The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, so I haven’t had much time to stop and write. Here are a few of my random thoughts and activities…
- First Assembly is an amazing church with an amazing history. I’ve spent the past few weeks meeting with key leaders and influencers in the church and I am SO encouraged. Most of our leaders are in their 50’s & 60’s but have a passion to reach and invest in the next generation. They also have an unquestionable heart for missions. This will be a solid foundation to build upon!
- Re-read Good to Great… I feel it is my responsibility to create a new culture of community and authenticity here at First Asembly but this is a BIG ship and it will take a while to turn around. Jim Collins says that in when creating a culture of greatness there is no single defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no miracle moment. Rather, the process resembles relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond. My lead pastor began turning this flywheel, by himself, a few years ago… and I feel like I’m here to help him keep pushing!
- There is a Starbucks and a Jimmy Johns within walking distance of our church… God is good.
- We booked Scott Hodge for our pastor/spouse retreat next April. He transitioned an old-school AG church in Aurora, IL into a cutting edge, missional church that is gaining national recognition! The journey was long and hard, but I'm really excited about what he will share with us.
- Des Moines is a great city… but we desperately need more locally owned restaurants and coffee shops.
- Thanksgiving was great… we got to spend time with both sides of the family and I didn’t have to take any time off of work! I’ve got two incredible kids, a wonderful wife, and a great job. Definitely a lot to be thankful for!
- We bought new cell phones in the Des Moines area code. Check out Letstalk.com, best deals anywhere! They arrived on time and worked perfectly.
- The first sermon I ever preached was in the youth group at First Assembly ten years ago… this weekend I preached for a second time. It was a blast!
- Building authentic community is HARD work! Henri Nouwen said that Community is the place where the person you least want to be there is always there. We are a diverse church with a wide variety of backgrounds, incomes, and personalities. But if we are going to move to the next level we have to move beyond affinity to true community.
- My son turns one on Sunday and he is AWESOME!