Power is my friend.

In 2004 our community was ravaged by three hurricanes, so we don't mess around when we know a hurricane is coming.

Hurricane Charlie left most of us without power in our homes and communities for at least a week, which seems like it would be only a minor inconvenience and an opportunity to experience what it would have been like to live in a little house on the prairie, when in fact it is a horrible experience, so I don't understand why Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary, and the other sister whose name I can't remember always seemed so happy.

No power means no lights, which means everyone goes to bed early.

No power means no air-conditioning, which means no one who goes to bed early sleeps.

No power means no TV, which means no Sportscenter. Enough said.

No power means that all of the food in the refrigerator spoils leaving dry granola bars, Vienna sausages, and warm Gatorade as a desirable meal.

No power means that no businesses are open and--since restaurants that offer more options than granola, canned meat, and sports' drinks are in the "businesses" category--that means that no restaurants are open.

No power means no street-lights, so every intersection becomes a four-way stop and a fight for survival.

No power means that fuel pumps can't pump fuel, so--even though the tanks are full--there is no way to get the fuel from their tanks to yours.

No power means no email or cell-phones, which means that people actually have to speak to other people . . . brace yourself . . . face-to-face! Oh the horror of it all!

As I write this, my community is once again preparing for a storm. Ernesto, like many of the problems we face in life, looked impressive and scary from a distance, but--now that he's close--he's not that big of a deal, but--even so--my community has prepared for the worst.

All of the local schools are closed for tomorrow for a Florida "Snow Day." A lot of businesses will be closed tomorrow and a lot of churches have cancelled services for tomorrow night. People lined up at gas stations today to fill up their vehicles and extra gas cans. We checked our supplies. My boys are sleeping in the floor next to our bed and the cat is strapped to the roof.

Just joking.

My boys are sleeping in their room. :)

It now looks like Ernesto is going to bring nothing, but a brisk wind and a lot of rain, which is--if I can speak for my friends and neighbors--completely fine with us. We will enjoy not having to remove downed trees, cover our roofs with blue tarps, drive an hour and then wait two more for a few gallons of gas, and lay in the dark sweating all night because the power is out.

Powerlessness is not fun. Powerlessness is not pleasurable. Powerlessness is over-rated.

The Ingalls may have done perfectly well without power, but that's just because they didn't know what they were missing.

And--if you don't have the power of Jesus Christ in your life--you may think that you're doing perfectly well, but that's just because you don't know what you're missing.

You're eating granola bars and Vienna sausage when you could be feasting on the "bread of life" (John 6:35).

You're drinking warm Gatorade, when you could be enjoying "living water" (John 4:10).

And you're stumbling around in the dark, when you could be strolling in the "light of the world" (John 8:12).

Leaving Southside Christian Church

Yesterday I resigned as the preacher at Southside Christian Church to accept a call to be on the preaching team at Christ's Church in Jacksonville, Florida (http://www.ccontheweb.com/).

Here's an excerpt of the letter I read at the end of our service yesterday:

This is a special place and I’ve always pictured myself being at Southside for my entire ministry, but my wife and I are now convinced that staying at Southside is not God’s plan for us right now.

After several months of prayer and discussion my wife and I have agreed to accept a call to join the preaching team at Christ’s Church in Jacksonville, Florida. We are excited about this step, because it is truly a step of faith for us. We are stepping out of our comfort zone, but we feel comfort in knowing that, with this step of faith, we will be walking with the Lord into a new phase of service.

I have been a part of Southside for twelve years. It was my first preaching ministry, the only church my kids have ever known, our home, and my passion.

I've loved every minute of my ministry at Southside and I will miss my staff, the leadership team, the people, and . . . I will even miss setting up & tearing down chairs each week.

My last Sunday at Southside is September 24th. Please pray for Southside and for my family during this difficult transition.

Over the next month I plan to blog about this experience.

No TV Week--Final Follow Up

Observation #12--My daughter said she's going to continue "No TV Week" on her own, to which I replied, "Sounds great, sweetie. Can you move now, 'cause I can't see the game?"

Seriously--My daughter has always been a casual reader, but, since "No TV Week" in the Chambers' household she's read three books. She can't stop reading and I can't stop being excited about that fact.

What You Believe Does Matter

I'd like to direct you to Paul Williams' "And So It Goes" article in the current issue of the Christian Standard: http://www.christianstandard.com/andsoitgoes.asp.

In this article Paul makes an important observation:

Today too many professional and lay leaders of the church are far better versed in the practical ministry concerns of the day than they are in the Scriptures. The times demand that we understand the size building that needs to be constructed, the best health-insurance plan for the ministry staff, the hottest sermon series to fill the pews, and the least time-intensive way to get new members "around the bases."

The only problem with the current complexity of ministry is it leaves many church leaders disinterested in theology. Take the issue of determining what beliefs and practices are essential for every Christian in every culture and every age. Often when I try to bring up such weighty subjects with my ministry friends, their eyes glaze over and I am accused of being "too intellectual." One friend considers my theological interests to be as irrelevant as the knowledge of Cliff, the postal-working keeper of irrelevant facts in the old comedy show Cheers.

Too intellectual? Cut me some slack.

Paul's closing point is well made and timely, "What you believe and practice about God, the Scriptures, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit, and a plethora of other subjects does matter."

No TV Week--Observations from Day 5

Observation #7--My daughter read another book . . . in 3 hours and discovered that she likes Nancy Drew books.

Observation #8--The kids haven't been bickering as much. It's kind of been like Little House on the Prairie around here. The kids have been playing together, riding bikes together, and calling us "Ma" and "Pa" for some unknown reason.

Observation #9--The kids stopped asking to watch TV after the second day once they realized that we were serious with the whole "No TV" thing.

Observation #10--This has been a great experience for our family.

Observation #11--Suggesting to my wife that a nice follow-up to "No TV Week" would be "Only NFL Week" was not a good idea.

No TV Week--Observations from Day 4

Observation 2--My daughter has read two books this week and her new favorite spot is her mom's reading chair in the living room.

Observation 3--My eldest son has used this week to perfect his bike riding. He's been working on the all-important skills of starting, turning, and stopping. We've spent a couple of evenings this week outside--as a family--while the kids rode their bikes.

Observation 4--My wife and I have been going to bed earlier.

Observation 5--I really miss watching Fox News, so I've been trying to fill the information gap by listening to Talk Radio and checking the Drudge Report more often. It feels like I'm having to work really hard to stay informed, but it also seems like I'm not missing all that much.

Observation 6--Yesterday, at lunch, we discussed extending No TV week . . . to very mixed reviews.

No TV Week

A couple of weeks ago my wife decided that this week would be a "No TV Week" in the Chambers' household. She asked me what I thought and I said, "Great idea."

Sunday after church, as I was preparing myself for an afternoon in my nap chair watching the NASCAR race, I remembered my wife's terrible idea.

"Oh great!" I grumbled beneath my breath, but just loud enough for my wife to hear.

She gave me "the look" and I acted like I was just joking, putting on my spiritual-I-hate-TV-because-I'm-a-Christian-but-I-watch-it-just-for-the-news-so-I-can-be-a-better-and-more-relevant-evangelistic-tool-for-God-smile, while all the while on the inside I was shouting in my wife's general direction, "What were you thinking!?!"

So, here we are on Day 3 of our "No TV Week" and it actually hasn't been that bad. I've already noticed some interesting things starting to happen and I thought I'd take a little time each day for the rest of this week to share with you some of the things I'm observing in my home without TV.

Observation #1: My kids seem to get along better when they have to get along better. My wife and I never let the kids watch that much TV anyway, but the little they did watch allowed them to disengage from each other for some time each day, but with no TV they seem to be--in a desperate attempt at surviving what they view as "boredom"--more engaged in each other's lives than they usually are. They've been playing games with each other, laughing at each other's jokes, and listening to each other a little more.

I miss my Dad

My Dad died 18 years ago today and I still miss him, so much.

I know he's with the Lord, but I still wish he could have met my kids.

If you've lost a loved one, then--like me--you've learned that grief is a profound experience that does not visit briefly or gently.

No--grief is a horrible experience that leaves a wound that leaves a pain that--although it dulls a little over time--never quite goes away, but serves to create a longing that will only be satisfied by an eternity with Jesus.

Su Doku

Have you played this game, yet?

My friend Brent shared it with my daughter, who shared it with my wife, who shared it with me and now I can't stop Su Dokuing.

It's an utterly addictive number-placing puzzle. It's like crosswords without words and it requires a lot of logic and patience.

Well, I'm addicted to this game, because I've found it to be a great stress reducer.

Sometimes life, ministry, finances, book-writing, and trying to keep my dog from peeing on the floor every time I attach his leash so I can take him outside can be a little overwhelming and it's nice to do something that allows my mind to disengage a little.

Can you relate?

This game is becoming really popular. If you don't believe me just go to any bookstore and you'll see an entire section now devoted to Su Doku.

This game reminds me of other games that have been popular (or continue to be popular) in the past like the Rubik's Cube, Crossword-puzzles, and that game/IQ test on the tables at Cracker Barrel that is a wooden triangle with holes and colored golf tees and you have to jump the other golf tees and try to leave as few as possible.

Why are games like this so popular?

Is it because God created us with an intrinsic desire to overcome challenges because He has great plans for our lives that will require us to use our minds to strategize our way through, our logic to figure a way when no way seems clear, our wills and a tenacious spirit that will refuse to quit until the challenge is overcome, so He created us with the tools that would allow us to do great things for him, but we too often avoid even small challenges because we choose to live safe, shallow, and simple lives--preferring simple Su Doku challenges to scary "walking-on-the-water" challenges--because Su Doku satisfies this desire we have to overcome a challenge, but it doesn't risk our comfort, safety, reputation, or finances, so we indulge in puzzles like Su Doku because they are satisfying, but not terrifying. . . or do we like games like Su Doku because they are fun?

I don't know, but I think it's a challenge worth figuring out.

A Mountain Top Experience

I'm sitting in a Panera Bread just south of Denver, Colorado working on the book I'm writing for Standard Publishing. It's due to them in 2 weeks. Yikes!

It's entitled, Remember Who You Are, and I can't wait for you to read it.

I'm also just coming off of a mountain-top experience--literally.

I had the privilege and pleasure of speaking twice at the Nationwide Youth Round-Up (http://www.nyr.org/) in Sedalia, Colorado yesterday. There are about 2,000 teens and adults camped out this week in a beautiful valley in the Rockies. This is the third time I've spoken at NYR and each time I leave feeling overwhelmed with love for the students, the leadership team at NYR, and for the handiwork of God.

As I drove to the campground yesterday I had a Truman Show moment.

I was on a remote two-lane road that was woven into the narrow openings between the mountains. I rounded one corner and found myself engulfed with a view of mountains and valleys that stretched for miles and--just as I was saying, "Thanks God. That was so nice of you"--the road straightened beneath me and there was a big deer eating grass just to the right of the road. It was as if God was backstage saying (ala Truman Show), "Cue the deer!"

My response was spontaneous worship.

Last night I spoke on an outdoor stage underneath a blanket of stars surrounded by pine trees, mountains, and wonder. The air was cool and smelled fresh. Surrounded only by the sound of a light breeze and silence, the students' singing sounded like they were sitting, not in a valley, but on a stage. The music resonated off the canyon walls and reentered our ears full of life, hope, and energy.

I spoke on the theme, "Making People Your Purpose."

I told a story about Superman and challenged the students to be someone's superhero.

The response was amazing. The students responded to God's word in droves with many deciding to be baptized into Christ and many others deciding to rededicate themselves to heroism.

And the day ended as it had begun . . . with worship.