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

The Monk on Our Staff

Ok, that's a stretch.  But Josh Young did spend a recent weekend at a monastery.

You need to read the post detailing his experience. It's longer than most of his posts, but take the time to read every word of it.

My Weekend at the Monastery – Josh Young

After reading that, you might be thinking, "That's a bit radical and excessive."

My answer would be, "You're right. We have a staff that is radically and excessively in love with Jesus. And I wouldn't change that for anything."

Complaining vs. Thanking

I like winter and I like snow.  But I'm officially done with it. Enough is enough.  And I'm not alone.

Facebook and Twitter have been nothing but a smorgasbord of complaints about the weather here in Cincinnati.  And it's not surprising.  We are only 8 inches away from this being the snowiest month on record in this city. And it's looking like we could get there before the end of the month.  So the complaints are flying faster than the snow.

But as I spent an hour and a half shoveling my driveway yesterday, God gave me a little perspective. And even though the snow hasn't melted away, my complaining has. See if you resonate with some of this.

• I could complain about shoveling my driveway, or I could be thankful that I have a driveway to shovel.
• I could complain about the high cost of heating my home, or I could be thankful that I have a home to heat.
• I could complain that my car got stuck in the snow, or I could be thankful that I have a car in the first place.
• I could complain that my back hurts from all this shoveling, or I could be thankful that I'm healthy enough to shovel.
• I could complain about how the snow has disrupted my schedule, or I could use the downtime to appreciate the absolute beauty of God's creation.
• I could complain about the wind chill, or I could be thankful for the warm clothes that I have.

I could go on, but you get the point.  I was really convicted yesterday about my attitude.  I have so much to be thankful for, how dare I complain about a little snow? Or even a lot of snow?

Do everything without complaining or arguing… (Philippians 2:14)

…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Decide Who You Will Be

We're all born with a certain set of personality traits, quirks, etc. But that alone doesn't define who we are.

Some people have preached that, "God wired you this way, so that's who He wants you to be." I've said things like this myself in the past.  That is true to a point, but I'm coming to the conclusion that this isn't always the case.

While God has created us, we are also living with a sinful nature in a fallen world.

Here's what that means…just because something comes naturally to me doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good thing.  Sometimes our nature is the very thing we have to fight against.

Who you are is a decision that you get to make. You don't have to rely on your personal natural tendencies to dictate who you are.  You can decide to be someone different.

I'm a shy person by nature.  I have to combat this to do my job as a pastor effectively.

I have pessimistic tendencies, but I fight them.  If I'm following God's vision for my life, why shouldn't I be optimistic? It's a decision that I make.

Even worse than that, I have sinful tendencies that come very naturally to me. It's a daily struggle to overcome them.

My natural inclinations do not dictate who I am. I don't give them that kind of power or influence.  I get to decide who I am based on who God is calling me to be.

Who are you right now?  Who do you want to be?

Make the decision to be that person today.

Sunday Night Randomness

• This has been the best Valentine's weekend ever.  The boys spent all day Friday and most of Saturday with my parents.  Then Nicki's parents kidnapped them today.  I've been alone with my wife for nearly three straight days. Awesomeness!
• Montgomery Inn's ribs and duck were outstanding! I look forward to heaven when I can eat them everyday.
• I dig the Olympics. Summer or winter…doesn't matter to me.  If an event is on, I'll watch it.  (The only exceptions to this rule are rhythmic gymnastics in the summer and ice dancing in  the winter.)  Saw some exciting stuff last night and again this afternoon. Can't wait for snowboarding to start.  Booyah.
• This morning was off the hook at ACC!  I love preaching on relationships and that's exactly what I get to do for the next month.  Got some fun stuff coming up in our Love Story series.  You don't want to miss it!
• More snow coming? Hmmm.  I actually like winter more than most people.  I enjoy snow…to a point.  But I might be nearing the end of my enjoyment.  If my snow shovel needed an oil change every 3,000 miles, I'd be taking it Jiffy Lube.
• I don't get NASCAR.  Seriously.  I just don't get it.  I'm somewhat of a redneck…and I still don't get it.
• I caught MUCH grief today about my Colts loss in the Super Bowl.  The haters were out in force.  Such is life.
• Spring Training is almost here! I might be drinking the Reds Kool-Aid this year.  I dig some of the off-season moves. Time will tell, but I'm pretty stoked right now.
• Happy Valentine's Day to all…and to all a good night.

Love Story

I am PUMPED about the new series starting this weekend at ACC.

This Sunday is Valentine's Day. (Guys, if that sent your mind racing, stop reading my blog and go get something for your wife/girlfriend. I'll be here when you get back.)  What better day to kick off a series called Love Story?

In this series, we're talking about it all. Nothing is off limits.  We're talking about singleness and dating.  We're talking about engagement.  We're talking about marriage.  We're talking about sex.  We're talking about money.  We're talking about EVERYTHING that can make or break a relationship.  God's Word has some incredible, and surprising, wisdom on every stage of our relationships.

It all starts this Sunday!

Creative Summit Recap

Our creative team met for our first ever annual "Creative Summit" last Friday.  This team meets once a month, but this was different.  We blocked out the entire day and met from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

I've been searching for the right word to describe the day.  Here's the one I finally landed on…miraculous.

That is a big label to put on anything, but it absolutely fits given what happened on Friday. God's fingerprints were all over this.

We now have sermon series planned through Easter 2011. The schedule is so well-balanced…it is so complete…it could only have come from God.  It is nothing short of supernatural.

Here are a couple of pics to give you an inside glimpse of the day.

The cluttered mess on this whiteboard was the result of hours of endless brainstorming.

This much more organized board is our sermon schedule.  I realize that you probably can't read the series names. If you could read them, it would take away the element of surprise and you might not come to church. :)

The day was amazing and the end result exceeded my every expectation. I want to publicly thank Josh Young, our (currently unpaid) Creative & Communications Minister. The prayer, planning, and preparation that he put into this meeting were so evident.  God brought Josh to us for this exact purpose.

And one more note…I've got a lot of pastor buddies who read my blog.  You guys need to do this! Even if you don't have a whole team, you do have at least one person.  You have at least one person who can help you plan your sermon schedule. Getting someone else's eyes on your preaching calendar will pay huge dividends.  Do it!

Onside Kicks

This was the defining play of this year's Super Bowl. As a Colts fan, it pains me to watch it again.  But as a leader, it inspires my socks off.

Sean Payton, head coach of the Saints, made what many are calling the riskiest decision ever in a championship game.  He started the second half with an onside kick by a rookie punter.

It was the defining moment of the game.  Had the Colts recovered the ball, they would have had incredible field position to start the half and the game might have turned out very differently. But the Saints recovered, and you know the rest of the story.

Sean Payton's mentor, Bill Parcells, told him, "You are going to have to have guts to win this game. You can't coach scared in the big games.  You've got to try to win."

That was the difference in Super Bowl XLIV.  The Saints played to win.

Leadership is playing to win. But most leaders simply play not to lose.  Playing to win involves risk.  At some point, you have to go all in. You have to bet it all on a bold move.

That's not suggesting that we don't plan.  Taking a risk doesn't mean being stupid. Leaders do their homework.  They develop a plan.  But then, there is still that moment where you have to take a deep breath and pull the trigger.

I thought Phil Simms' commentary of the onside kick was spot on.  He said that Sean Payton probably went into the locker room with this onside kick in mind.  Then he had to think about it throughout halftime. And then he had to have the guts to pull the trigger on the decision, knowing he was betting the entire Super Bowl on one play.

That's leadership.  Do the work.  Develop the plan.  And then, even though you're scared to death, pull the trigger.

When I look at leaders in Scripture, I don't see a single one who didn't have to make a bold move.  Instead, I see a lot of onside kicks. I see plenty of leaders who had to take risks to do what God was calling them to do.

Nothing has changed.  There are times when God calls his church to run an onside kick.

Hot Buttons Recap

We finished our Hot Buttons series at ACC yesterday.

Honestly, I'm glad it's over. This was a draining series, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This series wrecked some people. It caused others to really evaluate how they are doing at representing Christ in these debates.

God did amazing things through the last three weeks, but it was still one of the toughest series I've ever preached.

You can access all the podasts on iTunes or on our website.

Hot Buttons series

Creative Summit

Our church's creative team is meeting today.  Nothing abnormal about that. We meet once a month.

What is different is that we are meeting from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm! We are affectionately referring to this as our "Creative Summit."

Our goal for today is really ambitious.  We are meeting to plan a year's worth of sermon series. That's right, baby!  A whole year!

Obviously things can change in a year.  Nothing we do today will be written in stone.  If we need to tweak or change something, we definitely will.  But I can't tell you how amazing it will be to know where our teaching will be going for the next year.

Planning this far in advance helps us evaluate our teaching topics.  It helps us make sure we are offering our people a balanced diet of truth. I guarantee that it will take our teaching to a whole new level!

I am so blessed to be surrounded by a team who is willing to make incredible sacrifices. John Bach, Phil Prather, and Josh Young are all taking a day off work for this.  Brian Morrissey is giving up his day off.

That is amazing commitment.  And when we have amazing commitment, God shows up in amazing ways.

Church: The Love/Hate Tension

Scott Hodge has a post on his blog that I haven't been able to get over. It's an incredible snapshot of how I feel about the church.  And if you've been in the church for any length of time, this is how you feel, too.

Church: The Love/Hate Tension – Scott Hodge

If I may echo Scott's words…amen and amen.