What’s your absolute favorite food source?

It’s an odd way to phrase the question, I admit, but it was hard to come up with anything better. One way I look at it is: stuff I make vs stuff someone else makes – I usually prefer the latter. Then there’s restaurant vs home cookin’ – tough call; love them both. “Sit down” vs fast food – the former in most cases. Steakhouse vs greasy spoon – steak please!

The food source “vs” questions could go on and on and on because, in our day and age, said sources are abundant and full of variety. Do you realize this is true for our spiritual food sources as well? It is absolutely amazing how readily available top-notch spiritual food is to us. Incredible books, challenging blog posts, podcasts, videos, facebook/twitter posts, biblical commentary, articles, even entire curriculum & ministry resources – the majority of which are all FREE. And then, of course, there is the Bible itself – available in numerous versions and media types.

There are three parallels and one distinction I’d like to quickly make between the physical and spiritual in this context.

First of all, you and I have to have the fortitude and determination to go and get it! Even if someone else is preparing that steak, I have to go to the restaurant or, at the very least, get myself to the table. And then, except in extreme circumstances, I must feed myself. It is as easy as ever to get the nourishment we so need, but one pesky detail remains – we must prioritize it and make the effort to go and get it. No getting around that one.

Second, no one source is adequate. Have you seen “Super Size Me“? We may have a favorite, and we may even frequent that hot-spot whenever we can. But it’s just not healthy to rely on one source of nutrition. Seek additional resources. We don’t need many, but we need a good handful of options that we trust and look forward to.

And third, it’s almost always more fun to partake in the midst of community. I don’t mind eating alone, really. There are times when it’s actually preferred. But, it is certainly more fun and engaging for my entire being to be at a table full of people. Spiritually, we need each other. Even when you “consume” your spiritual nutrients in alone time, it’s good to chew and digest it with others you are growing to love and trust.

But, there is one rather significant difference. This is an old phrase I love that makes my point:

The Difference Between Hungers: Physical - Don’t eat, and your cravings will grow stronger. Eat abundantly, and your cravings will subside. Spiritual – Don’t eat, and your cravings will subside. Eat abundantly, and your cravings will grow stronger.

So, pull up a chair and feast on the bounty God has placed before us. Don’t get stuck thinking there’s only one way to be fed, one “source” of spiritual nourishment. Sample the variety, learn what “foods” you can trust, walk the buffet table, and indulge! And then…let’s talk. It is as we often say at Richwoods – the most significant life change – spiritual formation if you will – happens in the midst of community.

Eat, engage, and enjoy the incredible blessings God has given us.

“Schizophrenic” is a term we’ve been using a lot in meetings I’ve been a part of lately. In our context, it simply means we see both sides of the discussion very clearly and, depending on the day or the mood, we could “defend” either position passionately. It’s another way of saying we consciously live in the tension of middle ground – with the extremes having both good and bad, we strive for the win/win, the both/and, rather than the either/or, the win/lose. It’s the harder place to live, but it’s where we, as a church, have consistently chosen to claim our ground.

We’ve even taken this mindset into the way we work organizationally. Richwoods is a “multi-site” church.

Our East Campus is not a church plant – a group of people blessed by the originating church left to sink or swim on their own in all areas: mission/vision, leadership, finances, etc. It’s also not a satellite – a portion of the “main” church that just happens to meet in a different location on Sunday but is expected to be a part of everything the “main” church does: classes, picnics, programs, finances, leadership, etc…

Multi-site (in my humble, personal opinion – for there is no single definition) works to strike a middle ground – bringing the best of both worlds while working to minimize the negatives of the two extremes. It allows our two sites – East Campus and Knoxville Campus – to work independently to meet the needs of their particular faith communities under the umbrella of a consistent mission/vision, senior leadership, and a limited set of “constants” that define who we are as a broader church community.

Living in the extremes is easier. It makes whole categories of questions easier to answer – often with a blanket “yes” or “no”. Living in the middle brings scary words like “nuance” and “it depends” and responding to questions with more questions. It means living by guiding philosophy rather than dogma. It means interpretation. Unfortunately, it is also a breeding ground for misunderstanding, especially in light of our busy, hectic lives where we don’t take – or have – the time to understand the complexities of it all. Simple extremes are much more…well…simple.

East Campus exists to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to its surrounding communities, and we do so as Richwoods Christian Church. The Knoxville Campus does the same for the communities it serves. We are under the same umbrella – we are one church – but we are also unique. We may each do it a little bit differently based on the players available and the community context we are working within. And that’s OK. Our impact will ultimately be greater if we allow ourselves to disperse and be an active part of the communities we live in.

As a church new to multi-site this year, we have been living in this tension for more than 8 months. And as our two-campus model continues to take shape, it’s likely not exactly as any of us thought it would be when we started. Hopefully that’s not a big surprise. Hopefully that means we’re allowing God to have a hand in where we are going rather than forcing our own personal visions to take shape.

As we transition to a better understanding of what multi-site means at Richwoods, I am learning and growing in so many areas personally: as a leader, a follower, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, and a friend. I’m stubbing my toes now and then, speaking out of turn once in awhile, and dropping fragile balls on occasion. I’ve come to expect that in the growth process.

Through it all, I believe God is working in me and through me. He’s also working in us and through us as a church. It’s hard, but from my perspective, life could not be better.

I’ve been putting cream in my coffee for as long as I can remember, and the bulk of that cream comes from little containers like this one. But it wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that I saw the fine print on top: “shake well”.

Really? You’re supposed to shake these things?

Guess what I do now? Yep, I shake them…well…every time. It’s now in my file of “Life’s Little Instructions”. It’s more of a quirk than an attribute, but that’s how I roll.

I’m not perfect, of course. Don’t really try to be, because I realize how futile an effort that is. But, I do try hard to take to heart what Dr. Henry Cloud put into words last week at the Global Leadership Summit. Both biblically and psychologically (research) speaking, there is a stark difference between the “wise” and the “foolish” in this world. It’s all in how we receive and respond to instruction, correction, and even our more harsh critics.

A wise person welcomes input – they see the light (of truth) and adjust themselves accordingly. They remain calm and grow in maturity.

A foolish person rejects input – they see the light (of truth) and seek to adjust the light. They respond defiantly without acknowledging their own need to change.

These are the extremes, and we all fall somewhere in the spectrum. Personally, it is my hope and prayer that my heart & mind lean toward the wise.

How about you? Are you able to “shake well”?

A couple local car dealers recently decided to follow me on twitter, so I thought this post might be a unique way to engage them as an audience and possibly help out my fellow consumer. I will keep in mind that blog experts lay out a few simple ground rules for us newbies…two of which are: 1) don’t be mean, and 2) be helpful.

OK, here goes…

Car Dealer Math

Speaking as a regular guy with a base-line college education, since when does 52 = 150?

I took my car into a car dealer a few weeks back with a water leak. I went to a dealer thinking this might be unique to my brand – they might have to pull out seats and carpeting – maybe even pull the dash. I was prepared to spend money because I needed it fixed, and I wanted it fixed right. Remember that – I expected it to be hundreds of dollars…

Well, the issue wasn’t all that bad. If you know cars and cabin water leaks, you know one of the first places to look is the air conditioning drain tube. Sure enough, that was it. $10 in parts.

That’s where it gets hairy. See, they have this “diagnostic charge” that is apparently universal to car dealers. The mere fact that I asked them to do something to my car cost me 1 hour’s labor – $83 in today’s language. I kind of understand the “minimum 1 hour charge” thing – it keeps the penny-anty stuff out and guarantees the dealer some money even if the customer declines additional service.

But, this isn’t a “minimum charge” – it’s a diagnostic charge. The labor it took to replace the drain tube was added on top of the diagnostic.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I had the bright idea of asking them to, “while they were at it”, look into one other thing that was going wrong – my door locks. Yep, you guessed it – another diagnostic charge.

My car was in the shop for a total of 52 minutes (the receipt time stamps prove it). In that time I had two diagnosis and a repaired drain tube. I was charged for 2.5 hours labor (2 hours diagnostic + 1/2 hour labor for tube install = 150 minutes). $207.50 labor charge for 52 minutes of work.

In my complaint process to the dealer, I was assured that the calculation technique was universal. It seems that according to car dealer math, 52 = 150.

Ridiculous, but I hope that was helpful…