5 things for which I am an evangelist

evangelist - "bringer of good news"

If you find yourself in meaningful conversation with me anywhere, you are likely to hear me talk about one or many of these things. These are my top five areas of evangelism, and I see them all as truly good news!

Jesus

There's a good book you should read about this one, I'll happily introduce you to it. There's also a massive population of people involved in the Jesus story, you should chat to them about their stories. Most of all, Jesus is alive and well and would love a chat. If you're reading this and feeling like he's a bit of a stranger, have a chat, you might get a nice surprise.

Youthwork

It's my job and my life, but also a passion. I've been working with teenagers ever since I was one. I love the culture, the language, the zeal for life, the challenges, the potential in each person, the foundational impact we can have on some amazing lives as we live alongside them.

Getting Things Done

www.davidco.com

This is a difficult one to encapsulate in a short blog post. Imagine a life where you have captured every thought or idea or thing you want to achieve. You organise them, feel like there is way too much to do and you are just way too busy.

OK that was easy to imagine.

Now imagine that at any point in the day you are doing exactly the right thing in that moment, and you know that everything else is just waiting for it's moment to be done or given away, or simply deleted because it really wasn't so important after all. Imagine any interruption to your life, no matter how much of a crisis, does NOT throw you into chaos. Everything can work out OK. And imagine you are able to be WAY more creative, because you're not sinking under piles of TODO lists. Your filing systems and inboxes actually work, your life is not a mess, and you spend almost all your time doing the things you actually want to do.

If you nail the GTD process (Getting Things Done), this is you. It's even quite fun to start and develop!

Apple

www.apple.com

Switching to macbook was a very very very good decision. I love iPods. I love everything apple I touch (hehe). As you know, anyone who is in apple world tends to be an applevangelist. There is a reason for this people!

Google

www.google.ca

Almost every aspect of Google that develops (or is bought out by them!) gets me excited. With one major exception. Google apps, email, docs, calendars, blogger, picasa, youtube. It's a bit worrying that they are getting so into world domination, as competition keeps us all sharp. But, currently, love 'em, they're doing an awesome job.

PS the only truly perfect item on this list is Jesus, the others all have their issues! GTD probably comes a close second on the perfect scale ;)

No doubt some of you will aggressively disagree with my choices, or wonder at the inclusion or exclusion of various items. Feel welcome to comment! I can honestly say that I love each of these things very much, and when you hear me talk about them, it's from that love and passion, not from any sense of obligation, guilt or financial gain. So there you have it.

eject time machine

How glamourous and adventurous my world has become that every now and again I get to tap a couple of keys on my beautiful sleek black macbook to enter the command "Eject Time Machine". I think HG Wells would be quite impressed.

a quote I just made up

"moments of peace call for cups of tea"

turns in the road .. How well do we turn? And whose turn is it?

We all get to those points where things are happening around us, opportunities are opening up, choices are to be made, developments are .. well, developing. 2007 has started off with a ton of potential change, and involvement in some really really cool stuff in youth ministry world. I hinted at it a few posts ago - local, regional, provincial, national, there's some great stuff going down in yoof world, and I get the privilege to be part of what God's doing. I also have to SERIOUSLY work out how much time and energy there is to go around in my 37 year old, 2 young kids, full-time local youth pastor world. Playing superman is a bit easier for a 22 year old single guy .. but I am so glad not to be that guy any more .. he was a bit of an idiot to be honest, and I get better and better with each year that passes.

As I (again) watch a few young adult types weighing up how to discern what God's will is for their life, and worry about the way we as human beings get so caught up with "doing the right thing" or "making the right choice" or "doing what God wants", this is a perfect opportunity for me to see how well I stack up. Here's a few "stupid why things" I notice when we "try" to discern God's will for big life/ministry choices.

1. Why do we turn on the heat and suddenly expect God to practically write the answers in the sky? Have we been missing all that he has been prompting in the previous months? It's like our prayers are prayed as if history begins today with a blank sheet. duh.

2. Why does it always have to be one or the other? Could God be giving YOU the choice and assuring your true destiny of relationship with him whichever one you choose?

3. Why do we put so little weight on the counsel of others? They know things about us that we are blind to.

4. Why are we so impatient?

I think I'm pretty good on that stuff .. but I have so much to learn on my walk with God. God's doing Kingdom stuff .. a lot. It's what he does. It's so cool that we can check out what he's doing and join in. It's so cool that I get the opportunity to be on 9 ministry teams right now. Did I say 9? What am I thinking? How can I be on 9 active teams in youth ministry, and be a good husband and father, and be considering a few other "projects" and teams to join?

And I wonder why I am seeing classic signs of stress and burn out right now .. I'm not proud of my teeth-grinding, insomnia, short temper with Joel and Ollie, desire to hit things, insurmountable unread emails, dropped tasks all around, no sense of rest, pitiful devotional life, ignoring this blog and all my friends' blogs, not engaging in my hobbies, using the computer late, waking with tasks on my mind, wishing I could get to x,y and z, wanting to connect with this and that person, finding the only time I really engage with God is in the shower .. beep beep beep beep .. warning warning.

God is speaking to me all the time about the choices I have to make, through the work, through the youth I hang out with, through Liz, through the kids, through the Bible, through the computer that crashed it's hard drive again, through friends, through creation, through the internet, through the cell-phone, through the guy that phones my up on saturday night at 9.11pm and makes me cry .. partly because I failed to speak to him with the respect he deserved .. and partly because he is drifting from God, he doesn't believe it, and I care about him deeply.

Somehow the only time I meaningfully interact with God is those 5 mins in the shower. That is simply wrong. God you're speaking, and I'm starting to listen. Sorry it took me a while, it's 11pm on a Saturday night, and 5.5 hours sleep last night was not enough. Please be there in my sleep and wake me up with YOUR plans on my mind tomorrow, NOT mine. Amen.

how to tell someone's age and stage ..

How to tell someone's age and stage without meeting them .. check what's under the sofa cushions.

It just struck me an hour ago as I plumped the cushions for no apparent reason. When i was a student there used to be nothing but random housedust under the sofa cushion, because we all checked often in the hope of a coin or two to buy dinner. As you move into working life, you of course will always find coins there. Now moving into the kids zone I find nothing but food and crayons .. very disappointing.

I suppose one day I will be finding dentures, spectacles, and a random grandchild who's name I can't quite put my finger on. What's under your sofa cushions? Go check now.