mid-winter challenge

So? There it is...

The goal is January 22nd.

The Place? my house...

The challenge? 15k on excersise bike/trainer, then a scenic 5k touring a little of Hamiltons finest waterfront trails...

I'll buy dinner for whoever can beat me.

Who's in?

We can discuss logistics on facebook or here. Hit me up. facebook.com/mikedyment...

Happy training!

M.

Running...

Went for an early morning run today and realized some things:

1. I'm a natural athlete...working out is something I genuinely enjoy doing. Something I get energy from. It's just part of bein' Mike.

I've been putting it off because I've been so busy as of late (what with moving, and the baby and the baby-church we've been trying to build over the last year), but I realized last night that its not worth not-doing...working out gives me time to think outside the box, the stress, the focus. Time to let not worry about any one thing in particular.

Plus, I LOVE doin' it!

2. I gotta be real with myself...on more than just the surface.

Bein' real is all about my honesty about my gifts, talents, passions and desires. What I'm good at, what I'm not. Taking stock of those things that get me goin'; harp on my strengths, farm out or teach myself how to function through my weaknesses, and start makin' life happen one day at a time...no matter how hard, or cold, or wet the road gets along the way.

3. I Got'a baby comin' in February!...

Two years ago I wasn't married! And now here I am: home owner, would-be father, church planter...not that I regret any of these things, it's just a lot for a guy to process. You Know?!

...Just feels like I've been running a lot in the last couple years and I just stopped for the first time to look around.

I'm gonna go again, it's just a matter of time. Maybe tomorrow morning, maybe later today. But I'll go...

M.

...clubbing

This is my wife and I.

I love my wife...alot

...it's obvious.

See, we went to this rippin' party on sunday for a friend of mine, and my wife started to learn how to dance...

...not that I'm all that good myself, but, see she's a little self-conscious on the dance floor. So I made a pact with her that we'd go clubbing. Not 'cause we wanna go ogle the meat market, but to get out and have fun together...and dancing is FUN!

My wife wants to learn how to move...'cause the way I move makes her want to move. And that's my job...

...I gotta teach my wife to dance.

I also gotta teach my wife to worship. She's pretty good at it already, but my job is to inspire her to worship...and if I want to do that I have to live a life of worship myself. I can't just make it happen...

...can't just show up at the club never having moved my body...

If you're a husband, it's your job to teach your wife how to worship. If you're a wife, your job is to inspire your husband to learn how to worship. If you're a parent, it's your job to teach your kids how to worship.

Worship in such a way that you help others learn what worship is and what it's all about.

...so get to the club and get started.

M.

feelin' re-calibrated.

Yep, that's what it's been like.

The last bit...feelin' like this guy...

...on the side of the road...

...with a busted car...

...tryin' to run the thing on my own power

Then, along came this sermon. (A MUST listen)

...Realized that I'm naturally not a business man (as is the tendency in North American churches). I'm more of a Holy Man (as it tends to be in the Eastern Churches)

Like it or hate it...

In my books, 'holy man' means: dropping the hard shell, actively pursuing vulnerability, admitting my weaknesses to myself and those around me, focusing myself on what is above first, letting my focus on what is above inform my focus on what is ahead.

Living a life devoted to worship...

...I haven't been doing that.

...I'm sorry.

I'm going to surrender to the spirit that's been pursuing me since we started this thing.

...it's a Better Way.

M.

PS. I did clean out under my bed...maybe that's what got this started...

Cleaning out our Closets...

K, it may not look like much. But that there is one ORGANIZED closet.

Yesterday, we walked into that room, opened the door, ripped everything piece by piece out of the closet, sorted and washed it meticulously and put it into it's desired order.

We did it 'cause we're launching our 'Welkids Nursery' in a couple of days. That means that we'll have three distinct areas were kids will hang out. 'Welkids Nursery', 'Welkids 5+' and 'kids' who are 8+, who hang out in our 'Kidzone' in the 'sanctuary' (Which right now happens to be a glorified band hall). So, we cleaned the storage closet out, 'cause we had to sort out what areas things were going to.

Before this, we only had a rudimentary system of organization. Now, the leaders of various areas can walk into the storage closet, pick up their Rubbermaid container and take it to their area to set up...Genius!

...guess this means we have a growin' church...

As we were doin' cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning...(etc.) I got to thinkin', have I cleaned out my closet lately...?

So, I went home and looked under the bed ('cause that's were most of our storage stuff is kept) and realized that there is a TON of stuff I don't use at all...so I made a pact with myself. By the end of this week I'm going to lift the bed, see what's under it, clean what needs to be cleaned, get rid of what needs to be gotten rid of and organize what's there.

Then it hit me...have I cleaned out my 'closet' lately?

...picked things up, saw what's underneath, cleaned out what needs to be cleaned out, gotten rid of what needs to be gotten rid of, and organized that's there...?

...huhh...

What about you?

Let me know what you think...

M.

...lessons from 31.

...hay, that's reminds me of that Dave Matthews song...

Week #21 in the books...

...Starting to feel like one of those parents who still counts their kids age in months when their like 5...'oh ya, little Timmie's 67 months old today...'

maybe we're gettin' somewhere...

maybe we're not where we use to be...

...lessons from sunday.

I don't look like that picture...

'Cause if I did, I'd need a reality check. Serious.

...planting a church is hard, lonely work. But if we don't do it for (G)lory than we do it for (g)lory. The reason is bigger then us. It's for the teaching and equipping the saints for the work of the Kingdom...in other words we do it so people will learn to love Jesus more and help those around them realize that they love Jesus too.

That's what keeps us going, week-in and week-out. (Without starting to look like that)

...havin' a band behind you is a REALLY good thing...

Ya'know, two weeks in and I'm realizing how much easier life is when you have good people backing you up....it's nice to play on your own every once in a while, but what a difference it makes in the immersivness of the music...not to mention the impact and the Worship that can happen when people feel immersed in the music.

...our church is 'growing'...

...two reasons.

1. People are starting to call this church home. Didn't think about that when we started this thing. It's cool to watch people start to invest in this thing we do.

2.People are starting to grow...watchin' people gain confidence and trust in their faith and themselves is really fun...to sit back and appreciate how people are starting to develope in their faith and understanding of the Gospel message in their lives.

...Worship is good...

The more I shake the dust off this life of worship, the more I re-discover the joy that comes with it the more I want to infect people with what Worship can be.

It's learning that worship isn't just singing, it's praying, playing, participating, propagating(!), and prognosticating...

...so press on, friend, to that which you were called to do and make the most of every opportunity you have...

You only have one today.

M.

...we're ready for ya

Had band practice yesterday.

Practiced for the Lord. Practiced for you. Practiced for the musicality of it. Practiced to play together.

...and we're ready for you.

But'ya know what? We need your help.

We need you to pray.

We need you to pray that we will surrender to the Spirit's guidance. That we would be good stuarts of these gifts. That we would be proper shepherds into worship, into the throne-room of God.

That our lives would demonstrate a spirit of worship. That our vulnerability would be evident to all. That people would be drawn to vulnerability themselves. That we would be engulfed in a cloud of God as we play, minster and press after the spirits movements.

Pray for us as we craft our worship environment. That our humanity wouldn't inhibit the work of the spirit. That we could demonstrate what a life of worship looks like.

More than this, pray for yourselves. As you get ready to go to church pray that the Lord would prepare you to worship, to be vulnerable. To be broken by Him. Pray that church would change you. That you would be affected through your week. That it would be evident to those around you. Like an infection.

Pray for the churches around the city you live in. Pray that God would presence Himself there in a mighty way. That people would come to him like iron fillings to a magnet. Pray that people would find joy, hope, healing, water, light and forgiveness at church. Pray for the healing of our Church. Pray that we would repent of our misdeeds. That the Lord would correct our path.

Most of all, listen. Listen for the voice of God. Listen in the still moments and the loud ones. Listen to the sound of the car engine and the hum of your computer as you read this.

We're ready for you...

God's ready for us.

Question is, are we ready for Him?

M.