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

Dusty Baker?

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the Reds may have pegged Dusty Baker as their next manager.

He's managed the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs. He won the Manager of the Year award three times. Currently he's working as an analyst for ESPN.

I Had Better Things To Do

My dad watched our three-year-old son, Ryan, yesterday. Ryan still takes about a 2 hour nap everyday…except yesterday. He laid in the bedroom singing and talking for over an hour and Dad finally decided he just wasn't going to go to sleep.

Dad went to get Ryan out of bed, and he asked Ryan why he didn't take a nap.

Ryan processed the question in his three-year-old mind and then said, "I had better things to do."

Dad was laughing too hard to say anything else.

Brock Lee

My wife, Nicki, is now into the third trimester of her pregnancy. Brock Alan Edmisten is scheduled to arrive on December 13. In the meantime, he's making his presence known by the karate-style kicks he's dishing out on his mom.

Since he's apparently a martial arts expert, I think we should change the name to Brock Lee Edmisten. You've had Bruce Lee. Now you've got Brock Lee. But if you say "Brock Lee" out loud a few times, you'll figure out why my wife has rejected that name.

An Inadequate Man With An Extraordinary Prayer

As I continue my journey through the Old Testament book of Exodus, I find myself relating to Moses more and more. Not the strong, courageous, Charlton Heston-like leader. But the insecure, frightened, inadequate man.

This past Sunday, Brian and I shared our great feelings of inadequacy. We made ourselves vulnerable, sharing that under our confident exterior lies a couple of guys who are scared to death! It's good to know that Moses is right there with us.

In Exodus 33, Moses prayed to God, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." (Exodus 33:12-13, NIV)

There are several things to pull out of this incredibly honest prayer of Moses. First of all, he felt alone. "God, you've been telling me to lead these people, but you haven't told me who is going to help me. I can't do it alone! I need help!"

Leadership can be a lonely proposition. There are times when I feel like I am all alone. I feel like I'm hanging out there for anybody and everybody to take a shot at me. Now, I'm not actually alone. I've got a great team of leaders around me. But there is still a loneliness that I battle from time to time.

Another lesson from Moses' prayer is that he still had a lot to learn. He prayed, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." A good leader readily admits that he doesn't have all the answers.

Coupled with that, a good leader knows that his connection to God is paramount. As a leader, it's crucial that I continue to know God more and more. I have to stay connected with him. In the busyness of ministry, it's easy to overlook this. It's easy to feel like I'm too busy to pray. I don't have time to slow down and be with the Lord. I'm a pragmatic person. I like to do things where I can see tangible results. Slowing down to connect with God doesn't often look like that. The practical side of me tends to look at this as wasted time. But as I follow Moses' example, I know that it's actually the most critically important time of my day.

One more principle that I pull out of Moses' prayer is that it's not about me. Moses told God, "Remember that this nation is your people." Moses had been appointed to lead the Israelites, but he never forgot that these were God's people. It wasn't about him. As a leader in God's church, I can never forget this fact. I have to echo Moses' prayer everyday. "This church is your people, God." Whenever something great happens in our church, I have to send the glory vertically. God gets the credit. God gets the glory.

I love Moses' humility and honesty. I love that this inadequate man offered up this extraordinary prayer. I want the principles of this prayer to echo throughout my life and ministry everyday.

I Need Coffee

What a day yesterday. What a l-o-n-g day yesterday. I'm wiped out. Preaching twice each Sunday morning is tiring. Teaching a class in between our two services adds to the fatigue. After that, we went out to lunch at Fridays with 17 people from our church (half of which were kids!).

Got home after lunch and hung out for a short time, but then it was back to church to prep for Ground Floor. Leading this class is like running a mental marathon. Lots of tough questions!

After that, I was off to visit a great family in our church to pray with them before an upcoming surgery.

I had a great time all day yesterday, but I am seriously dragging this morning. Why hasn't someone invented a coffee I.V. yet?

Mid-Sunday Update

It's about 5:15 on Sunday afternoon. Another stellar morning at ACC is all wrapped up.

I'm getting ready for Ground Floor, which has been unbelievable. Reaching people who have never been part of the church is my passion. It gets me running on all cylinders! That's why I love Ground Floor. It's a completely relaxed atmosphere where we can honestly search out the foundational truths of our faith.

Gotta go make some final preparations for tonight.

And by the way, my Indianapolis Colts currently lead Brian Morrissey's Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 13-7. Booyah!

APEX

We have a unique ministry at our church called APEX. It is a worship experience that happens at 6:00 pm on the first Saturday of every month. We took a break over the summer, but now we're ready to get it going again.

Are you ready to rock out with some high energy worship songs? Ready to come and relax in God's presence through a very intimate and informal atmosphere? Ready to encounter God in a new and exciting way? Then APEX is for you!

It all starts at 6:00 pm this Saturday night. Doors open at 5:40 pm. See ya then!

My Crown

This is sad. As I looked in the mirror this morning, this is the Bible verse that came to my mind.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. (Proverbs 16:31)

I stood and stared in the mirror, wondering how this happened. My "crown of splendor" is growing more prominent everyday.

I'm Not the Only One

I rehearse my sermons. Out loud. Start to finish. Multiple times.

I feel a little goofy rehearsing out loud in my living room or in the empty auditorium at church, but it's the only way that I've found to really make a message work. Even though I've done this for years, it still feels a little strange talking to myself for half an hour. That's usually the kind of stuff that gets you hauled away by nice people in white lab coats.

Imagine my delight when I found this post from Tim Stevens! He rehearses before he speaks. Last week before he spoke at a conference, he asked his wife to leave the house a few times so he could rehearse at full volume using their kitchen counter as a podium. I've done that!!! Although my podium is usually a pile of laundry baskets and pillows, but you get the idea.

I'm so glad to know I'm not alone!

A Greeting from a Bank Teller

I went to the bank today, which is an obviously mundane and ordinary event. As I was sitting at the drive-thru window, the teller asked me how I was doing. I gave the obligatory, "I'm fine" answer. For those of you who were at ACC on Sunday, it was the kind of mindless answer that Brian and I talked about in our message.

Then I said, "How are you?"

She smiled and said, "I'm having a great time and I'm so glad you came in today."

No joke. That is literally what she said, word for word.

Wow. I was glad I visited her bank today, too.