Here I am with Rashida Gittens, who shared the platform with me yesterday at Good Shepherd.   We shared the time and space because the "Elephant Naming" service  in the Mad People Disease series was all about domestic violence. Something Rashida knows about personally.  From experience. In an interview format, she shared her story in a way that moved from gut-wrenching to hand-raising, from despair to hope, and, most importantly, from victim to victor. Along the way she shared some nuggets with the women and men of our church that I believe will have a profound impact on lives and homes for years to come. I thought being abused was normal because that's what I grew up in. For a short time, I thought it was my job to make him better. Everything changed when I heard God say, "I know all your mess . . . and I died for you anyway." I just claimed that the blood of Jesus was stronger than all the lies my abuser was telling me. I got my Associates, my Bachelor's, my Master's, and I'll shortly get my Ph.D. Elephant named.  Abuse acknowledged. Freedom delivered.  

You won't believe what our lobby looks like. You almost won't believe how gorgeous the Worship Center is. You will be delighted to believe in what we're going to do as a community for our neighbors in the Columbia, South Carolina area. You will moved to believe in the importance of the subject we're dealing with on Sunday with Elephant Naming.  I'm not going to give it away now, but I know it will be a morning all of us need to experience and few of us will ever forget. Sunday.  8:30.  10.  11:30. In case you haven't seen our Mad People Disease promo, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9qupwemqNA

Many churches make a critical mistake in ministry when they confuse activity for effectiveness. In this line of thinking, the busier a church is, the more it is doing for God. So the goal becomes to fill up the calendar and clutter up the bulletin with as many events, projects, and emphases as you can. Because surely all that stuff will lead to more impact. Actually, it just leads to exhaustion. As I speak with church leaders and read church material, it becomes more and more clear to me that there is an inverse relationship between activity and effectiveness. So in church land in the 21st Century, the more you do, the less effective you are. I know it’s true because I’ve lived this truth. So as we become more diligent at Good Shepherd, we make every effort to become less busy yet have greater impact. It’s why we pour so much energy into Worship Gatherings, LifeGroups, Serve Teams, and Radical Impact Projects. Those ministries are how we approach inviting all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.  Not forty ways.  Four. If we get it right, it’s less activity and more effectiveness.

I grew up eating cereal every day of my life.  You know the morning comfort -- easy prep, just you and your bowl, and then if no one is looking that secret delight of slurping the last bit of milk without the interference of the spoon. That was me. But no more. For the last eight years or so, I've had some sensitivities that make cereal -- along with bread, pasta, and even Ranch dressing -- not a wise food choice.  So what have I been missing?  What do I still get a hankering for, no matter how long I go without?  Here goes:   5.  Life.  The original.  One bowl of it, and I'm back to 3605 Rosedale Avenue in Dallas, eating away at our kitchen table. 4.  Grape Nuts.  Pretty good on its own.  Better when it adds some texture in complementing other cereals.   3.  Raisin Nut Bran.  Add blueberries and it's to die for.   2.  Lucky Charms.  Magically delicious?  You bet it is.   1.  Frosted Mini-Wheats.  I ate these for my first 23 years of married life.  Back in the day, they were even a midnight snack (eat a few of them dry).  Today? Nothing but a gluten-loaded memory.  

Moms and dads, remember these days?   Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Same thing every single time. You'll be amazed at how all that relates to Mad People Disease. Sunday. 8:30.  10.  11:30.