I decided to name my new mower “Cubbie”.  After all, with a name I’ve never heard of plastered on the side emblazoned “Cub Cadet”, I figured that I would graduate the poor little guy from Cadet status to Cubbie status.

A few days later I was telling my friend about this new mower with the weird name and color and how I wanted to support the local guy so that’s why I bought the “knock-off” brand mower.

He responded something like this …

“You bought a Cubbie?!!!!  You bought a Cubbie!!!!  That there is as good as a Johnny Deer!!!”

All the while, whacking me on the back to congratulate me on my ignorant luck.

It would seem that he’s heard of Cub Cadet and had already had the creativity to name my mower the same thing that I did.  I suppose the originality of the naming rite was close to calling your kid Mikey when your name is Michael …

I then realized that I had scored points with him about the brand.  I also realized that I had lost those same points immediately by not having heard of the brand …

I like to do a victory lap before the race begins.

It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

So I took Cubbie on a victory lap around the perimeter of the front yard to survey the scope of the project before me.  It was a pretty smooth ride as Cubbie & I got to know each other.  It handled well.  The turn-radius was impressive.  And the speed was reasonable.  I realized that Cubbie was sure to be a reliable friend.

About three laps into the Frontyard 400, it happened.

I didn’t navigate the “subtle” mound leftover from where a gumball tree once lived for fifty years.  And I ran the dual blade cutting deck into the dirt on the upside of the grassy mound.  I honestly did not know that the earth beneath any amount of grass could meet the blades.  And that morning, I found out that it could happen.  And it did happen.

I dismounted the Cubbie and got behind and pushed him over the mound.  What I found was an ginormous pile of fresh dirt clods and hacked up divots the size of paper plates.  I was moderately concerned as I sat back down on Cubbie and went to start ‘em back up.  Yet, without missing a beat, Cubbie started right back and up and the blades were back in motion.

For now.

I did a few more laps of the Frontyard 400 and and started to realize something.

The cut “lanes” of grass looked different than before.

The lanes were cut diagonal from left to right with a line.

Much like Arsenio Hall’s haircut in 1990.  A flat top that wasn’t flat ... unless you tipped your head to the side.

I didn’t have time to investigate that morning.  I realized that Cubbie must have gotten his new style from the Gumball Tree Mound Barber at the corner of Dumb Road and Stupid Street.

So I finished the Frontyard 400.  And the finished product displayed a degree of consistency in “look and feel.”  I’m certain that someone with vertigo would have found the yard to look fantastic…

And then I went on to do a victory lap around the back yard.

I was almost done with my first lap of the Backyard 500, and it happened.

While cruising wide around an oak tree, Cubbie came to such a violent and abrupt stop that the front hood went flying open and slammed back down into place.

I simultaneously came off of my seat and arrived in that awkward half-bent over position that looked like I was either waiting for someone to serve me a volleyball or I was going to start riding Cubbie like a jockey in the Thompson Downs…

I’m not sure when the six-inch round root from the oak tree grew up out of the ground ten feet from the base of the tree and surged out and back into the ground like a graceful whale in the arctic.  I’m not sure why I hadn’t seen the drive-by rooting.

What I did know was that the root was now sporting the same haircut as the rest of his flora and fauna brothers in the front yard.

Having just witnessed Cubbie’s stout and vigorous re-start not even 35 minutes earlier, I had high hopes.

Yet this was different.

This haircut had sparks …

I pushed Cubbie over on to the driveway to examine the damage.

Belts had come off.  Blades had  broken.  It was bad.

Cubbie had to go back.

I'm sure I lost more points with my friend on the Ignorant Lawn Mower's Chart ...

At least I had finished the Frontyard 400 …  even if it looked like a popular haircut from the early nineties …

I used to know how to mow the lawn.

It all started when I was ten when my folks decided it was time for me to have some more responsibility around the house.  And so my circle of responsibility expanded to the circumference of our yard.

It didn’t matter that the grass tickled my kneecaps when I walked through it that summer after our two-week vacation to the top of the “glove” (the northern part of Michigan before crossing the bridge).

I was tagged to mow the jungle.

And I learned to pace myself.  Two strips.  Rest.  Two strips.  Rest.

After all, the push-mover handle was higher than my head.  And if I pushed too hard, the back tires of the mower would lift up …

Then came our first riding lawn mower.  I was twelve.  The riding lawn mower was twenty six.  My Dad bought it for $100 from our minister.  I bet the minister giggled the whole way to home.

That mower was the size of the go-cart that I never built but always dreamed I would.  It was the kind that would pop a wheelie when you would hit the gas.  Really.  Now, I had a mower where the front wheels lifted up on their own rather than the back wheels lifting up from exertion.

For a twelve-year old, a riding mower from the sixties that did wheelies, did amazing things for my neighborhood “cool” rating.

I’m pretty sure my nine-year old neighbor behind me secretly wanted to cut my lawn.  But he was already stylin’ in his brand new monster mower his Dad got at Sears.  The kind with the huge flume along the side that sucked the grass into the amazing grass holding tank in the back.  I think it had eight speeds.

But mine could do wheelies.  And all through Junior High and High School, I faithfully cranked out the yard like Evel Knievel doing something productive.

Twenty years and several yards later it was time for me to invest in my own riding mower.

And I decided I would support the local Mom & Pop Riding Lawn Mowers Association.  Sorry Sears.  Sorry Lowes.  I wanted to go where someone would know my name.  I wanted to go to the Cheers Version of lawn care equipment providers.

After introducing myself as a recovering riding lawn mower wheelie popper, the owner told me he “had just the right mower” for me.

After taking out a second mortgage, I had found my new mower.  I thought it had a peculiar name.  I thought it had an unusual color.  But I thought a no-name mower should get the job  done as good as any.

Later that afternoon, the knock-off mower with the weird name and odd color was delivered to the house to great fan-fare in the neighborhood.  Well, I was excited anyway.

After the inaugural ceremonies, which included the Pouring of the Gas and Dripping of the Oil, I was off for the main event, the Scalping of the Yard, using a deck setting that was apparently too low.  I’m still not sure what a “PTO Setting” is…

I’m still trying to figure out how to do wheelies …

At least the dude at the store knows my name now …

I’ve never been the most athletic guy.  For most of my adult life, I have avoided great physical exertion for the purpose of being healthy and fit.  Actually, those moments of” blood, sweat and tears” were almost always the result of helping a friend move.  And the pain I would feel for the next several days was a great reminder of two things.

Rule #1: I am way out of shape and will probably always be so. (Otherwise known as “thikarowndamidda”)

Rule#2. Trying to get in shape will likely result in pain.  (Otherwise known as “fear”.)

I have almost always enjoyed Rule #1.

Yes, there were times when I secretly wished that I could walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath.  Yes, it would be nice to be content with an apple and a glass of water, but a Whopper with cheese (no onions) tastes so much better.

I found myself in a health funk.  I liked it.  Felt bad about it..  Had no motivation to do anything about it.

I would even buy pants an inch smaller with the conviction that I would one day actually fit in to them.

Being shaped isn’t comfortable.

I have learned to embrace a key promise that God makes.

He’s not through with us yet.  In other words, we have a sense that we should improve in some area of our life, yet resign ourselves to concluding that it’s not terribly likely that that improvement will come to pass.

What’s the core area that we should desire improvement in?  Hint: It’s not physical, but rather it is spiritual, emotional and relational.

A relationship with God.  Relationships with people.

It is through an intentional willingness to conform to the likeness of God  that we experience growth.  It’s the idea that we are molded and shaped into His desire for us and not our own.

Moving from that place in our life of being out of shape towards getting into a new shape isn’t easy.  At the same time, being in the shape that God has in store for us and not the shape we have in mind is where we will find the most satisfaction.

Consider these important truths about the shape God desires for us.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12: 2)

Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  (Ephesians 4:21-24)

God desires to be at work in us and through us.  The key for how we can live this out is this.

Will we let Him shape us or are we ok with being spiritually, emotionally and relationally ... “thikarowndamidda”?

Refer to Rule #2.

There was a time when my daily goal was to just get through the day.  It was usually those days when I knew I had so much to accomplish that I actually didn’t have a clue how I would get it all done.

I wished I could hit the “fast-forward” button and leap into tomorrow.  Just skip the day and arrive at the next and have the benefit of having gone through the day without the pain and discomfort of actually going through the day.

It reminds me of the Adam Sandler movie, “Click”.  If only there were a way to avoid uncomfortable and trying times, and fast-forward into the blissful “day after”.

It’s actually similar to our walk with Christ.  The idea of growing up and becoming more and more like Him.

As a follower of Christ, I am a Christ-follower or disciple.  And a disciple not only follows but longs to soak in His teachings and live a life that is more and more like him.  Emulating Christ; being transformed into the likeness of Christ; conforming to Jesus and His ways.  These are all goals of the Christian walk.

Yet it’s not always easy.  It can be rather uncomfortable and sometimes painful. 

Sometimes I just want to "click" forward.

I’ve learned that transformation and spiritual growth is a journey, not a destination.  Spiritual maturity is a process that happens over time.

Growing up in our faith begins the moment we become a believer in Jesus through faith and turn from our sin.

Our desire is then to continue to grow spiritually throughout the rest of our lives.

Yet at the same time spiritual growth is a choice.  We have to choose to allow the Spirit of God to work in us and through us to bring about that ongoing transformation into the likeness of Jesus.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."  Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

I remember being frustrated as a child when we would leave on our family vacation.  I wanted to be at our destination at my grandparent’s cottage in northern Michigan about 30 minutes into the 9 hour drive!  I couldn’t wait to get there!  I had no use for the journey, I just wanted to be there.  I wanted to click the fast-forward button and arrive at my destination.

We often want our transformation into the likeness of Jesus to be the same way.  We want to “arrive” at being just like Jesus yet we tire at the process and journey of getting there.  We grow frustrated that we continue to struggle with sin.  We sometimes grow weary of even trying to make progress on the journey.  We see the idea of becoming more and more like Jesus as an impossible goal.  So we beat ourselves up and quit trying.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Consider this.  Spiritual growth requires effort; it just doesn’t happen.

God’s Word provides the truth we need to grow.

God’s people provide the support we need to grow.

Circumstances provide the environment we need to practice Christlikeness.

The important thing is that we are on the journey.  And once the journey begins (a relationship with Jesus), we need to stay the course.

We can never fully be like Jesus 100% while in this body, on this earth.  As followers of Jesus, we can’t be completely like Him until we see Him face to face in eternity.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  I John 3:2 (NIV)

The journey in life of becoming more and more like Him while in this body should be the desire of our heart; to be constantly renewed and transformed.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

Jesus desires His followers to continue on the journey of becoming more like Him; the journey of growing up in Him.

Have you put down the remote yet?  What area of your life do you need to ask for the Spirit’s power to be like Christ today?

Click.

We had never met them before.  It was Thursday night and Lara and I anxiously looked forward to how it would go.  Our new small group (life group or community group) was starting in fifteen minutes and I had absolutely no idea who these twelve people were.

Then they started showing up.

As they walked up to the doorway to come in, I wondered if we would have “chosen” them out of a crowd to be friends with.

I concluded that the ball was already in motion and that it was too late to pretend to have a horrible cough.

We were stuck.  Or so it seemed for at least the next several weeks.  I figured it was time to buck up and see how this thing goes tonight.

After all, there has to be someone with whom we might connect with right?

This small group stuff is just another fancy name for Bible Study anyway right?

These people probably won’t even get in to this and stick around for very long. 

Well.  At least we can say that we had tried.

So we began, “Hi everyone, my name is Dan and this is my wife Lara ….”

That was September of 2004.

Fast-forward to October 2006.

We were being sent to Maryland to do ministry with more people who we had never met.  This was the last day we would be together like this.  It was a going away party, and over 100 people had come by our friend’s house throughout the day and early evening to encourage us and say “so long, for now”.  They were friends and family who loved God and loved us.  Many of them we had known for many years, if not all or most of our lives.

And then there were twelve people who we had known for only 25 months.  Our small group.

Twelve people with whom we had done life with.  Twelve people that we experienced true “community” with.  Twelve people that we had grown to love deeply and intimately.  We had laughed together.  We had cried together.  We had laid ourselves bare before the Lord together.

God had done a work in each of us, far surpassing any fathomable expectation we had ever had.  It was life-change.  Community.  Authenticity.  Vulnerability.  Spiritual Growth.  Accountability.

It was God speaking into each of our lives through other people.  It was God revealing Himself to us through other people.

Sure we had spent time studying God’s Word.  But it was so much more.  It was a community of people experiencing what the first church experienced.  Worship.  Ministry.  Evangelism.  Fellowship.  Discipleship.  We were intentional in “being” the church.  We were intentional in “doing” life together.

And we were blessed beyond comprehension.

In the local church, we need to be intentional.  I am convinced that we are all called to begin and continue the transformation of becoming a church of small groups; not a church with small groups as another program.

God doesn't’t want another program in His church.  He wants transformed lives.  He wants life-change.  He wants people to do life together with Himself and other people.

Won’t you join me on the journey of doing life together?  “My name is Dan, and this is my wife Lara …” 

We were not made to do life alone.  We were made to do life in community with God and in community with other people.  Being in community requires intentionality.  It is not God’s desire or design that we live unto ourselves.  Doing life together in the context of intentional and purposeful community is God’s intent.

I am convinced that community is best realized in the small group setting of eight to twelve people where the core purposes of God’s design are lived out and practiced; in community, together. These core purposes may be articulated as connecting, worshipping, growing, and serving.  Together.

In the local church, living these out in the small group setting can make all the difference in your faith journey.  Call it a Small Group a Life Group a Cell Group or a Community Group.  It’s still a community of people doing life and faith together.  And it matters that you connect.

Have you ever felt disconnected?  Have you ever felt isolated?  Have you ever felt like people could care less if you’re plugged in or not?

I have.

I call it Relational Drift.  And it happens to all of us.

And it goes against the grain of God’s desire.

I find that when I’m not intentional and purposeful about cultivating a relationship with God, my outlook on life wanes.  My interaction with my family suffers.  And other things in life begin to take the place and priority where God wants to be.

I have learned that to ensure an ongoing vibrant relationship with God, I have got to be intentional.  I have got to be relentless in the pursuit of fulfilling my purpose for my existence.  Bringing glory to God. 

It starts there.  Moving away from life about me and towards life about God.

It is the development of the desire, passion and willingness to allow God to work in me and through me to bring the myself and those around me infancy in Christ to maturity in Christ.  It is the idea that people must move from isolation to connection and from loneliness to love.  This is a passion that God has given everyone who bears the name of Christ.  It is the desire of a heart surrendered to God that cries out and conforms to Christ and becomes part one of the greatest ministries on the planet.

Doing life together.  In Christ.  In community.

Jesus made it clear what our mission is (Great Commission) and he made it clear how we should go about that mission (Great Commandment); the next step is to apply the “what” and the “how” to our lives and to our LifeGroups.

Connecting.  Worshipping.  Growing.  Serving.

The effectiveness of this application can be measured in nothing less than life-change; the ongoing transformation into the likeness of Christ

Our faith-journey.  Our spiritual maturity.   It’s a process and not a destination.

Bringing glory to God is what doing life together in healthy community accomplishes. 

It is when His intention for humanity, becoming fully devoted followers of Christ, is realized.  It is the theme of discipleship recurring throughout all aspects of our life and most fully realized in the context of a healthy small group.

The reason to develop as a disciple and the reason to develop other disciples is to ultimately bring as much glory to God as possible with one’s life.  The LifeGroup is uniquely positioned to allow God to use them to make a difference for the Kingdom for no other reason than to bring glory to God.  They become the gardener who removes all possible barriers for maturity to take place.

The leader seeks to “create the right ‘ecosystem’ for spiritual growth to take place.  As the spiritual growth continues, intentionally and purposefully, the group continues to see that the group must expand beyond the members currently connected in the group itself.  As the leader, you should make it abundantly clear that your group was formed to minister to one another and reach out, resulting in the birth of new leaders and new groups.  A healthy maturing group understands that being more like Christ means multiplying that group.  It is intentionality and purpose of replication.

Will you consider being intentional about a growing relationship with God and with others?

I don’t have it all figured out.  But at least I’m on the journey.

What about you? 

1. You're not where you were.

Refinement.

It's embracing one thing.

1. God's not done with you yet.

Today I had the privilege of proclaiming and explaining the word of God.

In front of other preachers.

In an intimate studio, with the video camera rolling.

With a blue curtain behind me on a small platform and a Plexiglas "pulpit' in front.  Each of us had a double-side piece of paper with areas to critique each other.

This graduate "intensive" class doubles as a masters-level course as well as a doctorate-level class depending on what program you're in.  There are guys at both levels in there.

It's pretty humbling to teach Scripture.  It's also pretty humbling to hear your peers comment on how you may or may not have been effective in proclaiming and explaining it. 
 
After each of us finished our message, we spent about 20 minutes sharing our insights with each other.  At the end, it was a time to build each other up and encourage one another.

It's refinement.  It's growth.

In our spiritual journey of being a Christ-follower, may none of us ever think we've ever "arrived".

God's not done with us yet.  As Christ-followers, we're un-done.

The question is.  Are you being intentional about allowing God to grow and refine you?

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Phil. 1:3-6 

1. This past Saturday morning I had the privilege of officiating at the wedding of a great couple in our church.
2. Saturday afternoon I had the privilege of baptizing another man into Christ.
3. Saturday night I had the privilege of tons of reading in preparation for a graduate "intensive" course that I am taking this week in central Virginia.  I squeezed in an adventure "spy" movie with the surround sound cranked up later Saturday night with our oldest daughter.
4. Sunday morning early I had the privilege of playing percussion as part of our three worship services at ACC.
5. Sunday afternoon, Lara and I took the girls to Macaroni Grill for some yummy Italian food.
6. Later Sunday afternoon I grabbed a home brewed Starbucks with some vanilla ice cream and hit the road in the General Ki in the middle of a thunderstorm to drive the 4-hour winding roads of Virginia on Route 29 to Lynchburg, VA.
7. Sunday night I completed the reading for my course sitting at the desk in the hotel room until 12:15 a.m.
8. This morning at 6:30 a.m. I was up (much to my chagrin) and found the local Starbucks (much to my delight) in the hills of Virginia and set off for eight hours of lecture and discussion about the Old Testament prophets: their message, their style, their intent and how the modern day preacher can bring the message home for present-day application by preaching about Jesus from those same prophetic texts.  I will be packing an entire graduate class into this week alone.  This intensive is definitely intense....

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Learning about God (listening) is good.

But it's not good enough.

God calls us to be DOERS of His Word.

The scientific community has estimated that good communication is 98% listening.

Hearing and listening are not the same thing.  Hearing is passive.  Listening is actively interacting with a message.  And you interact with a message by being quiet (zipping it); allowing it to penetrate your heart (internalizing it) and working through it (processing it).

Consider this: nonverbal communication accounts for 58% of the total message.  Tone of voice makes up 35% .  The actual words you say account for only 7% of the total message.

You see communication is not what you say, but what the other person understands by what you say.  And then what that person does in response to their understanding.

Take a listen (click the play button above) to a recent message I shared this past Sunday from the book of James 1:17-29.  It's part 3 of a 9-part series on the entire book of James.

Attending church doesn't require much effort beyond the motivation to roll out of bed and into a building.

What if we stopped attending church ...

... and started being the church.

The church is the body of Christ.  The church is Jesus' body on earth.  The church is not the building we assemble in.  The church is an assembly of Christ-followers.

So what does it look like to “be” Jesus to other people? 

It’s a “roll-your-sleeves-up” approach where folks do something sacrificial and servant-minded.  When Jesus washed the feet of His closest followers He gave them this directive… Go and do likewise.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  John 13:14,15

What does it look like in this era to “be” the hands and feet of Jesus in the world?

We are ambassadors for Christ; His emissaries; His proxy; we are continuing the work that He did when He walked the earth.  And the cool things is, we are given His Spirit to enable us for service.  We're not doing it of our own ability.  We rely wholly and completely on Him.

When Jesus modeled a servant’s heart, He took off His outer garments and washed His followers feet. 

How can we “wash” the feet of people in our church and community?

What does it look like to personally serve God?

What does it look like to personally serve other people?

Is my "serve" sacrificial?

Here are a few SERVE ideas to consider ...

Landscaping at a neighborhood elementary school

Neighborhood redevelopment (i.e. painting run-down houses, cleaning up empty lots, painting over graffiti)

Grant-a-wish” service projects for needy families in the church

Adopt-a-room or apartment for an elderly or needy person

Special delivery care packages

Senior service projects

Disaster relief kits

Blanket or sock drive for the homeless

Car clinic

Computer clinic

Health & Wellness Fair

Art fair

“Adopt” a public school with school supply kits

Holiday meals and food baskets

Professional clothing drive for job seekers

Baby showers for pregnancy clinic.

Invite teenage girls to shop for free formal dresses donated by church members

Community clean-up of a park or beach, followed by a picnic lunch for everyone there

Let local firefighters know how much we appreciate them with a breakfast or lunch at their station

Shop for the disabled and seniors at ACC

Zoo-safari with disadvantaged children, or take them to other outings in the Metro DC/Baltimore area.

Distribute food and household supplies in attractive baskets for families suffering with illness or other crises

Parking meter feeding

Gasoline giveaway

Flower seeds during spring

Moving day burgers or pizza at apartments or dorms

Grocery cart return service

Love baskets for families in crisis

Bag of quarters giveaway outside the local Laundromat

Mother’s Day flowers

Beautification of ACC landscaping and grounds

Clean-a-Garage/Basement for single parents or the elderly at ACC

Spring Cleaning Projects at needy families at ACC

These are just ideas to generate more ideas.  I want to encourage you to use those four leading questions above as a “filter” to guide your thinking.  If you can determine, with some Spirit-led certainty, that “xyz” idea accomplishes “being” Jesus to other people and demonstrates personal service to God and other people, then you’re probably on the mark.

When we stop attending church and start being the church, we find that we can't do it alone.  We do life together with other believers in Christ to be His representatives in our communities.  And so we don't give up gathering together but rather assemble together to be the church; to give praise, glory and honor to God; to build each other up in the LORD; and to become equipped to be Jesus to other people.

You might say ...

The church has left the building ....