Welcome Dr. Kevin Watson to Tulsa!
The Rev. Dr. Kevin Watson will be moving to Tulsa to become the Director of Academic Growth and Formation at the Tulsa Extension Site for Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as joining our staff at Asbury Church as Scholar-in-Residence. I am PUMPED about this!
Partnership Between Asbury Church and Asbury Theological Seminary
One of the things that attracted me to Tulsa was the partnership between Asbury Church (AC) and Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS), and all the potential that implied. ATS has an extension campus site on our property, right across the parking lot in a building we own called The Development Center. (Both AC and ATS are named after the great Methodist missionary Francis Asbury, but they are completely separate entities with different histories—“no relation,” in other words.)
Why Pastoral Formation Matters
The Rev. Tom Harrison—my predecessor as senior pastor at Asbury—is a longtime, vocal supporter of ATS. Quoting Maxie Dunham, Tom likes to say:
“As the seminary goes, so goes the pastor;
As the pastor goes, so goes the church;
As the church goes, so goes the world!”
Tom—and Maxie—are exactly right. One of the projects I’m most interested in is learning to evangelize effectively in Negative World, and that project will never amount to anything unless we prepare future pastors to lead and thrive in the Negative World in which we find ourselves. To have an excellent seminary presence right across one’s parking lot? HECK YES. I’m hoping that it will be like the Christian version of living next-door to Xerox Parc in its Silicon Valley heyday—the learning and cross-influence could be huge for the Church’s mission in post-Christian America.
The Asbury Church Development Center
One of the last initiatives Tom led at Asbury Church was a multi-million dollar campaign to create and fund The Development Center. The Development Center is an incubator and host of local Christian non-profits—the organizations pay us nominal rent and our hope is that the informal mixing and connections between the organizations create new opportunities for God to work. One of the non-profits housed in The Development Center is the Tulsa extension campus of ATS. Which brings us to Dr. Kevin Watson.
Kevin’s New roles in Tulsa
Kevin’s new role is to lead and and grow the ATS presence in Tulsa. At Asbury Church, we’ve brought Kevin onto our staff as Scholar-in-Residence because we want to strengthen the partnership between the seminary and the church. Our hope is that having someone of Kevin’s expertise and stature at ATS will attract young, talented students to Tulsa; because a rising tide lifts all boats, if the seminary wins, we win!
The Asbury Church Scholar-in-Residence
As the Scholar-in-Residence at Asbury, Kevin will serve as a mentor and leader for students, staff members, and young adults in our congregation who are interested in the pastoral ministry, and he will help connect ATS-Tulsa students into the worshiping life of our church. Kevin will also preach for me and teach on Sunday mornings and in other settings from time to time.
How Kevin Will Help Me out this summer
Starting TOMORROW (with Psalm 73) (UPDATE—I meant to say starting with Psalm 74!), Kevin will be filling in for me and writing daily commentary for most of our our remaining psalms. I’ll still write some from time to time, but I’ve been writing daily commentary since last August, and with my deadlines approaching on the fall batch of daily commentaries to support our churchwide reading plan (on the Gospel of Matthew—starts 8/20!) as well as a book manuscript deadline at the end of the summer, I can really use the help!
In addition, I’ll be introducing Kevin to the Asbury congregation on July 23 and July 30 when he’ll be preaching at all of our services.
The Personal Connection
Kevin is married to Melissa, and they have 3 children. My wife Elaine and I have known Kevin and Melissa for 16 years, and they were part of the launch team that started Munger Place Church in Dallas in 2010. Crazy how God works. In additional to that, Kevin’s dad Matt and his late mom Tellia have been members at Asbury for the last several years.
Kevin coming to Tulsa means that the Lord is up to something, and I can’t wait to see what it is.
Let’s GO.
P.S.
Kevin blogs at www.kevinmwatson.com.
My 9 Word Strategic Plan
I believe that the most important thing a leader provides is clarity; if the vision is clear, it almost doesn’t matter what the vision is (as long as it’s not wicked). So, I’ve often joked that if the vision is
“We’re gonna be the cheeseburger church—everyone who comes on Sundays will be served a cheeseburger;”
And if that vision is clear,
Then the church will grow.
Clarity is actually really difficult to achieve, but once the vision is clear, everyone wins.
(I was joking about the “cheeseburger church” thing, but I think I could actually get behind that idea. Who’s with me? Maybe it just means I’m hungry.)
Keystone Habits
I’m a big believer in what Charles Duhigg calls “keystone habits.”
A keystone habit is a behavior that, though it might seem small, will have a cascading effect into other areas of a person’s life. So, for example, take exercise:
“When people start habitually exercising, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It’s not completely clear why.…‘Exercise spills over,’ said James Prochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher. ‘There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier.’”
Committing to the right keystone habits is HUGE, since those repeated behaviors will drive everything else.
I’m much more interested personally and professionally on focusing on inputs than I am on outcomes.
What are the inputs that will set me up for success?
What are the habits that will prepare Asbury for what’s next?
My 9 Word Strategic Plan
So, here’s my 9 word strategic plan for Asbury:
One psalm a day, every day, for 150 days.
It’s not exciting. It’s not glamorous. It’s not impressive.
But if Asburians develop the habit of beginning their days in silence and in scripture, if we commit to daily consistency and not worry overmuch about intensity, if we learn the practice of praying through our emotions to the Lord, in 150 days we’ll be in fighting shape.
“One psalm a day, every day, for 150 days.”
One Psalm a Day--Join Me!
For the last 3 years, I’ve read one psalm a day, every day. There are 150 psalms, so when I finish Psalm 150, I start again the next day with Psalm 1.
I’ll be starting again with Psalm 1 on Easter Monday, April 10.
NOTE: I’ve not posted here on the general section of my blog since Thanksgiving—forgive the lack of content. I actually post almost every day on the Bible section of this site, but though this post is about the Bible, I’m posting it here because I wanted to draw my general readers’ attention to it. If you’re new here, know that I have 2 newsletters to which folks can subscribe: the general Andrew Forrest newsletter, which gets sent out infrequently—whenever I post something here—and my Daily Bible newsletter, which is sent out at 4:00 AM Central and offers brief commentary on that day’s scripture reading portion in whatever plan I’m currently following.
Asbury is a Bible-Reading Church
There is a simplicity to reading one psalm every day—even if you have an early-morning flight, e.g., you can still read your psalm on your phone on the way to the airport.
I like to say that “Asbury is a Bible-reading church,” and I’ve spent my first 8 months here preaching and teaching through Genesis and Revelation, respectively. We’ll continue reading through whole books this fall, when we work through the Gospel of Matthew.
But in addition to other reading plans, I’d like the practice of reading one psalm a day, every day to become part of the Asbury culture. No matter where you are or what’s going on, you can turn to that day’s psalm—there is a simplicity and security in that. It’s also almost always a really quick read, which helps folks who feel as if they are too busy to read the Bible regularly.
Psalms Scripture journals
We’ve ordered 10,000 of these beautiful ESV Psalms Scripture Journals from Crossway, and will be handing them out on Easter Sunday, April 9.
If you live out of town, you can order your own Psalms Scripture Journal here.
For Psalms, My Commentary Will Be Online Only
I like to preach and teach through entire books of the Bible—otherwise, it’s easy to just fall into topical, self-help preaching. There is nothing wrong with topical, self-help preaching, unless that’s all you do, in which case I think it’s too limiting.
But with the Psalms, I will NOT be preaching through the entire book, psalm by psalm. Instead, for the next several months we’ll be changing things up and I’ll be preaching shorter, topical series, as well as having some of our associate pastors preach series of their own when I’m gone in the summer.
And because we wanted to hand out the ESV Scripture Journals (which came straight from the publisher), we are not printing any of my daily commentary to hand out—rather, my daily commentary through Psalms will be online on the Bible section of my blog—each day’s post will go live at 3:30 AM central, and for folks subscribed to my Bible newsletter, emailed out at 4:00 AM central.
So, again, if you want to receive my daily commentary through the Psalms, be sure to either check out my blog each day, or sign up and receive each post over email.
(Also, so I can get ready for the Gospel of Matthew, as well as make some progress on a few other projects, I will NOT be teaching any churchwide Bible studies on Psalms this spring. I wish I could, but I just can’t do everything! Stay tuned for Matthew this fall.)
The Plan Going forward
After we get to the end of Psalms, we’ll start over again. And again. And again. New members at Asbury will get a Psalms Journal and be encouraged to jump in on whatever that day’s psalm is.
After this initial reading, however, we’ll focus on other reading plans and commentary—specifically the Gospel of Matthew for this fall, and then other books after that.
Emotions Series Starts April 16!
As I mentioned above, I’m NOT going to be preaching through the Psalms this spring psalm-by-psalm; rather I’m going to be using the Psalms a jumping-off point to launch some different, topical series.
Our first series after Easter will be called Emotions. Here’s a trailer:
From our Easter bulletin:
Emotions are good things. Like fire, in their proper place, they make our lives better. Watch out, however: if you allow yourself to be controlled by your emotions, they will burn your life to the ground!
What’s sad is that many people in our world today never really grow up—they may look like adults, but they live like little children, constantly being controlled by their emotions.
It’s time for us to grow up, and our new series Emotions will give us practical and simple strategies to learn how to use our emotions the way God designed them to be used. New series starts after Easter!
Going to be a lot of fun.
In conclusion: get a Psalms book and join me with Psalm 1 on Monday, April 10.
Let’s GO.
A Prayer for the Thanksgiving Table
A Prayer for the Thanksgiving Table
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us and how you have provided for us in this year that is past. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the wonder of your creatures, large and small; and for all the loveliness that surrounds us. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he conquered death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.
And all the people said:
Amen.
How to Improve Your Grip Strength
This morning at our Asbury Men’s Breakfast, I gave a talk entitled:
How to Get a Date and Keep a Wife.
It was really fun pulling into the parking lot before dawn and seeing so many cars already there. When I walked into the room where the breakfast was held, the line was out the door!
The program started with the guys singing two hymns together. Man, I love hearing a room full of men singing together! Here are 2 brief videos I recorded with my iPhone.
My goal is to talk about practical things that will help Christian men thrive in our culture.
So, you had to be there, but one of the things we discussed is the importance of strength, particularly grip strength. Virtually every man can improve his grip strength. So, the links below are some things I personally am using. You might want something harder or easier, so consider accordingly.
Equipment for Improving Grip Strength
Captains of Crush Size 2 “Sport” (80 lbs.) Hand Gripper.
Captains of Crush Size 3 “Trainer” (100 lbs.) Hand Gripper.
[Note that there are many different levels—these are just 2 I use.]
And you can’t beat the good ole Farmer’s Carry:
Good luck, gents!
P.S. Here’s the handout I distributed. See if you can fill-in the blanks yourself.
P.P.S. Devoted readers will recall a similar post last year. Sometimes it’s just good to repeat yourself!
P.P.P.S. If you are receiving this over email, it’s because you signed up for my general Andrew Forrest Newsletter. In addition to occasions posts here, I also post every weekday in the Bible section of my website, and if you are subscribed to my Daily Bible newsletter, you should received those posts in your inbox every weekday at 4:00 AM Central. As always, feel free to unsubscribe at any time.
George W. Bush in Running Shoes
The most important things a leader does is provide clarity.
Clarity trumps pretty much everything else, but it’s very difficult to achieve.
Clarity is difficult because it requires a leader to know his own mind—something that rarely comes without a lot of reflection—and then it requires the leader express his mind in ways that others can easily understand and remember.
All this takes a lot of work.
But it is worth it.
Nothing is more important in leadership than clarity.
I don't know why the Lord has brought us to Asbury, but I know this: there is work to do.
I didn't move here to just mail it in and draw down on capital stored up by the folks who have come before me; nope—it’s time to build.
As I said in my first sermon, it’s actually very simple:
In life you are either building on what has come before, or you drawing down on that inheritance. There is no in-between.
You’re either taking what you’ve been given and doing more with it, or else you are squandering what you’ve been given and wasting it.
You don’t light a lamp only to hide it under a bushel basket.
You don’t get a talent only to bury it.
NO.
You do something with what you’ve been given.
So, last week after the vote at Asbury towards disaffiliation, I put on a pair of neon orange running shoes as a way of telling folks that we’re going to get to work—we’re not going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs.
(I even wrote a blog post about this: “Buckle Up, Buttercup: Let’s Get Ready to Run”.)
Imagine my surprise when I showed up to our Tuesday evening Administrative Council board meeting—the chief governance board for the entire church—only to find that the entire board had colluded behind my back and had shown up wearing their running shoes!
I know it seems like a small thing, but I was really touched and taken aback by the gesture. I’m the new guy and I know folks are still trying to figure out what I’m about and if I can be trusted. For them to show up in their running shoes tells me that they are ready to run.
Let’s go.
And by the way, I’m going to wear running shoes with my suit tomorrow morning.
I don’t really care if I preach to 50 people or 5,000—to me it’s the same thing. I don’t get nervous in a bigger room or feel more comfortable in a smaller room. So, preaching to a bigger congregation on Sundays doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. In fact, preaching to more folks has never been a goal of mind, and is absolutely not why I left Texas to move to Oklahoma. What is a goal of mine is to do the most with what I’ve been given. To run hard, in other words.
The biggest change for me personally in moving here is not the size of the congregation on Sundays but the size of the staff I’m supposed to lead: about 70 folks (I think!).
The staff is understandably nervous and uncertain about the future, since my predecessor here, the Rev. Tom Harrison, was senior pastor for 29 years! Everything seems different, and I know that folks are unsure how to proceed and how to make decisions.
“This is the time of year when I always order green popsicles for the next summer. Are we even DOING green popsicles any more?”
The most important thing I can provide our church is clarity.
And so I’ve given a lot of thought about how I can provide clarity to the staff and let them know I trust them to make decisions.
In short:
I’m asking each of our staff members to become George W. Bush in running shoes.
[I know I have a fair number of pastors who read this blog, so the following is a summary of a presentation I gave to our staff this week to help them feel confident in making decisions and taking ownership.]
Friends,
As I told you at staff meeting on Tuesday, I know everything is strange these days and folks are wondering, “What should I do about X or Y now that we have a new senior pastor?”
My simple answer:
That is, just go for it. Become “The Decider.” (One of my favorite Bush-isms.)
What follows is a simple rubric for making decisions that I hope you’ll save and to which you’ll refer back from time to time.
How to Make Decisions at Asbury
Here’s what I want you to know:
I trust your judgment. And you were hired to do stuff. So, don’t be afraid.
I would rather have you make bold decisions and mess them up than be paralyzed by fear of failure.
So, to paraphrase George W. Bush:
Go for it!
And this is how I want you to make decisions.
When faced with a decision, I want you to first ask:
This is how to do that:
Pursue Excellence—make decisions that help us pursue excellence. Put that mint on the pillow, baby.
2. Provide Clarity—make it clear what folks are supposed to do or where they are supposed to go.
The way to ensure you are both pursuing excellence and clarity is through
Which is a very practical way of fulfilling the Great Commandment, anyway.
In summary:
I trust you to make decisions. And if we get those decisions wrong, guess what?
We’ll repent and redo. No worries.
And Please Please Please Please Please Hear This
MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN* TO YOU
*Now, my door will not always literally be “open.” (I keep it closed as a way to help me focus.)
But unless the blinds on my office door are closed, you are always always free to come in and visit and ask a question, etc.
Always.
Please don’t hesitate to come in. If I’m in a meeting, then I won’t be able to talk, but otherwise I’d love to see you for any reason.
In fact, I’d probably prefer an in-person visit to an email or a text—it’s usually more efficient. You are also welcome to call my desk phone, though I don’t really know how to use it yet. 🤦🏻♂️
Friends, there’s a lot of great work to do. The Lord isn’t done with us yet, which means he has work for us to do.
Let’s go.
It’s time to run.
—Andrew
P.S. If you’ve read this far and are an Asburian, I’d love to have you join me tomorrow—let’s wear our running shoes together. Literally.
Buckle Up, Buttercup: Let's Get Ready to Run
Asbury’s members voted today to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.
A brief post on what’s next.
Results of Today’s Church Conference
The standards for today’s church conference were set by the Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Only in-person voting was permitted. Ballots were distributed prior to the 2 PM conference start and then collected around 2:30 PM.
1,637 votes cast in-person this afternoon:
6 ABSTAIN
26 NO
1,605 YES
The motion to disaffiliate passed with 98.05% of the vote.
This Was Asbury’s 2nd “Vote”
Starting on March 6 and concluding on March 12, Asbury held an electronic vote of its members to ratify actions its board had taken to unilaterally disaffiliate. For reasons that I don’t need to go into here, that vote was not considered binding by the Oklahoma UMC. But, for purposes of comparison, the results of that vote are instructive. It was kinda a straw poll, it now seems.
1,636 electronic ballots submitted over the course of that week in March.
48 NO
1,588 YES
The March electronic vote had 97.07% voting YES, March 6-12.
What Happens Next?
Today’s vote will need to be ratified by a special session of the Oklahoma Annual Conference on Friday, October 21. Two weeks before that meeting, Asbury will wire agreed-upon exit fees to an escrow account; if the special session approves the disaffiliation, 10 days after that meeting, Asbury will become an independent church.
The specifics of what happens after that I don’t know. We will take our time and prayerfully discern where we’re supposed to end up.
But this I do know:
Buckle Up, Buttercup: It’s Time to Run
Our church governance board has led us to this point because they believe that disaffiliation will enable Asbury to do even more effective ministry in the future.
I personally have no intention of doing anything but pushing hard into that future.
As the meeting closed today, I made a point of putting on my neon orange running shoes and telling the folks who’d waited around for the results that it was time to run.
Allow me to further mix my metaphors:
We’re going to drop the hammer.
We’re going to push the pedal hard.
We’re going all in.
In short:
Buckle up, Buttercup: Let’s Get Ready to Run.
P.S. Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool. Could have also gone with that one….
Preaching, Teaching, Livestream Schedule, Plus Pics
Tomorrow is my first “normal” Sunday at Asbury, as last Sunday was unusual for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it was one big combined service for the entire church. Last Sunday was a really fun day; scroll down for a bunch of pics from my family’s first Sunday at Asbury.
I’m going to continue to introduce myself tomorrow with another sermon that will speak to what I want my ministry at Asbury to be about. (We’ll kick off our fall series through the Book of Genesis next week. BOOM.)
My topic tomorrow? The surest way to blessing that I know.
[Note that I’m having trouble embedding the sermon video, so if you are reading this as email and get an error message click on “Watch on YouTube” to see it.]
How do we truly show gratitude?
Everything in life was given to us by those who have come before us, gifts of God given again to us.
What do we do now?
That was my topic for my first Sunday at Asbury.
Normal Sunday Schedule
8:00 AM in the Chapel. Traditional, small service with organ.
9:30 AM in the Sanctuary. Traditional. Choir and orchestra. Biggest service.
11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. Modern. Band.
All services are livestreamed.
New Thursday Schedule!
We had our first-ever Thursday night service this past week. That’s also the plan going forward.
6:00 PM in the Chapel. Relaxed, casual service.
(I’ve asked that we NOT stream nor publish the Thursday evening service. In terms of my preaching calendar, Thursdays precede Sundays; i.e., I’ll preach the same version—or hopefully a much better version!—of my Thursday sermon each following Sunday.)
Livestream Info
There are three different options for the Asbury livestream.
www.asburytulsa.org. Click on “Watch Live” on the main page.
Facebook: the “Asbury Tulsa” page.
YouTube: the “Asbury Tulsa” channel.
The feed will go live a good amount of time before the hour, so tune in early.
My Preaching Schedule This Fall
I will be preaching every week* this fall at the schedule above: Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.
*With two exceptions!
I will be visiting Sunday school classes at Asbury on 10/16 and 11/27, so though I’ll be at church I will NOT be preaching on either 10/16 or 11/27, nor the Thursdays preceding those dates.
Live out of town and wanna visit? We’d love to have you! (Particularly if you have a Texas passport.)
My Teaching Schedule This Fall
I’m teaching four churchwide Bible studies on the Book of Genesis this fall in the Chapel.
Wednesdays, 6:30 PM
8/17
8/31
10/12
10/26
Each study will be livestreamed.
I’m also speaking next Saturday (8/20) at the training event for the leaders of the Asbury Discipleship Communities. My topic? “How to Prepare Folks for Negative World”.
Pics from My Family’s First Sunday at Asbury
(Look closely: my little daughter is staring down the photographer in the two above pics!)
The Last Chapter, and the Next One
It’s been two months since my last Sunday at Munger; tomorrow is my first Sunday at Asbury.
It’s been a strange summer, as I’ve not felt I really belonged anywhere, that I was neither fish nor fowl, so to speak.
So, it will feel good to get started tomorrow morning.
But before this next chapter begins, I want to put a pin in my memories of that last Munger Sunday.
That last Sunday (June 5, 2022) was golden; it was perfect, just perfect. And though there were tears, the entire morning was just filled with gratitude and joy—the Lord has been so good to us.
Right as the first song began, I came under the tent to the front row where my son Jack was sitting and I was shocked to see my son’s great friend Austin standing there. I immediately started crying. Austin lives in another part of Dallas and his family doesn’t go to Munger, but the friendship between Austin and Jack since Kindergarten has been really sweet. And something about seeing Austin’s blond head there as we were all singing felt like a foretaste of glory—surprised by joy.
So, let this post serve as an ebenezer: God is good(er).
My Last Munger Sermon - “The Last Chapter”
Though it was certainly not my best sermon, I’m proud of my last Munger sermon—I really believe in what I said, and I’ve heard from several folks over the summer how my bottom line has been helpful to them, facing the loss of a loved one or inexplicable difficulty or even life change:
“In the End, everything will be okay;
If it’s not okay, then it’s not the End;
And if it’s not the End, the Lord still has work for us to do.”
My family joined me on stage and I love how in the video you can see me and my son Jack crying against each other and the staff huddled around as Jake and Rodney pray over us.
That entire last weekend was just so special and I never want to forget it. So, below are some pics and videos from our last Munger weekend, including a bunch that I was able to take from the stage, both during rehearsal and during the service itself.
[Note: If you are reading this in your email inbox, it might be easier to view the videos if you click over and read this post on my blog, as the videos are all embedded there.]
That Last Week
Jackie and I getting ready to lead our very last online morning prayer session live from White Rock Lake in East Dallas. I loved those mornings so much—such a sweet gift to be able to have him join me.
Our neighborhood changed a lot over the years in which we lived there—most of the changes were for the good, though of course not all of them.
Empty office.
Empty house.
Saturday Rehearsal
Some of my favorite Munger memories were our outdoor Easter services, under the big tent in Garrett Park, but we hadn’t held any of those since before the pandemic, and when my colleague Melissa suggested we have one big service for my family’s last Sunday, I was all for it.
One of the things I loved most about Munger was walking around while our band was rehearsing. So I made a point to walk over to Garrett Park on Saturday just to hear and see—so glad I brought my phone with me.
Don’t skip the videos—they are short (all less than a minute) and so so great. So much joy!
[Again, if you are one of my newsletter subscribers, it will be easier to view the videos by reading this post on my blog itself.]
I took this pic as I walked over to Garrett Park on Saturday for rehearsal. Thank you, Lord, for Munger in my life.
I couldn’t help singing along: “Let your love flow….”
Love hearing the trombone and the guitars working together.
Wait for the song to drop: “Let the light from the lighthouse….”
That Last Sunday
I got up early that last Sunday and went for a walk in the dark up Swiss Avenue, as I’d done thousands of times before. I loved that time in the dark, totally alone, walking and thinking over my sermon for the day.
How many miles have I walked up those beautiful blocks? We were so fortunate to have lived there.
I love this song and whenever I hear it in the future I’ll think of our band warming up that last Munger Sunday.
Oh man. At 10 seconds Kelly Riley drops in with the chorus. He’s the best and this was so fun!
Speaking of fun, this was the last song the band played before the service began: “Oh When the Saints….” Love love love the trombone.
I love the simplicity of this song:
“For God so loved the world that he gave us
His one and only Son to save us….”
Amen. How great to hear the entire congregation gathered singing:
“Oh there’s nothing better than you….”
“Because He Lives” brings back so many memories of our Munger Easter services under the tent over the years. Grateful we got to sing it one last time together.
Last Munger Sunday - Recap Video
Some Munger folks made this re-cap video for me of that last Sunday. Such a special gift.
Goodbye House, Goodbye Church, Goodbye Neighborhood
We left Texas the afternoon of our last Sunday and made the drive to Tulsa. It just seemed right to finish our final service, say goodbye, and hit the road.
We loved our old hundred-year-old house so much. Our children never knew anyplace different. It was good to us.
No one could have been kinder to us than our sweet neighbors whom we love so much—they were our grandparents-across-the-street. One last swing on the rope swing in their front yard.
We came over and prayed in the church one last time, all by ourselves. I’ll never stop being grateful for our time at Munger.
No keys on my keyring!
The Next Chapter Begins
So, after the last chapter, the next one begins: tomorrow is our first Sunday at our new church.
And the folks here cannot have been kinder. Asbury has a billboard contract around the city and, just as they had a campaign to honor the Rev. Tom Harrison, my predecessor who retired after 29 years at Asbury, they started a new one to welcome me! My wife can’t stop making fun of me for it.
But remember, what goes around comes around. Elaine made fun of me for my billboard, and then this happened:
She and the kids were uniform-shopping for school this week when a photographer came up and took their picture. Guess who was on the front page of the Tulsa World this past Friday morning?!
“The Tulsa World.” Friday, August 5, 2022.
The poor people of Tulsa can’t get away from us.
“Live From Tulsa It’s Sunday Morning!”
Tomorrow morning we’re having only one service at Asbury, 10:00 AM CDT. I know there are a bunch of Texans in town to support our family on our first Sunday and it will be so nice to see some familiar faces in the congregation—be sure to get to church early.
I also know there are lots of folks praying for us who won’t be there. Now, some of you know my glib little phrase about online church:
“online church isn’t.”
I say that because I think it’s really important that we gather in person as the people of God. However I also know that lots of folks who wish they could be there live far away. Our parents, e.g., will be tuning into the livestream tomorrow.
So here is the livestream info for Asbury:
There are three different options.
www.asburytulsa.org. Click on “Watch Live” on the main page.
Facebook: the “Asbury Tulsa” page.
YouTube: the “Asbury Tulsa” channel.
The feed will go live a good amount of time before the hour, so tune in early.
Alright, Fast Eddie
Tomorrow starts a new chapter in my family’s life. A year ago none of this would have seemed remotely likely to me, which leads me to conclude that the Lord has brought us here for a reason.
So tomorrow morning, right before I walk into the Asbury Sanctuary for the first time I’m going to look at myself in the mirror and say: Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.
"Alright Fast Eddie, Let's Play Some Pool"
There’s this great scene early in the 1961 movie The Hustler: Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) and Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) have been playing pool for 25 hours straight, and Fast Eddie has been winning—he’s been wiping the floor with the Fat Man, and is over $11,000 up. There’s a break in the action, and Minnesota Fats goes to the washroom and freshens up. He combs his hair, cleans his fingernails, straightens his tie.
Then he comes out, dries off his hands, slides into his suitjacket—it’s a beautiful three piece suit he’s wearing—fixes his boutonniere on his lapel, and has the steward pour a little bit of talcum powder on his hands.
He looks absolutely magnificent, the picture of masculine elegance, calm, cool, controlled.
And then he looks at Eddie and he says,
“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”
Although they’ve been playing for 25 hours straight, and although Fats has been losing for 25 hours straight, Fast Eddie doesn’t want to stop until Fats calls it quits. Which he doesn’t.
And that moment in the washroom is the turning point. From the moment Fats fixes that boutonniere and chalks up his hands, he begins to win. And Fast Eddie is ruined.
I’d seen that movie as a college student, but it wasn’t until I read Colin Powell’s book It Worked for Me that I remembered that scene. Those words, “Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool” had always stuck in General Powell’s mind and he talks in the book how he would use them whenever he had a difficult or momentous task in front of him, e.g., testifying before Congress, which he did many many times.
He recalls in the book how he would go to the men’s room right before he was due to speak, wash his hands, look at himself in the mirror, and say:
“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”
He says that that little ritual would help calm him down to focus on the task at hand.
I have always loved that anecdote.
And though I’m sure it sounds silly to you, I started doing the same thing before I would preach on a big Sunday—say Christmas or Easter—or had a difficult meeting or was nervous about a speaking engagement.
Of course I pray and ask the Lord for help, but it would also kinda give me a little private smile to wash my hands, look at myself in the mirror, and say,
“Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”
I begin a new job in the morning, and it feels as if I’m beginning a new chapter in my life, too.
Twenty years ago, I got my first job out of college.
And here I am starting all over again tomorrow.
I feel kinda like a kid going into a new school. (Lord, be with my children as they have their first days of school later this month.)
But, I really think the Lord has been sheepdogging us to Tulsa, which means he has work for us to do.
So, tomorrow morning before I leave the house, I’m going to brush my teeth, look myself in the mirror, and say,
“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”
I'll be Live from Lakeside in the Morning!
I’m Preacher for the Week at a Victorian vacation community on Lake Erie called Lakeside Chautauqua.
I preach tomorrow morning (7/24), 10:30 AM EDT (9:30 AM CENTRAL for you Texas and Oklahoma folks!) for the Sunday worship service.
Then I teach a Bible study each morning, 9-10 AM, Monday-Thursday.
And I give a short talk on Tuesday evening.
My theme for the week is the Prologue of the Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-11 (Creation to Babel). Can’t wait!
The Sunday worship service will be live-streamed. Would love to have you join.
Here’s the Link for the Sunday Livestream.
Remember, 9:30 CENTRAL, which is 10:30 AM EDT here in Ohio.
A Prayer For Our Nation
[Photo taken by yours truly, Sunday evening, July 3, 2022. Colington Island, North Carolina.]
For Our Nation
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—from The Book of Common Prayer
Happy Independence Day, everyone.
God Bless You, Jake and Rosemary!
[Our last Munger Sunday together, Pentecost 2022.]
Today is the last Munger Sunday on staff for Jake Porter and Rosemary Cole.
Jake (who is preaching today) was on the Munger staff for 9 1/2 years. Rosey was on staff for 6 years.
I am so grateful for them both and hate that I can’t be there today to thank them in person.
The challenge for me is not knowing what to say about them, the challenge is to keep it brief!
Jake Porter is a man of complete integrity. I’d like to apply to him what Jesus says about Nathaniel in John 1—”a man in whom there is no deceit.” I know no one more ready to be honest about himself. He loves the Lord, his family, his church, and his friends is a whole-hearted way. He will readily take a burden on himself in order to bless someone else.
Rosemary Cole is a woman whom I completely trust. She was my assistant and I can’t say anything better than this: when she was meeting or talking or corresponding with someone on my behalf, I knew that that person would feel valued, respected, and preferred. Working with her was a precious gift! She is a modest, humble, background player who only wants to make other people better.
Well done, friends. I am so grateful for you. Your constant kindness to me made my life sweeter.
“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
This Video Broke My Heart All Over Again
This video just broke my heart all over again.
I haven’t been able to write about my last Munger Sunday—already two weeks ago!—and I’ll have more to say soon. But this afternoon someone surprised me with this beautiful highlight video from that day and as my little daughter and I watched it, we started crying all over again.
That last Sunday and those last 12 years were sweet beyond measure, and I am so grateful to have been able to share that time with the people we loved so much.
[Video credit: Drew Sutherland, Sus 4 Productions.]
Rachel Refusing to Be Comforted
Matthew’s Gospel tells us of the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem:
“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”
Out of all the things Matthew could say next, he chooses to use a heartbreaking quotation from the prophet Jeremiah:
“Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
’A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”
Jeremiah is speaking of a time of grief and horror in Israel, and he is using the story of Rachel from Genesis to make his point. Rachel is the beloved second wife of the Patriarch Jacob; she compares herself jealously to her fertile sister Leah, who has four strapping sons before Rachel is able to conceive. Rachel ends up having a son named Joseph, and then dies in childbirth as she is laboring to deliver her second son, Benjamin. (The baby survives.)
Jeremiah poetically recalls Rachel’s suffering and uses Rachel to represent all of Israel; we the readers imagine a woman in difficult labor, drawing her last breath in screams and terror.
Matthew draws upon Jeremiah’s screaming image for his understated and piercing commentary on the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem:
“Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”
“Rachel…refusing to be comforted.”
I’ve always thought that those lines were the heartbreakingly right way to address the murders and the misery at Bethlehem—not with a sentiment or reflection or attempt to do anything with the horror, but with just a simple statement: there is nothing at that moment that will bring any comfort or relief from the living nightmare.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.
God Is Good(er)
The most evil idea in the world is the idea that God cannot be trusted, that God isn’t good.
And it is in direct opposition to that destructive idea that Jesus performed the miracle at the Wedding of Cana.
Want to know what the water-into-wine miracle means?
It means that God is Good(er).
Preacher: Andrew Forrest
Scripture: John 2:1-11; Isaiah 25:6-7
“BUT IDEAS AND IMAGES are also a primary stronghold of evil in the human self and in society. They determine how we ‘take’ the things and events of ordinary life. They control the meanings we assign to what we deal with, and they can even blind us to what lies plainly before us. Again, this is seen over and over in biblical and in Christian history, and in human life generally. Their power for evil cannot be overestimated and is constantly at play in most human governments.
Ideas and images are, accordingly, the primary focus of Satan’s efforts to defeat God’s purposes with and for humankind. When we are subject to his chosen ideas and images, he can take a nap or a holiday. Thus when he undertook to draw Eve away from God, he did not hit her with a stick, but with an idea. It was with the idea that God could not be trusted and that she must act on her own to secure her own well-being.
This is the basic idea back of all temptation: God is presented as depriving us by his commands of what is good, so we think we must take matters into our own hands and act contrary to what he has said. This image of God leads to our pushing him out of our thoughts… and putting ourselves on the throne of the universe. The condition of the ruined soul and world naturally results. The single most important thing in our mind is our idea of God….”
Easter 2022 - I'm Going to Miss This So Much
Lots of fun pics and videos below from Easter 2022 at Munger. Christ is Risen Indeed!
It was yesterday, during rehearsal, that it really hit me: I’m going to miss this place so much.
(I was wearing sunglasses, so no one could see I was crying.)
You know what got me? Just how much fun our band was having.
For example:
and this:
And then just all the joy this morning made me feel so grateful—my 12th Easter at Munger! First some fun videos I took from the stage, then some pics from the morning.
Easter began in the dark at 6:30 AM, by candlelight.
And then we closed the service in the light, out on the front steps.
The balloon company dropped off our balloon arches at 4:00 AM!
Lots of empty seats to fill….
And the only thing better than a full parking lot…
Is filling it TWICE!
Staff pic—man I love these folks. (Poor Rich was sick at home and couldn’t join us.)
Love our stage under the live oaks.
Does YOUR church have a pedal steel on Easter?!
Does YOUR church have llamas on Easter?!
He is risen indeed!
Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be a part of spreading the Good News in East Dallas these past 12 years. It’s been the great privilege of my life.
"The Impossible"
I recently re-watched the 2012 movie The Impossible, the true story of one family’s experience with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It stars Naomi Watts (who was nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award), Ewan Macgregor, and a young Tom Holland.
It’s even better than I remember it and very moving. Highly recommended.
The reason I’m writing about The Impossible now is because I’m going to talk in my Easter Sunday sermon about the real-life experience on which the movie is based and I’d love for folks to watch the movie before coming to church Sunday. It’s currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime, and is of course also available through other streaming services as well.
Let me know if you get a chance to see it before Sunday.
Here’s an extended clip of the wave hitting the Thai resort where the family is spending the Christmas holidays. Warning: not for the faint of heart.
Please Don't Listen to This Sermon
Keep your ears stopped.
Shut your eyes tight.
Make your necks stiff.
And harden your hearts.
For:
If you hear and see,
If you receive and obey,
This message will bring life abundant.
Do you have ears? Use them.
(Reflections on the Parable of the Sower.)
Series: Gospel of Mark (2022)
Scripture: Mark 4:1-25
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022
"But That Is *Exactly* What Happened!"
This morning on The Musers, Gordo got on the topic of how quick we are these days to criticize good people by saying they are not doing enough or doing it quickly enough.
“Sure, you say you’re working to end homelessness, but how come I just saw a homeless guy this morning?! If you were serious, then you’d already be doing more. You’re just a phony….” Etc.
Craig and George agreed.
And then Gordo said something really interesting:
He said that if Jesus himself were around today, then people would quickly turn on him and complain that he wasn’t doing enough or doing it fast enough.
And I kicked around that point for a minute until I thought,
“But, that is actually exactly what happened!”