo…one can only hope.

Gladiator Highlights.

I want to thank all the guys who made it out to our 2nd Annual Gladiator Night. If you missed it…all I can say is you missed a good one…check out the video highlights below of one of the best Gladiator Arenas to date. I do want to thank Chris for all of his help putting it together and Keith for a great job grilling up all those brats.