June 11, 2008 Had the benefit this evening to share a meal with some of Suncrest’s Elders. I love that we have such a great team providing spiritual guidance to our community. Greg has recently shared some comments about Elders and their role at Suncrest on his blog, which are definitely worth a read!
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May 30, 2008 Wow, she is coming fast! 8 weeks left… never knew 9 months could go by so quickly! Patti’s dad, Fred, built us an awesome nursery. Here’s a shot of it in-progress:
To fill that delightful room with baby stuff, we are registered at Target, Babies R Us, and Guitar Center. (Ok, maybe not that last one… yet.) Although seriously, this may be the best baby shirt I have ever seen.
And yes, the name is Evangeline (was inspired to it by a song, not the LOST actress, in case anyone thinks we’re that obsessed with the show)… we’ve been loving the name for years, knowing we would always use it for a girl if we ever had one. Her middle name is still eluding us… Anne (initials E.A.R.)? Lynn (Patti’s middle name)? If you have any suggestions, send them my way!
Can’t wait to meet her!
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May 3, 2008 
The exponential conference last week was fantastic. There’s a lot of practical use to the conference (I came home with a brain swollen with ideas), but really, just being in the midst of so many church planting staff and supporters is almost intoxicating… I couldn’t help but think all week, “the world is going to change next year, because of what God will do through these people!” The last time I went to the National New Church Conference (in 2002, I believe) it was a completely different beast, with an attendance of a few hundred (and it was similar the following year when Suncrest hosted it, as Greg’s blog mentions). Now the conference pulls in thousands and thousands. What a change in the world of church planting! As Ed Stetzer mused, what was once what looked on as a job for pastors who couldn’t find a job anywhere else has now been acknowledged as the front line of God’s work in changing this world (that’s a paraphrase of his thoughts and mine). Exciting times, that were definitely worth the wait!
Anyway, a few more musings about the conference:
1. The church is finally truly reaching out to the cities, rather than just the suburbs. Planting orgaizations are realizing that changing a region starts with changing the city, even if it takes more resources and time. I recently was able to visit Reunion Christian Church in Boston, and it was incredible to see how they are showing God’s love in that city (and how strikingly different “urban” ministry is from suburban, practically… I’ve never had to drive 20 minutes to find a parking place for worship rehearsal!). I heard several organizations at the conference making specific plans for reaching our cities, including Chicago.
2. Vince Antonucci. I was able to catch a sesson with him during the conference and am currently reading his book I became a Christian and all I got was this Lousy T-Shirt. His ministry is a call back to religion-less Christianity, and he has an incredible sense of humor; one of the sharpest and “down to earth” speakers I’ve heard in a while.
3 . I met Rick Warren. It took me a while to answer all his questions about leadership, but I think it was useful for him. Ok, so maybe we just shook hands as he greeted the crowd at the newthing dinner Wednesday night– but that handshake spoke volumes!
4. Some great quotes from the Conference:
“Church is a tag-team sport- when you walk into church, you tag us, our creative team, to create an experience where you AND your friends can grow closer to God spiritually. When you leave, I tag you to share that faith with people within your sphere of influence.”- Mark Batterson
“God is uncivilized, and calls uncivilized people, and he calls them to do uncivilized things.”- Vince Antonucci
“There is something in the way we do church, our ecclesiology, that keeps us from being who we should be… Christology lies at the heart of the renewal of the church!”- Alan Hirsch (the Forgotten Ways just jumped to the top of my “must read” list!)
Looking forward to next year!
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April 15, 2008 
Very excited that Patti and I are headed to the National New Church Conference in Orlando next week. We’re in the “Nuts and Bolts” track, so if you run into us, be sure to say “hi.” Looking forward to absorbing lots of fresh ideas… and leaving this long Midwest winter for a bit.
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March 22, 2008 
Yep, the ultrasound revealed we’re having a girl. I’m so excited! All anxiety turned to joy when I really saw the baby was in there, happy (well, I assume) and healthy! Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she will have a Godly mom to look up to who holds a degree in childhood development. I can’t wait till August!
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