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

New Stuff

Our new computer arrived today. Our old computer (aka, the dinosaur) finally bit the dust.

Our new dishwasher was delivered tonight. The piece of junk we had is gone. Maybe now we'll have clean dishes again.

Our new baby is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. Definitely the most expensive new item…also the most fun.

Our household is just brimming over with new stuff.

Oil Plug

I had to take my car back to the Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Center this morning. I had the oil changed a week ago and the car has been leaking oil ever since. (For those manly men who think I'm a pansy for not changing my own oil…I used to. But it's worth $25 to not have to deal with the hassle and the mess.)

The problem was a bad gasket on the oil plug. They replaced the plug free of charge.

When you think about the size of a car, the oil plug is a very small piece of the puzzle. But if it leaks, it can cause major damage to your engine. The health of the entire car is dependent on this tiny little part. If it's not doing its job, there will be big problems ahead.

We all want to believe that we can make a difference. We want to know that what we do is significant. But many times that just seems like a fairy tale. We feel like the truth of the matter is that we're just…

I'm just a stay-at-home mom.

I'm just a student.

I'm just stuck in a dead-end job.

I'm just too shy.

I'm just too poor.

I'm just not that smart.

I'm just too young.

I'm just too old.

I'm just (fill in the blank).

Excuses. We've all got 'em. It reminds me of an old saying: If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

We may feel like we're just too insignificant to make a difference. I struggle with these emotions. I feel like there are so many preachers who are better than me, why do I even bother?

I have so many friends in churches that are larger than mine…which can make me feel insignificant.

I feel like such a spiritual loser sometimes that I think I should give up this preaching thing and go mop the bathroom floor at fast-food joint.

I'm not fishing for encouragement. Just stating a fact. Sometimes I get discouraged and feel totally insignificant.

But then I remember that God specializes in using seemingly insignificant people to do incredible things. But to really have a good perspective on this, we have to define "incredible."

Incredible doesn't mean that you'll make the evening news.

It doesn't mean that someone will write a biography on your life.

It doesn't mean that you'll become a household name.

When we reach out to someone who is feeling lonely, that is incredible.

When we give with a generous spirit, that is incredible.

When we use whatever gifts we've been given to serve God's church, that is incredible.

When we touch someone's life with the love of Jesus, that is incredible.

When we approach everyday looking for opportunities to be Jesus to our co-workers, classmates, neighbors, family, and friends, that is incredible.

You may feel like your part of God's Kingdom is small. But remember the oil plug. When that small, seemingly insignificant part malfunctions, the entire car suffers.

And when we allow feelings of insignificance to stop us, God's Kingdom pays the price.

Glad I Forgot My Coffee

I always leave home with a travel mug full of coffee every morning. I forgot it this morning. That should have ruined my day, but it didn't. In fact, it made me quite a happy boy this morning.

I stopped at UDF for coffee, and I saw this in a refrigerated display case.

Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino.

Long name. Awesome taste! It might make me "forget" my morning coffee everyday if it didn't cost over $2 a bottle.

Spell It Right

This Thursday is B-day. (Brock Day) He is scheduled to make his grand entrance into this world at 1:00 pm on Thursday.

For those who are keeping track, we (meaning Nicki and myself) have been spelling the poor kid's name wrong…and he hasn't even been born yet. His middle name is Allen, which is my father-in-law's middle name. We'd been spelling it "Alan" until we learned that it's actually spelled "Allen."

We've already carried on a name from my family. Our first son's name is Ryan Michael Edmisten, with the middle name obviously coming from me.

Now we carry on a name from Nicki's family. At least we spelled it right before the birth certificate is filled out.

Oh, and some people have questioned the name "Brock." (No, we are not naming him after the character on the TV show, Reba.) Truthfully, it started as a name that Nicki and I both liked. But then Brian Morrissey pointed out that the name "Brock" is the combination of the names of my dad and Nicki's dad: Buck & Rodney. So there you go.

Awesome Weekend

The ACC Christmas party was lots of fun last night. I love the gift exchange. It's so fun to watch the gifts get opened, then stolen, stolen, and stolen again. And the food was outstanding. Our party was at Woodland Lakes Christian Camp. Their chefs outdid themselves this year.

This morning…all I can say is that it was on today at ACC! I loved our services. The music was AWESOME! It's so refreshing to have a worship band that simply will not settle for mediocre or ordinary. It was all Christmas music today, but it was still a great mix. Some soft, reflective music. Some that just flat rocked. I mentioned in a previous post that O Come, O Come Emmanuel is my favorite Christmas hymn. Our band brought the house down with that song today!

We did have to cancel our hot chocolate hand-out at the Amelia Christmas Parade today. The weather is just flat nasty. Maybe we'll catch a better day next year.

The best things about this week were the four baptisms. Bill and Michelle Bingamon were baptized on Thursday night. Jade and Ireland Dickerson were baptized during second service this morning. Awesome! I couldn't tell you how many people I've baptized in my life, but it never gets old. I love it!

This is a truly special time in the life of ACC. I'm blessed to be part of it.

Get Your Holiday On

Tonight is ACC's annual Christmas party. Always a ton of fun.

Tomorrow marks the second installment in our Tangled in the Tinsel series. We've got another holiday drama prepped and ready. I'm cooking up a message that is going to take a unique look at some of the relationships we read about in the biblical Christmas narrative.

And then tomorrow afternoon, the ACC family will be handing out free hot chocolate at the Amelia Christmas Parade. It's a great opportunity to minister to our community. We still need volunteers, so just show up at church by 1:30. All you need is a warm coat and a warm smile.

It's definitely getting Christmasy around here.

Success and Frustration

It's been a pretty productive day. I've got my teaching schedule planned through late-August with the exception of three Sundays (one of which is my least favorite preaching day of the year: Mother's Day. Seriously, what do I know about women?). That's good progress.

What's not good is the inferiority that I'm feeling. I've visited a lot of websites of other churches today, just checking out what other guys have been teaching. I'm not looking to steal any sermon series idea outright (although I'm not above it if it's really good); I'm just looking for creative inspiration.

I paid an online visit to two of my favorite preachers on the planet: Steven Furtick and Mark Driscoll. These guys are the real deal. They're some of my preaching heroes. And they can also make me feel quite inferior at times. Well, that's not true. They don't make me feel inferior. I make myself feel that way.

I know that there's no way that I'll ever preach like Furtick or Driscoll…but that's ok. I don't have to preach like them. God has given me the gift of preaching in the measure and manner of his choosing. And I'm ok with that. I'll always look up to other guys and admire their abilities…but I've got to faithfully pursue the challenge of becoming the gospel communicator that God has called me to be.

You may not preach for a living, but I'll bet that this is something you struggle with. We all compare ourselves to people whom we perceive to be better, smarter, prettier, thinner, etc. than us. That's a losing deal. Be content with the gifts that God has given you and work to hone them to laser sharpness.

Teaching Schedule

One of the most daunting tasks in ministry for me is planning my teaching schedule. I like to plan out my preaching calendar a year in advance. Obviously I've got to keep it flexible, but truthfully I rarely deviate from the calendar once it's finalized.

So far I've got 2008 planned through April. I'm hoping to get it planned out through the summer before today is over. I'm normally off on Fridays, but I've set today aside to plan my teaching schedule as far ahead as possible.

I want the schedule to be balanced. What I mean by that is I want to be sure to include liberal amounts of both Old and New Testament Scripture in my preaching. I also want to be sure I have a balance between theological issues (doctrines about God, Jesus, etc.) and felt needs (relationships, life issues, etc.). An unbalanced preaching diet leads to spiritual malnutrition in the church. I want to be sure I'm cooking up the right stuff.

I've also learned that planning this out by myself is a bad idea. It may be me preaching the messages, but it doesn't have to be solely me who plans them. In fact, it's much better if I get input from other people. They may recognize holes and imbalances in the calendar that I missed. I'm going to run my schedule through our ACC Creative Team. I'm looking for them to critique what I've got planned, add some series that I haven't thought of, etc.

And you thought that I decided my topic on Saturday, preached it on Sunday, and then goofed off from Monday-Friday!?! (I know, it sounds ludicrous but there are actually people who believe that. And unfortunately, there have been ministers who have done that!)

Planning out a year's worth of teaching is a beast of a project. But once it's done, life is good. There's nothing like knowing where you're going for the next 12 months.

More Holiday Love from Jim Willison

Q102 here in Cincinnati is playing Colbie Caillat's song Mistletoe with some special greetings from our troops. Part of Jim Willison's Christmas greeting is included near the end of the song.

Click here to head to Q102's website. Once you're there, scroll about halfway down the page until you see the box that says "Download Colbie Caillat's "Mistletoe" & the Message From The Troops Version."

Seven Days To Go

The "Brock Clock" is still ticking away. This morning I went with Nicki to her last doctor appointment before the C-section next week. Very cool to hear that little heart beating away in my wife's womb.

The doctor said that everything looks great and we're all set for next week.