Personal Update for Fall 2018

I've just returned with my family from 11 days in southwestern Colorado--our first time. It was the perfect place to be quiet and rest before the fall season begins, a season that involves some significant changes to my responsibilities, which I will explain below.Some friends in church had offered us the use of their house in the San Juan mountains in Colorado. We drove there and back--two days each way--with the long drive as part of the fun. From Dallas to Amarillo the landscape becomes increasingly dry and flat and lonely, with the road passing through little brittle communities with one blinking yellow stoplight and paint peeling from deserted furniture stores, until in the Texas Panhandle grain elevators dominate the horizon, which stretches for what seems forever. And then, suddenly, the ground gives way and the Palo Duro Canyon opens up its reddish brown mouth right in front of your feet.We took the time to drive down into the canyon and hike around for a bit. The Palo Duro Canyon isn't as grand as its famous Arizona cousin, but it is similar, with the same warning signs about how the desert heat is deadly to the unprepared.Our second day of driving took us north out of Santa Fe, from desert to high desert to an alpine landscape, passing through little clusters of houses in forsaken communities in the high desert, the kind of places where you drive past at 70 miles an hour and thank God you don't live there. And then you arrive in Colorado and secretly ask God if perhaps you?could live?there,?or if he could at least make Dallas a bit more like Colorado in the summer.The house we stayed in was expansive, with a huge second story balcony off the entire back of the place, and a cool basement totally underground. Our cell phones didn't work, but that to me was a feature of the place, and not a bug. We were there to celebrate my dad's retirement from pastoral ministry--43 years. My parents and my brothers and their families joined us.This time of year in that part of Colorado, the weather is perfect: upper 40's at dawn, lower 90's at noon. I'd get up every morning early to sit wrapped in a blanket on the back deck in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise. The deer and the wild turkeys and the hummingbirds paid me no attention, if I kept still enough. I would have stayed for a month, but my life is here in Dallas, and I have a lot to do this fall. We arrived back home last night. 

Changes to My Fall 2018 Responsibilities

Earlier this summer, our youth director accepted an invitation to return to his home church and take his old boss's job. We engaged a search firm to help us find his replacement, and on one of the phone calls with the founder (David), he asked, "What's your interim plan before you hire someone?" We didn't have a plan, but as soon as he asked the question, I thought to myself: "I think I'd like to do it."I got my start in full-time ministry by working with middle and high school students at a church in VA. I worked there for 5 years before I went to seminary, and I loved it--there was just something so obviously important and exciting about reaching kids that age with the gospel. Now at Munger I'm responsible for something much broader in scope than the youth ministry I led in Virginia, but I still haven't abandoned one of my core beliefs from that time: that the strength of a church is determined by how well it is raising up the next generation in the faith.At Munger, the area of the church's ministry I know the least is our youth ministry, and I've always regretted that I don't have more interactions with our 6th-12th graders and their parents. Although we are working hard to hire a new youth director, we just aren't in the position to make that hire by the time school begins, and so David's question on the phone caused me to think--could I personally offer some leadership to our youth ministry this fall? I'm ultimately responsible for the youth ministry whether we have someone in place or not, and I don't want to let our youth ministry languish while we are waiting to hire a director. What if I stepped in as the interim leader? I shopped the idea around to some people within and without the church who would have no problem telling me it was a bad idea, but no one did.

So, I'm going to be leading the Munger youth ministry this fall.

On the one hand, with the commitments and responsibilities I have, this may seem crazy.

• We have an average worship attendance of just over 1,000 people on Sunday mornings;
• A?budget of $3 million;
• And a staff of 10;

All of which I am ultimately responsible for. Behind those numbers are lots of people to love and lots of problems to solve.But, in addition to the above, this fall has some big things coming up, including:

• The unveiling of our master plan for future growth and ministry at a congregational meeting on Sunday, October 21 at 5 PM;
• And the launching of a 3rd worship service at 5 PM on Sundays, starting November 4.

Do I have time to lead the youth ministry? At first, it seems clear the answer is "No." But....Here's the honest truth: I have all the time I need for what's important, and I think the middle and high school students in our community are extremely important. So, yes, I have time to lead the Munger youth ministry...if I get some help. 

The Plan for Munger Youth This Fall

We're going to keep things simple. Our weekly programming will be on Wednesdays and will run from 7:00-8:30 PM. Middle and high school students will meet at the same time, but they will not meet together.High School?Wednesday?Schedule7:00-7:45 PM, high school worship in the youth basement with me and our band. (High school is 9th-12th grades.)7:45-8:30 PM, high school small groups and dinner/snacks on the 3rd floor.Middle School Wednesday Schedule7:00-7:45 PM, dinner/snacks, games, and small groups on the 3rd floor. (Middle school is 6th-8th grades.)7:45-8:30 PM, middle school worship in the youth basement with me and our band.Wednesday night youth will follow the above schedule from September 12 through December 12. We will NOT meet on November 21 (the day before Thanksgiving), though there is a Thanksgiving Eve worship service at the church that night. (Halloween is a Wednesday this year, so stay tuned for special programming on 10/31.)In addition to the above weekly programming, we are looking to line up Bible studies at other times, etc. Come to our kickoff on 9/5 to find out more. (Kickoff info below.)2018-2019 Confirmation ScheduleConfirmation is a year-long spiritual formation program for 6th graders. 6th grade is a transition period, and we want to do our best to prepare our young people spiritually to face the challenges of middle and high school, so they can own their faith as their own. At the end of the year-long Confirmation process, the students will be commissioned by me in worship to go forth and take their faith into the world.Confirmation will meet on Sundays this fall during our 11:00 AM worship service, September 9-December 16. Confirmation will NOT meet on November 25 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving). In Spring 2019, Confirmation will meet January 6-May 12. Confirmation will NOT meet on March 10 or 17 (spring break) or on April 21 (Easter Sunday!).Confirmation Sunday will be 11:00 AM on May 19.Confirmation students need to attend 2/3 of Confirmation classes (20 out of 30 possible Sundays) to complete the course.Please REGISTER your child for Confirmation HERE.More info to come at youth fall kickoff.2018 Youth Fall KickoffWe?re going to start the new school year off with a BANG on Wednesday, September 5 from 7:00-8:00 PM for our Fall Kickoff. All 6th to 12th graders AND their parents invited. Bring friends, even if they don‘t go to our church. The agenda: food trucks, live music, and then I will lay out the plan for the year ahead.My goal: a full house, so please move heaven and earth to attend with your family.

Munger Youth: What Will I Be Doing?

Each Wednesday, I'm going to give a talk on the topics that middle school and high school kids are asking about:

• How can we know there is a God?
• What about other religions?
• Where did the Bible come from?
• What about heaven and hell?
• If God already knows what's going to happen, why do we need to pray?
• If God is love, then why does he allow bad stuff to happen to people?
• Etc.

Every Wednesday, we'll have a brief, high energy worship service with a band led by Josh Mojica (the young guy with the crazy hair who plays with Kate on Sunday mornings), and I'll give a talk to our students trying to make the faith as clear, relevant, and attractive as possible. Then, adult volunteers will lead youth small groups broken up by grade and gender to talk over the week and see how the kids are doing.I can lead the ministry by providing vision and direction for our weekly gatherings and to our adult volunteers. That's what I'm good at. But, I can't do everything.... 

Munger Youth: What I Will NOT be Doing

I cannot serve as the Munger youth minister. I can't attend football games and concerts and recitals. I can't order the pizza or pay the trip deposits or lead the small groups. In other words, I can lead the ministry, but I can't?do the ministry.What I can do is recruit other adults who will do those things, and I'm going to need all the help I can get.If you signed up earlier this summer to volunteer in our youth ministry, you should have already been contacted by us. Thank you! But, if you haven't yet signed up or if you did but weren't contacted by us, please consider stepping up and signing up below. I particularly need parents of 6th to 12th graders to help me make this fall season happen. We need a team of folks to support our ministry, to lead our small groups, to be positive influences in our students' lives.Want to help me and our youth ministry this fall? Sign up HERE to be a youth?ministry?volunteer.We're going to have a Youth Volunteer Vision Dinner on Wednesday, August 29, from 6:30-9:00 PM at a home in Lakewood, so please mark that down if you sign up as a potential volunteer. 

A Final Word to Munger

I've been wondering if perhaps this transition period in our youth ministry is actually a gift from God, because it will both allow me to make some new relationships in our church and at the same time require other people to step up and and become involved in ministry. More than ever, I'm going to have to focus on the few things that I only I can do and do well and recruit other people to make our church's ministry happen. I've found that the Lord seems to prefer to place us in situations where there is a gap between what we need and what we have, and that he delights in providing for us. That's one of the things I'm excited about with regard to our new evening service--we currently have ZERO people showing up at 5:00 PM on Sundays, and we are going to have to pray and work like crazy to change that. In the same way, our youth ministry is lacking a permanent leader right now, which might actually be God's plan--he wants the rest of us to step up so he can show us something awesome.May Fall 2018 be our best fall yet.  

P.S. To My Dear Readers: Changes to this Blog

Starting Friday, August 24 through Monday, December 24, at Munger we are going to be reading through the New Testament. I'm planning on posting more frequently in this space, including regular (daily?) commentaries on what we're reading. Right now, subscribers get an email every time I post, but I don't want to fill up your Inbox, so next week I'm going to be switching to a weekly newsletter that will contain links to the previous week's posts, as well as some other original content from me not available anywhere else.If you are already a subscriber, you don't need to do anything else. (If you want to be sure and read each post as it comes out, subscribe to my blog's RSS feed. There are lots of tutorials online to explain how to do that.)If you are not a current subscriber, here's how to subscribe:

I‘ve written a very short whitepaper on a subject I care a lot about communication.Subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll send it to you for free:The Simple Technique Anyone Can Immediately Use To Become a Better Communicator.(If you are already a subscriber, drop me a line and I’ll send you the whitepaper.)

We're Hiring a Youth Minister

Want to come work with me and my team at our great church? Know someone who does? We are looking for a youth minister to lead our ministries to middle and high school students. Our church has been blessed with a lot of growth in the past year (our worship attendance is up 36%) and we're reorganizing our staff, which means we have a great opportunity for the right person to lead our youth ministry. Is that you? The job details are posted below. (Please note that job applications do not come to me; in fact, I'm not involved in the hiring process until the final interviews.)

Director of Youth Ministry - Munger

Responsible for all aspects of Munger Place Church's ministry to youth in grades 6-12, to?help families raise their middle school and high school students to love and follow Jesus Christ. This person will work within Munger Discipleship ministry and with a team of volunteers to plan, coordinate and execute the ministry.Location:??HPUMC's Munger Place Church in Old East DallasResponsibilities?include the following, with additional duties as required or assigned:

1. Pastoral:? Minister to youth and their families through Sunday school and other church programs, being present in their lives outside the church walls, available for common concerns and in crisis situations, and through pastoral care visits.
2. Leadership:? Recruit, training and nurture Youth Ministry and Confirmation volunteer teams; lead adult volunteer leadership meetings, trainings and retreats; participate in the research, design, and implementation of a ministry to parents of youth.
3. Administration:? Manage the planning process and coordinate all regular ministries to youth and their families, which includes youth Sunday mornings, Confirmation, special events, trips and retreats, parent meetings, etc.; update Munger Youth and Confirmation web pages.
4. Stewardship:? Ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of youth programs/events and reacting accordingly; manage youth ministry budget; collaborate with Confirmation and youth ministries at HPUMC.

The Director of Youth Ministry - Munger is expected to maintain high Christian values and professional integrity in order to provide an example for the youth and families of our community. This position will also encourage all youth and families of the community to strive for the same standards.HPUMC/Munger Place is a high-performing, fun and supportive environment where your work is appreciated!? We provide competitive pay, full benefit package and generous holiday schedule.WE REQUIRE?a Christian (preferably United Methodist) committed to living a life that reflects the Gospel who is comfortable working in a United Methodist church and has the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree; seminary or other formal religious education a plus
• At least 3 years experience in church ministry as staff or lay leader
• Ability to build, lead and empower volunteer teams
• Ability to implement a ministry vision
• Familiarity with United Methodist doctrine required; must be comfortable teaching it and representing the church
• Proficient computer skills?using applications such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, database, email, Internet and social media
• Supervisory experience preferred
• Ability to evaluate and adapt curriculum preferred
• Must have excellent organization, communication (verbal and written) and listening skills, with a high degree of initiative and accountability
• Exceptional interpersonal and relational skills required, with sensitivity to church members and visitors
• Understanding and enjoyment of youth and families and guiding their spiritual development
• Familiarity and comfort with diverse socioeconomic populations
• Good driving record; ability to drive church van with passengers
• Physical demands include sitting, standing, walking, seeing, hearing, lifting approx. 10 lbs.

To Apply,?please email all of the following to?jobs@hpumc.org, specifying Munger Youth in subject line:

1. Your resume and cover letter/email
2. Your pay requirement
3. Your religious/church affiliation & statement of faith
4. Your philosophy of youth ministry

No calls, please.- See more here.

3 Steps To A Better job

We spend the majority of our time--our most precious resource--working. And yet many people live for the weekends, feel unfulfilled in their work, and go to bed at night wondering, "What did I really accomplish today that actually?matters?"[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA[/embed]I don't believe work has to be like this.What if you could have work that matters and that you love, without (probably) changing jobs?

For a Better Job, Ask These Three Questions

1. "Where Can I Best Serve?"

If we are honest, most of us end up in the jobs we have because our first question is "How can I get earn the most respect and the most money?" That question won't lead you to fulfillment in your work. Instead, you'll be working for yourself--a sure way to gain the whole world while losing your own soul.It may be the case that asking the question "Where Can I Best Serve?" will lead you to change jobs. You may be in finance and you ought to be a chef, or you may be a musician and you ought to be a school principal. It may be that you are in the field you are in not because it bests fits your gifts, but because you thought it would get you the most money or most please your parents.But, it may be that you just need to change your mindset and not your job. You can serve others in almost any field:

• Football coaches serve by helping their players learn how to play as a team;
• Litigators serve by helping their clients work through the difficult, scary, but necessary facts of business in America;
• Entrepreneurs serve by creating products and services that meet needs in society.

Blessed By Nest

I bought and installed the Nest learning thermostat at home about a year ago. It sounds funny to say it, but the whole experience was a blessing to me. Someone clearly thought through every aspect of the product: the thermostat, the packaging, and the instructions. Some entrepreneur conceived of the idea, and that idea met a need I had in my living room.One thing I know for sure: God created you to serve the world. You may be in the wrong career, or it may be that you've been thinking of serving your bank account rather than the world. The first step to work that matters is to consciously think of work as a means to serve others.

2. "Am I Willing To Get Fired?"

Work matters, but it's not what's most important. If you hold your work too tightly, it will restrict your life and your integrity. You'll care more about meeting the numbers than about meeting your husband for dinner or meeting your wife's needs or meeting your kids at their soccer games. But, if you're willing to hold your work in an open hand, paradoxically, work will matter more to you in the ways that matter. Be willing to lose your job. And be grateful to have it.

3. "Who Can I Bless Today?"

If you are feeding hungry children, it's obvious how you can bless someone today. But, we can bless others in lots of other, more mundane ways. For example, you can bless others through:

• Running a meeting with competence and efficiency;
• Caring about the person on the other end of the sales call as more than a potential commission;
• Deliberately trying to help your boss succeed (even if your boss isn't your favorite person).

If you see your everyday work responsibilities as a way of intentionally blessing others, your work will take on a whole new understanding.

Your Work Is Your Ministry

I'm in the pastoral ministry, but the people in my church are called into ministry, too. Their ministry might involved fixing cars or selling mortgages or investing in start-ups, but it's ministry. My job is specialized: to equip the folks in my church to be better ministers. But, there is no Christian who isn't called to ministry.

On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the work you are doing?

What needs to change for you to see your work as your ministry?

 (We're talking about topics like this--topics that matter to men--at 7, a men's gathering at Munger Place Church every Friday morning at 7:00 AM, September 26-November 7. More info here. Either you are a man, or you know one--either way, we'd love to have you.)  

Some Brief Thoughts About Killing [#EatThisBook - Exodus 11]

Many people?even those who are inclined toward pacifism‘seem to allow that certain situations may make the killing of another human being an evil necessity. Maybe to prevent genocide or to stop a future Hitler, it becomes necessary to kill. Maybe. (I'm not sure what I think.) But what about God? Is it okay for the Lord to kill?In Exodus 11, Moses announces to Pharoah the last of the terrible plagues that the Lord will inflict on Egypt: all of the firstborn of Egypt will be killed

from the firstborn of Pharoah who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the livestock? (v.5).

I am very uncomfortable with the idea of the final plague. Here are some of thoughts that Exodus 11 raises in my mind:Brief Thoughts on Killing

• There is no war without the killing of innocents. I'm not saying this fact is good--it is an evil fact--but I'm merely just describing what is a fact. In every single war throughout history, innocent women and children suffer and are killed. The talking heads on television will talk about ‘surgical strikes? and avoiding collateral damage. This is a wicked lie. It doesn't matter the cause: in war, innocent people always suffer. Always.
• Killing may at times be necessary?I honestly don‘t know what I think. War may be a necessary evil in an evil world. But war is always evil, and war is always hell. If we are going to speak about war, we need to acknowledge the bitter truth: we are going to kill babies, little children, nursing moms, and many other innocent parties. There may be times when that is the price to pay. But let us be honest about the price.
• Perhaps there was no way for the Lord to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery without the final plague. If Hitler could only be stopped through violence, perhaps the same goes for Pharoah.

• [An update from a friend of mine]: We should remember that Pharaoh had ordered the deaths of all the male children of the Israelites (Exodus 1). Perhaps there is some sort of relationship between the final plague and Pharoah's earlier actions. You reap what you sow? I realize that doesn't solve the problem, but is worth thinking about.
• In the mystery of the Trinity, God the Father knows what it is like to lose God the Son. You cannot think of the death of the firstborns in Egypt without thinking of the death of the only begotten of the Father, crucified on Good Friday.
• There is a mysterious connection between the Passover and Good Friday. The Passover is when the Angel of Death passes over the houses of the Israelites but strikes down the firstborn of the Egyptians. Passover then becomes a yearly religious ceremony for the Jews, and it is at Passover that Jesus is crucified by the Romans, centuries after the events described in Exodus 11.
• Christ has died. Christ is Risen. Christ will come again.? We?ll be saying those words in my church this Sunday, and somehow I believe that they are an answer to the difficulties I have with Exodus 11. Christ was an innocent, killed. But Christ was raised from the dead, which means death doesn‘t have the last word. And Christ will come again and make all things well.
• In the meantime, we wait and live in the tension between hard questions about a hard world and the knowledge of the Resurrection.

 I warned you about the difficulties of scripture?. 

Follow This Simple Step to Get Your Dream Job Now!

One Simple Step To Your Dream Job

1. Lower your standards and come work for me. Details below.

Executive Assistant to Munger Place Pastor

This busy position provides administrative support to the Munger Place Pastor and to Munger Place Church in general, to help ensure the smooth functioning of the church and its ministries.Location:??Munger Place Church, Dallas, TXEssential duties?include the following, plus other duties as required or assigned:

1. Calendar Management?(pastor and church): Maintain pastor‘s and church calendar, responding to all meeting requests, gathering relevant background materials. Confirm all appointments.
2. Email/Voicemail Management?(pastor and main church account): Open and screen incoming e-mail and listen to voicemail, respond on pastor‘s behalf when possible, and forward to others when appropriate.
3. Errands:?Run errands in own vehicle as needed/requested. This will include routinely picking up mail and copies from Highland Park UMC multiple times weekly.
4. Office Management:? Provide administrative services such as distributing/processing mail, preparing correspondence and reports for pastor, updating membership database and running reports, processing bills for payment, receiving and directing visitors, procuring supplies for office and worship and meeting with vendors.
5. Organization:? Organize, maintain and revamp as necessary church filing systems; help organize/maintain storage closets, maintain both hard and soft copies of marriage, baptism and other important records.
6. Events:?Enter all events in EventU database; manage regularly occurring event registrations; prepare agendas, nametags, and support materials; communicating with key players as necessary.
7. Meetings:?Assist pastor in preparing for meetings and events by providing agendas, support and background information. Attend designated meetings (with or in place of pastor), taking notes and minutes of relevant discussions, and as appropriate, interacting in ways that solve and prevent problems.
8. Church Activities:? Assist as needed in church activities, coordinate and communicate with volunteers.
9. Other:

• Triage, dispense and record benevolent aid according to process developed by Munger staff.
• Assist building services in keeping the church buildings uncluttered, organized, neat and orderly, bringing problems to attention of building technician.
• Be proactive within prescribed limits in foreseeing and resolving problems, as well as conducting business in ways that avoid issues.

Working Hours:??Usual hours will be Monday-Thursday 8:30-5, Friday 8:30-noon; however, these hours may be revised as needed when attendance is needed at church activities or events.We Require?a committed Christian who is comfortable working in a United Methodist Church environment, with the following qualifications:

• At least 1 year of responsible office experience
• High school diploma required, college preferred
• Must be a self-starter with a high level of initiative and follow-through, who can anticipate needs and efficiently get things done, as well as a desire for constant improvement in performance and efficiency.
• Excellent oral and written communication and listening skills, as well as good spelling, grammar, punctuation abilities.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, capable of learning and using David Allen's GTD (Getting Things Done) system
• Excellent interpersonal and relational skills, including the ability to deal cordially and efficiently with others without being pulled into any issues or complaints they present.
• Professional attitude, appearance and demeanor, maintaining grace under pressure.
• High degree of discretion with confidential information.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and shift priorities as necessary, while maintaining a positive, can-do spirit.
• Capable of functioning both independently and as part of a team.

We provide?competitive pay and full benefit package, as well as a fitness facility, free garage parking, generous holiday schedule, and a fun, supportive and collaborative work environment!TO APPLY, please email the following to?jobs@hpumc.org,‘specifying Exec.Asst. in subject line:

• Resume & cover letter/email
• Salary requirement
• Your religious/church affiliation (HPUMC or Munger Place membership not required)

No calls, please.- See more at: http://www.hpumc.org/about-us/employment/job-opening-executive-assistant/#sthash.S1NjEzC5.dpuf