You see this white leg with ink on it? Yep, that’s me and my tattoo. And this is the story behind it.

The backdrop was the dry, desert heat of Turkey. Ten years ago, I was in the Air Force and spent five months living in sand where I inspected my shoes for scorpions, cleaned sand out from behind my ears, and wrestled with the reason for my mere existence.

I felt a bit like a nomad as I spent my off-duty time walking around thinking over my life. I was completely broken. I have experienced so much pain in my life and it was as if I didn’t allow my heart to break. Then all at once- it hit me.

Rejection. Loneliness. Desperation. Doubt. Abuse. Insecurity. Pride. Condemnation. Guilt. Abandonment. “Crazy Times” by Jars of Clay was playing in the background as I broke down with my hands on my face recognizing all the sin I had committed and was committed against me.

I was already a Christian- but it was at this moment I discovered the depth of my relationship with Jesus. I began to embrace the identity I had all along- I was (am) a child of God.

I remembered all that God had brought me through. Love. Acceptance. Redemption. Restoration. Relationships. Hope. Joy. Grace. Truth. I had been through so much- but also had been seen through so much. God’s providential hand was guiding my life the whole time. Even more, I realized that my life wasn’t an accident. I read Jeremiah 29:11-12 and finally saw that God had a plan- even for me.

In the desert of Turkey I knew my purpose was to be a messenger of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

This went beyond a vocational calling- it was a life calling. It was as if the scales fell of my eyes. I made a commitment to God to not live a segmented life- but live wholeheartedly. To not be ashamed of my faith- but show people the grace and truth of Jesus.

To mark this moment in my life, I got my one and only tattoo. I wanted ink that would represent my purpose. I knew it would make a bold statement as to what I’m all about. And at the end of my journey in Turkey, I got it, and have never regretted it.

I love the conversations this splat of ink on my leg has instigated. And I especially love the fact that it gives glory where glory is due.

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Thank you Carlos and my fellow “Splat Your Tat” readers at Ragamuffin Soul for checking this out. I look forward to reading the stories behind your tat’s too.

Filed under: Christianity, Life, My Story | 1 Comment

In three days, we have our first launch party for Project Church.

Even though we’re months away from a public launch- I’m starting to get that “I’m so excited but I want to throw up” feeling about this first gathering. I find myself praying the prayer that Astronaut Alan Shephard prayed shortly before the launch of Freedom 7 in 1961.

“Please, dear God, don’t let me screw up!”

When the conception of a dream takes its first breath of infancy, it’s really something special. I hope everyone has an opportunity to experience it at some point in their lives.

Sunday is just around the corner. Contact me if you plan on coming.

Filed under: Church Planting, Quotes, Rapid City, church | 4 Comments

I once had a pastor of a traditional church ask me how they could change their style to reach young people. His congregation was somewhat effective at connecting with senior citizens- but not young adults.

My advice: “Reach more seniors.” He tilted his head with a perplexed look on his face.

I continued, “Don’t start wearing blue jeans, getting lights, and playing loud music when it doesn’t suit you (the pastor) or the congregation. Be who you are- just more intentionally. Be the church that missionally reaches out to senior citizens. Go hardcore-traditional. Have the best pastoral care. Go to all of the nursing homes. Host the craft bazaars and bake sales. Visit the hospital daily. Teach classes on being a better grandparent. Challenge the retirement mindset. Go all out!.”

I ended our conversation saying, “If I were you I’d keep wearing the suit, singing the hymns, lighting the candles, and most importantly, preaching the Bible.”

He thought that was strange advice coming from me. After all, I favor jeans, good, loud music, cool lights, and most importantly, preaching the Bible. But that’s just me- it wasn’t him or his church.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of churches trying to repackage themselves to be more “contemporary” at the expense of what they already do very well. It’s not always about the young folks, there’s a lot of Old Folks who need Jesus (and a church) too.

That church didn’t take my advice and they’re still trying to find their identity. Their solution was to have a traditional service and a “contemporary” service. The traditional service draws many more people than the “contemporary” service- leaving the church scratching their heads. I hope they wake up and see the incredible opportunity they have.

The moral of this story: Don’t be a poser pastor or a poser church. Be who you are and be biblically faithful.

Sidenotes:

• Personally, I think it’s cool when multiple generations are in one church. It adds a lot of richness and flavor. But usually, a church’s overall appeal is to a particular group over another.
• I use the term “contemporary” loosely because churches who market that word do. Most churches that claim to be “contemporary” are usually stuck in 1987 singing “Shine, Jesus Shine.”
• Where’s the seasoned pastor who wants to plant a church that goes after the unchurched senior citizens?
• I’m really not sure why he, or any church leader, would ask for my advice. I have way more questions than answers.

Filed under: Church Planting, church | 3 Comments

This morning while I’m filling up my gas tank at the gas station I saw some trash on the ground.  My initial reaction was to ignore it and wait for my tank to fill up.  Pretending I didn’t see it.  30 seconds passed until I realized how stupid I was being and I walked over, picked up the piece of trash, and threw it away.

This bothers me. If this is how I respond when I see a small need, what does it say about my response to a large one?  My hope is to not wait 30 seconds to finally do what’s right- but to do it right away.

I’m still not there yet.

Filed under: Life | 4 Comments

Leaders lead regardless of a job title or position. I’ve seen this time and time again in my time in business, the military, and in ministry. Some of the top leaders in my life don’t have any authority over my life- but they do have a lot of influence in my life.

Authority can make you in charge- but influence makes you a leader.

The key for any organization, whether business, military, or church, is for the influencer’s to be the one’s with authority.

Authority + Influence = Maximized Leadership
(I’m sure John Maxwell said this somewhere).

One thing I’ve discovered about leadership is this: Most of us, if not all of us, have leadership potential.

Disagree with that statement? So did I. I used to think only a select few had leadership abilities- but I’ve learned that’s not completely true.

The moment I became a dad, I became a leader. Every parent is a leader! Some are just better than others. That doesn’t mean that you have to be a parent to be a leader but it does prove that leaders aren’t just born- they’re developed.

My hope is to continually grow into a better leader. To develop other leaders- not just a following. To inspire people to see beyond what is- and live out what could be. To not just influence people by my words- but also my example.

For me, the best lab to develop as a leader is in the petri dish called home. As I grow, my hope is that my influence will pour out into the rest of my life.

Filed under: Business, Church Planting, Family, Leadership, Life, Military | 3 Comments

The Pew Forum released results of a survey that, among other items, show a decline in Christianity as a whole in the United States. Here are some other interesting tidbits from the report:

• “More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all.”
• “Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion.”
• “… the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%.”
• “… those that are declining in number because of religious change simply are not attracting enough new members to offset the number of adherents who are leaving those particular faiths.”
• “…roughly 10% of all Americans are former Catholics.”
• “…the survey findings show that more than six-in-ten Americans age 70 and older (62%) are Protestant but that this number is only about four-in-ten (43%) among Americans ages 18-29.”
• “Latinos, who already account for roughly one-in-three adult Catholics overall, may account for an even larger share of U.S. Catholics in the future.”
• “Men are significantly more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation. Nearly one-in-five men say they have no formal religious affiliation, compared with roughly 13% of women.”
• “The Midwest most closely resembles the religious makeup of the overall population.”
• “The South, by a wide margin, has the heaviest concentration of members of evangelical Protestant churches”
• “The Northeast has the greatest concentration of Catholics, and the West has the largest proportion of unaffiliated people, including the largest proportion of atheists and agnostics.”
• “Of all the major racial and ethnic groups in the United States, black Americans are the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation.”
• “Members of Baptist churches account for one-third of all Protestants and close to one-fifth of the total U.S. adult population. Baptists also account for nearly two-thirds of members of historically black Protestant churches.”

What does this say to you?

Filed under: Christianity, Church Planting, church | Post a comment

When outsiders (those who aren’t Christian) come to a church, they often feel very uncomfortable during worship. In particular, singing out loud, raising hands, kneeling, standing up or sitting down, etc. I’ve had people tell me that it just creeps them out sitting next to someone who’s looking skyward with their eyes rolled up in their heads. (That creeps me out too).

So here’s a question I’d like to throw out there:

What can a church do to make outsiders feel more comfortable about worship? Should we even care?

I want to know what you think? Leave a comment and let’s discuss this.

Before you post, let’s throw these fundamental truths on the table. Worship is a lifestyle not an event. And most importantly, worship is about God and not us.

Now, let’s talk.

Filed under: Christianity, Church Planting, church | 4 Comments

Talking to a high school sophomore yesterday and this is what he said:

“You can preach to people all day long, but if you don’t show them love and serve the community, they won’t care.”

Good stuff. Wish I talked like that when I was his age.  I wish more Christ Followers talked like that at an old age.

Filed under: Christianity | Post a comment

This is just the beginning!

Filed under: Church Planting, Rapid City, church | 2 Comments