Monday Night Mind Dump

• Ugh, May 26th was my last post.  Really, I like to do this.  Really.  
• Hitting the mid-summer slump at ALIVE.  Attendance yesterday was probably the lowest it's been in 6 months. 
• What is it about Father's Day at ALIVE?  Mother's Day, the place is packed.  Father's Day it's a ghost town.  Every year.  So what's the deal?  Moms want to go to church but dads don't?  I know we don't make a huge deal about either at ALIVE, but just wondering out loud.
• Although our attendance yesterday was twice as much as it was last Father's Day.  
• Been awhile since we've seen new people at ALIVE for the first time. 
• Our drummer Kevin called in sick early yesterday morning.  Love that guy and all he does at ALIVE.  And very proud of our worship leader Nate and the rest of the worship team for pulling off a great worship set that had some significant changes at the last minute.  I dig the laid back acoustic feeling every once in awhile.
• I hear over and over again from people how awesome our worship team is.  We don't know how incredibly blessed we are at ALIVE to have such talented people leading worship each Sunday.
• And it's not just their talent that's amazing.  It's their attitude and their eagerness to do this.  I've been a part of worship teams at several other churches and have led worship teams and talk to lots of pastors that have worship teams.  Worship teams ALWAYS have drama and egos.  But not at ALIVE, and that's probably the thing I love most about our team.  
• Just people who love to worship and lead others in worship.  Real people.  Authentic people.  People who are focused on the right things in worship.
• Really excited about all of the people that made it a priority to attend our ALIVE Ministry Partners Class in the past few weeks.  55 people!  That's awesome.  So cool to see some of those folks already stepping up and serving in new ways.  4 people serving in new roles for the first time yesterday.
• And a lot of those people already serve.  Love that about the people at ALIVE.  On low attendance Sundays like yesterday, it almost seems like there are more people serving in some way than are not.
• This is the longest stretch we've had at ALIVE - several months - where our giving has matched our set budget needs almost every week.  So thankful for the generosity of the people that worship at ALIVE.  
• I'm really enjoying preaching through the Book of Ruth.  Gotta admit, I've always been uncomfortable with walking through Old Testament stories because there's a lot of cranial work involved with telling the story the right way.  Usually not in my wheelhouse to do this kind of teaching.  But I've heard more positive feedback about this series and how it's impacting people than I have on any other series we've done.
• It has really helped me develop an appreciation for the way that all of Scripture points to Jesus.  It's easy to say that.  Sometimes it is tough to see that.  But God has been so faithful in helping me to see this through Ruth, and the Holy Spirit has been so faithful in helping others to be moved by this story.
• Yesterday I asked this question: "What would you be willing to do for God if you knew that you absolutely could not fail?"
• Most dangerous question you can ever ask yourself.  Why?  Because bold plans made in faith in a sovereign God have the potential to be disastrous.  
• But they also have the potential to unlock and unleash incredible blessing in our lives.
• It was good for me to think about that question in my own life and ministry.  I feel like I've been on auto pilot for awhile, making sure things are running smoothly and not thinking too much about what comes next.
• But, we're always one decision away from taking our faith, our lives and our churches to the next level.
• I'm praying about what that means for me personally and what that means for ALIVE.  It's easy to see what needs to be done in my life.  Not so clear yet about what that means for ALIVE, but I'm beginning to sense The Holy Spirit stirring me in some new directions for ALIVE and I love that.
• Hell or glory, I don't want anything in between.