Mark Beeson

I Thought About My Dad Tonight.

I thought about my dad for a few minutes during our service this evening. I was only a kid, but I still remember his reaction to our new long-haired preacher when the parson pulled out his guitar and started strumming. Dad wasn't quite ready for that, but when four of our percussion wizards started beating on upside-down buckets tonight everyone cheered. We were ready.

It's a new day in the Church ... and I love it!  

(I think Dad would love it too.)

 2 Chronicles 30:21  -  The Levites and priests praised God day after day, filling the air with praise sounds of percussion and brass. 

Wahoo!

What a great day!

As I sit here typing this, hundreds and hundreds of volunteers are taking 'totes' to Title 1 Schools and Medicare/Medicaid Nursing Homes across Michiana. Because of their outrageous generosity, next week will be better for many of our neediest neighbors.

I'm honored to serve Jesus beside so many wonderful people. What a privilege to participate in this year's Supply Drop! 

Titus 3:14a  -  Our people have to learn to be diligent in their work so that all necessities are met, especially among the needy.

Discipleship With GCC This Semester

Want to get in the boat?

This Monday I'm meeting with everyone who wants to help someone else through eight weeks of spiritual formation. We'll be learning to navigate The Tangible Kingdom Primer from my friend Ron Vandergriend. He teaches at GCC, leads church-planting efforts around the world and coaches church planters.

I was fishing with Ron, and our friend Steve Smith, (that's Ron in the front of Steve's boat) when I asked him about coaching more at GCC. He is more than willing and we'll benefit from his expertise. I admire him greatly.

If you've got a friend, someone in your family or a classmate you'd like to help along the spiritual formation path, meet me for 70 minutes of training at the Granger Campus, Monday evening at 6:30.

Ron and I will help you do the thing you want to do - help someone you love become an apprentice of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:5  -  For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

The DROP.... This Saturday!

We're only two days away from the Supply Drop and advance preparation teams are laboring to make everything ready for the big day. 

Saturday morning you can bring your family and friends to the Elkhart campus or the Granger campus. Plan to arrive around 8:30 AM because the rally begins promptly at 9:00. Most of our "work" will be done inside this year. We'll help each other: packing supplies, loading them and delivering them across Michiana.

I'm expecting around 2,000 volunteers to participate. 

I'm asking you to help.

We're delivering critical care packages to 38 Title 1 Schools and 20 Medicare/Medicaid Nursing Home facilities in Elkhart, Mishawaka, Niles and South Bend.

See the list below.

 

Schools

Nursing Homes

Ballard, Niles Battell, Mishawaka Beardsley, Elkhart Beiger, Mishawaka Cardinal, South Bend Coquillard, South Bend East Side (Concord), Elkhart Elm Road, Mishawaka Emmons, Mishawaka Elsie Rogers, Mishawaka Hawthorne, Elkhart Howard-Ellis, Niles James Madison, South Bend Lafayette, South Bend LaSalle, Mishawaka Liberty, Mishawaka Lincoln, South Bend Marquette Montessori, South Bend Mary Beck, Elkhart Mary Daly, Elkhart McKinley, South Bend Meadows Edge, Mishawaka Monger, Elkhart Monroe, South Bend Moran, Osceola Muessel, South Bend Nuner, South Bend Oak Manor, Niles Oslo, Elkhart Perley, South Bend Pierre Moran, Elkhart Ring Lardner, Niles Roosevelt, Elkhart South Side, Niles South Side (Concord), Elkhart Walt Disney, Mishawaka West Side (Concord), Elkhart Woodland, Elkhart

Eastlake, Elkhart Elkhart Rehab Center, Elkhart Golden Living Center-Elkhart, Elkhart Golden Living Center-Fountainview, South Bend Golden Living Center-Mishawaka, Mishawaka Greenleaf, Elkhart Ironwood Health, South Bend Kindred, South Bend Michiana H&R, Mishawaka Milton Home, South Bend Riverside Village, Elkhart Sanctuary of Holy Cross, South Bend Sanctuary of St. Paul's, South Bend Silverbrook Manor, Niles Southfield Village, South Bend Valley View, Elkhart West Bend, South Bend West Woods of Niles, Niles Woodland Manor, Elkhart

 

Psalm 72:12-13  -  God rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth.  

Where We Found Pure Clean Water

Last November an Arctic Storm dramatically extended my hunting trip on Kodiak Island. When the water supply froze solid, a new source of water had to be found. This little drainage of water, running down the side of the mountain to the sea, gave us what we needed.

People might survive 70 days without food, as in the case of a handful of prisoners in Northern Ireland engaged in a hunger strike back in 1985. But people don't last two weeks without water. Water is essential.

Kodiak's Ugak Bay appears to filled with water. It is, but there's a problem. It's salt water and that makes it undrinkable. It appears to be the thing you need the most, but it'll kill you. 

Don't be deceived.  This world is filled with placebos, lies and deception - things that look like the answer to your problems and the satisfaction of your desires. But everything is not as it appears. 

Beware.

Twinkies look like food. CGI animation can have you gazing in the sky for flying Avatar dragons, short-cuts look like good ideas, cheating makes sense, porn looks like love and debt looks like freedom. These are lies, all lies.

Don't settle for anything less than the real thing; nothing else satisfies.

Romans 1:24-25  -  It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us.

Lift Off

Getting started can be a challenge. 

Lift off isn't easy.

An object at rest tends to stay at rest. (I didn't think of that; Isaac Newton did, way back in the 17th Century.) So if you're launching a new initiative, taking a new course or changing your ways, you shouldn't be surprised when you need to expend some energy to get things moving in a new direction. 

The Bible often references our need to encourage one another. With a new life comes new demands, and I think we can help each other live that new life by sharing eight weeks of apprenticeship in The Tangible Kingdom Primer. 

If you'd like to move beyond knowledge-based discipleship to action-oriented followership, grab some friends and encourage them to join you for a few weeks of effort that could lift us all to new life. 

Acts 5:19-20  -  During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors and led the apostles outside. The angel said, "Go stand in the Temple and tell the people everything about this new life." 

Unemployment Challenges

One of the things I've heard people say about unemployment is worth thinking about. Not that everything about unemployment isn't, but this one seems to pop up again-and-again, and I think about it more and more when I frame the topic as a Kingdom issue.

You saw that coming, right?

Our 2016 Vision means we'll have more community impact through new ministry initiatives. We're envisioning a dramatic expansion of Christ's Kingdom. That's going to mean more people aligned with God's purposes and engaged in God's mission. It means more ways for people to engage. What it really means is more opportunity for those who want to be "employed" (engaged in the work) for lots of people who are presently "unemployed" (disengaged in the work).

Here's what I've heard: "It seems to me that as more people are willing to step up and help out with the needs of the community, the easier it should be to plug people in." 

Two thoughts:

1. On the one hand, that's true. It should be easier for people who want to plug-in, engage the mission and "employ" themselves in bringing "up there, down here," to get involved.

2.  But, I'm not so sure it's that simple. Just because the number of interested applicants increases (the "unemployed" who wish to be "employed" in significant ways), that doesn't guarantee the number of trained candidates, prepared to do the work of love, and proven as Christ's followers, increases at the same rate. 

God's Church isn't best described as a business, even though the best-practices of well run businesses are usually helpful to the work of the Church. While a business can interview applicants and deny them employment for a whole host of reasons, the Church is pursuing the most "unqualified" people in the world and inviting them to join the family and accept Christ's invitation to follow HIM. The Church asks undeserving people to become "fully employed" in God's work.  So the qualifications to get "in" are very simple; all anyone needs do is follow Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

As I said, that means it should be easier for people who want to plug-in, engage the mission and "employ" themselves in bringing "up there, down here," to get involved.

But too often it's not easy for people to be productively employed in the work of God's Kingdom, and that's not because "folks aren't willing." Many times, it's because they're not adequately informed, trained and equipped. Some times, it's because they're not well-connected. The question becomes, "Since people want to be trained so they can be better employed in God's work (thereby more qualified to add value and make a difference), and many now feel un-connected and under-employed, what are we going to do?"

We're fixing the problem. Here's a sampling of how:

1. Easy on-ramps. We're providing convenient and clear steps toward friendship, service and spiritual growth. Easy to navigate web-based assistance makes navigating the easy on-ramps fun.
2. Discovering GCC, which is our new version of the old Core Class 101. I'm teaching it on two Saturday mornings.: once at our Bristol Street campus on February 11th and once at our Granger campus on March 10th.
3. Our Volunteer EXPO is matching relational ministry "employment" opportunities to your talents, hopes and dreams. 
4. The Supply Drop, giving thousands of us one great day to help our struggling neighbors all across Michiana. It's this year's version of last year's Food Drop.
5. The Commons, which we're building without adding debt so it's easier for connections to happen and friendships to develop.
6. Weekends, which we're spooling up for new levels of focus and growth.
7. The Tangible Kingdom Training, GCC's discipleship plan this semester, will enrich your life, connect you to God's Plan and prepare you for your best Easter yet:

•     Adults on Mondays @ 6:30 PM
•     Men on Wednesdays @ 6:30 AM
•     Women on Tuesdays @ 9:00 AM
•     Online at your convenience

God is at work. You can adjust your life to join HIM and I hope you will.

How's that for good news?

John 13:16-17  -  A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.

Expecting God's Blessing Without God's Sanctification?

This morning Sheila and I sat down together and read these words aloud. They comprised the very first sentence of our Experiencing God / Day by Day Devotional: 

"God will always sanctify you before HE sends you."

Before he sent HIS 12 disciples, Jesus prepared them: challenging their ambitions, chastising their lack of faith, refuting Satan's influence and denouncing their pride. He corrected and redirected them.

Here's more of what we read in our little devotional book:

"When Jesus had finished preparing them, the disciples were sent out in such power that their world was never the same again."

I wonder how many days I've longed for the power to change my life and my world, but I've failed to seek instruction and training from Jesus, even though I know when God's people allow God's truth to realign them to God's will and God's standard, then the power of God will be released through them in the same way it was released through the first disciples.

I need to stick with Jesus, knowing HE will continue HIS work in us, with us and through us because HE promised HE would be with us "always, to the very end of the Age."

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24  -  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

 

(Just FYI: You can buy the little Experiencing God daily devotional book Sheila and I find so helpful at GCC's bookstore this weekend.)

Tom Paterson's Stratop Process with Doug Slaybaugh

I've known Doug Slaybaugh for years. He was a driving influence in the early days of my training as a church planter and he helped GCC through some of her wonderful highs and difficult lows. Now he is leading our Senior Management Team through Tom Paterson's Stratop (Strategic Operation Planning) process. It's 3 days of challenging work that helps us engage our 2016 Vision.

Here's one take-away for you. Even though it's obvious and self-evident, it's a little zinger that rang my bell.

"Plans don't self-execute."

I'm glad Doug is here. Every time I interrupt and try to jump ahead he calmly says, "Trust the process."

I love this stuff.

Proverbs 15:22  -  Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. 

Lightning Whelk / Busycon contrarium

I found this big ol' Gastropod off the Florida coast on a sandbar during low tide; it's a univalve with only one shell. It's carnivorous, prying open bivalves by inserting the edge of its shell inside the bivalve and using it like a crowbar. If that doesn't work, it'll grind the bivalve's shell with its own shell until it creates a hole large enough to stick its toothed tongue into. Pretty horrible, eh? Don't you wish you could go back to "not knowing" that little bit of information? 

Now that you know, you'll never be able to think about a Lightning Whelk the same way. Every time you pick one up you'll remember.

Ugh.

Good luck with that.

Proverbs 3:1a  -  Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you.

Soaring

God soars as with wings.

God comes and scatters HIS enemies. HIS voice thunders. Even when darkness hides HIM from our sight, the fire of HIS Presence lights HIS way.

God is good. 

Standing against HIM is a terrible mistake.

2 Samuel 22:10-15

You opened the heavens

   like curtains,

   and you came down

   with storm clouds

   under your feet.

    ¹¹You rode on the backs

   of flying creatures. 

You appeared with the wind as wings.

    ¹²Darkness was your tent!

   Thunderclouds filled the sky,

   hiding you from sight.

    ¹³Fiery coals lit up the sky

   in front of you.

    ¹⁴LORD Most High, your voice

   thundered from the heavens.

    ¹⁵You scattered your enemies

   with arrows of lightning.

 

Engaged or Disengaged?

 

 

The answer to many of life's most common problems isn't always trying harder.

Spinning up more RPM's doesn't always resolve issues, relieve tensions or ensure progress in the face of delays and detours. Accomplishment isn't only about making your engine go faster. It's also about getting in gear. 

More RPM's don't matter if you're not in gear. 

Period.

How do I know?  Experience, that's how.

I've known people who talk and talk and talk about going on a diet. They invest huge amounts of time, energy and resources in their diet without ever actually counting their calories or carbs. They never put their diet in gear.

I've heard people go on and on about the nuanced benefits of their exercise plans. They say they're going to "get in shape" and "start training." But after months of hearing them get all amped-up talking about their "fitness" I've yet to see them lift a weight, walk on a treadmill or jog a mile. They don't actually exercise. It's as if they think being excited about fitness is the same as getting in gear and working-out.

And I've seen too many people do the same thing in their spiritual lives. I've done it too. I've mistaken a burst of energy for progress and accomplishment. I've mistaken strong emotion for actual mission success.

Have you?

I've watched myself get all pumped-up and excited about walking with God, but too often I don't get in gear and take my next step toward Christ. I've heard myself make bold statements about the spiritual disciplines I'm going to engage, but I've occasionally failed to actually engage those disciplines, so nothing has come of it.

When I see myself (or others, for that matter) mistaking talk for action, or acting as if a lot of emotion is the same as engaging the work and getting something done, it's not only heart-breaking, it's wrong. It's all smoke and no fire; it's knowledge without application; it's flame without heat; it's talk without action; it's activity without accomplishment.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with the fire of burning ambition (and it's a far better motivator than fear) but any momentum for change depends on engaged passion. Every time we decide we're content "being dis-engaged for a while," we undermine our own progress. We can be engaged in work, or engaged in rest, but we won't make progress in either when we're dis-engaged and drifting.

If you want to fly, you've got work to do. Like the Emperor Geese pictured above, the only way to soar is to get busy flapping your wings. 

Talking about prayer isn't praying.
Talking about worship isn't worshipping. 
Planning to read the Bible isn't reading the Bible. 
I need to engage.

I need to put my spiritual life in gear so the energy I feel gets transferred into action. If you'd like to do the same, consider participating in GCC's 8-Week-Discipleship opportunity. We're studying The Tangible Kingdom Primer by Hugh Halter with a process similar to the Experiencing God work we did last semester: discussion, live teaching and helpful study guides. 

Register here, and let's get busy.
 

Proverbs 14:23  -  All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Behind the Scenes

 

Almost anything you've experienced as "incredible," or "fantastic," or "remarkable," took a lot of time and effort to pull off. That's how it was when we collaborated with Penn's PTO to provide a fun, safe, well-supervised winter dance for a couple thousand High School students. It took a lot of work, and for the last few months Chris Whitmire led the charge with grace, courage and indefatigable optimism. She led well.

Planning and preparation taxed the producers. Decorations, lights and sound systems and were put in place. Talented people were deployed to accomplish the mission. Environments were scrutinized. Security issues, parking arrangements and strategies for proper supervision were considered. How about refreshments? Check-in? Restrooms? Procedures for checking coats and scarves guaranteed the kids would get their stuff back at the end of the evening. I think half the girls checked their shoes along with their coats. (Yes, shoes. Apparently modern dance technique requires the sole of one's bare foot to be in direct contact with the surface of the floor. This new reality explains a lot; I was about to "bust a move" when I realized I was wearing shoes and any attempt to inspire the students to new levels of fancy footwork would be futile.)

Doc Borlik "DJ'd" the night away.

As the "MC," Corey Mann read the crowd, the mood and the moment so he could facilitate the flow of the entire evening.

I walked around with my camera and talked with a zillion people, all of whom seemed happy and grateful for the church's collaboration with one of our community's great institutions. The preparations paid off. It was a good night.

Proverbs 21:31  -  Do your best, prepare for the worst — then trust God to bring victory.

Incredible Collaboration

Penn High School's Snowball Dance was absolutely amazing, and GCC's collaboration with the school made the evening better than ever. The music was impressive. Even the way our teams set the lights for the event made for a remarkable atmosphere. Needless to say, the administrators were as pleased as the parents in the PTO and the volunteers supervising the activity.

I loved hearing Corey Mann "MC" the evening.
No one is better at this. No one.
Corey is amazing.

I left before the bell tolled "midnight" and when I walked out the kids were still having a great time. I felt a sense of deep satisfaction. GCC served the kids in our community well today.

I love the Church!

2 Samuel 6:22  -  David replied, "In God's presence I'll dance all I want!"

Watching

- Photo of my granddaughter Ruby watching me fill the bird feeder: by Amber Cox - 

 

The way you live your life leaves an impression. 

Others see what you do, how you live, what you say and where you devote yourself with passionate purpose. That means your decisions, actions and convictions effect a lot more than you; how you live shapes the future of others too.

Sobering, isn't it.

1 Timothy 4:12b  -  Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 

Big News of a Big Opportunity

 

As you know, one of the central points in our 2016 Vision is "The Granger Campus will become a gathering place for the community." With that in mind, I've got great news about an action we're taking - and why we're taking it - to move one step closer to making the vision reality.

You're going to love this...

 

Penn Snow Ball 2012 | Mark Beeson from Granger Community Church on Vimeo.

 

Ecclesiastes 11:9  -  You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.

Still Amazed on New Year's Day 2012

 Proverbs 30:18-19

Three things amaze me, 
   no, four things I'll never understand— 
      how an eagle flies so high in the sky, 
      how a snake glides over a rock, 
      how a ship navigates the ocean, 
      why adolescents act the way they do.

 

Another Year Ends...

I took this picture yesterday. 

Battle weary and exhausted, this old monarch is fatigued yet whole. There are harsh winter days ahead, but he seems well enough. He broke the G-2 on his left beam, but that's the only damage I can see. If another buck gored him in one of the violent battles of the late rut, he might die; but I can't see any evidence of that. He looks like he'll make it another year. 

Did he let me get this close because he's just tired of running? Could be, but if he's going to keep living he'll eventually need to get moving.

That's for sure.

There's something about "what's ahead" that's predicated on "what's behind," as if past behaviors predict future performance. (It's certainly not a one-to-one correlation, nor is it a perfect science, but it is a fairly reliable indicator.) So unless something unanticipated happens, this ol' buck will probably spend the rest of his days as he spent his last ones; and that's fine with me.

 How are you these days? 

• Fatigued but well-enough? 
• Content to stay next year on the same path you walked last year?
• Ready for some changes?

If you're like me, you're glad to have New Year's Day "off," but you want to finish 2011 well so there are still a few things you'd like to do before the year ends.

We have things to accomplish on the last day of the year. Here's my partial list. What's yours?

1. Post this blog.
2. Worship God with our church family at GCC tonight at 5:00 PM.
3. Receive Holy Communion with true gratitude and humility.
4. Offer my final 2011 financial contribution to GCC. Finish my tithe in full. Fulfill my "New Normal" pledge.
5. Write a few "Thank You" letters.
6. Walk in the woods with my son.
7. Pray for understanding.

 

Proverbs 4:7  -  Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!

Ever Feel Like You Need A Little Help?

- Photo by Josh Hunter -

A lot of people came to my mom's funeral and during the visitation I tried to talk with all of them. I was super busy so I gave my camera to one of my nephews and asked him to shoot and shoot and shoot. Josh is a great man, awesome dad and devoted husband. He's also a photographer with a good "eye" for composition, so I was thrilled when he burned through nearly 500 pictures in 5 hours.

When I saw this shot of Luke (one of my sister's grand-kids) I thought, "That's how I feel sometimes - like everything going on around me is beyond me, out of my control and overwhelming." 

During those moments I find myself doing what Luke was doing when his Uncle Josh took his picture; I look to my Father for help. You can see it in Luke's eyes. It's like he's saying, "Hey Dad. I'm pretty tired and miserable. Any chance you'd be willing to get me through this?"

Of course, Luke's dad picked him up and helped him past this moment of sadness, just as my Heavenly Father has so often picked me up and carried me through my heartaches and difficulties. 

Loving Fathers are like that.
 

Psalm 130:1-2  -  Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

A Sunset of Note: We Bury My Mother Today

Sheila and I made a long drive so I could get some grief counseling a few days ago. It was worth the trip. It helped us both.

Well into our session, after talking about the cumulative effects of loss and grief, I said, “I’m going to bury my mom next Wednesday.”

Before I could speak another word the doctor interrupted me and said, “But not her memory.”

“What?” I asked. I’d been paying so much attention to what I was saying that I feared I'd misunderstood his sudden rejoinder.

He said again, “Not her memory. You’re not going to bury your memories of your mother.”

“No.” I said, feeling at once like I was stating the obvious, but desperately needing to say it out loud, whether it was obvious or not.

“That’s true,” I agreed, “I’m not burying my memories of my mother.”

Alzheimer’s is a terrible and curious disease, and the good doctor sitting with me was able to brilliantly juxtapose the anguish of Mom’s last decade of memory loss with my strong and clear memories of her.

In that moment I felt a great wave of faith wash over me. I trusted God. I didn’t feel my grief disappear, nor was I aware of the slightest deliverance from my sadness. But I knew my mother was lucid once again, that she was unclouded, set free from the confusion of Alzheimer’s and thinking clearly – more clearly than ever before.

And that brought me great comfort.

Mom’s OK. In fact, she just enjoyed her best Christmas ever. So as I grieve losing her, and acknowledge the sun has set on her life on earth, I take comfort in knowing she’s already in the presence of Jesus. Mom’s memories have returned to her as she has returned to God. 

My memories of her are strong. I think I’ll take a few days and treasure them, going back to cherish each memory for a while before I move on to other things. My doc says that’s what I should do, and I’m in no shape to argue.

The days of our lives are numbered, as are the hours of each day, so I want to make each day count. I want to add value, encourage others and cheer others on, especially because the day is coming when all my days on this earth will end; the sun will set on my life and I’ll join those who’ve journeyed ahead of me into the presence of God Almighty.

May God keep us in the palm of HIS hand as that Day approaches.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (The Message)  -  Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.