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A month ago, I blogged here about my two main resolutions for 2010. My plan was to read through the entire Bible this year, as well as up the amount of books I read to 40 (I estimated that I read 25 books in 2009). So, how am I doing? Well, thanks for asking.

Bible Reading

I’ve been using a Bible reading plan from YouVersion.com. The amazing folks over at YouVersion.com have put a lot of time and energy into providing people with a free online Bible. They’ve created applications for most Smart Phones, and have utilized most of the major translations of the Bible. If you haven’t checked out their site, you should. I’m using the Life Journal Reading Plan and haven’t missed a day. I’m 6.3% completed. And, I’m loving it.

I do my Bible reading first thing in the morning. I find it easier then. Each day, I’m reminded again of some story (especially Old Testament) that I had forgotten many of the details about. Reading this way has allowed the Bible to come alive once again for me. I’m truly enjoying it.

40 Books

At first, I didn’t think I was doing very well with my book reading. There was a week where I seemed that I wasn’t getting far at all. But then, I decided to stop and look back at what books I’ve completed so far this month:

A Multi-Site Road Trip by Greg Ligon – I read about two thirds of this one and then skimmed the rest of the book. It’s a pretty good overview of the different types of multi-site churches in America.

The Prodigal God by Tim Keller – great book about the parable of the prodigal son. This one could become a sermon series for later in the year.

Primal by Mark Batterson – very good book. I blogged about it here. Technically, it shouldn’t be on this list, because I read it the last few week’s of December, but I did start it after I decided to do the 40 books in 2010.

Uncle John’s Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader – okay, maybe it shouldn’t be on this list, but it was a 500 pager! Sure, it took many trips to the bathroom to get it all done, but it was worth it in many ways.

I’m currently reading

The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley – very interesting book. I have a feeling this will be a book that I chew on and spit out the bones.

Christianity’s Dangerous Idea by Alister McGrath – I’m really excited about this one. It’s been many moons since I’ve read a “Church History” book, and that’s exactly what this is. We’ll see how it goes.

Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro – I’m about halfway through this one. I’ll probably finish it, but likely not until later in the year.

Anyway, it does look like I’m on pace to hit the 40 book mark, but only if I continue to dedicate some time to reading each day.

What about you? How are you doing with the resolutions you made this year?

Last week I wrote about remember my mom, who passed away eleven years ago.

Thirteen years ago today, Katherine Diane (K.D.), passed from this world into the next. For Heather and I, it was the darkest day of our lives. The depth of the sorrow we experienced that day is truly beyond words.

As I consider that day, I am reminded of the last moments of K.D.’s life. She was in her hospital bed, tubes and wires all over her body. Dozens of machines lining a wall behind her tiny head. Heather stood on one side, holding her hand. I stood on the opposite side, playing with her tiny fingers. A few friends stood there with us as we watched a nurse turn off the machines that were keeping her alive. As the machines went silent, we began to sing.

Jesus loves me, this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong.
They are weak but He is strong.

Her chest rose and fell with each breath. And then, it simply stopped. It seemed like the world paused. The nurse had pulled a curtain across our area to give us privacy, and yet it seemed like the entire neonatal ICU had gone silent for that brief second as K.D. breathed her final breath.

Those of us who stood there will later suggest that we felt Heaven open up. For a brief second, the place was overwhelmingly peaceful. God was in the room. And, K.D. went home with him.

In the thirteen years since that day, people have often asked me how I know that God is real. How is it that I can believe so strongly in my heart that Heaven is real. I can’t do nothing but simply point to that day. The day Heaven opened up, and God said to Heather and I, “Trust me.”

We have done just that. Oh, there are days we grieve. I wonder what K.D. would be like as a teenager. I try to picture what her personality would have been like. In the seven months that she was alive, we had begun to get a little taste of what she was like, but her personality was still developing.

Many of you reading these words have gone through grief. You’ve lost loved ones. You wonder if there’s any point to it. You feel the pain every day. I know what you are going through.

For me, God has been my source of strength and peace. He has given me hope that one day I will see my baby again. As I continue on this journey called life, K.D., along with my mom, dance together on streets of gold, enjoying a place void of pain and heartache. They smile and they wait, ready to welcome me home one day.

I love you, my baby girl.

Eleven years ago today, my mom passed away after a six year battle with breast cancer. She was an incredible woman. My hero.

My mom had a pretty challenging life. Her father struggled with alcohol issues. Sober, he was an amazing man. Drunk, he wasn’t a lot of fun to be around. As the oldest child, she saw the differences first hand.

At sixteen, she got pregnant and left home. Even though she was a very intelligent person, she dropped out of school to raise her firstborn, my brother. She had two more children that she gave up for adoption. And then she had me and my sister while with my dad. Then, my dad went to prison. My mom was twenty one, trying to raise three children, and living on welfare.

And yet, she never gave up.

As I grew up, I would enjoy many conversations with my mom. One of her favourite sayings to me was, “There are two kinds of people in this world: victims and over-comers. You decide which one you’ll be.”

She decided to be an over-comer. She went from being a high school dropout to being within a single course of getting a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Ottawa. She would have finished those studies if it had not been for cancer.

Around 1981, my mom began a search for meaning in her life. She had remarried to my step-father and had taken up a love of motorcycling. She had a great job at the City of Ottawa and life seemed to be pretty good. And yet, she felt empty inside. In the Spring of 1982, she attended a church service and never turned back. That summer, she forced us children to attend church with her, and for that, I am so very grateful.

My mom was my biggest cheerleader. From the moment I told her that I wanted to go to Bible College and become a minister, she stood with me.

I was her favourite preacher. She would challenge me, encourage me, laugh with me, and believe in me.

My mom believed strongly in family. She raised my brother, sister, and I told hold those same values. She taught the three of us to love books and to enjoy a good intellectual discussion. Stupid people annoyed her and she pushed all three of us to believe in ourselves.

My mom faced cancer with a confidence that came from the depth of her faith in God. Her confidence in God was an inspiration to Heather and I when our daughter passed away (I’ll be sharing about her death in just under a week, on that anniversary).

Heather and I moved back to Ottawa a month before my mom passed away. We came home to help my siblings care for my mom. In fact, mom moved into the house that Heather and I rented. At the time, Heather and I had no idea what we were going to do, but we knew that we needed to honour my mom by being here to help in her care. We were home only a few weeks when I took her into the hospital because of some test results. It would be the only time I would take her to the hospital during her entire sickness. She was admitted and passed away a week later.

During her final week, she would slip in and out of consciousness. The last conversation she had with me was while we were alone. She woke up and looked at me and smiled. “I’m ready, Rob,” She said, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m ready to go home. I’m going to take K.D. into my arms and hold her for you. I’m lucky, I get to have time with her before the rest of you join us. Just Grams and K.D.”

Yeah, she was, and is, my hero.

A lot of people struggle with the passing of a loved one. Years later, they still find the anniversary of their death to be a difficult day. They battle with the agony of the loss for many, many years. They grieve like people who have no hope (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

I don’t struggle on this day. Sure, I miss my mom. Yes, I have no doubt that she would be a regular member of Bikers’ Church if she were still alive. Of course I wish she could be around to enjoy every moment with my family. But I don’t grieve because I know the day is coming when I will see her again. The Bible promises that reunion is coming.

At the same time, I know that she is cheering me on. She’s watching my family and loving everything that she sees. She watches my sister and brother and their families as well. In Hebrews 12:1 speaks about a great cloud of witnesses, and I believe that our loved ones get to celebrate our lives from Heaven. She is, and always will be, with us.

So, mom, give K.D. a hug for us. Know that we love you.

Today, we honour you.

Dear Bike,

I know the weather is pretty nice for Ottawa in January. I know that they are calling for temperatures around 0 C (32 F) all week. But it’s not time to go out. Yes, we’d have no problem riding at this temperature in the Fall, but it’s different then. There’s no snow on the ground.

It’s just not time.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that you’re not together right now. I’m glad some of your parts are taking a vacation. It keeps us from getting tempted.

Hang in there. It will only be a few more months until the riding season is here. I promise.

We are all aware of the devastation that has taken place in Haiti this past week. The images that come across our televisions and over the internet can be incredibly disturbing. I can’t imagine how difficult those images must be for those who continue to seek loved ones who have yet to make contact.

Last night, at Bikers’ Church, I shared a few thoughts on Haiti. One of our members, Ronald, is Haitian, and he has loved ones that are still missing. Ronald share a few thoughts with us and then we prayed together (the video of that service should be online by Saturday afternoon).

Ronald said something that I had not considered. He spoke of hope rising up from the destruction. Haiti is a country that has been in turmoil for most of its history. Over the past few years, they have begun to see change, but it is slow coming. Ronald believes that out of this destruction comes the possibility of unity. Perhaps when the country is at its weakest, people will stop fighting and come together to see restoration. I know that will be part of my prayer for Haiti.

I wish I had an answer for why things like this happen. I don’t. I wont pretend to know the will of God. But I do know this: as his followers, we are called to help. Rather than focus on the why, let’s turn our attention to the how: as in, how can I help?

In a week or two, the major media outlets will turn their attention to some other world issue. But Haiti will still need our help. They will still need our support. Let’s rise up and help a nation come together and turn the tide of a very difficult history.

UPDATE

My friend Don sent out this link to a missionary couple in Haiti. I encourage you to visit their site and stay up to date.

I really enjoy the Stuff Christian’s Like blog. Today, Jon asked the question about whether God was a Mac or a PC. Here’s the post, but I encourage you to check out his site.

Is God Mac or PC?

That is, up in heaven, is he cranking away on a Mac or a PC? Does he love the iPhone or is he currently listening to Michael W. Smith’s greatest hits on a Zune? Does he have a little apple sticker stuck anywhere?

I feel like lists work well on blogs, so let’s break it down list style and weigh all the facts.

1. Macs are beautiful and glimmery white in their design. Christ and God are always represented as the “light of the world.” PCs are often dark. God is definitely a Mac.

2. As soon as you own an iPhone you start to feel a potpourri of pity and shame for anyone who does not own one. Someone whips out a Blackberry and you immediately, smugly think inside, “That poor person. Pushing on physical keys. The horror.” God doesn’t like that arrogance. God is a PC.

3. Apple makes real efforts to improve the planet and recycle their products. God loves that. God is a Mac.

4. Apple is notorious for rejecting apps that people try to put on the iPhone. God doesn’t reject anyone. God is definitely a PC.

5. PCs are often plagued by viruses and crashes. Much like sin, God hates that. God is definitely a Mac.

6. Mac commercials are constantly mocking people who use PCs. God hates mockery. God is definitely a PC.

7. You don’t have to learn a complicated operating system to use a Mac. You turn it on and go. Same with God. Repentance and salvation are not complex systems designed to confuse people. God’s a Mac.

8. PCs are constantly needing to be upgraded and updated with the latest software and operating systems. Just like sanctification. You are constantly changing and being renewed. God’s a PC.

9. Macs take a very holistic approach to computing. There’s iLife and iTunes and iPhone. They all work together seamlessly. Just the way God wants to be integrated into every part of our life. God’s a Mac.

10. Some people treat Apple’s Steve Jobs like he’s God in a mock turtle neck. Turns out God is not cool with that. God’s a PC.

11. Macs are very intuitive. When you want to do something, you don’t look up how to do it, you just do it. With a PC, things are often backwards. When you want to shut down for instance, you have to click “Start.” The Bible is very intuitive too. Proverbs lays out pages of simple wisdom that just makes sense. God is a Mac.

12. Macs are all about outside appearances. They look fantastic. But God cares more about what’s inside. Macs are too vain. God’s a PC.

13. Macs make music easy to enjoy. They’re more artistic and often the choice of graphic designers and photographers. God is a great fan of the arts, as evidence by the colorful sunsets and sunrises he paints each day. God’s a Mac.

14. Macs are really expensive. God’s not. He paid the cost. He paid the debt we owed to him. God’s a PC.

15. The Mac logo, an apple with a bite out of it, is reminiscent of our fall from grace in the garden of Eden and God’s forgiveness of us. God’s a Mac.

16. The Gates Foundation has given millions and millions of dollars to help people around the world. God’s all about generosity. God’s a PC.

17. Apple stores are not designed like traditional retail outlets, but are more like aesthetic sanctuaries. They’re practically consumer churches. God’s a Mac.

18. Mac is constantly teasing us with information. There is a tablet. There’s not a tablet. God, on the other hand, is much more direct with his love and purpose in our lives. God’s a PC.

There’s the list and I’ve got to tell you, I’m stuck. I have a PC desktop and an Apple laptop. I don’t know who to score this one as anything other than a tie. How about you?

Is God a Mac or a PC?

What evidence would you offer to support or deny either decision?

I realize that I have a wide variety of people who read my blog. Some of you are connected to me through The Bikers’ Church. Some are friends on Twitter. And others have found your way to this blog after following the daily devotional I write called The Oil Change. Many of you have a strong spiritual faith and love it when I focus on spirituality. Others of you are not that interested in spiritual things and yet share my love of motorcycles and enjoy those types of posts more.

Pro Bloggers would suggest I am better off writing two separate blogs. One that focuses on spirituality and the other that writes specifically are my love of riding. And yet, I cringe at the thought of doing that.

You see, this blog is about my reflections along the journey. What journey is that? The journey of life. A journey, that for me, includes my spirituality and my passion for riding. It would be almost impossible for me to separate the two. When I ride, I experience some of my most profound spiritual moments. And when I am connecting to God, I often feel my passion for riding increase. After all, it was God who wired me to love motorcycles the way I do.

I have come to believe something very strongly: your spirituality is not something you tack on to everything else about your life. In other words, you can’t truly relegate your spirituality to a one hour slot on Sunday morning (or in the case of Bikers’ Church, Thursday night). There isn’t the spiritual life and the secular life. There’s just life. Period.

My spirituality should permeate everything about me. How I watch the news, the entertainment I enjoy, the conversations I have. My spirituality should influence all of those things. Because it’s lived out in all those things.

The same is true of my biker lifestyle. I view life from the eyes of a biker. I see fashion from the eyes of a biker (some would suggest it’s a lack of fashion). Even though we have a few feet of snow on the ground, my heart still skips a beat when I go into my garage and see my bike sitting there. It’s “naked” right now, because my tank and fenders are off the bike, yet I still smile when I see it.

I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe it’s time to stop segregating your life into all kinds of different compartments. Rather than seeing each aspect of what makes you the person you are as individual traits, it’s time to see how all of those things combine together to make you the person God created you to be.

One of my goals in 2010 is to stop referring to “my spiritual life”, “my biker views”, my “canadian attitude”, etc. and just start seeing it all as “my life.” Me.

What do you think?

Well, I’m sitting in my office for the first time in 2010. While I’ve been back from my Rest Stop for almost a month now, I feel like I’m only now getting started. I believe that this year is going to be such a significant year in which God does some truly amazing things. As I stare at my two monitors, I’m reminded of what is truly important: my family and my faith.

My Family

This may be Brit’s last year living at home. In June, she’ll graduate from high school and in September, she’ll enter college. She’s applied at three different colleges, only one of them is here in Ottawa. Even if she gets into the Ottawa school, she may consider living on campus. Still, her first choice is one of the schools a few hours away.

Christina is growing up quickly and I love seeing her begin to focus more on her own areas of passion. In many ways, she is very much like her sister, but in other areas, she is clearly her own person. I love that. While Christina has already spent a year without her sister around (when Brit was in Costa Rica), it will still be different for her to experience teenage life without her big sister around as much.

Heather headed back to work this morning and will slowly get back into the swing of things. During the later part of 2009, she really saw her faith and her focus go to the next level, and I’m excited to see what will happen in her life in 2010. Much of the Extreme Faith theme for 2010 is a result of her, and I believe she will play in integral part in Bikers’ Church as we move forward.

Extreme Faith

Speaking of Bikers’ Church, I am truly excited about the theme we have for the year. This isn’t just a one month series, but a year long focus. What does it truly mean to live a life full of faith? What would happen if we lived each day believing in God’s ability to accomplish his will through us? What would it be like to have an authentic faith like that of the First Century Church?

I’m not sure I can fully answer those questions, yet. However, I look forward to the journey that the entire church will take over the course of the next twelve months. I truly believe it will change us dramatically.

And so, I sit here, looking at my monitors, asking God to lead me through this year. I feel inadequate. I feel unworthy of the task. Without God, we will fail. I will fail. But with God … well, all things are possible.

I’m ready. Are you?

Ed Stetzer has released a new blog post that explains a “typical” work week for a Pastor. Now, I know that most think I only work one day a week , but I think this report is pretty accurate. I quote Ed’s blog post here simply to provide you a little insight into the life of a Pastor.

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A new study coming out of Lifeway Research shows that “Protestant pastors in America are working long hours, sometimes at the expense of relationships with church members, prospects, family and even the Lord.” The uber-fast folks at The Christian Post has already reported on the story.

You can read the whole article here in Facts & Trends, our flagship publication at LifeWay. Speaking of Facts & Trends, I will be joining the team there as a contributing editor starting in the next issue. Each issue will include a column fromThom Rainer and me, in addition to new research.

Here are some of the numbers. See the article for the full story. Feel free to download and use the graphics in your blogs and publications to help people understand what pastoral work and leadership often looks like. My hope is that it will help more pastors (and churches) achieve better balance.

The data points to some interesting work patterns. 65 percent of pastors surveyed work 50 or more hours a week, with 8 percent saying they work 70 or more hours. “Meetings and electronic correspondence consume large amounts of time for many ministers, while counseling, visitation, family time, prayer and personal devotions suffer in too many cases.”

From the article:

Among ministry activities, pastors spend the most time on sermon preparation. Half of them spend five to 14 hours in sermon preparation. Nine percent say they spend 25 hours or more in sermon preparation each week, and 7 percent report they spend less than five hours preparing to preach.
Ministry-related meetings and electronic correspondence drive the number of hours worked even higher. More than 70 percent of pastors say they spend up to five hours a week in meetings, and 15 percent put their meeting load at 10 hours or more. E-mail and other electronic correspondence eat up between two and six hours a week for half the pastors, while 14 percent indicate they spend at least 10 hours a week in electronic correspondence.

Many pastors, however, find it difficult to make time for two primary ways of relating to church members and prospects: counseling and visitation. While 24 percent say they spend six hours a week or more in counseling ministry, the same percentage reports spending an hour or less. By the same token, while 12 percent of pastors say they spend 11 or more hours a week in hospital, home or witnessing visits, 12 percent also indicate they spend an hour or less. Forty-eight percent say they spend between two and five hours a week in visitation.

Time with family rates as a priority for many pastors, but some find alarmingly little opportunity to be with their spouses and children. While 30 percent of the pastors report spending 20-29 hours with their families each week – and 16 percent indicate spending 40 or more hours with them weekly – almost 10 percent say they spend nine hours a week or less with family members. At the same time, 24 percent say they watch 10-14 hours of television each week, and 13 percent put their TV time at 15 hours or more.

The amount of time spent in prayer and personal devotions raises questions about the vitality of many pastors’ spiritual lives. While 52 percent report spending one to six hours in prayer each week, 5 percent say they spend no time at all in prayer. Furthermore, while 52 percent say they spend two to five hours a week in personal devotions unrelated to teaching preparation, 14 percent indicate they spend an hour or less in personal devotions each week.

Read the entire article here, and then come back to discuss. What are your thoughts on these numbers? What does Scripture say should take precedent in pastoral ministry? If you are a pastor, how do you manage your time and calendar?

Happy New Year!

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since Y2K. What a decade. Think about it, three of the most significant ways I communicate with people didn’t exist ten years ago. Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress.org blogs. Amazing.

But, this isn’t a post about the past decade, or even the past year.

This is a post about 2010. And, more specifically, two resolutions I’ve made for the upcoming year.

Normally, I don’t make resolutions. Never really have. But, this year, there are two things I feel strongly that I need to do, and I want to share them with you as a way of being publicly accountable. There’s something about making known a resolution. People can ask you how it’s going. In fact, I plan to share my progress with all of you, cause I know you care THAT much!

So, here they are:

1. Read the entire Bible

Yes, I’ve read through the entire Bible before. Probably a few times. But it’s been too long since I’ve done it just for me. In other words, not studying it for sermon material or for writing Oil Changes. But, just doing it for personal growth. So, I’m doing it this year. The entire Bible in 365 days.

I have a secret weapon I’m using in my quest to read through the Bible. It’s called YouVersion. If you haven’t discovered YouVersion yet, you need to. Go to their site and create an account. It is one of the best online Bible resources available. Not only can you read the Bible on your computer, you can also find all kinds of articles written for the various passages you’re reading. Heck, there might even be a few articles written by me.

YouVersion recently introduced Bible Reading Plans. I’ve used a reading plan in the past, and they are an excellent way to stay on track. What’s amazing about the YouVersion reading plans is they synchronize between your computer and your mobile phone. For me, that means I can follow my reading plan on my MacBook Pro or on my iPhone.

I’m going to use the Life Journal Reading Plan for 2010. Feel free to join me if you’d like. If you want to start with something a little less demanding, check out all their reading plans. Some cover just the Gospels, others involve only certain parts of the Bible. Some are for a full year, some are for only a month or two.

2. Forty Books

The other thing I plan on doing for 2010 is read a lot more books. There was a time when I was a huge reader. I probably still read more than the average person (I think I managed to read about 25 books in 2009), but I want to take in more variety of reading in 2010. So, 40 books it is. I wont write full reviews of all 40 books, but I will share what I’m reading and perhaps offer a few thoughts on some of the books. I’ll certainly highlight books that I think would benefit others.

Those who know me well, know that I value reading. Actually, I value learning. I just happen to learn through reading. I discovered books thanks to a mom who loved reading. Mom always – I mean always – had a book on the go. I love the fact that both my daughters love reading. Heather would love to read more, but she struggles with most books. So, she’s trying a new approach. She’s picked up a couple of audio books.

The point is not that everyone should have a book opened all the time. But everyone should have a goal to learn something all the time. Discover the insights of different people. Use books, blogs, audio and video podcasts.

How?

I know what you’re thinking: that’s cool for you. After all, you only work ONE day a week. You have time to do all this reading.

And, in a way, that’s true. Not the “work one day a week” part, but I do have the luxury of taking an hour here or there to read during the day. Although, to be honest, most of my reading is not done in the middle of the day. It’s done early in the morning or late at night. It’s done on the weekends. It’s done during my lunch.

In fact, one of the ways I plan on accomplishing my goal of reading both the Bible and other books is getting up earlier. I’m going to devote some time first thing in the morning, before anyone else is awake, to read. If I spend 30-60 minutes each morning reading, I will have no problem keeping my goal.

So, there you have it. It’s out here for all of you to see. Feel free to ask me how it’s going any time. If you

What about you? Any resolutions you’re making for 2010? Any of you want to join me in following a reading plan on YouVersion?

I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments section.