jane's geek out's of 2012:

Yesterday I wrote about the things that I geek out on, today I'd like to share some of the fun things that my 7-year-old Jane particularly loves:

:: hello kitty
We have hello kitty everything- especially tiny little figures and the houses that they live in. Sometimes all of the houses and kitties get together in the living room to form a kitty-city.

:: the color pink
Everything is pink in Jane's world.

:: cherry lollipops
Her candy of choice.

:: Calico Critters
These little figures used to only be sold in local toy stores like wooden horse- now you can find them in Toys r Us and Barnes and Noble. She loves them.

:: roller-coasters
She's a ride-warrior. She'll ride those all day long at Great America, the boardwalk, Happy Hollow and sometimes Disneyland.

:: Nintendo DS
She plays little kid games on this for long stretches at a time. Gamer.

:: Santa Cruz KOA
My kid likes coasters and camping. Did she get any of my genes?! She would rather go here than Disneyland!

:: Toy Story
We've seen these movies a trillion times. They have influenced an upcoming series for 678 called 'I am His.' She could quote those movies from start to finish-

:: bookstore cats
Most used bookstores have a very lazy and friendly cat that lives in them. While dad is browsing the local history section, Jane is usually charming the bookstore cat with conversation and head-scratches. She makes an effort to ask each bookstore owner if they have a cat, what the cat's name is and where the cat can be found. The cat on the right is Bob who lives a Recycle Books in Campbell.

:: TV-
Jane loves the strangest shows: Wipeout, Wheel of Fortune and America's Funniest Home Videos. She watches a bunch of kid-shows too.

:: books!
She likes quite a few books about pigs: the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillio, and of course, Amanda Pig books by Jean Van Leeuwen!

:: a few others include:
french fries, dairy queen and her name in print- all of these things are super-cool according to my kid.


Being a dad is fun.
-rob

my favorite books of 2011-

Last blog of 2011-
according to amazon, I purchased a bunch of books this year, and by my calculation, I finished about 20 or so of them. Some were ok, but some were incredible- here are my 10 favorite books of 2011:

The Pastor by Eugene Peterson

I got to hear Eugene Peterson talk about this book live at a conference- and the book was so much better. This book is Eugene's story of working at a church. It is incredibly honest, insightful, and delightful. His love for the Bible, the ministey, and the people he served comes through in every page; and his take on ministry is so refreshing.

Replenish by Lance Witt

Lance speaks at my church every now and then. I always enjoy his messages and I have met him a few times. This book is for pastors and is about the tending of a pastor's soul. I have read a few books on this topic and this one is the best by far. It has short readable chapters and is full of practical insight. I read this book slowly and savored every page. I didn''t want it to end!

Scouting the Divine by Margaret Feinberg

I got to hear Margaret speak about this book at a conference and was so blown away by the idea of this book. it's an idea that I wish I came up with myself: she went and spent time with a real shepherd, a farmer, bee-keeper, and a vintner (wine-maker) and asked them to give insight on what the bible says about sheep, farming, wine, honey, etc. and the things that she discovered are fascinating. she is a wonderful writer- this is another book that I was delighted to read.

Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki

This is basically the "How to Win Friends and Influence People" of today- but for the Silicon Valley. This book gives practical advice to leaders and businesses on how to enchant their customers. Its almost too much wisdom for just one book. I also heard and met Guy Kawasaki at a conference a few years ago- he is wonderful to listen to and his other books are great too.

Great by Choice by Jim Collins

I have been waiting for this book to come out for years. Jim Collins is one of my favorite writers and writes the best books for businesses and leaders. All of his books are pivotal, and this one is just as good as his previous ones. This book gave language to some of the frustrations and wins that I have seen as a leader in recent years. I hope that its not his last book.

Sticky Faith by Kara Powell

I heard Kara Powell speak on this book at a conference in town, and my mind was blown. She uses the latest research to explain whay students are leaving the church as they enter college. so many leaders have had ideas on why this has happened, but Kara Powell gives research to back up her ideas as well as strategies to turn this tide back. This book has completely changed the way I speak and lead as a youth pastor. This may be the single most important youth ministry book ever written.

The Genius of Generosity by Chip Ingram

again, I heard this author speak on this topic. I was so delighted by his story that I texted him (totally name-dropping here) and told him that this story would make an excellent book. He texted me back and said that it already was a book and sent me a copy. This story that he shares here is such a clear picture of what generosity looks like and how wonderful and fulfilling that it can be. Chip is so credible. When he makes points from the bible or makes a list of things the bible says about a topic- you know that this has come from years of study, not just copied and pasted from someone else's material. I loved the book and the messages that went with it. I've got a lot of love and respect for the author too-

Cinnabar Hills; the Quicksilver Days of New Almaden by Milton Lanyon and Laurence Bulmore

I'm actually reading this book right now. in the last few weeks I have become very interested in the New Almaden Mine near my house. This book is out of print, and is written by some men who were children in New Almaden in its heyday and were first hand witnesses to the colorful history of that community. It is full of very old pictures that were taken on site 150 years ago. I am absolutely loving this book. If you're interested you can get a copy of this and other books on the subjest at the Quicksilver museum in New Almaden.

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

I also got to hear Len Sweet at a conference this year, although he didn't speak on this topic (I went to some good conferences in 2011!) This is my favorite book of the year, and maybe one of my favorite books of all time. I have proably given away 10 copies of this book to my friends and co-workers.This book brings everything back to Jesus. He is the beginning and the End- He is our past, present and future. He is our message, He hold it all together, it all comes through him and to Him and is for Him. its all Him. this book was so encouraging, I can't even put it into words. get this book. I have purchased and read several other Len Sweet books this year after reading this one. they are all wonderful, but this one is the best.

last but not least-

Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss

(I wish I could say that I heard Dr. Seuss at a conference this year!) I have been a long time fan of Dr. Seuss but have never read this book. I saw it once in the bookstore and decided that if it is as good as his others, it will be worth the while. This book is so profound on so many levels. this book has many insightful thoughts on faith in the unseen and the value of a life. this book inspired a sermon-series that I developed on faith and on serving that I will deliver at our ministry's spring break missions trip this year.

I also read all of the books on hell that came out this year- lots of controversy and talk about those, for the sake of avoiding all of it, I'll just say that each of us should know what we believe on THAT topic with the SCRIPTURE (not tradition or good thoughts) to back it up. I also read some great books by Craig Groeschel.

leaders are readers-

God is love.

-rev-rob

bibliophilia

i love books.
I've got a lot of them.
I spend a lot of time, reading to them, listening them, organizing them, trading them-
they are in every room of my house and in my office.

recently, I downsized my office and sold nine boxes of books. I didn't realize that parting with them would be such an emotional experience for me.

I have not been buying as much paper-books lately because I'm low on storage space- I've been getting most of my books through my amazingly-wonderful little amazon kindle.

I recently organized my books and I noted that there were a number of re-occuring authors. there is a short list of people who can write a book and be guaranteed that I will buy it the day it comes out. they are as follows:

• phillip yancey- this guy is my favorite author. hands down. I've have all of his books. I even got to meet him a few years ago. when his last book came out, I was listening to it while painting and I had to actually stop painting and wipe away tears from the beauty of the stories that he told.

• jim collins- this guy has written the best and most influential books for business over the last 15 years. he has something insightful to say on ever page of ever book.

• erwin mcmanus- what can I say? I love this guy- and no one says it better than him. I have been able to meet him a few times and actually had lunch with him way back when I was in college and he was still unknown.

• donald miller- I love his books and stories. I will get every one that he writes.

• malcolm gladwell- what does he write about? kind of everything. and its always incredible, profound, and well said.

• leonard sweet- this is another one of my favorite Christian authors. he has such a delightful way of writing and preaching. I met him a few months ago- he is amazing.

• rob bell- this guy has sparked all kinds of controversy about his views on hell recently- I can disagree with him and still enjoy his books, and speaking. I was also able to meet him recently.

there is also a list of authors who I enjoy very much, and no not have ALL of their books, but I have many of them. these people include:

• henri nouwen- on faith and spirituality
• patrick lencioni- the guru of business leadership
• stephen covey (I might have all of his books)- on leadership
• chip ingram- how cool is it that my boss writes books?
• bill hybels- on church leadership
• tim sanders- on likeability and workplace leadership
• craig groeschel- on christian living
• guy kawasaki- on everything business
• neil t. anderson- on theology and freedom in christ
• mo willems- for my little- she loves his books! so do I. (she could probably create a list of favorite authors too)

recently I was organizing books and jane was helping. I found a book that I didn't want, and I didn't think I could sell or trade. I said to jane- "jane- you can just throw this one in the trash."

she said, "you mean- just throw it away? ...how sad."

it is sad when a book has no one to love it.

leaders are readers.
God is love.
rev-rob

ministry-artist

a friend of mine gave me a copy of eugene peterson's book, the pastor- I just finished it this morning. it too awhile to finish- but its not a book that you want to read too quickly. its very similar to his translation of the bible- every word is chosen carefully, and each sentence takes time to digest.

peterson introduced a concept in the book that has had my mind spinning- the pastor as artist.

artists work for art, and they work for art for free- because they love art. they are compelled to create. they don't do it because they have to or even expect to be paid for it- as a matter of fact- many artists work a job to pay the bills- but that job doesn't define who they are or what they do- who they are and what they do is art. their jobs may be menial, but their art is serious.

artists would love to make it big and get paid for their paintings, their sculptures, the acting or dancing, but even if they didn't get paid, they would still do it, because being an artist is a vocation, not a job. its a calling, a burden, a service to the arts itself.

peterson writes: "Being a pastor is a vocation, not a job. But when I became a pastor, I soon learned that I was living in a culture that didn’t know the difference between a vocation and a job. Artists were the first men and women who gave me a way to discern the difference."

there are thousands of pastors around the globe who function as artists. they do a job to pay the bills, but they aren't defined by that job- they are defined by the mnistry that they create- they are pastors. they don't do their ministry to get a paycheck, they do it out of service to the Good Pastor- the Good Shepherd Himself. what they do is a calling, a service, a burden, a joy, a vocation.

the prophet jeremiah said,
"But if I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot."

he was an artist.

I'm an artist too. although sometimes I forget that. sometimes it doesn't feel like art at all. I don't want to become one of those artists that made it to the big time and started getting paid for their art- the ones who care more about the pay than the art.

peterson asks, "how do I keep the heart of an artist? how do I keep myself from thinking that what I do is just a job? How do I keep my calling and my vocation from becoming just a job description?"

I don't have an answer. but I think that his words have got me on the right path-
or maybe back on the right path.
I need to remember that whether paid or not, I'm an artist serving the Creator-
the ultimate artist.
and I need to remember that when I began this journey- it wasn't about pay or a title, or a status or an image, it was all about the art; and the exhilaration of creating something that would endure forever. in the end its not about a job, its about a vocation.
being a pastor is a vocation, not a job.
"never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

God is love.
-rev-rob

 

rob the black swan

Last weekend the middle school ministry that I lead launched its 3rd weekend service. We pulled out all the stops, a ton of students came out, and we all had a blast. This morning I was reflecting on this weekend, and the fact that I get to do what I do, and it dawned on me, that when I was a kid, I had absolutely no intention of doing any of this.

I’m essentially a farm-kid from the central valley. As a kid, I loved being by myself and I still enjoy solitude; when I was a kid I had no desire at all to be in front of a crowd, the center of attention or anyone’s leader- and yet here I am.


One of my friends read a book with me called “the black swan.” The book says that when you look back on your life or on history, things seem to follow a natural progression; but if you remember being there in those moments, things actually happened fairly randomly. There are these moments- called black swans, where a random event occurred, but it completely affected the future and changed the course of your story. As believers we prefer to think of these black swans as God’s plan, God’s grace and God’s providence.


Here are some of the black swans that led me here:


• When I was a teenager I worked at an ice-cream shop. And while I was there I met a friend who invited me to church.


• The church just happened to be near my house, and it just happened to have an amazing youth ministry.


• I became a Christian in that church and somewhat randomly got involved as a leader in my youth group, with special attention, training and mentoring from the youth pastor and volunteers.


• This church just happened to have an intern program ith monies set aside for intern salaries and graduate schooling; and I just happened to be chosen as an intern and had my schooling scholarshipped.


• When I finished school, my church did not hire me, even though they had openings. I was hurt by this, but it sent me on a search for a new ministry-


• And somewhat randomly, I met my former pastor galen and los gatos Christian church.


• I just happened to run into the most incredible bunch of leaders and students on the planet.


• The church just happened to merge with another church in town, and I got to team up with my friend justin and his amazing team, and all of the sudden, the little youth ministry was a big one.


• The senior pastors of that church retired, and the church hired a well known speaker and author.


• And all of the sudden, that big youth ministry became a bigger one.


• And added to that, I found myself in the sweetest, most wonderful family with my favorite people in the world, Deanna and jane.


And the crazy thing is that I didn’t make any of these choices. This farm-boy from the central valley just seemed to find myself in the midst of these changes and opportunities. and when I start to think I’m something special, I just remember that I didn’t navigate this course or create these opportunities- they are all a gift of grace. And it makes me wonder what black swans are coming up ahead. As a kid, I never wanted to be anyone’s leader or to be in front of a crowd, and to be honest, it always intimidates me; but I wouldn’t trade this story and life for anything. I’m absolutely in love with this stage of my life.


This summer our youth ministry is studying the psalms, and I think of psalm 23. And I can say with David that the LORD is my shepherd; and He has been leading me on the most amazing journey- and my job is to be His sheep; to follow Him closely, and to enjoy the ride.


God is love. -rev-rob

pictures of jane reading

for some reason, it just makes me happy to see my daughter reading a book. maybe because it reminds deanna and I of ourselves when we were her age; maybe its because we know that when her eyes are on a book that she is engaging her mind, her creativity and her imagination all at once. here are just a few of the many photos that we have of jane reading books:

here are some as a baby girl:

and here are some from more recent days:

we've also got lots of video of jane reading books, but my favorite of all time is when jane either read or quoted a funny little book about thomas the train called "stop train stop."we've also got lots of video of jane reading books, but my favorite of all time is when jane either read or quoted a funny little book about thomas the train called "stop train stop."
stop train stop! from rob walter on Vimeo.

i'm in a book!

this is from kurt johnson's book middle school ministry made simple.
if I can help just one youth pastor to not rent a wood chipper, then my work will have not been in vain...

goodnight noises everywhere