I've Changed The Name

For as long as I can remember I have been beating up on myself. I don't need critics. I am my own worst critic.

Today my "talking doctor" said, "Mike, look at what you've accomplished! Celebrate. Stop beating up on yourself."

I've got a lot to celebrate. This Friday will mark 30 days since I have had a drink of beer, wine or any type of alcohol. That is something to celebrate!

I am going to start the "celebration" early by changing the name of this blog. This blog used to have the title "Mike Is Messed Up". That title has been replaced by "Mike In Progress". I'm not perfect. I've got a long way to go. I'm on a journey. I'm a painting that is not finished. I'm a work in progress.

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."

Philippians 3:13-14 (The Message)

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring.

Henry Miller

Get Into Their Skin

For some nutty reason God has been sending me to the "Beatitudes" and "The Sermon On The Mount" over and over again. This week God led me to the verse below:

"Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy"
--Matthew 5:7

"Mercy is a hard word to pin down. Most people understand it as an odd mixture of compassion, grace, and forgiveness. But the Greek word for mercy, "eleos", refers to compassionate action: instead of turning a blind eye to the misery and misfortune of others, the merciful feel it in their bones and then are motivated to respond with action." --Mars Hill Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan

So how do we become "merciful"? One pastor suggested that we need to get into the skin of others. We need to see like them. We need to think like them. We need to feel like them. Don't understand the homosexual who lives across the street from you? Get into their skin. Don't like the old folks from the traditional service? Get into their skin. White folks drive you crazy? Get into their skin. No sympathy for Poor folks? Get into their skin. Are you scared of alcoholics, addicts and the homeless? Get into their skin. Think that Mormons and Muslims don't get it? Get into their skin.

Getting into their skin will mean much more than throwing money at them or praying for them. That's the easy way out. Getting into their skin will mean that you'll have to hang out with them. Spend time with them. Look into their eyes and listen to them. You can't get into the skin of others without acting, moving or doing. Getting into the skin of others has nothing to do with sitting on a pew or laying on the couch. Getting into the skin of others is all about "compassionate action".

"Those with "eleos" see the world differently. They see misery and misfortune in light of the grace they have received, and they respond compassionately out of the overflow of that same grace."--Mars Hill Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan

- Who's skin do you need to get into?

- Who's shoes do you need to step into?

- Who do you need to try to understand better?

Like Jesus did when He got off the throne of heaven to understand you and I.

A pastor's thoughts on "Mercy"? Click Here.

Want an example of "eleos" from the Bible? Read Luke 10:25-37

Want to hear the sharp words of Jesus for the "merciless"? Read Matthew 18:32-33

Pastor's Tweets Not So Sweet

Scot McKnight wrote these words in a recent blog post:

"I’ve spent some time observing pastors who tweet or regularly update their status on Facebook, and I’m far from convinced it’s simply self-absorption or an attempt by little people to make themselves famous."

"We hear about (pastors) accomplishments but almost never any failures or disappointments, making the Twitter world largely a happy face community."

I agree with Scott's thoughts. What about you? Is Scott wrong? Is he right?

Read Scott's complete post by clicking here.

What Do We Need To Cut Off?

Remember hiker Aron Ralston? He set out for a carefree desert hike through Blue John Canyon in Southeastern Utah when, with no warning, he had descended into hell. The young man's arm was trapped by an 800-pound boulder and he was forced to make an unimaginable decision in order to survive. Five long days after becoming trapped, Aron lost hope. He could do nothing and die or he could cut off his arm and live. On the morning of his final day trapped inside the canyon, Ralston knew what he had to do to survive. He had to cut off his arm that was pinned by the heavy boulder. He cut off his arm, escaped the canyon and lived. Aron describes the amputation of his arm in the YouTube clip above.

What do you and I need to cut off or out of our lives? Pornography? Alcohol? Drugs? Selfishness? Negative Thoughts? Bigotry? Over Eating? Hurting others? Lying? Cheating? Friendships? Relationships? Over Spending? Stealing? Anger?

What do you and I need to cut out of our lives that is hurting others and ourselves? What is holding us back? What has us pinned in the canyon? We can either hang on to it and die or cut it off and live.

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.---Matthew 5:29-30

Thanksgiving Dinner 4 the Homeless at FUMC

On Thanksgiving Day at noon we will open the doors of First United Methodist Church and serve the homeless a complete Thanksgiving dinner. We will be serving 30 to 40 men and women who otherwise would not have a Thanksgiving dinner on this special day. How can you help? What do we need? What are the details? See the information below.

We will be serving dinner at noon on Thanksgiving day.

We need large vans and van drivers. The vans will leave FUMC at 11:15 am and pick up our homeless guests at approx 11:30 am near the corner of Ridgewood and Bay Street in Daytona Beach, FL. After Thanksgiving dinner, at approx. 1:30 pm, we will drive our guests back to downtown Daytona Beach, FL.

We need paper plates, forks, knives and napkins. Plastic cups. Foam cups for hot drinks.

We need loving men, women and children to serve the meal to our guests. Servers should arrive at 11:15 am for instructions and last minute set up.

We need any and all food donations. What kind of food do we need? Turkeys, ham, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, dressing, rolls and all of the other things you and I typically enjoy during Thanksgiving dinner. Whipped Cream and Pumpkin pie. Pecan pie and other sweets and treats. We also need drink donations. Lemonade. Coffee. Ice Tea.

Musicians. Can you play the guitar? The bongos? The piano? Get my drift? We would love to have music during dinner.

People willing to clean up during and after dinner. Clean up is not a glamorous job and has the least bit of glory but it is very important.

Need the church address? It's 305 Dunlawton Ave, Port Orange, FL 32127

Need the church website? Click here.

Why do we serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless? Last year Ron came for Thanksgiving dinner. He felt uncomfortable with the clothes he was wearing. Someone from our church gave him a clean shirt and a tie to wear for dinner. Look at the smile on Ron's face in the photo below. That's just one of the reasons that we serve Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless. You, your family and friends are invited to join us.



For more information give me a call on my cell phone (386)295-7739.

Men: Open Table Sundays at FUMC

Men, Sundays (starting November 8th) at First United Methodist Church in Port Orange, FL we're doing a weekly series called "Open Table". We meet Sundays at 10am in Room 15 at FUMC. You are invited to bring any and all questions, doubts or thoughts about Christianity, Church, God and Jesus. The clips below will give you a good feel for what we'll be discussing. Questions? Give me a ring at (386)295 7739 or send me a tweet through Twitter @MarketerMikeE

What Churches Can Learn from AA Meetings

My "talking doctor" said, "Mike, either go to Celebrate Recovery at a nearby church or go to an AA meeting!" I went to a Celebrate Recovery meeting at a church. I almost went insane listening to nearly 20 woman talking about being "enablers". That was not my cup of tea. Since last Friday I have been to two AA meetings. Now that's my cup of tea or should I say "coffee"? Man, they drink a ton of coffee at AA meetings. I've only been to a couple of AA meetings but I think ALL of us church folks could learn a thing or two from them.

Honesty, Transparency and Being Real
Let's admit it. We church folks are not known for being real. As a matter of fact, we can be downright fake and phony. I've done it myself. My wife and I get into a major fight in the car on the way to church. We park. We put on our "we've got it all together masks" and walk into church like nothing has happened. What do you hear at church on Sunday morning?

"How are you doing brother?" "Fine brother, how about you?" "Terrific, my perfect brother in Christ!"

That kind of fake and phony crap doesn't happen at AA meetings. Just like church you'll hear people talking about God. Except at AA meetings you'll hear the "F" bomb and the "S" word mixed into the same sentence as God. Example?

"I can't believe the F_ _ _ing things God is doing in my life since I started coming to AA meetings!" "Thank God I am coming to these meetings! I can't believe the S_ _ _ I'm dealing with this week!"

At AA meetings every person who opens their mouth is real, gritty, dirty, messy and honest about what is going on in their life. After doing the small group "let's stay extremely close to the surface" church thing, these type of raw and down to earth conversations are extremely refreshing. Going to AA meetings reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.

"The truly holy people I've met in my life are really interesting people. They're a mix of the most incredible godliness and at the same time, the most unbelievable earthiness. I know a woman who curses like a sailor, but she's the most holy woman I know. She is! I'm not kidding. We've created this image of what holiness looks like that's just nonsense. Good holy people probably drink too much some times, and have colorful language, and there's plenty of room in the Bible to see people like that. We have to see life for what it is, entirely more complicated then simple. Spirituality is not simple; it's complicated. It gets messy sometimes." - Mike Yaconelli

The Greatest Greeters
Okay church folks. How many of you can guarantee that everyone who came to your church for the first time on Sunday felt like they were greeted, welcomed and thanked for coming? Be honest. We all know that some or all newcomers slip in and slip out of our churches without at least one person acknowledging their presence. That doesn't happen at AA meetings. At the end of my first AA meeting I was ready to run out the door like an Olympic sprinter. It didn't work. A large older man stood in front of me, reached out his hand and said, "Thanks for coming. Glad to see you. What's your name? Can I give you some advice? How can I help you?"

At both of the AA meetings several people greeted me, made me feel welcome, offered their help and called me by my first name.

My suggestion? Each and every church leader should go to an AA meeting to see how total transparency and great greeting is done.

"When people look at the Church and see only impostors, they conclude that Jesus is an impostor. But when they see followers of Jesus who are real, they see a Jesus who is real." - Mike Yaconelli