Sometimes I feel like having a blog is like having a dog.  You have to feed it to keep it alive.  Same with a blog I guess.  There never seems to be enough time to post all that is on your mind or what you’d like to write about therefore I find myself paralyzed to the point of doing nothing.  But since I enjoy this kind of communication I will prevail.  Actually the last couple of days has been a bit challenging for me as I was transitioning to a new laptop.  So don’t think I’m a total blog loser.  I’ve got some friends that post almost every day.  You’re my hero’s!

If you have been watching the news or a student of US History then you know that today is a very significant day in the life of our nation. Today is the 40th Anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Many people leave imprints on our lives but Dr. King has certainly left a legacy. Because of men like this, men who loved Jesus in amazing ways, we are a freer nation. I really believe that!

This past Saturday Westbrook held her first Leadership Community for 2008. It was a great day of community building, ministry training and leadership development. It was also a great day for our corp of leaders to be together for mutual encouragement. They were pretty much all pumped to say the least. From a multi-cultural perspective, we worked very hard to make sure that our Gente Unida famimly were with us as well. Even though GUM has their own band, singers, techs, children’s workers, guest services people, etc… we made sure that they were included in our training sessions. We are not separate churches we are ONE church with multiple congregations. It was awesome to see people of every color coming together to hone their ministry and leadership skills as one body. Leadership Community was just another example of the commitment to being a true multi-cultural church. But make no mistake, it takes hard work to make sure no one is left out.

I got back a few days ago from an amazing trip to the Holy Land. I was blessed to join up with 20 other Pastors and church leaders from across the country for an enjoyable and truly life changing 14 day journey. Thanks to the CF Foundation out of Atlanta, GA and to Emmanuel School of Religion in east Tennessee we were able to walk and and experience the lands of the bible. One of the more amazing things about this trip however was that it was less about tourism and picture taking and more about reflection, rest and renewal as Pastors. For me, it was all about having my spiritual well filled up. I had to admit to myself that I was pretty worn out when it came to my ministry and to be honest I had been running on fumes for quite some time. This pilgrimage to the lands of Jesus, was just the ticket to fill me up.

We visited a lot of really cool places, but more than just seeing them we were able to experience them and experience Christ while being in them. At nearly every site, the leaders gave us 15-45 minutes to sit and reflect and journal and pray and worship. It was a very rich time. Several of the other travelers were church planting friends of mine and I was blessed to make many additional friendships. We laughed a lot as we experienced a lot. For a funny take on some of our antics take a moment to visit www.vinceantonucci.com. Vince is a total nut and kept most of us laughing way more than we could handle.

I can’t stop talking about it, and am planning on sharing some of my experiences and learnings this weekend at Westbrook. Right now, I have a few quiet moments at Westbrook in the midst of our first Leadership Community of 2008. We have pulled together all of our ministry leaders together for one day on vision casting, ministry training and leadership development. What a rush to see several hundred ministry leaders connecting with each other and growing in their service.

Gotta run… glad I’m home but I could have stayed for another week for sure.

Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all, I came across this story that flashed across the AP wires.
It seems that Police in St. Augustine, FL have arrested a motorist they say had a 24 pack of beer strapped in with a seat belt but had a 16 month old girl unrestrained in the back seat with the toddler’s mother. Tina D. Williams was pulled over in St. Augustine for allegedly running a red light. A 24 pack of Busch beer was strapped in with the passenger seat belt according to an arrest report. The young girl was in the back seat with 20 -year-old Amber Tedrick, who is the toddlers’ mother. Williams, 46 said she didn’t know why the child wasn’t restrained. Give me a break!    Could you say that someone has their priorities a little out of wack?

A very important part of becoming a culturally sensitive church and a church that elevates the beauty of multiple ethnicities all worshiping together is the need to Pursue Cross - Cultural Competencies. Beyond just mere awareness of other cultures or a sensitivity toward them, we as Christ-followers must also learn of other cultures whereby we can celebrate when they celebrate and appreciate what they appreciate. One such opportunity to do that very thing in the local American church is just a few weeks away. Of course I am referring to the American holiday celebrating and honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 21, 2008 is the National Holiday to be exact but I feel that it is highly appropriate for all churches especially Multi-cultural churches to underscore the life of this faithful Christ-follower, civil rights spokesmen and passionate human being. While we come to corporate worship to honor and celebrate the life of Christ, we regularly speak of those who have faithfully “walked the walk.” Dr. King was more than just an outspoken advocate for the dignity and rights of our black brothers and sisters he was an amazing preacher of the word of God. In preparation for this national holiday, I encourage you to take some time to listen to some of the magnificent sermons that Dr. King delivered. You may just catch a glimpse of more than just civil rights but his heart felt passion to honor Christ as well.

Well it’s been a crazy time in the life of Westbrook over the last several weeks and one of the areas that’s been pushed to the back burner is this blog. I’ve really wanted to post, but have found myself quite consumed. In the midst of the busyness however, God has proven faithful. We are gearing up for our Christmas service. This Tuesday night is our Annual Christmas Candlelight Service. The weather has been “challenging” to say the least over the last three Saturday’s… All in all, though God has shown week after week that this is HIS church and we are HIS people.
We’ve got some exciting things in store for 2008, but right now we are focused on this weekend’s worship time. If you’re looking for a place to connect with God this holiday month… check us out at Westbrook!

The great American holiday is upon us and we certainly all have a great deal of stuff to be thankful for. I know I do:
~ I’m thankful for the Christ I serve. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do… (sometimes working this closely with people can be a bit trying) but it does bring joy. In fact, Time magazine recently posted a list of occupations that bring people the most happiness and the Clergy ranked the highest with 67% saying that there are very happy each day. I think I would rank myself and my happiness much higher than that even!
~ I’m thankful for my family. I really do have the greatest wife on the planet. She’s quite patient with me and loves me even on those days when I’m a little less caring than I should be. I have three great boys. They are smart, kind, caring and fun. My extended family is a great blessing to me (most of the time). I’m blessed
~ I’m thankful for my Westbrook family. The staff that I serve with is second to none. Other Pastor friends think they have great staff… but deep down I know ours is the best. I love our church. Sure we’ve dealt with some challenges recently, but God’s grace has been sufficient for us to endure each little thing. By that same grace we will continue to march forward as we fulfill the dream that God has planted within us.
~ I’m thankful for my friends. I hang out with some great people outside of my church relationships. Some of them are very lost spiritually, but I love them just the same. What they don’t know is that I pray for them the whole time we are hanging out. I also have friends that are very spiritually in tune. My life is blessed with both groups of people!
I could go on and on… suffice it to say I will be mindful of all of my blessings today and the rest of this weekend.
What about you? What are you thankful for?