Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

I Love This Idea

It's a great idea, so I'm doing what any good leader would do…I'm stealing it. Found this idea on Steven Furtick's blog and I loved it. Each week, Steven highlights one "hero" from his church on his blog. The weekly hero is generally someone who has been caught serving. I love this idea because servants are heroes.

So starting this week, I'll be choosing an ACC Hero of the Week. Every week I see people serving in ways that often go unnoticed. We are so guilty of underappreciating our volunteers, which makes no sense because voluntary service is the lifeblood of the church!

What better time to start recognizing our servant heroes than during our Developing a Servant's Heart series? Tune in later this week for our first weekly hero.

13 Years

Today is my 13th anniversary…sort of. Nicki and I had our first date 13 years ago today. Don't ask me why we remember that our first date was on March 5. We just do.

I remember it well. Our friend, Denise, drug me to Nicki's locker (did I mention that we are high school sweethearts?). Once I was there, Denise said, "Ask her out…now!" So I him-hawed around and finally mumbled, "Would you like to go out with me?" To my surprise, Nicki said, "Yes."

And then on March 5, 1994, we went out on our first date. We went to Applebee's in Eastgate and then it was on to catch the movie, 8 Seconds, at the old Showcase Cinemas. After that, it was back home so that we could make Nicki's 10:30 pm curfew.

All in all, it probably wasn't that great of a date. I was kind of shy and awkward, especially around girls. I wasn't the sparkling conversationalist that I am now. :o) But something must have happened that night because we never dated anyone else after that.

And 13 years later, I still wouldn't want anybody else.

Student Ministry Website

Luminous Student Ministries (ACC's ministry to Jr./Sr. High students) has a new website. The site is designed to be a fun and safe place for our students to hang out while they're online. It features stupid videos, polls, a discussion forum, and online games. (Warning: the games are addictive. I hate that little alien!) Check it out.

Very cool to see our digital ministry continue to grow and develop. I love the idea of redeeming technology for God's purposes.

Servant's Heart Series

We're entering into the homestretch of our Developing a Servant's Heart adventure. I've been thrilled with the response from our church family. The feedback has been stellar! It's exciting to see what happens when we focus everything we do (reading, videos, classes, worship services, sermons, etc.) toward one common goal. Can't wait to see what God is going to do during the last two weeks of this series!

Cavemen

We've all seen those Geico insurance commercials with the cavemen. These ads proclaim that Geico's website is "so easy that a caveman could do it."

Well, try this on for size. According to Fox News, these cavemen might make the leap from a 30-second commercial to a 30-minute sitcom. ABC has requested a pilot episode for a comedy tentatively titled Cavemen.

Is it just me, or is it very easy to see that this idea is going to bomb? In fact, it's so easy that even a caveman could see it.

March APEX

APEX is this Saturday, March 3, @ 6:00 pm. Doors open @ 5:40 pm.

One of our APEX core values is to expect the unexpected. The goal of the APEX planning team is to create a different experience every time we come together for APEX. Not an easy thing to do! But we believe that God moves through hard work, prayerful planning, and creativity.

Another core value of APEX is authenticity in everything. We believe that it is a tragedy when people feel the need to put on a spiritual mask in order to come to church. Jesus despised hypocrisy. He was constantly cutting through the trappings and traditions of religion in order to get to someone's heart. The church ought to do the same thing. Authenticity is scary. It is dangerous. But authenticity glorifies God and it frees people.

This APEX is going to be an exciting combination of the aforementioned core values. Come expecting to explore authenticity in an unexpected way!

More Thoughts on Details

I blogged about attention to details last month. Got a few more thoughts on that.

"You're a perfectionist." I've heard that before.

"You pay too much attention to detail." Heard that, too.

Mark Batterson shared some thoughts on detail leadership in his blog. Thought I'd share some of that post with you.

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There is an old aphorism: the devil is in the details. Not true. God is in the details.

Right-brain leaders have an eye for excellence. They pay attention to subtleties and nuances. They notice what others ignore. Their leadership antenna is always up. Their leadership radar is always on. They have a sixth sense that notices everything from how the lighting is affecting mood to how the seating is affecting the psychology of the space. They know that everything says something about everything. And it drives them to excellence in everything.

I love what Dorothy Sayers once said about Jesus:

No crooked table legs or ill-fitted drawers ever, I dare say, came out of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth.

I wonder if we have overlooked and under appreciated how much his career as a carpenter affected the way Jesus approached ministry. True craftsmen have an eye for excellence. I just don't think Jesus cut corners. He did what he did with excellence. He used the best wood; measured the angles twice; and sanded until smooth. He took pride in his craftsmanship. He put his personality into every work of art. And he strived for aesthetic perfection just like he strived for moral perfection. Bottom line: excellence honors God.