My dear friend, Tom Natterstad, died this weekend. Tom was my senior pastor, leader, colleague and friend for 14 years. It was almost a daily occurrence to share life on life with Tom all those years. As is the case, when someone is a strong influence on your life, it is difficult to immediately measure the impact he has had on you personally. What begins as conscious guidance becomes unconscious influence as the years go by.

I do know this. How I think about leading and how I lead are built on how I have learned to follow. Following Tom's leadership has been a key influence and blessing in my life in so many ways.  Today, it is with great gratitude that I say, "Thank you, Tom, for allowing me to be part of your legacy."

This beauty is our dog, Nala (Lion King, remember?) The one think she is obsessed over more than chasing squirrels or staring at Nancy with eyes that say "Just one bite, pleeeeze, is- Going for a walk.

Or a "W." See, she gets so excited that we can't say the word aloud unless we plan on carrying out the task. I enjoy verbally torturing her by saying, "Nala, so, you want to have a TALK! Nala, did you hear that SQUAWK! (Sorry, PETA people, amd by the way,my favorite food in all the world is a medium rare filet mignon…) As a result, Nancy and I call it a "W" when we are negotiating who is going to take her.

When Nala realizes she is going on a walk, it is always Christmas
and she is always five years old.

Never seen a dog pant so much in anticipation.  A healthy obsession, indeed…

What if I had that same response thinking about God's Word? So into his ways that it makes me simply drool?

Dude, David felt this way. Figure if he can kick a giant's butt and go all MMA on him, he get's that confidence from somewhere and I want a piece of that!

Well, what do you know…

"I pant with expectation, longing for your commandments." (Psalm 119:131 NLT)

Where does God "dwell" today? We are his temple and he blesses the world through us.

Jesus wins the war, even if we are still battling. Revisiting Palm Sunday…

God is a wise investor, working through those who show return on His investments.

One way for a Christian community to make progress in sharing the compassion of Jesus with everyone, and sharing the Gospel with those who are receptive with neighbors and networks, is to practice reaching out around the church campus, first. Though we come from a variety of neighborhoods throughout the community, the church “family” does have the campus neighborhood in common. Also, God blessing those closest to where you are located has good precedent (“Beginning in Jerusalem…”).

One way to do this is adapt a strategy similar to an “adopt-a-block” approach. There is a church here in the San Fernando Valley, Valley Vineyard Church, that has been a great model for others to learn. Mission: Reseda is a community strategy where “love your neighbor” takes on real flesh.

God has repeatedly given me a word about reaching out to Hispanics in our community, a vision for us received by others outside our church community, and by several leaders in our church community. This vision to “love our neighbors and bless the city,” is expanding.

At LIFEhouse we are blessed with having a park-like setting on a 6.5 acre campus. An athletic field, two full basketball courts and a large playground are included in the mix. We are located in an urban area where the population within three square miles of our campus is about 230,000 people, one of the top most congested communities in the country. In this area we have six parks. Six.

In Madison, Wisconsin with a similar population of a bit over 230,000 people there are 251 park and recreation areas. Yes, 251.

So, when Mark and Kirsten, youth leaders, approached us with a vision to reach out to the area youth with an outreach on our campus, it was a word from the Lord addressing a critical need in our community. Thus was born Friday Night Life.

What is happening?

“Love your neighbor.”

The best way to love your neighbors is to be a blessing for them, sharing the compassion of Jesus with everyone, and joining with those who are receptive in the journey of following Jesus, growing together, and training others to do the same. This is the design of Jesus. People come to Christ and multiply His impact by reaching more followers, growing together, all the while transforming the neighborhood, as He is transforming the neighbor.

 

How does a church community go about this? There are really two groups of people. Neighborhoods and networks. A neighborhood is a geographical group of people and a network is a group of people with a shared interest.

Your neighborhood is people who live where you live. Your network might be people who work with you, people who are connected to the same school (if you have school-aged children) as you are, people who share the same hobby, and such. Since a church community is made up of people of a variety of neighborhoods and networks, then neighborhood is wherever people connected to your church live. Network is where they make connections.

How do you begin this training?

Does a good dad want his children to be healthy? Of course. How much more your loving Father in heaven. Whether healing comes now or later, pray with confidence for healing.

Kjell Austad teaches the welcoming ways of God are front and center with Zacchaeus.

Whenever I hear someone talk or pray about the need for America to "get back to her roots," or "return to how it used to be," or "return to the spirit of our Founding Fathers," I notice it's not usually an African American speaking. Not a Native American. Think about it.

What, exactly, do we want to return to? The America that that was built up on the backs and blood of slave labor? The America that just plain took away land and killed many who stood in the way of "Manifest Destiny?"

Or how about the America of the early 1800's where there are estimates of up to 50% of the population who would be classified as alcoholics? Or even more recent, the America of forcing 10 year olds to work in mines and textile mills?

Now, I get the sentiment of longing for more civility, courtesy, modesty, respect for your elders, and such, in our society today. But, that is far different than longing for something that was absolutely a disaster for certain people groups.

I do not want America to return to any era of our history. Why not pray for a better future? Why not long for our best days to be ahead of us as a nation?

Every generation-

whether nation, local community, or family-

has the opportunity to carry on what is most helpful in blessing people's lives, refusing to carry on what is harmful-

always looking forward to better days ahead.