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

Predictions…Mostly Wrong

Today is the last home game for the Reds for the '08 season. They'll finish a meaningless week of games on the road before they shut it down for the year.

On Opening Day, I made twelve fearless predictions here on my blog. Let's see how I did.

1. The Reds will end the season with a winning record for the first time in years.

Wrong. Definitely wrong.

2. Brandon Phillips will have a 30/30 season for the second year in a row.

Wrong again. Brandon had a good year, but not a 30/30 year.

3. Bronson Arroyo will have a much more consistent season this year.

He started very poorly. But the the second half of the season was much kinder to Bronson.

4. Aaron Harang will continue to be one of the best pitchers in the National League…and he will continue to be ignored by the national media.

He is still ignored by the national media…but this year, he deserves it. At the moment, he is 5-16. Could pick up another win this afternoon, but that would just make him a 6-16 pitcher. Harang is much better than this. Hope that shows next season.

5. Some of the young pitchers will have breakout years (Johnny Cueto). Others will disappoint.

Actually, the breakout year belonged to Edinson Volquez. Although Cueto still shows serious promise for the future.

6. Ken Griffey Jr. will be healthy for most of the season. He’ll spend one stint on the disabled list.

He was healthy for the majority of the season, but now he's playing healthy on the southside of Chicago.

7. Adam Dunn will hit 40+ homeruns.

As of right now, Dunn has 38 bombs. But now he's hitting them in the Arizona desert.

8. Joey Votto will secure the first base position for many years.

Hey…I got one right.

9. Jay Bruce will play in the big leagues at some point this season.

Make that two right.

10. The Corey Patterson deal will not be a good one.

Call me a prophet. That's three correct predictions in a row.

11. Dusty Baker will prove to be a good managerial move.

Jury's still out on this one. I haven't joined the "Bash Baker Bandwagon," but I'm not his biggest fan, either.

12. The Reds will finish second in the Central Division behind the Cubs. They’ll miss the playoffs, but the season will be enjoyable and the future will look good.

I was partly right. The Cubs did win the Central. But as far as my Reds prediction…way, WAY off.

But you know what? I'll probably be this optimistic again on Opening Day '09.

Tested by Praise

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives. (Proverbs 27:21, NIV)

Sometimes life in ministry is full of discouragement. Anyone who has been a pastor for any length of time at all has gone through it. Criticism, jealousy, resentment…it's part of the job.

But then there are other times where the praise is flowing. The encouragement comes at you fast and furious. Those seasons are awesome…and dangerous.

The Bible says that we are tested, not by criticism, but by the praise we receive. This verse from Proverbs has become one of the Scriptural pillars of my ministry.

I love encouragement. Thankfully, I receive it often. But if I'm not careful, encouragement will become my addiction.

How about you? Do you do or say things that you know will bring you praise? Do you go fishing for compliments? Are you always looking for someone to pat you on the back?

You might have subtly turned into an encouragement junkie…which is a dangerous thing. If you're addicted to encouragement, then you are putting way too much stock in the opinion of people. Instead of seeking approval from men, we are called to live in a way that pleases One. Pleasing Jesus is the only thing that matters.

We are tested by the praise we receive. The test lies in the fact that praise from people can divert us from our ultimate mission…bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

It's the Little Things

The pumpkin spice latte has returned to Starbucks for the fall season.

I'm happy.

Three Kinds of Preachers

Haddon W. Robinson said that there are three kinds of preachers.

1. Those to whom you cannot listen

2. Those to whom you can listen

3. Those to whom you must listen

Praying I can be in category #3!

Ministry Lessons

My friend, Wade Allen (pictured here with his beautiful wife, Stephanie), just celebrated his third anniversary as the senior minister of Central Christian Church in Huntingburg, Indiana.

In a recent blog post, Wade reflected on some of the lessons he's learned over the last three years. He wrote…

· Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.

· You can’t change people. Only God can do that.

· Don’t return emails when you are angry.

· Laugh a lot.

· Make sure your microphone is off before you use the bathroom. Double-check.

· Make sure your zipper is zipped every time before you preach. Double-check.

· If you don’t take much time off, it’s because you’re proud, and you think you’re more necessary than you really are.

· Love your wife more than you love the church.

· Be careful what you say. You are being watched (and recorded).

· Integrity matters more than you can imagine.

· You will hurt because of ministry. So did Jesus.

The Other Side Video Shoot

Did an on-location video shoot yesterday for The Other Side series. This new teaching series starts on September 28. Shooting the video made me even more excited about what's going to happen in this three-week series.

Have you invited someone yet? Send them an evite today! You've got everything you need at your fingertips on our mini-site.

theothersideseries.com

The Christian Subculture

On Sunday, I made an off-the-cuff comment in my class that I probably shouldn't have. At least I shouldn't have said it the way I did. I made a pretty disparaging comment about Christian radio. It raised a few eyebrows. A lot of people listen to Christian radio and are blessed by it. So, allow me to clarify. While I didn't care for how I said it, I still stand by my point.

My whole point was that, instead of impacting our culture, we have created our own Christian subculture. And I don't think that's what God had in mind for the church. In fact, I know it's not.

In John 17, Jesus prayed for his disciples, saying, "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." (John 17:14-16, NIV)

According to Jesus' own words, his disciples are supposed to be in the world but not of the world. That's an important distinction. While we are called to impact our culture, we cannot allow ourselves to be influenced by our culture. That's not an easy line to walk.

And maybe that's why a lot of well-meaning believers have instead chosen to create a safe subculture. It honors part of Jesus prayer. It keeps us from being "of" the world. But the problem is that, in large part, it takes us "out" of the world…specifically what Jesus prayed against.

Honestly, I don't care if you listen to Christian radio. Personally, I rarely do. It's as much an issue of personal taste as anything else.

But let's remember that our culture does not listen to Christian radio. Nor do people in our culture watch Christian television, read Christian fiction, or shop at Christian bookstores.

If you do, it's fine. Really. Each one of these things can provide a spiritual boost for believers. And it's not like I never partake of these things. I do occasionally.

One word of caution…if you completely immerse yourself in the Christian subculture, to the neglect of anything mainstream, you will eventually lose touch with people who need Jesus. Valuable connecting points will be lost. Possible bridges to share the gospel with them will fade away.

I listen to some secular music because that's one avenue where our culture is crying out. And by staying in touch with it, I stay connected to people's needs and worldviews.

Am I suggesting that you watch or listen to stuff that is blatantly sinful and will damage your walk with Christ? Of course not. (Hopefully this goes without saying, but it's safer to say it anyway.)

Here's the bottom line…don't let your world be so defined by the Christian subculture that you lose effectiveness for the cause of Christ.

yIKEs

Who would have thought that Hurricane Ike would affect us here in Cincinnati? Yesterday, the remnants of Ike blew through our city and the wind gusts were still at Category 1 Hurricane strength.

I've never seen wind like that in my life. Massive trees broke in two or were completely uprooted. The result of the storm is the largest blackout in the history of the Midwest. Some people may be without power until this weekend. Lots of local schools and businesses are closed. Gas and ice are at a premium.

Crazy stuff, huh?

Times like these remind us just how much we can't control. As I was watching trees break apart in the 78 mph winds on Sunday, I was reminded just how small I am.

Hard to be arrogant in times like these…which might be the best thing about times like these.

The Other Side

I can't even tell you how stoked I am about this!

The most exciting teaching series of the year starts on September 28. The series is called The Other Side.

We are all one heartbeat away from death. We don't like to think about it, but it's true. Unless Christ returns first, everyone who is reading this is going to die.

But what happens then? What happens when you get to…the other side? We're going to spend three weeks answering the question. I promise that these three services will be unlike anything we've ever done before.

And here's the really exciting part. This series is a prime opportunity to invite your friend, family member, co-worker, etc. We live in a very spiritually curious culture. People want to know "what's out there." And they especially want to know what "the other side" is like.

You know that person that you've wanted to invite to church for a long time? This could be the perfect bridge to do it. We'll have invitations available beginning this Sunday.

Or you can do a little digital evangelism and send an e-vite. We've set up a mini-site just for this series. You can send e-vites, check out a series promo video, etc.

www.theothersideseries.com

God is going to do something huge through this series! Start praying and inviting today!

Seven Years Ago

Remember where you were seven years ago today?

I do. I was on staff at Bethlehem Church of Christ in Winchester, OH. I happened to be running late that morning. And then when I saw the TV news, it made me even later. I couldn't pull myself away from the TV in my bedroom.

I finally did make it to the office, but I didn't get any work done at all. I listened to the radio news anchor describe the events in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania in vivid detail. At one point, I remember praying out loud, "God, what in the world is happening?"

I was the only one in the church office that day, so I fielded phone call after phone call. For some reason, everyone wanted to call their church as the events of 9/11 unfolded.

Actually, I think I know the reason why they called. Because in times of uncertainty and crisis, the church remains unshaken.

In 1 Timothy, the Bible refers to the church as, "the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth." (1 Timothy 3:15, NIV, bold mine)

Words like "pillar" and "foundation" are pictures of strength. Even in troubled, stormy times, pillars and foundations are secure.

Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18, KJV, bold mine)

Every time I read these words, I get a shot of adrenaline. It pumps me up to know that, whatever Satan can dish out, the church will stand strong. Hell can't bring bring down God's church.

So it's not surprising that when those hellish powers were unleashed on September 11, 2001, people wanted to connect with their church. Buildings came crashing down that day. Thousands were murdered in a cowardly, barbaric attack.

But the church remains.