DoxA

If Bill Can Do It, Why Aren't You?

Bill Bell is a legend.

Known all over the world as the Iron Gent he was the first man to complete the Ironman race at the age of 80! When I think of all those who have inspired me I put Bill at the top of the list. But before I learned Bill lived only a couple of miles from my home, in the desert of southern California; I knew about Bill.

He was featured at the end of the 1995 NBC coverage of the Hawaii Ironman that was the genesis for my getting in the sport. Needless to say, I was a bit in awe when I started to learn how to swim, as Bill was often in the lane next to me at College of the Desert.

Over the years we've nurtured a great friendship, sharing stories of racing and faith. Bill honored me, by letting me interview him one weekend when I presented my first "Ironman Faith" message at Southwest Community Church. That day Bill inspired many and continues to do so at the age of 86 every time he shows up to the start line of a race. Yes... Bill's still racing.

Now many of you might be thinking what is the secret? Was Bill some amazingly gifted athlete in his younger years? Is he the benefactor of some scientific experiment for aging and longevity? The answer is no. In fact, you may be surprised to discover, Bill didn't even start his triathlon career until he was 60! But having completed 32 Ironman races and hundreds of shorter distance races tells me for anyone who says they can't do something; tells me they don't know Bill!

One of my favorite lines of his, and he has many, is when a much younger triathlete comes to him and says... "Wow! I hope I'm still doing what you're doing when I'm your age!" Bill responds with, "I hope I'm still doing what I'm doing when you're my age too!" Now that's a great outlook on life!

A couple of years ago at Oceanside 70.3 Bill was body marking the pro athletes... when he saw me enter the transition area he called me over and told me not to wait in line but for me to let him pen the numbers on my arms and legs... I easily obliged knowing I would save some time but most importantly I would get a word of encouragement for the day!

Just like today.

Thanks Bill for the phone call. Thanks for doing what you always do for us. You lead and we follow.

My World Turned Upside Down

Dennis Oppenheim's sculpture, Device to Root out Evil gains a progressive new home through Calgary's Glenbow Museum, states artdaily.org saying, "Originally celebrated by the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale and arguably the most valuable piece of public art in Vancouver; Oppenheim's compelling 22-foot glass, steel and aluminum structure became more than the Vancouver Public Parks Committee could handle." So this sculpture is being dismantled and moved to Calgary, Alberta...

I've heard of planting churches but this is something completely different.

But seriously, what does this mean to you? I could go on and on because my world is the church but I want to know your thoughts...

Please leave a comment and letting me know what you think. Then check out all the discussion at the Watercooler where other people are contemplating more serious issues of culture and art on Randy Elrod's blog, Ethos.

Linkin Blogs

Well it may seem a bit confusing but, well... 

The next blog in a series of blogscovery I would like to introduce you to is The Fire. This blog is written by my "little brother" Dan Parkins. Yes, you read that right. Dan and I worked together at Southwest Community Church were he was the College pastor. I was privileged to walk he and his wonderful wife Kelly into their marriage and continually use them as the "dictionary picture" when talking to others of what a godly marriage should be. What I appreciate most about Dan is he is always asking questions. He has a teachable spirit and is very tender about his need for Christ and struggle with purpose.

The title of his blog is not meant as a cutting edge sound bite but rather comes from the personal crucible of extreme physical abnormalities and constant medical attention. Dan has had three liver transplants and most of his large intestine removed. Last year he battled near death through toxic shock awaiting a liver while at the same time becoming a father with the birth of their first child, Noah.

When Dan writes, he writes from a level of experience and focus many of us haven't known, yet all the while, continues to ask questions that do not lead to and end where he has been thus acting as guide but he asks questions that come from the depths of himself wanting to know.

Dan is currently one of the missionaries we support at Twin Oaks Church as he works with international students on the campus of Cal State San Marcos through ISI (International Students, Inc.).

On a personal note... Dan is enjoying a great season of health and is looking forward to being present at the birth of He and Kelly's next child, Mia... due in just a few weeks. We're all excited for the Parkins family up here. So, please check out his blog and send some encouragement and well wishing as they prepare for baby number two!

The City Within Part 1

 Going to Los Angeles to attend college was an exciting and adventurous experience. I had grown up in a small town in northern California with a population of 1400. The big city nearby was about 20,000 at the time and further south, about 275 miles; lie San Fransisco, which is what we then called "the city." When I made that solo drive, well past "the city," I remember coming up over the hill just beyond Valencia into the San Fernando Valley thinking... "any minute now I'll be able to see the college from the freeway"... boy was I naive! 35 minutes later I was still driving thinking somehow I missed the exit. Little did I know at the time I wasn't even a third of the way through LA.

What made that drive even more confusing was realizing I was driving through cities as I was driving in a city. Apparently, Los Angeles isn't just one city but several cities with a city. From Pacoima through Arleta, to Burbank and into Glendale, there were even smaller towns held within. Some of these cities were hip and cool, had nice houses, and appeared neat and tidy. Others were rundown, crime-ridden and a place you wouldn't want to be accidentally lost. Once I finally arrived, I got lost, knew no one and even though Mexico was still two hours south, found myself (for the first time in my life) having to deal with a language barrier... Oh, yeah. I wished I hadn't come.

I sometimes wonder what it must feel like for people who come to church for the very first time. As a church, "professional" I can attest that we have a tendency to forget the first question they ask: It isn't "Who is Jesus?" it's "Where am I and were do I go?" Even in everyday life if you don't understand the language you can use hand gestures to at least get an answer. In church the preacher can be talking about people like Paul and a guy named Isaiah or topics like sanctification as if everyone understands but for some Paul is the nice guy who lives next door and lets you borrow tools and wasn't the sanctification what we just walked into to get a seat? But in the church you can't really interupt the guy who's talking to ask, "Just who is David and what do you mean by "the world?" It would be good for us church folks to keep in mind places like the lobby, children's area and sanctification... I mean, sanctuary are cities like Burbank, Glendale and Studio City, if we don't help them to where they need to go, in search of what they need; they'll wish they hadn't come.

As Nehemiah started to fill the city he took time to discover the records which would give him the names of families who came out of captivity and had rights to a new home in the city. These names were written down and we can see in chapter 7 as well as Ezra 2 who these people are. From observing the list of who could take claim to the city, we also see there were those who didn't belong or those who had to prove they belonged. Without getting into much explanation on predestination and election (two words I hope I never just "toss out" in a sermon again) it is evident to me God is taking names... whether He writes down the name first and a person chooses to be Christ follower or a person choose first to follow Christ and then God writes down the name is a debate for the folks no one listens to anymore; let them talk (BTW - I do have an opinion, which is supported by scripture but that's not the point here). Because, regardless, our part remains the same... we; you, me and anyone else must decide to follow Christ! The choice is strictly ours... yours.

Therefore, I believe, when it comes to the names of who belong in the eternal city, which God describes as His eternal place of dwelling with his people, and who invites them in; we play the major role. The names whether already recorded or not are the names of those who you already know. They are the names of the people you work with or go to school with. They are your family members who you hope aren't in the record, they are people you bump into by accident and those who you want to get to know. Each name whether intimately known by you or not... is intimately known by God. But the invitation, like in the day of Nehemiah didn't come from God it came from a person. "Come... into the city. There's a place for you." It should easily roll off our lips and be followed by our guidance because people are lost and have no clue that a place in the city even exists for them and they won't until we tell them.

"Here, let me show you where to go, what you should be looking for and what this means!"

Honestly, ask yourself...

• What keeps me from inviting people to church?
• When was the last time I talked to anyone, who didn't already know the way, about their spiritual journey?
• Is your "city" easy to navigate or is it full of confusing signs or lacks direction?
• Is the language foreign to outsiders?
• Even if you had directions could they understand them?

Read Matthew 7:21-23 and consider its implications... ask questions about your name and where it belongs. Is it written and do you just assume you have a place. It's a mystery but a good question to ask because in part 2 we're going to get more personal.

I Cry For Lindsey... Debbie and mostly, Steve.

Today has been a hard day for many... When I think of how much I've prayed for my friend Jamie who has had to struggle through so many doctor's appointments, poking and prodding, twists and turns and asked God to heal her and give her back the joy of her racing, physical amazement and competitive edge, I am reminded life is fragile with those who are well known as well as those who are less prominent... All are known, in the same way, by the giver of life.

I'm a father... He's our Father. What does He feel?

My wife and I are deciding that our family dog, Monet, must be "put down" because of cancer. She's twelve. She's a Rottweiler and for what ever you think about these dogs she's the best: Sweet and loving; kinder than any Golden Retriever you've met. But she's a dog. We'll deal with it. But I'll cry.

Tonight I hear Lindsey died. I'm broken. The tears keep running down my cheeks. I can hardly write this. She was so beautiful. 21 years old and full of life until she had this "thing" inside her. I am a father and have two daughters; 22 and 19 years old. Get it? I don't. My heart breaks for Steve; Lindsey's father. I get that! I'm not sure how much more I can say about this... I am spent. Truly. I watched Lindsey grow up... how did this happen? I didn't see it coming; no one did.  I love Steve and Debbie and can not bear to think about the pain they must bear because they, more than anyone, were blinded to the side.

Steve... I can only, but do not want to but will, so I can offer myself to you... imagine.

Lord, spare us all. Why the pain? Why the hurt? Jamie should be whole... Heal her damn it! Don't let her or anyone feel this... make life what it was a year ago. God, my love, the devotion of my life... I'm angry!

Please... do what you can do... don't be silent...

comfort my friends. they are hurting... more   than... I  can    understand     please!

please.

The Thin Line

Songs have been written about it, a movie shares it's title, we often talk about it... but what is the thin line between Love and Hate?

I realize there are celebrities people love to hate, I hear about it all the time. Frankly, I don't love to hate anyone. We use this term about some people who annoy us but for, some reason, other people seem to be drawn to them by some kind of "tractor beam" attraction. Well, to me Rosie, Amorosa and Paris are just annoying. But for the record; I don't hate them.

Perhaps we exaggerate our feelings toward people to American size extremes. Often, when asked about our day, we a say "It's great," when really it's just okay. Likewise, if we do not care for something in preference of another we hate this but we love that. Rarely have I found folks genuinely hating or loving in those moments... I hate beets! No, really, I do. If a salad comes to the table with a beet on top... the salad has to be replaced; there's no "just take it off and eat it" option. This stems from a gagging episode in my childhood, but that's another story. I have several things in my life that are absolute, will not do, will not have; which could classify my hatred for such things but there are few things in life I can not do without; which I suppose would define that which I love. Ergo, all but my family; I don't love.

I reflect today on 1 John 3:11-4:21

Some people say they can do without God... I sometimes act like that. Not intentionally of course but I can prove it's true by liking things more than loving Him. I don't call that love or hate. I call that devotion. What do you call the "thin line?" Is Love and Hate the same coin with two sides or is there a wide chasm?

Leave a comment and join the conversation at the watercooler. It's fun and people would love to know your thought on art and culture today too. Read here how you can post them at Ethos.

Xtraining

Generally, the three to four weeks following an Ironman I'm good for nothing when it comes to triathlon and I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to training. Much of this is due to having put so many things in my personal life on the back burner I need to address these when it's over but the obvious reason is I'm just tired. People ask me all the time how much does Ironman take out of you physically and how long does it take to recover? The easy answer is that it varies based on preparation going into a race and the kind of race I do. France had a difficult bike but the run was relatively easy (note the word; relative). So, my cycling has been a bit sluggish but my first run back was a snap! Which brings me to the point of this whole post... the real recovery isn't physical; it's emotional. For me, the purpose of recovery is to regain motivation not physical ability! The physical toll of an Ironman is one thing but the emotional toll of the same ol' is quite another.

Monotony kills Motivation!

Because you spend months doing the same thing over and over again preparing for swimming, biking and running (a total of 140.6 miles for race day but literally thousands of miles training) after you've accomplished the task the last thing you're motivated to do is more swimming, biking and running. It takes clear goals and well spaced races that dangle like the proverbial carrot to keep you churning out more miles in kind. But like sorbet that cleanses the palate, cross-training breaths new life into those tired muscles and restores the joy of training.

For me it doesn't take much. I love mountain biking and here in the birthplace of "single track" and "hard tails" you can get pretty close to isolation just being minutes from high tech civilization. So for me, getting out for a self induced rollercoaster ride is the closest thing to plugging my body into a power supply and recharging the batteries. Unfortunately, I have to admit I'm not the best mountain biker around. There are some pretty gnarly riders out here and I'm intimidated to ride with some of them but its not going to keep me from going out there. Remembering my real fatigue is emotional I then consider what muscle truly needs rejuvenation and let my objectives outweigh my insecurities. On a more practical application, in everyday life, I can connect the dots and make sense of why I'm tired in other areas of life too. The curse of monotony doesn't exist only in my training; it's in everything I do.

Fortunately, motivation comes in different sizes and colors. I just need to try them on.

My friends motivate me (size M). Sometimes through encouragement... "You can do it Kerri!" and sometimes through competition... "I gonna beat you!" uh... no, "I'm gonna win you"... wrong again, "Catch me if you can!" That works (color - green). Disappointment motivates me too (size S). Giving up (color - blush). Elements outside my control (color - white). But when it comes to the motivation of "New" (size XL); creativity (rainbow), fear (yellow), adventure (red), rest (clear) and nature (blue) I am drawn outside myself and connected with the God who gives me the ability to do all these things and I realize whatever physical or emotion endeavors I pursue I am motivated by an understanding that all of this is a gift... Ahem... I may have been a bit too cloudy in my word picture; so in other words... Before you can feel the urge to run you need to appreciate walking. Before you can swim, admire the dolphin and before you peddle away on your bike... Thank God for imagination... then wheels, brakes and carbon fiber!

So my question to you is, "What's your monotony?"

Cross-training will do you some good. And if you're still not sure what I mean; get off the couch and walk around your neighborhood and take in the sights and sounds of your neighbors or leave the office in the middle of the afternoon to roll up your pant legs and rest your feet in the town fountain and maybe you'll find the kind of motivation to help you try on a new size in a different color and pull yourself out of the same ol'.

All of a sudden, I feel like running... oh, and you look good in stripes!

Church Steroids

Steroids and other artificial means to grow the body is considered a crime in most places.

Hans and Franz wanted to "Pump you up!" But we knew that was a joke. Marion Jones cried through her admission she was pumped up and it's sad to see she's doing time. Barry Bonds continues to deny he was pumped up and I'd be happy to see him do time. Watching the Tour de France this year has been exciting because they are promising a "clean" tour and there is no clear favorites and everyone's fighting for the yellow jersey. This is good for cycling because the past couple of years of doping accusations and revelations frustrated the fans of cycling to the point many had nearly given up on the sport altogether.

Yesterday I posted about Gary Vaynerchuk whose marketing and branding practices revolve around social networking and has taken a family business from 2 million in annual revenue to 50 million in about six years. Those are impressive numbers in light of our business which often is numbers obsessed. If you don't know about Gary check out yesterday's post. But thinking about Gary's success and the idea of natural or (sorry Westwinds staff) organic growth got me thinkin'.

I like to occasionally drop by the Church Marketing Sucks blog and see what some churches are doing and what thoughts are generating discussion. Again, a lot of these discussions revolve around numbers. Here in San Jose, as well as most of the country, churches that are growing tend to do little or nothing to reach the outsider but experience the artificial growth of disgruntled and ambivalent church-hoppers looking for the hippest show in town.

Please know, I'm not complaining or expressing "sour grapes;" our church is growing. I believe we are doing so at a healthy and natural pace but I have to admit many of our new people are from other churches which you can not avoid nor should you condemn. But my questions are... What are the church steroids? Program, marketing... And should we expose the artificial growth and clean up our image or embrace it and pass around the syringe?

What are your thoughts on this Watercooler Wednesday? please leave a comment below and join the many other discussions at Randy's blog, Ethos.

Linkin Blogs

 Again... who's on my Google Reader? Well there's this guy.

Most of you know I have a wide variety of interests and, as a pastor, an unusual one (for my profession) is wine. How I came to this hobby would take too long to to explain in this post but you can read about it HERE if you like. But because of this hobby; I have discovered this blog by Gary Vaynerchuk (To learn more about Gary and his success click HERE).

Unlike his wildly popular video blog Wine Library TV also known as "The Thunder Show" it was his 2 minute video blog on marketing that has really captured my attention. This man is a marketing and branding genius! He is an innovator in the Web 2.0 cultural shift and encouraging a generation of followers to jump on board.

In reading and watching Gary's random, yet purposeful posts, regarding the online "community," I've really been challenged to think of how we, in the Church, can "navigate" people toward our product (market) and clearly "identify" our purpose (brand).

What do you think: Should the Church use secular methods to expose our product? And just exactly what are those methods and what is our product? Will this be one more cause for the fundamental core to decry post-modernism, the Emergent Church or anything that doesn't smack of familiarity as heresy or "watering down" the gospel?

To give you an idea about what I'm referring to check out his latest post by clicking HERE and consider his words in light of the church... it'll make you think or at least I hope so...

 HT: Jeff Berg

Standing in Line

I heard it about every ten to fifteen minutes yesterday... "What's going on? What are you standing in line for?" The answers were always the same... "The iPhone." The responses were equally predictable. "For a phone? It's just a phone." I have to admit the thought was already rolling around in my head and I didn't need anyone to tell me that standing for hours was not a good use of my time. At times it got to mocking. "You guys are gay!" Hey this is the Bay Area, did they really think that was going to offend anyone? Overall, the wait was a good chance to meet some fine folks, share in a cultural experience and tell tales later in life.

My day started like this, woke up at 6:45, got coffee and breakfast, checked in on the Tour de France, headed over to the AT&T Store, arrived at 7:30, stood in line for two hours... then someone comes out and says they've run out of phones, the guy in front of me goes into the store and records a conversation with the manager who reveals they only had 60 phones to sell and we can stand in line to pre-order one (You'd think they'd be smart enough to count how many they had and count the line but it's too hard to resist the look of people standing in line in front of your store). So, I decided the Apple Store would have a few more phones and headed over to Los Gatos; an upscale small community in the South Bay where a lot of tech moguls live.

The mother and son duo in front of me at the Apple Store in Los Gatos also stood in line at the Hillsdale AT&T Store and got shut out. They are personal friends with Steve Wozniak who told them he was in line at the Apple Store at the Oakridge Mall... In line... IN LINE! She used to work for Apple when there were only four employees. They own a beach house which the son told me was purchased for cash with Apple stock... yeah, that's cool. But on the release day of Apple's newest and hottest technology apparently the ground is level.

So, after another 5+ hours in line at the Apple Store, where employees walked up and down the line handing out bottles of Smart Water and letting folks play with the new iPhone, showing off the 3G technology, the mood was still upbeat and friendly with people cheering each person who entered the faux metal facade.

My Apple guide, Paul, was enthusiastic and accommodating telling me my activation was one of the smoothest that day. I was done in less than 15 minutes and then passed off to Cynthia who set me up, gave me a tour on the phone and advised on accessories. I was told however since I switched from Verizon I would be able to make calls and text but it may be a few days before receiving them. We'll see.

At a gathering of friends last night the day ended much like it started... "What's the big deal? It's just a phone." And I have to admit it is a phone but not just simply a phone. In this world where I'm endeavoring to stay connected, networked and informed the Apple iPhone with 3G technology is the tool to use.

Oh, and did I mention its half the price of the older phones? Good "job" Steves.