10 years ago right now,
I lived on Lasalle Avenue in downtown Chicago.
College by day, Second City by night.
Brain Droppings by George Carlin hit the New York Times Bestseller list. The author was going to do a book-signing on nearby Wells Street in Old Town.
Now please realize, I'm a celebrity-proof guy.
It takes a lot to get me worked up.
Carlin got me worked up.
I was there. With a camera. Hungry for an autograph:
Last week we lost this comedy great. RIP, Brain Dropper.
SATURDAY: Wedding. 
SUNDAY: Catalyst.
TUESDAY: Nephew.
WEDNESDAY: Meet Nephew.
ALSO WED: Josiah discovers Chik-fil-A.
THURSDAY: the125project.
FRIDAY: Fake blog banner from one of our graphic designers punkin' me.
The Whiteboard Sessions proved to be a tremendous one-day conference. It was great catching up with church planting pals from around the country and getting some refreshing teachings from influential leaders.
I ended up sitting with Andy Sikora and the crew from north-east Ohio. You haven't lived until you've had the opportunity to sit next to Andy and hear his whispered sarcastic commentaries throughout the day.
Also got to chat with some wise friends. Chris Elrod is the man. Tally Wilgis in particular had some encouragement to share. And Jason Roberts picked up the Chinese food tab, which makes him very godly.
Some Whiteboard quotes:
"The favor of God is God's ability to do something that you can't do yourself...
Confess our SMALL dreams to God." - Mark Batterson
"Messed up people sought out Jesus. Are messed up people in our town seeking out our church?" - Vince Antonucci
"Worship is the natural response to being captivated...
You really only know your idols when they're threatened or in danger." - Darrin Patrick
"In the local church, God has put Himself on display." - Mark Dever
"Ministry is the toughest job on the planet. Instead of leading by power or ego or force, pastors lead by washing feet." - Perry Noble
"God promises us His presence; He doesn't always promise us the answers." - Ed Stetzer
Clockwise from upper-left: Josiah driving through the mountains of Pennsylvania holding his ears from the changing air pressure; Dinner at Cheesecake Factory; Running around at the toddler land in a local mall; Ceiling mosaic that fascinated Josiah during dinner.
The fam is loading up the VUE and heading off to D.C. for WiBo. In case you were following the comments the other day, I did catch Andy Sikora yesterday to ensure we don't look like fools in Virginia.
Amber got us a sweet hotel deal on Hotwire, so we're catching the American Idol finale on a 42" flatscreen tonight (yes, I'm a David Cook fan - - call it bitterness over Daughtry 2 years ago. I also admire anyone who can make Billie Jean seem fresh and new).
I don't think I'm going to blog at WiBo - - I really need to just rub shoulders with church planting pals and focus on the family (which, by the way, would make an excellent name for a parachurch organization, I suppose).
That's all from here. And enough random links for one post. Seacrest Out.
Ten years ago today, something magical happened.
We went to see "City of Angels" at the movie theater.
We strolled through Davenport's large park observing the swans.
I got fired via phone for missing work to be with you on this special day.
We had reservations at The Dock Restaurant overlooking the Mississippi.
I asked.
You said yes.
And 3 months later, we said, "I Do."
I love you, Amber.
Just got off the phone with Jay Hardwick in Columbia, SC. The guy oozes with passion for the implications of the Gospel - catalyzing a movement of multi-ethnic world-changers (how's that for a mission statement, Jay?).
Anyhow, Jay said my blogging has been sporadic of late. I agree.
God is doing some crazy cool things in people's lives at CATALYST. I have so much to be thankful for in this church planting adventure. Here's a couple things I'm excited about at the moment:
- The Gospel.
- Little Man when he gets shy and hides in between my legs.
- New Partners with our BE a CATALYST Campaign (will you be a catalyst?).
- My LifeGroup meets tonight!
- Walking into my office at home and seeing this:
- Jason Bonham joining CATALYST beginning this weekend. Our staff team heard him lead live acoustic worship last night.
Dang.
Seriously, 10:30am this Sunday.
Don't be late.
- The Largest Easter Egg Helicopter Drop in North-East Ohio History.
- The Office is returning April 10th.
Amber captured on film how Josiah greeted me when I got home from CATALYST today:
Josiah at the lunch table this afternoon, pointing to his cup: "Mo' joos." Classic.
For the second time in 7 months, I will be having surgery on my back on Monday, Jan 28th. As this impacts my schedule, blogging may become sporadic for a while and my response time in returning emails to people outside of CATALYST may slow. Prayers appreciated!
Saturdays are always a potpourri in Casa de Herron.
Today I'm headed off to The Kent Stage to cheer on our Band practice, help clean up construction dust at the125 ahead of CATALYST KIDS tomorrow morning, and spend time with Josiah & Amber into the evening.
Very excited about the CATALYST 2007 REWIND digital-video debuting tomorrow during the "Love People" emphasis of "What If ?" tomorrow.
Rumor has it that not one, but two different church planting teams from around north-east Ohio are coming to check out CATALYST tomorrow. Better put on my big-boy pants...
The Top 7 Things I Learned in '07:
7. Tall Trees Attract Wind
6. Authenticity = Congruency
5. Leaders are Mimicked
4. The Church is not my Mistress
3. Less is More
2. The Church Exists for Mission, Not Comfort
1. Jesus is Life
I've been struck lately by the words of
Colossians 1.15-17:
"He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created... All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
Want to know what God looks like? Look at Jesus.
He is the Invisible made Visible. Penetrating eyes. Calloused hands. Nail holes in His ankles. A sword-wound in His side.
Want to know Who to make famous? Look at Jesus.
He is firstborn, meaning preeminent. He is our Center.
Want to know where life comes from? Look at Jesus.
He created EVERYTHING. From scratch. There was nothing... and then He spoke. Existence lept into being from Him simply speaking. Powerful.
Want to know what the glue of the cosmos is?
Look at Jesus. Everything (including you) was created for Him. Through Him. And He holds it all together.
You see, Jesus isn't just a way of life. He is Life itself.
The Gospel is about God's uncensored grace - love poured out despite our sinfulness because of Jesus' death in our place. The Gospel is about life in Jesus - life to the exponential fullest.
The Gospel is not just about life in eternity with Christ. It's also about the grace of God abundant now - the very fact that I am taking in a breath at this moment is a testament to the grace, power, and life in Jesus.
"In Him all things hold together."
My life is borrowed time. Time to make a difference for Christ. He holds my life in His hands. That's the Gospel. Jesus is Life.
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised."
- 2 Corinthians 5.14-15 (ESV)
So I'm sitting here jamming to music with Josiah, my 1-yr-old who figured out how to kiss this week. Josiah loves his music. He's starting to get into 80's hair bands and The Monkees.
Here's the Top 10 Most Played Josiah Songs according to our iTunes:
10. How to Save a Life - The Fray
9. Filled with Your Glory (acoustic) - Starfield
8. Shout Unto God - Hillsong United
7. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
6. Can't Hide - DecembeRadio
5. Bad Day - Daniel Powter
4. Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
3. Before There Was Time - Caedmon's Call
2. Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle
1. Switch - Will Smith
I can't believe there's no Billy Joel on the list!
The #3 Thing I Learned in '07:
3. Less is More.
Continuing the Top 7 Things I Learned in '07:
6. Authenticity = Congruency.
Authenticity is the 1st of 3 core values we have at Catalyst.
The need for spelling this out as a value came from the perceived lack of transparent leadership in North American church circles (note: perceived; unfortunately our frail humanity is quickly lost in postmodern deconstructionism).
Living authentically as a Christ-follower is simply about congruency in community. The truth you proclaim is lived out relationally.
The opposite of authenticity is hypocrisy. This is a common critique of those who feel dechurched.
Authentic living (and leading) is integral to discipleship in the 21st century. Christian apologetics is becoming less about verbalizing intellectual truth and more about relational living in light of eternal truths.
You say you believe in something?
How has it affected the way you relate to others?
You say you're about radical forgiveness?
How has that played out in your family and friends' lives?
If there is incongruence between the two, there is inauthentic living (and leading). If there is authenticity behind your faith, there is integrity guarding your heart.
2007 was my first full-year as a daddy and lead pastor. 365 days of learning! Here's what God has taught me on this journey...
7. TALL TREES ATTRACT WIND.
I'm a start-from-scratch church planter. A year and a half ago, Catalyst did not exist. Now it does. In 2007, we literally tripled in weekend attendance - just one of many signs of lives being transformed by the Gospel and God's hand upon our feeble efforts as missionaries in north-east Ohio. Seriously, Catalyst would have flopped long ago if God hadn't intervened!
When healthy things grow, people notice.
Some cheer, some criticize.
Some encourage the efforts of church plants, others seek to tear down.
Or as an ancient Chinese proverb says, "Tall trees attract wind."
Higher education in North America teaches 2 things:
1) Deconstructionism of authority
2) Relationships are disposable
As a result, I'm learning that in a church plant environment, we can't be surprised when rocks are thrown; it's just people living out what they have been taught by higher education (yes, I am also a product of higher education with a master's degree; this is something I'm unlearning as a result!). Honestly, being a target can be discouraging.
But as my wife once told me,
"Instead of telling God how big your storm is,
why don't you tell the storm how big your God is!"
Heading into 2008, I'm choosing to be part of the former group that cheers and encourages.
I want to be waving the flag of "The Kingdom," not "My Kingdom."
I want to be a pastor who is more about unity and less about fragmentation.
I want to be a father who initiates reconciliation and seeks to find common ground amidst misunderstanding.
At a corporate level, our leadership at Catalyst is specifically encouraging 2 different church planters to choose Kent as their planting sites in late 2008 and 2009! Can you imagine what would happen if north-east Ohio got rocked by a Kingdom-minded movement?
It's not about competition, it's about Jesus.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." - Luke 2.11 (ESV)
Someone asked me this morning about my office space set-up. Today it looks ridiculous with Sony Vaio website editing while working on simultaneous Mac PowerBook G4 projects.
On a side-note, I'm thrilled that Coca-Cola Vanilla is back.
Scubert is what I named my new Blackberry Pearl.
Thanks to a Verizon 2-year equipment trade-in, some seasonal mail-in rebates, and deft negotiating skills with Joe the Verizon Guy at Summit Mall, I ended up only ponying up 35 bucks out-of-pocket for Scubert.
I hated my LG cell. I love Scubert. He is my friend.
The blog is going dark for the week due to a major national holiday on the 22nd... my birthday. Catch ya next week...
WIFE: "What are you thinking about?"
ME: "A pastor in Kent taking shots at Catalyst and me on his church's website & blog."
WIFE: "Sooooo, it's not a non-Christian that's criticizing."
ME: "Nope."
WIFE: "A fellow Christian?"
ME: "Yup."
WIFE: "And who will you give an account to in the end?"
ME: "Jesus."
WIFE: "Exactly."
A confession: When I served at NewSpring, I thought maybe it was a southern cultural thing to see Christians taking shots at NewSpring and Perry.
I was wrong.
Sadly, it's not a southern cultural thing; I've come to learn that it's a Christian subcultural thing.
Seriously, if you want to attract the venom and criticism of fellow believers, go plant a church. Be about lives transformed by the Gospel. Be both missional and attractional (like Jesus, Paul, Peter, the early church, etc). Be about both solid theology and progressive cultural engagement. Put your finances, family's future, and reputation all on the line by planting a church from scratch in the least-churched county of your state.
And then get ready for anonymous emails from Christians who aren't part of your church plant criticizing your passion for reaching out.
Be prepared for your cell phone to ring from a local pastor-critic while you're at the hospital the day after your son is born.
Watch a local church's website and pastor's blog take shots at your church's methodology and personal hits on you as the lead planter, the guy who is sacrificing everything for Kingdom-purposes.
And then, at the end of each day, learn to embrace Mother Teresa's methodology. When asked what she did with daily praises for her ministry, she replied that she did the same as she did with daily criticisms: lay them all at the feet of Jesus.
Today was fulfilling. Since everything is an experiment at Catalyst, we tried out having a Newcomers Breakfast (instead of a luncheon) - very engaging and great turn-out (we ran out of chairs). I really wrestled all week preparing for today's Exodus message on predestination and human accountability - I was thrilled that God spoke and people responded (mp3 // Study Notes). The week ahead is busy:
- Tomorrow I'm getting some coaching over the phone from Chan Kilgore. The guy always challenges me with his deep, Christ-centered humility. Chan planted CrossPointe Church in Orlando, FL, serves on the National Board for Acts 29, and is the Regional Director for Vision 360, Orlando. I'm looking forward to picking his brain...
- I'm also meeting up with Curt Bissell, a new pastor in Brimfield. I ran into him last week at KSU Navigators. He's a fellow Ashland grad and has a like-minded passion for advancing the Kingdom in this region of Ohio.
- Tuesday I'm catching up with Jacob Ley to plan out details for our upcoming CHRISTMASinKENT.org series. Jacob is actually speaking the last Sunday in November (it's going to be an amazing talk on the family tree of Jesus with a clever title!). I love rubbing shoulders with him.
- Thursday night we're hosting our Super Cool LifeGroup All-Stars at casa de Herron. Based on today's message on God's absolute sovereignty, I'm thinking the discussion is going to rock. Royally. There may even be arm-wrestling involved.
- Friday I'm venturing to Cuyahoga Valley Church (my good friend Andy Sikora's stomping grounds). Looks like Vision 360 is coming to North-East Ohio. My heart is for church planting, so I'm looking forward to hearing Al Weiss of Walt Disney World speak (I heard him in April 2006 - was VERY impressed by his knowledge of church planting).
- Which brings me to Saturday when something really really cool in the life of Catalyst is going to happen. But I can't share what just yet. Stay tuned...
In August I officiated the outdoor wedding of Catalyst's own Brandon & Lindsay Spring. Enjoy...
The mythological creature known as "Monkey-Boy" was caught on film in his natural habitat during rare moments in north-east Ohio today...
Here's my journey this week:
- Exodus (mp3 // Week 6 Notes) continues to be a rich series. Love it.
- This Sunday we're covering the family tree of Moses and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
- The average church plant takes 3 years to become self-sustaining financially. We're fighting to do it in 2 so we can pour resources into other church plants. Wooster Grace is having us share what God is doing in Kent this Wednesday night - - a number of ABF's are interested in possibly supporting Catalyst as a missionary effort. Prayers appreciated.
- Today Josiah is getting a new baby cousin! He was so excited upon hearing the news that he drooled everywhere.
- Wednesday, October 31st I'm speaking at Kent State Navigators. I love those guys.
- We're taking a break from Exodus late next month for a special Christmas series. It's definitely going to be a series that embraces being both missional and attractional...
Amber & I just got home from our LifeGroup tonight.
I don't think I've laughed as hard as I did tonight in months. Maybe even years.
Especially when this one dude in our group named Franklin passed around a mini-shark in a bottle he got in the 3rd grade. You had to be there.
(Friends in Anderson, SC: Think Jockey Lot).
Why do I share this experience in blog-land? Because you were created for community. There are no Lone Rangers in Christian spirituality.
Yes, it's easy to become anonymous at The Kent Stage on Sunday mornings. That's why the early church in Acts consisted of 2 environments:
the weekly corporate worship gathering of 3,000+
on Sunday mornings
and small intimate groups (maybe 10 people tops) during the week house-to-house.
At Catalyst, we're about those 2 environments. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
And believe it or not, I'm not a "small group guy," but I love Thursday nights. Our LifeGroup is less about bible information and more about life transformation.
Doing life together. In community. Praying and laughing.
I recommend giving it a shot.
Especially if you like mini-sharks.
Pic of Josiah taken 09.29.07 ...more
I blog for essentially 3 purposes:
1) Stewardship of my life thoughts and learnings
2) Influence and encouragement for
Christ-followers and leaders
3) To leave a digital-footprint for my children and
grandchildren
Think about it - everything you ever post or blog will echo into the future. The internet will outlive you.
And so today I blog to an audience of one:
Josiah Nathan Herron.
One year ago today something happened.
You made your grand entrance into human history.
The ancient Hebrews would name their children using at least one syllable from God's intimate Name, YHWH. "Jo" and "iah" are both syllables from God's Name. You are special.
3 events have profoundly shaped my life:
1) Choosing to follow Jesus as my Forgiver and Leader
2) Meeting your mother my senior year of high school
3) Becoming a daddy to you
Because of you, my heart is larger. Your mommy is filled with joy. I've become a huge advocate for open adoptions.
My house is a mess. Power naps have become my friend. I'm learning sign language. Juliet the Wonder Pug gets to go on a frequent walks with you in tow. Bald is beautiful. I'm addicted to "Yo Gabba Gabba" on tv. I see Children's Ministry in a whole new light. I want to be a better man.
Thank you, Josiah, for one. Happy Birthday.
Can't wait for two.
I can't believe the Little Man is almost a year old! Emily Powers took these late summer pix last night - there's TONS more on her blog. And yes, she and her sister do travel for photo shoots, so hurry up and request their services!
I used to make fun of people who announced on their blogs that they were going away on vacation and shutting off the comments while away.
Now I am becoming one of those people.
I'm outta here for a week with my family in Colorado. The cellphone and Mac are staying in Ohio.
Seacrest Out.
"Mawwiage... mawwiage is what bwings us togetha today."
- The Princess Bride
I love that you and I became us.
August is a month of mile markers in my family.
Juliet Mocha Boudegaard was born 2 years ago in Anderson, SC.
My sister Andrea & husband Chris celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary this past weekend.
One year ago today we found out we were adopting Josiah (he arrived one month later!).
And 9 years ago Wednesday I pledged to love and lead my high school sweetheart, Amber.
Amber and I have slowly been fulfilling our plan from Reverse-Engineering our Lives last summer (go download the mp3 from Mark Driscoll - it will change your life).
One of the biggies - I wanted to trade-in my green Saturn SL-1 and get an SUV (Sports Utility VICTORY) for Amber & Josiah; that way if someone hits them in that SUV, I want Amber to come out victorious!
Today was the day. Saturn still runs in my blood. And yes, being savvy shoppers, we bought used.
And I kept drinking multiple complimentary Coca-Cola's the whole time. I told our salesman that these were the most expensive cans of Coke I'd ever had.
Highlights from our Wednesday venture...
The National Zoo: My tax dollars at work.
Everything was hunkey-dorey until we reached the Ape House. 2 apes in the massive cage broke out into a gang fight which moved toward little Josiah. He erupted into tears.
One moment in our day:
JON: "Amber, don't look now, but I think I see a Secret Service Agent over there!"
AMBER: "Or you see a guy in a suit listening to his iPod."
We ended the day by meeting up with D.C. Guide and good buddy Angie Hess. She took us to dinner at Johnny Rockets in Union Station and coffee at Ebeneezers:
* Sunday I had a great time speaking to over 900 people at Christ Church. The staff team was looking for some comedy - they found me via this website. To shake things up, I threw in some audience-participation improv throughout the talk. While having dinner the night before with some of their pastors, I found out that 175 teens call Christ Church home every week! God is doing something crazy-huge in rural PA...
* The pic above of me and Josiah was taken in Hershey, PA. Smells like chocolate year-round. Josiah loved the animatronic talking cows.
* At Catalyst, we're in the people-business. So is Starbucks. Hence I'm reading Howard Schultz's "Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks built a company one cup at a time." Great quote:
"Nobody has accomplished anything by believing the naysayers. And few have done so by sticking to proven ideas in proven fields... If you stop being the scrappy underdog, fighting against the odds, you risk the worst fate of all: mediocrity."
* And finally, I just got off the phone with Matt Powers. We're working out the details for one of the big, game-changing, major announcements for this Sunday. You won't want to miss it. Our Facebook is helping spread the buzz...
I love speaking.
Next Sunday I'll be speaking 3 times here.
August 4th I'll be speaking twice here. Although my name isn't Muller and I'm technically from a church.
I'd love to speak at your event. Just let me know.
Sonoma, CA | Day One
Nope, we're still in Ohio. Thank you, Continental. Now I know which airlines not to recommend to others.
* UPDATE: ...but Enterprise Rental Cars is the bomb! They close at 11pm, our new flight arrives at 11:02pm, and they said they'd stay available and open to help us in over-time tonight. Now that's what I'm talking about - Continental Airlines could learn some customer "whatever-it-takes" service skills from the fine folks at Enterprise!
This is such a busy season in life and ministry right now. Since it's cheaper than therapy, here's what my calendar looks like...
The last 2 weeks have been spent with my key advisors making some smart infrastructure moves within Catalyst to position us for high-impact ministry this Fall - I'm very excited about it all.
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