2012 Year In Review

I could sum up 2012 with just two words:  stroke and rehab.

That would cover the bulk of it.  Brain-stem stroke in January, followed by 24 days in the hospital and various rehabs the rest of the year.

But while that was the worst of it, there was more!  Besides "the stroke," there was...

• The Cancer
• The Crown
• The Kidney Stones

The cancer was skin cancer that had to be dealt with by surgery.  The crown was the result of a flossing incident.  Yep, doing the right thing resulted in more pain and more cost.  The kidney stones were a painful, month-long ordeal that also required surgery and nearly did me in.  (Insert Job reference here)

So health-wise,...not a great year.

Nonetheless, there was some good news and lessons learned.

The good news:

• I'm not dead!
• I'm not incapacitated!
• I'm getting better!

All of that is a big deal considering 1/3 of stroke victims die and another 1/3 are permanently disabled.

More good news:

• Explore Church celebrated its 10th birthday!  No small accomplishment as 75-80% of church plants fail in their first year.
• Explore Church mission opportunities were clarified in Angier, Haiti, and Ghana.
• God provided financially.
• Personally, an insurance rider covered extra medical expenses.
• Corporately, Explore Church had its best budget year ever!

Some of the lessons I learned:

• I am fragile, more fragile than I think...but that's OK, because when I'm weak--HE IS STRONG!!!
• I am not alone...but that's OK, because I was never meant to be.
• Even in suffering...there is always hope.
• People, regardless their condition, matter to God...so they should matter to me!

It was certainly not the year that I anticipated, but...

I find great comfort in that God is sovereign, faithful, and in control.

Here's to 2012.  Though not my favorite, definitely memorable and life altering.  

Here's to 2013.  May it be as memorable in better ways!

John Piper Speaks about God’s Goodness in 2012 - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

John Piper Speaks about God’s Goodness in 2012 - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

2012 Books

Here are 12 books that I enjoyed this year.  They are in no particular order.  What books made an impact on you this year?  What books to you plan to read next year?

• Jesus + Nothing = Everything, Tchividjian
• The Pleasures of God, Piper
• The Joy of Calvinism, Forster
• Wordsmithy, Wilson
• Reagan and Thatcher, Aldous
• Imagine, Lehrer
• Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Dodson
• John Calvin As Teacher, Pastor, and Theologian, Zachman
• Am I Called? Harvey
• Dynamics of Spiritual Life, Lovelace
• Deep & Wide, Stanley
• The Conviction to Lead, Mohler

Additionally, I enjoyed the fiction works of several authors, particularly Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Tom Clancy, and Ben Coes.  I greatly enjoyed the wordsmithing of J.R.R. Tolkien and P.G. Wodehouse.

You do what you plan.  Plan to read in 2013!

Being Remodeled - Insight for Living Ministries Video

Being Remodeled - Insight for Living Ministries Video

Who's On First?

Classic Funny...

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy the day.  Enjoy your family time.

Celebrate Jesus!

Carol of the Bells--University of Mobile Christmas Spectacular 2012

Awesome!  Enjoy...

A Reminder for Those Who Have Regrets

A Reminder for Those Who Have Ministry Regrets at the End of 2012

Bob Newhart--Stop It!

Counseling at its best.  Check it out.

Funny...

What God Is Always Aiming for in Our Adversity

What God Is Always Aiming for in Our Adversity

Where are...

"Where are the adventures, the explorers, the buccaneers for God who count one human soul of far greater value than the rise or fall of an empire?...Where are God's men in this day of God's power?"     --Howard Guinness in Sacrifice

Where are...

...those willing to explore faith to discover life?
...those willing to explore truth to discover direction?
...those willing to explore friendship to discover traction?
...those willing to explore service to discover impact?
...those willing to explore potential to discover satisfaction?

To be an adventurer, explorer, or buccaneer will be costly and risky.  Are you willing to pay the price and take the risk?

Inside Calvin’s Church in Geneva

Inside Calvin’s Church in Geneva

What Was Luther Doing When He Nailed His 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door?

What Was Luther Doing When He Nailed His 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door?

Faith in Future Grace Vs. Impatience

Recommended Reading:  Future Grace by John Piper.  It has 31 chapters, one for each day of the month.  Here are some quotes from chapter 13:

"Impatience is a form of unbelief.  It's what we begin to feel when we start to doubt the wisdom of God's timing or the goodness of God's guidance." (167)

"The opposite of impatience is not a glib denial of loss.  It's a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned pace of obedience--to wait in his place, and go at his pace."  (167)

"Patience is the capacity to "wait and to endure" without murmuring and disillusionment--to wait in the unplanned place, and endure the unplanned pace."  (168)

"The key to patience is faith in the future grace of God's "glorious might" to transform all our interruptions into rewards.

In other words, the strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours.  This requires great faith in future grace, because evidence is seldom evident."  (170)

On the heals of a stroke, cancer, a crown, and a kidney stone...I found the above quotes of great comfort.

 

 

 

10 Reasons Why God Allows Suffering

10 Reasons Why God Allows Suffering

Questions

J. I. Packer says that questions make us think.  They certainly do for me.

Here are some question that I am currently wrestling with...

1. Is my spirit in a state of quiet so I can hear God speak?  (From Gordon MacDonald)
2. What's best next?  (From Daniel Fuller)
3. Is this a wise thing for me to do?
4. What about the quality of my speech?  Do I whine and complain?  Am I frequently critical of people and institutions, or of those who clearly do not like me?  (From Gordon MacDonald)
5. Quote from J. I. Packer:  "Dig deep and dwell deep."  My question:  Are you digging deep and dwelling deep?
6. Regarding personal life and church life:  What makes your heart beat fast?  What makes you yawn?
7. What has become clearer since last time we spoke?
8. What aspect about God never crosses your mind, but if it did you would always want to talk about it?  (From Stephen Mick, inspired by a conversation with his son--Ethan.  

Creating a Culture of Reading--Mark Dever

Missions Challenge 2

Missions Challenge

Summer Schedule

At Explore Church we have been in "Fall Schedule" mode for over eight months.  That included going to three services to create more seats as we continued to "invest and invite."  We have seen steady growth during that time and now find the church as healthy as it has ever been.

Beginning May 13 (Mother's Day) we plan to begin our "Summer Schedule."  The plan is to return to two services (9:30 & 11:00).  We will continue to evaluate growth and attendance weekly to discern if we should return to three services before September.

Here are a few factors that played into our decision to make this adjustment at this time:

1. Summer Travel.  Many travel during the summer...Our hope is that you (the Explore Church family) will continue to be a sent missionary where you are even as you travel.  Additionally, we hope you will use some of your time to be a part of one of our mission trip opportunities.
2. My health.  I continue to recover from a January 16th brain-stem stroke.  My voice was one of the areas affected and a season of two services will hopefully be easier to manage than three.
3. Church Unity.  While three services was necessary to create seats in the fall, a downside was church unity.  People in first and third services never saw each other, thus were unable to make connections.  We hope that a return to two services, even if it is only brief, will help us better connect with each other.

I hope you find this information helpful.  

Have a great Summer and remember:  "You are a sent missionary where you are."

Churchill On Change

Easter

March Madness

It is here!

My final 4 is:  Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, and North Carolina.

No doubt I am a homer...I've got the Tar Heels beating Kentucky in the final game.

PS--Love the picture of Henson soaring over Duke in the last regular season game!