My One Word for 2025

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Longtime (or should it be long-suffering?) readers will be familiar with this exercise: for a over a decade now I have had fun with the idea of adopting one word as a theme for the upcoming year.

For 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, I stuck with the same word: early. My emphasis was not on punctuality but was rather about mornings and deadlines.

In 2018 I slightly pivoted and went explicitly with morning. I kept the same word in 2019; that 2019 post is probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written, because in it I was able to talk about how I see the world and why.

In 2020 (poignant now to think about writing that post just a few months before the pandemic) I departed from one word and went with a theme for the decade: “Here’s To the Roaring Twenties.”

In 2021, I went back to one word and picked the word “work.”

That 2021 post was the last one I did in this series—I didn’t pick a word for 2022, 2023, or 2024. In fact, I haven’t written very much in this space these last several years, as I’ve just been too busy with other things. That is going to change in 2025.

 
 

One Word and My Job

Each job is difficult in its own way—all professions have their own challenges. I’m a pastor, and the hardest thing about being in pastoral ministry—by far!—is preaching every week. Just imagine having to stand up in front of a group of people every single week and being tasked with saying something

  • true;

  • helpful;

    and crucially…

  • interesting.

And then having to do the same thing again in just seven days! In only a few months you’ll have burned through every insight, anecdote, and illustration you have, but the calendar never stops—there is always another Sunday. New content doesn’t just appear because you pray for it—it takes work. Then, on top of that, you are preaching God’s Good News, and so your countenance and heart need to reflect that—you’ve got to preach with JOY, which means you have to work hard to guard your heart and your energy so that you can actually be joyful every Sunday. None of that is easy.

But I’ve stupidly made things more difficult for me at Asbury with these scripture reading guides we publish. We say that Asbury is a Bible-reading church, and since I arrived two and a half years ago, I’ve written these guides to help folks get the most out of their daily readings. The problem is that I don’t know anything! I’ve got to read and study a great deal before I’m able to write anything. So, in addition to each Sunday’s sermon, I have these constant deadlines every couple of months or so to turn in a scripture reading guide to our printer so we can print our guides in advance. It’s like I have two different deadlines always over my head—my weekly sermon, and then these monthly reading guides. That has been stressful! I always feel like I’m behind.

Of course, I have regular tasks to tend to as well—emails and meetings and agendas and strategies, etc. (All email written to me—except from staff members—goes to my assistant. I can’t imagine having to also answer all the email she receives on my behalf!) My temptation is to get to these things first and put off the reading and writing I need to do. I like my work and these days none of it is a waste of time or unimportant—the problem for me is that the most important thing I should be doing every day—reading and learning—is easy to push off and allow other things to crowd it out.

So, my one word for 2025 is about getting to the important task of reading right away, every day. Email, text messages, agendas—that all needs to wait.

 
 

My One Word and Marie Kondo

I’m the kind of person who likes clean edges and clear spaces before I can do any kind of deep work. Clutter and mess stress me out. The problem is that I have developed some bad habits that contribute to my own mess! Namely, I will often just put something down rather than putting it away. (Anyone else have that stupid habit?) What this means is that I make double the work for myself in cleaning up clutter, which means I have less time for the really important work that I need to be doing.

One of the things I’m going to do better in 2025 is putting things away rather than just putting them down, and my 2025 One Word will help keep me focused on that goal.

 
 

My One Word and The Snoze Button

I’ve written previously just how important early mornings are for me. I begin the day with prayer and then—in theory at least—I hit my morning workout. In 2024 I’ve been extremely inconsistent with my morning workouts, basically for one reason—I hit snooze when my alarm goes off! (My wife is not a fan of this behavior of mine, by the way.) So, what has been happening is that I still get up early, but because I haven’t gotten up quite early enough, I don’t have time to both pray and hit my workout. So, I skip the workout.

My One Word for 2025 is about getting up right away and getting right to those crucial behaviors—morning prayer and morning exercise. Goodbye to the snooze button for 2025. It’s been fun while it lasted, and I’m gonna kinda miss ya.

 
 

My One Word and The American Buffalo

One of my favorite animals is the buffalo, and one of my favorite characteristics of the buffalo is that, when a buffalo herd sees a snowstorm on the horizon, it charges into the storm. Why? Because then the storm will pass over more quickly.

I love that, and I want to be that kind of man—if there is a problem to be dealt with, might as well deal with it right away. For me, this is a “growth opportunity” as they say in Corporate America—or, to be more candid, I’m not naturally very buffalo-like, but I want to be!

My One Word for 2025 is about facing problems head on—going right toward the hard thing.

 
 

My One Word and My New Book!

I mentioned above that I’ve had two deadlines hanging over my head constantly since I’ve been at Asbury, but that’s actually not the full story—it would be more accurate to say that I’ve had a third deadline hanging over my entire life these past several years.

In 2020 I signed a contract with the book publisher Zondervan to write a book with the working title Love Goes First, and, incredibly, that book will be published this year—the tentative release date is September 16, 2025. For years I’ve had that major project hanging over my head, and it’s hard to believe that I’m very close to actually having a book published.

The idea behind the book is a simple answer to an important question. There is lots of talk these days about polarization, but very little talk about what we actually DO to reach the people that don't like us, the people that might even hate us. My new book is about what to DO. If we want to change the world, we have to go first, because love goes first.

I filmed a 90 second video trailer for the new book:

 
 

I open the book with this quotation, one that I think about all the time:

“Every one of us came into the world looking for one thing: the moment we were born we were looking for a face.  We were born and in the shock and surprise of birth we opened our eyes and we looked for a face, because until we see a face—until another sees us—we do not know who we are, and we looked for someone who would look at us….Every human being…is looking for someone who is looking for us.”  —Andy Crouch

 

If this is true about people—and I believe it is—then what if we moved toward other people so that they felt like we were actually seeing them?

That’s the idea of the book.

Love always GOES.

And that’s the only way to actually change people—to go first.

My One Word for 2025 is also the theme of my new book. I really believe in its message and I believe that going first is the only way forward for the church in a post-Christian culture—we’ve got to move toward the very people that hate us.

 
 

My One Word and The Year Ahead

I’ve got a lot to do this year, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never written a book but after going to all this trouble, I really want people to read it because I believe in the message. So, although the good folks at Zondervan have their own marketing plan, as the author I am also responsible for doing everything I can do get the word out about my new book. One of the things I’m going to be doing is blogging more in this space, both about the book and the need for its message and about other things that catch my attention. Who knows, maybe a podcast might be in my future, too. There’s a first time for everything.

My One Word for 2025 describes what I anticipate to be a year of new things for me.

 
 

My One Word for 2025 is…

Over the last few days I’ve done a year-end review and had a fair amount of time for reflection, looking back and thanking God for all his blessings on the year past and then looking ahead and asking the Lord to guide me and bless my work in the year ahead. I cast around for the right word to give me focus for this new year, but nothing seemed to stick.

And then this morning, it just hit me, and I knew what my One Word for 2025 had to be.

My One Word for 2025 is

first.

 

My Election Prediction

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Dear reader: I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. Below is a copy of an email I’m sending to my church this evening, and I thought I would share it more broadly here as well. Hope it’s helpful to you.
P.S. The photo above I took outside my polling place this afternoon.

 
 

Dear Asbury,

I know what’s going to happen in today’s election.

No, I don’t know who is going to win any particular race.  More than that, I have no idea how things will shake out over the next days, weeks, and months.  The future is inherently unknown and unknowable, and life is endlessly surprising.  So, anything is possible.

But nevertheless, I know what’s going to happen:

God is going to work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.  [Romans 8:28]

 
 

I’ve noticed some anxiety in our congregation over the outcomes of this election.  I’m not going to play Pollyanna and tell you that everything you think should happen will happen—that it’s all going to be fine—since of course I have no idea.

Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that it’s impossible to discern exactly what God is up to from looking at the headlines.

After all, Jesus was crucified.  On Friday, it looked like defeat.

But on Sunday it turned into victory!

So, don’t allow yourself to be drawn into the rip currents of either anxiety or certainty—you don’t know enough to be either anxious or smugly certain.

If what you want to happen happens, a victory now may turn out to defeat later.

If what you don’t want to happen happens, a defeat now may lead to a victory later.

Or, maybe not.  Who knows?

 
 

I waited at my polling place for 50 minutes.  Everyone was courteous and friendly, and the whole process was smooth.  (This has always been my experience in voting.)

In line I finished reading a memoir by my favorite biblical scholar, Richard Bauckham.  It’s called The Blurred Cross: A Writer's Difficult Journey With God, and in it Dr. Bauckham writes of his experience losing and then partially regaining his sight during the pandemic.

As I stood in line, I was struck by this passage near the end of the book:

But can we be thankful for everything? For God’s part in it all, we can, for God has intended nothing but our good. The advantage of the vantage point that old age gives us is that we can see that we were often wrong about what we thought was good for us. We can see how what turned out was really better for us than what we wanted. We can also see how God brought good out of things that went wrong, whether through our own foolishness or fault or otherwise. Undoubtedly things did go wrong, often seriously wrong, but by God’s grace the outcomes were better than they might have been. If that is not always the case, it is probably true more often than we recognize. God redeems our sins by making less of them than they had the potential to be, just as he enhances the good things we do by making more of them than we could do ourselves. All this is involved in tracing the hand of God in our lives and adding the seal of thankfulness and thanksgiving to all these experiences. [Emphasis added.]

There is a lot of wisdom in those words, isn’t there?  "The advantage of the vantage point that old age gives us is that we can see that we were often wrong about what we thought was good for us. We can see how what turned out was really better for us than what we wanted. We can also see how God brought good out of things that went wrong, whether through our own foolishness or fault or otherwise.”

Yes.  Exactly.

 
 

In the magnificent eighth chapter of his Letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul isn’t offering easy, empty platitudes to the Roman Christians along the lines of “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

No.  In fact, much of the chapter is about how suffering and difficulty is an inevitable part of a Christian’s life, and more than that, a crucial part of God’s plan to shape every Christian to become more like Christ.

But Paul’s acknowledgement that things don’t always occur in the way we would prefer is what makes his famous statement in verse 28 all the more powerful (and relevant):

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Yes.  EXACTLY.

This means that whatever the outcome of this election, God is at work weaving all things together for our good and his glory.

Of course we need to work and vote and pray for what we discern is right—we have a responsibility to do so, and we will be held accountable for how we discharge our responsibilities.

But, when evening comes and our work is done (this day and every day), we also rest and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Lord, who is working all things together for good.

Amen.

See you Sunday.  Christ is Risen!

Andrew

 

I'm Starting a Wednesday Morning Communion Service

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Starting Wednesday morning, September 13, I’ll lead a weekly Holy Communion service in the Mason Chapel at Asbury Church, 7:15-7:45 AM. (I promise—cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die promise, Scout’s honor promise—that I will have you on your way out the door no later than 7:45 AM each week.)

I personally really looking forward to this. In a big church it can be hard to make connections with folks. Sunday mornings are tightly-scheduled for me, and I’m not always able to visit with folks the way I’d like; one of the things I like about our 6 PM Thursday service each week is that I feel as if I’m slowly getting to know the regulars. I love that.

So, this brief Wednesday service will be a nice opportunity for me to get to know more folks on a weekly basis. In fact, you’re stuck with me: I’ll be the pastor leading each week, except on the rare occasions when I’m out of town.

 

The Format

  • We’ll begin at 7:15 AM sharp.

  • I’ll lead us in a hymn.

  • I’ll probably end up giving a brief Bible study and talking about the Bible—I just know I won’t be able to help myself!

  • We’ll pray the communion liturgy and share the elements.

  • I’ll dismiss us in prayer.

  • And then we’ll have grab-and-go Chick-fil-A biscuits available on the way out.

  • You’ll be in your cars by 7:45 AM.

 

Who Can Attend?

This service is for anyone who wants to be there. Come every week, come once a year—doesn’t matter. I’d love to see kids and families there, if at all possible. (I know mornings can be difficult for families, so no pressure.) Stop by on the way to work, or if you’re retired, use this as a good excuse to get up and get your Wednesday going. And, of course, you don’t have to be an Asburian to attend—bring friends.

 

The Reason This Matters

Life is hard at times, and it’s hard to remain faithful. So, we all need to structure our lives around the Truth:

  • Jesus is Risen!

  • Bad news is temporary!

  • We have so many reasons for gratitude!

  • Etc.

The Lord strengthens his people through Holy Communion. Just like going to the gym regularly, if you show up consistently on Wednesday mornings, God will strengthen your spirit and help you persevere with joy.

Let’s GO.

 

P.S. Live out of town? First of all, go ahead and move to Tulsa. We’d love to have you. If that can’t happen, find yourself some kind of midweek service or encouragement in your city so that you don’t feel as if you have to walk alone.

P.P.S. See you on 9/13.

 
 

Matthew's Gospel and Some Fall Dates

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Gospel of Matthew Reading Plan begins 8/21

Our next Bible reading plan at Asbury will be through the Gospel of Matthew; we begin Monday, August 21 and will conclude the Friday before Christmas.

Like the rest of the Bible, Matthew’s Gospel can only be understood through repeated, attentive reading. Accordingly, I’ve parceled out the readings at a slow pace; each particular day’s passage is short (less than 5 minutes!) and very manageable and it is my hope therefore that you’ll have time to go back and re-read a previous day or days and see how it all connects. (The readings are assigned on weekdays only—all the more reason to take your time and read and re-read on the weekends.)

 

The Shape of Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew can best be understood as being made up of three main sections:

Part 1 – Preparation for Jesus the Messiah [1:1-4:16];
Part 2 – Proclamation of Jesus the Messiah to Israel [4:17-16:20];
Part 3 – Passion and Resurrection of Jesus the Messiah [16:21-28:20].

Our reading plan will be divided up into three books; in Part 1 we will read about both the origins of Jesus—his genealogy and his infancy—and the events that lead up to the launch of his public ministry—the ministry of John the Baptism and the baptism and temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Part 1 begins on Monday, August 21. Part 2 begins on Monday, September 11; Part 3 on Monday, October 30.

[I’m indebted to David Bauer for this insight about the shape of Matthew, and recommend his book, The Gospel of the Son of God: An Introduction to Matthew.]

 

How to Get a Matthew Book (Pictured Above)

Asburians can pick up Matthew books all week, and we will be have them for pickup next Sunday, too.

Live out of town but want a book?

Email Sandie Tomlinson ASAP and she’ll mail you however many copies you want. If you live in Dallas, please let Sandie know—we’ll arrange a central pick-up spot in the M Streets (East Dallas) for East Dallas folks.

(Want a soft-copy? Here’s the pdf of Matthew Part 1.)

 
 

My Fall Schedule

Though I’m preaching all services this coming weekend, on Friday and Saturday my wife and I will be attending The Middle School Fall Retreat at New Life Ranch—looking forward to getting to know our kids better. It’s a great event—last year I was really impressed with our Student Ministry staff and leadership. Will be a fun weekend, but I’ll be back at church Sunday morning, because:

 

I start a new series on the Gospel of Matthew next Sunday, August 20—The Temptation of Jesus. (Our next series will begin in September on The Sermon on the Mount.) This is gonna be fun….

 

Our first (of 4) Churchwide Bible Studies on Matthew will be Wednesday, 8/30, 6:30-8:00 PM. If you live in Tulsa, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that these Bible studies are DO NOT MISS events. The Lord is doing something exciting at Asbury, and the Bible studies we’ve had over the past year on Genesis and Revelation were electric. Please do whatever you can to be present.

If you live out of town, go ahead and move to Tulsa. If that won’t work, then join us on the livestream!

The other remaining Bible studies will be:

  • September 13

  • October 11

  • November 8

 
 

I’m teaching The Daniel Project on Friday-Saturday, September 8-9. It’s a weekend seminar in which we address the FAQs of the faith. Because the Daniel Project is really tiring, I’ve learned that I need a guest preacher on those weekends. So…

 

Sunday, September 10 is World Missions Sunday at Asbury. I’ll be at all 3 services that day, but our guest preacher will be from Voice of the Martyrs. VOM is dedicated to speaking up for the persecuted church around the world, and the things that we’ll hear that day will make your hair stand up and your heart beat fast. That day, we’ll be encouraging folks to sign up for an international mission trip, so go ahead and get your passport application in now.

 
 
 

The last Sunday in October (10/29) is Vision Sunday at Asbury. We’re trying something new, which I’m really looking forward to. Here’s what you need to know.

  • One service 10 AM only on 10/29;

  • The service will be held in the UMAC across the street from Asbury! (The UMAC is the “Union Multipurpose Activity Center,” a 5,600 seat arena that we will be taking over for that weekend.)

  • The purpose of this event is to get our whole church together under one roof and to talk about where we are headed, as well as to HAVE FUN;

  • Afterwards, we’ll do a big party/Fall Festival and trunk-or-treat event on the grounds.

Lots more info to follow—this is just a save-the-date, so mark your calendars now! (I know folks will have lots of questions—trust me when I say that we’ll make sure everyone knows where to go, and that our older members will have an easy time getting in and out that day. Stay tuned.)

 
 
 

Every breath is proof: the Lord’s not done with us yet.

God has more for each of us.

Let’s GO.

 

The Fastest Year

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Yesterday was my one-year anniversary as the Senior Pastor at Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma; I started my new job at August 1, 2022.

It’s been the fastest year of my life.

 
 

My favorite thing about being a pastor—by far—is knowing people over time. I knew when I left Munger I might never be able to have that same experience again—the great privilege of knowing people over time in such a personal way. At Asbury, I was immediately thrust into a situation in which I had to lead people without being able to know them personally. One of the major lessons I’m learning is how to lead a large group of people, many of whom I have no personal connection with. Asbury is a big church—at least compared to most American churches—and we have a large staff. At Munger, our staff was very small and leadership was always personal for me, both with regard to our staff and even in the congregation, since the congregation grew up over time; though I of course didn’t know everyone, I nevertheless had a personal connection with a sizable percentage of folks on any given Sunday. Here at Asbury, even the staff is too big for me to lead through personal connection. Rather, I’m learning that leadership is about providing clarity, and then asking and inspiring other people to get things done. For someone like me who thrives on personal connection, that could be very difficult, so I’m grateful that folks here have been so eager to follow my lead and run in the direction I’m running.

Right off, I was asked to help us over the finish line of disaffiliation, and it happened! That churchwide vote last August made me nervous—what if folks didn’t trust my leadership? When the total came back that afternoon as overwhelmingly in support of disaffiliation and the direction we were going, I was personally grateful—that result caused me to think, “Maybe this will work!”

The attitude of the Asbury congregation toward what I’m asking us to do and to where I’m asking us to go has been one of eager enthusiasm, particularly in our older members. I’ll never forget asking folks to wear running shoes to church as a sign that we were ready to run, and they did! Or the entire Administration Council showing up to an evening meeting in running shoes to show they were ready to run. Or the Ad Council surprising me in my office on Easter Sunday to pray over me. Or the congregation wearing Hawaiian shirts on Pentecost Sunday, just because I asked them to.

I’m proud of the sermons I’ve preached this past year, starting with that first Sunday. (I do remember one sermon from February in which I was walking around the stage hoping to stumble across the point of my sermon; I’m sorry to say I don’t think I ever found it! My apologies to everyone who had to listen to that one.) I never pulled any punches; in fact, I came to Asbury committed to doing my best to say what’s true, even when I’m afraid. And sometimes, being afraid caused me to double-down and be more bold!

One of the other lessons I’ve been learning is the importance of controlling and capturing one’s thought life. My wife has been on me for not being grateful enough, and she’s right—grateful thoughts don’t come naturally to me. (In fact, I preached a whole sermon in December on the connection between gratitude and happiness—I was definitely preaching to myself that week for sure.) So, looking back over the past year, I want say again just how grateful I am. Grateful to all the kindnesses the Asbury congregation has shown me and my family, and grateful to the Lord who blesses even when we don’t deserve it.

So, here I am beginning Year Two. I came back from summer vacation really excited to be coming back and really fired up at the work ahead—I looked forward all week to seeing folks this past Sunday, which is a great feeling. I’m grateful that the Lord’s not done with me yet, and he’s not done with Asbury yet. And I’m reminded again of that scene from The Hustler (from the blog post I wrote about it one year ago):

Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) and Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) have been playing pool for 25 hours straight, and Fast Eddie has been winning—he’s been wiping the floor with the Fat Man, and is over $11,000 up. There’s a break in the action, and Minnesota Fats goes to the washroom and freshens up. He combs his hair, cleans his fingernails, straightens his tie.

Then he comes out, dries off his hands, slides into his suitjacket—it’s a beautiful three piece suit he’s wearing—fixes his boutonniere on his lapel, and has the steward pour a little bit of talcum powder on his hands.

He looks absolutely magnificent, the picture of masculine elegance, calm, cool, controlled.

And then he looks at Eddie and he says,

“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

 
 

The past is the past—all that matters is now. It’s time to focus, and time to win.

Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.

Let’s GO.

 
 

Welcome Dr. Kevin Watson to Tulsa!

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The Rev. Dr. Kevin Watson will be moving to Tulsa to become the Director of Academic Growth and Formation at the Tulsa Extension Site for Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as joining our staff at Asbury Church as Scholar-in-Residence. I am PUMPED about this!

 

Partnership Between Asbury Church and Asbury Theological Seminary

One of the things that attracted me to Tulsa was the partnership between Asbury Church (AC) and Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS), and all the potential that implied. ATS has an extension campus site on our property, right across the parking lot in a building we own called The Development Center. (Both AC and ATS are named after the great Methodist missionary Francis Asbury, but they are completely separate entities with different histories—“no relation,” in other words.)

 

Why Pastoral Formation Matters

The Rev. Tom Harrison—my predecessor as senior pastor at Asbury—is a longtime, vocal supporter of ATS. Quoting Maxie Dunham, Tom likes to say:

“As the seminary goes, so goes the pastor;
As the pastor goes, so goes the church;
As the church goes, so goes the world!”
— Maxie Dunham (President Emeritus, Asbury Theological Seminary)

Tom—and Maxie—are exactly right. One of the projects I’m most interested in is learning to evangelize effectively in Negative World, and that project will never amount to anything unless we prepare future pastors to lead and thrive in the Negative World in which we find ourselves. To have an excellent seminary presence right across one’s parking lot? HECK YES. I’m hoping that it will be like the Christian version of living next-door to Xerox Parc in its Silicon Valley heyday—the learning and cross-influence could be huge for the Church’s mission in post-Christian America.

 

The Asbury Church Development Center

One of the last initiatives Tom led at Asbury Church was a multi-million dollar campaign to create and fund The Development Center. The Development Center is an incubator and host of local Christian non-profits—the organizations pay us nominal rent and our hope is that the informal mixing and connections between the organizations create new opportunities for God to work. One of the non-profits housed in The Development Center is the Tulsa extension campus of ATS. Which brings us to Dr. Kevin Watson.

 

Kevin’s New roles in Tulsa

Kevin’s new role is to lead and and grow the ATS presence in Tulsa. At Asbury Church, we’ve brought Kevin onto our staff as Scholar-in-Residence because we want to strengthen the partnership between the seminary and the church. Our hope is that having someone of Kevin’s expertise and stature at ATS will attract young, talented students to Tulsa; because a rising tide lifts all boats, if the seminary wins, we win!

 

The Asbury Church Scholar-in-Residence

As the Scholar-in-Residence at Asbury, Kevin will serve as a mentor and leader for students, staff members, and young adults in our congregation who are interested in the pastoral ministry, and he will help connect ATS-Tulsa students into the worshiping life of our church. Kevin will also preach for me and teach on Sunday mornings and in other settings from time to time.

 

How Kevin Will Help Me out this summer

Starting TOMORROW (with Psalm 73) (UPDATE—I meant to say starting with Psalm 74!), Kevin will be filling in for me and writing daily commentary for most of our our remaining psalms. I’ll still write some from time to time, but I’ve been writing daily commentary since last August, and with my deadlines approaching on the fall batch of daily commentaries to support our churchwide reading plan (on the Gospel of Matthew—starts 8/20!) as well as a book manuscript deadline at the end of the summer, I can really use the help!

In addition, I’ll be introducing Kevin to the Asbury congregation on July 23 and July 30 when he’ll be preaching at all of our services.

 

The Personal Connection

Kevin is married to Melissa, and they have 3 children. My wife Elaine and I have known Kevin and Melissa for 16 years, and they were part of the launch team that started Munger Place Church in Dallas in 2010. Crazy how God works. In additional to that, Kevin’s dad Matt and his late mom Tellia have been members at Asbury for the last several years.

Kevin coming to Tulsa means that the Lord is up to something, and I can’t wait to see what it is.

Let’s GO.

 

P.S.

Kevin blogs at www.kevinmwatson.com.

 

My 9 Word Strategic Plan

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I believe that the most important thing a leader provides is clarity; if the vision is clear, it almost doesn’t matter what the vision is (as long as it’s not wicked). So, I’ve often joked that if the vision is

  • “We’re gonna be the cheeseburger church—everyone who comes on Sundays will be served a cheeseburger;”

  • And if that vision is clear,

  • Then the church will grow.

Clarity is actually really difficult to achieve, but once the vision is clear, everyone wins.

(I was joking about the “cheeseburger church” thing, but I think I could actually get behind that idea. Who’s with me? Maybe it just means I’m hungry.)

 
 

Keystone Habits

I’m a big believer in what Charles Duhigg calls “keystone habits.”

A keystone habit is a behavior that, though it might seem small, will have a cascading effect into other areas of a person’s life. So, for example, take exercise:

“When people start habitually exercising, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It’s not completely clear why.…‘Exercise spills over,’ said James Prochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher. ‘There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier.’”
— "The Power of Habit," by Charles Duhigg

Committing to the right keystone habits is HUGE, since those repeated behaviors will drive everything else.

 
 

I’m much more interested personally and professionally on focusing on inputs than I am on outcomes.

What are the inputs that will set me up for success?

What are the habits that will prepare Asbury for what’s next?

 
 

My 9 Word Strategic Plan

So, here’s my 9 word strategic plan for Asbury:

One psalm a day, every day, for 150 days.

It’s not exciting. It’s not glamorous. It’s not impressive.

But if Asburians develop the habit of beginning their days in silence and in scripture, if we commit to daily consistency and not worry overmuch about intensity, if we learn the practice of praying through our emotions to the Lord, in 150 days we’ll be in fighting shape.

 
“One psalm a day, every day, for 150 days.”
— What I'll say if you ask me what my vision for Asbury is.
 
 

One Psalm a Day--Join Me!

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For the last 3 years, I’ve read one psalm a day, every day. There are 150 psalms, so when I finish Psalm 150, I start again the next day with Psalm 1.

I’ll be starting again with Psalm 1 on Easter Monday, April 10.

NOTE: I’ve not posted here on the general section of my blog since Thanksgiving—forgive the lack of content. I actually post almost every day on the Bible section of this site, but though this post is about the Bible, I’m posting it here because I wanted to draw my general readers’ attention to it. If you’re new here, know that I have 2 newsletters to which folks can subscribe: the general Andrew Forrest newsletter, which gets sent out infrequently—whenever I post something here—and my Daily Bible newsletter, which is sent out at 4:00 AM Central and offers brief commentary on that day’s scripture reading portion in whatever plan I’m currently following.

 
 

Asbury is a Bible-Reading Church

There is a simplicity to reading one psalm every day—even if you have an early-morning flight, e.g., you can still read your psalm on your phone on the way to the airport.

I like to say that “Asbury is a Bible-reading church,” and I’ve spent my first 8 months here preaching and teaching through Genesis and Revelation, respectively. We’ll continue reading through whole books this fall, when we work through the Gospel of Matthew.

But in addition to other reading plans, I’d like the practice of reading one psalm a day, every day to become part of the Asbury culture. No matter where you are or what’s going on, you can turn to that day’s psalm—there is a simplicity and security in that. It’s also almost always a really quick read, which helps folks who feel as if they are too busy to read the Bible regularly.

 
 

Psalms Scripture journals

We’ve ordered 10,000 of these beautiful ESV Psalms Scripture Journals from Crossway, and will be handing them out on Easter Sunday, April 9.

 
 

For Psalms, My Commentary Will Be Online Only

I like to preach and teach through entire books of the Bible—otherwise, it’s easy to just fall into topical, self-help preaching. There is nothing wrong with topical, self-help preaching, unless that’s all you do, in which case I think it’s too limiting.

But with the Psalms, I will NOT be preaching through the entire book, psalm by psalm. Instead, for the next several months we’ll be changing things up and I’ll be preaching shorter, topical series, as well as having some of our associate pastors preach series of their own when I’m gone in the summer.

And because we wanted to hand out the ESV Scripture Journals (which came straight from the publisher), we are not printing any of my daily commentary to hand out—rather, my daily commentary through Psalms will be online on the Bible section of my blog—each day’s post will go live at 3:30 AM central, and for folks subscribed to my Bible newsletter, emailed out at 4:00 AM central.

So, again, if you want to receive my daily commentary through the Psalms, be sure to either check out my blog each day, or sign up and receive each post over email.

(Also, so I can get ready for the Gospel of Matthew, as well as make some progress on a few other projects, I will NOT be teaching any churchwide Bible studies on Psalms this spring. I wish I could, but I just can’t do everything! Stay tuned for Matthew this fall.)

 
 

The Plan Going forward

After we get to the end of Psalms, we’ll start over again. And again. And again. New members at Asbury will get a Psalms Journal and be encouraged to jump in on whatever that day’s psalm is.

After this initial reading, however, we’ll focus on other reading plans and commentary—specifically the Gospel of Matthew for this fall, and then other books after that.

 
 

Emotions Series Starts April 16!

As I mentioned above, I’m NOT going to be preaching through the Psalms this spring psalm-by-psalm; rather I’m going to be using the Psalms a jumping-off point to launch some different, topical series.

Our first series after Easter will be called Emotions. Here’s a trailer:

 
 

From our Easter bulletin:

Emotions are good things.  Like fire, in their proper place, they make our lives better.  Watch out, however: if you allow yourself to be controlled by your emotions, they will burn your life to the ground!

What’s sad is that many people in our world today never really grow up—they may look like adults, but they live like little children, constantly being controlled by their emotions.

It’s time for us to grow up, and our new series Emotions will give us practical and simple strategies to learn how to use our emotions the way God designed them to be used. New series starts after Easter!

Going to be a lot of fun.

 
 
 
 

A Prayer for the Thanksgiving Table

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A Prayer for the Thanksgiving Table

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us and how you have provided for us in this year that is past. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the wonder of your creatures, large and small; and for all the loveliness that surrounds us. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he conquered death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.

And all the people said:

Amen.

 

How to Improve Your Grip Strength

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This morning at our Asbury Men’s Breakfast, I gave a talk entitled:

How to Get a Date and Keep a Wife.

It was really fun pulling into the parking lot before dawn and seeing so many cars already there. When I walked into the room where the breakfast was held, the line was out the door!

 
 

The program started with the guys singing two hymns together. Man, I love hearing a room full of men singing together! Here are 2 brief videos I recorded with my iPhone.

 
 
 
 

My goal is to talk about practical things that will help Christian men thrive in our culture.

So, you had to be there, but one of the things we discussed is the importance of strength, particularly grip strength. Virtually every man can improve his grip strength. So, the links below are some things I personally am using. You might want something harder or easier, so consider accordingly.

 
 

Equipment for Improving Grip Strength

 
 
 
 

And you can’t beat the good ole Farmer’s Carry:

 

Good luck, gents!

 

P.S. Here’s the handout I distributed. See if you can fill-in the blanks yourself.

P.P.S. Devoted readers will recall a similar post last year. Sometimes it’s just good to repeat yourself!

P.P.P.S. If you are receiving this over email, it’s because you signed up for my general Andrew Forrest Newsletter. In addition to occasions posts here, I also post every weekday in the Bible section of my website, and if you are subscribed to my Daily Bible newsletter, you should received those posts in your inbox every weekday at 4:00 AM Central. As always, feel free to unsubscribe at any time.

 

George W. Bush in Running Shoes

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The most important things a leader does is provide clarity.

Clarity trumps pretty much everything else, but it’s very difficult to achieve.

Clarity is difficult because it requires a leader to know his own mind—something that rarely comes without a lot of reflection—and then it requires the leader express his mind in ways that others can easily understand and remember.

All this takes a lot of work.

But it is worth it.

Nothing is more important in leadership than clarity.

 
 

I don't know why the Lord has brought us to Asbury, but I know this: there is work to do.

I didn't move here to just mail it in and draw down on capital stored up by the folks who have come before me; nope—it’s time to build.

 

As I said in my first sermon, it’s actually very simple:

In life you are either building on what has come before, or you drawing down on that inheritance. There is no in-between.

You’re either taking what you’ve been given and doing more with it, or else you are squandering what you’ve been given and wasting it.

You don’t light a lamp only to hide it under a bushel basket.

You don’t get a talent only to bury it.

NO.

You do something with what you’ve been given.

 
 

So, last week after the vote at Asbury towards disaffiliation, I put on a pair of neon orange running shoes as a way of telling folks that we’re going to get to work—we’re not going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs.

(I even wrote a blog post about this: “Buckle Up, Buttercup: Let’s Get Ready to Run”.)

 
 

Imagine my surprise when I showed up to our Tuesday evening Administrative Council board meeting—the chief governance board for the entire church—only to find that the entire board had colluded behind my back and had shown up wearing their running shoes!

 
 
 

I know it seems like a small thing, but I was really touched and taken aback by the gesture. I’m the new guy and I know folks are still trying to figure out what I’m about and if I can be trusted. For them to show up in their running shoes tells me that they are ready to run.

Let’s go.

And by the way, I’m going to wear running shoes with my suit tomorrow morning.

 
 

I don’t really care if I preach to 50 people or 5,000—to me it’s the same thing. I don’t get nervous in a bigger room or feel more comfortable in a smaller room. So, preaching to a bigger congregation on Sundays doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. In fact, preaching to more folks has never been a goal of mind, and is absolutely not why I left Texas to move to Oklahoma. What is a goal of mine is to do the most with what I’ve been given. To run hard, in other words.

The biggest change for me personally in moving here is not the size of the congregation on Sundays but the size of the staff I’m supposed to lead: about 70 folks (I think!).

 
 

The staff is understandably nervous and uncertain about the future, since my predecessor here, the Rev. Tom Harrison, was senior pastor for 29 years! Everything seems different, and I know that folks are unsure how to proceed and how to make decisions.

 
 
“This is the time of year when I always order green popsicles for the next summer. Are we even DOING green popsicles any more?”
— Made-up Staff Member
 
 

The most important thing I can provide our church is clarity.

And so I’ve given a lot of thought about how I can provide clarity to the staff and let them know I trust them to make decisions.

In short:

I’m asking each of our staff members to become George W. Bush in running shoes.

 
 

[I know I have a fair number of pastors who read this blog, so the following is a summary of a presentation I gave to our staff this week to help them feel confident in making decisions and taking ownership.]

 
 

Friends,

As I told you at staff meeting on Tuesday, I know everything is strange these days and folks are wondering, “What should I do about X or Y now that we have a new senior pastor?”

My simple answer:

Channel your inner George W. Bush.

 
 
 
 

That is, just go for it. Become “The Decider.” (One of my favorite Bush-isms.)

What follows is a simple rubric for making decisions that I hope you’ll save and to which you’ll refer back from time to time. 

 
 

How to Make Decisions at Asbury

Here’s what I want you to know:

 
 

I trust your judgment.  And you were hired to do stuff.  So, don’t be afraid.

I would rather have you make bold decisions and mess them up than be paralyzed by fear of failure.

 
 

So, to paraphrase George W. Bush:

 
 

Go for it!

 
 

And this is how I want you to make decisions.

When faced with a decision, I want you to first ask:

 
 
 

This is how to do that:

  1. Pursue Excellence—make decisions that help us pursue excellence. Put that mint on the pillow, baby.

 
 

2. Provide Clarity—make it clear what folks are supposed to do or where they are supposed to go.

 
 
 

The way to ensure you are both pursuing excellence and clarity is through

 
 

Which is a very practical way of fulfilling the Great Commandment, anyway.

 
 
 

In summary:

 
 

I trust you to make decisions. And if we get those decisions wrong, guess what?

We’ll repent and redo. No worries.

 
 

And Please Please Please Please Please Hear This

MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN* TO YOU

 
 

*Now, my door will not always literally be “open.” (I keep it closed as a way to help me focus.)

But unless the blinds on my office door are closed, you are always always free to come in and visit and ask a question, etc.

Always.

Please don’t hesitate to come in. If I’m in a meeting, then I won’t be able to talk, but otherwise I’d love to see you for any reason.

In fact, I’d probably prefer an in-person visit to an email or a text—it’s usually more efficient. You are also welcome to call my desk phone, though I don’t really know how to use it yet. 🤦🏻‍♂️

 
 

Friends, there’s a lot of great work to do. The Lord isn’t done with us yet, which means he has work for us to do.

Let’s go.

It’s time to run.

 
 

—Andrew

 

P.S. If you’ve read this far and are an Asburian, I’d love to have you join me tomorrow—let’s wear our running shoes together. Literally.

 

Buckle Up, Buttercup: Let's Get Ready to Run

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Asbury’s members voted today to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.

A brief post on what’s next.

 
 

Results of Today’s Church Conference

The standards for today’s church conference were set by the Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Only in-person voting was permitted. Ballots were distributed prior to the 2 PM conference start and then collected around 2:30 PM.

1,637 votes cast in-person this afternoon:

  • 6 ABSTAIN

  • 26 NO

  • 1,605 YES

The motion to disaffiliate passed with 98.05% of the vote.

 
 

This Was Asbury’s 2nd “Vote”

Starting on March 6 and concluding on March 12, Asbury held an electronic vote of its members to ratify actions its board had taken to unilaterally disaffiliate. For reasons that I don’t need to go into here, that vote was not considered binding by the Oklahoma UMC. But, for purposes of comparison, the results of that vote are instructive. It was kinda a straw poll, it now seems.

1,636 electronic ballots submitted over the course of that week in March.

  • 48 NO

  • 1,588 YES

The March electronic vote had 97.07% voting YES, March 6-12.

 
 

What Happens Next?

Today’s vote will need to be ratified by a special session of the Oklahoma Annual Conference on Friday, October 21. Two weeks before that meeting, Asbury will wire agreed-upon exit fees to an escrow account; if the special session approves the disaffiliation, 10 days after that meeting, Asbury will become an independent church.

The specifics of what happens after that I don’t know. We will take our time and prayerfully discern where we’re supposed to end up.

But this I do know:

 

Natalie Maines was right:

Buckle Up, Buttercup: It’s Time to Run

 
 

Our church governance board has led us to this point because they believe that disaffiliation will enable Asbury to do even more effective ministry in the future.

I personally have no intention of doing anything but pushing hard into that future.

As the meeting closed today, I made a point of putting on my neon orange running shoes and telling the folks who’d waited around for the results that it was time to run.

 
 
 
 

Allow me to further mix my metaphors:

We’re going to drop the hammer.

We’re going to push the pedal hard.

We’re going all in.

 
 

In short:

Buckle up, Buttercup: Let’s Get Ready to Run.

 
 
 
 

P.S. Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool. Could have also gone with that one….

 
 

Preaching, Teaching, Livestream Schedule, Plus Pics

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Tomorrow is my first “normal” Sunday at Asbury, as last Sunday was unusual for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it was one big combined service for the entire church. Last Sunday was a really fun day; scroll down for a bunch of pics from my family’s first Sunday at Asbury.

I’m going to continue to introduce myself tomorrow with another sermon that will speak to what I want my ministry at Asbury to be about. (We’ll kick off our fall series through the Book of Genesis next week. BOOM.)

My topic tomorrow? The surest way to blessing that I know.

 
 
 

[Note that I’m having trouble embedding the sermon video, so if you are reading this as email and get an error message click on “Watch on YouTube” to see it.]

 

How do we truly show gratitude?

Everything in life was given to us by those who have come before us, gifts of God given again to us.

What do we do now?

That was my topic for my first Sunday at Asbury.

 
 

Normal Sunday Schedule

  • 8:00 AM in the Chapel. Traditional, small service with organ.

  • 9:30 AM in the Sanctuary. Traditional. Choir and orchestra. Biggest service.

  • 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary. Modern. Band.

All services are livestreamed.

 

New Thursday Schedule!

We had our first-ever Thursday night service this past week. That’s also the plan going forward.

  • 6:00 PM in the Chapel. Relaxed, casual service.

(I’ve asked that we NOT stream nor publish the Thursday evening service. In terms of my preaching calendar, Thursdays precede Sundays; i.e., I’ll preach the same version—or hopefully a much better version!—of my Thursday sermon each following Sunday.)

 
 

Livestream Info

There are three different options for the Asbury livestream.

  1. www.asburytulsa.org. Click on “Watch Live” on the main page.

  2. Facebook: the “Asbury Tulsa” page.

  3. YouTube: the “Asbury Tulsa” channel.

The feed will go live a good amount of time before the hour, so tune in early.

 
 

My Preaching Schedule This Fall

I will be preaching every week* this fall at the schedule above: Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.

*With two exceptions!

I will be visiting Sunday school classes at Asbury on 10/16 and 11/27, so though I’ll be at church I will NOT be preaching on either 10/16 or 11/27, nor the Thursdays preceding those dates.

Live out of town and wanna visit? We’d love to have you! (Particularly if you have a Texas passport.)

 
 

My Teaching Schedule This Fall

I’m teaching four churchwide Bible studies on the Book of Genesis this fall in the Chapel.

Wednesdays, 6:30 PM

  • 8/17

  • 8/31

  • 10/12

  • 10/26

Each study will be livestreamed.

 

I’m also speaking next Saturday (8/20) at the training event for the leaders of the Asbury Discipleship Communities. My topic? “How to Prepare Folks for Negative World”.

 
 

Pics from My Family’s First Sunday at Asbury

 
 
 
 
 
 

(Look closely: my little daughter is staring down the photographer in the two above pics!)

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Last Chapter, and the Next One

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It’s been two months since my last Sunday at Munger; tomorrow is my first Sunday at Asbury.

It’s been a strange summer, as I’ve not felt I really belonged anywhere, that I was neither fish nor fowl, so to speak.

So, it will feel good to get started tomorrow morning.

But before this next chapter begins, I want to put a pin in my memories of that last Munger Sunday.

 
 

That last Sunday (June 5, 2022) was golden; it was perfect, just perfect. And though there were tears, the entire morning was just filled with gratitude and joy—the Lord has been so good to us.

Right as the first song began, I came under the tent to the front row where my son Jack was sitting and I was shocked to see my son’s great friend Austin standing there. I immediately started crying. Austin lives in another part of Dallas and his family doesn’t go to Munger, but the friendship between Austin and Jack since Kindergarten has been really sweet. And something about seeing Austin’s blond head there as we were all singing felt like a foretaste of glory—surprised by joy.

So, let this post serve as an ebenezer: God is good(er).

 
 

My Last Munger Sermon - “The Last Chapter”

Though it was certainly not my best sermon, I’m proud of my last Munger sermon—I really believe in what I said, and I’ve heard from several folks over the summer how my bottom line has been helpful to them, facing the loss of a loved one or inexplicable difficulty or even life change:

 
“In the End, everything will be okay;
If it’s not okay, then it’s not the End;
And if it’s not the End, the Lord still has work for us to do.”
 

My family joined me on stage and I love how in the video you can see me and my son Jack crying against each other and the staff huddled around as Jake and Rodney pray over us.

 
 
 

That entire last weekend was just so special and I never want to forget it. So, below are some pics and videos from our last Munger weekend, including a bunch that I was able to take from the stage, both during rehearsal and during the service itself.

[Note: If you are reading this in your email inbox, it might be easier to view the videos if you click over and read this post on my blog, as the videos are all embedded there.]

 
 

That Last Week

 
 

Jackie and I getting ready to lead our very last online morning prayer session live from White Rock Lake in East Dallas. I loved those mornings so much—such a sweet gift to be able to have him join me.

 
 
 

Our neighborhood changed a lot over the years in which we lived there—most of the changes were for the good, though of course not all of them.

 
 
 

Empty office.

 
 
 

Empty house.

 
 

Saturday Rehearsal

Some of my favorite Munger memories were our outdoor Easter services, under the big tent in Garrett Park, but we hadn’t held any of those since before the pandemic, and when my colleague Melissa suggested we have one big service for my family’s last Sunday, I was all for it.

One of the things I loved most about Munger was walking around while our band was rehearsing. So I made a point to walk over to Garrett Park on Saturday just to hear and see—so glad I brought my phone with me.

Don’t skip the videos—they are short (all less than a minute) and so so great. So much joy!

[Again, if you are one of my newsletter subscribers, it will be easier to view the videos by reading this post on my blog itself.]

 
 

I took this pic as I walked over to Garrett Park on Saturday for rehearsal. Thank you, Lord, for Munger in my life.

 
 
 

I couldn’t help singing along: “Let your love flow….”

 
 
 

Love hearing the trombone and the guitars working together.

 
 
 

Wait for the song to drop: “Let the light from the lighthouse….”

 
 
 
 

That Last Sunday

I got up early that last Sunday and went for a walk in the dark up Swiss Avenue, as I’d done thousands of times before. I loved that time in the dark, totally alone, walking and thinking over my sermon for the day.

 
 

How many miles have I walked up those beautiful blocks? We were so fortunate to have lived there.

 
 
 

I love this song and whenever I hear it in the future I’ll think of our band warming up that last Munger Sunday.

 
 
 

Oh man. At 10 seconds Kelly Riley drops in with the chorus. He’s the best and this was so fun!

 
 
 

Speaking of fun, this was the last song the band played before the service began: “Oh When the Saints….” Love love love the trombone.

 
 
 

I love the simplicity of this song:

“For God so loved the world that he gave us

His one and only Son to save us….”

 
 
 

Amen. How great to hear the entire congregation gathered singing:

“Oh there’s nothing better than you….”

 
 
 

“Because He Lives” brings back so many memories of our Munger Easter services under the tent over the years. Grateful we got to sing it one last time together.

 
 

Last Munger Sunday - Recap Video

Some Munger folks made this re-cap video for me of that last Sunday. Such a special gift.

 
 
 

Goodbye House, Goodbye Church, Goodbye Neighborhood

We left Texas the afternoon of our last Sunday and made the drive to Tulsa. It just seemed right to finish our final service, say goodbye, and hit the road.

 
 

We loved our old hundred-year-old house so much. Our children never knew anyplace different. It was good to us.

 
 
 

No one could have been kinder to us than our sweet neighbors whom we love so much—they were our grandparents-across-the-street. One last swing on the rope swing in their front yard.

 
 
 

We came over and prayed in the church one last time, all by ourselves. I’ll never stop being grateful for our time at Munger.

 
 
 

No keys on my keyring!

 
 

The Next Chapter Begins

So, after the last chapter, the next one begins: tomorrow is our first Sunday at our new church.

And the folks here cannot have been kinder. Asbury has a billboard contract around the city and, just as they had a campaign to honor the Rev. Tom Harrison, my predecessor who retired after 29 years at Asbury, they started a new one to welcome me! My wife can’t stop making fun of me for it.

 
 

But remember, what goes around comes around. Elaine made fun of me for my billboard, and then this happened:

She and the kids were uniform-shopping for school this week when a photographer came up and took their picture. Guess who was on the front page of the Tulsa World this past Friday morning?!

 

“The Tulsa World.” Friday, August 5, 2022.

 

The poor people of Tulsa can’t get away from us.

 
 

“Live From Tulsa It’s Sunday Morning!”

Tomorrow morning we’re having only one service at Asbury, 10:00 AM CDT. I know there are a bunch of Texans in town to support our family on our first Sunday and it will be so nice to see some familiar faces in the congregation—be sure to get to church early.

I also know there are lots of folks praying for us who won’t be there. Now, some of you know my glib little phrase about online church:

“online church isn’t.”

I say that because I think it’s really important that we gather in person as the people of God. However I also know that lots of folks who wish they could be there live far away. Our parents, e.g., will be tuning into the livestream tomorrow.

So here is the livestream info for Asbury:

There are three different options.

  1. www.asburytulsa.org. Click on “Watch Live” on the main page.

  2. Facebook: the “Asbury Tulsa” page.

  3. YouTube: the “Asbury Tulsa” channel.

The feed will go live a good amount of time before the hour, so tune in early.

 
 

Alright, Fast Eddie

Tomorrow starts a new chapter in my family’s life. A year ago none of this would have seemed remotely likely to me, which leads me to conclude that the Lord has brought us here for a reason.

 

So tomorrow morning, right before I walk into the Asbury Sanctuary for the first time I’m going to look at myself in the mirror and say: Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.

 
 

"Alright Fast Eddie, Let's Play Some Pool"

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There’s this great scene early in the 1961 movie The Hustler: Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) and Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) have been playing pool for 25 hours straight, and Fast Eddie has been winning—he’s been wiping the floor with the Fat Man, and is over $11,000 up. There’s a break in the action, and Minnesota Fats goes to the washroom and freshens up. He combs his hair, cleans his fingernails, straightens his tie.

Then he comes out, dries off his hands, slides into his suitjacket—it’s a beautiful three piece suit he’s wearing—fixes his boutonniere on his lapel, and has the steward pour a little bit of talcum powder on his hands.

He looks absolutely magnificent, the picture of masculine elegance, calm, cool, controlled.

And then he looks at Eddie and he says,

“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

 
 

Although they’ve been playing for 25 hours straight, and although Fats has been losing for 25 hours straight, Fast Eddie doesn’t want to stop until Fats calls it quits. Which he doesn’t.

And that moment in the washroom is the turning point. From the moment Fats fixes that boutonniere and chalks up his hands, he begins to win. And Fast Eddie is ruined.

 
 

I’d seen that movie as a college student, but it wasn’t until I read Colin Powell’s book It Worked for Me that I remembered that scene. Those words, “Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool” had always stuck in General Powell’s mind and he talks in the book how he would use them whenever he had a difficult or momentous task in front of him, e.g., testifying before Congress, which he did many many times.

He recalls in the book how he would go to the men’s room right before he was due to speak, wash his hands, look at himself in the mirror, and say:

“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

He says that that little ritual would help calm him down to focus on the task at hand.

 
 

I have always loved that anecdote.

And though I’m sure it sounds silly to you, I started doing the same thing before I would preach on a big Sunday—say Christmas or Easter—or had a difficult meeting or was nervous about a speaking engagement.

Of course I pray and ask the Lord for help, but it would also kinda give me a little private smile to wash my hands, look at myself in the mirror, and say,

“Alright Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

 
 

I begin a new job in the morning, and it feels as if I’m beginning a new chapter in my life, too.

Twenty years ago, I got my first job out of college.

And here I am starting all over again tomorrow.

I feel kinda like a kid going into a new school. (Lord, be with my children as they have their first days of school later this month.)

But, I really think the Lord has been sheepdogging us to Tulsa, which means he has work for us to do.

So, tomorrow morning before I leave the house, I’m going to brush my teeth, look myself in the mirror, and say,

“Fast Eddie, let’s play some pool.”

 
 

I'll be Live from Lakeside in the Morning!

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I’m Preacher for the Week at a Victorian vacation community on Lake Erie called Lakeside Chautauqua.

  • I preach tomorrow morning (7/24), 10:30 AM EDT (9:30 AM CENTRAL for you Texas and Oklahoma folks!) for the Sunday worship service.

  • Then I teach a Bible study each morning, 9-10 AM, Monday-Thursday.

  • And I give a short talk on Tuesday evening.

My theme for the week is the Prologue of the Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-11 (Creation to Babel). Can’t wait!

The Sunday worship service will be live-streamed. Would love to have you join.

 

Here’s the Link for the Sunday Livestream.

Remember, 9:30 CENTRAL, which is 10:30 AM EDT here in Ohio.

 

A Prayer For Our Nation

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[Photo taken by yours truly, Sunday evening, July 3, 2022. Colington Island, North Carolina.]

 
 

For Our Nation

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

—from The Book of Common Prayer

 

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

 

God Bless You, Jake and Rosemary!

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[Our last Munger Sunday together, Pentecost 2022.]

 

Today is the last Munger Sunday on staff for Jake Porter and Rosemary Cole.

Jake (who is preaching today) was on the Munger staff for 9 1/2 years. Rosey was on staff for 6 years.

I am so grateful for them both and hate that I can’t be there today to thank them in person.

The challenge for me is not knowing what to say about them, the challenge is to keep it brief!

Jake Porter is a man of complete integrity. I’d like to apply to him what Jesus says about Nathaniel in John 1—”a man in whom there is no deceit.” I know no one more ready to be honest about himself. He loves the Lord, his family, his church, and his friends is a whole-hearted way. He will readily take a burden on himself in order to bless someone else.

Rosemary Cole is a woman whom I completely trust. She was my assistant and I can’t say anything better than this: when she was meeting or talking or corresponding with someone on my behalf, I knew that that person would feel valued, respected, and preferred. Working with her was a precious gift! She is a modest, humble, background player who only wants to make other people better.

 
 

Well done, friends. I am so grateful for you. Your constant kindness to me made my life sweeter.

 
 
“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
— 1 Thessalonians 2:8
 

This Video Broke My Heart All Over Again

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This video just broke my heart all over again.

I haven’t been able to write about my last Munger Sunday—already two weeks ago!—and I’ll have more to say soon. But this afternoon someone surprised me with this beautiful highlight video from that day and as my little daughter and I watched it, we started crying all over again.

That last Sunday and those last 12 years were sweet beyond measure, and I am so grateful to have been able to share that time with the people we loved so much.

 
 
 

Rachel Refusing to Be Comforted

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Matthew’s Gospel tells us of the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem:

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”
— Matthew 2:16

Out of all the things Matthew could say next, he chooses to use a heartbreaking quotation from the prophet Jeremiah:

“Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

’A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”
— Matthew 2:17-18 (quoting Jeremiah 31:15)

Jeremiah is speaking of a time of grief and horror in Israel, and he is using the story of Rachel from Genesis to make his point. Rachel is the beloved second wife of the Patriarch Jacob; she compares herself jealously to her fertile sister Leah, who has four strapping sons before Rachel is able to conceive. Rachel ends up having a son named Joseph, and then dies in childbirth as she is laboring to deliver her second son, Benjamin. (The baby survives.)

Jeremiah poetically recalls Rachel’s suffering and uses Rachel to represent all of Israel; we the readers imagine a woman in difficult labor, drawing her last breath in screams and terror.

Matthew draws upon Jeremiah’s screaming image for his understated and piercing commentary on the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem:

“Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”

“Rachel…refusing to be comforted.”

I’ve always thought that those lines were the heartbreakingly right way to address the murders and the misery at Bethlehem—not with a sentiment or reflection or attempt to do anything with the horror, but with just a simple statement: there is nothing at that moment that will bring any comfort or relief from the living nightmare.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.