Journal

So the other day I was listening to a message by a pastor out of CA named Francis Chan and he said some stuff that really caught my attention so I thought I would share. He was reading out of the book of Philippians and was observing the love that Paul had for this church in Philippi. In verses 3-4 of chapter 1 Paul thanks God for them always. And then in verse 5 he says this, “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

If you have ever had a job before you will notice that there is this drastic difference in the relationship you have with a coworker as oppose to a customer. There is this bond that is formed between you as you labor together to perform a task or work towards a goal. Think about being a waiter or waitress in a restaurant. You can be having the best or worst day and able to talk to a fellow worker about it and be completely honest with them and they may be able to relate and sympathize. As soon as you go to interact with the customer though, you put up a facade. You have to meet their needs and make sure they are happy enough to want to come back to your restaurant. That is your job.

It is sad to say, but somehow our churches have taken on this worker/customer relationship and not the coworker relationship that Paul is talking about in Philippians. We come to church asking what we can get and checking to make sure that all of our preferences are met. Is the music what I like? Are the seats comfortable? Are the services short or long? Is there enough parking? Does the Pastor preach on things that I like? etc. Church really has somehow slipped into this consumer line of thinking. It’s all about me.

Wouldn’t it be great to get back to the church that Paul was talking about? A church where we would come together with fellow coworkers to encourage and uplift one another to continue sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We would instantly bond with people if we knew that all week they had been sharing the same gospel that we had been. That we were doing this together. What a challenge. I pray that God will change our hearts and that we fix our gaze on Him the author and perfecter of our faith.

So I am back in New Jersey for Christmas. So far it’s been pretty chilly and rainy. I’m hoping that by Christmas some of this rain will turn to snow because we all know that there is nothing like a white Christmas.

When I am up here I always find it interesting the things I get asked to do. Well I had an opportunity the other day to go to my old high school and speak to the FCA. It was a good time. Not so often do I get to speak to a group… you know being a drummer and all. Anyway, I spoke to them about something God has been putting on my heart this Christmas. I was at church a couple weeks ago listening to a sermon and the pastor started to get me to think about some things. Why is it that we celebrate the birth of our Saviour by the giving of random gifts? I mean really, nothing says “Rejoice, our Saviour is born” like a 12 piece barbecue set. So I started to think about this holiday and all of the weird things we do that really have nothing to do with Christ. Christmas trees, mistletoe, stockings, cheese logs, candy canes, fruitcakes, Santa Clause… the list goes on. Well I started to ask myself how has Christ loved me in this season and then how can I respond to that by doing the same to others. Isn’t this what Jesus asks of us… ” A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34) The simple answer to this is that Christ humbled himself by becoming man. Or better yet he gave of himself for the sake of others.

So my challenge for these students and for myself has been, “How do we love others at Christmas time through humility and the giving of yourself?” A very simple way that we can do this is by being very intentional about community this Christmas. What if stopped giving random $5 Rubik cube key chains and instead spent that $5 on taking a friend to coffee and actually spent time with them and prayed for them? What if your white elephant Christmas group took all the money they were going to spend and put it together to buy blankets? Then as a group went and handed them out to the homeless. How much more joy would we have this Christmas season. Another way that we can keep Christ in our Christmas is to give gifts to the poor on behalf of someone else. What do I mean? For example. There are many organizations that need our help to stop the food crisis in the world. Organizations like Compassion, IGL, or the Heifer Project give you the opportunity to give gifts to people in need in foreign countries. So what if instead of buying your wife the kitchenaid mixer she always wanted you buy a goat for a family in India and tell your wife that she was the reason that family will have food and income for the next few years. Crazy idea I know. I mean we might need to sacrifice a few nonessential things this year, but the impact we could make is huge.

Just a thought. Something for you to chew on. Check out this site if you want to see how else you can help.

http://www.iglworld.org/shop/Gift_Catalog_C14.cfm

So I’m sorry I haven’t been keeping on top of this journal area. I get so distracted… my deepest apologies. So here is the quick 411. I have moved my beautiful wife and my beautiful daughter back to the Sunshine State. This is a good thing. Riley, my daughter, is getting big. She can’t quite pick up a drum stick or swing a hammer yet, but she is squeezing my finger pretty tight. We are looking forward to our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with her. I don’t think she will be as excited as Gizmo the Chihuahua, who likes to rip up wrapping paper, but maybe she could look at the fire in the fire place. I am sure she will like that. I am going to give you a picture of the latest… I am warning you, she’s adorable.

P.S.  I know all you guys are throughly bored with this entry. I am sorry. Let me tell you I have been keeping up on man activities. Recently I have been camping in 20 something degree weather in Montana, I have been carving some wood projects, I have been painting some furniture, I installed a hitch on my truck, and wrestled a grisly bear to the ground. Maybe these things will help me keep my credibility with you.

Peace Friends

So it’s been a crazy turn of events recently in my life. As if having my first child isn’t crazy enough, I thought that leaving two weeks after she was born would make it even more interesting. Now this wasn’t a purposeful move on my part, but by an unfortunate series of events for my friend Ian I was called back out on the road. Man - that was tough. I was gone for 10 days, but am now back at home for two. So I am cherishing this time.

I did learn a thing or two when I was on the road for the past ten days. One, a man can only eat so many peanuts and pretzels on a plane and some how you never get filled up. But two, that I must make the most of my time when I am away from my family. We had the privilege of doing one show this past week with a band called Casting Crowns… you might have heard of them before. Anyway, they were examples of this exact point. How? Well let me just say that their ministry didn’t start when they got on stage and it didn’t end when they left. Rather from the time they got off their bus to the time the left the show they were ministering. I mean they sincerely cared about how we were doing. They didn’t act “holier than thou,” but actually wanted to talk. See how we were doing. See how they can pray for us. I mean this is the big CASTING CROWNS and they wanted to know how I was doing. Do they really have time for that? Well it seems that they do, or at least they make the time. This is how I want to be perceived. My friend Brian once gave me some advice about being a father who travels frequently. He said, “If you have to leave your family you better make sure that you are functioning at 110% when you are gone… or else you are wasting your time. And when you come home you are giving 110% or your energy to your family.” This may not seem so mind blowing to you, but it is amazing advice. How often do I leave my family, go to a show, enjoy catering, hang out in the green room, act like I don’t need to talk to you, get my Starbucks, jump in the van, and leave to the next show. That is a waste of my time and I am certainly not honoring God or my family. It was encouraging seeing my friends in Casting Crowns really come to a show to minister to me, the crew, the cooks, their fellow band mates, and also the audience. That is the type of ministry that I want. John the Baptist once wrote that “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). May this be the case for me. While I am away I need to decrease and Christ must increase… thus allowing me to minister and love my neighbor more. And while I am at home I must decrease and Christ must increase… thus allowing me to minister and love my family more.

Well folks, the day has arrived. I am writing you from our hospital room because I am an official daddy now with a baby to hold in my arms. Her name is Riley Gray Jamison and she is beautiful. She came at 3:16 am (no relation to the verse in John) on July 2nd. She is pretty awesome… doing baby stuff. You know what I mean - sleeping, eating, pooping. This is the non-stop cycle we are on right now. So just thought I would keep you up to date. Melissa and Riley both are very healthy and we are both very excited. Peace Friends.