Do It Afraid!

Of all of the many phobias out there, they say public speaking is one of the most common fears people have. Ok, I don’t know who “they” are, and I’m too lazy to look up a reference, but let’s just agree that “they” are pretty smart. Public speaking is terrifying! Some people are great at it, gifted even, and are energized when they get a chance to share in front of a large group. I am not one of those people.

Fortunately, most jobs do not require people to speak in front of large audiences. But, a few times a year, my job overseeing Growth Groups at Great Lakes Church requires that I do. I share for about 60 long seconds at the end of our 101 (Membership) Class. I also speak for about 45 minutes at our Growth Group Training class. Knowing I’ll have an audience of about 30, I always get a little nervous. But before our most recent training this week, I was overwhelmed with greater levels of insecurity and anxiousness than I’ve experienced in a long time! I was having vivid nightmares for a week leading up to the class.

In each dream I was late to the training. People were laughing at me. The training books were missing pages and had a ton of typos. Then people would get up and leave right in the middle of the class, completely mocking me. By the end of the class, not one person went on to lead or host a group and it was all my fault! Maybe your nightmares are scarier with “real danger” of people chasing you with guns or something, but I could not shake the way these dreams were making me feel. I talked to Tony about them and he laughed with/at me, but also assured me that Growth Group Training would be just fine. He had every confidence in me, I just had no confidence in myself.

I reached out to a couple of friends and asked them to pray for me. My biggest fear at this point was that I would have those dreams so stuck in my head that I would make them a reality. I would say the wrong thing. I would be boring and confusing. I would be unprepared and it would be obvious! Dreadful! One of my friends, while praying for me and encouraging me, shared with me this little gem:

“Even when you’re afraid, do it afraid!”

I’d never heard it put quite like that before. You mean, it is possible to still do something while being afraid? I don’t have to conquer the fear first? It sounded so simple, but it meant everything to me. Do it afraid!



I went on to read and re-read my notes, prayed and tried to relax, and finally I showed up to the training. We had more people attend this training class than ever before, which did not help my nerves. I originally asked our hosts to open their home for a group of about 30, and 58 showed up!


I was about to speak to 58 people and share with them my passion for groups. I was going to do my best to equip them with what they needed to know to successfully run their own groups. I needed to get their attention and hold it long enough that they would actually walk away with something new. How was I going to do all of that while still being me, afraid and insecure?



In the end, people squeezed into this house, nobody openly mocked me or walked out in the middle of training. I did stumble over my words a few times and even said the wrong name of the church which got a unanimous and loud “OOOHHHHHH”... And, in fact, one person was missing pages out of their book.


Still, people were gracious and understanding when we ran out of chairs. They played along with my silly games, engaged in conversation with one another, and by the time the night was over dozens of people shared with me their excitement in taking this next step to lead or host their own groups.



Going into this new season of Growth Groups, these 58 people are likely doing something they’ve never done before. I know it is very possible that they are nervous and maybe even feeling inadequate. Many others are leading groups they’ve never led like mission groups and study groups. There is always risk involved in moving into new territory like this. So, I’ll pass on to all of you the best advice I was given all week.

Even when you’re afraid, do it afraid.

Let us Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
– Isaiah 41:10

God is with us and will continue to be with us as we stretch ourselves to be used by him for the sake of others. We can’t let that fear take over and rob us from these adventurous days!

High Water Jeans

Can't Do It All, Part 2

Babysitting is different than parenting. Renting is different than paying a mortgage. If you call your church a plant, a launch, or a campus you know that there are a different set of obstacles your community faces than the challenges of being an established church.

Great Lakes Church first met at Mahone Middle School in October of 2008 utilizing their auditorium, gym and hallways for our adults & kids programs. Knowing that situation was temporary, we moved to Nash Elementary school where we grew to over 300 in attendance by the end of January 2009. This is not normal, and an elementary school is not equipped to handle that amount of traffic. Because of a mailer, we lost our lease at Nash on a Thursday and by Sunday we were setting up church on the back side of the Brat Stop – which is exactly what it sounds like, a bar that serves bratwurst & cheese! That Brat Stop service was out of control, and by the following week we’d secured a lease at Tinseltown, a local movie theater. At that service, the second week of February 2009, there were over 600 who joined us at Great Lakes Church. How exciting and problematic all at the same time. Where were we going to put all of these people?

Remember when you were a kid and your mom would take you school shopping for fall clothes? The main thing was to get some jeans that actually went past your ankles, since the jeans you got last year were making you look like Steve Urkel. Now, when you bought those jeans last year, they were just right. But, you’ve grown since then and they haven’t yet invented jeans that grow at the same rate as elementary school kids, so you go shopping again.

I guess you could say that we are at that awkward “growing-out-of-our-jeans-stage” at Great Lakes Church. This last Sunday, we had over 1,000 in attendance again, filling up our auditoriums, lobby, & kids rooms. But it’s just not as easy as going out and getting into a building that fits, so we are making it work with what we have right now.

I have to tell you about John and Gordon. When GLC decided our only option to continue opening our doors to the community was to open another auditorium, these two guys stepped up and committed to help out in a big way. John leads our band every Sunday in our biggest auditorium that seats about 300. Gordon leads our band every Sunday our band in our second largest auditorium which seats 240. Both of them lead for 2 services each. I have stepped over to the new Acoustic Auditorium where I lead a musical worship set alone… so yeah… that’s THREE auditoriums that GLC has live music in every Sunday, and a fourth “Family Auditorium” for parents who choose to keep their kids with them. THANK GOD for Gordon and John! THANK GOD for the whole team… the truth is, we don’t actually have enough musicians to fill three bands and give everyone a weekend off… we have to compromise with that right now until the team grows a little bigger.

Aside from not physically being able to lead in three different places at once, it’s a monster of a job trying to manage schedules, set lists, transitions, arrangements, and practices for that many musicians. The truth is, it was getting difficult months and months ago (atop my other expectations and responsibilities)…

So I sat down with my friend John Gustin and mentioned this to him. My hope was that he might be able to spare enough time to help schedule people. But this guy… he basically took over… and I can’t tell you how much help that’s been. I’ll finally get a small enough break in the dailies to tackle a small Music Team task, so I open up our scheduling tool called Planning Center… DONE! It’s already done! John has already scheduled people out a couple of months in advance… oh, and the setlists are all taken care of… oh, and he’s rehearsing with the team which I had no hand in assisting. I seriously cannot thank John enough for the support he’s given, and the care he’s shown for the GLC Music Team.

Our situation being what it is, we know we are not the coolest church in town. Would we rather be in one large venue with one live band and a live speaking pastor? Of course! Would that probably be a better experience for everyone? No doubt! We could have actually had that option, but we would have been telling people not to invite their friends and family because there just wasn’t any place to put them. But we didn’t start Great Lakes Church so that it would become a “Members Only Club” – we started this church, and hundreds have given their time and energy to this church, all for people who have yet to walk through the doors. People have given financially, people have prayed, people have stood outside in the bitter cold Wisconsin winters to wave at people coming in the doors in hopes that we might actually reach the people God has called us to reach.

We were hoping we might reach someone like Anthony…



And people are still getting on board, because we know we absolutely cannot do this alone! ... even if we don't look very cool doing it...

Worship Night Failure

Can't Do it All, Part 1

I think we (as humans) are set on being self-sufficient. I think we fight tooth-and-nail anyone who wants to lend a helping hand… perhaps in fear of the appearance of weakness? This is a dangerous tendency I know I have to fight every day. God did not create us to be alone. God did not stop with Adam and say “There… I’m done”. In fact He says “it is not good for man to be alone” and “support one another” and “love one another” and “motivate one another” and “encourage one another” and “submit to one another”. None of these things we can do alone, but we try to… I try to.

Worship Night was this past Sunday for Great Lakes Church. It’s the ONLY time we get together as a church whole, and worship God as a family (Remember, Sunday mornings we’re split into 4 adult auditoriums). We play music for over an hour, we take communion, and best of all, we celebrate with those who have decided to publically announce their faith in Jesus through water baptism. Here is a promo video I made leading up to the night, hoping to get everyone else as pumped about it as I was.



The PLAN was to have Gordon, one of our music team leaders, open the night in leading. Then John, another leader, would cover the middle set of songs. I was going to close out the set and the evening. Only, I got sick! Still dealing with flu symptoms that kicked in a few days before Worship Night, I knew it was going to be a challenge for me to make it through the night. Sure enough… during the first song I was singing, I started to cough. I couldn’t even make it through a single song without choking… and I had five more to sing. I was sweating and nauseous and I was sure I was ruining the experience for everyone else. On a huge, unfamiliar stage, in front of an auditorium full of my church family, in the middle of a song, I looked over at John. He knew exactly what that look was about, and stepped up and lead the remainder of the set. He didn’t hesitate.

In the past I’ve tried to accomplish things alone only to bring those things to a quick demise. I can count 5 bands that I was a part of in my teens that broke up because of my unwillingness to budge on an issue that NEEDED to be done MY way. Even recently, I have dealt with things in a know-it-all fashion, demanding my control over things that I know (even in the moment) would be better in the end if I let it play out to 80% of my satisfaction. But, I’m prideful, and stubborn, and blunt, and holding-my-tongue doesn’t seem an option. I’m wrong! Holding my tongue is an option. Submitting to the ideas and direction of others can be an option. Letting people help me should always be an option.

We are grateful we get to be a part of a community – people that choose to be together, supporting one another, rather than a group of individuals living independent lives. It is because of this community, people like John and Gordon and many others, that we get to be a part of what God is doing here. It is because people sacrifice their time and resources (and by “resources”, I do mean “money”) that we get to know people like Chuck and Kathy Hassel who were brave enough to share their story for us to show at Worship Night. See for yourself…



I could have easily considered Worship Night a failure. If it weren’t for community, I would have had no choice but to walk off the stage in the middle of that song, ending the experience with a bad taste in people’s mouths. But that didn’t happen. Because we are meant to support one another and because I am a part of this amazing group of people, this most recent Worship Night was the best we’ve ever had! Over 460 showed up to worship God together, receive communion as a family, and witness 58 individuals identify themselves as Christ Followers publicly through water baptism. We can’t do these things on our own, and I am grateful that we are not supposed to.

From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it's work.
Ephesians 4:16

How To Be Rich

Generosity… I think it’s a characteristic we’d all like to be known by. Yet, going from a lifestyle of giving nothing away to giving something away can sometimes be a big leap. We have to hurdle such obstacles as trusting the organization or person we are giving to. We hear so much about abuse and mismanagement, it can make a person justifiably leery. Or, we get blocked by the discouragement that our gifts, whatever they might be, would be too small or insignificant to make any real difference. Another high wall to climb is our own financial situation. How can we give to others when we are barely paying our own bills or are buried in interest rates and debt? Still, we see generosity as noble and honorable, and definitely something that “rich people” should practice.



You’re right, rich people should definitely practice generosity. Did you know that you are rich? Go ahead, see for yourself. Click on this link to find out how your income compares with the rest of the world. Global Rich List Surprised? Are you in the top 5% or higher? Phenomenal perspective, isn’t it? So, how does your personal generosity (the way you give of your time, talent, and resources) reflect your wealthy position in the world?

Now before you start getting nervous, I have no intention of making anyone feel guilty. Rather, I believe one of the biggest reasons people don’t give more often to more worthy causes is simply that they don’t know where to begin. I have seen first-hand how hard it can be to volunteer at a local shelter or even the library. I have personally called local non-profit agencies and left multiple messages letting them know I had a group of people willing to come and give their time for whatever they needed, only to have my phone calls go unreturned. It can make you feel like they might not really need your help after all. So, what’s a person to do? Push hard, look deeper, and cut through that red tape!

For as many organizations that unknowingly make it difficult to participate in their cause, there are just as many making it easy. At Great Lakes, we encourage our Growth Groups to organize their own service projects and we’ve seen amazing results! Everything from care packages to soldiers, to Easter baskets for local families in need, to simple food drives. Just this weekend I had the opportunity to participate in one of the most fun service projects yet. A few of our women's groups pulled together to have ourselves a party. We called it “Ladies Night: A Benefit for Care Net” where we chose to support a local organization, hoping to raise funds and supplies they need to help support women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Here is the story we shared at the party as a part of learning more about this great program…



All it took was one Evite, one planning meeting with my friends Eden & AnnaLisa, and a little initiative, and we had all we needed. We just did what women do best, socialize, eat great food and have some drinks and somehow, with less than 30 of us, we were able to raise roughly $2,000 worth of supplies and cash to hand directly to Care Net and their Earn While You Learn program.





These women generously gave everything from cribs and bassinets, to diapers and baby wash, to brand new clothes and gently used hand-me-downs. More than that, we were all inspired and many of the women have expressed even greater desire and creativity for ways we can do more! Amazing!



We know one thing for certain… it is easier to give when we know what we have received. The pursuit of “more” is an elusive mirage, and the reality is that we very likely have all we need.

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. – 1 Timothy 6:17-18

With that perspective, I dare you to invest yourself in just one of thousands of worthy causes. Why don’t you spend your coffee money this week on a new CD that could result in lowering the global poverty rate?

Tech Church

It’s hard to believe that there was a time, not too long ago, when messages were communicated to “the people” via radio and print only. Now we live in a time where even books are being replaced with a digital paperless option… Print isn’t yet dead, but his kids have definitely moved him into the retirement home. People used to tune in and hang out around the radio to “listen” to their favorite shows… if they liked westerns it was “Have Gun Will Travel”, or if detective mystery was your thing then “Philip Marlowe”.

Today, we have televisions being made with better resolution than the human eye. We have video game consoles that allow you to view things in 3D without wearing glasses, and control the system with body and hand movements, no controller needed. We carry around in our pockets mini-computers that can view HD video on our command. These mini-computers can locate you on the planet within inches, control all the other high-tech equipment in your house, allow you to speak face-to-face with anyone else, live, and connect you to everyone else in the world at wireless speeds faster than humanly imaginable only a few years ago.

In my lifetime, I’ve been privy to witness a pre-computer and post-computer educational system. I started learning DOS programming at age 9 from my mother on our “laptop” computer (which was actually about 40lbs. and had a black and green 6-inch monitor). I’ve witnessed the birth of the biggest technological leap the world has ever known, the internet. And now I work in a field that I get to be a part of utilizing and creating content for this new information-thirsty culture.


My job is to leverage the use of modern methods to accurately and effectively communicate the message of Jesus Christ to the masses. I think my official title is “Church Computer and Video Dude”. Really, I have three jobs, but two of them are pretty closely related… video creation, graphic design, and worship pastor (which really means band leader). Let me tell you a little about my day-to-day.

I work for a growing church called Great Lakes Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Before GLC, I had a similar job with EastLake Church in Bothell, Washington. Before that I was a “Web Development Assistant” for a small web conferencing company which is now extinct. And before that, I was a “Customer Service Representative” for DHL (the freight delivery company). I always loved design and constantly found myself tinkering around with different programs, but never did it “professionally” until I was at EastLake.

As you walk into Great Lakes Church, you begin to notice a certain style. But even before you set foot into our lobby, you most likely received one of the 75,000 mailers we send out two to three times a year. Then you decide to show up. First, you’ll navigate your way through our halls via the interior signage. Then as you enter our Adult Auditorium, you’ll be handed a program which tells you who we are and what to expect.


You’ll take your seat (in a movie theater since that’s where we currently meet) and thumb through the program, all the while, the huge 60 foot screen in front of you is creating an upbeat atmosphere with motion graphics and video footage. After a video countdown, the band plays three songs and you’re invited to follow along. After the band is done, you’re invited to take your seat again, and the room goes dark allowing for three more videos to be played (all before you even see the pastor). The first is what I call the “interlude”… it’s the background music and motion graphic that transitions you to situate and sit down without an awkward silence. Next is what I call the “roll-in”… our speaking schedule is designed around a topical series, and the roll-in is the intro for that topic… kind of like a sitcom theme intro. And last is what I call the “setup clip”. This is a short video clip from a movie or TV show that pertains to the weekends topic, and transitions our pastor in with humor. I'm responsible for your experience from your invitation all the way up to the pastor speaking (if he botches it, that's not my fault).



Our target is the 30 year old male who’s never been to church or hasn’t been in a really long time. Right now you’re probably thinking “shouldn’t your target be everyone?” Well, we do want everyone to know Jesus yes, but we know that stylistically we cannot reach/please EVERYONE. Even if you’re a church that has no target or says your target is everyone… the style of music you play, the way your leaders dress, the color of paint on your walls, the humor (or lack thereof) reaches a certain demographic of people and turns away other demographics… like it or not. There are all types of churches cuz there are all types of people. Our music is loud and rockin, our pastor wears jeans and t-shirts, we meet in a movie theater, and our humor is sarcastic and plentiful… we reach 30 year old men.

So, with that in mind, I create videos that emphasize that. I create graphics that appeal to the non-Christians. The non-Christian sees a dove, or a crown of thorns, or Jesus hanging bloody on a cross, and they are intimidated by the imagery and turned off… therefore, I NEVER use those “standard” religious images. Not out of disrespect, but instead to be relevant and sensitive and helpful to those people outside our Christian “club” (at least, that's how they see it). It is my job to make the message of Christ “Easy and Accessible” and to allow those people to come check out the claims of Christ as He accepts them... exactly as they are.

Another thing I need to be aware of is the community and its residents. I was born and raised in the Seattle area, so I’m used to white collar America. In a city where getting ahead means putting off having a family until your thirties so that you can climb the business ladder and get a bigger cubical at your next review, that’s what my path was. But out here it’s so different. People get married at 19 and 20, and then have their first, second, and third kids by the time they're 25. Our target works in a factory (of which I have no experience) or has a construction type job (also, no experience). My work needs to connect to those guys. I can’t be using Dilbert type humor when office humor doesn’t mean having an idiot boss and a wasteful meeting. Office humor is more like “I forgot to put the parking brake on the dozer and it rolled into our new frame and demolished half the work site”.

I like what I do… a lot. My week is spent in Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. The things I used to do for fun, I now get paid for. My newest love is what’s called “open source” software. It’s free software that the designers give freedom to anyone and everyone to change how they see fit. One of my favorite new programs is Blender 3D. Similar programs are in the thousands of dollars range, but Blender is free. I use it to animate and create graphics in 3D space.



Man! I’ve got so much to talk about but I know I’ll bore then heck out of you if I continue and go into the details of my art. Or maybe it won’t bore you. Tell you what… if you’re interested in hearing more, leave me a comment and maybe I’ll expand in a part 2.

Human Hearts

I get home sick. Though I grew up in El Paso, Texas until I was thirteen, I actually get homesick for Seattle. I wake up sometimes and feel like going to get a coffee near Juanita Beach, or driving across the 520 bridge and back – yes, even in traffic – just for the incredible view. Though the internet helps me feel connected to friends and family and life there in Washington, I still get that far away feeling once in a while.



Home sickness is not a condition that is easily treated. I found nothing for it on Web MD or Mayo Clinic’s website. I have prayed about it, only to be reminded of what Jesus says in the book of Luke:

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”

I suppose, since Jesus gave up his own life, I can give up some time with my friends and family… I suppose…

I think part of the weariness comes from not really feeling “called” or “qualified” to do this kind of work. I mean, who on earth ever would have thought I would be involved in launching a new church in the Mid-West? Certainly not me. I never even finished college, let alone one minute of seminary training. But, again, God is faithful to answer me using Scripture. I’ve been reading in 2 Corinthians and mulling over one section in particular. The apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth talking about this very idea of being qualified. He says:

“Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This ‘letter’ is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.”

So, rather than share my version of what God is doing here in Kenosha, I’ll let another young lady speak for herself. This is Brittany’s story…


About a year ago, I made the first time decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Growing up, I never had much exposure to religion, going to church, I didn't know the first thing about the Bible, or the difference between God and Jesus Christ (Truthfully, I didn't even know there was a difference). My cousins started talking to me about Great Lakes Church, for those who hate church. Intrigued, I decided to give it a try one Sunday last summer and it will remain one of the best decisions I've made in my life. Weeks went on and while I started to attend regularly, made the first time decision, I knew something was missing in my life, the pieces of the puzzle hadn't quite added up. That Fall, I went through a difficult time. The only way to truly describe the second half of 2009 is feelings of complete loneliness. Although I was surrounded by people, I've honestly never felt so separated from the rest of the world. This was all going on around the same time that I started attending church. I started learning more and became completely captivated by the idea that there's someone, with more power than any of the people I was letting control my emotions, that would love me unconditionally regardless of my story, what I've been through, or the decisions I've made. In October, I decided after several months of learning the Word that I would get baptized.



It was time for me to really begin this journey I was on and expand my faith and not be afraid to let this wall, that I've put up with everyone, down and simply, grow. Since I started attending Great Lakes Church, I've served on multiple teams and I'm currently apart of my second Growth Group. During my first Growth Group, the leaders and members of the group made a permanent mark in my heart and helped me learn and expand so much. Being that it was a class especially designed for first-time Christians, I learned about the first right steps and I couldn't be more grateful that that class was my first one.

Next week, myself and several other individuals will be traveling to Virginia to help a previous GLC member launch a new church and I could not be more excited about this. I know that there are several other individuals who are in the stage I was in just one year ago, lost and completely caught up with the wrong perspective on the ways things are vs. the way they should be. When the doors open for that church, I pray that at least one person out there will take a chance like I did because it's the best one I could have taken.

I still struggle with sin and know that I'm nowhere near the point in my faith that I have the potential to be, but I have found a community of people who understand and accept me for where I am and this is something I always thought I had to strive for in the past and now it comes effortlessly. I believe the reason it took 20 years for me to become a Christian is just the way that God works with everything and everyone. Nothing happens over night, I wouldn't have understood or appreciated church or God for that matter at any other point in my life because I was too stubborn and thought I was the only person in control. I realize now, we weren't put on this earth to walk through life alone and as long as I believe in God, I'll never be alone again.


The trip to help launch a new church in Virginia that Brittany is talking about is being led by a guy named Jason. Jason has a story of his own… Watch this video for a glimpse…



Want a peek at the church they are traveling to help launch? Scott Obenchain and his family were members at Great Lakes Church just a few short months ago. Check out his Pastor’s Welcome Video that Tony helped create…




I think about Great Lakes Church and am refreshed. I don’t want to imagine how empty my life might feel if I didn’t have the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing here in Kenosha. I am thankful for these tablets of human hearts and the difference they are making in the lives of those around them. It helps me remember that my true home is not a place. My true home is found in my relationship with God.

P.S. Yes, both of those videos, and many many others, were shot in our living room. Who needs a studio?

20 Weeks!

In pregnancy talk, 20 weeks is very significant. It means I am at the half-way mark already! I'm past the first trimester and into the second. At about 14 weeks I was all done spending every day, nearly all day, nauseous and grossed out by everything under the sun. Now I only get pukey about once every 2 weeks or so, which is much much better. I had many more food aversions than cravings. Let's list:

Aversions:
Coffee (so sad!)
Beef, except in spaghetti sauce
Chicken, except the McDonald's Southern Chicken Sandwhich
Asparagus
Garlic
Anything that smelled like anything else

Cravings:
Fried egg sandwich

Yup, just one craving, and it only came on strong one time. Other than that, my diet consisted of yogurt, cheese, apples, peanut butter, & cereal. I'm recently getting my appetite back, much to Tony's disappointment since he was eating everything off of my plate that I couldn't finish. At this rate, our baby bellies might be growing at the same proportion :) I am also back to enjoying coffee, but not nearly as much as I used to. I wonder if I'll have to wait until post-pregnancy to get back to my java loving self?

A couple of weeks ago, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the very first time. Well, Tony and the doctor heard it and were satisfied with what they heard. I, on the other hand, asked for a Do-Over and then I heard that little heart go! It was beating at a healthy 144 BPM, which some of my friends say means it's a boy in there. We'll see :) Otherwise, the doctor is very happy with my weight and the levels of stuff in my blood and urine. Overall, he is pretty pleased with the way this pregnancy is going. He always says, "Good Job!" which makes me feel really good about doing almost nothing.

Now, at 20 weeks, Tony and I agree that I am definitely looking pregnant. According to what I've read, this baby has grown past the size of a large mango and is now closer to the size of a small cantaloupe. Don't you love the food references? S/he weighs more than half a pound and can probably hear sounds in there. Hoping this baby loves sitting in the front at church with Tony's loud music as much as I do. Last night I felt this little baby move for the first time! Well, it was the first time I believed it anyway. I am sort of a "I'll believe it when I see it" type of person, which doesn't serve me all that well in my faith, and has made the majority of this pregnancy very surreal. Now that I can see and feel my stomach growing, hear the heartbeat, and feel little movements, I'm pretty sure there is a baby in there... So Crazy! So Exciting!


GREAT LAKES CHURCH!
These are big days not just for our little family, but also for our greater church family here at Great Lakes Church. Tony and I just got back from a wonderful visit home to Washington. It was fun, full of love, restful and just what we needed. We were surprised at how eager we both were to get back and hit the ground running with everything that will need to be done to get ready for the fall season here. Tony busted his butt finishing up the mailer that will hopefully hit 50,000 homes in the Kenosha area on September 10th. It advertises our new series "Q & A" where we are handing control of what we talk about to the audience via email and live text messages on Sunday mornings. I'm excited and nervous to see how this goes. The mailer also advertises our new auditorium seating. We are opening up a second auditorium/theater because we have been bursting at the seams in our 10:30am service especially. We are also going to be opening up new class rooms for kids, lauching new Growth Groups, and using a new and much better online database to continue to make sure everyone is getting connected. Lot's of work to do and no shortage of enthusiasm to get it all done.

Discovering Our Strengths

Last night we wrapped up our Summer Growth Group “Discover Your Strengths” with a BBQ & Games hosted by fellow group members, Larry & Paulette. It was such a great way to end one of my very favorite groups!

If you haven’t heard of the Strengths Finder, or any of the books around it, I think you should definitely check it out. It’s a sort of personality profile developed by Gallup and I first came across it having been assigned to read Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. There are now other versions of the book with the same theme and access to the same profile/test. Again, worth checking out and taking if you never have.

If you have read the book and/or taken the test, skip to the next paragraph. If not, here’s the deal. The book & test are based on the thought that if we discover our strengths and find a way to hone in on them, we will do much better and likely have a more fulfilling life than if we only concentrate on our weaknesses and spend our energy improving them. The book uses several examples, like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, who have made their careers by focusing on their strengths rather than attempting to become “well rounded” athletes. (Remember MJ’s stint in baseball?) Anyway, there you have it, my quick & dirty version of the book. Still interested?...

Tony and I led the group together, although Tony made it clear to the group from the first meeting that he was taking the role of a “Sub-Leader” and not a “Co-Leader”. He had never read the book or taken the test, so he was just as eager as everyone else to do some self-discovery. He became the name-tag & game guy, while I focused on prep & conversation topics for the group each week. Worked out great for both of us!

As you can see from the picture, we had a great crew. It was fun to go through this book and learn about each other’s strengths as well as our own. Along with the natural self-discovery, we hoped to gain some new perspective on the strengths of those around us and begin to value people in a new way. There were some strengths that we discussed that initially came across to people in the group as annoying or off-putting traits. It was great to dig into those and find value in traits we might have otherwise dismissed.

In case you’re curious, here are our Strengths:
Michelle’s Top 5
Strategic - The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity.
Futuristic - "Wouldn't it be great if..." The kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon. As if it were projected on the wall, you see in detail what the future might hold, and this detailed picture keeps pulling you forward, into tomorrow.
Relator - Relator describes your attitude toward your relationships. In simple terms, the Relator theme pulls you toward people you already know. You are comfortable with intimacy and once the initial connection has been made, you deliberately encourage a deepening of the relationship.
Arranger - You are a conductor. When faced with a complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible.
Focus - Guided by the theme of Focus, you need a clear destination. Lacking one, your life and your work can quickly become frustrating, so you are constantly setting goals and filtering distractions.

Tony’s Top 5
Adaptability - You live in the moment. You don't see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now.
Command - Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. Once your goal is set, you feel restless until you have aligned others with you.
Ideation - You are fascinated by ideas. You are delighted when you discover beneath the complex surface an elegantly simple concept to explain why things are the way they are.
Input - You are inquisitive. Yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity
Learner - You love to learn. Whatever the subject, you will alsways be drawn to the process of learning. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence.

What’s fun about these for both of us is that we can see so many ways we get to utilize our strengths in what we do here at Great Lakes Church. Tony spends so much time leading and making quick decisions (Command), as well as learning and developing new ideas for media, music, & atmosphere (Learner, Ideation, Input), and changing course as the needs arise each day and each week (Adaptability). I get to dream, make plans, & share vision all the time about how to help Great Lakes Church become and continue to be the church God gave us all a heart for (Strategic, Futuristic). I get to connect with people and build relationships that will matter for eternity (Relator), bring people and resources together for common goals (Arranger), and help set goals and deadlines for myself and those around me (Focus).

Even better is realizing that we did not come into these Strengths by reading a book. Rather, they were in us, as God given gifts and talents, evidence of his plan and purposes for our lives. These traits we learn about ourselves are just more ways for us to learn to lean into Him, be thankful to Him, and bring them back to Him to be used as He would lead us.

We learn from the early church that we each have gifts and strengths and should make the very most of them and continue to honor each other above ourselves. [Romans 12: 4-12]

Last week when we met as a group, our topic was “Managing Around our Weaknesses”. It was great to share our struggles, as well as our dreams together. One couple was in the midst of deciding to go down to one income and home school their children when they began the group. They’ve since decided to make the leap and can both see how their differing strengths will give them what it takes to do this well and make their family a priority in a new way. We also took communion together as a group on this week, acknowledging before Jesus Christ and each other that we are indeed weak and it is in our weakness that He is made strong. We are not strong unto ourselves, but by the phenomenal and unending grace of God. It was sweet and powerful all at the same time for me.

Thrive Church
I was invited a couple of weeks ago to visit Thrive Church in Katy, Texas (just outside of Houston). The pastor there, Tom Elmore, is a long time friend of our friend and Pastor Dave Nelson. Tom and his team have a similar goal and vision for Thrive Church as ours for Great Lakes Church. They launched on Easter of this year and invited me to come and check things out, offer input, meet with leaders, and in some ways consult. I have to say, it was one of the most thrilling and life-giving trips I’ve been on in a while. It was the type of thing I’m pretty sure I would do for the rest of my life. To see something created from nothing, to be with people who love God and want to reach people, to encourage leaders to dream big but make processes simple at the same time. They have an incredible team and are off to a great start to be certain. It reminded me again that what we are doing here in Kenosha is so much greater than this local city. We are a part of a movement of God, a movement to break down the barriers that keep people from entering into a relationship with Him and the family He has prepared for them. We are a part of a movement that will toss aside rituals and traditions in favor of transparency and keeping the shame level low. I couldn’t be more excited for this life and this adventure.

The Grays

As Tony mentioned in his entry last week, we recently welcomed Gabe & Katie Gray and their three children to Kenosha. They moved here from Seattle to help with Great Lakes Church after having it on their hearts for nearly a year. It is great to have them here, with their perspective and “can-do” attitude. It’s also nice that they live within walking distance of Tony, Tyler, & I. We’ve had fun walking over there and getting our butts kicked at Mexican Train Dominoes, Phase 10, & Gin Rummy. We might need to find something else to do with them besides play games. But, I do love introducing them to all of the amazing people and volunteers who are already here at Great Lakes. People who have been on board and ready to do whatever is needed to make Great Lakes Church Great!

The Winnett's

Now, adding more to our growing church family, we will welcome Grant and Natalie Winnett and their brand new baby girl, Abela into town this Friday! They’ll arrive from their former home in Colorado just in time to attend our next Great Lakes 101 class on Sunday. Natalie and I have been friends for nearly 10 years. She was one of two girl friends who stood next to me on my wedding day. She is also the woman who, through her love, helped me to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ for myself. So, yeah, I’m pretty excited about this. Aside from all of the ways she has been an incredible friend to me over the years, Natalie has a ton of experience in Kids Ministry and is ready to hit the ground running to help at Great Lakes in this very important area. We can’t wait to see what happens.

Baby P
I’m now 16 weeks pregnant and I think I’ve turned the corner from the constant nausea. Still irritated with whoever named it “Morning Sickness” – it IS all day sickness and now I only have it a couple of times a day which is a huge relief. I’m not quite at the point where I fully enjoy eating, it still feels like a chore. I have come back to coffee, but only about once a week. I do look forward to re-committing my love for my morning cup, but it’s probably better for the baby that coffee has been one of my many aversions. Tony has been great with everything. Since most things make me want to puke (sorry, still can’t figure out a polite way to say “vomit” or whatever) he is not only taking care of the cooking but most of the cleaning in the kitchen. I wonder if that alone is worth being pregnant forever? I haven’t felt any movements yet, though friends tell me I should be just a few more weeks away from that fun milestone. I also haven’t gained any weight, so no “baby bump” pictures to share just yet. Is it strange that I’d like to go ahead and start looking pregnant soon? I’m really hoping by the time we come home for our Seattle visit (Aug. 21st) that I’ll look at least a little prego. You may find me sticking my stomach out anyway…

Love to all!
Michelle

Geekfest 2009

A few weeks ago I was privy to be a part of the "Guru's of Tech Conference" in Louisville Kentucky. It's a conference for church employees and volunteers in media ministry. Southeast Christian Church hosted it in their new state of the art youth building they call "The Block". Though this facility was WAY out of Great Lakes league, it was amazing to be a part of. It was three days of inspiration, how-to, demonstration, and meet-n-greet. Dave's brother Mark Nelson made the trip with me. It was so great for both of us to be there but I think more so for Mark. He's an engineer for Rockwell and our FOH (Front of House) Sound Engineer Team Lead. Though he's only been behind a soundboard a handful of times in his life, he is BY FAR the most fitted person for that volunteer position.

Back when GLC was started, our team of volunteers stepped up and said "I'll do whatever" and so we put people where we saw a fit and had a need. Mark ended up on the soundboard out of a need, but he's transformed that team into something it would otherwise be a year from now. His knowledge of electrical currents and signals has directly translated over to the sound world (and rather fluidly). He's the kind of guy who says "voltage" or "sound pressure levels" or "impedance" or "frequency spectrum" every time he opens his mouth.

Most of that stuff I really don't get... and most of his questions I answer with "Um... you should Google that". So for him, this Guru Conference was exactly what the doctor ordered. I'd love to read a blog from his perspective, but I think he was taking notes every minute. Just a random one-on-one conversation, he would part from, digging in his bag for his notebook to write notes down.

lol... this just came to mind. We're having issues hearing our keyboards on Sunday morning. I propose Mark a question and a possible solution... and he responds (no joke) with a link HERE. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?

Back to the conference...
We drove there (6.5 hours) and stayed in a hotel about 400 feet from the church. We were able to do all this cuz the conference WAS FREE!!! How awesome is that! You can bet I'll be going again next year. I learned a lot about software I use, about switching over to HD (which GLC is already faking), and about streaming to multiple venues (which GLC will be doing in the fall). It's an exciting time, and any know-how I can pickup is like gold.

Since then, (crap, I just dropped a chip on the carpet and backed up to pick it up, and rolled over it, grounding it into powder in my carpet)... anyway, since the conference a lot has happened. Our friends the Grays from Seattle just moved into town. They live about three maybe four blocks from us and we've been chillin with them a lot. We've taught them the REAL way to play Mexican Train Dominoes, and they've taught us Phase 9.

Gabe Gray is going to help out on Marks team (FOH Engineer) and has already proven to be worth his weight in bacon. Dave's been in Seattle, but Michelle and I thought we'd still have our Tuesday staff meeting without him... so we invited the Grays to attend. Their insight was SUPER helpful and some of it was very easy to implement type stuff, so we will, this Sunday.

In other news, it's August, and in about 20 days our friend and roomie Tyler is going to get married, and we're flying out to Seattle to be there. We miss Seattle and are STOKED to come home for a little visit.

I'll stop writing now cuz I know Michelle want's to post as well, and I don't want to take all the good stuff.

Pivotal Circumstances

This week at Great Lakes Church, we wrapped up a series called “5 Things You Can’t Live Without”. The 5th, and final, delivered to us by Scott Obenchain was “Pivotal Circumstances”. He taught us, using the story about Lazarus’ death from the book of John in the Bible that…

God uses pivotal circumstances to do something IN us, not TO us.

Later, at lunch, Dave Nelson was teasing his daughter about the possibility of her going to five different schools in elementary school. It made me remember about a pivotal circumstance in my own life. I actually went to seven different schools between 6th and 9th grade myself. Yep, that’s seven! Seven different schools in three different states; Texas, Georgia, & Washington. I remember feeling excited with the first couple of moves, daydreams about new friends and new places, it sounded like fun. By the 5th and 6th, the reality set in that it was not fun at all but, in fact, very lonely and frustrating being the “new kid” all the time. I never knew my way around, I never knew which teachers were nice, I never knew where to sit at lunch. It was awful! At one school, I irritated the wrong kid and got a whole quart of salsa dumped on my head in the lunch room, in front of everyone. These are not my favorite memories.

Yet, I look back on it, and I can see how God used even those awful years to do something IN me, not TO me. You see, I still get that pit in my stomach when I think about the “new kid”. I feel sick remembering how nobody would take the risk to talk to me when they already had friends of their own. Unless a student was assigned to, I didn’t have anyone to show me my way around, or tell me not to sit in “that” seat on the bus because it belonged to a total jerk. I can literally work myself into a panic thinking about the “new kid”.

But, this is a very good thing! You see, this pit of my stomach feeling is one of the things that drives me to take a look around as we continue to build Great Lakes Church. I find myself constantly watching for the “new kid” to walk through the doors, and they do every weekend. Everything inside of me wants to prevent people from feeling the way I did growing up, like nobody cares, like people are only helpful because they are “assigned” to be. At Great Lakes, I have the perfect opportunity to use those all too familiar feelings of awkwardness to my advantage as we teach our teams how important it is to greet absolutely everyone with a smile. We put up new and better looking indoor signs this weekend in a continued attempt to make things clear for people who don’t already know their way around. Our ushers do a great job of helping people find a place to sit, so nobody feels like they might be in someone else’s seat when they visit us for the first time. (By the second time, they might realize that nobody really has their own seat anyway.) It’s like God has all but given those years back to me, given me a way to turn around and make hundreds of people feel welcome each week to what may be a scary and awkward circumstance for them. It’s elating!

I wonder if you can think of some of your own “bad-turned-good” circumstances. This “new kid” thing is just one of many in my life. In fact, we are experiencing some pretty great milestones at Great Lakes Church and in our personal lives (can you believe we still have personal lives?) right now!

We are in the third and final week of sign ups for our Summer Growth Group season. Kicking off Growth Groups here at GLC has been a dream come true for me, and they haven’t even started yet. Tony and I had the phenomenal opportunity to lead a six week workshop series for people who were interested in being leaders and hosts. Those of you who have been leaders and hosts at EastLake (the church we came from in Seattle) may think this is overkill. You might think, “Does it really take 6 weeks to train someone to run a group in their homes?” Well, I don’t think it does, BUT, we believed we could give them more than just a basic training by investing in them for 6 entire weeks. For 6 weeks (with two different groups, one on Thursdays and one on Saturdays) we had the opportunity to model what a group could be like. Each week we invited them into our homes and taught on everything from “difficult people”, to prayer & communion in groups, to how to gracefully cut off a gossip, to helping people feel welcome. We modeled 5 different kinds of groups: DVD group, Bible Study, Book Study, Game Night & Activity Groups, and Men’s vs. Women’s groups. It was this incredible time where these future leaders had a chance to build relationships with one another and be praying for each other before their groups even got off the ground. We feel so lucky to have gotten to know them all and encourage them all to lead these groups on their own. Now to see some of the groups filling up and everything they’ve learned coming to reality is just so fun! We have over 175 people signed up to be a part of our very first Growth Group season, which is more people than we predicted would even be a part of Great Lakes Church at this stage. In fact, isn’t that about the total number of people we had attend our very first Preview Service back in October of last year? I can’t wait for these groups to get started!

Another milestone to speak of is that tomorrow, June 8th, is our 2 year wedding anniversary. WOO HOO! It’s traditionally the “cotton anniversary”, so we’re thinking… socks? We are excited to celebrate our marriage and what God has done in us during the course of our relationship. We are thankful for our friends and family who have loved us and challenged us to be a better husband, better wife, better friends and better followers of Christ. It’s also quite a thrill because we are expecting our first baby! That’s right, Baby Peterson is due to arrive January 15, 2010! Pregnancy has been an interesting new dynamic in our marriage. I’m sure I’ll share more details about that in the months to come. For now you may want to know that I’m 8 weeks along, tired and nauseous all the time, and the doctor says all my “levels” are looking good.

Love to you all!
Michelle & Tony

GLC First Worship Night

What a GREAT NIGHT!
This past Sunday was Great Lakes' very first Worship Night ever. For those of you who're not familiar with what that is, it's an hour-and-a-half gathering of our church family to worship God with music and dedication and baptism. The evening started at 6pm and we played through a few rockin' songs before Child Dedications started. Eight family's chose to dedicate their children and the stage was full of parents and their kids... very cool!



We followed that up with a few more songs and then started baptisms. That was really amazing... just knowing some of the stories behind the people, and then watching them making that next step was a powerful site... all the while, playing Son of God and our new song for the evening He Loves Us. Also, our friend and roomie Tyler was in the tank with Dave baptizing... sooo cool.



It was fun for me to get off the mic for a little while as Christian, our lead guitarist, stepped up and led a few songs. Later on in the evening Julia led Lead Me To The Cross and she did awesome. There was a funny happenstance in the middle tho, the plan was for me to start Sweetly Broken alone while the rest of the group received communion... but I didn't communicate that I wished for them to come up and join in to finish off the song. So I ended up looping a few verses thinking they were just in the back of the communion line, but then I looked out while leading and saw all of them just sitting together watching me... I couldn't exactly say on the mic "hey guys, wanna come back up here now and save me?" So I did the whole song alone. It wasn't planned, but I think it turned out pretty cool.



It was a long day... waking at 6am... doing the church thing from 7am till noon... going home and preparing for Worship Night... meeting the setup team at the venue at 3pm (no time for a nap)... and leaving there at about 7:30pm... I can honestly say I was BEAT! But the funny thing is, I had such a great and energetic day. It seemed as tho there were some external source feeding me the energy I needed to pull off a day like that... huh... funny... wonder what that might have been? :)

Swap | Skate | Connect

Eden’s Swap Party

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a Swap Party. If you’ve never been to, or heard of, a Swap Party, well – neither had I. I was simply invited to come, bring a few items (clothes, purses, jewelry, shoes) that were gently used and trade them with someone else. Not really sure what I would be getting into here, I brought a few things and showed up to my friend Eden’s home a little early. She was very organized, there were appetizers & drinks, and a lot of women I’d never met. It was great. I scored a beautiful purse and a couple of new pairs of sandals and had a total blast. Aside from the creative idea and the fun women I got to meet, there was something completely hilarious to me about this party that set it a part from most parties I have ever been to – the Kenosha News showed up! That’s right THE NEWS! I don’t know why it was so funny to me, but I guess it was a great local story. Here’s a link to the article. I’m actually quoted in it, which is kind of fun.




Great Lakes Skate!

As many of you know, we are still a month away from launching Growth Groups at Great Lakes Church. In the mean time, we’ve decided to have at least one “Connect Event” each month in an attempt to help people, well, you know, connect. The most recent event was a Family Connect Event we called Great Lakes Skate! We were able to rent out an entire skating rink, serve a pizza & soda buffet, and allow kids under 13 to enter for FREE! It was a hit! People were out there doing the Hokey Pokey, teaching their kids to skate for the first time, and meeting new people. After a while, someone even managed to convince Dave to put on a pair of skates himself. We had over 150 people come, and we’re sure they won’t soon forget it. Almost no one was too cool to skate!

Usher Game Night

Last month, Tyler became completely in charge of the Usher Team. Good move for us, he really has this Usher & Auditorium thing down and the 3-5’s room turned out not to be a big enough challenge for him. Of course, one of the first orders of business was to throw a party for all the Ushers. Tony and I were invited, even though I’m listed as a “back up” on the Usher Team, and we were so glad to be there. A lot of the Ushers were meeting each other for the first time as they serve at different services. Tyler thanked everyone for their hard work and then let the Cranium Throw Down begin. It’s hard to remember the outcome of the game, but I may have walked away as the MVP… we’ll leave that up to the critics.

Info Table Fiesta

It just so happens that all five of the teammates that cover the Info Table are ladies. Of course we had to have a Ladies Night Out/Fiesta to get to know each other and hang out. AnnaLisa is in charge of this team. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned to you all before that she really was the first person I was able to connect with when Tony and I moved here. She is Dave’s sister-in-law, married to his oldest brother, and she is THE BEST! She welcomed me from the start and we shared our first meal out together over Chinese food. She is so easy to talk to and laugh with and I feel blessed to have her. Anyway, it’s no wonder with personality and charm like hers that she attracts great women onto the team. Karri, another team member, offered to host. Beth and our newest teammate Jeannette, rounded out the night. We had BeerGaritas, Guacamole, Warm Queso, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and candy from a sombrero of course. I was delighted to share stories and get to know these incredible women and then to end the night with – what else – Mexican Train Dominoes.



It’s been a great month of connecting all around. I’ve heard the Parking Team got together at Buffalo Wild Wings for some beers, wings, and games one night. That must have been trouble. I’ve also heard countless other stories of people having each other over for dinner, scheduling lunch and play dates with their kids, heading out to the movies, and all sorts of other fun. Our hope and prayer of people connecting and getting to know each other at GLC is well under way and we are that much more exited for Growth Groups to begin next month.