church//gym 2/13::

 A couple of weeks ago I was running on the treadmill and something happened suddenly in my calf muscle. Something pulled or popped, or knotted up, I still don't know. All I know is that I stopped immediately and limped into my car. I got a lot of advice from some smart people- one said to stretch; one said to wear a brace; one said to eat potassium, and they all said that I needed ice and listen to my body- which meant to rest. But I didn't rest. I didn't want to stop running. So I just kept getting on that treadmill every night. I took all the advice that those friends gave me except rest. Some nights I could run for 2 minutes before quitting, some nights 5 or 10. Every night it was painful. Its been painful just walking around.

To be honest- that's not the only wound I've been carrying around. Recently my heart was wounded by a friend- and just like my leg muscle, I've been ignoring that wound and just hoping that it would go away on its own. And all the time, the pain just goes deeper, and the damage is becoming more serious. Last night I was driving to the gym and thought to myself, "maybe this leg injury is just a picture of what is happening in my heart- and what I need more than anything is to admit that I'm hurt and deal with it instead of thinking that it will all go away with time."

Yesterday I met with some friends for prayer and community, and I shared- "this just isn't going away on its own- I just need to let it go." That was big for me-

My leg is finally on the mend- and my heart is too- and both began when I got honest that those wounds were real and began to deal with them, face them and respect them. And God has graciously began to do His healing work. Its not fast- or always enjoyable, but its the best way.

God is love.
-rev-rob

church//gym entry 23

i went to a new gym tonight.


the church//gym just wasn’t working for me. its closed A LOT. (wednesday nights, saturday nights, all day sunday plus every day between 12 and 3). and its pretty far away.
so I signed up at a new gym today.
its closer. and its open all the time, and its not very expensive.
but it is different.


when i walked in tonight, I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know where the locker room was, and I didn’t know how to use the machines. and it was really crowded. the church//gym had a strict dress code. my new gym doesn’t. as I was exercising, I started thinking about how everything was different- and once again, I was reminded of conversations I’ve had at church.


our church is on the bigger side. people often check it out when their church isn’t working for them anymore. and they often point out all that’s different. they tell me that the music is too loud, or that the crowd is unfriendly, or that its too crowded. I've been told that the church is too big, and that the church is too small; that the music is too new, and that its not new enough. I've been told that the middle school ministry is too wild, and that its not wild enough. guests have noticed that we do communion differently or prayer time differently, or that there isn’t a cross where there should be one. and they can forget that even though the music is different, it’s the same Lord that we sing to. even though the message is different, it’s the same scripture that inspires it; and even though the Lord’s supper is different, it’s the same cross that we celebrate.


I was thinking about that as I exercised tonight. even though my new gym is more crowded, the weights are still heavy. the machines still make me sweat, and my iPod plays the same songs in my ears while I work out. there are actually a lot of things that are different that I’m looking forward to exploring: like new classes and routines. at my old gym, I know everyone; at my new gym, I know no one. but that’s ok. I’ll make new friends, I’m sure. different and new isn’t bad. its just different and new.


I don’t know if you will ever have the need or the desire to investigate a new church; but if you do, focus on what you know, and why you’re there; everything else will come in time. different and new isn’t bad. its just different and new.

church::gym entry 22

I have upped my cardio time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. I haven't got the hang of it yet. I'm still working on it. today I got on the exercise bike and started pedaling. a younger guy got on the bike next to me and said, "are you going for 60 minutes again?!" I totally forgot that he and I had talked about this a few weeks before. "oh yeah," I said. "I'm trying to get the hang of it. its still pretty hard for me."
"I don't think I could ever do that!" he said.
"sure you could." I answered. it just popped out of my mouth. like an exhale.
at that moment I realized that I was being for him like gary has been for me.
at that moment I realized that I was not only being like gary, I had a responsibility to be like gary. so I poured on the encouragement. I gave him some tips. when he finished his 30 minutes I said, "good job bro! you did it! you'll be up to 60 minutes in no time!"
when he walked out, he gave me a head nod, and I could tell that my words had lifted him up.


everyone of us has received encouragement, training, inspiration, and courage from someone else. that can't just end with you- its got to go forward. if you're a believer, someone shared the gospel with you. that can't end with you- its got to go forward to someone else. and then it needs to go forward from them as well. the apostle paul said it this way to timothy, the one that he was investing in:
"and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."


who has invested in you?
go and be like them and invest in someone else.
it can't just end with you-
its got to go forward.
you have a responsibility.


God is love.
-rev-rob

church//gym:: entry 21

I walked into the gym tonight and there was a basketball game going on in the basketball gym. even from a distance, i could hear the players trash talking each other (at the church-gym!) i walked up to the desk to check in and said to my friend who works there, “i can hear those guys trash talking from way over there!” “I know!” he said. “how about less chit-chat, and more BALLIN’?!”


as i went into the locker room, I was thinking of that statement. at this point, it would be easy for me to take a pot-shot at churches and say that they have too many meetings and committees and not enough serving and acts of love. too much chit-chat, not enough ballin’. but Idon’t even know if that’s true. I can speak for myself, though. what about me? I can preach a sermon about serving and compassion and good works, but how is my game? how is yours? we could all step it up when it comes to serving, giving, encouraging, visiting, witnessing, and going. less chit-chat, more ballin’.


God is love.
-rev-rob

church::gym entry 20

I’ve been going to the gym in the evenings a lot more lately (that’s because when I go at night, I can sleep in a little linger, and I get to “talk about things” with my big-kid jane when she wakes up in the morning.) there is a whole different crowd at night than in the morning. in the morning there is mostly older people and they are very perky and chatty. at night, there is a younger crowd, and they don’t have much to say.


there is a middle schooler that goes to the gym almost every night and sometimes I just keep an eye on him because everything he does cracks me up. I can tell that he is there with his mom. his mom walk on the treadmill, and he sort of goes from machine too machine doing a few reps at a time. his favorite seems to be this machine that can be set in a bunch o different ways to work different muscle groups. he likes to set it so that he can pull weight down-wards with one hand. he only puts like ten pounds of weight on it. he does like 3 or 4 reps and then he totally poses in the mirror and walks around like some sort of body builder. he makes this tough-guy face, and whenever he leaves with his mom he always seems excited about the good work out he had. he doesn’t notice, but every time I see him working out, I giggle a little at how funny he is.


so once again, the gym is like church- because there are some middle schoolers at the church who think they’re pretty cool and pretty tough; and they make me laugh too.


God is love.
-rev-rob

church::gym entry 19

sometimes I go to the gym and I see people in there just chatting with their friends, not working out at all. sometime I can hear them talking and they say, “well- that’s enough for today! better hit the showers!” and I think, “they aren’t even sweaty! did they even work out?” I think that some people think that just going inside the building counts. and they go home with a sense of satisfaction that they did their exercise for the day.


I see this at church too. people hang out in the “fellowship area” and chat. I don’t actually see them in the service, or listening to the message or engaging in worship. do they feel that just going inside the building counts as going to church?


I also see this on easter sunday. a lot of people go to the early service so they can go to church early and get on with their day. the same is true with the gym. people get there at 6am when it opens, do a quick workout, and then leave after 30 minutes- just to get it out of the way. I know that we’re all busy, but if its important, shouldn’t you spend a little time on it?


what counts as going to the gym? what counts as going to church? can you only count it a good workout if you got all sweaty? how do you measure if you made the most out of your trip to church? should we even create a measure for a good visit to church?


I don’t know, but I think that if you’re going to go to the gym, you should at least get your heart pumping and get sweaty. and if you go to church, you should at least listen to the sermon, sing some songs, remember the cross, and slow down long enough to let God speak to your heart.


there are days when I go to the gym and I just don’t feel like it. but I have to say to myself, “if I drove all the way over here, I might as well get in a good workout.” there are days when I’m at church and I just don’t feel like hearing a sermon or making small talk; but if God got me there, He probably has something for me to hear or say or do; and that means that I need to dial in, and get my head in the game.
and that goes for you too.


God is love.
-rev-rob

church//gym entry 18

this morning i was at spin class at the gym with the spin instructor, henry. for those of you who have never been to a spin class, it’s a stationary bike that you ride. sometimes you ride it with a lot of resistance to simulate climbing a hill. this is hard. sometimes you ride it super fast to simulate going downhill. sometimes you stand up and spin with either a lot of resistance or none at all- its all hard. henry plays music and times out the intervals with the songs. sometimes we stand or sprint during a song’s chorus, sometimes we stand or sprint for an entire song.


today, we were all spinning and sweating and henry yelled out, “ok! now we’re going to move to third position (standing up) for this entire song! here we go!” since it’s a church gym, all of the songs are worship songs. so there i was, standing up, climbing an invisible hill, waiting for this song to end. there was a verse, then a chorus, then a verse, then a chorus, then the bridge, then the chorus, and i was thinking that the songs was about to end. but no- this was a worship song! after all of those verses and choruses, there was another chorus, this one louder and faster. then another chorus, then another! each time the singer started another chorus i shouted in my brain something like “NO MORE CHORUSES! STOP THIS SONG! I HATE THIS SONG! PLEASE STOP SINGING! MY LEGS ARE FALLING OFF!”


and it got me thinking; one of the biggest complaints that seniors have about modern worship songs is that they repeat the choruses too many times! after all, hymns don’t have a lot of choruses, just verses. normally when I hear this argument, i think that these folks are too old fashioned, but today, their argument made a LOT of sense. i might just go to the 8am hymn service tomorrow just to show my support for these wise people.
God is love.
-rev-rob

church::gym entry 16

its been awhile since I’ve blogged. I’ve had some good ideas over the last few weeks, but everytime I start typing I change my mind.


the other day I was at the gym- I had my iPod in my ears, so I couldn’t hear anything. I stretched out, did my sit ups and push ups, and then I went over to the elliptical. there was a big, older gentleman leaning against the one I wanted to use. I could tell that he had just signed up and was getting a tour from a trainer. I could also tell that he was a people-person, because he was starting up conversations with everyone. I stepped onto the elliptical- he gave me an unpleasant look. “were you going to use this?” I asked; “no! I guess not!” he said playfully. he went back to talking to the trainer- he said, “I want to get down to about…a buck twenty-five…(or 125 pounds- which was going to be quite an accomplishment for this guy.) as soon as he said that, an older lady who was riding another elliptical shouted out, “YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DIET!” the guy just stopped. then he looked over at me for support. “YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DIET!” she said again, “I LOST 40 POUNDS, AND IT WAS ALL BY DIETING.” this guy looked over at me again and said, “can you believe this?” then he looked at her and said, “WHEN DID I ASK YOU FOR YOUR OPINION ABOUT MY WEIGHT LOSS?! sheesh!” she just kept it up. I told him, “that’s that way it is here, bro. everyone is helpful…”
“that’s the way it is around here.” he said.


which reminded me that sometimes when you’re at the gym, and sometimes when you’re at church, you get some advice that you didn’t ask for. I have been given all kinds of advice that I never asked for. some of it is helpful, and some not so much. but what do you do? I could be a jerk like my gym-friend, or I can be gracious. its just better to be gracious. after all, they’re just trying to be helpful (hopefully). I’ve been reading through proverbs lately and it talks all about advice. here is an excerpt: “pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.” (proverbs 13:10). if the pharoah of genesis could take advice from a hebrew slave, maybe we could all take some advice from an unlikely source as well.


the guy does need to diet, but he probably didn’t want to get that advice, that way. so when you’re helping someone with a bit of advice, speak the truth in love and consider the situation.
God is love.
-rev-rob

church::gym entry 15

there is this guy at the gym who gets on this climbing machine every morning. he has worked out on it every day for over a year- but he doesn’t seem to be making any progress. he doesn’t seem to be working out that hard. he’s not sweating- he carries on conversations while he rides it. he gets tired, but he doesn’t get any closer to his goal.


I was watching his do this again today and thinking about my own work out regime- I get sweaty every day and still seem to make only a little bit of progress. as I was running along on the elliptical machine I couldn’t help but think that he and I are doing something wrong- and if we just asked a coach for help we could probably do much better.


and I started thinking about the many, many religious people in the world. so many are just like my gym-buddy and i: working and working, but never get any nearer to their goal; fasting and praying and reading and serving and abstaining, but never getting any closer to God; never becoming more godly. its seems that they are in the same boat as me: something’s not right. they’re doing something wrong. they need a coach to help them see it all differently. maybe they are like me and my gym-buddy: working and working, but never seeing any results.


with God, its not how much sweat you put into it, it’s the attitude that you have;
its the position that you take.


david said it in psalm 51: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”


Samuel said in 1 Samuel 15, “does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
for rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”


in amos God says, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
but let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”


it seems that God would rather have justice than worship services and humility rather than sacrifices.


and it seems that we get near God not necessarily by working for God, but humbling ourselves; by having a broken spirit; by making sure that no one is being exploited or mistreated.
we get nearer to God by associating with the lowly of the world.


david said, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."


if the LORD is near the broken-hearted, then maybe we are closest to Him when we are closest to them.


I wonder if my gym-buddy and I really did learn the secrets of reaching our goals if we would actually do them. or would we just keep doing our routine and tell ourselves that it will pay off eventually?


I wonder if the religious really knew that God would much rather me take care of the sick and hungry than be a good Christian (or good catholic or good whatever) if we rally would? or would we just go back to our routine and tell ourselves that its all paying off- a little at a time?


Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice. 'For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."


maybe we have spent so much effort being religious, that we have forgotten that we are actually the sick in need of a doctor. maybe we have spent so much time telling ourselves that we are righteous that we have forgotten that we’re really the sinners that Jesus is calling to come near to Him.

church//gym: entry 14

its been a long time since I’ve posted a blog about the church//gym; its been a while since I’ve been to the gym! almost a week.


this morning I was riding the exercise bike, watching ESPN, listening to bono, and sweating. I got off of the bike and headed to the sit ups machine and I saw carol on the treadmill. carol is the lady who bugged my friend gary about his chest pains in front of everyone and then later asked him out on a date. she must have heard him say my name, because she has been greeting me by name recently. I don’t usually say much to anyone at the gym, but carol tricked me into revealing my secret identity. her trick: flattery.


I walked by and she said, “so, are you a full time student?”
she thought I was a college kid?!
I was so flustered and flattered that I sort of giggled and probably blushed.
in that moment of pride, I let go of my secret identity and said,
“I’m not a full time student! I’m a full time pastor!”
in some circles, a statement like that will get you laughed at.
in some, you’ll get no reaction at all.
but in a Pentecostal church, a statement like that means that everyone goes overboard with respect and dignity.
I never wanted that- that’s why I was keeping it quiet about my job.
carol said, “oh! where do you minister?”
I told her about the church and I said,
“thanks for thinking I was a student!”
and then she got me again.
she said, “well you’re so young!”
again, I was so flattered that I revealed more-
I said, “well, I’m a youth pastor!”
rob!


so I go into another room to work on some weights and then I come back out.
I walked up to carol- who was still on the treadmill, and said, “bye carol!”
she said, “GOODBYE PASTOR! YOU KEEP THOSE KIDS IN LINE! PREACH THE WORD TO THEM! WE’LL ALL BE PRAYING FOR YOU! KEEP THOSE KIDS PURE! WE NEED MORE MEN LIKE YOU!”


all eyes landed on me.
there goes my anonymity.
i couldn't get out of there fast enough.


the application for church:
everyone has a secret identity that they are keeping from everyone else.
maybe its their past, maybe it’s a painful relationship, maybe its an addiction.
no one wants it broadcasted, but many long to reveal it to someone they trust.
how can we get someone to reveal their heart so that we can listen and care?
why not try carol’s way? use an encouraging word.
secret identities are powerless against a kind word or a compliment.

random-rob-thoughts: august 4

its been a week or so since my last blog.
I’ve been sort of busy, and not feeling all that creative, but here is an update on me and my world:


:: I was off of caffeine for a couple of months, and just starting to feel like I was over it. then missy, one of the middle school staff ladies came to church on a tuesday night and gave me a cup of mcdonald’s sweet tea. it was a gift. I had to drink it. after one sip I felt like I could see better- and hear more and my skin felt tingly- and I became so creative and full of life! I woke up! and my sparkle was bright again! some students got a kick out of seeing me hyper. some have developed a pretty good impression of caffeine-rob. I had caffeine all that week and all week at hume. it was so fun. I even had a few red-bulls. whoa! now I’m off again (except for the invigorating water). maybe that’s why I haven’t felt so creative…


:: I found a bag of m&m’s on my desk the other day with a post-it note attached to it. it said, “congratulations rob! I’m so proud of you!” I asked around to see who it was from, but nobody knew. it was from luke. he felt bad that I didn’t get a prize for my potty-power last week. wow- that IS a good prize! I’m a big kid now!


:: speaking of big kids, I’ve been having a lot of fun with my big kid recently. we’ve been looking all over for a safari hat so that jane can go on a safari around the house searching for a black panther (calvin). we finally found one at a party store.





and the safari began right there in the store. it got a little awkward when she started crawling around on the floor with her safari hat, searching for calvin. we also got big sunglasses at chuck e. cheese after cashing in our tickets.





yesterday we had dinner together at the mall. there was a sale at disney store and we got new ariel-flip-flops- only $3!





(seriously. if you have kids, and they like disney, keep an eye out for their sales. once they are ready to move something out, they slash the price.) last weekend we got to go and ride thomas the train at roaring camp railroad.





the train ride was ok, what was really awesome was the way that they decked out the entire area to be like the island of sodor, thomas’ home.


:: I spoke in big church a couple of weeks ago.





I felt like it went over. the people at venture are so kind. they often see me and ask if I’m speaking soon. and they always tell me that I did well afterwards. i think the best compliment that I heard was, “if I had only heard that message 30 years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of pain.” wow. if people are able to do business with the Lord, then I’m satisfied with the message.


:: my biggest bus day of the year was last week. annual inspection by the CHP. I save documents and keep those busses in tip-top shape all year, just the see my friend Dale sign his name on a piece a paper and check a box that says, “satisfactory.” he always seems to toss in a threat somehow; like, “cute little girl! that would be such a shame if she didn’t get to see her dad for five years if you ended up in prison for falsifying documents- and I’ve sent youth pastors to prison before…” sheesh! this year we passed with flying colors.


:: I’m working on a new series of messages for the fall. the series is called activist and is based on several passages from the book of james. I’m looking forward to it.





:: I’ve been in 2 chronicles for quiet time. after 1 samuel, 2 samuel, 1 kings, 2 kings and 1 chronicles, I think I’m ready to stop reading about mistake-making-kings.


:: finally, I’ve been going to spin class on monday, wednesday, and fridays. most days its pretty chill because its just me and a bunch of old ladies. but today, there were some star-spinners there. all women. the instructor had us stand up and sprint at the same time on the bike. she usually has us do something like this for 30 seconds. I can usually keep track of the time in my head. after about 30 seconds she said, “almost there!” she lied. she’s a LIAR! we weren’t almost there! we were nowhere near THERE! we couldn’t even SEE there form where were were! another 30 seconds go by. “almost there!” LIAR! I was in serious pain. my face was beet red, sweat was squirting out of every pore on my body. I was really tempted to just sit down, but since there were all girls in the class, I didn’t want to sit down and give up. I looked over at all of them, and they were all doing just fine. instead of 30 seconds, this lady had me spinning and standing for a WHOLE SONG. like 3 and half minutes. LIAR!


crazy. back to work.

church//gym: entry13

this morning I started a spin class at the gym. it was fun- the instructor is a very cool lady with tons of energy. I was spinning along and enjoying myself, and the other people next to me were moaning and groaning. they were saying, “I’m not used to this!” “I never use these muscles!” “I’m getting sore!” and the instructor just said, “if you want to go to the next level, its not going to be easy. it usually involves something new- and it usually hurts.”


what a great line. especially when it comes to going to the next level spiritually. praying doesn’t hurt, neither does reading your bible. but “if you want to go to the next level, its not going to be easy. it usually involves something new- and it usually hurts.”
what hurts spiritually?
as I was driving home, I was thinking about that.
confessing your sins to a friend hurts.
choosing humility hurts.
serving in a foreign land or with a foreign group of people may not actually hurt, but its hard, and can be scary.
trying something new, like leadership hurts.
apologizing and seeking someone’s forgiveness hurts.
giving sacrificially hurts.
fasting hurts.


all of these things hurt.
but they are a great way to take it to the next level.
we all have the same choice that my friends next to me in spinning class have:
I know it hurts. and I know that this will be great for me, but will I actually do it?
or will I just try it once?
will I just watch others?
like the old saying goes:
no pain, no gain.

people make me smile:: june 27

so i go to the gym this morning, walk into the workout room, and i see my gym-bff-gary working out on the weights. i figure that he is all done with his cardio workout. i also figure that he and i will catch up before he leaves. so i get on the bike, put on my radio, and start listening to sportscenter on the gym’s local radio broadcast.


gary gets all done and i see him walking my way on his way out. i pull out my headphones and say hi.
he says, “where have you been? i haven’t seen you in a while.”
i tell him how i’ve been coming in at 6am, and then carol, (the lady that asked him about his dizzy spells) who was on a treadmill behind us blurts out, “GARY! what to go out on a date sometime?!”


so there i am, spinning away on my bike, with an embarrassed gary next to me- and it was then that i knew that i had a new blog-story on my hands. so i listened closely, with a big smile on my face. i wanted to see how he would handle this.


gary replied, “carol, i’m fine. don’t worry about me. i’ll be ok.”
i said, “gary! alright! you’re getting asked out right here at the gym!”
then carol spoke up again saying, “gary! its not good to eat alone. no one wants to eat alone!”
he replied, “carol, i’m fine. but thank you.”


and then i started to wonder, “is this story going under the church-gym blogs or the seniors-are-like-middle-schoolers-blogs?” because i was witnessing an awkward rejection- something i have seen so many times at student ministry.


carol kept it up. gary kept making excuses for why he couldn’t date carol, and that he didn’t need companionship. and then he told me to have a good weekend and then he left.


if i did put this in the seniors-are-like-middle-schoolers-blogs, i would say that seniors are like middle schoolers because they are aggressive when it comes to getting the attention of the opposite sex, obvious when it comes to who they like, and not very good at letting someone down easy. they also seem to be happy to play out their romance (or lack of romance) i front of everyone).


if i put this in the church//gym section, i would say that eventually at church and at the gym, the happy faces are too hard to keep on, and real-life spills out. sometimes its awkward, sometimes its sad, but its always authentic, and always is interesting.


but i’m not going to file it under either of these- i’m starting a new section- called “people make me smile.” because true life is always more entertaining than fiction.


sorry carol.
if i’ve learned anything about middle school relationships, i would recommend that she go after his friend. that always seems to get a guy’s attention.
wait a minute!
that’s me!

church//gym: entry12

as I have been working out next to my friend gary, I have picked up that his wife was very sick for a long time. I later learned that she passed away. he told me that her passing led to him going to church again. I don’t really probe, it just comes out as we talk.


he was sharing with me that he was going on a trip to reno- to have something to look forward to. when he got back, I asked him how it was, and he didn’t seem to have a very good time. he told me that he and his wife used to go to reno, and just being there without her made him really sad. I asked him how long it had been since she passed and he said 10 months. I thought it was a lot longer, since he seems like he has been in church for years.


this lady, carol started talking to him about his trip (she was the one who was asking him about his dizzy spells in front of everyone). he shared with her that he doesn’t gamble, but that his wife used to like to play slot machines; so he put one token in her favorite machine and said, “this is for you, babe.”
it paid out $1800 right there. he felt happy to have the money, and he felt that the Lord gave him a special moment to remember her. he also shared that he gets lonely. carol offered to have dinner with him sometimes, but she made sure to tell him that it wouldn’t be a date (yeah right, carol!)


I was on the elliptical next to him, sweating and breathing hard as he told this story, and I didn’t have anything to say; but I felt a lot closer to him as he shared it.


what does this have to do with church?
I don’t know-
we all have stories that are waiting to be told.
we all have pains that need to be comforted and healed.
we all have a need for friendship, community, and grace.


here this guy was encouraging me,
even in the midst of his pain-
I really like gary.

church//gym: entry 11

the other day i was on the exercise bike, and gary was on the elliptical behind me. this old lady walks into the room and starts checking in on everybody. she says, “hey janet, how is your sister?” “mike, how is your job?” “gary, how are your dizzy-spells?” he said, “i’m fine.” she says, “are you really feeling fine or are you lying to me?”
i was shocked.
so was gary.
she said, “hey- i’m just looking out for you!”
and to me that reminded me of some thoughts about accountability.
i’m all for friends keeping each other accountable.
i’ve had a bunch of friends over the years keep me accountable.
it’s a great thing.
and she is right-
it is a sign of love-
and it only works if everyone chooses to be honest.
but it also only works if it is in a spirit of love and confidentiality.
for her to ask gary those questions in front of everyone
showed that her questions were more about her than they were about him.


it also showed that you can’t just keep anyone accountable-
you need to make a friendship-
and an agreement-
and a pact built on trust-
that is when your questions are welcome and earned.


you really can’t sniff around in someone else’s life
unless they have given you that freedom,
and you have given that freedom to them.

church//gym: entry10

:: the other day I walked into the gym and gary was on the elliptical talking to the guy next to him who was also on an elliptical. gary had this guy cracking up. they guy said to gary, “wow! its already been 20 minutes!” gary said, “that’s why I’m always talking to rob or to pam or to connie- because it makes the time go so much faster!”


and that’s true for us who want to grow in Christ- when we try to go at it all by ourselves it can be slow, boring, and just difficult. but if you can do it with a friend, its so much easier.


:: gary was chatting with me and this girl. he shared that he was feeling worn out and tired. the girl next to him said, “I think you need to stretch out more.” he went on about how he doesn’t stretch. then she went on and on about how she loves to stretch and how one time she got up at 5 am to stretch for a whole hour and how stretching is the best. he and I weren’t convinced.


there are always people with advice- who make you feel like you’re not at the level they are at. and they are usually annoying.


:: I’ve been thinking- at what point have you arrived with your health? do you ever? if so, how long does it last? health is a daily maintenance. it’s a way of life- not a destination. its about a journey, not an arrival.


it’s the same for us who want to grow in jesus- or as the theologians call it, “sanctification.” at what point have you made it? do you ever? how long does it last? its not about arriving, its about developing good habits and making good choices every day, every moment. it’s a journey, not a destination.


:: gary and I were talking about our work outs. he was telling me about his crunches, and how he lifts weights- and then he said, “the most important thing is what we’re doing right now- working our hearts (doing cardio). because when your heart is right, then rest of you is right.”


that’ll preach brother.

church//gym: entry 09

before this week, i had gone to the gym, like 90 times in a row, without missing a day. (my gym is closed on Sundays). but last week i missed 2 days for my missions trip and this week i missed 2 days for my breakfast club and to help Deanna watch jane. so this morning when i woke up i had a choice: do i miss 3 days in a row? it was really tempting. it would have been easy to say that i’ve been there so many times already, what’s another day? but then again, once you miss 2 days, its easy to miss 3 and 4. plus, who would notice?
this is what we all face when the decision to go to church or not rests with us. once you’re in a situation where no one will really notice if you go or not, it can be really tempting to just stay in bed and miss a week. its easy to justify it and say that you’ve already gone so many times before.
well i went, and it was hard, but i’m glad that i did.


another thought:


i go to this kettlebell class- and its hard. not because the kettlebells are heavy, but because its hard to get my body in the right position to do the exercises. i’m usually the only one in the class, so eddie the instructor just watches me and corrects me. so there i am, lifting this weight, or passing it around my legs and eddie is there saying, “butt-back. chest up. feet straight. butt back! head up. butt back! open your stance. keep your head still! butt back!” it gets to the point where i’m twisted into this weird position lifting weights, and dying. so i think i’m going to quit the class- not because the weight is heavy, but because eddie is all up in my grill all the time!


and again, i think that church is fun, as long as we feel that everyone stays out of our business. but once we get called on our mistakes and corrected, it starts getting uncomfortable. will we quit or improve? will we listen to our trainers, or just go work out somewhere else?


last thought:


again, i missed 4 days in the last 2 weeks. and the people at the gym noticed. when i walked in, several of my friends noticed, greeted me, and expressed that they missed seeing me. it made me want to make sure that i don’t miss another day anytime soon!


what a great example to all of us who see people each wee that haven’t been to church in awhile. instead of beating them up, we can be excited to see them and motivate them to get plugged back in.


“let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
-hebrews 10

church//gym: entry08

when I first started going to the gym, I’d just walk in, listen to my iPod, and then leave without talking to anyone. eventually, some very thoughtful and friendly people smiled at me and waved on the way in and out. not only that, some really nice people just came up to me and introduced themselves and showed interest in me. each time they came up to me, I had a choice to make: will I be a snob, or will I open myself up to a friendship with this person? I also had another choice: will I leave my headphones in my ears or will I pull them out when someone is talking to me?


things are a lot different now, after3 months at the gym. I still make my exercise mixes for my iPod, but I don’t even get through 2 or 3 songs most days. now my friends walk up to me, tap me on the shoulder and say hi. they ask me what I think about the game last night or the elections. and every time my friends come up to me I pull my headphones and I rarely put them back in.


this got me thinking about church. a lot of people feel uncomfortable at church because they don’t have relationships. they feel that they don’t have relationships because church-people are exclusive or snobby. and some people are. but my experience at the gym has showed me that if you show up consistently, you’ll meet someone, even if you weren’t trying to. and my experience has shown me that the amount of friends we have usually isn’t because of everyone else’s snobbiness, but it’s because of our own. each of us need to decide if we will open ourselves up to a new friendship or not. the reality is that most people who feel that everyone is snobby really mean that the people that they HOPE to be friends with are snobby. there are a ton of friendly people at church that are really trying hard to make friends and to be friendly. if we would just open ourselves up to a friendship with them and lower our own defenses and ego, we could meet some really cool people; and really look forward to our next visit.


here is another thought-
my friend gary is SEVENTY-SEVEN. he is a beast. I was stepping on the elliptical next to him this morning and I was going super fast, trying to get my 6000 steps (which has become a lot easier lately- just like he told me it would!). I put raise the incline one level every six minutes. gary goes for 30 minutes with the incline as HIGH AS IT WILL GO. and he goes fast. it’s like he is sprinting up a steep hill for 30 minutes. did I mention that he is SEVENTY-SEVEN?! as he has the stamina to chat with people and encourage them. this morning we were both stepping pretty fast and this lady behind us on the treadmill said to gary, “you’re almost keeping up with your friend!” and he said, “no- no- rob is much faster than me.” he’s 77! and the truth is, I’m a LONG way from doing his workout! i asked him what he does after his cardio workout, and he said he does 400 crunches! i've got nothing on gary- and i'm not even half his age!


the church//gym illustration: there are older people at church and at the gym who are super-cool and we all could learn a lot from.

random-rob-thoughts: feb. 27

here are some random thoughts and updates:


:: I did 6100 steps on the elliptical this morning- I was super-sweaty and tired after that. I was glad because my friend gary was there to see me finish! he’s always so encouraging. I counted this morning and I’ve been to the gym 67 times since I resigned up in december. I think its officially a habit! I also got on the scale this morning and saw that I’ve got a LONG way to go. if only I could give up fries and sweet tea-


:: finally finished the pentateuch/ torah/ books of moses- and now I’m on to joshua. 2 thoughts come to mind: 1 is the phrase “strong and courageous.” Joshua is told to be strong and courageous 6 times over the course of deuteronomy and Joshua. moses tells him to be strong and courageous, the people of Israel tell him to be strong and courageous, and God Himself tells him to be strong and courageous. what’s going on here? did he give off a wimpy-vibe? or did everyone see the task in front of him and feel led to encourage him? second thought: I come away with a new respect for moses. here he is the paris hilton of his day- son of pharaoh- young, wealthy and famous- and then his whole life turns upside down. he’s called on to do the impossible: to pull the Israelites from the grip of egypt. he didn’t feel qualified, but he did it anyway. and not just that, he led them through the wilderness for 40 years dealing with food and water shortages, dealing with rebellion, dealing with wars with foreign nations and all the while overseeing the birth of judaism and the worship of yahweh. and yes he was flawed- who isn’t? but God rewarded him by allowing him to meet the Christ who he prophesied would come at the transfiguration. not a bad life!


:: we started this new series in middle school called “jakob-the-wrestler.”





justin and josh have been delivering the messages. they have been walking through jacob’s life and noting his wrestling matches from his match with his brother in the womb to his match with God. all of the graphics have luchadores on them. my favorite is that bruce pops into the room dressed as nacho libre to lead games. to me, that’s worth getting up early for church as it is!


:: yesterday during chapel, vicky niblack came to speak. she always brings a ton of energy and insight. we’ve been talking about bullying all year. she used this illustration where she smashed glass. she talked about how bullying leaves us smashed and it smashed others. we ended with some quiet reflection, and as we dismissed about five girls stayed behind and huddled up tightly. I could hear them sniffling and whispering to each other, “no more smashing, ok?” good job vick!


:: I was over at Walgreens last wednesday morning when I heard, “hi rob!” it was one of my middle school friends from Dartmouth (just down the street from Walgreens). another voice said, “hi rob!” and another! there were dozens of middle schoolers in Walgreens! “what are you all doing here?” I asked. “wednesday is late day- school doesn’t start until 9:00- so we just hang out here and at starbucks.” I started thinking that it would be fun to do a before-school club for all of these kids. but where would we meet? so I decided to call the shopping center and ask them if I could use one of their vacant stores on wednesday mornings. and they didn’t say no! they are currently checking on it. so if you’re a pray-er- pray for that and for the finances and the volunteers to come through for a club like this.


:: reading a book called “generation me” by jean twenge.





and suddenly everything makes sense. if you like generational studies or sociology, pick it up and discover why you’re such a selfish person. (its everyone else’s fault!)


:: jane crawled up into our bed this morning at 6:30. she’s supposed to stay in bed until 7am, but I heard her chatting in her room and I couldn’t wait to talk to her. we had a long and fun conversation about several things, including cheerios, the park, and the letter E; and by 7am, I was already having a great day.


have a good wednesday!
-rob

church//gym: entry 07

i went to the gym this morning- i was supposed to get there at 7 to do the kettlebell class, but that wasn’t going to happen. i got there at 7:30 and hopped on the elliptical. a couple of minutes later, my encouraging-old-man-friend started stepping on the elliptical next to me. he noticed that iwasn’t stepping as fast as i usually do. i told him that i haven’t walked right since last Friday’s kettlebell class. for the first time ever, i took out my headphones and chatted with a friend while stepping on the elliptical. i learned that he is 77. he is in amazing shape for 77. he was stepping as high as that thing would go for 30 minutes straight. i told him that there is no way i could pull that off; and of course he encouraged me that i could do it if i worked at it.


eddie the ketttlebell trainer came upstairs while we were stepping and wondered where i was at 7- i felt bad because he waited for me.


after my cardio, i got a medicine ball and started some ab exercises on the floor. my encouraging-old-man-friend came and did some sit ups next to me. he was chatting with a lady who was also doing sit ups. when i was all done i went to him and said, “see you tomorrow! by the way, my name is rob.”
he said, “rob, its great to meet you- i’ve seen you around and now i know your name. my name is gary.”
and then gary started hammering me with the encouragement:
he said, “rob, are you in your twenties?”
i grinned from ear to ear.
“no, I’m 33!”
he said, “well you’re doing great- you’ve lost a lot of weight since you’ve started!”
woah! i almost fell over! my face was glowing with happiness.
i said, “wow- thanks for noticing!”
(as i sucked in my gut)
he said, “well its noticeable!”
we said goodbye and as i walked out i could hear him bragging on me to the lady he was talking to. i could hear him saying, “when rob started coming here…”


so that settles it:
when it comes to preaching, i want to preach like Erwin mcmanus-
when it comes to listening and making someone feel special, i want to listen like mister rogers-
and when it comes to encouraging,
i want to be like gary.