Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

I just registered for the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim in 2010. It's a 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz to the mainland through shark infested waters. And I convinced Summer to do it with me. Does that make me a bad parent?

For some strange reason, this swim landed on my life goal list the second I heard about it. Just seems like a crazy thing to do. And it'll be an amazing shared goal and shared experience with my daughter. Honestly, I'm less concerned about her than I am about me. She's a dolphin in the water. Me on the other hand? Well, think doggy-paddle.

"You're too young and inexperienced." I Samuel 17:33.

That is what Saul said to David when he wanted to challenge Goliath. And it was true, IF David had tried to engage Goliath in a conventional sword fight. But David changed the rules. He didn't approach Goliath as a warrior. He approached him as a shepherd. He introduced an unconventional method of warfare: the slingshot. That long-range weapon gave David a unique advantage over his more experienced opponent. In a sense, he overcame his weaknesses by playing to his strengths.

Can I make an observation? Inexperience is both a liability and an asset. And the upside of inexperience is this: you don't know what can't be done. So you're not afraid of doing old things in new ways. You take risks. You make mistakes. You experiment with new methodologies.

If we had a little more experience, part of me wonders if we would have never built a coffeehouse. Why? Because churches build churches. But we had just enough sanctified inexperience. Instead of asking why, we asked why not.

This week I read about a fascinating study done by political scientist Ivan Arreguin-Toft. He surveyed every war fought in the past two hundred years between strong and weak combatants. The Goliaths won 71.5% of the time. But when the Davids chose an unconventional strategy, their winning percentage was 63.6%. In other words, when Davids decide that they aren't going to play on Goliaths terms, they win two-thirds of the time.

So how do you fight in unconventional terms if you are a David? Sometimes it's substituting effort for ability. Davids need to work harder than Goliaths. Sometimes its doing something in a new way. But the bottom line is this: you cannot fight Goliath on Goliath's terms or you will lose. You have to change the rules. You have to get unconventional.

If we do church in conventional ways we'll get conventional results. We desperately need more unconventional leaders who will use their slingshots to advance the kingdom. I have a core conviction that drives me: there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet. Listen, I thank God for traditions. And I love traditional churches. But I think its unconventional leaders and unconventional churches that will reach emerging generations. Or maybe another way of saying it is this: we need leaders who are orthodox in theology but unorthodox in praxis.

In I Samuel 14:35 it says: "Saul built an altar to the Lord, the first one he had ever built." But just one chapter later, I Samuel 15:12, says: "Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument to himself."

Are you building altars to God or monuments to yourself?

That is THE QUESTION when it comes to motivation for ministry. There is a fine line between "Thy Kingdom come" and "My kingdom come." And if you cross that line, it's the beginning of the end. Samuel tells Saul that God is taking the kingdom away.

Can I offer a simple reminder? We are who we are by the grace of God. We do what we do for the glory of God.

Keep building altars to God.

Just got huge news from my publisher! Feels like an early Christmas gift.

Looks like my next book, Primal, will release on 01.01.10. That is the date I was hoping for and working for. Pretty fired up about it. And there is a chance it'll hit bookstores right before Christmas. Honestly, I think this book was meant to be read right around the New Year. In fact, we'll do a little "make it the first book you read in 2010" campaign.

I've got 01.01.10 circled on my calendar!

I don't even know how to say this so let me shoot from the hip. I want to inspire as many people as possible to read through a one-year Bible in 2010. I have no idea how this is going to take shape. But I know this: there is no substitute for getting into the Word and the Word getting into you.

If you were to ask me about the most important decision I've made this year, my answer would be simple: the decision to read through a one-year Bible.

I didn't read the Bible as much as I could have or should have last year. Honestly, I was reading it professionally instead of devotionally. It was more about what God wanted to say though me than what God wanted to say to me. Then I read something J.I. Packer said: "Every Christian worth his salt reads the Bible cover-to-cover every year." I couldn't argue with it. Long story short, I'm falling in love with the Bible all over again.

How do I describe our play and pray retreat?

One of the most relaxing retreats of my life. Spent an hour napping in a hammock. Early mornings and late nights in a screened porch overlooking the Chesapeake Bay doing devotions, talking with staff, and playing spades. Loved the breeze!

I think rest is best when you work hard. The harder you work the more you enjoy a break. I also think the quality of rest depends on how you're doing spiritually. Nothing like being in right relationship with the Lord. Not just rest for your body, but rest for your spirit.

One of the highlights of our play and pray retreat was long walks on the dock. It must have been as long as a football field. We walked out there at night with flashlights and caught crabs. Played lots of sand volleyball. Tossed some corn hole. And played lots of pool and spades. Can't imagine a more serene setting than Osprey Point.

Here are a few pictures.

I recently did an interview with Rethink Magazine. Love the simple question: what are you rethinking? Here's a link to the interview. I'm rethinking everything from missions to preaching.

What are you rethinking?

Can I share a couple of personal definitions? Worship is bragging about God to God. Evangelism is bragging about God to others. In other words, evangelism is a form of worship. We start bragging about who God is and what God has done as we worship Him. And we don't stop.

I know that a lot of Christians feel subconscious guilt about not sharing their faith enough. That really isn't the issue. It's a byproduct of a deeper issue and the issue is this: we don't love God and love others like we could or should. If you really love someone what you really want for them is a relationship with Christ. And the more you love them the more you want it.

Every year our staff does two retreats. We have our planning retreat in late fall. And we do our play and pray retreat in early summer. The play and pray retreat is all staff plus spouses and kids.

We'll spend a couple days at Osprey Point playing and praying.

This weekend I proposed a little evangelism experiment. More than any other religious word, the word evangelism conjures up feelings of guilt because so many of us feel like we don't share our faith like we could or should.

Here's the prayer that I've challenged NCCers to pray everyday this week. Can't wait to see how God answers these prayers. Lots of divine appointments waiting to happen this week!

Lord, I pray for an opportunity to share my faith with someone in some way. It’s not up to me to decide who or when or where. But I know why. Because you love them and want a relationship with them. So Lord, surprise me with opportunities to share my faith.

Forgive me for trying to do your job for you. You are the one who convicts of sin. You are the one who draws to Christ. But help me do my part as salt and light. Help me see those opportunities to react compassionately or listen patiently or speak kindly. Through word and deed, help me plant seeds of love in the lives of others. Give me boldness when it’s time to speak. Give me restraint when it’s time to listen. Give me words to say. But more importantly, give me ears to hear.

Lord, help me be sensitive to the prompting of your Holy Spirit so I can see the divine appointments you send my way. Help me not to be afraid of questions I cannot answer. Help me not to be afraid of people’s reactions or rejections.

Lord, help me preach the gospel every day, when necessary, with words.

In Jesus name, amen!

One of the quantum challenges leaders face is this: as the organizations they lead start experiencing organizational growth they stop experiencing personal growth. Why? Because of the demands of the organizational growth. They start leading the organization and stop leading themselves. And that is when the blessing turns into a curse. Growth will grind to a halt. In fact, it will probably implode. You lose spiritual margin. You lose intellectual margin. You lose creative margin. And you stop growing. No Margin = No Growth.

The key to continued organizational and personal growth boils down to this: margin. You need margin to think. You need margin to play. You need margin to laugh. You need margin to dream. You need margin to have impromptu conversations. You need margin to seize unanticipated opportunities. You need margin.

One of the primary responsibilities of leaders is creating margin. It almost seems selfish. But you are doing everybody you work with a disservice if you give them everything you've got. You need margin. And it starts with time management. If you don't control your calendar, your calendar will control you.

Here are a ten ways to create margin:

1) Use all of your vacation days. You owe it to yourself and your family.
2) Protect your day off religiously.
3) Don't schedule meetings on certain days or before certain hours.
4) Delegate more responsibility.
5) Only check email during designated times during the day.
6) Get up earlier in the morning.
7) Schedule meetings with God and yourself.
8) Turn off the TV.
9) Get out of your organizational context and go to a conference.
10) Hit the gym. You don't have enough time or energy NOT to work out.

Have any ideas to add to the mix? How do you create margin?

We've got a brainstorming session with our creative team today. Trying to figure out what sermon series we want to do in August and September.

What sermon series do you have planned for the summer and fall?

Share the love!

What is success?

It seems to me like the answer to that question is hugely important, but most people never take the time to even ask it. We don't define success. So by default, we let our culture define success for us. And in too many instances it boils down to this: whoever has the most toys at the end of the game wins.

I've shared this before, but here is my generic definition of success: do the best you can with what you have where you are. In other words, success is stewardship and stewardship is success. But let me drill down a little bit.

I have a list of 100+ life goals. And some of them are church-related or book-related. I dream of the day NCC isn't just reaching thousands and giving hundreds of thousands to missions. I dream of the day NCC is reaching tens of thousands and givings millions of dollars to missions. And I believe we'll get there. One of my life goals is to write twenty-five books, including a New York Times best-seller. And that's the tip of the iceberg. I have lots of goals and big dreams. But none of that means anything if I lose my family.

At the end of his illustrious ministry, the prophet Samuel was emotionally "crushed." He was the most powerful and most revered person in all of Israel. But it's a sad ending. Why? Because his sons "didn't follow in his footsteps." I'm guessing Samuel would have traded all of his accomplishments for the faith of his sons. And he would have done it in a heartbeat.

I know my kids have free-will. And it's dangerous to define success in a way you cannot control. But success for me is simple: my kids growing up to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It's that simple. I also pray that my kids will want to hang out with us when they have the option of not hanging out with us. At the end of the day, true success is not occupational. It's relational. It's not about how big your church is. It's not about how many books you sell. Success is succession. It's about your kids following in your spiritual footsteps. It's about your kids internalizing and personalizing the faith. It's about your kids owning the faith and the faith owning your kids.

One last word.

I know some of you feel like you messed up as parents. Here's a word of encouragement: God gives us a second chance and it's called being a grandparent. Don't get down on yourself. Confess it and move forward. I also know some very godly people who were far better parents than me that have watched their kids walk away from the faith and they are heart-broken. Keep praying. Keep believing. There are seasons in life where you need to drop back and punt to God on 4th and long. All you can do is continue to put them in God's hands and trust.

Study Less. Pray More.

I know this is one of those statements that could be easily misinterpreted so I better say this: study to show yourself approved. I'm not suggesting that you study less. I'm simply suggesting that you pray more. And I'm talking specifically about sermon prep. I think we'd preach with more passion if we tweaked the amount of time we pray in proportion to the amount of time we study. So maybe I should say: study more and pray even more.

Right before an important message to the nation of Israel, it says the prophet Samuel "rehearsed it with God." He prayed through his message. I think this is the missing link in lots of messages. We prepare a message, but we don't pray through the message. We don't "rehearse it with God."

All I know is this: I preach with more conviction and more energy when I "rehearse it with God." In fact, I think it's the difference between a pastoral voice and a prophetic voice. It's the difference between timeless truth and timely truth. It's the difference between a convicting message and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Study more. Pray even more.

So I'm walking out of Ebenezers and I bump into a Swiss doctor who just happens to be in DC this week. She says I'm her "jogging buddy." She downloads our podcast every week. Then she tells me that she prints out my message transcripts and sends them to someone who is in prison in Australia. Very random. Very cool.

I know I say this all the time but can I say it again? If it's worth preaching it's worth podcasting. We need to redeem technology and use it for God's purposes.

In case you care, we've starting thinking about NCC in new terms. Our immediate family are the folks who attend services on the weekend. Our extended family are podcast listeners, webcast watchers, and blog readers. Because of our demography and geography, we have huge turnover. Based on our annual surveys, it's more than 40% per year. The long and short of it is this: we have thousands of NCCers all over the world. We don't view them as ex-NCCers. We view them as extended family. And technology is one way we stay connected.

I love technology!

If you personalize rejection it can become parasitic. It will destroy your confidence. It will destroy your joy. It can even undermine the vision God has given you.

There is a moment toward the end of his life when Israel rejects Samuel's sons as judges because his sons didn't follow in his footsteps. Samuel was "crushed." Ever been there? Think about it. He devoted his entire life to serving Israel. And then they reject his sons. Granted, his sons were corrupt. Which probably means it was a double blow. What a terrible ending. But there is a powerful leadership principle if you read the story closely. The Lord says: "They are not rejecting you. They're rejecting me."

I better make this clear: no leader is beyond rebuke, correction or exhortation. And if you think you are then it's the beginning of the end. But what I'm focusing on here is unwarranted criticism or unfair treatment. If the sermon you are preaching or the vision you are casting is from the Lord, then people aren't rejecting you. Don't personalize the rejection. I think this is one key to evangelism: if you personalize the rejection you'll stop sharing your faith.

Can I share a lesson learned? It doesn't matter how God-ordained your vision is. You can walk off of Mount Sinai with tablets inscribed by the finger of God. You will still have your early adopters, late adopters, and laggards. It's the adopter categories originally devised by Everett Rogers in his book The Diffusion of Innovation. You will always have your 16% laggards who will resist the vision. For what it's worth, I think they serve a valuable purpose. They force us to keep refining the vision.

Bottom line? Don't personalize rejection.

Our vacation was short but sweet. Felt like we squeezed a week's worth of activity and food into it. Had a blast building sandcastles, riding waves, and jumping in the sand dunes.

I think vacations are all about new adventures and old traditions. I love seeing new places and trying new things. I'm all about adventure vacations. But I also love old traditions. And that's what our annual beach vacation is all about.

Our kids are learning to love the traditions. The traditions are like emotional anchors. We've got the Grotto Pizza tradition, the Fractured Prune donut tradition, and the Dairy Queen tradition. Yes, many of our traditions revolve around food. But there is something so nostalgic about going back to the same place every year. It's like our bedroom door where we've measured the kid's height over the years. It's a benchmark. The kids have so many accumulated memories at Rehoboth Beach. And that is what makes it so special. The more times we go the more we say "remember when."

For what it's worth, both Lora and I had families that went on vacation to the same place every year growing up. For her, it was Bethany Beach near the Michigan Dunes. For me, it was Bedman's Beach on Lake Ida in Alexandria, Minnesota. For our kids it'll be Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Anybody else have any vacation traditions?

We saw this sign while hiking. Trust me, we did exactly what the sign said. But I won't delineate on that.

The Batterson family is headed to Rehoboth Beach for a mini-vacation. I think this is our seventh year in a row. Can't wait to get some Fractured Prune donuts. If you haven't had them you're not ready to die yet. We'll hit Cape Henlopen. Do a little boogie boarding. Stroll downtown Rehoboth and get some caramel corn. And we'll definitely hit Grotto's Pizza.

Love having a place to go back to where you have a ton of accumulated memories.

This is a weekend where we say thanks to our earthly fathers. Might be nice to wish the Heavenly Father a happy Father's Day too. Just a thought.

So grateful for the Heavenly Father for so many reasons. But one of them is that I often feel so inadequate as a dad. I feel like He compensates for my weaknesses and issues and mistakes. It's not just my wife and I trying to raise our kids. We have the Heavenly Father to help us!

Happy Father's Day!

What do I want for Father's Day? It's so simple and so important. I want my kids to grow up to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I know I cannot control it, but I can pray for it. I pray that they would personalize and internalize their faith. I pray that they would own their faith and that their faith would own them. I pray for an intense spiritual hunger. A hunger to know God. A hunger to serve God. I pray for a double portion just like Elisha. I don't care what they do or who they become as long as their love for God grows deeper and stronger. That love will define them. That love will give them a sense of destiny. That love will sustain them through the ups and downs of life.

That's what I want for Father's Day.

"This is my son in whom I am well pleased."

I think that one verse, Matthew 3:17, may hold the most important key to parenting. Dads have lots of roles and responsibilities, but I honestly think that passing on a blessing might rank at the top. And it's modeled by the Heavenly Father who said to Jesus: "This is my son in whom I am well pleased." I think this has to rank as one of the most memorable moments in the life of Christ. We assume that Jesus didn't need the same assurances we do, but I don't think that's true. He needed to know that His Father loved him, blessed him, and believed in him.

Our kids desperately need our affirmation. And by affirmation I don't just mean words of blessing. Sometimes the most affirming thing you can do is discipline your kids! It assures them that you care about them. If you didn't care you wouldn't even bother.

Blessing is more than an action. It's an art form. You do everything in the spirit of blessing your kids. So whether you're teaching or hanging or praying or playing--you are blessing them. You want your kids to grow up and feel blessed? They will feel blessed if you bless them!

Do it consistently. Do it creatively. Do it verbally. Do it non-verbally.

Just do it.

Is there anything more beautiful than a desert sunset?

After our video shoot on the first day we sat on the sand dunes and watched the ring of fire disappear over the horizon. Awesome. We also had some fun doing some jump shots. I still have a little vertical jump left in me.

Just got back from Las Vegas on a red-eye. It was a whirlwind trip for sure. We did ten hours of shooting in Death Valley over two days. The final product will be a film series called Surrendered & Untamed.

Made it to Vegas. Immediately drove out to Death Valley for a five-hour video shoot. Incredibly beautiful. Incredibly hot. Few things as beautiful as a desert sunset.

When everything was said and done we captured 138 gigabytes of video on an amazing camera called Red. We're back at it before sunrise tomorrow for another four hours of shooting. The final product will be a documentary film series called Surrendered & Untamed.

By the way, we're staying at a place called Buffalo Bills. The room was $18. That's nuts! And we ate at a place called The Mad Greek Cafe. Pretty good gyros!

I'm off to Las Vegas for two days of video shooting.

I'm working with Joel Clark from Switchvert on a documentary film series titled Surrendered and Untamed. We're shooting in the desert. Supposed to be 120 degrees. The great irony is that the series is about explorer, Alex Harris, who is the first South African to make an unsupported journey to the South Pole. The series will follow his 65-day, 692-mile trek. Really excited about this project.

A few years ago I joined the Junky Car Club. It was started by my friend, Mike Foster. And I love the motto: living on less so we can give more. I'm not only a proud member, I actually posed for the Junky Car Club Calendar a few years ago. I was Mr. August. I'm guessing it's the first and last modeling job I ever get.

So a few months ago our Honda Accord with 226,000 miles on it started leaking on the inside. The passenger side leaks cold liquid. I'm guessing it's related to the AC. But I'm driving it a few days ago and it leaks hot oil all over my foot that is on the gas pedal and I've got flip flops on. Ouch. It was a painful yet proud moment.

Here's to everyone whose identity is not based on the car they drive!

It's no secret. I'm a huge twitter fan. Absolutely love it because it gives me little glimpses into the lives of the people I follow. But like any other technology that hits the fan, I think there are growing pains. I think lots of people are on twitter simply because "everyone" is on twitter. So we start using it before even evaluating how or why we use it.

Here's one of the issues I keep bumping into: what is the optimal number of people to follow on Twitter? I follow 90 people--family, friends, staff, and a few folks I really respect as leaders. But to be honest, I could barely keep up with 50 people. At what point do you hit the point of diminishing return?

Following everybody seems like following nobody. But following next to nobody seems rude. What is the happy medium? How many people do you follow? Who are they? And why?

I decided to give up TV this summer. Figure I'd save a lot of wasted time. I can get updates on whether or not Brett Favre is returning next season on ESPN.com. For the record, I hope he does.

Here's what I'm reading this week. It's actually a couple books by a couple of my friends. Love both of these guys!

Think Orange by Reggie Joiner. Love Reggie. Love this book. I'm trying to read books that really get me focused on my family. But this one does more than that. It helps me see my family as a dad and a pastor.

Servolution by Dino Rizzo. This book is so practical. And it's what every church ought to be doing. Trust me, Healing Place Church walks the talk. We just had a missions team down there last week. Love Dino. Love Healing Place.

Spent eight hours at the pool today. Did a little triathlon training--swam a mile. Played some tennis with Lora and Parker. Topped off the day catching lightning bugs.

Now that is a day well spent.

Father's Day is right around the corner. Can I take a little blog poll? What do you love, respect, or admire most about your Father? What memory had the greatest impact?

For me, it was the fact that my dad was always there for me. Sports were a huge part of my life growing up and I don't think he missed a single game! But the most memorable was my freshman year at the University of Chicago. I didn't get much playing time early in the season and we had a cross-country game at Brandeis in Boston. I still can't believe this, but my parents drove at least twenty-hours round trip to watch me play about ten minutes! I'll never forget it. And if I remember right, they had to pull an all-nighter to drive home after the game.

One of the greatest gifts we can give us our kids is the gift of presence. It's also one of the greatest gifts our Heavenly Father has given to us!

Sanity = Humility. Pride = Insanity. Arrogance = Ignorance.

Let me explain those three equations.

I preached about King Nebuchadnezzar this weekend. And I'll resist the temptation to blog the entire sermon. But for a period of time, Nebuchadnezzar lives like a wild animal. And it's no coincidence. Nebuchadnezzar was notoriously cruel and treated people like animals. God gave him a dose of his own medicine. Sometimes that's what it takes. What we do to others has to happen to us in order for us to have a revelation.

William Blake, the English poet-painter, captured his animalistic state.



Prior to his humbling, his last recorded words are these: "Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor."

Do you talk like that? My, my, my. Me, me, me. To say that Nebuchadnezzar had a huge ego is a huge understatement. In fact, we know the exact dimensions of his ego. His ego is 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. That's how big the statue was that he built to himself. And, of course, he commanded everyone to bow down and worship him.

But after his humbling, he strikes a different chord. He's a different person. And it's nothing short of miraculous. Nebuchadnezzar is least likely to get saved. But after his humbling he can't sing God's praises loud enough. I actually used his first recorded statement after his humbling for our benediction this weekend. I don't think anyone would have ever guessed that a benediction would ever be conceived in His spirit, formed on his lips, and leave his mouth. But his first recorded words after his humbling are evidence that God had cut him down to size:

My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth.

Now to the three equations.

Here's the first equation: Sanity = Humility. Anything less than absolute humility before God Almighty is insanity. Which leads to the second equation: Pride = Insanity. Any measure of pride in our hearts will be instantaneously turned into a feeling of naked foolishness when we stand before the Almighty! Our arrogance will be revealed for what it really is: ignorance. The more arrogant you are the more ignorant you are. And that leads to the third equation: Arrogance = Ignorance.

I read an interesting book a few years ago titled Saints and Madmen. The author, Russell Shorto, makes a fascinating distinction between mystics and psychotics. He said, “A mystic is humbled by his experience, a psychotic is inflated.” The psychological term is grandiosity. The psychotic becomes prideful. The mystic is humbled.

Here's what it comes down to.

If you try to exalt yourself, God will find a way to humble you. If you try to humble yourself, God will find a way to exalt Himself in you. And He's awfully good at both.

This is so embarrassing I had to blog about it. I forgot to remove the size sticker from my shirt before preaching so I preached the entire night with an XL on my chest. Nice! The great irony is that I preached on Daniel 4:37: "He is able to humble those who are proud." Is the Lord trying to say something?

For the record, this isn't the first time it's happened. And it probably won't be the last. Hey, it could have been worse. I could have forgotten to close the barn door.

"I'm going out to glean among the sheaves." Ruth 2:2

This is one of the most significant decisions in the Old Testament.
Let me explain.

As I read the book of Ruth this morning I was so impacted by Ruth's willingness to glean. Gleaning was good old-fashioned manual labor: gathering leftover crops after a field had already been harvested. In a sense, it was the ancient welfare system. But it wasn't a free hand-out. It was back-breaking work. And it took a spirit of humility. There was nothing glamorous about gleaning. But Ruth was willing to do it.

Can I borrow that metaphor? Leaders are gleaners. They glean everything they can from everyone they can! It harkens back to something that has been attributed to everyone from Ben Franklin to Thomas Carlye to Ralph Waldo Emerson. I'm not sure who said it first, but it's such good advice: "Every man is my superior in some way, in that I learn of him."

Back to Ruth.

You know the rest of the story. Boaz sees that Ruth has been working since sun up. Some people are attracted to people because of their personality or their physique. For Boaz, it was Ruth's work ethic. Long story short, they fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. Oh yeah, and her Great Grandson, a shepherd named David, becomes King of Israel.

Here's how I see it: David owes His existence to a Great Grandmother that was willing to glean. Those who glean will one day rule kingdoms. Or their Great Grandchildren will.

Glean everything you can from everyone you can!

Last year we started a protege program. It's a one-year unpaid internship at National Community Church. And we've got a ton of applications for six spots this coming year. We'll be making that very difficult and very important decision next week.

Having said that, I want to put out one last call for worship proteges. With five bands in five locations each weekend, we always need more worship leaders. If you're looking for a place to grow in your gifts and grow in your calling, I'd like to invite you to be part of what God is doing at NCC.

For more info, email protege@theaterchurch.com.

It's the last day of school and I'm having flashbacks of William Wallace's famous Freedom speech in Braveheart. Is it just me or do you feel like yelling freedom at the top of your lungs when school gets out? What a feeling!

I have such vivid memories of the last day of school growing up. My most memorable, for some reason, was the "final bell" during seventh grade science class at Madison Junior High in Naperville, Illinois. I remember watching that clock and counting down to that beautiful sounding bell.

Looking forward to summer fun.

Every small group semester we publish a discipleship atlas. We'll hand it out this coming weekend @ NCC. Our goal is for every NCCer to prayerfully read through the Atlas and ask God to guide them to right group. Here's an online list of groups this summer.

I'm super excited about leading a group this summer for Dads. We'll meet on Wednesdays @ 7:30 PM at Ebenezers Coffeehouse. This group is open to anyone.