10 quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. that you may not have heard…

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

According to dictionary.com, resolution has 5 definitions. I like #2, 3 & 4 for this post:

• 2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something
• 3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
• 4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Ian, our worship pastor, asked the crowd Sunday how many people made resolutions. Apparently I was one of 3 at the 11:00 service to raise my hand. It seems that to make a New Year’s resolution is a thing of the past. Blasé.

I understand. Today the gym was packed. At least 3 times as many people were cursing those holiday calories. But things will be back to normal in a couple weeks and I won’t have to wait for my treadmill. I get why people are fed up with attempting to change their life only to fail. Why try? But if, like me, you’d like to keep dreaming and reach some goals then then keep reading.

I’m a fan of New Year’s resolutions and for years, I’ve used the week between Christmas and New Years to evaluate my life and make adjustments. As I look over my journals I’ve discovered that this week is pivitol in setting the course for the upcoming year. I’ve learned a few things along the way about the process of setting New Year’s resolutions. Here’s a few thoughts:

1. Don’t try to change your life in one year. For most of us, it’s taken our whole life to get us to this place that we’re not happy with. The direction of your life is more important then when you get there.
2. Be specific with your goals. For example, don’t say, “I’m going to get in shape in 2012.” Instead, how many pounds to you want to lose? By when? Be realisitc but specific. And write it down. Anything worth accomplishing is worth writing down first.
3. Make a plan. A goal without a plan doesn’t stand a chance. A plan answers how you intend to accomplish your vision. Schedule it, budget for it and be tenacious.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. See a counselor. Hire a financial planner. A fitness trainer. Join a class or group. Enlist friends. Accoutability is critical for your success.
5. Be gracious with yourself. You will have setbacks. Get back up and keep going.

For what it’s worth I evalutate my life and set goals within the following catergories: Family, Fitness, Finances, Relationships & Reading/Writing. I’ve found that if I prioritize those areas then everything else follows suit.

Tomorrow’s post will address why you don’t see God as one of those priorities.

A few days ago I tweeted the following:

I’m committed to two kinds of people. Those far from God and those committed to do whatever it takes to reach them.

Sadly, not all Christ followers will grow to their full potential. Spiritual maturity is not about how long you’ve been a follower. It’s not about how much Bible you know. At the end of the day, Christian maturity is caring about what God cares about and by His grace, doing something about it.

When we make it about us and how good of person we are, we become toxic. To others and ourselves.

That’s a strong statement I realize. And don’t get me wrong, when we first become a follower it is more about us. But it shouldn’t take long before we reach the tipping point and realize that with the same grace we’ve received now we are to roll up our sleeves, go to work and do whatever it takes to reach people far from God.

When we make the mistake of thinking that we have to reach a certain level of maturity before we engage with God’s mission then we’re in danger of a couple tragedies:

1. We never grow up. The very thing we are fighting for (or at least telling ourselves that we’re fighting for) is more of what we think will “feed us.” So we want the pastor to preach “deeper” sermons. We want the programs that we’ve become accustomed to. We want our music just so. And we argue that all of this is the perfect concoction for our spiritual growth. But in the long run getting all of this actually produces a Christian equivalent to the spoiled brat that none of us can stand to be around. In the end it’s not spiritual growth we’ve attained but a closet full of idols that have neither served our growth or Christ’s glory but stole both like a spiritual parasite.
2. We’re part of creating a church that never reaches anyone far from God. When church is all about me. When all that we do is catered to those that are already convinced, we drift off mission. The Church is never about me. Ever! It’s been said for years now that the Church has a mission but it’s more theologicaly correct to say, God’s mission has a Church. And our part is to get swepted up into this mission and in doing so we will experience growth like we never thought possible.

For the record, I’m thankful to serve a local church that gets this. And to my Brooklake Church family, let us never, ever lose sight that we are on His mission. Together we are His Church and we are here for our world. You have my commitment to help you grow more like Christ as together we live as missionaries to those accross our cult-de-sacs, cubicles and communities.

If you find yourself attending a church that is neither on mission nor has any ambition to live as missionaries, you might find my post on How to Pick a New Church helpful.

I’m off to Austin this morning to join with 10 other pastors from around the country for Future Travelers. It’s part of my ongoing commitment to personal growth and continuing education.

Through my involement with EnterMission, my friend, Rob Wegner, contacted me about the possibility of joining Alan Hirsch, Dave Ferguson and others in a cohort environment for the purpose of leading our churches to be the sent people God intends for them to be. God is a missionary God. He sent Jesus to us and Jesus has sent us to the world. Ultimately, I’m passionate about helping the people of Brooklake live as missionaries and together becoming a Jesus movement in the Northwest.

I’m posting this today so that my tweets and posts this week have a context. I’m especially excited for the folks in my Brooklake family to tune in to what I’m learning.

Here’s Alan Hirsch talking about the DNA of movements which we’ll be examining in depth…

Alan Hirsch: Overview of the DNA of Movements [VERGE video] from Verge Network on Vimeo.

On August 20th, we celebrated being at Brooklake for 3 years. That’s a significant milestone in pastoral ministry because statistcally if a pastor is going to move on, 3 years seems to be the timing. But for the record, Michelle and I are putting down roots and intend on leading the wonderful people of Brooklake to live as missionaries for at least a couple decades! There’s hundreds of thousands of people in South Sound region that need Jesus. We’ve got our work cut out for us!

Last Sunday, Pastor Mike honored Michelle and I, along with our daughters, and talked about the succession plan we’ve been engaged in. I’ll be writing on the details of how we’ve been doing this (as I’m sure Pastor Mike will as well) in further posts but suffice to say, he shared a little about the background to our plans and that I’ve been taking on more of a lead role that will continue to increase over the next couple years. It was truly a great experience.

I’m looking forward to posting more frequently about our transition along with all the other topics I’m passionate about. Here’s a sampling of what’s to come:

• My life and my ongoing love for my family. Might even be sharing some lessons learned about marriage and parenting.
• Brooklake Church. I hope for this place to be a source of encouragement and vision for the people of the church I have come to love.
• Leadership. I’m passionate about learning all I can about the art of leading. Maybe we can grow together and grow to lead well.
• Faith & Culture. Following Jesus can be a roller coaster ride. I look forward to writing about the highs and lows of what it means to “be in the world but not of it.”
• Church & Mission. I believe that the Church is the hope of the world and that the Church doesn’t have a mission but that God’s mission has a Church. Looking forward to learning together about how to be on His mission and “sent people.”

Photos courtesy of Nathan Golden.