HEYP!

Recently, I took the advice of David Allen, writer of Getting Things Done, and I sat down to write a list of all the “stuff” that has been wondering around in my mind. The stuff list includes every open loop in my mind, meaning anything left undone, not thought through, things I’m still waiting on (like a phone call), etc. At the end of it all, I’ve been amazed at the shear number of things that I have still open in my mind. I have 5 pages in a word document… 5 pages!

David Allen explains that each unfinished task, ranging thought, or action we’re waiting on increases our stress level. He says that the problem is not “information overload” as many would suggest. If that were the case, he says, we’d explode when we walked into a library! On the contrary, Allen claims that the problem is not the information, but the “potential possibilities” that cause stress, because these are the things we haven’t been able to store away in a place that we can trust.

The only place we organize that we can trust is our calendar, according to Allen. It’s the only thing we use that shows us what to do and when. But our mind, the more typical storage place, is unable to do that. We don’t remember to put new batteries in our flashlight until our power’s out and it’s too late. Without a list of things to get at the grocery store, we forget the bread even when that was the most important item. It’s because the brain is not a storage space, as many suggest. It’s merely what deals with the thoughts that are not presently in storage.

Therefore, we need to create a system that stores our thoughts for us, a system that we can trust, one that reminds us what to do when, and that is easily updatable and efficient. I would suggest that David Allen’s book is probably the most useful resource of any I have encountered. However, if you can’t buy the book right now, I have found these resources very helpful:

43 Folders

GTD Mastery 100 Checklist

GTD Connect

David Allen Podcasts

In the midst of conversations about ministry effectiveness, strategy, philosophy, and everything else having to do with the rising generation, I’ve found that everything seems to always come back to one thing. No matter how many buzz words we come up with to describe the various trends in our postmodern culture, there seems to be one constant that drives all ministry. This one thing is the centerpiece of why we follow after God. It’s why we sometimes look out into the night sky and wonder if there’s more out there. It’s why we seek intimacy when it’s not time to do so, or why we find ourselves constantly battling our own desires.

This one thing is hunger, and it will always exist in the human spirit. A thousand years from now, when people are looking back at the “pre-historic” 21st century and posturing questions about the internet-boom and other such archaic shifts, there will still be hunger. Real hunger, too, not the kind of hunger you can fix with a Twix.

People will forever be in need of that one more thing that they believe will finally quench their constant needs, and there will remain a variety of other subsets of culture who all claim to have found the one true God, the center of existence, the maker of earth and space and humanity and everything else. Indeed, there will still also be atheists seeking to disprove the existence of God and others trying to prove Him. And the reason will remain: hunger.

We have a deep human need to meet our fulfilled purpose, to find ourselves complete, whole, and fully realized. This need, this yearning, this hunger… it will always remain. And for that reason, Jesus came.

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you all know that I’ve posted a new page that will host my messages. I don’t know what you think, but I think that’s pretty rad. Anyway, right now there is 1 message on the site, called “Fight for your Faith.” It’s a pretty old one, actually, but I hope you’re blessed by it.

God bless,
Brian

Ashley Holmertz was a good friend and an even better Christ follower. Her story will continue to impact peoples’ lives for years to come and I feel honored and priveleged to have known her for 15 of her 23 years on this earth.

Cancer is such a torturous thing to endure. I admire Ash for her continual fight. She wanted so bad to continue to show people the love of Christ. I think her 6 year battle to get another chance at it showed us everything we needed to know and more. We’ll miss you Ashley.

-Brian

I’ve been reading this book lately about getting things done. It’s by a guy named David Allen. Here’s his website.  I’m sure I’m not the only one (no, really, I’m sure) that let’s his mind wander of into a variety of useless meanderings for no reason at all, or finds himself surfing the internet when he knows that he should be putting together a sermon or letter or making a phone call or whatever. I found a number of other fun websites like 43 folders, Structured Procrastination, and Marktaw.I even found other fun tools to get me back to work.

The thing is, today we have so many professions that are based on “knowledge power.” We’re paid to think, to lead, to inspire, or whatever else. Funny thing is, some of the most inspiring people in history struggled with daily drive and apathy. Indeed, it’s not that uncommon, and we shouldn’t feel like a complete failure whenever we find ourselves wandering within our minds.

Martin Luther struggled with the depressing thoughts of uselessness when he found himself not “accomplishing.” It’s especially difficult when you’re in service roles like ministry, therapy/counseling, teaching, and other jobs that pour into other people. I call these “significance roles” because they are based more on the significance of making a difference than the success of making money or producing for the sake of it. These are the most rewarding roles for those who do them. They are also, ironically, the most discouraging when a person feels like they are failing at their trade.I can totally relate to this.

When you’re a youth pastor, it breaks your heart every time you see a student going down a destructive path. It breaks your heart even more when you allow yourself to say things like “That would’ve never happened if I had just…” But we can’t do that. We can’t play that game. If God is really who He says He is, then we live under grace and forgiveness and our value and worth is determined by Christ, not ourselves. And certainly not our own accomplishments.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re one of the many people in the world that sit around thinking about how much you suck at life, realize this: you do suck. In fact, we all do… seriously, I’m not joking. It’s precisely because we suck that we need God, and that’s a good thing!  If we didn’t suck at life then we wouldn’t feel like we needed God and if we felt like we didn’t need God, we would miss out on life’s greatest adventure in relationship.

It’s week 3 of the Drinkwine “staycation” and I’d like to say that the house is all finished and completed, but alas, it is not so. I can say that I’ve been workin on the house relentlessly and many things have been done, however. Basically, the kitchen still has a cardboard floor, no light over the dining area, lack of new paint on the walls, and damaged cabinets and countertop. The living room ceiling still needs finishing, as well as a variety of small other tasks. We’ll see how it all works out in the end, but right now, I’m just glad to get something done.

What this has done, however, is given Sarah and I some much needed time together that we were not getting before the time off. It’s really nice to come home without any worlds falling apart or major crises being averted and just “be” with your wife, especially during this stage of our marriage. I truly love her, and she deserves every spare moment I have.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to what God is going to continue to do in our lives here and at the church. There’s that unmistakable “itch” that you get when you’re in the ministry. No matter how much we need this time together, ministry is what drives me day-to-day, and to be at home, separated from your calling, is not an easy thing, even when it means getting things done that need to be done to begin with.

That said, I can’t wait to get back to BCC and see all you guys! It’s gonna be awesome to see what God will do in our ministry when Sarah and I return, and to see what God has been doing while we’ve been gone. See you soon!

I met last night with a group of 8 or 10 middle school students from the Nashville area. The purpose of the meeting was partly leadership development, but we spent most of our time discussing the “biggest issues” that young teens face in today’s society. Among these issues were things like fitting in, drugs & alcohol, & sexuality.

But probably the most telling of all of these issues, in my opinion, was that of image. Every student in our group said that they feel pressured to “look good,” be thin, and wear name brand clothing. To them, the worth of a young teen today is based upon the way he/she looks, and if someone is “ugly” or overweight, then that teen is considered uncool and isn’t allowed into the most popular social circles.

I asked these students how many of them knew what the word “metabolism” meant. To my surprise, every student knew what the word meant on some level. After all, this is a pretty big word for a 10-year-old. Metabolism is a very important thing to these students because, if they don’t have high metabolism, they fight an uphill battle for acceptance.

I was bothered when I asked how many students knew what the word “evangelism” meant. Not one student raised their hand. Keep in mind that each student in this group has been raised in church.

Can you believe it? Ten students raised in the church, every single one of whom knows what the word metabolism means, yet not one was familiar with the word evangelism.

I think that sometimes in the church we mistakenly believe that young teens shouldn’t be presented with words like evangelism because they are “too big” or “irrelevant,” but if they can understand a word like metabolism and have it deeply affect their lives, then why should we not use equally complicated words? Why do we think that somehow our students are incapable of understanding words that are, admittedly so, no more complicated than the words they are so familiar with, not merely on an educational level, but on a very social level as well?

Are we selling our students short by giving them a spoon-fed, unchallenging version of Christianity? Should we not call them to a life changed by the gospel that cries out for their hurting friends who do not know Christ? Is this merely an ignorance of vocabulary, or are we failing to provide an adequate understanding of our calling to be an evangelistic change agent in the world?

Whatever the case may be, we certainly need to evaluate the way we approach our students. The church must not merely be a reaction to the trends of our surrounding culture. It is not enough to simply respond to image issues, drugs & alcohol, sexuality, and the other things our students face. Our students cannot merely me “avoiders” in a world of brokenness. They must be captivated by the heart of God for their friends. They must be saturated with a heart for evangelism.

We get to know God even better when we practice.

There comes a time in each of our lives when we can’t simply sit around any longer. It’s just not enough to say we follow Jesus. We have to add some skill to our passion. We have to add some practice so that when the game day of life hits us hard, we can be ready to face the challenges we encounter. We must learn to fast and pray so that we become more dependent on God. We must study the Bible, worship, and learn the discipline of tithing so that we can unveil the character of God. And we must serve and spend time together as Christ followers so that we can help each other grow in love and character. In essence, we must practice what it means to be a follower of Jesus, because life is not merely about knowing that God loves us. It is about learning to return the love passionately toward God and find ourselves wholly committed to His purpose for our lives.

The first thing God wants me to do is tell others how He changed me.

I have a friend named Ashley. When I was in high school, we went to prom together. We have been close friends for years now and even today, as we have gone our separate ways in life, I regard Ashley as a good friend and remarkable person. A few years ago, Ashley was diagnosed with a bone cancer in her leg. Everyone she knew was devastated for her. She was 19 years old. After several rounds of chemo and multiple ups and downs of treatments and tests, the doctors had all but given up on her. Then, one day, with no warning, she went into the hospital to take some tests and the spots of cancer had mysteriously disappeared. Since that time, Ashley has had other bouts with this horrible disease. But at that moment, the elation of what we saw made me want to tell everyone I knew, which I did.

When anything this amazing happens, we want to tell as many people as possible. This is why we have the New Testament today. A bunch of guys were so amazed at God’s love for them through Jesus, that they wrote letters to everyone they knew and told as many people as possible. When we become followers of Christ, the Bible instructs us to tell people, and it says to do this through baptism. As amazing as it is to experience God’s love in our lives, we should never hesitate to take the first steps in letting people know about the great change He is working in our hearts.

Following Jesus means drawing a line and stepping across.

What are you committed to? Is it worth it? No matter where we are in our spiritual journeys, God is always there pointing out that His plan for us far exceeds the plans we could make for ourselves. When we commit our hearts to Christ, we might feel like we’re not ready, like we might get hurt, or like we might lose the people we love. The truth is, however, that we will never be ready for God. He is simply too big, too powerful, and far to incredible for us to ever measure up. That is the wonder of God’s love. No matter how small or unready or unwilling we are, He loves us and has plans for us and wants us to commit to something worth living for: namely, Himself. So have you committed your heart to God’s purpose for your life? Have you surrendered your life to His plans? If not, could this be the day to “nail it down”? Perhaps at this very moment, as you encounter these words, God is whispering into your ear: “Commit, my child. Commit to my son, Jesus. Commit to me.” There is no greater opportunity than this, so go ahead. Draw a line in the sand and step across into this uncharted place that we call Christ following.