These five guys have provoked me to think more about God, spirituality, leadership and me. Here they are and a short description of their contribution to my life.

• John Wilson. John is my associate at SGC. He is one the most Jesus-like guys I have ever met. Compassion and mercy mark his life and he demonstrates this every single day. He has walked with me for many years and has literally watched me, but more importantly helped me 'grow up.'
• Chilly Chilton. Determination, tenacity and faith are what rush to the forefront when thinking about him. He has taught me about life in the face of adversity. Chilly is a true leader. Our hearts were joined the day we met in Phoenix and are connected forever.
• Ron Martoia. Ron coached me and our team for two years during some pretty uncertain times in my life. He has helped me start to develop my inner life and specifically the leader within more than any single person. His guidance during a key season of leadership formation was literally a lifesaver for me. Ron was the hand on my shoulder guiding through the tenuous waters of church leadership. I love this guy!
• Jerrell Jobe. I had the honor of working with him for 12 years. He may be one of the most complete people I know. Jerrell helped open my 'ears' to the voice. His depth and discipline still impress me, but not as much as his humility. Jerrell is the real deal! I miss him every day, now that he has moved to Texas.
• Jeanne Mayo. OK so she's not a 'guy,' but she is a true hero to me. She is the world's youngest teenager (at 55+) and the world's greatest youth pastor. She tirelessly pours her life into leaders, students and whoever else happens to walk by. This lady loves people, plain and simple. She champions underdogs, encourages the weak, and believes in those who feel hopeless. Hundreds call her "Mom" and thousands have been transformed by her loving touch and relentless commitment to love the unlovely. I am one of the fortunate souls to have gotten close to this 'hall of famer.'

There are more than just 5 guys, but these very special people come to mind right now as I reflect upon my life.

I am 2nd.

I like this website.

What BUGS me...

Ok, now it's on! "This is the stuff that moves me to a place of agitation and even confusion at times. Let me add that complaining has gotten a bad knock. It can be healthy if done in taste and with discretion and moderation...Tongue in cheek makes it more bearable too. So with my tongue firmly lodged against the soft interior lining of my mouth, here we go...This stuff bugs the daylights outta me:

1. Dirty shoes. Go ahead and throw them in the wash or pull out an old toothbrush and get that muck off those kicks. I am a believer that shoes deserve more attention than they get. So, go ahead and clean 'em up or throw them out if they're more than a few years old...OK? You know who you are.

2. Butter Fingers. That's right, dropping things....from my keys to my cell phone to a glass of milk, few things bug me more. I hate dropping things! I can end up 'losing my grip' on many different levels when this happens.

3. Repetition. People tell me stuff... a lot of stuff. It's part of my role in the lives of others and I do try to listen well, but when people insist on saying one thing three or more different ways, I want to come unglued. I sometimes interrupt when I get really annoyed, and say something like, "Ok, I get that..." Is that rude? Probably.

4. Grocery Store Parking Lots. It seems all the rules of the road get thrown out the window in store parking lots. What's up with cars cutting across parking spaces and surprising folks traveling the marked driving areas? What's up with people walking up the road like they're a car? Note to pedestrians and motorists: Walk/drive at 90 degree angles in designated areas when crossing the parking lot of any store....before someone gets hurt, aaaargh! Someone deputize me!

5. Know-it-Alls. Come on! Is there no subject you are not a final authority on? You never played a down of football but you somehow have strategy figured out at the professional level....Bang! (pretend gunshot to the head sound effect) I just assume that Charlie Weiss, or any other coach for that matter, has a better grip on the finer points of the game than I (or you) do. Call me crazy, but armchair critics make me want to gouge my eardrums out.

[huff, huff.... deep breath, exhale...]

I am now at the point of diminishing return. Thanks for listening.

What makes me sad...

This is list #2 of stuff that I have discovered about myself over the years. This is what makes me sad.

• hopelessness
• unresolved conflict
• Sandra Bullock movies
• closed mindedness
• cloudy days
• the final day of vacation
• Notre Dame losses
• broken marriages
• missed field goals
• materialism
• unfaithfulness
• distance

Monday Reflections

Over time you learn some things about yourself and how you interface with your world. So this week I am going to share a few things I have learned about me in list form. Here goes list number one....

Stuff that makes me happy.....

• Hugs from children. (I love cuddly little kids.)
• Cynthia running her fingers through my hair.
• Praying with the SGC elders
• Coffee blended just right (café con leche)
• Finishing a workout
• Going to ND football games with Cynthia
• Hearing exaggerated stories from my father-in-law, Johnny
• Traveling with Cynthia
• Watching my sons wrestle
• Laughing with my mom
• Riding a bike real fast
• Singing in the car

Next...stuff that makes me sad.

Baggage Series Playlist

Here is our music playlist from our current series called Baggage.

UndoneLifehouseShower the PeopleJames TaylorYour FreedomHillsongMy DelivererRich MullinsWant to Know What Love IsForeignerFragileStingCrashing DownMat KearneyAtmospheretobyMacCrossesZero7Arms OpenWideHillsong UnitedYour PromisesGlorious UnseenDirty SecondHandsSwitchfootBrighter Than SunshineAqualungUndeniableMat KearneySimple ThingsZero7Sweetly BrokenJeremy RiddleThis WorldZero7TodayZero7 Fix YouColdplay

You will hear this playlist during the October Baggage Series at SGC.

church diversity sux

Did you know that only 5.5% of all Christian congregations are considered multi-racial*? So what is a multi-racial church, you ask? According to one study (footnoted below), to qualify as a multi-racial church, no more than one race makes up 80% or more of your congregation. So you can be 79.9% black or 79.9% white and technically be considered multi-racial. Are you getting this? Only 5.5% of churches in the U.S. meet this criteria....which is pretty generous, in my opinion. We all know that segregation in the Christian church is a fundamental problem, but so few are talking about this. That's what I like about this guy.

Scott Williams is the pastor of the NW campus of lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma. He delivers some straight talk about church diversity in this 9-minute video talk from a worldwide video conference called The Nines. It was a full day of talks by various church leaders given 9 minutes to speak their peace. In this talk Scott tackles racial diversity. I think it is excellent. Tell me what you think. Click here to watch.

*Figures obtained from calculations using the 1998 National Congregations Study directed by Mark Chaves