Crossing Guard

In a few minutes I will have to get up from "my" chair at Starbucks and make the 2 minute trek to Beck Elementary to serve as the Crossing Guard. Every Thursday morning I have the blessing to interact with those young students who brave the "mean streets" of Trophy Club, and walk to school. It is one of the highlights of my week.

I haven't made any significant relationships in my weekly 30 second interactions with the students or their parents, despite my obvious sacrifice of throwing myself in harms way of soccer moms and their menacing minivans. I don't believe anyone has come to Jesus, let alone our church, as a byproduct of my bravery. Truth be told, there hasn't been one time I've been called upon to dive in front of a Hummer or Lexus to save a life.

No, I just show up and grab my stop sign and help kids make it to their destination.

When I'm done I go to work at church.

And I try and help God's kids make it to their destination.

'Whatever the hell did God do for us?"

I went to bed last night with the news of the miners being found alive. I woke up to the news of all of them but one were dead. I cannot imagine the horrible emotional rollercoaster those families went through last night.

I read this quote this morning and must admit I was neither shocked nor offended.

"Whatever the hell did God do for us?"

This was spoken by one of the family members after the church pastor told him to calm down. You can read the entire story here.

It raised more than one question in my mind:

Why do we forget Calvary so quickly?

Would I react the same way if had been my loved one?

Is life about God doing for us or us doing for God? Or both?

How do you say "calm down" to a person who for 3 hours was celebrating a miracle and then found out that it was false?

Why do I believe the lie of my enemy and live life like this world is really my home?


We all want God to do something more us at different times in our lives. I long for the day when I can trust He loves me no matter what His answer is.

Getting Ready for the Party

It started a few weeks back. I got ready for the first Christmas Party of the season. I went through my usual pre-party warm up:
Leave the office at 5:10
Arrive home @ 5:15
Shave, shower, brush teeth by 5:25
Dress and book it out the door by 5:30

Not too much prep there. It wasn't a big deal.

But as the season has progressed, so have the scale of parties. Tonight Kim and I are attending one that requires considerably more preparation. It is a big party. Suffice it to say that I had to rent a tux and will engage in a tad more grooming prior to my departure. To be honest, I haven't always been overly excited about all the parties & functions I've attended this year. This one is different. I've been really looking forward to it.
But this won't be the biggest party of the season for me. Neither will the all church party this upcoming Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to that one! No, the party I'm most excited about is tomorrow night. Kim and I are having the staff and shepherds over and we can't wait! They don't know what is going to happen, but I do. And it will be a very special evening.

But this morning as I met with God, I was reminded that all these parties with the party prep and the anticipation that comes with them is really small beans.

Reading in 1 Corinthians, I unwrapped this gift:

"as it is written:

'No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for
those who love him'

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit."

I've read it many times prior, but today the realization of that truth was stronger than ever. We can know, through the Spirit, what awaits us. We are privy to the plans of the Party Host.

I'm not waiting until 5:15 to get ready. In fact, I'm not waiting to go to it either.

Let the party begin today!

1400 Things That God Told Me

Trust me on this one.

Just click here.

Then click BOTH the phone call and the remix version on Dan's post.

Again, trust me. This is funny stuff!

Minister: the Verb.

One Word: Minister. Two primary functions:

Noun: (Main Entry: 1min·is·ter Pronunciation: 'mi-n&-st&rFunction: nounEtymology: Middle Englisministerre, from Old French, from Latin minister servant; akin to Latin minor smaller1 : AGENT2 a : one officiating or assisting the officiant in church worship b : a clergyman especially of a Protestant communion3 a : the superior of one of several religious orders -- called also minister-general b : the assistant to the rector or the bursar of a Jesuit house4 : a high officer of state entrusted with the management of a division of governmental activities5 a : a diplomatic representative (as an ambassador) accredited to the court or seat of government of a foreign state b : a diplomatic representative ranking below an ambassador)

or....

Verb: (Main Entry: 2ministerFunction: intransitive verbInflected Form(s): -tered; min·is·ter·ing /-st(&-)ri[ng]/1 : to function as a minister of religion2 : to give aid or service )

I like the verb better.

Don't get me wrong, I'm good with the noun function too, but being called a servant isn't as fulfilling as serving when called.

A constant blessing of sowing service is reaping the witness of other people who serve. In other words, my antenna are most up to the servant nature of others when I'm the least concerned with myself (i.e. serving). I have no shortage of wonderful examples in my life.

My wife Kim is, in my unbiased opinion, a master servant who has the "other chromosome" in her DNA. Some people remind me of Jesus. Kim is often Jesus to those to whom she ministers.

My kids, John, Laura, & Emily take after their mother. John is always ready to help someone with a computer problem. Laura serves her youth group by leading praise every Wednesday night. Emily is our gift maker who blesses others with handmade creations. Were I to list 10% of the times my family has modeled Christlike service, you'd be in for an hour-long-blog read.

When I leave home and arrive at the office I am surrounded by three more servant hearts: Stephen, Matt, & Karen. Working with them is my weekly sermon on service!

A couple of Sundays ago a team of 30+ helped our family move. I'm sure there were people with greater needs but we were sure grateful for their incredible service. Those of you who have experienced the "joy" of moving can agree! Matt brought a chunk of the youth group and they rocked! Mike & Tammy made a meal and Kevin and Lisa blessed us big time!

Last week I saw incredible acts of service done by Amy & Brian as they brought a blessing to Kevan and the kids. Stephen walked along that road of real relationship with us too. And praise God for Mike who is one of those strong soldiers who exemplify "extra mile" service. And Alex is a tremendous servant. Both of their help on Thursday night was awesome!

One of the powerful images of service burned into my mind is that of a talented team of ladies who lead our Children's Ministry: Melanie, Jenny, Rhonda, Leslie, Laura, Cindy & Jimma. They lead by serving and our children are blessed by their loving sacrifices.

I could go on and on with stories of people "pouring out" themselves for the sake of others. Our church is full of people who pick up crosses; a fact that does not surprise me. Our shepherds, Bob, Ron, David, Steve, & Rick are people who lay down their lives daily for their flock.

Like I said earlier... I like the verb better.

Hunting for a Star Buck!

I was reading recently that going on a morning hunt was the norm for most American families in the early 1900's. Well, at least for the men. The women, of course, were slaving away in the kitchen. Below is a picture of a "hunt" of a different kind. Our forefathers would hunt for a trophy buck. Here is what people are looking for early this Thanksgiving morning: Starbucks.















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We are in Houston (Crosby) for a quick Thanksgiving visit with family. We arrived after nine last night and will be on the road after lunch on Friday. It is always a good time to be with family. My only complaint with my in laws is their lack of broad band wireless internet. Hence, my morning trip to Starbucks to get my fix.

--------------
I have so much for which to be thankful. I could list the very obvious (family, friends, church, health, etc) but I want to share my greatest blessing I'll be counting today:

I am so thankful that I have someone to thank. God.

I was struck today in my quiet time with the horribly sad thought that so many people will say "thanks" today to no one in particular. Seriously, who does the atheist thank? I don't know about you, but I don't make it a habit to just say thanks to nobody. I praise God that He has shown himself to me as the giver of all good things.

I am a man, so richly blessed.
And I'm so thankful!

Redd with Generosity. Green with Envy.

What a great article! What a better story! In an era of selfishness and within a league of greed, Michael Redd stands out like a sore thumb. He is really a holy hand. The hand of God. Read this story of giving and you will receive a blessing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2224230

Danger, Crack, Rock, and an Intercom. Amen!

Hello Friends,

Read a wonderfully dangerous post on my spiritual blood brother, Matt Ritchie's, blog a while back. This is awesome!

Mankind was born for worship, for communion with God. Our hearts where designed for wild worship, yet we're offered liturgy. Our minds designed to dream big the heart of God, we're offered building plans. Our bodies were designed for dangerous service; we're offered biblical commentaries from the safety of a pewÂ…or a comfortable theatre chair. There is nothing wrong with liturgy; the bible is filled with ceremony. There's nothing wrong with building plans, I like to be dry as much as the next guy. And we need the word, its absolutely essential. But at the end of the day, if we haven't touched the heart of God, if we haven't basked in His Glory, then the gathering is irrelevant. We don't need Sunday school; we need Jesus.

Matt's blog can be found here or more articles can be found on the website for the new e-zine called Precipice:

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Just Let Me Finish My Crack.
A North Carolina man didn't speed up when police started chasing his car — he slowed down.
That's because he wanted to finish smoking his crack cocaine, Dunn (N.C.) police told the Dunn Daily Record. Read more.

-------------------

The following is a logo and an excerpt from a flier I sent out to our church announcing our new sermon series on the life of Peter. Much love to Mark Weather's for his mad word smith skills.

"Peter's hands bore the callouses of a fishermen's life. Pulling in bowline as the sun drifted below the rocky hills in the distance, stitching up the holes of his wind tattered sail before the next work day, scaling fish on the Sea of GalileeÂ’s shores, silently taking count of that days catch. But one day, pulling in nets beside his brother Andrew, a distant figure called out from shore, offering an invitation, and in accepting this call life for Peter, called Simon, would be radically altered.

Centuries later, we still tell the story of the fishermen who became the very foundation of the Christian Church. We remember the foolhardy promises he made to Christ, we reflect on the bitterness of his denial of the very one he had sworn allegiance to and we look with admiration at ‘The Rock’ who would stand before the world with a testimony that could not be quieted, not even unto death. But we do not retell his story because of our love for nautical characters, or simply because we are endeared to tales in which victory streams from the dark waters of failure. The story of Peter must be told because, we too have accepted an invitation from a mysterious figure who stands in the distance, and we have a lingering sense that maybe the triumph of his life might become our own.

This Sunday, October 2nd, Lake Cities Church of Christ will 'put out into the deep waters' of a four part study on the life of Peter, the one who didn't get away. I hope to catch you there.

Following with you.

Joel
----------------

I read a great piece on leadership the other day. You might enjoy it - you might not...
http://mba.mccombs.utexas.edu/mma/info/exchange/2004/ceo.asp
I loved the part about being an intercom! So true.

---------------

I was researching the word "Amen" the other day (because I have that kind of time...) and found out that it has roots in IsJudaismudism and Christianity. Want to know more? Click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen
And finally, strange bit of trivia here - Amen is the last word of the Bible. Didn't know that.

Amen!

The Biggest Loser

At our staff retreat a few days ago, Stephen Bailey and I started singing an old school (make that - an old "private Christian" school) favorite, Amy Grant's, Fat Little Baby. The tune is catchy. The lyrics are convicting. The message is concerning.

Read for yourself:

I know a man, maybe you know him, too.
You never can tell; he might even be you.
He knelt at the altar, and that was the end.
He’s saved, and that’s all that matters to him.
His spiritual tummy, it can’t take too much.
One day a week, he gets a spiritual lunch.
On sunday, he puts on his spiritual best,
And gives his language a spiritual rest.

He’s just a faaa...
He’s just a fat little baby!
Wa, wa, waaaaa....
He wants his bottle, and he don’t mean maybe.
He sampled solid foods once or twice,
But he says doctrine leaves him cold as ice.

Ba, ba, ba, ba...ba, ba...ba, ba!
He’s been baptized, sanctified, redeemed by the blood,
But his daily devotions are stuck in the mud.
He knows the books of the Bible and john 3:16.
He’s got the biggest king james you’ve ever seen!
I’ve always wondered if he’ll grow up someday.
He’s momma’s boy, and he likes it that way.
If you happen to see him, tell him I said,
He’ll never grow, if he never gets fed.

He’s just a fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, fa-at, fat...
Fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, fa-at, fat...
Fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, fat, faaaaat......baby...
-----------

Here is the part that rings so true with me:
"But he says doctrine leaves him cold as ice."

It is true, isn't it? Doctrine doesn't cut it. The sad thing is that for so many, they judge their spiritual fitness by their doctrinal diet. Diet is only part of the equation of spiritual health. The other is exercise. In other words, "Doing"

Doctrine plus Doing is the key to sheding that baby fat.
May we all lose a few pounds this week!

Live.

My friend Bart Phillips has a great post about the tragic and triumphant passing of the young pastor in Waco who died last week.

Below are Kyle's final sermon notes exactly as he wrote them:

Live. And live well.

BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply.

Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now.

On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.

Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.

If you bike, pedal HARD and if you crash then crash well.

Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.

If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year olds nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all because soon he'll be wiping his own.

If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well.

At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke.

And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven.

And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life.

Because it is most definitely a Gift.

Appropriate words for one who would soon meet their Giver of Life.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

What an amazing message!

Team Time. Dream Time.

Our Staff Retreat was this past weekend and we had a blast. It was a great mix of productivity and relaxation. I thought I'd share a little bit of the weekend (really just a Sunday afternoon through Monday night) with you. I've included an "open" letter that I wrote to my staff prior to departure as well as some pictures from the retreat itself. Our primary goals for our time together were to conduct a ministry analysis and increase our constantly growing staff unity. We have such a close staff and absolutely love each other. There is such a high level of trust and respect among us. We are committed to "pratice what we preach" as we attempt to call our church to function as a beautiful faith family and serve each other as Christ did. It has been an incredible first 2+ months.

I've been out of the blogging loop for so long. I hope that this entry will spring board a more consistent pattern of posting in the future. I just had to post about our staff. They truly are a blessing!

The letter I sent to the staff:

To The Best Staff in the Solar System, How does one express what an honor it is to serve arm and arm, back to back with fine servants like you? Your talent is amazing and yet it is your passion that I find so encouraging. I have to pinch myself every morning as I pull into the parking lot. The blessing given to me by you is an undeserved gift for which I thank God regularly.

Almost 30 years ago, a father of four and a machinist named Jerry Carroll made me an offer I could not refuse. He told me right before I took the mound of the biggest game of my short life that if our little league team, The San Carlos Reds, won the city championship he would pay for me to go to Church Camp. We won. I struck out 13. I went to camp. My life has never been the same.

A decade later God made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He asked me to follow him. I was baptized and for almost 20 years I have known the love, hope, presence, and power of Jesus Christ. I could have no greater blessing.

I wake up each morning passionate about the vocation to which God has called me. Whether I am preaching, encouraging, serving, or leading, I get to do what I love most. I love Christ’s church. I love communicating the work of the church, the hopes of the church, and the struggles of the church. I am blessed to be able to do that which is my passion.

It is because of my passion for the local church, and specifically OUR local church, Lake Cities Church of Christ, that I’m am beyond excited for our little retreat the next two days!

I hope you are equally as hope filled about the potential progress our time together can produce. Thank you for your willingness to participate with me in the strategic thinking process. Your partnership in this task not only benefits me, but I am confident that it will produce plenty of fruit in our entire faith family.

While our time together is brief, I truly believe that it will be blessed. I have provided you with a “tentative” time map of the next two days. As you know by now, the combination of my being chronologically challenged and open to the Spirit makes for a need to be very flexible. I do hope to stay on track as much as possible as I want to accomplish every objective and get us home at a decent hour on Monday night. That being said, this process is open to suggestions and if you feel the Spirit moving in you a need for us to pause or take a different direction, by all means, share that with us. This is “our” retreat, not Joel’s retreat. We are so blessed!

May the blessings we have received be used to bring glory to God, the only one who is worthy of the glory! And may we, the Lake Cities Staff, be blessed as we take the pilgrimage of which the next two days hold, the journey on which good is never enough.

“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it!”Matthew 16:18

You are loved!

Loving and Serving,

Joel


Here are some pictures from the weekend:





















Emily & Rainey play in a sand trap





















Matt chips around





















Stephen & Stephanie relax by the pool






















Kim & Karen chit chat

















Stephen & I hard at work

















Some quiet time by the lake

A Great Staff!

Irregular Heartbeat

If I had a dollar for everytime someone in my family said something so wonderfully beautiful you might be shopping at Qu-Mart.

Kim, John, Laura & Emily surprise me often with their insight, humor, and compassion. Tonight it was Emily. Here is a brief quote from some of our conversation:

Emily: Dad, is everyone in Trophy Club rich?

Me: No, not everyone. But a lot of people have more money than most people do.

Emily: I think that most people are rich here.

Me: Yeah, a lot of folks are honey.

Emily: That is not good!

Me: Why?

Emily: Because I can't be friends with poor people and live here. Well, I can, but I will just have to drive far to go play.

Me: Long awkward pause as I reflected on the depth of her answer and the often shallowness of my world view.

Emily: Hey Dad?

Me: Yes Emily.

Emily: I'm going to be president someday.

Me: You'd be a great one.

Emily: I want to help poor people. If I was president I could make things right.

Me: Yeah...

Emily: I'd make it "Square and Fair"

Me: Yeah you would!

Emily: Plus you and mom can live in the White House when your old and stuff.

Me: That would be great! (my heart skips a beat as I ponder the beauty of her heart!)

Emily: Do you have to be rich to be president Dad?

Me: (thinking - "do I tell her the truth?" I don't - I lie.) No, you don't.

Emily: Good, cause I'm just a regular girl.

Me: (thinking - "do I tell her the truth?" I don't - I lie again.) Yeah, you're just a regular girl Emily. (with an amazing heart!)

Emily: Thanks Dad.

I'm glad that I have a family whose hearts beat for others. It makes me want to care so much more.

Elected Officials Keep Promise. Sounds Fishy.

Just read this world changing article and have some brief comments at the end to help you, the reader, make sense of it all.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) — A couple of Washington state teens are in a bit of trouble for eating seafood, of sorts.
Two boys swallowed live goldfish during an assembly at Todd Beamer High School (search) in Federal Way. A school district spokeswoman said the kids were apparently fulfilling a promise they made if one was elected a class officer.
The boys got a stern talking-to and a letter to their parents.
But some animal rights activists feel the boys should be in hot water for eating live fish.
A spokeswoman for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (search), said the stunt deserves harsher punishment. PETA said killing fish in the name of school spirit is unacceptable.

Some Thoughts:

1. That is why we always had our students eat dead fish at our youth ministry retreats...

2. The boys should have been commended for keeping their promises. That is rare among elected officials these days.

3. Man how things have gone done hill since I was in high school. We never had problems like that. That is scary. Just plain frightening I tell you. Sends a shiver right up my spine. Those horrible boys should be locked up!

4. A stern talking to? A letter home? Boy that ought to discourage future fish felons! Nothing sends a message like a stern talking and a letter. Poor teens are probably emotionally scared.

5. PETA might do well to consider that their view of "unacceptable" is not necessarily "accepted" by the rest of the emotionally competent free world.

Full

Kim and I traded cars this morning and when I got back into mine I looked down at my previously semi-empty tank and noticed that I now had a full tank of gas.

Thank you Kim.

And as far as my spiritual tank goes...

Full.

Some time with God, a breath of fresh air, dinner with the family, gathering with my brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching (okay, so Kim does most the work) 2-5 year olds on Wednesday nights, putting out a fire or two (ministerially speaking), praying with my kids, getting a good night sleep, the beautiful cool weather, talking with a friend and mentor, making progress on a project, finding out a friend is coming to town, lunch with an encourager, a time to talk with the world's most amazing wife, and a whole lot of God's presence will do that to you.

I'm full.

For now.

ps: Thanks Keith for praying.

Empty

Moving to the Metroplex has had numerous positive financial advantages. No complaining on my part. However, purchasing gasoline is not one of them. In fact, neither is conserving it. I left Abilene at $2.34 per gallon while filling up about once a week. A month or so later I fill up about every 3 -4 days for a few cents short of $3.00 per gallon. Consequently, no matter how hard I try my gas tank is usually running closer to empty than to full. It is a bummer to have to keep getting gas so often. Today I've got about 1/4 of a tank in regular unleaded.

Most of you saw the analogy coming in the title of this post...

Today I'm running on empty and it has nothing to do with a petroleum based fuel that runs my car.

Holy Spirit Come.

Creativity, smiles, passion, focus, hope, patience, effectiveness, joy, and the list goes on, are approaching fume like levels.

So I will pull into the pump of God's presence and pray that He fill me.

He will.

Full.

Broken Levees, Hugged Necks & Shut Mouths

I just read a newsletter from Mission Alive and was hit hard by the following quote:

"Today the storms of postmodernity have slammed into our modern shores and the levees of modern Certainties have been breeched. As a result, our churches have been flooded, and many left dead and homeless. Many churches are stagnating, some dying, because of nominalism, disequilibrium, loss of message, anger and sin, lack of spirituality. But renewal is occurring."

That is a perfect description of the current spiritual climate in North America today!

I ran across another quote from my good friend Greg Kendallball's blog:

"So here I am again, working late at night on a paper, reading through some pretty heavyweight material. I realize that I, in training myself for ministerial leadership, have a need to wrestle with these things. I need to understand words like “ontology” and “epistemology.” I need to understand the history of the church, the doctrinal differences over the substance of Christ, over the Eucharist. I, myself, me, need to study theology."

I agree with Greg. Usually do. Let me tell you what else those of us in ministry need to understand. Pain. Pride. Power. We also need to know how to put our arms around someone's neck who is hurt and look them dead in the eye and speak words of comfort, healing, and hope. I did this just last night. I held and prayed over a wounded brother (wounded by "friendly fire") and held his neck as he fought off tears. I don't know what kind of "ology" that falls under but it is the ology that I find myself needing the most. (I know that Greg knows this too so this isn't a rebuke of his point. His point just got me thinking about what else we should wrestle with as leaders) I need to study theology more. I also know enough about God to know that sometimes holding people is the most God-like action you can take.

And finally...

Kim and I stepped in and taught 2-5 year olds last night. We taught the story of Daniel. I'm preaching from Daniel next Sunday and let me tell you that I learned more about Daniel from those little kids than from a stack of books. My favorite came from a cute as a button little boy named Matthew. Kim asked why we should trust God and he said, "cause he sends angels to shut lions' mouths!"

In case you forgot, let Matthew remind you: God can be trusted.

A Cog In My Blog

I take comfort in the simple fact that while attempt to lead my family through transition and begin a new ministry there are a million other blogs to keep you entertained, informed or encouraged. I also know that I miss blogging and miss the interaction with others through the comments.

So today, because of the hustle in my bustle there will continue to be a cog in my blog.

I do want to leave you with these words from Casting Crowns' latest release, "Lifesong" which is an amazing CD:

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say
"Amen"and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I bearly hear
You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise God
Who gives and takes away

Chorus:
I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For you are who you are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

Chorus

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Now go read Psalm 121.

Be blessed!

My Part

The past 24 hours have been much like the past 24 days which have been much like the past 24 months which have been much like the past 24 years. I walked through my waking hours and realized countless moments that I'm not God and can't be and shouldn't be. I must admit, every time I realize this, there is a bit of dejection that I experience. It is almost always with a hint of shock that I make this discovery too. "Ah man, I wanted to play God today...bummer"

Yesterday, when I woke up after my 17th consecutive night of 5 hours of sleep and felt like I could go back to sleep until mid November, I wished that I could be God so I didn't have to shut down and could stay up 24/7. Apparently, God is the only one qualified to do that (and didn't he say something about a Sabbath deal in Gen?) and so that stinks. I went into the office and realized that my small church has more need than one man can provide. Now you think I would realize this since in my own life God uses many people to help me transform spiritually. So I sat at my desk and kept wishing I was God. Good thing we had a staff meeting yesterday so I could at least be in charge of something. That feeling of power quickly faded after our amazing administrator, Karen Black, beat me bad in bowling yesterday. (this just in...Stephen Bailey bowled a 155!)

Last night Kim and I attended a fund raising dinner for Eastern European Missions with our friends Alan and Donna Phillips from MRN) and watched a video of people who are hurting and hungry for Bibles. I wanted so badly to heal and help them all! At one point I leaned over to Kim who had either been covertly cutting onions for an hour or was her usually compassionate self and was crying a Niagara of tears and said, "should we not unpack the boxes?" (implying that we move to Russia and help these people) to which she said, "yes!" Bottom-line is that we could move to Russia and still the need will be overwhelming. Why? Because try as I might, I am not God. Kim is a lot closer but even she is not God.

And then this morning I was hit again with the reality that I can't play God's part as looked at photos online of the devastation caused by Katrina in the Gulf Coast states. Horrible! For some powerfully painful pictures click here. As I scrolled through those pics I was just overwhelmed to the point of grief with the destruction and wished so badly that I could have stopped it or at least fixed it with a snap of my fingers. But I couldn't. I can't. I never will be able to.

But I can play my part. I can do my part in the grand play of life for the one act that I get to live. I can serve with all I've got for the hours that I'm awake. I can lead and encourage the staff and church with which God has blessed me. I might not be cast in the part of missionary in the Ukraine but I can give of my money and prayers. I can't stop a Hurricane (and apparently it shouldn't have been stopped?) but I can start a collection at our church to help raise funds for the victims.

I can do my part. You can do your part. God is on His throne! Amen.

Have a Blessed Day!

Yesterday was Kim's last day at work as the Senior Switchboard Operator for ACU. For the past 21 months, Kim has been the most amazing example of Paul's admonition to the church in Collosse, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lor, not for men."

Throughout her time at ACU, Kim has received plenty of praise for a job well done including these kind words from Mike Cope:

"I'm going to do you a favor here. Need a lift? Think of someone you need to speak to at ACU, but don't dial them direct. Instead call 674-2000. You'll likely get Kim Quile who says in the kindest voice you'll hear all day, "I hope you have a blessed day."It's amazing that one kind voice saying something so simple as "have a blessed day" can make life more enjoyable. But it's true.(Now -- only do this once -- so I don't add to her workload!)" - Wednesday, February 04, 2004


The past couple of days people have emailed their appreciation, stopped by her office to say thanks, and even called her and said something like this, "I don't need a number Kim. I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to the university and to hear you say, 'Have a blessed day' one last time."

And yesterday a co-worker, Chris Campbell, (from a completely different department) wrote these amazing words:

"A Sad Farewell
Today, Abilene Christian University says "good-bye" to its most prized employee. No, I'm not talking about President Royce Money. I'm not talking about our VP of Development, John Tyson, or any other member of the President's cabinet.I'm not talking about any member of the faculty...though each of them are extremely valuable in their own right. I'm not talking about anyone from Campus Life or the other organizations that so ably guide and mentor the young people on this campus.I'm talking about our campus operator...Kim Quile.Those of you who don't work at ACU might think this is a failed attempt at satire on my part. But for those of us who work at ACU, it's quite easy to defend this claim. After all, Kim, to many folks, is the voice of ACU.Before I came to ACU I worked for seven years at EDS in Plano. The majority of my customers were small credit unions in the Midwest -- simple and friendly. So I shuddered every time they would call in through the EDS toll-free number...as they were always greeted by the familiar hurried, impolite, brash, I-just-got-off-my-8th-15 minute-smoke-break voice of the EDS operator. What a way to start a phone call!I don't have any statistics to support how many phone calls Kim Quile fields in a day...but I would dare say it's well into the hundreds. And each of those folks are greeted with the same cheery, Spirit-filled, joyful voice of Kim Quile.It's quite likely that each person Kim Quile spoke to was not happy. But I am confident that by the time Kim had rerouted their call they couldn't help but be in a better mood...as she always signs offs with familiar, "...and I hope you have a blessed day."I don't think we'll have to work in Heaven (PRAISE GOD!!!)...but if we do, I hope the Lord employs Kim Quile as Heaven's official receptionist." Tuesday, August 16, 2005

When we first arrived back in Abilene, Kim was known to many on the ACU campus as, "Joel's wife." It wasn't long after she started working for ACU that I became known as, "Kim's husband." Words cannot express how proud I am to be Kim's husband!

Thank you babe for setting an example for all of us!

One of the blessings of my new job is that Kim will not have to work outside the home. Today she will take both girls to school (Emily's starts at 7:50 and Laura's at 9:00) and then head up here to the church for her first Wee School (Pre-School) meeting.

I know that whatever she does, she will work with all her heart to bring a blessing to others!

Have a blessed day babe!

I Stretched. The Lord Drove.

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on the left."

Those of you who read my previous post know that something happened to me and my family last week that was cause for great joy. I have accepted an invitation to serve the Lake Cities Church of Christ as Senior Minister.

Due to the fact that I actually began work yesterday (yes, that is right, Monday, Aug 15th) and am in the middle of a tornado of transition I will not have time to share the story of the past weeks and months. To call it crazy is an understatement. It would be kinda like the Israelites watching God release them from Pharaoh’s captivity, send a bunch of bizarre plagues, lead them with fire and cloud and then at the last minute part the sea and then trying to describe that journey in a blog (while walking across the sea at that!).

God has blessed our family with the desires of our heart. The family of believers at Lake Cities is a perfect fit for our family. I am so blessed! It is always an honor and privilege to tell the Story and share the Good News in any church in any city. However, I feel a deeper level of amazement in my situation. I literally feel like the Israelites must have felt as they walked down that dry path that was normally occupied by the sea itself while looking up to their left and right at walls of water!

I really hope to share more soon. I am also dedicated to starting my ministry here right so that means less talk and more rock! If you would be so gracious as to keep lifting up our family in your prayers. You can pray specifically for our girls (they started school last Thursday) and for our home situation (we need our house to sell in Abilene before we can buy in Trophy Club) and for all the other details that go with transition.

I love you all. Even the "comedians" who felt compelled by God to act the fool on my previous blog. God is good! Stretch out and let Him drive!