Ethics.... REALLY?

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog. I heard him speak at Catalyst this past year and loved his approach and the questions he raised. In a struggling economy, given lure and temptations to cut corners or compromise ethic, his entry from this past Saturday struck a nerve. I know for much of our Watershed community, what happens in the financial district weighs heavily on the heart and soul. While most of our community would affirm ethical behavior for all sorts of spiritual and biblical reasons, this blog was interesting to me because it reminded me that doing things with excellence and integrity is not only biblical but effective and productive. Check it out.

Seth Godin - Good guys finish.

THE SIMPLE WAY.... INCREDIBLE!

A ton of Watershed folks poured into area 15 in Optimist Park last night to hear Shane Claiborne. Man what a great evening. During one of our sessions last year at our Leadership Retreat, we were privileged to do a phone interview with Shane centered around his ground breaking book, Irresistible Revolution. Last night, I took my journal and I couldn't write fast enough. It was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant.

At one point Shane made the statement that "Faith, is believing in spite of the evidence and then waiting for the evidence to change." It prompted me to ask the question, "At Watershed, as followers of Jesus in this world, this city and in our neighborhoods, what are we believing, in spite of the evidence?"

Do we believe we are putting an end to hunger in spite of the evidence that people all around our world remain hungry? Do we believe we are ending violence, in spite of violence and war raging all around us? Do we believe we are ending loneliness in spite of the evidence that says we are the loneliest and most depressed nation in the world? What do we BELIEVE, in spite of the evidence? ARE WE patiently waiting and watching the evidence change?  AND... then the most logical follow up question to this question would be THIS! 

"Shouldn't what we BELIEVE have tremendous impact on what we do, the decisions we make, the lifestyles we choose and the manner in which we handle one another and our neighbors?"

OUCH! When that one rolls of my lips, it both stretches and wounds.

Good stuff last night.

Irresistible Revolution - The Simple Way

I need to apologize for NOT posting this earlier.  Shane Claiborne, author and activist, will be speaking in NoDa tonight at 24/7.  Shane has written two provocative, (and in some circles, controversial), books; Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President.  He is also the founder of a community in Philadelphia called The Simple Way.  If there were ever a reason to postpone your Monday evening plans, this would be it.  Donna and I, along with our staff, their wives and a host of our bloc community, will be attending this event tonight.  If you live in the greater Charlotte region, it would be worth checking out.  

Click here for more info.

The Hall House is a MUST!

Okay, I love so much of what Watershed pursues along the lines of justice and mercy.  However, just when I think, "This is the coolest thing YET!", Scott Miller unearths yet ANOTHER opportunity for the Watershed Nation to roll up it's sleeves, drape a towel over it's arm and in the posture of Jesus, kneel to serve, (literally) our neighbors here in Charlotte.  

The Hall House is one of the coolest things yet!  (There I go again.)  Watershed is slated, as a community, to provide dinner for the 100 families that will be residing at the Hall House on Feb. 17th and we need close to 30 volunteers to help us pull this off.  If you've ever boiled water, cooked a spaghetti dinner or made a salad, you are qualified to help out.  

Click here to read more about the Hall House.  

Click here to sign up to help out on the 17th.   

Ethics.... REALLY?

I subscribe to Seth Godin's blog.  I heard him speak at Catalyst this past year and loved his approach and the questions he raised.  In a struggling economy, given lure and temptations to cut corners or compromise ethic, his entry from this past Saturday struck a nerve.  I know for much of our Watershed community, what happens in the financial district weighs heavily on the heart and soul.  While most of our community would affirm ethical behavior for all sorts of spiritual and biblical reasons, this blog was interesting to me because it reminded me that doing things with excellence and integrity is not only biblical but effective and productive.  Check it out.

Seth Godin - Good guys finish.

Watershed Website - A big HIT!

We are very fortunate at Watershed to have creative and skilled people overseeing and managing our website.  People like Matt Shaughnessy, Taryn Hofert, Scott Miller and Steve Cook (itek.cc) have contributed greatly towards its design, vibe and functionality.  I am constantly impressed with how luring it is to the eye.  I love the information it provides for a person wanting to connect to our Blocs.  I dig the on-ramps it creates for people wanting to discover ways they can give of their time, energy and resources to this community and her justice initiatives in our city and world.  I think as long as Watershed continues to have these types of creative forces in her midst, the bar will continue to be raised in this area.  (Thank goodness because if it were left up to me, we'd still be limited to a rotary phone and the telegraph!) 

And the truth of it all is that our website's value is beyond a price tag.  This past week Scott Hofert sent me the stats for how our website performed from the end of July in 2007  through 2008.  

Check this out!  This is MIND BLOWING!

Total Hits 265,889

Total Pages Viewed 182,261

Average Hits per day 493  (That's crazy!!!)

Average Hits per visitor 3.06

Average page views per day *338  (That's right!  338 pages PER DAY!)

I was FLOORED by these numbers.  Watershed is still considered, in so many ways, a small church.  Yet, based on our numbers, there are a ton of people that are finding their way into our culture, community and I would argue, our message, by way of our website.  So a BIG hat's off to our staff, artists, technicians and writers who, in significant fashion, have been used to bring into fruition our purpose as a "missional community engaging Jesus and people in life", in a more effective and viral capacity.  And a big "Oh Yeah!" to God for providing us with the talent, resources and leadership to make it all happen.

Stogies and Stilettos - Men

Man, this past Sunday my boy tore it up AGAIN! In front of a record crowd in Transit, (345 in attendance), not only did Scott give great application for those in the muck of the dating experience, but in a very authentic and transparent fashion he allowed into his past to see the tensions and dysfunctional paradigms from his dating life prior to meeting Taryn. (Click here to hear the Jan.18 podcast.) The whole time Scott was telling his story, I couldn't help but reflect on the insanity of my own dating history. With the exception of my dating and engagement experience with my wife Donna, if I am truly honest with myself, each time a relationship of any significance, ended, I was always left empty and frustrated. Isn't this essentially the standard for what is experienced when two people who date decide to call it quits? Looking at the difference between my relationship with Donna and all the other relationships I had experienced, the difference was simple. My THINKING changed. My heart and mind underwent renovation that influenced different decisions producing a much different and much more desirable outcomes with Donna.

The slow drum beat of this series is under girded by this same principle. The principle being this: Changed THINKING, influences or impacts our DECISIONS that produce different or new OUTCOMES in our life. If you were to survey the past decisions of your life and look closely at situations that produced repetitive unwanted outcomes, it's probable that you would discover that your focus was in changing your decision, instead of the source that created the decision, (i.e. YOUR THINKING).

This weekend we are going to shift our conversation towards Men. It's true that so much of how men see themselves and how they are seen by women is shaped by the world's perspective. What if our thinking on these fronts are not God's ways of thinking? What if as men, we have been seeing ourselves through a distorted lens. What if the way women perceive me to be is influenced by perceptions that culture create?  How different could our decisions be, how different could the fruit of our decisions become if we were to allow our minds to be changed,... renovated by the truth about "Who men are?"  How much of an impact could there be in our communities, families and world, if the way we were supposed to think about ourselves as men and the way we were thought of by women became increasingly clear and in rhythm with our Heavenly Father.  

This and more this Sunday for week three of Stogies and Stilettos. 

Fear in Economic Uncertainty

This past October, our staff slipped away for some recharging at a church leadership conference called Catalyst. I have been to this conference about 4 or 5 times throughout recent years and always walk away recharged, inspired and encouraged. Catalyst always delivers in presenting really high end, visionary leaders to speaker into the lives of the thousands of church leaders that attend this event.  I always appreciate and enjoy a well delivered talk, however, this past year, Dave Ramsey's interview was by far the best 15 minutes of the two day event. Ramsey, a financial analyst and expert, as well as a brilliant leader, took 15 minutes after his 45 minute talk on leadership, to do an impromptu interview addressing the reality of fear gripping the nation in the economic uncertainty of this day and age.

The short comings of the market, a diminishing job market, the reality of some of the nations oldest and most reputable industries faltering, as well as the ongoing international unrest throughout the world breads a measure of fear and anxiety that is difficult to escape. With all that being said, Ramsey's words within this interview were laced with such hope, perspective and factual evidence from the past 50 years, I felt it was worth sharing. It can be found by way of Catalyst's home page.  Hope you are encouraged.

click here - Dave Ramsey- Special Edition

Room in the Inn

This past Sunday evening was a blast. My daughter and I spent about 2 hours helping out at ROOM IN THE INN. ROOM IN THE INN is a program that is run out of the Urban Ministry Center here in Charlotte.  Since 1996, the Urban Ministry Center has been working with congregations of many faiths, as well as with colleges, to open their facilities one night a week to provide shelter and food for the homeless during the winter months. Thus the name, ROOM IN THE INN.

Each site offers a warm, safe place to sleep and serves two meals (dinner and breakfast) and returns guests to the Urban Ministry Center the following morning. The Room in the Inn program began with 20 shelter sites. During the 2006-2007 year, it had grown to almost 100 congregations and colleges providing 14,750 beds for 1,247 neighbors, involving well over 5,000 volunteers. Since Watershed does not own a facility, we partner with Warehouse 242 and oversee one Sunday night a month. 

Every time I take part in something like this I am reminded of just how much it makes my heart swell. I can't help but be overwhelmed by the vast number of needs within our own city not to mention the deep sense of closeness I feel with God during this type of serving experience. To do this with my kids only expands the experience exponentially. It's staggering to realize how much making sandwiches and filling lunch bags bonds a father and daughter.  

If you are interested in helping out with future ROOM IN THE INN opportunities, feel free to sign up via our website by clicking here.

Stogies and Stilettos: Out of the gate strong!

So off we go!  We have one weekend under our belts and are blazing towards week-two of this series.  I ran into a couple of first-timers at Watershed after the second Transit this morning.  They were two single women that were drawn to the series because of the post card and a co-worker, (Michael Barker), who is a part of the Watershed.  (Way to go Michael, for being such and influencer!)  

Anyway, these two women spoke to me about the frustrating nature of dating and how it feels all so futile on so many fronts.  I hear this sentiment often from our single community.  Being married, 43, and a father of two, I have a perspective that I wish I could have somehow possessed long BEFORE I ever got married. Before marriage, I had no way of anticipating just how MUCH OF ME would FEEL like it belonged to Donna.  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  ALL OF ME felt like it belonged ONLY TO ME.  (Are you seeing just how narcissistic I was,...and still am in so many ways.)  The point being this. Had I known that ALL of ME was worth protecting for the day when it would be given over to its rightful owner, my wife, it's possible  my  approach to dating would have been different.  In fact, I'm certain of this.  

Looking forward to Scott challenging our thinking about dating this coming weekend in week two of this series.

RIGHT THINKING ----> RIGHT DECISIONS ---> DIFFERENT OUTCOMES  

Stogies and Stilettos

I always get nervous and enthusiastic during our Stogies and Stilettos series at Watershed.  Sex, relationships, intimacy, ... are SO MUCH a part of the fabric of Charlotte culture.  I tell people all the time we live in a sexually and relationally charged community.  People are really into it.  All you have to do is hang out after 10p in UPTOWN on Friday nights and the crowds of people decked out in their finest, moving from club to club testifies to this truth.  And for this reason, suggesting alternative perspectives to something that is so patterned by our culture always carries with it a measure of anxiety.  Still, over the course of the year, I find myself in conversations, time and time again, with people who are discontent with the outcomes of it all, wanting MORE than what they've experienced throughout their lives.

It's when I remember and reflect on THESE conversations that I become enthusiastic.  I remember that there is a WAY to become free from unmet expectations, a way to experience MORE than what your history has proved. So while, in my heart, anxiety rears its U-G-L-Y (you ain't got no aliby) HEAD.  HOPE, in the form of enthusiasm, wins the day.  

If you're in Charlotte, I hope you can catch the majority of this series.  

Post-Christmas Village

Some of the best Christmas stories are told weeks later. We are privileged to be in partnership with some great churches for the Christmas Village this year. The Christmas Village is just one of the ways Watershed continues to explore Justice and Mercy in Charlotte. The Christmas Village provides new affordable toys at a very reduced price. Marc Dickman from Warehouse 242 is the point person for this project and our very own Scott Miller has run point for Watershed’s involvement. I visited the Christmas Village (Store) the Friday before Christmas and was floored at the capacity for this initiative's ability to meet such a pressing need within the marginalized community of Charlotte. I could share all the numerical stats for this event and if you care, I can send them to you via email. However, it’s this excerpt from an email from “Bob” the store manager that really moved me. Thanks to all you guys that were a part of this. Hope this warms your heart.

______

….Then the next to last customer (for the Christmas Village Store) walked up on the dock. She was thin and shaking, her life story was draped over her like a shroud. She looked around and finally picked up one small item, there was less than a full box of items left. I walked up to her and asked if she had found everything okay. She said that she was shopping for her 2 year old baby. I noticed the item she had was priced down to $1, and she only had a single dollar bill in her shaking hand.

Her eyes started to well up. I looked over at Mike, one of the Hoskins homeless men working the store who had less than nothing himself. Mike was about to erupt in tears. I told the lady that if she found 4 more items, she could buy all 5 for a dollar. It was very clear that she did not want a hand out. I explained that she was the last customer and we were trying to sell everything.

After a few minutes, she had found her 5 items and she handed them to me. We went over to Mike to check out. The lady started to cry, shaking even more. She paid Mike the $1 and walked away with her Christmas. Mike started to cry.

I walked off and helped to close the store. After saying goodbye to the team, Pastor Marc shook my hand gave me a very sincere thank you. “Those W242 volunteers are great.” I said. I finally reached my car around 5PM and burst into tears and cried like a baby, uncontrollable, all the way home. After an hour long hot shower, I finally calmed down enough to speak to Rennea (my wife). I told her, “Pastor Marc was right on, serving the customers - the poor - was the real goal of this Christmas Village. The surplus money, the scholarships and the fact that the volunteers were so moved and wanted to serve again next year, are all secondary. I can't wait to serve again next year!”

Thank you everyone for allowing me to be involved.

Bill (The Store Manager)

Busted!

This afternoon, one of my kids made a poor ethical decision involving their homework.  (Yeah, I thought my kids were perfect too!)  They were caught cheating on a homework assignment and then when confronted,  lied about it to both Donna and I.  This was a HUGE teachable moment.  But the best part of it all was watching them deal with how it felt to stand directly in front of someone they love, ...  someone they knew loves them deeply and lie.  You could see the spiritual wrestling match underway as this child stood in conflict with themselves, wrestling with the temptation to take the easy way out, and then cover their own tracks by adding deception to their story of unethical behavior.  

Later, after the smoke had cleared and the consequences  been dealt, I told this child how proud  I was of them.  "Deep down in your heart, you heard God's voice plead with you not to cheat.   Didn't you?"

"Yeah Dad, I did." they responded.

"And even though you didn't listen the first time,  you did the second time when He pleaded with you not to lie to your parents, didn't you?"  I said.

"Yes I did.  I heard this voice in my head both times.  I wish I had listened both times!" They replied.  

The only thing worse than NOT listening to God when he speaks to your heart, is ignoring and rebelling against him for so long that his voice fades into the back ground and gets lost in the static of the rest of life's distorted noises.  My kids will occasionally make poor decisions in this lifetime.  They are human and that's what humans sometimes do.  But the greater tragedy in it all, would be if they rebelled against God so much, for so long, that eventually, the sense of God's voice in their hearts and souls became muddled and lost in the confusion and noise of all that the world offers.

  

The IN'S and OUT'S

Man, I was so proud of my boy Hofe this morning!  Scott’s reflections and passionate description of who we long to be as the church, was captivating and profound.  I was particularly struck by the notion of the church’s challenge, on the one hand, to focus inwardly, in a healthy fashion, on maturity in it’s formation around Christ while simultaneously giving itself away for the benefit of being good news to the culture and world where it exists.  He described this pursuit as this inward-outward movement or rhythm.  Focusing inward, then outward…inward … then outward. 

Wow!  Reminds me of the physiological process of breathing.  A body that breathes (inhaling and exhaling), apart from artificial means, is proof that that life exists.  That a heart is beating, that brain waves are firing.

The scriptures tell us that the church is the “BODY of Christ”.  Can you imagine a body that only takes in wind?  Can you imagine someone who is limited to exhaling only or someone who is constantly losing their breath, struggling to breath?  These are symptoms, (at one level) of respiratory distress.  In other words, someone, whose body could not effectively inhale and exhale, would be in danger of losing their life.

May Watershed, as the body of Christ, continue to breath.   May she inhale and exhale grace and peace and life.  May she breathe deep the breath of God’s love, forgiveness and transformation found in a risen Savior. 

Click here to hear all of Scott's message from Sunday.

I'm not 23 anymore!

I turn 43 tomorrow.  I am embracing my 40's and that's good.  However, I am realizing the way I think and live at 43 is not the same way I lived and thought at 23!  For example...

1. Watching my Cholesterol! My bad is too high, my good is too low. I’m on a collision course with LIPITOR! Let’s get it ON!
   
2. Rising Early! My normal wake up time is between 5:45a and 6:15. At 23, I didn’t have a pulse till at least 9am.
   
3. Working out to live longer instead of look better! (It’s taken me 20 years to figure out that my life is not determined by my looks. Which Hofert says in my case, is REALLY GOOD NEWS!)
   
4. Making Friday nights Family nights instead of “Flirting Nights”… You know, flirting with the opposite sex, flirting with the bar scene, flirting with the next big thrill, flirting with the hope of fulfillment in the “other”. Glad those days are over!!!
   
5. Seeing my life as moving towards, …being close to…. (but not fully)… being half over. I still think God’s best stuff for me is yet to be discovered. I plan on living into my 90’s (at least)! God is probably chuckling at that one!
   
6. Spending time reflecting and dreaming. At 23, I was too busy losing my identity instead of finding it. Managing my image, living up the expectations of others. Image management is exhausting.
   
7. Stewarding my resources instead of squandering my resources. Seeing my (Time, energy, relationships, money, property, materials, conversations) as an entrusted gift from my creator that I will one day give account for. Ouch! That could be quite a moment. Thank goodness for grace.
   
8. At 23, I wanted to be a husband but didn’t know what it meant to be a man. At 43, I’m still seeking to be a better man so I can be the husband my wife deserves and a father my children cannot do without.
   
9. Speaking of Parenting. At 23 I envisioned children that were, “A chip off the old block!” (So to speak). Never did I dream my family would come into fruition in such a diverse and unique fashion. Yet at 43, this experience has challenged my definition of family, kingdom, justice and fatherhood. I’m positive my kids teach me more than I will ever be able to teach them.
   
10. Co-Leading Watershed. My only religion at 23 involved a round leather ball and hardwood floor. Today, while I’m not into religion, I’ve found myself leading and being lead by incredible people at Watershed. Not the least of which is Scott and our Staff. Next to marriage and parenting, this is the most rewarding and challenging season of my life.