Fearing God and Fruitfulness in the Family

Psalm 128 is only six verses but has some powerful promises:
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and may you live to see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

The promise of blessing if you fear the Lord is great. The Psalmist tells us that if we fear the Lord we will benefit from our work - it will be fruitful and we not someone else will eat of it. Instead of using 'prosperity', I like how the NAS says that we 'will be happy and it will be well with you.' Fearing God brings about joy not despair and drudgery.

Then he moves to the home. He describes the wife of a man who fears the Lord as a fruitful vine and their sons as olive shoots. A vine needs support and often oneness of the vine and the tree or post that support it is so great that you can't tell where the vine begins or ends. I certainly want to support Robin in order that she will bear fruit to the Lord all her life. I want us to be one and not two.

Olive Shoots is an interesting choice of words too. I have been told that an olive tree takes at least 4 years to bear fruit and then it can live up to 500 years - maybe longer. It usually bears fruit on the previous year's growth. It takes special care, pruning and nourishment. I want all three of my boys to grow up to be olive shoots that bear fruit even in harsh dry times because of the care they received at a young age.

I can't help but notice too that the vine bears fruit in the house of the one who fears the Lord and the olive shoots are around the table. It is within the context of the home that these things happen.

The blessing of seeing your children's children is great especially for someone who is past 40 with young boys!

Prayer for Erik

Erik Steffen, who spoke at the commissioning service at the briefing, is not doing well. His cancer has returned. Please join us in praying for his wife Kelly and little boys, Alex and Jensen.

Daddy is this where you work?

That was Luke's question when he went with me Saturday to the Omni Hotel here in Broomfield. I was doing a devotion in the morning and helping out that day at our Kickoff Weekend for all of our region's US Interns and STINTers for the 2006-2007 school year.

I was not orginally planning on taking Luke but just asked if he wanted to come with me as i was heading out the door and Robin said, 'yes!' I was glad to have him come along with me and give Robin a little respite.

So he went with me and we had a good time having breakfast together in the hotel and he played near a fountain during part of the time. Robin, Jack and Drew joined us all for a lunch in a park too.

He asked if this is where I work as we were going in. You have understand his point of reference. He comes with us to the Denver Christmas Conference - a hotel. He has been with Robin and I to STINT midyears - hotels. And last month I took with me when my boss in Orlando asked me to scout out a hotel in Denver as a possible place to hold our national briefing for 400+ STINTers in August. So he must think I work in hotels. Which I guess I do ---- sometimes.

Freedom and Leadership

Shane Deike, one of our National Directors, has a recent post of Freedom and Leadership. it's a really post on the observation of how the church and the 'parachurch' (like Shane I hate this word) have had role reversals!

I first met Shane in 1988 when we were both team leaders on different project teams going to Kenya. Then and now, the man embodies courage and passion.

One year ago

A year ago today we found out we were having twin boys.

It was a Monday and the Friday before Robin had a doctor's appointment and her doctor was suspicious. Robin had out-grown all the clothes she worn while she was carrying Luke. Because our doctor is a GP, we had to schedule an ultra-sound at the hospital for Monday the 18th.

Before we left for the hospital that morning, Robin said, "I am almost positive I am just carrying one baby." But when we saw the ultra sound, there were two little heads. They kinda were laying like in the picture.

We were in shock even though we knew it was likely. Robin cried especially when she saw that they were both boys. She realized that she would be out-numbered 4 to 1 and would never get to dress up a little girl or help her plan her wedding. I just thought 'we gotta move' because we can't all fit in a two-bedroom townhome. (We still haven't moved yet but we are planning to this summer.) I also realized I was going to have to raise even more support than I already knew I needed to raise.

After a 8 plus months of chaos, a lot of work, and huge adjustments for all (especially Luke), we are so grateful for our little sweet boys: Jack and Drew

Billy Graham Principles

I was watching a history on Billy Graham the other night and Cliff Barrows was relating how early on in his ministry Dr. Graham asked his team to determine why Spiritual leaders fell so they could come up with a strategy to avoid these same pitfalls. They all did research on their own and came back with four areas...

• Honesty > They committed to never puff up their numbers or lie about funds, etc.
• Accountability > They committed to be accountable to one another and others in the body
• Purity > They committed to remaining pure and go the extra mile to protect themselves.
• Not Speaking Ill of Others > They committed never to speak ill of others on their team or others within the body.

Survived!

Robin came home about an hour ago. She actually got a special dispensation to take Jack with her. So I only had Luke and Drew. Whew, man two is plenty! Non stop work!

On Tuesday we joined a group of other 'Mr. Moms' at the Zoo. I am sure it was confusing to the moms there to see so many dads with kids. What don't your husbands let you take a retreat to Keystone and keep the kids?

Drew and I are pictured to the far left. Luke is taking his usual pose of not facing the camera. Then there's: Luke, Joe and Katie Linstedt (Joe is the Campus Director at CSU); Ryan and Holden Williams (Ryan is our Regional Director for HR and Staff Development and we share an office); Clement and Eric Heistand (Eric is the Director for Denver Metro); Steve, Jonathan, Benjamin and Isabela - hidden from the camera - Van Diest (Steve has been the CD at CU-Boulder and next fall will co-direct our Mexico CityFocus team); David, Jackson and Zachary Lewis (David is our regional financial director).

Drew, Luke and I had a good time this week but we were all counting the days to the 13th!

Mr. Mom next week

Robin will be heading Monday to Keystone for a regional Women's conference. I will not be blogging but probally doing something similair to this guy. Though I will not be wearing a tie.

Let's face it. I in no way can do what Robin does. I am more like Michael Keaton's character in the early part of Mr. Mom.

Prayer for Erik

Erik Steffen, who is one of my fellow WSN teammates (and fellow UGA grad), has been battling brain cancer for over a year. His cancer was in remission but his doctors have all concluded that it has recently returned to his spine.

You can read Erik and Kelly's updates and join their prayer chain by go to the webpage. I know that they would appreciate your prayers.

Erik and Kelly live in Indy and have two two little boys: Alex who is 2 1/2 and Jensen who is about 9 months I think.

When in Deep Trouble...

Management Principle #13:
"When you are in deep trouble, say nothing,and try to look like you know what you're doing!"

Pulled off Neil Cox's blog via Eric Swanson's.

Edison of Estes

On my personal blog I tell about an inventor I met yesterday and his keys to leading successful teams: Diversity, Respect and Perseverance.

You can read more on my blog post about the Edison of Estes.

The Edison of Estes - Keys for Successful Teams

Yesterday I popped up to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park to catch part of a Campus Crusade conference for campus leaders of the western states. I was a little late and the only way to enter the room was to disturb the meeting so I had to wait in the lobby for a break.

While waiting I met this nice older gentleman - Dr. Omar Moore. (The picture is of a young Dr. Moore) Dr. Moore grew up in Nebraska but lives in Estes. He had come to the hotel to get better cell phone coverage to call his daughter.

Dr. Moore, I learned is the Edison of Estes. He is a mathematician, researcher, and inventor. He is professor emeritus at The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He taught at Yale University, Rutgers University, and the University of Pittsburgh. He has over 32 patents for inventions including The Talking Typewriter. Most of his inventions have helped the blind or deaf.

When he told me he was orginally from Norfolk, NE, I asked if he knew Johnny Carson. Turns out he did and that his dad gave Johnny his first start by having him do his magic at the local Rotary club. Dr. Moore at age 8 was the youngest person to climb the northface of Long's Peak without assitance. It is a record that still stands. He also served in WWII in counter-intelligence in Italy.

When I learned that he still leads teams of inventors at age 86 and believes in the importance of teams for success, I asked him for the keys to leading successful teams especially in light of launching something new like an invention. He gave three reasons:

1. Diversity. He forms smaller teams of 3 people each of whom are experts in different disciples like engineering or computer science. He believes in the adage that all of us are smarter than one of us.
2. Respect. In the diversity, he asks them to be respectful of each other's disciplines. He says that usually someone will show up as the expert thinking they know everything. He asks them to humbly respect each other and value what everyone brings to the team.
3. Perseverance. Dr. Moore asks them to persevere through the initial difficult process of launching something new, whether it is seeking grants to fund their work or roadblocks in the invention process. He helps them stay focused to the good of what they are trying to accomplish.

Pretty good stuff. Your never know who you might be sitting next too.

Crucified with Christ

I started reading Galatians this month. This morning I read 2:20.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

The phrase "I have been crucified with Christ" is really interesting to me. I tend to use the phrase 'Christ died for me' but here Paul says that 'he was crucified with Christ'. Then he writes of no longer living and then about the life he lives. Strange paradox for sure.

The verses before and after (and really most of the letter) is centered around how we cannot be justified by the works of the law. If we could somehow make ourselves righteous by being good, then Christ had no reason to die. In verse 19 Paul says that he, Paul, died to the Law. One might ask 'when Paul did you die to the law?' and his answer is found in verse 20. He died to the law when Christ did. You see when Our Savior died, He not only died to pay the debt we owed, He died to cancel out the the very decrees that declared us unworthy. (Col. 2:13-15). He came to set us free from the law of sin and death.

Life - true life - comes not through trying to do good. Life only comes through faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself up for us. Without faith in Him and what He did we have no hope.

What stands out to me is that for Paul the gospel was not just something he professed faith in once but to him it is a day-to-day dependence. Yet I find that I still try to justify myself in the flesh. I subtly try to dress myself in my own righteousness (which is not really righteousness at all). I have no good in me and I think of that great hymn "Nothing but the blood of Jesus", particularly the third verse.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus:Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.