The First Fifteen

Today I begin a new epoch in the daily writing routine. The Leadership Journal is off for editing and print and I have had an itch that needs scratching. For some reason, this year feels different to me and I noticed that it is my fifteenth year at Christ Mission at Northwest Church (check out the beginnings of a new web community – www.christisgood.org). There are so many stories that I want to tell. Some I probably shouldn’t share because some embarrassed soul will get upset. But why let that stop me - they were already mad at me when they left. I can’t wait to tell the great stories. Oh, those humble heroes that I have had the privilege to serve with will certainly blush but God will get the glory.

I wish someone had sat down and shared with me all of the good and bad that they faced! I wish when I was younger that I would have listened more to those wise, seasoned, successful men and women who did share. Perhaps this will help a few people – perhaps not. Either way, I am inspired, encouraged, and intent on reviewing everything that I have learned in the First Fifteen Years.

I am most certain that I will learn many new lessons as I recall and write these true stories from my First Fifteen Years here. They have been wonderful and at times terribly concerning years. Heroes have fallen and nobodys have risen to the heights of leadership to successfully lead the ranks to God. Facades have collapsed and character has been built as a band of brothers and sisters walked together.

So as I approach the mark in March 2006, I hope you will enjoy walking with me down the halls of the Church. I can’t wait – we start tomorrow. Tell a friend, invite a co-worker to join us. They will see with proper transparency that people can grow, find peace and live for God. They will see that real people, facing real battles can find success. They may see their life, they will most certainly laugh, they may cry but they will most certainly also find hope.

It has been a great Fifteen Years. Here’s a toast to all of you who I have had the privilege of walking with - “Hear! Hear!”