Below is a quick list of some of the experiences that I now see as part of my stewardship package. In no way is this a complete list - just some events that have prepared me and even made it imperative that I move forward with the specific plans that I will outline in a future post.
These are not in any particular order - basically stream of consciousness:
Apple IIc
At some point during my childhood years my parents bought me an Apple IIc. I was fascinated by computer programming. We received a magazine called Family Computing which listed BASCIC programs that one could write - they were typically small and had maginal usefulness, but it was amazing for me to see how it all worked. I saw how it gave one the ability to create. Programming also required much forethought and even some organization skills. To this day I still buy books and magazines on computer programming - I am currently working through Access 2007 - Visual Basic for Applications Programming. As good as my current job has been to me, I think I should have chosen a career in this field.
127
Just after getting married I helped form a ministry at our church for young, married couples. At the time our church was motivated to get people into small groups. I invested a lot of energy into this, but ultimately I felt like it was a failure; I didn't get the sense that lives were being transformed in the groups. Simultaneously, I served on some leadership teams whose purpose was to figure out how to best disciple the body. I felt like God gave me a structure that would do this, but it was never accepted by others on the team.
MLI
MLI was a 2 year seminary-lite program that my church offered to lay leaders. It became a safe haven for me to ask questions and explore out loud the questions about orthodoxy that had always troubled me. There were several people in the class with similar questions, and somehow knowing I wasn't alone was very therapeutic for me. It made me realize how much people need a safe place to really explore the things that bother them.
Small Group
I have been in 3 small groups over the last 12 years. I have seen God move in powerful ways in each one of them. I broke free and truly began to follow hard after God in my first one. I was part of a group that provided support and love to several who did not get that anywhere else. And the group I am in now (last 7+ years) has primarily been a safety net for each of the people in the group as crises have rotated through each family.
Willow Creek
While I was serving in a lay-leader role at my church they would send me to Willow Creek Community Church for various seminars. Although I think the mega-church model is collapsing from within, I will always have a place in my heart for that church and their pastor Bill Hybels. They taught me that God's Plan A (and there is no Plan B) is for God to redeem the world through the church, and thus "The church is hope of the world." I also saw that church did not always have to be done "half-ass" to borrom a term from my dad. They had a commitment to excellence in everything they did. Many people in that church had bought into the vision and consequently centered their lives around what the church was trying to accomplish. The results were powerful. They claim that excellence honors God and draws people to himself. I agree.
Windshield Time
I spend a lot of time driving in my job. It has given me a lot of time to think and pray. It is in the seat of my Ford Taurus and now Honda Accord that I have worked through many of the things that give my mind unease. I was once concerned that I was not really learning any skills in my job. I had seen apprentice electricians go out and start their own electrical contracting business. What skill was I learning that would allow me to go into business for myself? I felt trapped into being a salesman of electrical products for the rest of my life. I worked through a lot of this and realize that I have actually learned various skills in my job - time management, netowrking, giving presentations, art of conversation / small talk, etc.
Knowledge Worker
I am not an assembly line worker; I am a knowledge worker. My days are not structured for me; there is an endless possibility of things I can do each day. How do I decide what is the best use of my time? How do I pack more in to the same amount of time? Since there is always more that could be done, how do I set boundaries between work and personal life? Is there anyway to live in both worlds simultaneously? In my 12+ years in my current job, I have spent a great amount of time working out some time management principles. Within the last year I feel like I found the last piece of the "time management" puzzle. I have shared my philosophy and tactics with others and have seen fruit in their lives, and I have seen how much of a need there is out there for help in this area.
Mighty Yellow Jackets
After losing to Pell City in the first round of the high school football playoffs for the third year in a row, one of our assistant coaches made it his personal mission in life to push us beyond where we had ever been. For the next 9 months we all hated that man. I remember throwing up on the track several times. I remember my body being extremely sore 4 days a week - every week. I remember banging my shins on this box because I just could no longer jump high enough to make it to the top. All of that, and i was just a benchwarmer. That season we went 14-0 and won the state championship - the first time our high school had ever done that. I saw somoene push us beyond where we would have pushed ourselves. I saw what happens when a group of people truly work together as a team. I saw that all of us wanted to be part of what was happening - there was a magic in the air after those first few games when we realized how much better we were than everyone else (I even got to play!). There is power in being part of team full of committed and passionate people, and each team needs a leader/coach who will push the team ouf of their comfort zone.
Networking
For some reason I have always enjoyed networking. Here are two examples:
-hooking small group leaders up with mentors
-managing my personal contacts so that when someone is looking to hire someone or they need to send a prayer request out they call me to help them out
For reasons I don't fully understand I thoroughly enjoy feeling like I help others connect with resources they need.
Papers, Blogs, and Letters
Writing has been so good for me. I was surprised to learn how much I enjoyed it and how beneficial it was for me to organize my thoughts.
CS Lewis, Ayn Rand, and Flannery O'Connor
A friend recently reminded me of the power of fiction. It is hard to write a non-fiction book. However, writing a story that takes the same principles and ideas typically expressed in non-fiction and place them into the context of a story is much more difficult. My 10th grade English teacher (which happened to be my mom) always told us "Show. Don't tell." You don't tell a reader that somoene is strong; you provide illustrations such that the reader will come to that conclusion based on what the character says and does. Telling a story brings ideas to life - it puts skin on the skeleton. We are wired to learn and absorb through stories. Over the years, I have learned the power of story from various authors, preachers and friends.
Well, those are some highlights. I am sure I will think of others as soon as I post this. However, I am ready to start listing the specific plans and dreams I have for the future - bascially the things I feel called to do in order to best invest the stewardship package (gifts, talents, passion, assets, experiences, etc.) for kingdom purposes.




































