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

Vacation Reflections 1

I want to take a couple of posts to reflect back on my family's recent vacation. I will do my best to make sure that these posts aren't as boring as the home movies of your uncle's trip to Idaho. And if, per chance, you don't care about my family's vacation, then wait a couple of days and then tune back in.  We will return to regularly scheduled programming momentarily.

My family left our place on July 2, headed for my brother's house in Virginia. They live in an old farmhouse in rural Spotsylvania County. I  loved it! It felt like our very own cabin in the woods, complete with a swimming pool and a pond stocked full of bass.

My brother and I fished from his canoe almost every night. Nothing better than throwing a little topwater on a warm summer evening. I wish I could bottle the peacefulness and serenity of that setting. But the best part was fishing with my brother, whom I don't get to see nearly as often as I would like.

It was so much fun to watch our boys love on their uncle, aunt, and cousins. We live very close to a lot of our family, which creates a very natural connection. But distance doesn't make a difference when it comes to Uncle Jeff, Aunt Carla, and cousins Shelby and Logan. Our boys love them dearly, as do Nicki and I.

For those who don't think that visiting family sounds like a good vacation…I feel sorry for you. I don't say that to be terse or condescending.  I really do feel sorry for you.  I know that a lot of people don't enjoy the kind of relationship that we have with our family. It's a blessing that I don't take for granted.

Part two tomorrow…

And We're Back…

This is my first day back in the office after a long, relaxing, much-needed vacation. I'm so thankful for the experiences that we had on this trip.  I'll recount a few of them here on my blog in the next few days.

Teddy Wisdom

I don't know why, but I seem to be running across this quote everywhere lately.  So much so that I finally got the hint and hung it up in my office.  Thought I would post it here, too.  This Teddy-ism is money.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

-Teddy Roosevelt

No Ordinary Graph

This stopped me in my tracks. I'm not a graph/numbers/stats kind of guy.  Normally that type of thing will lull me into a coma like a third helping of turkey on Thanksgiving.

But this is no ordinary graph. These are not run-of-the-mill statistics.  This grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go.

This report of religious affiliation in our county was compiled by The Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA). The report is ten years old, so my guess is that the "unclaimed" numbers are even higher now.

Let this graph percolate in your mind and heart for a minute. Look at the massive number of people in our county who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever.

Clermont County…in conservative southern Ohio…with a church on nearly every corner…has  a population that is OVERWHELMINGLY unconnected with faith of any kind.

Jesus said, "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35b)

He was right.

The question every one of us has to ask ourselves is, "What am I doing about it?"

The question we must wrestle with as a church is, "Are we willing to do whatever it takes to make the next graph look very, very different?"

For the full report on Clermont County, go to ARDA's website.

Clermont County – ARDA

We'll Fix The Problem…Later

The officiating in the World Cup has been less than stellar.  Just ask the teams from England and Mexico.  Both were eliminated from the tournament because of poor refereeing.

The officials at FIFA know there is a problem and they have committed to fix it…by November.

If I may state the obvious…that's kind of late.  The World Cup ends in July.

I'm not suggesting that fixing a problem like this "on the fly" is easy.  And I'm not suggesting that a quick fix is the right fix.  But when you have a problem that is this glaring and this immediate, swift action is required.

Leadership would say, "We have all hands on deck. We are going to work day and night to remedy this issue now."

Leadership doesn't say, "We know that there is a problem.  And we'll fix it later. When things calm down and we have the time, we'll get around to it."

That's not what the FIFA officials are saying…but that is exactly how fans will interpret it.

Leaders, please don't ignore the obvious. Don't postpone decisions when swift action is required. When everyone knows there is a problem, the time to fix it is not tomorrow.

Jonathan Acuff wrote, " 'Later' ruins more dreams than 'never.' We recognize' never' as a foe and mistake 'later' as a friend."

Don't lead later.  Lead now.

In your personal life, don't do the right thing later.  The right time to do the right thing is always right now.

Vacation

I'm taking some vacation time over the next couple of weeks.  I do have a few blog posts scheduled, so check back periodically.  Comments are currently disabled.

I'm actually taking some time off from preaching, even beyond my vacation time.  It's time that I need.  Larry Boatright wrote a great post that explains why senior leaders need down time. This post is nails!

Larry Boatright – My Boss Is Taking a Month Off From Work???

I'm not taking a full month off from work, but I am going to take a month-long break from preaching.

And this follow up post from Larry is also spot on.

Larry Boatright – Part 2

One Prayer

We have a unique opportunity starting this weekend at ACC.  We will be joining thousands of other believers around the world in a series called One Prayer.

Jesus prayed that His church would be one.  Sadly, the church has splintered and divided into so many denominations and sub-groups that it would be impossible to list them all.  It breaks Jesus' heart because this is not the way His church is supposed to operate.

One Prayer is designed to unite the church. Churches will always have their differences on theological issues, stylistic issues, etc. But for the next four weeks, we will focus on our point of unity…Jesus Christ.

Pastors and teachers from all over the world have submitted video messages that center around one theme: Unstoppable.  When the church unites, it is an unstoppable force.

We have selected four incredible messages from four different communicators. Each week, we will experience a different message via video. Video teaching is different, but it's also very effective. We utilized this tool last year in a series with Dave Ramsey called Life, Money, Hope.

We all need to be exposed to different teachers of the Word. If the only person who ever speaks the Word into your life is me, then you are purposefully limiting your growth potential.

A variety of teachers yield greater results. We are blessed to live in an age where technology makes this so easy and so accessible.  We'd be crazy not to take full advantage of this opportunity.

One Prayer starts this Sunday. Do not miss it!